About this Plan
This touring plan is carefully crafted to optimize your time experiencing Disney California Adventure’s rides and attractions. This plan can be used if you’re visiting the park for a single day or multiple days. It’s also suitable if you have a Park Hopper ticket, which permits access to more than one Disneyland Resort park within the same day.
Download the App
Before visiting Disneyland Resort, we recommend downloading the Disneyland app from the App Store or Google Play Store. The app provides wait times, showtimes, a resort-wide map, and more.
Entering the Park
We suggest arriving at the park entrance at least 35 minutes before the park opens, particularly during summer, U.S. holiday weekends, and other busy periods. Keep in mind that it may take up to 35 minutes to reach the front gates from the parking booth if you’re driving. Once inside, you can grab a map to help you navigate the park. Downloading the official Disneyland app allows you to view attraction wait times, check showtimes, navigate the park using GPS, and much more, all on your smartphone.
Experience Within First or Last Few Hours
The following attractions typically have the longest wait times. To avoid lengthy lines, you should visit them as soon as the park opens or a few hours before the park closes as the wait times are generally shorter. The attractions listed below are in alphabetical order, not the order in which you should experience them; visit the attractions based on your interests and their proximity to one another.
Grizzly River Run
Attraction type: Water raft ride
Height requirement: Minimum height of 42 in (107 cm)
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
Attraction type: Launch and drop tower ride
Height requirement: Minimum height of 40 in (102 cm)
Incredicoaster
Attraction type: High-speed roller coaster
Height requirement: Minimum height of 48 in (122 cm)
Radiator Springs Racers
Attraction type: High-speed car ride
Height requirement: Minimum height of 40 in (102 cm)
Soarin’ Around the World
Attraction type: Flying theater simulator ride
Height requirement: Minimum height of 40 in (102 cm)
WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
Attraction type: Interactive 3D ride
Height requirement: Any height
Experience After Noon
The attractions in this section can experience high crowds, but they are typically more manageable. It’s best to visit them after noon. The attractions listed below are organized alphabetically, rather than in the order you should experience them; visit them based on your interests and their proximity to each other.
Goofy’s Sky School
Attraction type: Kid-friendly roller coaster
Height requirement: Minimum height of 42 in (107 cm)
Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters
Attraction type: Trackless dancing car ride
Height requirement: Minimum height of 32 in (81 cm)
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
Attraction type: Family-friendly spinning, whip ride
Height requirement: Minimum height of 32 in (81 cm)
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!
Attraction type: Kid-friendly dark ride
Height requirement: Any height
Pixar Pal-A-Round – Swinging
Attraction type: Swinging gondola Ferris wheel
Height requirement: Any height
Silly Symphony Swings
Attraction type: Suspended carousel-style swing ride
Height requirement: Minimum height of 40 in (102 cm)
The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
Attraction type: Kid-friendly dark ride
Height requirement: Any height
Experience at Dusk
The experiences in this section are nighttime shows, viewable only after dark. Remember to consider showtimes when visiting other attractions in the park.
World of Color
This attraction has scheduled showtimes. Plan accordingly and arrive early.
Attraction type: Nighttime show featuring fountains, lasers, and more
Height requirement: Any height
Experience at Any Time
The attractions below usually have low crowds, making them accessible most times of the day compared to the park’s other attractions. Please note that although these attractions are listed in the “Experience at Any Time” section, some of them may close before the park does; they are included here because of their minimal crowds. The attractions listed below are organized alphabetically, not in the order you should visit them; experience them based on your interests and their proximity to each other.
Jumpin’ Jellyfish
Attraction type: Kid-friendly parachute jump–style ride
Height requirement: Minimum height of 40 in (102 cm)
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
Attraction type: Wilderness experience featuring trails, ropes courses, traverse climbing, and more
Height requirement: Any height
Dining
We’ve highlighted some of our favorite dining locations for lunch and dinner that you might enjoy. However, for lunchtime, you can also opt to pack snacks or buy some from the many concession stands in the park if you prefer to minimize your time dining.
Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta
This boardwalk-themed quick service restaurant is located in the Paradise Gardens Park area. The menu includes pizza, pasta, and salads.
Carthay Circle Restaurant
This Buena Vista Street table service restaurant is inspired by the iconic Carthay Circle Theatre, which was the site of Walt Disney’s first feature-length film premiere. The menu at this elegant dining venue primarily features pork, beef, and fish entrees. If you’re interested in dining here, consider making a reservation. You can do so online by clicking here.
Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill
Located in San Fransokyo Square, Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill is a quick service restaurant popular among regular parkgoers for its delicious street tacos, especially the QuesaBirria.
Flo’s V8 Cafe
If you’re seeking a basic quick service option, we recommend trying Flo’s V8 Cafe. This dining spot features a themed environment inspired by Disney·Pixar’s Cars. You can enjoy classic American comfort food such as fried chicken and burgers in a retro-style eatery.
Pym Test Kitchen
Pym Test Kitchen is a quick-service restaurant in Avengers Campus. It offers Ant-Man and The Wasp size-defying dishes, including the Not so Little Chicken Sandwich and the Humongous Taco Salad, to name a few.
Vegetarians and Vegans
If you are a vegetarian or vegan, Disney California Adventure offers a wide variety of meals for you. Click here to view our Disneyland Resort vegetarian and vegan guide. This guide highlights various dining locations throughout the park with meals that cater to your dietary needs.
For complete information on all of Disneyland Resort’s rides and attractions, click here.
Additional Information
Tips
- If you’re visiting the park for just one day, we recommend having breakfast before you arrive to maximize your time for enjoying the attractions.
- To reduce your wait times, consider purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass and/or Lightning Lane Single Pass. For more information on these services, click here. When using your Lightning Lane Multi Pass, we recommend choosing attractions from the “Experience Within First or Last Few Hours” section as these typically have the longest wait times. This approach will help you maximize your time by enjoying the park’s top attractions with minimal waiting.
- If you’re staying at a Disneyland Resort on-site hotel, take advantage of early park entry. This gives you a head start, allowing you to experience more attractions throughout the day. To find out when early park entry is available and learn more about it click here.
- At select quick-service restaurants throughout the park, you can use the Disneyland app‘s mobile ordering service. This feature allows you to order your meal in advance, so when you arrive at the restaurant, you can quickly pick up your food and avoid long lines at the ordering counter.
- Don’t rush from one attraction to another. Take your time to explore the different themed areas of the park, especially Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
- Remember to capture your memories by taking photographs with characters and in the various themed areas.
To see more tips for visiting Disneyland Resort, click here.
Note
This touring plan includes most rides and attractions at Disney California Adventure, so visiting them all in a single day may not be feasible if crowd levels are high. It’s best to choose the attractions that interest you the most.
