June 23, 2026, 5:05 PM ·
Want to skip the lines at Disneyland? The old, free Fastpass system is gone, but Disney has replaced it with a system called Lightning Lane. Here is my updated advice on how to use this system at Disneyland in California. If you are looking for help with a Walt Disney World visit in Florida, please see my previous article, How to use Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World. There is no free option for Lightning Lane. Disney sells three types of Lightning Lane access that guests can buy when they visit Disneyland or Disney California Adventure. Based on my experience, and the experience of other Theme Park Insider readers, here are the best ways to get the most from Disney’s Lightning Lane system.What is a Lightning Lane?A Lightning Lane is just the old Fastpass queue, with a new name. It’s a way to bypass the regular standby queue on popular Disneyland Resort attractions. There will be some wait, given the large number of people who buy Lightning Lane access each day. But attractions operators are trained to prefer the Lightning Lane queue to keep its wait time much shorter than the standby queue.Sometimes people visiting Disney get confused because “Lightning Lane” can mean two things.
1) It’s the name of the physical queue that people use to access an attraction, and
2) It’s the name of the upcharge pass that people have to buy to use that queue. So which Lightning Lane package should you buy, if any? Let’s look at the options.Lightning Lane Premier PassThe most expensive version of Lightning Lane is Lightning Lane Premier Pass. But if you can afford it, this is the pass to buy. A Premier Pass gets you one-time access to the Lightning Lane at each of attractions that offer it at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. This is different from the way that Premier Pass works at Disney World in Florida, where Disney sells the passes for use in one park at a time. To get the most value from a Premier Pass, you should have a Park Hopper ticket so that you can use it in both parks on your day. You can use Premier Pass to access the attractions listed in the Single Pass and Multi Pass sections below.You can use the Premier Pass whenever you want, so there’s no need to plan any return times in advance. Prices range from $300-450 a day. You can buy a Lightning Lane Premier Pass up to seven days in advance of your visit, starting at 7am Pacific Time, via the official Disneyland app.Lightning Lane Single PassThe most popular attraction at each park offers Lightning Lane Single Pass. This is a one-time access to the Lightning Lane at a specific attraction. When you buy the pass, you will select an arrival window to use the pass and ride the ride. Prices will vary by date and by attraction, and you can buy one Lighting Lane Single Pass for each attraction each day. Lighting Lane Single Pass is available via the official Disneyland app as soon as you enter the park.Here are the attractions that offer Lightning Lane Single Pass and their recent price ranges:
Star Wars Rise of the Resistance: $29-35
Radiator Springs Racers: $18-25Lightning Lane Multi PassA Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows you one-time access to Disney’s other Lightning Lane attractions. Again, the pass is good for rides at both theme parks and its price varies by date. Prices have ranged from $37-40 per person per day so far this year. You can buy a Lightning Lane via the app or as an add-on when you purchase your Disneyland tickets. Shop our partner’s Disneyland Resort tickets page for options.Here the eligible attractions at each park:DisneylandAutopia
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Haunted Mansion
Indiana Jones Adventure
It’s a Small World
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
Space Mountain
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
Tiana’s Bayou AdventureDisney California AdventureGoofy’s Sky School
Grizzly River Run
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout
Incredicoaster
The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue
Soarin’ Over California
Toy Story Midway Mania
Web Slingers: A Spider-Man AdventureUsing a Multi Pass well requires planning. Unlike at Walt Disney World in Florida, there is no advance booking for Lightning Lane return times at Disneyland in California. You can make your first return-time reservation as soon as you enter the park, using the official Disneyland app.To save time, download and create your travel party in that app before you arrive. To get the most value from a Multi Pass, you want to try to stack as many arrival times as possible during the day.Stacking Lightning LanesYou want to book your first time as soon as possible after your arrival in the park. You can make another Lightning Lane reservation as soon as your first Lightning Lane arrival time hits, or two hours later, whichever comes first. That two-hour rule can be your trick to stacking multiple Lightning Lane reservations at a time. Whenever you make a Lightning Lane reservation in the park, set your phone’s time to 120 minutes if your next Lightning Lane arrival time is not within two hours. When the timer goes off, make another reservation.Remember that you change Lightning Lane reservations after you make them, too. Keep checking throughout the day for rides that might not have been available before. New time slots can open up as people cancel reservations. Lightning Lane StrategyRemember that you will start the day at whichever park you have a reservation for. However, you can Park Hop immediately if you have a Park Hopper ticket.For Disneyland, Indiana Jones and Space Mountain “sell out” fastest among the Lightning Lane attractions. Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin will remain available later in the day, but it is one of the best uses of Lightning Lane, given its long standby wait times. Matterhorn Bobsleds, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure are other popular selections that often book out for the day by late afternoon. Try to get return times for those before they are gone.At Disney California Adventure, Incredicoaster is the toughest get, followed by Guardians of the Galaxy, Toy Story Midway Mania and Soarin’. If all none of these paid Lightning Lane options sounds appealing to you, remember that using the standby queues is free with park admission. Visit our “What to do” visitors’ guides for my advice on what to visit when to minimize your wait times without having to pay for Lightning Lane.You can find discounts on multi-day theme park tickets, including Lightning Lane add-ons, via our partner’s Disneyland Resort tickets page.Finally, for my weekly update of Disney and theme park news, please sign up for Theme Park Insider’s weekend newsletter.
Replies (0)
