On a recent trip to the Disneyland Resort, I decided to give Lightning Lane Multi Pass another chance. I had used the service a few months ago but got a late start that day, so the results were mediocre at best. With the addition of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Haunted Mansion to Lightning Lane, I really wanted to give it another try.
I was in the parks on a busy Saturday, so the cost of Lightning Lane was the maximum of $36. I had a park hopper ticket with my reservation starting at Disneyland Park, so I headed there first.
My goals for the trip were to hit Tiana’s Bayou Adventure because I had yet to experience the new attraction; Haunted Mansion Holiday because I knew it would be my last chance for the season; and Space Mountain because while it’s my favorite attraction, I hadn’t been on it for various reasons since returning to The DIS and the parks last summer.
I arrived prior to the park’s 8:00 am opening, grabbing breakfast from the hotel gift shop along the way. Once inside Disneyland Park, I purchased Lightning Lane and checked availability while I waited for rope drop. Even before the park opens, you can book your first attraction.
At that point in the day, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure wasn’t available yet, so I booked Indiana Jones Adventure, which is on that side of the park and typically sells out the quickest, with an arrival time of 8:25 am.
As the park opened, I headed straight to Adventureland. Since I had some time before my Indy reservation, so I stopped at the Jungle Cruise, which had virtually no wait. In fact, I exited the attraction by 8:15 am.
A friend told me that you could check in for your Lightning Lane 5 minutes before your reservation, so at 8:20 am, I headed to Indy. While in line, I booked my next reservation for Pirates of the Caribbean at 8:25 am, though it had yet to open for the day. Tiana’s was still not taking reservations.
I was off Indy by 8:40 am and headed off to check on Pirates. It had not yet opened, but by then, Tiana’s was finally taking reservations, so I canceled Pirates and got a 9:45 am reservation for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
I wandered around the New Orleans Square Shops for a bit while I decided what to do next. I then noticed that Pirates had finally opened, so I hopped in the 10-minute line.
I still had some time after Pirates, so I headed to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh so I would be near Tiana’s when it was my reservation time. I boarded Pooh with a 10-minute wait at 9:37 am.
As I exited the attraction, I got a notification that Tiana’s was down again and my reservation had been converted to one that was good on any Lightning Lane attraction. While waiting to figure out how I was going to use it, I booked a reservation for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at 10:25 am.
I was still in Bayou Country, so while I waiting for Thunder Mountain, I walked over to Galaxy’s Edge and used the Single Rider Line for Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run. I got in line a 10:00 am and was done in less than 15 minutes.
This time around on Smugglers Run was unusual because I was assigned a group that had a guest in a scooter. I experienced that attraction using the accessible cockpit for the first time. The good news is that the process is smooth and the attraction experience played out the same as any other guest.
By the time I exited Galaxy’s Edge, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure had reopened and so I used what was originally my Tiana’s reservation anyway (converted to a multi pass) to experience the new attraction.
While my thoughts on Tiana’s isn’t the focus of this article, I do appreciate the update. However, they need to do something with the water levels. I understand that it’s a water ride, but guests shouldn’t get soaked and be miserable for the rest of their day in the park.
By the time I exited, it was past time for my Thunder Mountain reservation. I entered the Lightning Lane queue at around 11:00 am, and then pulled a reservation for “it’s a small world” Holiday at 11:05 am.
After experiencing the wildest ride in the wilderness, I made my way over to Small World Holiday and got right on. Waits for Lightning Lane attractions reservations started to get later, so my next attraction was Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at 1:45 pm.
After Small World, I was finally annoyed enough with my wet jeans, courtesy of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, that I decided to walk back to my hotel and change. After some dry clothes and a brief rest, I headed back to Disneyland Park, grabbing some cheap fast food along the way. While the Golden Arches locations in the resort area don’t offer all the deals you would get at home, I was able to get a meal with two all-beef patties and special sauce, plus fries and a drink for about $7 by using their app.
I arrived back at Disneyland Park and made the long trek to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, checking in at 2:10 pm. Reservation times were getting later and later, so I bit the bullet and booked Space Mountain for 5:30 pm. Haunted Mansion Holiday was going to have to wait until next year.
After Runaway Railway, I crossed over to Disney California Adventure and got in the Single Rider Line for Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure at about 3:00 pm.
I exited Avengers Campus at about 3:30 pm and decided to try the Single Rider Line on Radiator Springs Racers. The line was long but typically moved fast. However, after an announcement that the wait for Single Riders was around 40 minutes, I decided that Racers could wait for another time and left the queue.
I still had some time before Space Mountain, so I took a walk through Downtown Disney to check out the new D-Lander and Avengers Reserve shops. While I looked around, enough time had passed that I was able to book another Lightning Lane reservation, so I chose Star Tours: The Adventures Continue at 5:40 pm, since I was heading to Tomorrowland anyway.
I made my way back to Disneyland and checked in right on time for my 5:30 pm Space Mountain reservation, exiting the attraction by 5:40 pm. It’s still my favorite attraction.
I went next door and checked in for Star Tours at 5:44 pm. They were experiencing serious delays, and even the Single Rider Line took a while for this attraction. In the meantime, I booked Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters for 7:10 pm.
After Star Tours, I grabbed some dinner at Alien Pizza Planet since it was convenient. Always choose the pasta or salad…never the actual pizza. Trust me…I know things.
After dinner, I used my Buzz reservation just after 7:10 pm. I got a decent score. It helps when you ride alone and are in charge of the controls yourself.
By the time I finished blasting the aliens, I had been in the Parks for nearly 12 hours and the Lightning Lane reservation availability was getting very scarce, mostly limited to attractions I had already experienced. So, I decided to spend the rest of the evening checking out the shops on Main Street, U.S.A. and maybe seeing the fireworks.
At the end of the day, I experienced 13 attractions in less than 12 hours, with little or no wait. I feel like this time around, I did get my money’s worth for Lightning Lane.
To review, here are the attractions I experienced and how I experienced them:
Lightning Lane:
- Indiana Jones Adventure
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- It’s a Small World Holiday
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Space Mountain
- Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
That averages to $4.50 per attraction.
Single Rider Line:
- Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure
Stand By Line:
- Jungle Cruise
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
While I don’t think I will be using Lightning Lane much since I’m in the parks so often, I will definitely consider it when I’m traveling with friends who want to maximize their day. The key is not only to get an early start but also to make use of attractions with Single Rider Lines and standby queues with short waits. Also, keep an eye on those attractions that tend to sell out early.
Have you had a good experience with Lightning Lane at the Disneyland Resort? Is it worth it for you and your family?
