Disneyland Lightning Lane Multi Pass Guide: How the Service Works, Pros & Cons

As a seasoned Disney enthusiast who’s visited the magical lands of Anaheim more times than I can remember, let me tell you from personal experience that Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a game-changer!

To simplify a system that was becoming overly complex, Disneyland has changed the name of its premium time-saving option from Genie+ to Lightning Lane All-Access Pass. Essentially, this pass allows guests to reserve rides at Disneyland Resort or California Adventure Park in advance and skip longer lines. Additionally, there are Individual Lightning Lanes for the parks’ most sought-after attractions like Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers. However, it’s important to understand some key aspects about the Lightning Lane All-Access Pass to maximize its benefits and get the best value for your money.

How to Purchase a Lightning Lane Multi Pass

Using the Disneyland mobile application is crucial for any trip to their parks, as it serves not only as your guide but also as the means to activate and utilize your Lightning Lane Multi-Pass. On the main screen of this app, you’ll find an option to buy a Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, and its cost for that particular day will be displayed, which is currently $30, though it may change in response to demand later on.

Pressing the button will guide you to navigate a sequence of options, connecting your Lightning Lane Multi Pass with either your ticket or Magic Key pass. The process is similar from that point on – provide your payment details, and then the Lightning Lane Multi Pass should be activated for the chosen tickets.

To clarify, you need a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for every individual ticket, which means the cost is $30 per person, not $30 per group.

To streamline the process of reserving your rides at Disneyland, it’s advisable to connect all group members’ tickets to one person’s Disneyland app. This individual doesn’t have to buy every Lightning Lane Multi Pass, but once each member has their pass, linking them all together will make it easier when choosing attractions. Instead of everyone booking separately, a single person can arrange for everyone by simply saying something like, “Let’s book Matterhorn Bobsleds,” and the system will reserve rides for the entire group.

Lightning Lane vs. Stand By

In simpler terms, the Lightning Lane Multi Pass enables you to reserve a specific time to return for an eligible attraction. This reserved time grants you access to a special entrance (Lightning Lane) instead of the regular one (Stand By), allowing you to bypass parts of the queue and experience the ride faster, often within 10-20 minutes or less compared to waiting the posted wait time in the Stand By line for popular attractions at Disneyland.

Disneyland and California Adventure Attractions That Support Lightning Lane Multi Pass

Autopia
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Haunted Mansion (Currently Using Virtual Queue During Renovation)
Indiana Jones Adventure
“it’s a small world”
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Pirates of the Caribbean
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
Space Mountain
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
Goofy’s Sky School
Grizzly River Run
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
Incredicoaster
The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
Soarin’ Around the World
Toy Story Midway Mania!
WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure

How to Select a Ride Using Lightning Lane Multi Pass

Purchasing a Lightning Lane Multi Pass grants you access to the Home tab’s “My Day” section and the Tip Board. Here, you’ll find a comprehensive list of attractions in Disneyland and California Adventure, along with their current wait times. For eligible rides, there will be an option to choose the Multi Pass Experience. This selection will provide you with the earliest possible time to access that attraction using your Lightning Lane pass.

Once you’ve picked an attraction with your group, click the “Earliest Time Available” button, pick the tickets for those who will be riding, and confirm your choice. You’ll then receive a return time window that starts at the earliest available time and lasts for an hour. During this window, you can check in at any point, even 5 minutes before your assigned return time. If Space Mountain indicates that your return time is between 1pm and 2pm, checking in at 12:55pm will help you make the most of your Lightning Lane Multi Pass by squeezing in a little extra fun.

As a fan, here’s how I’d put it: Remember, once you’ve secured your spot on a ride with the Multi Pass Experience, you can only choose another one either after checking in or if two hours have elapsed since your last booking. For instance, if you book Indiana Jones Adventure at 9am and the earliest available time is 1pm, you can use your Multi Pass on another ride as early as 11am. Conversely, if your earliest available time for Indiana Jones Adventure is 9:30am, you’ll be able to reserve your next attraction when you check in for that Lightning Lane at 9:30am.

How to Check in for Lightning Lane

If a ride offers Lightning Lane Multi Pass, it means it has both a Lightning Lane access and a regular Standby queue. Generally, you’ll find the Lightning Lane on the left side and Standby on the right, but always check the signage above the main entrance to confirm which is which.

At the entrance or a short distance inside the Lightning Lane queue, there should be a row of kiosks. These kiosks have large, circular buttons on their front and scanners underneath. To verify your Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection, simply place your mobile device with the screen facing up and the ticket barcode at the top visible into the scanner area. The button’s surrounding light will glow green to indicate that the guest has been checked in. After checking one guest, scan the next ticket, and continue this process until all guests are checked in. It is necessary to scan each ticket for each guest when using Lightning Lane.

If you’re a Disneyland or California Adventure visitor with a MagicBand+, simply touch it on the large disc for contactless check-in, eliminating the need to pull out your mobile device.

After joining the Lightning Lane line, take a moment to pull up the Disneyland app to select your next Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Keep in mind that you won’t board the ride instantly, so use this spare time to strategize your upcoming plans.

Tips for Lightning Lane Multi Pass

Pay Attention to Stand By Times

Before choosing a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, always check the Stand By times first. For instance, if Space Mountain’s wait time is 20 minutes and the Earliest Time Available isn’t available for an hour or longer, it might be wiser to join the regular line instead and opt for something with a longer queue later. While the purpose of Lightning Lane Multi Pass is to minimize waiting in long lines, completely eliminating wait times is almost impractical. So, always consider Stand By Times before making any Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection.

Choose Your Selections Wisely

Based on how hectic the day might be, there could be a significant number of people choosing the Lightning Lane Multi Pass for some of Disneyland and California Adventure’s top rides, particularly those that require time to load and unload. These rides may not offer an Early Access Time until later in the day, meaning you might have to select one, wait in the Standby Queue for up to two hours, book another popular ride, wait another two hours, and so on.

When considering your options, you’ll need to decide if it’s more advantageous to stand by for a ride or use your Lightning Lane Multi Pass. If there’s an attraction that catches your group’s attention and the waiting time is about to end, it might be wiser to go for it immediately instead of waiting further. Notably, high-demand attractions may have increasingly longer wait times as the day progresses, so grabbing the ride sooner rather than later could be beneficial.

Space Mountain
Indiana Jones Adventure
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin
Goofy’s Sky School
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
Grizzly River Run
Incredicoaster
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
Toy Story Midway Mania!
Soarin’ Around the World
WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure

It’s going to come down to personal preference, the thrill-seeking level, and the crowd level at the park to determine where to prioritize. If you’re older and a thrill seeker, Space Mountain, Matterhorn, Indiana Jones, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Incredicoaster are going to be rides to target first because they are both popular and consistently busy. For younger guests, Roger Rabbit, Monsters Inc, and Toy Story Midway Mania are great places to start, as they can get long waits on busy days. However, if you want to ride all of them, then expect to wait in some of these attractions’ Stand By queues.

Try to Plan Around Specific Lands

To make the most of your trip to Disneyland or California Adventure Park, consider bundling a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for popular attractions with rides that have shorter waiting lines nearby. This way, you can minimize your time spent traveling between areas in the park.

If you have a Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection for Space Mountain at 1pm, look at nearby Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and Astro Orbiter. If those wait times are low, then it’s smart to spend time riding those attractions before 1pm and then getting on Space Mountain. Or maybe if one of those rides has a high wait time, book them right as you check in for Space Mountain’s Lightning Lane. It’s easier on your feet then booking your next Lightning Lane Multi Pass for Indiana Jones Adventure on the other side of the park. That being said, if the park is busy sometimes you will just walk a lot.

Limitations on Lightning Lane Multi Pass

As mentioned, you can only have one Lightning Lane selection at a time UNLESS it has been at least two hours since your last Lightning Lane selection.
You cannot make a Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection for an attraction you have already been on. So, if you want to ride Incredicoaster twice, you need to wait in the Stand By queue the second time.
The Lightning Lane line for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway skips some impressive queue design elements, so if you’re a major Mickey fan it might be worth doing Stand By.
You are not guaranteed a Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection for every attraction. Once the Earliest Time Available reaches closing time for that park, you can no longer make a Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection for that ride. If it’s a really busy day at the Parks, you will likely need to make some tough choices on those popular rides. Sometimes additional times are added, though, so continue to check the Disneyland app throughout the day.

How is Individual Lightning Lane Different from Lightning Lane Multi Pass

In Disneyland and California Adventure Park, the Lightning Lane Multi Pass won’t be valid for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers. Instead, you’ll need to buy an Individual Lightning Lane pass for these specific attractions. Each purchase comes with its own return window that doesn’t interfere with your Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection. Both rides are popular features in Disney’s West Coast parks, and Radiator Springs Racers can have a long wait time. So, whether the extra cost is worth it for you depends on how much you want to skip the queue.

Regardless if it’s one of those attractions you chose with an Individual Lightning Lane, the check-in procedure remains consistent. Simply scan your mobile device or MagicBand+ to proceed.

Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass Worth It?

In essence, whether or not you find the value in a Lightning Lane Multi Pass depends on the kind of park experience you’re seeking. If you prioritize maximizing ride counts amidst crowded parks, given that you’ve already invested in tickets, travel, and accommodation, then this pass is undeniably worth your while. Essentially, it allows you to skip lines that could stretch from 50 minutes to 60 minutes, saving you valuable time throughout your day at the park.

As a park enthusiast, I find that the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass may not be as appealing if I’m savvy about monitoring Stand By wait times and am comfortable sacrificing some rides. If it happens to be a leisurely day at the parks with wait times rarely exceeding an hour, the value of the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass might diminish for me.

After trying out the Lightning Lane Multi Pass on numerous visits with companions, I must say that it significantly reduces the stress associated with exploring Disneyland. Plus, it’s reassuring to know that we can experience the majority (if not all) of the main attractions without too much hassle.

2024-11-21 11:55