In February we spent a perfect weekend at Disneyland. It was a fast and furious couple of days, and we took advantage of every second that we had. When booking this trip, we wondered if a weekend would be enough time to make it worthwhile. One more day would have been great, but with our two-day Disneyland itinerary we were still able to enjoy California Adventure, Disneyland, Downtown Disney, and even some pool time at our hotel.
We arrived on a Friday morning and departed on a Sunday morning. Because other families are curious to know if they can make a weekend worthwhile at Disneyland, below is our two-day itinerary.
Weekend at Disneyland Itinerary
Friday
- 10:30 am: Arrive at LAX and take a private car to Grand Californian Hotel
- 12 – 4 pm: Check luggage, lunch at Downtown Disney District, and rides at California Adventure
- 4 pm: Check in to the hotel, freshen-up, and then back to California Adventure
- 7 pm: Dinner at the hotel with live music
- 8:30 pm: Night at Disneyland with fireworks at 9 pm
Saturday
- 9 am: Coffee and breakfast at California Adventure and then onto rides
- 12 pm: Swimming and lunch by the pool at the hotel (Grand Californian)
- 3 pm: Over to Disneyland to hit our “top rides” list
- 8 pm: Dinner at Downtown Disney District with dessert at Sprinkles
Sunday
- 8 am: Room service for breakfast (complete with Mickey-shaped waffles)
- 10 am: Private car picks us up for the flight home 🙁
Disneyland Height Requirements
Before we left for our trip, we measured our son so that we had an idea of what rides he would be able to enjoy. He is 46 inches tall and lucky for him that meant he could ride everything he wanted except for Autotopia and the Incredicoaster, which I think would have been too much for him anyway. Besides those two attractions, he was able to ride everything. To check the Disneyland height requirements, view this website page.
Favorite Attractions
There are so many great rides, but there were several standouts for us over our two days.
- Soarin’ Around the World (California Adventure). This ride makes you feel like you are truly soaring over some of the world’s most amazing sites!
- Radiator Springs Racers (California Adventure, video above). This was a surprise hit for us! Has characters from the Cars movies and ends up in a high-speed race through the desert.
- Guardians of the Galaxy (California Adventure). We weren’t sure how our son would feel about this ride, but we decided to give it a try. And he loved it! Every time we dropped, he literally “laughed out loud!”
- Indiana Jones (Disneyland). Experience the adventure you’d expect from Indiana Jones, with some thrills.
- Space Mountain (Disneyland). Riding on a fast coaster through darkness scattered with stars. The only issue was the ride does shake so we had to keep holding our son’s head steady! But he said he still enjoyed it.
Downtown Disney District
Downtown Disney has a lot of restaurants and shops to visit. We spent a decent amount of time at Downtown Disney because we enjoy good food and being able to have a sit-down meal. Our favorite restaurant was the Uva Bar and Cafe which is located in the center of Downtown Disney. They have a large menu, fantastic service, and great outdoor seating where you can view all the action.
Tips for a Weekend at Disneyland
- Make dining reservations in advance. The weekends are busy and if you don’t have a reservation the wait time can be long.
- Stay at Disney Resort Hotel. This will save you so much time from having to drive, park, etc. Plus, you have a place to go back to refresh, change, or even lay by the pool! We stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel, to read about more it, click here.
- Use a car service. This will make the weekend feel less rushed and hectic. It will save you time and get you on track so much faster. You can read more about the car service we used by clicking here.
- Purchase Genie+. This will allow you to book your dining reservations, see wait times for rides, and utilize the Lightning Lane so you can optimize your time.
- Get Park Hopper Passes. This is slightly upgraded from an individual park pass. But this gives you the flexibility to switch between parks starting at 1:00 pm each day.
