Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro was asked to explain the reasoning behind the Lightning Lane differences at Walt Disney World and Disneyland during the 2026 Annual Shareholders’ meeting on March 18.
New CEO Tackles Lightning Lane Question
During the question and answer session at the end of the meeting, one shareholder asked the new Walt Disney Company CEO (who previously led Disney Parks and Experiences) why Lightning Lane differs between Walt Disney World and Disneyland:
Why are Disney World’s and Disneyland’s Lightning Lane reservations so different? Disney World allows us to reserve at 7 a.m., regardless if we’re in the park. Why isn’t that offered at Disneyland?
D’Amaro’s answer was surprisingly straightforward: Walt Disney World and Disneyland are very distinct resorts that attract different crowd mixes, so the way Lightning Lane is handled, respectively, creates the same experience for guests regardless of which park they’re visiting.
Walt Disney World is an expansive property with several hotels and four theme parks, making the ability to reserve multiple Lightning Lanes early and while off-site a valuable tool for guests who have already made extensive plans for their vacation.
Disneyland, on the other hand, is compact and far easier to navigate with “a lot of dynamic flow,” so the location-based Lightning Lane is more logical.
Here is a transcription of D’Amaro’s full answer:
Walt Disney World and Disneyland, they’re obviously both incredible destinations, but they do operate in really different ways, and our Lightning Lane systems are designed to reflect how guests experience each of those resorts. So, for example, at Walt Disney World, our guests typically plan farther in advance. They have more theme parks to choose from. And over at Disneyland, that resort is contained within a more compact footprint with two theme parks located side by side. And there’s a lot of dynamic flow between attractions and the parks. Now, for guests who choose to use Lightning Lane, our objective is the same regardless of which resort you’re visiting: we want to offer a convenient and an optional way to reduce time, spent waiting in line, and add flexibility to the day in a way that fits how each resort actually operates. And like everything, we’re always evaluating guest feedback. We’re looking at how guests use these products. We look at operational performance, all this to make sure that we’re giving our guests the best experience that we possibly can.
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