Lightning Lane Multi-Pass = FastPass+ minus the top rides; hackable

  • Cost: $15-30 per person per day
  • Should I get it Lightning Lane Multi-Pass?
    • Magic Kingdom: Probably
    • Hollywood Studios: Definitely!
    • EPCOT: Why not?
    • Animal Kingdom: Probably not

Lightning Lane Single Pass = Pay to skip top rides a la carte

  • Cost: Around $20 per ride
    • Magic Kingdom
      • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
      • TRON Lightcycle Run
    • Hollywood Studios
      • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
    • EPCOT
      • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
    • Animal Kingdom
      • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Lightning Lane Premier Pass = Skip the line for every ride ONCE

  • $129 to $449 per person, per day

VIP =  Skip every line in any park for 7 hours with the help of a friendly Disney tour guide

  • $450-700 per hour with a minimum of 7 hours
  • Maximum 10 people per group including children; pay double if you have 11-20 people

Club 33 = Invite-only elite country club of Disney fans

  • Cost: $100K all-in for year 1, and $30K minimum spend per year
  • 10 complimentary VIP experiences per year
  • Gift your friends special tickets loaded with 16 lightning lanes
  • Private dining options inside every theme park

Golden Oak = Live inside Disney World’s Four Seasons Resort next to Magic Kingdom

  • Cost: $4M-$20M initiation fee per house, $100K-500K taxes and insurance per year
  • The Real Mickey Mouse will show up at your birthday party

 

TIPS

  • Prioritize early return times
    • Once you redeem your first Lightning Lane, you can book another. Consider this the “rolling 3 rule,” which is to say that you can always have 3 Lightning Lane selections (subject to availability). With the rolling 3 rule of Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, you can make your next ride reservation as soon as you’ve used one.
    • Once you’ve tapped into your first Lightning Lane, tiers no longer apply for subsequent selections. It thus behooves you to reserve at least one Lightning Lane earlier in the day to tap into that and unlock subsequent selections sooner–and eliminate the tiers for future and current selections.
  • Backload the difficult days at the end of your trip with Disney’s Hollywood Studios furthest out, then Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom. This matters less if you have a longer trip and more for a shorter one
  • Refresh availability once every few hours to check for updates
  • Go early, go back home for a meal/nap, and stay late! The park is least busy in the early morning, allowing people to experience the most rides. If you’re like me, you think everything about Disney is world class – except the food. Central Florida is prone to a heavy mid-afternoon soak during the summer, so why not arrive early for “rope drop”, go home when it’s hot, raining, and you’re hungry? Go back to the parks when the sun goes down to beat the heat and increase your chances to ride the best rides with a shorter line. Save the best for last as Disney allows guests to stay as long as you’re in line before the park’s official closing time.
  • Take Ubers when possible. Parking is not cheap and could take a long time
    • If you’re going to Magic Kingdom, ask them to drop you off at Contemporary Hotel and walk 5 minutes to Magic Kingdom

 

If you would like a free consultation to start planning your best Orlando trip ever, please feel free to schedule time with me through this link: