Using Expired Lightening Lane Multi-Passes

[Babe the Blue Ox]

We just finished a 4 day visit where we were able to accumulate just over 30 sets of LLMPs for a family of 8. We’re pretty good at using the tools available to gather everything we want, but we move around pretty slowly and don’t always make it to the attractions on time.

We probably had 10 of these where we returned outside of the reservation window (anywhere between 25 and 75 minutes late) yet the Mickey turned green each time.

Has the 15 minute grace period been extended?

 

[AngusIsMySpiritAnimal]

There are many confirmed reports of people testing the limits of official "tap green" grace periods and determining the actual upper limit is exactly 119 minutes. Some people recommend using this as a feature, not a bug, of the system to push the limits on stacking LLs, but it is probably built in to give guests with mobility concerns or limited, unforeseen delays a way to make their windows. After the 119 minutes, you can still advocate for entry with the ride CM or via blue umbrella, but being granted access is entirely at the CMs discretion.

 

[loves to dive]

I've seen it both ways. There are some vloggers that say it works most of the time and some who have tried it and it never worked. I would not plan on stacking and always being late and it working but if it happens for a legitimate "oh crap I just couldn't make that one" count it as a one off and not a guarantee. Keep in mind, I don't use LL since I go often and with PHs and a high tolerance for waiting in line, have found I can ride everything I want without it. I think this might be a case of just because you can doesn't mean you should. Enough people get the info. out that they did and Disney will shut it down.

 

[scrappinginontario]

There have been many reports of the upper limit being 2 hours after your LL time expires. Even when a LL may have disappeared from your list It’s worth trying to tap in but there is also no guarantee that it will work. Its worth trying and then going with whatever happens.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

We just finished a 4 day visit where we were able to accumulate just over 30 sets of LLMPs for a family of 8. We’re pretty good at using the tools available to gather everything we want, but we move around pretty slowly and don’t always make it to the attractions on time.

We probably had 10 of these where we returned outside of the reservation window (anywhere between 25 and 75 minutes late) yet the Mickey turned green each time.

Has the 15 minute grace period been extended?

It’s a 2 hour grace period now.

 

[DisneyFive]

We had quite a few last week where we tapped in around an hour late. The lightning lane did not go away in the MDE app and stayed in our list of booked attractions. I did not try pushing it much beyond an hour, but it’s nice to know that it’s possible up to almost 2 hours.

 

[gottalovepluto]

It's 2 hours-ish. Usually it works but once in a while it doesn't I haven't found any rhyme or reason.

I vaguely recall needing to be careful if you have a multiple experience LL though, that if you hit a LL after it's return time instead of using the old LL it will use the multiple experience LL.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

It's 2 hours-ish. Usually it works but once in a while it doesn't I haven't found any rhyme or reason.

I vaguely recall needing to be careful if you have a multiple experience LL though, that if you hit a LL after it's return time instead of using the old LL it will use the multiple experience LL.

This is correct. If you are outside of your return window, even within the normal grace period, and you have a redemption pass that redemption pass is what will be used instead of the LLMP.

A way around this is to visit a blue umbrella in advance and get your redemption pass reassigned to a specific attraction. We did that a couple of times this week.

 

[DisneyFive]

It's 2 hours-ish. Usually it works but once in a while it doesn't I haven't found any rhyme or reason.

I vaguely recall needing to be careful if you have a multiple experience LL though, that if you hit a LL after it's return time instead of using the old LL it will use the multiple experience LL.

Great that you bring us up. Yes this is super important and can really mess you up if you aren’t paying attention or don’t know this.

 

[CMNJ]

Also, keep in mind if the attraction goes down after your one hour window ends and does not reopen until you pass that 120 minute expiration you will not be able to use the expired lighting lane (it will not convert to a multi pass like it does during the hour redemption window). So I wouldn’t wait too long if it’s a ride that’s super important to you or one that’s known to go down often.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Also, keep in mind if the attraction goes down after your one hour window ends and does not reopen until you pass that 120 minute expiration you will not be able to use the expired lighting lane (it will not convert to a multi pass like it does during the hour redemption window). So I wouldn’t wait too long if it’s a ride that’s super important to you or one that’s known to go down often.

I’m not sure that’s correct. We hit Pooh about a half hour after our return window expired and found that it had just went down. We didn’t get a redemption pass but just held on to the original lightening lane and went back about 4 hours later and got right in.

The attendant did have to override the blue Mickey but said that as long as we still had an active pass for the ride it was valid.

 

[gottalovepluto]

The attendant did have to override the blue Mickey but said that as long as we still had an active pass for the ride it was valid.

If it was automatically valid it would tap green. When it goes blue the validity is in doubt for some reason and requires a manual approval by a CM for you to proceed. In your case, at that moment in time the CM’s instructions were to validate your FP. It could be different for others. What was being discussed here was the LL going green at the first tap.

The lesson here is just try it but be ready to be denied. You never know, it might work!

 

[gottalovepluto]

A way around this is to visit a blue umbrella in advance and get your redemption pass reassigned to a specific attraction. We did that a couple of times this week.

I had no idea that was possible! Awesome!

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I had no idea that was possible! Awesome!

Yes, the Blue Umbrella staff can be very helpful even for unique situations. In addition to assigning a redemption pass to a specific attraction, they can also move it to another day if you are heading out of the park and won’t be back later or the next day.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

The lesson here is just try it but be ready to be denied. You never know, it might work!

Yes, that is possible but I would be very surprised if it ever actually happened.

Our touring strategy hasn’t changed much since 1999 when Fastpass was first introduced, although we probably move around even slower now.

I can’t even begin to estimate how many sets of FP, FP+, G+ and LLMP we’ve used over the years but it has to be in the several hundreds. A good percentage of those were used outside of the reservation window, some by several hours, and we’ve never once been turned away or even questioned about it.

We would have to start planning differently if that were to ever occur.