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A figure of the Anger character from the Pixar film Inside Out.

Recently, Disney confirmed that a long-rumored addition to the Lightning Lane line up of services, Lightning Lane Premiere Pass, would be coming to the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. While this service is being offered at both coasts, this post will focus on Disneyland’s version.

If you don’t know what Lightning Lane is, it’s the latest iteration of Disney’s beloved FastPass service and until recently was known as “Genie Plus”. The name “Lightning Lane” was a byname for the physical queues at the individual attractions, while the service itself was called Genie Plus. This often confused guests, so the service went through a much-needed refresh in order to simplify it.

Prior to Genie Plus (and the covid-related closures) we had the paper FastPass tickets, which were free, in addition to the digital, app-based version of the program, MaxPass, which used to cost $15-$20 per person, per day. When Disneyland reopened in 2021, then Disney CEO, Bob Chapek, rolled out the loathed Genie Plus (which was nearly identical to MaxPass) and discontinued the free paper version of FastPass.

Movie props from A Goofy Movie on display in ToonTown at Disneyland.

Then, as already stated, Genie Plus was done away with. Now, we have Lightning Lane Multi-Pass (LLMP), which is the standard service with multiple attractions included, and Lightning Lane Single Pass (LLSP), which grants you one-time access to two premium attractions, Star Wars - Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers, at a separate cost per attraction.

One caveat to this service is you can only use it on each attraction one time. Additionally, you can hold only one LLMP selection at a time and cannot select another until you’ve used your current LLMP selection or until two hours have passed, whichever comes first. For example, if it’s 11:00am and you select Space Mountain with a return time of 2:05pm, you cannot make another selection until 1:00pm or until you’ve redeemed it at 2:05pm.

A few months ago, eagle-eyed fans noticed a small update in the Disneyland app which seemed to indicate that another tier was coming to the Lightning Lane line up and recently, that rumor proved to be true with the announcement of Lightning Lane Premiere Pass. Suffice it to say, Disney fans are up in arms over it. Particularly because of its price.

Lightning Lane Premiere Pass Details and Cost

Daisy Duck during a dance performance during the 2024 Food and Wine Festival at DCA.

Lightning Lane Premiere Pass (LLPP), debuting at Disneyland on October 23, will cost upwards of $400 per ticket, per day. Though during the initial roll-out, the service will cost a flat $400 for the remainder of 2024 and starting January 2025, will vary between $300 - $400, dependent on demand. That means that at its highest price, LLPP will cost park-goers a staggering 12.5 times more than the standard LLMP service.

While similar in nature, there are a few differences between LLPP and LLMP, such as:

You can use it whenever you want (you’re not restricted to the two-hour rule)
You won’t need to constantly look at your phone
It’ll be sold in limited quantities daily
Access includes the premium attractions not included with LLMP

Despite the high cost, you can still only use it at each attraction one time. The stand out difference is you’re not held to a quantity or time restriction. In theory, you could go from one attraction to the next in quick succession without worrying about return times.

The band stage on the west end of Downtown Disney in Anaheim.

LLPP will be available to guests to purchase up to two days prior to your visit through the Disneyland app or website. There will be limited quantities available, especially during the roll out. If this is something you’ll be interested in, be sure you’ve already purchased your ticket and have a reservation tied to it.

Unlike LLMP, you won’t be able to purchase LLPP at the time you purchase your ticket unless your ticket/reservation is within the two day timeframe and there’s available inventory. Day-of purchasing is also possible, again, provided there’s inventory available.

Another similarity of LLPP to LLMP is it’s good for Lightning Lane eligible attractions at both Disney California Adventure and Disneyland proper. However, it does not give you park hopping privileges. You will need to add the park hopper option to your tickets to access both parks, which will set you back another $65 - $75 per. Let’s take a look at a worst case scenario price for a one-day visit:

Adult One Day Ticket on a Saturday in December: $206
Park Hopper option: $75
Lightning Lane Premiere Pass: $400
Total = $681

Main Street at Disneyland lit up during Disney Channel Night 2024.

That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially considering that’s just one adult. Families would get a small break, especially if you take advantage of the kids’ ticket deal for 2025. However, even for kids, the park hopper option and LLPP pricing doesn’t change. Your only break will be with the tickets.

Considering the average family size of those vacationing at Disneyland is four, that family would be looking at thousands for a one day visit. Tack on another two or three days and that number rises substantially. Though, I don’t feel purchasing LLPP would be necessary (or cost effective, for that matter) for a multi-day visit, but we’ll discuss that in further detail below.

There has been much criticism and flat-out angry comments on social media about this new offering from Disney. Most of those comments declaring how Disney is pricing families out and catering only to the rich. While I can sympathize, I don’t see that as the case here. Honestly, I think Disney is playing the long-game with this decision, and it has nothing to do with pricing families out.

Why Disney Lightning Lane Premiere Pass

The Evil Queen in Fantasyland at Disneyland.

Turning to commentary, I feel it’s important to discuss what I believe LLPP’s intended purpose is. Disney is the originator of this system, a system most theme parks today utilize in one form or another. For years, guests of Disney parks enjoyed this perk free of charge, while others charged for it.

Corporations aren’t too keen on leaving money on the table, which is why it came to no surprise to me when Disneyland first introduced MaxPass, the paid, digital version of FastPass. Since the free paper version was still being offered at the time, most didn’t mind the paid upgrade.

Like many, I knew this was just the beginning, as I predicted (mostly to myself) that Disney would eventually move to rid itself of the “free” version of FastPass and monetize it completely. They just needed an excuse, and that excuse would come in the form of a 13-month closure brought on by a global pandemic.

The exterior of Tropical Hideaway at Disneyland.

Disney would reopen from this closure in May 2021, but with no physical character interactions, no park hopping, reservation and face mask requirements, and most germane to this post, no FastPass or MaxPass. That’s right, only traditional stand-by queues were offered and that, coupled with low attendance, made attraction hopping a breeze.

Despite not being offered at the time, FastPass distribution kiosks and signage remained, leaving Disney fans hopeful for its (presumed) return. That return would never come, however, as then-new Disney CEO, Bob Capek, announced the impending debut of Genie Plus and the accompanying Lightning Lanes, which became the total replacement for FastPass and MaxPass.

As it pertained to FastPass, the covid-closure was a bit of a blessing for Disney. They didn’t need to spend time phasing it out and they purposely made it unavailable to guests when they reopened, which I believe was mostly a way to manufacture demand for a product guests would pay for, much like what they do with Magic Key sales.

A scene from the Rise of the Resistance ride at Disneyland.

So what does all of this have to do with Lightning Lane Premiere Pass? In my opinion, it’s the beginning of another phase-out, but this time with the intention of phasing out the low price-point of Lightning Lane Multi-Pass.

If you’ve been to the parks at all in the last few years, you’ve undoubtedly noticed the often slow-moving traditional stand-by queues. Sure, pent-up demand has played a role, but so has LLMP, which is priced insanely low compared to other theme parks offering a similar service.

Disneyland is an expensive place to visit, with many taking on debt and/or saving for years in order to treat their families to a magical vacation. For many, Disneyland is a once every few years, or once-in-a-lifetime trip. If they’re already willing to spend hundreds, or even thousands, just to walk through the gate, then they’re certainly willing to spend another $32 per person for a service that’ll help them maximize the limited time they have.

The Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission Breakout attraction at DCA at night.

For a lot of folks visiting Disneyland, coming up with that amount, even for a family of five, isn’t much of an issue. At minimum, they’ll find a way, and this has led to Lightning Lane queues becoming over-saturated and causing the traditional stand-by queues to get longer than they need to be. It’s gotten so bad that on some days when you use LLMP, it’s almost like paying extra just to wait in another line.

How to do you fix that? The obvious answer would be to charge more and while I believe many would still pay it, you would eventually hit the mark where casual guests and Magic Key holders, who make up a large chunk of the daily attendance, would balk and not pay it.

So with less people purchasing LLMP, that would certainly solve the over-saturation issue, however, it would create a new problem - a decline in profits. The Disney bean counters would never allow it, so what does Disney do? Simple, you charge less people more money and target the right guest. Enter, Lightning Lane Premiere Pass.

A scene from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at DIsneyland.

At $300 - $400, LLPP is a premium product. It does virtually the same thing, only it allows for more freedom throughout your day since you wouldn’t need to concern yourself with return times, cool down periods, or being on your phone all day. These perks allow for greater flexibility and may allow you to hit every major attraction in one day.

That’s a massive selling point for those short on time. You see, it isn’t necessarily the “rich” that Disney’s targeting here, it’s those who are short on time. The ones that only have a day, maybe two to spend in the parks and are looking to maximize their time. Sure, that price-point does put LLPP out of reach for many, but there are just as many who would make it work despite their financial situation.

Back to my statement above about Disney charging more for LLMP and guests balking at it - I believe that would be the case if there wasn’t a competing, higher-priced service to make the now higher priced LLMP seem like a value by comparison. That’s what I believe the ultimate goal of LLPP is.

It’s isn’t so Disney can eliminate LLMP altogether, but raise the price, perhaps to around the $100 mark, so they can increase profits, while selling the service to less people and thus reducing the amount of congestion in the Lightning Lanes. Those who paid for LLMP and LLPP would get on the attraction quickly, as promised, and guests in the stand-by queue wouldn’t be faced with longer than necessary wait times.

A scene from Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission Breakout at Disney California Adventure.

Is LLPP a service I would purchase? As a Magic Key holder, probably not. I go often enough to where I have no need to ride every attraction in one trip. If I don’t get to ride a specific attraction, I’ll just prioritize it on the next visit. However, not everyone has that luxury as it may be their one and only visit. It’s those who LLPP would be most beneficial for.

As such, I wouldn’t expect Magic Key holders to receive any kind of discount on LLPP. There’s a possibility that Disney Vacation Club (DVC) owners could receive a discount, as there’s been a recent push by Disney to provide them with more in-park perks, but that’s just speculation on my part.

So, no, Disney isn’t pricing anyone out by offering this service. Lightning Lane Premiere Pass’s existence isn’t going to affect your park experience much (or at all). You’ll still pay the same as anyone else to get in and you’ll still have access to the same attractions via stand-by or LLMP/LLSP. This is simply another way for Disney to increase profits from those willing to pay it and (what I believe) to ultimately solve the current dilemma created by the Lightning Lane program.

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