Lightning Lane Premier Go has began promoting out throughout off-peak dates at Walt Disney World, doubtless as a result of removing of resort restrictions on its buy. This covers why you shouldn’t fall for FOMO with the costly upcharge line-skipping service at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, or (particularly) Animal Kingdom.
For starters, we wish to reiterate as soon as once more that Lightning Lane Premier Go shouldn’t be Walt Disney World’s core line-skipping product providing. Somewhat, Lightning Lane Premier Go (LLPP) is a 3rd tier of line-skipping along with Lightning Lane Multi-Go (LLMP) and Lightning Lane Single Go (LLSP). Even when LLPP sells out extra continuously, that gained’t change.
There’s much more to the Lightning Lane Multi-Go and Single Go, all of which is past the scope of this put up. However should you don’t already find out about these line-skipping providers, we’d encourage you to learn our Information to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World as a substitute of this put up. There’s a couple of 95% or increased likelihood that’s extra related in your planning functions than this one.
Earlier than we get to why it’s best to skip Lightning Lane Premier Go, let’s briefly talk about its promoting factors and who ought to purchase it.
The entire level of Lightning Lane Premier Go is to streamline issues. In contrast to LLMP or LLSP, Premier Go 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 nearly gotta hand it to Disney–they created this drawback and at the moment are promoting the answer at a fair increased worth level.
The exact level of Lightning Lane Premier Go 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 to take away stress, scale back problems of planning, and so forth. The road-skipping system works precisely as anticipated. The first product providing is peace of thoughts.
There are lots of people out there for such a line-skipping service, and one of many high complaints about Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World is that it includes an excessive amount of display time. The theoretical viewers for Lightning Lane Premier Go is huge consequently.
Nevertheless, the precise viewers is massively restricted by prohibitive pricing. Lightning Lane Premier Go prices range by date and park, starting from $119 to $449 per individual. Unsurprisingly, the bottom costs are through the low season and highest are peak vacation weeks. Listed below are the ranges for every park:
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom: $119 to $199 per individual, plus tax
- EPCOT: $169 to $249 per individual, plus tax
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: $269 to $349 per individual, plus tax
- Magic Kingdom: $329 to $449 per individual, plus tax
These costs are many orders of magnitude increased than Multi-Go, and consequently, the precise viewers for Lightning Lane Premier Go is exceedingly restricted. It’s my understanding that fewer than 1% of company have been buying LLPP on the overwhelming majority of days (at the very least, earlier than it was opened as much as all company).
That quantity is increased when crowds are increased, particularly at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, however it’s nonetheless solely round 2% of all company (possibly beneath). Gross sales are lowest at EPCOT and Animal Kingdom, demonstrating that possibly company have some sense in any case.
Towards that backdrop, who should buy Lightning Lane Premier Go? Anybody for whom cash is not any object. Visitors for whom time is their #1 useful resource, and are keen to spend no matter it takes to purchase themselves effectivity. Visitors who’re tremendously know-how averse, need zero backtracking, to take away all friction, and have the assets to not care about value. Events that desire a VIP expertise, however both can’t make the mathematics work on a VIP tour or don’t wish to be accompanied by a stranger.
The very best instance might be folks staying on the 4 Seasons Orlando or one other off-site luxurious lodge not as a splurge, however as a result of Disney-owned Deluxes aren’t ok. Ditto events who didn’t plan forward and are keen to purchase their method out of traces at any value. Visitors who wouldn’t be studying a weblog like this for money-saving suggestions & tips.
Actually, it’s best to already know whether or not it is a product for you or not based mostly merely and solely on the outline and worth factors. Failing all else, a superb rule of thumb is that Lightning Lane Premier Go is for events within the high 3% of family revenue or internet value. If LLPP is an efficient match, extra energy to you! It’s not for us, however I don’t begrudge others for getting it–totally different folks understandably have totally different priorities, budgets, and so forth.
Who’s Lightning Lane Premier Go not proper for and who ought to skip it? Just about everybody else.
In no ambiguous phrases, Lightning Lane Premier Go is not a superb splurge. If buying it’ll come on the expense of one thing–something–else throughout your journey, it’s best to completely spend the cash on that different factor. I don’t even have to know what that different factor is until it’s, like, dozens and dozens of rice krispie treats or bottled water. If the phrase “worth” is in your vocabulary, LLPP shouldn’t be.
A part of the issue, and purpose Lightning Lane Premier Go has now offered out within the winter on reasonably (or beneath) crowded days, is as a result of it’s perceived as a greater worth. The highest tier line skipping service has been accessible at its lowest worth factors for a lot of dates so far in 2025, which makes it extra approachable. But it surely’s value declaring that the identical is true for Lightning Lane Multi-Go, so LLPP continues to be 8 to 10 instances dearer than that.
It’s additionally value declaring that there’s ample availability for Lightning Lane Multi-Go and Single Go proper now–and every time crowds are sufficiently low to justify Walt Disney World promoting LLPP at its lowest charges.
Should you’re making trip reservations by way of LLMP and LLSP at the very least 5 days upfront exterior of peak season, it’s best to have the ability to safe all of the Prime 10 Finest & Most Tough Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World. Even inside 3 days, you possibly can often do pretty properly should you spend a little bit of time refreshing and adjusting your reservations.
Upon arrival, should you’re following our Prime 10 Ideas & Methods for Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World in 2025, it’s best to have the ability to use your subsequent choices for many, if not all, of the opposite worthwhile Lightning Lanes. Once more, that is through the low-to-moderate crowd days when LLPP is at its least-expensive costs. If we’re speaking about 9/10 or 10/10 crowd days when LLPP prices essentially the most, it’s a special story.
However, we’ve discovered that some planners are nonetheless on the fence about Lightning Lane Premier Go. That is doubtless resulting from FOMO and FUD–two of my favourite “facronyms.” We’ve ranted at size concerning the WDW FOMO Machine.
In a nutshell, it’s simple to fall into the FOMO/FUD traps, and drop an additional $5,000 or extra on extras and upcharges to “assure” an excellent journey to Walt Disney World. You don’t wish to miss out on one thing that’s “important” to an excellent trip, so that you err on the facet of warning and purchase a bunch of upcharges that don’t truly assure that in any respect.
With that in thoughts, listed here are the worthwhile trip reservations that you just’re guaranteeing with the improve from LLMP/LLSP to LLPP:
- Magic Kingdom: Peter Pan’s Flight, Jungle Cruise, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- EPCOT: Frozen Ever After
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster, Alien Swirling Saucers, and possibly Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Animal Kingdom: Nothing.
The whole lot else ought to’ve been bookable pre-trip or by way of subsequent choices.
That is assuming a modicum of refreshing with Lightning Lane Multi-Go, and not having your face buried in your telephone all day. Should you spend extra time enjoying the refresh sport throughout your go to, you possibly can pretty simply safe all or a lot of the above–with Frozen Ever After being the largest exception.
Both method, you’re paying considerably extra for every of those trip reservations than even the most costly Lightning Lane Single Go. The pricing premium for Lightning Lane Premier Go over LLMP+LLSP when pared down to simply the worthwhile points of interest quantities to over $75 per attraction.
We’ve beforehand made/belabored the purpose that Lightning Lane Premier Go at Animal Kingdom is barely for individuals who hate cash. That Multi-Go barely is smart there for a lot of the 12 months, however at the very least is value it round peak season dates.
I’ll take {that a} step additional immediately: if given the choice to decide on Lightning Lane Premier Go or Multi-Go plus Single Go at Animal Kingdom with out having to pay for both, I’d decide Lightning Lane Multi-Go/Single Go.
The rationale for that’s easy: Multi-Go consists of Park Hopping at no further cost, whereas Premier Go doesn’t embody Park Hopping, interval. In my opinion, LLMP is most advantageous at Animal Kingdom when paired with hopping to a different park within the afternoon. So I might moderately roll the cube (it’s probably not a lot of a raffle) on subsequent choices at DAK than be “assured” DINOSAUR plus a handful of pointless Lightning Lanes that supply solely illusory worth.
Lightning Lane Premier Go locks you right into a full day of line-skipping at Animal Kingdom, which isn’t vital ever–however particularly not with LLPP. So both you trip points of interest repeatedly (with out Lightning Lanes, because of the no re-ride rule) or head to a different park (additionally with out Lightning Lanes, because of Premier Go not providing Park Hopping). Both method, it’s not a quasi-VIP expertise and exhausting for me to see the worth of LLPP over LLMP/SP in nearly all situations at DAK.
Beginning the day at DAK with Multi-Go, I’m fairly certain I may seize a few worthwhile Lightning Lanes at EPCOT within the afternoon and night–maybe all of them. At minimal, that might relieve the burden (and backtracking) of making an attempt to attain subsequent choices by way of Multi-Go on my devoted EPCOT day. (For what it’s value, I typically wouldn’t purchase LLMP at EPCOT, interval, and am solely doing so right here for this thought train.)
As somebody who visits a number of parks most days at Walt Disney World and thinks complaints about display time with Lightning Lane Multi-Go are overblown, I’d most likely take LLMP more often than not over Premier Go, even when each had been priced identically. However I understand most company usually are not me and LLPP does have circumstantial worth over LLMP+SP. I simply don’t suppose it provides wherever close to commensurate worth to its value.
In the end, that is all a long-winded method of reiterating precisely what we’ve mentioned earlier than about Lightning Lane Premier Go, simply in additional, ahem, assertive phrases. Once more, Lightning Lane Premier Go does supply worth to some company–these for whom cash is not any object, grandparents not wanting to make use of telephones or backtrack in any respect and having numerous disposable revenue, and so forth. I’m not arguing that. Should you’re a kind of demos, extra energy to you. However it’s best to already know that somehow.
There are numerous different people who find themselves on the fence, debating which splurges are well worth the cash at Walt Disney World or having FOMO/FUD about line-skipping. Should you’re in a kind of camps and are considering whether or not it’s value it to buy Lightning Lane Premier Go at its lowest worth factors, I can nearly guarantee you that it isn’t.
It’s not like we’re merely cheapskates at all times trying to do WDW on a dime. We’re completely keen to pay premium costs for premium merchandise and experiences (therefore being Disney followers within the first place). For a prolonged record of really useful upcharges, see Finest Bang-for-Buck Splurges at Walt Disney World. It’s simply that Lightning Lane Premier Go isn’t on that record, or wherever even near it.
Should you’re in search of a line-skipping adjoining providing that is on that record, try After Hours at Magic Kingdom and After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In our view, each of these are subjectively superior to Lightning Lane Premier Go regardless of being considerably inexpensive. If somebody gave me the selection between tickets to After Hours or LLPP, I’m taking these tickets with out hesitation. That’s true even when I’m in one of many demographics for whom Premier Go does have some deserves.
After all, there are methods to perform a ton with out After Hours or Lightning Lanes, interval. There’s a lot you possibly can accomplish with savvy technique, Early Entry, Prolonged Night Hours (if eligible), rope drop, staying late, and so forth. See our Finest Time-Saving Methods for Walt Disney World, which covers the perfect approaches for beating lengthy traces in every park.
We’re reiterating all of this as a result of we’ve realized that Lightning Lanes have the largest ‘FOMO/FUD issue’ at Walt Disney World, with planners on the fence being extra inclined to purchase them as a security internet. It is smart provided that rides are the entire purpose most households go to Walt Disney World within the first place, and worries about prohibitively lengthy traces usually are not irrational! However that doesn’t make shopping for Lightning Lane Premier Go the rational response. Even with the aforementioned exceptions, Lightning Lane Premier Go doesn’t make sense ~98% of the time.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Lightning Lane Premier Go? Is the top-tier of paid FastPass “value it” to your get together? Are you on the fence about LLPP? Does the FOMO/FUD issue within the unknown of Multi-Go subsequent choices make a distinction to you? Do you worth the intangibles of LLPP–no display time, backtracking, and so forth? Beneath what, if any, situations would you purchase Lightning Lane Premier Go? Agree or disagree with our evaluation? Different ideas or considerations? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
