Hello there, Barbara!
Thanks so much for visiting planDisney! I'm sorry there's some confusion around using Lighting Lane but don't worry. We'll get it all figured out!
I believe the video you watched about reserving Lightning Lane in advance was for the Walt Disney World Resort. Here at the Disneyland Resort, you can only start reserving
Lightning Lane return times once you have entered one of the theme parks on the day of your visit. If your tickets include Lightning Lane Multi Pass you can start reserving as soon as you're inside the theme park. If your tickets don't include Lightning Lane Multi Pass you can purchase it on the app after you enter the parks.
Here are some great frequently asked questions about Lightning Lanes to help you prepare for your trip! To reserve a Lightning Lane return time you'll open the
Disneyland Mobile App and tap "Rides, Shows & Lighting Lane Entry" from the main menu. That will take you to the Tip Board, where you can see the current standby line time and the Lightning Lane return time for each attraction. Tap on "Select" for the attraction you want to reserve and just follow the prompts!
Not all attractions are included in Lightning Lane Multi Pass, so you may want to look at purchasing a
Lightning Lane Single Pass as well. And then we have two attractions that are currently using a
Virtual Queue:
Haunted Mansion Holiday and Tiana's Bayou Adventure. You can also experience Tiana by using Lightning Lane Multi Pass, but the Virtual Queue is the only way to visit Jack Skellington and his friends at Haunted Mansion Holiday right now. You have a few opportunities to join Virtual Queues, although you can only join the queue for one attraction at a time. Choose wisely!
- At 7:00 AM the queue opens for both Haunted Mansion Holiday and Tiana's Bayou Adventure. You must have a theme park reservation for Disneyland Park to join the queue at this time.
- At noon the queue opens for both attractions again, but you must have entered one of the theme parks (and have Park Hopper tickets if you're at Disney California Adventure Park) to join the queue. This is also the time when the Virtual Queue opens for World of Color - Season of Light, and you can join that queue in addition to one of the attractions.
- At 4:00 PM the queue opens again only for Tiana's Bayou Adventure, and you must have entered the parks to join.
Since you're using Lightning Lane Multi Pass I would recommend joining the queue for Haunted Mansion Holiday first and reserving a time to ride Tiana's Bayou Adventure when you enter Disneyland Park. Then you have two more times that day to try to join the Virtual Queue and go splashing in the bayou again! Don't forget your poncho!
One last tip, Barbara: your phone alarm is your friend! I always set alarms to remind me when it's time to join a Virtual Queue or get a new Lightning Lane. I often get caught up in the magic, so I need the reminder!
Keep moving forward!
Amanda