Let’s make something clear — there’s a right way to do Disneyland. My friends are very aware of this, as I’m sometimes their unofficial tour guide. For anyone looking to plan a day at Disneyland in their Los Angeles trip, I’ve got your guide to master Disneyland in one day. Please note — This one-day plan is tailored to those that do NOT have little kids and doesn’t include conquering Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge (opening May 31st). First up…

Download the Disneyland App before you arrive

Another app won’t kill you. Back in the day, if my sister and I wanted to know how long a ride line was — we had to walk to the front of the park to see the board that listed all the ride times. This app allows you to see the wait times for all rides, replace your paper pass, make reservations for restaurants, and use MaxPass to get FASTPASS for rides and see ride photos.

Buy a Park Hopper ticket with Disney MaxPass

Preferably, you purchase your ticket ahead of time. If you’re buying your tickets ahead of time, beware that almost everyday is priced out differently based on “peak” season/days of the week. The Disney MaxPass addition ($15 per day) allows you to control all the FASTPASS’s on your phone. You can take a step into Disney California Adventure, and yet get a FASTPASS for a ride in Disneyland. This is an INCREDIBLE timesaver. Can’t stress that point enough. Also, the MaxPass will allow you to get all ride photos within the app which is cute if you’re into that.

The early bird…gets on all the rides

In this case, the early bird gets the worm and gets on all the rides. If you can get there when the doors open (with a little strategy that I’ll explain) you’ll have a better chance of getting on all the rides. I recommend asking your entire party when you arrive which rides they want to go on the most so you can plan your day based on that priority.

The rides that need strategy because of their wait times: Guardians of the Galaxy, Cars, Toy Story Mania, Space Mountain, Soarin, the Matterhorn and Indiana Jones. You should try and get a FASTPASS for the bolded ones only.

When you first arrive at the park, get a Fastpass using the MaxPass for one of the above rides and head to another. I suggest getting a FASTPASS for Guardians of the Galaxy and head over to Toy Story Mania — OR vice versa. If you get there when it opens, the line should be around 20 or so minutes.

Utilize the Single Riders line

Those ride above that I didn’t bold is where you should utilize the “Single Riders” line. Unless you have kids, there is no reason to stand in line for the Cars ride because it’s always over an hour. For Cars and Space Mountain, utilize the Single Riders line. They don’t advertise these shortcuts, but they’re really helpful. To find the Single Riders line for Space Mountain, you need to go to the exit of the ride.

Make an alarm for when you can get your next FASTPASS

It can be easy to get caught up in a fun day at Disneyland, but staying on top of your Disney MaxPass is extremely important.

IF you don’t love the time you’re getting for a ride, just exit the app and restart it. I’ve seen multiple times where the app glitches and you can an earlier time by a few hours for a particular ride.

If you follow this method, you should hit the majority of the big rides by 12p-1p.

After you’ve conquered all the big rides, the next thing to do is eat, drink, and take on the smaller, iconic rides.

EAT - Doing a full sit-down meal is a total waste of time during the day. I’ll give options that are grab-and-go along with quick sit-down service.

The Tropical Hideaway @ Disneyland: The newest food edition to this park has delicious Bao buns and iconic Dole Whip snacks.
Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante @ Disneyland: Quick sit-down service with a decent menu of Mexican items, usually next to no wait.
Somona Terrance @ Disney California Adventure: Don’t expect a full meal, but if you’re looking for amazing cheese to snack on, this is the place to stop.
Smokejumpers Grill @ Disney California Adventure: Quick sit-down service that has your burgers, chicken sandwiches and CHILI.

DRINK - Disney California Adventure features all alcohol outside of Star Wars Galaxy Edge inside Disneyland.

Carthay Circle Lounge: Fancy AF, but good AF. This bar and restaurant is at the front of the Disney California Adventure, and you don’t need to order food to get a drink. Do yourself a favor and get the brussel sprouts.
Wine Country Trattoria: Superb wine, beer and mimosas without a wait. Walk right up and order your drink.
Lamplight Lounge: Disney remodeled the old Cove Bar for this fancy day-drinking spot in the middle of Pixar Pier. Food is very meh, but extensive drink menu AND brunch drinks.
Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar @ the Disneyland Hotel: TIKI TIKI. If the parks are crazy, skip to the Disneyland Hotel and find this magical bar at the pool.
Ballast Point Brewing Co. @ Downtown Disney: I’m not a beer drinker, but my beer drinking friends can vouch that this is a must-stop on the Disneyland drinking tour.

SMALL RIDES - Let’s face it. You won’t be able to go on the thrill-seeking rides all day.

Big Thunder Mountain; it’s one of Disneyland’s few roller coasters and yet it rarely has a line. Also, at the top of the big drop you’re able to peak Star Wars Land.
It’s a Small World: The outside alone should draw you in, but it’s a great way to put your feet up and enjoy a ride in the middle of the heat.
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters: A personal favorite of mine where you can compete with your party in a shooting competition.
Haunted Mansion: Who doesn’t love a spooky tour in a mansion full of ghosts?
Only if you have time to kill after those: go to Pirates or the Teacups.

Other tips to get you through the day

Look before you ride: With your Disney MaxPass, it’s very common for the smaller rides to get a FASTPASS for the immediate future. Before you stand in line for one of the classics, check the app.

Bring water and snacks: Growing up my family would always take me to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Bringing a water bottle or outside food into the park was UNHEARD of.

Wear gym shoes: I hope this goes without saying, but you never know. On days like this, my Fitbit will read over 24K steps.

Grab breakfast before you arrive: Save yourself a little money and there isn’t a lot of great viable options for breakfast at the park.

Walk through the shops to Park Hop: Sometimes to maximize time, you’ll need to double task. I usually leave time at the end of the day to shop, but I also love to see what else everyone has.