Overview
- Guests at Disney-owned resorts can begin securing Lightning Lane selections seven days before check-in and book for the full length of their stay once that window opens.
- Off-property visitors remain limited to booking three days before each park day, often finding fewer or less convenient return times when their access begins.
- Coverage notes the change was implemented without a prominent announcement, shifting a meaningful advantage to higher-paying on-site stays.
- Lightning Lane inventory is capped, and high-demand attractions such as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance often sell out earliest.
- Guidance from reports urges immediate booking at window open, prioritizing the toughest rides first, staying flexible, and using early arrival or rope-drop strategies.