Hi there, Paul!
I’m happy to welcome you back to planDisney.
Hot dog! Monday is going to be here before we know it. The wait until the start of the magic is nearly over. I think your advanced preparations are going to pay off. I get the feeling you and I are pretty similar in our vacation philosophies. It can take a bit of sacrifice, but the extra add-on services like the
Disney Genie+ service can make a big difference in adding overall value to a vacation experience.
You are correct. There are a few attractions that feature
Lightning Lane queues but that are not included with the Disney Genie+ service. The selection of attractions that offer these
individual Lightning Lane experiences may change from time to time. At this time they include
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the brand new
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, and
Radiator Springs Racers. You will see these attractions in the Tip Board of the
Disneyland mobile app with the “LL” logo for Lightning lane and the label “Individual Lightning Lane.” After you have entered a park each day, you tap that button in the app to make your individual Lightning Lane purchase. Up to two different Lightning Lane purchases separate and independent from Genie+ may be purchased each day. Purchasing these à la carte Lightning Lane return times does not impact your ability to book Genie+ Lightning Lane return times.
A few months ago, my family and I visited the Walt Disney World Resort. We had already enjoyed visiting
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge many times at the Disneyland Resort. So on the day we visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we didn’t plan to spend as much time at their Galaxy’s Edge. At first, we thought that without the Star Wars attractions, we might not need to buy Genie+. But we soon recognized that the holiday season was still quite busy. So adding Genie+ to our park tickets was going to be an investment in our vacation that would pay enormous dividends. Those dividends would be deposited in our account of magical memories, which was filled with more experiences we now treasure. I suspect you’ll not regret the investments you are making toward things that matter most: quality experiences together with your family.
I hope you have a magical time, Paul!
~Tony