Walt Disney World Lake Buena Vista, Florida You can’t really call yourself a local until you’ve succumbed to this dominating force in Orlando’s tourism scene. Between Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom, there’s a little something for nearly everyone at one of the several parks. Hop on a ride, grab some Mickey-shaped ice cream bars and dive into the magic. Credit: Photo via Walt Disney World/Facebook
Disney just added another skip-the-line option — this one for people with money to spend but little time to spare.

Starting Oct. 30, resort guests and Disney Vacation Club members can buy the Lightning Lane Premier Pass, an all-access pass to skip the line at eligible rides at Disney World’s four parks. The package is per person per day and fluctuates in price based on the date and demand for each park.

Lightning Lane Premier Pass prices range from $149 to $449 per person per day per park. Separate park admission is still required to use the pass.

Booking a Premier Pass is done through the My Disney Experience App, just like the other Lightning Lane options. The Premier Pass also includes digital downloads of attraction photos and videos and access to Disney PhotoPass Lenses.

Disney debuted Lightning Lane in July as a rebrand of the Genie Plus program. On July 24, Genie Plus became Lightning Lane Multi Pass — a move some heralded as the return of the FastPass program but paid.

The single Lightning Lane passes from Genie Plus are still around, but as of July you can plan and purchase them in advance.

With the Premier Pass, there are now three options for skipping the line at Disney World.

Lightning Lane Single Pass

  • Purchase individual access to a select number of popular attractions at Disney World — two at Magic Kingdom and one each at Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.
  • Prices are $10-$25 per person per ride and depend on the date. One Lightning Lane pass per ride per day.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass
  • Pick up to three rides and times per park ahead of your visit.
  • After you use a pass, you can pick another ride in the My Disney Experience app.
  • You can book passes for every day of your vacation at the same.
  • Includes PhotoPass photos and videos.
  • Multi Pass includes options for more attractions at each park, including a tiered system for the most popular rides.
  • One Lightning Lane pass per ride per day.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass
  • You can use a Lightning Lane whenever you want — no return times needed.
  • Includes any attraction offering a Lightning Lane.
  • Guests can book the Premier Pass up to seven days ahead of their vacation at Disney World.
  • One Lightning Lane per ride per day.
An all-access skip-the-line pass is not a new concept among theme parks. Universal Orlando has had the Express Pass for more than two decades. It also often costs more than the price of park admission. For those staying at the more expensive hotels at Universal, the Express Pass Unlimited is included with their vacation package. This includes getting to skip the line multiple times for the same rides.

SeaWorld Orlando and sister park Busch Gardens Tampa Bay also have similar skip-the-line options.

Disney’s Lightning Lane Premier Pass will be in a pilot phase on Oct. 30, available only to guests staying at Deluxe Resorts, Deluxe Villas and other select hotels. Theme park admission is still required to purchase a Premier Pass, which has limited availability in this phase of the new program.

Check Disney’s website for more information and ticket options.

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This article appears in Oct 16-22, 2024.