Genie+ Lightening Lane Question versus just lining up for rides

[cindernat]

Hi All,

So sorry if I should have posted this under an existing thread. We're coming in July from Australia. We did DL/DCA in 2015 back when there were manual FP only. Seems like a lot has changed and gotten more complex/costly!

We are going to be staying onsite and we bought the park tickets along with the hotel reservations just to make it easier. Our window for booking the parks isn't for a few days but it's in my calendar, hopefully it's straightforward. We only have 2 days, 1st at DL and 2nd at CA.

My question is around Genie+ which we added onto the park tickets. So, like everyone else I am guessing, our priorities are Rise of the Resistance, Spiderman Web Slingers and probably Radiator Springs Racers even though we did that in 2015 about 3 times (loved it). From what I have researched, you can't book the paid Lightening Lanes til on the day, around 7am (is this correct?) Could there be the situation where you pay the $20 each for RoR but then miss out on getting the Lightening Lane for it? I don't want to waste money!

When is the best time to book to go on RoR and/or Web Slingers, and when should you just line up to ride it such as immediately after rope drop (or should you not even attempt this?)

The other query I had is usually I'm the only one with a local USA sim card in my phone, so I only I have the Disney app/logon etc. Can I book for all of us, and also can we use just my phone to 'swipe on' with our booking barcode at the ride?

Finally can we book Radiator Springs Racers as well as Spiderman Web Slingers with the paid Lightening Lanes on the same day for all of us (noticed they are both at DCA) or does it limit you to choosing only one?

Sorry if these questions have been answered before many times.

 

[Etonduf]

I'll leave it to the experts for a more comprehensive answer, but I'll chime in on my experience the past few days. You pay for the ILL purchase at the time you book it--so there's no way to be charged without getting the pass. You can purchase ILLs after you scan into the park (7:30ish), though maybe others know of exceptions to that. You can book 2 per day (out of the three options, meaning that you have to leave one out each day).

EDIT to add: you can purchase both RSR and WebSlingers. If you're park-hopping, you can book from the other park when you get in--your time will automatically be bumped to 1:00 (when you're eligible to hop). If you're not park-hopping, I assume it won't let you purchase a ride in the other park.

There's a pinned thread about rope drop strategies, and it's worth reading the first few posts to find out about timing, etc.

 

[cindernat]

Thanks so much for this. Crap, we have a 1.5h drive ahead of us before getting to the park on Day 1 (that said, we are going to leave super early and try to get there before the park opens, BUT we have to pick up our park tickets from the hotel first - sigh!). Alright cool, glad to hear we won't be charged the ILL fee if the ride is not available to book. I would hope that booking at 7:30ish or whatever time it is, at least some bookings for RoR will be available to book but honestly no idea what to expect.

We aren't park hopping, with only 2 days we just decided to dedicate full days to each park.

I will have a look at the rope drop strategies, cheers. Anyone else's suggestions also welcome.

 

[smartlabelprint]

I’d go to dca your first day with the late start. Less to o there.

yes,it’s actually best if one person books so all of you have the same return time.

It’s generally not best to rope drop Rise.

 

[cindernat]

I’d go to dca your first day with the late start. Less to o there.

yes,it’s actually best if one person books so all of you have the same return time.

It’s generally not best to rope drop Rise.

That's a good idea actually. And we're staying a the Grand Californian and I believe it has its own entrance to DCA.

 

[Etonduf]

I’d go to dca your first day with the late start. Less to o there.

yes,it’s actually best if one person books so all of you have the same return time.

It’s generally not best to rope drop Rise.

I agree with this. There are a few things in California Adventure that my family loves and wouldn't want to miss, but outside of those things we don't care about that park as much as Disneyland. We park hop, but if we didn't we'd spent our longer days at Disneyland rather than DCA.

 

[cindernat]

The only thing bothering me is our 2nd day (as we only have one night) won't be a full day as we head back into LA maybe 6ish (oh what fun driving in that traffic!). I would rather spend the full day (day 1) at DLP.

Anyone know what it means if you get this when trying to make park reservations? "Someone Ate the Page!" This happens after I tick all our family members and click Continue. I tried the app too, but it kicks off a browser session that never loads. Tried both Safari and Chrome. On PC also tried incognito window and clearing cookies

 

[JohnR5101]

...I would hope that booking at 7:30ish or whatever time it is, at least some bookings for RoR will be available to book but honestly no idea what to expect.

Rise ILL seems to run out between 10:00 and 11:00 am, so you shouldn't have any trouble getting it.

 

[pokee99]

Hi All,

So sorry if I should have posted this under an existing thread. We're coming in July from Australia. We did DL/DCA in 2015 back when there were manual FP only. Seems like a lot has changed and gotten more complex/costly!

We are going to be staying onsite and we bought the park tickets along with the hotel reservations just to make it easier. Our window for booking the parks isn't for a few days but it's in my calendar, hopefully it's straightforward. We only have 2 days, 1st at DL and 2nd at CA.

My question is around Genie+ which we added onto the park tickets. So, like everyone else I am guessing, our priorities are Rise of the Resistance, Spiderman Web Slingers and probably Radiator Springs Racers even though we did that in 2015 about 3 times (loved it). From what I have researched, you can't book the paid Lightening Lanes til on the day, around 7am (is this correct?) Could there be the situation where you pay the $20 each for RoR but then miss out on getting the Lightening Lane for it? I don't want to waste money!

When is the best time to book to go on RoR and/or Web Slingers, and when should you just line up to ride it such as immediately after rope drop (or should you not even attempt this?)

The other query I had is usually I'm the only one with a local USA sim card in my phone, so I only I have the Disney app/logon etc. Can I book for all of us, and also can we use just my phone to 'swipe on' with our booking barcode at the ride?

Finally can we book Radiator Springs Racers as well as Spiderman Web Slingers with the paid Lightening Lanes on the same day for all of us (noticed they are both at DCA) or does it limit you to choosing only one?

Sorry if these questions have been answered before many times.

I just came back, so lots to share!

On your DL day, I'd buy your ILL for Rise right when you enter the park. You'll likely get a morning time if you book right away. If I were you, I'd also do standby and ride it again the same day. I noticed more stuff the second time. I waited 90 mins on a really busy day for my b 2nd time, and it was worth it. It closes at 8:30pm, and can go down, so keep that in mind.

On your DCA day, you can only pay for RSR & Webslingers once...but, I wouldn't even pay for Webslingers! We paid and regretted it. The ride is meh, and standby line was about the same as ILL. I would pay for RSR though - AND I would do single rider if you can! You can wait in line together, ride separately and meet at the exit. Sometimes you can get on the same car! We did this a few times at night before park closing. It was so fun to essentially just walk on and ride multiple times! You could likely do this in the AM, too - which would be smart in case the ride breaks down (which it does frequently).

You can book & scan for everyone BUT, you won't need to! Everyone can log into your account using WiFi. I had to use WiFi during my entire visit because my specific phone's data doesn't work with LL/ILL bookings (known bug). My daughter doesn't have roaming data (we're from Canada) so she had to use WiFi too. Honestly, ZERO issues with WiFi, except one or two times when inside some ride lines trying to book the next LL - and just booked minutes later when back outside. I was SUPER impressed with the WiFi coverage!!!

Have fun!

 

[rxbeth]

I just came back, so lots to share!

On your DL day, I'd buy your ILL for Rise right when you enter the park. You'll likely get a morning time if you book right away. If I were you, I'd also do standby and ride it again the same day. I noticed more stuff the second time. I waited 90 mins on a really busy day for my b 2nd time, and it was worth it. It closes at 8:30pm, and can go down, so keep that in mind.

On your DCA day, you can only pay for RSR & Webslingers once...but, I wouldn't even pay for Webslingers! We paid and regretted it. The ride is meh, and standby line was about the same as ILL. I would pay for RSR though - AND I would do single rider if you can! You can wait in line together, ride separately and meet at the exit. Sometimes you can get on the same car! We did this a few times at night before park closing. It was so fun to essentially just walk on and ride multiple times! You could likely do this in the AM, too - which would be smart in case the ride breaks down (which it does frequently).

You can book & scan for everyone BUT, you won't need to! Everyone can log into your account using WiFi. I had to use WiFi during my entire visit because my specific phone's data doesn't work with LL/ILL bookings (known bug). My daughter doesn't have roaming data (we're from Canada) so she had to use WiFi too. Honestly, ZERO issues with WiFi, except one or two times when inside some ride lines trying to book the next LL - and just booked minutes later when back outside. I was SUPER impressed with the WiFi coverage!!!

Have fun!

I will be coming from Canada in August and I've heard a bit about people having issues trying to use data. Can you give me more details? Is it carrier or phone specific?

 

[cindernat]

On your DL day, I'd buy your ILL for Rise right when you enter the park. You'll likely get a morning time if you book right away. If I were you, I'd also do standby and ride it again the same day. I noticed more stuff the second time. I waited 90 mins on a really busy day for my b 2nd time, and it was worth it. It closes at 8:30pm, and can go down, so keep that in mind.

On your DCA day, you can only pay for RSR & Webslingers once...but, I wouldn't even pay for Webslingers! We paid and regretted it. The ride is meh, and standby line was about the same as ILL. I would pay for RSR though - AND I would do single rider if you can! You can wait in line together, ride separately and meet at the exit. Sometimes you can get on the same car! We did this a few times at night before park closing. It was so fun to essentially just walk on and ride multiple times! You could likely do this in the AM, too - which would be smart in case the ride breaks down (which it does frequently).

You can book & scan for everyone BUT, you won't need to! Everyone can log into your account using WiFi. I had to use WiFi during my entire visit because my specific phone's data doesn't work with LL/ILL bookings (known bug). My daughter doesn't have roaming data (we're from Canada) so she had to use WiFi too. Honestly, ZERO issues with WiFi, except one or two times when inside some ride lines trying to book the next LL - and just booked minutes later when back outside. I was SUPER impressed with the WiFi coverage!!!

Have fun!

Ok thanks for all the helpful info! My son is now 12 so single rider is now actually possible, and as you say we can line up together and potentially even get on the same car together!

That's good to know about the wifi also.

BTW I didn't get the 'someone ate the page' error today (so it wasn't something wrong my end!), but my dates aren't open yet. Gotta wait a few more days.

 

[sweethannah]

I just came back, so lots to share!

On your DL day, I'd buy your ILL for Rise right when you enter the park. You'll likely get a morning time if you book right away. If I were you, I'd also do standby and ride it again the same day. I noticed more stuff the second time. I waited 90 mins on a really busy day for my b 2nd time, and it was worth it. It closes at 8:30pm, and can go down, so keep that in mind.

On your DCA day, you can only pay for RSR & Webslingers once...but, I wouldn't even pay for Webslingers! We paid and regretted it. The ride is meh, and standby line was about the same as ILL. I would pay for RSR though - AND I would do single rider if you can! You can wait in line together, ride separately and meet at the exit. Sometimes you can get on the same car! We did this a few times at night before park closing. It was so fun to essentially just walk on and ride multiple times! You could likely do this in the AM, too - which would be smart in case the ride breaks down (which it does frequently).

You can book & scan for everyone BUT, you won't need to! Everyone can log into your account using WiFi. I had to use WiFi during my entire visit because my specific phone's data doesn't work with LL/ILL bookings (known bug). My daughter doesn't have roaming data (we're from Canada) so she had to use WiFi too. Honestly, ZERO issues with WiFi, except one or two times when inside some ride lines trying to book the next LL - and just booked minutes later when back outside. I was SUPER impressed with the WiFi coverage!!!

Have fun!

I will be coming from Canada in August and I've heard a bit about people having issues trying to use data. Can you give me more details? Is it carrier or phone specific?

Same please ! What's the bug - is it the carrier, SIM card, and how where did you find out about the bug. I'm also looking to head down in August rxbeth

 

[pokee99]

I will be coming from Canada in August and I've heard a bit about people having issues trying to use data. Can you give me more details? Is it carrier or phone specific?

My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S20FE.

The moment I entered DCA a week ago, I tried to buy an ILL for Webslingers and got this error message (see attached). Same thing happened when I tried to load the Tip Board and when I tried to reserve any LL rides. It's possible there would have been problems with mobile ordering too, but I didn't do any further testing of the issue, lol.

I reported the problem to guest relations and they sold me the ILL manually, and logged the issue for IT to investigate. All they told me is they recognized my phone as being a "known issue". What they didn't tell me, and perhaps didn't know, is that the issue only occurs when connected to data. The app worked flawlessly when connected to wifi (discovered this when my daughter was able to get everything to work via WiFi on her iPhone, so I tried, too). So my guess is that it's carrier, phone or SIM card related - or a combination of any of those.

I normally use Roger's at home, so the roaming carrier was AT&T.

I have a 5G SIM, so not sure if that was part of the issue.

If you have a 3G SIM, you may have roaming connection issues because some of the US carriers have shut down 3G service in the US (my daughter has an old SIM in her iPhone 12, so she couldn't even connect with a network, let alone try out the app with her data).

But trust me when I say - you won't need your data for the app in the park. Wifi was VERY reliable almost everywhere. I think it only completely cut out in Haunted Mansion and Breakout. So even if your phone has issues, you'll likely be okay!