Last updated: February 24, 2025. Please email us if you find any errors.
Visiting Walt Disney World is an exciting adventure but the planning and navigating of the parks can often leave guests, first-timers, and repeaters, overwhelmed. Make sure you have a Magic Kingdom plan in place to ensure your day’s success!
Magic Kingdom presents its own unique challenges. With its abundance of attractions, navigating this park requires careful planning to help maximize all you can do in a day.
Due to Magic Kingdom’s sheer size, we suggest allocating two days to fully enjoy everything this park has to offer.
What You Need to Know About Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass Before Visiting Magic Kingdom
Table of Contents
Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a paid service at Walt Disney World that replaced the old Genie+ system and works a bit differently.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass can be purchased each day of your trip and must be purchased for each person in your party who wants to ride using the Lightning Lane.
Attractions are selected on the official Walt Disney World app (My Disney Experience) with a specific return time when you can join the Lightning Lane line.
Lightning Lane is a separate line at participating attractions that allows guests to skip the standby line (regular queue).
Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel will be able to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass 7 days prior to your check-in date, for the entire length of your stay (up to 14 days). You can purchase for as many or as few days as you want during your stay.
Guests not staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel have a few options, depending on which type of ticket you’ll be using. For date-based tickets, you will be able to purchase 3 days before the first day of your ticket, for the length of your visit. Any other type of tickets (Annual Passholder, Cast Member, etc) will need to book 3 days ahead for each day of your visit.
Note: At this time, international guests outside of the USA and Canada will not be able to pre-book selections until they are in the USA.
Pro Tip: You can choose your experiences and times before purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass to make sure there is availability that works for you.
You can select 3 rides in one park on your booking day: one from Tier 1, and two from Tier 2 (based on which theme park). After you use your first selection each day, you can choose another selection in any park, in any tier. After you use your second selection, you can again choose another, so that you always have 3 rides lined up.
Tips for Success:
Always check your My Disney Experience app as soon as you scan into a Lightning Lane and select your next attraction. The app tells you when you can choose the next attraction.
For a complete list of Lightning Lane attractions and priorities visit our Lightning Lane Priorities – Magic Kingdom Attractions. For the Magic Kingdom touring plan, please continue reading.
Lightning Lane Single Pass
Some of the more popular rides in each park are not included with Lightning Lane Multi Pass. These few attractions are called Lightning Lane Single Pass. Confused yet? We know, the names make it extra tricky! But we promise, it will all come together for you!
Lightning Lane Single Pass can be purchased in your My Disney Experience app, as a per person, per ride add on – for each ride offered. This can be purchased at the same time as Lightning Lane Multi Pass, for any park.
Those rides are: (Subject to change)
- Magic Kingdom – TRON Lightcycle Run and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- EPCOT – Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Hollywood Studios – Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Animal Kingdom – Flight of Passage
Prices change based on park and date attending.
Magic Kingdom Park Strategy with Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Here’s your Magic Kingdom plan. Let’s get started!
Remember, you can select your experiences 7 days before check-in day for Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests, and 3 days prior for date-based tickets.
Note: there are two tiers for the rides at Magic Kingdom.
• Select your first 3 rides for Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure from Tier 1 – Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean from Tier 2.
• Buy Lightning Lane Single Pass for TRON Lightcycle Run, if wanted. This can be done at the same time as buying your Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
If possible, try to select ride times earliest in the day, so you have more time to choose additional experiences as you use your first 3.
Arrive at least one hour before park opening: Park hours can be found in your My Disney Experience app or on the Disney World website.
Once you’re scanned in at Magic Kingdom:
• Ride Pirates of the Caribbean with Lightning Lane
• Select Lightning Lane for Peter Pan’s Flight
• Ride Haunted Mansion with Lightning Lane
• Select Lightning Lane for Jungle Cruise
• Ride “it’s a small world” standby
• Fill time with Mickey’s PhilharMagic, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
• Ride Peter Pan’s Flight with Lightning Lane
• Select Lightning Lane for Space Mountain
• Ride Jungle Cruise with Lightning Lane
• Select Lightning Lane for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Ride Dumbo standby
• Ride The Barnstormer standby
• Ride Mad Tea Party standby
• Ride Space Mountain with Lightning Lane
• Select Lightning Lane for Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid
• Ride Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover standby
• Ride Carousel of Progress standby
• Ride The Little Mermaid with Lightning Lane
• Select Lightning Lane for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure with Lightning Lane
• Do Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
• Ride the Walt Disney World Railroad
• Ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh with Lightning Lane
• Select Lightning Lane for Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Fill time with Tomorrowland Speedway and Monsters Inc Laugh Floor
• Ride Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin with Lightning Lane
• If you choose not to purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass for TRON, you can get in the standby line any time that works for your schedule
Parades & Other Entertainment
Magic Kingdom offers much more than attractions to fill your magical day. The offerings change from time to time, and some are seasonal. Most days include performances on Main Street from the Dapper Dans, Let the Magic Begin, park opening stage show, the Main Street Philharmonic, and more. Add these entertainment options into your Magic Kingdom plan for the perfect park day. 
You should plan to see The Festival of Fantasy Parade, typically at 3:00 pm daily, and the nightly fireworks show, Happily Ever After. Fireworks show times change by season. All times can be found in your My Disney Experience app or on a paper map as you enter the park.
Plan to arrive for the parade and fireworks an hour beforehand for the best views. Add them to the above touring plan as the time fits in.
For additional Park Touring plans visit the following:
For additional information on Lightning Lanes search “Lightning” in the top right. Here are links to a few of our favorites.
- A How-To Guide for the New Lightning Lane System (and How To Cut Costs Elsewhere to Balance the Price Increase)
- Lightning Lane Priorities – Magic Kingdom Attractions
Ready to book your next magical vacation? Contact your favorite Love of the Magic Vacations Travel Advisor or email hello@LOTMV.com
Don’t forget to join our Disney Besties Q&A Facebook Group where you’ll find all the helpful tips and answers you need for your next Disney vacation.
