Hi Teresa!
Thanks so much for stopping by planDisney with your question. I'm happy to help navigate your path to the magic at the Happiest Place on Earth. You are going to love visiting Disneyland, especially with the
70th Anniversary in full swing throughout the resort. Having just returned from a visit myself, I can tell you that the energy in the parks is contagious as everyone is joining the party to "Celebrate Happy"!
It sounds like you may be an expert in visits to Walt Disney World with your knowledge of the Friends and Family List. While you will find many similarities between the two resorts, there are a few nuanced differences in planning a visit to Disneyland that are helpful to know ahead of time. The first is that the
Disneyland app is not a mirror of the My Disney Experience app and does not have the functionality to build a Friends and Family List. Not to worry, though, you can link tickets to your account, which will allow you to book
Lightning Lanes together. Let's take a look at how to do this:
- Open the app and head to the three-line icon in the bottom right-hand corner.
- Select "My Tickets & Passes" to view any theme park tickets that are currently linked to your account.
- When it's time to link to a friend, tap the "+" in the top right-hand corner and select "Link Tickets and Passes".
- There are three options for linking: 1) Choose "Camera" to scan your friend's ticket barcode directly from their phone, 2) Choose "Type ID" to manually enter the ticket ID number located under the barcode, or 3) Choose "Tap" to simply tap your friend's MagicBand+. Now, your friend's ticket should be visible in your "My Tickets & Passes".
- One thing to note is that your ticket will not link to their account in the process. They will need to go through step 4 as well and scan, type, or tap your ticket.
I recommend that everyone in your party link to each other. It may sound like a lot in black and white, but if you are all together and use the scan or tap feature, it will just take a quick minute. This will allow your party to have full access to book Lightning Lanes as a big group or even to peel off into smaller groups throughout the day.
Another difference between the two resort experiences is the list of attractions that offer a Lightning Lane. It's a great idea to explore the app a bit ahead of time, particularly the "Tip Board", where you can toggle to "Show Only Lightning Lane Experiences". This will help you become familiar with what options you will have before you arrive. I know one that stands out to me is that Peter Pan's Flight does not have a Lightning Lane at Disneyland. We usually try to head there at rope drop to make sure we don't miss a flight to Neverland!
Teresa, I sure hope this was helpful! The Disneyland app does have some of the same conveniences, like
Mobile Order and
Merchandise Mobile Checkout, which will feel familiar. These are some of my favorite ways of maximizing my time in the magic! If you have any more questions, we are always happy to help here at
planDisney.
Magic awaits!
Tara