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Guide to Using Lightning Lane Passes at Epcot (Priorities for 2024)

Guide to Using Lightning Lane Passes at Epcot (Priorities for 2024)

Ready to master Lightning Lane Passes at Epcot?

In this guide, we’ll explore all the rides at Epcot that use Lightning Lanes. We’ll discuss which rides to prioritize for pre-selection with the Multi Pass, and how to identify your same-day selection priorities in the park.

We’ll also cover the Lightning Lane Single Pass, and how both it and the Virtual Queue at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind work with the Multi Pass system.

Finally, we’ll wrap up with a quick primer on the Lightning Lane Multi Pass system to ensure you’re fully prepared.

We’ve got a lot to talk about, so let’s get to it!

Lightning Lane Guides for the Other Parks

Looking for help maximizing Lightning Lane Multi Pass at the other Walt Disney World theme parks? Here’s where you can find our guides:

And if you are new to Lightning Lane Multi Pass, make sure you start with our Guide to Using Lightning Lanes at Disney World or skip down below where we go over some of the Epcot Lightning Lane Pass basics.

Epcot Lightning Lane Passes

Disney World has transitioned from the Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes systems to a new setup with new names and new features:

  • Lightning Lane Multi Pass (formerly Genie+)
  • Lightning Lane Single Pass (formerly Individual Lightning Lane selections)

Aside from both the old Genie+ system and the new Lightning Lane Pass system using the same “Lightning Lanes” in the park, there are several important differences to understand, including what we think are the two most important features to know before your trip:

  1. Pre-Selections will be available.
    • Unlike the old Genie+ system, with Lightning Lane Multi Pass you’ll be able to pre-select up to 3 attractions before your arrival.
  1. Attractions will be divided up into groups for pre-selection.
    • At Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios, attractions will be divided into two groups or tiers.
    • For your pre-selections, you can choose one attraction from Group 1 and two attractions from Group 2. Alternatively, you can book all three from Group 2, though we typically don’t recommend this.

However, and this is important:

Once you’re in the park, as soon as you use one Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can book another immediately.

There is NO 2-hour delay like with the old Genie+ system. At that point, you can book any available attraction, regardless of the group or tier.

Get our Epcot Lightning Lane Cheat Sheet

We are going to go into a lot of detail down below, but make sure you save our Epcot Lightning Lane Cheat Sheet to your phone for easy reference during your trip.

Epcot Attraction Groups (Tiers)

Here’s how the attractions are divided at Epcot. Remember, these groups ONLY matter when it comes to your pre-selections. Once you are in the parks, you’ll want to use our recommended priorities below to help you maximize your park touring:

Group 1 Attractions: These are the most popular and often have the longest wait times. You can pre-select one from here:

  • Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
  • Frozen Ever After
  • Soarin’ Around the World

Note: Although it isn’t open right now, we do expect to see Test Track return as a Group 1 Attraction after its refurbishment.

Group 2 Attractions: These are also popular, but typically have shorter wait times than Group 1. You can pre-select two from here:

  • Journey Into Imagination with Figment
  • Living with the Land
  • Meet Mickey and Friends*
  • Mission: SPACE
  • Spaceship Earth
  • The Seas with Nemo & Friends
  • Turtle Talk with Crush
  • Disney-Pixar Short Film Festival

*Note: Characters may not be available OR may only be available same day

test track entrance

Our Recommended Booking Priorities for Epcot

Although it is an extra expense, especially during busy times of the year, we think that Lightning Lane Multi Pass is worth it at Epcot, and if you are smart about how you use it, you’ll be able to save yourself a bunch of time in line – as well as time crisscrossing the park.

While the attractions are divided into two Groups for pre-selection by Disney, we go a bit further.

Based on each attraction’s popularity and how quickly their Lightning Lane Multi Pass availability runs out, we’ve developed a priority list to help you get the most out of your visit.

These are our Recommended Booking Priorities, which we’ve broken down into three levels:

  • First Priority (Level 1):
    • All Group 1 attractions. You can book one of these in advance, and if any are available on the day of your visit, make sure to grab another as they are some of the most popular rides in the park.
  • Second Priority (Level 2):
    • The most popular of the Group 2 attractions. Book two of these in advance before your arrival, and on the day of your visit, these also make good additional choices.
  • Third Priority (Level 3):
    • Less popular Group 2 attractions that usually don’t run out super early. Save these options for the day of your visit.

Note: We used information from Thrill-Data.com to help put together the recommendations below.

First (Level 1) Lightning Lane Priorities

Level 1 priorities are what many people consider to be some of the best rides at Epcot, and they are the attractions that run out of Lightning Lane Multi Passes first.

You can book one of these in advance, and if any are available on the day of your visit, make sure to grab another as they are some of the most popular rides in the park.

Pre-Selection (At Home)

At Epcot, there are typically two attractions that see their Lightning Lane Multi Pass spots disappear fast: Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen Ever After. Test Track (after it reopens) also tends to go quickly, too. Out of the Group 1 attractions, Soarin’ tends to last a bit longer.

Day of Use (In the Park)

On the day of use, if there are any Level 1 Priorities left after using your first Lightning Lane Multi Pass (which can be after any Multi Pass, not just a Group 1 Pass), we recommend checking to see if any of the remaining Level 1 Priorities are available and, if so, booking one of those.

Note: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is only available by purchasing Lightning Lane Single Pass OR by securing a spot in the virtual queue. It is not available with Lightning Lane Multi Pass.

Second (Level 2) Lightning Lane Priorities

Level 2 Priorities are Group 2 attractions, so they are slightly less popular than the Group 1.

Pre-selection (At Home)

When pre-selecting, you’ll be able to pick two of the attractions from this list.

Day of Use (In the Park)

On the day of use, if there are NOT any Level 1 Priorities left after using your first Lightning Lane Multi Pass (which can be after any Multi Pass, not just a Group 1 Pass), we recommend checking to see if any of the Level 2 Priorities are available, and if so, booking one of those.

Third (Level 3) Lightning Lane Priorities

Level 3 Priorities are the attractions that are most likely to be available to book as additional Lightning Lane Passes when you are in the park.

Pre-selection (At Home)

Unless you have no other option, we do not recommend you pre-select any of these attractions.

Day of Use (In the Park)

On the day of use, follow these steps after using your first Lightning Lane Multi Pass (which can be after any Multi Pass, not just a Group 1 Pass):

  • Check for Level 1 Priorities: If any are available, book one of those.
  • If no Level 1 Priorities are available:
    • Check for Level 2 Priorities.
    • If any are available, book one of those.
  • If no Level 2 Priorities are available:
    • Book a Level 3 Priority.

Lightning Lane Passes at Epcot

Ok, now that we’ve gone over the priorities at Epcot, let’s backtrack a bit and go over the latest info you need to know about Lightning Lanes and Lightning Lane Passes at Epcot.

If you are a repeat guest, this new system is different from how Genie+ and FastPass+ worked. In fact, it is kind of a mash-up of the two systems, which you’ll be able to see below:

Lightning Lanes

Lightning Lanes are secondary entrances to attractions, and the Lightning Lanes ideally have a much shorter wait.

Basically, when you buy a Lightning Lane Pass, you purchase the option to reserve entry times into the Lightning Lanes.

In the olden days, Lightning Lanes used to be called “FastPass” or “FastPass+” lines.

Not every attraction has a Lightning Lane, but the majority of them do – especially the most popular attractions.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass

All but one or two attractions with Lightning Lanes in each park will be included in a pay-to-use service called Lightning Lane Multi Pass. These are the attractions you’ll be pre-selecting from home or trying to grab bonus day-of-use passes in the park. We’ve listed all of those up above in our priorities list.

Lightning Lane Single Pass

In addition to all the attractions that use Lightning Lane Multi Pass, there are one or two attractions in each park that have Lightning Lanes that are not a part of Lightning Lane Multi Pass.

For those select few attractions, you can only use the Lightning Lane if you purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass.

This is a separate purchase (and fee), but it can definitely be worth it if you’re trying to tour efficiently as possible.

If you decide not to purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass, there are other ways to ride, and we’ve listed those below.

In Epcot, there is one attraction that offers Lightning Lane Single Pass:

  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Virtual Queue is available for guests who do not purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass. There is no Standby Line)
guardians of the galaxy cosmic rewind - standby and lightning lane

Here’s what else you need to know about Lightning Lane Single Passes:

  • Advance Selections: When you purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass, you can make up to two Lightning Lane Single Pass selections per day in advance of your visit. You’ll also be able to choose available times as you make your selections. Note: You can only ride an attraction using a Single Pass one time (you can’t purchase 2 rides on the same attraction).
  • Different Parks: Your Lightning Lane Single Pass selections do NOT have to be in the same park, but you will need a ticket that has Park Hopping if you plan to purchase a Single Pass in two separate parks.
  • Separate Purchase: The Lightning lane Single Pass is a separate purchase from the Lightning Lane Multi Pass. You do NOT have to purchase a Multi Pass to buy a Single Pass.

Advanced Selections

How far in advance you’ll be able to book your pre-selections will depend on where you are staying and what type of ticket you have.

Important Note: You MUST have a valid theme park ticket before you can purchase either a Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Single Pass.

Onsite Guests – 7 Days in Advance

Guests of eligible resorts can purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass and Lightning Lane Multi Pass and start pre-planning up to seven days before their check-in date, covering the length of their stay (up to 14 days).

Eligible resorts include:

  • Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
  • Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
  • Shades of Green Resort

Offsite Guests – 3 Days in Advance

Guests staying offsite at a non Disney Resort hotel with date-based Disney Theme Park tickets can purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass and Lightning Lane Multi Pass and start pre-planning up to three days before their ticket’s start date, for the duration of their ticket.

Annual Passholders and Guests with Main Entrance Passes – 3 Days in Advance

Guests with other forms of admission (such as non-dated tickets, Annual Passes, and Main Entrance Passes) can purchase and begin pre-planning up to three days in advance of each day of their visit. Theme Park reservations are required.

If Annual Passholders have an onsite Disney Resort stay, that booking takes priority and falls under the same rules as all onsite guests.

How much do Lightning Lane Passes cost?

We expect the price to align with the current Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane prices. We don’t have confirmation of that, but we don’t think Disney can go much higher on these prices (and we have our fingers crossed they don’t prove us wrong).

Remember – the price will fluctuate depending on the time of year. Busier times of the year are more expensive, less busy times cost a little less. So, use our numbers below as an example from one point in time with the understanding that the price will vary depending on your trip dates.

Lightning Lane Multi Pass Price

Sample price ranges. Busier times of the year may exceed the max below.

  • Magic Kingdom: $25-$29 per person
  • Hollywood Studios: $22-$26 per person
  • Epcot: $18-$21 per person
  • Animal Kingdom: $16-$18 per person

Lightning Lane Single Pass Price

Sample prices for Lightning Lane Single Passes. Keep in mind that busier times of the year will see prices that are higher than the ones listed below.

  • TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom – $20 per person
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom – $11 per person
  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – $22 per person
  • AVATAR Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom – $14 per person
  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot – $22 per person

How do Lightning Lanes work with Virtual Queues?

There is just one attraction at Epcot that offers a Virtual Queue:

  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (part of Lightning Lane Single Pass)

Guests who choose NOT to purchase Lightning Lane Passes can still have the option of joining the Virtual Queue for Guardians. Or, you can both purchase the Lightning Lane Pass and try for a Virtual Queue (which would then give you 2 rides).

Boarding group spots are not unlimited in the virtual queue – and once they are gone, they are gone. There is no guarantee you will get one.

And for the rides with a Virtual Queue, your only options will be to either pay extra for a Lightning Lane Single Pass OR ride it through the virtual queue. 

There is no standby line option, meaning, you might miss out riding if you don’t understand how it all works.

How many rides use Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Epcot?

When all the attractions are open, Epcot has a total of 12 attractions eligible for Lightning Lane Multi Pass. So while not as many rides as you’d find at Magic Kingdom, purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass can still make sense here.

Epcot Lightning Lane Multi Pass rides and attractions

But, not all attractions with Lightning Lanes at Epcot are included with Lightning Lane Multi Pass.

Rides at Epcot that do not use Lightning Lane Multi Pass

One attraction with a Lightning Lane at Epcot (Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind) requires you to purchase a spot à la carte if you want to use the Lightning Lane. That ride is a part of the Lightning Lane Single Pass system.

Plus, there is a list of other attractions that don’t have Lightning Lanes at all and only use Standby Lines.

Epcot Lightning Lane Multi Pass FAQs

Does Lightning Lane Multi Pass let me skip the line?

While Lightning Lane Multi Pass can significantly cut down on your overall wait times, you will still have to stand in a line – it just won’t be as long as the regular Standby Line.

For example, if you want to ride Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure during the middle of the day, the standby waits there are often over 80 minutes. With Lightning Lane Multi Pass, your wait will be closer to 20. That is a huge chunk of time saved.

Can I use Lightning Lanes at Disney After Hours?

Lightning Lanes are not available during any of the After Hours events, including After Hours at Epcot. The good news is, the waits during After Hours do not necessitate the Lightning Lane Pass service.

Can I use Lightning Lanes during Early Entry or Extended Evening Theme Park Hours?

Lightning Lanes are not available during Early Theme Park Entry or Extended Evening Theme Park Hours.

Can I Park Hop to or from Epcot and use Lightning Lanes?

Yes! You can. Lightning Lanes can be used when Park Hopping, just keep in mind that if your park ticket requires a Park Pass reservation, that you must first visit the park your reservation is for before hopping to a different park.