We get asked all the time if it’s possible to do Disneyland without Lightning Lane Multi Pass and yes, it is possible although you may not see everything in the parks. It is possible to get on the most popular attractions without Lightning Lane Multi Pass if you show up with a plan.
The other common question we get asked is if it’s possible to do Disneyland in a single day. But if you just focus on the best Disneyland rides and arrive early and stay late then you can experience most of the best attractions!
We visit Disneyland weekly and we often show up for the day without purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass which gives us some good insight on how to tour the theme park without purchasing it. Keep reading for the best tips and full 1-day Disneyland itinerary without Lightning Lane Multi Pass so you can see the most popular rides without having to pay extra!
This article has been checked for accuracy for 2025 and updated with all currently available information including the addition of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure which recently opened.
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Disneyland 1-Day Itinerary- Before You Arrive
Before I jump into the essential Disneyland 1-day itinerary without Lightning Lane Multi Pass, there are some steps you should take to prepare for your day at Disney before you arrive!
Click here if you are looking for a Disneyland 1-day itinerary WITH Lightning Lane Multi Pass
1. Download the Disneyland App
The first thing you need to do is to download the Disneyland app and become familiar with it. This app gives guests the most accurate wait times for rides plus you can also link your park tickets to it, make dining reservations and mobile order food!
Take a look at the layout of each park on the app so you have a rough idea of where you are going once you enter!
Guests with Disabilities- To read more about how to navigate Disneyland with disabilities, read our guide to Disneyland’s disability service.
2. Plan to Rope Drop
Rope drop is the term for when guests arrive at the theme park before opening and line up around the park to wait for the official opening music and this is when the ropes blocking guests from entering the full park are then dropped. If you are one of the first groups positioned at these ropes before the park opens then you can essentially walk right on to an attraction. To arrive in time for Disneyland rope drop or California Adventure rope drop, guests should be lined up at the front gates at least 45 minutes to one hour before official park opening.
Disneyland cast members will start scanning tickets about 30 minutes prior to park opening and let guests in the park so they can line up near the ropes blocking off each land before they start their day.
Early Entry for Disneyland Resort Guests! Guests staying at Disneyland Resort hotels are allowed to access select attractions 30 minutes prior to park opening giving those guests an advantage for some popular attractions. Read more about early entry and our advice on what you should prioritize during that 30 minutes if you have it in our Disneyland Early Entry guide!
3. Pick Your Day
What day should you visit Disneyland? If you have some flexibility in your choice, pick a weekend when park hours are longer and fireworks are guaranteed to make the most of your time. Disneyland’s operating hours on weekends average an opening time of 8AM with a closing time as late as 11PM or midnight. Fireworks are only shown on weekends (Friday through Sunday) during Spring and Fall so this is also a good way to guarantee you will see the fireworks. Weekends are also less busy since most local annual passholders (called Magic Key holders) are blocked out from visiting so contrary to popular belief, you may even experience lower crowds on a weekend too.
Read more about the best days of the week to visit Disneyland in our guide!
4. What Shows to See?
Aside from the top attractions that I will cover in our Disneyland 1-day itinerary, there are also plenty of entertainment options at Disneyland to enjoy.
There are three different entertainment options offered year-round at Disneyland: stage shows, parades, and fireworks. The time of year you visit will impact your entertainment options greatly. If you are visiting during the Disneyland Halloween season, the fireworks at Disneyland will be Halloween themed while the ticketed Halloween party, Oogie Boogie Bash, will feature an exclusive parade. During Disneyland Christmas, there is a seasonal Christmas parade (my favorite Disneyland parade!) and a holiday fireworks show. If you are visiting any other time of year, then you may want to check our Disneyland parade and Disneyland fireworks guide to see which show you can expect!
Cruise the Disneyland website entertainment schedule for your park day and see what is offered and if you’d like to add that to your day. Or if you want to focus all on rides, that is just fine too!
5. Use Single Rider at Disneyland
One of our best tips for doing Disneyland WITHOUT purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass is to utilize Disneyland single rider. The singles line splits your group to fill in available single seats that remain open for popular attractions.
The perk of the single rider line is the short wait but you get that perk by knowing you won’t get to sit next to your group. Sometimes you may end up next to your group anyways but this is never guaranteed. These rides all offer single rider at Disneyland:
- Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
- Space Mountain
This can be a great way to beat the lines so keep this trick in your back pocket!
Disneyland 1-Day Itinerary Rope Drop
Now that we’ve covered all the basics, let’s dig into my Disneyland 1-day itinerary WITHOUT needing to purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass. You can absolutely do Disneyland without purchasing Lightning Lane Multi Pass but the best way to make that work is to arrive early and stay late after the fireworks. This is when the lines will be the shortest!
The key part of this Disneyland 1-day itinerary without Lightning Lane Multi Pass is to arrive early for rope drop. The first two to three hours of park opening will see the shortest lines of the entire day. Follow the order below for the most efficient strategy.
- Rope drop Indiana Jones Adventure
- Ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
- Ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Ride Pirates of the Caribbean
- Ride Haunted Mansion
- Ride Jungle Cruise
- Ride Matterhorn Bobsleds using single rider
- If the line is longer than 30 minutes by the time you make your way over here, consider utilizing the Disneyland single rider line for this attraction to cut down on the wait time.
- Ride it’s a small world
- Ride Star Tours- The Adventure Continues
- Ride Space Mountain using single rider
- If the line is longer than 30 minutes by the time you make your way over here, consider utilizing the Disneyland single rider line for this attraction to cut down on the wait time
By this point lines will begin building and then your strategy should be to use the Disneyland app to see which rides still have wait times of 30 minutes or less. But if you at least ride most of the ones on the list above, you will have achieved most of the best rides in Disneyland with some of the lowest wait times of the day.
For lunch, check out our list of our top best restaurants at Disneyland to see our favorites and wrk them into your day.
Disneyland 1-Day Itinerary Afternoon
After lunch, you will be approaching the time of the day that is typically the most busiest at Disneyland which is that afternoon time when the sun is the highest and the crowds may begin to feel the heaviest. Not to worry, there are still plenty of things you can do during this time even without Lightning Lane Multi Pass.
The afternoon parade at Disneyland is a great thing to build into your afternoon and also allows your group a bit of a rest as you wait for the parade to begin.
Once you finish with the parade, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a great area to spend the afternoon in because it’s so spread out with plenty of see and do aside from just attractions. This immersive themed area is worth taking in and you can even build your own droid or create your own specialized lightsaber! This would also be a great time to use single rider to enjoy Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run.
Fantasyland may also have rides with wait times of 30 minutes or less and the afternoon is a great time to explore this classic area of Disneyland. There are also experiences in Disneyland that never have long waits and are great for exploring like Tom Sawyer Island, riding Mark Twain Riverboat or Sailing Ship Columbia.
Rise of the Resistance is a not miss ride and the standby line for this attraction will remain high until around dinner when the wait time will start to fall. I would recommend riding it at this point, even if the wait time is still around an hour, because this ride is extremely popular and often shuts down as early as 9PM. The good news is that Disneyland often inflates ride times and you may not end up waiting as long as the posted wait time for Rise of the Resistance.
Disneyland Nighttime Shows
The Disneyland entertainment options are what make Disneyland more than just a theme park and make the experience of spending a day at Disney extra magical! The two nighttime spectaculars at Disneyland include Fantasmic! and the fireworks. It is possible to experience both but if you only want to do one then I recommend the Disneyland fireworks.
Fantasmic! is shown nightly during peak times of the year but may only be shown on weekends during slower seasons. The show takes place on the Rivers of America and you can even time it to enjoy the fireworks once it ends as you can see them your Fantasmic! viewing spot.
Read more about all the Fantasmic! dining packages in our guide.
If you decide to just watch the Disneyland fireworks then I recommend watching them by it’s a small world which is the easiest place to watch the show without having to reserve a spot too far in advance.
You may be tempted to leave after the fireworks but you can sneak on a few more popular rides if you commit to staying until the park closes which is often as late as midnight.
If you decide to stay, this would be the perfect time to ride two more of our top ranked Disneyland rides: Peter Pan’s Flight and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Both of these attractions close during the fireworks and will reopen after they end which allows guests a great chance to get on the rides with a minimal wait time!
As you can see with some planning and dedication it is absolutely possible to do Disneyland without Lightning Lane Multi Pass which can be a great way to save money if you are traveling on a budget.
More Disneyland Planning Tips
There is always a lot of information to consider before planning a Disneyland vacation. Make sure to spend time planning your days in the theme parks and become familiar with everything Disneyland has to offer. Don’t forget to subscribe to our FREE Deals Newsletter to stay on top of the current planning tips, strategies, and deals.
You can discover more about planning your trip to Disneyland from these links:
- Disneyland Character Dining
- JW Marriott Near Disneyland Hotel Review
- How to Plan Your Disneyland Trip
- 40+ Places to Find Cheap Food in Disneyland
Yes it is possible to do Disneyland without Lightning Lane Multi Pass but you may not experience quite as many rides if you are only in the parks for a day or two.
Yes, you do not need Lightning Lane Multi Pass to ride the rides at Disneyland as all rides have a regular line as well.
Yes, you can do Disneyland in one day as long as you arrive early and stay late!
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