Former Cast Members Reveal the WORST Lightning Lane Mistakes They've Seen People Make in Disney World

We’ve heard some WILD stories from Disney World Cast Members over the years.

Kali River Rapids Lightning Lane

After chatting with former Cast Members on the team, we’ve learned that they’ve witnessed guests making some pretty avoidable Lightning Lane mistakes that ended up costing them valuable park time. The good news is that once you know what NOT to do, you can skip the headaches and actually make the most of your Lightning Lanes. Here are two of the biggest mistakes Cast Members have witnessed time and time again.

Wasting Lightning Lanes on Rides That Never Have Long Waits

This is probably the mistake that makes Cast Members shake their heads the most. They’ve seen countless guests burn through their Lightning Lane selections on attractions that consistently have wait times under 20 minutes.

Zootopia: Better Zoogether! Lightning Lane

We’re talking about rides like The Seas with Nemo & Friends, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, or Mickey’s PhilharMagic. Sure, these are great attractions, but you absolutely don’t need a Lightning Lane for them. Cast Members have watched guests skip right past a 10-minute standby wait because they had a Lightning Lane, while simultaneously missing out on the chance to use that selection for something like Test Track or Slinky Dog Dash.

Slinky Dog Dash Lightning Lane

The smarter move is to check the wait times in the app before you book your Lightning Lanes for the day. If something typically hovers around 15-20 minutes or less, save your Lightning Lane for the rides that actually need them. Your future self will thank you when you’re breezing past the 90-minute standby line at Flight of Passage instead of the 10-minute wait at Figment.

Not Knowing You Can Modify Your Lightning Lane Reservations

So many guests have NO idea that they can actually modify their Lightning Lane times and selections after they’ve already booked them.

©Disney

Cast Members have witnessed guests showing up to attractions with Lightning Lanes at inconvenient times, complaining about the schedule, and not knowing that they could have easily made modifications through the app. Maybe your dining reservation got moved, or maybe you realized you’d rather hit a different attraction first. Whatever the reason, you’re not stuck with your original choices.

©Disney

You can modify both the time and the actual ride selection as long as there’s availability. Just open up the My Disney Experience app, find your Lightning Lane reservation, and look for the modify option. From there, you can pick a different time slot or even swap to a completely different attraction if your plans change.

Lightning Lane

The key is being flexible and checking back frequently, as new time slots can open up throughout the day when other guests modify or cancel their reservations.

At the end of the day, Lightning Lanes are supposed to make your Disney World experience better, not more stressful. Now that you know these two major mistakes to avoid, you’ll be way ahead of the game on your next trip. As always, stay tuned to DFB for more tips to help you maximize your park days!

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What Lightning Lane mistakes have you made in the past? Let us know in the comments below.