Planning first trip since 2018. Feeling overwhelmed.

[Maddysdaddy]

Hi Disboard Peeps.

I haven't taken my daughter to DL since 2017 (2018?) - we had a trip booked in 2020 right after the US/Canada border was closed. It was at that point that I stopped reading the DL forum, since doing so felt masochistic...

Now that life is returning to normal-ish (although the numbers here are trending upwards pretty sharply again), I'm hoping to book a trip in November using our Canadian Resident tickets from 2020 (the expiry dates of which I see on the DL website have been extended to the end of this year). But I need to admit that I am feeling overwhelmed with trying to figure out all the changes to the parks since we were last there, and I'm hoping that I'm not the twelve millionth person who has asked this forum for the same guidance.

1 - Do I understand correctly that even though I have 5-day park hoppers, the parks have capacity limits and having a ticket is no guarantee of admission?
2 - As a follow up, even though they are park-hoppers, I now need to somehow book a specific park on a specific day and we can't just cross the Esplanade at will?
3 - Fastpasses are a thing of the past? As I recall, last time we were there, once we entered the park, I was able to pay $10 ($12? $15?) and could access fastpasses from my phone. That doesn't exist anymore?
4 - Star Wars Land was not yet open the last time we were there. Do I understand it correctly that there are rides/attractions in that land that need to be booked in advance? If so, I haven't been able to locate a cheat sheet in this forum on how to do so.
5 - Are there other major changes that I need to take into consideration?

Sorry for all of the questions. My daughter is going away to university this fall and this might be the last trip we can take together for some time, and I want to make sure that I do everything I can in advance to make it a great one. Any and all advice is greatly, GREATLY appreciated.

 

[mdmost]

1. Parks are at full capacity and recently it seems there's not a limit being placed. You can book your park reservation at least 4 months out. You can book today through Nov 18th. Just put your tickets in the Disneyland app or website and make your reservations.
2. You have to book your starting park. You can then park hop at 1pm. Since you have 5 days, you can start at either park and be good.
3. Yes, paper Fastpass is gone. Genie+ took its place and is only available on the Disneyland app. You can buy it after you go through the turnstile at either park. It's $20 per person per day. For 3 rides, Rise of the Resistance, Radiator Racers, and Webslingers, you can pay $12-$20 per ride to get their Fastpass.
4. You can ride standby for both Rise of the Resistance and Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run. You can book the $20 lightning lane for Rise through the Genie+ app if you want a specific time to ride and don't want a long wait. MF:SR is a Genie+ selection that would be included in your $20 per person, per day price.
5. Parks are super crowded so plan accordingly. That means arriving for Rope Drop at 8am and having a good plan. There's also some quick service restaurants that are mobile order so you have to book your meal time and what you want to eat in advance. You aren't required to do mobile ordering but it helps with the waits.

I would definitely recommend you download the app and play around on it to get an idea of what's different. Disney Food Blog has a few good videos about how Disneyland has changed and what to think about when you're going there.

 

[Pluto468]

1. You make park reservations ahead of time, so as long as you have those you will be able to get into the parks the days you are there. The reservation system is easy to use and even to change your dates if you need to.
2. When you make your reservation you choose which park you will start in. Then at 1:00 you can start hopping for the rest of the day.
3. No more Fastpass! But now there is something called Genie+, which acts like Fastpass, and it's $20 a day per person. You book "lightning lanes" for rides and it tells you when to come back and ride, like how a fastpass would. You can also buy "Individual lightning lanes" for rides like Rise Of The Resistance and Radiator Springs. The cost varies per ride, but those make that ride pretty much a walk-on. Photopass is included with genie+, which is really nice.
4. Galaxy's Edge has a couple of rides that you could use your Genie+ for. Other than that, they have a cantina called Oga's that is good to get reservations for. Also, Savi's is a light saber making experience that you book in advance.
5. Mobile ordering food. On the app, you can order food before you reach a restaurant, then it's ready when you arrive so you don't have to wait in line. Not all of the restaurants have this, but I think most of the counter service locations do. It was great when we used it and a real time saver.

I'd download the app so you can get a feel for it before your trip. You can get an idea of wait times, even practice ordering food etc. I was a little intimidated by it all before our trip, but it was easy to use and helpful.


It really is much different than in the old days, but you'll still have a wonderful time

 

[clallen72]

This is my first trip using Genie+ system as well. Here a couple things that really helped me prepare.

First, Watch several You Tube videos on how Genie+ works. super easy you tube search. Make sure it is for Disneyland (not WDW) and as recent as you can find. There's a lot of timing rules and special tricks to be aware of.

Second, I looked through a lot of tips on this board. There's a Genie+ tip area dedicated. Again, lots of ins and outs to consider. It's quite a lot.

Third, I went through the full attractions list on the Disney website. Noted which status they were: 1. Genie+ Lightening Lane "regular", 2. Extra Cost Lightening Lane, and 3. non-lightening lane (meaning you just have to stand in the same line as everyone else).

If you are using older tickets that were already bought, you don't buy Genie+ until the day you are in the park. So you don't reserve anything days ahead for rides.

Disneyland's Star Wars Galaxy edge area has 2 rides: Rise of the Resistance, which is extra cost lightening lase with the cost of $20 each. The only other ride there is Millennial Falcon Smugglers Run- which is standard lightening lane included in Genie+. There's other "experiences" at noted above, but they are food/merchandise items with their own extra cost.

Dining packages and certain table service restaurants are definitely reserve in advance. Some have been a bit scarce, so I recommend booking those right at your 60-days out date to get what you want. That has been the more stressful planning part for me. (it use to not be so hard, but now it is).

 

[V.I.N.CENT.]

I think the most urgent thing you can address is determining when the dining reservation window opens for you. Make sure to try to get any tough reservations the day the window opens up.

 

[V.I.N.CENT.]

Of course, that's after securing park reservations.