World

Disney’s new fast passes can cost more than a park ticket

The pilot scheme for the new Lightning Lane Premier Pass is to be rolled out this month

Walt Disney World in Florida (John Raoux/AP)
The new passes will allow holders to access the 'Lightning Lane' at any ride once per day (John Raoux/AP) (John Raoux/AP)
By Mark Robinson

A new fast pass allowing visitors to skip the lines at Disney parks in the US can cost more than a park ticket.

Announced by Disney this week, the new ‘Lightning Lane Premier Pass’ is set to be launched this month as part of a limited pilot scheme.

The pass is due to debut at Disneyland Resort in California on October 23, where it will cost $400 per person during the scheme which will run until the end of this year.

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Disney World in Florida
The pilot scheme will start in California's Disneyland Resort on October 23 before being made available to Disney World Resort guests in Florida on October 30 (Rich Kane Photography/Alamy/PA) (Alamy Stock Photo)

Premier Pass holders will be able to access the fast-track lines at any time during the day, once per ride.

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Those wishing to avail of the pass during its Californian pilot will also need to purchase a valid theme park ticket with a ‘Park Hopper’ benefit.

Pricing for the passes will vary between $300 and $400 from 2025, depending on demand for specific dates, and the passes can be used at either park.

The pilot is set to be rolled out one week later at the Disney World Resort in Florida, where it will only be available to guests staying at its deluxe hotels, seven days ahead of check-in.

Pricing will also work differently at the Florida resort, with pricing depending on the specific park as well as demand.

Expedition Everest – Legend Of The Forbidden Mountain in Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida
Pricing at Disney World will depend on the park and demand on specific dates.

According to CNN, it will cost $137.39 (after tax) to add one of the new passes to an Animal Kingdom ticket on a less busy day.

Passes are park-specific and the Premier Pass for other parks will cost more.

According to the broadcaster, a Premier Pass for the Magic Kingdom park on a busy day such as Christmas would cost $478.19, after tax.

This would be more than double the average park ticket cost for Magic Kingdom of around $150.

Currently, Multi Passes exist at Disney’s parks in the US for those wishing to use the ‘Lightning Lanes’ at 55 rides in Disney World at 24 rides in Disneyland.

These passes are much cheaper than the new offerings, typically costing up to around $40 per person a day.

However, unlike the new Premier Passes, customers currently have to book time slots – Premier Pass holders will be able to use Lightning Lanes at any time.