Disney World Launches New Lightning Lane Premier Pass: Pricing Trends and Best Days to Buy

Oct 30, 2024 in "Disney Genie"

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Lightning Lane Premier Pass logo

Posted: Wednesday October 30, 2024 8:09am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Starting today, 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.

With the Premier Pass launching today, here's a look at pricing trends over the next three weeks across the four Disney parks, highlighting the minimum, maximum, and average prices you can expect.

Lightning Lane Premier Pass Pricing Trend for First 3 Weeks

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Current Price: $129
Range: $129 - $159
Number of Lightning Lane Attractions Included: 10

Trend Observations: Animal Kingdom's Lightning Lane Premier Pass pricing stays relatively stable, fluctuating between $129 and $159. The peaks occur primarily over weekends, with Fridays through Sundays typically priced higher than mid-week days.

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Current Price: $269
Range: $269 - $329
Number of Lightning Lane Attractions Included: 14

Trend Observations: Hollywood Studios shows significant price variation of up to $60, with weekends and Mondays reaching $309 to $329. Prices drop on select midweek days to $269, reflecting a pricing approach that aligns with demand, especially for popular attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

EPCOT

Current Price: $169
Range: $169 - $209
Number of Lightning Lane Attractions Included: 11

Trend Observations: EPCOT's pricing tends to rise to $209 on weekends, while weekdays are more moderately priced at $169 to $189. The trend reflects an expectation of increased demand on weekends when EPCOT hosts popular seasonal festivals, such as the International Food & Wine Festival.

Magic Kingdom

Current Price: $329
Range: $329 - $399
Number of Lightning Lane Attractions Included: 20

Trend Observations: Magic Kingdom is the highest-priced pass across all parks, peaking at $399 on a Saturday and also shows the highest variation between low and high pricing. Prices stabilize at $369 or $379 midweek, suggesting Disney anticipates high demand for Magic Kingdom's premier attractions like TRON Lightcycle / Run and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, particularly on weekends.

Key Takeaways

Weekend Premiums: Most parks and weeks show higher prices on weekends, indicating Disney expects increased guest flow on Saturdays and Sundays.

Demand-Based Adjustments: Parks with more major attractions, such as Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom, exhibit higher maximum prices, likely driven by demand for limited-capacity experiences.

Consistent Midweek Rates: Midweek days, particularly Tuesdays, usually offers slightly lower prices across most parks, which could present a value opportunity for guests with flexible schedules.

As this new system launches, it will be interesting to monitor if these prices remain consistent or adjust further based on demand patterns. For those planning trips, checking the Lightning Lane pricing calendar ahead of time may help in budgeting for these premium access options.

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

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Sirwalterraleigh6 days ago

Very convenient timing for this announcement …if you trust coincidence

Slowjack6 days ago

Ah, okay. I figured Disney hadn't said anything official, but I thought maybe someone from inside might have leaked something. I mean, it's hard to even know what to think of the passes selling out without any idea of how many there are. I'd like to think the number is small enough to not have a significant effect on stand-by wait times, but that may be wishful thinking on my part. Or, the number may be small now but may expand over time.

JD806 days ago

I have a plan, but it requires someone who wants to light a lot of money on fire. Book a bunch of 10+ day trips, and then on your 7+10 day buy all the LLPP you can until they sell out and you have all of them. Then we can find out how many there are per day.

Jrb19796 days ago

That and if they kept it to only 10% and got rid of LLMP standby would have constant movement.

Laketravis6 days ago

And 10% of that at an average of $350 a pop is $620M a year with an almost 100% profit margin. Just for one park. That would be hard for the bean counters to resist.

TheMaxRebo6 days ago

we have no idea other than Disney saying "very limited quantities" MK has average attendance of 48,500 (in 2023). 1% of that would be 485 - my guess would be somewhere around there but we have no idea

nickys6 days ago

Disney haven’t released any data on this.

Slowjack7 days ago

I apologize if this has been asked before, but I haven't been following this daily and couldn't find this with a search: do we have any idea approximately how many premier passes Disney makes available each day? Like per park, do we think it is dozens? Hundreds? More?

WorldExplorer7 days ago

The lines are still there and usable with DAS or a tour guide. As far as I know, stuff like Carousel of Progress or the Riverboat just flat out physically doesn't have a line at all.

Purduevian7 days ago

Characters don't have LLs anymore (including Belle)

WorldExplorer7 days ago

Another stipulation is that you don't get access to character LLs. That includes Enchanted Tales with Belle even though I would think that qualifies as a show more than a character meet.

TheMaxRebo7 days ago

True, that is more accurate. LLPP gets you access to all the LL that exist in the specific park you got LLPP be they designated as LLMP or LLSP but doesn't skip lines for rides that do not have any LL

HauntedPirate7 days ago

For me, personally, riding Guardians isn't on my radar anymore. The forced rotation messes up my equilibrium more and more now, and nothing about the ride is worth it. So others can have my spot on what I considered a very "meh" ride even after my first ride (which didn't cause me to feel sick, the effect the ride has on me has gotten worse over the past few years. But I can ride other coasters without a problem). I've been visiting since 1977. There isn't a single damn thing that I would pay to ride. :) We did LLMP one time, involving a very unique set of circumstances. I can't say "never again", because I don't know what the future holds whenever I do return (no current plans to visit WDW again for at least 4-5 years), but the likelihood of us purchasing any LL product is very, very small.

Purduevian7 days ago

There are also a very small around of rides not included in LLPP (They are not on LLSP or LLMP either). COP, Astro Orbitor, People mover, Riverboat, Train, Main street vehicles, and the Wildlife express train are the ones that come to mind... Typically those don't really have a wait (people mover can creep up a little bit and Astro Orbitor can be long), but if there is a line, LLPP does not allow you to skip it