Can You Do Disneyland and California Adventure in 1 Day? | Explained
Disneyland and California Adventure are conveniently located directly across from one another, in order for guests to seamless park hop.
However many guests wonder if they can do Disneyland and California Adventure in 1 day.
In this page, we will explain.
Table of Contents
- Can You Do Disneyland and California Adventure in 1 Day?
- Make a List of Your Must-Do Rides
- Know the Best Time to Visit Each Park
- Go to California Adventure First
- Know About Park Hopper Availability
Can You Do Disneyland and California Adventure in 1 Day?
You can absolutely visit both Disneyland and California adventure in a single day, and still be able to hit all of the major attractions at each park. However, in order to have the best possible experience you'll want to plan your itinerary for both parks ahead of time, and consider investing in Disney Genie+.
Disney Genie + is an upgrade ($20 per day) that allows you to skip the regular line through access to the Lightning Lane entrance, all from the Disneyland app.
You'll select one available attraction at a time throughout the day.
Make a List of Your Must-Do Rides
Favorite Rides at California Adventure
Some of our favorite rides at California Adventure include:
- Radiator Springs Racers
- Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout
- The Incredicoaster
- Soarin' Around the World
Guardians of the Galaxy actually replaced Tower of Terror several years back, but still features all of the thrilling vertical drops, along with a twist focused on the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Longest Lines at the Park
Chances are that your favorite rides also have the longest lines at the park.
Luckily, we've created a guide that details the average wait time for rides with the longest lines at Disneyland to help you plan ahead.
Some of the rides with the longest lines include:
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Radiator Springs Racer
- Splash Mountain
Know the Best Time to Visit Each Park
For both Disneyland and California Adventure, the best time to visit are Tuesday-Thursday as soon as the park opens.
Weekdays in general are typically much less crowded and visitors from all over the world plan their trips around the weekend.
Avoid Weekends
Out of state visitors usually arrive on Thursdays, stay for the weekend, and then leave on a Monday.
By going to the parks on Tuesday-Thursday, you'll be able to avoid most of the crowds that can fill up the park quickly.
This means less waiting in lines, and more experiencing the actual park.
Park Opening Hours
The parks don't always open at the same time throughout the year, make sure to double check the Disneyland hours and California Adventure hours before planning your visit.
Know the Best Tips
In order to maximize your time and money, you'll want to familiarize yourself with our best tips:
Go to California Adventure First
California Adventure usually closes a few hours before Disneyland does, which means that you should head to California Adventure first.
A common mistake that visitors make is they head to Disneyland first, only to realize once they park hop towards the end of the day that California Adventure closes before Disneyland, and they now have to rush.
In order to maximize your day, you'll want to head to California Adventure first, and you'll be able to head to Disneyland afterwards and stay hours after DCA has closed.
Know About Park Hopper Availability
Guests are unable to park hop at any hour of they day, they can only begin park hopping at the hour that is stated on the calendar.
You can see the hours that park hopping is allowed on the Disneyland calendar.
For the day below, you can see that guests can begin park hopping at 1pm until midnight for this day.
The same concept applies to California Adventure, you'll want to check the California Adventure hours for that day.
Make Sure That You Have a Park Hopper Ticket
You'll also want to make sure that you have a park hopper ticket.
A park hopper ticket allows you to bounce around the two parks without needing to purchase admission separately for each park.
Upgrading Your Ticket to Park Hopper
If you've already purchased a standard Disney ticket, and want to upgrade to a Park Hopper ticket, you can do so at Guest Services.
You'll simply need to bring your current ticket and identification to Guest Services. They will credit the cost of your current ticket towards the Park Hopper ticket, and you'll simply pay the difference.
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