Of the numerous controversial components of the Lightning Lane Multi-Move line-skipping system, the no re-ride rule simply makes the highest 25. (It’s a protracted record of complaints.) Fortunately, there are methods to bypass lengthy strains and expertise sights repeatedly, together with one advanced-level hack that’ll will let you use paid FastPass on the identical trip greater than as soon as.
That is particularly related now. In spite of everything, ’tis the season…of loopy crowds at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. As attendance will increase, so too does “competitors” for Lightning Lanes as a result of extra visitors shopping for the Multi Move possibility. Regardless of surge pricing that may trigger the paid FastPass service to price $40+ on busy days, demand is highest when attendance and wait instances are at their worst.
Accordingly, you would possibly need to have advanced-level Lightning Lane technique through the busiest dates when strains are longest and there’s probably the most competitors for one of the best LLMP alternatives. You’ll need to leverage trip reservation refills, have a robust refresh sport, and extra. Even then, if you happen to’re visiting through the peak weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New 12 months’s Eve, there’s an excellent probability you’re not scoring Lightning Lanes for each headliner, even with all the greatest tips up your sleeve.
In that spirit, it is a Lightning Lane Multi-Move superior technique and submit. Which is to say that superior technique isn’t ample (particularly the one lined right here), so that you’ll additionally need to leverage the opposite, common savvy standby methods. This can be a matter of practicality. It’s best to by no means put your entire eggs in a single basket, and overreliance on Lightning Lanes is a standard recipe for disappointment.
That’s doubly true with regards to Lightning Lane Multi-Move superior technique, none of which is foolproof or assured. You may play the refresh sport aggressively or know all of the ins and outs, however if you happen to go to on a peak season day and Disney opts to throttle trip reservation refills or availability is in any other case restricted, you’re out of luck.
Whereas we’re on the subject, it’s value a ‘warning’ up entrance that Lightning Lane superior technique will be complicated and overwhelming. If you happen to take ~half-hour to study the ins and outs, you received’t simply be above common–you’ll be a prime 5% LLMP energy consumer. Nevertheless, this additionally means it isn’t straightforward. If it had been, everybody would do it, and also you wouldn’t be a prime 5% energy consumer!
Simply mentioning this as a result of each time we do a hacks submit like this, there are inevitably readers who’re confused and change into upset that you just “should” do a ton of homework simply to grasp Lightning Lanes. You completely don’t. This isn’t the baseline for common visitors. If you happen to discover all of this overwhelming, merely choose out. You’ll nonetheless be wonderful. That is advanced-level and past what 95% of visitors will do and even want. In different phrases, these are not the fundamentals of Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World.
With that in thoughts, let’s begin with the savvy supplemental standby methods that you just ought to be using alongside Lightning Lane Multi-Move if you wish to re-ride favourite sights. Or if you happen to’re merely visiting throughout a busy timeframe when it received’t be potential to attain each trip reservation by way of LLMP. If you happen to’re already conversant in these, skip to the final entry for one more superior Lightning Lane hack…
Early Entry – Earlier than every of the Disney theme parks formally open for the day, there’s Early Entry, which is gives 30-minute entry to visitors staying in on-site resorts. (See our Information to Early Entry at Walt Disney World or our Information to Early Entry at Disneyland for more information & technique.)
Early Entry begins half-hour earlier than every of the parks open. For instance, if Magic Kingdom formally opens at 9 am, that places Early Entry at 8:30 am. Magic Kingdom is the preferred park at Walt Disney World, and this 8:30 begin time doesn’t current a ‘barrier to entry’ for most individuals. This implies MK has the most important crowds for Early Entry, rendering the perk virtually ineffective for the preferred trip, Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice.
At each of the fort parks, Early Entry can be restricted to solely Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. On the different three Walt Disney World theme parks, it encompasses the whole lot of the park and all headliners. Consequently, Early Entry is most helpful at Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT–in that order. You may normally do widespread rides by way of standby with 15-20 minute waits. Typically much less.
Rope Drop – In any other case generally known as official park opening time, when a rope is dropped permitting common visitors to entry all of the lands of park. It ought to go with out saying, however rope drop happens after Early Entry.
Rope drop is most helpful at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, exactly as a result of Early Entry is much less helpful at these parks. In each fort parks in addition to Disney California Journey, there are main sights and whole lands that aren’t open till rope drop. Within the different parks, there are second-tier widespread sights which are additionally nice. Right here’s a partial record of one of the best rope drop rides:
- TRON Lightcycle Run (Magic Kingdom)
- Jungle Cruise (MK)
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disneyland)
- Indiana Jones Journey (DL)
- Large Thunder Mountain Railroad (MK/DL)
- Tower of Terror (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)
- Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster (DHS)
- Radiator Springs Racers (Disney California Journey)
- Frozen Ever After (EPCOT)
- Soarin’ (EPCOT/DCA)
- Kilimanjaro Safaris (Disney’s Animal Kingdom)
- Expedition Everest (DAK)
Since Animal Kingdom opens so early and is much less widespread than the opposite parks, most rides are good choices at common rope drop. Even these in Pandora – World of Avatar. Likewise, Early Entry eligibility is so restricted at Disneyland Resort that even Fantasyland or Avengers Campus sights are inclined to ‘reset’ and have low waits once more at common rope drop. Probably the most borderline entry on the above record is Frozen Ever After at EPCOT, which does have decrease waits than noon, however you might nonetheless wait ~half-hour at rope drop.
Buzzer Beater – Equally, there’s the tried and true strategy for any headliner attraction: 1 minute earlier than park closing. That is just like the reverse rope drop, or ‘rope rise’ possibility. We like to consider it because the “buzzer beater” strategy, since all you’ve gotta do is bounce in line earlier than the clock strikes park closing.
Disney doesn’t cease strains for sights till park closing, which implies you’ll be able to queue up proper till the clock strikes midnight (or each time the parks shut–normally a lot earlier at Walt Disney World than Disneyland). This successfully extends your day and is when the precise wait time is lowest for all headliners on each coasts.
Ignore the posted wait time. Disney intentionally inflates wait instances on the finish of the evening to discourage visitors from getting in a single final trip. The extra individuals who bounce in line for the excitement beater strategy, the longer it takes to clear the park, which implies extra $$$ for Disney in staffing.
We’ve completed the ‘buzzer-beater’ strategy to Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice, TRON Lightcycle Run, Indiana Jones Journey, Area Mountain, Radiator Springs Racers, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and different top-tier sights on each coasts dozens and dozens of instances. Nearly each single evening, in reality. The overwhelming majority of the time, our precise wait time for any of those sights has been between 10 and quarter-hour. There have been instances after they’ve been walk-ons!
Prolonged Night Hours – This one is unique to Walt Disney World, to sure nights, particular parks, and a small pool of visitors. Suffice to say, there are lots of limiting elements on Prolonged Night Hours (ExEH). If you happen to’re unfamiliar with the ins and outs, study extra in our Information to Prolonged Night Hours at Walt Disney World.
Prolonged Night Hours is de facto helpful at Magic Kingdom, the place you are able to do just about any attraction–together with Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice and TRON Lightcycle Run–in direction of the tip of the night with minimal waits. It’s not fairly as advantageous at EPCOT, partially because of the extra restricted trip roster and partially as a result of all the things’s so unfold out.
There’s actually not a lot distinction with Prolonged Night Hours and common park closing. Prioritize the second-tier sights earlier throughout ExEH and the top-tier ones on the very finish. Leap into line for Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, TRON, or SDMT on the very finish, and all the things else earlier than that to maximise your time saved.
A number of Expertise Move (MEP) – That is known as a bunch of various issues, each formally and unofficially. Disney was so good about constant branding and naming conference, however that actually went off the rails when retiring FastPass, Further Magic Hours, and so forth. (Is it really known as Early Entry? Is it capitalized? Is dependent upon the place you look!) However I digress.
Disney and followers largely check with this because the A number of Expertise Move or MEP. That’s a bit complicated now that Lightning Lane Multi Move has been launched, however no matter. We’ll roll with it.
A number of Expertise Passes are what you obtain an attraction for which you will have an upcoming trip reservation is experiencing downtime. You’ll obtain a notification a few modification to your plans, together with a proof that the attraction is quickly unavailable or one thing like that. Listed below are examples from Magic Kingdom:
This A number of Experiences Move can then be used on the Lightning Lane entrance of your alternative, with a variety of caveats. These passes have a number of tiers, and the exclusions on yours will differ primarily based on the trip you had booked by way of Lightning Lane Multi-Move. Phew. That’s quite a lot of multiples!
The salient level right here is that the A number of Experiences Move doesn’t depend towards the re-ride rule. That means that these floating trip reservations don’t have the restriction of solely being legitimate for every attraction as soon as per day–you should use MEPs to expertise your favourite rides time and again. That is basically a wildcard or ‘get out of jail free’ card or no matter you need to name it. The MEP exists in a parallel universe, largely unencumbered by the principles of the Lightning Lane system.
If you happen to take a look at the screenshot above, you’ll see that I acquired that A number of Experiences Move for Area Mountain. As soon as I acquired that, Area Mountain was again on the desk as an attraction I might reserve once more (topic to availability) by way of Lightning Lane Multi-Move. So I did. However because it was nonetheless damaged down, this instantly transformed to a different MEP. This, in flip, allowed me to guide a trip reservation for Area Mountain once more. And guess what I did?
Above is my assortment of A number of Experiences Passes from Area Mountain being damaged down on this specific day. I additionally booked a Lightning Lane Multi-Move for Area Mountain that truly “caught,” that means that I ended up with 4 LLMPs flowing from Area Mountain on this specific day. I might use these to trip something, besides the higher-status headliners in Magic Kingdom.
It received’t all the time work, and truthfully, I’m stunned the system let me maintain reserving Area Mountain. A lot of the time, a trip breaking down will ‘freeze’ its Lightning Lane availability, thereby avoiding this outcome the place the system is spitting out A number of Experiences Passes like sweet. For no matter motive, that wasn’t the case on this specific day.
Moderately than counting on a glitch or anomaly like this, there’s a extra tried and true method of scoring the coveted A number of Experiences Move. You may troll or fish for them. There are specific sights which are extra susceptible to breakdowns or the dreaded delayed opening.
Disneyland diehards routinely work the system with Indiana Jones Journey and Area Mountain, together with the Pixar Pier headliners, Soarin’ and Grizzly River Run. If you happen to reservation certainly one of these as your first Lightning Lane of the day, there’s a first rate probability you’ll be rewarded with a A number of Experiences Move as a result of the trip is unable to open with the park. If not, you’ll be able to both trip or play the modify sport and maintain fishing.
Different sights at Disneyland and Disney California Journey the place this ceaselessly works all through the day are Large Thunder Mountain Railroad, Matterhorn, Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue, and Goofy’s Sky College. At Disneyland, it additionally appears simpler to attain upcoming LLMPs for rides which are presently experiencing downtime.
At Walt Disney World, it’s a bit trickier. That is largely as a result of nearly all of rides which are most definitely to expertise the dreaded delayed opening are additionally probably the most troublesome and coveted Lightning Lanes. Nonetheless, right here’s an inventory of sights to focus on:
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Haunted Mansion
- Large Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey
- Slinky Canine Sprint
- Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster
- Remy’s Ratatouille Journey
- Spaceship Earth
- Expedition Everest
Clearly, a few of these are going to be extra helpful when trolling for a A number of Experiences Move than others. It additionally ought to go with out saying, however trip reliability is unpredictable and topic to alter. There was a time not too way back when Pirates of the Caribbean and Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster had been reliably experiencing unreliability. You can guide certainly one of these for the earliest morning time slot and have a 50/50 probability they’d be down. As of proper now, even probably the most breakdown-prone rides are solely having delayed openings beneath 20% of the time. Excellent news for the Walt Disney World visitor expertise as a complete; unhealthy information for MEP fishers.
There are different extra advanced-level hacks with A number of Expertise Passes, or relatively, there have been. This included methods to speed up Lightning Lane return instances, obtain bonus MEPs, and extra. I imagine most, if not all, of those turned out of date with the swap from Genie+ to Lightning Lane Multi Move. It’s nonetheless value reiterating that MEP exists in a parallel universe of kinds, just like the Upside Down or Twilight Zone (relying upon your age) variations of Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
What this implies in follow is that A number of Expertise Passes can interface with the Lightning Lane Multi Move system in odd and sudden methods. I do know that is going to shock each diehard fan, however typically Disney IT will be glitchy, and that’s evident once in a while with MEP. Issues like precedence guidelines for which trip reservation to drag, errors leading to limitless Lightning Lanes, and extra have occurred from time to time.
The screenshot above reveals a day once I acquired one legitimate MEP for a trip breakdown…after which stored getting extra each 5 minutes for causes unknown. That was over 2 years in the past, it’s by no means occurred once more, and I nonetheless haven’t any clue why it occurred within the first place. Maybe a Festivus miracle? Onerous to say. The purpose I’m making an attempt to make is that typically the sudden occurs with A number of Expertise Passes, and different instances the principles change in much less favorable methods. Don’t depend on any of the above making use of long-term, as Disney usually tweaks its programs to shut loopholes…which typically creates different loopholes within the course of. It’s like Whac-A-Mole.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever ever had success fishing for A number of Expertise Passes? Some other suggestions or recommendation so as to add primarily based in your experiences? Obtained a MEP by full accident as a result of breakdowns? What’s your optimum strategy and time of day to do ‘supplemental’ standby rides on favourite sights? What would you advocate to Walt Disney World or Disneyland first-timers? Do you agree or disagree with any of our technique? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
