The Genie is out of the bottle, and out of
A Brief History of Disney ‘s Skip the Line Service
As Rafiki warned us all, “the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.” So, we’ll suffer through a little bit for some Dis-tory – I promise, it’ll be brief.
Fastpass
The original Fastpass system was introduced at
It was a ground breaking idea that many theme parks implemented as a paid service, shortly after. The system wasn’t perfect, as it required running back and forth between attractions all day to secure the Fastpass and then return back. Guests weren’t able to see the return windows currently being printed before requesting theirs and return windows couldn’t be adjusted.
How far we’ve come, right?
Fastpass+
But
The Fastpass+ system had 2 major changes. First off, we went digital! The eldest sibling no longer had to run around from ride to ride, securing those sweet sweet Fastpass tickets for the whole family. Instead, we could book everything through the
But the biggest upset was the implementation of advanced booking. Guests staying on property at a
This is also when things started to get more complicated though. Attractions in each park were separated into 2 tiers. The most popular attractions, Splash Mountain, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Frozen Ever After, were placed in Tier 1 with all others in Tier 2. The problem was that guests could only choose up to one attraction from Tier 1 and up to two attractions from Tier 2.
Genie+ and Individual Lightening Lanes
And then 2020 came and everything closed. With so much uncertainty it was unclear when the parks would re-open and what it would even look like. And when it finally happened, things looked a lot different. Reservations required, limited capacity and no more Fastpass or Fastpass+.
It wasn’t long though until
Genie+ is the first paid skip the line service offered at
Additionally, within each
NEW Lightening Lane Passes
Which brings us to today, the latest skip the line system – Lightening Lane Passes. There are (2) different types of Passes; Individual and Multi-pass.
Lightening Lane Multipass
For the most part, the Lightening Lane Multipass is pretty similar to Genie+ with a few additions from Fastpass+. Lightening Lane Multipass is a paid service that allows you to book return windows, digitally, for your favorite rides and attractions at
The primary skip service rule, known as the 2 hour rule, is still applicable. Once guests have received a Lightening Lane Multipass Reservation they must wait 2 hours or until that return time to book their next reservation, which ever comes first.
Advanced Booking Lightening Lane Multipass Reservations
The biggest change is the return of pre-booking for both on and off property hotel guests, within the United States and Canada. If you reside outside of these countries, I’m very sorry but, this will not be applicable.
Beginning 30 days before your arrival date, guests can begin purchasing Lightening Lane Multipass and advanced booking experiences. You’ll be able to book for your entire trip, up to (14) days, all at once.
Everyone else can pre-purchase and reserve return windows just (3) days in advance). In both instances Lightening Lanes reservations must be within one park.
Additionally, guests will not be able to make another selection until after their first Lightening Lane has been used. At this time you’ll be able to make a selection from a different park, if you have a park hopper or annual pass.
However, attraction tier groups have returned.
Magic Kingdom Attraction Tiers
Tier One
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Space Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Tier Two
- The Barnstormer
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- ‘it’s a small world’
- Mad Tea Party
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
Epcot Attraction Tiers
Tier One
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’ Around the World
Tier Two
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Spaceship Earth
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Hollywood Studios Attraction Tiers
Tier One
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
Tier Two
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
- Disney Junior Play & Dance!
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania!
Animal Kingdom Attraction Tiers
Currently, there are no attraction tiers at Animal Kingdom for Lightening Lane Multipass. But, here’s a list of all the attractions included with this service.
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Feathered Friends in Flight
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond!
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safari’s
- Na’vi River Journey
We'll be releasing revised Strategy Guides for each park in the coming weeks. Please subscribe to get the latest info and tips for your next vacation.
Lightening Lane Single Pass
The most popular rides, up to 2 in each park, will not be available through the Lightening Lane Mulitpass. Instead, guests will be able to pre-purchase up to (2) Lightening Lane Single Pass reservations (previously known as Individual Lightening Lanes).
Magic Kingdom
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
Epcot
Hollywood Studios
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Animal Kingdom
- Avatar Flight of Passage
New Lightening Lane Stragies
This brand new announcement from
With so many changes, we’re working at the speed of light to design new park guides, strategy recommendations, and tips to help you make the most of your
Book It and Buy It
We predict a high level of guest buy in with these changes, and it’s understandable. Being able to pick and secure your favorite attractions before purchasing a Multipass is amazing. It’s a guarantee that you and your family will get to do at least those 3 rides, and not have to race around to do it.
But that means that Lightening Lane Reservations will go fast. In the days of Fastpass+ it was nearly impossible to book a second Tier 1 attraction on the day of your visit.
Stay on Property
Disney World is amazing, for so many different reasons. But my favorite thing about
Save Must-Do’s for the End of Your Trip
Not only can on property guests book Lightening Lane Reservations 30 days before arrival, they can book for their entire stay – up to 14 days. If you are lucky enough to book a 2-week trip, that means you can pre-book 44 days in advance.
It also means I want you to adopt me, but that’s a different article.
Chances of securing the most popular reservations will be higher at the end of your trip, so try and plan them for those days.
Yes, We Have to Pre-Purchase the Single Passes Too
The one thing I dislike about this new system is pre-purchasing Lightening Lane Single Pass. As I mentioned, the Fastpass+ system was extremely popular and the most in-demand attractions would quickly book up. Now,
While we don’t think pre-purchase of the Single Pass will be quote as popular, I also wouldn’t take the chance for rides without a standby entrance. For rides like Cosmic Rewind and Tron Lightcycle / Run there are only (2) options: virtual queue or Lightening Lane Single Pass.
There’s a fair chance that Single Passes will sell out on busy days. At that point, if you’re not able to secure a virtual queue spot you won’t get to ride. If these 2 attractions are must-do’s for your
Non-Refundable
It is extremely important to note that neither the Multipass or Single Passes are refundable. If your trip get canceled or rescheduled, you will not get a refund for these purchases and will need to re-purchase if you are visiting on different days.
What do you think of these latest changes to
