Tips & Experiences for a One-Day Two-Park Visit to Disneyland in Los A
Tips & Experiences for a One-Day Two-Park Visit to Disneyland in Los Angeles, California (Part 1) 🏟😅 First off, as someone who absolutely adores Disney's IPs, atmosphere, and stories, and who's visited Shanghai Disneyland four times and Hong Kong Disneyland, I personally don't highly recommend California's Disneyland unless you're aiming to check off all Disney parks worldwide or have ample time in Los Angeles. We entered the park at noon and exited at midnight, having pretty much tackled all the classic rides and attractions recommended by various guides. On December 19th, we were pretty laid-back and didn't purchase any FastPass tickets. We arrived at the parking lot around 11 AM—a huge, multi-story structure costing $35 for the day. The odd part was that security checks and ticket scanning were separate processes. After parking, we had to queue up for a tram ride to the park entrance, which took about an hour (they do security checks and bag checks here). The tram ride itself was just a short five-minute journey, dropping us off at Downtown Disney, from where we walked to the park entrance for Theme Park. There, we had to queue up again for ticket scanning. Remember to download the official app beforehand to check showtimes and wait times for attractions. According to the guide, to the right upon entering the park is Tomorrowland. Our first ride was Space Mountain, with a wait time of around 40 minutes. It's an indoor, pitch-black roller coaster. Since I'm quite adventurous, I found it rather ordinary—no weightlessness or intense thrills. Those with a fear of heights can decide based on their own comfort levels. Next, we queued up for the Matterhorn Bobsleds, also about a 40-minute wait. This ride was quite enjoyable and recommended, though not overly thrilling but with well-designed scenery. Then, we hopped on the Disneyland Railroad, a small train that winds through the entire park. When it enters a tunnel, there are numerous displays and scenes. Personally, I think walking is faster than taking the train if you're not specifically there to see these scenes, as it stops at each station for quite a while—long enough to walk between stops. Coincidentally, as we disembarked from the train, it was the first daytime parade of the day. This Christmas-themed parade was rather underwhelming, with few characters and limited audience interaction, ending rather quickly. One major gripe I have is that before and after the parade, the walking paths were blocked off for one-way traffic only, which was incredibly inconvenient. If someone didn't want to watch the parade and wanted to go on rides, they had no choice but to stay put or take a long detour—likely due to the park's small size and large crowds to prevent accidents. After the parade, we headed to the Star Wars attraction, which had a wait time of over an hour. It was exhausting waiting in line, but fans of the franchise would undoubtedly love it. The scenery inside was very retro, though for those of us unfamiliar with the series, it just felt like an ordinary 5D experience. Still, it was a fun ride! However, if you're short on time or not a huge fan, you might want to skip it or come back later when the lines are shorter. By the time we finished this ride, it was sunset. We snapped some photos at the castle and then made our way to Adventureland. In half a day, we managed to hit three popular attractions. Since the park closes late, we saved our main energy for the evening. Stay tuned for Part 2 for more details! 🌃✨ #CaliforniaDisneyland #LosAngeles #DisneylandLA
