Okay, I’ve got a big beef with Disney World’s Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass pamphlet
So here’s the deal…I’ve been going to Disney World for almost 30 years (my first trip was in 1996 during the Birthday Cake Castle debacle — and yes, I was a little upset). I’ve also been going to Disneyland since 2014 (y’all, this is already making me feel old). I love both, although there are some things I think Disney World does better (hello, park security), and I think there are some things Disneyland does better (ALL the characters). But I do have one MASSIVE gripe about Disney World’s Lightning Lane Multi Pass that I need to get off my chest.
So Lightning Lane Multi Pass is a service that you pay for each day that lets you skip the standby lines at rides and access the shorter Lightning Lanes. It’s usually a huge time-saver and I generally buy it when I visit both Disney World and Disneyland. But there’s one massive thing I find wrong with Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Disney World.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway Lightning Lane
Okay, so if you buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Disneyland, you get unlimited downloads for each day you buy the service of ALL your PhotoPass photos. This includes ride photos, but also any photos you pose for with a Disneyland photographer, including Magic Shots. Immediately, that makes Lightning Lane Multipass worth it in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, especially considering that you’d otherwise pay $99.99 per day with Disney PhotoPass+, a service that ONLY gets you photos.
Disneyland Photopass photographer
However, if you pay for Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Disney World, you only get ride photos and videos. You do NOT get any other PhotoPass photos or Magic Shots. Instead, if you want digital downloads of ALL your PhotoPass photos, you’re going to have to pay for them through Memory Maker, which is $185 if you pay in advance of your trip. This is also nonrefundable, so if you end up with a ton of photos you hate, you’re just going to have to live with them.
©Disney
This is one thing that Disneyland absolutely does better: You should be able to get all your photos in Disney World, too, if you purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Even if you opt for the more expensive Lightning Lane Premier Pass, you STILL don’t get those photo downloads — and that pass is NOT cheap (anywhere from $129 to $449 per day, depending on the date and park).
PhotoPass
I get it — the two parks are unique in their own ways and they operate differently. One is a tourist destination, while the other tends to cater to more of a local base. But still, I’d feel a lot better about paying for Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Disney World if I knew I could get all my photos, too.
It’s a minor complaint, but Disney World needs to learn to offer more value to those who purchase these extra paid options like Lighting Lane Multi Pass that were once 100% free (I still miss you, FastPass+).
Stay tuned to DFB for more.
I Spent $131.68 for One Disney Skip the Line Pass and Immediately Regretted All My Lightning Lane Complaints
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What do you think? Do you think purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Disney World should get you all your PhotoPass photos? Let us know in the comments!
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I wouldn’t want WDW to stop offering the LLMP version without the Photopass photos, because as an AP holder, I’m only looking for LLMP – photos are already included with the only level of AP I can buy out-of-state. Now, I do think it would be great if they would offer a version of LLMP that includes all the photos for the day that you buy a LLMP, but let’s face it: Disney is not going to just start including it. If they add it, the price will go up, and people who otherwise have already paid for their photos one way or the other will not be happy (and it could drive down MM sales). So if they make a version of LLMP that includes photos, I hope they keep a version that doesn’t. I haven’t been to Disneyland, so I’m not qualified to speculate why it might be included there (too hard to separate ride photos from photographer photos? fewer photographer opportunities?), but it’s amazing that it is include there, considering the standalone photopass price.
As a DVC member I took advantage of the “Magic Beyond” extra for $99, which automatically gives you unlimited photo pass for a year in addition to bumping you to the top of the waitlist for any DVC lounges.