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Guests walking along Main Street toward Cinderella Castle at dusk

Park Hopping
with Lightning Lane

Which park to start in, where waits ease later in the day, and how Multi Pass works when you hop.

See the parks

The short answer

Start at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom, where rope drop helps at least half the headliners, and end at EPCOT: its typical posted wait falls from 30 min at its peak to 15 min 8 hours after opening. Posted waits, Mar 13, 2023 to Nov 11, 2026.

Updated Nov 12, 2026Data through Nov 11, 2026 · Rules checked Oct 29, 2026How we calculate

All four parks · Through the day

Where to start, and where to end

Each curve is the park’s typical posted wait by hour after opening, Mar 13, 2023 to Nov 11, 2026. Morning parks: rope drop helps at least half the headliners. Evening park: the biggest fall from the peak to the lowest later hour on regular-length days.

Magic Kingdom

Morning park

Peaks 3 hours after opening at 33 min, lowest later 28 min 10 hours after opening

Open+13 hrs

Rope drop helps 6 of 9 headliners here (10+ min rise by two hours after opening).

Afternoon and evening windows:

  1. TRON Lightcycle / Run60 min 5 hours after opening, vs 74 min at its peak; posted waits Sep 9, 2024 to Nov 11, 2026.
  2. Pirates of the Caribbean21 min 10 hours after opening, vs 31 min at its peak.
  3. Space Mountain43 min 6 hours after opening, vs 50 min at its peak.

Curve: median posted wait across the park’s rides, Mar 13, 2023 to Nov 11, 2026. Darker bar: peak; outlined bar: lowest later hour. Ride figures: each ride’s posted waits since Mar 13, 2023 unless noted, through Nov 11, 2026.

EPCOT

Evening park

Peaks 2 hours after opening at 30 min, lowest later 15 min 8 hours after opening

Open+9 hrs

Rope drop helps 2 of 5 headliners here (10+ min rise by two hours after opening).

Afternoon and evening windows:

  1. Soarin'26 min 9 hours after opening, vs 41 min at its peak; posted waits Jan 1, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026.
  2. Test Track62 min 9 hours after opening, vs 73 min at its peak.
  3. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind69 min 4 hours after opening, vs 78 min at its peak; posted waits Feb 25, 2025 to Nov 11, 2026.

Curve: median posted wait across the park’s rides, Mar 13, 2023 to Nov 11, 2026. Darker bar: peak; outlined bar: lowest later hour. Ride figures: each ride’s posted waits since Mar 13, 2023 unless noted, through Nov 11, 2026.

Hollywood Studios

Morning park

Peaks 2 hours after opening at 56 min, lowest later 45 min 9 hours after opening

Open+10 hrs

Rope drop helps 5 of 6 headliners here (10+ min rise by two hours after opening).

Afternoon and evening windows:

  1. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run33 min 9 hours after opening, vs 58 min at its peak.
  2. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance55 min 9 hours after opening, vs 67 min at its peak.
  3. Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway44 min 9 hours after opening, vs 53 min at its peak.

Curve: median posted wait across the park’s rides, Mar 13, 2023 to Nov 11, 2026. Darker bar: peak; outlined bar: lowest later hour. Ride figures: each ride’s posted waits since Mar 13, 2023 unless noted, through Nov 11, 2026.

Animal Kingdom

Morning park

Peaks 3 hours after opening at 53 min, lowest later 41 min 7 hours after opening

Open+9 hrs

Rope drop helps 3 of 4 headliners here (10+ min rise by two hours after opening).

Afternoon and evening windows:

  1. Kilimanjaro Safaris13 min 7 hours after opening, vs 53 min at its peak.
  2. Avatar Flight of Passage63 min 7 hours after opening, vs 82 min at its peak.
  3. Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain31 min 7 hours after opening, vs 40 min at its peak.

Curve: median posted wait across the park’s rides, Mar 13, 2023 to Nov 11, 2026. Darker bar: peak; outlined bar: lowest later hour. Ride figures: each ride’s posted waits since Mar 13, 2023 unless noted, through Nov 11, 2026.

Disney’s rules

How Lightning Lane works when you hop

✓ Rules checked Oct 29, 2026
Choosing aheadYour first 3 Multi Pass selections are all in the same park. Disney: More than one park ↗
After your first redemptionWith a ticket that has the Park Hopper option, or an Annual Pass, you can choose your next Multi Pass experience in any Walt Disney World park, subject to availability and the park’s capacity. Disney: More than one park ↗
Single Pass and Premier PassA Single Pass is good for its one attraction. A Premier Pass covers one park. Disney: More than one park ↗
After you use oneOnce you redeem a selection, or its arrival window has passed, you can choose another, one at a time, until regular park closing, subject to availability. Either group is open. Disney: Selection wait ↗
  1. Before your visitChoose your first 3 Multi Pass experiences in your morning park; Disney puts all three in one park. Aim them at rides that pass the 45-minute rule.
  2. At openingRide the morning park’s headliners that rise fastest, on standby.
  3. After your first redemptionWith the Park Hopper option or an Annual Pass, choose your next Multi Pass experience in your evening park.

We don’t show Lightning Lane return-time availability; that data isn’t logged yet. Park entry is subject to each park’s capacity.

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Attraction names are used only to identify the experiences discussed. Rope Drop Hero is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Walt Disney Company.