This New Disney World Lightning Lane Addition Shouldn’t Shift Your Strategy

Next month, there will be a new change to qualifying Lightning Lane attractions at Walt Disney World. Disney's Hollywood Studios is undergoing significant changes this year, with new shows opening and old attractions closing to make way for a new Monsters, Inc. themed land and Disney animation–inspired spaces.

In response to these shifting changes, a new addition is going to be added to the list of available Lightning Lanes. Let's get into the change and why I think it won't shift your Hollywood Studios strategy.

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Little Mermaid Show Added to Lightning Lane List

The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure show will be added to the list of available Lightning Lane attractions starting September 11, 2025. It will be added to the second group of available attractions.

Guests will be able to see the show available in this list as early as August 20, 2025, for use starting on September 11, 2025. This means that you will see it available as a selection for pre-booking on August 20, but you won't be able to use it as a Lightning Lane option until September 11.

For reference, this is the current list of available Lightning Lane attractions at Hollywood Studios:

Choose up to one experience from this group:

• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Rock ‘n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash

Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this group:

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure (beginning September 11, 2025)
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Toy Story Mania!
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Does This Change Your Hollywood Studios Strategy?

Hollywood Studios is often called one of the trickiest parks to strategize for since it has many of the newest and most popular attractions at Disney World. Recent changes, like Muppet*Vision 3D closing earlier this summer and Disney Jr. Play and Dance! closing on September 25, 2025, will also limit some of the experiences in the park.

But the closing of those two shows isn't too concerning since they coincided with the opening of A Little Mermaid- A Musical Adventure and Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After in May 2025. In terms of popularity, these two new shows have drawn far larger crowds at Hollywood Studios. It makes sense to add A Little Mermaid- A Musical Adventure to the Lightning Lane lineup. If you look at the other shows on that list, it's just as popular as the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and far exceeds the popularity of Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage.

However, I do not think this addition should change your Hollywood Studios strategy, as you should still focus on securing Lightning Lanes for attractions rather than shows. The times for the Little Mermaid show run consecutively from 10 AM to 8 PM on most days, giving you plenty of time to see this show in the afternoon.

Adding a new show to the Lightning Lane lineup may free up availability for other popular group two attractions on the list. The most popular attractions on the second group list currently are The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Toy Story Mania! Those are the attractions I recommend reserving your advance Lightning Lanes for. It is likely going to be easy to get a Lightning Lane for The Little Mermaid show once you're in the parks, since it runs throughout the entire day.

To read more about using Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World, read our guide to using Lightning Lane Multi Pass to make the most out of your strategy.

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