Disneyland Early Entry 2022

Hi there, everyone! Our family just happened to be staying at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel this week when they introduced a new perk, Early Entry (EE) for Disneyland Resort Hotel guests. Early Entry is just what it sounds like: each day resort hotel guests get access to their choice of Disneyland or Disney’s California Adventure Park for 30 minutes before regular park opening. We spent a few days this last week taking advantage of EE from Monday through Wednesday. Here’s what we experienced.

OUR DISNEYLAND DAY

Arrive EARLY if you want to be among the first guests into the park
  • ARRIVAL TIME

Continue reading “Disneyland Early Entry 2022”

Facebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestlinkedintumblrmail

RideMax for Disneyland App Now Includes Genie+ and Lightning Lane Options

In my previous post I announced the availability of the RideMax for Walt Disney World app which includes Lightning Lane and Genie+ options. Today I’m excited to announce that the Disneyland version of the app is also now available. RideMax subscribers can download the app here:

RideMax for Disneyland iOS App

RideMax for Disneyland Android App (direct download from our website)

App versions 1.2.1 and higher include the new planning capability.

Note the new Genie+ Lightning Lane section on the main RideMax planning screen

I won’t cover all the new features here since I’ve listed them in my previous post covering the Walt Disney World version of RideMax, and the Disneyland version is basically identical. (The small difference is that the default time at which you can make your first Lightning Lane reservation is set to 30 minutes before park opening time in the Disneyland version, and 7:00am in the Walt Disney World version. Also note that unlike the Walt Disney World system, you must be inside the park before you can make your first Lightning Lane reservation at Disneyland.)

In my mind, one huge benefit to using RideMax to plan a day which includes Genie+ is that you can compare the overall estimated wait to a plan which doesn’t include Genie+ to help you decide if paying Disney for Genie+ is worth the cost. That cost can add up for even a small family or group, so I’m hoping RideMax can help you make an informed choice.

Note that this feature is only available in the iOS and Android mobile apps currently. Update to the web version is still to come.

Happy planning!

Facebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Disneyland Touring After Reopening – Update Your Game Plan!

With the Disneyland reopening finally upon us, today I’m continuing my three-part series discussing the changes you’ll need to know, with a focus today on changing touring strategies.

If you haven’t yet read Part One, where I cover Disneyland’s operational changes when the parks reopen, I recommend doing that now.

Today I’ll discuss how touring strategies are likely to change based on the new Covid-related protocols, and in the next post I’ll finish up with how we’re adapting RideMax to fit with the changes, including the release of a new Disneyland RideMax app.

Your Favorite Touring Strategy is Broken Now

Back in the good ol’ days of 2019, our recommended touring strategy, whether you were using RideMax or not, would have gone something like the following:

  • Arrive early
  • Take maximum advantage of FastPass/MaxPass
  • Get the “bottleneck attractions” done early
  • Use Single Rider if possible

The problem with this strategy now is that many of the circumstances that made it work will no longer apply. In particular:

  • FastPass and MaxPass are no longer available
  • Single Rider isn’t available
  • No Annual Passholders

You might see this list and think those first two will have obvious effects on how I tour the park, but why would that last one have an impact on my touring strategy?

Continue reading “Disneyland Touring After Reopening – Update Your Game Plan!”

Facebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Disneyland is Reopening April 30th. Here’s What You Need to Know.

Since Disney just announced last week that Disneyland will reopen April 30th, I thought it would be worth digging into what this means for you, especially if y0u’re planning to visit in the near future.

This is the first of three posts dealing with the reopening. In these posts I’ll cover the following:

  • Disney’s operational changes and how you will be affected by them when the parks reopen (the subject of today’s post)
  • How touring strategies are likely to change based on the new Covid-related protocols
  • How we’re adapting RideMax to fit with the changes, including the release of a new Disneyland RideMax app

The Changes Are Coming!

Today, let’s dive in and look at some of the operational changes we expect to see when Disneyland finally reopens, and how these might affect your plans.

Continue reading “Disneyland is Reopening April 30th. Here’s What You Need to Know.”

Facebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestlinkedintumblrmailFacebooktwittergoogle_pluspinterestlinkedintumblrmail