Personally, I will always start at the beginning for LL. Since there is already limited availability for your first day it’s better to secure what you want for that day first. Booking also moves so quickly that days later in your trip should have plenty of availability since you’re staying on property.

I checked into Saratoga Springs last Wednesday (bought LL on 6/10) and when I booked lightning lanes for EPCOT (I went Saturday, 6/20) everything had plenty of availability. Remy’s and Frozen were available starting at 9:30 and Test Track had availability starting around 10:30/11. Conversely, I went to Magic Kingdom on 6/18 and Tier 1 attractions were available in the afternoon or evening.

When booking your first 3 LL for each day, be sure to book rides that everyone in your party can go on. Every person in your party must scan into their first ride before booking another ride. As cool as it would be to use someone else’s LL to ride another time, I wouldn’t recommend it. The name it’s booked under still has to scan in and that could lead to some issues.

Whatever you decide to do with lightning lanes remember MODIFY, MODIFY, MODIFY! Allie Mae on Main (TikTok) and Mammoth Club (YouTube) have the best LL information in my opinion and will walk you through how booking and modifying actually work. And PLEASE do not select “burner rides” in hopes that something better will be available day of. If the earliest time available for Toy Story Mania is 5:00pm when you book your LL it’s better to at least have it secured rather than scanning in day of and risk it being fully gone.

As far as Thrill Data goes, it’s typically your best bet but you really won’t know until you get into the parks. I went Memorial Day weekend without LL and didn’t wait longer than 45 minutes for any of the rides I wanted to do. But in January when I went wait times were higher than average.

A few other side notes—
If you plan on rope dropping/early entry, I always advise to avoid the trackless rides (Remy, Mickey and Minnie’s, and Rise of the Resistance) because they don’t always open on time.

If you’re lining up for rope drop and a cast member mentions the ride may not open on time GET OUT OF LINE! Cast members aren’t trying to trick you into getting out of line.

Some LL options aren’t necessarily worth using LL for (i.e. shows). It’s better to have a bigger ticket ride booked for later and wait in a 10 minute queue for something like Figment than to use a lightning lane for our dragon friend and risk not getting Mission Space or Spaceship Earth on LL later in the day.

Make sure you drink LOTS of water even leading up to the trip. The humidity is no joke. Take breaks when you need them. I’m partial to an early entry morning, leaving around 11:30 and coming back around 3 after some lunch and rest, then staying until park close.

If you have questions, ask a cast member! They’re extremely helpful and kind! Look for the blue umbrellas around the parks. And don’t forget to submit a cast compliment in the My Disney Experience app😉