Best strategy for ONE DAY only park hopper pass at DISNEYLAND?”

Welcome back to planDisney, Jimmy,

With different preferences for dining, entertainment, and attractions, there are many ways for Guests to enjoy a visit to the Disneyland Resort. Assuming you are mostly interested in enjoying as many ride attractions as possible, I’ll offer my tips for making the most of your day at The Happiest Place on Earth!

1. Let Disney Genie offer suggestions. Although there is way more magic at the Disneyland Resort than can be experienced in only one day, you should still have enough time to enjoy the attractions and other experiences that are the most important to you. Use the complimentary Disney Genie service in the Disneyland mobile app to help create a customized list of attractions and entertainment tailored to your preferences.
2. Arrive early. The shortest wait times for most attractions are early in the morning before most Guests arrive for the day. I recommend queuing up at the park entrance 30-40 minutes before the official park opening time.
3. Consider purchasing the optional Disney Genie+ service. Genie+ allows you to reserve a return time to use the Lightning Lane entrance of select attractions. While you are waiting for your next Lightning Lane return time, you can enjoy other attractions and experiences. You can book your first Lightning Lane reservation as soon as you have your theme park tickets scanned at the park entrance, even if you are scanned in before the official park opening time.
4. Save time for more magic by placing mobile food and beverage orders instead of waiting in line to order food.
5. I like to start in Disneyland Park, where there are many smaller attractions with wait times that are typically short in the morning. After 11:00 AM, you may use your Park Hopper ticket to visit the other park. Be aware that Disney California Adventure Park usually closes earlier than Disneyland Park. But with a Park Hopper ticket, you can finish your day at Walt Disney's Original Magic Kingdom.
6. To save time waiting in a viewing area for nighttime spectaculars, consider alternate viewing locations that aren’t as common. In Disneyland Park, I like to watch fireworks from the waterfront of the Rivers of America or in front of “it’s a small world.” For World of Color – Season of Light in Disney California Adventure Park, be sure to join a Virtual Queue. If you don’t mind skipping evening entertainment, you may also find wait times to be somewhat shorter than usual during the shows.

I hope that offers some ideas for making magical memories at the Disneyland Resort, Jimmy. If there is anything more we can help answer here at planDisney, feel free to visit again soon.

~Tony