Just when you thought you had it all figured out, Disney has to throw you a curveball and add yet another option when it comes to skipping the line in Walt Disney World. They announced this week that they will be introducing the Lightning Lane Premier Pass at the end of October. Not to be confused with the Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Single Pass that just replaced Genie+ not too long ago. This is brand new and is similar to the Universal Studios Express Pass if you have ever used that. This new Premier Pass will go live in Walt Disney World on October 29th and Disneyland on October 23rd. There are lots of details, exclusion and such so I thought I would give you an overview of what we know so far.
What Is The Premier Pass?
Unlike the Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Single Pass where you have to schedule a return time window for each attraction and may or may not get all the ones you want, the Premier Pass allows you to skip the line on each participating attraction once throughout your day at any time. So no scheduling a return window and then making sure you’re on that side of the park when it’s time. You just go through the Lightning Lane whenever you decide to ride. There has not been an official announcement on what attractions are included but I would imagine it’s all the attractions included with a Multi Pass with the Single Pass rides still being an extra charge. The Premier Pass is park and date specific. Meaning that when you purchase it for the day it is only for the park you select at that time, it will not work if you purchase it for Magic Kingdom in the morning and then hop over to Hollywood Studios, it would only work in Magic Kingdom. I see this being a cause for confusion and frustration for guests.
Who Can Get Premier Pass?
As of this post this will only be available to Disney Resort guests staying in Deluxe Disney Resorts or Villas. These guests will be able to purchase the Premier Pass up to 7 days in advance except for the launch day that is not have advance reservations. Here is a list of the included resorts:
- Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Beach Club Resort
- Boardwalk Inn
- Contemporary Resort
- Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
- Polynesian Village Resort
- Wilderness Lodge
- Yacht Club Resort
- Bay Lake Tower at Contemporary
- Boulder Ridge at Wilderness Lodge
- The Cabins at Fort Wilderness (DVC Cabins only)
- Copper Creek Villas and Cabins at Wilderness Lodge
- Animal Kingdom Villas – Jumbo House
- Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
- Beach Club Villas
- Boardwalk Villas
- Old Key West Resort
- Polynesian Villas and Bungalows
- Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa
- Riveira Resort
- Villas at Grand Floridian
- Swan and Dolphin Resorts
- Swan Reserve
- Shades of Green
How Much Does Premier Pass Cost?
So as I said above, the Premier Pass is date and park specific, so is the price! Depending on what time of year you are purchasing and what park you are purchasing it for the price goes up and down. Here is a breakdown of pricing for Walt Disney World:
- Magic Kingdom – $329-$449 plus tax, per person, per day
- EPCOT – $169-$249 plus tax, per person, per day
- Hollywood Studios – $269-$349 plus tax, per person, per day
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom – $129-$199 plus tax, per person, per day
Remember that it will only be good for the ONE park you select on that specific day and will still have some rides excluded, at least that is what I am getting from the wording. If it was going to be for EVERY attraction in the park I think it would have said it that way.
Disneyland
Disneylands version is slightly different. It will be available to everyone, not just Deluxe Resort guests and can be booked up to 2 days in advance of a park reservation except on the launch day. The Premier Pass here can be used for attraction in both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure park for the same day. Pricing here is ranging from $300-$400 plus tax, per person, per day. I would imagine the same would apply that it is only good for certain attractions and the Single Pass attractions will remain an extra add on.
Compare To Universal Express Pass
Universal Studios has their own version of this called the Express Pass. You have two options, the regular Express Pass that gets you one on the participating attractions for the day you have purchased, or the Express Pass Unlimited that allows you to ride each participating attraction as many times as you like. Like the Disney Premier Pass, these are only good for the one day and the one park you have purchased it for. These Express Passes range in price from $90-$125 plus tax, per person, per day. So cheaper than Disney’s Premier Pass for essentially the same thing. Another thing to note here is that certain tiers of Universal Studios Annual Passes have the Express Pass that is good to use after 4pm and the Express Pass Unlimited is included when you stay at one of the three Signature Collection Resorts at Universal Studios. No one gets out of paying for it in Disney World or Disneyland! Hahaha!
Conclusion
I have mixed feelings here, on the one hand I would rather the people that keep complaining about the crowds who want to price the average family out of going to Disney World be able to spend more money to skip the lines so they stop complaining. BUT, I cannot help but think that this is the reason for all the changes to the DAS system recently and I think that is lousy. There are a lot of people who have relied on the Disability Access System pass for years, and truly deserve it, who have now been denied because “the Lightning Lane lines are too long”. Now this has been announced and the timing just seems interesting. From a personal perspective, I would have never paid for this when we were coming here on week long family vacations because we would never have been able to afford it. And now, living here, I definitely would not buy it because we can just come back when the line is shorter if we need to. If you are a family planning a trip or preparing to come and this is something that is so far out of your price range, DO NOT WORRY, you will still be able to ride and enjoy the parks. You do not have to have this or any other skip the line service to enjoy the parks. Just pack your patience and your priorities and you will be just fine!
I hope this helped demystify the new Premier Pass a little bit and if you get to experience this new system, tell us what you thought about it afterwards! I would love to know how it ends up working out and can’t wait to see what peoples reviews are. Thank you all for reading along this week and whether you have the Premier Pass or not I hope you have a magical day!