Everything You Need to Know about Disney’s Premier Pass

Premier Pass is Disney’s answer to Express Pass at Universal Studios. We have everything you need to know about this new service, including whether or not it’s worth the price.

Premier Pass

For years, Disney Guests have wanted a simple system that allows them to skip the traditional standby queue without the complications of arrival windows and being on a phone all day. Disney has made so many changes in the last 5 years that it is hard to keep up with all of it!

Disney is rolling out a new add-on service called Lightning Lane Premier Pass (Premier Pass or LLPP for short), which allows Guests to enter the Lightning Lane entrance without booking an arrival window.

If you are familiar with Express Pass at Universal Studios, it is very similar to that. All you have to do is purchase LLPP in the app, select the attraction you wish to redeem, and scan the barcode at the Lightning Lane entrance. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, there is actually quite a lot more to unpack.

Who Can Buy

At Disney World, Guests staying at a Deluxe/DVC Resort, Swan and Dolphin, and Shades of Green are currently eligible to purchase LLPP. We are unsure if that will ever change, but Disney has made it clear this product is very limited in quantity.

Update November 22, 2024: Any guest staying onsite at ANY Disney World resort hotel is now eligible to purchase Premier Pass. It is still unavailable to offsite Guests.

The intent is to make this product very unattainable – both in price and availability. This keeps the Lightning Lane from having long waits.

We have already seen many complaints about why this can’t be offered for free to Deluxe Guests like Universal does, and the answer is simple. There are over a dozen Deluxe/DVC resorts on Disney World property, and if all of those people received it for free, the Lightning Lanes would become longer than standby lines. For comparison, Universal only has 3 Premier Hotels.

Guests staying at the resorts can purchase LLPP 7 days ahead of check-in for the entire length of stay for up to 14 days. After that, there is nothing else you need to do – no arrival windows to book or anything. The intent is to make this very easy to use!

At Disneyland, anyone can purchase LLPP 2 days ahead of their park day. This is not limited to Resort Guests because there are only 3 onsite hotels, and a large portion of Guests are local Magic Key holders.

How To Buy & Use

At this time, the service has not rolled out so we do not have too much information to share regarding how to buy. What we do know is that you must have your Resort (Disney World Guests) AND tickets linked plus a valid Theme Park Reservation if your ticket requires one.

Once everything is linked, you can purchase in the app (My Disney Experience or Disneyland) beginning at 7:00 am (Eastern or Pacific).

Once you are in the park, it is very easy to use. You will open the app and select the attraction you wish to redeem and then present the barcode at the entrance. That’s it! No booking arrival windows or scheduling things in advance.

You can only use LLPP once per attraction, but you can still use the standby line or purchase LLMP/LLSP. The app will show which attractions have already been redeemed (either by everyone in your party or some) and which ones are available to redeem.

Cost

Here is the worst part of this entire system: the cost. Pricing is dynamic at Disney World, meaning it fluctuates based on time of year and park. We do have some initial numbers that will help you get a sense for what you may pay.

• Animal Kingdom: $129-199 (10 attractions at least $12.90/ride)
• EPCOT: $169-249 (11 attractions at least $15.36/ride)
• Hollywood Studios: $269-349 (14 attractions at least $19.21/ride)
• Magic Kingdom: $329-449 (20 attractions at least $16.45/ride)

Keep in mind that pricing is per person per day, and you can only use it at one theme park per day at Disney World. Yes, that is second worst part! You cannot buy LLPP and use it at multiple parks.

At Disneyland, pricing is set for $400 for the rest of 2024, and pricing will vary from $300-400 in 2025.

You CAN park hop and use LLPP at Disneyland which is nice if you’re willing to pay $400/person. There are approximately 9 attractions at California Adventure that utilize a Lightning Lane so I see why they allow park hopping at Disneyland. Well, that, and the fact that there are only 2 parks.

Will this be worth it?

Like everything at Disney, the “is this worth it” is very subjective based on your budget, travel preferences, and number of people in your party. If you are spending a week at Disney World with one park per day, I would say no, LLMP, LLSP, and a good touring strategy are sufficient for your needs.

As you can see in my price breakdown above, you are paying almost the entire cost of Lightning Lane Multi Pass for ONE RIDE! And most of the rides at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom are not worth that price. With a good touring strategy, you can avoid buying any kind of LL pass at these two parks as it is.

I could maybe see buying this for your family if you are spending one day at Magic Kingdom and you want to do every ride in the park (minus character meets, of course, because those are no longer included in Lightning Lane attractions). And maybe only then if it’s on the less expensive side of the scale.

When it is a good time may be if are staying at Shades of Green! As my military friends know, rooms at Shades of Green are as low as $150/night and the Armed Forces tickets are as low as $369 for 4 days. If I wanted to splurge on LLPP I would save some money by booking a room at Shades of Green. Shades of Green has some of the largest rooms on property, and they are basically 75% off the cost of a Deluxe Resort room.

For civilian Guests, Swan and Dolphin room rates are usually cheaper than Deluxe/DVC resorts, so you may want to consider a stay there if you are looking to make more room in the budget for LLPP. But even then, I would maybe only consider it for Magic Kingdom.

What questions do you have about Premier Pass? Any thoughts? Share them below! And, share this post with your Disney friends.