Please help planning park days for first timers

[welovedis]

DH & I are visiting DL, staying at the GCH from 5/1-5/5 and will rent a car on check-out to head to LA for a week. Never having been to DL we are trying to wrap our brains around trip planning because we are so used to the "WDW way" of really planning out things well in advance.
We have PHs so I think we need to pick our first park for each day and are concerned how the crowds might be for the Star Wars Nites on the 3rd and 4th. Should we start at DL on those days so we can then move to the DCA for the evening? I'm assuming with the crossover starts around 6pm, DL will get significantly more crowded.
And then if we want to try to get on RS, ROTR or Spiderman we have to join an online queue first thing in the morning, right?
We've been reading about Genie + and LL and our travel agent asked if we wanted to add on Genie + for the whole trip. I'm thinking most people would wait but then there is the Photopass and since its our 30th anniversary that might be a good thing to have, right?
I guess I'm trying to understand if we wanted to see and do all the rides/shows/attractions do we really have to plan a ton in advance if we have 4-5 days there?
My husband and I are a little overwhelmed looking at a lot of sites to try to glean the most updated info. Would using something like a trip planning site (for a fee) make sense for us?

 

[gelatoni fan]

First off, congrats on your anniversary.

I do think it'll be a decent idea to start off in Disneyland on the Star Wars Nites and then hop over later if you really want to do a lot in Disneyland for those days. But you may find that the crowds are a bit elevated those days anyway from people who are going to the Star Wars Nites and go earlier in the day on tickets or Magic Keys.

There are no online queues for any rides right now. Those three rides have individual lighting lane that you can pay for but those don't usually sell out that quickly. Given that you have so many days, I recommend just waiting in line for them rather than paying for that.

With Genie+, you can add it on for individual days so there's no need to commit for the entire trip now. If you really only want it for Photopass, just one person can get it and you're covered. Or, you could get it for one or two days and do all the Lightning Lane attractions and Photopass on those days rather than buy it for every day.

I think it's perfectly doable to see everything most people would want to in the parks in just two days even without too much advance planning. With 4-5 days, unless you are trying to meet every single character or ride multiple favorites multiple times, you should definitely be able to do everything you want to. I personally don't think trip planning sites are worth it but it depends on your personality and travel style.

 

[Kit Jackson]

With 4-5 days, you will have plenty of time to see and do everything you want without having to rush and do rope drop every single day. The last time I went was pre-pandemic. I have no idea how many photographers are currently out and about in the parks. During my trip Photopass was fantastic. Photographers took some excellent pictures of me, and I am not someone who usually photographs well.

I would reccomend making a list of everything you want to do (rides/attractions, food, shopping, entertainment, characters you want to meet) in advance. Each day, figure out what you want to do. There are some places where you do need to make reservations (character meals, lunch or dinner) in advance, but those are the exception rather than the rule.

 

[welovedis]

First off, congrats on your anniversary.

I do think it'll be a decent idea to start off in Disneyland on the Star Wars Nites and then hop over later if you really want to do a lot in Disneyland for those days. But you may find that the crowds are a bit elevated those days anyway from people who are going to the Star Wars Nites and go earlier in the day on tickets or Magic Keys.

There are no online queues for any rides right now. Those three rides have individual lighting lane that you can pay for but those don't usually sell out that quickly. Given that you have so many days, I recommend just waiting in line for them rather than paying for that.

With Genie+, you can add it on for individual days so there's no need to commit for the entire trip now. If you really only want it for Photopass, just one person can get it and you're covered. Or, you could get it for one or two days and do all the Lightning Lane attractions and Photopass on those days rather than buy it for every day.

I think it's perfectly doable to see everything most people would want to in the parks in just two days even without too much advance planning. With 4-5 days, unless you are trying to meet every single character or ride multiple favorites multiple times, you should definitely be able to do everything you want to. I personally don't think trip planning sites are worth it but it depends on your personality and travel style.

With 4-5 days, you will have plenty of time to see and do everything you want without having to rush and do rope drop every single day. The last time I went was pre-pandemic. I have no idea how many photographers are currently out and about in the parks. During my trip Photopass was fantastic. Photographers took some excellent pictures of me, and I am not someone who usually photographs well.

I would reccomend making a list of everything you want to do (rides/attractions, food, shopping, entertainment, characters you want to meet) in advance. Each day, figure out what you want to do. There are some places where you do need to make reservations (character meals, lunch or dinner) in advance, but those are the exception rather than the rule.

Thanks to both of you for the recommendations! I thought we had to purchase for everyone and that would add up (we have two care attendants coming with us). I like the Photopass idea so we can memorialize our time at the parks. I didn't realize there is DAS available and will look into this, so maybe utilizing Genie + is not something we can do with that. My husband will use his intermediate wheelchair for the trip, which folds down small but also has a neck support if it he needs it. He can transfer using arm crutches and walks short distances with those so I don't know how we will have to navigate everything. But we will start by choosing those park reservations and go from there.
Thanks again!

 

[Dug720]

I thought we had to purchase for everyone and that would add up (we have two care attendants coming with us).

To use the Lightning Lanes everyone would need to have Genie+. For photopass as long as they are in the picture with you you'd get the pictures.

 

[Ursula J]

As a very, very tired person who is also used to WDW and planning DL for the first time, just wanted to tell you: It's not 60+ length of stay for dining reservations :/ Just a straight-up 60. So to do the reservations for dining, you need to do it one early morning at a time. Groan. Kind of wish I'd known that lol