Can We do Disneyland in 2 days???

[coconutsunshine]

We may have a kink thrown into our vacation plans and are trying to find a way to pivot, one of them being 2 days at Disneyland (3 nights hotel - 2 full days in the park). We would be piggybacking off another portion of our vacation as we will be on the west coast. Can it be done? We are east coasters so not likely to get back soon.

 

[mdmost]

Disneyland is an infinitely smaller park so 2 days is doable. That said, it all comes down to what you want to do at DLR and what you're okay with missing out on. We typically do at least 3 full days as we break Disneyland up into two halves or one day of everything we must do and one day of things we'd like to do. Then California Adventure gets its own day. With a good plan and Genie+, you'll probably be fine. I wouldn't bother with table service meals unless you just really like to eat a sit down meal. If you're just looking for a taste of what makes Disneyland special, two days can scratch that itch.

 

[Summer2018]

Also east coasters, we were there in April 2019, following a family reunion in Phoenix, Arizona. We drove from AZ and stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for 6 nights. We went to the beach a couple of days, and we only did 2 park days. It was very doable.

While you’re there, make a point of going to Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel. They opened early, and we had no trouble getting a table on 2 different days. We’ve never had any luck at WDW.

Reservations for table service are super easy. Goofy’s Kitchen is 100 times better than Chef Mickeys, the WDW counterpart. We loved Steakhouse 55, but unfortunately it’s gone. I don’t know if there’s a replacement. There’s great restaurants in Downtown Disney which is much more conveniently located than DTD in WDW.

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

Absolutely! Especially with two full days! You won’t be able to fit in every single experience in just two days, but you will be able to do a lot! One of the nicest parts about DLR compared to WDW is it’s size. While some that are used to WDW might think of DLR’s smaller overall footprint as a negative, in reality you’re going to be able to accomplish more than you likely realize because it’s so much easier not just navigating between the parks, but also between the attractions. Make sure you know which experiences and attractions you want to prioritize and fit those into an outline of your two day plan. This group is great at letting people know what will work, what won’t, and what can be tweaked to make a better fit. Have fun planning!

 

[danceintherain]

It should be fine. Just depends on what you want to do.
I'm planning a day with my Dad that's both parks in one day and he thinks he has to be back to his hotel by 6PM.
He hasn't been in 40+ years, and doesn't remember much. The only thing he's insisting on doing is the Matterhorn, because it's pretty much the only thing he remembers. He loves rollercoasters, so I have most of those planned, plus the new Marvel and Star Wars stuff. We're skipping all the duplicates, and he doesn't care about slow rides or comparing the differences between WDW and DLR. With Single Rider line it's even more attainable. We haven't decided about Genie+.

We DO have 2 other days planned with just DS11 and I. I'll drag him on all the whimsical rides, like Alice in Wonderland, with me.

My Dad might join us for the last night, if he doesn't have any work gatherings. I expect he'll probably cover everything he's interested in within that limited time.

I would expect to spend the bulk of your day at Disneyland. I definitely think it's worth it. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did, and now I'm planning a series of trips taking my kids one at a time, because it's just so attainable.

 

[StarlitNight05]

I think it's doable, but definitely get hoppers. With limited time you'll want flexibility for your days.

 

[Pluto468]

It's doable for sure. Hoppers will make it even easier. The main reason for having more than 2 days would be that you can take your time and do it at a more leisurely pace. If you arrive early enough the day you check into your hotel you could add a 3rd day and do the parks in the evening.
With only 2 days I'd just make sure you know what rides or attractions for people in your party. You'll have a great time

 

[Geoff_M]

If you're talking about DL Park only, we did it in 2 days last week with Spring Break crowds. We rope dropped both days and used Genie+. We did everything except Tea Cups (I can't take them), Tom Sawyer Island, and the canoes. We did many things more than once.

 

[gottalovepluto]

You can do both parks in two days, do realize they’ll probably be pretty full days. I’d G+ and ILL.

Second Park Hoppers. The flexibility is that allows after 1pm is nice and if Disneyland is closing later than DCA you can take advantage of two nights there.

 

[coconutsunshine]

You can do both parks in two days, do realize they’ll probably be pretty full days. I’d G+ and ILL.

Second Park Hoppers. The flexibility is that allows after 1pm is nice and if Disneyland is closing later than DCA you can take advantage of two nights there.

Thank you!

 

[Epicnemesis]

You should be able to do everything you want, but not necessarily everything possible over the course of two days. Rope dropping is great. Park hoppers are extremely helpful. Genie+ can be very effective to marginally effective depending on the day, assuming you want to make a deal with the devil for it.

The devil in this case being Chapek.

 

[coconutsunshine]

You should be able to do everything you want, but not necessarily everything possible over the course of two days. Rope dropping is great. Park hoppers are extremely helpful. Genie+ can be very effective to marginally effective depending on the day, assuming you want to make a deal with the devil for it.

The devil in this case being Chapek.

Bahaha, totally agree, I'm most definitely NOT on the genie+ bandwagon, but might have to make an exception

 

[Brandonius]

You'll be just fine. If you are efficient and use Genie+, you can ride every E-ticket in a day with a park hopper pretty easily, as well as have leisurely meals and get re-rides in or see some shows. With 2 days and genie you will have plenty of time to see the sights, though it won't be at a "one ride and then grab a snack every 90 minutes" kind of pace. Utilize the planning tips on this board for rope drop and genie strategy, and then let the day flow. You can get a lot done a lot faster at DL than you can at WDW because everything is so close together and easy to navigate.

 

[coconutsunshine]

You'll be just fine. If you are efficient and use Genie+, you can ride every E-ticket in a day with a park hopper pretty easily, as well as have leisurely meals and get re-rides in or see some shows. With 2 days and genie you will have plenty of time to see the sights, though it won't be at a "one ride and then grab a snack every 90 minutes" kind of pace. Utilize the planning tips on this board for rope drop and genie strategy, and then let the day flow. You can get a lot done a lot faster at DL than you can at WDW because everything is so close together and easy to navigate.

Thank you!

 

[coconutsunshine]

You'll be just fine. If you are efficient and use Genie+, you can ride every E-ticket in a day with a park hopper pretty easily, as well as have leisurely meals and get re-rides in or see some shows. With 2 days and genie you will have plenty of time to see the sights, though it won't be at a "one ride and then grab a snack every 90 minutes" kind of pace. Utilize the planning tips on this board for rope drop and genie strategy, and then let the day flow. You can get a lot done a lot faster at DL than you can at WDW because everything is so close together and easy to navigate.

Any tips on the best hotels???

 

[beachdreamr1229]

It will partly depend on what you want to see and how crowded it is, but in general, I find 2 days to be fine. It's nice to have 3-4 days if you want to go leisurely, but you can really squeeze a lot into 2 days. Are you going to DCA or only Disneyland? Either way, it's fine. In the past, I've gone on literally every ride at Disneyland in 1 day and everything at DCA in half a day (though that was before they expanded). My best advice is to avoid TS restaurants as they waste your time. Mobile order early in the day to get the times you want and make use of genie+ (which I personally hate compared to the old system, but it's better than just standby). Enjoy your trip!

 

[StarlitNight05]

Any tips on the best hotels???

Not the commenter you're replying to, but are you looking for offsite recs? If so, my opinion is to stay as close as possible. We've liked Best Western Park Place Inn (right at the pedestrian crosswalk entrance). If you need or want interior cooridors, I'd go with Courtyard or Hojo. Hyatt House and Residence Inn are also very nice, but further down Harbor.

If onsite, GCH is my preference, but DLH also has it's charms. DLH probably wins if you have big swimmers in your group or love vintage Disney. GCH is great for proximity (hellllooo dedicated DCA entrance).

 

[sddc]

We're east coasters who just this past week did DLR in two days, and it was great. I second the endorsement of Park Place Inn, as being so close was a godsend at the ends of those long days.

 

[coconutsunshine]

We're east coasters who just this past week did DLR in two days, and it was great. I second the endorsement of Park Place Inn, as being so close was a godsend at the ends of those long days.

Thank you!! Is this the same as the Best Western mini suites?

 

[DisneylandFan22]

We used to get 3 day single park tickets. We would do CA, DL, DL, but on the third day of Disneyland usually repeat things and only stay about half a day. So it is definitely fine. PH could give you more flexibility if you wanted that. When we did this we wouldn’t do any sit down meals (honestly never did this until recently and really don’t think it is anywhere close to a must do at DLR) and stay in the parks the entire day. We also saw all the night time entertainment.