Hotels' guests to get into parks early
30-minute advance entry begins Aug. 8, Disney says
Disneyland Resort hotel guests are about to get a half-hour head start on the most popular rides and attractions ahead of daily Disneyland visitors and Magic Key annual passholders.
Guests at the three Disneyland Resort hotels will have early entry privileges at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure beginning Aug. 8, according to the Disney Parks Blog.
Disneyland and California Adventure typically open at 8 a.m. — which means Disney hotel guests will be able to get into the parks starting at 7:30 a.m. most days. The paid Genie+ and Lightning Lane frontof-the-line services can be booked once visitors enter the parks.
Disney hotel guests can ride some attractions, visit some shops and restaurants and make Genie+ and Lightning Lane selections once inside the parks during the 30-minute early entry. Genie+ and Lightning Lane selections will only be available for times after 8 a.m.
During early entry, visitors will be able to circumvent the traditional rope drop locations at the Sleeping Beauty Castle hub and head into the individual themed lands.
Disneyland will open the front gate turnstiles for all visitors — hotel and nonhotel guests — 30 minutes before official park opening each day. Hotel guests will show their room reservation in the Disneyland app to get past rope drop and ride the attractions, while others wait on Main Street, U.S.A. and the castle hub for the official park opening. Any visitors inside the parks can make Genie+ and Lighting Lane reservations during the early entry period.
Exactly what time Disneyland and California Adventure open their gates before rope drop varies by day. Sometimes it's a few minutes; other times it can be 10, 20 or even 30 minutes. Following the yearlong pandemic closure, Disneyland occasionally opened a full hour before the official opening time and allowed visitors to ride some attractions without waiting for the rope drop.
Disneyland has 19 Genie+ front-of-the-line rides and three pay-to-ride individual Lightning Lane attractions available through the Disney Genie mobile app.
Disney's personal assistant app is divided into three parts — the free Disney Genie itinerary planning feature, the $20 Disney Genie+ replacement for the former FastPass linecutting perk, and the individual Lightning Lane option that charges $7-$20 to jump to the front of the line on the most popular rides.
Disneyland has 12 Genie+ attractions at launch: Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones Adventure, Matterhorn
Bobsleds, Splash Mountain, Star Tours, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, It's a Small World, Autopia, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.
The Genie+ rides at Disney California Adventure are Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout!; Incredicoaster; Soarin' Around the World; Toy Story Midway Mania; Grizzly River Run; Monsters, Inc.; Mike & Sulley to the Rescue; and Goofy's Sky School.
Disneyland has one individual Lightning Lane attraction (Rise of the Resistance), while Disney California Adventure has two (Web Slingers: Spider-Man Adventure
and Radiator Springs Racers).
Disneyland Resort hotel guests will also get preferred dining access for a limited number of reservations at some hotel table service restaurants. A start date for the preferred dining reservations was not announced beyond “coming soon.” The hotel restaurants weren't designated either — but Napa Rose and Storytellers Cafe at the Grand Californian and Goofy's Kitchen and Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel are among the most popular dining locations.
The early entry and preferred dining access privileges are part of a new package of perks announced for guests of the Disneyland Hotel, Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel.
The three Disney hotels will host daily summer pool parties through Aug. 31, with a squad of Disney characters leading poolside games set to high-energy music.
Disney hotel guests will also have access to a package delivery service starting Aug. 8 for merchandise purchased in the parks to be delivered to their hotel rooms.
The three Disneyland Resort hotels are offering 10% to 25% discounts SundayThursday nights from Aug. 7-Sept. 29.