Lightning Lane at Disneyland

What is Lightning Lane

Lightning Lane is the term Disney uses for a faster, priority queue available at select attractions as of December 8, 2021. (For those familiar with the past, think of Lightning Lane as a new name for the "FASTPASS" queue.) It is an alternative to the "standby queue," which is what people enter when the simply walk up to the attraction, get in line, and wait for their turn to ride.

How To Get Lightning Lane Access

Lightning Lane queues can only be used by those paying for the add-on service (Genie+ for most attractions, Individual Lightning Lane purchases for one or two high-demand rides in each park), or by those partaking in services offered through Rider Switch or Disability Access Services. Those taking a VIP Tour may also use Lightning Lanes.

See our Genie+ blog post for more information about how to purchase and use Genie+ and Lightning Lane.

How Does Lightning Lane Work?

There are two different ways the general public can use the Lightning Lane queue at an attraction:

• Genie+ (See our Genie+ page for details!) For a daily fee, Genie+ gets you "next available" access to Lightning Lanes at many attractions, one-at-a time. For those who remember 2019, it's like MaxPass.


• Individual Lightning Lane purchases are available for top attractions that are not part of the Genie+ offerings. Basically, you pay a per-attraction fee (which varies by day and ride) to get the next available return time to use the Lightning Lane. A maximum of two Individual Lightning Lane purchases can be made per day, and you cannot purchase access to the same attraction twice in the same day. To purchase Individual Lightning Lane access, you do not have to also purchase Genie+.

You can add Genie+ to your ticket at time of purchase for the entire duration of that ticket. If you don't do that, you can add Genie+ same-day, but note that neither same-day Genie+ nor Individual Lighting Lane purchases can be made until after your ticket has been scanned to enter the park that day.

How Much are Individual Lightning Lane Selections?

Prices vary by attraction and day of year, and Disney may not release this information in advance. Disney has tried many different price points for the individual Lightning Lane purchases in California, and they will generally cost between $12 and $25 per person per ride.

What Attractions Use Individual Lightning Lane?

Disneyland Park

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Disney California Adventure Park

• Radiator Springs Racers

The list of attractions where Individual Lightning Lane purchases are possible is subject to change.

Individual Lightning Lane Tips and Advice

• Much of the advantage of Individual Lightning Lane (short lines) is only applicable in the middle of the day. If you are the type of traveler who uses a Touring Plan and routinely gets to the park before official opening, you do not need to purchase Individual Lightning Lane.


• You can only purchase two Individual Lightning Lane passes per day, which is important to remember if you plan to park hop.

Which are the most popular Lightning Lane rides?

We're still collecting data but so far the following attractions are the most in-demand in terms of Lightning Lane reservations:

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Haunted Mansion
• Indiana Jones Adventure
• Space Mountain
• Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: BREAKOUT!
• Toy Story Mania
• WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure

You should prioritize Lightning Lane reservations for these attractions to avoid long wait times until your reservation time arrives. Also, these attractions are the most likely to "sell out" on busy days, but so far we've only seen this on days with the highest crowd levels.