Everything You Need to Know About Disney's New Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Walt Disney World

Oct 16, 2024 in "Disney Genie"

Posted: Wednesday October 16, 2024 10:!3am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Starting October 30, 2024, Walt Disney World is introducing a new service called the Lightning Lane Premier Pass, designed exclusively for guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts, Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts, and select partner hotels.

This premium offering provides access to Lightning Lanes at popular attractions across Disney parks, allowing guests to bypass standby lines without scheduling specific times. Read on to learn everything you need to know about this new service.

Lightning Lane Premier Pass FAQ

What is the Lightning Lane Premier Pass?

The Lightning Lane Premier Pass is a new, exclusive service launching on October 30, 2024, for guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts, Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts, and select partner hotels. It offers Lightning Lane access to attractions in a single park for one day, without the need to select arrival windows for each ride.

How does the Lightning Lane Premier Pass work?

The Premier Pass allows one-time access to each available Lightning Lane experience in a single park for one day. You can enter the Lightning Lane entrance at any time throughout the day without having to reserve a time slot.

How much does the Lightning Lane Premier Pass cost?

Pricing varies by park and date:

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

21 Day Advance Lightning Lane pricing calendar

Who is eligible to purchase the Lightning Lane Premier Pass?

Only guests staying at Disney Resorts, and select hotels, including the Walt Disney World Dolphin, Swan, and Shades of Green, are eligible to purchase the pass.

How do I purchase the Lightning Lane Premier Pass?

Eligible guests can purchase the pass through the My Disney Experience app up to seven days before their stay. Availability is limited, and the pass can be purchased for the length of your stay (up to 14 days).

What is the difference between the Lightning Lane Premier Pass and other passes?

  • Premier Pass: Offers one-time entry to every Lightning Lane attraction in one park without scheduling arrival windows.
  • Multi Pass: Requires selecting arrival windows but includes multiple attractions across parks.
  • Single Pass: Provides access to individual attractions that are not part of multi pass.

Guide and FAQ to Disney World's Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Single Pass

Does the Premier Pass include any additional perks?

Yes, the Premier Pass includes Disney PhotoPass perks, allowing you to download select attraction photos and videos, and access Disney PhotoPass Lenses.

Are park reservations required to use the Lightning Lane Premier Pass?

Yes, valid park admission and, in some cases, park reservations are required to use the Premier Pass. Check the park reservation requirements for your visit date.

Which hotels are part of the pilot program for the Premier Pass?

The Premier Pass is available to guests staying at the following resorts:

  • Disney Resort Hotels
  • Select Partner Hotels: Walt Disney World Dolphin, Swan, Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green.

When and where can I use the Lightning Lane Premier Pass?

You can use the pass for one-time entry at each available Lightning Lane attraction in the chosen park on the day of use. Availability of attractions may vary based on demand.

List of Attractions Available with the Lightning Lane Premier Pass

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 Dwarfs 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, Toy Story Mania!
  • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™.

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!
  • It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
  • Kali River Rapids
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris
  • Na'vi River Journey.
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GhostHost10001 hour ago

Bob being told people are actually paying for this

DCBaker1 hour ago

Lightning Lane Premier Pass has now sold out at Magic Kingdom on November 23. Here's a look at the dates and park locations that are currently sold out: Magic Kingdom: 23, 25, 26, 27, 28 Hollywood Studios: 25, 28

Ayla1 hour ago

So, as suspected, not enough takers. 😂

HauntedPirate2 hours ago

With this new opportunity to spend an exorbitant amount of money on something, this is the only thing I feel right now...

JMcMahonEsq2 hours ago

Ah I get you, reading and typing on phone you can lose context. I still honestly don’t see the craziness on the cake here tbh. Is it expensive, sure, though I do agree the size is enough that you can split the dessert, so I don’t think 30 bucks for dessert for 2 people is all that crazy/dumb. I mean I took my son last night to 5 guys for dinner. A burger/fries/shake was over 20bucks. And that was to go, from a fast food chain restaurant, in the suburbs of Northern NJ. It’s not obviously an apples to apples comparison but if I am going to pay 20 bucks for a to go burger and fries, at a local fast food place, how much am I really complaining about spending an extra 10 bucks to split a desert while on vacation at the largest tourist destination in us?

JohnD2 hours ago

At the current price point for Premier, I'm not hoping for this at all. I'll stick with Single/Multipass, thank you. My costs came to around $300 over 5 days. MK is $339-$449 on one day only. It really isn't that difficult in multipass to pick another experience on the app after using one.

JohnD2 hours ago

My combined costs for Single/Multipass came to about $300 over 5 days. $329-$429 for MK on one day is WAY out of my price point. LLMP is going to stay around a while.

Fido Chuckwagon2 hours ago

I wasn't referring to Lightning Lane Premier Pass. I'm talking about $30 for a piece of previously frozen cake, which was in the post that I quoted. I can certainly afford that type of meal (and would certainly pay that type of price or more at an actual Michelin-starred restaurant). But paying that price for previously frozen cake in a faux-fancy establishment? Lol, no. That's for dumb people. Sorry, but it is.

Disstevefan12 hours ago

I think the cracks are, while they are making the immediate truckloads of money from VIP tours and LLPP, used by the one time visitor, they are raising prices on everything constantly and losing sight of ther returning guests that will become priced out and stop returning. It may be Disney values the one time “limitless spending because I am here now and not returning” guest more than the returning guest. But if that’s the case, WHY the continued building of DVC towers? Perhaps to lock these folks in for decades and once they sign the contract, there is no need for any perks for these folks aside from a lounge here and there. Therefore, in my opinion, Disney loves the “spare no expense” one time visitor AND the “locked in” DVC owner. All others meh.

JD802 hours ago

What cracks?

lewisc2 hours ago

The remaining campsites will be sold AS DVC camp sites. Lowest nightly point requirement on property

JMcMahonEsq2 hours ago

No, its a price for people who have disposable income, and value their time. It really is that simply. That's all the product is. For people who go to the park regularly, sure you might not get it, since it might not really matter how much you get done during any one visit, as you will be back next week/month, ect. As for pricing for dumb people, if your worried about the price, then this isn't the product for you. The target audience for this product are people who are likely not considering the price. Its people who don't want to wait in line, and value their time. Listen if your life is so empty that standing around waiting for something, anything, is considered a good use of your time, go for it. But I can't think of any scerio where it would be dumb to priortize doing nothing, over doing something, especially during limtied time off, at the most magical place on earth.

HoustonHorn3 hours ago

Yup - this is the same way you can make the VIP tour financially feasible - you find 1 or 2 other families to get the total number of people as close to 10 as possible, you shorten the trip so that you do the VIP tour one day and hit all the headliners, then you do another day or two if you want to clean up the other stuff that would take more time. I know a lot of people for whom Disney is a box to check - you have kids, you have to go to Disney World. So you do this trip, splurge and never come back. The problem is that people like that are not (or were not) the core audience that developed brand loyalty, repeat trips, became DVC and AP holders, and whose kids formed core memories and brand loyalty that resulted in a cycle of repeat visitors. Bob and Josh and the rest are so in lust with the quick dollar people are spending, with the idea that there is a never-ending supply of first-time whales. That seems to be showing some cracks, but they are eroding their supply of repeat visitors. Shame.

Purduevian3 hours ago

I assume the biggest "issue" at MK is Peter Pan right after the Parade around 240ishpm (people watch the parade, then jump in the LL for big name rides). It doesn't take many people doing that to back up the line at Pan considering it only has an 800pph throughput. If 200 people get in the LL line right after the parade, you've built a 20 min LL even if 0 standby guests are allowed in. I have 0 data on this, but if they sell 2000 LLPP in a day, only ~10% of them need to do this for it to become a problem. If they sell 4000LLPP in a day only ~5% of users need to jump to Pan for this to become an issue LLMP availability on PAN didn't jump for 11/26 according to thrill data. It's possible there is a gap at like 1:45-2:45pm that I can't see though. I'm guessing they are just going to rip off standby right now.