Disney World has a long history of skip-the-line systems. Back in the day, we had the paper FastPass system, which later transitioned to FastPass+.
Lightning Lane
Most recently, we saw Genie+ replaced by Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass. Not too long after, the pricey Lightning Lane Premier Pass was also introduced. And, with the new Lightning Lanes came an old problem that’s still aggravating Disney Adults to this day.
In July 2024, Disney Genie+ became Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Individual Lightning Lanes changed to Lightning Lane Single Pass. And, on October 30th, 2024, a third, all-inclusive option was introduced to Disney World hotel guests: Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
Lightning Lane
In addition to these changes, you can now:
- Make Lightning Lane plans before you’re in the parks, “for added confidence:”
- Choose experiences and times prior to purchasing, so you know exactly what you’re getting with your purchase;
- Book Lightning Lane passes for multiple vacation days, all at once, if you wish!
But, while Disney’s skip-the-line services have gone through many changes over the years, one thing has remained — and it’s still making Disney Adults MAD.
Lightning Lane at MuppetVision*3D
Regardless of which Lightning Lane pass you choose to purchase, they all function relatively similarly once it’s time to ride. Instead of hopping in the regular standby line, you’ll hop in the Lightning Lane instead. The Lightning Lane is shorter than standby, but you may still find yourself waiting for a time.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Lightning Lane
Typically, the Cast Member stationed near the ride loading area will let a chunk of Lightning Lane passengers through before pausing and letting some of the standby line through. Sounds fine, right? Well, yes, except when a ride starts back up again after being down temporarily.
Tron virtual queue sign
When this happens, Cast Members tend to show a preference for the Lightning Lane (since that’s what it’s for!) and will essentially let the entire line through before letting any of the standby line through. As you might have guessed, the folks waiting in the standby line don’t take too kindly to this and basically end up looking like that old meme of the guy with his hands on his hips. You know, this one:
Annoyed meme guy = standby line guests
Of course, there is one way you can avoid being hands-on-hips-meme-guy: by buying Lightning Lane passes for yourself! Depending on how many people are in your group and what sort of Disney World vacation you’re trying to have, Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Single Pass, or even the pricey Premier Pass might make sense.
In the meantime, we’ll be on the lookout for the latest updates from Disney World and more. Don’t forget to stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog so you don’t miss any news!
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The number of times I’ve seen rides down and hear people say ‘oh let’s buy a lightning lane for it later’ makes me sad – why pay more money to a company when they give you bad service?
I get it, we are all in an abusive relationship with Disney – we say we won’t give them all our money and then we do it anyway – but please just think about how we as consumers encourage their bad behaviour by saying ‘yeah, sure, I’ll give you money for a thing that was previously free’.
Remember when they tried to charge people for parking at resorts? They ditched that relatively quickly… What other changes could we see if we acted like a customers and not suckers?
Here endeth my rant.