I bought the Disneyland Premier Pass - Here's How it Went
- paigelandrum
- 15 hours ago
- 6 min read
Contributed By:
Ready to super charge your Disneyland or Walt Disney World vacation with some major line skipping power? Then let’s introduce you to the Premier Pass: a Lightning Lane access pass that allows one-time use of the Lightning Lane for every eligible ride and gives you photo downloads from your day.
On my recent trip to Disneyland, I decided to try out the Premier Pass for myself for a few reasons:
I had never visited Disneyland before and I wanted to experience as much as possible
I was travelling solo for the day and didn’t want too much downtime waiting in lines by myself
I wanted to make the most of my time and energy since I knew I would likely be tired from the previous travel day and the time difference
I was visiting BOTH Disneyland Park and California Adventure
My favorite part of the Premier Pass is that I did not need to schedule times for my Lightning Lanes - I just walked up, scanned my MagicBand and rode! This gave me so much freedom in how I was able to navigate the parks and eliminated extra walking between rides. A huge perk for tired theme park feet! This is also a fun way to get that 'all-inclusive' feel while on a Disney vacation.
My day was absolutely amazing - I entered Downtown Disney with just a short walk from the Disneyland hotel. I chose the monorail for a relaxed start, riding directly into Tomorrowland within Disneyland Park. This calm route proved to be the perfect way to ease into a busy day. I should also add that staying at one of the Disneyland on-site hotels is such an advantage. It definitely makes for an easy travel experience during your stay.
*Note, entering the park this way means you skip the iconic walk up to the castle from Main Street - if that’s a priority, skip the monorail and walk to the Disneyland Park entrance. As I mentioned above, this is also an easy way to start the day!
You would never guess which ride I opted to rope drop because normally guests aim for the heavy hitters that draw longer lines! However, my Premier Pass meant that my priority was riding attractions as I came to them versus trying to beat crowds to the bigger attractions. So, once I hopped off the monorail, it was straight to Autotopia for a relaxing ride around Tomorrowland! From there I was able to complete all of Tomorrowland in just an hour, including Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters, and Star Tours.
With one land complete, I was feeling pretty confident about my goal of riding all of the Premier Pass Lightning Lane options by the end of the day, so I took a stroll through Pixie Hollow on my way to the Matterhorn! After a twisty ride evading the Abominable Snowman on the Matterhorn Bobsleds, I was off to Toontown, where I knocked out Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin and Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway in no time! The freedom of the pass meant that I could take some time to watch the Disneyland Band on my way to snag some lunch in Adventureland (still dreaming of the delicious thai tea and beef skewers from Bengal BBQ).
All fueled up now, it was time to put my pass to good use by skipping the now LONG lines at Indiana Jones Adventure and Haunted Mansion before hopping on the Disneyland Railroad for a ride back to the front of the park - great for views but also for giving my feet a nice rest!
Now this is where my Premier Pass became extra super charged because it was time to park hop over to Disney California Adventure during the busiest time of day! Jumped right into it with a quick spin on Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue before heading to Avengers Campus. This section of the park was jam packed, so my Premier Pass came in super handy while riding Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure.
The biggest perk of the Premier Pass for this thrill loving fan of all things Marvel? During the Halloween season when I visited, the Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout ride runs normally until 3:00pm and then transitions to the more intensely themed Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark. Since Disneyland considers these two separate attractions, I had a Lightning Lane for each! I planned my arrival at Avengers Campus to give me a chance to ride the original ride before the transition, then kept busy with Web Slingers and a snack stop for a Dubai chocolate styled churro before heading right back to try out Monsters After Dark. It was incredible!
Using a travel advisor who understands these travel tips (like planning out this ride for multiple times during the day to see both versions) definitely helps keep the magic going while on vacation.
After all that excitement, it was time to head over to Cars Land for a spin on Radiator Springs Racers - the perfect mix of movie nostalgia and thrill! Bonus: the current wait time was 70 minutes, and I was on in less than 10! Then onto the classic The Little Mermaid - Ariel's Undersea Adventure for a calm spin through her story. At this point I was ready for a refuel, just in time to stop at my favorite food stop - San Fransokyo Square where I snagged the fan favorite birria tacos and a refreshing horchata fresca.
As if this day couldn’t get any better, it was time to experience the Incredicoaster in Pixar Pier (maybe not the best choice after spicy tacos, but you only live once, right?) for a high thrill chase to catch baby Jack-Jack. Once I settled my stomach with a stroll around the pier, it was time to compete in Toy Story Midway Mania before taking a twirl around the sky on Goofy's Sky School.
Now I came prepared for the next ride - Grizzly River Run - and it’s a good thing I did because this whitewater raft ride was super fun, but your chance of getting drenched was very high! So I swapped my sneakers for sandals and threw on a poncho so that I didn’t get too cold when I was done! To dry off, I visited one of my all time favorites - Soarin' Around the World and with that, all the Lightning Lanes in Disney’s California Adventure were complete!
At 7:00pm with four hours till Disneyland Park closed, I only had three attractions left! After park hopping back over to Disneyland, I jumped back on my favorite, Disneyland Railroad, to New Orleans Square, poncho in hand because it was time for my second water ride - Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! I love the view from this ride at night, but I definitely would have been chilly if I was soaked, so I was thrilled to have my poncho. Last stop to use all the Lightning Lanes that the Premier Pass offers was Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge - so I was off to help the Resistance on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
My day with the pass was complete by 8:00pm, just in time for me to grab a spot and end an already perfect day with the Paint the Night parade!
I would absolutely budget for this super charged pass again - it made getting everything done in the parks effortless!
Who should consider the Premier Pass:
Guests who prioritize convenience over budget
Guests with limited time who want to experience as many rides as possible
Guests who enjoy luxury vacations that feel 'all-inclusive'
Things to note about the Premier Pass:
You will want a full day to really take advantage of how much this pass offers
Consider whether your party likes thrill rides. If not, you may not get the full value of this pass
Rides are subject to availability (Big Thunder Mountain and It’s A Small World were closed for refurbishment during my visit)
Not all rides are included, if the ride does not offer a Lightning Lane it will not be part of the pass i.e. Peter Pan’s Flight, Dumbo, Pirates of the Caribbean and Jungle Cruise
Premier Pass can be purchased 7 days prior to your travel date and prices vary by day
AMAAB Travel Advisor
Want help figuring out if a Premier Pass, Lightning Lanes, or VIP tours makes sense for your next Disney theme park day? Ask your AMAAB travel advisor and we will help guide you in your decision.
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