The Magic Kingdom Rides Worth The Lightning Lane Cost
Peter Pan, why is your ride so popular?
Magic Kingdom is, hands down, my favorite park in Walt Disney World Resort. It has something for literally everyone, and I can’t get enough of it, from the Carousel of Progress to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. But after taking our family of five and trying to wing it without Lighting Lane passes, it has to be said — some Magic Kingdom rides are absolutely worth a Lightning Lane. You may balk at the price, but when you’re sailing through the Winnie the Pooh line with your toddler, you’ll forget all about it.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the Lightning Lane information, but once you’ve got the hang of it, it makes total sense. Basically, even when you pay for Lightning Lanes, you’re going to have to make some decisions on which rides are most important to you and which ones are worth the pass. Not every ride in Magic Kingdom is, even if it has a 40-minute wait, and not every super popular ride requires a Lightning Lane to enjoy (looking at you, It’s a Small World).
The trick is finding out what matters to you and your family. Do you want the Lightning Lanes to be used on rides the whole family can enjoy? Are you getting them just to save yourself time on the more popular choices? Do you want them for the can’t-miss-at-all rides so you have time between waiting in longer lines for other attractions?
There’s also a bit of figuring out to do when it comes to the actual passes. Unless you purchase the Lightning Lane Premier Pass — it gives you one-time entry to every Lighting Lane experience in the park for one day — you’ll still need to plan ahead on the rides that are most important to you. With the Lighting Lane Multi Pass, you have three passes you can apply to the attractions at Magic Kingdom, but they are separated into two tiers, with the most popular attractions like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Peter Pan’s Flight in the top tier. You can choose one Lighting Lane from that tier and two (or all three) of your Lighting Lanes from the second tier. There’s also the option to purchase a Lighting Lane Single Pass for the TRON Lightcycle/Run attraction.
I know... it’s a lot. But if you’re going back and forth on whether or not to spend the extra money on Lighting Lanes in Magic Kingdom, I believe the rides below are absolutely worth it.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Hand to heart, if I could only get one Lighting Lane pass for my entire time in Walt Disney World, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is the one I would get. My kids are huge rollercoaster nuts, and even with early entry into the park, this ride was hitting around 70 to 110-minute wait times. It’s so popular, in fact, that it’s not even included in the multi-pass Lighting Lanes — you have to buy a single Lightning Lane pass for this one. If you’re hoping to use Lightning Lane on other rides, you’ll have to buy separate multi-passes for those.
Haunted Mansion
Haunted Mansion is always a favorite Magic Kingdom attraction. It’s fun, it’s spooky, it’s classic Disney, and it’s a nice, long ride with some happy haunts. I also love it because any height can ride it, so it feels 100% worth it to throw it on your Lighting Lane list. This is in the bottom tier of Lighting Lane experiences, meaning you can choose this one and still have similar options. I often see this line hitting 45 to 60 minutes of wait time — which isn’t terrible — but a lot of the wait is outdoors if you’re looking to beat the heat.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
This Magic Kingdom attraction is always a bit of a surprise to me in regards to its popularity. Sure, it’s for all heights, and it’s a classic Disney character, but still — 55 minutes for Winnie the Pooh? Just wild. This does have one of the best queues in the park, though, with interactive moments throughout, so if you and your kiddos don’t mind waiting so you can play as long as you want, feel free to skip the Lightning Lane. But for families planning on purchasing the pass who have this ride listed as a must-do, go ahead and make this one of your experiences. It’s also in the second tier, so you can definitely have other options.
Peter Pan’s Flight
On our most recent trip, my girls and I were so excited to ride this one, but we just could not bring ourselves to wait 55 minutes after waiting 55 minutes for other popular rides. Peter Pan’s Flight takes you over London and into Neverland and is just such a fun, sweet ride — and super classic Disney — but it’s incredibly popular. Never did I see this ride dip below 50 minutes on wait time, and it’s actually in the top tier of Lighting Lane passes. Well worth it.
Space Mountain
Not once have I ever seen Space Mountain with a wait time under 45 minutes — and for a lot of our four-day trip, the attraction was temporarily closed. A Lightning Lane would’ve helped by giving us a new time if it was down so that we didn’t feel like we were racing against the clock all day. But it’s also in the top tier of experiences, so you’ll have to make a choice.
TRON Lightcycle/Run
We never made it over to the TRON Lightcycle/Run ride because it was consistently at 110-minute wait times. Like the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, this one is only available for a single Lighting Lane pass, so if you have thrill seekers in your family who want to give it a try, pop it on the list.
Jungle Cruise
Jungle Cruise is an epic and classic Magic Kingdom attraction, so it hardly ever has a wait time below 60 minutes. Because of its popularity, it’s also in the top tier of Lighting Lane experiences, so you’ll have to choose between it, Space Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure when you make your choice. But for a ride the whole family can enjoy that feels steeped in nostalgia, a Lightning Lane is well worth it.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
And for my family’s favorite ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, I highly recommend Lightning Lane. But here’s one tip — I think you can do the Virtual Queue. I managed to get my entire party in on the virtual queue through the app at 7 a.m. on both days we were at Magic Kingdom, and it couldn’t have been easier. You still have to wait, but it’s worth it — and it’s nice to know you have a reserved time. If the thought of trying to join the virtual queue at 7 a.m. or at 1 p.m. stresses you out, go ahead and get the Lightning Lane. You do not want to miss Tiana.
If you’re noticing some popular rides missing from this list, don’t worry — I’ve got thoughts on those, too. I truly don’t think you need a Lightning Lane for every attraction in Magic Kingdom; I feel like waiting for rides can be a fun time for some families and brings even more of that theme park nostalgia to life. There are plenty of rides that may have a 30 to 40-minute wait, but they move fast and often have shorter wait times throughout the day, like the rides listed below.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Definitely can have a 45-minute wait or so, but this line is long and windy, so you’re never too cramped with other people. It’s also under shelter and indoors, so it’s great for beating the heat and cooling off. And it moves fast. Those boats are coming constantly and can hold a lot of people — you really don’t even get a chance to sit or rest while waiting in this line. Just constant walking.
“It’s a Small World”: A 45-minute wait for this ride is nothing, and this wait time will change throughout the day.
Mad Tea Party: Even with a 35- to 40-minute wait time, this line moves fast. The tea cups hold a lot of people, and they also break up the line by bringing people into the gate area, so it feels like you get those big swoops of movement.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Rangers Spin: This one can be a long wait (sometimes up to an hour), but the queue is really fun and mostly indoors, so I think it’s one to skip a Lightning Lane on.
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor: I can’t believe this one is even a Lightning Lane option because the wait is super easy, and the shows go all day long. This is a great option for some downtime and rest, plus it’s laugh-out-loud funny.
The Barnstormer: This one is one of my kids’ favorites, and the line goes really fast — mostly because the ride itself goes so fast. Don’t use a Lightning Lane here. Just head to Fantasyland and get in line; it’ll fly by.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant: There are literally two Dumbo rides, and one of them is reserved for Lightning Lane passes. I promise, you can wait in this one just fine.
But remember, Lightning Lanes are meant to work for you and your family. If some of the more popular ones don’t seem like they’d be right for you guys, then skip them, no matter how popular they are. If you know that some of the less popular rides are still going to be hard for your kid to wait for, then by all means, grab a Lightning Lane to make The Barnstormer a better experience for all. Just keep everyone’s expectations in mind, and you’ll have a blast.
