Disney World Launches Lightning Lane Premier Pass: Per-Park Pricing Patterns & Predictions

51 Comments

1. I was 100% prepared to purchase LL at MK and possibly DHS…the facts that I don’t like being attached to my phone, I don’t want to be criss-crossing all over the parks when it’s hot and I have two little ones in tow, and that I feel like I’m forced to buy it before I even know true crowd levels are all more annoying to me than the cost. So when I read about LLP, it sounded like a better solution…until I got to the pricing. I can’t justify spending $1200-$1600 (plus park admission) on one day of rides in one park, and I’m not sure what our income would have to be for the principle not to bother me. If it was like $100-$200 per person for MK, we’d probably be able to rationalize it better. We’d be thinking less about it costing so much to ride rides and more about how it’s improving the quality of our time together…ie eliminating complaints from bored kids in lines, walking through the parks in a logical manner, the extra stuff we’d get to potentially fit in. That stuff might be worth $600 to us, but not $1600.

   All the cash grabby stuff is gross, and it creates hostility toward Disney and between park guests. It’s completely ridiculous that I have to shell out extra cash just to do the parks the way we got to do them when we were kids (ie without our parents worrying about apps and extra costs), but if the market supports it, it kind of is what it is unfortunately. If the experience we’re willing to pay for stinks, we just won’t ever go back and honestly will probably engage less with Disney stuff in general.

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2. Shame on anybody that purchases this. Your support only adds to the possibility that this massive money grab survives. It is nothing more than feeding the pig.

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3. I am interested in buying this and so far find all the blog posts about it — that are basically just rants about how nobody will want this — completely unhelpful. I am someone who might consider VIP but it’s just too expensive for my group to be worth it. A VIP tour during a holiday week would be close to $10,000 with tip. This would be $1500 – $2000 for my same family size and would give me exactly what I would want out of VIP (to skip lines for rides). I bet a lot of people will want to buy this.

   My questions are:

   * Premier pass goes on sale 7 days in advance, which is the same as multipass and single pass. Disney has said there will be a limited numbers of premier passes available. So there is a strategic decision to make whether to try for premier pass — if you don’t get it have you lost your chance for the best lightning lanes?

   * Even if I do get lucky and get the premier pass, I only want premier pass for one day at MK and I’m not interested for the other three park. Given that they all go on sale at the same time 7 days in advance, will I disadvantage my chance to get the best multipass and single pass lightning lanes for the other days that I’m not buying premier pass?

   I really wish they would have put Premier on sale 10 days in advance or something like that so you wouldn’t have to sacrifice the other parks to have the premier at one park. But hearing thoughts on strategies around the above questions would be helpful.

   In addition, these questions are more straightforward:

   * I’ll be traveling with two adults, an 8 year old and a 2 year old — do I need to buy a premier pass for the two year old too?

   * If my two year old isn’t tall enough to ride a ride, can we do ride swap with premier pass? I think I’ve read that you can’t do ride swap with multipass and single pass, so it would make premier pass more valuable if you can.

   Thanks very much if you have thoughts or info on the above!

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   1. Tom links above to his LLPP guide which documents what’s known about how it operates: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/lightning-lane-premier-pass-disney-world-guide-faq/

      To answer your more straightforward questions, because children under three don’t need park tickets, they won’t need any sort of LL for them to join the rest of their party who do have LL access on any rides without height constraints. With height constrictions, they can be taken care of using rider switch. Rider switch has nothing to do with LL access and is initiated before the guests enter any of the lines. Guests can definitely use it regardless of what they use to enter the attraction: standby, LLMP and LLSP. (The current exceptions are Frozen Ever After and Na’vi River Journey which has no height requirements but allow rider switching, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Rise of the Resistance which have height requirements but doesn’t allow rider switching.)

4. I wonder if this will increase demand/attendance at some of the after hours events like the Halloween Party or Jollywood Nights? I normally don’t do those because I think they are too expensive but lined up against this they suddenly appear reasonable.

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5. This is crazy to me. To bring my three kids to MK between Christmas and New Year’s it will cost me $3000 not including food, parking, or lodging? A Disney vacation is turning elitist. The new lightening lane tiers are a class system. Is this because Disney is now paying their cast members more? Are merchandise sales down? Have the movies/pay channels experienced losses? I’m not above thinking and planning during vacation so I guess I will do the multi and single ride pass rates which is still expensive considering the price of the park tickets themselves. Disney is reminding me of the airline pricing…nickel and diming me for every little thing. It’s genius to provide an experience that can be enjoyed by some if you want to spend a majority of your time in line and a carefree experience for those who can afford it—pay extra for the park hopper, pay extra if you don’t want to wait in line, pay extra if you don’t want to plan and don’t want to wait in line. It’s real life…and Democrats say Republicans are elitist? One only needs to look at Disney to see elitism at its finest. I hope the US and world economy will be able to sustain this.

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6. Thoughts on whether pricing for rerides/multiple skips might happen in the future? We can usually experience all our favorites at least once per trip without even buying MultiPass. But getting to repeat them would be a rare treat and one we *might* budget for every once in awhile.

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   1. I haven’t heard anything credible one way or the other.

      My gut says no, as line-skipping is already overly complicated with 3 Lightning Lane options, plus VIP tours. But then again, I’d never bet against Disney’s desire to capture more revenue. I wouldn’t be shocked if ~10 months from now, Disney is trying to figure out “creative” ways to boost financials at the end of the quarter/fiscal year.

   2. In the “it’s-nearly-ridiculous-to-think-they-would-ever-do-that” bucket, it’s getting nearly conceivable of Disney building out a Dining Plan “upcharge/strata” for guests to gain higher-tier restaurant reservations on day-of/near-term basis. Logistics would seem insurmountable, but there has to be a committee somewhere because money is sitting on the table…

7. Someone pointed out Election Day for work, but I think it’s more likely Election Day impacts with schools. Our kids have off both the 4th and 5th next week. Schools here in Delaware are always closed on Election Day. I think this is at least in part due to many polling places being located at schools (I always thought this was due to making it easier and making ADA compliance easier – I actually thought it was primarily schools and firehouses – after monitoring/testing sites 2 years ago for ADA compliance, I realize while this may be true in theory – and many of the schools I checked were better than old churches, etc., there were a lot of problems at schools too, although largely due to where the voting sites were set up in a school, but I digress).

   If it turns out that this is similar in many other states, especially if there are many with 4-day weekends as well, this could explain it.

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   1. This is a really fantastic point–I’ll bet you’re right.

      Unfortunately, we don’t have any worthwhile crowd data for 2016, and 2020 was an anomaly, so that’s of no value. Nevertheless, I’ll bet Election Day on top of everything else is what’s doing it.

   2. Schools in NY are also closed for Election Day. Also, some schools are closed Friday 11/1 for Diwali, so for some its a 5 day weekend.

   3. Not all schools in NY are closed. Maybe the city but that’s not most of NY

8. We are international travellers taking our first (and only, at least for the next decade or so) trip to WDW for our honeymoon, so we are probably part of the target market for this. However, we are also staying for 2 weeks at what I still hope to be a relatively quiet time of year (late Jan/early Feb), so I’m definitely in 2 minds about this, particularly by the time you add tax and convert to AUD. The maximum I would consider is 1 day each at MK and HS. It’s really hard to try to work out when we don’t really know what to expect to begin with (I’ve been to several other Disney parks around the world, but I know WDW is a whole different beast!).

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   1. If you are going at a quieter time of year and have multiple days at each park I sincerely do believe this premium pass is unnecessary. If needed buy the single or multipass tactically but chances are you won’t even need that. Save your money instead for a signature dining experience or two, or bump up to a nicer resort/room category.

   2. If you are staying for 2 weeks, you absolutely don’t need LLPP. You will have plenty of time to ride every ride, more than once, while doing shows and plenty of restaurants. If you absolutely can’t stand waiting in lines then *maybe* splurge once at Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, but I would wait until after your first day visiting each park. I suspect you will find you don’t need it.

9. Will be staying two weeks at Fort Wilderness in premium meadow category next week. Why can’t we have the option of buying this expensive pass?

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10. I’m holding out for Lightning Lane Silver Pass, which will basically be a cheaper version of this with only multiball, I mean Multi Pass access.

    Tom, thanks for “collecting the data” on crowds, though we probably won’t be able to tell if LLPP has any significant affect on lines until January once the holiday crowds come off their peaks… unless the system collapses (again). As for the peak price data, the only suggestion I could think of was conventions, and Tom already ruled that out.

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    1. They will only do the multiball silver pass once the infield blurn rule is in effect.

11. I love that this is an option………AS LONG AS IT DOESNT EVENTUALLY REPLACE LLMP/LLSP

    I do think that this is the first step in this happening which makes me anxious

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    1. Everything I’ve heard suggests that is not the intent. Even if it were Disney’s goal, I think the market for this is self-limiting by virtue of the price.

       I think there’s a better chance of this being discontinued if they find it’s eating into too many VIP tour sales. But I also don’t think that’ll happen. LLPP slots in between the two offerings pretty well.

12. I’m probably at least part of the target audience. I’m a mid 60s grandparent. I’ve done a couple of trips since 2021, taking grandkids ages 5- 13 yrs old. Trying to keep track of kids, with varying interests and thrill preferences, and I’m not a super in shape person. But, I’m in decent financial shape, retired, and want to spoil the grandkids. At this point in my life, less phone time and less steps in my day is worth some $$$ to me.

    We are less on a “schedule” don’t crisscross the park are big pluses.

    My only gripe- and they may eventually do this- is that a park hopper ticket, doesn’t have an option of a park hopper premier pass.

    It could be 10- 20% higher cost, give people the option. We like park hoppers,for a few reasons- ride down time, to me some parks are better when the weather goes south. We stay at Dolphin, and like to end our days at Epcot or HS for ease of getting back to hotel.

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    1. I would imagine grandparents are a huge part of the target audience for LLPP. Retired or close to it, have healthy portfolios, looking to treat the grandkids and their parents, not wanting to hassle with technology, wanting to minimize steps. You really check a lot of the boxes for this!

       As for not offering Park Hopping, it’ll be interesting to see whether that happens. I suspect WDW’s fear is that adding Park Hopping allows people to take shorter trips, which would hurt them on balance. (Fewer hotel nights, meals, or even LLPP purchases!)

13. I hope this pass is a fail- I could afford it but its absurd. Its actually insulting- hopefully people don’t buy it. Not to mention the amount of downtimes the rides have had recently- universal is looking much more inviting

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    1. I used the Universal Express Pass this summer. Unless you are in a handful if hotels that give it included- it costs anywhere from $100- 300, for the one skip per day pass, more for the reride pass, plus of course your admission ticket.

       And the most popular ride in Harry Potter area, doesn’t have an Express Line in use.
       What they promise is that it at least halves the wait time, which we found to be pretty accurate, so you do have to monitor wait times a bit, as a 2 hr standby wait could mean close to an hour in Express.

       LL are usually faster than than at Disney

       So I’m not sure why you’d head to Universal bc Disney did what Universal was already doing?

    2. Here’s the thing…we stayed at Hard Rock s few years ago in a room with 5 ad(with rollaway not sofabed) for about $600 per night for 2 nights and bought discounted park to park tickets. They gave us FIVE included unlimited express passes for 3 days……the vale of that was MORE than the cost of the room by a lot! So what Disney is doing isn’t exactly the same as what Universal already does for deluxe guests. I gladly stayed at the walkable hotel (albeit squeezed in lol) for that perk.

    3. I totally agree – I know that there are people who will pay for it but I think that it is outrageous and just another way for Disney to make another buck! But in the end I guess it is all about supply and demand.

    4. Grace
       I agree that the price is similar for Universal express pass but last time I checked the only ride not included was Hagrid which is Harry Potter ride but all other Harry Potter rides were included and now even the Velocicoaster is included.
       There difference is as you say if you stay at one of their premier hotels it is included and you can ride rides multiple times….the only reason we stay there 2 nights when we go for a week even though we are DVC.
       The problem is Disney has too many premier hotels and therefore rooms so they can’t do like Universal.

       Oh and the cost for this pass is insane!

    5. Agreed! Also you can stay in a room for 5 at Hard Rock for about $700 per night and get 5 unlimited passes for 3 whole days! If those are valued at about $200 pp per day that’s $1000 value on a $700 room…if we were to have chosen an off site hotel it would still possibly be around $200-$300 per night for a room for 5 and wouldn’t include passes/wouldn’t be walkable. If we went for s cheaper motel the distance to drive in the morning and the lack of early entry really doesn’t make it worth it. The cost of LLPP for 5 of us already paying to stay in a deluxe disney room is way more than the universal price

14. Tom Haverford would like this. Every day at WDW can be “Treat Yo’ Self Day”, even more so than it was already. On Parks and Rec, it’s also repeatedly mentioned how deeply in debt Tom was. Those who try to use fitness and detailed strategy to avoid paying extra are the Chris Traeger of this fictional comparison.

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    1. Does that mean we have to eat turkey burgers? Because if so, I’d like to switch to being Haverford instead.

       There’s gotta be a Ron Swanson option that’s the best of both worlds. Fiscally disciplined, except when it comes to gigantic steaks.

    2. Tom, I’ve given this some thought, and I don’t think Ron Swanson would like Disney World. Except for maybe at someplace like Toledo at Coronado Springs, it seems you can’t get a steak and Lagavulin at the same location while onsite at WDW . Rose and Crown has Lagavulin, but doesn’t have any steak on the menu. Ron would be deeply offended by their inclusion of a featured entree of a “Savory Impossible™ Hot Pot” that’s a “Plant-based Meat Casserole”. Regardless of those setbacks, he would probably do his best to enjoy this “vacation” for the sake of Diane and the girls. Ron would be one of those “Rite of Passage” dads that white-knuckles their way through the Mouse House.

    3. Now this is a comment thread I can get into. I think Ron would enjoy parts of Epcot. Here’s my argument:

       World Showcase – He might be surprised by World Showcase, especially the more traditional and quieter parts like Japan, where he could appreciate craftsmanship and a “sampling” of world travel without actually having to fly. The presence of grilled meats is a plus. He would shed a tear during The American Adventure. He obviously would skip Canada – “There’s only one thing I hate more than lying: skim milk. Which is water that’s lying about being milk. Also, Canada.”

       Living with the Land – This attraction could intrigue Ron, given his love for self-sufficiency. The greenhouses and sustainable farming exhibits would align with his respect for hands-on work, though he’d probably scoff at Disney’s involvement in agriculture.

       Spaceship Earth – While he’d roll his eyes at the historical journey (especially the moments celebrating technological advances he sees as frivolous), Ron would probably admire the audio-animatronics and the history sections depicting moments like early American printing.

       But Disney itself is definitely not Ron Swanson. In my best Ron voice: “Disney is a well-oiled machine built to squeeze every penny out of your pocket while convincing you that spending it was your idea. It’s capitalism on a cartoonish level, complete with overpriced mouse ears and people walking around pretending to be ducks. It’s everything wrong with America: paying for experiences that are as far from real life as possible.”

15. November 5th is the Presidential Election and a lot of people have off work. Maybe folks take long weekends that weekend – Saturday to Tuesday – with Monday, November 4th being a big park day.

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    1. I’m skeptical that a lot of people have Election Day off work, but that’s as good of an explanation as any, I suppose. That being a long weekend would make Monday the busiest day, on top of Monday already being the busiest day of the week.

       In any case, it seems like Walt Disney World would’ve set LLMP prices accordingly if forecasting particularly heavy attendance that day.

16. it’s a very big jump in cost from multi LLs.? I’m not sure how they came to those prices!

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    1. The expectation is that exponentially more guests (at least 10x) will purchase LLMP on any given day.

       This is priced to fill the gap between LLMP and VIP tours. I think the price was set with the goal of not cannibalizing sales of the latter.

17. Isn’t it “Jersey Week”, perhaps that’s the reason things weren’t adjusted down?

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    1. Yeah, it is Jersey Week, but our expectation is that would impact crowds more later in the week when it’s that plus Veterans Day.

       It’s also odd that this wouldn’t be reflected in LLMP prices. Whatever the reason, if there’s a reason, it’s not like it would be new information since Disney set LLMP prices for the same dates. Jersey Week, Election Day, Veterans Day are all known quantities–and have been for a while.

       So it seems like it’s gotta be tied to Deluxe Resort occupancy or WDW just testing out pricing to see what works.

18. I have a family of ^- That would make Magic Kingdom-#3,000.00 for just a couple of rides- If we want to skip the
    line. Plus you need park admission and dining issues- This makes Disney unfriendly to families. With hotel and
    dining and other expenses.

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    1. Why unfriendly? If this is a financial hit for any family, they just don’t have to buy it…

19. Bottom line: There are a lot of rich people (I am not one them) who will buy anything if it gives a leg up on another family. It will likely be successful to a point. How will success be determined? By selling out? The whole thing in my opinion is grotesque. But it is what it is now with the Disney company. Nickel and dime at every turn.

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20. Man, where did they find all the room for the extra lightning lane people? Gosh, I wonder if it’s from removing all DASes. Eliminate the people with disabilities, more money for Disney. Win win, right?

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    1. Mmmm, I don’t get why extra room. People buying Premier Pass were probably buying Multi Pass anyway…

    2. Disney changed its DAS access for disabled people and denied everyone. I haven’t seen many wheelchairs any more. Without the das, disabled people cannot go. People whom had the das, were able to use the LL after they waited outside of the ride. It was the length of the standby queue plus the LL queue. But now the das has been eliminated for 99% of people that need it. That makes up extra room for these high priced passes.

    3. Yes, I know about the DAS crackdown due to the abuse, but still, I don’t get the “extra room”. Like I said, I would bet the people buying Premier Pass were buying Genie +/Multi Pass before so no extra room needed. Also, the pool is very limited due to eligibility and price.