Credit: Inside the MagicAccording to Florida Review, the busiest spring break period is March 1 through March 23, and it seems the Walt Disney World Resort is readying itself for another heavy year.
Spring break is notoriously busy at the Disney World theme parks, and comes as the first high-crowd period following the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year holidays. Last year was the first holiday season featuring the company’s refined Lightning Lane system, and even though Disney say they are still exploring how best to use the service, it performed well.
With sellouts of the costly Lightning Lane Premier Pass–Disney’s all-in-one pass for expedited entry to the selected theme park’s attractions–over multiple days, the longest being 10 consecutive days from Christmas through New Year, the new system seems to be largely approved by guests despite its high cost.
Alongside the Premier Pass are the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and the Lightning Lane Single Pass, which operate similarly to the previous Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane Selections process. The biggest change came with the ability to pre-book attractions ahead of time, something many guests missed from the FastPass+ days.
While the Premier Pass is the most costly option, the top tier price for Magic Kingdom has been $449, guests are showing support for it, with passes selling out on non-holiday days such as earlier this year in January and for a nine-day stretch over Valentine’s Day.
Of course, it is not known how many passes are available each day, and with the pass now open to all guests regardless of accommodation, it’s clear it will continue selling out a quicker rate.
Looking ahead, the spring break period is right around the corner, and Disney looks ready to capitalize on the big crowds expected at the resort. On certain dates from March 1 through March 6, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass will rocket to its all-time high price resort-wide.
At Magic Kingdom, the pass will be $449–a price not seen since the Christmas period–and $349, $249, and $199 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, respectively.
As a reminder, the Premier Pass gives guests one-time access via the Lightning Lane for all available attractions in the selected park. For example, at Magic Kingdom, guests will be able to ride signature attractions like TRON Lightcycle / Run, the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and the classic Peter Pan’s Flight, as well as 17 other experiences at the Disney park (subject to availability).
Spring break is just a handful of weeks away and this operational change signals the parks may be dealing with heavy crowds. In fact, it won’t just be Disney World that will be busy, recent new data shows that Orlando is one of the top searched places for the spring break period.
That said, hopefully the weather won’t be too harsh going into March as a new series of cold fronts prepare to swoop into the Sunshine State in the coming days.
How do you feel about Disney lifting the prices of the Lightning Lane for spring break? Let Inside the Magic know down below!