Want to skip as many Disneyland attraction lines as possible? And what are you willing to pay for the privilege?
Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort will offer a new line-skipping option called Lightning Lane Premier Pass, which allows a limited number of customers to head to the front of the line on all 24 Lightning Lane attractions across Disneyland and Disney California Adventure without having to book a specific time to ride.
The cost? $400 per person.
That’s on top of the price of entry, which starts at $104 for one-park tickets on less-trafficked weekdays.
The option will be available for purchase starting Oct. 23, and allows attendees to ride each Lightning Lane attraction one time, in addition to photo perks. Attendees can buy the passes up to two days ahead of their visit, on a first-come, first-served basis. But they still have to purchase a ticket to the parks and make a reservation to attend — and add the Park Hopper option if they plan to use the pass to its full extent.
Prices for the Lightning Lane Premier Pass will increase next year and will vary depending on day and demand, though it will be in the $300 to $400 range, Disney officials said.
The pass will also be available at Walt Disney World in Florida starting Oct. 30, though its pricing and eligibility is different from Disneyland Resort.
Disney officials said this type of flexible, all-access pass was something guests have been asking for and has been an option at other theme parks for decades. The company will adjust the pass depending on guest feedback and usage, officials said.
The theme parks will still offer their current Lightning Lane Multi Pass add-on, which starts at $32 and allows guests to book specific times to ride more popular attractions, and its Lightning Lane Single Pass option, which is an additional fee and allows attendees to ride two attractions not included in the multipass add-on.
The Lightning Lane Premier Pass announcement comes just a week after Disneyland announced price hikes on most of its theme park tickets. While its lowest-tier, one-day, one-park ticket remained at $104, prices for the tickets on more popular days, as well as multiday one-park tickets increased between 5.9% and 6.5%.
Disneyland officials said that pricing is continually adjusted to balance demand, optimize attendance and reflect the value attendees get at the parks.
The changes at the theme parks come as Walt Disney Co. faces weakening consumer demand at its parks unit. The Burbank media and entertainment giant’s “experiences” division, which includes parks, cruise ships and merch, reported operating income of $2.2 billion, down 3% from last year, in its most recent quarterly earnings report.
