Disney World’s Lightning Lanes Are a No-Go This Week—Here’s Why

Now that the Fourth of July weekend is upon us, it’s a good time to examine what Disney World is doing with its Lightning Lane and Lightning Lane Premier Passes. With the expectation that crowd levels will spike over the next week, Disney World has adjusted its pricing to milk every last penny from the people coming to the parks for the holiday.

So, if you’re heading to the parks over the next eight days, you’re going to want to avoid using Lightning Lane passes, unless you’re willing to pay Disney’s increased fees. Here’s a look at just how significant those increases are.

Fourth of July Price Surging

Disney World recently released its pricing for Lightning Lane and Lightning Lane Premier Pass for the Fourth of July Holiday, and just in time for Independence Day, Disney is liberating money from your wallet.

Disney World’s Lightning Lane Premier Passes, which allow guests to skip the line once at every attraction without setting a specific time, have increased by seven to nine percent, depending on the park. At Magic Kingdom, the price on June 30 was $379, which jumps to $419 on July 4, a nine percent increase.

EPCOT and Animal Kingdom’s Lightning Lane Premier Pass increased seven percent, while Hollywood Studios saw a nine percent increase. It is slightly ironic that Disney would raise the price at Animal Kingdom, given that so few rides are available at the park at this moment, given all the construction.

If the Lightning Lane Premier Pass is too rich for your blood, there is always the Lightning Lane Multi Pass, but don’t worry, Disney is increasing the price on those, too. Guests can also expect a 25 to 16 percent increase in those costs. The highest percentage increase is at EPCOT, where the price jumps from $18 per person on June 30 to $24 per person on July 4, a 25 percent increase.

Paying for the Lightning Lane Multi Pass also doesn’t get you popular rides like Tron: Lightcycle/Run, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Rise of the Resistance, and Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. Those prices are increasing too. In some cases, they are increasing by only $1, but for Rise, it’s $2 per person.

During these busy holiday weekends, Disney World knows that Lightning Lane passes have become an essential part of guests’ park visits, and it has planned accordingly to ensure you will pay up for the privilege of skipping the line. So, while you’re paying less to get into the parks, Disney knows you’ll keep paying up once you’re there.

Somehow, just like magic, on July 14, the Lightning Lane and Lightning Lane Premier Passes dropped back down to their pre-July 4 levels, and in some cases are even lower. Disney knows that with the spike in crowds, guests will pay to get on all the rides they want.

What do you think of Disney World’s surge pricing of Lightning Lane passes for the holiday week? Let us know in the comments.