Lightning Lane at Hollywood Studios, Ride by Ride
Hollywood Studios is the park where we buy Lightning Lane every time. Here's ride by ride what Multi Pass and the Rise of the Resistance Single Pass cover, how to spend your one first-group pick, and what it costs.
Quick Answer: Yes, Hollywood Studios is where we buy Lightning Lane every time. Multi Pass ran roughly $20 to $40 a person over the past year and covers Slinky Dog Dash, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway and most of the park's other rides. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is its own Single Pass, roughly $19 to $25, with Disney's October 6 rise of $1 to $3 at the top.
Some parks make you think about Lightning Lane. Hollywood Studios makes the decision for you. It's a small park with a lot of rides people want, so the lines are long and they're long on the same handful of rides.
The four rides we'd pay to skip
Our list is short: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Slinky Dog Dash. They also happen to be the park's longest lines. Queue-Times' 2026 averages put Slinky Dog Dash at about an hour, Rise of the Resistance and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster in the mid-40s, and Runaway Railway in the mid-30s. Tower of Terror and Toy Story Mania! sat around half an hour.
A Multi Pass costs the same whichever ride you use a pick on, so the table ranks rides by the time a Lightning Lane saves. We count about 10 minutes in the Lightning Lane line itself, our own assumption, since Disney doesn't publish those waits.
| Ride | Pass | Avg. standby | Our call |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slinky Dog Dash | Multi | 63 min | Buy it |
| Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance | Single | 47 min | Buy it on busy days |
| Rock 'n' Roller Coaster | Multi | 45 min | Buy it |
| Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway | Multi | 34 min | Buy it |
| Tower of Terror | Multi | 30 min | Worth a pick |
| Toy Story Mania! | Multi | 30 min | Worth a pick |
| Star Tours | Multi | 7 min | Skip |
Average standby waits for 2026 from Queue-Times; Multi Pass and Single Pass assignments from Disney's Lightning Lane page. Last Checked: October 10, 2026.
How to spend your first-group pick
Hollywood Studios splits its Multi Pass rides into two groups, and only one of your three advance picks can come from the first. Disney's list puts Slinky Dog Dash, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Runaway Railway and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in the first group, so three of our four rides compete for one slot. Disney can change the groups, so check the app when you book.
Our order: take Slinky Dog Dash as your one advance pick, since it has the longest line. Fill your other two picks from the second group, Tower of Terror and Toy Story Mania! being the best of it. After you redeem your first selection, Disney lets you choose another in the app, subject to availability, so Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Runaway Railway can still be added through the day.
Rank the rides: the Ride Priority Planner ranks a park's rides for your group, so you know which first-group ride deserves your one advance pick.
Rise of the Resistance is the Single Pass question
Rise isn't on Multi Pass, so it's a separate purchase of roughly $19 to $25 a person. It was $25 on October 5, and Disney raised Single Pass top prices by $1 to $3 the next day. On an average day, a Rise line of 47 minutes saves about 35 to 40 minutes after our Lightning Lane assumption, a little under our 45-minute rule for a Single Pass.
That makes it a call for busy days and for families where it's the must-do. Rise is on our list. You can't ride it without buying its Single Pass, so we wouldn't plan the morning around skipping it. What an early arrival can do is give you a shot at shorter waits on rides that usually build long lines, like Slinky Dog Dash. If mornings aren't happening, buy the Single Pass when your booking window opens. Our guide to park hours and Early Entry shows how to plan that first hour.
What to know before you buy
Everyone needs park admission for that day. Disney's Lightning Lane page says guests at Disney Resort hotels and other select hotels can buy up to 7 days ahead, and everyone else up to 3 days ahead, starting at 7:00 AM Eastern. A Multi Pass holds three picks at a time, and you can add up to two Single Passes a day.
Premier Pass, which covers every ride once, ran roughly $260 to $350 here before Disney raised its top price by $50. For a family of four that's a lot of money for convenience, and we'd skip it. If someone in your group is short, check our Ride Height Guide before you spend a pick on a coaster.
So, should you buy it at Hollywood Studios?
Yes, on almost any trip: Multi Pass with Slinky Dog Dash as your first pick, plus a Rise of the Resistance Single Pass on a busy day. Skip it only on a very quiet day, or if you'll be at the gate early and want to try standby on Slinky Dog Dash first, knowing a short wait isn't guaranteed.
Check your dates: pick your rides and month in the Lightning Lane Check for our buy-or-skip call and what it would cost your group.
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