How To Do Disneyland in One Day

So you’re visiting the Happiest Place on Earth, but, unfortunately, your Disneyland journey is just for a day. There won’t be enough time to see and do everything. Decisions will have to be made. You’re at just the right place if you’re wondering ‘how to do Disneyland in one day.’

In this article, I offer advice on how to enjoy your one-day visit to Disneyland. Hopefully, this guide will help you make the best of your day and do everything you need to.

One-Day Disneyland Trip Plan

Covering Disneyland in just one day will be challenging, but you probably already know that. The most common advice you’ll get when visiting Disneyland Resort for a day is to stick with just one park (Disneyland or California Adventure), and I agree.

For this article, I’ll just be focusing on Disneyland. Even though you won’t see everything, trust me when I say this, you’ll still have a great time, regardless of the park you choose.

1. Plan Ahead

The first step is to plan your trip with some flexibility, preferably to the minute, especially when visiting during busier seasons. Since you’re only visiting for one day, you can’t leave anything for when you’re at the park as that will take time.

Of course, the first order of business is to book the tickets for the date you want to visit. Ticket prices vary, so if you have some flexibility, you may be able to buy the cheapest ones available.

Furthermore, consider staying at a Disney resort rather than a hotel off-property if you want to get there early and make the most of your trip. You won’t save significant money by staying off-property for just one night.

And if you’re coming to Disneyland from somewhere nearby, you may not even need to stay in a hotel.

2. Create an Itinerary

It’s best to have a planned itinerary for the entire day to know which attractions you’re visiting, which restaurants you’re dining at, and which attractions you can leave if pressed for time.

I don’t want to limit your one-day journey to my chosen rides, so I’m not writing a detailed itinerary. However, I will mention some must-visits you can add to your plan.

Must Visit Attractions

Disneyland comprises three areas: Main Street USA, Adventureland, Frontierland, Critter Country, New Orleans Square, Fantasyland, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Mickey’s Toontown, and Tomorrowland.

Here are the must-visit attractions in these areas:

1. Adventureland

• Jungle Cruise
• Indiana Jones Adventure

2. Frontierland

• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

3. Critter Country

• Splash Mountain

4. New Orleans Square

• Pirates of the Caribbean

5. Fantasyland

• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Matterhorn Bobsled

6. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

• Star Wars: Rise of Resistance
• Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run

7. Mickey’s Toontown

• Roger Rabit’s Car Toon Spin
• Mickey’s House and Meet Mickey

8. Tomorrowland

• Space Mountain
• Autopia

Dining Options

As short as your stay is, you’d obviously want to eat to gain energy for all the following rides.

While there are plenty of options when grabbing a snack, I recommend bringing some. That takes out all the guesswork and saves you time and money. It would help to consider where to stop for lunch and dinner.

Fortunately, each area has dining options, but Main Street USA has the most choices. So you can head there for lunch. You can choose from counter service and dine-in restaurants. However, remember that you may need reservations for some table services restaurants like Blue Bayou Restaurant or Carnation Cafe.

Unless you want to dine at a table service restaurant, I’d suggest using a quick service option and mobile ordering with the My Disney Experience app.

How To Save Time at Disneyland?

While you can choose the attractions you want to visit and the ones you could do without, I will share some tips to reduce your wait times, especially for the popular rides, and maybe squeeze in a ride or two.

However, don’t overthink the plan or be too frigid with it. You’re there to enjoy, even if that’s just for a day. So your number one priority should be having a good time, no matter what!

Here’s how you can save time on your one-day trip to Disneyland California:

1. Visit During Off-Season

If you really want to do more on your single-day Disneyland trip, you should try visiting during the off-season. That’s when there are lesser crowds and, therefore, shorter wait times on most rides.

Mid-January through early March and mid-April through mid-May are relatively less busy. September is also the less crowded month for Disneyland as schools have begun and summer’s over.

As for the days of the week, Tuesdays to Thursdays are less busy.

2. Head Before Rope Drop

Try getting to the park 30 to 45 minutes before the official rope drop (opening) time. Then, the turnstiles open 45 minutes before opening time, and you can get into the Main Street area.

While you wait, a couple of attractions exist, such as the Partners Statue and Central Plaza.

3. Start With Fantasyland

I’d recommend starting the day with Fantasyland, especially when visiting with kids. It has smaller, less popular attractions that can be covered quickly. Plus, there aren’t as many people in this area as early as later in the day.

4. Visit Popular Attractions Early

You want to check off the must-visit attractions first so you don’t regret leaving the park. So after Fantasyland, head to the popular rides like those at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and others like Jungle Cruise and Splash Mountain.

Depending on the day and season, the wait time can be over an hour or even more (the next point explains how to reduce that).

5. Use Genie+ and Lightning Lane (Especially for Popular Rides)

This will be a game-changer for those visiting Disneyland for just a day. Disney Genie+ is a paid service that helps you plan your trip to a T and also offers Lightning Lane passes for one attraction at a time, depending on availability. These passes provide express entry with way shorter wait times (this has replaced the free FastPass service at Disney parks).

So, if you want to visit Jungle Cruise, you can reserve Lightning Lane passes through Genie+ service. And then book another slot for the next attraction once you’re done with Jungle Cruise.

The individual Lightning Lane pass is an even better option, albeit expensive. You can purchase passes for up to two attractions daily, subject to availability. This option is available separately from the Genie+ service.

6. End the Day in Tomorrowland

I would suggest keeping Tomorrowland for last, as it simply looks spectacular in the evening, and you may find it less busy (if you’re lucky).

But, of course, if you want to do Tomorrowland earlier, you’re welcome to!

Conclusion

Not everyone has the luxury of spending multiple days at Disneyland, and that’s fine. However, if you plan and prioritize the attractions you must visit, your day will be great.

The recommendations in this article should come in handy for making the most of your day trip and getting to as many attractions as possible. At the same time, consider how crowd density, weather, and ride availability influence your trip.