Disneyland Parks in One Day

I often offer to help plan Disneyland trips to uncover that the plan is to visit for ONE day! For an avid Disney Nerd like myself, this is unsettling, but I can see with the cost of entry why this is the reality for many families. I’d like to offer a few pointers that may help with your plan.

If you do chose to go for only one day, try to pick a time when the crowds are the lowest. That would be during those times when school is in session or annual pass holders have blackouts. Check out The Crowd Forecast Calendar for additional insight.

One Day May Mean One Park…

Depending on what rides you want to go on, you may consider narrowing your day down to one park. This will enable you to maximize your time. So how many rides can you get in? Let’s do the math…

• BUSY DAY MATH (Worst Case Scenario)
  • Rides per hour ~1 :: On busy days most of the attraction lines are about 50 minutes or more, so estimating a ride per hour is pretty close.
  • Time for food :: You have to eat…so figure at least 30-45 minutes per meal; these would be quick service meals. If you want a sit down meal I would factor in 1.5 hours.
  • Breaks :: Bio breaks are going to happen…so figure about 45 minutes per day
  • Travel :: These are big parks, traveling from ride to ride takes time, I always recommend a counter-clockwise flow through the park and trying to hit rides that are nearest to minis this time, but I’d say about 1.25 hours a day is spent just walking
  • Park hours :: Usually during the busy times Disneyland extends its hours from 8:00 AM to midnight (16 hours), and California Adventure form 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM (14 hours)
  • Assumptions ::
    • You eat before coming to the park, so only 2 meals in the park
    • You are there when the park opens and don’t leave until it closes
    • You are able to FastPass any line longer than 60 minutes
  • DISNEYLAND RIDES – 12 rides per day
  • CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE RIDES – 10 rides per day

List, Prioritize, Compromise…

With only one day in the park, you much make a list of what the MUST rides are for your group. With this list, determine which rides offer FastPasses, where you may be able to not wait in a long line. Finally, there will probably be some sore of compromise that must be made in order to completely satisfy the group. Pre-planning is the KEY to a successful trip to Disneyland/California Adventure ESPECIALLY when you are only there for ONE day!

What rides run out of FastPasses quickly?

The following is a list of rides that typically run out of FastPasses early in the day.

NOTE: These are not the only FastPass rides, just those the run out quickly most days.

California Adventure Rides

• Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! **New Ride – Previously Tower of Terror**
• Radiator Springs Racers
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Toy Story Midway Mania** NEW FastPass**

Disneyland Rides

• Indian Joes Adventure
• Space Mountain
• Star Tours
• Big Thunder Mountain

Important Notes for a One Day Plan

• Purchase your tickets BEFORE you get to the park.
• If you chose to try to get in both parks MAKE SURE you purchase the HOPPER option.
• Start in FANTASYLAND in Disneyland, particularly Peter Pan’s Flight, as these rides don’t have FastPasses and the lines get LONG.
• Don’t be afraid to separate your party…Send one to get FastPasses and meet the rest of you at the next ride.
• Use your FastPasses wisely and NOTE when you can get your NEXT FastPass
• If you want to ride either Guardians of the Galaxy or Radiator Springs Racers go to California Adventure FIRST and attempt to get FastPasses
• Get to the park 1 HOUR BEFORE it opens to be make sure you get through security and are in the park before it officially opens.
• Stay at one of the RESORT HOTEL; eliminate drive time/parking ADD the benefit of EARLY HOURS!

Have more questions or want additional help? Please email me! 🙂