First time at Disneyland

Disneyland
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A couple of threads for you to peruse:

  1. This is the pinned Genie thread for Disneyland – read the first post only. It includes all the information about how Genie works. It hasn’t been updated in a month or so, but I don’t think anything has changed since then.

Below I have pasted the section on the difference between WDW and Disneyland as it relates to Genie+.

WDW vs Disneyland

Below are key differences between WDW and Disneyland as it relates to Lightning Lanes.

  • Advance Purchase:
    • Disneyland: Genie+ can be purchased in advance as an add-on for the length of a ticket (not available for Magic Keys), or on the day of upon entering a park.
    • WDW: Advance purchase of Genie+ is currently not available for any ticket type (Disney has announced this may change in 2024). Day-of purchase begins at midnight Eastern time for all guests.
  • Booking Time:
    • Disneyland: You can book your first LL or ILL once you are tapped into a park (this includes the taps at the monorail station).
    • WDW: You can book your first LL at 7am (regardless of on-site / offsite status); on-site guests can book their ILLs at 7am while off-site guests can book at official park opening time of the park where they are booking the ILL.
  • Return Window:
    • Disneyland: Both LLs and ILLs dispense sequentially. You have to wait till the next available time advances to your preferred window. Lately most ILL attractions have near-immediate availability.
    • WDW: LLs dispense sequentially but you can select any available ILL window.
  • Hopping Time:
    • Disneyland: Hopping time is 11am. You must wait till return times advance beyond hopping time in due course.
    • WDW: Hopping time is 2pm. You must wait till return times advance beyond hopping time in due course.
  • Photopass:
    • Disneyland: Photopass is included with Genie+, including both on-ride photos and other in-park photographers. On-ride photos are currently offered complimentary to all guests.
    • WDW: On-ride photos are included with Genie+, but download of photos taken by other Photopass photographers requires purchase of Memory Maker. There are currently no complimentary photos at WDW.
  • On-site Advantages:
    • Disneyland: On-site guests are eligible for 30 minutes early entry at each park every day. This benefit is not offered to good neighbor hotels or special tickets as has been the case in the past. In addition, there are dedicated entrances to DCA for GCH and PPH guests.
    • WDW: All on-site guests (including named Good Neighbor hotels) receive 30 minutes early entry at each park every day. Deluxe resort guests are eligible for extra evening hours, generally Monday (Epcot) and Wednesday (MK), though other parks are occasionally offered.
  • Pricing:
    • Disneyland: The purchase of Genie+ / ILL is not subject to tax. Magic Key Holders receive a 20% discount on the purchase of Genie+ (but not ILL). There is no option to purchase Genie+ for only one park for a lower price.
    • WDW: Purchase of Genie+ and ILL is subject to tax. No annual passholder discounts apply. You can purchase Genie+ for either one individual park for a lower price or for all parks for a higher price.
  1. The thread below has some helpful information for WDW veterans. A few of us posted our rankings of how Disneyland rides rate compared to their WDW counterparts, among other tidbits of wisdom.
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