RDR 488: Our 10 Favorite Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World in 2025

Rope Drop Radio: A Disney Travel Podcast

Rope Drop Entertainment

Travel, Portorleans, Disney, Waltdisneyworld, Places & Travel, Ropedrop, Disneyland, Society & Culture, Cruise

5 • 707 Ratings

🗓️ 19 September 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

🎙 Planning your next Disney trip? We’re counting down our 10 favorite Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World to help you make the most of Lightning Lanes.

RDR 487: Our 10 Favorite Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World

Lightning Lanes can save you hours of waiting in line at Walt Disney World—but which ones are really worth booking? In this episode of Rope Drop Radio, Doug and Lauren each pick their top 5 Lightning Lanes, giving you a combined list of 10 must-have Lightning Lane reservations for your next Disney trip.

We share our personal favorites, explain why each ride made our list, and give practical tips on how to maximize your time using Lightning Lanes. From thrilling coasters to family-friendly classics, these are the attractions we think every Disney fan should prioritize.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How we define “best” when it comes to Lightning Lanes
Doug’s top 5 LL picks (with strategy tips)
Lauren’s top 5 Lightning Lane must-dos and why she chose them
Why some attractions are more valuable as Lightning Lanes than others
Our final combined list of the 10 best Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World

Whether you’re heading to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom, this episode will help you plan smarter, skip the lines, and ride more of your favorites.

✨ Patreon shout-out to Jamie Stapleton—welcome to the Rope Drop Radio community! Join us at Patreon.com/RopeDropRadio for bonus shows, Disney news updates, and monthly gift card giveaways. Shout-out to Andrea from WI for this week’s Apple Podcast review.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Thinking about spending the holidays at Walt Disney World, there's nothing like the magic of snow falling on Main Street, USA, or ringing in the new year at Epcot.
0:10.0	But planning a holiday trip can be overwhelming. That's where touring and cruises comes in.
0:15.0	They're Disney experts and a fee-free travel agency, which means you get expert planning at no extra cost.
0:22.5	Book your holiday vacation today with Touring and Cruises at Turingandruises.com
0:27.3	and let them help you unwrap the magic.
0:31.6	Helping you navigate the Disney Parks.
0:34.3	With the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.
0:38.9	You're listening to Rope Drop Radio.
0:42.4	Welcome to another Rope Drop Radio.
0:45.0	I am Doug McKnight here with Lauren Shields.
0:47.5	And Lauren, it's an exciting show today because we're talking about some of our favorite
0:52.2	lightning lanes.
0:55.8	Yes, I'm excited about this one. I feel like I say that every week. You start every podcast with the word yes. So next
1:02.0	week, your challenge is, I'm just going to say no. Nope, not my favorites. I mean, it's possible
1:10.0	to have non-favorits in lightning lanes, right?
1:13.4	I don't know.
1:14.6	That's a whole different show.
1:16.1	There is a different show.
1:17.6	There is a different show.
1:17.6	Lightning Lanes.
1:19.2	Look at that.
1:20.0	We've already blown apart this whole episode, but we're going to stick with it.
	...

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