Disney Parks Rolling Out All-Access Lightning Lane Premier Pass – Updated!
Want to use the Lightning Lanes, but don’t want to spend all day on your phone snagging return times? Disney has heard you. Lightning Lane Premier Pass is their answer to your wishes.
On October 16, 2024, only guests at Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts were eligible to purchase Lightning Lane Premier Pass. On November 22, Disney announced that starting immediately, Premier Pass purchase is open to guests of all Disney World Resort hotels, as well as the Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green. Quantities are still very limited; the rest of the original announcement is below.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass will be offered in very limited quantities and will give guests one-time entry to each available Lightning Lane entrance in the theme park they are visiting that day. Both Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass attractions are included, but you won’t need to select a time in advance. When you want to ride, just show up at the attraction! Lightning Lane Premier Pass prices will vary based on the date and theme park that you are visiting.
At Walt Disney World, when Lightning Lane Premier Pass launches, it will be available only to guests staying at Disney Deluxe or Deluxe Villa Resorts and may be purchased up to seven days in advance of their stay. It will only be valid for use in one park of the guest’s choice per day, and guests can not purchase LLPP for more than one park per day. The first date it will be available is October 30, 2024. (The first date to purchase is October 23.) The price will range from $129 to $449 per person, plus tax. Purchase through the My Disney Experience app.
At Disneyland Resort, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass will be available first come, first served beginning two days in advance of a theme park reservation and will be valid for use in both theme parks. The first date it will be available is October 23, 2024. (The first date to purchase will be October 21.) The price for both parks ranges from $300 to $400 per person. Purchase through the Disneyland app.
At both parks, Lightning Lane Premier Pass includes the same photo perks that are included with Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Are you excited to hear about this new offering? Let us know in the comments!
Originally published October 16, 2024; last updated November 22, 2024.
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I am not prepared to pay for this – so I guess I will be standing in line all day – or be going when the crowd prediction is low. I get that Disney is a business – but wouldn’t it be nice if they balanced this out a bit and made the actual park tickets cheaper – I know that isn’t going to happen though. As long as people are prepared to pay these prices and for the Lightening Lane Multipasses, why would they change it? I’ve read that some days have sold out already so people are buying them! I was such a massive Disney fan but, for me, the magic is just not as magical as it used to be.
Hi Ruth, I agree. I think one of the most frustrating things is reconciling our personal experience of how it used to be with the knowledge that this offering is undoubtedly Disney’s response to guests who wanted the product that exists in pretty much all other theme parks in the U.S. It’s easy to say that people complain about Genie+ and LLMP but not FastPass+ because FastPass+ was free. But listening to people in non-Disney circles who are planning their first trips, I’m not sure that’s true. I think in this day and age there would have been plenty of feedback for Disney that “sure it’s free but we’d rather just pay and not have it be complicated.”
Another way to rip off the Disney visitors. Out of control prices
The premiere pass has been selling out at MK recently for nearly $400 per person, so Disney has found a market that will buy them.
That $129 low end at WDW is only for AK. At MK, where having access to the most LL admissions makes the most sense, the cheapest Premier price is currently set at $329 per person; DHS is $269. Don’t expect to see those low ends often, either. On top of the ever-increasing cost of a Deluxe stay, this is more of Disney for the rich.
For those wondering, Universal’s Express Pass, unlimited, at both parks, on CHRISTMAS is less expensive than the least expensive MK Premier Pass.
I have long been of the opinion that Disney does not do their “skip” the line offering correctly and that Universal Studios does. This gets a step closer to Universal Orlando but at the same time on the attractions where the merge point is not just before the load area I think people are not going to be happy paying the price as they will have regular Multi-Pass and Single-Pass people to wait with.
I think a lot will depend on how many they sell. If they keep the supply limited enough, they should be able to find a happy medium. But that’s a big if.
Hmm, $429 seems like a high upper limit. Hopefully they can keep it to $400 on peak dates.
First off, as someone who doesn’t buy skip the line passes, I like that the price basically doubles (or triples) the price of entry. That should limit who is able to use it, and if you want to throw money at a problem instead of researching the problem, then may as well throw a lot at it!
As Andrea stated, that price range is pretty wide. I would assume that not only would high projected crowds be cause for a higher price, but the park as well since it is only good for one park per day and one ride on each attraction per day. So in the case of Animal Kingdom with only 7 (?) rides on a low crowd day, that should be at the bottom end of price, but with Magic Kingdom and its large number of rides on New Year’s Eve, that should be the $429 price tag.
Yes, I think your assumption about the price is correct.
I used it at Disneyland Paris for a one-day visit in the summer about a week after Avenger’s Campus opened, so you can imagine what the crowds were like. I rode every major attraction, plus a few minor ones in the space of 6 hours! I love it as a concept, especially for people who only have a short vacation window to visit the parks. $129-$429 is quite the price spread, though. I don’t see how this is valuable in Epcot or AK, but I could see it being useful in DHS or MK. I suppose this is a happy medium for the people who don’t want to wait in line, want more timing options than the standard lightning lane time slots, but don’t want to pony up for a VIP tour.