Hey there, hi there, ho there, Eleanor!
You’re as welcome as can be to the planDisney Panel. I’m so excited that you will be
celebrating your birthday at the Disneyland Resort. Reducing attraction wait times to allow you to enjoy more attractions or to take part in other experiences at the Disneyland Resort sounds like a great way to have an even more magical celebration.
While not available at all attractions, many popular attractions feature
Lightning Lane queues. A Lightning Lane will allow you to bypass much of the regular standby queue to make your way onto an attraction with a shorter wait time. There are two types of products that offer Lightning Lane access. They are the
Disney Genie+ service and
individual Lightning Lane.
For a one-time fee, per ticket, per day, Genie+ lets you book a Lightning Lane return time reservation to one of several offered attractions. After you redeem your return time reservation, or after 120 minutes, whichever is first, you may then book another Genie+ Lightning Lane return time. Genie+ also comes with other features, such as
Disney PhotoPass downloads for the day, Audio Tales guides and stories, and more.
There are a few attractions, currently, three of the most popular, that feature Lightning Lanes but that are not included with Genie+. Lightning Lane return times for these attractions may be purchased a la carte for up to two attractions per day, per ticket.
To book a Lightning Lane return time, use the
Disneyland mobile app. Open the Tip Board, found on the app’s ☰ feature menu. There, you can browse attractions, looking for the LL symbol indicating the attraction features Lightning Lane. You can see whether it is an individual Lightning Lane or a Genie+ Lightning Lane. If the listed Lightning Lane return time suits your schedule, tap the LL button to book the listed return time. For Genie+ attractions, you will be prompted to purchase Genie+ for each ticket you wish to include for which you haven’t already purchased Genie+ for the day. Then, confirm your selection and go enjoy some magic! For individual Lightning Lanes, you will be prompted for payment with each attraction return time purchased.
Eleanor, today is merely my
unbirthday. But it is a very merry unbirthday indeed as I think about your upcoming birthday celebration at The Happiest Place on Earth!
~Tony