Lightning Lane Premier Pass Sells Out at Magic Kingdom for the First Time Since Expanded Access

28 days ago in "Disney Genie"

Posted: Friday January 31, 2025 9:45am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

For the first time since its availability was expanded to all Walt Disney World guests, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass has sold out at Magic Kingdom today January 31, 2025, priced at $379. The pass was previously exclusive to resort guests before becoming available for all park visitors on January 21, 2025.

A Surprising Sell-Out on a Non-Holiday, Lower-Crowd Day

Unlike previous sell-outs that primarily occurred during peak holiday periods such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, today's Magic Kingdom Premier Pass sell-out happened on a regular park day—one that is not a holiday or a particularly high-attendance date. This suggests that demand for the Premier Pass remains strong even outside of peak travel windows.

The Premier Pass allows guests to enter Lightning Lane attractions in a single park for one day, without the need to book return times in advance. Its price varies by date and park, with Magic Kingdom often commanding the highest pricing due to its ride lineup and demand.

What This Means for Future Availability

With today's unexpected sell-out, several key takeaways emerge:

  • Premier Pass demand is growing. Even on a non-peak day, high demand for the pass at Magic Kingdom suggests guests are willing to pay for the convenience of skipping standby lines, even at higher price points.
  • Future non-holiday sell-outs could become more common. While previous sell-outs were concentrated during peak travel periods, today's event signals that regular park days may also see availability run out, particularly at Magic Kingdom.
  • Higher demand could lead to price adjustments. If sell-outs continue to occur more frequently, Disney may adjust pricing accordingly, as has been seen with other variable-priced offerings like Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane selections.

Planning Ahead

Guests looking to purchase a Lightning Lane Premier Pass for upcoming Magic Kingdom visits should consider securing it as soon as their purchase window opens. With availability no longer restricted to resort guests and sell-outs now occurring outside of holiday periods, competition for the pass is likely to increase.

Stay tuned for further updates as we continue tracking Premier Pass pricing trends and availability across Walt Disney World parks.

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    Sirwalterraleigh13 days ago

    Very convenient timing for this announcement …if you trust coincidence

    Slowjack13 days ago

    Ah, okay. I figured Disney hadn't said anything official, but I thought maybe someone from inside might have leaked something. I mean, it's hard to even know what to think of the passes selling out without any idea of how many there are. I'd like to think the number is small enough to not have a significant effect on stand-by wait times, but that may be wishful thinking on my part. Or, the number may be small now but may expand over time.

    JD8013 days ago

    I have a plan, but it requires someone who wants to light a lot of money on fire. Book a bunch of 10+ day trips, and then on your 7+10 day buy all the LLPP you can until they sell out and you have all of them. Then we can find out how many there are per day.

    Jrb197913 days ago

    That and if they kept it to only 10% and got rid of LLMP standby would have constant movement.

    Laketravis13 days ago

    And 10% of that at an average of $350 a pop is $620M a year with an almost 100% profit margin. Just for one park. That would be hard for the bean counters to resist.

    TheMaxRebo14 days ago

    we have no idea other than Disney saying "very limited quantities" MK has average attendance of 48,500 (in 2023). 1% of that would be 485 - my guess would be somewhere around there but we have no idea

    nickys14 days ago

    Disney haven’t released any data on this.

    Slowjack14 days ago

    I apologize if this has been asked before, but I haven't been following this daily and couldn't find this with a search: do we have any idea approximately how many premier passes Disney makes available each day? Like per park, do we think it is dozens? Hundreds? More?

    WorldExplorer14 days ago

    The lines are still there and usable with DAS or a tour guide. As far as I know, stuff like Carousel of Progress or the Riverboat just flat out physically doesn't have a line at all.

    Purduevian14 days ago

    Characters don't have LLs anymore (including Belle)

    WorldExplorer14 days ago

    Another stipulation is that you don't get access to character LLs. That includes Enchanted Tales with Belle even though I would think that qualifies as a show more than a character meet.

    TheMaxRebo14 days ago

    True, that is more accurate. LLPP gets you access to all the LL that exist in the specific park you got LLPP be they designated as LLMP or LLSP but doesn't skip lines for rides that do not have any LL

    HauntedPirate14 days ago

    For me, personally, riding Guardians isn't on my radar anymore. The forced rotation messes up my equilibrium more and more now, and nothing about the ride is worth it. So others can have my spot on what I considered a very "meh" ride even after my first ride (which didn't cause me to feel sick, the effect the ride has on me has gotten worse over the past few years. But I can ride other coasters without a problem). I've been visiting since 1977. There isn't a single damn thing that I would pay to ride. :) We did LLMP one time, involving a very unique set of circumstances. I can't say "never again", because I don't know what the future holds whenever I do return (no current plans to visit WDW again for at least 4-5 years), but the likelihood of us purchasing any LL product is very, very small.

    Purduevian14 days ago

    There are also a very small around of rides not included in LLPP (They are not on LLSP or LLMP either). COP, Astro Orbitor, People mover, Riverboat, Train, Main street vehicles, and the Wildlife express train are the ones that come to mind... Typically those don't really have a wait (people mover can creep up a little bit and Astro Orbitor can be long), but if there is a line, LLPP does not allow you to skip it