Walt Disney World’s new Lightning Lane Premier Cross is simply every week previous, and it’ll hit its peak worth for the primary time at Thanksgiving. This publish covers prices of LLPP for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom for dates between now and late November 2024. Plus, pricing predictions by way of January 2025 and different assorted ideas in regards to the intersection of prices and crowds.
As primary background, 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, exchange both present possibility. 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.
The entire level of Lightning Lane Premier Cross is to streamline issues. Not like LLMP or LLSP, Premier Cross shouldn’t be convoluted or complicated–it’s all about eradicating the friction launched by different line-skipping choices. It’s a brilliantly devious choice on Disney’s half, and a traditional story of an arsonist turned firefighter. You’ve virtually gotta hand it to Disney–they created this downside and at the moment are promoting the answer at an excellent larger worth level.
As talked about beforehand, we don’t plan on doing complete field-testing of Lightning Lane Premier Cross. Frankly, I don’t actually see the purpose. The target market for LLPP is exceedingly restricted–it’s my understanding that fewer than 1% of company have been buying it because the day after launch, and though that might change nearer to Thanksgiving and Christmas when crowds are larger, it’s unlikely to eclipse 2% of all company. The caps and demand for this are fairly low–and that’s a good factor for everybody else!
As such, the viewers for such posts amongst planners is equally restricted. The actual market, I assume, is 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. Day by day costs are actually the one direct component of curiosity, and it doesn’t take discipline testing to search out these out. Enter this publish.
In any other case, the exact level of Lightning Lane Premier Cross is simplifying the line-skipping expertise. The attract of LLPP shouldn’t be needing to learn or study 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 so forth. The road-skipping system works precisely as anticipated.
Level being: don’t overthink it. You must already know whether or not this can be a product for you or not primarily based merely and solely on the outline and worth factors. Whether it is, extra energy to you! It’s not for me, and that’s positive–to every their very own. This weblog is extra consumer-oriented; I’d slightly advise readers on the methods to get probably the most value-for-money out of their trip, and that features “beating the system” with time-saving hacks.
Anyway, right here’s a take a look at the following 21 days of information for Lightning Lane Premier Cross park-by-park costs:
Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Premier Cross Pricing
- 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
- 11/21/2024 – $329
- 11/22/2024 – $359
- 11/23/2024 – $359
- 11/24/2024 – $379
- 11/25/2024 – $379
- 11/26/2024 – $399
- 11/27/2024 – $399
- 11/28/2024 – $449
EPCOT Lightning Lane Premier Cross Pricing
- 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
- 11/21/2024 – $169
- 11/22/2024 – $169
- 11/23/2024 – $169
- 11/24/2024 – $169
- 11/25/2024 – $209
- 11/26/2024 – $229
- 11/27/2024 – $229
- 11/28/2024 – $249
Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Premier Cross Pricing
- 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
- 11/21/2024 – $269
- 11/22/2024 – $289
- 11/23/2024 – $289
- 11/24/2024 – $329
- 11/25/2024 – $309
- 11/26/2024 – $329
- 11/27/2024 – $329
- 11/28/2024 – $349
Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Premier Cross Pricing
- 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
- 11/21/2024 – $129
- 11/22/2024 – $129
- 11/23/2024 – $129
- 11/24/2024 – $159
- 11/25/2024 – $139
- 11/26/2024 – $179
- 11/27/2024 – $179
- 11/28/2024 – $199
As a reminder, there is no such thing as a Park Hopper possibility for Lightning Lane Premier Cross at Walt Disney World. That is not like LLPP at Disneyland, and in addition not like Lightning Lane Multi-Cross at Walt Disney World. Lightning Lane Premier Cross at Walt Disney World is simply legitimate on the theme park for which you buy it.
At launch, Lightning Lane Premier Cross is out there to buy solely by company 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 upfront of their keep.
Lightning Lane Premier Cross provides Walt Disney World company 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.
Our Commentary
As you may see from the lists above, Thursday, November 28, 2024 has the best costs for Lightning Lane Premier Cross. For these of you outdoors the USA (or Individuals who haven’t consulted the calendar), that is Thanksgiving Day. These costs are additionally the peaks printed by Walt Disney World, which means that that is the best LLPP goes to get in 2024.
I’m considerably stunned to see this as the beginning of peak season pricing. For one factor, it doesn’t observe the cadence established by the previous few years of Genie+ pricing information. That sometimes noticed document costs for the week main as much as Christmas by way of New Yr’s Eve, with the next yr’s weeks of Easter and Thanksgiving reaching those self same costs, after which Christmas and NYE as soon as once more setting new data.
Clearly, Lightning Lane Premier Cross is brand-new so it may well’t observe that dynamic precisely. However, we anticipated costs to be larger than Veterans Day however nonetheless decrease than they’d be for the weeks of Christmas and New Yr’s Eve. However, for no matter it’s value, Lightning Lane Multi-Cross isn’t following this sample, both. Its costs are all over for the week of Thanksgiving–from $29 to $35 at Magic Kingdom, and much more scattershot costs within the different parks.
The opposite cause we wouldn’t have anticipated Thanksgiving Day to be the height of Lightning Lane Premier Cross pricing, and even highs for LLMP, is as a result of that’s sometimes not the busiest day of that week.
In combing by way of years of historic information, wait occasions usually peak on Monday or Tuesday. This yr, the most secure wager for the high-water mark is November 25. That’s a non-party day, and the one one in a 4-day stretch, which is all the time a recipe for catastrophe–particularly when holiday-adjacent.
Regardless of that, Lightning Lane Premier Cross is cheaper at Magic Kingdom on Monday, November 25 than it’s on the 2 party-shortened days that observe. We spent lots of time within the final publish about costs discussing how they didn’t all the time align with crowd expectations, so I’m not going to fixate on that right here–with this one exception.
In the event you’re contemplating LLPP one among lately throughout Thanksgiving week, purchase it on November 25 at Magic Kingdom. I’m 100% assured it’ll be extra useful that day than the two days that observe, and about 95% positive that’ll even be true versus November 27-28. (This additionally applies to LLMP, however the costs for that not less than considerably align with crowd predictions.)
I might additionally advocate making the acquisition of Lightning Lane Premier Cross at Magic Kingdom on Monday, November 25 sooner slightly than later. As talked about above, it’s my understanding that the caps for this product throughout its pilot are very low, and we’ve seen Genie+ promote out on that Monday and Tuesday many occasions up to now. Clearly, this a distinct ballgame–but when it’s more likely to promote out on any day this month, it’ll be that Monday at Magic Kingdom.
However actually, I’d advocate avoiding Magic Kingdom on that Monday until you don’t have any selection. Thursday ought to be the higher day to go to. Saturday and Sunday will probably be considerably higher, with the latter being the beginning of Our Favourite Week of the Yr at Walt Disney World.
In the event you’re questioning when is the “greatest” time to purchase Lightning Lane Premier Cross, the reply is the intersection of upper costs and larger crowds. That Monday at Magic Kingdom checks each bins, and is arguably a “discount” as contrasted with the times that observe.
The flip facet of that’s that the “worst” time to purchase Lightning Lane Premier Cross is when the costs are lowest. Don’t take a look at these costs within the $100s and $200s and suppose you’re getting a superb deal–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 worth 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 basic rule, the extra company see longer wait occasions, the extra possible they’re to wish to skip these standby strains. Worse wait occasions creates the next incentive for bypassing strains, which means larger 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 all the time be hottest after they’re most costly. It follows that there’s much less demand for Lightning Lanes in decrease crowds, even with decrease costs.
By way of once we can anticipate to see with costs going ahead, we’d anticipate them to plummet on the Saturday or Sunday that observe Black Friday, until Walt Disney World is just too reactionary.
Following that, it’ll possible be a return to the all-time excessive costs beginning December 21, 2024 and persevering with by way of not less than New Yr’s Eve–presumably till January 6, 2025. My expectation is that the complete stretch hits the max–that may make sense and comport with previous precedent. Nonetheless, Lightning Lane Premier Cross pricing has been all over up to now, so I additionally wouldn’t be stunned if there are ups and downs with pricing then.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Lightning Lane Premier Cross? Shocked by the date-by-date costs or that it’s hitting the height on Thanksgiving as a substitute of the times earlier than? Below what, if any, situations would you purchase Lightning Lane Premier Cross? Agree or disagree with our evaluation? Different ideas or issues? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
