Planning a trip to Animal Kingdom? Awesome choice! It’s a park that beautifully blends thrilling rides with incredible wildlife experiences.
But to make the most of your day, you’ll want a solid plan, especially when it comes to tackling those long ride queues. That’s where the Lightning Lane Multi Pass comes in.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about using Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Animal Kingdom. I’ll cover what it is, how to use it, and the best strategies to maximize your time. By the end of this post, you’ll be a pro at skipping lines and fitting more magic into your day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
What is Lightning Lane Multi Pass?
Lightning Lane Multi Pass is the latest incarnation of the previous FastPass and Genie+ services that provide access to a shorter line for select attractions. It’s kind of like skipping the line, although sometimes there is a minimal wait.
It’s a fantastic service, even though you have to pay for it whereas it was originally free (as FastPass), but it requires a bit of strategy to get the most value out of it.
How to buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Ready to get started? Buying the Multi Pass can start as early as 7 days ahead of your first day if you’re staying on Disney property or select neighboring resorts, or 3 days ahead if you aren’t.
- Open the My Disney Experience App: From the home screen, tap the Purchase button in the Lightning Lane Multi Pass / Single Pass section.
- Select a Date: Select the date you wish to purchase a pass for.
- Select a Park & Pass: Select Animal Kingdom, then select Multi Pass.
- Complete Your Purchase: Follow the prompts on the app screen to continue selecting your party members, rides, and time slots.
As you can see, the purchase process is super easy thanks to the app’s excellent user experience. But if you have further questions about the purchase process, check out my Disney World Lightning Lane Multi Pass guide.
Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Multi Pass attractions
Animal Kingdom has a great selection of attractions available via Multi Pass. Knowing which rides are included helps you plan your day. Here’s the current list:
- DINOSAUR (Closes forever February 2, 2026)
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Feathered Friends in Flight!
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Na’vi River Journey
Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane strategy & tips
Alright, this is where the magic happens! A good strategy can be the difference between getting on 3-4 Lightning Lane rides and getting on 7-8. Here’s my recommended approach for Animal Kingdom.
Top 3 attractions for Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Animal Kingdom
Pick between Na’vi River Journey, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, and DINOSAUR for your first 3 attractions.
If you’re visiting solo, Expedition Everest has a single rider line, so you can skip that – unless you’re visiting during peak crowds, such as Christmas or Summer vacation, as a lot of non-solo visitors clog up the single rider line then.
DINOSAUR is a bit of a gamble. In the past, I wouldn’t have recommended it for a top 3 pick (personally, I’m not a fan!). However, this ride closes forever on February 2, 2026 and I anticipate the closer it gets to this date, the higher wait times will be.
Other good picks for your top 3 rides are Festival of the Lion King (for excellent seating) and Finding Nemo – The Great Big Blue and Beyond! (again, for excellent seating).
New attractions at Animal Kingdom
The Disney parks are ever evolving and while many fans hate this, I love it! Earlier this year, It’s Tough to Be a Bug!, which was previously a Multi Pass ride, closed forever to make way for a new attraction.
In it’s place will be Zootopia: Better Zoogether, which opens November 7, 2025. This will likely become a Multi Pass attraction, although Disney hasn’t confirmed yet.
In the event that I’m correct, I recommend making this one of your top 3 picks, especially if you’re visiting in the first few months. Newness always adds to the wait times and given the movie’s popularity, it will likely have moderate wait times for a while.
Park hopper benefits
If you have an annual pass or park hopper ticket, you can select attractions from other parks after you redeem at least 1 lightning lane. In other words, your first 3 attractions must be from the first park.
Given that Animal Kingdom is almost always the cheapest Multi Pass, I often start here and then move on to another park after the first Lightning Lane attraction.
You can edit your time and attraction selections
Attraction availability and the return times you see in the app are constantly changing as other guests cancel or modify their plans.
If you don’t see a time you like, pull down on the screen to refresh it. You might see a better time pop up! In addition, sometimes Disney will release additional spots for afternoon or evening part way through the day.
This is a great trick for snagging earlier return times for high-demand attractions, as well as grabbing a spot for an attraction that wasn’t available when you last checked.
Get free downloads of ride photos
One thing you get with Multi Pass that you didn’t get with the free FastPass are free downloads of photo rides from Multi Pass attractions that come with ride photos. So if you don’t have PhotoPass, this could be an extra benefit to keep in mind when considering if this pass is right for you.
Is Lightning Lane Multi Pass worth it for Animal Kingdom?
This is the big question. And the honest answer is: it depends.
Animal Kingdom is a large park, but it has fewer rides than Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. On a quiet day, you can likely experience most attractions using the standby lines without too much trouble.
However, Lightning Lane Multi Pass is absolutely worth it at Animal Kingdom if:
- You’re visiting on a weekend, holiday, or during a peak season. The park gets incredibly crowded, and wait times for top rides can easily exceed 60 minutes.
- You want a more relaxed day. Multi Pass allows you to bypass the stress of rushing from ride to ride and gives you more time to enjoy the park’s beautiful atmosphere, nature & wildlife trails, and food (the best out of all the parks, IMO).
- You are park hopping. If you’re starting at Animal Kingdom and hopping to another park in the afternoon, Multi Pass is essential for knocking out the top rides efficiently before you move on.
For many families, the convenience and time saved make the cost of Lightning Lane Multi Pass a valuable investment for a stress-free and memorable day at Animal Kingdom.
By prioritizing your morning picks, stacking rides for the afternoon, and filling in the gaps with shows, food, and exploration, you’re set for an incredible experience.
Now go on and plan your visit – Pandora, the savanna, and Everest await!
About the author
Meg Frost is the creator of The Park Pixie, where she covers Disney World, Disney+, and Disney fandom.
She holds an M.A. in Journalism from Northeastern University and B.S. in Communication & American Studies from University of Miami in Florida.
