Hiya, Brett! It sounds like you're planning quite a magical vacation with friends and family to the Happiest Place on Earth. Let's make sure you have all your logistics in place so it's smooth sailing for your magic carpet once you get to those gates!
With three families visiting together, I think you're smart to appoint one head Mouseketeer to make plans for the group while also making sure each family can make plans separately! That's exactly what I would recommend. If all tickets were purchased together by one Guest, all tickets will automatically be linked to that account and the owner can make
Lightning Lane selections for the full group. To ensure individual families can make separate plans, you'll just need to send the families the ticket confirmation numbers for their specific tickets, which they can then link to their own Disneyland account. When they head into the
Disneyland Mobile App and tap on the three-bar menu in the bottom right-hand corner, they can select "Tickets & Passes". Once here, tap the "+" in the top right-hand corner, and they will see the option to "Link Tickets" and the ability to scan the barcode directly or manually enter the ticket confirmation number. After they have linked tickets for their full family, they will be able to manage Lightning Lanes for their smaller group on their own. In the opposite case where each family has purchased their own tickets, they will already be set up to make plans for themselves separate from the rest of the group. To link everyone together, they would need to forward their ticket confirmation numbers to the head Mouseketeer who will go through the same linking process to link the full party to their main account. I hope you're still with me, Brett! I promise it's easier in practice!
When it comes to
Rider Switch, you do not need to break into individual families to access this pixie-dusted perk. When you arrive at the attraction, you will split into Party 1 (Guests who will be riding first) and Party 2 (non-riders and a supervising Guest or Guests). There are no limits on the size of Party 1, and there can be up to 3 supervising Guests in Party 2. In other words, 3 Guests from Party 2 will be able to swap in for Rider Switch. I would speak to a Cast Member upon arrival to distinguish the two parties and get specifics on the designated waiting area and where Party 2 should re-enter once Party 1 has ridden the attraction. It may just take some magical math to figure out who falls into which party, but you'll all be enjoying that attraction before you know it!
Since you've added
Genie+ to your tickets, be sure to take advantage of having access to unlimited digital downloads of all your Disney PhotoPass photos to capture those memories! I also love playing around with the Disney PhotoPass lenses with my kids if we do find ourselves waiting in queues.
I'm sending you on your magical way, Brett! Reach out if you have any more questions. We are always here for you at
planDisney.
Magic awaits,
Tara