Disneyland and California Adventure in One Day: I Lived It

Visiting Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in one day was a last-minute decision. I was in Los Angeles for five days and had one day with no activities planned. “Why not?” I thought to myself. I don’t know when I’ll be back in Southern California. I’d be a fool not to go.

So there I was. Downloading the Disneyland app and buying my tickets less than 12 hours before driving to the resort.

My last trip to a Disney park was a week spent at Walt Disney World in 2010. Much has changed both with Disney parks and technology in the nine years since that visit.

I didn’t read any books. I didn’t develop a plan of attack. I barely compiled a list of can’t-miss attractions.

There were things I did right but (more) things that I did wrong.

If you ever find yourself at Disneyland for one day only — and want to visit California Adventure as well — I hope you can learn something from my experience. Below is a list of things that I did wrong and things I did right during my one day at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.

Note: I visited the park a month before Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened. If you want to add that to your itinerary, I recommend devoting one entire day to Disneyland. However, many of these tips are still applicable ways to save time and maximize your day.

What I did wrong:

Again, I did more “wrong” than “right.” I’m no Disney trip-planning expert. I’ll call them “learning opportunities.” Below are the things I did that could have done better.

1. I set unrealistic expectations.

I told myself before I bought the tickets that I couldn’t do it all. I knew only a superhuman with months of planning and park-mapping could even come close to conquering both parks in one day. That was not me.

Nevertheless, once I found myself inside the park staring down the entrances of so many iconic attractions, I developed a burning desire to do everything.

I’d need at least one more day to do that.

2. I didn’t learn how to use the Disneyland app beforehand.

This shouldn’t be something that you have to do beforehand. The app should be easy to use and intuitive straight out of the box, but I found the user interface to be cumbersome and slow.

It was nearly impossible to retrieve my FastPasses (I was able to reserve them from the app thanks to the MaxPass — more on that later), and I regularly received error messages when trying to reserve FastPass times. And when I’d try again, the reservation period would be at least an hour later.

Not-So-Pro-Tip: Take a screenshot of your ticket and save it to your camera roll in the event that the app doesn’t play nice when you try to open it at the turnstile.

3. I didn’t get to the park (at least) an hour before opening.

If you’re not staying in a resort hotel, plan to get to the park an hour (or more) before opening. This will save you the stress of sitting in a line to enter the parking garage for 20 minutes. And if you’re visiting on a weekday, be sure to factor in L.A. rush hour traffic.

According to Disneyland’s website, “parking locations for the theme parks open 90 minutes prior to the earliest Disneyland Resort theme park opening time.”

If you’re staying at an on-site property, hopefully you’re visiting the park for more than one day. But if you’re not, taking advantage of the Extra Magic Hours can add some valuable ride time to your day. So if a park is participating in Extra Magic Hours with an 8 a.m. opening, parking will open at 6:30 a.m.

Even if you’re not a morning person, you’ll be glad you got to the park early.

Fun Fact: A new parking garage is nearing completion that will add 5,000 parking spaces and a streamlined electronic system to expedite vehicle entry.

4. I waited in the Incredicoaster Single Rider Line.

I can’t state this as fact, but I believe I spent more time waiting in the Single Rider Line (SRL) for Incredicoaster than I would have in the standby line.

The coaster is a people eater, so do your best to gauge how quickly the SRL is moving. The SRL on my visit stretched down the midway and it was by far the slowest moving SRL of the day.

If you encounter a line of similar length, I would ask people toward the front of the line how long they’ve been waiting. But realize that there are two more separate periods of waiting inside the station, but they were relatively shorter.

5. I didn’t take the full train loop at Disneyland.

Again, as a result of not doing the proper research beforehand, I took the Disneyland Railroad train from the Main Street station to the Tomorrowland station.

I missed what is possibly the most important leg of the trip. Between the Tomorrowland and Main Street, USA stations, the train enters a tunnel and passes two large dioramas: Grand Canyon Diorama followed by the Primeval World Diorama.

At roughly 18 minutes in length, a full-loop train ride is a lengthy investment of time. But if you’re a train enthusiast like I am, I knew I couldn’t miss it.

6. I lost my phone on the Haunted Mansion.

I wasted half of an hour having a mild anxiety attack over the fact that I lost my phone on Haunted Mansion. I knew as soon as I exited the building that I had lost it. But of course, it was too late to go back and retrieve it. The ride vehicles don’t stop moving. And with my phone having a black case, it wouldn’t be easy to spot. I rushed to the nearest Cast Member who called to see if anyone had turned in a phone. They hadn’t. He told me to come back in a while to check again.

Being at the park alone without a phone was nervewracking. Not because of legitimate reasons, like finding my way back to my hotel 45 minutes away or not being able to contact someone in case of emergency. No, I was most concerned about my inability to tweet and take photos. I could feel the shakes coming on with each passing minute.

I bought myself a churro to calm down while I waited to go back to see if my phone had been found.

About 20 minutes later, I mustered the courage to try again. A different Cast Member called the station and was told that someone had turned a phone in. They brought the phone and asked that I unlock it to prove that it was mine. It was.

To the unsung hero who turned in my phone, I wish you all the riches in the world. You saved the day.

The moral of the story? Gather your belongings.

I’m sure I did more wrong things throughout the day (let me know in the comments). But the above were the things that I know I’d do differently if I had a “redo.”

What I did right:

While I made plenty of mistakes throughout the day, I did make some smart choices.

Spoiler alert: half of these are food-related.

1. I started at Disney California Adventure.

Especially with Galaxy’s Edge now open, you’ll see even more people starting their day at Disneyland.

This means that Disney California Adventure will be relatively less crowded earlier in the day. And in theory, some of those Disneyland-first crowds will move to California Adventure later in the day as you head to Disneyland.

2. I purchased the MaxPass.

I highly recommend investing the extra $15 (at the time of this posting) in a MaxPass, which is essentially a virtual paper FastPass.

Using the Disneyland app, you are able to make FastPass reservations from anywhere in the park — no need to go to the actual distribution machines near the ride.

Another benefit of the MaxPass is the included Disney PhotoPass, which allows you to download your on-ride photos and photos taken with characters, with your group, at select dining locations and more. That alone is worth the investment.

Before visiting the park, I highly recommend reading through the MaxPass FAQs on the Disneyland website.

3. I used Single Rider Lines whenever and wherever possible.

Aside from the Incredicoaster (see above), waiting in Disneyland’s Single Rider Lines (SRL) saved me a considerable amount of time at both parks. But be careful — the SRLs can open and close throughout the day as wait times fluctuate. You may need to have a nearby backup ride in place in case the SRL of your next ride is closed.

But it never hurts to ask when they would be open. Some Cast Members gave me a fairly accurate estimate. And if you look extra single (don’t walk up with your entire group), Cast Members may make an exception for you (possibly out of pity?).

Also, some of the SRLs are not clearly marked, so be sure to ask a Cast Member who will point you in the right direction.

Not-So-Pro Tip: Space Mountain’s SRL entrance is located at the exit of the coaster.

As of this posting, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure rides commonly offering SRLs include:

Disneyland Single Rider Lines:

Space Mountain
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (Galaxy’s Edge)
Splash Mountain
Star Tours
Indiana Jones Adventure

Disney California Adventure Single Rider Lines:

Goofy’s Sky School
Grizzly River Run
Incredicoaster
Radiator Springs Racers

This list is subject to change on a daily basis, so check the list on the Disneyland website on the day of your visit.

4. I used a FastPass (MaxPass) for Guardians of the Galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the few “E-Ticket” attractions at the two parks that does not offer a SRL. Therefore, I highly recommend either riding it first or reserving a FastPass (virtually with MaxPass) as early as possible.

If you’re not up for Guardians (which you totally should be — it’s an amazing ride), I recommend using your first FastPass reservation at Soarin’, which also does not offer a SRL (at least it didn’t on the day I visited).

5. I rode Indiana Jones and Space Mountain twice.

Some might say that this is something I did wrong. But life’s too short not to go back for seconds every once in a while.

Indiana Jones Adventure and Space Mountain were two of my favorite rides at Disneyland. I was blown away by both of them—Space Mountain for its smoothness and the unexpected roar of the trains as they zipped through the dark at faster-than-expected speeds. And Indiana Jones for its pacing, intensity and immersive theming.

And as my 200th roller coaster credit, Space Mountain will forever hold a special place in my heart. I had to relive the moment once more.

I was able to ride both of these again thanks in part to the SRLs.

Sure, I could have ridden It’s a Small World or one of the other smaller rides at Disneyland, but I have no regrets in taking a second spin on Indy and Space Mountain, my two favorite rides of the day.

6. I ate a corn dog from Corn Dog Castle.

The next few items on this list are for my fellow foodies. The rides were obviously the first priority on this trip, but traversing across two theme parks in one day worked up quite an appetite. I needed fuel, but I didn’t want to waste any time at a sit-down restaurant. So most of the food I ate was on the go.

For lunch, I ate a delicious corn dog from Corn Dog Castle in the Paradise Gardens Park area of California Adventure, per a recommendation from our friend CP Food Blog.

Update: thank you for the recommendation—that was REALLY good. Not something I would have ordered.

— Coaster101.com (@Coaster101) May 2, 2019

Typically I only eat corn dogs at fairs and festivals — I probably would have passed right by it had it not been for CP Food Blog’s tweet. But I’m so glad I gave it a chance. It was spicy, the coat of breading was savory and the “dog” had just enough kick to it to round out the whole production.

I should have taken a photo of it. But it was gone in the blink of an eye.

7. I ate one of the best cookies I’ve ever had at Jack-Jack Num Num.

I’m a chocolate chip cookie connoisseur. A cookie snob. The Cookie Monster in human form.

I’ve made embarrassingly long detours in life to eat my favorite chocolate chip cookies.

If you’re a cookie aficionado or just have a sweet tooth, you can’t miss Jack-Jack Num Num at Pixar Pier.

The chocolate chunks were partially melted like chunks of molten lava surrounded by a soft and chewy, brown sugar-infused cookie. And of course, you can buy some cold milk to go with your cookie.

In hindsight, this cookie may have been my favorite ride at Disney California Adventure.

8. I ate a churro.

As I mentioned earlier, while I was avoiding an anxiety attack over losing my phone on Haunted Mansion, I calmed myself by indulging in a sweet treat (for the 500th time of the day) — a cinnamon-sugary churro. These aren’t as common in my area, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. They’re another great snack to eat on the go or on a bench outside the exit of Haunted Mansion.

9. I also ate a Dole Whip.

By this point, I was flirting with a sugar-induced coma. But I couldn’t leave Disneyland without trying a legendary Dole Whip.

It was sweet, tangy and very smooth. The pineapple flavor wasn’t as overwhelming as I worried it would be. And that presentation — how can you go wrong with something that aesthetically pleasing?

Not-So-Pro Tip: You can use the Disneyland app to place mobile food orders. Given my issues with the app, I didn’t test this functionality. So proceed with caution.

Needless to say, I did not go hungry at Disneyland or Disney California Adventure.

At the end of the day (literally and figuratively), I had fun at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Would I do some things differently? Of course. Would I spend hours upon hours researching and planning every detail so that I could do it all? Probably not. There’s a part of me that enjoyed the spontaneity of the trip. Going in with no expectations has its perks.

But regardless of what path you take, I hope that you can take some of these tips and apply them to your next trip to Disneyland — especially if it’s your first.

What are your time-saving Disneyland and Disney California Adventure tips? Share those (and your time-wasting things to avoid) in the comments section below.

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