Premier Access QUESTION

[BeachMouse1]

So we are going in September and our TA suggested we buy the Premier Access Ultimate. However in reading here several people are saying it’s not worth it and to just pay per ride. My question is do they run out of these like what happens with lightning lane single pass in WDW? Does anyone more experienced here think getting one in the new frozen land when it opens be an issue? Probably only going once and want to experience it as best as I can.

 

[LKing]

Here is Karin's run down from July 2024: https://www.disboards.com/threads/karin’s-disneyland-paris-first-timer-tips-2024.3950886/#post-65637287

I'll share my thought process. Again, this is my first trip so take my comments with a grain of salt.

We are doing 3 days/2 nights. Our only full rope-drop to park close is Day 2 so we sprung for Ultimate Premier Access on that day. We're going soon after Adventure World opens so it will probably be more busy for us than it will be for you in September. Also, this will likely be our only trip to Disneyland Paris. We live in California and don't have the luxury to come back frequently. We are planning with that in mind.

Of the 19 PA attractions, we'll probably ride 13 of them. Individual PA is $6-28 USD which averages out to approximately $17 per ride. 13 attractions at an average of $17 is $221 which is almost to the dollar what UPA costs us during a premium week. With UPA, we don't need to go through the process of purchasing PA and then loitering around until our PA time. I've read that it is often immediate but, with UPA, we are guaranteed for it to be immediate.

The first and third day we will either purchase individual PA or ride standby. I'll report back and let you know how it goes. Check with your travel agent. I believe you can cancel up until the week before.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

No its not worth it.

The last time I was in Disneyland Paris, I was with my family, friends and 8 year old niece. We went during UK October Halloween half term break which is a very busy time, similar to October in Disneyland California. We only did one Pay As You Go Access, all the rest we did stand by. The group was a mix of me Disney Adult, first timers to Disney Parks and first timers to Disneyland Paris.

 

[steve_rob]

This is my opinion on all the rides that have Premier Access available on them and the likelihood of being able to save a reasonable amount of time on them that would justify the purchase of a pass (whether it's a One-Off or an Ultimate). Of course, these are just my feelings and others may see it differently, especially if they go at certain times of year that are busier (or at weekends).

Disneyland Park
-------------------
Peter Pan's Flight : HIGH - can get inexplicably long queues, but is same ride as in WDW, so you might not need to ride it
Big Thunder Mountain : MED/HIGH - if staying onsite, use Extra Magic Hours for much shorter queue but otherwise is worth the pass
Orbitron : MEDIUM - can get long lines for such a short ride but same as Astro Orbiter at WDW
Phantom Manor : MED/LOW - unlikely to need it, but I have seen occasional long lines
Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain : MED/LOW - seen it with both long and short queues. Note - thrill ride with inversions, so you might not want to ride it
Autopia : MED/LOW - even if queue gets long, come back an hour later and it'll be short
Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast : LOW - can get queues, but is same as Disneyland (CA) version so you might skip anyway
Pirates of the Caribbean : LOW - will take longer to walk the length of the (very long) line than time spent actually queuing
Star Tours : LOW - don't think I've ever spent more than 5-10 minutes in line here
Indiana Jones Temple of Peril : LOW - short thrill ride with inversions tucked away in a corner of the park that everyone forgets about so rarely a queue
it’s a small world : LOW - another where sometimes the queue will get long for no reason but that never lasts long

Studios / Adventure World
--------------------------------
Crush's Coaster : HIGH - if you don't get there at rope drop, it'll be a long wait otherwise
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror : MEDIUM - queues are common but line skip only gets you as far as Library, rest is merged with normal queue
Spider-Man WEB Adventure : MED/LOW - busy but has single rider line, tends to move fairly quickly
Ratatouille : LOW - has single rider line and three people per row, so it moves quickly
Avengers Assemble: Flight Force : LOW - thrill ride with inversions, plus a single rider line
Cars Road Trip : VERY LOW - not sure I'd even bother to ride this again, let alone pay to do it!

Opening at end of March
------------------------------
Frozen Ever After : Almost certainly will be HIGH
Raiponce Tangled Spin : Hard to say, maybe MEDIUM just cause it'll be new

As you can see, there are a lot of rides I am rating with a LOW score, showing you that while the Ultimate Pass covers a lot, unless you're very unlucky with wait times, there's every chance you'd only really save any time on a small handful of them. Plus if you're not into rollercoasters with inversions, that rules out three of the rides you'd get a pass for as well.

The last time we were in DLP, it was supposed to be a quiet week but because of the Christmas decorations having just gone up, it turned out to be busier than anticipated - still not super busy, but certainly nothing was a walk-on. We also were staying off site, so didn't have access to the Early Magic Hour (in which you can get so much done). Despite that, we only used Premier Access four times in three days - twice on Big Thunder (on different days, plus we also did the regular line three times), once on Crush's Coaster and once on Autopia, which I normally wouldn't use it on, but it had been down for a large chunk of the day and once back up the queue never dropped below 40 mins, but it was only 5 Euros per person so we thought "why not?".

 

[BeachMouse1]

This is my opinion on all the rides that have Premier Access available on them and the likelihood of being able to save a reasonable amount of time on them that would justify the purchase of a pass (whether it's a One-Off or an Ultimate). Of course, these are just my feelings and others may see it differently, especially if they go at certain times of year that are busier (or at weekends).

Disneyland Park
-------------------
Peter Pan's Flight : HIGH - can get inexplicably long queues, but is same ride as in WDW, so you might not need to ride it
Big Thunder Mountain : MED/HIGH - if staying onsite, use Extra Magic Hours for much shorter queue but otherwise is worth the pass
Orbitron : MEDIUM - can get long lines for such a short ride but same as Astro Orbiter at WDW
Phantom Manor : MED/LOW - unlikely to need it, but I have seen occasional long lines
Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain : MED/LOW - seen it with both long and short queues. Note - thrill ride with inversions, so you might not want to ride it
Autopia : MED/LOW - even if queue gets long, come back an hour later and it'll be short
Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast : LOW - can get queues, but is same as Disneyland (CA) version so you might skip anyway
Pirates of the Caribbean : LOW - will take longer to walk the length of the (very long) line than time spent actually queuing
Star Tours : LOW - don't think I've ever spent more than 5-10 minutes in line here
Indiana Jones Temple of Peril : LOW - short thrill ride with inversions tucked away in a corner of the park that everyone forgets about so rarely a queue
it’s a small world : LOW - another where sometimes the queue will get long for no reason but that never lasts long

Studios / Adventure World
--------------------------------
Crush's Coaster : HIGH - if you don't get there at rope drop, it'll be a long wait otherwise
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror : MEDIUM - queues are common but line skip only gets you as far as Library, rest is merged with normal queue
Spider-Man WEB Adventure : MED/LOW - busy but has single rider line, tends to move fairly quickly
Ratatouille : LOW - has single rider line and three people per row, so it moves quickly
Avengers Assemble: Flight Force : LOW - thrill ride with inversions, plus a single rider line
Cars Road Trip : VERY LOW - not sure I'd even bother to ride this again, let alone pay to do it!

Opening at end of March
------------------------------
Frozen Ever After : Almost certainly will be HIGH
Raiponce Tangled Spin : Hard to say, maybe MEDIUM just cause it'll be new

As you can see, there are a lot of rides I am rating with a LOW score, showing you that while the Ultimate Pass covers a lot, unless you're very unlucky with wait times, there's every chance you'd only really save any time on a small handful of them. Plus if you're not into rollercoasters with inversions, that rules out three of the rides you'd get a pass for as well.

The last time we were in DLP, it was supposed to be a quiet week but because of the Christmas decorations having just gone up, it turned out to be busier than anticipated - still not super busy, but certainly nothing was a walk-on. We also were staying off site, so didn't have access to the Early Magic Hour (in which you can get so much done). Despite that, we only used Premier Access four times in three days - twice on Big Thunder (on different days, plus we also did the regular line three times), once on Crush's Coaster and once on Autopia, which I normally wouldn't use it on, but it had been down for a large chunk of the day and once back up the queue never dropped below 40 mins, but it was only 5 Euros per person so we thought "why not?".

Wow I want to really do Phantom Manor, Pirates, and Hyperspace Mountain and I’m surprised those are low I would have thought they were really long lines! Thanks for such a detailed breakdown

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Wow I want to really do Phantom Manor, Pirates, and Hyperspace Mountain and I’m surprised those are low I would have thought they were really long lines! Thanks for such a detailed breakdown

Every time I have been to Disneyland Paris , these 3 have been low wait times compared to others. My thoughts are that these are legacy rides in American Parks. You have to remember that Disneyland Paris only opened in 1992, so there is far less nostalgia attached to the park. So crowd patterns are different with a majority European crowd compared to a majority American crowd.

 

[steve_rob]

Wow I want to really do Phantom Manor, Pirates, and Hyperspace Mountain and I’m surprised those are low I would have thought they were really long lines! Thanks for such a detailed breakdown

To be fair, you can sometimes get really unlucky on all three of these rides with lines. I've waited over 60 minutes on Hyperspace Mountain, about 50 on Phantom and around 30 on Pirates, but those were rare exceptions. I'd say my average wait across all my visits on each was more like 20, 10 and 5 minutes respectively.

And that's why I wouldn't rule out using the one-off Premier Access passes - if you get a busy day, a ride that gets surprisingly popular all of a sudden, or a ride that experiences a lot of downtime, it can be very useful. But the Ultimate pass costs a lot and you just might not get any value from it at the end of the day.

 

[LKing]

So crowd patterns are different with a majority European crowd compared to a majority American crowd.

Can you elaborate how a European crowd is different than an American crowd? I'm used to Disneyland in California which is often referred to as a locals' park. How does DLP compare to the Disneyland (CA) crowd?

if you get a busy day, a ride that gets surprisingly popular all of a sudden, or a ride that experiences a lot of downtime, it can be very useful.

I'll be there days after Adventure World opens. It wasn't intentional, just when we had vacation. Any idea how this will impact rides at Disneyland? Will people be focused on Adventure World and leave Disneyland behind or, even with the additions, is Adventure World so small that Disneyland will also experience longer wait times? Since the evening shows are at the same time, I assume most will want to watch Cascade of lights instead of fireworks. Thoughts?

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Can you elaborate how a European crowd is different than an American crowd? I'm used to Disneyland in California which is often referred to as a locals' park. How does DLP compare to the Disneyland (CA) crowd?

Im used to Disneyland California too
Disneyland Paris is also a locals park, but local does not just mean France. Germany, Italy and Spain are also local.

Europeans in general view Disney as a place to take the kids, so a lot of families, more like the demographic of Walt Disney World. Disney Adults are not really a thing in Europe, so there is far less Disney Bounding, and people wearing Spirit Jerseys and using Loungeflys.

So all that impacts the rides and attractions and the crowd flow. Disneyland California was opened in 1955 so there are generations who have grown up going to the parks. Where as Disneyland Paris only opened in 1992, so there has been that long established tradition in families. Fantasyland just like in California is rammed with families and kids, but other than that, the crowds are pretty much spread out. Star Tours opened in California in 1987, only 4 years after the release of Return of the Jedi , so California people have an emotional attachment to the ride and the IP in general. The same with Pirates and Haunted Mansion. Those rides are very much connected to Walt, and there is a history, emotional attachment and nostalgia that Californians have that Europeans dont have.

I'll be there days after Adventure World opens. It wasn't intentional, just when we had vacation. Any idea how this will impact rides at Disneyland? Will people be focused on Adventure World and leave Disneyland behind or, even with the additions, is Adventure World so small that Disneyland will also experience longer wait times? Since the evening shows are at the same time, I assume most will want to watch Cascade of lights instead of fireworks. Thoughts?

The Studios Park has been in need of major refurbs for a very long time. Adventure World is just the new name for The Studios Park. It is not a new park opening, only new lands opening in an existing park. It will be like when Carsland opened in DCA. As its Frozen and Pixar, I expect it will get high crowds.

The only place which may see a reduction of crowds is Fantasyland, as thats where the high concentration of families usually is.

 

[steve_rob]

It’s really difficult to say what the effects will be on crowds outside of Frozen because we really haven’t seen a situation like this before in Paris since the Studios park opened in the early 2000’s.

There’s not been that many brand new rides opened since then and while the Avengers Campus was a new land in theory, it was really only a reskin of an existing land and didn’t have one big opening day as such, more a gradual peel back of scrims and walls - you could still walk through the area and visit attractions while work was going on.

Therefore there’s no real data on how people might react and all we can do is speculate. If people find Frozen’s queues too big will they still mill around Arendelle, try other areas of the Studios/Adv World or head to the other park? Your guess is as good as mine!

 

[BeachMouse1]

To be fair, you can sometimes get really unlucky on all three of these rides with lines. I've waited over 60 minutes on Hyperspace Mountain, about 50 on Phantom and around 30 on Pirates, but those were rare exceptions. I'd say my average wait across all my visits on each was more like 20, 10 and 5 minutes respectively.

And that's why I wouldn't rule out using the one-off Premier Access passes - if you get a busy day, a ride that gets surprisingly popular all of a sudden, or a ride that experiences a lot of downtime, it can be very useful. But the Ultimate pass costs a lot and you just might not get any value from it at the end of the day.

Thanks if I see it longer I will buy the pass for the one ride. From what I have learned here if I am going to be in the park all day paying for the ultimate isn’t worth it. I can wait 30 minutes for a ride.