Greetings, Kara, and welcome to planDisney! Golly, I love that you and your friend will share a magical visit to the Happiest Place on Earth. Let's sprinkle some pixie dust on these plans!
Since you have two days inside the theme parks,
Lightning Lane passes are a great choice – you'll spend less time waiting in line and more time experiencing attractions.
Disneyland has the
Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which includes a number of attractions across both theme parks. Here's how booking works:
- You will make Lightning Lane selections one at a time on the app – your first one will be made after you enter the park.
- Once you’ve redeemed a selection (or after two hours have passed), you can book your next return time.
- Some popular attractions are more likely to have later return windows than others, especially as the day progresses. I recommend prioritizing Indiana Jones Adventure and Space Mountain in Disneyland, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy and Toy Story Midway Mania in California Adventure.
- Since Tiana's Bayou Adventure is a priority for you, keep an eye on the return times, and select it when it works best for your plans. You might want to bring ponchos, since you will likely get wet!
Now, please note that Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers (your other two attraction priorities) are not included in the multi pass at this time. If you'd like to use the Lightning Lane entrance for these attractions, you'd need to purchase a
Lightning Lane Single Pass for each. This can be done in the
mobile app after you've entered the park. Just make sure to time your purchase appropriately, as it's sold with the next available arrival window.
One way to potentially save time at Radiator Springs Racers (and other participating attractions), is to use
Single Rider Service. You and your friend could wait in the designated stand-by lines and separate to fill open seats on an attraction, as directed by a Cast Member. While you won't ride together, you'll likely wait a shorter amount of time than the regular line.
My other tip for Guests who want to prioritize attractions is to already be inside the park by the time it opens. The entrance gate usually opens around 30 minutes early, during which time you could scan into the park and walk down Main Street, U.S.A. until you reach the roped off area. Right when the park opens, the ropes will drop, and you'll have a chance to experience a few attractions with shorter-than-average wait times. I love being in the park during the first two hours of its opening.
Before we say goodbye, I also wanted to mention the
complimentary Disney Genie service, which can be accessed in the mobile app. This tool makes it really easy to navigate the parks during your visit – it can map out the day and provide suggestions based on the wait times, your priorities, and more.
Kara, I hope that you and your friend will have a fantastic time visiting the Disneyland Resort. If you think of any other questions as you continue planning, please reach out – we're always happy to help here at planDisney!
Your pal,
Kriss