My Totally Honest Lightning Lane Multi Pass Review

Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass worth it at Disney World? Well, let me tell you my full Lightning Lane Multi Pass review…from a mom’s point of view. 

And that last part is important. Because let’s be honest, using the Lightning Lane service with your family (including young kids) in tow is a totally different ballgame than when you’re on an adults-only trip to Disney World.

As a mom to 3 young boys, my Disney World vacations look a little different than they used to. We need to take more breaks throughout the day to avoid meltdowns (which sometimes include a lengthy midday break back at the resort). And we love to meet allllll the Disney characters.

So with that being said, is Lightning Lane Multi Pass still worth it if you’re not in the stage of life where you can just run from ride to ride without a worry of your little one suddenly being over it? Well, let’s jump into it.

Quick disclaimer: If you’re looking for a how-to guide for Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you won’t find it in this article. Check out this full guide to Lightning Lane Multi Pass article instead if that’s the case (that article was seriously a labor of love…it will have everything you need!).

_{Disclosure: You may see affiliate links throughout this post, which means these are the things I handpicked! If you purchase something through these links, I will get a small commission at absolutely no extra charge to you. And that sure means a lot to me, so thank you in advance! See the privacy policy for more information.}

Pros and Cons of Lightning Lane Multi Pass

Pros of Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disney World

You get to skip the standby lines.

This is the most obvious pro of them all! And the bottom line is: this is the reason why you pay for the thing.

When using Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you get to book a Lightning Lane. That means that when your return window has arrived, you get to scan your MagicBand or park ticket at the Lightning Lane queue of the attraction and smile (or awkwardly try to avoid eye contact because you kind of feel bad…but not really?) while you stroll past all the people who have been waiting in the standby line forever.

This is BY FAR the main reason I love using Lightning Lane Multi Pass when visiting Disney with kids. Or honestly, even without kids.

You’ll be able to enjoy more attractions throughout the day.

Going through the Lightning Lane at an attraction significantly cuts down on your wait time.

Less time in line means more time to enjoy more attractions or other experiences offered in the Disney parks. Simple as that!

You’ll be able to visit attractions more than once.

Ok, hear me out on this one. You can technically only book one Lightning Lane per attraction each day using this service. But if you’re good with waiting in the standby line during a lower wait period time, then you can book a Lightning Lane for the same ride later in the day when the wait times are higher.

For example, my boys looove Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin at Magic Kingdom. So we always hop on that ride right when the park opens for the day when there’s no wait.

Later in the day, we use a Lightning Lane for that same ride. So, even though the standby line is long by that time of the day, we can ride it again with no wait. 

You’ll get the PhotoPass photos taken on the attractions.

I’m a big picture taker. I love capturing moments of my family. And I put together a scrapbook of said photos each year!

When you purchase Disney’s Lightning Lane Multi Pass, any photos that were taken on rides go straight into your My Disney Experience app, where you’ll be able to download them.

If you don’t purchase the Memory Maker package or Lightning Lane Multi Pass and you want your photos from the rides, you’ll have to pay a fee for each photo.

You can choose which park days you want to use Lightning Lane Multi Pass and which ones you don’t.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass isn’t an all-or-nothing kind of thing. You can choose which days you want to purchase it and which days you don’t.

So, if you’re going to a park where you think you won’t get much use out of it, you can skip purchasing it for that day and save yourself some money.

You know you’ll be skipping standby lines for at least 3 rides.

When you purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you get to pre-select Lightning Lanes for 3 attractions. Not only will this help you plan your day, but you’ll also have peace of mind that you’ll be skipping the long standby lines for a few rides no matter what. 

If you’re a Disney World resort guest or a select good neighbor hotel guest, you’ll be able to book your Lightning Lanes by purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass up to 7 days prior to your check-in date at 7 AM Eastern. What a huge perk!

If you’ll be staying off property, you’ll be able to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass and make your pre-selects up to 3 days in advance at 7 AM Eastern. 

You can (technically) always have 3 Lightning Lanes ready to go throughout the day.

Every single time you scan into a Lightning Lane, you’ll be able to book another Lightning Lane. So, essentially you’ll be holding 3 Lightning Lanes at all times. 

Of course, this is pending availability, though. So it may not always work out perfectly, especially as it gets closer to the end of the day.

Cons of Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disney World

One word: price.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass will set you back at least $16 (plus tax) per person per day (the price can vary daily). And that can add up quick.

On top of that, some of the most popular attractions at Disney World are not included in Lightning Lane Multi Pass, such as TRON and Rise of the Resistance. 

In order to bypass the standby line for those select attractions, you’ll need to purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass (which is a separate service). 

While having access to this Lightning Lane service is convenient, it can definitely take a chunk out of your budget. 

You can only book one Lightning Lane for each ride per day.

This Lightning Lane Multi Pass rule is a huge bummer. I get that they want to give everyone a chance at everything. But it still stinks when your kiddo falls in love with a ride, and you can’t do it a second time (unless you want to wait in the standby line, of course!).

To piggyback off of this point, if you let one of your Lightning Lane reservations expire before you get a chance to use it, that counts as your one booking for the day. So, you won’t be able to book that Lightning Lane again even though you didn’t technically go on the attraction.

You spend more time on your phone.

While you can book up to 3 Lightning Lanes per day prior to your trip, you’ll still need to be on your phone to continue to book Lightning Lanes during your time at the park. 

In order to get the most out of the service, you’ll want to book a Lightning Lane as soon as you scan into one, so it can end up feeling like you’re on your phone more than you’d like to be during your park time. 

You have to put in some work ahead of time to really maximize it.

As you’re planning your Disney vacation, you need to make sure you take the time to learn all about how Lightning Lane Multi Pass works. And you’ll want to make sure you get the benefit of booking your Lightning Lanes in advance. 

This isn’t something that you can just wing on the day you’re at the park. Well, you could wing it, but you won’t get nearly your money’s worth.

You won’t have as much flexibility during your park days.

Speaking of putting in the work ahead of time, you’ll want to get somewhat of a schedule together for your park days as you’re planning your trip.

You’ll not only need to know which 3 attractions you want to book when your Lightning Lane booking window opens (up to a week in advance of your trip), but you’ll also need to know what time of day you want to do those attractions.

This makes it a little tough to accommodate for things like weather or last minute changes of plans (which is a part of normal life with little ones!).

Even though you can modify your Lightning Lanes after booking them, it’s all based on availability. 

You can potentially miss out on pre-booking hard-to-get Lightning Lanes, especially if you’re staying off Disney World property or have a shorter trip booked.

While onsite Disney World guests can make their initial 3 Lightning Lane selections for each park day 7 days in advance of their trip, offsite guests can only make their selections 3 days in advance. 

That means by the time their booking window opens, there will likely be less availability for the most popular attractions. 

I’ve even run into this problem when having a shorter trip booked. Even though I was staying on property, I’ve missed out on popular Lightning Lanes like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure since people with longer trips had already snagged those Lightning Lanes for the park day I needed. 

Attractions are broken up into tiers at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot, which limits what you can pre-select at those parks.

When you choose your Lightning Lane pre-selections, you’ll notice that you can only book one Lightning Lane that’s in the Tier 1 category. And of course, the Tier 1 attractions are the most popular attractions in the park. 

It’s good to note that this rule only applies to pre-selections, though.  Once you scan into your first Lightning Lane on your park day, you can book any ride in any tier throughout the rest of your day pending availability.

Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass Worth It?

Now that we’ve gone over the pros and cons, the question is…do I think it’s worth it?

I hate to say it, but the answer to this question really is, “it depends!” But I’ll still give you my two cents because that’s why you’re here! Let’s break it down by park:

Is Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass Worth it at Magic Kingdom?

Number of Lightning Lane Multi Pass Attractions at Magic Kingdom: 18

*There may be fewer than this due to attraction refurbs.

Average Attraction Wait Time at Magic Kingdom: 35 minutes

I’ll just come out and say it. Magic Kingdom is the best park to use Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass…hands down.

There are so many Lightning Lane attractions to choose from at that park. Plus that’s the park that has the most rides with no height restrictions, so your little one will be able to experience quite a bit.

If I only had one day at the Magic Kingdom on my vacation, I would definitely be purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass for that day. And to be honest, even if I had more than one day, I’d still be purchasing it (Disney, just go ahead and take even more of my money!)

So, FINAL ANSWER. Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass worth it at Magic Kingdom? YES!

Is Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass Worth it at Hollywood Studios?

Number of Lightning Lane Multi Pass Attractions at Hollywood Studios: 12

*There may be fewer than this due to attraction refurbs.

Average Attraction Wait Time at Hollywood Studios: 50 minutes

Wait times at Hollywood Studios can get really long. And we’re not a really-long-lines type of family. Or at least not several of them in a row.

While Hollywood Studios doesn’t have as many rides without height restrictions, it’s still home to some of the most popular attractions at Disney World. Hence the long lines.

And remember when I said that using Lightning Lane Multi Pass can actually help you get on rides a couple of times even though you’re only allowed to book one Lightning Lane per ride per day? Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is the perfect example of this for my family.

My boys love that ride, so we go there right at park opening then have a Lightning Lane booked for the same ride later in the day. They’re always PUMPED to be able to ride it twice.

Plus, while waiting for your Lightning Lane return times, it’s easy to grab a seat at a show. Using Lightning Lane Multi Pass for rides and standby for shows seems to help the day move along well at Hollywood Studios.

So, FINAL ANSWER. Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass worth it at Hollywood Studios? YES!

Is Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass Worth it at Epcot?

Number of Lightning Lane Multi Pass Attractions at Epcot: 11

*There may be fewer than this due to attraction refurbs.

Average Attraction Wait Time at Epcot: 33 minutes

Epcot is a tough one when it comes to Lightning Lane Multi Pass. It really depends on which attractions you have your heart set on.

If your family is going to stick to the likes of The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, Spaceship Earth, Living with Land, and Journey into Imagination with Figment, I wouldn’t spend the money on Disney World’s Lightning Lane service.

But if you think you’ll want to do more than one of the following rides, a Lightning Lane Multi Pass purchase would be worth it: Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Soarin’ Around the World, and Test Track.

So, FINAL ANSWER. Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass worth it at Epcot? MAYBE.

Is Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass Worth it at Animal Kingdom?

Number of Lightning Lane Multi Pass Attractions at Animal Kingdom: 8

*There may be fewer than this due to attraction refurbs.

Average Attraction Wait Time at Animal Kingdom: 44 minutes

Sure, Animal Kingdom has a few attractions that can have very long wait times (which is why the average attraction wait time is so high), but those wait times are easily avoidable if you get to the park when it opens and especially if you take advantage of Early Entry.

The longest wait times you’ll see will likely be Avatar Flight of Passage (which is available as a Lightning Lane Single Pass, so Lightning Lane Multi Pass won’t be able to help you with that one anyways!), Na’vi River Journey, and Kilimanjaro Safaris.

Get to the park early and you can knock out one or two of those with very short wait times. This might actually be my favorite park to use Early Entry for the sole reason that I can save money on Lightning Lane Multi Pass!

To top it off, Animal Kingdom has a reputation for being a “half-day park.” I’m not saying that everyone will only spend a half day there, but if you do, the return times for the Lightning Lanes that you book during your time at the theme park may be too late for you. 

So, FINAL ANSWER. Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass worth it at Animal Kingdom? NO.

My Honest Lightning Lane Multi Pass Review

Now that I’ve used Lightning Lane Multi Pass a decent amount, I can say this: yes, I think it’s worth it. But if you’re used to the former Lightning Lane service, Genie+, this is going to feel MUCH different. 

If I’m comparing the two, I easily prefer Genie+ to Lightning Lane Multi Pass. But Genie+ is long gone, and Disney knows they can still count on me to hand over the cash to skip the standby lines! Ha!

First up, the things I’m not a fan of when it comes to Lightning Lane Multi Pass. 

I personally don’t love having 3 Lightning Lanes at all times or having to plan my days so specifically in advance.  I know that sounds crazy, especially coming from a type-A planner!

But we all know plans can change quickly with little ones (like that one time my oldest son woke up with strep the morning we were supposed to head to Hollywood Studios with some amazing Lightning Lanes lined up!). 

Plus, since you can always hold multiple Lightning Lanes, you also always have to be thinking two steps ahead whenever you book a Lightning Lane. I’ve found this a bit overwhelming continually trying to think ahead and predict what our day will look like. 

Yes, you can modify Lightning Lane return times and even days (which is great!). But as I’ve mentioned a couple of times, it’s all based on availability. 

Finally, I’ve found the Lightning Lane return times to be a little frustrating, whether that’s during pre-selections or on my actual park day. The return times for the rides we have our heart set on don’t always allow for a good flow of the day or keep us in the same area of the park, so we really have to be choosy when booking our next Lightning Lane. 

Ok, now that I got that off of my chest, let’s talk about the good because that’s way more fun!

Overall, the system itself is very user-friendly. It’s easy to click through when booking Lightning Lanes, and there aren’t many “rules.”

I like that you no longer have to wait a certain amount of time between booking Lightning Lanes. You can just book one as soon as you use one. Simple enough!

Of course, the biggest pro is the same as it’s always been with these Lightning Lane services – I get to skip the long standby lines. And that alone is worth it to me. 

I love my kids, but I can think of hundreds of other things to do at Disney with them besides stand in a 60-minute line, ya know?

While I may not purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass for every single park day on our Disney World trips, I can almost guarantee I’ll purchase it for some (if not most) of our park days.

Things to Consider Before Purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass

What’s your budget?

As I mentioned earlier, the price of Lightning Lane Multi Pass can add up quickly.

If budget isn’t a concern, then you’ll definitely want to give Lightning Lane Multi Pass a go. But if you’re watching every penny, you might want to be more strategic on which park days you purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass for, if at all.

It’s good to note that kids under 3 do not need a Disney World park ticket and do not need Lightning Lane Multi Pass, so don’t account for them when creating your budget. 

Which attractions are priorities for your family?

This is where it helps to do a little homework prior to your trip. 

You’ll want to decide which attractions are top priorities for your family. Then you’ll want to see if those attractions are a part of Lightning Lane Multi Pass and do a little investigating into how long those attractions’ wait times usually are.

If your top priority rides are offered as a part of Lightning Lane Multi Pass and the wait times for those rides can get pretty long, you’ll probably want to lean toward purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass.

I know that seems like a lot to learn, but I got you. First, download my free daily Disney World park planner to help you prioritize your top attractions in each park by clicking the button below.

Then, as you’re going through that template, use your My Disney Experience app to help you research the things you want to do on your trip (it will give you an excuse to get used to how the app works). Don’t forget to check out my Lightning Lane strategy for each park, too!

How do your kids do in long lines?

You know your kids better than anyone, so you know how they do in situations with longer waits.

But also make sure you’re thinking about how your kids do in situations where there are longer waits in an environment where they can get overtired and overstimulated.

Disney World is a lot. Sometimes in a great, magical-type way. And sometimes in a meltdown-type way. So consider both scenarios when trying to figure out how much your kiddo will be able to tolerate.

TIP: use the playground areas around the park for mini breaks between attractions.

Are you okay with getting to the park early or staying late?

Attraction wait times are always significantly lower first thing in the morning and later in the evening. If those are the two times you plan to spend most of your time in the parks, you might not need Lightning Lane Multi Pass after all.

But if you plan to be there during peak hours, you’ll want to think about purchasing it to avoid long lines.

How many days will you be going to the parks?

If you’ll only be going to the theme parks for a couple of days during your Disney trip and you want to pack in as much as possible, Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a great way to do that.

If you’ll have several days at the parks and you’re okay with slowing down a bit or you don’t feel like you need to pack in as many rides as possible each day, you might not want to spend the extra money on Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Or at least you might not want to purchase it every single day.

When is your Disney World vacation?

If you’ll be visiting Disney World during a busy time of year (think summer, holidays, and breaks from school), Lightning Lane Multi Pass will come in very handy to avoid the crazy long wait times you’ll encounter.

If you’ll be visiting Disney World during a “downtime” when things are less crowded, you might find that the ride wait times really aren’t too bad, and you could skip purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass for all of your park days.

You can search for Disney World crowd calendars online to give you an idea if your Disney vacation falls during a busy time or a downtime.

TIP: If you’ll be heading to Magic Kingdom on a party day during the Halloween or Christmas season, you’ll often encounter lower crowd levels at that park, so you might be able to get away without purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass that day.

Looking for some more guidance with all this Lightning Lane stuff?!

Check out my FULL guides on Substack, so you can walk into that Disney vacation CONFIDENT. And yes, that includes when using Lightning Lane Multi Pass.

The last thing I need is for you to be overwhelmed by Lightning Lanes. You need to be enjoying that vacay, dang it!

Wrap-Up: Disney World Lightning Lane Multi Pass Review

As you can tell, deciding whether or not Lightning Lane Multi Pass is worth it will be different for each family. 

Hopefully, this Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass review helped guide you in making the best decision for you. After all, it’s your vacation!

Check out all of my Disney content here. And make sure to subscribe to my newsletter to get the latest posts straight to your inbox.

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