Let’s Play Lightning Lane Pick Three
In case you missed the big news, Disney is overhauling the former FastPass system.
The Disney Genie+ era has thankfully ended, and let’s be honest that nobody will miss it.
On July 24th, Lightning Lane Multi Pass will debut, and it’s going to take us all back to the future.
Longtime Walt Disney World guests will instantly recognize some familiar aspects of the new system.
Today, we’re gonna use our knowledge of the old FastPass rules to hack a better itinerary.
So, let’s play our favorite new game, Lightning Lane Pick Three.
What’s Lightning Lane Pick Three?
Under the new Lightning Lane Multi Pass rules, guests can reserve up to three bookings in advance.
Presuming that you’re staying at an official Disney resort – and you should ALWAYS do that – you can book seven days early.
Let’s say that you’re visiting on Christmas Day/the start of Hanukkah 2024.
That’s going to be among the most crowded park days of the year, but you can get a jump on the competition.
On December 18th, you can schedule your three Multi Passes.
That’s a condensed timeline version of the old FastPass system.
Back in the day, guests could reserve FastPasses up to 60 days in advance and even 90 days for anyone staying on various concierge floors.
The benefit of being the first to book is that nothing has sold out yet. So, you get your pick of the best Disney attractions.
By scheduling your reservations ahead of time, you gain a competitive advantage over everyone who doesn’t.
Based on past Disney history, that’s a surprising number of guests who either don’t know or don’t bother to book early.
So, you want and need to do this to maximize your enjoyment during your park visit.
The Pick Three part refers to the fact that you should have a plan for your trip.
You want to pick the ideal Multi Passes so that you’re spending less time standing in line.
Also, you want to avoid crisscrossing the theme park repeatedly.
Otherwise, you’ll be exhausted due to all the excessive walking.
Pick Three – Magic Kingdom
First, you should familiarize yourself with the various Multi Pass options at each park.
I previously wrote this guide for understanding the new system.
However, that was a more generalized evaluation based solely on time savings.
Today, we want to pick the attractions that will guarantee that you start your visit the right way.
At Magic Kingdom, Disney offers a tiered Multi Pass system. Here are the attractions in the top group:
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Space Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad’s wait times are a bit lower than the next three, while Tiana is a class of its own right now.
Currently, the only ways to experience the water ride are via Multi Pass and a virtual queue offered twice daily.
So, the thought process is slightly different here from the other parks. Realistically, you must choose Tiana if you want to do it.
Otherwise, you’ll get shut out. That’s regrettable in that Frontierland is off on its own from the rest of Magic Kingdom.
However, we can still build a morning itinerary around this reality.
The Best Start at Magic Kingdom
Here are Magic Kingdom’s other Multi Passes:
- 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
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
I’d recommend that you pick Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean as the other two attractions.
By taking this approach, you can walk through Main Street, U.S.A. to start your day.
Then, you can head west to Haunted Mansion. Afterward, you can follow the path to Adventureland and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Later, you can ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Notably, while you’re standing in line for Haunted Mansion, you should be able to book more Multi Passes.
In fact, you can do that at other parks. Once you use your first Multi Pass, you can pick wherever you want for the next one, thereby always having three scheduled.
The catch is that you can only do this on the date of your visit, and a lot of Multi Passes will have sold out by then.
So, once you use your first three Multi Passes, the other options will be a grab bag of whatever’s left.
Still, you will have casually explored Adventureland, Frontierland, and Liberty Square within the first three hours of your visit.
Your Magic Kingdom day is already off to a terrific start!
Pick Three at Hollywood Studios
This park also employs a tiered Multi Pass system. So, you can choose one of these three attractions:
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
As I said in my previous article, this park’s Multi Pass booking is the toughest at Walt Disney World.
You really want to ride all four of those, and each one requires a wait of 45-75 minutes on most dates.
So, when I choose a morning itinerary here, it’s more about the wait times and attraction queues than anything else.
Slinky Dog Dash generally requires the longest wait at Hollywood Studios, and part of the line is uncovered.
You don’t want to start your day by having the sun glaring down on you, but you definitely don’t need that in the afternoon.
The Toy Story Plan
I’d suggest that you book Slinky Dog Dash as your top choice. Then, you can pick two Multi Passes from this group:
- 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!
There’s an obvious choice here, and it’s Toy Story Mania! This attraction often requires a 45-minute wait.
By scheduling a Multi Pass, you can probably ride Slinky Dog Dash and Toy Story Mania! within 45 minutes or so.
In fact, you could just stand in line for Alien Swirling Saucers afterward and ride everything at Toy Story Land that way.
Should you take that approach, I’d suggest that you pick Twilight Zone Tower of Terror as your third Multi Pass.
You’ll have plenty of time to make your way to that side of the park, and this drop tower ride stands out on the second list.
Nothing else here should require even a 30-minute wait on many occasions.
Meanwhile, Tower of Terror is often over an hour. So, you’re experiencing one of the park’s best rides while skipping the wait.
Also, since Hollywood Studios is a smaller park, the gradual walk from Toy Story Land to here shouldn’t bother you at all.
If you are struggling, catch a show or ride something else like Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway along the way.
Pick Three – EPCOT
This park’s choices aren’t the challenge. The trick is to avoid the excessive walking.
So, what I’d recommend is that we start with the non-tiered list of options. Those include:
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Spaceship Earth
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Historically, I’d advise you to skip Spaceship Earth as you enter the park. It’ll be most crowded at the start of the day.
However, under the new Multi Pass system, we might as well lean into it.
You should book a Multi Pass for Spaceship Earth at the earliest opportunity.
Then, you can casually ride as you stroll into the park. Afterward, you should pick something like Mission: SPACE or Living with the Land.
These two attractions are VERY different in spirit in tone, with one being intense and the other being an excuse to nap.
Thankfully, each of them will take you down the path toward the World Showcase.
That’s your eventual destination for your third ride. However, I’d encourage you to explore the front of the park first.
That way, you can arrive at one of the World Showcase pavilions just in time for a ride and then a delicious lunch.
This strategy works due to the new top tier of Multi Pass at EPCOT. The options are:
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’ Around the World
And those really aren’t options. You’re either picking Frozen or Ratatouille, with the rides requiring about the same average wait.
So, pick your favorite or select the one that’s close to a place where you’d like to eat lunch at the World Showcase.
This is the sort of itinerary planning that can make a Disney visit much more relaxed.
Pick Three – Animal Kingdom
Last time, I suggested that your three Multi Pass selections should be Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Na’vi River Journey.
I still feel that way, even though I hate it from a planning perspective.
Animal Kingdom works the opposite of Hollywood Studios in that it’s a massive park that requires tons of walking.
Unfortunately, those three attractions are in Pandora – The World of Avatar, Africa, and Asia.
So, you’ll be doing a lot of walking, but it’s unavoidable. After all, these are three of the park’s best rides.
The other options on the list don’t require anywhere near as much time spent standing in line, either. Here’s the list:
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Feathered Friends in Flight!
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Naʻvi River Journey
Realistically, the only other viable option is Kali River Rapids, but the most logical swap would be for Expedition Everest.
That tactic doesn’t save you the walking and thereby doesn’t really help.
As such, my suggestion is that you start your day following the herd to Pandora.
Rope Drop Avatar Flight of Passage then use your Multi Pass at Na’vi River Journey.
Afterward, head north to Africa and experience the park’s most magical ride, Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Hang out in the area as long as you want and then head east to Asia.
Once you ride Expedition Everest, you can eat lunch at my favorite place at the park, Yak & Yeti Restaurant.
Just take everything slowly, and all the walking shouldn’t overwhelm you.
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