If you’re looking for a Disneyland Resort one-day itinerary that doesn’t involve purchasing Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes, then is guide is for you!
In this in-depth guide, I’ll walk you through an entire day at both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure without paying for Genie+ while still being able to maximize your valuable time and money.
From watching the parades and evening shows to eating the best snacks in between immersive rides, this itinerary will be easy on your wallet.
If you are looking to visit Disneyland and pay for Genie+ then this article probably won’t help you out too much. But if you want to have a magical experience at Disneyland without the stress, then I got you.
Below, you’ll find two separate itineraries for each park if you were to visit them on separate days. Plus, I also included a one-day, two-park itinerary if you planned on Park Hopping between both parks if you only had one day.
Jump to:
- Planning Ahead
- Who is this for?
- Disneyland Itinerary without Genie+
- Disney California Adventure Itinerary without Genie+
- California Adventure and Disneyland One-Day Itinerary without Genie+ (Requires a Park Hopper Ticket)
- Example Disneyland Park Itinerary #1 – Half Day
- Example Disneyland Park Itinerary #2 – Full Day
- Example California Adventure Itinerary #3 – Half Day
- Example California Adventure Itinerary #4 – Full Day
- Example One-Day Itinerary for Both Parks #5 – Two Parks, One Day
- Final Words
Planning Ahead
Before you enter either parks, the first thing you should do is look at all of the rides, attractions, shows, and parades that you want to check out and then make a note of the ones you absolutely must experience, followed by the ones you don’t mind skipping.
Although both Disneyland Park and California Adventure have quite a few rides, it actually is pretty easy to be able to knock out the major rides with just a little bit of pre-planning and strategizing.
If this will be your first time to either parks then I recommend that hit the following attractions at each park:
Must-See Disneyland Attractions
- Space Mountain
- Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Haunted Mansion
- Pirates of the Carribbean
- Indiana Jones Adventure
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
This is my go-to list. However, some additional rides worth adding would be Mad Tea Party, “it’s a small world” (unfortunately), Jungle Cruise, and Peter Pan’s Flight. If you love Star Wars, then Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is an absolute must, even though the ride itself is pretty weak if you’re not one of the two pilots.
Must-See California Adventure Attractions
- Radiator Springs Racers
- Incredicoaster
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout
- WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure
- Soarin’
- Toy Story Midway Mania
Pixar Pal-A-Around is also super popular but I hate heights so I’m not adding it my “must-see” list. Anything additional at the park would be a bonus.
As for food, there are so many snacks recommendations that I have but I won’t go into detail about that here. Instead, be sure to check out my favorite Disneyland and California Adventure food and drinks.
Who is this for?
These Disneyland and California Adventure itineraries are great for adults, big kids, and kids who meet most height requirements.
Also, if you don’t mind skipping parades, character meet and greets, and nighttime entertainment, but instead prefer going on rides, these itineraries will be very helpful.
Disneyland Itinerary without Genie+
Here is my one-day itinerary for Disneyland that doesn’t require you to buy Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes, but is still packed with a whole lotta magic and tasty treats.
Disneyland Park opens up at 7:30 am for Early Entry and 8:00 am for all other guests.
If you plan on experiencing as many attractions as possible, the I recommend that you arrive around 8:00 am.
When the park opens up, you have two options – go to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway or Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. These two attractions will have the longest wait times to the entire day. If you love Star Wars, then Rise of the Resistance is the clear winner. So, for the sake of this post, lets say you head to Rise of the Resistance first.
Right after park opening, Rise of the Resistance has a 49 minute wait on average.
After Rise of the Resistance, I would immediately head to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The average wait time for this is 37 minutes around 9 am.
After Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the next best ride to knock out would be Space Mountain, with a 47 minute wait on average.
After Space Mountain, you can either power through a bit more and head to Indiana Jones, or take a detour at some other attractions like Star Tours or Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.
Personally, this would be the best time for Indiana Jones Adventure. It’s bit of a walk from Space Mountain, but the wait times will only get significantly longer throughout the day.
After Indiana Jones Adventure, it should be time for lunch. I recommend grabbing something from Bengal Barbecue for Quick Service or Blue’s Bayou and Orleans Cafe for Table Service.
After lunch, this will be a great time to knock out the more milder, iconic rides.
I would go to Pirates of the Caribbean first, followed by Jungle Cruise.
Around 2 pm, it should be time for a snack. At this point, you honestly can’t go wrong with some Mickey Beignets (paired with a Mint Julep), a churro, or even a Dole Whip.
After some snacking, this would be the perfect time to head to Haunted Mansion since you’re already in that portion of the park. The wait time won’t be as low as it will be in the evening, but if you want to save yourself from walking back and forth, I would knock it out at this point.
After Haunted Mansion, I recommend that you head to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which should be your last major ride on that side of the park with a significant wait.
From this point on, you have a few options as to what rides you’d want to knock out.
Personally, I would ride all of the Fantasyland rides that interest you like Mad Tea Party, Dumbo, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, King Arthur Carousel, Alice in Wonderland, and “it’s a small world.” During this time of the day, the wait times will only get shorter so it’s a perfect time to hit these up.
As the late evening approaches, you’ll have two major rides left – Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Matterhorn Bobsleds.
I would personally head to Matterhorn Bobsleds first. And right before the park closes, I would finish the day by riding Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run.
Then it would be a great time to grab some food. If you’re near Main Street, great options include Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe (for some soup and sandwiches), the Plaza Inn (for some fried chicken), or the Little Red Wagon (for some hand-dipped corn dogs).
This is a typical Disneyland day that doesn’t involve much parades or nighttime entertainment, but instead focuses on knocking out as many rides as possible.
You can easily swap out the Fantasyland rides for either Matterhorn Bobsleds or Smugglers Run, it they interest you more. Then you can spend the evenings watching the fireworks (or projections) or Fantasmic, if it’s a weekend.
If the park closes late, then you can then use that time after the nighttime entertainment to knock out any additional rides or do some repeats. Some of the major ones may have long waits like Space Mountain, so be sure to check the wait times before you commit to a certain ride.
According to Thrill Data, Disneyland’s wait times are significantly lower in the afternoon and evening than they are in the first half of the day, with a few exceptions. That’s why when we visit both parks in one day, we always end the day at Disneyland Park.
Disney California Adventure Itinerary without Genie+
Here is my one-day Disney California Adventure Itinerary that doesn’t require purchasing Genie+, but is still jam packed with thrills, eats, and drinks.
California Adventure opens at 7:30 am for Early Entry and 8:00 am for all other guests.
If you absolutely need to ride Radiator Springs Racers, then the best time to arrive at California Adventure is at park opening.
So for the sake of this itinerary, let’s say you arrive at DCA at 8:00 am.
Once the park opens, the first thing you need to do is immediately make your way to Radiator Springs Racers. The average wait time at park opening is 50 minutes compared to 82 minutes during the rest of the day.
After you knock out Radiator Springs Racers, the next rides should be Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout. The wait time gets progressively longer as the day goes on so it’s best to knock this out second.
After Guardians of the Galaxy, I suggest that you ride Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure. The wait time is around 56 minutes on average around 10 am.
After Web Slingers, the next ride should either be either Soarin’ or Toy Story Midway Mania.
If you opt for Toy Story Midway Mania, you should then go on the Incredicoaster right after. And if you don’t feel like waiting in that line and don’t mind splitting your party up, then I would use the Single Rider Line. Regardless, this is the best rollercoaster in Disneyland so it shouldn’t be missed!
After both Toy Story Midway Mania and the Incredicoaster, it would be a great time to grab some lunch. Honestly there are so many solid quick service lunch options at this park. My personal favorites include the Beef Bulgogi Burrito from Lucky Fortune Cookery, the QuesaBirria Tacos from Cocina Cucamonga, the fried chicken from Flo’s, or even the Not So Little Chicken Sandwich from Pym’s Test Kitchen. You also can’t go wrong with the Shawarma from Avengers Campus.
If you’re looking for more of a table service restaurant, then I would aim to get a table at Lamplight Lounge.
After lunch, I would head straight to Goofy’s Sky School followed by the Silly Symphony Swings.
At this moment, you can start to fill the remainder of the day with rides that you haven’t knocked out yet like the Pixar Pal-A-Round (swinging or non-swinging), Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, or Monsters Inc Mike and Sully to the Rescue.
You can honestly knock out this park in a half day if done correctly so after you go on the main 3 or 4 rides to start your day, everything is a bonus.
To end the day, I would pop on over to Grizzly River Run if you didn’t feel like walking around wet all day. Or, better, I recommend that you go onto any rides that you want to repeat like Guardians of the Galaxy, Radiator Springs Racers, or even the Incredicoaster.
Unlike Disneyland Park, most ride wait times don’t get significantly lower in the evening. Yes, there are executions like Grizzly River Run and the Incredicoaster, but the remainder of the rides’ waits stay consistently long until the park closes.
That’s why if I were to do two parks in one day, I would start at Disney California Adventure and end the day at Disneyland Park.
California Adventure and Disneyland One-Day Itinerary without Genie+ (Requires a Park Hopper Ticket)
If you only have one day to spend at Disneyland Resort, but want to visit both theme parks, then this itinerary is for you.
It’s going to be a long day, but I’m confident that you can do it!
To start the day, I would first begin at Disney California Adventure at 8:00 am.
When the park opens up, the only ride you should aim to get on first is Radiator Springs Racers. This is the most popular ride at the park, and it shows with its 84 minute average wait.
After this, I would then head on over to Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout, followed by WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure.
After this, the next priority will be the Incredicoaster.
If you’ve been to Disney World before and are familiar with most of their rides, you honestly will be okay to skip Soarin’ (unless it’s Soarin’ Over California) and Toy Story Midway Mania.
If you haven’t been on those rides before (at Disneyland or Tokyo or Disney World), then I would go straight to Toy Story Midway Mania followed by Goofy’s Sky School.
After you knock those out, I will then head to Soarin’ to end your day at California Adventure. You could always come back to this park if Disneyland feels too crowded or if you wanted to focus on eating and drinking, which is usually what we do.
After you check off all of the major rides at DCA, it will be time to cross over to Disneyland Park. I suggest eating lunch at California Adventure first before heading to Disneyland only because the food options are significantly better.
When you arrive at Disneyland, the first ride on your list should be Mickey and Minnie’s Runway Railway, followed by Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
These two rides have the longest wait times at the park and they never get any lower as the day progresses.
The next ride I recommend you go on is Space Mountain since the wait gets pretty long in the evenings.
After Space Mountain, I would head to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
The second-to-last major thrill ride to go on at this point of the day will be Indiana Jones Adventure.
Once you get off of Indiana Jones, you literally have so many options. If it were up to me, I would go straight to Jungle Cruise, then Pirates of the Caribbean, and then Haunted Mansion.
After you go on those rides, it’s a great time for a snack! I suggest you grab some Mickey Beignets (with a Mint Julep), a churro, a seasonal funnel cake, or a Dole Whip.
After some snacking, you can literally spend the rest of the day going on rides in Fantasyland such as Peter Pan’s Flight, “it’s a small world”, King Arthur Carousel, Mad Tea Party, Mr Toad’s Wild Ride, and Alice in Wonderland, just to name a few.
Around 7:00 or 8:00 pm, the wait time at Matterhorn Bobsleds should be 46 minutes according to Thrill Data, which is actually pretty good for this ride.
After breaking your spine on the Matterhorn, it would be the perfect time to go on any other rides nearby that may interest you like Star Tours, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Autopia, and Astro Orbitor.
My last ride of the day would be the Millennium Falcon Smuggler’s Run or a repeat of a popular ride like Space Mountain. If you hustle, you could probably go on Smugglers Run and then queen in one last attraction before the park closes.
I would normally make Splash Mountain the last ride of the day, but since it’s now defunct, I would presumably make the final ride of the day to be Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (once it opens up).
And that’s it, you successfully got a taste of both parks without skipping out on any major or iconic rides!
Example Disneyland Park Itinerary #1 – Half Day
Here’s my favorite Disneyland itinerary if I were to visit for only a half day, preferably in the afternoon/evening. And for this example, lets say the park closes at 12:00 am.
- 4:00 pm – Scan into Disneyland Park
- 4:10 pm – Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- 5:20 pm – Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- 6:40 pm – Space Mountain
- 7:30 pm – Big Thunder Mountain railroad
- 8:15 pm – Indiana Jones Adventure
- 9:00 pm – Pirates of the Caribbean
- 9:45 pm – Haunted Mansion
- 10:30 pm – Jungle Cruise
- 11:00 pm – Matterhorn Bobsleds
- 11:40 pm – Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run
If I wanted to knock out more rides during the day, I would more than likely save either Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway or Rise of the Resistance as my last ride of the day, right before the park closes. This would easily free up 75 minutes during the start of your park day.
Example Disneyland Park Itinerary #2 – Full Day
Here’s an itinerary if you plan on rope dropping Disneyland Park without the help of Genie Plus:
- 8:00 am – Scan into Disneyland
- 8:10 am – Star Wars Rise of the Resistance
- 9:00 am – Mickey and Minnie’s Runway Railway
- 9:50 am – Space Mountain
- 10:35 am – Indiana Jones Adventure
- 11:30 am – Lunch
- 12:15 pm – Pirates of the Caribbean
- 1:00 pm – Jungle Cruise
- 2:00 pm – Snack
- 2:30 pm – Haunted Mansion
- 3:30 pm – Fantasyland Rides
- 6:00 pm – Dinner
- 6:45 pm – Matterhorn Bobsleds
- 7:45 pm – Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run
- 8:30 pm – Any additional rides or repeats
After you knock out Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run, you can then use the rest of the night to go on any rides that you may have missed like Star Tours, Autopia, or Astro Orbitors, just to name a few.
And if you time it right, just before the park closes, I would jump in line for the last ride of the day, preferably something fun and iconic like Space Mountain. You could also use this time to go on either Rise of the Resistance or Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway if you decided to skip it earlier in the day.
Example California Adventure Itinerary #3 – Half Day
Here’s my favorite itinerary if you plan on visiting California Adventure for a half day, preferably in the morning.
- 8:00 am – Scan into Disney California Adventure
- 8:05 am – Radiator Springs Racers
- 8:55 am – Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout
- 10:00 am – WEB SLINGERS A Spider-Man Adventure
- 11:00 am – Toy Story Midway Mania
- 11:45 am – Incredicoaster
- 12:30 pm – Lunch
- 1:30 pm – Goofy’s Sky School
- 2:15 pm – Soarin’
I would also add in Pixar Pal-A-Round if you don’t mind heights and want to ride something thrilling.
Example California Adventure Itinerary #4 – Full Day
Here’s a perfect full-day itinerary for California Adventure without purchasing Genie+:
- 8:00 am – Scan into Disney California Adventure
- 8:05 am – Radiator Springs Racers
- 8:55 am – Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout
- 10:00 am – WEB SLINGERS A Spider-Man Adventure
- 11:00 am – Toy Story Midway Mania
- 11:45 am – Incredicoaster
- 12:30 pm – Lunch
- 1:30 pm – Silly Symphony Swings
- 1:45 pm – Golden Zephyr
- 2:10 pm – Goofy’s Sky School
- 3:00 pm – Soarin’
- 4:00 pm – Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
- 4:30 pm – Luigi’s Rollicking’ Roadsters
- 5:10 pm – Monsters, Inc Mike and Sully to the Rescue
- 6:00 pm – Animation Academy
- 6:30 pm – Turtle Talk with Crush
- 7:00 pm – Dinner
- 8:00 pm – Bonus Rides (something with a short wait of 30 minutes or less)
- 9:00 pm – World of Color
- 9:30 pm – Sneak in one last major ride, like Radiator Springs right as the park closes
Example One-Day Itinerary for Both Parks #5 – Two Parks, One Day
If you only had one day to visit both Disneyland and California Adventure, here is a sample itinerary that would knock out most major rides and attractions:
- 8:00 am – Scan into Disney California Adventure
- 8:05 am – Radiator Springs Racers
- 8:55 am – Guardians of the Galaxy Mission Breakout
- 10:00 am – WEB SLINGERS A Spider-Man Adventure
- 11:00 am – Toy Story Midway Mania
- 11:45 am – Incredicoaster
- 12:30 pm – Lunch
- 1:30 pm – Goofy’s Sky School
- 2:15 pm – Soarin’
- 3:00 pm – Scan into Disneyland
- 3:10 pm – Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- 4:20 pm – Star Wars Rise of the Resistance
- 5:45 pm – Space Mountain
- 6:45 pm – Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- 7:30 pm – Indiana Jones Adventure
- 8:30 pm – Pirates of the Caribbean
- 9:15 pm – Haunted Mansion
- 10:00 pm – Jungle Cruise
- 10:40 pm – Fantasyland Ride(s)
- 11:45 pm – Matterhorn Bobsleds
If Fantasyland rides don’t interest you, then I would swap that out with Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run.
Once Tiana’s Bayou Adventure officially opens, I would remove the Fantasyland rides and swap it with Matterhorn Bobsleds. I would then end the day with Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (aka old Splash Mountain). Honestly, skipping Smugglers Run is no biggie.
Final Words
Thanks for reading and I hope that this guide on how to visit Disneyland without Genie Plus has been very beneficial. These are very ride and attraction-focused itineraries that are perfect for guests who don’t mind skipping out on any parades or nighttime entertainment.
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