RUMOR: Disneyland Could Roll Out New Lightning Lane Tier With Automatic Access to Rides

Disneyland is rumored to be considering a new tier of Lightning Lane pass that would allow guests to access all attractions without booking return times.

Generally, we don't report on rumors here at Mickey Visit but this one started with an accidental release on the Disneyland app itself rather than echos across Twitter and it points towards an offering that we have long discussed as a great addition for Disneyland. The article is worth it for the discussion alone.

We have the details on the rumor but more importantly our thoughts on how this new offering could work and why it would be a great addition to Disneyland's efforts to become more of a vacation destination.

Disneyland “Premier Pass” Accidentally Released on Disneyland App

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The above logo and a look at the ability to pre-book “Lightning Lane Premier Pass” were available on the Disneyland app before being removed. The functionality to pre-book wasn't working when it was posted, but it was visible on the app.

A savvy Reddit user spotted that graphic and the functionality that was posted. This rumor was first reported by Blog Mickey and in their article they looked at the other Disney resorts around the world that utilize the “Premier Pass” nomenclature. They pointed to Disneyland Paris as also using that name writing “With Premier Access, guests can either purchase a single entry at all eligible attractions without the need to pick a return time, or they can purchase Premier Access One, which is a single entry at a single attraction at a specific time – similar to Lightning Lane Single Pass”.

They suggested that this same style of service could be the one coming or at one time intended for the Disneyland Resort and we agree that it would make a lot of sense for the reasons that we outline in our analysis below.

The current setup of Lightning Lane at Disneyland is that guests can purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass which then allows guests to make return times on their phone for attractions throughout the day and they can purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass which gives access to specific individual attractions at the time that guests purchase that return time for.

Disneyland is a locals Southern California park, but the mix of guests traveling to visit the park is shifting and new offerings for those guests on vacation are always a top priority for the resort as it works to become more of a vacation destination.

The Disneyland Resort did not return their request for comment and did not confirm the existence of the offering. The offering could also have been something that was considered and then they didn't move forward with. Blog Mickey suggests “Of course, it’s also possible that “Lightning Lane Premier Pass” is a dead idea – something that was thrown around at one point, but not something that is in active development for the Disneyland Resort theme parks.”

How Would This Impact the Disneyland Guest Experience?

Ever since Disney Genie Plus aka Lighting Lanes were first rolled out, we thought about some kind of offering that could give you access to all of the Lightning Lanes without the need to reserve those spots in advance. This is almost identical to the Universal Express Pass offering which has the option to allow guests to ride each ride once per day or the unlimited version that lets guests ride every attraction as often as they want.

The reason that we like the Universal Express Pass experience so much is that you do not need to do any pre-booking and so your day is completely flexible. It also means that you don't have to be disconnected from your group with one person constantly on their phone attempting to reserve the next ride time slot. It makes the entire visit to Universal so easy and relaxed. Our best tips for Lightning Lane involve more engagement with the app. We just shared out top hack to get the Disneyland return time that you want almost every time and it definitely means more phone time. We would love it if the need for your phone at Disneyland is greatly diminished.

It would be amazing to have this additional tier added for Disneyland. By no means would all guests opt to purchase this more expensive add on but it would continue to add to a menu of options of line skipping to allow guests with less time to spend in the parks to spend more money to see more. At Universal Studios Hollywood, the Express Pass starts at $90 per day and goes up based on demand. This price per person is still far less than getting a Disneyland VIP Tour guide which is the next version up that allows guests to have this kind of carefree experience. For Disneyland Resort, the price would absolutely be higher than $90 as the resort is far larger and generally more in demand than Universal Studios Hollywood.

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We know that one priority for Disney is to meet guests where they are in their willingness to spend to experience the parks. This has always seemed like a logical addition that could allow guests to see more.

The population that will consider buying this pass will automatically be limited based on the price of the offering, but Disney could also artificially limit the market by just allowing their on-site hotel guests to purchase the offering. That would immediately increase the on-property hotel perk value, though the Disneyland Resort Hotels doesn't struggle with occupancy so it may be unnecessary from that standpoint. It however would be an incredible perk for those guest who are already paying so much to be on property. At Universal Orlando the express pass is actually included with hotel nights at the highest-tier hotel which isn't something we could see Disneyland doing, but is an interesting lever they could pull if occupancy was ever an issue.

The only worry about this is how it could impact Lightning Lanes generally. If they were to roll out this offering it would have to be done in a way that has a capped daily allowance to prevent it from impacting guests buying the standard offering.

If Disney were to consider rolling this offering out at Walt Disney World, they would have to really cap the amount sold and charge a premium because there are so many on once-in-a-lifetime trips that would spring for this offering.

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