Disney has announced a new premium line-skipping option for guests visiting Walt Disney World and Disneyland. The Lightning Lane Premier Pass will allow guests to utilize the Lightning Lane one time per day at a time of their choosing for every attraction with a Lightning Lane.
The Lightning Lane Premier Pass will be limited in quantity, and will work a bit differently at Disney World and Disneyland. Disney is initially piloting the new system, and will only allow certain guests to purchase.
At Disney World, only guests staying at Disney Deluxe and Disney Villas are initially eligible to purchase the Lightning Lane Premier Pass. This may change in the future after the first. At Disneyland, Disney is rolling out the service in extremely limited quantities.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room – price. This is a premium offering and Disney has certainly priced it accordingly. Prices will vary by day and theme park, but below is a range of what guests should expect.
Walt Disney World Lightning Lane Premier Pass Prices
Magic Kingdom: $329-$449 plus tax per person, per day
EPCOT: $169-$249 plus tax per person, per day
Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $269-$249 plus tax per person, per day
Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $129-$199 plus tax per person, per day
Disneyland Lightning Lane Premier Pass Prices
The price covers both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure with one Lightning Lane per ride.
The cost is $400 per person for the remainder of 2024, and will be a range of $300-$400 per person for days in 2025.
Overall Thoughts
Disney rolling out a premier version of their line-skipping service has been a long time coming. Nearby competitors, Universal, offers a similar premier pass (Express Unlimited), but the key difference is that Universal’s offers unlimited rides for select attractions. Premier Pass is aimed to be priced between the exclusive VIP Tours and the traditional Multi Pass system.
Disney’s Lightning Lane Premier Pass is trying to thread a very small needle. It’s designed to be better than Lightning Lane Multi Pass, but it’ll still encounter the flaws of the Lightning Lane system. A backed up Lightning Lane at a popular attraction, such as at Radiator Springs Racers, could see two guests waiting 40+ minutes in the Lightning Lane – one who paid $32 and one who paid $300+.
In an ideal world, it’d make a lot of sense if the new Premier Pass was the only line-skipping pass at Disney World and Disneyland. It’d be priced appropriately, it’d have quick lines, and it’d put the focus back on standby lines. However, Disney is intent on monetizing its lines in as many ways as possible.
Will the new Premier Pass be a popular option for guests? Or is Disney’s pricing too aggressive?
