You’ve purchased your Disney World tickets, secured flights, read some articles, but you’re still not sure what Lightning Lane really is. You may have understood FastPass and FastPass+, but it’s been a while since you’ve visited Walt Disney World, and things have changed a bit. In this article, we’ll explain what a Lightning Lane is, how you can use it, where you can use it, and how much it might cost. (Updated January 2024)
What is a Lightning Lane?
Lightning Lane, simply put, is the line that bypasses the standby line at many of the Walt Disney World attractions. This queue is often filled with far fewer guests, resulting in shorter wait times for Walt Disney World rides.
If you have previously visited Walt Disney World theme parks, the Lightning Lane is the exact same queue that previously allowed guests with a FastPass+ pass to bypass the standby queue. Disney has simply rebranded it to align with the new direction of the Disney Genie+ paid skip-the-line offerings.
Here’s a look at the name change at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – the physical queues remain the same.
Here’s another example at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
So, how should we think about Lightning Lane? Lightning Lane is a place, not a product.
That begs the question: how do I get access to Lightning Lane?
How to Access the Lightning Lane
In order to gain entry into the Lightning Lane, you can purchase one of two products: Disney Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lane purchases. For a deeper dive on each of the products, check out our explainer article.
Individual Lightning Lane Purchases
We’ll start with the easier of the two products to understand, Individual Lightning Lane (or Individual Attraction Selections).
If you’ll want to skip the line at some of Disney World’s most popular rides, you’ll have to make an a la carte purchase called an Individual Lightning Lane purchase. This option will be available for all Guests – with or without Disney Genie+ service – and lets you choose a time to arrive at up to 2 attractions each day (booked one at a time).
Here’s a list of the attractions that are only available via an a la carte Individual Lightning Lane purchase (read: NOT included with a Disney Genie+ purchase).
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train | Magic Kingdom
- TRON Lightcycle Run | Magic Kingdom
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind | EPCOT
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance | Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Avatar Flight of Passage | Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Pricing for an Individual Lightning Lane purchase ranges from $10 to $25 per person, per attraction. This pricing can and will increase over time and from day to day based on forecasted demand.
So, what about all of the other attractions that used to offer FastPass+ skip the line passes? That’s where Disney Genie+ comes in.
Disney Genie+
For the purposes of this article, we’ll be dumbing down the Disney Genie+ offering into what is perhaps its greatest part right now – skip-the-line access at over 40 attractions. That said Disney Genie+ will grow into a product that includes much more than just Lightning Lane access. At launch, it will also include PhotoPass filters and Audio Tales. Disney Genie+ is more of a suite of exclusive offerings, but for our discussion in this article, let’s stay focused on how Disney Genie+ will help you skip the line.
If you want to skip the line at attractions like Haunted Mansion, Test Track, Slinky Dog Dash, Kilimanjaro Safaris, or more, your only option will be via a Disney Genie+ purchase (priced at $15 per person, per day). For more on which attractions are included with Genie+ and which are available via Individual Lightning Lane, keep reading!
What Attractions Offer Lightning Lane?
We went over the attractions earlier, but here’s a full list of attractions that have a Lightning Lane (available via Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lane).
Magic Kingdom Park
Individual Lightning Lane
- TRON Lightcycle Run
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Genie+ Attractions
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Jungle Cruise
- Mad Tea Party
- Meet Ariel at Her Grotto
- Meet Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater
- Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Space Mountain
- The Barnstormer
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
EPCOT
Individual Lightning Lane
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Disney Genie+ Attractions
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Frozen Ever After
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE – Green OR Orange
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Individual Lightning Lane
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Disney Genie+ Attractions
- 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
- Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™
- Toy Story Mania!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park
Individual Lightning Lane
- Avatar Flight of Passage
Disney Genie+ Attractions
- Festival of the Lion King
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Feathered Friends in Flight!
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Meet Favorite Disney Pals at Adventurers Outpost
- Naʻvi River Journey
- The Animation Experience at Conservation Station
Does Lightning Lane Cost Money?
As we’ve tried to explain so far, Lightning Lane is a physical place, not a product. That said, the products that give you access to the physical Lightning Lane queue do cost money:
- Disney Genie+ ($15 per person, per day)
- Individual Lightning Lane ($7-$15 per person, per ride)
Is There a Free Option?
Yes, the standby queue and (on occasion) Virtual Queue will remain free to all guests and is included with the purchase of your theme park ticket or Annual Pass.
All attractions will either have a traditional standby queue or Virtual Queue that will always be free to join.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!