A new Lighting Lane Premier Pass program will be tested by Disney at its theme parks. This puts customers in a situation that they often find themselves in: should they pay more for VIP treatment, or should they skip the perks and save money?
A regular one-day ticket to a Disney DIS 2.69% theme park isn’t exactly cheap, though; prices range from $100 and up depending on the park and the day. This is where the Lightning Lane Premier Pass comes in. It lets you skip the queue for many rides and costs an extra $129 to $449, depending on the park and the day.
The program starts on Oct. 23 at Disneyland Resort in California and on Oct. 30 at Walt Disney World in Florida. It will be in addition to the Lightning Lane deals that are already available. These deals are cheaper but include fewer rides and may need to be booked in advance for some attractions. Representatives from Disney say that the new service is meant to be much more complete and make planning easier for guests.
There are a lot of theme parks like Disney that offer this kind of high-end choice. Universal CMCSA 0.33% has a pass called the Universal Express pass that lets you skip the lines and gets you into its Florida parks faster. It costs between $89.99 and $289.99. Is there a word for this? If so, it would be “VIP-ifying” the customer experience. This is happening more than ever in many different types of businesses.
“No market is safe from the allure of being a high roller,” said Rebecca Horan, a marketing and brand manager from New Jersey.
Do you want to get on a plane early? For a fee, like $15 to $99 for Southwest Airlines LUV 1.38%’s EarlyBird Check-In program, airlines will happily do it. Want to get better at delivering food? That’s why the buying platforms will offer VIP-style memberships, like DoorDash’s DASH 0.67% DashPass for $9.99 a month.
But there are even worse choices. You can think of VIP music packages that come with great seats, gifts, and maybe even a chance to meet the artist. Or a suite on a cruise ship with private meals and a butler who is always there for you. In these situations, the price can be tens of thousands of dollars more than what is normally charged.
Just think about how long it seems like that the standard product was the only one. Maybe a generation or two ago. To get into Disney, there was only one way to see the theme park: pay the daily fee and wait in queue for each ride.
Some Disney fans miss how easy things were back then. Or at the very least, they don’t want to pay more than the price of admission to the park to get to the front of the queue with a Premier Pass.
Alyssa Cohen lives in Florida and often goes to Disney. She thinks the newest offering is too much to ask for.
“I feel so bad for all the families who want to experience the magic like we do but can’t see themselves going on a Disney vacation,” she said.
Disney wouldn’t say anything for this story.
What is the reason for all of this VIP-ing in the purchasing world?
Some consumer advocates say it’s because businesses are getting smarter and finding new ways to take as much money as possible from their clients. And this approach is even more important now that companies have to deal with rising prices and a job market where wages can be higher. Companies need to make money, but how?
Most of the time, this is how the method works: Companies keep customers who care about value in check by limiting how much they raise the prices of their basic products. However, they make money at the same time by advertising the VIP perks and selling them to people who are willing to pay for them, even if the perks are things that used to be free.
It can make a lot of money. For Disney, it has. A report from the Wall Street Journal using leaked data says that Walt Disney World made $724 million before taxes from its Genie+ program from 2021 to 2024. This was for a front-of-the-line choice that is no longer sold.
In a February 2022 conference call about the previous quarter’s revenue, former Disney CEO Bob Chapek talked about how well the Genie+ and Lighting Lane products did.
Chapek said, “We thought these products would be popular, but we have been blown away by the response.” “During the quarter, more than a third of park visitors from the United States bought either Genie+, Lightning Lane, or both.” Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, that number went up to more than 50%.
Some people think that the new Lightning Lane Premier Pass will sell, even if it’s only to rich people. But experts say that many people who choose VIP classes, whether at Disney or somewhere else, aren’t really that wealthy. Most of the time, they’re middle-class people who are ready to spend a little extra to feel like a big deal for a short time.
In reality, the move towards VIP treatment isn’t just being driven by companies. It’s also the customer.
Take Toni May, who lives in Florida and often goes with Celebrity Cruises (RCL-0.34%).
May said that she usually chooses the cruise line’s Premium Access pass, which lets her get on the ship early, leave places first, and enjoy a special welcome lunch. Celebrity says it costs $30.99 per day per person, but May thinks it’s well worth the money for how easy and convenient it is and how it makes her feel like a high roller.
One example is May, who knows that the program includes room service for free, so she makes the most of it.
She said, “Every afternoon, we get a prawn plate.”
