Disneyland (CA)

Disneyland One-Day Touring Plan for Adults

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In this post we will highlight one of our premium Disneyland Resort touring plans. The Disneyland One-Day Touring Plan for Adults is for those who plan on arriving before park opening and being one of the first guests in line. The plan features attractions that rated highest in our surveys with adults, but it features many classic Disneyland attractions for all ages, such as Peter Pan’s Flight, Haunted Mansion and many more. If the plan calls for you to experience an attraction that does not interest you, simply skip it and proceed with the plan. If you have kids who aren’t eligible to ride, try switching off.

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STEP
1) Ride Peter Pan’s Flight

Ride Peter Pan’s Flight. One of Disneyland’s most popular attractions, Peter Pan’s Flight is superbly designed and absolutely delightful, with a happy theme, a reunion with some unforgettable Disney characters, beautiful effects, and charming music. Tiny pirate ships suspended from an overhead track launch you from Wendy’s window to fly over nighttime London and on to Never Land and an encounter with Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, and the ubiquitous crocodile.
NOTE: Ride Peter Pan’s Flight first only if you are truly rope dropping at park opening and are one of the first parties to enter the park. Peter Pan’s Flight has low capacity, so if you’re not within the first hundred or so people getting in line, then you will instantly be met with a 30 minute wait, which will throw off the entire touring plan. If you’re running 5 minutes late, or are behind to many people, skip pan and go to the next step first. Also, if it’s a day where Disneyland has early entry for hotel guests, Peter Pan’s Flight will already have a 30+ minute wait at regular park opening.
2) Ride Space Mountain
Space Mountain is an indoor roller coaster with a theme of high-speed interstellar travel. There are no long drops or swooping hills as there are on a traditional roller coaster – only quick, unexpected turns and small drops.
Space Mountain is one of Disneyland’s most popular rides, even though it’s almost 50 years old. Ride early in the morning to avoid long waits.
3) Ride Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters
This attraction is based on the space-ranger character of Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. The indoor ride is interactive to the extent that you can spin your car and shoot simulated “laser cannons” at Zurg and his minions.

5) Ride Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

Star Tours is a motion simulator ride based on the Star Wars series of films. All of the possible cosmic destinations are randomly combined into hundreds of different story variations, giving the attraction unprecedented reridability.

6) Alice in Wonderland

As you’re leaving Star Tours, check the wait time for Alice in Wonderland. Ride it if it’s under 15 minutes. If not, skip it and go to the next step.

This attraction recalls the story of Alice in Wonderland with some nice surprises and colorful effects. Guests ride nifty caterpillar cars in this Disney spook-house adaptation.

 7) Ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Go to Bayou Country and ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Unless the park is busier than usual, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure should still have a low wait during this time of the morning. As soon as the temperature warms up the wait time will rise as well.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure follows the efforts of Tiana as she plans a party and discovers she needs a band to play music. Running through the swamps of the bayou, Tiana attempts to recruit animals from the film for her group.
8) Haunted Mansion

Go next door and ride Haunted Mansion in New Orleans Square. Guests board “doom buggies” for a ride through the mansion’s parlor, dining room, library, halls, and attic before descending to an uncommonly active graveyard. Disney employs almost every special effect in its repertoire in The Haunted Mansion, making it one of the most inventive and different of all Disney attractions.
9) Ride Indiana Jones Adventure
This will be your first lengthy wait of the day. You may be asking, “Why not go to Indiana Jones Adventure first and avoid the wait?” Because if you went ride Indiana Jones Adventure first, you’d miss out on prime morning touring. When you follow this plan you’ll ride several low capacity attractions that have high waits for most of the day outside of the morning hours. You’ll have also ridden popular rides such as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Space Mountain with minimal waits. It may sound odd, but we’ve tested this plan and it works well.
Indiana Jones Adventure is one of the best Disney attractions in the world. This is a combination track ride and motion simulator. You ride a military troop-transport vehicle; in addition to moving along its path, the vehicle bucks and pitches (the simulator part) in sync with the visuals and special effects.
 10) Ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Head to Frontierland at take a ride on Ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The wait time at this time of the morning should still be reasonable.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a roller coaster through and around a Disney “mountain.” The idea is that you’re on a runaway mine train during gold rush days.

11) Ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Go to Mickey’s Toontown and ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Runaway Railway places you in the center of one of the current generation of Mickey Mouse cartoons. The premise is that you’re on an out-of-control railroad car, courtesy of Goofy. You careen, gently, through 10 large cartoon show scenes, from tropical islands to cities to out-of-control factories. In each scene, Mickey and Minnie attempt to save you from disaster, with mixed results.
12) Ride the Disneyland Railroad from Mickey’s Toontown Station
It’s almost lunch time. Take a leisurely ride on the Disneyland Railroad. If you hop on at the Toontown or Tomorrowland stations, you’ll be able to see the spectacular Grand Canyon diorama and Primeval World dinosaur display.

13) Eat lunch

Grab some lunch if you’re hungry. At this point in the plan you’ll be be on the Disneyland Railroad, so hop off at Main Street, U.S.A. station and eat at Jolly Holiday Bakery or Plaza Inn. Both are excellent dining options.
14) See Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
Watch the Tiki Room while your food is digesting. If you ate lunch at Jolly Holiday or Plaza Inn you’ll already be close to the show.

15) Ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

There’s no good time to ride Rise of the Resistance without a long wait, so you may as well get it over now. It’s the most popular ride in the park and it often opens late and closes early. If you don’t want to ride, or if the wait is too long, move on to the next step. Keep in mind Rise of the Resistance breaks down often and usually closes several hours before the rest of the park.

16) Ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

Ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run in Galaxy’s Edge. Smugglers run lets guests fulfill their childhood fantasy of flying at the helm of Han Solo’s Millennium Falcon, the “fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy.” Guests approaching the attraction will see all 110 feet of the Falcon parked outside the spaceport.

17) Ride Matterhorn Bobsleds 

The Matterhorn is the most distinctive landmark on the Disneyland scene, visible from almost anywhere in the park. Open since 1959, it’s Disneyland’s first rollercoaster.

Matterhorn is one of the best rides to use the single rider line on. Not only do you save a ton of time, the seats are single file so you won’t be sitting next to the rest of your group anyway.

18) Ride “it’s a small world”

Ride one of Disney’s all time classics, “it’s a small world.” A happy and upbeat attraction with a world-brotherhood theme and a catchy tune that will roll around in your head for weeks. Small boats convey visitors on a tour around the world, with singing and dancing dolls showcasing the dress and culture of each nation.
19) Jungle Cruise or Pirates of the Caribbean 

Next up head back to the Adventureland/New Orleans Square area and ride Jungle Cruise or Pirates of the Caribbean. Do whichever has the shorter wait and then ride the other when you’re done with the first.
20) Eat dinner, ride anything you missed, or revisiting your favorites.
You’re at the end of the plan now and and at this point you’ll have experienced most of Disneyland’s top attractions.
21) Watch Fantasmic! and the Wonderous Journeys fireworks spectacular.
Arrive early enough to secure your spot for Disneyland’s nightly entertainment.

Don’t forget, you can customize and optimize this or any of our other touring plans using our personalized touring plans creator on the site or in our mobile app, Lines. Be sure to check out our other touring plans that will help you save time and money in Disneyland Resort.

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Guy Selga Jr.

Disneyland writer for TouringPlans.com and co-author of the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland. Also a Disneyland local and appreciator of Disney theme park history. Twitter and Instagram: @guyselga

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