How many days at Disneyland?

[donnajz]

We're planning our first ever trip to California...and of course, we need to include Disneyland.
It's just my 24/yo daughter and myself. We would want to be able to ride our favorites 2-3 times. How many days would you suggest we would need at Disneyland WITHOUT purchasing a park hopper?

 

[seth_r]

3 days is usually enough. As long as you use time management well you can get the parks done in 3 days, but if you are willing to reconsider a park hopper I would do that. The parks are so easy to park hop, and let's you split the 3rd day for favorite rides.

 

[donnajz]

3 days is usually enough. As long as you use time management well you can get the parks done in 3 days, but if you are willing to reconsider a park hopper I would do that. The parks are so easy to park hop, and let's you split the 3rd day for favorite rides.

I was actually thinking of 4 or 5 days...2 days at each park, an evening or two at Downtown Disney and then maybe adding an extra day at whichever park is our favorite. Would that be TOO much time there?

 

[MrJT]

I was there for three days last month, and it was perfect. I also recommend the park hopper. Just be prepared to walk...a lot!

 

[Canuck16]

I was actually thinking of 4 or 5 days...2 days at each park, an evening or two at Downtown Disney and then maybe adding an extra day at whichever park is our favorite. Would that be TOO much time there?

No 5 days is not too much IMO. We always get the longest ticket available that we can. On our first trip is was 7 days and now 5 and we never find that it is too long.

We always get the PH though as it is so easy to hop over to the other park if you want.

Depending on what time of year you go the fireworks may only run on weekends so if you have the 5 day ticket you can fit that in along with WOC.

Have a great trip!

 

[donnajz]

No 5 days is not too much IMO. We always get the longest ticket available that we can. On our first trip is was 7 days and now 5 and we never find that it is too long.

We always get the PH though as it is so easy to hop over to the other park if you want.

Depending on what time of year you go the fireworks may only run on weekends so if you have the 5 day ticket you can fit that in along with WOC.

Have a great trip!

We'll be arriving May 19th. I just hope the crowds aren't horrible then.
Does anyone else have input on how many days we should plan?

 

[Imdboss]

We go once a year and always get a 5 day PH. If you can fit 5 days in then I'd definitely do that but no less than 3. Also you should really consider a PH. It's so nice to hit one park early, do some rides, grab an evening FP or two then head over to the other park then back to the original in the evening. Also nice to escape from one park to the next if you find one getting too crowded, lines long for rides you want to hit, or rides temporarily down that. DL will likely be open a couple hours later than DCA so you can hop over there after they close. It's just nice having that additional option.

 

[daughtersrus]

We took our first trip about 3 weeks ago. Our flight was very early (arrived at 8 am) so we spent that day at Downtown Disney and headed back to the hotel around 3.
The next day was DL. We were able to ride everything we wanted at least once. We got there early and were shocked at how few people were there. We rode Pirates twice without getting off because there was no line.
The next day was CA. Again we rode everything that we wanted to at least once. Tower of Terror 6 times.
We go from morning to night without going back to the hotel.
We saw the night parade/fireworks/laser show at DL and the night show at CA .

We spent the rest of the week in the San Diego area relaxing and enjoying the beaches.

 

[julesann]

I think the number of days depends on what type of experience you want. I usually go for 3-4 days and take an afternoon break each day back at the hotel. 3 feels pushed and 4 feels very full and just right, but I am definitely up at rope drop every morning. I think if I could do it money and time wise, I would get the 5 day park hopper and slow it down a couple of days.

 

[Keels]

I would do a five-day park-hopper - you can find discounted tickets where the cost of a park-hopper is cheaper than what Disneyland charges for a five-day, one-park ticket.

To me, PH is basically required at Disneyland - parks are THISCLOSE to each other, and basically should be thought of as one large park with a promenade in the center. I like to start at Disneyland in the morning and accomplish as much as I can before I hop over to DCA in the afternoon, which is usually less crowded and more easy-going.

I also wouldn't bother planning in two evenings at Downtown Disney - a couple of hours one evening would be enough, and you can take the monorail back into Disneyland if you choose. If you're familiar with Disney Springs at WDW, then I fear you will be disappointed with Downtown Disney at Disneyland - it's about 1/4 the size and lacks the evening entertainment like at WDW. There's World of Disney, a smaller Lego store and a couple of other small stores, a few restaurants, ESPN and the movie theater. Personally, I'd rather spend the time in the parks - evening is SO magical. I love sitting Paradise Pier at night, or watching the sun go down and the neon lights come on in CarsLand.

 

[wildflower329]

We always do 5 days (although we have young kids, so that may make a difference). It gives us time to enjoy shows, walk around and sit if we want, do our favorite rides multiple times, and never have to stress about getting it all done. We also always do park hoppers.

 

[5forMickey]

I agree about the park hopper. We always go at least 5 days also but we like to hit it hard during early entry until around 11:00, go back to the hotel for a swim/rest and then back to the parks for night time which is a slower pace. HIGHLY agree about the hopper, so much so that I would cut one day off my trip and get the hopper if needed.

 

[Keels]

I agree about the park hopper. We always go at least 5 days also but we like to hit it hard during early entry until around 11:00, go back to the hotel for a swim/rest and then back to the parks for night time which is a slower pace. HIGHLY agree about the hopper, so much so that I would cut one day off my trip and get the hopper if needed.

This! I could never go to DLR and NOT hop ... the siren call of just one more ride on RSR is just too strong!

 

[madasax12]

We always do a Hopper and at least a 5 day and usually end up upgrading to AP while we are there

I would say with an older child (mine are 6 and 3) getting alot done will be easier; however, don't rush it. Take time to embrace Disneyland and DCA for what they are, not only the rides.
Take time to enjoy it without feeling rushed as you mentioned this is your First trip and want to hit up Disneyland.

Things to consider depending on how busy it is also...... Single Rider lines, getting your 1st Visit Pins from the Disneyland City Hall, making sure to have a sit down dinner somewhere on main St...ect

I would never go without a Hopper pass but that is just me....we usually hit one park in the AM, then take a break mid-day and cool off, then hit the other park in the PM.
The nice thing about the Hopper Pass is you have the ability to....well HOP....if one park is just getting 'too crowded' you can simply walk out and go to the other one.

Also DCA is a blast; however, I don't think I could be "stuck" in DCA all day.....

 

[Dr. G]

We do 5 days with Park Hoppers whenever we can. Sometimes we can only fit in 4 days with our schedule. 5 days gives you time to enjoy the shows and entertainment in addition to doing lots with the rides. And you have time to just enjoy the environment/surroundings (which Disney does better than anyone, maybe with the exception of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter). When my wife's health was really bad, we did 4 days at Disneyland, went on 4 or 5 rides total the entire time, and still enjoyed ourselves.

 

[GatorChris]

I was actually thinking of 4 or 5 days...2 days at each park, an evening or two at Downtown Disney and then maybe adding an extra day at whichever park is our favorite. Would that be TOO much time there?

Too much time in a Disney park? Is that even possible?

If you're coming from WDW trips, I can see why Park Hopping is not on your list. With the time it takes to walk to the buses, wait for the buses, travel to the different park, then go back through security and the entrance, it's a waste of time. You don't get that waste of time at DL. However, it's not necessary to get a PH to enjoy your trip. Especially with 4 or 5 days. Usually when we go on our 5+day trip, the first 4 days will be spent in one park per day. Only after that will we start going back and forth.

After 4 days, be sure to take some time to visit the coast. The oceans are pretty cold on this side of the States so be prepared.

 

[Nevada Jen]

I guess it depends what rides are important to you. If the fantasyland rides are on your list, expect those to take an entire jam packed morning. You will not be able to fit in the other rides at DL in a day and half multiple times because you will be wasting time waiting without fastpasses. You can enjoy DCA in a full day but again, you won't be able to ride both RSR and Soarin multiple times plus all the other rides I don't think (that one might be doable if you are staying onsite though because of early entry). If you had 3 day park hoppers, I think you might be able to pull off your plan because you could hop over and RSR and Soarin fastpasses on your DL days at the same time you were waiting for FP on one of the DL rides and then grab a FP for a DL ride before you went over to DCA to do your fastpass ride there. I agree with everyone else, we have been to WDW 5 or so times and have never park hopped. We have been to DLR maybe a dozen times and at DLR we park hop every single day. To give you an idea, park hopping is the equivalent of going from Future World to World Showcase at EPCOT. 3 days with a park hopper or 4 days without is the absolute minimum I would say and you will have to have a solid fastpass plan to make that work.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

DD and I did 3.5 days on our first DL trip this summer. We could have done more, but there were so many other things we wanted to do - San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Universal Hollywood, WB Studio Tour, the show that prompted the trip, etc. We did have park hoppers, and if we didn't, I think I would have preferred an even number of days so that we could visit each park twice.

 

[rentayenta]

I agree with the PP who stated that the number of days needed varies based on the type of touring you do. Do you take midday breaks? Is rope drop an option? Where are you staying; is the hotel part of the experience or just somewhere to sleep and shower? For a first-timer I would say 4-5 days. We park hop now because we have annual passes but we have had many trip where we did one park per day. With all of the entertainment options and a chance that fireworks may be cancelled, I would plan 2 days at each park whether you hop or not. If you drink alcohol, an evening at Trader Sam's at the Disneyland Hotel is a must!

 

[kathy040690]

I always buy 4 day base tickets and spend 2 days at each park!!