The Complete, Practical Guide to Disneyland California

I have been to Disneyland so many times it's hard to count. I get asked by friends how to plan a trip to Disneyland and after trying to look through all the guides online and not really finding one that I would recommend, I thought I would make one myself. \ \ This guide will include the major attractions at Disneyland in Los Angeles and how to make the most of your time there. \ \ Disneyland Resort has three main areas. These are Disneyland Park (DL), Disney California Adventure Park (CA), and Downtown Disney. \ \ This section will cover the main attractions at all three of these locations. \ \ Before I go over the rides, there are two shows that I want to highlight. These shows are as vital to DL as the Great Wall is to Beijing or the Colosseum to Rome. No matter what you do, do not miss these two shows. First, the Disneyland Park (DL) fireworks show. \ \ Second, World of Color at Disney California Adventure (CA). \ \ Both of these shows happen at night. Their showtimes are the same each day and also allow you enough time to watch both shows. Most of the time you can just go with the flow of the people around you. \ \ \ \ Part 1: Disneyland Park \ \ \ \ When facing the entrance, Disneyland Park is to the right. \ \ \ \ There are multiple themed areas in the park. \ \ \ \ Main Street: When you enter the park, there will be a long street filled with souvenir shops and restaurants, including Starbucks. This street is also one of the best places to see the nighttime character parade and fireworks. As showtime nears, the crowds line the streets in anticipation of the upcoming event. Adventureland: Located to the left of Main Street, Adventureland has a tropical jungle and Indigenous adventure theme. The park is home to several attractions:

Indiana Jones Adventure: You find yourself in the midst of a dark and dangerous cave containing skulls, flowing lava, mysterious rituals, and deadly snakes, all of this after a mining expedition ventured into a forbidden area. Your jeep is old and rusty and lurches into and through the chaos.
The best part about this ride is the atmosphere. Sound, visuals, and motion create a sense of urgency. I would rate it a 7 out of 10. It’s absolutely worth doing.
Enchanted Tiki Room: You sit and watch a performance by some parrots. I was not interested at all and left after five minutes. I’m going to skip the score on this one. I would not recommend it at all.

Jungle Cruise: A simulated steamboat cruise through a lush jungle setting, complete with animal noises, and a lot of fake wildlife. I recommend doing this ride after the Indiana Jones ride as it's a great way to calm down a little. I would rate it a 5 out of 10 and I would recommend doing it if you have some spare time.
Tarzan’s Treehouse: Walk around and explore Tarzan’s treehouse which is around 70 feet above the ground. It provides a glimpse at what life may be like in the jungle and for me, it was basically a stroll. Score: 4 out of 10.

Tomorrowland: This part of the park is themed to the future and is located on the right side of Main Street. Despite not including California Adventure, I feel like some of the best rides in Disneyland are located here. Let’s get to it. Hyperspace Mountain: Without a doubt one of the biggest rides in the park. You get to board a supposed spacecraft and take a thrilling trip through outer space while the scenery is lined with stars, explosions, and other ship firing lasers. The visuals are great and convincing for the most part. I would rate it a 9/10 - not every great ride needs a perfect score. Star Tours: You board what seems to be a spaceship headed for a different planet but then one of the pilots turns out to be a clumsy comic android who has no idea how to fly. Along the trip you’ll run into a ton of danger, face a star wars villain, and dodge danger while flying through what I can only assume is a sci-fi wormhole. It’s a 4D experience and i would give it a 10/10. Tomorrowland Theater: It’s a star wars themed theater attraction. It’s theater, it’s star wars, it might be worth it to stop by if you haven’t seen it. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: There are two riders per vehicle and your goal is to shoot targets with laser blasters and try to outscore the other person in the vehicle. It took me a while to figure out how it works. The ride does get crowded and the self-targeting does make the ride feel chaotic. I would give it a 5/10 because will later get to a ride at California Adventure that has shooting that is way better. Disneyland Monorail: It’s really just more of a means of transportation then it is an attraction. If you want to ride Shanghai’s maglev, this one is not that. It is a bright red cartoon train that also goes to Downtown Disney. All you need to know is that you ride it whenever you need to get to a destination. Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is a ride where you get to sit in a submarine and watch a movie while riding around the lagoon. It might look fun from the shore, but it feels less exciting once you get in. I'd give it a 6 out of 10. At least it's a decent option for people with kids. Fantasyland is where you can find the iconic Disney castle located at the end of Main Street, along with the Disney and Mickey statue at the front of the castle. Kids will want to take photos with Pluto from the statue. out of all of the rides, the one that stands out the most is Matterhorn Bobsleds. It is a solid ride, worth a 7 out of 10. There are two primary attractions in this area. One of the most popular rides is Pirates of the Caribbean. It is a classic boat ride that goes through 17th century pirate life and has some of the most lifelike characters and scenes you've ever seen. It's way darker than most Disney rides and you might even see what looks like the main guy from Pirates of the Caribbean. It has a character that makes it stand out. Score: 6 out of 10.

Haunted Mansion: At the end of the land, this haunted house ride has a house where a family has died, and the house has become haunted. It follows the same ride format as Pirates of the Caribbean, but instead of pirates it has darkness, lightning, ghosts, and other creepy stuff. It isn't scary, but it is creepy enough to be just right. Score: 6 out of 10.

Frontierland:

It is to the left of the castle and in front of Adventureland. There is one ride I especially recommend here and that is Big Thunder Mountain. It's a fast and thrilling mine train coaster that goes through mountain scenery just like the Matterhorn ride. I rate it 7 out of 10. If you are running short on time, choose one of the two mountain rides and skip the other.

To round up the Disneyland Park attractions that are worth going to, the rest are pretty much targeted to younger children and I will gladly spare myself some work and move on.

Part 2: Disney California Adventure Park

Disney California Adventure is to the left of the entrance. It is much smaller than Disneyland Park which makes it more manageable to cover.

CA is sectioned into a number of areas.

Buena Vista Street: entrance street, souvenirs, snacks, and Starbucks.

Hollywood Land:

To the left of the park, Hollywood Land is styled like old school America and has a lot of class. Most of what is offered are shows: 3D movies, Disney characters who dance, and a concert that is outdoors. The smaller size of the amusement park makes everything easier to locate. \n\nThere is one attraction that stands out compared to the rest: Tower of Terror. This ride is impossible to miss as it is a giant building made of brown concrete. \n\nThis ride is a form of vertical drop ride. However, instead of simply falling a certain distance, the ride takes you up multiple floors and then drops you. The first time I rode this ride, I clung on to the person sitting next to me and I was only able to let go of them when the ride was over. Naturally, that person hated the ride. This is exactly the kind of experience I seek when waiting for a ride. If I am going to have to wait for a long time, that ride better be intense. 10 out of 10.\n\nCondor Flats:\n\nIf you head to the right of the park, the only ride in that area will be Soarin’ Over California. This ride gives you the experience of flying in the cockpit of a plane as you pass over the state of California. It is a very immersive ride but it only really lets you experience the Golden Gate Bridge So I have to give this ride a 7 out of 10.\n\nGrizzly Peak:\n\nIf you continue to the right side of the park, you will encounter 2 more attractions. \n\nThe first is River Run. This ride is essentially a whitewater rafting experience on a circular inflatable raft. During the ride, you will be taken down some mini waterfalls and other similar activities. If you don't want to get too wet, I would avoid this ride. I give this ride a score of 6 out of 10.\n\nThe other is called Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. This attraction is an outdoor course that encourages physical activity and real energy to be used. It has the typical climbing equipment, rope bridges, and slides.\n\n Score: 7/10.

Bugs Land: Surrounding A Bug’s Life, this area has multiple rides for younger children and the main draw is the oversized environment. Everything around you is huge - grass is huge, the sounds of bugs are everywhere, and you get a playful sense of what it is like to be a bug. This area is the path between Hollywood Land and Cars Land so you can look at it when you pass through.

Cars Land:
Cars Land brings to life the overlooked town along California's Route 66 from Disney's Cars with its giant rock formations. The town looks just like it does in the movie and the life-sized character cars drive and talk which makes them super popular.
There is only one attraction I would recommend here.
Radiator Springs Racers: Want to see what it is like to race through the rocky Route 66 feel of the movie?

This ride has speed, acceleration, and steeply banked turns to give you a real racing feeling. This is one of the biggest draws of the park. Score: 9/10

Paradise Pier:
This place has the biggest amount of entertainment with the giant ferris wheel, coaster that goes across most of the area, Goofy's Flight School, and Toy Story 4D shooting and is the strongest area for rides overall. It is in the back of the park and is where the must-see World of Color fountain show takes place.
California Screamin': a roller coaster and the best one I have ridden It's thrilling just to see these rides up close and personal, but when it's time to climb aboard, you might get a little weak in the knees. You'll get what we mean when you look at it. Score: 10/10.

Mickey's Fun Wheel: The big wheel featuring Mickey Mouse's face is a California Adventure landmark. Unlike a typical Ferris wheel, it has swinging gondolas! First-time riders are in for a surprise. Score: 8/10.

Toy Story Midway Mania. This Toy Story shooting game experience is WAY better than the Buzz Lightyear ride at Disneyland Park. Yes, you shoot at targets while riding in a vehicle, but this time you get 4D glasses. Every time you pull the trigger, it looks like green laser rings are shot into the game world. This ride is considered to be the most popular ride in California Adventure Park.

The rest of the rides are shorter and smaller, and most people are familiar with them, so there's no need to list them.

Part 3: Downtown Disney

It's just a shopping and dining alley. It hosts Disneyland's biggest store, which sells every Disney souvenir you could think of. There are also Starbucks, LEGOs, Häagen-Dazs, sunglass stores, and some other kiosks.

This was a lengthy attraction guide for Disneyland Resort.

Part 4: The Strategy Guide

Now we get down to the good stuff. A common question among my friends is, "When it comes to all of the attractions, what do you mean by, fitting both parks into one day?" Of course a two-day ticket is even more expensive, and time isn't always on the customer's side. So, how can all of this possibly fit into a single day? While smart queuing is part of Disneyland's operational efficiencies, first timer visitors, especially those who might not be as comfortable with English, tend to miss out on this system. They hop into stand-by lines and unnecessarily lose huge chunks of time. The popular attractions can mean wait times of at least 40 minutes, and on peak days this number can reach 2 hours. Add together the tallies of all of these waits and your day is done. To avoid this, you need to know how to get the most out of Disneyland's two most important tricks: FastPass and the single rider line. FastPass: At a ride's entrance, there's a separate machine for FastPasses. Insert your admission ticket and it will dispense a FastPass. Each FastPass has a return window (usually at least one hour later), and you can enter the FastPass line without waiting in the stand-by line. While you're waiting for your return window, you can queue for another ride, grab a snack, or take a break. You are only allowed to have a maximum of 2 FastPasses, and once you use one, you can get another. The Single Rider Line: This line is not only for individuals. Several attractions have a single rider line in order to fill the empty seats of families who choose to ride together. If you're okay with riding with other people, use it. You could be lucky enough to share a car with your friends. This could be a way to save 30 minutes or even more. As long as your group is fine splitting up, go for it. However, this is a less advantageous situation for couples— if anyone gets scared, your partner won't be there to comfort you!

Most of the best rides offer this system, but not every attraction does. You can look at the Disneyland map for more information. A Sample One-Day, Two-Park Plan We've suggested the most efficient route for the two parks for one day. Go to Disneyland first because it opens at 8:00 am. Get there early, as the time closer to opening has the lowest crowd and wait times. Then enter California Adventure and go all the way to the other end of the park, to the Tower of Terror. Immediately go and get a FastPass for it, as you will want to ride it. Then go look at Bugs Land. It's super lame. After that, head to the back of Cars Land and get a second Fast Pass. Check the return times for both Fast Passes. You should have time to kill so take a look at the other nearby things since you won't need to return to Cars Land. From the exit of Cars Land turn right toward the entrance and go to Condor Flats to wait for Soarin' Over California. If you have time afterward, continue to River Run. You will most likely be close to the return time for your two FastPass attractions.

When you are done with the attractions, make your way to Paradise Pier first. Get a FastPass for California Screamin'. Next, go to Toy Story Midway Mania, then the Ferris wheel. If you want to do the swinging gondolas, go to the right entrance for the Ferris wheel.

By the time you are done with those attractions, your window for California Screamin' should be opening. Go ride the coaster.

If it is still way before noon, wander around and go to any smaller attractions you want. If it is around noon, you should start heading back. When you are by River Run, grab a FastPass for World of Color. That FastPass will also have the showtime on it.

Since California Adventure closes later than Disneyland, you should spend the morning there.

Once you finish lunch, head straight to Disneyland Park.

Get your first FastPasses for the two hottest rides: Star Tours and Hyperspace Mountain. These rides are just to the right of the Walt Disney and Mickey statue, so use the park map or ask a Cast Member.

Between the FastPasses, go on anything you like. After you've used your FastPasses, go grab your last FastPass for Indiana Jones. Then enjoy Haunted Mansion and go back to use your Indiana Jones FastPass.

At this point, you should have done most of the big rides in the whole park. Before the last two big nighttime shows, you should do whatever you want the most. You should go watch the shows. They're the kind of finale that makes a long Disney day totally worth it.