How Does the New Disney FastPass Work?

Are you planning a trip to Disney but dreading the long lines? You’re not alone — some of the most popular rides regularly hit wait times over 90 minutes. Fortunately, Disney offers a paid tool called Lightning Lane.

With Lighting Lane, you can go into a separate (typically much shorter) queue from the standard line everyone else has to stand in. Not every ride has a Lighting Lane — it's typically reserved for the biggest thrill rides or the most popular kid-friendly attractions.

Lighting Lane is the latest version of what many still think of as “FastPass.” Sadly, unlike Fastpass, Lighting Lanes are not free. For families and groups, they can add significant costs to your Disney vacation budget.

Here’s how Disney’s Lightning Lane system works, how much it costs and tips for deciding if it’s worth it.

Back in the day, Disney used to hand out free paper FastPass tickets (yes, really). That evolved into a few other programs including a now defunct-program called Genie+ (which is now gone). These days, we’ve landed at Lightning Lane, which is the modern, paid version.

Lightning Lane comes in three flavors:

• Lightning Lane Single Pass: Lets you buy access to one individual high-demand attraction at a time.

• Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Lets you make multiple ride reservations throughout the day (typically more expensive than a Single Pass).

• Lighting Lane Premier Pass: Let's you enter each ride that participates in the Lighting Lane program once per day, no reservation needed (the most expensive of these options). Think of it like the Disney version of Universal’s Express Pass.

You’ll need a valid park ticket (and a reservation, if required for your date) to buy either pass.

Some of Disney’s most popular rides aren’t included in the Multi Pass — and for those, there’s this Lightning Lane Single Pass.

• You can buy up to two per person, per day.

• Prices vary by ride and date, typically $15–$30 each.

• They’re sold individually and subject to availability.

Single Pass rides include:

• Disneyland: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

• Disney California Adventure: Radiator Springs Racers.

• Magic Kingdom: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle / Run.

• Epcot: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

• Hollywood Studios: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

• Animal Kingdom: Avatar Flight of Passage.

The Lighting Lane Multi Pass is Disney’s main line-skipping tool. Here’s how it works:

• You can reserve up to three attractions in advance with arrival windows.

• Once you use one of those reservations — or two hours pass — you can book another ride, keeping up to three active at a time.

• If you have a Park Hopper, your three initial picks can be split across different parks.

Disneyland Lightning Lane Multi Pass Attractions

Disney World Multi Pass Attractions

» Learn more: How to go to Disney World for cheap

Cost: Prices start around $32 per ticket per day at Walt Disney World and $30 at Disneyland, but can fluctuate depending on date, park, and demand.

Bonus perks: At Disney World, the Multi Pass includes PhotoPass digital downloads and augmented-reality lenses.

Lightning Lane Premier Pass gives you one-time Lightning Lane access for every eligible attraction in a park — both Multi and Single Pass rides. That means no return times and no app tapping. Just walk up and ride.

Here's the rub: this pass is extremely expensive, easily topping $100 per day per park (and often more, depending on the exact day and park).

Should you go for the Premier Pass or no? Here's how you'll know.

When it might be worth every penny (and then some):

• You’re at Disney one day only, moving fast and furious.

• You're visiting during peak season, where waits for TRON, Rise of the Resistance & Guardians hit more than two hours.

• You want magic without the stress of booking return times through the app.

• You're considering a Disney VIP Tour Guide but don't have a large enough group to justify the cost.

When to skip it unless you're made of money:

• You’re sensitive to cost — you can still have a great Disney days without going on literally every ride (and this is pricey after all).

• You're spending several park days and not ride-crazy. If you enjoy spending time at restaurants, browsing the shops or doing non-ride activities (like the aquarium at Epcot, or the kid's playgrounds) you can do fine with Multi & Single Pass strategies to supplement the rides.

• You're visiting a smaller park with fewer rides like Animal Kingdom. On slow days, you can sometimes check off every ride in the park with just a Multi Pass (and if you time it right, no paid passes at all).

Disney World:

• Guests staying at a Disney resort hotel can buy passes up to 7 days in advance.

• All other guests can purchase 3 days in advance.

Disneyland:

• You can buy a Multi Pass when you purchase your ticket or through the Disneyland app once you’ve entered the park.

• Single Passes are sold same-day after entering the park.

It depends on your priorities, budget, and how long you’re visiting:

• Best for short trips: If you only have a day or two, Lightning Lanes can help you fit in the most popular rides without spending hours in line.

• Best for peak seasons: During holidays and summer, wait times can easily top 2 hours for major attractions. Paying extra may save your sanity.

• Skip if you’re staying longer: With a multi-day trip, you can spread rides out and catch shorter lines in the morning or late at night.

You can certainly have a great Disney day without a Lighting Lane, but it means you likely won't be able to hop on TRON or Guardians of the Galaxy at mid-day. If you want to hit every major thrill ride Disney offers, you'll likely need a Lighting Lane in some flavor).

But you might not need it. People who take advantage of Disney World's early hotel entry (available to guests at Disney-owned hotels) can typically get on those rides if they're there, ready before parking opening — no Lighting Lane needed. And if you go on a slow day, you may find lines hover around 10 minutes for most attractions, in which case the Lighting Lane doesn't save you a ton of time. Plus, there is so much to do at Disney — enjoying the scenery, watching live shows, dining and strolling — that you may not end up on many rides anyway.

Disney’s Lightning Lane system isn’t free, but it can feel priceless when you’re zipping past a 120-minute line for Guardians of the Galaxy. When deciding whether or not to buy a pass, ask yourself how much your time is worth — and if you really flew all the way across the country and spent more than $100 on park tickets just to stand in a line for two hours (when you potentially could have skipped that line for $20).

If you’re short on time or visiting during busy weeks, it’s a worthy splurge. If you’re there for several days and don’t mind a little strategy (or skipping the big rides), you may be fine without it.

Either way, knowing how it works before you go is the real magic trick.

(Top photo courtesy of Disneyland Resort)