Rumor: Lightning Lane Premier Pass Coming to Disney Parks

Lightning Lane, Disney’s skip-the-line service, could be getting more complicated. According to Blog Mickey, Lightning Lane Premier Pass might be coming to Disney Parks in 2024. This new tier will be similar to the Express Pass offered at Universal Parks. Guests willing to pay for this ultimate tier (and they will pay) can skip lines without having to schedule a return time. They’ll only be able to skip the line once per day per attraction.

I’ve long thought Disney should adopt Universal’s model. A more expensive Lightning Lane sold to fewer guests would have many benefits. First, Disney first-timers could plan a more spontaneous vacation. And without the stress. Want to ride Slinky Dog Dash? Get in line. Are you rich and want to skip the line? Buy the Lightning Lane Premier Pass and get in line. Forget about return times, tiers, Multi Pass, Single Pass, and all the other stuff.

Second, standby queues would have better flow and feel less interminable. When a ride goes down for even a short time, the cascading effect on standby guests can be catastrophic. Once back up, CMs need to empty that Lightning Lane line before all those videos go viral on X or Instagram. By removing the return time requirement, Premier guests will simply move on to the next ride without getting in line in the first place. At least, that’s what I would do.

Finally, guests would have a better time in the parks. They wouldn’t slam into me because their heads are buried in their phones looking for their next ride.

Oh, and Disney could still make the same amount of money. Charge five times the money to 1/5th of the people. Win-win!

Where this won’t be a win is if Premier Pass doesn’t replace the current offering but is simply added to the existing Lightning Lane service. Then everything I just wrote is moot. We’ll have more tiers, more planning confusion, and more reason for guests to avoid it all in the first place. I’m worried we’re getting the latter. Why would Disney have unveiled the Lightning Lane Multi and Single Pass updates earlier this summer only to revamp the service so quickly?

As Blog Mickey said, this is only a rumor. We’ll let you know if and when Lightning Lane Premier Pass becomes a reality.