This is your complete guide to answering the question, “What is the Disneyland Lightning Lane service?” The Lightning Lane at Disneyland can be a bit confusing. But the most important thing to know is that there are two things called the Lightning Lane: the name of the skip-the-line service and the name of the physical queue. So, while you can purchase the Lightning Lane Multi, Single, or Premier Pass, you can also use the pass by entering through the physical Lightning Lane at Disneyland. If you’re familiar with the old Fast Pass system at Disneyland or the even more recent Genie Plus service, you’ll be familiar with how to use this version of the park’s skip-the-line service and queue.
So, if you want to learn more about Disneyland’s Lightning Lane, keep reading!
The Lightning Lane service at Disneyland is a premium add-on to your ticket. Prices will range anywhere from $32 – $400 per person per day, depending on when you go and the expected crowd levels. If you want to get the cheapest Disneyland Lightning Lane with the lowest crowds, take a look at our FREE Disneyland Crowd Calendar to start planning your trip! There are three versions of passes within the Lightning Lane system: Multi Pass, Single Pass, and Premier Pass. Disneyland’s Multi-Pass Lightning Lane is similar to the old FAST PASS or Genie+ service, where you can ride multiple attractions by using the physical Lightning Lane. The Single Pass Lightning Lane at Disneyland allows you one-time access to a specific ride through the Lightning Lane, and the Premier Pass grants you access to any Lightning Lane once at your convenience.
If you have or are considering purchasing a park hopper ticket at Disneyland, the pass will cover both parks at no additional fee. You will also have access to unlimited digital Photo Pass downloads when you purchase the Lightning Lane Multi Pass!
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You can purchase a Lightning Lane Pass at Disneyland starting at $32 and going up to $400 per person per day. This is quite the price range, but it encompasses three different pass types that help you avoid the standby line and get you on the attraction with virtually no wait time. You can expect the Multi-Pass to cost anywhere from $32-$39, the Single-Pass to cost between $18-$35, and the Premier Pass between $300-$400 per person per day. How much you pay for a Lightning Lane service will depend on what day you plan on visiting the parks. Like the Disney Ticketing system, the Lightning Lane prices are based on a date-based pricing model. This means the price will change depending on the time of year, day, or expected crowd levels.
Disneyland Multi-Pass: $32 – $39
Single Pass Lightning Lane: Radiator Springs Racers, $18 – $25, Star Wars Rise of the Resistance, $26 – $35
Disneyland’s Premier Lightning Lane: $300 – $400
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You can purchase your Disneyland Multi Pass when you buy your ticket or on the day of your visit. As for the Single Pass Lightning Lanes, you can only purchase this pass type once you are inside the park. You can begin to book your Disneyland Lightning Lane selections via the My Disney Experience App once you’re in the park. To book a return time, you can either select the attraction you wish to experience on the map or through the Lightning Lane “Tip Board.” To access the Tip Board, tap the three lines in the bottom right corner of your screen, then tap “LL Rides, Shows, & Lightning Lane Entry.”
After you select your attraction, you will be given a return time for that attraction. You can book one Lightning Lane reservation at a time and can make another selection after one hour or once you use your previous Lightning Lane selection, whichever comes first.
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Purchasing the Multi Pass version of Disneyland’s Lightning Lane gives guests access to book an entry through the physical Lightning Lane and skip the standby queue. In the My Disney Experience app, you will have a personal skip-the-line service waiting for you to book available attractions to have shorter waits. Whether you’re planning on staying in one park the whole day or park hopping to the other, you will be able to use the Lightning Lane Multi Pass service in any park you visit!
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Single Pass Lightning Lane selections are reserved for the most popular attractions in the parks. The attractions specifically for the Single Pass Lightning Lane are not going to be included in your Multi Pass purchase. These are completely separate, a la carte style, with different prices for each ride. These prices will vary by day and are in no way guaranteed to be one set price.
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So, what are the best Disneyland LL strategies for fully understanding how to use it? Here are the best ones we could come up with since vacations can be stressful, and these extra planning tools can be quite confusing!
This is a big Disneyland Tip of ours to make sure you aren’t missing any time. By stacking your Lightning Lanes as soon as you possibly can, you can save more time during the day by not waiting in line. Even with all of the rules in place, if you strategically book your Lightning Lanes, you can easily stack them to make sure you’re set for the day. Stacking is when you consistently book Lightning Lanes as they come available for later in the day, creating a stack of lightning lanes ready to go beforehand.
One of the greatest Disneyland Lightning Lane strategies we can give you is to keep refreshing your options by modifying your existing return time. Some guests using the program get discouraged when they open their app and don’t see the attractions they want. One of the most important tips we can give you is to book an available ride and then keep refreshing the modify button!
Sometimes, it takes 5-10 minutes to refresh the screen of Lightning Lane selections to get the attraction you want. That is because Lightning Lane is a live system that is constantly changing, so Lightning Lanes are opening up and getting booked all the time. The app can be glitchy, and you might have to constantly refresh, but something should eventually populate for a new Lightning Lane selection.
Check out wait times all day on the Disneyland App to see which attractions are more popular than others that day. If a wait is under 30 minutes, and there are other attractions with higher waits, we would recommend using your pass for those instead. While you’re waiting for higher wait attractions that you’ve gotten a Lightning Lane for, you can ride lower wait attractions while filling up the time between Lightning Lanes.
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A: The Lightning Lane is a premium, pay-to-skip-the-line service. It is intended to allow guests to book passes to use the physical Lighting Lane at Disneyland. For a one-time fee, guests will have access to book return times for the Lightning Lane entrance at certain attractions in the park. If you’re looking to cut down on waits significantly, this may be your best option.
A: At Disneyland, you can use Disney Genie+ on these rides: Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones Adventure, “it’s a Small World”, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, Space Mountain, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.
Our Disneyland Crowd Calendar is the best tool to help you get the most out of your time in the parks. We break down park crowds, park hours of operation, ticket prices, and average temperature. We also break down the best time to visit Disneyland based on specific times of the year and special events.
Don’t forget to check out our wonderful friends over at Theme Park Today, as well!