With the official announcement of Lightning Lane Premier Pass, Walt Disney World now has a full suite of skip-the-line options for guests. From single-use skip-the-line passes to a buffet of options to a traditional standby line, there are a variety of options at a variety of price points. In this article, we’re going to compare and contrast the different Lightning Lane passes that are available to guests and help you choose which one is right for your next visit!
Lightning Lane Passes (Shared)
We’ll start by laying some ground rules for all three types of skip-the-line access passes. First, they’re completely optional. There isn’t a single ride at Walt Disney World that is exclusively for guests who have purhcased Lightning Lane passes. Traditional standby queues or Virtual Queues remain available for every attraction and experience at Walt Disney World.
Another thing to understand is that the three options laid out below all still use the same physical queue. Walt Disney World is not building new queues for guests who purhcase Lightning Lane Premier Pass. If anything, a third physical queue may be available for Single Rider options at select attractions, but the standard queue options when you reach the entrance to an attraction will be “Standby” or “Lightning Lane”.
Along those same lines, the introduction of the Premier Pass does not mean that there are changes to the exisiting Single Pass and Multi Pass options. Disney may do some tweaking on the backend to change allocation amounts, but guests will still be able to purchase Single Pass or Multi Pass once Premier Pass launches the same as they were able to do so before Premier Pass.
While this article isn’t meant to get into the weeds too much, I will at least mention that the logistics of when you can purhcase each pass are consistent: 3 days before your vacation if you’re not staying at an eligible resort, and 7 days before your vacation if you’re staying at an eligible resort. Premier Pass is restricted to Deluxe guests, which means the 7-day purchase window applies to that pass.
Another thing to mention is that none of the Lightning Lane Pass options include park admission or reservations.
Lightning Lane Single Pass
We’ll start with the easiest Lightning Lane Pass to explain and grasp: the Lightning Lane Single Pass. As the name would imply, you get a single skip-the-line pass when you purchase a Single Pass. Single Pass is offered at a limited number of Disney’s most popular attractions. Attractions that are part of the Lightning Lane Single Pass offering are not included in the purchase of a Multi Pass (but are included in the purchase of a Premier Pass, more on that in a bit). Lightning Lane Single Passes require a guest to book an available return window to experience an attraction.
Currently, Walt Disney World offers Lightning Lane Single Pass at five (5) attractions across the four Walt Disney World theme parks. Here are the attractions that offer Lightning Lane Single Pass, as well as their all-time price range. Note that pricing changes based on the time of year and anticipated demand:
Magic Kingdom
- TRON Lightcycle Run ($20 to $22)
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ($10 to $14)
EPCOT
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ($14 to $19)
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ($15 to $25)
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Avatar Flight of Passage ($11 to $18)
Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Looking to skip the line at more than one attraction? That’s where the Lightning Lane Multi Pass comes into play. With Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you pay once for the chance to skip the line at multiple eligible attractions. Note that any attraction listed as a Single Pass attraction above is not included in the Multi Pass offering. Just like with Lightning Lane Single Pass, guests will need to book a return window to be able to ride an attraction with a Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Lighting Lane Multi Pass is the most popular option at Walt Disney World right now, and because of that, some of the most in-demand attractions eligible for the Multi Pass system get fully booked quickly. That’s why we said that Multi Pass gives you the chance to skip the line at eligible attractions.
To be clear, Walt Disney World has greatly improved the transparency of the process, allowing guests to select up to three attractions before purchasing the Multi Pass product. This should allow for higher guest satisfaction with the product, but you should be aware that any other attractions beyond the initial three that are part of the purchase flow are subject to same-day availability, which can be limited in many cases.
Finally, you should know that you are purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass for a specific park. While park hopping is part of the current Multi Pass product at no additional charge, that is always subject to change. For more on Multi Pass and Park Hopping, check out our earlier article.
Here’s a look at the current lineup of Lightning Lane Multi Pass attractions. Note that attraction tiers apply when making your first selection, but we aren’t listing them here:
Magic Kingdom
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Space Mountain
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- The Barnstormer
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Mad Tea Party
- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
EPCOT
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Test Track
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Journey into Imagination with Figment
- Living with the Land
- Mission: SPACE
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
- Spaceship Earth
- Turtle Talk with Crush
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage
- Disney Junior Play & Dance!
- For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Muppet*Vision 3D
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
- Feathered Friends in Flight!
- Festival of the Lion King
- Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
- Kali River Rapids
- Kilimanjaro Safaris
- Naʻvi River Journey
Lightning Lane Premier Pass
So, you’re some 800 words into yet another Lightning Lane article and you’re thinking “this is too complicated, there must be a better way”. Enter, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass. If you’re looking to do away with all of the rules and restrictions put on Lightning Lane Single Pass and Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can purchase the Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass offers a single entry into every single Multi Pass and Single Pass attraction at the park that you purchase it for. In addition, with Premier Pass you don’t have to worry about booking return windows for attractions – simply walk up to the attraction whenever its convenient for you and tap into the Lightning Lane.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass launches October 30th at Walt Disney World and it will only be available for guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resort hotels, Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts and other select hotels. As you might imagine from the name, a Premier Pass demands a premium price. Here’s a look at initial pricing ranges:
- Magic Kingdom: $329 to $449 per person, plus tax
- EPCOT: $169 to $249 per person, plus tax
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $269 to $349 per person, plus tax
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $129 to $199 per person, plus tax
Walt Disney World says that the Premier Pass will be sold in limited quantities. One thing to note is that you purchase a Premier Pass for a specific park. Park hopping is not included in the price or perk.
Any questions? If there’s something about the Lightning Lane Pass options that we didn’t cover, please reach out via the comments section below or on social media and we’ll update the article!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
