Lightning Lane Premier Pass skip-the-line service now available to all Disney World guests
Disney’s new Lightning Lane Premier Pass gives guests one-time access to every Lightning Lane ride in the park whenever they want. This allows them to skip the lines on popular rides without the hassle of booking specific ride times. This is the easiest method for skipping lines on popular rides because you don't need to choose a return time, navigate ride tiers or plan your rides ahead of time.
It’s proven quite popular despite its hefty price tag, which ranges between $129 and $449 per day, depending on the date and park you choose.
This pricey skip-the-line alternative to the standard Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass has sold out several times recently, including during the busy holiday season. During the program’s initial rollout at Disney World, availability was limited to guests staying at Deluxe Disney World hotels and villas. In November, Disney expanded the program to all on-site hotel guests. (At Disneyland in California, any guest can purchase a Lightning Lane Premier Pass.)
Beginning Jan. 21, 2025, Disney is opening Lightning Lane Premier Pass to all Disney World visitors. The Disney Lightning Lane Single Pass and Multi Pass plans remain available. Now, guests have several skip-the-line options to choose from and the ability to mix-and-match these options during their vacation.
The purchase window will mirror that of Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass.
Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels, the Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin or Swan Reserve or Shades of Green can purchase Lightning Lane passes up to seven days in advance of their vacation at 7 a.m. Eastern time for the entire length of their stay (up to 14 days).
Related: The best Disney World hotels
Guests with date-based tickets who are not staying in an official Disney Resort hotel can plan up to three days in advance for the length of their ticket, beginning at 7 a.m. Eastern time.
Cost for Disney’s new Lightning Lane Premier Pass
Just as with the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and tickets themselves, the price for Disney’s new Lightning Lane Premier Pass varies by day and by park. It will only work in one park per day at Disney World, while it will work in both parks at Disneyland.
Here are the per-person prices for Disney World and Disneyland:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park: $129 to $199 per day (plus tax)
- Epcot: $169 to $249 per day (plus tax)
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $269 to $349 per day (plus tax)
- Magic Kingdom Park: $329 to $449 per day (plus tax)
- Disneyland Resort: $400 (not taxable) through Dec 31, 2024. In 2025, the price will range from $300 to $400 per day.
Note that these prices do not include your theme park admission tickets, which also start at over $100 per day for single-day tickets.
How Disney’s new Premier Pass stacks up to other passes
Disney’s new Premier Pass is significantly more expensive than a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which often costs between $30 and $35 per day for a park like the Magic Kingdom. That said, it is common for premium skip-the-line passes to cost over the $100 mark per day, including at parks like Disneyland Paris, where the Premier Access Pass often exceeds $100 per day.
The Universal Orlando Express Pass, which allows you to skip certain lines once per ride, costs between $90 and $260 per day.
However, a big difference with the Universal Orlando Express Pass is that it is included for free for every registered hotel guest when you stay at Universal’s highest tier of resort hotels, such as Loews Portofino Bay and Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando.
Disney’s VIP tour, which provides essentially “walk-on” access to rides across the park on a per-hour basis (along with the guides themselves), costs between $450 and $900 per hour for up to 10 guests. Probably not coincidentally, even at the lower end of that scale and with the maximum number of people allowed per tour, the Lighting Lane Premier Pass will still typically be less expensive than the Disney VIP tour, though do the math as pricing could be competitive on certain days with larger groups, especially at the Magic Kingdom.
Bottom line
Will Disney’s new Lightning Lane Premier Pass be worth it? Well, that’s obviously going to depend on a variety of factors, mainly including how many “Disney dollars” are in your wallet. Even at the lowest price of $329 per person for Magic Kingdom, that’s an additional $1,316 for a day of magic for a family of four with this new premium pass.
Is that worth it to just hop on rides when you want, compared to the $250 or so it would likely cost that family to purchase Lightning Lane Single and Multi passes to try and replicate a similar experience? If that additional thousand dollars or so won’t put a dent in your bank account, then maybe. If you were already considering a VIP tour, then maybe.
Also keep in mind that you can use Premier Pass for some parks, and stick to Multi Pass or waiting in standby lines for other parks. You can customize your skip-the-line options to match your budget.
But for most Disney visitors, this new premium pass — at least at these prices — won’t be a regular purchase. And, of course, that’s by design.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass opens up an additional level of skip-the-line access, but at this price point, it’s not for everybody. That said, the list of ways that a Disney vacation experience can vary by budget is only growing, and this new Lightning Lane Premier Pass is just one more way Disney will allow some guests who pay more to get more.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.