1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane

Disneyland itinerary with lightning lane cover

Disneyland is one of the most unique places in the world. Many of its detractors dismiss it as just another theme park, but those who are open to the Disneyland experience will get to see real magic unfold at the park. I know it’s cheesy to say, but it’s true. There’s real magic at Disneyland. Although, this magic comes with a price. In this case, quite literally. If you’re planning on going to Disneyland for one day and want to maximize your time at the park so you successfully do all of it in one day, then this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane is for you!

Since 2013, I’ve had the privilege of spending 85 days at Disneyland. I’ve studied how the park operates, and those observations have led me to creating many posts to help others have the best time at the original Disney Park. During those 85 visits, I’ve probably used Lightning Lane around 10 times, mostly when friends or family were visiting the park and I toured them around. In this post, I’m going to lay out a possible itinerary for you to use if you’re visiting Disneyland and purchasing Lightning Lane for your visit.

Click the links to buy tickets to:

Disneyland

Walt Disney World

Tokyo Disney

Disneyland Paris

Hong Kong Disneyland

Shanghai Disneyland

Like me on Facebook at The Disney Specialist, and follow me on Instagram / Twitter / Tiktok!

This post contains affiliate links. We receive a small commission for purchases made after clicking on these links at no extra cost to you.

Check out these helpful posts to plan your Disneyland trip!

Introduction to the Park and Itinerary

Located in Anaheim, California, Disneyland is the original Disney Park. For over 70 years, people have walked through its gates and immersed themselves in the multitude of stories you can experience in the park. Fun fact: of all the Disney Parks, Disneyland has the most amount of rides in a single park. Fantasyland alone has more rides than Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. All of this begs the question of if it’s possible to do everything in Disneyland in one day? I’m here to tell you that it is possible, and hopefully this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane can help with that.

Present-day Disney Parks are completely different from the Disney Parks of even the mid-2010s. Gone are the days when you could just show up at any Disney Park around the world without any research and still have a good time. Nowadays, your Disney Parks experience must come with some planning.

Now, that being said, even with the most meticulous planning, it’s not guaranteed that your visit will go off without a hitch. More often than not, some rides may break down, shows may be cancelled or modified, and crowd patterns could be unpredictable. I would say that, while it’s good to have a solid plan, be ready to deviate and change the plan if necessary to accommodate any unforeseen events that are bound to happen.

This itinerary will be a good baseline for you to create your own Disneyland plan. Always have secondary attractions in your back pocket in case an attraction goes down. As long as you plan well and keep adjusting on the fly, I can almost fully guarantee that you’ll have an amazing day and will be able to do most things on your list.

That being said, even if you aren’t able to get to some attractions and shows on this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane, you can be sure that you’re still going to leave the park with a smile on your face. They don’t call it the Happiest Place on Earth for nothing, after all, and Disneyland is oozing with so much magic that even if you don’t do anything, you’ll feel like you got your money’s worth.

Lightning Lanes (and How it Can Enhance Your Visit)

I want to start this by saying that, if purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Single Passes isn’t in your budget, then you absolutely don’t need to purchase them. They aren’t a necessity to having a fun day at the park, and there’s a bunch of different ways you can actually skip the line and be more efficient without purchasing them (you can read about those ways in my Disneyland 1-Day Itinerary without Lightning Lane). If they’re too expensive or out of your budget, then by all means don’t feel pressured into buying them.

If you do decide to purchase them, then you have to know how to use them efficiently. I have a separate post that details everything you need to know about using Lightning Lanes at Disneyland. This is especially helpful for those of you who are more used to the way Disney World uses Lightning Lane, which is very different from how Disneyland uses it.

There are three kinds of Lightning Lanes: Multi-Pass, Single Pass, and Premier Pass. We will not be discussing Premier Pass in this post, as most guests will usually only use Multi-Pass and Single Pass. This itinerary will recommend you use both Mutli-Pass and Single Pass, although the use of Single Pass will depend on the time of day you want to ride Rise of the Resistance.

If you’re on the fence about Lightning Lane, I would say to purchase it if you can afford it. It really does streamline things and helps you do more than you normally would without Lightning Lane. However, even if you purchase Lightning Lane, you may still need to do other things to make your day more efficient, like Rope Dropping, Park Closing, or using Single Rider lines. I’ll discuss these when we get to the itinerary itself.

Non-Ride Things to Note

Shows and Streetmosphere

This itinerary includes permanent shows such as Walt Disney – a Magical Life, the Enchanted Tiki Room, and the fireworks and parade, but does not include other “streetmosphere” shows like the Dapper Dans or the Disneyland band. If you’d like to see these offerings, then pause the itinerary temporarily, see these shows, then continue on with your day.

Characters

Just like the streetmosphere, this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane does not include time to meet characters. Character experiences can take a long time, especially for popular characters, so unless someone in your party really wants to meet a specific character, I would skip them. If, however, you’d like to meet characters, then I would recommend pausing the itinerary and continuing when you’re done.

Dining

While I will recommend two quick service places to dine at as part of this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane, they can be switched out for other quick service locations within the park. I don’t recommend dining at a table service restaurant, as they take more time than quick service restaurants. To save time, remember to use mobile order for ordering your quick service meals.

Also, feel free to eat any and all snacks anytime during this itinerary. I’m a big proponent of eating churros, popcorn, or ice cream while at the park.

Height Requirements and Ride Info

I won’t dive into ride-specific info such as height requirements as I’ve already written posts that cover these topics. Read my Disneyland Ride Ranking and Disneyland Ride and Attraction Guide for current info on every ride and attraction in the park.

Pick and Choose The Rides and Attractions You Want to Experience

While this itinerary features my personal recommendations of rides and attractions I think are worth your time, you don’t have to stick to my advice completely. If there’s a ride I’ve listed here that you’re uninterested in, or if there’s a ride I didn’t include that you definitely want to ride, then you can modify my plan to suit your needs. There’s no right or wrong way to do Disneyland, so stick with what interests you!

1-Day Disneyland Itinerary

Arrive 45 Minutes Before Disneyland Opens

This 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane starts before you step foot inside the park. If you’re driving to the park, arrive at the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure or the Toy Story parking lot 75-90 minutes before Disneyland opens. This makes sure you have time to park, get through security, and take the appropriate transportation to the Esplanade. The goal is to be at the gates by 7:15am, although on busier days you may want to be there even earlier.

If you’re staying at any of the hotels and motels located on the streets surrounding Disneyland, be at the security entrance by Harbor Boulevard an hour before the park opens. Having a successful Rope Drop is crucial if you want to do everything on this itinerary, so being early is essential. Be at the gates of Disneyland by 7:15am at the latest, and you may want to even be earlier if you’re visiting during peak season.

Once in the park, head straight for the hub. You’ll want to be as close to the castle as possible. They’ll let people in around 30 minutes before the official park opening and its crucial that you’re at the front of the crowd for this.

Making Your First Lightning Lane Selection

Once you’ve scanned into the park, open up the Disneyland app and book your first lightning lane. Make sure everyone in your party is scanned in before you do so. Then simply buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass and make your first selection.

For your first selection, this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane recommends booking a return time for the Indiana Jones Adventure. Indiana Jones Adventure tends to run out of return times fastest, so getting it first thing in the morning is crucial. The earlier you enter the park, the sooner you can start making reservations, which means you can use the Lightning Lane earlier and by extension get a second one before everyone else.

Once you’ve made your selection, make your way as fast as you can to the front of the rope drop crowd and position yourself in the hub near the castle. You’re going to want to make a selection as you’re walking to maximize your time. Just don’t trip over the trolley tracks.

Fly Over Neverland on Peter Pan’s Flight

Once the rope drops, head as quickly as you can through the castle and make your way to Peter Pan’s Flight. Peter Pan tends to get a long line and its queue stays consistently long throughout the day, so I would recommend heading there either first thing in the morning or last thing at night.

Peter Pan’s Flight is a dark ride that has you flying over the streets and cityscapes of London and Neverland. It continues to be the most unique Fantasyland dark ride because of how you’re suspended in the air as you go through the ride’s scenes. It’s a unique ride that you should definitely take the time to experience. It’s not my favorite dark ride because it’s the shortest among all the Fantasyland dark rides, but it’s still fun and worth going on at least once during your trip.

Once you’re done, we’re going to do a little tour of all the different dark rides in Fantasyland, starting with our next attraction: Alice in Wonderland.

Enter Wonderland on Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland is my personal favorite dark ride in Fantasyland, and if everything goes according to plan, you should only be waiting around 5-10 minutes for it. It’s the ride everyone goes to second after Peter Pan if you decide to rope drop Fantasyland, so I’d recommend you do the same.

This ride basically retells the story of Alice in Wonderland, from encountering the white rabbit to visiting the Tulgey Wood, The Golden Afternoon Garden, and ending at the Queen of Hearts’ kingdom before the ride takes a surprising turn and goes outdoors. It’s the only dark ride that goes outdoors and I love being able to see this side of Fantasyland from above.

Once you’re done, we’re going to head back to the main area of Fantasyland and go on the remaining three dark rides in Fantasyland.

Experience Snow White, Mr. Toad, and Pinocchio

Now we’re going to go on the remaining three dark rides in Fantasyland. I would recommend doing them in the order above with Snow White’s Enchanted Wish first, then Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride next, and ending with Pinocchio’s Daring Journey.

Each of these rides is a book report dark ride where you kind of follow the characters’ journeys as you see them in their respective movies. This is especially true of Pinocchio and Snow White. Mr. Toad is similar, but has the unique end scene of ending up in Hell. Yes, you read that right, there’s a ride at Disneyland where you end up in Hell at the end. And that makes it one of my favorite rides in the park.

Snow White is also one of my favorite rides in the park, especially because of the ending which is just so, pardon the usage of the word, enchanting. It just oozes Disney magic in the best way. Pinocchio is my least favorite dark ride of the bunch, but it’s still a very immersive experience and really drops you into the story of Pinocchio.

It should be time to use your first Lightning Lane, so head out of Fantasyland and into Adventureland to use your Lightning Lane.

Ride Indiana Jones Adventure Using a Lightning Lane (And Book Your Second One for Space Mountain)

We’re using our first Lightning Lane on the Indiana Jones Adventure. Remember that as soon as you scan into the ride, you can book another Lightning Lane (and this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane recommends getting one for Space Mountain). If the wait time is a little farther away than you’d like, I would do the refresh method to try and get a closer return time. I explain what the refresh method is in my post about Disneyland Lightning Lane, which you can find here.

Indiana Jones is technically a dark ride, but it’s probably the roughest dark ride in the world. It’s essentially a thrill ride that takes you through a temple as you come face to face with different obstacles after accidentally looking into the eyes of a cursed idol. It’s a lot of fun, and is in my top 5 rides of the entire resort. Definitely make sure you ride it when you’re in the park.

Cruise Down the Rivers of the World on the Jungle Cruise

Once you’re done with Indiana Jones, we’re going to the only other ride in Adventureland: the Jungle Cruise! This one is a personal favorite of mine, and if you time it right you shouldn’t wait longer than 20 minutes for it. There is no Lightning Lane option for this ride so you may want to get on it as soon as possible if you want to see it in the daylight.

The whole ride is basically a boat ride that features various comedic scenes involving animals located along the riverbank. The comedy of the ride hinges on your skipper, however, who will be your guide through this adventure. Their comedic quips and jokes are the heart and soul of the ride, and your experience will hinge on whether you get a good skipper or not. I’ve more often than not gotten good skippers though, so I wouldn’t worry.

Enter the Ghoulish World of the Haunted Mansion

This ride is included in Multi Pass, but I always recommend riding it now so you can ride it another time using Lightning Lane later on. Yes, it is that good, and I promise it merits its inclusion twice in this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane.

At its simplest, this is a creepy (yet somehow funny) tour of a Haunted Mansion. But there are narrative layers and implicit storytelling devices present that just add so much more to the experience. Featuring some of Disney’s most creative gags, along with an iconic score, this ride is a home run and is my personal favorite ride in the entire resort (DCA included). It’s not the most exciting ride, but its thematic depth makes it a true work of theme park art.

Head Back in Time on Pirates of the Caribbean

Once you’re done with Haunted Mansion, head back to the border of Adventureland and New Orleans Square to ride Pirates of the Caribbean. As of today, Lightning Lane Multi Pass is no longer offered at this attraction, so doing it early in your day is also crucial, especially because it’s a 20+ minute ride. So waiting more than 20 minutes for it means you’re using up over 40 minutes of precious park time on this ride. Because of that, this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane recommends riding it early.

This is my third favorite ride in the entire resort. It’s an immersive experience that has you being transported from a bayou into a cavern filled with pirate treasure and then being transported back again to a Spanish town in the Caribbean as it is pillaged and plundered by pirates. It’s a story told effectively by its different show scenes, each one more elaborate than the last. It’s such a classic Disney ride and should be experienced by everyone as it is a gem in theme park storytelling.

Head Into the Wilderness on Big Thunder Mountain

For your next ride, head north of Pirates of the Caribbean and into Big Thunder Mountain. You’ll probably wait about 30 minutes for this ride, but you’re going to need time to kill before your Space Mountain Lightning Lane and this is the perfect ride for that! It’s my favorite roller coaster in the park, mostly because of its theming.

There’s a very complicated backstory for this ride that I won’t get into, but essentially it involves a cursed mountain, some greedy prospectors, and spirits “cursing” the trains to get them to move fast. It’s a fun ride, mostly because of the scenery and theming. The various audio animatronic animals scattered throughout, many of them in blink-and-you’ll-miss-them spots, adds so much to the immersion of the ride. Add to all of that the decent thrills and the explosive finale (pun intended) and you have the recipe for a top tier Disneyland ride.

Use Your Lightning Lane on Space Mountain (And Book Your Third for Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin)

Once you’re done with Big Thunder Mountain, head on over to Tomorrowland and use your next Lightning Lane to ride Space Mountain. This 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane then recommends booking one for Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin next.

Space Mountain is the wildest coaster in the park. It used to be one of my favorites but the simplicity of its story and execution have caused it to fall in my rankings. It’s still one of my favorite rides and I have to do it every time I’m at the park. In it you take off on a rocket and careen through the darkness of space. It’s a simple concept: a rollercoaster in the dark. But for its simplicity, it’s executed to perfection, and it includes one of the best musical scores of a Disney ride ever.

Head Under the Sea on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

Next we’re heading under the sea on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. This is one of the slowest moving lines in the entire park, so you’re going to want to do this early-ish if it interests you. Just a warning however: it’s really tight when you’re in the submarines, so if you’re claustrophobic you may want to skip this one.

The ride has you going under the sea on a research journey to an underwater volcano. Along the way, you encounter the characters from the movie Finding Nemo. They appear as projections in the water, and the ride features the classic scenes in the movie such as the Jellyfish scene and the East Australian Current scene. It all culminates in the submarine getting eaten by a whale and being blown out of its blowhole. It’s a unique ride that you should experience at least once.

Klook.com

Save the Universe with Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

Now we’re going to tackle the other rides in Tomorrowland that I think are worth riding. First up: Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. This usually doesn’t command a long line until about 11:30am, so you should be able to ride it with a relatively short queue at this time in the morning. If the line becomes too long (more than 25 minutes) then I would save it to do later in the day or with a Lightning Lane later on (don’t worry there will be time for this).

In this ride you ride in a space cruiser and embark on a mission to help Buzz Lightyear defeat the evil emperor Zurg. In the ride, you’re given a blaster and your goal is to shoot as many targets as you can. The more targets you hit, the higher your score, so this ride is really fun to do with other people to see how high you can score against them. While the ride is showing glaring signs of wear and tear, it’s still a great ride and should be on your to-do list.

Enter the World of Star Wars on Star Tours

Next we’re heading to another attraction that should have a low wait time even at 11am: Star Tours! Located across from Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, Star Tours is the original Star Wars attraction at the Disney Parks. This ride is a people eater, meaning it never really gets a line longer than 30 minutes even on busy days, so it’s good to ride at this time.

Star Tours is a motion simulator ride that takes you on a journey around the Star Wars galaxy. Since its update into Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, the scenes on the ride have been updated with every new piece of Star Wars media that’s been released. The random scenes also add so much to the re-rideability of this attraction. I have gotten severe motion sickness from this ride so just be forewarned and take precautions before riding this ride if you also suffer from motion sickness.

Use Your Lightning Lane on Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin (And Book Your Fourth for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure)

At this point, your Lightning Lane should be ready to redeem. Head on over to Toontown and ride Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. As soon as you scan into the ride, book your next Lightning Lane for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. If the Lightning Lane return time is a couple hours away, I would recommend using the refresh method to try and get it closer to the current time. You should be able to get an earlier return time after 5-10 minutes of refreshing.

Roger Rabbit is a crazy, zany, and chaotic ride. It has you going all over Toontown to save the citizens of Toontown from the Weasels who want to cover the entire town with Dip, a substance that causes cartoon characters to disintegrate. It’s not for everybody, as the spinning motion and general chaos makes it disorienting for some. But I like this ride and I would be remiss not to include it in a 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane.

Have Lunch at Red Rose Tavern

For lunch I would recommend having lunch at Red Rose Tavern or Galactic Grill. They both serve the basic theme park fare of burgers and chicken tenders, but if you want something more unique then I would suggest heading to Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree. They serve burgers and tenders too, but with a southern flair. Once done, continue with this itinerary.

Enter the Storybook World of the Storybookland Canal Boats

I recommended eating at Red Rose Tavern or Galactic Grill because the next destination of this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane is the Storybookland Canal Boats. This is a gentle boat ride located near the Matterhorn and the Mad Tea Party. It never usually gets a line longer than 20 minutes, making it the perfect ride to do at the middle of the day.

The Storybookland Canal Boats is a ride that goes through Storybookland, a mini-land located at the back of Fantasyland. It shares the land with the Casey Jr. Circus Train, but I prefer seeing the land through the Canal Boats. A cast member loads you onto the boat and you pass by miniatures of various locales from Disney movies like Arendelle, Pinocchio’s Village, and Agrabah, among others. I would recommend experiencing it in the morning as the lighting in the ride isn’t that good at night.

Experience the Tiki Culture of the Enchanted Tiki Room

Once you’re done in Fantasyland (for now), head on over to the Enchanted Tiki Room, located at the entrance to Adventureland. This show never gets any kind of queue, so you could theoretically do it at any time. I would recommend saving it for the busiest and hottest part of the day so that you can have a nice little air-conditioned break.

The show features animatronic birds, flowers, and tiki idols all coming together to sing a bunch of south pacific inspired tunes. It’s a fun show that doesn’t really have a plot, but it’s a Disney classic and is a good way to spend 15 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the park.

See Walt in Walt Disney – A Magical Life

We’re rounding out our tour of the Disneyland animatronic shows with a visit to Disneyland’s newest attraction: Walt Disney – A Magical Life. This is a show similar to Great Moments with Mr Lincoln in that it’s about the life and legacy of Walt Disney and ends with an animatronic presentation. Feel free to do this at any time as it doesn’t really command a line.

The show focuses, as mentioned, on the life and legacy of Walt Disney. It concludes with an Audio-Animatronic version of Walt Disney talking to the audience. Reception to the animatronic has been mixed, with most people saying that it doesn’t look like Walt. It’s still an impressive piece of mechanical engineering, and is totally worth seeing at least once on your 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane.

Ride the Disneyland Railroad

Since you’re already at the beginning of Main Street, take this time to ride the Disneyland Railroad. You can ride this at any time but just like the animatronic shows I would save this for the middle of your day. You’ll be doing one full loop of the park and, just so you know, you’re going to want to ride on the sideward-facing cars.

The ride is a good way to see the park from a unique perspective. You’ll get to see the Rivers of America, various different rides and attractions, and my personal favorite part: the diorama of the grand canyon and the primeval world. It’s absolutely stunning and makes the Railroad a part of Disneyland you just absolutely cannot miss. I would recommend riding the railroad around once and then getting off at New Orleans Square station to get to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Use Your Lightning Lane on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (and Book Your Fifth for the Matterhorn Bobsleds and Your Sixth for Rise of the Resistance)

Now it’s time to use your next Lightning Lane! Head on over to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Bayou Country. It should be the middle of the day so this is the best time to ride this ride, especially if you go during the colder months. At this time, you should get your next Lightning Lane for Matterhorn Bobsleds and, if you have the budget for it, Rise of the Resistance.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a water flume ride that replaced the insanely popular Splash Mountain. While I still prefer Splash Mountain, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a more than worthy replacement to Splash Mountain. It follows Tiana and Louis as they try to find a band for Tiana’s party. It’s a simple story, but the animatronics and set design, especially the finale scene, is very impressive. Definitely make this a priority when you’re at the park.

Use Your Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance

The next part of this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane will depend on your budget. If you can afford to pay, I think it’s absolutely worth it to buy the Lightning Lane Single Pass for Rise of the Resistance. If you can’t afford it though, you’re going to be looking at a 60 minute wait. The queue is mostly indoors, and there is no other time to fit it into your schedule, so I would recommend riding it now, with or without Lightning Lane. The good news is, even on busy days, I’ve never waited longer than 40 minutes for this ride even when the posted wait time is above 60 minutes.

This is, bar none, the most immersive ride at Disneyland. It’s also one of the most narratively and technologically complex rides Disney has ever created. It has 3 different pre-shows, all of which just drop you into the world of Star Wars. It follows you as resistance recruits as you try to keep the location of a resistance base secret from the First Order. I guarantee it’ll leave you with your jaw agape multiple times. This is the highlight of a trip to Disneyland, and is the one attraction you need to do if you can only do one ride the entire day.

Pilot the Millennium Falcon on Smugglers Run

Nearby and also located in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Millennium Falcon is the secondary ride of the land. It’s similar to Star Tours, with the difference being you get to pilot the Millennium Falcon yourself. This has a single rider line and never usually gets a long queue, so it’s good to do now that the day is winding down.

In the ride you’ll be assigned one of three roles: pilot, gunner, and engineer. The pilot is the best role, with the engineer being the worst (although that will change once they are given more to do in the Mandalorian version of the ride coming in 2026). This ride can cause motion sickness, but it is one I would take a Dramamine for as it is very unique and fun. If the line is long, be sure to use the single rider line, although keep in mind you will be assigned the gunner if you decide to use the single rider line.

Use Your Lightning Lane on Matterhorn Bobsleds (And Book Your Seventh for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway)

Make your way to the Matterhorn Bobsleds and use the lightning lane you have saved up for it. Once you’ve scanned in, be sure to get your next Lightning Lane, this time for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.

The Matterhorn is a steel rollercoaster encased by an artificial mountain. It’s the grandfather of all steel rollercoasters and is actually the first steel rollercoaster in the world. It’s a fun ride, but I need to warn you: it is ROUGH. Like back-breakingly rough. This is especially true for the Tomorrowland side of the ride. If you can, request the right side over the left side as the right side is less jolting. But whatever side you ride, you’re going to find out why they call this ride The Chiropractor.

Watch the Parade

Next up it’s time to watch the parade. I put this at this point of the itinerary because I don’t know what parade will be running at any given moment. If it’s a daytime parade, then you can watch the second showing of it, which is usually less crowded. If it’s a nighttime parade, then move this part of the itinerary to the nighttime and, again, see the second show if possible for lower crowds.

See the Children of the World on It’s a Small World

This is the last major ride you need to see without Lightning Lane. The line for this ride shouldn’t be longer than 30 minutes, but if it feels long to you then you can totally save this for after Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and do it with a Lightning Lane after you’ve scanned into Mickey and Minnie’s. Do note that usually Lightning Lanes for Small World don’t sell out as quickly, so you’ll be able to get one for an almost immediate return time.

It’s a Small World is a journey through the countries of the world. You board a boat and go on a 20-minute ride past whimsical representations of countries from around the world represented by sets and dolls wearing the country’s specific national outfit. This all culminates in a scene where the children of the world as seen throughout the attraction all come together wearing white versions of their national garb as they all sing the catchy theme song of the ride. It’s a tried and true Disney classic and, even if you find the song annoying, you should make time to ride it.

Walk through the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough

Next up, while waiting for the nighttime entertainment, I would suggest taking a walk through the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough. This attraction is basically like a walk through dark ride that features different vignettes from the movie Sleeping Beauty. You could do this at any time of day, as long as Fantasyland isn’t closed for the fireworks. I highly recommend it as it’s one of those well-themed, immersive attractions that is sometimes overlooked by guests.

Use Your Lightning Lane on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway (And Book Your Eighth for Haunted Mansion or Big Thunder Mountain or Another Ride Like Autopia)

Now it’s time to go to Toontown and go on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Once you scan in, you can either get a Lightning Lane for Haunted Mansion or Big Thunder or the aforementioned Small World if you haven’t done it yet, or you can get it for something like Autopia or Buzz Lightyear or Star Tours. Whatever you decide, from this point on, you’ll just be repeating favorites or trying rides you missed out on earlier on this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane.

Runaway Railway is one of my favorite rides in the park. It’s a modern, large scale, immersive dark ride. From the now iconic pre-show where you enter the cartoon world to the actual ride that is full of large scale sets and life-like animatronics, it’s a true modern classic that will have you grinning from ear to ear. The queue of this ride is also probably the best queue in the entire resort. It’s a classic Disney queue with a ton to look at and details you won’t notice until your 100th time walking through it.

Have Dinner at Bengal Barbecue

Now you’re going to have dinner at my favorite quick service restaurant in the park: Bengal Barbecue. Located in Adventureland, this restaurant serves different types of meat and vegetable skewers. You can get them sweet or spicy and they are all incredibly delicious. I would recommend trying a bit of everything on the menu, but my favorite one is the Bengal Beef Skewer in the Zulu sauce.

Use Your Eighth Lightning Lane

Now it’s time to use your eighth Lightning Lane. Whichever one you chose, make your way over there now to use it. Once you scan in, select another ride to use a Lightning Lane on. I would recommend any of the rides specified earlier but my highest recommendation would be for Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder, Small World, Buzz, and Star Tours will have short lines at this point, with only Haunted Mansion having a relatively long line.

Get Ready to See Fantasmic

If you’re visiting during peak season, I would highly recommend seeing Fantasmic. If you scored a dining package, then you can watch from your designated viewing area. If not, head over by Harbor Galley and ask the cast member if you can watch from the standby area. While not directly head on, it’s still a pretty good view.

Fantasmic is a Disneyland classic. It uses pyrotechnics, water screens, and both the Sailing Ship Columbia and Mark Twain Riverboat to tell this story of Mickey and his imagination. You’re at first taken through many of Mickey’s dreams, and then the Disney villains try to overrun and ruin Mickey’s dream. However, Mickey comes to the rescue and soon all is set right. It’s an impressive and heartwarming show, and you should definitely see it if you can on this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane.

Watch the Fireworks

Now it’s time to watch the fireworks! If you can, watch them from Main Street. Although, if you saw Fantasmic, then you can watch it from the area you’re currently sitting / standing in. Disneyland fireworks are the perfect way to end your day at Disneyland. They mix music, projections, and pyrotechnics to create a tapestry of emotions. I highly recommend seeing them, no matter when you visit. The show changes depending on the time of year you visit, but they’re all amazing and worth seeing.

Repeat Your Favorites

Congratulations! You’ve done all the major rides at Disneyland in one day! Now you have 1 ½ – 2 ½ hours left so it’s time to repeat your favorites! You won’t need Lightning Lanes this late in the day, and the only rides that will have a substantial line are Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, and maybe the Matterhorn. Everything else will decrease in wait time substantially. I have been able to ride 6-8 rides in the last two hours that the park is open, so go and hit as much as possible! Once 11pm or 12am hits, head back to your hotel and take a well-deserved rest.

1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane Conclusion

What I want to reiterate again at the end of this itinerary is that you don’t need to have Lightning Lane to have a good day at Disneyland. If it’s not in your budget, there are still a lot of things you can do to maximize your day at Disneyland. Lightning Lane does allow you to experience a lot of rides and re-do your favorites, but if you pack your patience and are ok with standing in line, you can still do many of these rides on your Disneyland day. I hope you have the best time! If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on my socials!

If you enjoyed this 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary with Lightning Lane, consider subscribing to my newsletter and bring the magic of Disney parks to your inbox. Whether you’re planning your first trip or you’re a Disney pro, my newsletter is your ultimate guide to creating magical memories.

🌟 What You’ll Get:

Expert tips for navigating the Disney parks.
The latest updates on new attractions, events, and dining experiences.
Exclusive tips to make your visit extra magical (and budget-friendly!).
Personalized itineraries and seasonal guides.

From Walt Disney World and Disneyland to Disney Cruise Line and the international parks, we’ll help you plan the trip of your dreams with less stress and more pixie dust!