The holiday season is almost here, which means that peak holiday crowds are just around the corner for Walt Disney World. With larger crowds come larger wait times at many attractions and experiences in the theme parks. Of course, longer wait times mean that the desire to skip those long wait times goes up as well. Supply and demand economics are perhaps best represented in the price that Walt Disney World charges for its skip-the-line Lightning Lane Passes. To that end, Walt Disney World’s Lightning Lane Multi Pass product will set new all-time high prices during the holiday season, but we should also commend Disney on exhibiting some restraint as well. Let’s dive in.
New All-Time High Pricing for Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Starting December 24th, Lightning Lane Multi Pass pricing will reach a new all-time high price for all four Walt Disney World theme parks. As you may know, Walt Disney World implements per-park pricing for its Lightning Lane Multi Pass product. This means that prices are different at each of the four theme parks, every day. Magic Kingdom is the most expensive park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the least expensive park. That said, all four parks are hitting all-time highs this Christmas. Here’s a look!
| Park | Current High Price | New High Price (date) |
|---|---|---|
| Magic Kingdom | $35 ($37 on Dec. 22) | $39 (Dec. 24) |
| EPCOT | $26 ($28 on Dec. 7) | $22 (Dec. 24) |
| Disney’s Hollywood Studios | $32 | $35 (Dec. 24) |
| Disney’s Animal Kingdom | $22 ($25 on Dec. 16) | $29 (Dec. 24) |
Ok, with the new high price established, here’s why we think Disney is showing some admirable restraint, and why the bottom line will still reflect massive profits.
The previous version of Walt Disney World’s skip-the-line system was called Disney Genie+. The all-time high for that product was also $39. So while the Lightning Lane Multi Pass product is setting an all-time high price point for its specific product (and it’s significantly different than Genie+), Walt Disney World is technically tying for an all-time high for a skip-the-line product. So, that’s a win for the average guest.
Furthermore, there is a sort of Park Hopping pricing “loophole” for the Lightning Lane Multi Pass system versus the Genie+ system. With Genie+, you had to pay top dollar for the privilege of being able to use Genie+ at more than one park. The Park Hopping price was generally equal to the Magic Kingdom price for the day, which means that even if you were hopping between Animal Kingdom and EPCOT, you’d still pay higher than either of those parks were “worth” alone.
With the Lightning Lane Multi Pass system, you don’t pay for Park Hopping skip-the-line privileges. Yes, you still pay for your Park Hopping ticket, that’s not what we’re talking about here. However, once you tap into your first Lightning Lane Multi Pass attraction of the day, all other attractions at all four theme parks are “unlocked” if you have Park Hopping entitlements on your ticket.
Going back to the math, that means that not only has Walt Disney World not exceeded the all-time high pricing for a skip-the-line system this year (which it certainly could and nobody would bat an eye), with the way that Park Hopping is set up this year, you could actually pay less than you did if you visited during the same time period last year. Why doesn’t Disney World care and why will their profits increase regardless: Lightning Lane Premier Pass.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass is an all-new offering that allows guests to ride every single Lightning Lane-eligible attraction at a single park for an exorbitant price…and people are paying. This new product is going to put hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of new dollars in Disney’s pocket this year alone.
On top of the premium price for a single park ($450 at Magic Kingdom during the holiday season), Lightning Lane Premier Pass is not available to purchase for multiple theme parks (yet). That means that if guests want to use Premier Pass and park hop while still skipping the line, they’ll have to buy Premier Pass for the park that they want to prioritize, and then Multi Pass/Single Pass for the other parks. Merry Christmas to Josh D’Amaro.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
