Is Disney's new Lightning Lane Premier Pass worth it? We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the new Disney parks add-on.

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Today, Disney announced a new Lightning Lane Premier Pass option, per USA Today.  This is in addition to the already existing Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass.  

It gives you a lot more than the current Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Options do.    You can buy the Lightning Lane Premier Pass for a single theme park at Walt Disney World (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, or Animal Kingdom).  You can buy it for both parks at the Disneyland Resort (Disneyland and Disney California Adventure).

What it gives you is the chance to skip the lines and enter a faster lane (i.e. the lightning lane) for all rides at the park (or both parks, in the case of the Disneyland Resort).  You can do each attraction once during the day.  You don’t even have to schedule anything in advance, either.

So, on paper, this sounds good, right?

Well, I am old enough to remember when you could get Fastpasses included in your Disney World or Disneyland ticket.  So I can’t say I am thrilled about an even more expensive option.  Tickets to Disney World and Disneyland are expensive enough as is.

Lightning Lane Premier Pass Pricing

And the prices of these Lightning Lane Premier Passes are pretty astronomical, too.

If you are purchasing a Lightning Lane Premier Pass for Disneyland, it costs a flat fee of 400 (!) per person for the rest of 2024.  Starting in 2025, pricing will vary by date and demand, but will cost within a range of $300 to $400 range.

Pricing for Disney World depends on the park and the dates you purchase the pass for (for example, New Year’s Eve would be more expensive than a random weekday in January).

  • Magic Kingdom
    • $329–$449 for 1 person (before tax)
    • $1,316–$1,796 for 4 people (before tax)
  • EPCOT
    • $169–$249 for 1 person (before tax)
    • $676–$996 for 4 people (before tax)
  • Hollywood Studios
    • $269–$349 for 1 person (before tax)
    • $1,076–$1,396 for 4 people (before tax)
  • Animal Kingdom
    • $129–$199 for 1 person (before tax)
    • $516–$796 for 4 people (before tax)

This chart really shows how expensive how it can get.

Chart showing the lowest and highest cost of the Disney World Lightning Lane Premier Pass for 1 person before tax at each of the 4 parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios & Animal Kingdom)

It especially adds up if you aren’t a solo traveler.  Look how expensive it can be for four people.

The highest and lowest price of the Lightning Lane Premier Pass for 4 people before taxes for each park (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom)

Who Can Purchase the Lightning Lane Premier Pass?

As if the price wasn’t enough of a deterrent, only certain guests are even eligible to purchase this pass for Disney World.  You must be staying at one of the following hotels:

  • Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  • Animal Kingdom Lodge
  • Polynesian Village Resort
  • Beach Club Resort
  • BoardWalk Inn
  • Contemporary Resort
  • Wilderness Lodge
  • Yacht Club Resort
  • Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary Resort
  • Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge
  • Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Wilderness Lodge
  • Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
  • Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
  • Beach Club Villas
  • BoardWalk Villas
  • Old Key West Resort
  • Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
  • Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
  • Riviera Resort
  • The Villas at Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  • The Cabins at Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort (eligibility applies to Disney Vacation Club Cabins only)
  • Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
  • Shades of Green Resort

You can learn more about these hotels in our Disney World Hotel Guide.

If you want to get it for Disneyland, though, you are in luck because anyone can purchase the pass at Disneyland.

Why I Won’t Do It

I love attending Disney, but I am not made of money.  And I don’t think I would get a great value out of getting this pass.  I think this pass is more aimed at people who don’t visit Disney all the time.

But I go so much that when I visit, I sometimes will only do a couple of rides during the day.  I like having flexibility with my day to “stop and smell the roses” so to speak.  I also enjoy having naps during the day.

I think I’d rather try other hacks to get less lines, such as visiting popular rides during the fireworks shows or taking advantage of extended hours.

Plus, there are other reasons not do it.  I’ll go over those reasons.

But I’ll also go other reasons why you might want to do it.

Reasons Not to Get It

  • It’s effing expensive: This is pretty self-explanatory, but Disney World is expensive enough as is.  For a family of four, this could add on a thousand dollars a day.  Most of us regular people do not have that kind of money in our bank account on top of what we already pay Disney.
  • Makes your day feel rushed & crammed: If you do decide to spend the money, you might be forced to take advantage of it.  This could mean feeling like you have to stay in the park all day and do as many rides as possible. 
  • Limits your flexibility: Additionally, it gives you less flexibility to change your day.  Like, let’s say the day is really hot and you’d really love to go back to your hotel and swim in the pool.  You’ll feel like you can’t because you spent all that money
  • Might not be able to ride it: Per Disney’s website, “”All attractions and experiences are subject to availability. Inclement weather, downtimes, operating hours and refurbishments may impact the availability of any attraction or experience.” In other words, let’s say you’ve done a couple of rides and then it starts pouring rain. Or let’s say you love Pirates of the Caribbean and it breaks down.  You’re out of luck.  
  • You visit the parks a lot: Again, if you visit the parks a lot and you’re not looking to get in all the rides when you visit, then you’re wasting money.
  • Rides aren’t your reason for visiting: This may seem like a strange thing to say when I am talking about a theme park.  But not everyone goes to Disney World or Disneyland to ride rides.  There are, for example, a lot of great festivals.  Last December, I visited Disney World and most of my trip was spent doing various part of the Festival of the Holidays, such as listening to the Holiday Storytellers and the Candlelight Processional.
  • You only like a few rides: Let’s say, for example, you are only visiting Disney World because you are a huge Star Wars fan and only really want to ride the Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge rides.  Then you’d be wasting your money buying a pass that lets you jump the lines for a bunch of rides you have no interest in riding.
  • You like strategy: One exciting thing (depending on your personality) about purchasing the Lightning Lane Multi Pass is figuring out which rides you want to ride, which rides you want to try to schedule first, trying to fit them all in, etc.  Since the Lightning Lane Multi Pass involves no strategy, that could be disappointing to anyone with that personality.
  • Limits you on what hotel you are staying in: Because it is only available if you stay at certain hotels, it limits your hotel options.  Let’s say, for example, you would really love to stay at a Lion King suite at Art of Animation.  Well, you can’t stay there and get a Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
  • It’s effing expensive: Sorry, I feel like that needed to be said more than once.  Moving on…

Reasons to Do It

  • Your trip is short: Let’s say you can only get a few days off from work.  Getting this can make sure you have the time to do all your favorite rides
  • You hate messing with apps on your phone: One of the annoying parts of the regular Lightning Lane is having to fiddle with your phone all day scheduling individual lightning lane passes.  This eliminates the hassle. You won’t have to mess with your phone it all.  You simply buy the pass & show up to each ride
  • You have a lot of money: Which if this the case, good for you.  But if you want to splurge because you hate lines, then why not?  It’s your money, after all.
  • Limits walking: The lightning lane queuing area is shorter than the regular lines, so doing this pass will save you from walking.  For example, the regular line for The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure is practically its own attraction.  Getting the Lightning Lane Premier Pass limits that walking.  Additionally, you don’t have to worry as much about the best time to ride each ride.  You could just walk around the park in a logical order, trying each ride when you get to it, rather than having to run around the park because your app tells you a certain ride has a short line.
  • You don’t visit a lot: I think this pass benefits people who don’t visit the parks a lot.  If you don’t, then you may want to make sure you try each attraction.  In this case, you may want the pass for that.  If I were to purchase it, I would rather do it for Disneyland than Disney World because I live on the East Coast so I visit Disney World far more often than I visit Disneyland.