One Day Trip

[LKing]

My 14 year old loves DCA and isn’t into the entertainment so If it was me (we are going in June too!)!we’d do hopers and rope drop Disneyland and head over to DCA for the afternoon until it closes and then back to Disneyland unit they close at midnight. It’s so easy to walk between it’s worth it for us. We love Guardians, although the ride is similar to ToT the theming is so fun we also love incredicoaster and cars land and I love the ambiance in the evening at DCA when Disneyland is so packed. Again, this works for us because we are more ride focused than into entertainment. Have fun!

Pay attention to entertainment timing. Paint the Night will be at the entrance to Disneyland from 9:05 - 9:25 pm. Fireworks run from 9:35 - 9:50 pm. I wouldn't enter Disneyland while PTN was in the Town Square area because you will only be able to cross the street by Mad Hatter in between floats. The line to cross near Mad Hatter often backs up to the tunnel. You might want to walk in while people are distracted with fireworks and use one of the corridors behind the stores. After the shows, there will be a large number of people exiting Disneyland so those entering will be swimming up stream. If the corridors behind the stores are open, that will be easiest for you. The 2nd PTN begins at 10:45 pm at Town Square. It will block entering DL from 10:45 - 11:15 pm or so. If you are closing out DCA on Pixar Pier, you'll need to hustle to get into DL before the 2nd PTN begins. It is doable. Just have a plan.

Edit to add: If you decide to jump back to Disneyland before 9 pm, pay attention to the parade route because the parade starts at Small World at 8:45 pm. You can hang out in Tomorrowland until the parade passes. Keep in mind that Fantasyland closes for fireworks. In Adventureland, Jungle Cruise and Indy will be open but access to POTC and HM in NOS will be tough because of Fantasmic. SWGE will have Fire of the Rising Moon at 9:35 and Shadows of Memory at 10:15 pm. Both will limit access to MF. Rise will be closed by then.

 

[LKing]

Always check the app for exact timing.

Below is the Disneyland evening entertainment schedule with approximate run times of the shows, along with some notes.

8:45 pm Paint The Night - Small World (8:45-9:05 pm) -> Town Square (9:05 -> 9:25 pm)
9:05 - 9:32 pm Fantasmic! (NOS/ROA) - After the show, guests entering will need to enter via Frontierland. Guests will be exiting via Adventureland.
9:35 - 9:50 pm Wondrous Journeys Fireworks - impacts Main Street, Small World area and Rivers of America
9:35 - 9:50 pm Fire of the Rising Moon (SWGE)
9:50 - 9:55 pm Tapestry of Happiness (Small World)
10:15 - 10:25 pm Shadows of Memory (SWGE)
10:20 - 10:25 pm Tapestry of Happiness (Small World)
10:30 - 10:57 pm Fantasmic! (NOS/ROA) - After the show, guests entering will need to enter via Frontierland. Guests will be exiting via Adventureland.
10:45 pm Paint the Night - Town Square (10:45 - 11:05 pm) -> Small World (11:05 - 11:25 pm)
11:30 - 11:35 pm Tapestry of Happiness (Small World)
11:45 - 11:50 pm Tapestry of Happiness (Small World)

 

[Sarahelizabeth]

Pay attention to entertainment timing. Paint the Night will be at the entrance to Disneyland from 9:05 - 9:25 pm. Fireworks run from 9:35 - 9:50 pm. I wouldn't enter Disneyland while PTN was in the Town Square area because you will only be able to cross the street by Mad Hatter in between floats. The line to cross near Mad Hatter often backs up to the tunnel. You might want to walk in while people are distracted with fireworks and use one of the corridors behind the stores. After the shows, there will be a large number of people exiting Disneyland so those entering will be swimming up stream. If the corridors behind the stores are open, that will be easiest for you. The 2nd PTN begins at 10:45 pm at Town Square. It will block entering DL from 10:45 - 11:15 pm or so. If you are closing out DCA on Pixar Pier, you'll need to hustle to get into DL before the 2nd PTN begins. It is doable. Just have a plan.

Edit to add: If you decide to jump back to Disneyland before 9 pm, pay attention to the parade route because the parade starts at Small World at 8:45 pm. You can hang out in Tomorrowland until the parade passes. Keep in mind that Fantasyland closes for fireworks. In Adventureland, Jungle Cruise and Indy will be open but access to POTC and HM in NOS will be tough because of Fantasmic. SWGE will have Fire of the Rising Moon at 9:35 and Shadows of Memory at 10:15 pm. Both will limit access to MF. Rise will be closed by then.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[hardcorestitch]

I'm sure this has been asked a million times and I did search but didn't see any recent info. Anyway, I will be going to DL for one day only next month at the end of a longer CA trip. We will arrived on a Friday afternoon so plan to go to Downtown Disney (is it still called that? lol), and then to the park(s) on Saturday with a flight home on Sunday. It will be myself and a 13 year old. We're very family with WDW but this is a first for DL, so I'm asking the age old question, should we just do DL park or spring for the hopper and do both? To be honest, other than the Incredicoaster, there isn't a whole lot that I feel is a "must do" for us in CA, Guardians is basically ToT right? I do plan on splurging for LL (not the premier) so that should help, but I know a Saturday in June, during the 70th Anniversary year is going to be packed! Open to any tips or suggestions for our one day adventure! Thanks!

I would definitely recommend a park hopper in this case so that you can head to both parks in the same day. Lightning Lane is obviously a given so you can get on more attractions quickly.

I would also recommend keeping your in park eating to some light snacks (your churros, Mickey pretzels, etc) if you’re planning to enjoy a meal in Downtown Disney.