It's no secret around here that my family likes the occasional (or more) trip to Disney World. However, if you've read the other Disney-centric pieces on this website, you'll also detect a hint of cynicism in my tone when it comes to actually paying for these trips.
Heading to Walt Disney World can be brutally expensive (and possibly even more expensive at Disneyland, as I discovered last year), and that's even before you start to factor in the day-of expenses like food, or more critically, Lightning Lanes.
Previously named "Genie+" and instituted by former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Lightning Lanes are the purest form of capitalism - if you have the cash, why would you wait in line? Clocking in at $15 originally, and now subject to surge pricing and per-ride costs, Lightning Lanes gave people with extra money in their pockets a way to skip waiting in the often hour plus queues to jump to the front of the line. It also incentivized visitors to stay on Disney property, with certain benefits afforded to those that stay at a Disney World resort.
Well today, Disney announced the launch of a new product named "Lightning Lane Premier Pass." Let's talk about it.
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What Is Lightning Lane Premier Pass?
Lightning Lane Premier Pass (henceforth referred to as "LLPP") is Disney's newest skip-the-line service. Building on the incredible success of the Lightning Lane program, Disney has decided to cater to the wealthier of their clientele, this time providing them an all-encompassing pass to skip all the lines they want on the day of purchase.
What Does Lightning Lane Premier Pass Cost?
As with all things Disney-upcharge, that answer unfortunately isn't very straightforward. It's park-dependent, so here's the breakdown, with each cost listed per person, per day:
Disneyland: $400 through the rest of 2024, with a price variation between $300-$400 in 2025
EPCOT: $169-$249
Hollywood Studios: $269-$349
Animal Kingdom: $129-199
Magic Kingdom: $329-449
These amounts are eye-watering. For comparison, they attempt to streamline the now-convoluted Lightning Lane experience, but at 10x the price of the standard Lightning Lane. Let's also take a step back and remember that Lightning Lane, previously called Fast Pass, used to be free.
Let's also keep in mind that these prices do not include the cost of park tickets, which can vary in price from $100-$189 per person, per day. For a family of four, just to get into the parks and adding on the LLPP will now add potentially nearly $2,000 in added cost after tax.
How Can You Get Lightning Lane Premier Pass?
Disney is moving quick on this one. LLPP is rolling out to Disneyland starting October 23, 2024, and to Disney World on October 30, 2024, but only to those staying in Deluxe Disney World hotels. This is clearly in beta-test mode and marketed directly at those already staying in Deluxe resorts, so Disney can more precisely target their intended audience.
Are There Alternatives to Lightning Lane Premier Pass?
Yes, there are absolutely alternatives to the LLPP:
Forego skipping lines. This option is the worst of the bunch, but it's free! You'll just be paying with time and patience.
Get the standard Multi-Pass Lightning Lane. It's the cheapest option and the best bang-for-your-buck as it includes the ability to skip the line on many rides across Walt Disney World and Disneyland.
Combine the Multi-Pass Lightning Lane and Single-Pass Lightning Lane. This is your previously premium option, allowing you to combine skipping the line on essentially every ride you're willing to pay for. Do you have to pay per-ride for the premium ones? Yes! And is it tough to coordinate your logistics, requiring you to bury your head in your phone all day? Yes! But it's less expensive than the final two options.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass. We just talked about this one. It's exactly the same as the above option, but you're paying between 5-10x the price for the sake of not worrying about timeslots and logistics.
VIP Tours. The pinnacle of your Disney experience, this option gives you a Disney cast member who guides you around the park, allowing you to skip any line you want for the whole day. This one costs around $900 per hour in peak season with a minimum of 8 hours, meaning this one is going to COST you.
The "Stockholderization" of Disney Parks
In Bob Iger's autobiography, The Ride of a Lifetime, he specifically spoke about in-park revenue as something he refused to budge on. He noted that the most positive possible experience for a visitor is more important than the pennies being squeezed out, as the deeper brand connection provides more value to the company in the long run.
Well, that's out the window. Chapek, during his Tony Snell-like run in the corner office, squeezed the toothpaste right out of the tube. He removed free Fast Passes and replaced them with pay-for-play Genie+, he killed the free shuttle from Orlando International Airport to Disney hotels, and he implemented other sweeping changes to nickel and dime the Disney consumer. And guess what: Wall Street loved it. Let's discuss why.
The future of media for media-specific companies is streaming, and Disney is no exception. Disney has an unbelievable catalog of intellectual property in the vein of Old Navy: you graduate from Gap to Old Navy to Banana Republic, and they've got you through your whole life. Disney has Mickey Mouse into the princesses into Marvel and Star Wars, that then leads into more "adult" content like The Bear or Shogun, capitalizing on your nostalgia and interests as you age.
However, it is extremely expensive to create and distribute this content. For other companies, like Netflix, they take on debt and raise prices. For Disney, they have a cash machine they refer to as "the parks." The Disney Parks generate billions in revenue for Disney each year, and Genie+ proved to be a raging success for shareholders as Disney began to leave the middle-class consumer behind and focus on the upper-tier spenders. Chapek even infamously called lower-revenue producing annual-pass holders "an undesirable mix" on an earning's call in 2021. And the parks are so successful for Disney that they're now pouring an additional $60 billion over the next 10 years into building another park, more hotels and more infrastructure across their global theme parks. They have to pay for that somehow, and the "somehow" is you.
So here's the grand secret of the Lightning Lane Premier Pass: it's a signal that Disney is leaving you behind. They are leaning more into the capitalism side of the company, rather than any sort of push to make the park more accessible to the standard American family. Disney is now costing the average family more than ever, and a majority of Disney-goers are actually going into debt to get there.
This is Disney robbing Peter to pay Paul, and it's a bit of a disturbing trend for those just looking to take their kids to see Mickey.
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