Disneyland Resort Must Dos!

Disneyland Resort Must Dos!

A friend of mine is coming from Florida and will have about 12 hours to spend at the Disneyland Resort. They have never been to the park before and want to make the most of the short time they have. So they asked me what the must dos of the two parks are. I made this list knowing they have been to Walt Disney World many times so I tried to eliminate the rides/shows that were the same at both parks. I say pick from these what are your top must dos and do more if you can.

So here is my list and I’ll start with Disneyland

1.     Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln

2.    Matterhorn

3.    Finding Nemo

4.    Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

5.    Star Tours (If they have not had a chance to do it at WDW yet)

6.    Small World (This is on their list of must dos but is a ride I will avoid if I can.)

7.    Roger Rabbit’s Cartoon Spin (with a walk around Toontown but do not take too much time)

8.    Billy Hill and the Hillbillies in the Golden Horseshoe

9.    Pirates of the Caribbean (Much longer and different than WDW)

10.  Indiana Jones

11.   Haunted Mansion

12.  Mark Twain and/or Sailing Ship Columbia

13.  Captain EO

Must Dos for Disney California Adventure

1.     Aladdin the Musical (live stage play 45 minutes long so pick wisely knowing it will cause you to miss other things)

2.    Grizzly Rapids

3.    Mickey’s Fun Wheel

4.    California Screamin’

5.    Arial’s Undersea Adventure

6.    Hollywood Tower of Terror (if they wish to see the difference between WDW and DCA)

7.    Anything in Bug’s Land that fits their fancy, especially if you have young kids.

Once opened in DCA (June 15^th 2012)

1.     Radiator Springs Racers

2.    Luigi’s Flying Tires

3.    Mater's Junkyard Jamboree

For nighttime entertainment there are five choices and usually I say plan on seeing only one.

1.     Magical Fireworks (DL)

2.    Fantasmic (DL)

3.    Magic, Memories and You (DL on Small World)

4.    World of Color (DCA)

5.    Mad Hatter Tea Party (DCA

Choice of nighttime entertainment is up to you. Personally I am very picky about my viewing spot for any nighttime show because of my height. It is hard for me to get a good view if I’m in the middle of a crowd. I will gladly sit for 3 or more hours to make sure I get the seat I want for the fireworks, Fantasmic or World of Color.

If you have teens or like a techno type dance party I suggest Mad Hatter Tea Party. Just show up and go for it. Personally this is not for me.

I usually go for either the Fireworks, Fantasmic or World of Color and sometimes hit Magic, Memories and You. You will have to pick for yourself or decide to not see any. If you are not picky about viewing you can run from the fireworks and catch the second showing of Fantasmic (on nights they have two). It helps if you have people who are already there that you can join. Magic, Memories and You is not as hard to get a decent viewing spot so you can just show up.