Hi Sujin,
Thanks for visiting planDisney! I’m so excited that you’re crossing the big blue to visit the place that started it all, Disneyland! Coming from so far, I completely understand the desire to guarantee you get on as many rides as possible. I'm happy to share my knowledge about
Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
As you might know, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass allows you to skip the standby queue for a shorter wait time, so you can get to the excitement faster. What makes the Premier Pass different from the
Multi Pass or
Single Pass is that it doesn’t require you to select a return time. This gives you much more flexibility in your park day and removes the extra step of selecting return times throughout the day. All three Lightning Lane passes allow guests to ride each available attraction once.
Like the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, the Premier Pass is valid for both parks. Be sure to check the list of attractions offering Lightning Lane access at
Disneyland and
Disney California Adventure. The Premier Pass also includes attractions available through the Lightning Lane Single Pass. Since the Premier Pass can be used in both parks, I highly recommend purchasing (or upgrading to) Park Hopper tickets to make the most of it.
Premier Passes are available for purchase up to 7 days before your park reservation date. These passes are released in very limited quantities, so be sure to set your alarm for 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time to secure yours.
Keep in mind that the Lightning Lane Premier Pass is priced between $300 and $400 per ticket, per day (prices subject to change). Depending on the size of your party, this could significantly impact your budget. If this is more than you were expecting, I highly recommend getting the Lightning Lane Multi Pass paired with the Single Pass. The cost of the Multi Pass starts at $32 per ticket, per day (also subject to change).
The key difference between the two pass types is the selection of return times. With the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can hold one reservation at a time. There are two key rules for when you can make your next booking:
* Every 2 hours, or
* After you’ve scanned into your current Lightning Lane reservation (whichever comes first).
While this will require a bit more effort and does not guarantee riding every attraction, it significantly cuts your cost. Then you can save your budget for more yummy snacks and park merchandise! Just saving your money is a good choice too.
I hope this information is helpful, Sujin! If you have more questions or need help with any other part of your trip, feel free to reach out to me or one of my fellow planDisney panelists. We’d love to share more tips and sprinkle a little pixie dust on your vacation.
Have a magical trip!
– Melinda