Tips how to tour Disney California Adventure in one day. Your guide to get on every attraction with minimal wait times. If you’re planning a trip to Disney California Adventure and you only have one day then I’ve created a possible plan for your group to follow and go on every attraction. You can do everything in one day at DCA using the following plan in conjunction with the official Disneyland app that shows you wait times. And now there is a new tool called Disney Genie+ that replaced the old FastPass system. If you’d like to learn more about that paid service read here.
Disney California Adventure game plan
Disney California Adventure (DCA) home to Avengers Campus, Carsland, Pixar Pier and so much more. Now that FastPasses are a thing of the past it’s even more important to arrive at rope drop, read more about arrival tips. If the park opens at 8 a.m. (for instance) they let you through the gates normally around 7:30 a.m. You can wander around, take pictures and get lined up for rope drop! Disney has a new early morning perk for onsite hotel guests ONLY. Read more about EARLY ENTRY. If you’re worried how it will affect touring plans for those without Early Entry, don’t worry. Onsite guests will be spread between two different parks and not all guests will get up early for an extra 30 minutes. So I don’t think it’s even going to be a problem for guests without Early Entry. And lastly not all of the attractions are open during Early Entry. The majority of the attractions will not have a line until the park officially opens. Arriving early morning to an empty park is my recommendation.
This post will help you navigate the park at no additional costs. If you’re used to the old FastPass option to skip the line then you should consider Disney Genie+ for even less time in lines. But this post will include tips for getting on the most popular attractions like Radiator Springs Racers and WEB Slingers with minimal wait times.
If you have little ones then your focus and order of rides will be different. See the bottom of this post for a touring plan with kids. Otherwise proceed with this plan!
Touring plan for Disney California Adventure
I’m here to help you navigate Disney California Adventure and make the most of your day. Let’s talk about the two most popular rides in this park first. The newest exciting attraction at Disney California Adventure inside Avengers Campus is WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure. I’m going to give you tips about getting on this ride below. 
Then the most popular attraction with the longest line all day is Radiator Springs Racers. If you don’t arrive for first thing in the morning before the park opens then save it for later in the day of better yet purchase and Individual Lightning Lane and skip the line. The line is long after only a few minutes of the park opening. My biggest tip with this ride is arrive before the park opens for rope drop. And as seen on the map below line up at the rope near The Little Mermaid. Everybody lines up heading to Carsland, but trust me there are fewer people over around at the rope at The Little Mermaid. You can head to Racers from this point and be among the first in line which is the goal! See the photo below for details where to line up and how to get to the ride. UPDATE – now with Early Entry they may not let you line up by Little Mermaid, but ask!
Here we go let’s get this party started. Go on these rides in this order to avoid longer wait times. Skip any attractions you’re not interested in doing.
- Radiator Springs Racers
- Incredicoaster
- Toy Story Mania
- Goofy’s Sky School
- Grizzly River Run
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!
- WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
- Monsters Inc.
The reason WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure is further down on this list is because just like Radiator Springs Racers the line gets very long when the park first opens. You will get more done in the first few hours using this plan because the Web Slingers line doesn’t drop in wait time until after the park has been open a few hours. Now you will still have a line to wait in when you get there, but with this strategy it will be less time in line. This attraction now has a single rider line too. So that’s another option if you’re ok with your group being split up possibly.
Now you’ve done the more popular rides that build up long lines as the day goes on. Yes you skipped a few rides along the way but now you can go back and tackle what’s left in the park. What you do next will be based on the interests of your party. I’ve grouped them by land so you can do all the rides left in each land. You can use the Disneyland app to look up wait times on what’s left. Then once you’ve either done them or skipped them go and repeat your favorites. And at any point stop and eat snacks or have lunch. Here’s a post about my favorite foods in Disney California Adventure.
Paradise Gardens Park
- The Little Mermaid
- Golden Zephyr
- Jumpin’ Jellyfish
- Silly Symphony Swings
Pixar Pier
- Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind
- Jessie’s Critter Carousel
- Pixar Pal-A-Round
Carsland
- Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters
- Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
Now add entertainment, characters, food and more
You have a list of all the rides and a game plan. But there’s so much more to do at Disney California Adventure. Every night you can watch the amazing water World of Color show. There are shows in Avengers Campus, Mickey’s PhilharMagic show, see characters, pennies to press, explore Redwood Creek Challenge area and more. I also have a great post with 20 plus things to do at Disney California Adventure when it’s busy. You can find lots of ideas on that post to entertain your group and add some extra magic! My favorite spot to take a break is in the Animation Building check it out. But if your goal is to ride all the attractions, that can be done in one day if you follow the plan above!
Touring plan with kids, toddlers, babies
No matter who’s in your group head to Radiator Springs Racers first if you have anyone who wants to do that ride. Guests must be 40″ tall to ride this attraction. Utilize rider switch if you have anyone who can’t ride. After, you will go on these rides for any height child/baby (except two rides as indicated)
- WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
- Toy Story Mania
- Jessie’s Critter Carousel
- Pixar Pal-A-Round
- Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind
- Golden Zephyr
- The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
- Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters (must be 32” or taller)
- Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree (must be 32” or taller)
- Monsters Inc.
If the adults in your party want to ride any of the bigger E-ticket attractions as they call them you can add them in throughout the day using rider switch.
Kids also enjoy shows like Disney Junior Dance Party, Mickey’s PhilharMagic and Turtle Talk with Crush. Another great option is over at the Redwood Creek Challenge area where kids can run around, explore, slide and more. Plus there are shows in Avengers Campus, a new way to see characters and more. If you’re looking for kid friendly play areas to explore in Disney California Adventure read more over here.
Have a plan
These are just suggestions to maximize your time. But go to the parks with a plan! It can be altered that’s fine but have an idea of what you want to go on so you’re not standing around looking at the map making decisions during those precious early morning hours. There are lots of strategies on the order of rides and know that plans can change once at the parks depending on refurbishments, lines, crowds etc. But if you have an idea of what you want to ride and use the Disneyland app to check wait times then you can decide which ride to hit up next. You will get so more much done with a plan!
Print a FREE attractions list
Last tip to help in your vacation planning. I have created a checklist with ALL the attractions in both parks. You can use it to plan your visit. Print each list and mark the attractions you want to do. You could even add the order you want to go on the attractions. Click here to print.
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