Hi Philippa! Welcome to planDisney! I'm so glad you came to us with this question. Since the Disneyland Resort reopened in the spring with some
new policies in place, you'll want to make sure you have all your ducks in a row ahead of your visit to the Happiest Place on Earth!
It sounds like you are already aware that both a theme park reservation and a theme park ticket are required for entry. A reservation is included in the cost of a theme park ticket. If you are purchasing a brand new ticket, you will be prompted to make a reservation as part of the check-out process. If you are already holding a ticket and need to make a reservation, that can easily be done as well! In either case, the first step is to log into your My Disneyland account, and navigate to "Parks & Tickets". From here, scroll to "
Theme Park Tickets & Reservations". Here you will see the two options to either (1) purchase a ticket and make a park reservation or (2) you've already purchased a ticket and just need to make a park reservation. Reservations can be canceled and rescheduled, but are subject to availability. If you need to make changes, always check in with the
reservation calendar ahead of time to make sure your preferred park is available on your new date.
As you prepare for your trip, there are a few other new features that will make you a Disneyland Resort planning expert! You'll want to download the
Disneyland Mobile App and spend a little time introducing yourself to the new
Disney Genie Service. This is a complimentary feature within the app where you tell the Genie your must-do attractions, interests, and even favorite dining spots, and he will whisk you away on a magic carpet ride through your perfect Disney day! On the day of your arrival, your app will load with Genie's suggested itinerary, personalized just for you, and he will continue making live updates as you move through your day. It's a "whole new world" of Disney planning!
You will also see the option to upgrade to Genie+ once you have entered the parks. This will give you access to some time-saving
Lightning Lanes on select attractions and, my favorite perk, unlimited digital downloads for all the
Disney PhotoPass photos you capture that day. Whether or not you chose to upgrade to Genie +, you are also able to purchase Independent Lightning Lanes for some of the more popular attractions like
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and
Radiator Springs Racers to guarantee a spot in the resistance or a lane next to Lightning McQueen.
Philippa, I sure hope this is helpful in your planning. There is so much to look forward to this spring at the Disneyland Resort! If you have any other questions, come see us again real soon at
planDisney!
Keep wishing on those stars,
Tara