Welcome!
Disney Parks are not easy to navigate right now. The holiday season adds to the stress of it all because it puts more pressure on you to do more. Don’t worry. I can help.
Having a good strategy will absolutely give you your best shot at a successful day.
My strategies are built for families and do not include single rider lines or other options that are not available to all guests. I have plans for guests who want to use Genie+ and for those who don’t.
I’ve got what you need!
Let’s go.
Basic Scoop
I create and test strategies that aim to keep your wait time to 20 minutes or less for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World theme parks. It’s entirely possible to do this for almost every attraction.
I test my strategies in the park monthly and occasionally share the results.
Why is a strategy important? To give you an edge over other park guests, to avoid standing around checking the app for wait times and discussing what’s next, and to ensure you see and do all you want during your visit.
Take a look at how my visit played out so you can see how to adjust yours as the day develops.
Resources
I used this plan on this day.
All of my strategies can be found linked in this one complete index. This includes plans for both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Need help with Genie? This post explains everything.
New to planning and overwhelmed? This post will guide you through what you need to know.
Quick Notes About This Day
It was very crowded, noticeably so from 10:00am on. This was opening day for Holidays at the Disneyland Resort.
Strategy Results
6:48am – in line at the parking structure
7:09am – into the structure
7:26am – through security and on the tram
7:40am – through the gate
7:44am – buy Genie+
7:45am – grab a Genie+ for Matterhorn
7:46am – mobile order popular snacks
7:49am – line up at Tomorrowland rope drop
8:00am – park officially opens!
8:11am – ride Space Mountain
8:32am – ride Star Tours
8:50am – ride Matterhorn with Genie+
8:51am – grab a Genie+ for Haunted Mansion
9:08am – ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
9:42am – ride Pirates of the Caribbean
10:15am – ride Jungle Cruise
10:50am – ride Haunted Mansion Holiday with Genie+
10:51am – grab a Genie+ for “it’s a small world” Holiday
{Dole Whip break}
11:20am – Enchanted Tiki Room
{Churro break}
Noon – park is crowded; monorail to DTD; exited for 4 hours
While we were gone, I used the 2 hour rule, stacking rides for when we returned.
12:25pm – grab a Genie+ for Guardians
2:26pm – grab a Genie+ for Soarin’
4:30pm – grab a Genie+ for Autopia
How Our Day Ended
We returned to ride “it’s a small world” Holiday and Autopia with Genie+ and then park hopped to ride Guardians of the Galaxy – MISSION: Breakout! and Soarin’. All with Genie+, so we waited maybe 5 minutes per ride.
We watched the tree lighting at DCA, walked through the cute Santa set up at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and then hopped back to Disneyland to shop Main Street and wander the park before fireworks.
After fireworks, we rode Fantasyland rides like Snow White and Mr. Toad and then finished our night with the Mad Tea Party teacups. Each of those rides included a 5-10 minute wait.
Notes
This day was definitely focused on my strategy to start but then we literally left the park for almost 4 hours. And look all that we did!
I can’t stress enough how important it is to arrive early. Those first few hours are critical right now.
Visiting soon? Definitely take a look at this post. I have ideal days for both Disneyland and California Adventure so you don’t miss any holiday fun.
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