2 Day Trip to Disneyland - Day 1 California Adventure

Question

Hello TripAdvisor! Thanks to all the destination experts that helped us plan a fantastic trip to Disneyland/California Adventure. I hope my detailed trip report can help others with their plans! We're a family of 5. We stayed onsite at Grand California Hotel, we purchased LLMP for both days and we believe in Early Entry and Rope Drop.

Saturday March 21 - California Adventure:

Up at 5:45am to prep for the day. We were out the door at 6:20 to go down to security and we were near the front of the line. Waited til 6:45 for them to start scanning. We were 2nd in line for the gate. They opened the gates right at 7:30. They had to take our pic as we went through and that put us back a little, but then my 16 yo and I were off to Guardians of the Galaxy. We called my wife to make sure she went to the EA section near Carthay Circle (she hadn’t). All of that put us back a little bit and we didn’t get on the first elevator of the day. After the wait and the pre-show, we knew we weren’t gonna have time to do web slingers during EA too. GotG was great! Maybe even better than Tower of Terror. The music was awesome (Give up the Funk) and it seemed to drop more than Tower of Terror at WDW. Overall, it was very cool!! My favorite ride at California Adventure.

It was 7:47 when we got off the ride, so we forgot about Web Slingers and made our way to Cars Land. I expected to be ahead of all the regular park goers lined up for the 8am opening, but they somehow seemed to be in line already… We had a solid 40-45 min wait. Oh well, nothing to do but bite the bullet. We got a LL for web slingers as we waited in the line. Radiator Springs Racers was fun, but its basically just Test Track with a Cars theme and side-by-side racing at the end (which is fun).

Back to Web Slingers and the LL was fast. Web slingers was also fun, but really nothing new… Just another shoot ‘em up with a Spiderman theme. Incredicoaster was next and we got through fast again thanks to our LL. Incredicoaster is the biggest coaster at DL/CA so I was excited to ride, but it’s really pretty tame when compared to non-disney coasters. We got a LL for Midway Mania and waited standby for Pixar Pal Around (the ferris wheel). Me and my big girls waited for the swinging cars while my youngest and my wife did the standard car. They got done a bit faster than we did (we waited a solid 30+min). It was ok, but it’s just a ferris wheel. We hit Silly Symphony Swings standby, but we were on the next ride so that was fast. Then we hit Little Mermaid standby and that was fast too. It’s the exact same as WDW. The ride broke down at the end for a few minutes which was a bit frustrating. Back to Midway Mania for our LL and it was fun, but just the same as WDW.

Time for lunch at Carthay Circle Lounge. We walked back to the restaurant and checked in. After waiting a bit, we were seated and ordered our drinks. For lunch, we ordered several dishes to share. We got the pork bao buns, lettuce wraps, chicken meatballs and the rigatoni. It was all pretty dang good – especially the bao buns and lettuce wraps. Not as good as Din Tai Fung, but amazing for Disney food!! I went inside to go to the bathroom and saw the upstairs is beautifully decorated. I was very glad we were able to eat there!

After lunch, we had a LL for Soarin’ so we went there next. Piece of cake to get through the line and it is the classic Soarin over California. An oldie, but goodie. Then we went over to Monsters Inc and that just a kidde ride. We got a LL for Grizzly Run, but it was down, so we got a free LL to burn. In the meantime, we went to the Grizzly Challenge Course and the kids had fun on the playground. After 15-20 minutes, we went back to Grizzly Run and we could see that they were testing it, so we hung out, ready to pounce, and like 5 min later, they opened it. We were able to hop into the front of the line, so we still had a free LL to use! It was pretty fun, we got wet but not soaked. We decided to skip the “kiddie” rides in Cars Land and hop over to Disneyland around 3. We were like an hour ahead of schedule thanks to effective use of LLMP. Pro tip - become a master at the “LL game”

Unlike at WDW, where park hopping can take an hour, we just walked across the plaza and we were in Disneyland. The goal was to get in as many FantasyLand dark rides as possible. We rode Snow White, Pinocchio, Mr Toad and Alice in Wonderland. They’re all basically the same ride. The only 1 we didn’t do was Peter Pan (45 min wait and not LL eligible).

We had a LL for Haunted Mansion so that was next. I was excited for this because of the New Orleans theme and it didn’t disappoint! The theming is fantastic and it was cool to see the Hatbox Ghost. It’s better than WDW. Tiana's River Adventure was next, we got a LL and cruised through the line. I thought it was very fun, much better than Splash Mtn but we did get wet again.

I used our anytime LLs on Star Tours. Even with the LL, we were cutting it close for dinner. The cool thing was that we got Hoth! I always wanted to do Hoth!!! So cool to see the AT-ATs. It took a while to do the ride with the preshow, so once it was done, we had to hustle and go straight to Hearthstone Lounge for our dinner ADR.

We were a few minutes late, but they seated us at a couch table, which was super cool! The lounge fit the craftsman style of the resort perfectly and I loved sitting on the comfy couch for dinner. The food was good too! We got a pepperoni pizza, club sandwich and short rib lasagna to share. The short rib lasagna was the star of the show – so good!! The girls wanted crème brulee for desert and that was pretty good too. I had a Kavalan with dinner and that was a pretty decent whisky. They had some pretty amazing bottles, but the prices were outrageous!

Back up to the room to dry off and change and then it was back to California Adventure for some night rides! We had to bite the bullet and ride standby for Incredicoaster, so we waited 45 min for that. I will say it was more fun at night! The lights really make it and the views are amazing!! Then we walked over to Cars to do RSR again. It was another 45 min wait… The ride was cool at night but that was just because of the lighting. The ride experience was the same.

Even though my youngest was losing it, we decided to go over to DL to do some night rides there. We had a LL for Big Thunder and that’s a lot of fun at night. It was even better than WDW with the effects they had inside the mine. Finally, we went over to ride Matterhorn via LL.

Matterhorn was cool because it was totally new to me, but it’s a rough ride. Not really much to see at night on that ride either.

We were all tired, so we decided to go back to the room. Again, unlike WDW where leaving a park to go home can take an hour, we walked back to our room at GCH in less than 15 minutes. What a day!

Answer

It sounds like your first day at California Adventure and Disneyland was very well planned and executed! Starting early with rope drop and taking advantage of Early Entry (EE) and the Lightning Lane/MaxPass (LLMP) system clearly paid off, allowing your family to hit most of the major attractions efficiently.

Some key takeaways from your experience:

Arriving early for EE and rope drop is critical to experience popular rides like Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, Radiator Springs Racers, and Incredicoaster with minimal wait times.
Having a strategy for splitting up in the morning can help maximize ride efficiency, but coordination is essential to ensure no one misses important attractions.
Using LLMP strategically throughout the day allows you to prioritize must-do rides and skip long standby lines. For example, getting a LL for Web Slingers while waiting in another line was smart.
Park hopping between California Adventure and Disneyland is much quicker than at WDW, which gives flexibility to hit top rides in both parks on the same day.

Dining choices seemed well timed and enjoyable. Carthay Circle Lounge for lunch offered a comfortable break with high-quality food, and Hearthstone Lounge for dinner provided a relaxed, stylish atmosphere. Sharing dishes allowed the family to taste a variety of options without over-ordering, and the combination of casual and upscale dining worked well.

Nighttime experiences added a different dimension to the day:

Rides like Incredicoaster and Radiator Springs Racers are enhanced by nighttime lighting and ambiance.
Night rides at Disneyland, such as Big Thunder Mountain and Matterhorn, offer unique effects and experiences not seen during the day.
Walking back to the Grand Californian Hotel is very convenient, allowing for quick breaks and minimizing fatigue compared to WDW hotel commutes.

Additional observations and tips based on your day:

Even with LLMP, some standby waits (like Pixar Pal-A-Round) are unavoidable but can be a good opportunity for rest or to enjoy other park amenities.
Breaks, whether for lunch or playground time, are essential for keeping teens and younger children happy and energized.
Weather and ride closures (like Grizzly Run) can disrupt plans, so having flexibility and contingency options is important.
Using LLMP anytime passes strategically, such as for Star Tours, allows for “must-do” experiences even later in the day.

Overall, your strategy of combining EE, rope drop, LLMP, and smart dining breaks enabled a very full and satisfying first day. Attention to timing, pre-planning for rides, and flexibility with ride availability made for a smooth, enjoyable experience. The mix of thrill rides, family rides, and dining options made the day balanced and fun for all ages.

For future trips or the second day at Disneyland, continue using a similar approach: plan top-priority rides for EE/rope drop, use LLMP for high-demand attractions, and factor in meal/rest breaks to maintain energy. Nighttime rides and park hopping can be maximized since travel between parks is short and convenient.

2 Day Trip to Disneyland - Day 1 California Adventure

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