Did you know that Disneyland Park has nearly 50 attractions? That's almost as many as all four Walt Disney World parks combined! Both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are packed with experiences, and there are endless things to see and do. You might be wondering how to do it all. Well, as Walt said, "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world." There's no way to "complete" every experience at Disneyland. There are, however, a few ways to get the most out of your visit. Some of those ways can end up costing you extra, such as Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass (paid skip-the-line passes). Well, fear not! We're here to walk you through some of our best tips to maximize your time at Disneyland without Lightning Lanes.
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Q&A
- Do I need to buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass for Disneyland? No! There are so many ways to make the most of your Disneyland trip without buying Lightning Lane.
- When should I get to Disneyland? The earlier, the better! The first few hours of the parks being open are the most valuable of the whole day.
- How can I save money on Disneyland tickets? Grab your discount tickets from Undercover Tourist (save up to $56 on Disneyland tickets)!
Choose Carefully When To Visit Disneyland
While it's always a good time to visit Disneyland, there are times during the year that are better than others. Holidays, school schedules and local visitors have a big impact on Disneyland's schedule. The highest crowds come during school breaks. That means fall breaks, winter breaks and the week of Thanksgiving tend to be the busiest time of year. Picking a day when Disneyland Park is open until 12 a.m. is also a great idea when visiting Disneyland without Lightning Lane. Those extra late-night hours can be toadally valuable. We have a whole detailed guide to help you determine the best time to visit Disneyland.
Of course, there are different things happening at the resort depending on the time of year. Maybe you've always wanted to visit during Halloween or to see the castle lit up for the holidays. While these times are busy at Disneyland, there are days with lower crowds. Use our hopful Crowd Calendars to pick the least busy days at the Disneyland Resort. Our Disneyland events guide can also fill you in on fun festivals and entertainment so you can plan your trip to experience them.
Arrive Early
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The best way to get ahead of the crowds is to be at the gates before the park opens. Disney fans call this Rope Drop, and it’s the golden ticket to walk-on rides. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure usually open at 8 or 9 a.m., depending on the time of year. If the parks open at 8 a.m., parking lots open at 7 a.m. Security opens between 7 and 7:15 a.m. and the park turnstiles open between 7:20 and 7:30 a.m.
This is when you walk down Main Street U.S.A. or Buena Vista Street (depending on which park you're visiting) and literally walk up to the ropes closing off lands and rides. At park opening, the cast members pull back the ropes so guests can access all lands of the parks (that's where the term Rope Drop comes from). The mornings are cool, with fewer people and significantly shorter lines. Don't be bothered by the waiting crowds. The crowds disperse in all directions.
Grab your morning coffee and make sure to eat before you leave the house or hotel. You won't want to waste time stopping (and waiting) for either during the valuable morning hours. The few hours before full crowds arrive are imperative for a day at Disneyland without Lightning Lanes.
Read through our Disneyland Rope Drop strategy for everything you need to know about getting the most out of being an early bird. And don't worry, we have a Rope Drop Strategy for Disney California Adventure, too!
Follow A Park Plan
Having a plan beforehand is the best way to get the most out of your day. Just keep in mind that things change very quickly at Disneyland (a ride goes down, a show gets cancelled, etc). Flexibility is key! Here is some of our best info on what to plan and when:
Disneyland
At the official opening, you'll want to head straight for popular attractions before the lines build. Fantasyland tends to be the most consistently busy part of the park throughout the whole day, with one of the longest lines (for Peter Pan's Flight). If you have littles who are looking for the less thrilling attractions, getting there at Rope Drop will allow you to complete this area before the crowds really start to form.
Mostly, the crowds head for Space Mountain in Tomorrowland and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Avoid the crowds by heading to Indiana Jones in Adventureland or Big Thunder Mountain in Frontierland if Fantasyland is not calling your name.
Lines for Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and "it's a small world" usually shrink in the evening. The same goes for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. After dinner, you'll often find yourself walking right on.
Wait times drop off in the last couple of hours of park operation in general, which makes this a perfect time to hop in line at Indiana Jones Adventure, Peter Pan's Flight or Space Mountain. Use the last few minutes of the park's operating hours to hop in a ride line. If you're already in line when the park closes, you can stay in line and ride. We enjoy riding Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance right before that ride closes. Check the ride's hours in the app since it closes early, usually at 9 or 10 p.m.
Disneyland often stays open until midnight on weekends and during summer and holiday seasons. The last two hours of the night can feel like your own personal playground with dramatically shorter waits. And you'll notice that most of the Lightning Lane users will have finished their day and left already, making it much easier to get rides done.
Disney California Adventure
The most popular attractions at this park include Radiator Springs Racers, Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT!, Soarin', WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure and Toy Story Midway Mania!
If you're set on riding Radiator Springs Racers first thing, you won't be alone. You can hit this ride first after rope drop if you want to. However, many other people have the same idea, and the line can be long right after park opening. Instead, head to Guardians of the Galaxy or WEB SLINGERS and then hit the other Cars Land rides with short waits before committing to Radiator Springs Racers. Use the Single Rider line in the morning to practically walk right on (more on this up next)! The Pixar Pier area is the least crowded in the morning. You can also accomplish a lot by starting there before heading to Radiator Springs Racers.
Follow these tips to find the shortest lines:
- Check the Disneyland app for wait times.
- Focus on characters and shorter lines midday.
- Keep in mind that wait times may be faster than posted times.
Use Single Rider Lines
Single Rider lines are one of Disneyland’s best-kept secrets. You’ll skip most of the standby wait, and while you won’t sit with your group, you’ll save tons of time. A single rider is put in a separate line and used to fill in seats where needed. Single Rider lines aren't always available, so ask a cast member if they are currently running. Here are the attractions that offer Single Rider at each park:
Disneyland Single Rider Attractions
Disney California Adventure Single Rider Attractions
- Radiator Springs Racers
- Incredicoaster
- Goofy's Sky School
- Grizzly River Run
- WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
- Soarin' Around the World
Buddy Pass is a similar option to reduce the wait for small parties. Monsters Inc. may offer Buddy Passes to parties of one or two (as well as up to two adults and a small child) at certain times. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh offers a Roo Pass. Buddy Pass and Roo Pass holders enter a separate line (usually the exit) and fill in empty rows as they come up. Buddy Pass is subject to availability.
Rider Switch is another great tool to maximize your day if you're visiting with little ones! There are height requirements on the majority of rides at Disneyland, which exclude tadpoles from riding. Rider Switch allows all able parties to experience rides, without having to wait twice.
Time Your Rides Around Entertainment
During parades and fireworks in Disneyland Park, most guests are camped out along Main Street or near the castle. That’s the perfect time to hop on rides with lower waits.
The wait times drop significantly for rides in New Orleans Square, Adventureland and Bayou Country during Fantasmic!, making showtime the best time to ride Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion.
Nobody seems to know that Toy Story Midway Mania! is open during the 9 p.m. World of Color showtime. You can often walk right on!
If shows and parades are important to you, always choose the second showing. Both Fantasmic! and Paint the Night Parade have two showings per night. The second showings are always much less crowded, as they are later in the night. That means you don't need to wait as long for a spot, and you'll lose less valuable ride time.
Mobile Order
Around lunch and dinner time, the lines for food can seem just as daunting as the lines for rides. Skip the food lines by using Mobile Order in the Disneyland app. Pick a restaurant that offers mobile order, select a time, add the food items to your cart and check out. Once your time window arrives and you're near the restaurant, hit "I'm here." This sends a memo to the cast members preparing the food to get yours ready for pick-up. The screen will change and let you know when your food is ready and where to grab it. Give the order number shown to the cast member, and you're good to go! Just make sure not to go up to the window until the app tells you your order is ready.
Our hop tip is to plan ahead. Don't wait until you are at the restaurant to mobile order. If you're choosing a popular spot, such as Jolly Holiday, it's a good idea to plan out your meal in the morning and pick out a mobile order time during lunch or dinner. You can also use your standby time while in a ride queue to create a mobile order. Once you exit the ride, hit that "I'm here" button and make your way to the restaurant. Grab your food with zero hassle and zero extra time.
Grabbing an on-the-go food, such as a breakfast chimichanga, a Ronto Wrap or a churro, is also a great way to save time. Take your food into a ride line with you and eat while you wait! Just be aware that some foods smell strongly and queues can be close quarters (we're looking at you, turkey legs) and make sure to be respectful of other guests.
Consider Park Hopping
While multi-day tickets are an especially great value (yes, I am quoting the pre-recorded tram spiel), park hopping tickets can be even more valuable. If you have a Park Hopper ticket, start your morning at Disney California Adventure and hop to Disneyland later in the day. Many families do the opposite, so you'll benefit from the crowd shift. The California Adventure lines are short in the morning but long in the afternoon.
Two parks in one day may seem like a lot (especially if you're used to the commute between parks in Orlando!). But there's only a small esplanade between the two parks. And timing when to go to each one can give you the most bang for your buck in one single day visit to Disneyland, without Lightning Lanes.
Save some green by grabbing a discount Disneyland Park Hopper ticket from Undercover Tourist!
Wait Until the End of the Night to Shop
If you want to do some shopping, wait until the park closes. The shops on Main Street, U.S.A. and Buena Vista Street are open an hour after the parks close. Also, World of Disney in Downtown Disney is open after Disneyland closes. On special event nights, such as Oogie Boogie Bash or Disneyland After Dark events, the shops close right when the event ends, so you do not have that extra hour to shop during those separately ticketed events.
Speaking of souvenirs, if you don't purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you won't have access to PhotoPass. This includes your Magic Shots, PhotoPass pictures and on-ride photos. But don't worry! Instead, head to the Photo Concierge right outside of Disneyland Park and purchase either a single photo or a package for your day. A single photo costs $14.99, while one full day of photos costs $24.99. There is also a one-week PhotoPass plan for $78 for seven consecutive days.
A day at Disneyland is toadally doable without Lightning Lanes. Planning is the key to maximizing your trip. Save some green on your Disneyland tickets by purchasing through Undercover Tourist, an authorized ticket seller for over 25 years.
Related: Best Time to Go to Disneyland in 2025 and 2026
Related: All of the Not-to-Miss Disneyland Rides, Shows and Food
Hoppy planning!
