Fastpass Is Truly Gone. Is Disneyland Paris PREMIER ACCESS Worth It? Here Are the Costs of Paris’ ‘Lightning Lane’
Let’s face it. I hate waiting in a long queue – I’m sure you do, too. Especially when waiting with small children, moaning teenagers, or in the heat, cold or rain. Going to Disney parks when it is crowded can be an exercise in ultimate patience. Enter your solution: Disneyland Paris Premier Access.
But is it worth it? This first-timer’s guide to the Disney Premier Pass has all the PROs and Cons and, most importantly, the cost!
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?! Wait, What About the Disneyland Paris Fast Pass? Isn’t it FREE?
Fast Pass (for anyone who went to Disneyland Paris pre-2020) was a skip-the-line-for-free system. A Fast Pass machine was set up next to each participating ride. You would push a button and be issued a paper slip with a time to return to that ride. Using that magic slip of paper (the ‘Fast Pass’) would entitle you to a fast lane, skipping the queue and boarding your ride within minutes.
Sadly, Fast Pass is no longer. For better or worse, Disney has introduced the digital Premier Access to replace the paper Fast Pass system.
Does Disneyland Paris Have Genie+?
Disneyland Paris currently does not offer Genie+, but read on to find out how Premier Access is similar.
What is Premier Access?
The Disneyland Paris Premier Pass achieves the same goal as Fast Pass: Skip to the front of the line on Disneyland Paris’ most popular attractions.
The key difference to Fast Pass is that Premier Access is a paid service.
There are two Premier Pass levels: Premier Access One and Premier Access Ultimate.
⭐ Disney Premier Access ONE
Premier Access One is a one-time ‘skip the line’ pass for one attraction.
Access One allows you to use the fast lane for one eligible attraction. As soon as you purchase your pass on the Disneyland Paris app, it will allocate the next available time window for your ride.
It is similar to Genie+ in that a specific time is allocated to you and spots are limited. Unlike Genie+, unfortunately, you don’t get to pick what time you’re given.
🏰 FOR DISNEY PARK FANS Disney Premier Access One is almost identical to Lightning Lane in Walt Disney World, Florida.
⭐ Disney Premier Access ULTIMATE
Premier Access Ultimate is an all-day ‘skip the line’ pass for all eligible attractions.
There are no time slots to use Premier Ultimate; you can join the fast lane anytime. The only catch is that you cannot repeat an attraction. This is a one-time experience for each of the rides.
How Do I Buy Premier Access? How Much is the Disneyland Paris Premier Pass?
Premier Access One: BUY ON THE DAY OF YOUR VISIT
The price for Premier Access One is per person for one ride. You can only buy this on the day of your trip and once you are inside the park.
To do that, go on the Disneyland Paris app, choose your attraction, purchase Premier Access One, and be allocated the next available time to go on that ride.
💰 Prices for Disney Premier One
Prices vary by season and popularity. The fee for one person (and one ride experience) varies between €5-18 Euros (£4-16) depending on popularity. You can buy another pass if you want to use the fast lane for another ride.
These are the average prices during May:
Disneyland Park
- Indiana Jones, Orbitron, Phantom Manor, ‘it’s a small world,’ Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Tours OR Autopia: €5
- Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast: €9
- Big Thunder Mountain OR Peter Pan’s Flight: €13
Walt Disney Studios Park
- Avengers Flight Force OR Cars ROAD TRIP €5
- Ratatouille OR Tower of Terror €12
- Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure €12
- Crush’s Coaster: €16
Premier Access Ultimate: BUY IN ADVANCE OR ON THE DAY
You can purchase Premier Ultimate in advance with your park tickets or hotel/tickets package on the Disneyland Paris website. (After you select your tickets, it will give you an option to ‘add on’ the Premier Ultimate.)
OR, You can buy the Disney Premier Ultimate on the day of your visit using the Disneyland Paris app.
💰 Prices For Premier Access Ultimate
The cost of Disney Premier Ultimate varies based on the date of your trip from €90-180. Below are examples of prices for high and low season. (Check here to get the exact price for the dates of your visit.)
- Low Season: March, £107.
- High Season: Crowded day in August, £148.
Is Premier Pass Worth It?
Whether Premier Pass is Worth it Depends on…
- Your budget
- How fast or slow you want your experience in the parks to be
If Premier Access One is easily within your budget, this is a no-brainer – especially for a solo traveller or a couple on a 1- or 2-day trip to Disneyland Paris. Using it strategically on 2-3 of the longest rides (see below for the best rides) will dramatically cut your wait times and maximise your time in the parks.
But if you are on a longer trip, or have a larger party, it might make more sense to use Extra Magic Time or a good Trip Planner rather than spend a fortune on Premier One Passes for many people or across several days.
Premier Access Ultimate gives you access to 17 attractions, so it is far more expensive than Premier One. You may need to think carefully before purchasing it.
Is it necessary? No, you can have a fully immersive day at Disneyland Paris and not go on every single ride. Do you want a VIP experience? Then Premier Ultimate can give you that feeling. You won’t need to wait for a single ride and you can do everything in both parks in one day.
DO Consider a Premier Pass If…
- It’s in your budget
- You’re travelling solo, with a friend, or as a couple
- You’re on a 1- or 2-day trip
- It’s a particularly busy park day (ie the Summer and Christmas seasons)
- You know your child would be very distressed waiting in a long queue
DON’T Consider Premier Pass If…
- It’s out of your budget. There are many ways that this Disney trip will cost you already, and this is not a necessary expense.
- You’re visiting in an off-peak tourist season. Queues for less popular rides will only be about 15-30 minutes, and queues for more popular rides will be around 45 minutes. It’s often enjoyable to see the themed queues and take a breather from rushing around the park. My family like to chat and have a snack while in the queue. We might decide on dinner plans or debate the next ride to go on, so it is not a problem for us.
👱🏻♀️ My Experience
I don’t really mind waiting in line at Disney. It’s often enjoyable to see the themed queue areas and take a pause from rushing around the park.
But there is one attraction at Disneyland Paris that will have a very long queue no matter what time of day or time of year you visit. That is Crush’s Coaster in Walt Disney Studios. Expect to queue for 90 minutes and up to 150 minutes for Crush. If you can afford the Premier Access One for this 2-minute ride, go for it!
What Is There to Do in the Queue if You Don’t Have a Premier Pass?
In the queue for Crush’s Coaster there is a Crush game you can play on your phone (you’ll see signs for it in the queue.)
Otherwise, my family like to chat, play a game like Heads-Up or have a snack while waiting. We might decide on dinner plans or debate the next ride to go on, so we use this opportunity to organise our later activities in the park.
What Rides are Included with Disneyland Paris Premier Pass?
There are 17 rides eligible for Disney Premier Access One and Premier Access Ultimate.
Premier Access Attractions in Disneyland Park
- Autopia
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril
- ‘it’s a small world’
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Phantom Manor
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Orbitron (Premier Access One only)
- Star Tours: The Adventure Continues
- Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain
Premier Access Attractions in Walt Disney Studios Park
- Avengers Assemble: Flight Force
- Cars ROAD TRIP
- Crush’s Coaster
- Ratatouille: The Adventure
- Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure
- Tower of Terror
✏️ PRO TIP Get a printable checklist of the Premier Access One and Access Ultimate rides in this handy Disneyland Paris Attractions Planner. It also includes park itineraries to easily plan your park days.
What are the BEST Rides for Premier Access One?
If you want to skip the longest queues at Disneyland Paris, these are the top 7 best rides for Premier Access One, in priority order:
- Crush’s Coaster
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure
- Tower of Terror
- Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain
- Ratatouille Adventure
11 Top Tips for Disney Premier Pass
- Once purchased, your Premier Pass will show as a QR code on your Disneyland Paris app in the ‘Account’ section.
- Children under 3 years old do not need a Premier Pass, as long as their accompanying adult has one.
- The Disneyland Paris Premier Ultimate Pass is good for both parks, but you will still need a 2-park ticket if you want to park hop.
- Premier Access Passes are not transferable; they are only valid for the guest with the Disney park ticket it is connected to.
- You cannot combine Premier Access with Parent Rider Switch. (The cast member that gives you the Rider Switch Pass will know which queue you entered.)
- If you don’t have a smartphone or Disney account, you can buy Premier Access from City Hall in Disneyland Park or Studios Services in Walt Disney Studios.
- If your attraction closes during your time slot for Premier Access One, you will receive a new ‘wild card’ pass. Check the My Disney Premier Access section of the Disneyland Paris app. You can choose to wait to see if that attraction re-opens. Or, use your new pass to ride any other eligible attraction, at any time (no time slot applies).
- If you want to buy Premier Access for only part of your group, you can do this 7 days before your trip in the Disneyland Paris app. Just make sure your park tickets are linked to your Disney account.
- Are you planning on repeating an attraction? You can buy up to 3 Disney Premier Access One passes per attraction, per guest, per day. Large group? You can buy up to 12 Disney Premier Access One passes for the same attraction and time slot at a time.
- Passes are limited especially Premier Access One. If you know you want it, plan to buy it earlier in the day in case they sell out. But, check the wait times first. You won’t need to skip the queues early in the morning, and your Premier Access One Pass will only give you the next available window for your attraction.
- Once purchased, you cannot get a refund for your Premier Access Pass.
What Do You Think?
Are you considering the Disneyland Paris Premier Access One or Premier Access Ultimate? Leave me a comment below, I would love to know your thoughts. 👇
READ NEXT If you found this Disney Premier Access Guide helpful, you should check out:
💜 First-timers make the same mistakes over and over again – but you don’t have to! Check out these 17 Most Clever Tips for Disneyland Paris.
💙 Looking to squeeze everything into 1-day? Check out this amazing Disneyland Paris Park Plan
🩵 Planning your park days? Here’s how to get a FREE Custom Disneyland Paris Park Itinerary.
