January Updates for the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2022

Walt Disney once said that Disneyland will never be completed, and neither will the Unofficial Guides, so it’s already time for this year’s first round of updates to The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2022.

The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2022 just hit store shelves late last year, but there have already been a number of new closures, changes, and other adjustments to operations at the Disneyland Resort. You can find pages archiving all of these updates at theunofficialguides.com/disneyland-updates and touringplans.com/disneyland-updates.

PART 1: PLANNING BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME

Disneyland Resort admission prices increased in October 2021. Tier 6 adult single day/single park tickets are now $164, and single day park-hopper passes are $224.

Park hoppers who arrive after 1 p.m. may enter either gate first, regardless of which park they reserved, but a reservation at one of them is still required.

Parking in Disneyland Resort garages and lots costs $30 for cars and motorcycles, $35 for RVs and oversize vehicles without trailers, and $40 for buses and tractors with extended trailers. Preferred Parking is $45. Downtown Disney rates are unchanged.

PART 2: ACCOMMODATIONS

Valet parking at the Disneyland Resort hotels costs $50 plus $10 per hour, up to $120 daily for non-guests.

Parking for registered resort guests at any of the Disney-owned hotels is $35 per night for self-parking ($40 for oversize vehicles; free for Disney Vacation Club members) or $50 per night for valet.

Rates and availability for Disneyland Hotel Signature Suites can now be searched online.

PART 3: MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TIME

Genie+ users can only claim one return window at a time (unless using the “2-hour loophole” described below) and must redeem it at the selected ride or let it expire before picking another. Unlike FastPass, guests may only use each participating Lightning Lane once per day, so you’ll be back in standby if you want to re-ride your favorites.

Lightning Lane access is not bundled into Genie+ for one or two selected rides in each park—Star Wars Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland, and Radiator Springs Racers and WEB SLINGERS at Disney California Adventure. Pricing for these rides varies daily between $7 and $20 based on demand, and you may only reserve one Individual Lightning Lane at a time.

When you use the Disneyland app to secure a Lightning Lane reservation, it will assign you the next available return time, such as “1 p.m. to 2 p.m.,” “1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.,” and so on. You do not get your choice of return windows, like under MaxPass.

Disney will normally allocate 80%–90% of a ride’s hourly capacity to Lightning Lane riders. In practice, that means that Disney puts between 4 and 10 people from the Lightning Lane on the ride for every 1 person it takes from the standby line.

If your Genie+ return time is more than 2 hours away, you may retrieve a second reservation for a different Genie+ attraction 120 minutes after scheduling your first. This trick, which is known as the “2-hour loophole,” can be used to “stack” multiple overlapping Lightning Lane reservations in the evening.

If you change your mind about a Genie+ Lightning Lane you selected, you can cancel it through the app and replace it with a new attraction. Be aware that if you change your mind back, your initial reservation may no longer be available.

Once you’ve entered the park for the day, you can use Genie+ to continue to retrieve Lightning Lane return times after you’ve exited, so you can reserve another ride while lunching in Downtown Disney or napping at your hotel.

Guests with park-hopper tickets may retrieve afternoon Lightning Lane return times for either park before 1 p.m., when park hopping is permitted.

Attractions will not dispense Lightning Lane reservations while they are closed for extended refurbishments or special events, but they may continue to dispense return times through Genie+, when temporarily unavailable, with a time buffer added to accommodate the anticipated downtime.

If an attraction is unavailable during your return window, your Lightning Lane automatically converts to a “Multiple Experiences” Replacement Lightning Lane pass. Multiple Experiences passes remain valid for use until closing time at that attraction (if it reopens) or at selected other Lightning Lane attractions in both parks. If the original return window was near to closing time, the Multiple Experiences pass may be valid on the following day. Individual Lightning Lane purchases may be refunded if you are unable to ride, but no refunds are issued for Genie+ due to attraction closures.

Virtual Queues have been discontinued at Rise of the Resistance and WEB SLINGERS. Both rides now offer Standby queues and paid Individual Lightning Lanes. Virtual Queues may be reintroduced during peak attendance periods or on popular new attractions.

PART 4: ESSENTIALS

Manual wheelchairs and a limited number of ECVs are available to rent inside the bottom level of the Pixar Pals parking structure.

The Main Street Photo Supply Co. in Disneyland Park has been replaced by the Plaza Point Holiday Shop. For assistance with PhotoPass, visit the photo concierge booth in the Esplanade to the left of Disneyland’s entrance.

PART 6: DISNEYLAND PARK

Single Rider lines are currently not available at Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland.

Lightsabers at Savi’s Workshop no longer include a carrying sling.

If rope dropping Rise of the Resistance, exit the hub into Frontierland, go through the tunnel behind Big Thunder Mountain, and then turn left towards the ride.

Be aware that Rise of the Resistance closes for nightly maintenance at 8 p.m., even on evenings when the park stays open much later.

Fantasyland Theatre will reopen in 2022 with Tale of the Lion King, a live adaptation of the film using music and storytelling that was previously staged at DCA. The Fantasyland Theatre will also host “Celebrate Gospel!” choir performances in February 2022.

The Matterhorn Bobsleds single rider queue is located to the right of the entrance at the ride’s exit.

Mickey’s Toontown will be closed from March 2022 through early 2023. In addition to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the reimagined Toontown will feature new play structures and green spaces for families to enjoy.

Autopia offers Lightning Lane.

Disneyland Monorail reopened in October 2021, but it will be temporarily closed again from February 4 through March 6, 2022.

Space Mountain’s Lightning Lane is included in Genie+. The single rider line is currently not available at Space Mountain.

Fantasmic is scheduled to resume performances in Spring 2022.

Disneyland is reviving the vintage Main Street Electrical Parade in time for its 50th anniversary in Spring 2022. Magic Happens is not scheduled to return at this time.

Disneyland Forever (4 ½), the fireworks show created for Disneyland’s 60th anniversary in 2015, will return to the park in Spring 2022, replacing Mickey’s Mix Magic on select nights.

PART 7: DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

Mickey’s PhilharMagic is periodically preempted when the Sunset Showcase theater is used to screen movie trailers promoting Disney’s hopeful cinematic blockbusters, such as the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe films.

Monsters Inc offers Lightning Lane.

In January and February 2022, Disney California Adventure hosts an expanded Lunar New Year Festival, with Raya (from Raya and the Last Dragon) and Tigger joining Mickey and Minnie, and the Three Little Pigs to celebrate the “Year of the Tiger.” Look for a traditional Lucky Wishes Wall and kids’ crafts at Paradise Gardens; meet Raya at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail; and find Asian culinary treats at food booths along the walkways in between. (World of Color will not run during the 2022 Lunar New Year, but the special preshow may return in 2023.)

Sip ‘n Savor passes, available during seasonal events, are valid for a set number of selected samples from food booths. If fully used on the most expensive eligible offerings, they offer modest savings over buying à la carte, but they can’t be used for alcoholic beverages.

PART 8: DINING AND SHOPPING

Kosher foods are also available at Mortimer’s Market and Carthay Circle in DCA.

You can only redeem rewards or use Mobile Ordering at the Downtown Disney Starbucks location, not the Market House in Disneyland.

The Jägerhaus restaurant in Anaheim has permanently closed.

The AMC Movieplex, Earl of Sandwich, and other existing structures on the western end of Downtown Disney are being demolished in 2022, making way for new shops and open-air gathering spaces.

PART 9: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD

Universal Studios Hollywood single-day adult admission has increased to $144.

The Frog Choir performs seasonally at Universal Studios Hollywood and features Christmas music during the holiday season.

For all there is to see and do at Disneyland, check out The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland by Seth Kubersky with Bob Sehlinger, Len Testa, and Guy Selga Jr. All Disneyland fans should also check out The Disneyland Story: The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney’s Dream by Sam Gennawey.

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