As of right now, October 30, 2024, Walt Disney World has rolled out the brand new Lightning Lane Premier Cross, which is a 3rd tier of paid FastPass. This put up covers one of the vital subjects concerning the new line-skipping service from a sensible perspective: pricing. We now have prices of LLPP for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom for dates between now and late November 2024. Plus, predictions for Thanksgiving via January 2025.
As intimated above, Lightning Lane Premier Cross (LLPP) is a 3rd tier of line-skipping along with Lightning Lane Multi-Cross (LLMP) and Lightning Lane Single Cross (LLSP). It doesn’t, and won’t, change both current choice. There are nonetheless some questions on the entire Lightning Lane Premier Cross system, and we’ve been doing our greatest to reply these within the Information to Lightning Lane Premier Cross at Walt Disney World. That may get one other replace within the subsequent few days if we be taught any new particulars about Lightning Lane Premier Cross. In all probability.
Perhaps not, although. The entire level of Lightning Lane Premier Cross is to streamline issues. Not like LLMP or LLSP, Premier Cross is just not convoluted or complicated–it’s all about eradicating the friction launched by different line-skipping choices. It’s a brilliantly devious resolution on Disney’s half, and a traditional story of an arsonist turned firefighter. You’ve nearly gotta hand it to Disney–they must make an animated film about it. Maybe they might get Kurt Russell and Billy Baldwin to voice characters.
Anyway, that is price mentioning as a result of another websites plan on doing complete field-testing of Lightning Lane Premier Cross. We won’t be doing that as a result of, frankly, I don’t actually see the purpose. For one factor, the audience for LLPP is exceedingly restricted–I’d estimate it to be round 1% to three% of all visitors on common days when bloggers, vloggers, and influencers aren’t shopping for it to check.
As such, the viewers for such posts amongst planners is equally restricted. The true market, I assume, might be disgruntled followers who rage-read articles or watch movies about how costly it’s…however that’s not likely telling us something we don’t already know. Every day costs are actually the one direct ingredient of curiosity, and it doesn’t take area testing to search out these out.
In any other case, the exact level of Lightning Lane Premier Cross is simplifying the line-skipping expertise. Assuming it really works as anticipated (and I suppose that could be a semi-bold assumption given Disney IT’s monitor document), the attract of LLPP is just not needing to learn or be taught something. There aren’t any hacks or methods to squeeze worth out of it. You purchase it, if in any respect, to take away stress, planning, and many others. Level being: don’t overthink it.
You most likely already know if it is a product for you or if it isn’t primarily based merely and solely on the outline and value factors. Whether it is, extra energy to you! As somebody who relishes leveraging hacks and savvy technique to “beat the system,” it’s not for me, and that’s nice–to every their very own. As an alternative, our focus with Lightning Lane Premier Cross might be oblique and are available through extra Lightning Lane Multi-Cross and standby testing to see the way it impacts these strains.
Truthfully, I’m not anticipating it to maneuver the needle a lot, if in any respect. The principle purpose is that 1-3% uptake prediction, a lot of which can come from the pool of visitors who already buy LLMP. Consequently, my expectation is that LLPP may have a negligible impression on the visitor expertise for everybody else. However, that’s a guess at this level, and my guesses have been improper loads of instances earlier than, which is exactly why we check issues. However I digress.
Right here’s a have a look at the primary 21 days of information for Lightning Lane Premier Cross park-by-park costs:
Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Premier Cross Pricing
- 10/30/2024 – $329
- 10/31/2024 – $329
- 11/01/2024 – $379
- 11/02/2024 – $359
- 11/03/2024 – $379
- 11/04/2024 – $399
- 11/05/2024 – $359
- 11/06/2024 – $379
- 11/07/2024 – $379
- 11/08/2024 – $359
- 11/09/2024 – $379
- 11/10/2024 – $379
- 11/11/2024 – $359
- 11/12/2024 – $379
- 11/13/2024 – $379
- 11/14/2024 – $359
- 11/15/2024 – $379
- 11/16/2024 – $399
- 11/17/2024 – $379
- 11/18/2024 – $379
- 11/19/2024 – $379
- 11/20/2024 – $359
Lightning Lane Premier Cross pricing at Magic Kingdom is most fascinating to me. I’ve bolded the height costs within the subsequent 21 days. Frankly, these don’t make a ton of sense to me. It stands to purpose that LLPP would value probably the most on the busiest days. November 4 is a Monday, which is the busiest day of the week at Magic Kingdom. So superficially, that is sensible.
However that isn’t a busy week! It’s between Halloween and Christmas, sufficiently forward of Veterans Day weekend, and on a day when Walt Disney World uncared for to increase park hours from the 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. baseline. That Thursday and the next Monday have 11 pm closings, with Saturday having a uncommon midnight closing. Pricing LLPP at $399 makes extra sense any of these days!
Equally fascinating is that LLPP pricing at Magic Kingdom doesn’t seem to take Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration into consideration. It might be argued that the service ought to value extra on these days as a result of there are fewer hours, so LLPP permits visitors to get extra executed. Quite a lot of issues may be argued, however that doesn’t make them good arguments. The other is definitely true right here: line-skipping companies (all of them) are far much less crucial and helpful as a consequence of decrease crowd ranges on these dates. I don’t even do Lightning Lane Multi-Cross testing on MNSSHP or MVMCP days anymore as a result of it’s pointless. The outcomes are the identical (I get so much executed!) each single time.
EPCOT Lightning Lane Premier Cross Pricing
- 10/30/2024 – $169
- 10/31/2024 – $169
- 11/01/2024 – $189
- 11/02/2024 – $189
- 11/03/2024 – $209
- 11/04/2024 – $229
- 11/05/2024 – $189
- 11/06/2024 – $229
- 11/07/2024 – $209
- 11/08/2024 – $189
- 11/09/2024 – $209
- 11/10/2024 – $209
- 11/11/2024 – $189
- 11/12/2024 – $229
- 11/13/2024 – $209
- 11/14/2024 – $189
- 11/15/2024 – $209
- 11/16/2024 – $229
- 11/17/2024 – $169
- 11/18/2024 – $169
- 11/19/2024 – $169
- 11/20/2024 – $209
All the bolded peak costs (for now) of Lightning Lane Premier Cross at EPCOT are on completely different days of the week. None of them are in shut proximity to the Veterans Day (or some other) vacation weekend. Presently, there’s no purpose to anticipate these dates to be notably busy. It’s not mirrored in Disney’s hours, and solely one in every of these dates see the best LLMP pricing at EPCOT. It’s additionally not mirrored in any observable externalities we see that might impression crowds.
I really feel like there’s a riddle right here to be unwrapped, however I’m too dumb to determine it out. That, or Walt Disney World threw darts at a wall to set pricing for Lightning Lane Premier Cross. Maybe a “why not each?” kinda state of affairs.
Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Premier Cross Pricing
- 10/30/2024 – $269
- 10/31/2024 – $269
- 11/01/2024 – $289
- 11/02/2024 – $289
- 11/03/2024 – $309
- 11/04/2024 – $329
- 11/05/2024 – $289
- 11/06/2024 – $329
- 11/07/2024 – $309
- 11/08/2024 – $289
- 11/09/2024 – $309
- 11/10/2024 – $309
- 11/11/2024 – $289
- 11/12/2024 – $309
- 11/13/2024 – $269
- 11/14/2024 – $289
- 11/15/2024 – $309
- 11/16/2024 – $309
- 11/17/2024 – $309
- 11/18/2024 – $269
- 11/19/2024 – $309
- 11/20/2024 – $289
For these preserving rating at residence, November 4 is the one date to have present peak pricing on the 3 parks that matter. I nonetheless don’t suppose there’s any purpose to consider that date might be atypically busy relative to the opposite days on this checklist. (Earlier than anybody factors to the runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend, remember the fact that race individuals sometimes arrive early and do the parks previous to the races, not keep late and do them after. That’s the overall rule.)
It’s attainable they’re basing these costs on Deluxe Resort occupancy, which may clarify the departure from park hours, anticipated crowds, and LLMP/LLSP pricing. Increased occupancy on the prime tier resorts doesn’t essentially end in any of these issues, because it might be occurring for different causes (specifically conventions or group occasions) and is a small pool of visitors.
Extra doubtless, they’re simply testing a wide range of value factors earlier than the actual peak season rolls round. Previously, it’s been considerably of a idiot’s errand to attempt studying something into Lightning Lane/Genie+ costs. There was a time when Walt Disney World was months behind in adjusting dynamic pricing to account for attendance development adjustments with weekdays vs. weekends. So should you’re attempting to learn the fig leaves and glean perception into crowds or no matter else, I’d advise towards that.
Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Premier Cross Pricing
- 10/30/2024 – $129
- 10/31/2024 – $129
- 11/01/2024 – $139
- 11/02/2024 – $159
- 11/03/2024 – $139
- 11/04/2024 – $159
- 11/05/2024 – $129
- 11/06/2024 – $159
- 11/07/2024 – $139
- 11/08/2024 – $159
- 11/09/2024 – $159
- 11/10/2024 – $139
- 11/11/2024 – $159
- 11/12/2024 – $129
- 11/13/2024 – $129
- 11/14/2024 – $139
- 11/15/2024 – $159
- 11/16/2024 – $159
- 11/17/2024 – $129
- 11/18/2024 – $159
- 11/19/2024 – $129
- 11/20/2024 – $129
It doesn’t make sense to purchase Lightning Lane Premier Cross at Animal Kingdom within the first place, so I’m not going to attempt making sense of the pricing. There’s a purpose that it’s priced thus far beneath the opposite parks, and that purpose is that it is a superfluous product that shouldn’t exist at Animal Kingdom. Lightning Lane Premier Cross is the equal of a paid FastLane on the freeway at 2 a.m. when there aren’t any different vehicles on the street.
As a reminder, there isn’t a Park Hopper choice for Lightning Lane Premier Cross at Walt Disney World. That is not like LLPP at Disneyland, and likewise not like Lightning Lane Multi-Cross at Walt Disney World. Lightning Lane Premier Cross at Walt Disney World is just legitimate on the theme park for which you buy it.
At launch, Lightning Lane Premier Cross is offered to buy solely by visitors staying at Deluxe Resorts or Deluxe Villa Resorts (Disney Trip Membership Resorts). Lightning Lane Premier Cross could also be bought as much as seven days prematurely of their keep.
Lightning Lane Premier Cross provides Walt Disney World visitors one-time entry to every accessible Lightning Lane entrance in a single theme park for the day. The decrease attraction rely together with decrease crowds and Lightning Lane Multi-Cross being extra helpful (and never having tiers) is exactly why LLPP is pointless at Animal Kingdom.
For those who’re questioning when is the “finest” time to purchase Lightning Lane Premier Cross, the reply is the intersection of upper costs and increased crowds. That means not November 4 because it nearly definitely received’t verify each packing containers, however most likely November 25-27, the weeks of Christmas and New Yr’s, Presidents’ Day, peak of Spring Break, and so forth.
The flip facet of that’s that the “worst” time to purchase Lightning Lane Premier Cross is when the costs are lowest. Don’t have a look at these costs within the $100s and $200s and suppose you’re getting a discount–cease to ask why Walt Disney World priced LLPP at that time to start with. Personally, I wouldn’t purchase Premier Cross at these costs as a result of it’s not sufficiently helpful…and I wouldn’t purchase on the $300 and $400 value factors as a result of it’s too costly.
This parallels Lightning Lane Multi-Cross, so it shouldn’t be a shock to Walt Disney World regulars. As a normal rule, the extra visitors see longer wait instances, the extra doubtless they’re to wish to skip these standby strains. Worse wait instances creates a better incentive for bypassing strains, that means increased uptake of Lightning Lanes even when it prices extra. Demand for beating crowds will increase as attendance goes up, and as such, Lightning Lanes will at all times be hottest after they’re costliest. It follows that there’s much less demand for Lightning Lanes in decrease crowds, even with decrease costs.
By way of after we can anticipate to see peak season pricing, the primary check will come on Monday, November 25, 2024. I imply, I suppose technically it may come earlier (the Saturday and Sunday beforehand), however that would be the first actually busy day of Thanksgiving week. Crowds for that vacation week nearly at all times peak previous to Thursday, so we’d anticipate the best costs to happen on November 25-27. These will nearly assuredly be increased than November 4 costs, because the parks will definitely be busier.
After that, costs ought to plummet on the Saturday or Sunday that observe Black Friday, except Walt Disney World is just too reactionary. Then we are able to anticipate to see the all-time excessive costs to be reached beginning December 21, 2024 and persevering with via at the least New Yr’s Eve–probably till January 6, 2025. Walt Disney World has already introduced the height costs:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $199 per particular person, plus tax
- EPCOT: $249 per particular person, plus tax
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $349 per particular person, plus tax
- Magic Kingdom: $449 per particular person, plus tax
Provided that November 4, a random day between Halloween and Christmas seasons that received’t be that busy, is already comparatively near these peaks, my private expectation is to see the above costs for all dates from December 21, 2024 via January 6, 2025. Truthfully, I wouldn’t even be shocked if Thanksgiving week hits these costs. It’ll be an fascinating saga to observe–we’ll maintain you posted to some extent, however don’t anticipate practically as many posts about Lightning Lane Premier Cross as Multi-Cross. Frankly, this pursuits me so much much less and isn’t related to 99% of readers.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study resorts on our Walt Disney World Resorts Critiques web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Critiques. To economize on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a novel have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Experience Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for every part it’s worthwhile to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you concentrate on Lightning Lane Premier Cross? Stunned by the date-by-date costs? Ideas on Walt Disney World’s “reply” to Common’s Specific Cross? Predictions as to how profitable this line-skipping service might be? Underneath what, if any, eventualities would you purchase Lightning Lane Premier Cross? Agree or disagree with our evaluation? Different ideas or issues? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!