Disney offers pricey, all-access, skip-the-line pass to a limited few

Walt Disney World and Disneyland will soon make skipping the line easier for a limited few willing to pay a hefty sum for the privilege. 

The Florida and California resorts on Wednesday unveiled a Lightning Lane Premier Pass alongside the current Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass. Akin to line-jumping passes at rival theme parks, Disney's new offering will let people into Lightning Lane attractions without having to book ahead. 

The passes must be purchased along with the cost of park tickets. 

Not every attraction has what Disney calls a "Lightning Lane," meaning a faster entryway. There are 55 attractions with the quicker lanes at the four Disney World parks and 24 at the two Disneyland parks. 

Disneyland

California's Disneyland is launching its Lightning Lane Premier Pass next week, on Wednesday, October 23. There's no advance booking ahead of that date for now, but in the future guests will be able to buy the pass up to two days before a park reservation.

Open to all customers on a first-come, first-served basis — but with very limited availability — Disneyland's pass will include Lightning Lane access at both Disneyland and Disneyland California Adventure on the same day. 

For the remainder of 2024, the tab for Disneyland's pass runs $400 a person, per day. That includes for kids ages 3 and up, as well as adults. The passes will range from $300 to $400 in 2025, depending on the date.

Disney World

Billed as a "convenient way to save time in line," the Lightning Lane Premier Pass allows one-time entry to each Lightning Lane experience in a theme park, starting Oct.  30, 2024, for guests staying at Disney Resorts and other Disney hotels in Florida.

Guests will be able to buy the passes up to seven days ahead of their visit, except for the launch date, for which no advance purchases are allowed. Disney World's Lightning Lane Premier Pass will be park-specific, with prices varying depending on the park and date. 

Folks can see Lightning Lane pass prices 21 days in advance on Disney World's app. Here's a rundown of the cost, per person, per day: 

• Disney's Animal Kingdom: $129 - $199 plus tax
• EPCOT: $169 - $249 plus tax
• Disney's Hollywood Studios: $269 - $349 plus tax
• Magic Kingdom: $329 - $449 plus tax