Disneyland is moving slowly with the rollout of the new $400 Lightning Lane Premier Pass and marketing the line-cutting perk “very gently” with plans to build on the program after the initial launch, according to Disney executives.
Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston was asked about the rollout of the Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Disneyland and Disney World during a quarterly earnings call on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
“We are moving slowly with that product in order to make it a great experience both for the purchasers of Lightning Lane and for the rest of our guests in the park,” Johnston said on the call. “It is a product that we are learning how to use. So we are marketing it very gently initially.”
Disneyland began a pilot rollout in October of the new Lightning Lane Premier pass with an eye popping $400 price tag — more than the cost of the most expensive parkhopper daily ticket — with very limited quantities available each day.
Disneyland plans to use the pilot rollout launch to listen, learn and adjust the Premier Pass program based on visitor feedback.
“It’s going to build over time, but it’s certainly very much early days,” Johnston said on the call.
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The Lightning Lane Premier Pass — which lets visitors skip standby lines and jump on select attractions faster — can be added to any single park, parkhopper or Magic Key ticket.
The Premier Pass allows visitors a single ride on each available Lightning Lane attraction at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, including Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers.
The big perk with the Premier Pass is that visitors can ride any Lightning Lane attraction at any time they want without scheduling the next available return time in the Disneyland app. Just walk up, jump on and ride what you want when you want.
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The Premier passes can be purchased through the Disneyland app up to two days in advance starting at 7 a.m.
The limited availability line-cutting pass has sold out nine times since the Disneyland launch — twice during Thanksgiving week and seven times between Dec. 25 and Jan. 3, according to Thrill Data.
On most of those days, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass sold out before lunchtime, according to Thrill Data. On Dec. 30 and 31, the Premier Pass sold out before the Anaheim theme parks opened for the day, according to Thrill Data.
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Disneyland kept the $400 price tag steady during the busy Halloween and Christmas seasons before switching to a variable pricing model in the new year. Premier Pass prices dropped to $299 to $349 in January and February after the winter holiday season ended, according to Thrill Data.
Walt Disney World recently expanded Premier Pass availability to the general public after initially limiting access to guests staying at Disney hotels.