Lightning Lane

Disney Parks have utilized virtual queue systems since the introduction of the FastPass System in 1999. These systems allow theme park visitors to wait in a virtual queue for an attraction, reducing the time spent in line. Depending on the system, access to virtual queues may come with park admission or may be an additional charge. Currently available virtual queue systems are Lightning Lane at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort, and Disney Premier Access at Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, and Shanghai Disney Resort. Previous systems include FastPass, FastPass+, and MaxPass.

Current virtual queue systems

Lightning Lane

Lightning Lane is an optional paid service that allows guests to enter an express line queue with shorter wait times at select attractions. Guests who purchase access to Lightning Lane must book an available time slot to enter the express line queue. At Disney World, this can be done up to three days in advance of the guest's scheduled visit to the park, while at Disneyland, this must be done same day after entering the park. Lightning Lane consists of single and multi-pass options. Prior to an overhaul in July 2024, the multi-pass option was known as Genie+.

Lightning lanes are purchased via Disney Genie, a service available at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort that is offered through the My Disney Experience mobile app. Named after the Disney character from the 1992 animated film ''Aladdin'', the Genie portion of the system is a free tool for guests that assists with itinerary planning, reservation tracking, and checking wait times.

To use Disney Genie, guests are required to have valid park admission as well as a Disney park reservation for the same day. The system employs dynamic pricing, with prices varying based on current demand and time of day. Disney Genie was introduced in 2021 and replaced FastPass, which offered a service similar to Lightning Lane for no additional fee or upcharge.

Disney Premier Access

Disney Premier Access is a paid queue bypass system introduced by the Walt Disney Company and the Oriental Land Company currently offered at Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort and Shanghai Disney Resort. The system allows guests to pay to avoid long lines at select attractions or access dedicated seating areas for select shows on which the system is offered. Guests select or are offered a designated return time window, when they must arrive at the dedicated Premier Access entrance to utilize their Disney Premier Access reservation. Alternatively, at Disneyland Paris, guests may purchase Premier Access Ultimate, which allows one entry into each participating attraction on the chosen day via the Premier Access entrance.

The system is believed to have been introduced initially as a response to ticket scalping of the physical paper fastpass tickets at Shanghai Disneyland. The system was formally called Disney Priority Special and Priority Special+ at the Hong Kong resort.

Tokyo Disney Resort Priority Pass

Tokyo Disney Resort has offered a "40th Anniversary Priority Pass" for certain rides, which is free of charge and functions identically to the original FastPass, save that it is requested and redeemed via the Tokyo Disney Resort app since July 26, 2023. Disney Premier Access is sold, also via the app, for the most popular rides, and for reserved viewing areas for select shows and parades. Additionally, guests staying in an official hotel who have purchased a "vacation package" obtain a number of attraction tickets which are used for entry via the same Premier Access/Priority Pass line. Following the end of the 40th Anniversary celebrations on March 31, 2024, this system is just called the "Tokyo Disney Resort Priority Pass".

Former virtual queue systems

FastPass

FastPass was a virtual queue system first introduced in late 1999 by the The Walt Disney Company to speed up customer access to certain attractions and amenities at the Disney resorts and theme parks. The system allowed guests to avoid long lines at the attractions on which the system was installed, freeing them to partake in other attractions during their wait. There was generally no extra fee for the service. FastPass was predominantly offered at very popular attractions; at a later stage, it was made available additionally for select shows, offering access to a roped-off viewing area.

To use FastPass, a guest would scan their park ticket at an automated machine, usually located adjacent to or in the vicinity of the attraction they wanted to experience. The machine would print a ticket giving a half-hour or one-hour time range (depending on the park) for the guest to return. When the guest returned, they would have the option to skip the line, entering another queue. Displays near the machines would show the current return times which would be made available; it was not possible to select a different time. In later years at some parks, guests entering a FastPass queue would need to scan their original park ticket rather than the FastPass ticket; this process was implemented to combat the resale of FastPass tickets. The FastPass "ticket" would in this scenario act merely as a reminder of the time of their return slot.

Return slots typically became available soon after the park opened to guests, but not during Extra Magic Hours (early park access open to guests at preferred hotels). The return time advanced in five-minute increments as FastPasses were distributed, and when the park closing time was reached, no further FastPasses were distributed for that attraction that day.

To allow for a wide distribution of FastPass tickets, a guest holding a FastPass could not obtain another FastPass until the beginning of the return timeslot allocated to them. Over time, this changed to allow another FastPass to be obtained two hours after the last one was printed, even if the return time was further away. Additionally, a FastPass for a show, such as World of Color, could be held additionally to a ride FastPass. Any attempt to obtain a FastPass in breach of the waiting period would result in an error message being printed on a FastPass slip, informing the guest of the time they could next obtain a FastPass.

At Walt Disney World the FastPass system was replaced by the FastPass+ system in 2014.

At Tokyo Disney Resort the FastPasses were obtainable via the app in latter years, avoiding the need to physically walk to the desired attraction, but it was still necessary to have entered the relevant park that day.

In later years at Disneyland Resort the original FastPass system was offered alongside MaxPass. Disney's FastPass service was available at no additional charge to all park guests, while MaxPass has an associated fee.

On August 18, 2021, it was announced that the FastPass, FastPass+ and MaxPass would officially be retired in favor of the new Disney Genie service in Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

The FastPass system was replaced by Disney Premier Access at Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort and Shanghai Disneyland.

FastPass promotions

Throughout the annual Disney Soundsational Summer promotions of 2011–2012, guests staying at any of the three hotels of the Disneyland Resort received two complimentary FastPasses per person. These passes allowed guests to enter the FastPass line of any FastPass attraction (plus The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure, which does not otherwise offer FastPass) at any time they chose, similar to the Dream FastPass.

During summer of 2011–2012 at Disneyland Paris, guests who stayed in the Disneyland Hotel or in club-level accommodations of hotels received an untimed single-use FastPass voucher for each day of their stays, usable any time except between 13:00 and 16:00. Guests in Castle Club accommodations at the Disneyland Hotel or suites in any hotel instead received a VIP FastPass, which could be used repeatedly for the full length of stay with no time restrictions. In each case, the FastPass was usable only on rides with FastPass facilities. This offer was retained until 2020, at which point it was retired.

FastPass+

FastPass+ was a system that allowed guests to reserve and plan a visit in advance to parks at Walt Disney World. Reservations were available for select attractions, Character Greetings, entertainment, and viewing areas for parades and fireworks. The system allowed guests to make reservations up to 60 days in advance, and change at any time. FastPass+ was a reservation and scheduling system, unlike the old paper FastPass system, which was a virtual queuing concept. Additionally, guests were encouraged to reserve FastPass+ sections with their group and were allowed to change the group's FastPass+ reservation. Guests that stayed at an onsite Disney resort could make reservations up to 60 days in advance while all other guests could schedule reservations up to 30 days in advance, assuming tickets were linked to their account. Annual Passholders could hold FastPass+ reservations for up to 7 different days in the 30-day window. If a Passholder stayed at a Disney resort onsite, they also had 60 days to make reservations for the entire length of the stay.

Guests could make three reservations in advance for each day, and all three were required to be at the same theme park. Disney's Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney's Hollywood Studios separated the attractions available for reservation into two tiers. Guests were restricted in the combination of attractions they were able to reserve in these parks to ensure better reservation availability for others at the parks' most popular attractions. Guests had the option to make a further reservation via an in-park kiosk or the My Disney Experience app after they had used their initial three selections subject to availability. They had the option to continue to make further reservations after using each reservation, until all reservation slots had been allocated for the day.

Disney FastPass+ was not operational at Disney World after the parks reopened in July 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic closures. This was cited as due to the need to create proper social distancing.

The FastPass+ system was permanently discontinued and replaced in October 2021 by Disney Genie.

MaxPass

MaxPass was a virtual queue system first introduced in 2017, for the Disneyland Resort. The system worked in conjunction with the original FastPass system, which remained available and free of charge. MaxPass allowed virtual queue reservations to be made from the Disneyland App without having to walk to the desired attraction. It was Disney's first premium virtual queue system, costing /day or $75/year upon launch in 2017. On January 6, 2018, Disney increased the price to /day, and /year. It was included with select Disneyland Annual Passports. The system allowed users to receive a FastPass return time on their smartphone through the Disneyland mobile app when they were inside the parks. Guests who bought the MaxPass system were also able to download their PhotoPass pictures for free.

The origin of the system can be tracked back to a patent filed on August 30, 2007, by the Walt Disney Company for using SMS as a way to get and use FastPasses in the park. The patent indicated that guests staying at Disney hotels would be allowed to make early reservations for attractions using their in-room television.

The MaxPass system was permanently discontinued and replaced in December 2021 by Disney Genie.

See also

* Disney PhotoPass
* E ticket
* MyMagic+, the overall system that FastPass+ is a part of

Non-Disney

* Fast Lane, a virtual queue system for the legacy Cedar Fair parks
* Universal Express Pass, a virtual queue system for the Universal parks
* Flash Pass, a virtual queue system for the legacy Six Flags parks

Notes

References

Further reading

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* – Patent for the Fastpass system
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{{Shanghai Disney Resort

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Products introduced in 1999
Products and services discontinued in 2021
Products and services discontinued in 2022
Fastpass
Payment systems
Queue management