A major Walt Disney World attraction has reopened after an extended closure, and this reopening has changed the offerings to Lightning Lane at Magic Kingdom. We will break down the change to Lightning Lane and availability at the most popular Disney World park.
Let’s get into this new Lightning Lane change, which comes towards the end of the busy spring break season. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including a legal complaint against Disney’s DAS disability pass and a first look at the new Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside.
READ MORE – Don’t Pack These Items For Your Disney Trip. They Can Cause Headaches and Some Are Banned.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Reopens
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin has reopened as of today, April 8th, after a multi-month-long closure. The updated attraction now includes new hand-held blasters, a major improvement in itself, plus redesigned ride vehicles featuring new digital score screens. Other improvements to the attraction include a new scene featuring a character named Buddy, who introduces guests to their missions, and an updated Buzz Lightyear scene. The PhotoPass image has also been improved and now adds your score to the ride picture.
The return of this attraction is a welcome one, especially as the popular spring break season is still wrapping up. See our Mickey Visit Disney World Crowd calendar for ratings of all dates. The ride has been soft opening throughout the week, but now that it’s officially opened, it has been re-added to Lightning Lane Multi Pass. You can see the updated list of available Lightning Lane attractions at Magic Kingdom below:
Disney World Ride Closure ALERTS, Major Park Changes, Secrets Revealed
Get alerts on closures, park changes, exclusive discounts, and free printables. Trusted by 100,000+ Disney fans & planners.
Choose up to one experience from this group:
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Space Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this group:
- The Barnstormer
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Mad Tea Party
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
As you can see, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin has rejoined the Lightning Lane list in its previous spot of second selection options. That makes sense, as even though this ride received a much-needed update, which may increase its popularity, it still doesn’t qualify as high in demand as the first option of selections.
Before its closure, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin was a part of the Early Theme Park Entry ride selections. Currently, the listing of available Early Theme Park Entry selections for Magic Kingdom does not list Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin yet, but that could change at any moment. I would personally be very surprised to not see this attraction re-added to the options for Early Theme Park Entry.
More Changes to Lightning Lane Coming Soon
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin isn’t the only attraction that experienced a multi-month-long closure. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom has now been closed for refurbishment since January 6, 2025, and guests have been anxiously awaiting its reopening. While we do not have an official opening date yet, we expect it will be soon based on the ride testing that has been spotted at Magic Kingdom in recent days. The last official update we have from Disney was that the attraction would be expected to reopen in early May 2026.
Once Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens, it will also rejoin the Lightning Lane Multi Pass options. Before its extended closure, it was one of the first selections of more popular attraction options, and it will likely return to that same category. This means we may see Jungle Cruise bumped down to the second selection of Lightning Lane selections, which would be welcome news for guests looking to more easily access that attraction.
READ MORE – 14 Spooky (and Somewhat Disturbing) Secrets of Disney’s Haunted Mansion You Don’t Know
So this isn’t the only Lightning Lane change we will see this spring at Magic Kingdom. Expect another big shakeup to be coming fairly soon once Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopens.
Don’t Miss the Latest Disney News
Don’t miss the latest Disneyland and Disney World news from Mickey Visit. Join the FREE Mickey Visit newsletter that over 100k readers receive every single week. Mickey Visit is here to help you save money and experience more during your Disney and Universal vacation. See the Mickey Visit guide to Disneyland and the Mickey Visit guide to Disney World for tips.
