Is Lightning Lane Worth it at Disney World?

Is Lightning Lane Worth it at Disney World?

Is Lightning Lane Worth it at Disney World?

This article is your complete guide to the question, is Lightning Lane worth it at Disney World? As a general rule of thumb, we do find the Lightning Lane to be worth it if you end up saving 60 minutes for every $11 spent on the Disney Genie+ plus or premium Lightning Lane selections. We do believe this could be difficult to pull off for the Disney World Genie+ without the proper gameplan as Disney has come out to state that it’s intended to help guests skip 2-3 lines per day. However, it could be easier to get your money’s worth on the premium lightning lanes, which typically have a lower cost but higher average wait times.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you’re looking for the best time to visit Disney World check out our Disney Crowd calendar!

 Disney World Crowd Calendar

Is Lightning Lane Worth It at Disney World?

In general, we do find the Disney World Lightning Lane to be worth it if you end up saving 60 minutes for every $11 spent on the Disney Genie+ plus or premium Lightning Lane selections. The reason is that it typically costs the average guest $11.00 per hour to be in the Disney World parks. This is based on the price of a four-day Disney World ticket sold by The Park Prodigy divided over the course of a 12-hour day in the parks. So, for this reason, we believe guests should aim to save at least 60 minutes for every $11.00 spent on the Disney Genie+ or individual lightning lane. However, because Disney will only allow you to select one Disney Genie+ ride at a time unless it’s been more than 2-hours since your last selection and two individual lightning lanes per day, you must have a game plan to get the most out of it!

The average cost of the Disney World Genie+

• $27 per person per day (pricing does fluctuate based on day)

The average cost of the premium Lightning Lane Selections

• $17 per person per attraction (pricing does fluctuate based on day)

 

How much faster is Lightning Lane?

On average the lightning lane will always have a much shorter wait time compared to the standard Disney World line, but it usually combines with the regular line before the ride. As a result, it’s common to have a wait time of around 5-10 minutes, even when using the Lightning Lane. However, on the flip side, this is still substantially less than waiting in the regular queue, especially for some of the most popular rides which we will break down below.

Related Page: What is the Disney Lightning Lane? 

Best Rides to Use the Lightning Lane on at Disney World

As we discussed, one of the easiest ways to make the lightning lane worth it for your family at Disney World is to pick the rides with the highest average wait times first or average, saving more than 60 minutes per $11 spent. And since Disney will only allow you to select one Disney Genie+ ride at a time unless it’s been more than 2-hours since your last selection and two individual lightning lanes per day, you must have a game plan on which rides to select first.

Best Magic Kingdom Rides for Lightning Lane

• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: 76 Minutes on Average (Premium Lightning Lane)
• Peter Pan’s Flight: 61 Minute Wait on Average
• Jungle Cruise: 51 Minute Wait on Average
• Space Mountain: 52 Minute Wait on Average
• Tron Lightcycle Run: TBD as the ride moves away from virtual queue
• Haunted Mansion: 39 Minute Wait on Average
• Big Thunder Mountain: 38 Minute Wait on Average

Best EPCOT Rides for Lightning Lane

• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure: 79 Minute Wait on Average
• Frozen Ever After: 75 Minute Wait on Average
• Test Track: 64 Minute Wait on Average
• Soarin’: 43 Minute Wait on Average
• Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind: TBD as the ride moves away from virtual queue

Best Hollywood Studios Rides for Lightning Lane

• Slinky Dog Dash: 93 Minute Wait on Average
• Star Wars Rise of the Resistance: 82 Minute Wait on Average (Premium Lightning Lane)
• Tower of Terror: 62 Minute Wait on Average
• Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway: 56 Minute Wait on Average

Best Animal Kingdom Rides for Lightning Lane

• Avatar Flight of Passage: 98 Minute Wait on Average (Premium Lightning Lane)
• Na’vi River Journey: 60 Minute Wait on Average
• Kilimanjaro Safaris: 39 Minute Wait on Average

Related Page: Complete Guide to Extended Evening Hours at Disney World 

Is Genie Lightning Lane Worth It 2024 FAQ

What’s the difference between the Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane?

It’s also important to understand the differences between the Genie Plus and the Individual Lightning Lanes. The Genie+ gives guests the ability to choose from up to 40+ different attractions for the cost of $15-$22 per person per day. For the individual Lightning Lanes, guests can choose from one premium selection at each park, which can cost between $10-$17 per person to skip that ride. It’s also important to note that with the Disney Genie+ guests can typically only hold one Lightning Lane reservation at a time, however, they can continue to make their next Lightning Lane reservation once their current one is used. For the individual Lightning Lanes guests can also only hold one reservation at a time and can only make 2 total for that day.

Is Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance worth it?

One of the most popular questions we receive on this topic is, is Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance worth it? And as a general rule of thumb, we do consider the Lightning Lane to be worth it for Rise of the Resistance as guests will save up to 98 minutes on average at an additional cost of $16.00 per person. However, when you consider that it costs the average guest $11.00 per hour to be inside of any of the Disney World theme parks, we feel like the additional cost is worth it as you are receiving an equal amount of time back to enjoy on other Disney World rides.

What is Better Genie Plus or Lightning Lane?

Another very popular question we receive is, is it better to use the Genie Plus or individual lightning lane? And on average we almost always see the individual lightning lanes to provide a greater value when it comes to saving time in the theme parks. The main reason is these are the four most popular attractions in all of Walt Disney World with all of them having an average wait time of over 70 minutes long. Star Wars Rise of the Resistance and Avatar’s Flight of Passage have an average wait time of over 90 minutes. So when you compare these average wait times to the averages of some of the other Disney World rides which are typically between 25-45 minutes it’s not even close in our opinion if Genie Plus or the Lightning Lane is the better choice. We almost always use the individual lightning lanes when we are in the theme parks and will sometimes upgrade to the Disney Genie Plus depending on what our plans are for that day.

When is The Best Time to Visit Disney World?

Our Disney  World 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 Disney World based on specific times of the year and special events.

Are You Ready to Plan Your Next Disney World Trip?

Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Be sure to speak with a Disney World Travel Agent for the most recent deals and promotions. The Park Prodigy will provide a Free Quote for all Disney World Vacation Packages. The Park Prodigy can also help you save up to $20 per ticket when purchasing your Walt Disney World Tickets, and we offer promotional discounts for special events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Tickets and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Tickets.

Don’t forget to check out our wonderful friends over at Theme Park Today, as well!