This isn’t an update we’re pumped about.
Tree of Life
Planning a trip to Disney World includes budgeting, deciding which restaurants are worth your time, and picking out your must-dos in each park. It can be a lot to plan as things change around the parks but this latest change is going to hit you right in the wallet.
It’s no secret Disney World can get pricey. There are so many snacks, Mickey ears, and pins to buy and sometimes, if we’re being honest, we forget about the budget. We try to budget as closely as we can before heading to the theme parks just so we can have fun and not feel bad on the drive home when we take a peek at our credit card bill.
Magic Kingdom
One of the things we take into account when we’re planning finances is Lightning Lanes! Lighting Lanes are a way to upgrade your Disney World trip by paying to skip most of the lines in the parks. Skipping the lines in Disney World isn’t new but the Lightning Lane service is. This new system launched in July 2024 and is now split into 3 categories. There’s Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Single Pass, and Premier Pass.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Lightning Lane
Multi Pass gives you access to 3 guaranteed lines per day and then more as the day goes on. Single Pass gives you access to skip the line of the most popular ride in each park once. Premier Pass is the latest, and most expensive, addition to the list that it allows you to skip each line once per day in the park you purchase it for. These services aren’t a necessity on your Disney trip but they are a nice convenience if you want it.
Haunted Mansion Lightning Lane
We like to budget for these if we’re feeling a bit extra when planning for our trip and now it seems like we know when prices are going to increase for Lightning Lane! Starting on March 3rd, 2025, Lightning Lane Premier Pass is going to cost you even more in Disney World.
©Disney
To skip every line in these parks, without needing to book lightning lane times, you’ll pay $449 for Magic Kingdom, $249 for EPCOT, $349 for Hollywood Studios, and $199 for Animal Kingdom. Remember that this is priced per person, per park, per day. On March 2nd, before prices increase, Magic Kingdom’s pricing is the same, EPCOT’s is $239, Hollywood Studios is $339, and Animal Kingdom’s is $159.
©Disney
This isn’t the only jump we’re seeing when it comes to Lightning Lanes though! Animal Kingdom’s Multi Pass Price is jumping $10 starting on March 3rd bringing it to $29 per person.
©Disney
Multi Pass allows you to book 3 lightning lanes before your park visit. Once you’re in the park and start using your lightning lanes, you can book additional ones holding up to 3 at a time. Lightning Lanes do tend to fill up for more popular rides so there is no guarantee outside of the 3 guests can prebook.
Pandora in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Traditionally we don’t recommend purchasing Multi Pass for Animal Kingdom because of the limited rides available on the list. Animal Kingdom is also currently changing quite a bit with TriceraTop Spin and other parts of DinoLand U.S.A. having recently closed forever and It’s Tough To Be A Bug closing on March 17th, 2025 permanently.
Goodbye, TriceraTop Spin!
DinoLand is closing to make way for Pueblo Esperanza. This is the new Tropical Americas-themed land that will feature rides inspired by Indiana Jones and Encanto! It’s Tough To Be A Bug is closing to make room for Zootopia: Better Zoogether which is a brand new show featuring Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde. The new land is expected to open in 2027 and the new show is headed to the park in Winter 2025.
@Disney
We never love when prices increase in Disney World but with Spring Break beginning in March, which brings the crowds, we aren’t super surprised to see lightning lane prices increase. Don’t forget to keep following DFB for more Disney news and updates.
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Did the accounting geniuses at WDW not read the WSJ’s critique of their egregious pricing? The parks have been taken over by beancounters intent upon revenue optimizing visitors away. Ridiculous price increases combined with a massively degraded guest experience are a recipe for disaster. Think of all the things visitors used to enjoy that the beancounters have eliminated. Add to that the chronic disrepair and feigned effort to keep the parks tidy it’s no wonder visitors are increasingly inclined to not return to WDW.
That is absolutely outrageous! I just can’t believe those prices and it’s in addition to the ticket to the parks. How sad.
The Animal Kingdom price hike makes sense. People are purchasing this pass so that they can park hop to MK and HS later in the day without paying the LLMP price for those parks.
What a shame. Disney is becoming like Rome it will fall
Yep, glad our trip is this week and then we’re done for a while. These prices are crazy. Even when staying at deluxe resort it’s crazy. Looks like Universal will be getting a lot of people next year along with the opening of Epic.
Yay! Pay more for less available attractions and ugly construction walls! 2025 belongs to Epic Universe and everyone knows it.
I thought all the pricing for any type of Lightning Lane was dynamic (changing each day) based on their algorithms of demand, crowd size anticipated, etc. ?
WOW!!! Whatever happened to this being a place to bring the family and have some fun. This year will be our last for awhile. Going to wait to return when the new ‘lands’ are open. Must see Villains Land at least once.
Can’t even imagine how much a park ticket will cost then.
Please, everyone who reads this post, STOP GOING TO DISNEY. The Magic Is Gone. After 32 visits to Disney World since 1984, the 2019 visit was our last MAGICAL VISIT. GREEDY GREEDY GREEDY
Do we think the price hike is here to stay? Or is it because of spring break? I would assume it fluctuated up because march is typically when all the spring breakers head there…
Why prices at the parks keep going up
I love Disney parks. I have fond memories from my childhood and from bringing my own son. Disney is the result of Walt Disney’s business model based on taking earnings and investing them back into the company (standard model till the 1980s for most companies). Adding value.
Disney now has a business model based on extraction. Extracting as much value as possible while keeping the lights on.
Disney will spend $4 billion of its earnings this year (and most prior years) on stock buy backs (this is legal). It buys its own shares back reducing the number on the market driving the stock price up. 80-90 percent of top executives’ comp is based on stock price. The execs have the philosophy of IBGYBG (I’ll be gone, you’ll be gone – not kidding this is a thing), so they exact as much value (built through decades by employees and guests – the true investors) as quickly as possibly, then move on.
Another reason we are spending our money at Universal this fall.
Disney blatantly ignored the words of repeat visitors. Unless people stop falling into their trap, Dis ey will continue to increase these prices. For my family, we’re DVC owners. We’ve been enjoying our resort only! NO PARK VISITS! Orlando has much to offer too! Last year we found the Titanic Museum. For about $20 we enjoyed the afternoon walking through some very interesting rooms with facts and artifacts of the Titanic. If you want to enhance the experience, you can also enjoy a dinner, but call ahead! Do a Google search for fun things to do in Orlando. Honestly, my family didn’t miss the parks at all!
Lightning lane price increase and virtual cues gone. Probably just a coincidence…right?
At least the Lone Ranger had a mask and a gun! Bye-bye Disneyworld