Hiya Lorraine! Welcome to planDisney! Let's see if we can get you all set up and on your way to the Happiest Place on Earth.
It sounds like you already have a
My Disneyland account and the
Disneyland Mobile App all ready to go! This will help to make your park planning more seamless and time-efficient, plus you will get to tap into the cosmic powers of the
Disney Genie Service! To link your AAA tickets to your account, open the app and navigate to "Tickets & Passes" by clicking on the three-bar menu in the bottom right-hand corner. Here, click on the "+" in the upper right-hand corner and you will see the option to "Link Tickets & Passes". You can simply scan the barcode, as you thought, or you can manually enter the ticket confirmation number. You can do this for all of the tickets in your party so everyone is linked under your account, making
Lightning Lane selections and
dining reservations easier than a tap from the Fairy Godmother's wand!
Once your tickets are linked to your account, you are correct that you will need to also make
theme park reservations for the particular dates that you are planning to visit the parks. Reservations are subject to availability, so even if your dates are not yet set in stone, I would go ahead and reserve them. They can always be canceled and rebooked. To do this within the app, open up to the home screen and click on the "+" along the bottom navigation bar, and then open up "Make a Park Reservation". Since you already have tickets, you will just click on "Make A Park Reservation". It will ask you to select the Guests that you are making a reservation for, so if everyone is linked, you should be able to do it for your full party in one swoop! From there, you will see the
calendar and be able to select your date(s) and the park you will be visiting. Any block-out dates or dates that are already fully booked will be greyed out. If you have Park Hopper Tickets, you will choose the park where you will start your day with hopping available after 1 p.m. If your date or your preferred park is not available, keep checking back as Guests are constantly modifying their plans and reservations can (and often do!) open up!
Now, the magic can begin! Did you know that
dining reservations become available 60 days out from the calendar date and the window for your trip has just opened up? If you like to get to the park at opening and get a lot done before noon (like me!), I recommend booking a table for lunch. It's always nice to take a break from the sun and the park hustle and bustle. I find that it gives me a mid-day recharge in some cool air conditioning and my second wind is ready to go for the afternoon! Some of my favorite spots for lunch are
Carnation Cafe right on Main Street, U.S.A.,
Lamplight Lounge in Pixar Pier, and
Storytellers Cafe in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa!
We're always here for you at planDisney. Enjoy every moment!
Tara