This is an entry for “Lighting Lane Premier Pass” in our Disneyland 101 Glossary: Disneyland Resort definitions in under 101 words, from Mouse Brief. For further information about the Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disneyland Resort—including how it compares to other Lightning Lane options—keep reading after the entry.
Lightning Lane Premier Pass is the most expensive option of the three paid Lightning Lane services at Disneyland Resort, because it allows you to use the Lightning Lane entrance at a select group of attractions without making a reservation to ride. A Lightning Lane is a priority queue that offers a much shorter wait than the standby queue. Lightning Lane Premier Pass includes once-per-day spontaneous priority access to all of the attractions included in Lightning Lane Single Pass and Lightning Lane Multi Pass at both parks. Lightning Lane Premier Pass also includes unlimited PhotoPass downloads and access to PhotoPass Lenses.
Thanks for reading this entry in our Disneyland 101 Glossary. Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park is the newest Lighting Lane Pass offering, it debuted on October 23, 2024.
For more on Lightning Lane Premier Pass and whether it is the right choice for you, read our article here: What is Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disneyland?. For a guide to all Lightning Lane services—including Lightning Lane Single Pass, Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Premier Pass—check out this article: Disneyland Lightning Lanes: How to Super-Charge Your Visit.
If you want to go even broader, you can find our general article on reducing waits and saving time at Disneyland Resort here: Maximize Your Disneyland Experience: Beat the Lines & Save Time. But for a quick primer on Lightning Lane Premier Pass, keep on reading…
Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disneyland Resort
Since the debut of Lightning Lane Premier Pass in October 2024, Disneyland Resort now offers three different types of Lightning Lane passes. With three different options available to you (and a fourth which is basically to choose “none of the above” and not purchase Lightning Lane) we want to share some more information about these passes. After all, they are pricey, especially the Lightning Lane Premier Pass, so you will want to be sure they are right for you before purchasing one.
What is a Lightning Lane?
A Lightning Lane is a designated entry point and queue for select attractions at Disneyland Resort. A Lightning Lane is an alternative to the standard standby queue. The idea is that the Lightning Lane queue is the accelerated (aka “lightning fast” option) that will get you onto an attraction more quickly than if you used the standby line.
Using a Lightning Lane pass is kind of like paying for a toll road instead of taking the conventional route. You are headed to the same destination, but you can pay for a lane that is less crowded and will probably get you there earlier.
You pay for this quicker journey by purchasing a Lightning Lane pass. These passes grant you access to certain Lightning Lanes, according to the rules of each pass.
Note that you must have valid admission to the parks where you wish to use these passes. The passes have attractions that are in both parks, but you must have a Park Hopper or Magic Key if you wish to use a pass in both parks on the same day.
The Three Lightning Lane Pass Types
Disneyland Resort currently offers three Lightning Lane passes. They are Lightning Lane Single Pass, Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Premier Pass. Briefly:
Lightning Lane Single Pass
Lightning Lane Single Pass allows you to purchase a Lightning Lane for a single specific attraction to be used at a specified time. At that time, you may access the reserved attraction through the Lightning Lane entrance. This is available for very limited number of attractions, usually the most popular in each park. At the time of writing, Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure Park and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland Park are the two attractions in Disneyland Resort offering Lightning Lane Single Pass.
Note that a Lightning Lane Single Pass is not the same as a Single Rider line, which you can read about here.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Lightning Lane Multi Pass is for a group of select attractions. You may make up to one reservation per day to enter each attraction through the Lightning Lane entrance at a specific time. Disney does not guarantee that you will be able to use the pass for all of the included attractions. Your Lightning Lane Multi Pass is active for one day. When you buy a multi-day ticket, you have the option to add a Lighting Lane Multi Pass to each day of that ticket.
If you plan to purchase this pass, we strongly recommend you read our Big Guide to Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland Resort. This is because ride reservation times can and do run out, and you may not be able to experience included attractions despite buying this extra pass. Having a strong Lightning Lane Multi Pass strategy will help you get the best value out of this pass. That is why we also have these articles: Ride More: 9 Strategies for Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland and Lightning Lane Multi Pass FAQs for Disneyland Resort in California
Lightning Lane Premier Pass
Lightning Lane Premier Pass permits you to utilize the Lightning Lane entrance once per day for a select pool of attractions. This pool incudes all of the attractions offered with both Lightning Lane Single Pass and Lightning Lane Multi Pass. You do not need to reserve a time to experience these attractions. You may spontaneously scan into the Lightning Lane once per day per included attraction. This list of attractions changes, so we suggest visiting the Disneyland website to find out what is currently part of the pass.
With this pass, you do not need to worry so much about strategy. You get to enter the Lightning Lane entrances for the included attractions once per day without worrying about valid booking windows and reservation availablity. Of course, this convenience comes with a cost, and that is why Premier Pass is the highest-priced (by a large margin) out of all the Lightning Lane passes at Disneyland. For more on Lightning Lane Premier Pass, do not forget that we have this article: What is Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disneyland?
Other ways to use Lightning Lane.
The three passes described above are the main ways to access Lightning Lane entrances, but there are certain scenarios when guests without one of these passes may use these Lightning Lanes. For example, you might use a Lightning Lane entrance with a Select Experiences Pass.
Most recently, Disneyland Resort Hotels added a perk where each hotel guest is given one Lightning Lane entry for their use per stay. This is one total entry to be used on one attraction, and it is calculated per stay, not per night.