Welcome to Famvia’s Lightning Lane Multi Pass guide to Hollywood Studios! We are happy to see you are doing the right thing and buying this special service for one of Disney’s most thrilling theme parks.
So, let’s get this out of the way: is Lightning Lane Multi Pass worth it for Hollywood Studios? Yes. Actually, that’s a double yes. It might be the best Lightning Lane Multi Pass of all, in fact, giving you a ton of options to visit amazing attractions that are perfect for thrill seekers and entire families.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Hollywood Studios gives you premier access to some of the best and most popular rides in Disney, like Slinky Dog Dash, Tower of Terror and Rock N’ Roller Coaster. That’s not all, Smuggler’s Run and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway are also included! We would certainly say that these five rides alone would pay the price of the Multi Pass, but there is more than that.
If we had to only choose one theme park for Lightning Lane Multi Pass, it would certainly be Hollywood Studios.
What is the Lightning Lane Multi Pass?
Disney decided to rename Disney Genie+ and the individual Lightning Lanes to the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass on July 24, 2024. This change also affected how these fastpass options work, at least for Walt Disney World. Interestingly, while the fastpass names changed for Disneyland as well, their functionality remained the same. However, this is not the case for Disney World.
The Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a fastpass service designed to help you save time in line. You can purchase it through the My Disney Experience app. This optional, paid service aims to enhance your park experience by reducing wait times. Can you still enjoy Disney World without using it? Absolutely. But will the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass make your visit even better? Definitely.
Let’s take a closer look at them!
Lightning Lane Multi Pass
This is the main fastpass option at Disney. The cost varies depending on the date of your visit and the theme park, typically ranging from $20 to $35 in addition to your standard theme park ticket. If you're staying at a Disney hotel, you can book express lines for up to three attractions up to seven days before your visit. All other guests can book three attractions up to three days in advance.
Attractions are categorized into two different tiers, with the more popular rides in the first tier and others in the second tier. You can book in advance only one ride from the first tier and up to two (or all three) from the second tier. You can also choose your preferred timeslots (subject to availability) to better plan your park strategy!
Once you’re in the park and have used your first Multi Pass selection, you may be able to make additional selections.
Lightning Lane Single Pass
Let’s not forget about the Lightning Lane Single Pass, which is simpler and more straightforward. This pass is specifically for the most popular rides at Disney World, such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. These rides are not included in the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, and with the Lightning Lane Single Pass, you pay for a single express line access. Prices vary but typically range from $10 to $20. You can also purchase the Lightning Lane Single Pass in advance, just like the Multi Pass.
Advice for Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Hollywood Studios
Here is some extra info and general advices you should follow if you plan on buying Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Hollywood Studios:
- If you're staying at a Disney hotel, you can start booking your Lightning Lanes up to seven days before your visit. All other guests can book their favorite attractions up to three days in advance. Be sure to purchase it through the My Disney Experience app on your phone and book up to three rides in advance.
- You can book another Lightning Lane after you use your first reservation, or after waiting two hours since the time of your reservation. If you made your first reservation at 7am, though, the time starts counting once the park opens.
- At the moment of this writing, there are no Virtual Queues in Hollywood Studios.
- We do suggest that you buy a Lightning Lane Single Pass for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, since this is a pretty fun ride and one of the best ones at Hollywood Studios.
- Lightning Lane Multi Pass isn’t as expensive in Hollywood Studios as it is in Magic Kingdom. Expect to pay anything from $25 all the way to $35, depending on the time of the year you are visiting.
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is not included in Lightning Lane Multi Pass. You can always buy a Lightning Lane Single Pass for it, which should cost around $15.
Great, we know a little more about Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Hollywood Studios. Now, let’s check out which attractions are available for you once you buy this service.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass Rides in Hollywood Studios
You can choose in advance one ride from group A, which includes:
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
you can also choose in advance 2 experiences, or all 3, from group B, which includes:
- 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
- Muppet Vision 3D
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania!
Phew, that’s a lot! That is also an impressive list of incredible rides. Seriously, everything from Slinky Dog Dash all the way to Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage is a must see attraction that you can’t miss. The fact that they are all part of Lightning Lane Multi Pass is mindblowing, and it’s also what makes this service in Hollywood Studios so valuable.
You won’t run out of good rides to use your Lightning Lane Multi Pass, that’s for sure. For about $20, you can skip regular lines for five or so incredible rides, which is crucial when we take into account that Slinky Dog Dash can have waiting times of two hours and Tower of Terror easily reaches 70 minutes.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Hollywood Studios
Time to talk a little bit more about how you are going to use Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Hollywood Studios. This is, after all, why this guide was made, but it was important to give you a heads up first of what to expect when buying this service.
We are going to create two different groups for Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Hollywood Studios. The first group is for guests that want to experience every attraction that the park has to offer. The second group focuses mostly on what toddlers and kids want to see.
Just keep in mind one thing: creating a Lightning Lane Multi Pass guide is really, really hard. If you opt to go to the best, most popular rides, there is a chance that you will use Lightning Lane Multi Pass on fewer rides throughout the day, but you will at least enjoy the best attractions. If you choose to use it on less popular rides, you will use Lightning Lane Multi Pass a lot, but then you will need to wait in the regular queue for the most popular attractions.
That’s not all, by the way. Let’s not forget that it’s hard to predict the exact time slot of your Lightning Lane Multi Pass reservation, how long you are going to spend in lane for Lightning Lanes and regular queues, if you want to re-ride an attraction you really loved, and even if a ride decides to break down while you are waiting in line (*cough* Rise of the Resistance *cough*). Yeah, it’s not easy, but we are going to try our best.
That’s why we are focusing mostly on ride priority based on Lightning Lane Multi Pass, instead of writing down a guide that you should always follow. Trust us, it’s impossible to create a step by step guide for Lightning Lane Multi Pass since time slots can be so unpredictable.
We are also dividing the Lightning Lane Multi Pass priority in two groups, as we told you already. Later on, we are going to talk a little bit about each ride and why they should be included in your Lightning Lane Multi Pass strategy or not.
Ride Priority A - You want to see Everything
Your ride priority should be:
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Tower of Terror
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Toy Story Mania!
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Ride Priority B - You want to focus on what the little ones want to see
Your ride priority should be:
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Toy Story Mania!
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Beauty & The Beast Live on Stage
- Star Tours
- Alien Swirling Saucers
My three pre-booked Lightning Lane rides would be:
- Slinky Dog Dash
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania
Note: If you are staying at a Disney Hotel, there are days when you can enter the park half an hour before everyone else. We recommend waking up early and getting there as soon as possible for the so-called “Rope Drop”. If that’s the case, you can head straight to Slinky Dog Dash and face the regular queue. You will be saving a precious Lightning Lane Multi Pass that you can use for a popular attraction like Smuggler’s Run, Tower of Terror or Toy Story Mania!
Explaining Lightning Lane Multi Pass Priorities
Now it’s time to talk a little bit about some of our choices when it comes to priorities for your Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Slinky Dog Dash: This must be the biggest Lightning Lane Multi Pass ride in all Disney World. Seriously, Lightning Lane Multi Pass slots for this one are gone in seconds. Book a spot for it as soon as you can.
Tower of Terror: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror remains extremely popular. In fact, queue times have only gone up throughout the years. Regular queues can take you anywhere from 40 to 70 minutes, so this is a very good choice for Lightning Lane Multi Pass to what is one of the best rides in Disney World.
Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run: For some reason, Smuggler’s Run has been just as crowded as Rise of the Resistance by the end of 2023. Queue times start at 40 minutes and only go up. A very easy choice for Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which also gives you more time to explore Galaxy’s Edge.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster: Roller coasters are always popular in Disney World. This one, based on Aerosmith, is becoming more and more popular for a very peculiar reason: it breaks down a lot or is suddenly closed for unknown reasons. This means that people want to come here as soon as possible. Regular queues also tend to be quite long at 60 minutes. There is a Single Rider lane, but it’s usually not worth it as it moves way too slow.
Toy Story Mania!: This is a family friendly ride without a height requirement, located in one of the busiest sections of the park. What that means is that it usually gets quite crowded, with regular lines ranging from 40 to 60 minutes. A worthy Lightning Lane Multi Pass, especially for families with children.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway: A recent attraction that features Mickey Mouse and is great for all families = big queue times. Much like Toy Story Mania, that one is a good choice for Lightning Lane Multi Pass, especially for families with children.
Beauty & The Beast Live on Stage and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular: Both are live shows with real actors. It’s usually not worth it to get Lightning Lane Multi Pass for those. Lightning Lane Multi Pass lets you stay in an area near the main stage, but you can also get good seats if you arrive early through the regular queue.
Closing thoughts
That’s a lot of rides, phew! We hope you enjoyed your time learning about how to optimize your time. If a ride isn’t listed above, it’s because Lightning Lane Multi Pass rarely runs out or there are better options for you.
This guide is very useful, but don’t get too attached to it. Visit the rides you want to visit and spend Lightning Lane Multi Pass with whatever you want. Not a fan of roller coasters at all? Skip Slinky Dog Dash and go for Toy Story Mania. You really, really love Star Wars? Arrive early, go to Smuggler’s Run and grab a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for it as well. It all depends on what you want and your personal preferences.
Don’t stress out too much if Lightning Lane Multi Pass runs out for some of your favorite rides. You can always enter the regular queue. Even if it's a 100 minute queue for Slinky Dog Dash, just try to relax and enjoy the moment. Also don’t stress out about the perfect strategy to min-max your Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Use it on your favorite, most popular rides and enjoy the moment.
Seriously, it doesn’t matter if you only used Lightning Lane Multi Pass on two or three attractions or even if you forgot to set up a new ride. You are in Disney World! Take in the atmosphere, relax and, above all, have fun.
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