Say goodbye to the free FastPass and hello to paid Premier Access at Disneyland Paris. The new paid skip-the-line service made its debut on August 5th, and with it free FastPass is now a thing of the past. A brand new virtual queuing system called Standby Pass was also unveiled. 

, Disneyland Paris Paid Skip-The-Line “Premier Access” Goes Live

Premier Access costs between €8 ($9) and €15 ($16) per person per ride. Prices are dynamic and will change depending on attraction, season, and demand.  

Disney Premier Access is currently available for Big Thunder Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, Ratatouille, Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, Star Tours, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and Autopia. But we expect more attractions to be quickly added. Guests will purchase and manage Premier Access via the park app.

, Disneyland Paris Paid Skip-The-Line “Premier Access” Goes Live

We visited Disneyland Paris yesterday to show you how the system works (take a look at the video): 

https://youtu.be/XiaTl0bMUto 

Disneyland Paris hasn’t had a new ride since Buzz Lightyear in 2006 and the queues are only growing due to an increase in visitors and no new attractions to help absorb them. 

With the financial success of paid skip-the-line passes in other theme parks, it was only a matter of time until Disney cashed in. Universal Orlando’s front of line “Express Pass” starts at $109.99 and can go up to $ 309.99 (and that doesn’t include your park admission). 

, Disneyland Paris Paid Skip-The-Line “Premier Access” Goes Live
Would you pay $18 to ride Buzz Lightyear?

Since Disney’s parks are always looking for ways to reduce waiting time and earn more money, the result is Disney Premier Access. But unlike Universal’s bundled approach, Disneyland Paris will charge per attraction, discouraging over-use.  

At the current cost per attraction, we don’t expect many guests to use this service. For example, at about $18 to skip the line at Peter Pan, that’s $72 for a family of 4 to ride an attraction with a normal wait of 30 minutes to an hour. Is it worth that much to you? We think most will just wait in standby instead of paying.  

, Disneyland Paris Paid Skip-The-Line “Premier Access” Goes LiveDisneyland Paris is also rolling out a free virtual queuing system called “Standby Pass” for attractions when the waits get too long. Once the normal queues reach a certain length, the attraction will switch to a virtual queuing system to alleviate the line. You can check to see which attractions have activated Standby Pass by looking at the park app. The system was recently tested at Indiana Jones in California’s Disneyland Park. The attraction would open with a regular queue and then guests would be asked to enter a virtual queue when the regular line got too long. 

, Disneyland Paris Paid Skip-The-Line “Premier Access” Goes Live

Though, we do find it curious that Standby Pass is being rolled out at the same time as Premier Access. There may be times when the virtual queue is full for the day and the only way to ride the attraction may be to purchase Premier Access. 

So, what are the pros and cons to Disney’s Premier Access? 

Pros: 

  • The shutdown of FastPass has resulted in lines that move much more quickly for all guests. 
  • The high prices of Premier Access does not encourage a high number of guests to skip-the-line.
  • The proportion of visitors using Premier Access will never be as high as the old FastPass system and will therefore help keep waits shorter. 
  • If there’s an attraction that’s so important to you or your child that it would make or break your whole trip you can pay to ride it without a wait.
  • If the attraction breaks down before you get to use your Premier Access appointment, you’ll be able to use it at any other Premier Access attraction without a scheduled time. 

, Disneyland Paris Paid Skip-The-Line “Premier Access” Goes Live

Cons: 

  • We believe Premier Access will be used more heavily by visitors during periods of high attendance, therefore having an even greater impact on the normal queue (but still less of an impact than the old FastPass system).
  • Dynamic pricing makes it possible for Disney to easily raise prices and make it harder for guests to really know what they’ll be paying during their trips.
  • Once Standby Pass is activated, more guests may be pushed to buy a Premier Pass to get in the queue. 

Premier Access Thoughts

At the end of the day, I see Premier Access as mostly a benefit to infrequent tourists who don’t get the opportunity to visit the park very often. More frequent guests might occasionally pay for an attraction, especially during the busy seasons, to ensure they get to ride a favorite attraction. But the cost should keep the usage of the system under control and therefore be less of an impact on standby lines than the old FastPass system. 

Some are sure to think this is unfair, a special perk for the rich. Other’s will see this as leveling the playing field for tourists who struggle to compete with frequent visitors and locals. Still others, myself included, will simply be happy that FastPass is gone and the lines will move more quickly. 

I don’t imagine myself ever wanting to pay to skip the lines. I’m happy to wait in standby, or ride on a future visit. But I can absolutely put my self into the shoes of a tourist visiting at the busy holiday season wanting to make sure the kids get to ride a few favorite attractions. Expensive, yes! But also an option that doesn’t seem as crazy when you are on a vacation you’ve saved up for.  

Some additional food for thought. Could Disney begin offering Premier Access as a perk for staying in deluxe hotels on property? Is this all just a test for the service to eventually roll out in other Disney Parks? Can you imagine this being a solution to access at Rise of the Resistance at Walt Disney World and the original Disneyland? 

Interested to hear your thoughts. Would you pay for Premier Access? What do you think are the pros and cons? 

Thank’s for reading, I look forward to brining you a full update from Disneyland Paris soon! – Max

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Max
Maxence "Max" Pinard is a small shareholder of Disneyland Paris, and is the creator and reporter at DLP Welcome, which he founded in June 2009. Max has worked with MiceChat author and Disney and More Editor, Alain Littaye, since 2012 on many MiceChat articles. Max looks forward to continuing where Alain left off by bringing Micechat readers news and beautiful images from Disneyland Paris.