1-Day Disney California Adventure Itinerary
Our 1-Day Disney California Adventure itinerary offers an efficient plan for park touring & strategy for minimizing time waiting in lines, maximizing rides, and avoiding crowds at Disneyland Resort’s second theme park. This covers attractions, restaurants, shows, including the new Marvel land, Avengers Campus. (Updated February 18, 2024.)
This DCA itinerary has been overhauled multiple times following the park’s reopening. Fortunately, things are almost entirely back to normal…or rather, new normal, at DCA. Major changes have occurred–in particular, FastPass is now paid (see our Guide to Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Disneyland & DCA) and some entertainment is still dark.
There’s also a park reservation system in place, overhauled Annual Pass program called Magic Keys, Park Hopping is limited to afternoons, and virtual queues have been eliminated (except for World of Color, where one has been added). Consequently, this has caused changes in guest behavior, with certain attractions now having longer—and shorter—wait times than before. We’ve visit Disney California Adventure regularly, monitoring wait times and fine-tuning our strategy accordingly. This updated 1-day DCA itinerary for 2024 as a result of our research and experiences in the park.
It continues our series of single-day park plans designed to answer the frequently asked question, “what would you do if you only had one day in Disney California Adventure?” While this itinerary offers an efficient plan, we try to balance quantity with quality. DCA is the second gate–the ambiance park–at Disneyland Resort, and that’s how its best enjoyed.
Slowing down to stroll through the neon of Cars Land or Pixar Pier at night, or having some lobster nachos during a midday break. In other words, this is a rough blueprint of our favorite things to do in an “ideal day” at Disney California. Note that this assumes moderate crowds (check out our When to Visit Disneyland post for more on crowd levels). On a really busy day, you might not be able to finish this entire touring plan…
If you’re only after our ride ratings and reviews of each attractions, read our comprehensive Best Disney California Adventure Attractions & Ride Guide post. If you need comprehensive help for planning every aspect of your visit to Disneyland Resort, from where to purchase discount tickets to transportation from the airport and more, read our Disneyland Resort Trip Planning Guide.
If budget is no issue, we recommend staying at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel for your visit. If it’s outside your budget, look at our Disneyland Area Hotel Reviews and pick a hotel that’s a 10-15 minute walk to the parks. Staying at one of these hotels puts you in a good position to utilize Early Entry, which will allow you to enter Disney California Adventure 30 minutes before official park opening time.
With that said, if money doesn’t matter, you should buy Genie+ and instead use our 1-Day Disney California Adventure Itinerary Using Genie+ and Lightning Lanes. Buying this service is not essential for a productive day in DCA, but it’ll certainly help you get more done–and double-up on many popular rides!
With that out of the way, let’s pick up this 1-Day DCA Plan Without Genie+ and Lightning Lanes…
Start by Slingin’ or Racin’ – You’ll want to either rope drop Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land or Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure in Avengers Campus. These are two of the most popular attractions at DCA, but both also have Single Rider lines. Radiator Springs Racers also sells Individual Lightning Lane line-skipping access.
This is a matter of personal preference and not maximum time-savings, but I favor starting in the Marvel-themed Avengers Campus. Do Web Slingers first and then quickly bounce to Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout (you’ll likely want to do this ride more than once due to different song choices–and it just being a fun time) before the crowds catch up to you.
Whichever you don’t do first, you’ll do last. This itinerary proceeds as if Avengers Campus done first, and Cars Land last. Flip the end of the night if you made the opposite decision. This itinerary is a “Choose Your Own (Disney California) Adventure” kinda deal.
Early Morning Attractions: Pixar Pier – The best next stop is backtracking into Pixar Pier where you can knock out Toy Story Midway Mania, followed by other attractions along Pixar Pier in quick succession.
Despite being a big thrill ride, wait times for Incredicoaster won’t be bad midday. (Probably because it’s not as good as California Screamin’). However, waits for the swinging Pixar Pal-A-Round does get longer, as do the other amusement park rides on that side of the pier.
Peak of the Morning: Your next priorities should be for Soarin’ Around the World and/or Grizzly River Run. That’s especially true if you’re visiting in summer, when hot weather makes demand grow for Grizzly River Run.
Skip either if the posted wait time is above 30 minutes. Lines will be shorter by late afternoon.
Late Morning Attractions: Dark Rides – Late morning makes for a good time to fill in with some dark rides! Unfortunately, Disney California Adventure only has two dark rides.
Hit The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure and Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek next, possibly stopping into Animation Academy while in the neighborhood.
Early Lunch in San Fransokyo – There are so many fantastic food options in Disney California Adventure that it’s hard to go wrong. However, it is very possible to go wrong despite that. Two of the most popular spots in the park–Flo’s V8 Cafe in Cars Land and Smokejumpers Grill in Grizzly Peak (near the entrance and Soarin’) should be avoided.
Check out our list of the 24 Best Restaurants at Disneyland Resort for about a half-dozen of our favorite spots in Disney California Adventure, complete with recommended orders. For more broad advice, consider doing an early lunch in San Fransokyo Square, which is the open air food court that was recently rethemed to Big Hero 6. This area offers something for everyone, but gets slammed during the lunch rush. (Hence our advice to eat here early, if at all.)
Alternatively, do a sit-down meal at Lamplight Lounge. I’m salivating at the very thought of those glorious Lobster Nachos. We also recommending enjoying a drink or two at Lamplight Lounge or weaving in a couple of stops on our Disneyland Drinking Debauchery Guide if that’s your scene, because the next couple of stops will be…uh…”enhanced” if you’ve had a drink or two.
Afternoon Buzz Attractions – After Lobster Nachos at Lamplight Lounge, we recommend the following to wash down your afternoon buzz: Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree, Silly Symphony Swings, and Golden Zephyr, each of which we think is more enjoyable after a beer or two.
Trust us, it’s science. Note that we’d recommend these regardless, so don’t disregard this if you didn’t have a drink at the bar.
Avengers Campus – By this point, lines should be totally gone to enter Avengers Campus. While we prefer the land at night (it’s worth a stroll through it later), if you visit too late you’ll miss some of the character appearances and performances.
Since those are the heart of the land, you’ll definitely want to plan around them. (Check out the entertainment tab of the Disneyland app and enter the land in time for the last performances of each–that’s currently around 4:30 pm for some shows, but is subject to change.)
Lemon Dole Whip Break: If there’s one rule of vacation, it’s that it’s always a good time for ice cream.
Our favorite spot inside DCA is Adorable Snowman Frozen Treats, home to the incredibly popular Pixar Pier Parfait. This line tends to be longest during the middle of the day, so either go before noon or closer to sunset. Doesn’t get any better than a cool treat on the pier!
Dusk: Back to Cars Land – Yes, actually it does get better than that. Just after the official sunset time each night, the Cars Land Sh-Boom lighting moment occurs. This is one of those special, wow moments that you don’t want to miss. You won’t find it labeled as an attraction on the park map or even listed on the Times Guide, but it very well might end up being a highlight of your day.
If you have some time to spare and want to slow down to enjoy the atmosphere, we would recommend sitting on the back porch of Flo’s V8 Cafe with a milkshake or cold beer. We have more on this and all of the best ways to enjoy this wonderful area in our Cars Land Tips & Tricks post.
This is also a good time to do Radiator Springs Racers if you didn’t start there, or if you don’t want to save it until the very end of the evening. We’d recommend doing Radiator Springs Racers via the Single Rider line to save a significant amount of time, but obviously, this will not be a good option for families who want to experience the attraction together…or don’t want a bunch of individual on-ride photos with strangers.
Dinner: Carthay Circle Restaurant – Unless you wander around aimlessly or visit during a busy time of the year, you should have time for a table service restaurant during your day at Disney California Adventure. You’re in luck, because there are few theme park restaurants anywhere that rival Carthay Circle Restaurant (read our full review).
It’s elegant and refined, and serves great food. We think the appetizers are the highlight of the menu (given how much you have been eating, maybe just getting appetizers wouldn’t be such a bad idea?) Some can’t-miss menu items include the Carthay Signature Fried Biscuits and Fire Cracker Duck Wings.
Evening Atmosphere – The ambiance at Disney California Adventure in the evening is spectacular. Whether you want to take an evening stroll behind Grizzly River Run on the “hidden” path or do one last ride on Radiator Springs Racers, you really can’t go wrong.
Actually, we recommend both of those things. Jumping in line for Radiator Springs Racers 1 minute before park closing is a great idea, and the ride experience is different than during the morning thanks to the nighttime scenery.
Nighttime Spectacular: World of Color – There are usually 1-2 showings of World of Color, the second of which ends after the park closes. Whenever there are two showings, the second one is substantially less crowded than the first showing, basically guaranteeing that you can watch from (or near) the front row.
In our World of Color Viewing Guide, we discuss why this ‘front of house’ spot is so important, but if you really don’t want to get wet, consider watching the first World of Color instead. By watching the first World of Color, you can get in line for Radiator Springs Racers right before park closing, which you cannot do if you watch the second World of Color. It’s a difficult trade-off, but we normally go for the ‘front of house’ World of Color view. It really does make the show!
Note: World of Color currently uses a virtual queue for access to the main viewing area. While joining the virtual queue is not required to watch the nighttime spectacular, it is strongly recommended. Standby for the main viewing area is not always available, so you’ll either be watching from farther back or an off-angle without the VQ.
Park Closing Tranquility – If you opted to end the evening with Radiator Springs Racers, you should have Cars Land largely to yourself. If you chose the second World of Color showing, you’ll be in that area of the park.
Regardless, take some time for some late night photos and to enjoy the great background music on your way out. Same goes for Buena Vista Street, which is also quite pleasant at night.
Nightcap: Hearthstone Lounge – End it in Disney California Adventure style, at the lounge in the Grand Californian. (Note: if you didn’t or won’t visit Trader Sam’s at the end of your day in Disneyland, go there instead.) The Grand Californian is a fitting place to end a day in Disney California Adventure, and Hearthstone Lounge has a great atmosphere.
Disney California Adventure is a park that has really grown into its own since the opening of Cars Land and debut of Buena Vista Street, and with other entertainment and attractions being added since, there’s really a lot to do. While all of that’s important, we hope you remember to slow down and enjoy the ambiance, too.
If you’re able to do even 75% of the things on this itinerary, you are pretty much assured of having an amazing day at Disney California Adventure. That’s our guarantee! (Please note that this guarantee has no cash value and is not offered to residents of any state except Wyoming. Also note that any day you are in the parks should be amazing, so if you don’t have a great time, it’s probably your own fault! ;))
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!
Your Thoughts
What would you include in your ideal day at Disney California Adventure? If you haven’t visited Disneyland Resort yet, what do you plan on doing? Do you agree or disagree with our strategy? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Thanks Tom
Your blog was an invaluable resource for our trip with our 7 yr old twins
To those planning a one day trip to California Adventure with young ones you can absolutely see most of the big attractions in one day.
We did it with the most minimum of strategies.
The key was to get fast passes to the biggest rides when we first arrived at 1030 am (yes very late but whose with kids know how hard it is to get them going). Please note we went on August 15 and the park was moderately attended. (Per TouringPlans – 5/10 attendance wise)
We first got the radiator springs passes which were scheduled for 6 pm giving us 8 hrs to relax in the park. We then LEISURELY headed off to get Grizzly Run passes and right down the path maybe 3 minute walk we grabbed our Soaring Fastpasses. With those in hand we hit all the other attractis incluing Mater ride, Olaf, the Frozen sing along, Anna and Elsa meet and greet, Monsters Inc ride, Ariel ride,saw the Parade and ate 2 sit down meals plus shopping. We did not get over to the Pier area as we were exhausted by time we finally rode the amazing Cars ride but if the kids could have made it another hour we could have hit it.
All in all we recommend you relax and enjoys he park and don’t stress about the waits. Most rides were 15 minutes or less and the Longer ones just get fast pass and enjoy the park while you wait. Oh i highly recommend then Disney Lines App for Touring Plans huge help determining Fast Pass status
Have fun and enjoy!!
Hi Tom and Sarah!
Have you guys done Wine Country Trattoria? I didn’t see a review for it, but maybe I’m not looking hard enough. We’re considering the WOC dining package and trying to decide between WCT and CCR.
Thanks and keep up the great blog!
Hi Megan,
I’ve eaten at both WCT & CCR, and prefer the latter BY FAR! The food was fantastic. We enjoyed WCT for the location (we sat on the patio & watched the Pixar Play Parade go by). The food was fine, but nothing special. I know that’s not a detailed review like Tom offers, and it was a couple of years ago, but thought I’d offer my two cents!
Cheers!
Tom –
LOVING all of the information, as I plan my family’s first visit to Disneyland in a few weeks. While we are very regular WDW visitors and DVC members, I haven’t been to Disneyworld since 1997… quite a lot has changed!
A question about something you said in the “Early Morning Attractions” paragraph above: you say to grab a FastPass for World of Color at the same time as grabbing a FastPass for Grizzly River Run. Now that I am fully trained to the new MagicBand/60 day FastPass experience of WDW, I’m trying to re-learn the legacy FastPass system… aren’t you only able to grab one fast pass every hour or so? If so, how can we grab a FastPass for both of those rides? I have a feeling I’m either missing something, or maybe taking you too literally… Just trying to make sure I know what things I want to plan for our trip, as we will have three days to enjoy the parks.
Thanks for such an awesome and useful website; even though I feel well-versed in planning our WDW trips these days, I always read your blog posts to make sure I’m staying well-informed, and to discover new experiences for future trips 🙂
World of Color FastPass is separate from the ride FastPass and does not interfere with grabbing FastPasses for Rides. Therefore, it is relatively easy to have 3 FastPasses in your pocket with a park hopper pass. One for a ride at Disneyland, one for a ride at Disney’s California Adventure, and one for World of Color.
My husband and I are planning a trip to Disneyland and DCA in October. We have been to WDW about a dozen times, so we are wondering if you have ever done a page about what to see at Disneyland that we won’t find at WDW. We don’t want to spend a lot of time seeing the exact same sites, but we don’t want to walk away from an attraction that is different or better at Disneyland than it is at WDW. We will be staying for 5 days. Thank you!
i have heard that and read that carthay circle isn’t so kid friendly! We are going this may with a five and four year old. Our kids are well behaved for the most part and have pretty adventurous taste but I don’t want to be the weird ones with the only kids in the place! Have you found it to be kid inappropriate? We are also considering catal in downtown Disney? Anyone ever tried them out?
I don’t think it’s really inappropriate for kids, but the atmosphere is definitely more adult. I wouldn’t bat an eye at seeing kids in there.
Tom, we bought passes for Mickey’s Halloween Party. We are staying off property and are wanting to change into our costumes withhout having to return to our hotel. Does Disneyland have any kind of lockers available? Thank you!
Yes, there are plenty of lockers available at both parks.
We are heading to California adventure next week (mid-October) and have just one day to experience all the fun. We do not have the extra magic hour access. In your opinion (according to crowds) should we go to the park on a Friday knowing there is a magic hour but maybe overall less crowded or on Saturday with no magic hours but a weekend crowd? Will one day be much more crowded than the other?
Oh boy are we getting excited!!! We got a 5 day hopper pass (our children’s 1st time) and can’t wait for our trip to start. Where do we start is the question? Tips would help. Youngest child is 5 oldest is 10. Thank you Tom & Sarah. Ps…we will be staying off property. The Lemon Tree. Good choice? We’re excited for the full kitchen!
Never heard of The Lemon Tree…you’ll have to report back on it! 🙂
This brought back incredible memories, thank you! The first time I went there The Electric Parade was there, I sure do miss that! I also miss the Corn Dog Castle corn dogs. When we were in the states we visited DL and DCA at least twice a year. Now we are in Okinawa, Japan and looking forward to visiting Tokyo Disney. Thanks again!
Thanks so much for the blueprints on DCA and DL. I will be heading out that way on Thursday for the half-marathon weekend and feel like I missed so much due to limited time when I was out there in January for the Tinkerbell, thus coming home feeling disappointed in DL in general and homesick of WDW. This has helped me prioritize “must see” attractions. I am much more excited this time around, thankful for more time out in CA and more knowledge of things to see/do. I must say I was not impressed with the Aladdin show when I was there in January. However, I hope the review hold true in regards to Carthay Circle and Trader Sam’s…I am excited to check them out after running 19.3 miles!
Hey Tom, here’s a little secret for getting part the rope drop herd easily.
Get in to CDA and at Carthay Circle notice the ‘crowd’ and hang a left onto Hollywood Blvd and got to the end. Next take a right to the Tower of Terror and walk past it and you see the entrance to BugsLand blocked.
When the rope drops they’ll let you through and just go into BugsLand and take the first left and follow it around until you get to the exit that leads to Cars Land and that road takes you to the corner of Flo’s V8.
Most of the time just being able to keep out of the wave of people will save you precious minutes.
Because of the crowds we tend to head straight to Midway Mania first thing since it’s crowd never really drops once its built up. Most moorings we can get 3 or 4 rides before the line fills to the 30-40 minute mark.
Then we walk over to Radiator Springs and catch the Single Rider and usually don’t wait more than 25 minutes and most times way, way less.
Please keep this information under your hat (naw, tell everyone)!!!
That ‘a bug’s land’ tip is absolutely brilliant! I can’t believe we have never thought to do it. I’ll confirm that it works next time we go, and update the article if so. In the interim, anyone reading these comments might consider giving it a try. The distance from ‘a bug’s land’ to Radiator Springs Racers is definitely shorter than Carthay to Radiator Springs Racers.
Because Ran6110 was so generous to whisper this tip in your ear, I wanted to let you know that it worked (thanks Ran6110)! We visited the day after Veterans’ Day and tried it and it was clear sailing. Even more amazing though was that there as no rope set up at Bugsland so we were able to keep walking through to Radiator Springs (the park opened at 10am, but it was Early Entry so we were in line around 9:40am)!!
We stayed on property and found that starting with two virtually walk on rides thru Toy Story during morning hour was a better way to start than spending it in the crowd at RSR (after we’d had a few rides on other visits). There is something very peaceful about an hour on Paradise Pier before getting in the FP distribution line for RSR. We were there at a slow time (first week of May) so our RSR FP would be for lunch time. One day we even got to get a second one after our two hour window. I was shocked!
There is something wonderful about picking up a drink at bayside brews and wandering around mid afternoon too. This is my favorite of the US parks. I think it’s the gyros and beer that tip the scale!
I think this is potentially good advice for some/many readers. It really all depends upon how much you like Toy Story Mania. For me, it’s an okay attraction, but I have never gotten the hype. However, I can see a lot of Walt Disney World fans loving the idea of 2-4 rides on Toy Story Mania all with less than 10 minute waits first thing in the morning, especially since it doesn’t have FastPass or Single Rider, and Radiator Springs Racers has both.
Like I said in the article, this post isn’t about efficiency, it’s about my preferences! 😉
We just got back from our first DLR visit, and this brought back great memories! We really loved DCA. I thought I’d mention that they’ve stopped doing the second World of Color, so there’s only one show a night now.
The afternoon buzz is how my group tours DCA! We love this park and go VERY often. I would recommend that if someone has their heart set on riding Toy Story Midway Mania to do it early like you recommend. This line is very often in excess of an hour wait and breaks down frequently.
Strong list! I’m in a similar camp where I can do Flo’s for multiple meals, though the grill is a great option if you don’t wnat to feel *too* gross (I also like the salads at boardwalk). And those Lobster Nachos are indeed a delight.
I’d probably take advantage of single rider a bit more. For one thing, it’d allow you to easily pick up Goofy’s Sky School (the one ride where I am truly terrified for my safety…and I kinda like that), and free up the Grizzly FastPass. I usually hit Toy Story first if I REALLY want to do it, and then just do a racers single rider in the morning (I honestly have never done racers stand by).
Animation Academy I lump more in with afternoon shows…but a lot of animation academy depends on the schedule they post and who I want to draw.
What do you think of the bar at the top of the Trattoria? It’s not always opened, but my friends and I love it for an evening drink. It has some nice views of Carthay, Tower, Carsland, and the Pier, and is a relaxing way to sit down, have a drink, and enjoy some the atmosphere of California Adventure.
We do Single Rider a ton at every park that has it, but it’s tough to “over-recommend” it, because most guests (for some reason) don’t like to use it.
With that said…I certainly wouldn’t use it in order to recommend Goofy’s Sky School. I think I’ve done that attraction twice, and that’s 2 more times than were necessary!
We love the bar up there (Sonoma Terrace), and now that they’re focusing more on craft beers instead of just wines, it’s even more up our alley. Good pick!
Single ride lines are great if you have older kids or no kids. However it doesn’t work so well if you have young kids which you can’t trust to either wait at the other end or get on if you have gone first.
If you get a FastPass for Radiator Springs Racers early in the day, can you save it for an evening ride? Do they let you use FastPasses after the return window at Disneyland? (I’m taking my boyfriend for his first CA trip soon, I don’t want to blow it!) Thanks 😀
It’s not a matter of ‘saving’ it–if you ride Radiator Springs Racers and then go back for a FastPass, you’re almost certain to get an end-of-day FastPass. Those times go FAST.
I heard that they allowed this, but last December I was turned away from Rock and Roller Coaster’s fast pass line because my pass was expired by 30 minutes.
Thanks for these Disneyland reports – they’re so useful. We’ll finally be there in 16 days (not that I’m counting or anything!) We’re staying at the Disneyland Hotel and can’t wait!
No problem. Have a great trip! 🙂
Thanks so much Tom & Sarah, this is super helpful as my 1st trip to California is impending (less than 2 weeks!!). I am going to print out all of the Disneyland/DCA articles for plane reading as I will have 10+ hours to kill!
Enjoy that trip to Disneyland Resort. If there are any other questions you have, let me know! 🙂
Looking forward to the DisneySea DTB. Yes, it sounds like TDS is awesome and should really be done in 3 days but… The reality is Japan is expensive and there’s a lot to see there, so 1 day at TDS may be all that many of us are able to afford.
Thanks so much for doing these 1 day blogs! I am planning a trip to Cali for next year and these are extremely helpful for a disneyland newbie! We will be there for 5 nights and 4 full days so I really plan to take my time and EAT AND DRINK throughout the parks! Especially DCA it seems to have an abundance of great restaurants – especially Carthay which looks phenomenal! As well as Flo’s which looks like it may be the best counter service restaurant anywhere!
My son and I went during the Show your Disney Side 24 hour event. If you’re going for 1 day. I really recommend the Welcome to Disneyland Tour. Best $50 we spent the whole weekend we were in California.