Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to
planDisney you go, Jessica!
I always enjoy helping my fellow Californians, so let’s get started! Like you, I love the convenience and ease of using
Rider Switch with younger Mouseketeers who may not want to or who may not be able to ride specific attractions. This is a great question, and one I had to research to help find you an answer! First, I went through and checked to see how many attractions offer both
Disney Genie+ Service and Rider Switch, and I found about 13 attractions with both of these options.
Here's a link to a filtered search of Rider Switch attractions, too.
I checked with a Cast Member at
Disneyland Resort, and she told me that many of these attractions that offer both Disney Genie+ and Rider Switch will still have the second group enter at the exit of the attraction, though this can vary by attraction. For example, take Space Mountain (currently named “
Hyperspace Mountain” with an awesome
Star Wars-themed overlay!). For this attraction, the
Lightning Lane entrance is adjacent to the standby entrance at the front of the attraction, while the Rider Switch entrance is at the exit of the attraction. Other attractions that seem to follow this pattern are Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Autopia.
However, I can also think of some attractions that offer Rider Switch that do have Guests enter in the Lightning Lane, such as
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Since it sounds like the Rider Switch entrance can vary by attraction, I recommend asking the Cast Member at the entrance of the attraction for the scoop! You’ll need to start there anyway, so the Cast Member can get your group set up for the Rider Switch to take place. You’ll want to have your
Disneyland app on standby so the Cast Member can scan your tickets and get the first group in your party on their way to enjoying the attraction.
In addition, I know some Lightning Lanes may look longer from the front of the attraction, but I can tell you from experience that they usually move very quickly! Sometimes these lines appear longer than they actually are because of the positioning of the Lightning Lane queues. I was just in the parks last night, and I didn’t wait longer than about 5-10 minutes for each Lightning Lane I waited in! Personally, I feel like the Cast Members do a great job of keeping these lines moving steadily.
I hope this information helps, Jessica! Wishing you a magic-filled visit to the Happiest Place on Earth!
See ya’ real soon,
Kristin