This ranks the objective best Lightning Lane Multi Passes at Hollywood Studios from both tiers, along with subjective strategy since there’s more to Walt Disney World’s new pre-arrival ride reservation service than simply making the top picks for each park. This guide ranks all 13 attractions in DHS that offer MultiPass in terms of time-saved, demand, etc.
As before, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a tough park for Lightning Lanes and requires savvy strategy. Due to the “top heavy” nature of the ride roster (meaning a handful of headliners and not many secondary rides), there are some Lightning Lanes that’ll save you a ton of time waiting in line and others that are practically pointless. Lightning Lanes for those few thrill rides are in high-demand and low-supply, whereas the pointless ones…aren’t.
The good news is that, so long as you book Lightning Lanes early and choose in the correct order, it’s possible on most days to score Lightning Lane selections for just about every high-priority attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With that update out of the way, let’s turn to what you need to know about Lightning Lane Multi-Pass (LLMP) at DHS, and cover the best order to make your ride reservations…
Note that these rankings apply starting July 24, 2024 when Lightning Lane Multi Pass replaces Genie. Although it might seem premature to be ranking Lightning Lanes prior to that launching, there’s a lot we can infer based on current Lightning Lane priorities. Perhaps even more importantly, Lightning Lane Multi Pass is strikingly similar to the free FastPass+ system, which allowed guests to make ride reservations prior to their trip.
There are differences between Lightning Lane Multi Pass and FastPass+. Aside from the obvious that FastPass was free and LLMP will cost money, the booking windows for on-site and off-site guests differ as does the ability of international guests to make selections prior to arriving in the United States. There also will be slight differences in ride rosters due to what’s opened since March 2020 and due to a few headliners being excluded for Lightning Lane Single Pass.
On balance, these variables mean it’s likely that demand will be lower for Lightning Lane Multi Pass than it was with the FastPass+ service. This should mean that it’s slightly easier to book LLMPs, but even if not, the below priorities should be accurate. Regardless, we’ll revisit this topic once we have a few months of actual data for Lightning Lane Multi Passes. For anyone traveling in the near future, these are our preliminary picks, which also should be very close to accurate for Walt Disney World trips in 2025 and beyond.
Frankly, the biggest variable isn’t any unknowns, but rather, crowd levels during your visit. On peak season days, it’s going to be difficult to book a fourth “good” Lightning Lane Multi-Pass. However, on moderately busy days (5/10 to 7/10 on the Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar), it should be much easier.
Crowd levels can heavily impact how an actual day at DHS plays out, but that isn’t the only thing. Weather, ride closures, stage showtimes, and more can also impact how things play out. It’s impossible to replicate your day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with precise Lightning Lane time slots, etc. This equips you to put together your own dynamic plan of attack for using LLMPs in DHS.
With that said, and is probably obvious by now, these ride rankings presume basic knowledge about the Lightning Lane Multi Pass system, including advance booking windows and the Tiers or Groupings at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you are not familiar with this service or are already feeling lost, start by seeing our Guide to Lightning Lane Multi Pass & Single Pass at Walt Disney World for all of the foundational need-to-know info about this replacement for free FastPass+. This whole system is confusing and convoluted, so you might have a question or two-dozen. That answers all of the most common ones we’ve been receiving from readers.
Alternatively, if you’re thinking about skipping Lightning Lanes at DHS, that’s possible, too. Our 1-Day Disney’s Hollywood Studios Itinerary covers how you can accomplish everything even if you’re staying off-site and don’t want to spend anything extra on Lightning Lanes. Likewise, we highly recommend is Early Entry at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Both of those can be good alternatives to Lightning Lanes–or even supplementary, if you want to get a lot done!
With all of that out of the way, let’s start by talking Lightning Lane MultiPass tips & tricks for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s important to be aware that the objective ride rankings don’t tell the whole story. Subjective strategy is as important–perhaps more so depending upon which attractions have availability throughout your day at DHS…
Lightning Lane Multi Pass Strategy
One of the biggest misconceptions we’re seeing about Lightning Lane Multi Pass is that it’s exclusively pre-arrival ride reservations. That is flatly wrong. To the contrary, there will almost certainly be more same-day drops of Lightning Lanes (what we refer to as ride reservation refills) throughout the day than before. Those were a feature of FastPass+ and again with Genie, so it’s safe to assume this will happen again–but we’re betting on the volume of drops increasing for a number of reasons beyond the scope of this post.
Also notable is that tiers or groupings only apply to advance Lightning Lane Multi-Day selections. Once you’ve arrived and used your first selection–or if you make reservations in the first place on the day-of as opposed to in advance–you aren’t bound to the groupings. You can make any selections day-of without regard for the tiers–those only apply to your advance bookings.
In theory, this means that you could redeem a Lightning Lane at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for Star Tours (Grouping/Tier B) and then select Slinky Dog Dash from Grouping/Tier A. In practice, that particular scenario will be easier said than done, as Slinky Dog Dash is the #1 Lightning Lane in all of Walt Disney World. (But guess what? It will be possible if you’re “good” at the game. Back in the FastPass+ days, this exclusively my strategy–it’s how I took photos for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge construction updates!)
This can be confusing, so it’s worth discussing what this means in practice. When making your Lightning Lane selections, let’s say you have the following options:
- Slinky Dog Dash (Tier A) – 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Tier B) – 1 pm to 2 pm
- Toy Story Mania (Tier B) – 6 pm to 7 pm
OR
- Slinky Dog Dash (Tier A) – 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Tier B) – 1 pm to 2 pm
- Alien Swirling Saucers (Tier B) – 9:30 am to 10:30 am
Even though Toy Story Mania ranks one spot higher than Alien Swirling Saucers on the list below, you should–without a doubt–choose it in the above scenario. That’s because it has a return time first thing in the morning, offering the option to make another selection before 10:30 am at the latest. By contrast, if you chose the first set of selections, you wouldn’t be able to make subsequent selections until 1 pm at the absolute earliest (after redeeming the Tower of Terror LLMP).
I’m highly confident that there would be a worthwhile 4th pick Lightning Lane at or before 10:30 am. I am far less confident, in fact, downright skeptical, that would be true at 1 pm. (Maybe if you were willing to play the refresh game, but still–the odds are not in your favor.) I’d go a step further and say there’s a pretty good chance you could get another Tier A Lightning Lane before 10:30 am, and near certainty that you could still scoop up Toy Story Mania.
This is where strategy takes on another layer with Lightning Lane Multi Pass. While you definitely should not pass up Slinky Dog Dash no matter what the return time is (even after 7 pm!), you should give further thought to late afternoon second and especially third selections. There’s no hard and fast rule here, and it’ll depend upon anticipated crowd levels when you’re visiting.
Now, on with the Lightning Lane attractions rankings at Disney’s Hollywood Studios…
DHS Lightning Lane Multi Pass Rankings – Group A
1. Slinky Dog Dash – The obvious choice for your #1 Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Not just in DHS, but all of Walt Disney World. Slinky Dog Dash is in a league of its own, and is arguably the LLMP most “deserving” of being a Lightning Lane Single Pass.
There’s a very good chance that pre-arrival availability for Slinky Dog Dash will be gone at or even before the 7-day mark. If you’re staying off-site, you’ll likely be reliant upon ride reservation refills or cancellations.
2. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – The drop-off in demand from #1 to #2 is substantial–fitting for two roller coasters. Nevertheless, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (RnRC) is the second most popular Lightning Lane and averages the third highest wait time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (after Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Slinky Dog Dash).
The silver lining here is that, waits-wise, there isn’t that much of a difference between Slinky Dog Dash and any of the other Group A Lightning Lanes. You’re looking at less than 10 minutes of spread between #1 and #4 on this list. Another positive is that RnRC frequently has a short wait the first hour of day. In fact, there have been times we’ve done it back to back with zero wait at the end of Early Entry and start of rope drop.
3. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run – This is the secondary attraction in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but it still averages a top 5 wait time in Disney’s Hollywood Studios and is usually the second or third most popular Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run can jump to #2 on this list if there are issues (either technical or ‘protein spills’), but it’s a reliable ride that doesn’t typically suffer downtime.
4. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway – On the one hand, the “new ride smell” is wearing off Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. On the other hand, DHS is imbalanced and doesn’t have a lot of family-friendly attractions.
This is firmly fourth place of the Group A attractions, and sometimes Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway isn’t even in the top 5 wait times at DHS. It’s often behind the #1 and #2 Group B options. Still, it’s the default top tier pick for families with small children who can’t do the above because they’re too intense or whatever.
DHS Lightning Lane Multi Pass Rankings – Group B
1. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – The easy #1 pick from Tier/Group B. Like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, this is an attraction that can continue to operate even when there’s downtime/protein spills in part of the attraction, rather than closing completely. That’s good for guests–but it also causes wait times to skyrocket and Lightning Lane availability to be reduced.
Suffice to say, when Tower of Terror has one elevator shaft down, it’s a top 3 wait time in all of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (This also makes same-day Lightning Lane availability/refills far less likely.) When operating at full-capacity, its ranking drops–but it’s still top 5 and firmly the #1 selection of the Group B Lightning Lane Multi-Passes.
2. Toy Story Mania – Every park has one attraction with an abundance of ride reservations, allocating a significant portion of its capacity to Lightning Lane line-skipping. Toy Story Mania is definitely that for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Its standby wait time is higher (making this a good use of the Lightning Lane), but there’s typically easy availability for Lightning Lanes at Toy Story Mania throughout the day.
This is why Tower of Terror over Toy Story Mania is an “easy” call from our perspective. Same-day availability for Toy Story Mania is typically (and reliably) better than Tower of Terror. If you’re just looking at the numbers, this angle can be easy to miss.
3. Alien Swirling Saucers – Based on average standby wait times alone, this is a smart selection in this spot. Subjectively, most people are probably good to skip the Toy Story Land flat ride.
4. Star Tours — The Adventures Continue – This excellent Star Wars simulator can have decently long waits on the busiest days of the year, but most normal days, we’ve found the Lightning Lane to offer almost no advantage here. Get it if you can, but don’t sweat standby.
The Rest
N/A. Every Single Stage Show – Everything else at Disney’s Hollywood Studios–Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage, Disney Jr. Play & Dance, Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, MuppetVision 3D–is a show of some sort, or at least not a ride.
While the Lightning Lane offers priority seating, it’s typically not all that advantageous for shows your specific seat in the theater really matters (for most people, it shouldn’t). If you’re not going to Park Hop, you might consider using it for these shows, but there’s not a good way to put Lightning Lane reservations for these into your itinerary during the middle of the day.
The opportunity cost of not booking one of the other Group B attractions is too high. Heck, if there’s no early morning availability for one of those rides, I’d be more inclined to leave my third Lightning Lane slot open and roll the dice on better day-of options. The vast majority of guests should simply do shows via the standby lines. There’s no point.
Ultimately, you should be able to knock out most attractions via Lightning Lane Multi Pass on a good day in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The biggest obstacle will be your Tier A pick, as Slinky Dog Dash goes fast. If you’re staying off-site or even if you’re on-site but have a shorter trip during a busier time, there’s a very good chance you won’t be able to reserve it before your trip.
Other than Slinky Dog Dash, you shouldn’t have much of a problem scoring slots for the remaining best Lightning Lanes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios from both Tier/Group A and B. Plan accordingly based on the crowds when you’ll be visiting, and also give yourself as many other advantages as possible–like Early Entry, rope drop, or staying late when crowds tend to die down at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (All of which are great ways to do Slinky Dog Dash or Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, which is the park’s lone Lightning Lane Single Pass attraction.)
Lightning Lane Multi Pass will probably save you the second-most time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, behind only Magic Kingdom, which earns that distinction because of its higher eligible attraction count. This is why we recommend Lightning Lane Multi-Pass for most guests and on most days of the year at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s worth the money given the amount of time you’ll save standing in line.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
How would you rank your ride priorities using Lightning Lanes in Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Surprised by any of the rankings in either Group/Tier, or that Slinky Dog Dash takes the #1 spot? Are you planning on buying Lightning Lane Multi-Pass or skipping it? Do you agree or disagree with our rankings? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
