My first time in DL...what to do in only one day???

[MaryBelle]

I'm heading out to LA & Vegas in early July and can only head to Disneyland for one day trip. What is a must-see? I'll be with my boyfriend, no kids, we are in our 30s.

I know WDW well, but feel almost blind heading into DL...and since it's just for a day, I want to hit all the best parts!

Thanks in advance.

[BrerGnat]

Stick with just Disneyland park. Don't try to do DCA as well, if you only have one day.

You MUST do:

Indiana Jones Adventure
Matterhorn
Space Mountain
Pirates of the Caribbean
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (if you feel nostalgic about it)
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
Star Tours 2
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Toontown (at least go see it, ride Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin if you can!)
See Fantasmic
See the new Soundsational Parade (if that's your thing)
Original Tiki Room

That's all I'd consider a "must", although I can keep going if you want.

[Crow]

Ill watch this too in case i do go in Sept for 2 days. im also a vet of WDW but never to DL

[Carol]

Adding to Natalie's list;

Do 'it's a small world' and Alice while in Fantasyland and do not miss The Billys at the Horseshoe.

[MaryBelle]

I get motion sickness like whoa, so any spinning rides are out.

Thanks so much for the recommendations, keep 'em coming!

[BrerGnat]

None of the ones I mentioned spin. Roger Rabbit's Car Toon spin has cars that CAN spin, but you have to make them.

Star Tours might be an issue with motion sickness, if you have problems on simulator rides.

[MaryBelle]

I'm ok with simulators & rollercoasters (although RnRC in WDW gets me a little woozy and Mission:Space put me out of commission for an hour!) but spinning is a no-no. No Tea cups for me

Roger Rabbit sounds interesting...I love the film!

Thanks for the suggestions! I was thinking of doing Haunted Mansion and Splash Mtn too, bc my boyfriend has never been to Magic Kingdom so he hasn't been on these rides before.

[BrerGnat]

Do as much as you can! Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain are both quite different than their WDW counterparts. In fact, that is the case for most of the "duplicate" rides. I'd give the edge to WDW for both of these rides, although the DL versions are fun as well! However, most of the others are far better at DL. Have a great day! If you can, pull in a 16 hour day, arriving at opening (8am) and staying until Midnight! You can do it all if you stay that long.

[Lizzie]

Arrive early. If there is no early entry you will be let in for rope drop 30 minutes early. So arrive an hour early. Lines form quickly in the summer.

[DCDisney]

I'm like you, very familiar with WDW, and was a rookie for DLR. What I did with the opportunity to visit for 1 day was to visit things at MK that were DIFFERENT than WDW. If you do that, it probably won't even take an entire day (especially since it's just you and your significant other. Everything will seem quite small (but sooo super quaint), as compared to WDW, so things will feel easy to navigate.

[DisneyaHolic]

While you will have to hurry, you should be able to do almost all of Disneyland in one day! Be there at park's opening, and plan to stay as long as you are willing/able. I agree with Brer Gnat's list, and have added some thoughts:

Indiana Jones Adventure - must do!!
Matterhorn - a great old-time roller coaster
Space Mountain
Pirates of the Caribbean - much better than Disney World's version
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (if you feel nostalgic about it) - this is a must do for me, since it no longer exists at DW
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
Star Tours 2 Can't compare with new Star Tours yet
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters Not as good as Disney World's version, since the lasers are connected
Toontown (at least go see it, ride Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin if you can!) If you are a "magic" person, spend some time in Toontown - the overall land is much better than Disney World's WAS
See Fantasmic MUST do. Go to the 2nd show, if there are two, as it is less crowded.
See the new Soundsational Parade (if that's your thing)
Original Tiki Room I would skip this one