How to Spend 3 Days at Disneyland & California Adventure

We recently returned from a family vacation to California and I am so excited to share a bit about our trip! We split our time between Disneyland and LA and man was it action-packed. Our first stop was Disneyland, where we ended up spending 3 days. It turned out to be the perfect amount of time for our family. I’m going to breakdown some of the highlights from our trip and a few things I learned along the way. Here we go!

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3 Days at Disneyland & California Adventure

What is the perfect amount of time to spend at Disneyland? 3 days, 4 days, a week? For us it initially started with which Park Hopper Ticket we wanted to buy. Keeping budget in mind, we decided on a 3-day pass knowing that we could fill our other vacation days with different activities. We wanted to see some other area attractions, so 3 days seemed reasonable.

We knew we wanted to spend the first day at Disneyland, the second day at California Adventure and leave the third day open to go back and revisit one or both of the theme parks. I did a lot of research on how to strategize each day but I started to feel like I was over planning. I decided that we’d go in with a loose strategy, as well as be open to things shifting around throughout the day. One thing that I knew I wanted to take advantage of was the relatively new Disney MaxPass feature via the Disneyland app.

Disney MaxPass

Most people are familiar with Disney FastPasses which are paper tickets you can get for reserved times for featured rides in the park. Getting these FastPasses can save you a lot of time waiting in line for rides. You will structure other rides you go on based upon the return time of your FastPass. With Disney MaxPass, you are able to reserve FastPasses through the Disneyland app on your phone instead of running around the park looking for the traditional FastPass ticket kiosks. Super convenient! I mean you’ll already be walking like 10+ miles a day, why add to the exhaustion?

The catch? Disney MaxPass is $10 per person that wants to use it. So a family of 4 would be an extra $40 a day. Some might wonder if that extra cost is worth it. That being said, you also receive access to Disney PhotoPass where you have unlimited downloads of photos taken of your family from select dining locations, attractions, Character Greetings and Disney PhotoPass Photographers. This seemed like a bonus feature that made me feel a bit better about spending the extra $40 a day.

In my opinion, Disney MaxPass is totally worth it. It was very easy to reserve FastPasses for rides as well as cancel FastPasses if we changed our minds. With the traditional FastPass you can’t cancel, you’d just have to wait until your allowed to make a new FastPass selection after the current one expires. The convenience of being able to reserve the next FastPass shortly after scanning the current one was also key.

Tip: Download the Disneyland app before your trip and link your credit card to your account. This will save some time once you are able to scan your tickets into the app and purchase MaxPass at the park.

Day 1 – Disneyland

We arrived about an hour before the park opened. We made sure to have an early breakfast at the hotel so that we could hit the ground running when we got to the park. There are two lines you need to go through: security and the turnstiles. I highly recommend getting there as early as you can. When the park first opens, its so mellow compared to later in the day, so you want to take advantage. Getting through the security/bag check line took the longest but we still made it thorough in about 15 minutes. We then headed over to the main gate, which opens about 30 minutes before the official park opens, allowing people to wander through Main Street.

After exchanging my ticket vouchers for actually tickets at the turnstile, I immediately scanned them into the Disneyland app so that I could purchase MaxPass for everyone. It was super easy to do, just make sure you have already downloaded the app and linked your credit card.

Our first stop was to get paper FastPass Tickets for the evening show Fantasmic! These tickets you can not get through MaxPass so you have to head over to the kiosks in Frontier Land near the river. The tickets are handed out first come first serve and only help to get you a closer view of the show. Even then, it depends on when you arrive before the start of the show to determine your view. More on that later.

We then proceeded to start reserving FastPasses through the app as well as hopping on other rides based on our location at the time. We bounced around the park until our stomaches started to grumble for some lunch and decided to opt for one of the quick-service restaurants.

Lunch at Disneyland

The quick-service restaurants do not require reservations and have more of a cafeteria style feel. We chose to eat at the Red Rose Taverne. I have to say that it was just okay. I had a chopped salad which I scarfed down, but it had me wishing that I had made some reservations at some sit-down restaurants for a higher-quality meal. (which I promptly did through the Disneyland app soon after)

After lunch we were back to rides and other attractions. We also made it over to Toon Town to meet up with Mickey. This is one of those spot where you’ll find a PhotoPass Photographer. We got some really cute shots!

Find the girls adorable Minnie Ears here!

Dinner at Disneyland

For dinner we ate at another quick service restaurant called Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante. We enjoyed this Mexican themed spot a lot more than our lunch at Red Rose Taverne. The Grilled Shrimp Tacos were really tasty! (sorry no photo!)

After dinner we continued to wander around the park until the sun started to go down and it was time to head over to Frontier Land to view the night show Fantasmic! This is where you get to use your paper FastPass tickets from the morning. They rope-off front viewing areas which are only accessible if you have a FastPass. BUT, everyone who has a FastPass is let into the same area, so first come, first serve within that pool of people.

We didn’t get there quiet early enough to get a front row spot, so I hoisted my 9 year old up on my back so she could see. That was a nice little extra workout after 10 hours of walking the park, ha! Anyways, the show was great! It was worth getting the FastPass tickets to get a little closer however I would recommend getting to the show about an hour before it starts for a better chance of having an unobstructed view.

After the show we were ready for one last treat so we stopped at Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor Seriously a perfect way to end the day at Disneyland.

Tip: Make some dining reservations via the Disneyland app

Day 2 – California Adventure

We started our second day much like our first. We arrived at the park before opening to get through both sets of lines. And just like Disneyland, California Adventure also has a night show that you can get a paper FastPass ticket for called World of Color. You can find the FastPass kiosks for this show near The Little Mermaid ride. After securing our FastPass tickets we were off to Cars Land!

Tip: Churros are everywhere at Disneyland. Eh, just ok, especially for the price!

We reserved our first FastPass for Radiator Springs Racers, which is a super popular ride in Cars Land. I’d recommend reserving a FastPass for this one early on because if you wait, they may run out of FastPasses and you’ll be stuck waiting in the standby line. Another popular ride is the new Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout. I would reserve this one after Radiator Springs, assuming you like those sort of free-fall, thrill rides. We made our way around the park and soon it was time for lunch.

Lunch at California Adventure

I had made a dine-in reservation the day before for an Italian restaurant in California Adventure called Wine Country Trattoria. I highly recommend making a reservation at this restaurant as it ended up being one of my favorite meals of the trip. The Spaghetti Aglio Olio is what I ordered and it was delish!

After lunch we continued to enjoy California Adventure. We loved the styling of Cars Land with all the fun retro features as well as the boardwalk area with some classic carnival rides. Since we happened to be there during the Chinese Lunar New Year, we were also able to enjoy a special Mulan themed performance.

Lunch kept us full much of the day. We had a few snacks but nothing formal for dinner. As the sun started to go down we headed back to Cars Land to appreciate the neon lights. (Can you tell we loved Cars Land?) It’s a great place to hang out after dark. We got some milk shakes at Flo’s V8 Cafe and relaxed until it was time to try and get a good spot for the night show World of Color.

Due to our less than stellar show experience at the Disneyland the night before, we decided to head over to the ticketed waiting area a bit earlier. It totally paid off as we were able to get viewing spots right on the bridge, with unobstructed views of the whole show!

Tip: Head over to the evening shows at least an hour before the start time to get a good spot.

Day 3 – Disneyland

We decided to head back to Disneyland on our 3rd day so we could check any other attractions off our list that we hadn’t gotten to on Day 1. Fantasy Land was one of those areas that we still needed to check out because it was so crowded by the time we got over there on Day 1. It has a number of rides that are standby lines only, meaning no FastPass option, so the lines can get long.

We redid a few of the classic as well, including Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion and checked out The Jungle Cruise for the first time.

Tip: Disneyland Mickey Mouse Beignets – A MUST!

Lunch at Disneyland

In a blink of an eye it was time for lunch and we headed over to the Southern themed restaurant River Belle Terrace. Another great option! I got the Fried Chicken Sandwich which was really delicious. My husband ordered the Ribs which he loved.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at Disneyland. We could have gone over to California Adventure but all of us seemed to favor Disneyland. Our third day was on a Friday and we saw it get noticeably more crowded as the day went on. Granted it was also the start of a holiday weekend, so people may have taken Friday off as well. Next time, I would plan for a 3-day hopper ticket to start on a Tuesday and end on a Thursday to avoid the crowds as much as possbile. I would definitely recommend February as a great time to go regardless!

Tip: Try to schedule your park days on weekdays to avoid crowds.

Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney is an area between the two parks that anyone can access, even if they don’t have a theme park ticket. There are many shops and restaurants and even a movie theatre. We did our souvenir shopping on the last day in Downtown Disney and also grabbed dinner before our drive up to LA for the next part of our trip.

Dinner at Downtown Disney

We ate at an Italian restaurant called Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria. The pizza here was great! I ordered the 10″ Individual Margherita Pizza and it really hit the spot! We didn’t make a reservation and ended up waiting about 30 minutes for a table. They use your phone number to text you when your tables ready so we just did our souvenir shopping while we waited. It worked out perfectly.

We had a really fantastic time at Disneyland and California Adventure. 3 days was the perfect amount of time for our family. We went full-tilt, no breaks in the theme parks for three days and saw pretty much everything we wanted to see. And, we were looking forward to the rest of our trip verses wishing we had more time at the parks. There is a lot to try and plan for when taking your family on a trip to Disneyland. I am by no means an expert but I hope that my experience can help others navigate this magical landscape. Aloha!

Trying to figure out where to stay near Disneyland?

Where to Stay Near Disneyland: Hotel Indigo Anaheim

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