Lightning Lane is the paid-for skip-the-line system used at the four theme parks in Walt Disney World. There are three variations of the Lightning Lane system: Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Lightning Lane Single Pass, and Lightning Lane Premier Pass. Premier Pass is essentially the highest tier — it allows you to use the  Lightning Lane queue at every available ride in the park you pay for one time without needing a reservation.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass is composed of several rides within each park. When you purchase Multi Pass, you can choose each of the designated Multi Pass rides for select times that are available. Also, when you purchase Multi Pass, you purchase it for the park you plan to start in, but then you can park hop after you’ve used your first selections. Lightning Lane Single Passes are for select rides only within each park, and you purchase these individually. Today, we’re going to focus on tips for securing your perfect Lightning Lane Multi Passes to guarantee a perfect day in Magic Kingdom when you only have 1 minute and 7 seconds to do so! Let’s go!

Before we dig into the tips for creating a perfect day in Magic Kingdom, let’s go over a few more crucial basics of Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass. First, you can plan your Lightning Lanes in advance. You can choose up to three Multi Pass experiences and arrival windows in advance, along with up to two Single Pass experiences.

Guests staying at a Disney World hotel and select other hotels can book their first three Multi Passes and two Single Passes 7 days in advance of their first day through the length of their stay up to 14 days. All other guests can book their Lightning Lanes 3 days in advance for the total number of valid admission days on their ticket. The booking window opens at 7 AM ET 7 or 3 days in advance (based on the above criteria).

Once you’re in the park and have used your first Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can then begin booking another. But the first three you get can be crucial for your entire day. You’ll likely want to try to reserve your top priority rides in advance to make sure you get them, because rides can run out of Lightning Lanes throughout the day (more on that later!).

Lightning Lane experiences and specific times can also sell out VERY quickly (like in 1 minute and 7 seconds) when you’re booking them in advance, so it’s imperative that you are prepped and ready to go on the first day you’re able to start reserving them. So let’s (finally) dive into our tips for doing that and creating your perfect day at Magic Kingdom!

Everything You Need to Know About Lightning Lanes in Disney World

Have a List of Ride Priorities and Other Reservation Times

We recommend planning ahead of time. Don’t wait until 7 AM ET to try to decide which experiences and times you want. Make a list based on priority of which rides are most important to you to ride, and another list with other reservation times you have for each day (such as table-service meals).

This way, you’ll know which rides to look for and which times to avoid.

Have a Good Game Plan for While You’re There

Having a plan for which rides are priorities for you to get Lightning Lanes for is easier if you have a good game plan prepped for when you’re actually in Magic Kingdom.

For example, if you plan to rope drop Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, then you can probably skip purchasing the Lightning Lane Single Pass for it. If you want to stay late for Extended Evening Hours (if you’re staying at a Deluxe Resort or select other hotel), then you might be able to skip grabbing a Lightning Lane for Jungle Cruise.

Pick Rides That Are More Likely To Disappear First

Once you get to Magic Kingdom and have used your first Lightning Lane, you can choose another Multi Pass experience. But your options of experiences and return times may be more limited once you’re officially at the park. That’s why we suggest picking rides in advance that are more likely to “sell out.”

Here’s a hypothetical example: Let’s say we’ve been watching the Magic Kingdom Lightning Lanes over the past week, leading up to when we can purchase ours, and keeping track of which rides are disappearing daily first. We’ll say Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has been the first to go, but Space Mountain continues to have times available throughout the day. When it’s our turn to purchase our advance Lightning Lanes, we’re going to pick Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and skip Space Mountain, since we’re pretty sure we’ll be able to grab that one while we’re there, but not necessarily Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

If you’re going to do this, you’ll most likely want to do your research ahead of time and watch the My Disney Experience app to see which Lightning Lanes are disappearing daily.

Be On My Disney Experience BEFORE 7 AM ET

This tip may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s one of the most important tips we have. If you want to secure those priority rides, you definitely want to be on the app BEFORE 7 AM ET.

You can purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass for Magic Kingdom and Single Pass for up to two rides right at 7 AM, so be sure you’re in the app and ready to make your selections at 7 AM.

If You Have 2 Days at Magic Kingdom Planned,

Get Your Lightning Lanes for Your Second Day First

If you know that you’ll be at Magic Kingdom twice during your trip, pick your second day’s Lightning Lanes first. This is because fewer people have access to those Lightning Lanes than to your first day’s, based on the 7-day and 3-day advance purchasing time frame.

This will give you more options on that second day than you’ll likely have on your first day. So your second day at Magic Kingdom might be more perfect than your first, and that’s okay!

Don’t Panic

Our last, but probably most important tip is DON’T PANIC. Yes, it’s exciting when you get the exact Lightning Lanes you were gearing for, but no matter what, you’re going to have a GREAT day at Magic Kingdom (Disney World is the Most Magical Place on Earth, right?). Plus, if you stay calm and don’t panic, you’re less likely to make a mistake or accidentally tap where you didn’t mean to.

When you’re choosing your Lighting Lanes for Magic Kingdom in advance, keep in mind that initially, you can only choose one of the following:

• Jungle Cruise
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Space Mountain
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

And two more — or all three — from this group:

• The Barnstormer
• 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
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

Once you’re in the park, these tiers go out the window, and you’re welcome to pick whichever Multi Pass experience you want next.

We hope these tips help you have a magical day at Magic Kingdom! It can be stressful to plan a Disney World vacation, but we’re here to make it easier. Hop over to the DFB Store to grab one of our guides, or check out our friends at Small World Vacations to help you plan your perfect vacation.

In the meantime, keep following DFB for more Disney news!

I Spent $131.68 for One Disney Skip the Line Pass and Immediately Regretted All My Lightning Lane Complaints

Do you like using Lightning Lane at Disney World? Let us know in the comments!