Hi Kara,
Welcome back to planDisney! Thanks for continuing to trust us with your planning questions. I’m so excited that you’re crossing the Pacific to visit the place that started it all, Disneyland! Since you’re traveling from so far away, I completely understand your desire to guarantee getting on as many rides as possible. I'm happy to share my knowledge about the
Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
Good news! The Premier Pass is valid for both parks on the same day. As you suggested, purchasing a
Park Hopper ticket is key to maximizing the value of your Premier Pass. Keep in mind that when you purchase a Park Hopper ticket, you will be asked to make a park reservation. This is to indicate the park where you start your day. After 11:00 a.m., you’re free to hop between Disneyland Park and California Adventure Park as much as you'd like!
Premier Passes are available for purchase up to 7 days before your park reservation date, and they’re released in very limited quantities, so be sure to set your alarm for 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time to secure yours.
One final tip, Kara. The Lightning Lane Premier Pass is currently 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 that’s more than you were expecting, I highly recommend looking into the Lightning Lane
Multi Pass, possibly paired with the Lightning Lane
Single Pass. The Multi Pass starts at $32 per ticket, per day (also subject to change).
The key difference between the two pass types is how you select return times. With the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can hold one reservation at a time. What makes the Premier Pass stand out is that it doesn’t require you to select a return time. This gives you much more flexibility throughout your park day and removes the extra step of managing reservations. Also, keep in mind that all three Lightning Lane passes (Premier, Multi, and Single) allow guests to ride each available attraction once per day using Lightning Lane access.
I hope this information is helpful, Kara! 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