If you only have one day to visit Disneyland, it’s important to prioritize your time effectively so that you can experience the main highlights. We always recommend spending more than one day at Disneyland if you are able, which we discuss more in our answer to how many days you need for Disneyland, but you can still make the most out of a 1-day trip with a solid strategy.
Below, we will share our top 5 tips to consider when doing Disneyland in one day to make the most of your time!
1) Get a park hopper ticket to experience both parks. While whether or not park hopping is necessary will depend largely on the circumstances of your trip, park hopping makes the most sense for a 1-day trip so that you’re able to experience the highlights of both parks. That being said, there are certain cases where it may make more sense to get a 1 Park Per Day ticket, like if you’re prioritizing rides for toddlers in Disneyland Park, for instance.
Park hopping is very easy and convenient at Disneyland given that the parks are less than a five-minute walk away from one another across the Esplanade. While you won’t be able to see and do everything when visiting Disneyland for one day, a park hopper ticket will help you to hit all of the best Disneyland rides across the two parks.
2) Choose which day to visit carefully. If you only have one day to visit Disneyland and have some flexibility in regard to when you visit, you’ll want to take a couple of things into consideration so that you can make the most of your time. The best time to visit Disneyland is on a weekend when park hours are longer and fireworks will be showing, as during times of the year like Spring and Fall fireworks are weekends only.
Make sure you do your research ahead of time and check park hours to ensure that you’re not visiting on a day when the parks are closing early for any special events like Disneyland After Dark or Oogie Boogie Bash parties, as this would cut into the limited time you have on your trip.
3) Plan to rope drop and have a solid strategy for your day. When visiting Disneyland for one day, make sure you arrive in time for rope drop so that you can take advantage of shorter wait times for popular rides in the morning before the parks get busier in the afternoon. Combining rope drop with a solid strategy for the rest of the day will help to ensure that you get to all of the highlights of each park and don’t miss any must-do experiences. You can see the best Disneyland Park morning strategy and Disney California Adventure morning strategy depending on which park you are starting at for an idea of how you can structure your morning.
4) Consider a dining package for entertainment to save time. When you have a limited amount of time to enjoy at Disneyland, you might consider splurging on a dining package for entertainment so that you don’t have to use valuable park time staking out the best spot for viewing. There are a variety of Disneyland dining packages available including Plaza Inn for parade viewing, Fantasmic! packages like the popular Blue Bayou and River Belle Terrace viewing, the World of Color Dessert Party, and more.
Getting a dining package would be a good move for a one-day trip if you have your heart set on enjoying a prime viewing spot for a certain show or are already planning on dining at a location that offers a dining package.
5) Make good use of Lightning Lanes and Single Rider during your trip. Before your trip, make sure to familiarize yourself with how to best use Lightning Lane Multi Pass so that you can make the most of the service and maximize your time at the parks. Taking advantage of Single Rider lines when they are offered will also help you access shorter waits for certain rides—especially for Radiator Springs Racers!
For Rise of the Resistance, one of the most popular rides, you have the choice of waiting via standby line or purchasing individual entry to the attraction via Lightning Lane Single Pass. While wait times for Rise of the Resistance are consistently some of the longest at the parks, keep in mind these are usually inflated and you could only end up waiting an hour if you go at the right time. However, if you want to spend your limited park time elsewhere, it may be worth it to purchase Lightning Lane Single Pass entry during a one-day trip.
For more tips, you can see our full Disneyland and Disney California Adventure 1-day itinerary for guidance on how to navigate one day in both parks, or our Disneyland Park 1 day itinerary and Disney California Adventure 1 day itinerary if you are opting to visit one park only.
At Mickey Visit, we share the most important tips for planning your trips to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Universal, and beyond. Each week, we’ll share some of our top tips here on Laughing Place.