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Is Lightning Lane worth it for Disney shows?

For Individual Lightning Lanes, our overall answer is very subjective. The prices on them are so high, that it's really up to the individual whether or not it's worth the money to not wait in line for hours at a time for the experience. Disney Genie Plus Lightning Lanes are a different story.



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The Genie 120-minute rule says that you can make a new reservation at most 2 hours from when you made the last one, and this countdown timer doesn't change if you modify the reservation.

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Let me describe the difference between Disney Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes. Disney Genie+ is a magical upgrade to your ticket that allows you to select Lightning Lane entrances at over 40 attractions throughout the theme parks. These Lightning Lane entrances allow you to skip the regular standby line.

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About 9:30 or 10 or a.m., book your first Lightning Lane for the other park. (The ride must be showing a ride window that is at or after 11 a.m.) Set an alarm for two hours later to remind yourself to book the next Lightning Lane unless you can ride before two hours is up. Park hop, as early as 11 a.m.

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On average, Guests can enter 2 to 3 attractions or experiences per day using the Lightning Lane entrance if the first selection is made early in the day.

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On average, Guests can enter 2 to 3 attractions or experiences per day using the Lightning Lane entrance if the first selection is made early in the day.

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With that said, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train tends to be the least popular Individual Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World. It still does sell out many days at Magic Kingdom, but usually lasts for at least a few hours after park opening. On slower days, there's availability well into the afternoon.

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Can Genie+ sell out? Yes. It can. Although it isn't common, we've seen it happen a few times during busier times of the year (like over the holidays and Spring Break).

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If you have a Lightning Lane reserved for an attraction and notice it is closed during your redemption window and have not already scanned in at the queue entrance, you will receive a “multi-experience pass.” A multi-experience pass is basically a free Lightning Lane reservation that can be redeemed on one of many ...

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And this is a great one. Guests that wish to reserve Lightning Lanes during their magical stay will be able to do so beginning at 7 AM ET on each day of their theme park visit. So don't forget to set that alarm! Lightning Lanes cannot be reserved ahead of this time.

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For individual Lightning Lane purchases, guests of a Disney Resort hotel and other select hotels* may make their first purchase starting at 7:00 am on the day of their visit. All other Guests can make their first purchase during normal park opening hours. Pricing and availability vary by date, attraction and park.

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Selling Out & Hardest to Get Most Individual Lightning Lane attractions will sell out at some point during a given day. This depends on the date you are visiting and how crowded the theme parks are that day. The most popular attractions will sell out first, sometimes within minutes of reservations opening up.

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A maximum of two Individual Lightning Lane purchases can be made per day, and you cannot purchase access to the same attraction twice in the same day. To purchase Individual Lightning Lane access, you do not have to also purchase Genie+.

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A maximum of two Individual Lightning Lane purchases can be made per day, and you cannot purchase access to the same attraction twice in the same day. To purchase Individual Lightning Lane access, you do not have to also purchase Genie+.

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You may be out of luck for purchasing Individual Lightning Lanes for any attraction if you're staying offsite on high crowd days. Rise of the Resistance used to be the clear winner of the popularity contest here, and that doesn't hold true anymore either. At all crowd levels, Flight of Passage sells out first.

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A maximum of two Individual Lightning Lane purchases can be made per day, and you cannot purchase access to the same attraction twice in the same day. To purchase Individual Lightning Lane access, you do not have to also purchase Genie+.

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Genie Plus is definitely worth it for Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, and if you don't like early starts, you might consider it for Epcot and Animal Kingdom. If you are park hopping, Genie+ is even better value as it maximises the number of rides you have access to.

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As soon as you use your first reservation you'll be able to make your next. Overall, we think adding Disney Genie+ to your tickets is worth the money. Lightning Lane passes are related to Disney Genie+ but it's a separate expense entirely.

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All guests, regardless of where they stay, are limited to a maximum of two pay-per-ride attractions per day and can only book a particular ride once per day. What about Annual Passholders? Annual Passholders will need to purchase Genie+ on the day(s) of their visit.

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