Hiya Eric! We appreciate you stopping by planDisney to chat about your upcoming trip to the Disneyland Resort.
It looks like you are getting ready for one big magical multi-family trip! Tickets do not need to be purchased together in order to use
Disney Genie+. What you will want to do is link as many of the tickets as you can together on one Disney account after you have purchased them. I am not sure if there is a limit on how many tickets can be on one account so you may need to split the group up into more than one account or at least have each family all together on one account at the least. This way it will be a little bit easier to make Disney Genie+ Lightning Lane selections. You shouldn't have an issue getting the same return times even if you need to do it with more than one account. I was just in the parks with a group of eight and we had no trouble getting the same return times even though we were not linked together. A few of the times we had return times five minutes apart, but you have one hour to redeem your selection so it shouldn't be an issue.
Dining reservations can be made anytime 60 days out from your park reservation date and you do not need to have your tickets linked together. Dining reservations are not tied to tickets so you can make the reservations as you wish. If it is a larger party, I do recommend logging on as soon as reservations are available for your date. I have heard from friends that they go live around 3 a.m. PST. You also may have more luck securing reservations if you split the party up into two smaller groups and then arrive a little early to the hostess to explain that you are one big party with multiple reservations. While it is not guaranteed, they may be able to sit you together or in the same area. If. you do not secure the reservations you are hoping for you can always try to join the
walk-up list the day of your park day or just enjoy all of the delicious quick-service locations between the parks. You also will be in the parks for one of the last days of the
Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival. This festival is sure to provide you with plenty of culinary treats to satisfy your whole group.
Eric, I'm so excited for you to visit The Happiest Place on Earth. Don't hesitate to stop by again if you have any other questions as you continue to plan your adventure!
Carrie