Ahh! It's summertime at Disneyland. We love the long hours, extra shows and nightly entertainment. The crowds and heat? Not so much ... but we can help with that! Here's a perfect summer park plan that will put you ahead of the crowds, help you catch all the must-see entertainment and keep you out of the sun. It's a general guide for how to plan your summer mornings, afternoons and evenings at Disneyland while keeping the whole family hoppy. Pixar Fest brings a lot more entertainment, characters and fun and food to the park this summer (through Aug. 4). We have included all the Pixar Fest hoppenings, so you do not miss out!
Our Summer Park Plan at Disneyland — Morning
How you start your day makes a huge difference in your overall mood and vibe. The morning hours are much cooler and less crowded, allowing you to get a lot done before things heat up. It's somehow more magical to enjoy an uncrowded park while the crowds build up slowly than to navigate midday crowds. So even if you like to sleep in, perhaps we can help you reconsider getting up early for your Disneyland visit. Here's the best way to make the most of your morning at Disneyland.
Arrive One Hour Before Park Opening
The theme parks open their turnstiles about 45 minutes early each day. Hotel guests with Early Entry benefits can hit select attractions in one park 30 minutes before park opening. (The parks alternate hosting Early Entry.) Everyone else can also enter the park, but guests will be held back with ropes near the entrance to each land. Once the park opens, cast members drop the ropes after an announcement and release you into the park. You can literally walk right onto most rides without a wait for that first hour of the parks being open. We frogs love our sleep, but on theme park days, we are motivated to hop out of bed early because we know the early frogs catch the most flies … the flies being rides in this scenario.
Start Smart — Don't Follow the Crowds
Everyone else in the park will be running to Peter Pan and Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland. At California Adventure, they’ll be heading to Radiator Springs Racers and Guardians of the Galaxy. You are not going to follow the crowds. Nobody wants to start their day standing in a long line. Instead, hit the other rides in the park first. You’ll ride three to five rides before they even board their first ride.
Our advice is to knock out Frontierland, Adventureland and New Orleans Square in the first hour or two at Disneyland Park. Thrill seekers can start with Indiana Jones Adventure, Space Mountain or Matterhorn Bobsleds.
People with small children can quickly move through several rides in Fantasyland right at park opening before heading to Toontown for some free play. In fact, in the early morning, we always run into the best characters wandering around Fantasyland, inviting us to engage with them. After an initial surge at park opening, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway's wait time will drop after a bit, which makes it a great time to head to Toontown after Fantasyland.
If you start in Disney California Adventure, head to Pixar Pier to ride Pixar Pal-A-Round, Toy Story Midway Mania and Incredicoaster and surrounding rides with no lines. Then use the single rider line for Radiator Springs Racers — if your party is made up of people over 7 years old and willing to split up — to save about 90 to 120 minutes. We don’t usually wait in the standby line, but we sometimes see wait times dip late morning just before park hopping time.
Another way to skip the lines is to start in the park that is not hosting Early Entry, especially if you are not staying on-site. Here is the schedule, which is subject to change for holidays or races and other events, such as the CHOC Walk, so always check the calendar. But generally:
- Disney California Adventure hosts early Entry on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
- Disneyland hosts Early Entry Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
To avoid the crowds, do the opposite.
Set Alarms for Joining Virtual Queues
While it’s true that no Disneyland Resort rides currently operate with a virtual queue, one show at Disney California Adventure utilizes a virtual queue:
- World of Color virtual queue opens at noon each day
You must have entered a theme park and have a reservation for Disney California Adventure or a park hopper ticket to join the queue. Set your alarms to remind yourself to join them. It’s so easy to froget it’s time to join when you are busy having fun!
Our Summer Park Plan at Disneyland — Midday
Your morning may start off cool, but soon the SoCal sun will be blazing above you. This is when the crowds peak, between noon and late afternoon — attraction lines are long and you're getting plenty of vitamin D. Here's what to do!
Avoid the Sun
Your best bet is to find shows, rides and restaurants to keep you out of the sun or consume lots of water, plus frozen treats, to cool you off. Don't froget to wear sunscreen and bring hats and sunglasses. Stay hydrated by bringing plenty of water, asking for free water from restaurants and using the refill stations to fill your bottles.
Reserve Table-Service Dining for Lunch
It will feel so good to sit and rest indoors or under an umbrella. You can refuel and give your feet a needed break. If you cannot get a reservation, see if you can acquire walk-up availability in the Disneyland app.
Here's our favorite pick: Book brunch at Storyteller’s Café at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel. It’s just inside the hotel near the Disney California Adventure hotel theme park entrance, so it’s practically in the park (or a short walk from Downtown Disney). You’ll get a great indoor meal while you let the characters come to you. Plus, your family will be so full, you won't need to stop for snacks or maybe even dinner, saving time and money into the evening. You can get out of the sun for an hour and a half this way and save yourself some character lines.
If table-service dining is out of your budget or you have wiggly tadpoles who need to stay on the move, have your own perfect picnic lunch on a shady lawn in Toontown. You can bring your own food or purchase snacks or food in the land. Plus, you never know who might hop by to say hi while you eat!
Ride Indoor Rides
Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway and "it's a small world" are great for cooling off in Disneyland Park. A trip around the park on the Disneyland Railroad is not a bad plan either. Ride Rise of the Resistance during the first parade. Parade crowds will make the line drop, allowing you to wait inside the building and escape the heat with one of the shorter wait times of the day.
At Disney California Adventure, The Little Mermaid and Soarin' come to mind. The Redwood Creek Climbing trail (reopens June 21, 2024) is a heavily treed, shady area that the kids will love playing in.
See Shows and Indoor Entertainment
This is a great time to grab a Dole Whip and head into the air-conditioned Enchanted Tiki Room or sit in a shaded show such as The Royal Theatre. Midday is a great time to visit Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
This summer, we have the best plan for avoiding the midday sun and crowds. Head to the Fantasyland Theatre for the Pixar Pals Playtime Party! It's shaded and cool, has plenty of seating, free crafts and more characters than you have ever seen in one place ever before! Dance with characters, take photos with others, sit and watch Pixar shorts. While it's perfect for families with tadpoles who need to get the wiggles out or some downtime, it has something for everyone. You can enjoy it between 11:45 and 5:30 p.m. daily.
At Disney California Adventure, spend some time indoors in the Animation Building, watch go for some AC and 3D action at Mickey's PhilharMagic. If you have toddlers and preschoolers, Disney Junior Dance Party is a must!
Get Wet
We do not have the option of getting splashed on Splash Mountain this summer. As an alternative, head to Toontown’s CenTOONial Fountain for some water play. Donald's Boat has a new splash pad. You may get refreshingly soaked on Grizzly River Run in Disney California Adventure. Your tadpoles will also like playing with a large, wet granite ball in Tomorrowland or Pixar Pier.
If you hoppen to be staying on-site or at a nearby hotel, head back for a splash in the pool (or even a nap and shower). You’ll all feel better after cooling off and will be reenergized to head back to the park for evening entertainment. Be sure to hop over to our post on managing summer crowds and heat at Disneyland for even more ideas for staying cool on even the hottest day.
Our Summer Park Plan at Disneyland — Evening
The sun will get lower and be less intense and eventually cool off, making it more comfortable to walk around the park. It's time to plan for evening entertainment.
Watch the Second Parade of Magic Happens
Magic Happens hoppens twice a day, usually at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (always double-check the entertainment schedule to confirm). We prefer to watch the second parade when it's cooler outside. Also, it's easier to see some of the lights and screens on floats when they are not in the bright sunlight. If you can’t wait that long, hop in place early for the 3:00 parade in a shady spot, but make sure as the sun moves it won’t take the shadows with it, leaving you exposed.
Watch Better Together and Have Pixar-Themed Fun at Disney California Adventure
In the later afternoon and early evening, catch the Better Together Parade and go play games or climb into a car seat and attend the Pixar Short drive-in movie in the Hollywood Backlot.
You can also climb into a car seat and attend the Pixar Short drive-in movie!
Plan for Nighttime Entertainment
The summer brings nightly entertainment, which we toadally love. Both Together Forever fireworks and Fantasmic! take place at Disneyland. World of Color — One (a special show designed for the Disney 100 Years of Wonder celebration), still runs at Disney California Adventure usually at 9 and 10:15 p.m. Which park ticket you have will basically decide which nighttime spectaculars you can access. Park hoppers can do it all.
Fireworks are in Disneyland Park, usually at 9:30 p.m. There are several viewing areas — we have a whole post on the best spots to view Disneyland fireworks. We find that Main Street, U.S.A. is a pretty easy place to see the projections and the castle in the distance. Plus, if you have a park hopper and want to see World of Color as well, then you can quickly exit Disneyland to enter Disney California Adventure for the second World of Color show. You must move quickly as you have to enter Disney California Adventure before it closes at 10 p.m. You'll want to try to get a virtual queue for the second World of Color earlier in the day. World of Color usually shows at 9 and 10:15 p.m. nightly. Yes, that second show takes place after the park closes.
Fantasmic! is back with new changes. Shows are at 9 and 10:30 p.m. at Rivers of America. If you are watching the first show, just stay in place to watch fireworks.
Consider Dining Packages
In addition to finding your own place to watch shows and parades for no added cost, you can take some of the guesswork and virtual queue stress out of the equation by paying for dining packages. We have a Disneyland dining packages post that offers honest pros and cons for each package to help you decide if they are worth it to you.
Hit More Rides
After the nighttime shows end, Disneyland guests tend to head to bed. If you still have some jump in your legs, this is a good time to hit any must-do rides. You can even meet characters in Town Square. Disneyland Park is usually open until midnight, giving you a chance to get a late-night snack or ride in. Most Fantasyland rides and Toontown close for fireworks but then reopen about 20 minutes later.
Although Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance closes by 10 p.m., nighttime is a great time to explore the rest of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge without bright suns or big crowds. If you can hop in line for Rise of the Resistance just before it closes, you may find a shorter line than most times during the day.
Disney California Adventure closes at 10 p.m. most nights. The ride wait times drop off significantly in the last hour, especially during the first World of Color.
Tools to Help You in Summer at Disneyland
We keep a few tools in our tool belt for getting the shortest waits and managing our day. Here are a few things we recommend adding to your summer park plan at Disneyland.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass
You can add Lightning Lane Multi Pass (formerly Genie+) to your park ticket. This optional service allows you to reserve a time to access the Lightning Lane, skipping the longer standby line for that attraction. At Disneyland, you can purchase a ticket pre-loaded with Lightning Lane Multi Pass or purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass in the Disneyland app after entering a theme park each day. Lightning Lane Multi Pass also includes all your PhotoPass photo downloads for that day. A limited number of rides in each park are included with Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
Lightning Lane Single Pass
A few other new or popular rides have a Lightning Lane, but they are not included in Lightning Lane Multi Pass . You can use the free standby line, or you can pay to use the Lightning Lane for up to two of these rides per day. Rides with Lightning Lane Single Pass include:
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Radiator Springs Racers (also has a Single Rider line)
Single Rider
Guests ages 7 and up who are willing to separate from their parties can use the Single Rider line to fill in available seats. This line is often significantly shorter than the standby line.
The following Disneyland Park rides offer Single Rider Lines:
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Space Mountain
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (has a Roo Pass for small parties when the line gets long)
The following Disney California Adventure rides offer Single Rider Lines:
- Goofy's Sky School
- Incredicoaster
- Radiator Springs Racers
- Grizzly River Run
- WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
- Soarin' Around the World
- Monsters Inc. (offers a Buddy Pass for parties of one or two, plus a small child)
Rider Switch
If you are traveling with a baby or small child who does not meet the height requirement for a ride, talk to the attendant at the ride entrance about Rider Switch. We go over it in more detail in our Disneyland height requirements post. But basically, the first parent rides while the other parent watches the baby. Then the second parent rides while the first parent takes a turn watching the baby. But the second parent can use the Lightning Lane or a different entrance to access a shorter wait so they don't have to wait in the full line. The second parent can bring someone with them to ride. That means sometimes an older sibling of the baby gets to ride twice!
Mobile Order
You can save a lot of time by skipping long food lines when you mobile order from quick-service restaurants through the Disneyland app. Order meals ahead of time ... especially if you know you'll want to pick up food and have a picnic while you wait for a parade or show.
Park Plans
We also offer step-by-step park plans, telling you which ride to ride and when, if you want further guidance. But since ride breakdowns occur and parties have different ages and personal interests, we broke our summer park plan at Disneyland up by morning, midday and evening to tell you what you need to know to make the most of your day, your way.
If you are looking for discount Disneyland Resort tickets for this summer, Undercover Tourist can help you save on multi-day tickets, with and without Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Be sure to check out our Promo Summer tickets!
Related: Disneyland Park Plan for Toddlers and Preschoolers
Related: 20 Cool Tips for Visiting Disneyland in Summer
Keep hopping!
