Disney Lightning Lane Strategy 2025: The Tip No One Is Talking About

Bymainstreetmom

Picture this, you are trying to plan the perfect day at Disney World but you really have no desire to use a Lightning Lane on some of the Tier 2 options there are to choose from. But what if I told you there is a strategy to help you secure Tier 1 rides quicker than what most people are doing? Ready to learn how?

The Lightning Lane Strategy That Got Me 3 Tier 1 Rides at EPCOT Before 10AM

This Disney World Lightning Lane hack is very easy to apply and also requires a little Standby Skipper strategy. I get asked a lot if using Standby Skipper is worth it and I think you’ll understand why I always say yes very soon!

Why Lightning Lane Strategy Matters at Disney World

But first let me explain the basics of Lightning Lanes at Disney World.

As of right now guests can purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass 7 days before check in (offsite guests can 3 days before their park visit). When you initially purchase your Lighting Lanes, you get to preselect 3 attractions. One of these preselects can be from Tier 1 rides (think Test Track, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen) and the other two preselects have to be picked out of Tier 2 options (Living with the Land, Figment, Mission Space, Soarin, Spaceship Earth etc)

If you’d like a full breakdown of Lightning Lane basics at Disney World, check out my more detailed blog post here.

If you want a successful park day at any Disney World park, you don’t want to just guess at how to use Lighting Lanes. You need to understand how it works BEFORE your visit. You also want a Lightning Lane strategy so you aren’t stuck with awful return times or with rides you really didn’t want.

The Secret Strategy That Let Me Grab Three Tier 1 Lightning Lanes

So now let’s get to the good part! In October 2025 I tested this Lightning Lane strategy at EPCOT to get my more Tier 1 rides but this strategy could be used at any Disney World park (except Animal Kingdom since that. park doesn’t have Tiers for the rides with Lightning Lanes).

With this simple strategy I was able to secure these three Tier 1 rides all by 9:50am on my park day: Test Track, Frozen Ever After, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure .

Step-by-Step: How to Use This Lightning Lane Hack

  • Step 1: Purchase Lighting Lane Multi Pass before your visit
  • Step 2: Pick 1 Tier one ride (I chose Test Track which I recommend if you’re coming in from the front of Epcot, choose Frozen if coming from the International Gateway)
  • Make sure when you pick a ride, you pick the earliest Return Time available for that attraction
  • Step 3: Pick only one Tier 2 ride. And pick one with the earliest Return Time available. This needs to be like an 8:30 or 9am return time. I was able to pick Soarin’ but you may have better luck picking Figment or The Seas with Nemo and Friends
  • Step 4: Do NOT pick a 2nd Tier 2 attraction for your preslects
  • Step 5: Download and Purchase Standby Skipper (Do this 48 hours before your trip)
  • Step 6: Follow the directions from Standby Skipper to connect your friends and family as well
  • Step 7: On the day of your park visit (using EPCOT as our example) and before you go to EPCOT, open Standby Skipper and put in two searches:
    • I was searching for Remy’s and Frozen in this example
    • You will put in the next two Tier 1 rides you want to book with a Lightning Lane
    • Have the Skipper search for Morning Return Times, or if you are more flexible and its a busier park day (Like Christmas and Thanksgiving) you can have Skipper search for Any Time which will book the first available no matter the return time.
  • Step 8: Head to EPCOT and go straight towards your first Lighting Lane. In this example it was Soarin’ and even though the ride was a walk on we still scanned into our Lightning Lane to make this strategy work. We scanned in right at 9:10am.
    • By scanning into your “Burner Ride” this allows you to book another Lightning Lane and the Tiers no longer matter
  • Step 9: Wait and let Standby Skipper start searching for the Tier 1 attractions you entered into the app
  • Step 10: Smile the biggest smile when you get alerted that the rides have been booked

Why Standby Skipper Makes This Strategy Even Better

Ok ok so yes, you could probably pull this off without Standby Skipper BUT I highly recommend using Standby Skipper for a few reasons.

First, using Standby Skipper allows you to be more present with your family instead of being on your phone. Second, the app searches constantly in the background to find the best return time (based off your search). Third, you can use Standby Skipper for your entire trip, not just for this Lightning Lane strategy example.

I’ve used Standby Skipper since it first launched and the app is simply amazing. It helps me stay present with my family while we are at Disney World and has booked us “sold out” Lightning Lanes again and again. I highly recommend this app when you visit Disney World.

My Real Experience Using This Strategy (How My Morning Went)

We arrived at Epcot around park opening and walked straight to Soarin’ to tap into our Lighting Lane. I had notifications on my phone at 9:50 that Standby Skipper had booked Remy’s and Frozen Ever After for us with a morning return time. We were able to head to Test Track next (our preselect Tier 1) and then we slowly enjoyed more of Epcot before headed to Frozen and then Remy’s.

Our park day at EPCOT wasn’t very crowded which I know helped a little with our return times, but I do believe this strategy would work for anyone on any park day! You may just not get morning return times for the other Tier 1 attractions.

Please don’t forget you can arrive up to 2 hours after your return time expires. Knowing this gives you a lot more flexibility in your park day.

Final Thoughts + Should You Try This Lightning Lane Hack?

This Lighting Lane hack and strategy is perfect for any family who wants to do more of the bigger rides at Disney World and maybe even want to skip some of the Tier 2 rides. So if riding a lot of Tier 1 rides at Disney World is a priority, I recommend you give this strategy a shot! You can always book other Tier 2 rides later or even use the Standby Line for attractions with shorter wait times.

Want personalized Lightning Lane strategy for your family’s trip? I help moms plan stress-free Disney vacations every single day. Learn more at themainstreetmom.com.

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