The costs vary from €5 to €20 per person per attraction, with most of the attractions being the higher end of that price point. We visited Disneyland Paris when Premier Access was released to get a first look at how this new pay-per-ride system works.
Premier Access requires the Disneyland Paris app. Not all attractions have a Premier Access option (for example, RC Racer), but the attractions that do have the option will have the little Premier Access star logo next to them on the app's map.
We rocked up to Phantom Manor and noticed it was a 45-minute wait. Ouch! We looked on the Disneyland Paris app (at 11:17) and saw instant availability for the attraction using Premier Access at the price of €7 each.
During the first time using Premier Access, you're asked to link your tickets to the app so it can assign the Premier Access to them. You then confirm how many people you want to purchase Premier Access for.
You're then given the option to look over your selections and times, and then you can confirm. You'll be then taken to the payment page to make your payment. Annoyingly, there's no Apple Pay or Google Pay option.
Payment is then taken and you'll then have to wait a few moments for it to go through. When it does, you'll be presented with your confirmation.
You can then go back to the main Disneyland Paris app to get your QR codes.
You then just walk up to the Premier Access entrance to the attraction, bring up the QR code on your phone, and slot your phone into the scanner to be allowed into the attraction.
We used this service twice on our recent trip. The first time - as described above- was at Phantom Manor when it was a 45-minute wait. At €7 each, I actually thought it was pretty good value. We walked through the Premier Access entrance and we were straight in. The second time we used it was at Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. The attraction was at a 70-minute wait and this one cost €14 each. We had just waited 90 minutes for Crush's Coaster so thought we'd try the Premier Access at this one as well. There were a few people using Premier Access on this attraction, but we were only waiting a couple of minutes.
The linking of the ticket seemed unnecessary. Luckily I already linked our hotel and ticket package on the app before arriving (something Disney specifically told me it's not something you need to do). You wouldn't be on the app purchasing it unless you had a ticket and was there, so why not just pay for Premier Access and just get a QR code? Not accepting a quick Apple Pay payment seems to be an oversight as well. Although recently Disney pushed an update to save card details, which is something.
Love it or not, paid "Fastpass" lanes are here to stay. While you can feel a little dirty doing it, they're useful if you're in a rush or your feet can't quite handle another hour queue. As a couple, paying for a few Premier Access passes isn't too bad, but larger families will have a tough time justifying this cost. However, just like Lightning Lane at Walt Disney World, it's optional. We went on most of the Disneyland Paris attractions and only felt compelled to use it twice over the four days. This isn't something you need to "budget" for per se, it's more a spur of the moment thing depending on the status of your tootsies.
Click here to search for the cheapest times to visit Disneyland Paris >>>
