Disneyland Daily Plan (how many days to spend in the parks) - WDW Prep School (2024)

Once you’ve figured out your trip dates and hotel, it’s time to start planning the daily itinerary for your trip.

You need to determine how many days to spend in the parks, which parks to visit on which days, and if you plan to do anything else in the southern California area.

Let’s walk through how to put together your plan…

UPDATE: The information below may be impacted by current reopening procedures. Please visit our Disneyland reopening guide for themostup-to-dateinformation.

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How many days should you spend in Disneyland parks?

Though there are just 2 parks at Disneyland Resort, there are still plenty of attractions and things to do.

Ideally, you should plan on spending a total of 3-4 days in the parks to cover most everything, including rides, characters, shows, and fireworks.

Disneyland park hours

If you are familiar with Disney World trip planning, then you’ll know that park hours come out 6 months in advance, allowing you time to pick the parks to visit each day of your trip.

That is not at all how it works at Disneyland, with park hours coming out just 6 weeks ahead of time.

However, the exact park hours schedule is less of a factor with Extra Magic Hours and Magic Morning being held on set days of the week.

Let’s take a look at how that works.

Disneyland Daily Plan (how many days to spend in the parks) - WDW Prep School (1)

Extra Magic Hours schedule for onsite Disneyland guests

Unlike Disney World where we recommend avoiding Extra Magic Hours, we suggest taking advantage of them for Disneyland onsite guests.

That’s because there’s only 3 onsite resorts, so there are far fewer people eligible to attend.

At Disneyland, there’s an Extra Magic Hour scheduled every morning, but no evening Extra Magic Hours.

Here’s the Disneyland Extra Magic Hours schedule:

  • Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays – Disneyland Park opens one hour early for EMH
  • Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays – California Adventure opens one hour early for EMH

So even if the actual park hours aren’t out yet for your travel dates, you can use this as a guide to help you plan which park to visit each day.

FYI: the Disneyland EMH schedule is the same as Magic Mornings for offsite guests (more on that in the next section) so you will have more people joining you for that than you will at California Adventure which only provides early access to onsite guests.

Note: not all attractions are open for Extra Magic Hours, including Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Click to view chart larger.

Magic Morning schedule for offsite Disneyland guests

If you’re staying offsite at Disneyland, you still get a type of Extra Magic Hour that’s called Magic Morning.

This is a perk for people who buy at least 3 days of Disneyland tickets. This perk can be used once during your trip.

Magic Morning allows early entry to Disneyland on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

So if you’re staying offsite and will have 3+ days of tickets, consider visiting on one of those days to get in early.

Note: not all attractions are open during Magic Morning, including Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Planning around nighttime show schedules

One of the most surprising things at Disneyland (especially if you’re used to Disney World) is how often fireworks are canceled.

In fact, they are canceled around 20% of the time in the summer due to wind and fire dangers that are posed by fireworks.

For this reason, you may want to plan on seeing fireworks every night of your trip. That way if the first night is canceled, you’ll have another chance.

Disneyland Daily Plan (how many days to spend in the parks) - WDW Prep School (3)

Planning to do non-Disneyland things

One of the perks of visiting Disneyland is how easy it is to combine Disney parks time with other nearby attractions.

Those options include going to the beach, visiting Hollywood, heading down to San Diego, and so many more.

Disneyland Daily Plan (how many days to spend in the parks) - WDW Prep School (4)

If you want to combine Disneyland with non-Disney things (and will be staying in the same hotel your whole trip), consider alternating between a day in the parks and a day out of the parks.

Planning your schedule like that allows you to stay up late in the parks without necessarily needing to get up super early for rope drop the next day (and if you’re driving, you’ll want wait until after rush hour anyway).

Choosing park tickets

Once you’ve decided where you’ll be each day, you should know how many days of park tickets you’ll need and which type to get. Consider getting those now.

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Shannon Albert

Shannon started this site in May of 2012 to help people plan Disney World trips. Since then, she's visited monthly and stayed in every resort several times. You can find her on social media as well as her weekly podcast, WDW Prep To Go. Email Shannon

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Disneyland Daily Plan (how many days to spend in the parks) - WDW Prep School (2024)

FAQs

How many days do you need for each Disneyland Park? ›

For Disneyland, we find two days at that park and 1 at California Adventure to be perfect (no parkhopper). Just not sure how much time to budget for DW parks or if parkhopper is a must have.”

How many days do you need at Disneyland with kids? ›

You need five days at Disneyland to avoid the busiest parts of the day. By having five days, you don't have to feel like you have to spend every minute of the day at the parks to get the most out of your trip. With a 5-day ticket, you can get to the parks early to beat the crowds.

What is the daily admission for Disneyland? ›

One Park Per Day (no park hopping allowed):
Ticket TypeAges 10+Ages 3-9
1-Day, 1 Park Ticket (Variable Prices)$104-$194$98-$183
2-Day, 1 Park Per Day Ticket$310$290
3-Day, 1 Park Per Day Ticket$390$365
4-Day, 1 Park Per Day Ticket$445$420
1 more row
Oct 11, 2023

Is 2 days enough for Disneyland? ›

Disneyland has tons of rides and entertainment, and doing everything at a comfortable pace requires a 2-day touring plan. Our time-saving Disneyland offers step-by-step strategy for park's most popular attractions and experiences, including Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge!

Is 1 day enough in Disneyland? ›

Although there is way more magic at the Disneyland Resort than can be experienced in only one day, you should still have enough time to enjoy the attractions and other experiences that are the most important to you.

Can you do both Disneyland parks in 2 days? ›

For a 2-day pass, go to one on one day and the other the second day. If you have more time,get a 3-day, after experiencing both park, check with your family and you can go back to the park you all really liked on the 3rd day! Hope this helps. Enjoy your vacation in the HAPPIEST PLACE !

At what age do kids enjoy Disneyland the most? ›

Although Disneyland in Anaheim, California, is open to guests of all ages, many agree that the park is best suited for younger kids between ages 4 and 12. This age range encompasses the prime childhood years when imagination runs wild and physical abilities allow for more enjoyment on the rides.

Is 4 days at Disneyland too much? ›

Disney is full of live entertainment, characters, attractions, and delicious food. We recommend a 4-5 day trip to enjoy everything the parks have to offer.

What if my child turns 3 at Disneyland? ›

Guests between 3 and 9 years old will need a child-priced ticket. However, annual passes are the same price for all Guests aged 3 and older.

What is the average daily guest at Disneyland? ›

What is the average number of visitors per day at Disneyland? Approximately 51,000 visitors per day, depending on the location, season, and time of week.

What does tier 0 mean at Disneyland? ›

Disneyland Resort has a reservation-based six-tiered ticketing calendar, meaning prices are lower on low-demand or Tier 0 days and higher on high-demand or Tier 6 days. Tier 0 days are usually midweek days when schools are in session.

Does Costco sell Disneyland tickets? ›

Costco Travel does not sell Disneyland® Theme Park tickets. However, we do offer exclusive Costco member benefits when you book a package (including accommodations and park tickets) through Disneyland® Resorts in California.

What's the best time to go to Disneyland? ›

However, when planning a trip to the Disneyland Resort, expect lower crowds from mid-September through mid-November (before the Thanksgiving break). Mid-January through mid-March is another time when potentially lower crowds are expected.

What's the best days to go to Disneyland? ›

My final recommendation is to try to visit the parks on a Tuesday or Wednesday during the middle of the week. During holiday times or Spring Break it may not make that much of a difference, but usually there are less Guests at the parks than on a weekend where they may not be at work or school.

Is Disney Genie worth it at Disneyland? ›

Our thoughts are that Genie can help you find the shortest wait times so you can get on the most rides, but they may not always be the rides you most want to go on. You can always swap out a ride or restaurant that doesn't fit your interests.

How many days at Disneyland for a 4 year old? ›

It will be here before you know it. You're going to love experiencing the Disneyland Resort theme parks through the eyes of your child! Since you're traveling with your 4-year-old, I think one day per park should be perfectly fine, unless you decide to pop back in to your child's favorite park for the third day.

How long does the average family stay at Disney? ›

With so much to see and do, it's imperative that you plan to budget enough days for your Disney vacation and decide exactly which theme parks you simply must visit, so you and your family can enjoy the full flavor of the experience. In fact, the average length of stay at Walt Disney World Resort is six days.

Is Disneyland worth it for 5 year old? ›

I've taken children ages 5 months to 23 years to Disneyland over the years, with one brave day including 5 children on my own. It was chaotic, stressful at times, and worth every bit of effort. What is this? My favorite age group to take to the parks is from around 2-5 years old for a variety of reasons.

Will a 5 year old enjoy Disneyland? ›

I must disagree about not taking kids to Disneyland before the age of 5. My kids have been going since the age of 1 and each time not only did they enjoy themselves, we enjoyed seeing the fun they were having. There is quite a bit for a 5 year old to see and do. Fantasyland is great place to start.

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