It’s no secret that waiting in lines for rides is one of the few drawbacks of a Disney vacation (that, and maybe the oppressive Florida heat). But there’s good news for families traveling to The Happiest Place on Earth: Disney recently announced a new Lightning Lane Premier Pass, which lets you pay one fee to get Fast Pass-like access to rides without paying per ride and making a timed reservation for those rides.
Previously, certain rides had a per-ride cost if you wanted to buy yourself access to the front of the line; or, certain rides let you buy a three-pack, but you had to purchase a specific time slot and arrive during that ride time or you’d have to go back on the regular standby line. For example, to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, each person in our group paid $22 to avoid a 90-minute wait (it’s a super popular ride so it was worth the extra fee).
At Disney World, the program debuts on October 30 for people staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts, Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts, and other select hotels in Orlando. You can buy the pass up to seven days in advance of when you want to use it. The pass is for one park, so if you bought a Park Hopper ticket to visit multiple parks in one day, keep that in mind. The prices range from $129 to $449 per pass, plus tax, depending on the date, the park and the season (prices go up during holiday time).
The new system will start on October 23 at Disneyland Resort in California. Out west, the pass applies to both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure; it can be purchased up to two days in advance; but it costs about $400 per pass.
Aside from getting a one-time-per-ride skip-ahead pass, the Premier Pass will also include photo perks, such as digital downloads of the pictures and videos taken on certain rides. That’s a great feature, too, since you tap your MagicBand at the end of certain rides and you get to see yourself – watch your look of intense competition on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, or sheer fear on Twilight Zone Terror of Tower.
If that seems too steep, considering a one-park pass can cost about $120 per day, per person, you can still buy single Lightning Lane passes for certain rides.
Another trick we tried on a recent trip is the Virtual Queue, which is a free service. Certain rides, such as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (the recently revamped Splash Mountain) did not have a standby line; instead, you could have purchased a Lightning Lane pass in advance, or at 7 am on the morning you want to ride. Sign up for the virtual line via the My Disney Experience app and you’re assigned a group number – you’ll have to keep checking your phone to see when your group number is called, but then you’ll have 1 hour to get to the ride. Our group was 69 and we got the notification around 2 pm – so we had plenty of time in the morning to ride other rides, get to Tiana’s line, and then wait less than 10 minutes to board the log flume. It’s worth it if you have enough phone battery – and patience – to continually check the app for your time slot.
Are you planning a trip to Disney soon? Here are some more things to know before you go.
Have you gone to Disney during the NJEA Teachers Convention Week, which is known as “Jersey Week”? Check out our reel on Instagram and let us know!
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