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How To Purchase & Use Passes for Disney’s Eight Lightning Lane Attractions

lightning lane rides
Credit: Disney Parks

The big news has been announced that Disney Genie, Disney Genie+, and Lightning Lane are officially launching at Walt Disney World on Tuesday, October 19, 2021. Long gone are the days of the former complimentary FastPass system. Now, Disney Park Guests will have an option to pay to skip the wait on attractions. There are really THREE parts to what will launch on October 19 in regards to the general “Disney Genie”. First, there is a complimentary Disney Genie experience in the My Disney Experience mobile app that Disney has said will help Guests have their best Park day by optimizing Guest experiences and lowering Guest wait time in lines. Secondly, there is Disney Genie+ which is basically the old FastPass system but will cost Guests $15 per person, per day. And thirdly, there is something called Lightning Lane. In this post, we’re breaking down how to purchase and use the new Lightning Lane option.

RELATED: Disney Genie to Launch on October 19!

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Credit: Disney)

Lightning Lane Logistics

While the Disney Genie+ will be available for most attractions at Walt Disney World (just like FastPass), there are a total of EIGHT attractions that are not available via Disney Genie+… with the only way to skip the line for these eight attractions is to purchase the Lightning Lane. Disney World attractions that are considered Lightning Lane experiences can be purchased a-la-carte, with a maximum purchase of two per day. For example, if you want to Lightning Lane Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom, you can pay to do so right in the app. When purchasing Lightning Lane, Guests will have the option of selecting which time they would like to ride. With only being allowed TWO Lightning Lane purchases per day, this could make Park Hopping tricky. For example, if you pay to Lightning Lane Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom, you won’t be able to pay for a third Lightning Lane at Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in EPCOT. Disney has revealed all eight Walt Disney World attractions that will be available via Lightning Lane, along with some sample pricing.

RELATED: Disney just let Genie out of the bottle, so how exactly is he going to help Guests in the parks?

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (Credit: Disney)

Magic Kingdom’s Lightning Lanes

First up, let’s talk about Magic Kingdom Park. The two attractions at Magic Kingdom available with Lightning Lane are Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Fantasyland, and Space Mountain in Tomorrowland. While Disney has yet to release sample pricing for Space Mountain, we do know that Disney has estimated Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will cost $10 per person when Lightning Lanes launch on October 19. For sample weekend pricing, Disney has said Seven Dwarfs Mine Train will cost $12 per person on October 23. Keep in mind, no one is required to use Lightning Lane. There will still be a standby line for both of these attractions. We assume the wait time in the standby lines will increase however as Guests take advantage of Lightning Lane.

Space Mountain (Credit: Disney)

EPCOT’s Lightning Lanes

Next up, EPCOT! The two attractions at EPCOT available with Lightning Lane are Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in the World Showcase France Pavilion, and Frozen Ever Afer in the World Showcase Norway Pavilion. Disney has yet to release sample pricing for Frozen Ever After, but we do know that Disney is estimating Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will cost $9 per person when Lightning Lanes launch on October 19. For sample weekend pricing, Disney has said Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will cost $11 per person on October 23. Lightning Lane is not required to ride these attractions. For Frozen Ever After, Disney will still have the usual standby line which we assume will have a higher standby line wait time as Guests take advantage of Lightning Lane. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is unique as it is a Virtual Queue experience. This means to ride Remy’s you’ll either need to snag a Virtual Queue OR pay for a Lightning Lane pass. To obtain a Virtual Queue for Remy, Guests will need to be in their My Disney Experience App at 7:00 am in an attempt to get a Virtual Queue pass – which yes, is complimentary if you can get one. If you don’t get a Virtual Queue slot at 7:00 am, you can try again at 1:00 pm. If you don’t get a Virtual Queue pass at 1:00 pm, your only option if you really want to ride Remy is to pay to Lightning Lane the attraction.

Frozen Ever After (Credit: Disney)

Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Lightning Lanes

Moving right along to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The two attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios available with Lightning Lane are Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Galaxy’s Edge, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway on Hollywood Boulevard. While Disney has yet to release sample pricing for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, we do know that Disney has estimated Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will cost $15 per person when Lightning Lanes launch on October 19. For sample weekend pricing, Disney has said Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will cost the same $15 per person on October 23. Keep in mind, no one is required to use Lightning Lane. There will still be a standby line for both of these attractions, as Disney has recently put a hold on the Virtual Queue process for Rise of the Resistance. We assume the wait time in the standby lines will increase however as Guests take advantage of Lightning Lane.

RELATED: No More Virtual Queue! Lines Arrive for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Credit: Disney

Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Lightning Lanes

Lastly, we move on to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The two attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom available with Lightning Lane are Avatar Flight of Passage in Pandora, and Expedition Everest in Asia. While Disney has yet to release sample pricing for Avatar Flight of Passage, we do know that Disney has estimated Expedition Everest will cost $7 per person when Lightning Lanes launch on October 19. For sample weekend pricing, Disney has said Expedition Everest will cost the same $7 per person on October 23. Keep in mind, no one is required to use Lightning Lane. There will still be a standby line for both of these attractions. We assume the wait time in the standby lines will increase however as Guests take advantage of Lightning Lane.

RELATED: Disney’s Expedition Everest Closing for Lengthy Refurbishment in 2022

Expedition Everest

How To Purchase & Use

If you haven’t already, now is a perfect time to download the My Disney Experience App. This app has been around for some time, but Disney will be giving it a major upgrade when they add the complimentary Disney Genie into the mix. Inside the My Disney Experience App, you’ll load your credit card number into your profile if you haven’t already, which will be the same credit card number linked to other purchases on the app such as mobile food and beverage ordering and gift shop mobile purchases. To purchase a Lightning Lane, head to the Disney Genie service in the My Disney Experience mobile app on the same day of your visit. You can purchase individual selections for up to 2 different attractions per day (booked one at a time). If you’re a Guest of a Disney Resort Hotel you can make your first purchase starting at 7:00 a.m. on the day of your visit. All other non-Disney Resort Guests can make their first purchase when the Park of their choice opens. Keep in mind, you don’t have to purchase Disney Genie+ (the $15 per person option) to purchase a Lightning Lane pass. Pricing for Lightning Lanes will fluctuate based on crowd levels and wait times. This means, the busier the day, the higher the price to skip the line for these eight Lightning Lane attractions. Ready to use your Lightning Lane pass? Simply arrive at the attraction at your purchased time, scan your MagicBand or show the Cast Members your app purchase, and enter the attraction through the Lightning Lane entrance.

RELATED: How To Purchase & Use Disney Genie Plus

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Love it or hate it… there you have it… Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World. You will also see other Disney attractions with Lightning Lane signs. It is confusing, but those that purchase the Disney Genie+ will also enter through the Lightning Lane entrance. Just be aware that if you see a Lightning Lane sign for Haunted Mansion, for example, that doesn’t mean you can buy a Lightning Lane pass for it á la carte. “Lightning Lane” is the term Disney is using for the lines for both Disney Genie+ and the eight Lightning Lane attractions. Will you be sticking to the standby and virtual queue for these eight attractions? Or do you think the price is worth heading to the Lightning Lane to skip the standby wait?

About Jamie Sylvester

I'm a Disney nerd! A kid at heart who loves the magic and memories of Walt Disney World. I follow all things Disney and enjoy the vacations, day trips, weekend getaways, and geek out over the planning of such events. My goal is to experience as many Disney desserts and cocktails as possible! Married to another Disney nerd and blessed with a daughter and son, we thoroughly enjoy the magic at Disney and are here to help others experience the magic as well.