Hello, Elizabeth,
I like the way you are thinking. Planning to take advantage of lightning-fast access to Disneyland Resort attractions via Lightning Lane queues is a great way to maximize the magic during your visit to the theme parks.
At the Disneyland Resort, you are eligible to book
Lightning Lane return times as soon as your theme park admission has been activated for the day. Depending on when you arrive at the theme park entrance, that could even be before the theme park’s official opening time. As long as you have had your ticket or pass scanned at the entrance, you can use the
Disneyland mobile app to begin booking Lightning Lane reservations even if the final countdown to the official park opening for the day hasn’t yet been completed.
If your
theme park ticket does not already have the
Disney Genie+ service added from the time of purchase, you may purchase it from the Home Screen of the Disneyland app once your park ticket is activated. Or if you browse the
Disney Genie service Tip Board and select the next available Lightning Lane return time of an attraction that participates in Genie+, you will be prompted to purchase the service at the time you book the Lightning Lane. Of course, if you already purchased Genie+ with your park ticket, you can make your first Lightning Lane selection without the extra step of purchasing the Genie+ service.
Similar to booking a Genie+ Lightning Lane selection, you are eligible to purchase
individual Lightning Lane return times for attractions that do not participate in the Genie+ service as soon as your park admission is activated for the day. You may purchase up to two of these à la carte Lighting Lane options per day per Guest with a valid, activated ticket or pass.
Normally, you can book up to one Genie+ Lightning Lane at a time. But if a participating attraction happens to be extra popular on the day you visit, you might only see available return times much later in the day. But that doesn’t mean the Lightning Lane fun has to be put entirely on pause until your return time comes. If your most recent Genie+ Lightning Lane return is much later, you will be eligible to book a Lightning Lane return time for a different attraction
as soon as two hours after your most recent Genie+ return time was booked. And à la carte Lightning Lane reservations are independent of Genie+ Lightning Lane. So those can be booked at any time during your visit.
Tony’s Tip: When purchasing individual Lightning Lane return times or adding Genie+ to a ticket after it has been activated, it can be more convenient if your payment method is already added to your Disneyland Resort account. You can link your payment method to your account even before you arrive at the Disneyland Resort. From the mobile app’s ☰ feature menu, select “My Profile.” Then tap “Payment Method” to edit or add a supported major credit card or debit card. With your payment method securely stored in your account, booking Lightning Lane return times can be even more lightning-fast.
Thanks for visiting us at planDisney, Elizabeth. I hope you have a magical time at the Disneyland Resort. And if we can help in any other way, I hope you visit us again soon.
~Tony