Tymeece
Memphis Mouse
- Joined
- May 29, 2022
- Messages
- 210
One Day at Disneyland & DCA with My Daughter: Can You Really Do It All?
We only had one day to experience Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, and as total Disneyland newbies (but seasoned Walt Disney World pros), we weren’t quite sure what to expect. Spoiler alert: we packed a lot of magic into one very full, very fun day.
January 3rd, 2026
The day started out overcast and eventually brought some light rain in the late afternoon and evening—but honestly, it just added to the cozy Disney vibes.
To make the most of our one precious day, we splurged on Premier Pass. Totally worth it for us. I wanted the day to feel seamless, stress-free, and flexible without constantly bouncing back and forth between parks.
Pirates wasn’t open yet, so we used our Premier Pass for Big Thunder Mountain—and wow, Disneyland’s version is fantastic. Hope the refurbisment at Magic Kingdom brings some of DL's magic. After BTM, Pirates opened, it was basically a walk-on, and I can confidently say: Disneyland’s Pirates is better than WDW’s. After that, we treated ourselves to beignets and mint juleps in New Orleans Square, followed by Haunted Mansion Holiday. The Nightmare Before Christmas overlay is incredible and ended up being one of the best rides of the entire day for me.
Lunch at Blue Bayou was phenomenal, and we lucked out with a table right along the rail. Such a cool experience. By the time we finished eating, it was only 11:40 AM, and we’d already done so much.
Next up: Radiator Springs Racers (so good!) and then Incredicoaster, which completely surprised me—in the best way. Such a fun coaster.
With the outdoor rides done, we spent time exploring Avengers Campus:
Guardians of the Galaxy, WEB SLINGERS, Character photos, Souvenirs, snack from Pym Test Kitchen, etc...
As the rain picked up, we ducked into Monsters, Inc., then made our way to Animation Academy—which my daughter loved. I realized she’d never done this at Rafiki’s Planet Watch in Animal Kingdom, and she was instantly hooked.
We spent the rainy stretch playing Pixar Pier games, wandering around, and soaking it all in before dinner at Lamplight Lounge.
After dinner, we headed back to Disneyland for Space Mountain, Matterhorn, and then watched “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” in Batuu. As a huge Star Wars fan, this was such a special moment—and seriously… why is this not on the East Coast?!
We then hopped back to DCA for World of Color: Happiness!—an amazing show. My daughter still wanted to draw at Animation Academy, so we caught the very last session before heading back to Disneyland, which was open until midnight.
It was 10:30 PM, we were exhausted. We never made it to Toontown. As we were docking Nemo, I jokingly asked, “Do you want to take on the final boss and go to the only land we haven’t been to all day?” One look at her face told me everything I needed to know.
We opted for some shopping, soaked up the atmosphere one last time, one last look at the castle, and headed out around 11:00 PM. We walked back to our hotel, Home2 Suites. 33,213 steps for the day!
Disneyland truly is something special. Standing where Walt Disney walked, stood, and dreamed felt meaningful in a way I didn’t fully expect. I can’t wait to go back.
We only had one day to experience Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, and as total Disneyland newbies (but seasoned Walt Disney World pros), we weren’t quite sure what to expect. Spoiler alert: we packed a lot of magic into one very full, very fun day.
January 3rd, 2026
The day started out overcast and eventually brought some light rain in the late afternoon and evening—but honestly, it just added to the cozy Disney vibes.
To make the most of our one precious day, we splurged on Premier Pass. Totally worth it for us. I wanted the day to feel seamless, stress-free, and flexible without constantly bouncing back and forth between parks.
Rope Drop & Nostalgia Hits
We rope dropped at 8:00 AM (no early entry) and headed straight to Fantasyland. We knocked out several classics without Lightning Lanes—Snow White, Pinocchio, and Mr. Toad. These were especially nostalgic for me, and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was pure childhood joy.Pirates wasn’t open yet, so we used our Premier Pass for Big Thunder Mountain—and wow, Disneyland’s version is fantastic. Hope the refurbisment at Magic Kingdom brings some of DL's magic. After BTM, Pirates opened, it was basically a walk-on, and I can confidently say: Disneyland’s Pirates is better than WDW’s. After that, we treated ourselves to beignets and mint juleps in New Orleans Square, followed by Haunted Mansion Holiday. The Nightmare Before Christmas overlay is incredible and ended up being one of the best rides of the entire day for me.
Galaxy’s Edge & Blue Bayou Bliss
We had early lunch reservations at Blue Bayou at 11:00 AM, so with a some time to spare, we used our Premier Pass for Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Even though we’ve ridden them plenty at WDW, they were walk-ons for us—and when you have the pass, why not?Lunch at Blue Bayou was phenomenal, and we lucked out with a table right along the rail. Such a cool experience. By the time we finished eating, it was only 11:40 AM, and we’d already done so much.
Beating the Rain at DCA
Knowing rain was coming, we decided to hop over to DCA to hit rides that would be impacted by weather. Before leaving Disneyland, we walked through Sleeping Beauty Castle, then on our way through DCA, we caught the Spider-Man show at Avengers Campus. My daughter is a huge Marvel fan, so this was a major highlight for her.Next up: Radiator Springs Racers (so good!) and then Incredicoaster, which completely surprised me—in the best way. Such a fun coaster.
With the outdoor rides done, we spent time exploring Avengers Campus:
Guardians of the Galaxy, WEB SLINGERS, Character photos, Souvenirs, snack from Pym Test Kitchen, etc...
As the rain picked up, we ducked into Monsters, Inc., then made our way to Animation Academy—which my daughter loved. I realized she’d never done this at Rafiki’s Planet Watch in Animal Kingdom, and she was instantly hooked.
We spent the rainy stretch playing Pixar Pier games, wandering around, and soaking it all in before dinner at Lamplight Lounge.
Nighttime Magic
Nighttime at DCA is absolutely magical. Cars Land lit up at night is unreal, and I truly hope Magic Kingdom does that IP justice.After dinner, we headed back to Disneyland for Space Mountain, Matterhorn, and then watched “Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga” in Batuu. As a huge Star Wars fan, this was such a special moment—and seriously… why is this not on the East Coast?!
We then hopped back to DCA for World of Color: Happiness!—an amazing show. My daughter still wanted to draw at Animation Academy, so we caught the very last session before heading back to Disneyland, which was open until midnight.
The Final Push
We ended the night with Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, which was a must-do for me since I loved 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at WDW. Sitting in the submarine and taking it all in made us realize the day we had.It was 10:30 PM, we were exhausted. We never made it to Toontown. As we were docking Nemo, I jokingly asked, “Do you want to take on the final boss and go to the only land we haven’t been to all day?” One look at her face told me everything I needed to know.
We opted for some shopping, soaked up the atmosphere one last time, one last look at the castle, and headed out around 11:00 PM. We walked back to our hotel, Home2 Suites. 33,213 steps for the day!
Final Thoughts
We hustled. We stopped for churros. We tried to do everything we could in one very long, very magical day—and we had an absolute blast.Disneyland truly is something special. Standing where Walt Disney walked, stood, and dreamed felt meaningful in a way I didn’t fully expect. I can’t wait to go back.
