For those who love Walt Disney (DIS) parks but do not want to wait in lines, there are several options to bypass queues that seem to be even longer than the last time one visited.
On top of the standard advice to arrive early and plan visits around popular rides, there was once the Genie+ pass that let holders bypass a line at select rides as a daily ticket add-on that was eventually retired in favor of the Lightning Lane passes that grant access to a special shorter line at the attractions. The cheapest version granting faster entry to a specific ride one wants to visit currently starts at $25 per person while the multi-pass version can be used for multiple reservations throughout the day.
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The latest wait-skipping pass announced by Disney is the Lightning Lane Premier Pass launching on Oct. 23 at California’s Disneyland and Oct. 30 for Florida’s Disney World.
Like other Lightning Lane passes currently offered by Disney, the premiere version will be sold independently of admission as a separate add-on but allow one Lightning Lane entry at every ride that offers it (they are usually only offered on premium rides known to draw the longest lines).
This is the latest version of Disney’s Lightning Lane pass
At launch, the pass will be available for an initial price ranging from $129 to $449 depending on how busy the parks are on a given day but will fall within the $300 to $400 per day range by 2025. The pass will be available to purchase both on-the-spot through the Disney app and up to seven days before one’s planned arrival at the parks.
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The pass will also be available for only one park and cannot be transferred if one moves from different parks at Disney World but will be available to use in both Disneyland and California Adventure if one’s ticket includes the park-hopper benefit.
“Lightning Lane Premier Pass allows one-time entry to each available Lightning Lane experience in both of the Disneyland Resort theme parks to enjoy at your leisure that day (valid park admission required),” Disney describes the new program.
Another major difference from existing Lightning Lane passes is that the Premier Version will not require one to register one’s arrival through the app but will allow one to simply show up and use the expedited lane.
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New pass to be available in ‘very limited quantities’ at first
Disney also said that it will be “piloting the rollout with very limited quantities available.” Those who are interested in testing it can search for “Lighting Lane Premier Pass” through the Disney app and see whether it is available for purchase up to two days before one’s planned visit.
“Please make sure that everyone in your party has valid theme park admissions and park reservations for the same date, linked to your MyDisney account — so you can purchase Lightning Lane Premier Passes for everyone who is eligible,” Disney writes further.
While such a pass will significantly speed up one’s visit through any Disney park, the biggest criticism of fans who heard about it has been its high entry price which adds to the growing concern over Disney becoming increasingly inaccessible to middle-class families (as well as significantly less fun for those who pay the base fare.)
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