My Favorite Touring Plan at Disneyland
For a quick summary of how my usual day goes at Disneyland, read below:
Early Morning to Mid Morning:
*arrive an hour earlier than park opening. Breeze right through security and get in line for the main gate. Enjoy hanging out on Main Street and taking photos.
*buy Max Pass ($10) at ticket booth near main gate or on your mobile app after you enter the park. You can add other friends or family to your Max Pass account for $10 each.
*mobile order breakfast using your Disneyland app from the Jolly Holiday Bakery if you didn’t eat yet (I get the croissant egg sandwich and raspberry macaroon)
*book Space Mountain fast pass from phone app
*head for Fantasy Land and ride Peter Pan Flight
*ride everything you can in Fantasy Land before wait times are long.
*grab a churro from the cart between Matterhorn and Small World if you are hungry for a snack
Late Morning to Early Afternoon
*for girls age 3-12 a princess makeover at Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique is a must do (reservations need to be made in advance)
*You can tour inside Sleeping Beauty’s Castle before heading out of Fantasy Land but there is never a line for it so you can save it for later too
*Make sure to book your next fast pass for Splash Mountain when the time allows
*Head over to Space Mountain to use fast pass
*Ride Autotopia
*optional to ride the Finding Nemo Submarine, and it’s not worth a long line. Little ones will like it.
*If wait times are under 30 min, I will ride Star Tours or Buzz Lightyear in stand by, but you can always get a fast pass later on for those rides if the wait times are too long. On a busy day the wait times go up to an hour.
*grab a corn dog from the Little Red Wagon as you exit Tomorrowland. It’s located on Main Street near the Plaza Inn and Tomorrowland entrance.
Late Morning to Early Afternoon:
*book fast pass for Matterhorn
*Head to Adventure Land and use your Splash Mountain Fast Pass
*ride Winnie the Pooh if wait time is under 25 min.
*ride Jungle Cruise if wait time is 30 min or under
*eat a late lunch at Blue Bayou (reservations must be made in advance) Plaza Inn is also great for lunch or dinner so switch with that restaurant depending on what reservation time you get with Blue Bayou. My second pick would be Cafe Orleans, or Carnation Cafe. They are all excellent.
*ride Pirates of the Caribbean either before or after lunch depending on reservation time.
*Ride Haunted Mansion if wait time is under 25 min. Can book fast pass later if line is longer than 30 min.
*Tour Tarzan’s Tree House
*If time allows, take the boat over to Tom Sawyer’s Island. It’s a really fun place for kids to play and explore.
*grab some Mickey Beignets and Mint Juleps at the Mint Julep Bar of New Orleans Square near train stop by Haunted Mansion
Mid to Late Afternoon
*Book Indiana Jones Fast Pass
*Ride Matterhorn
*head to Toon Town and check out the Gidget’s roller coaster or Roger Rabbit’s spin ride. There is also Minnie and Mickey’s houses where you can meet and tour. But it’s not worth a line longer than 35 min for any of these attractions. If Roger Rabbit has a long line, wait and book a fast pass for it after all the other higher priority rides are booked. That ride is not a high priority and it’s the last on my list for a fast pass reservation.
It’s fun to just walk around and see Toon Town, but not necessary to ride anything if there isn’t time.
Early Evening:
*Book Thunder Mountain fast pass
*Ride Indiana Jones with fast pass
*Dinner at Plaza Inn or Blue Bayou (depending on where you made reservations)
*Ride Haunted Mansion if you haven’t yet
*Ride the train around Disneyland to rest your tired feet (make sure to do a full loop on the train to see the dinosaur tunnel!)
*book a Small World fast pass if you didn’t ride it yet or do stand by line if it’s short. The return time is usually the same time you book it!
Late Evening:
End your night with a fireworks show and Fantasmic! Be sure to stop at the shops on Main Street for a souvenir. We will also try and ride Thunder Mountain as many times as we can before park closing. It usually has the shortest stand by wait times of the popular rides. Matterhorn is another one we try and do again.