Two adults on a Monday 12/7 or 12/8 - Can we do Disneyland in one day?

[CaliforniaKara]

I am a New Yorker that recently moved to the LA area. A friend is coming from NY to visit and we would like to go to Disneyland. We are both in our thirties, so it's just two adults with no kids. I went to Disney Orlando 3-4 times, but haven't been in 12 years. I haven't been to Disneyland in 28 years, so I don't really remember it.

A couple of questions for the experts on this board:

Do you think a one day pass to Disneyland would be sufficient?

If we got there at opening and stayed until closing would that keep us busy enough?

About how long will the wait times be?

[BrerGnat]

I'd say you can have a really fun day, but it will be hard to fit everything in. You will definitely stay busy. Mondays are usually very busy days since many people arrive over the weekend for a week long trip. Hours aren't out yet but Mondays will usually be 9am-10pm. You will have to really make it a point to arrive as early as possible.

You can expect pretty reasonable wait times for most attractions. Anywhere from 5-20 min for most, 30-60 for major e tickets like Space Mountain and Indiana Jones.

[CaliforniaKara]

I'd say you can have a really fun day, but it will be hard to fit everything in. You will definitely stay busy. Mondays are usually very busy days since many people arrive over the weekend for a week long trip. Hours aren't out yet but Mondays will usually be 9am-10pm. You will have to really make it a point to arrive as early as possible.

You can expect pretty reasonable wait times for most attractions. Anywhere from 5-20 min for most, 30-60 for major e tickets like Space Mountain and Indiana Jones.

Thank you! My friend has never been to ANY Disney parks, so it will be so fun to take a first timer.

That's good to know about the lines. I went to Disney Orlando (MGM, Epcot, Magic Kingdom and waterparks) in October 1998 and the lines were about 10 minutes on average, it was so nice!

We will definitely get there at opening time. I am checking Google Maps in the mornings to gauge the traffic times since we are 39 miles from the park.

[BrerGnat]

I would leave around 7:00 am if I were you. It will take time to park and get to the gates as well. Plan to park in the Toy Story Parking lot, located off Harbor. Use the Katella Avenue exit off I-5, then turn left on Harbor. The parking lot will be the first light, you will turn left there. There are buses that will take you to the park gates. The Mickey & Friends structure does not open until after 10:00am on weekdays, so if you try and go there, you will get re routed the LONG way over to the Toy Story Lot. Save yourself some time by going there directly. Once you get off the bus, you will still have to go through bag check (and buy tickets if needed). It will behoove you to be in line prior to official park opening.

If you get there really early for whatever reason, you can easily head into Downtown Disney and grab a coffee or bite to eat. There are plenty of spots open before the parks.

[CaliforniaKara]

I would leave around 7:00 am if I were you. It will take time to park and get to the gates as well. Plan to park in the Toy Story Parking lot, located off Harbor. Use the Katella Avenue exit off I-5, then turn left on Harbor. The parking lot will be the first light, you will turn left there. There are buses that will take you to the park gates. The Mickey & Friends structure does not open until after 10:00am on weekdays, so if you try and go there, you will get re routed the LONG way over to the Toy Story Lot. Save yourself some time by going there directly. Once you get off the bus, you will still have to go through bag check (and buy tickets if needed). It will behoove you to be in line prior to official park opening.

If you get there really early for whatever reason, you can easily head into Downtown Disney and grab a coffee or bite to eat. There are plenty of spots open before the parks.

Thanks for all of the tips! I didn't realize Downtown Disney was so close to the park, that is neat!

[BrerGnat]

Thanks for all of the tips! I didn't realize Downtown Disney was so close to the park, that is neat!

Oh yeah, it's literally all connected. Very easy.

[BrerGnat]

Forgot to say: Welcome to Intercot!

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

Are you planning on getting a park-hopper and doing both Disneyland AND California Adventure? Or just Disneyland?

If you're planning on doing just Disneyland, you'll be able to do a lot (but keep in mind, December is usually the busiest time of the year)! Get there right at opening for sure (park early so you're right at the Disneyland gates when they open). I'd recommend immediately heading straight for one of the major attractions you want to ride that can get busy (Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, etc). All of these have Fast Passes, so it might be a good idea to grab one for later if you plan on riding again.

Keep in mind there are some rides that have Single Rider lines, which are significantly shorter than the regular line if you find yourself wanting to ride something with a long line (Matterhorn, Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain have them at Disneyland). You won't be able to ride with your friend, but it's an option!

I go to Disneyland weekly so feel free to ask me any questions you might have.

[CaliforniaKara]

Are you planning on getting a park-hopper and doing both Disneyland AND California Adventure? Or just Disneyland?

If you're planning on doing just Disneyland, you'll be able to do a lot (but keep in mind, December is usually the busiest time of the year)! Get there right at opening for sure (park early so you're right at the Disneyland gates when they open). I'd recommend immediately heading straight for one of the major attractions you want to ride that can get busy (Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, etc). All of these have Fast Passes, so it might be a good idea to grab one for later if you plan on riding again.

Keep in mind there are some rides that have Single Rider lines, which are significantly shorter than the regular line if you find yourself wanting to ride something with a long line (Matterhorn, Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain have them at Disneyland). You won't be able to ride with your friend, but it's an option!

I go to Disneyland weekly so feel free to ask me any questions you might have.

Thanks for your response and all of the good tips. I am going to research the boards more, but I know I will eventually have more questions for you guys!!

The single rider lines are a great idea. Also, a great idea to head to Space Mountain first and grab a pass for later.

We were going to just go to Disneyland since we only have the 1 day and my friend has never experienced Disney at all!

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

I think that's wise to just to Disneyland if you have one day and your friend has never been before. There is so much to do there.

Just wanted to mention, if you want to have a special meal while you're there, it might be a good idea to make a lunch or dinner reservation. There are some really excellent restaurants to choose from but at that time of year, some may be completely booked up. But you could also easily fill up on delicious snacks and quick service foods! I love the food at Disneyland!

[CaliforniaKara]

Thanks so much for all of your help so far. I am back with one more question...

Would it be best/easiest for us to simply purchase our tickets online through the link below?

Is it really as easy as simply showing our smart phones at the gate?

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq...sing-etickets/

[BrerGnat]

Thanks so much for all of your help so far. I am back with one more question...

Would it be best/easiest for us to simply purchase our tickets online through the link below?

Is it really as easy as simply showing our smart phones at the gate?

https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq...sing-etickets/

Yes, it really is that easy BUT I don't know how Fastpasses work when you use that ticket option. They might give you a paper ticket at the turnstile.

[NewDVCowner]

I also wanted to mention that while going to the big ticket rides like Space Mountain first thing isn't a bad idea, if you want to do anything in Fantasyland do that first instead. Those rides do not have fastpasses and some of the rides (especially Peter Pan's Flight) get lines early that really don't go down. So if those are rides that you'd like to experience, go through the castle first thing in the morning, get onto Peter Pan first, then hit the other Fantasyland attractions (FYI, the story boat canal ride is neat, but the line moves SLOW so it will take a long time to get through. Keep that in mind.) Once you've done the Fantasyland attractions you can go to the other big rides which have fastpasses to them. You can pick up a fastpass and then go onto another ride when you wait for your time to come up. Single rider lines are awesome. You'll stand with your friend through the line and then will end up in separate cars (usually) for the ride itself. They're a really nice option for adults that don't mind riding by themselves.