Lightning Lane Tiers at Disney World Explained

How to master the Lightning Lane tiers at Disney World that are included with Multi Pass, the newest Fastpass system.

Waiting in line is probably everyone’s least favorite part of a Disney World vacation. 

For years Disney World has offered a way to bypass long lines on some attractions. It has been called Fastpass, Fastpass Plus, and Genie Plus, and now we have a new program with a new name.

What all of these programs have had in common is that they grant you access to a shorter wait through a separate line now called the “Lightning Lane”. 

Starting July 24th, 2024, guests will be able to purchase a “Lightning Lane Multi Pass” and make up to three advance Lightning Lane selections for each day of their trip. You will be able to purchase the Multi Pass in the My Disney Experience app. 

But there are some rules you’ll have to understand first, of course! 

The new service is massively confusing, so I suggest grabbing my free Lightning Lane Cheat Sheet by flling out the form below. You can download it instantly from your inbox.

This post will help you understand how the Lightning Lane tiers work, which are VERY similar to the Fastpass tiers of years ago. Let’s dive in!

How Does The Lightning Lane Tiers System Work? 

Understanding how the Lightning Lane tiers work can help you avoid lots of waiting in line on your Disney World vacation. 

First, at 7 am either seven days before your Disney World vacation (if you are are staying at a Disney resort) or three days before the first day on your park ticket (if you aren’t staying at a Disney Resort) you can purchase a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for one or more days during your trip.

This pass will allow you to make up to three advance Lightning Lane selections per day from a group of attractions. 

However at three out of the four theme parks you are only allowed ONE advance Lightning Lane selection (aka Fastpass) from a group of the most in-demand attractions. We will call these the “Tier One” attractions. 

Your other two (or in theory all three) selections can be from the rest of the Multi Pass attractions, which we will call “Tier Two”.

Grouping the attractions into tiers is Disney’s attempt to distribute Lightning Lane selections more evenly by only allowing guests one pick from the most popular attractions.

However, once you have checked in for your first Lightning Lane selection of the day, the tier system no longer applies! One can pick an additional selection from ANY attraction that is available, including Tier One attractions, each time you use a Lightning Lane selections. 

Next, let’s look at which attractions are in which Lightning Lane tiers at each park.

Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Tiers

The most visited park in Walt Disney World is Magic Kingdom, so let’s start there. 

There are five Tier One attractions at Magic Kingdom, the most of any park. 

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass Tier One attractions at Magic Kingdom are:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Jungle Cruise
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Space Mountain
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Initially, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be the most in-demand attraction from Tier One, so you should definitely try to grab it first thing at 7 am! After the intial appeal wears off, either Jungle Cruise or Peter Pan’s Flight will likely take over the top spot, since they historically were the first to run out of Fastpasses for the day. 

There are thirteen other attractions that have a Lightning Lane at Magic Kingdom.

The Lightning Lane Multi Pass Tier Two attractions at Magic Kingdom are:

• The Barnstormer
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion
• “it’s a small world”
• Mad Tea Party
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monster’s, Inc. Laugh Floor
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid

All of these are good bets for an additional Lightning Lane selection. I would suggest starting with whatever interests you that has an early return time (eg in the first 30 minutes the park is open) because as soon as you check into your first Lightning Lane you can make an additional Tier One selection – and you should ASAP!

EPCOT Lightning Lane Tiers

There are three Tier One attractions at Epcot (for now), and they are:

• Frozen Ever After
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Soarin’ Around the World

Presently Test Track is closed for refurbishment, but due to it’s popularity we expect it to join the Tier One attractions list when it reopens. 

Personally I would pick Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure for my Tier One Lighting Lane selection, since it tends to have the longest standby wait of these attractions. 

There are seven additional Tier Two Lightning Lane Attractions at Epcot and they are:

• Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
• Journey Into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• Spaceship Earth
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Turtle Talk with Crush

Again I would suggest starting with whatever interests you that has an early return time (eg in the first 30 minutes the park is open) because as soon as you check into your first Lightning Lane you can make an additional Tier One selection.

Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Tiers

There are four Tier One attractions at Hollywood Studios, and they are:

• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash

Slinky Dog Dash is so popular that it likely will be the most difficult Lightning Lane selection to get in any park. So definitely grab it right away as soon as you are able to make your selections. 

Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run has a Single Rider line, so if you have kids old enough (seven years old) and brave enough to potentially ride without parents, you could use that to wait very little. 

Check out my tips for having an amazing experience at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge here.

There are nine additional Tier Two Lightning Lane Attractions at Hollywood Studios and they are:

• Toy Story Mania!
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
• Disney Junior Play & Dance!
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
• MuppetVision 3D
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

Several of these attractions can have very long standyby waits. I would prioritize the Toy Story Land attractions (Toy Story Mania and Alien Swirling Saucers) and if you are interested, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The shows are the lowest priority since you can almost always walk into them without a wait. 

Animal Kingdom Fastpass Tiers

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is actually the only Disney World theme park that doesn’t have Lightning Lane tiers. 

There are nine attractions included in the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, and they are: 

• Nav’i River Journey
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• DINOSAUR
• Expedition Everest
• Festival of the Lion King
• It’s Tough to be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Feathered Friends in Flight
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!

Of these attractions, Kilimanjaro Safaris will be the most in-demand for Lightning Lane selections, followed by Expedition Everest. Nav’i River Journey is a good choice for a third selection unless it’s crazy hot and Kali River Rapids sounds like a better choice!

You’ll be using your phone a LOT at Disney World so learn how to use FuelRod in the parks and resorts here. 

What’s Missing From These Lists

I know you might be wondering why there are some VERY popular attractions missing from these lists of Lightning Lane Tier rides. What about TRON, for example? 

Well, Disney has decided a few attractions are so popular they need their own category: Lightning Lane Single Pass. 

These attractions are NOT included with the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and if you want access to the Lightning Lane you will have to purchase a separate pass.

The attractions that use the Single Pass are: 

• TRON Lightcycle/Run (Magic Kingdom)
• Seven Dwarves Mine Train (Magic Kingdom)
• Guardians of the Galaxy (Epcot)
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Hollywood Studios)
• Avatar: Flight of Passage (Animal Kingdom)

Note that TRON and Guardians of the Galaxy still offer a Virtual Queue in addition to the paid Lightning Lane Single Pass. So if you are looking to save money, I suggest learning how the Virtual Queue system works here.

For my detailed guide to using the Disney World Lightning Lanes system which is essentially the new Fastpass, click here. 

I hope this post helped you understand the Disney Lightning Lane Tiers (I’m still calling them Fastpass Tiers, old habits die hard). Any questions? Leave a comment below and I’ll answer it as soon as I can.