BREAKING: Pricey Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disney World Announced!
Walt Disney World officially announced Lightning Lane Premier Pass, the newest and most expensive line skipping service to replace free FastPass. This post covers the launch date & price ranges for the upcharge option at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. Plus, our commentary how this compares to Universal’s Express Pass, potential popularity, and more.
There’s a lot of ground to cover here, so we will very quickly recap what has happened in the last few months with Lightning Lanes. As you might recall, Walt Disney World Lightning Lane recently retired and replaced the Genie+ service with Lightning Lane Multi-Pass (LLMP). Along with that, a la carte or Individual Lightning Lanes became Lightning Lane Single Pass (LLSP).
The big change with the switch from Genie+ to Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass is that guests can now make ride reservations up to 21 days in advance depending upon their status, and have ability to make 3 selections in advance. With this comes the loss of stacking, a disadvantage for off-site guests, and likelihood that you’ll be scoring fewer Lightning Lanes per day. Among other things, there’s also the reality that you’re committing to buying (or not) before starting your trip and seeing/feeling crowd levels.
There’s a lot more to the new Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and Single Pass, all of which is beyond the scope of this post. We’d encourage you to read our Guide to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World for all of the foundational need-to-know info of both LLMP and LLSP. This whole system is confusing and convoluted, so you might have a question or two-dozen. That answers all of the most common ones we’ve been receiving from readers.
The important thing to know is that Lightning Lane Multi-Pass and Single Pass will continue to exist. Lightning Lane Premier Pass (LLPP) is distinct from both, and will be an alternative line-skipping product offering for guests who don’t want to hassle with LLMP or LLSP. While Lightning Lane Premier Pass will feature the same ride rosters as the other Lightning Lane services, it’ll function fundamentally differently.
Here’s what Walt Disney World has officially announced about Lightning Lane Premier Pass…
In the coming weeks, Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort will begin piloting another option for attraction entry that will be offered in very limited quantities: Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass is similar to line-skipping services that have been available for purchase at other theme parks for decades, and a service like this offers a level of convenience that many Walt Disney World guests have requested.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass will include one entry to each Lightning Lane entrance in the theme park they are visiting that day, which guests can use anytime throughout the day at their convenience – without needing to book an arrival time in advance.
Some of the added perks of Lightning Lane Premier Pass include:
- All attractions from Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass.
- Guests can ride the attractions that they want–when they want.
- Lightning Lane Premier Pass will include PhotoPass photo and video downloads.
Walt Disney World will begin piloting Lightning Lane Premier Pass on October 30, 2024.
At launch, Lightning Lane Premier Pass will be available to purchase only by guests staying at Deluxe Resorts or Deluxe Villa Resorts (Disney Vacation Club Resorts). Lightning Lane Premier Pass may be purchased up to seven days in advance of their stay.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass gives Walt Disney World guests one-time entry to each available Lightning Lane entrance in a single theme park for the day. In other words, there is no Park Hopper option for LLPP at Walt Disney World.
Prices for Lightning Lane Premier Passes vary by date and theme park. Launch prices will range from $129 to $449 per person, plus tax, with the highest prices falling on a limited number of days over peak travel periods. Here are the ranges for each park:
- 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
That’s an incredibly wide range–$129 on the low end for Animal Kingdom versus $449 on the high end for Magic Kingdom. For the peak season price at Magic Kingdom, you could purchase Lightning Lane Premier Pass 3.5 times on the cheapest day at Animal Kingdom!
However, the rest of the year will see roller coaster crowds at Walt Disney World, with low lows and high highs. There’s a reason that multiple weeks from October through December make both lists on our rankings of the 10 Best and 10 Worst Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World in 2024 to 2026
Anyway, expect to see the $129 pricing at Animal Kingdom in early November or December, and the $449 pricing at Magic Kingdom the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. For further commentary about pricing–and the big gap between base costs for Walt Disney World and Disneyland, see our post about Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disneyland.
Walt Disney World’s official website emphasizes that they will begin piloting the rollout of Lightning Lane Premier Pass with “very limited quantities.” Our biggest question is: just how limited is very limited?
Will Lightning Lane Premier Pass be so limited that it easily sells out every single day? Is that the reason for restricting it to only Deluxe Resort and DVC Villas? Is this going to meaningful impact Lightning Lane availability for those who want to purchase Multi-Pass or Single Pass? Will this mean more capacity is allocated away from standby lines and to Lightning Lanes?
As previously mentioned, it’s been our understanding that there’s an internal desire within Disney to strike more of a balance between standby guests and Lightning Lane users. Policies and systems that feel fairer to the majority of guests and don’t advantage or disadvantage anyone too much. Disney has been trying to thread the needle with all of the queueing and capacity changes over the last few months.
Our strong suspicion is that Walt Disney World does not want to disturb that ‘delicate balance’ in queue capacity allocation with Lightning Lane Premier Pass. But on the other hand, the company does love money, so if LLPP is selling out daily during its ‘pilot program,’ we could see its availability being upped closer to Christmas. So the bottom line is that these are all open questions for us, and ones we’ll seek to answer during Lightning Lane Multi-Pass field testing later this year. (We won’t be testing LLPP–there’s no point and it’s beyond our budget.)
Turning to commentary, Lightning Lane Premier Pass is essentially Disney’s version of Universal’s Express Pass.
For those unfamiliar with it, Universal’s Express Pass is available as a ticket add-on or with select hotel stays. You can purchase two varieties of Express Pass, regular or unlimited. The regular version allows you to skip the line once per eligible attraction in either park. Universal Express Unlimited offers line-skipping privileges, as the name suggests, an unlimited number of times per attraction.
Unlike Lightning Lanes, guests using Express Pass at Universal are not required to make ride reservations–meaning there are no set return times. You simply go up to the attraction, scan your pass, and use your Express Pass entitlement. There’s nothing to reserve or hassle with in an app. It’s a totally “dumb” system–and I mean that in the best way possible. Express Pass involves zero technology and screen time. It’s completely hassle-free.
Universal’s Express Pass is also much more expensive when not included with a hotel stay. The out-of-pocket cost of regular Express Pass starts at $89.99 per person plus tax and can top out at $290, with the average being well north of $100. Unlimited Universal Express Pass ranges from $120 to $320, with the average near $200.
With that said, there are some critical distinctions between Universal’s Express Pass and Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
The first is that there will not be an unlimited option with Lightning Lane Premier Pass. It’s one entry per attraction, making this equivalent to the regular Express Pass. I guess in theory you might be able to purchase multiple Lightning Lane Premier Passes and fashion a DIY unlimited option, but that’d be pricey and I’m not even sure it’d work.
I suspect Walt Disney World doesn’t want to disturb the ‘delicate balance’ in queue capacity allocation by offering Lightning Lane Premier Pass at an unlimited level. Perhaps more importantly, they don’t want to cannibalize VIP tour sales or Club 33 memberships. If you want the unlimited option, there already exist ways to obtain that.
If they’re too expensive…the unlimited option actually is not aimed at you, I guess? The goal is to be slot this in between existing product offerings, not compete with them. (Unlimited Lightning Lane Premier Pass would likely cost $1,000 to $2,000 on the high end given these price points.)
The next distinction between Universal’s Express Pass and Lightning Lane Premier Pass is that there’s no “free” version of LLPP for on-site hotel guests as there is at Universal Orlando.
Unlimited Express Pass is included with stays at the Premier Hotels, which are Universal’s highest-tier resorts. Guests who stay at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock Hotel, and Portofino Bay all receive Unlimited Express Pass included with their stay at no additional charge (including check-in and checkout days).
We’ve heard from a number of readers in the last few years who have wanted Walt Disney World to adopt Universal’s Express Pass system. My response has been: be careful what you wish for. That’s in large part because the sense I’ve gotten is that most Disney fans only want the “free with on-site stays” part, and not the “$100+ for bypassing technology” part.
We’ve previously the discussed the ‘why’ of this at great length, but there are numerous reasons why Walt Disney World would not (and in fact, is not) offering “free” unlimited (or even limited) Lightning Lane Premier Pass with on-site resort stays.
For one thing, there’s the disparity in the number of on-site resort rooms. In total, there are just under 7,000 hotel rooms at Universal Orlando Resort (pre-Epic Universe). By contrast, there are approximately 40,000 rooms at Walt Disney World. Even narrowing it down to Deluxe Resorts and adjusting on a per-park basis, Walt Disney World still has nearly triple the number of eligible rooms. It’s a simple numbers game–free unlimited line-skipping for Deluxe Resorts would literally “break” the guest experience for everyone else.
But that’s not really what’s outcome determinative. Quite simply, Walt Disney World doesn’t offer free line-skipping because they don’t need to do so. The last few years should make this plain as day. Walt Disney World keeps increasing prices on Lightning Lanes, and guests keep buying.
There are ways that the current Multi-Pass system is arguably inferior to free FastPass, but I’m nevertheless completely confident it’ll sell out at record high prices the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. Disney has absolutely no incentive to give away for free what guests will spend money–and a lot of it!–to purchase.
Frankly, neither does Universal Orlando! We’ve openly speculated for years that the only reason Universal still offers Unlimited Express Pass is due to a contractual agreement with Loews, which was necessary to get the hotelier on board.
I’ve finally received confirmation that this is, in fact, true. Universal isn’t including Express Pass with hotel stays because it makes any business sense or they’re generous–it’s due to Loews getting a sweetheart deal back in the 1990s when the theme park landscape was radically different.
This is also why Helios Grand Hotel–Universal’s new flagship resort overlooking Epic Universe–won’t offer Unlimited Express Pass at all to hotel guests. It’s also why the existing hotels won’t add Unlimited Express Pass for Epic Universe. The Loews contract is frozen in time, and subsequent hotels and parks are not subject to it.
The next distinction is cost. Regular Express Pass at Universal Orlando has a starting price that’s lower than the Animal Kingdom starting price, and a ceiling that’s over $150 less than the peak Magic Kingdom price.
This is another reason we’ve warned to ‘be careful what you wish for’ with this Express Pass competitor–because it would almost certainly cost significantly more than Universal’s counterpart. As should be clear by now from the endless parade of price increases, Walt Disney World has pricing power. Its demographics are also different than Universal.
Fans frequently blame one another for tolerating paying more and getting less at Walt Disney World, which is misplaced ire. This is actually attributable to first-timers and rite-of-passage tourists.
For the most part, it is not Annual Passholders or DVC members who are “causing” price increases or product offerings like this. C’mon, you really think the people who will wait in line 30 minutes for a “free” magnet or soda are the problem?! As the company itself has made clear, we are the “unfavorables” precisely because we spend less! Those are Disney’s words, not mine!!!
Free-spending first-timers pull out all of the stops for fear of missing out. They have FOMO or FUD and want to make sure their kids’ milestone vacation is as magical as the commercials. This demo almost certainly visits Walt Disney World at disproportionate levels as compared to Universal. I would be willing to bet that per guest spending is considerably higher at Disney than Universal.
The bottom line is that neither of these businesses set their price points as a courtesy to guests. They both charge what the market will bear. As we’ve also been saying for a while, enjoy this while it lasts, Universal diehards–your on-site hotels likely won’t be this underpriced for much longer! Universal didn’t spend billions on Epic Universe for local Annual Passholders–they got a taste of Disney’s demos with Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and want another bite of that with Nintendo!
The prices for Lightning Lane Premier Pass also shouldn’t be a surprise because we’ve (sort of) already been down this road before. Walt Disney World did something similar under the old FastPass+ system, allowing Club Level guests to purchase a ‘theme park extra’ package that primarily consisted of 3 extra FastPass+ selections for $50 per person, per day. That started in 2018 and ran through the closure of the parks in 2020. I thought that was crazy at the time–an insane cost for a system that could easily be ‘gamed’ with just a little effort.
I was wrong. (Well, not entirely–it was crazy to buy something you could get for free with a modicum of effort.) Club Level guests loved it–the bonus FastPass+ were insanely popular. Just ask a travel agent. Many had clients who otherwise would not have booked Club Level in the first place do so just to have access to the bonus FastPass+ selections. Meaning that their actual cost wasn’t $50 per person, per day–it was that plus the nightly upgrade to Club Level over cheaper accommodations they would’ve booked in the alternative!
If we’ve learned anything since ~2018-2020, it’s that there’s an insatiable market for exclusive Disney offerings. If such a “perk” on top of a freebie was $50 then, it could easily be triple or more that price now. Whatever you think is the “worth it” price for such a line-skipping product, the actual cost could almost certainly be higher. If you’re even thinking about value-for-money, you probably aren’t the demo for Lightning Lane Premier Pass!
This analysis of Lightning Lane Premier Pass all might sound overly blunt or cold and calculated. And I suppose it is.
But the reality is that I’m not saying this condescendingly as I laugh maniacally at the unwashed masses who cannot afford Lightning Lane Premier Pass. I’m not the target audience for LLPP, either! Heck, I’m not even the target audience for Lightning Lane Single Pass. (Fun fact: to this day, I have still never purchased an Individual Lightning Lane, Single Pass, or equivalent. And not just the Walt Disney World parks–any of them. It’s not that I can’t afford the $15-20 or whatever; it’s that I can’t justify it. I’d rather beat the system than be part of that particular “problem.”)
Look, I would love nothing more than for Lightning Lane Premier Pass to crash and burn. For Walt Disney World to finally push prices too high, and hit the ceiling. For this to end up being more trouble than it was worth for the company, and to learn a lesson as a result. Every time something pushes the envelope on prices, a part of me is hoping it’ll fail and we’ll see a reversal in these trends. I could go on and on, but you already know what I mean–I’d like for Disney to be humbled when it comes to pricing.
I completely “get” why there’s so much schadenfreude around Walt Disney World announcements like this. Given the guest unfriendly decisions, price increases and cost-cutting, it makes sense. But I also try to be level-headed and not pretend that what I want to happen is what I think actually will happen.
In this case, I have little doubt that Lightning Lane Premier Pass will be a huge success. I think it’s more likely that the service sells out with regularity, has even higher prices in 2025, or is further restricted (maybe to only Club Level guests?) than that it crashes and burns. I’d like to be wrong. Not because this particular product bothers me that much, but because I hate the general trajectory of things, and the way Walt Disney World is leaning more and more into creating an in-park class system. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll be wrong.
The bottom line is that there’s a huge market for a ‘hassle free’ Express Pass-esque alternative to Lightning Lane Multi Pass. The guests willing to purchase this will probably pay more than you think it’s worth because they’re probably not approaching it from a value-for-money perspective.
This is precisely why I’m not doing that analysis, either. I had two paragraphs about why this is a complete waste of money at Animal Kingdom when it costs $129 (and it is!) but decided to trash that since this post is already a novella and the target audience simply won’t care. That isn’t their calculus. I guess we shall see, though. Even if it’s not for me and I will never buy this, I’m curious to see how it plays out, the fan reaction (backlash?), and so forth!
The only other bad news–aside from, you know, this announcement as a whole–is that now I need to redo all of my Lightning Lane Multi-Pass field testing and strategy guides to account for how Lightning Lane Premier Pass alters the line-skipping capacity allocation. The good news is that few things bring me greater joy than “beating the system,” so expect to see plenty of that over the next few months and throughout 2025. Stay tuned!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about Lightning Lane Premier Pass? Thoughts on Walt Disney World’s “answer” to Universal’s Express Pass? Predictions as to how successful this line-skipping service will be? Under what, if any, scenarios would you buy Lightning Lane Premier Pass? Agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I wonder what the breakdown is of Universal people that have Express Pass because they are staying in the deluxe hotel versus people that paid for the Express Pass. Given Universal’s pricing (which is less than what Disney is proposing here), my guess is that the large majority of EP users at Universal are deluxe hotel guests. Maybe 80/20. I doubt that Universal’s EP program would be successful without the hotel system (setting aside willingness for pay for Epic Universe).
Tom is probably right that this program will be successful for Disney. But I doubt that it will be long term. At Animal Kingdom and Epcot, it gives you almost no advantage over LLMP if you add on the LLSPs that are available (at much less cost). Why would anyone use LLPP at those parks. Similarly, I would give LLPP only a slight advantage over buying both LLMP and LLSP for Rise. Definitely not worth the price difference. The only park where LLPP would give a significant advantage would be Magic Kingdom. But of course MK has the highest prices for LLPP. You can buy tickets to Magic Kingdom for like 3 days instead of doing LLPP. So the only person interested in LLPP at MK should be a person with very limited vacation time. In other words, the logic suggests that LLPP should be a miserable failure. But I guess I often underestimate how little the super rich value an amount of dollars that makes a real difference to the average American.
We’ve never stayed at a Universal hotel, but we used to take a day out of our yearly WDW vacation to head over to Universal Parks and as just a one day vacation splurge we would just buy a park to park 1 day ticket with regular express pass added on for Universals Parks. We would be able to skip all lines and quickly go through on all the rides we were interested in one time and then jump to the second park and do the same and as this allowed us to easily get through both parks in one day just riding what we wanted as we went along, only using up one day of our vacation, with no set time windows for any certain rides that we had to meet like with Disneys system, we found it easy to accomplish both parks without any rushing or extra walking crisscrossing the park to get to certain rides, there was no stress, it was quite doable to finish both parks in a day, even taking a break for lunch, and it felt like good value and quite worthwhile.
Disneys new Premier Pass that is only for Deluxe guests and doesn’t allow park hopping and is much much more expensive does not sound like it would be good value or worthwhile even just for a one day splurge and is clearly only targeted for the rich. We would never stay at their way overpriced Deluxe hotels and won’t be buying any Premier Passes. WDW really isn’t what it used to be. They keep cutting services and quality and raising prices. It’s really sad. Just had a recent 10 day horribly expensive WDW vacation that really wasnt very enjoyable. Don’t know if we’ll ever go back.
My friend broke it down:
Disneyland and WDW (has dynamic pricing for theirs) News regarding no wait ride access
For my family of four it would cost…
$259/person for parkhopper on a weekend
$650 minimum for hotel per night
$400/person per day for Premier LL Access
$3286 for my family to go to Disneyland for one night stay with one park having full ride access with no waiting. Add another $1600 to that total if I want both parks to have full ride access. $4886 would be the grand total for one overnight stay and one parkhopper park day. Hotel parking is $50/night. Valet is $75/per night. You can still buy Genie+ LL with return times for $25-35/person per day.
I predict that this new program is just a bridge to eventually charge hundreds of dollars for LL access. They will start allowing more and more people into Lightning Lane Premier Pass, causing current users of LL Single/Multi Pass to complain. Disney will benevolently say that “people are asking for better access” and start lowering the numbers of LL Single/Multi Pass until one day it no longer exists. Disney will save a ton in IT hardware (and employees salaries) as Premier Pass will be easier to maintain + any upset former DAS users will be pointed to a program that in essence is what they used to get for free and viola, in a few years Premier Pass will be the only way to enter the LL.
This feels like Six Flags’ Flashpass, which costs more than a park ticket but is incredibly popular. Six Flags non-Flash queues are miserable, so I hope that Disney keeps the number of Premiere Passes as low as possible.
In my experience, Disneys standby lines are already miserable.
We have gone to Walt Disney World every year for over 30 years and have always loved to go there. But I think for many consumers they are pricing themselves out of the business. First it was the Star Crusier Ship and now this. Also the Cabins at Fort Wilderness are another bust.
I’m so curious how LLPP pans out. I still feel the same way I did when you first wrote about this — even though I am really Disney’s target audience here I think (I generally stay deluxe and would certainly be willing to pay more for ease here), the existence of LLMP and LLSP makes it such that I don’t think its worth spending the incremental (but huge) price difference for LLPP. If LLPP was my only skip the line option, I might have a different view, and if LLPP allowed unlimited rides on each attraction (or at least the ability to park hop and do all the heavy hitters in one day easily), I could perhaps stomach the cost for one day, but as offered, it just isn’t worth it to me when I can still get the benefit of LLMP/LLSP for much less. If I wanted to be extravagant for a day, the VIP tour seems like the better bet here. I would love to hear from anyone who buys this, just to understand their calculus — to me, I have a hard time imagining the hypothetical guest who is comfortable spending this much for LLPP, but wouldn’t instead just choose the VIP option.
This is 100% exactly how I feel about this service……I am DVC (have 750 points), stay in 3BR villas, eat at the signature restaurants, etc. and I do not see any value in this whatsoever
I’m curious what the VIP tours uptake has been. It occurs to me that this pass is in fact a self-service VIP tour without Disney having to hire and schedule guides. Guests with the means and desire have already been purchasing this product under a different name.
I have have a few short and blunt words about this. First is LOL about the whole thing. Its absurd. The second is shame on folks that buy this and support this ever increasing pinch on the Disney fans that want to remain fans but just can’t make it happen any longer. Walt is rolling in his grave!
Totally agree with your comments Ears. We used to really enjoy our WDW Vacations. Now Disney has raised their prices so high and gone downhill in quality and service and value so badly its sad. They’re only interested in catering to the rich. Whenever I hear their “happiest place on earth” slogan on the TV commercials I have to laugh, not in a good way, and I think to myself not the happiest place by a long shot!! I’m so disgusted with them.
I have to say that you predicted this, and very accurately. I’ll make a mental note for the future in case I disagree with a prediction.
I still maintain that it’s very shortsighted from a corporate perspective. The actual target audience will be miniscule (same goes for revenue), assuming it sells out the small allotments. Best case scenario, the impact is unnoticeable (as in miniscule LLPP) and I would bet it will still leave a sour note with visitors aware of it. Especially those that pay premium elsewhere (LL, Deluxe stays, Extras) might now start to wonder if they are still premium guests or are they now 2nd class? Not to mention fuel for the various crowds that already are up in arms across the internets. That’s a dangerous game to play with Universal about to seriously challenge in Orlando.
Since I’m somewhat in the potential target audience, I also don’t see the value in LLPP. With LLMP/SP, most infrequent visitors should still be able to get their desired few rides for the day. So is the no hassle and timing benefit really worth the significant difference in price? I disagree slightly that visitors with means don’t look at value at all. More likely that FOMO plays a bigger role. But still, the price premium is significant and value still matters I think.
“I still maintain that it’s very shortsighted from a corporate perspective.”
So do I. See the last few paragraphs in the companion post about Disneyland: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/new-400-lightning-lane-coming-to-disneyland/
I got your sentiment already but appreciate pointing out the DL entry! I had skipped this and it goes deeper into the aspects that I was pondering (more eloquently, too). Interestingly I now see a slightly better value in the DL version. It did, however, highlight how atrocious of a value the DW version truly is.
To expand a little more, I recently caved and booked a Deluxe-stay (non-DVC) trip for our kids next spring break. We’ll see how it goes with this roll-out. But instead of contemplating LLPP, I’m now contemplating the whole DW trip. Even without LLPP I’m looking at a substantial amount that I can spend on a myriad of other vacation options. Not sure if that’s what Disney was aiming for, or if they care in the least. Just my anecdotal perspective, for what it’s worth.
Disney is making decisions with the mindset of revenue that they are missing out on. The socio-psycho feeling s of people who cannot afford high end add ons are irrelevant. They deliver a quality product and if you have money you can enjoy it stressful free. Let the haters hate, but they do know to monetize their product!
IMHO I disagree with your one comment about the quality! We’ve taken many WDW resort vacations over the years and loved them, but at the end of our last very recent vacation there for the first time ever I was happy to be leaving. The quality of a WDW vacation has totally gone downhill. It’s not what it used to be. Services and quality keep getting cut/going down, food across WDW has gone downhill including table service restaurants, most attractions are getting old and tired, & there are not enough new attractions or space to handle the crowds. We experienced many unfriendly/rude cast members on this last trip, the lines are too long, & we paid for photopass and we’re missing most of our photos, and the LLMPs were not good value. We used to believe WDW was good quality, not anymore. It’s totally gone downhill and they want you to pay more money for less services and less quality. It’s really sad. You’re entitled to your opinion, but that’s mine.
The whole, gigantic Disney price premium is built on a card-house of “feels”. “Disney Magic” is why people pay vastly more for parks or cruises than comparable products. I’ll be curious how well the the genius “monetizers” do without it.
And what’s “socio-psycho feelings”??? LOL.
Thanks for sharing this news Tom! Do you think it’s feasible/possible to combine Lightning Lane Premier Pass with multi pass and/or individual lightning lanes for rides we’d want to go on more than once?
Sounds like you are the target audience!
My question is if you pay for it at Hollywood Studios and park hop to EPCOT will it still apply at EPCOT or would you have to pay for it twice? Universal has the “park to park” option on their express pass, but I didn’t see anything similar to that for Park Hoppers in the article.
It won’t. It says so in the article.
You have to pay for it twice if you park hop. It says so in the article.
Hi Tom,
Like you We have never purchased any of the ride skip products and never will. As you so rightly stated, we are AP holders and DVC, so we are not the targets. For us it’s the vibe and magic of the parks and the reality suspension field that is Disney and not just the rides. Heck a day resort hopping is a great day! That being said, I wonder what this will do to the vibe.
Will us non partakers even see a difference?
Will standby lines become unmanageable?
How are the CMs going to gate the line skippers? Currently there is a ratio LL to Standby. What happens when this is implemented?
Will it become where the have-nots and will-nots get left behind? (pun intended)
I really long for the old paper FastPass days. Low Tech, Easy to use, Just Works, but alas bean counters could not put a number on its benefits to the company.
Thanks.
DisneyGrandpa
This is not going to change anything as far as the lines go in my opinion…Anyone who buys this was going to/has bought LLMP/LLSP and its a relatively even exchange
“…a service like this offers a level of convenience that many Walt Disney World guests have requested.”
The thing is, the above statement is true. There’s been plenty of comments to that effect on this very site, complete with “charge a fortune for it to limit usage” caveats. I won’t go so far as to say I feel sorry for the giant corporation, but I do see that they are in somewhat of a no win situation. People have asked for this; Disney is giving those people what they want. In the process they are going to anger a different group of other people and create a lot of bad press, all because they attempted to listen to some guests and give them what they want (something I think most can agree is generally what we’d like them to do).
A lot to parse. This is of course the experience most people would want to have at Disney parks. Showing up when you want, maybe after a nice breakfast (I’ve found it’s difficult to enjoy breakfast a Disney World which is one of the things I like to do most when I can), maybe showing up late and leaving early to enjoy restaurants outside of the parks or spend time at the hotel for a more balanced trip, or from rope drop to the end of the day, not to squeeze in rides and win or lose at strategy but to savor the parks themselves, walking on and off rides however it best fits into your day. But I think everything beyond that, the overall impact on Disney World, it’s guests and fans, is negative. I think it’s telling that when people talk about the “Disney Magic” nostalgia seems to be such a big part of it. It’s not necessarily what you’re experiencing now, it’s the promise of what you remember or imagine it could be combined with some tantalizing moments that capture that feeling now, during your current trip. Over the years Disney has cashed in more and more of that magic of the theme parks for phenomenal success in terms of profits, and it certainly hasn’t hurt popularity on the face of it. But if magic is the currency of Disney parks, you capitalize on it not by spending but saving and investing it. Often people make the mistake of trying to spend their way to feeling better about the situations they find themselves in, when often feeling better comes from the peace of mind and possibilities rooted in not spending. The whole thing can seem very counter-intuitive in the short term.
I distinctly remember being at Disney World in the days of Fastpass+ and feeling a sense of pride that Disney’s line skipping service, however limited or convoluted, was free. Universal had their Express Pass that crassly allowed people to buy their way past other guests. Disney’s system was more limited and more complicated but it allowed everyone to break up the usual routine of a day in a theme park with a little something special. For whatever reason it was, at the time, available to everyone. It at least felt like an attempt to uphold the ideal that the experience of being at a Disney Park was someting everyone had in common in the face of broader changes, and that felt magical. I felt good about Disney in a way that didn’t have much to do with money.
The next place my mind went was the DAS (Disney’s Disability Access Service) program. It’s not something relevant to me so what I know about DAS I know from reading this blog primarily. And I remember reading about whether DAS gives users who rightfully benefit from access to that program an advantage. In that case we’re talking about people with significant challenges trying to take part in the same shared Disney Parks experience as other guests, with accommodations that make that hopefully achievable for as many people as possible. Here we have Disney blatantly advantaging people based solely on their willingness and ability to pay to ignore everyone else. It seems… very different.
I could say a lot more, but this isn’t my blog. I apologize for going on so long. I’ve taken a yearly Disney trip for my entire adult life. This year I’ve booked, canceled, and skipped that trip 2 times, and I’m in the middle of repeating that cycle a third and final time. That isn’t a sour-grapes, spiteful, “I’ll show them” kind of sentiment. It’s a realization that for me at least Disney World is less special. I have the parks memorized and I find myself walking through the experience thinking about what makes me feel good and what makes me feel otherwise. There is an increasing proportion of otherwise and it’s giving me pause. It’s not the money per se, it’s what the money is and isn’t buying. Nostalgia is a powerful thing, but pretty closely related to nostalgia is regret. It works in much the same way, and so can be just as compelling.
I believe one of the biggest mistakes we’re making today is the extent to which we embrace everything as competition (that and a lack of trust and transparency). Competition can be hugely motivational, but it also excludes many people, leads to division, and almost inevitably, to burn out and other negative consequences, especially when it feels inescapable. Games can be fun when we play them voluntarily and are able to take breaks from them when we need to. You make the case that readers of blogs like this one are the power users who invariably come out on top. But at some point coming out on top isn’t good enough.
Wow Rob! What a thoughtful, intelligent, and eloquent response. Thank you for taking the time to provide your well-considered perspective!
Thank you, Rob, for the incredibly thoughtful comment. Nicely said.
Good point on the DAS perhaps the changes in DAS was a pre curser to this move perhaps it opened X number of slots each day to sell as a special pass.
With all the news of how expensive Disney is become – real or perceived (ie you don’t have to purchase the special passes or LL) and the prices at the Bake Shop. Universal must be thrilled.
I hope that the exec’s do kill the goose that lays golden eggs by making it produce too many eggs.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Rob. Very well said. I sense a feeling of sadness in your post. That magical, nostalgic feeling I get from Disney feels like it’s being taken away, and it makes me sad. Disney can probably continue to make profits and be “successful” no matter what, but as they chip away at all the special, unique qualities and offerings that originally made Disney magical, they will just end up being another amusement park. I do not see future generations having the same deep love and nostalgia for Disney that we do if they continue on the path they are on.
Well said!!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
so glad to be going one last time right before they start piloting this, not a fan of supporting the “rich people win” mentality of these systems. at least at universal if you stay at a hotel that costs $400/night the entire party gets unlimited express pass included. after this trip, well have gotten our fill of WDW until after the mk expansion, and by the time it’s done and ready, my kids will be well out of the “kid”stage.
Thanks for the article Tom…….I don’t share the same sentiment that this will be a success……..I think it will do well during the busiest times, so maybe 20% of the year, but not the remaining 80% (but I was wrong once before so who knows).
The cost benefit is just not there as this price point. You can get every single ride in AK and almost every single ride in Epcot with LLMP and LLSP for 10% of the cost………You can get a good majority of the headliners at HS and MK for $50pp at peak pricing………
The VIP tours do sell out so I guess there is demand but I’m not seeing it with LLPP
Disney is becoming for the rich! Everything lately applies only if you stay at deluxe hotels!
Just like extended hours you have to stay at a deluxe hotel! Years ago it was for anyone staying at a Disney hotel! Now not only do you have to pay a ticket into the parks now you have to pay another over $100 to lightning lane premier passes ! This wasn’t Walt Disney’s dream! It was for all families! I love Disneyhave gone every year since 1972! So sad how it has changed!
Will this effect the extra hours deluxe resort guests get on Mondays and Wednesdays?!
ha.
haha.
hahahahahahahahhahahahaha.
(tom this is definitely not directed at you, but at disney. your article was well-written as always).