Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disney World | Guide & FAQs

This is a complete guide to the new Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Walt Disney World which is debuting on October 30, 2024.

Over the last few months we have had a major shakeup with Disney introducing its new Lightning Lane service as a replacement to Genie+ and its predecessor, FastPass+. Now an additional service called Lightning Lane Premier Pass is also being added that gives guests even more freedom to ride their favorite attractions without waiting, but it also comes at a hefty cost.

In fact, the Premier Pass lets you skip the lines to any attraction in any park, without having to even make ride reservations!

In this Guide to Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disney World, we will cover everything you need to know about this new service.  We will explain exactly what is does, how much it costs, which attractions are included, how to use the Premier Pass, and much more.

It’s also important to note that the Premier Pass is also available at the Disneyland Resort, but for this article we will only be covering its impact on Walt Disney World.

Before we get started we want to say, learning about yet another Lightning Lane variation is not easy, especially since there is already so much to learn about the Lightning Lane Single and Multi Pass.  It’ll take us a while to get a good handle on exactly how everything works, and we will no doubt still learn new things each time we use it.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for our FREE Weekly E-Mail Newsletter. There we bring you the latest changes to Lightning Lanes at Disney World as well as other Disney vacation planning tips. You can sign up here: Join our E-Mail Newsletter!

Lightning Lane Premier Pass Basics

Even after the debut of the Lightning Lane Single and Multi Pass, there were rumors of even more changes coming that would give guests even quicker access to the attractions, saving even more time during the day. That is precisely what the new Lightning Lane Premier Pass does.

The first thing to know is that Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Walt Disney World debuted starting on October 30, 2024 and it is available only to guests staying at the Walt Disney World Resort or select partner hotels (more on that in a moment).

The basic premise of this pass gives guests one-time access to every attraction at a given park on that day. Guests pay a flat fee per person (plus tax), to each available Lightning Lane experience in that park for one day.

Why is this different than the Lightning Lane Multi Pass? First of all, the Multi Pass requires you to make reservations for any attraction you want to experience. With the Premier Pass, you can just walk up to any attraction, at any time of the day and you will be given access.

There is no differentiating between attraction tiers or Single Pass vs. Multi Pass, they are all included with the Premier Pass.

This is a very convenient feature since it literally means you can walk into the park at whatever time you want to, and then choose the attractions in any order you want, without waiting in a traditional standby line.

Multi Pass also limits you to 3 attractions ahead of your visit, and guests are then limited to availability on any other experiences they want to book. Again, the Premier Pass isn’t subject to reservations at all, though you are limited to “one ride” per attraction.

It is important to note that the Premier Pass is good for ONE park per day. So if you buy it for the Magic Kingdom on a given day, you cannot also visit EPCOT that day and get the same benefits.

To recap the basic features of the Lightning Lane Premier Pass:

• Guests pay a flat fee per person, per day for access
• The Premier Pass is valid for ONE park per day, you can’t park-hop to multiple parks in the same day
• Every attraction in that park is included
• Lightning Lane Premier Pass does NOT require reservations to experience attractions
• Guests are limited to one entry per attraction
• Lightning Lane Premier Pass is ONLY available for guests staying at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels and select partner hotels.

Who Can Purchase Lightning Lane Premier Pass?

Though these features may sound good to you, hold off before you get too excited. You may not be eligible for even purchase the Premier Pass depending on where you are staying.

It goes without saying that in order to purchase the Lightning Lane Premier Pass, you must have a valid theme park admission for the park you are planning to use it in.

The Lightning Lane Premier Pass is an exclusive option only for guests staying at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels and select partner hotels.

Previously, the Premier Pass was limited to only guests at Disney Deluxe Resorts, Disney Villa Resorts or select partner hotels. Since then Disney has expanded the list of eligible hotels and now ALL Walt Disney World Resort hotels are included on the list.

So if you are staying at a Value or Moderate Resort, you are now in luck because besides they are also included. However, you still can’t purchase the Premier Pass if you are renting a house or staying at most of the other nearby hotels. You have to be staying at one of the resorts/hotels on the list.

Here is the full list of eligible resorts/hotels:

Disney Value Resort Hotels:

• Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Disney Moderate Resort Hotels:

• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
  • Gran Destino Tower
• Disney’s Port Orleans – French Quarter Resort
• Disney’s Port Orleans – Riverside Resort
• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort

Disney Deluxe Resort Hotels:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts:

• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort – A Disney Vacation Club Resort
• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Other Eligible Hotels:

• Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
• Shades of Green Resort

You may be wondering why Disney would decide to include the Premier Pass beyond guests only staying at the Deluxe Resort and Villas and to also include the Moderate and Value Resorts. At first, Disney said that the Premier Pass would be available in “limited quantities” and eliminating 2 classes of resorts from being able to buy it seemed to help in doing that.

However, by also including the other classes of hotels, it seems that there is more than enough inventory to go around so they opened it up to everyone. While nice, I don’t think it really has a big impact on how many Premier Passes they will sell on a given day.

In most cases, guests that are staying at the Value or Moderate Resorts are on a budget for their vacation and will not want to spend the incredibly expenses prices it takes to purchase the Premier Pass. The only thing that makes sense for guests at Moderate or Value hotels is that potentially those guests may decide to spend a few days in a less expensive hotel for the days they will be using the Premier Pass to offset its cost.

If you can save $500 per night going down from a Deluxe Resort to a Value one, that may make it more doable for some.

How Much Does Lightning Lane Premier Pass Cost?

The Premier Pass has a ton of advantages and it’s the best way to get as many attractions done as possible in one day. However, all that comes at a steep, steep price. One that frankly will be out of the budget for the vast majority of Walt Disney World guests.

As of this writing, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass costs between $129 and $449 per day, per guest. The price of the Premier Pass during your visit depends on which park you want to purchase it for and the date of your visit.

Just like with the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, prices fluctuate here and depend on the current demand for the park selected. Each theme park has a different range of prices with Magic Kingdom costing the most, followed by Hollywood Studios in second place, and EPCOT and Animal Kingdom trailing behind the first two.

The date-based pricing for the Premier Pass is also handled the same way park tickets and Multi Pass are so if you go during a less busy time of the year, you will pay less. If you go during the holidays or other extremely busy times of the year, you are going to pay more.

Here are the current Lightning Lane Premier Pass prices by park:

• Magic Kingdom: $329 to $449 (plus tax)
• EPCOT: $169 to $249 (plus tax)
• Hollywood Studios: $269 to $349 (plus tax)
• Animal Kingdom: $129 to $199 (plus tax)

Again, these prices are per person, per day. So what does this all break down to?

Let’s say for example, you are a family of 4 and you wanted to buy the Premier Pass for the Animal Kingdom during the slower time of the year. You could end up paying around $129 per person, which comes out to $516 plus tax. Objectively speaking, that’s a high price to pay for only 10 rides, even if you don’t have to wait in line.

Now, if you are instead interested in buying the Premier Pass for the Magic Kingdom, that’s a whole other story. Let’s imagine you again are a family of 4, but you will be there during the holiday season. That could mean paying as much as $449 per person, plus tax, which is a total of $1,796 total.

Again, these prices are on top of your tickets, so likely, you are already looking at $500-$600 for the tickets alone, plus another almost $1,800 for the Premier Pass. When you add in food and merchandise, you are getting close to spending $3,000 for one day in a theme park.

Call me crazy, but that seems excessive for 99.9% of guests which I guess was the plan since Disney wants this to be a highly limited offering.

Purchasing Lightning Lane Premier Pass

Similar to the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass can be purchased up to 7 days before your arrival. Whether or not you can purchase the Premier Pass is subject to availability, so if you are going to purchase it, you will want to do that right at 7 days out if possible.

Before You Begin

Before you purchase a Lightning Lane Premier Pass, you’ll need to do 3 things:

1. First, download the latest version of the My Disney Experience app.
2. Connect everyone in your travel group on your Family & Friends list in the My Disney Experience app—so you’ll be able to purchase Lightning Lane passes and make plans for everyone that is eligible.
3. Make sure everyone is properly registered at an eligible Walt Disney World Resort Hotel or other eligible resort.

Just remember, everyone in your party must have valid theme park admission. Park reservations may also be required, depending on the type of admission and the date of your visit. Please see theme park reservation requirements.

How to Purchase

Once you are ready to purchase the Lightning Lane Premier Passes, follow these easy steps:

1. Open the My Disney Experience app, then tap the “Lightning Lane Premier Pass” section on the home screen.
2. Select a date and theme park.
3. Follow all prompts to complete your purchase—and receive a confirmation.
4. From the confirmation screen, you can tap “Plan Another Day” to purchase another pass—or tap “View My Day” for details about your Lightning Lane selections.

Once you have purchase the Premier Pass, you can then use it to skip the lines at each available attraction equipped with a Lightning Lane. Just show up to the attraction and enter in the Lightning Lane queue by scanning your MagicBand, MagicBand+ or Disney MagicMobile pass or other admission method and enjoy the ride.

Included Attractions and Experiences

Any attraction in the 4 Walt Disney World parks that have a Lightning Lane entrance are eligible using the Premier Pass. Though that’s not 100% of the attractions, it’s pretty close.

Here is the full list of attractions included in the Lightning Lane Premier Pass:

Magic Kingdom Park

• The Barnstormer
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Haunted Mansion
• “it’s a small world,”
• Jungle Cruise
• Mad Tea Party
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• TRON Lightcycle / Run
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid.

EPCOT

• Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
• Frozen Ever After
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Journey into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• Turtle Talk with Crush

Hollywood Studios

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
• Disney Junior Play & Dance!
• For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Muppet*Vision 3D
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Toy Story Mania!
• The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™

Animal Kingdom

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• DINOSAUR
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• Feathered Friends in Flight!
• Festival of the Lion King
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
• It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Na?vi River Journey

Before your visit, make sure to check out the Disney World refurbishment calendar to see if any of the rides will be closed for maintenance while you are there.

FAQs

We covered the majority of the info you will need to know earlier in this article, but that’s not the end. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the Lighting Lane Premier Pass:

What are the Major Differences Between Lightning Lane Premier Pass and Multi Pass or Single Pass?

• Premier Pass: This is the ultimate version of the Lightning Lane allowing you to ride every Lightning Lane attraction in a specific park without having to wait in a standby line. It also gives you the freedom of deciding when to ride them without making ride reservations.
• Multi Pass: This lets you choose from a pool of attractions to skip the lines, but you must make reservations. You are also limited to making 3 ahead of time, and you are limited to fewer attractions per day. You can also use it in multiple parks in one day.
• Single Pass: Gives access to one attraction at a time, and ones not included in the Multi Pass.

How Many Times Can You Ride the Attractions?

The number of times you can do Lightning Lane attractions and experiences using the Premier Pass is limited to once per day. You can do any Lightning Lane attraction (Multi Pass or Single Pass) once without waiting in the standby queue. It’s not possible to use the Premier Pass for the same attraction twice in the same day.

However, it is possible to do attractions twice without waiting in line if you purchase the Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Single Pass in addition to the Premier Pass. In that case, you will get one more ride using the Lightning Lane queue.

If you want to ride something twice without getting the Multi Pass or Single Pass, or if you want to ride something 3 or 4 times in the same day, you can just use the regular standby queue for that attraction.

Can You Use Premier Pass in Multiple Parks?

No, you can’t. The Premier Pass is limited to one park per day. When you are purchasing the pass, you decide which park you want to use it at and the price will change accordingly. That means there is no park-hopping with the Premier Pass.

Now, that isn’t to say you cannot visit multiple parks in one day. Let’s say you buy it for the Animal Kingdom and by the afternoon you have finished all the attractions and would like to head over to another park like EPCOT, you are more than welcome to do so. Just know that the Premier Pass will NOT work at EPCOT in this scenario since your pass was specifically for Animal Kingdom.

Can I Purchase the Premier Pass Staying Off-Site?

Unfortunately, at this time the Lightning Lane Premier Pass is available for purchase to guests staying at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels or select Other Eligible Hotels. If you are staying off-site in a hotel, Airbnb, vacation home, or if you just live in the area, you are NOT eligible to buy the Premier Pass at this time.

What Additional Perks Does it Include?

Lightning Lane Premier Pass includes the following photo perks:

• Receive digital downloads of select attraction photos and videos from your day, captured with Disney PhotoPass Service.
• Unlock Disney PhotoPass Lenses, which let you transform your photos with Disney-themed, augmented-reality effects.

Do I Need Park Reservations?

Yes, in some cases, park reservations are required to use the Lightning Lane Premier Pass. To find out if they are required during your stay, check the park reservation requirements on the Walt Disney World website.

Can I Use Lightning Lane Premier Pass and Multi Pass on the Same Day?

Yes, that is possible. Even if you purchase the Lightning Lane Premier Pass, you can also buy the Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Single Pass on the same day.

While this would be overkill for most guests, the reason for doing this would be if you wanted to ride some attractions more than once on that day without having to wait in a standby line. In this case, you could do every attraction in that park once with the Premier Pass, and then use the Multi Pass or Single Pass to ride some of those same attractions a second time.

Where Can I View and/or Modify My Pass?

To view and/or modify your pass, open the My Disney Experience app and tap on the Lightning Lane Premier Pass section of the home screen. Then, you’ll be able to:

• View details about your Lightning Lane Premier Pass—including your selected theme park, date and travel party.
• Modify the date or theme park for your Lightning Lane Premier Pass, subject to availability.

Can I Buy Premier Pass for Just One Day of My Vacation?

Yes, absolutely.  If you only want to buy the Lightning Lane Premier Pass for one day of your vacation, that is perfectly ok.  In fact, it would get crazy expensive to buy it for every day.

Depending on the park you are buying it for and how many people are in your party, you may end up spending well over $1,000 per day for the Premier Pass, so only guests without a vacation could honestly afford to do that.

Must Everyone in My Party Buy Premier Pass?

No, they don’t. As many members of your group can purchase the Premier Pass as they want. If only 1 person wants to buy it because they love going on all the rides and the others are not interested, it’s no problem. If everyone in your group wants the Premier Pass, that’s no problem either.

You decide how many in your group it’s worth buying for.  Obviously, if a few of the members of your group don’t do many rides, it’s probably not worth it for them.

And even if multiple members of your party purchase a Premier Pass, each member of your travel party can enjoy different attractions than the others if they choose.

Does the Premier Pass Sell Out Each Day?

Yes, most of the time the Premier Pass sells out on a daily basis. Disney is only offering these in very limited quantities, so I would recommend purchasing it 7 days before your arrival to be on the safe side.

Are Standby Lines Still an Option?

Yes, absolutely. The Premier Pass is a luxury addition to a Walt Disney World vacation and purchasing it is completely optional, and quantities are also limited each day, so the standby queue will be the primary means of entrance for most guests.

Also, even if you purchase the Premier Pass, you will need to use the standby queue if you want to ride any of the attractions more than once that day (unless you also plan on purchasing the Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Single Pass.

That wraps up this mega-guide to the Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Walt Disney World.  We hope after reading all that it was helpful and that you will be as prepared as possible on your next trip.  Feel free to ask any unanswered questions below and we will add them to the article.

If you are thinking about going to Walt Disney World in the coming future, here are some other popular articles where you will find all the info and tips you need to plan your trip.

• Disney World Vacation Planning Guide
• Disney World Crowd Calendar
• When are the Best Times to Visit Disney World?

Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about the Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disney World…

• Do you like this service?
• What changes would you like to see implemented?

Let us know in the comments section below!

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