Disney Lightning Lane Premier Pass

Disney has announced its new Premier Pass at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

What is Premier Pass

Lightning Lane Premier Pass is an outrageously expensive, paid line-skipping program, that is essentially the same as Universal Orlando’s Express Pass Standard.

Premier Pass is a big step up in both cost and convenience over Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass!

When you purchase Disney’s Premier Pass for an individual day via your Disney app, you will be entitled to one entry at every Lightning Lane location at any time during that day on that day! No more Reservation times!

Premier Pass Starts:

• Walt Disney World – 30 October 2024
• Disneyland Resort – 23 October 2024

Premier Pass Eligibility

Guests staying at the following hotels are currently eligible to purchase Premier Pass.

Disney Deluxe Resort Hotels

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts

• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort (eligibility applies to Disney Vacation Club Cabins only)
• Copper Creek Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Villas and Bungalows
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Other Eligible Hotels

• Shades of Green Resort
• Walt Disney World Swan, Swan Reserve, and Dolphin Resorts

Premier Pass Price

Walt Disney World prices for Lightning Lane Premier Passes vary by date and theme park. At launch, prices will range from $129 to $449 (per pass, plus tax), with the highest prices falling on a limited number of days over peak travel periods. That’s $550 to $1913 per day for a family of 4! (with 6.5% sales tax added)

Disneyland Lightning Lane Premier Pass will be priced at $400 per person, per day for park visits through December 31, 2024. Beginning in 2025, pricing will vary by date and demand within a $300 to $400 range. That’s $1287 to $1716 per day for a family of 4! (with 7.25% sales tax added)

Prices will be displayed in the respective Disney Park app when you go to purchase.

Here is the By Park breakdown:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $129 to $199 per person, plus tax
• EPCOT: $169 to $249 per person, plus tax
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $269 to $349 per person, plus tax
• Magic Kingdom: $329 to $449 per person, plus tax

In comparison, Universal’s Standard Express Pass, which offers the same benefit of one entry per attraction at any time of the day, starts at $89.99 per person plus tax and goes up to $290 plus tax. Universal’s Unlimited Express Pass, which offers unlimited entries per attraction at any time of the day, ranges from $120 to $320 or comes “free” when staying at one of their Premier Hotels.

Let’s take a quick look at what Disney’s Premier Pass would cost if you used them on every day of your trip using their low and high price numbers.

Again for a family of 4 using the 3 or 4-Day Disney Armed Forces Salute Tickets at Disneyland and the 4, 5, and 6-day versions at Walt Disney World:

Disneyland:

• 3-Day Ticket – $3861 to $5148
• 4-Day Ticket – $5148 to $6864

Walt Disney World:

• 4-Day Ticket – $2198 to $7651
• 5-Day Ticket – $2748 to $9563
• 6-Day Ticket – $3297 to $11476

That’s on top of the regular military discounted ticket prices for a family of 4 of $1076 or $1380 at Disneyland or $1476, $1556, or $1636 at Disney World.

For most people willing to shell out this kind of cash, it will probably be a splurge on one day of their trip! And, while at a very high price, it at times comes out way cheaper than the cost of one of the 7-hour private tours, which include instant attraction boarding among other things, at either resort destination! Disneyland private 7-hour tour $3754-$5255, Disney World private 7-hour tour $3355-$6709.

How to Purchase Premier Pass

Walt Disney World eligible Guests can purchase Lightning Lane Premier Passes up to 7 days before the first day of their Resort stay—for their entire length of stay (up to 14 days)—starting at 7:00 AM Eastern Time.

Disneyland Lightning Lane Premier Passes can be purchased via the Disneyland app up to 2 days in advance of your park visit, starting at 7:00 AM Pacific Time (subject to very limited availability).

Just open your My Disney Experience or Disneyland apps, find “Lightning Lane Premier Pass” on the home screen and then tap “Purchase”. Follow the prompts to complete your purchase—and receive a confirmation.

Using the Premier Pass

Lightning Lane Premier Pass gives you a one-time entry to each available Lightning Lane entrance in one park for one day. Here’s how to use it:

• Go to the Lightning Lane entrance and tap in using a MagicBand, MagicBand+, Disney MagicMobile pass, Key to the World Card, or ticket card that’s linked to your valid theme park admission.
• You’ll skip the standby line and join a shorter line for that attraction or experience instead.
• Continue to enjoy other Lightning Lane experiences in the park—at your leisure.

Keep Track of the Fun
To view the Lightning Lane experiences you’ve redeemed that day:

• Open your Disney app and tap “Today’s Plans” in the app menu. This will take you to the “My Day” feature.
• View your Lightning Lane Premier Pass and tap to see your experiences for that day—including which ones remain available and which ones you’ve already redeemed.

Premier Pass Attractions

Premier Pass Attractions for Walt Disney World:

Magic Kingdom Park

• The Barnstormer
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion
• “it’s a small world”
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• TRON Lightcycle / Run
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid

EPCOT

• Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
• Frozen Ever After
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Journey into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• Turtle Talk with Crush

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
• Disney Junior Play & Dance!
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Muppet*Vision 3D
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Mania!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• DINOSAUR
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• Feathered Friends in Flight!
• Festival of the Lion King
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
• Kali River Rapids
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Naʻvi River Journey

Disney’s California Adventure, Pixar Pier Incredicoaster

Premier Pass Attractions for the Disneyland Resort:

Disneyland Park

• Autopia
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
• Haunted Mansion**
• Indiana Jones^TM Adventure
• “it’s a small world”
• Matterhorn Bobsleds
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Pirates of the Caribbean***
• Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin
• Space Mountain
• Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (also available with Lightning Lane Single Pass)

Disney’s California Adventure Park

• Goofy’s Sky School
• Grizzly River Run
• Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
• Incredicoaster
• The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
• Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
• Radiator Springs Racers (also available with Lightning Lane Single Pass)
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Toy Story Midway Mania!
• WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure

Premier Pass Photo Perks

Lightning Lane Premier Pass includes the following photo perks:

• Receive digital downloads of select attraction photos and videos from your day, captured with Disney PhotoPass Service.
• Unlocks Disney PhotoPass Lenses, which lets you transform your photos with Disney-themed, augmented-reality effects.

How About You?

Do you see yourself paying for the new Lightning Lane Premier Pass? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!

• Back to Basics Posts - A great place to start, offering basic topics!
• Disney Veteran & Military Discount Eligibility Guide
• The Military Family’s Walt Disney World Comprehensive Vacation Planning and Preparation Guide 
• Military Disney Tips Disney Packing Checklist 
• Disney Military Tickets – Your Start-to-Finish Guide

• Resorts/Hotel Overview Page
• Dining Overview Page
• Transportation Overview Page
• Technology Overview Page
• Shades of Green, WDW’s Military-Only Resort

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