New: Walt Disney World Park Raises Prices to Record High as Crowds Escalate

The Walt Disney World Resort is gearing up for its busiest time of the year. As Thanksgiving and the holiday season approaches, the parks are making preparations to capitalize on the heavy footfall expected in late November and through December. As such, Disney’s Animal Kingdom will raise the prices of one of its Lightning Lane offerings to a record high.

Earlier this year, Disney Experiences retooled its Disney Genie+ system, opting for an all-around cohesive Lightning Lane offering. First, it was the Lightning Lane Multi and Single Passes, and then the Lightning Lane Premier Pass followed not long after.

The former allows guests to pre-book rides and attractions up to seven days before their Disney World visit, depending on their accommodation. Unfortunately, for international visitors, the service is only available in the United States or Canada.

While the Multi Pass and the Single Pass work in the same way the original Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane Selections did, the Premier Pass allows guests to pay a higher price to experience all of a theme park’s Lightning Lane attractions once. Prices currently range from around $129 to $399, with the latter end of the price range being reserved for peak days at Magic Kingdom Park.

As for Animal Kingdom, the Disney World theme park that has the fewest Lightning Lane accessible attractions, the cost of the Premier Pass is often cheaper than the likes of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. However, the wildlife-themed park will hit a new record on November 26, when the cost of the Lightning Lane Premier Pass will hit $179 (per WDWMagic).

The price hike is not unusual, considering that November 26 is just days away from Thanksgiving. Prices for all Lightning Lane offerings can be expected to heighten resort-wide during the run-up to the annual holiday and likely continue into the Christmas season. Disney has previously shared that prices for the Premier Pass at Animal Kingdom could reach $199.

Attractions available with the Lightning Lane Premier Pass at Animal Kingdom at the time of writing are:

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• DINOSAUR
• Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• Feathered Friends in Flight!
• Festival of the Lion King
• Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!
• It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
• Kali River Rapids
• Kilimanjaro Safaris
• Naʻvi River Journey

At present, the Lightning Lane Premier Pass is only available for guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resorts, Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts, or other select hotels.

The attraction offering at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will change soon. Imagineers have begun work to transform DinoLand U.S.A. into the Pueblo Esperanza, the upcoming Tropical Americas-themed area at the Disney World park. The Pueblo Esperanza will include two signature attractions: one themed to the Encanto franchise and a second based on the Indiana Jones movies.

The Tropical Americas is expected to open in 2027, meaning that DinoLand U.S.A.’s attractions, such as the beloved DINOSAUR dark ride, will cease to exist. In January 2025, multiple DinoLand experiences will close as the first phase of the retheme begins. TriceraTop Spin, Fossil Fun Games, and Chester and Hester’s Dinosaur Treasures will all close on January 13.

Other locations like the aforementioned DINOSAUR and Restaurantosaurus have yet to receive closing dates.

Eventually, the It’s Tough to be a Bug! attraction inside the Tree of Life will also close as Disney prepares to bring the characters of Zootopia to Walt Disney World Resort. “The show, ‘Zootopia: Better Zoogether!’ will take guests on an adventure through different biomes seen in the film and opens next winter,” Disney Parks Blog confirmed in August during the bi-annual D23 Expo.

How do you feel about the Lightning Lane prices hitting new heights at Walt Disney World Resort? Let Disney Fanatic know in the comments down below!