I’ve been getting this question pretty frequently, so I think it’s time to address it!
Can you do all that Disneyland has to offer in just one day?
Short answer: No. Not even close.
You can’t do everything Disneyland has to offer in an entire week!
BUT! You can get a lot done in one day at Disneyland if at the right time of year, and if you go in with a plan! And that’s what I’m here to talk about today!
Depending on the age of your kiddos, you will have a different set of priorities for your visit to Disneyland. If you have teenagers, you’ll want to focus on getting as many of the bigger thrill rides done as possible. Younger kids might like the kiddie rides and meeting the characters, or you might want to go just for the snacks and photo opps!
I’m going to break this post down by priorities, so that you can get the most out of your visit regardless of what your priorities are.
General tips you should ALWAYS FOLLOW:
1. Get to the park for rope drop
2. Do not go in the peak months (mid-June-mid August) Too many people to get anything done and it’s way too hot.
3. Get a feel for the park layout beforehand, so you don’t have to constantly be looking at a map.
4. Go with, and stick to a plan! 
Priority: Thrill Rides
If your priority is getting on all of the bigger thrill rides, this section is for you!
-Get to the park at least an hour before it opens! You will spend some time waiting in line to get in but the first few hours when the park is open is the golden time for getting on rides before the lines get too long.
-Make sure you have the Disneyland app downloaded, and as soon as you enter the park purchase the Maxpass. This allows you to get Fastpasses on your phone through the Disneyland app and saves so much time (meaning more time for rides!)
-Head directly to Space Mountain! This line only gets longer as the day goes on, so make this your first stop.
-While in line for Space Mountain, get a Fastpass for Mattterhorn. If you’re like me and hate the Matterhorn ride (too bumpy!) get a Fastpass for Indiana Jones instead!
-After you ride Space Mountain, head over to Indiana Jones. If you have some time to kill before your Fastpass time, ride Pirates of the Caribbean!
-Once you’ve used your Fastpass for Indiana Jones, check out the wait times for Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain. I recommend getting a Fastpass for Big Thunder over Splash because Splash has a single rider line that moves really quickly.
NOTE: If you have a park hopper ticket, get a Fastpass for Cars within the first 1-2 hours of the park opening. These Fastpasses sell out frequently and the line can get to a 90+ minute wait! Guardians of the Galaxy is another one you’ll want a Fastpass for, while the Incredicoaster has a single rider line so I would try my luck there!
Priority: Kid Rides
-If you are going to the park with smaller children, check out the post I wrote here about the exact order that we do all the kid friendly rides in!