Travel Guide: 4 Days in Disneyland & California Adventure
A 4-day plan for both Disneyland and California Adventure
I've visited the park several times, and have tried to make plans every single time about what rides we can hit, characters we can meet, and things we can do to make the most out of our trip. But there was one thing that never failed to happen:
Nothing ever goes as planned.
Wait times are a huge factor in prohibiting you to follow your plan exactly, as well as entering the park, when you get hungry and want to stop and eat, and also just taking breaks to cool off and grab a water (tip: bring a full bottle to the park, and when you finish it, ask for cold cups of water from the bigger restaurants, and fill your bottle back up. Don't pay $4 for Dasani.)
With that being said, I used this plan on my most recent trip to Disneyland California and it was my most successful one so far. We were able to see and ride everything we hoped to see and ride. **This plan consists of all of the rides I believe are worth riding if you only have 4 days at the parks, and does not include time for eating and breaks!**
day 1: Disneyland
The park opens at 8:00am everyday, get there at 7:45am to line up!
Head right into the Disneyland park.
Walk straight through Main Street USA and turn left into Adventureland. Grab a FastPass for Indiana Jones Adventure. You’ll have time to look around Main Street later.
While in the area, grab a seat on one of the Jungle Cruise boats. The line is never extremely long for that one.
Head further into the park and line up for Pirates of the Caribbean. There are many boats on this ride so the line goes faster than you might think.
Walk into Critter Country and check out the line for Splash Mountain (best to ride during mid-day, when it’s the hottest out.) If it’s more than a 30-minute wait, take a ride on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, which is one of the fastest and shortest lines in the whole park.
By this point, you should be able to pick up another FastPass, and your pass for Indiana Jones will be coming up soon. Pick up a FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
You can make your way back to the middle of the park. Take pictures by the (newly refurbished) castle, the Walt and Mickey statue, and maybe take a picture with a character who might be around! (Goofy and Pluto are usually on the Main Street strip.)
Ride Pinocchio’s Daring Journey in Fantasyland.
Walk over to the Matterhorn Bobsleds (line up in the single rider line, it goes much faster, and you sit alone anyway!)
Head over to the back of the park and ride It’s a Small World.
Check out ToonTown and all your favorite Disney characters’ homes! (You might find Chip and Dale around there.)
Now, you should be able to take your ride on Indiana Jones.
You can make your way to Tomorrowland, Autopia is a good option in the evening, when the sun is just starting to set. The line can be a bit long.
Finish off Tomorrowland with Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters.
Head back over to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to use your FastPass and finish off your night at Disneyland.
Image from: disneyparks.disney.go.com
day 2: California adventure
California Adventure also opens at 8:00am.
Walk straight into Cars Land and grab a FastPass for Radiator Springs Racers. The regular line for this one almost always exceeds 1 hour, so it’s worth it to get a pass.
Although it may be early, the best time to ride Grizzly River Run is in the morning, as it’ll have the shortest line of the day, and you’ll dry off in no time. It’s also just to the right of the entrance.
Walk up into the park and take in the sights of Pixar Pier. Take the infamous “Ferris Wheel” picture.
Stand in the single-rider line for the Incredicoaster, sometimes that line is so short, you can ride it more than once at just one time!
Along the pier, you can join the line for Toy Story Mania. This line can usually take a while, but don’t worry! Half of the line time is in air conditioning.
Take a break from waiting in long lines and go on Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. This line is almost always 10-15 minutes. Out of both Disneyland and California Adventure, it is the most well air-conditioned ride, and such beautiful work inside!
You should be able to get a FastPass for Soarin’ Around the World now!
Head back through Grizzly Peak and into Buena Vista Street, which is where the entrance is. Check out the shops, there’s lots of vintage looking things to see here, and performances right in the square!
Walk through Hollywood Land and ride Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! This line also goes by fast.
While you wait for your FastPass times, walk through the Disney Animation Studio. It’s a must to see all your favorite classic characters come to life.
Head back to Cars Land and ride Radiator Springs Racers.
Check out “a bug’s land”.
At this point you can re-ride the Incredicoaster if you want.
Use your pass to ride Soarin’ Around the World.
** I’m not a fan of Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission Breakout or Mickey’s Fun Wheel, but you can interchange these with your FastPass rides if you prefer it!
Image from: travelingmom.com
day 3: disneyland and california adventure
Head straight to Radiator Springs Racers at opening (you have to ride this at least twice, in my opinion.)
Start your day with the Incredicoaster again! Single-rider is always the way to go.
Leave California Adventure and head back into Disneyland.
Head right into Tomorrowland and get a FastPass for Space Mountain. Depending on wait time, ride Star Tours (this is another one you'll want to do more than once.)
Walk back into Fantasyland and ride Alice in Wonderland, Mr.Toad's Wild Ride and Snow White's Scary Adventures.
Grab a FastPass for Splash Mountain.
Line up for The Haunted Mansion, this line is usually fairly long.
You should be able to use your pass for Space Mountain now.
As evening approaches, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage isn't very busy, get on it!
Head back to Peter Pan's Flight in the evening as well.
You should be able to use your pass for Splash Mountain now.
Finish off your night with the Storybook Land Canal Boats.
day 4: disneyland and california adventure
Splash Mountain is least popular at 8:00am in the morning, go for it! You'll dry off throughout the day.
Head over to Tomorrowland and ride Space Mountain as many times as you can, as it's also not super popular first thing in the morning. You can ride single-rider on it too!
Hop on Star Tours another time, the adventure changes every time you ride it.
Ride single-rider for the Matterhorn Bobsleds again.
Get a FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Line up for Pirates of the Caribbean again (it's my favorite, therefore, you must go on more than once.)
Go back on the Haunted Mansion again too, as you don't want to forget that one.
Get a FastPass for Indiana Jone's Adventure.
Walk down Main Street USA to get any last souvenirs that you've wanted!
Walk down through Pixie Hollow to take some cute pictures.
Ride Autopia and Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters again in Tomorrowland.
You should be able to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad now.
Hop on any last rides you want to ride again/haven't yet until your Indiana Jones time!
Ride Indiana Jones.
Leave Disneyland and head over to California Adventure.
Ride the Incredicoaster (single-rider again, of course.)
Choose between Toy Story Mania or Grizzly River Run, depending on if you want to get wet or not.
Watch a World of Color! (between 8pm-9pm or 9pm-10pm)
California Adventure typically closes at 9pm or 10pm while Disneyland stays open until 12am, so head back over to Disneyland.
Finish off your night with your favorite rides of your trip, as the lines will not be as long as they were in the afternoon.