Back in December, Ben Perthel, one of the many Coasters & Castles Travel advisors, visited Disneyland Resort in California for two days to celebrate a belated birthday and explore the resort.
I had a magical time staying at the Disneyland Hotel’s newest tower, building a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop, and experiencing all the attractions the Disneyland Resort has to offer. During my trip, I also tried the new Lightning Lane Premier Pass and gained first-hand experience with this premium offering.
What is Lightning Lane Premier Pass?
Lightning Lane Premier Pass is a new tier to Disney’s Lightning Lane system — which allows guests to use special queues for select rides, significantly reducing wait times. What sets Premier Pass apart from the other 2 offerings — Lightning Lane Singlepass and Lightning Lane Multipass is that guests have single-use access to all the rides included in the Lightning Lane system and do not have to reserve times. For the rest of this article, I’ll refer to the Lightning Lane types as Singlepass, Multipass, or Premier Pass.
What are the differences between Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World?
Although Premier Pass works very similarly between the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World there are some key differences.
Disneyland Resort
Premier Pass works at multiple parks when the guest has the Park Hopper option with their tickets
All Guests with a valid Theme Park admission and Theme Park reservation may purchase.
Guests may purchase up to two days prior to the day of the Theme Park visit at 7 a.m. Pacific
Works with the Disneyland App or MagicBand+
Walt Disney World
Premier Pass only works at the single park it is purchased for (no park hopping)
Only Guests staying at Walt Disney World hotels, Shades of Green Resort, Walt Disney World Dolphin, Walt Disney World Swan, and Walt Disney World Swan Reserve may purchase.
Guests may purchase seven days prior to check-in at 7 a.m. Eastern, for the length of stay.
How much does Premier Pass cost?
At Walt Disney World, the Premier Pass’s cost ranges from $129-449 plus tax per guest, depending on the park and day selected.
At Disneyland Resort, the Premier Pass’s cost ranges from $300-400 plus tax per guest, depending on the day.
All attractions that are available for Singlepass and Multipass are available for Premier Pass:
My Experience
While at the Disneyland Resort, I purchased the Premier Pass for a single day. I also had the park hopper option, so I was able to use it in both parks. The experience was very easy and seamless. I purchased the pass two days in advance, and the Premier Pass appeared in my Disneyland App on the day of my visit.
When going to an attraction with Lightning Lanes, you can either scan the pass in the Disneyland app or use a linked MagicBand+. I had my MagicBand+ linked to my account, so I used that option primarily.
Throughout the day, after I rode each attraction using Premier Pass, the attraction was automatically marked off in the Disneyland app. This made it very easy to keep track of which attractions I experienced and which I could still use a Lightning Lane for.
The most significant advantage of Premier Pass is that you don’t need to make reservations for ride times. This allowed me to walk around the park and pick attractions based on location rather than availability. I also was able to ride several attractions twice by using the Stand-by lines, if they had minimal waits, and coming back to use my Premier Pass later in the day.
By the end of the day, I rode nearly all the attractions in both Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure. I did have time to ride the last couple of attractions, but I chose to skip them.
Is Lightning Lane Premier Pass a good value?
If time is limited and your goal is to ride the most attractions in a single day, it may be worth the cost. However, the day gets long and taxing to cover both parks. I started at 8 a.m. and walked over 14 miles until 11 p.m. Premier Pass is the perfect option if you don’t want to stress about making reservations for Lightning Lanes and want the freedom to walk into any Lightning Lane whenever you wish. It allowed me to be more spontaneous during the day and not feel tied to a schedule.
The most significant disadvantage is the cost. If you are traveling with a larger group, more than one or two people, the overall value reduces as the party size increases. Due to the cost, there are other ways to increase the magic of your trip beyond Premier Pass.
For instance, for a family of 4, at $400 per person, Premier Pass will cost $1,200. If staying at the Disneyland Hotel, another day of park tickets with an additional night stay could be added for around $1,050. In that case, I recommend extending your stay another day instead of purchasing Premier Passes. With an additional day, you will have more time to enjoy the entire resort and be able to take a more relaxing pace throughout your vacation. You also need to purchase the Park Hopper add-on to maximize the value of the Premier Pass at Disneyland Resort.
At Walt Disney World, each Premier Pass only works for a single park, reducing the number of attractions you can experience in a day. The value of adding additional days at Walt Disney World vs. Premier Pass applies in the same way as Disneyland Resort.
If traveling with small children (my kids started visiting Disney resorts at 3 months old and are now 6 and 8 years old), they may be unable to keep up the pace to maximize the attractions visited. Also, not all guests will want to (or be tall enough to) ride all the attractions, so a combination of Singlepass and Multipass may work better for the group because the cost of Premier Pass is the same regardless of the guest’s age and height.
For a large party, discuss a VIP Tour with your Travel Advisor instead of the Premier Pass. The cost may be similar to purchasing Premier Passes for the entire party, plus you receive all the benefits of a VIP Tour.
In conclusion, the Premier Pass is a unique tool to use while visiting the Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resorts. It has the advantage of convenience and the ability to go where the magic takes you, but with its high cost, it may not be the best choice for you. The best option is to reach out to your favorite Coasters & Castles travel advisor and let them use their expert knowledge and experience to help you plan your next magical trip.
Ben Perthel has been traveling since his first international flight at 4 months old. Since then he has traveled throughout the United States and Europe. I specialize in theme park destinations and share a love of Disney Parks and Resorts. A father of 2 young girls, I have experience planning trips for solo travelers, couples, and families.
Although newer to the travel industry I have many years working as a teacher and advising clients in real estate and luxury home construction. I believe it is critical to develop relationships with my clients and not apply a one-size-fits-all approach to travel planning.
Looking to plan your next amazing trip?
Reach out to me: bperthel@travelcnc.com
Instragram @magicaltripswithben
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