Burner Lightning Lanes: The Strategy That Makes Lightning Lane MultiPass Worth It at EPCOT

If you’ve ever debated whether Lightning Lanes are worth buying for EPCOT, I get it. With only a few high-demand rides and several attractions that rarely have long waits, it can seem like an unnecessary expense. But here’s the thing—if you use a “burner” Lightning Lane strategy, you can make it work in your favor.

Let’s break it down so you can maximize your day at EPCOT and make Lightning Lane MultiPass a worthwhile investment.

A Quick Refresher on Lightning Lane MultiPass

First, let’s cover the basics of how Lightning Lane Multi Pass works:

• 🏨 If you’re staying at a Disney hotel (or a Good Neighbor hotel), you can book Lightning Lanes 7 days before check-in for your entire trip.

• 🎟️ All other guests can book Lightning Lanes 3 days in advance for their park day.

• 🥇 Attractions are divided into tiers (except at Animal Kingdom).

• Tier 1: The most popular rides (you can pre-book only one of these).

• Tier 2: Everything else (you can pre-book two of these).

EPCOT’s Lightning Lane Tiers

Here’s what that looks like at EPCOT:

➡️ Tier 1 (High Demand Rides)

• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure 🐀

• Frozen Ever After ❄️

• Soarin’ Around the World ✈️

➡️ Tier 2 (Lower Demand Rides)

• Spaceship Earth 🏛️

• Living with the Land 🌱

• Journey Into Imagination with Figment 🐉

• Mission: Space 🚀

• The Seas with Nemo and Friends 🐠

• Turtle Talk with Crush 🐢

• Disney-Pixar Short Film Festival 🎬

The problem? Most Tier 2 attractions don’t have long waits throughout the day. That means you’re forced to pick two pre-booked Lightning Lanes for attractions you probably won’t need a reservation for.

Meanwhile, Remy and Frozen Ever After often sell out before 10 AM—leaving you stuck with a standby wait unless you strategize.

How to Use a “Burner” Lightning Lane to Get More Tier 1 Rides

Since tier restrictions only apply when pre-booking, you can actually hold multiple Tier 1 rides once you’re in the park. Here’s the trick:

1️⃣ Pre-book Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure as your Tier 1 selection.

2️⃣ Choose a Tier 2 attraction with an early time—preferably right when the park opens.

3️⃣ For your second Tier 2 pick, choose anything… but plan to cancel it.

💡 This is your “burner” Lightning Lane.

The Game Plan for Park Day

➡️ Step 1: Once you tap into your first Tier 2 Lightning Lane, immediately cancel your “burner” selection.

➡️ Step 2: Now, you’re free to immediately book Frozen Ever After!

➡️ Step 3: Ride Frozen with a short wait, then keep stacking more Lightning Lanes throughout the day.

This strategy bypasses the tier restrictions and lets you lock in multiple high-demand rides before they run out.

Final Thoughts: Should You Buy Lightning Lane MultiPass for EPCOT?

• If you use this burner strategy, yes! You’ll lock in both Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen Ever After, cutting your waits for the two longest lines in the park.

• If you don’t want to bother with a strategy and don’t mind a few longer waits, you can probably skip its at EPCOT and just rope drop the big rides.

Either way, knowing how to game the system gives you the best shot at riding what you want without wasting time in long standby lines.

If you'd like more information on the Lightning Lane system, get a free copy of my Lightning Lane guide here.