26 Best Genie+ Tips to SKIP the Line like a PRO at Disneyland

[@michellee1190]

Another thing about phone charge, loosing cellular/Wi-Fi connection can cause your phone to constantly look for a connection, which drains battery faster. So when you get deep into some of those rides where you loose connection anyway (like Indiana Jones or Mansion), go into airplane mode until you get out of the show building.

[@thetoddkeith]

Geez man I remember when Disneyland wasnt like this. It used to be so mellow and dreamlike. I'm talking 70's. Now it's like you need to have a strategic plan of attack to maximize your visit.

[@kev6t9]

yeah man you can replace the world disneyland with anything else. Housing, stocks, jobs, banks, everything is complex now man!

[@jeffsmith1269]

I would love for you to do a tier-list-style video for the rides at Disneyland. Perhaps a video “don’t wait longer than X minutes” for each ride would be fun?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I do plan to do put something like that together. I meant to have one out earlier this month, but my plans changed and I wasn't able to. But it's on my list!

[@hollybabyyy]

@@SoCalDisneyDadplease do

[@inkwadnito966]

In those rankings, I feel like you could discuss the value of the lightning lane. IE, where in the queue it gets combined with the standby line (like how the LL feeds in at the door).

[@karenladd808]

Every time we get ready to go to Disneyland, I load up on all your content. Thanks for all the great tips!!

[@Clee0109]

Omg thank you, Trevor and Amy! This is the most helpful Genie+ tutorial out there! You guys are the sweetest and cutest family! Thank you! ❤❤❤

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Thank you!

[@janemaisch9312]

I found your channel recently as my family is heading to Disneyland for the first time despite being savvy veterans of Disney World and Universal Orlando. Besides my fave Molly of Mammoth Club, (❤ her!) you have been the most helpful in my planning that I’ve found. Thank you!

[@philiptom2799]

Once i went in a cool post rainy February. When my friends and i arrived at the park, we jumped on 4 rides within the first hour. At one point i was on Star Tours 3 times getting off and getting back on within 45 minutes. I still love Disneyland but these days It feels like more work to have fun.

[@mg.phblog]

We're coming all the way from Asia and this is our first time, so we just want to make the most out of the trip. Currently binge-watching all of your videos! Thank you so much for this!!!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Glad to hear this! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Always happy to help.

[@elburro215]

Man oh man this advice is PURE GOLD!! Thank you for the thorough information I feel like I finally understand Genie+

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I’m glad you found it helpful! If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Always happy to help.

[@RickiMinaj23]

Great video guys! I haven't been to Disneyland in over 4 years due to moving across the country and then that global shutdown but I'm currently at the airport about to board my flight to LAX for Disneyland's Pride Night tomorrow. Watching you ride Thunder at night gave me all the feels. I CANT WAIT TO RETURN HOME 🥰😍

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I hope you have such an amazing trip!

[@19kKittenKiddo]

I appreciate the information and tips as you were utilizing them. So much useful information to the point in this video. Loved it!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I’m glad you found it helpful!

[@waxifari5528]

Another bonus of the MEPs is they don’t expire (for the day - so you aren’t restricted to a specific return time window) and they don’t count as a LL (in that you can stack them without limitation and you can book an additional LL as soon as your previous LL was converted to MEP even without using that MEP).

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Yes! Thanks for all the additional info.

[@waxifari5528]

@@SoCalDisneyDad PS per your follow-up request 😉 Walt’s Main Street Story was very worth it for us. Mom balled. Felt like the Sistine Chapel tour ie almost felt like we were on ground so holy perhaps we shouldn’t even be allowed to be there - if that makes sense. Anyway, for the asking price it’s a pittance for any serious fan.

[@waxifari5528]

Also the CM working the tour had been there for ever. She was describing working Inner-space which I only got ride once as a 5 year old before they gutted it. So that also made it very cool - meaning all that knowledge and historic continuity.

[@jessicascraps4010]

Heading to Disneyland in 10 days and your videos have been so helpful

[@mariazapata6375]

You are such a sweet family! thank you so much for all your content and tips! i am planning my first trip to disneyland with my 4th year son. Very valuable content as this visit can feel really overwhelming and confusing. Thank you!

[@lisabostrack24]

Their is always something to learn on Genie + Just when I think I know it. You tell something about it I didn't know. Thank you for all the tips. And hopefully when and if I go in early September. I can use all your tips. You and Amy would make great travel agents. I know you mentioned it in your live.

[@ashimilie]

Thank you for the tips! Going to Disney next week and definitely was feeling a bit overwhelmed!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I’ll have another video like this out tomorrow. An actual how-to tutorial that walks through every step. I might have had some of that stuff in here. I don’t remember. But the one tomorrow is every single button push and our reasoning behind every decision.

[@teresamunoz91]

I'm going to DCA and Disneyland with my daughter today and these tips are so helpful!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Hope you have an awesome day!

[@MostMagicalGuides]

Thank you so much for this video! I am coming to Disneyland from the UK in November and my last trip there was 6 years ago so it was so helpful to have so many tips for how to visit the parks now!

[@michaelbferroni2631]

Great video. Reminds me of how I used to do it with the paper fast passes and max pass. Convinced me to buy the Genie+

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

It’s pretty similar in execution. Yes!

[@jacquelinebugna1201]

Excellent tips and tricks! Can't wait to use them all on my Disneyland trip in a few weeks!

[@Eunity16]

I appreciate this video. I am an AP at WDW, so I have never purchased Genie+, as there's no urgency to ride the rides, since we're there all the time. However, I have my 3rd trip booked to DL in August, and my 15 y/o Nephew's first time going, so I would like to use the feature, so he can ride as many rides as he can. Very informative! Thanks!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I totally understand! We hardly use it here, but buy it every time when we visit WDW. If you have any questions (about anything Disneyland really), feel free to ask. Always happy to help.

[@StellarumCreative]

We went at the end of June last year and my husband, being the major Star Wars fan he is, wanted to rope drop Smuggler's Run every day we were there. It was super cool - everyone went to Rise of the Resistance so we got to walk through the rest of Batuu when it was completely empty. Then we'd dart over to Hyperspace mountain (since they kept it longer last year) and then do Star Tours for our rope drop. Then we'd start using Genie+ for the day. Normally I'd pick something while we were in line for Star Tours. We had a LOT of breakdowns during our times but it was cool because we got a freebie every time it happened. All in all, Genie+ is absolutely worth it!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

We got a few multi-experience passes in August when we used it last. This time, we had to force it to give us one. Surprisingly, nothing broke on us all day.

[@kfetter9046]

O-M-G! I really appreciate the content of this video. You are great at explaining things. I feel like you practically need a Ph.D to understand Genie +! The very thought of constantly having to check your phone is bad enough. I understand how it can be a useful, yet expensive tool ($25-$30/day/person???!), but for those of us who don't get to go all that often, there is a big learning curve. Thanks a lot Disney (not)! You must walk at least 10 miles a day when you do these videos. No wonder you are so tired, LOL! The things you do for your viewers, hahaha! Thank you!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I did 27,000 steps on Monday. 😅 I’ve had a few days go above 30k, but 25k is an average.

[@yoopergamer2121]

Will be going for the first time next week. Great information thanks.

[@Kimberlygordon6065]

Thank you for all the suggestions! Water bottles, chap stick, phone chargers- love it! Have never been to DL, only DW years ago.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Hope you have a magical first visit!

[@melodynewell3420]

Family trip next week-thx sooo much!

[@itr0863]

thank you so much for this video. i'm from orlando and proficient in genie+ for wdw, so i wanted to see how it works in DL. thank you so much for the tips etc. hopefully using genie+ in wdw trained me for DL when i come in april.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

They are the same system, so you should be well prepared! Hope you have an awesome trip.

[@itr0863]

@@SoCalDisneyDad ty! keep up the great videos

[@Sunshinenbeaches]

Hi Amy. Can you tell me which Loungefly bag you’re carrying here? I love the color!

[@mzsantana87]

Still watching the video, but wanted to mention that I’m glad you said something about the “tip board”. I had never heard about it in any video I’ve watched about Genie plus and the online groups I followed only really said how to use genie plus, but not where to find it. I got to Disneyland and opened my app thinking it was gonna say Genie plus or something obvious that I’d be easily able to find. I had to ask a cast member because I didn’t know to look there. I think I had looked there previously and thought it was just for the regular genie services. It’s important to note where to find that beforehand so you can make those first selections if you plan to do it early, or at least be able to get a feel for how to use it while you’re waiting for the rope drop Oh, the modification is a great tip. I booked a ride and it gave me an earlier time and I thought I was tripping 😂. It worked out better because It gave me enough time to do the ride I was waiting for and get my food I had ordered, eat and then get to the other ride within that hour time period. The booking the ride that is down is great. Even if you can’t get those super popular rides you’ll still get a free ride regardless and not have to wait in a long line.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

The tip about pinning for the Tip Board is definitely more useful in a place like WDW in conjunction with the tip later about refreshing the screen to get earlier wait times. But, yes! Being familiar with the app before you arrive will be most helpful. I like to login and check Genie+ returns times in the days leading up to the trip and see what’s going fast, etc

[@pamelaswan7214]

Thanks for another great video Traver and Amy.

[@CarolCap131]

Appreciated this especially for the buddy pass information! Also the free advice on the frozen Mickey sandwich. Lol Have you ever done a video on using the photopass you get with the genie+ throughout the day? I’m trying to catch up on your past videos and actually got this video when I asked you tube about photopass information. We have three reservations for Disney rope dropping but based on some research my daughter did we will actually be rope dropping the castle picture one of the days cause my daughter read that even though the line is very long in the morning it actually goes faster than later in the day because there are much more photographers. Since we can’t do a lot of the genie + rides because of motion sickness we think that using genie for both faster lines for the few rides we do want and photopass will make buying genie+ worth it for us. I’ve also been planning on disregarding your advice to not start reserving rides at 8 because, since at 76 I have a lot of time on my hand, and I’ve been practicing for months trying to maximize getting as many experience passes as possible. This way.i can say grab a Matterhorn, sky school, or incredicoaster reservation in the morning, even though I wouldn’t ride them and hope they are temporarily closed first thing in the morning and I’ll get an experience redemption pass (or two or three) that I can use on things like fantasyland rides that don’t have lightning lanes. I inadvertently was successful doing this on an all too short visit two years ago when I got a pass from Indiana jones that we were able to use on jungle cruise. My 80 year old, California native cousin was really impressed! lol

[@scottmacdowall527]

You guys are awesome, always a great channel with detailed information! Thanks for sharing your family adventures 🇺🇸

[@AnaGarcia-z9q]

Thank you for these amazing videos you make. I have little ones and would love to hear tips on meeting characters (royal hall), shows, and no height requirements rides.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Doing a character video is on our to-do list! As is redoing my video on rides with no height requirement (I do have a video, it’s just really old). The show one, if you check out my “Disneyland without rides” video from a few weeks back, it’ll list everything in both parks that covers things like shows.

[@AnaGarcia-z9q]

​@@SoCalDisneyDad that's awesome, were always trying to come up with a strategy that works.🤯

[@aaronsteele7585]

Thank you so much for all of your info! Going the 2nd week of may for my 7yo daughters first visit...my 20th(ish) visit. I want her experience to be the best possible!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I hope it’s amazing for you both!

[@ph090583]

Thanks for this video

[@ozzman9600]

Thank you for the tips! My wife and I are taking a trip in may to celebrate our anniversary. Thanks to you, I feel knowledgeable enough to get the most of our genie +. Keep up the good content 👍

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Happy early Anniversary! Hope you have a great trip. If you ever have any questions leading up to it, feel free to reach out. Always happy to help.

[@ozzman9600]

​@SoCal Disney Dad Do you have a recommendation for a romantic dining experience?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

@@ozzman9600 Napa Rose is going to be the premier place to eat for a fancy meal. I’m pretty sure it has a dress code. It’s that type of fancy. If that’s too fancy, right next door is Storyteller’s Cafe. It’s a hybrid you can order from a menu, or they have a buffet. The buffet is really good and feels classy. It’s a place we always go to celebrate special occasions.

[@ozzman9600]

Thank you again. We I'll try out storytellers Cafe. Watching your videos are making us so excited to visit.

[@victoriaperea7860]

Question: We have early entry to Disneyland on Sunday is it an exception to the rule of rope dropping Rise?!

[@revlovejoy]

Yay 🎉 I was so looking forward to this video thank you!! 😊

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Enjoy. And get a pen and paper ready. There’s a lot of notes to take. 😂

[@richardswarbrick3857]

Great information. We are coming from New Zealand in August, so coming up to speed on how to use Genie+ it is great.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I hope you have a fantastic trip. Glad you are enjoying the videos.

[@bronwynwhale8814]

Thank you so much for your video, we are visiting Disneyland from Australia for the first time in March '24. I'm so confused about stacking our Genie Plus & booking every 2 hours when I've read on the app you can only have 2 per day, which you mentioned in Tip 14. Maybe they are two separate things but I'm confused. Thanks for explaining @SoCal Disney Dad.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

So you can only have two individual lightning lanes purchases per day. Which at the moment there are only two rides on that program (Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers) so it wouldn't matter. But when Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was on the Individual Lightning Lane program, that was 3, so you would have only been able to purchase 2 of those 3 in a single day. However, MMRR moved to the standard Genie+ service a few months ago. The difference is the standard Genie+ service, which costs around $30-$40/person/day lets you into 20 or so rides. While the Individual Lighting Lane attractions are separate from Genie+, which means if you purchase Genie+ you'd still need to pay an additional fee for those rides. At the same time, guests who have NOT purchased Genie+ can still purchase the Individual Lighting Lane rides even without Genie+ Disney definitely did not make this easy with the similar terms, Lightning Lane and Individual Lightning Lane. Hope that helps? You can cram as many regular Genie+ rides into a single day as you possibly can make happen. It's just that you can only ride each ride once per day on the program. You could standby the ride a second time, though.

[@blackknight9558]

You and your wife are troopers 💪🏿

[@mcgills927]

Hi! We recently went to disneyland using your tips and tricks. It was awesome! We had so much fun rope dropping and doing all the rides he love, character signing that i love! And shows we both love.❤ im so excited to have an oogie boogie tickets this year and been wondering if you will have a video about tips and tricks to the event since its our first time!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Yes. I'll be at Oogie Boogie the first night on September 5th, and should have a video out first thing in the AM on September 6th.

[@mcgills927]

I love it!! Thank you! Ill wait for that. =) you and your family is awesome!

[@user-nxjsksla1lms]

Thank you for doing this! We already pre purchased genie plus so this is very helpful. We also reserved for Fantasmic Dining at River Bell Terrace so I’ll be looking forward to that video! Lastly, I asked this question during the live stream but not sure it was answered so I am asking here again if you don’t mind... “We are planning to go to Disneyland the week of Memorial Day. Do you know what the weather is typically like at that time?” Thank you!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

May is wishy washy. I’ve had to wear a jacket in the morning often as it can be a bit brisk. The marine layer of clouds in the morning usually keeps mornings cooler. But we are talking like 60. So if 60 sounds like paradise from wherever you are, then all good. The cloud cover will burn off by midday and you can expect temps in the 80s with clear blue skies. It might get cooler again in the evening for those nighttime spectaculars, so again, a jacket is helpful. It’s a dry, arid climate. We have no humidity. So if you’ve been to Disney World, it does not stay warm in the evenings after dark.

[@jasonreimer930]

Hey Traver, if I rope drop space mountain, and book a LL for Indiana, then I get get to indie and see the stand by is short. Can I cancel it and book it later with no penalty? Love your channel ❤️

[@jennifergonzalez6236]

This was just great I will probably watch it a few more times to take notes but that's OK cuz I love you guys ❤🎉

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

It’s a lot to take in! It’s pretty simple in its most basic sense, but there are a lot of tiny rules for specifics cases and scenarios. And sometimes you can work those to your advantage so it pays to know them, but it’s not necessary to utilize the service.

[@pandora576]

Just back from my Disneyland trip and want to thank you for all your tips and suggestions. Had a wonderful trip, a big part of it was thanks to all your wonderful videos and the information you shared, it all helped so much!

[@rpeterson9770]

Ok. I had no idea you could do non genie plus attractions with a multi experience pass. Thanks for the tip.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I just learned it when I was looking at what was available to use it on! 😂

[@leahmccarthy7747]

Thank you so much for all of these tips! My fiance and I both have Asperger's Syndrome, so we are trying to plan out our Disneyland trip to help lower any stress. The Disneyland website described the Individual Lightning Lane passes, but I could never understand anything about the Genie+, and I'm so glad to know that you could use the Genie+ to get more than 3 rides like their website said. Thank you so much. Amy, I hope you kick his butt in Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters next time! Thank you both so much

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Glad we could help. The chances of Amy beating me on Buzz are pretty slim, but she usually always beats me on Webslingers.

[@Candy-sy6eo]

Very helpful! Thank-you!

[@saralee-u5p]

If me and my husband both have our family's tickets with LL loaded on each of our phones, do we both have access to booking and modifying our collective LL reservations? Or can we only do selections and modifications from 1 phone?

[@anasofia3933]

Thank you ! I feel this is the best explanation video I’ve seen! Was this on April? Thank you

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

It was filmed April 14th at the very tail end of Spring Break.

[@sophiadoll4793]

if you buy a fuel rod in one park on your first day can you use it in another park. Like I buy it at downtown Disney Sunday and keep swapping it in and out in both DCA and Disneyland till Tuesday.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Yes! You can swap it anywhere FuelRod machines are, including the airport. But they’re only free to swap on Disney property I believe.

[@erikabell88]

Thank you guys for posting all this wonderful content! I’ve been hooked since I found this channel 2 months ago 😀my husband & I are going 2nd week of May, 1 park per day passes. Haven’t gone since pre-Covid so this is very helpful info. ! Will definitely get Genie +for Disneyland. Since DCA is a smaller park do you recommend we get Genie + for DCA also?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Whether you get it or not probably depends on how many days you're going. If you're only going two days, one per park, I'd just get it. It's convenient to have. Even if you don't maximize it's potential. It's just one less thing to stress about (lines). We hardly use it, but we're local. If we can't ride something, oh well, we'll rope drop it next time or something. But when we go to WDW, we always buy it at least on the first day in every park. If we have repeat days, we generally don't purchase Genie+ on repeat days.

[@52185mertlich]

Question: when you use a multi experience pass on a non genie+ ride, where do you go to enter the ride? Since they don’t have a lightning lane to enter through.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

You’ll have to speak to a cast member at the attraction. They all run a little differently.

[@gretchendavisson8056]

Tip, you can get Genie plus way in advanced . I booked a Costco package 6 months ago, and locked into genie plus at $25/day. And I will be there during July 4th when its guaranteed to sell out and raise the price!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Yes, I mentioned that about tip 2 or 3. Right towards the beginning. Prepurchasing gets you the cheaper price. The only downside is that you have to apply it to every day of your trip. So a 5 day trip would be expensive if you only planned to use Genie+ for 2 of those days.

[@debbiewilson8993]

You were there 3 days before us in April. Unfortunately the day before we came was the night fantasmic caught fire. I was so bummed. We're going back in October and hoping it'll be back.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Hopefully Murphy is back before October.

[@tlb2703]

Let’s say I got a multi experience pass for Autopia because it broke down. Would I still be able to book for Autopia again after it reopens?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Yes. The multi-experience you receive from a broken attraction will always work for the attraction it broke on and other similar caliber rides. It just likely won’t work for BETTER attractions.

[@DeniseCapper]

I like your videos. Question on the disney app can it be shared with your adult child on her phone I purchased genie plus for our trip in March.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

It’s recommended that only a single person manage the booking for the whole group. But I imagine so long as the whole group’s tickets are linked to both accounts, then both people could make selections, taking turns or however you want to do it. If the main concern is your adult child may want to split off from the group and do their own thing for awhile, then that should be fine. Genie+ is attached to your ticket, not to your phone/account. So anybody with a Genie+ activated ticket linked to their account can make reservations for that person. Suppose you have a group of 6, and 2 want to go off on their own for a few hours. The primary group will just need to Unselect the two that left whenever they make their own selections. And by the same token, the two on their own will need to be sure they don’t make any reservations for the main group.

[@vivt3500]

Love your videos! It helps so much with my DL & DCA planning! I have a question!! If we only have magic band but not magic band plus … what’s alternate way to access genie plus, admission, etc for everyone in the family ?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Unfortunately, only MagicBand+ works at Disneyland. Absent that, you’ll need to link everyone’s ticket to the Disneyland app and scan each ticket at each Lightning Lane. You’ll actually need to link everyone’s ticket anyway, even to use MagicBand+ as the MagicBand links through the app and the tickets you have associated with your account.

[@jillhoffman1753]

All this is amazing information but sounds like so much work and thinking, two things I desperately try to avoid on vacation! 😂

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I completely understand! Honestly, it’s pretty simple to use. A lot of the tips we are providing are like the fine print on the service. The bottom line is you can only use Genie+ to ride something once. As soon you book something, you can’t reserve another ride until you’ve ridden the first or two hours elapses. That pretty much boils everything down into the simplest of functions.

[@jillhoffman1753]

@@SoCalDisneyDad We are getting ready for my grandson's very first trip to Disney, so we have been binge watching your videos and he gets SO excited when he sees you come on the screen! We appreciate all that you have to share!

[@lilliandonaldson8121]

First time coming up July. 5 day pass. Park hop or not? Staying dvc Disneyland Hotel. Thinking 3 at DL and 2 at CA, using early entry.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

If money is tight, no hopper. But it costs $75/person for a hopper for all 5 days. For a family going two days it’s $65 for both days. So for an extra $10 you’ve got it for three additional days than someone taking a shorter trip. It just makes sense to do the hopper for a 5-day because it’s the most affordable in cost per day, and gives you complete flexibility to go and do what you want when you want.

[@lilliandonaldson8121]

@SoCalDisneyDad many thanks. Solo trip so this helps.

[@dennisleonard9901]

Visiting both CA parks for 1 day on August 19th (Monday). We are regulars at DW but first time visiting CA parks. We plan on using Disney+ and entering park at rope drop. Which park would you recommend entering first until park hopper kicks in at 11AM?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Disneyland has more rides, so it’s probably more advantageous for you to start at Disneyland for the precious 8 AM to 10 AM low ride wait window.

[@dennisleonard9901]

Thanks! Just want to make sure we don’t miss out on popular DCA rides like Cars and Avengers that you can’t find in DW.

[@lucianaturchickhakak882]

Thanks for all this information! Question: how do I find out which rides have the "buddy pass", and how do I get them in the park? Thanks again!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

The only ride is Monsters Inc. Toy Story used to have one, but they’ve discontinued it.

[@sachinmrao]

How can you do 3 rides with LL between 9 to 10 AM as you say here 15:13 ?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

You need to use them right away. As an example: At 9:00 AM you see that Buzz Lightyear is available immediately. So you select the lightning lane and hop in line. As soon as you scan at the ride at say 9:05 AM, you can make another selection. You see that Star Tours is available immediately so you book that one while waiting in line at Buzz, which isn’t long. Say the wait and ride takes 10 minutes. Now it’s 9:15 AM and you’re hopping over to Star Tours. As soon as you scan in there, you book another lightning lane, this time for Autopia because it happens to be available right away as well. Star Tours takes you approximately 15-20 minutes and now it’s 9:35 AM and you’re making your way to Autopia. Scan in there and you’ll likely be on the ride in 5-10 minutes. Of course you have to walk there first, so perhaps it’s 9:55 AM when you finally get on the ride. And since you scanned in at Autopia, you grabbed another lightning lane while standing in line there too.

[@sachinmrao]

Thanks a lot for the reply!

[@megma1717]

I have a question about the multi experience pass. If we use the hack you said about booking a ride that is down, can you use the multi experience pass for different things for different people? Say we have a family of four and two of the people decide they want to ride the originally booked ride, but the other two do not, can two use it on one attraction and two use it on another?

[@happysunshine5906]

Amazing video! Thank you for all the tips. Are Genie+ reservations different from Lighting Lane reservations?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

They are the same thing. Genie+ is the service used to book Lightning Lanes.

[@happysunshine5906]

@@SoCalDisneyDad, thank you! Will keep watching your videos before we head out to Disneyland. I've already watched this video twice.

[@Thedettmersfromalaska]

Thank you for this great info. We are heading there next month. We are staying at the Disneyland hotel. And we got the genie plus as well. What should be a good tip for us? I read that we are able to get in 30mins earlier. What ride should we go for first? Or tips on how to do it

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Only Tomorrowland and Fantasyland are open for early entry. I would select your top rides from those two lands and plan to get 2, possibly 3 done in that time. Then, you can position yourself up near Toontown by the time the whole park opens and get right on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Or, alternatively, you could go for Rise, but might be quite a distance from it and the rope droppers could still potentially get there first. But you have prime access to Mickey and Minnie’s.

[@BillionairesUnveiled]

Please do an indepth tutorial on the tools you mentioned.

[@TheMrNinzy]

Love your channel! Does Genie+ work alongside Rider Switch? Great work. Thanks

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Yes, it should. But something to keep in mind is that Rider Switch uses the Genie+ lightning lanes. So hypothetically, you have a party of 4. Adult 1 Rides with Child 1 while Adult 2 stays out with Child 2. When Adult 2 goes to ride after switching, they will need to use their Lightning Lane NOT a rider switch. Or they won’t be able to make another selection on Genie+ as the first lightning lane needs to be used before more can be made. However, Child 1 can get their ticket scanned for a rider switch and ride again with Adult 2.

[@TheMrNinzy]

@@SoCalDisneyDad thank you! On that note, we are a party of 4. Child 1 is just meeting height requirements but not age; therefore, no ticket. Child 2 infant, no ticket. Would it be possible to just get 1 Genie+ for Adult 1, and request Rider Switch for Adult 2(non-Genie+) loophole?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

@@TheMrNinzy Yeah, you should be able to do that. But keep in mind there are some rides on Genie+ that don’t have height requirements and your whole family can ride. Things like Haunted Mansion and it’s a small world.

[@doughastings4005]

Two questions: 1. If you get a Multiple experience pass does it have to be used that day or can you save it for the next day if coming back to the parks.? 2. For the ILL, you mentioned purchasing the max of 2 per day. Can it be for the same ride?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

No to both. MEPs are only good for that day. And ILLs are still one time use. But you can’t purchase more than two attractions on the program in a day. Right now, there are only two. Rise and Radiator. But they had a third a few months ago before it got moved to regular Genie+

[@doughastings4005]

Thank you so much! Your videos are soooooo helpful!

[@vivicruz4287]

Thank you for the info!! I have a question last time I went I bought a lightning lane for CARS and the attraction broke down at 9:30 I spent $30 dllrs for two lightning lanes and the cast member told me they attraction wasnt going to be back on and that it was non refundable.. no pass was given, nothing! I lost $30 dllrs that night she only told me to call customer service but that my money wasnt going to be refunded.. do you know what to do on those cases?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

That is very odd. That shouldn’t happen. If a ride breaks after you’ve scanned, they’ll scan it on your way out of the attraction to come back. I’ve never had them say “you’re out of luck, sorry” That’s very odd. I’d bet Guest Services is even able to issue multi-experience passes.

[@vivicruz4287]

@@SoCalDisneyDad I think that's what she ment to contact guest services to see what they could do for me, she had a lot of people on her asking the same question so she probably got overwhelmed and I had no idea on what to do .. she did scan my phone but since it was closing time she said that was nothing else to do.because most of the attractions where not covered by that multi experience ticket, so I just lost $30 dllrs that day and didnt know what to do

[@blackknight9558]

@@vivicruz4287I honestly don't think Disney would make you pay for an Individual Lightning Lane and then do nothing if their ride broke down, otherwise that would be a high rip off. Did you ended up getting refund?

[@Patrick-pw3rz]

Thanks for sharing your long but productive day out! Just curious, did you end up doing Rise of the Resistance too?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

We did, via standby. Did I not show that? If not, I apologize. I think it might have ended up in the rope drop video if it didn’t go in this one. We filmed so many different things that day.

[@casualgamer91]

Hi Traver, this will be 1st time going to Disneyland with a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 young kids). Thank you so much for your videos, I've been learning a lot! A couple questions for you. For Genie+, is it possible to get lightning lanes reserved with one account logged into the Disneyland app? I have a 2 year old as well who's ticket is free. Will he be able to join the LL rides as long as there are no height requirements?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Yes to both. And I actually recommend you use only one device to manage the Genie+ reservations. You’ll just have to have all tickets linked to your account. And your 2 year old won’t need Genie+ to join you on rides like Pirates and Small World. Since there’s no ticket, there’s no problem.

[@nikitadighe2405]

Does 2 hour rule apply to individual LL for Rise of the Resistance for example?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

No. But you can only make 2 individual lightning lanes per day. The Disneyland Resort has 3 ILL rides, so you cannot purchase all 3 in a single day.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

If you have any questions about Genie+, drop them below and I’ll do my best to answer them.

[@pandora576]

Thank you for all the tips! If you want to modify your reservation, do you have to modify it before your reservation window, or can you modify when your reservation is live?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I believe you can modify at any point up until they remove it from your schedule because you’re way too late.

[@pandora576]

@@SoCalDisneyDad Thank you!

[@ph090583]

Question on Genie+ , you can book a time that’s available in the app right and modify (the time later) and it does not change when your two hour window to book the next started?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Correct. Modifying maintains the original two hour window.

[@sophiadoll4793]

I noticed you had a magic band, is it better to have a magic band for when you use Gene+ in the park.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

It’s easier. But not necessary. We like them though. Especially since it interacts with some rides, and is programmed to coordinate with the nighttime spectaculars too.

[@sophiadoll4793]

@@SoCalDisneyDad thanks for the info.

[@sophiadoll4793]

I have a magic band from Disney World would that work in Disneyland too

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

@@sophiadoll4793 Only if it’s the newer MagicBand+ that’s rechargeable and lights up. If it’s the old MB2s that don’t have a battery, then it won’t work.

[@arianemilanellisturaro9375]

When are the top pics available? I have tickets but onlynfor july and I cannot make that selection yet.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I can setup my Genie Day for our March 17th visit right now, but it says the app can’t give me a more tailored approach for another 20 days. So it’s something you really can’t do until like the day before or day of. It’s not a big deal. It doesn’t take long to setup. You could do it while waiting in line for rope drop even.

[@arianemilanellisturaro9375]

Tks...I love your vídeos...

[@SoCalSurfer69]

Radiator Springs is always a pain and now an extra 20 bucks if you want LL.

[@NicoleC-w1w]

Hi. Just to clarify, what are the TIMES you are putting in the video? “POSTED WAIT” is the STANDBY wait time posted outside of the ride and not LIGHTNING LANE wait time right? Then “ACTUAL WAIT” is your actual wait time?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Correct. Posted is Standby Wait. So it’s showing you how much time you saved by using Genie+ instead of waiting in the standby.

[@silviaar1585]

Hello! Thank you for your videos. I will be in California in September and I have a couple of days free and are wondering what to do. Would you recommend one park-hopping day from 9 till 00 with DG+, or two easier days, one per park, also with DG+? The difference is 200 dollars (530 one day park hopping vs 730 two days, one day each park).

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I’ll always advocate for more days if it’s in the budget. It’s really up to you on what you can afford. Truthfully, with a single day, I’d probably just stick to Disneyland only unless you visit often and don’t mind missing out on some things.

[@alanarapacz1882]

Thanks for all the tips. I'm going to be in Disneyland for my first time on Sunday April 30th. I am still debating whether I will need Genie+ or not 🤔 Can you please link the battery you were talking about. Thanks!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

I’m hoping to be there that day too. I don’t have a reservation yet, so no guarantee. Genie+, at a minimum, is a nice quality of life upgrade to be less hassle and less stress during your day. At most, it’s a huge amount of time savings, even off season as you saw in this video. I’d recommend it. Here’s the charger I talked about: amzn.to/3oEo6pe The Fuel Rods, the other ones I mentioned, are available for purchase in the park and include free swapping at any kiosk.

[@alanarapacz1882]

Thanks! I really hope you get a reservation for Sunday too. I would love to see you there and learn more first hand 😉 I'm coming from Toronto Canada. It is my Birthday gift to myself. I am a mother of 6 and I'm treating myself to a solo Disneyland trip. I have always wanted to visit Walt's original park for as long as I can remember ❤

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

@@alanarapacz1882 Happy Birthday! Enjoy and take in the much needed alone time. I totally get it!

[@debbiewilson8993]

What were we supposed to see in the runaway railway? I didn't see anything but lily pads

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Pause at 31:32 and look dead center of the screen. Three lily pads make the shape of a Mickey.

[@gabyrangel3175]

Thanks for all videos. We are going next month, so I watching all your recomendations. But sorry: What is the 2 hour rule? I don't understand 😅

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

You can book a new lightning lane when one of two things occurs. Either you use the first lightning lane you booked OR 2 hours passes from the time you booked your first lightning lane. So as an example. If you booked your first lightning lane at 9:04 AM. You can’t book another one until either A) you use your first one, or B) it becomes 11:04 AM. So I generally try to schedule lightning lanes that would be available with in the next 30 minutes. That way I could potentially ride 4 lightning lane attractions from 9 AM to 11 AM while someone else is waiting two hours because they booked something for 12:30 PM and can’t use it until then. Does that make more sense?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

To continue the example. If you book your second lightning lane at 11:15 AM (because you had to wait for the 2 hours to elapse), you can’t book your third lightning lane until either you ride the ride from your second lightning lane OR it becomes 1:15 PM.

[@gabyrangel3175]

@@SoCalDisneyDad Definitely yes

[@mrswhite808]

Thanks for sharing! I’d heard the posted wait times are quite inaccurate compared to actual times. That’s disappointing considering we will have a DAS pass and our return times are based on posted wait times. Do you have any idea how to use Genie+ with a DAS pass? It seems this updated DAS along with Genie+ is loads better than what we had available at WDW in 2019. Thank you!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

The wait times are actually fairly accurate. If anything, I find them to be under if they are inaccurate. I once hopped in line for Radiator Springs at 45 and the wait was 70. Most of the time if something is inaccurate is because it’s actually rather low, lots of people see it, and then rush to the attraction. That fills up the line and the time hasn’t caught up yet. For DAS, if it’s based on current wait, that’s a good thing. You’ll very rarely find a ride say something like 50 minutes and it be 25. Yes, at Walt Disney World, that’s pretty normal. WDW’s goal is to keep people happy. Over there it’s such a powder keg with unhappy guests because of years of planning and significantly more dollar commitment. People get upset about the smallest things. Wait times is one way WDW can counter grumpy guests. What better way to do this than post a wait at 50 minutes and it really be 25. Now the guests are happy they didn’t wait as long. That just doesn’t happen here really. I find them to be very accurate. Except at closing time when they want you to go home.

[@mrswhite808]

@@SoCalDisneyDad thanks for the reply. I guess I’m misunderstanding your graphics with the posted wait times vs. actual wait times and the time saved. Can you explain what you mean? Thank you!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

@@mrswhite808 If we had rode standby a ride was posted at 55 minutes. With Genie+ it only took us 10 minutes. Therefore Genie+ helped us save 45 minutes. A running tally was that at the end of the day, Genie+ saved us 5 hours and 30 minutes. If you had rode everything we did standby, you’d have spent an extra 5 hour and 30 minutes standing in line to ride the same attractions. Does that make more sense?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

@@mrswhite808 Now that I think through it, I can see how the graphic can be misleading. I should have changed “actual wait” to “Genie+ wait” Or something like that.

[@mrswhite808]

@@SoCalDisneyDad oh I see now. Thanks for the clarification! I really appreciate it.

[@funtimes2089]

If rope dropping DCA with early entry, would you go to Guardians or Webslingers first? Thanks for the great videos!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Whichever ride you are more interested in. But I would say Guardians slightly edges out Webslingers in line length. It at least will get longer faster. They might top out around the same wait throughout the day however.

[@funtimes2089]

@@SoCalDisneyDad You just beat ChatGPT, which couldn't give me an answer! :)

[@lymanjoy]

How do tou do mobile orders?

[@krisnyc9134]

Yes you would've linked up with the standby line but also you would've badged in and would've been able to book another lighting lane. The difference is, you didn't know if the standby and lighting lane would've linked up when you were booking at 7am.

[@1962Aero]

Do you recommend Genie + if you're not getting into the Park around 2:00 p.m.? Thanks.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

If it’s your only day, yes. But keep in mind that the most sought after rides might be gone already. You could take a look and see what’s available before you purchase it.

[@1962Aero]

@@SoCalDisneyDad I think that's what I will do to see if it would be worth it. It's the only day we are going. Thanks!

[@ksprincess]

My question: How would you rope drop Fantasyland with young kids (ages 3-9)? This is a fabulous video full of tips! Thank you!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Hit Alice first, then Dumbo, then Casey Jr, then all the other dark rides. Peter Pan will be the same wait all day long, so it doesn’t really matter when you ride it. If you DO happen to see it at 25 minutes, hop in line, as that’s usually the bottom I’ve ever seen it. It’s 45 minutes right now 20 minutes after park opening AND it’s off season. That ride just never doesn’t have a line. But I wouldn’t sacrifice the Golden Hour for it, even it at that wait.

[@ksprincess]

@@SoCalDisneyDad That is so incredibly helpful. Thank you for seeing/replying! Much love! ❤️

[@jonm.1030]

Thank you! This has been by far the best explanations/example of Genie+ in real-time. I need help! We are going in 2 wks at rope drop my kid wants to do all Fantasy and Toon Town over anything. My wife and I dont want to miss out on Resistance or Smugglers. Should we book those first thing? To do in the later afternoon (3ish) considering we might not use Genie+ the first 2hrs anyway and then maybe book Roger Rabbit? We need some good advice on how to plan accordingly.😅 Thank you!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

If you don’t want to miss Rise, purchasing Individual Lightning Lane is the way to go. I wouldn’t worry too much about Smuggler’s. It does go the second quickest. But it won’t disappear before you can blink. Just grab it at some point in the morning and you’ll get it. It might be a few hours out, but you’ll get it. Roger Rabbit you can honestly probably ride after 10 PM standby if you plan to stay till park close. That’s another one where you can just grab it whenever.

[@Kimberlygordon6065]

I don’t understand the difference between the Lightning Lane pass and buying a fast past. Can you explain? We have tickets to DL in June and have the Genie Plus and parking- only there for one day. Appreciate your videos!

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

FastPass is the old system. It no longer exists. Some people (myself included) are so used to calling the “line skipping” a FastPass that it just skips out sometimes. The new terminology is Lightning Lane booked through the Genie+ service.

[@mzfyt1031]

We will be going the last week of March 2024. I know it will be crazy for spring break. Would you consider doing another version of this video during spring break or busier holiday times? I’m curious if Genie+ would work as smoothly then.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Sure. I don’t know exactly when, but I’ll see what I can do!

[@Cocobuttercheeks]

So what would you say to do if I’m staying in a Disney hotel and get early access? Do you recommend choosing Indiana Jones lighting pass at 7:30 for a later time or…?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

You can only choose what is available next. And at 7:30 AM that’s probably 8 AM. Which would be a waste as there’s almost no line (up until the merge with standby) for the first half hour to an hour after the park is open. Really, almost any line is going to be like that. I usually don’t bother with Genie+ until 9 AM.

[@Nicole-by3ng]

Question if you just doing the Disneyland park. How do you manage to do Genie + rides with those not in the system like all the Fantasyland rides. Do you have advise on that.

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Just ride the rides without Genie+ while you’re waiting for your next lightning lane to become available.

[@SparKlyStaRzBliNg]

If u buy Genie+ is it only good for 1 day or can it be used everyday of ur trip or do u have to buy it for everyday of ur trip?

[@mindfulfascia]

Thank you for making this video. I need a masters degree in Disney..😂

[@evangoldberg5840]

I'm planning my first trip to Disneyland since Galaxy Edge opened. Is the lightning pass good for Rise of the Resistance? I don't see any of Galaxy Edge in your video

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

There is a individual lightning lane available for Rise of the Resistance, so a separate cost for that besides genie+. Smugglers Run is on the regular genie+ though.

[@Shirl_RN_2.08]

You said to book genie for high disappearing rides.Which rides usually go first?

[@SoCalDisneyDad]

Indiana Jones at Disneyland. Toy Story at DCA. For the others, you really just need to keep an eye on it. It fluctuates by day, but the more popular the ride (Space Mountain, Matterhorn, etc) the faster it disappears.