The Perfect 2-Day Disneyland Itinerary with a Toddler

We visited Disneyland when Oliver was just 18 months old. For some families, that might be a little young. But, I’m so glad we didn’t wait until he was older. There are different benefits for going to Disneyland at different ages, which I break down in detail here.

Going when he was younger meant fewer breakdowns over what he wanted to do. He’d never even seen a Disney show or movie, so it was a very easy-going trip, and we could go with the flow a lot more easily.

That said, despite being a well-traveled mama, my little one has never napped well “on the go.” That meant a stroller nap was a pretty much guaranteed one-way trip to meltdown.

So, we opted to stay at a Disneyland Resort hotel, the Grand Californian, and spend two full days at Disneyland. That way, we could do naps back at the hotel each day, and we had two days to make up for any toddler curveballs we might encounter.

Definitely check out my Ultimate Guide to Disneyland with a Toddler before jumping into this itinerary! I cover almost every aspect of a visit, from hotel tips to food options and ride hacks.

We also decided to visit during the off-season in November (which I highly recommend). There are fewer crowds when visiting on a “school day,” plus we got to experience all of the Christmas holiday magic.

Check out my detailed Disneyland Itinerary below to help plan your own trip with a toddler!

What to Prepare Before the Trip

I’m absolutely obsessed with planning, especially when it comes to itineraries and the small details.

As much as I love being spontaneous, Disneyland is a destination that tends to require some planning. It isn’t just about the rides or toys, but all of the essentials you’ll need beforehand.

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Things to Keep in Mind While Planning

While planning your perfect park day at Disneyland, check for possible ride closures and mark your personal ride priorities. If you are staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel, you can get Early Entry (my full guide can be found here), and all guests can pay for Genie+.

Here are some rides that are open for Early Entry and are available for the Lightning Pass:

You’ll also want to make sure to prioritize baby and toddler-friendly attractions. These include:

• Casey Jr. Circus Train
• Storybook Land Canal Boats
• Jungle Cruise
• Disneyland Railroad
• Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
• Adventureland Treehouse

Here are “family-friendly” rides that may or may not be a good fit for your toddler:

• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Haunted Mansion

Day-Before-Visit (If staying at a hotel)

When planning the perfect Disneyland schedule, I wanted to ensure that we had no hiccups or stress regarding actual park days. This meant that the first day was dedicated to arriving at our hotel and setting ourselves up for success.

Use this as a travel day.

Whether you’re flying, driving, or taking public transportation, give yourself plenty of time to get to your accommodation. This includes bathroom breaks, stops for food, and any naps needed for the whole family.

If you’re anything like me, I like to have all of my booking information in one place. 

If you’re staying at one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels, download the Disneyland app! There’s a section here that links to your booking information so you have everything in one place.

Once we arrived and settled in, we wanted to take this time to explore Downtown Disney. This is more for shopping and dining than anything else, and it was the perfect opportunity to grab any accessories, like Ollie’s Mickey ears and bubble wand.

4:30 PM – Go Shopping at Downtown Disney

If you want to save time so you won’t have to wait in shop lines at the park, this is a great time to grab ears and any other Disney merchandise.

I had heard that the bubble wand was the ultimate toddler toy for a magical Disney experience, and that couldn’t be more true! Oliver was absolutely obsessed, and I highly recommend that you grab one at the start of your trip so they can enjoy it the whole day.

Note: They sell extra bubble solution throughout the theme park to restock as needed!

5:15 PM – Enjoy Dinner at Downtown Disney

There are quite a few dining options, from restaurants to food carts. For us, it was all about carbo-loading for an optimal first day at the park, so we went with Naples Ristorante. But there are a bunch of restaurants here to suit any foodie’s needs.

6-10 PM Seasonal Snow Every 30 minutes 

If you’re visiting during the holiday season, like we were, Downtown Disney creates a wintry wonderland with a little “snow” fall. You can find this between Black Tap and Jazz Kitchen.

Day 1: Park Day

There’s a lot to see across two parks, and it can definitely be overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time at Disneyland.

When visiting with a toddler, your best bet is to stick to one park per day. Personally, we were happy to visit Disneyland Park both days and skip California Adventure this time around.

6:30 AM – Queue for Early Entry at Disneyland

It’s definitely an early start, but you’re going to want to beat the crowds by getting a good place in line for Early Entry (only available for those staying at a Disneyland resort hotel).

We used this time to feed Oliver breakfast items in line. It helped pass the time while we were waiting.

7:30 AM (arrive by 7 AM) – Early Entry

Early Entry is only a half-hour long, and only certain rides and “lands” are open for it. Since we were there with a toddler, we opted to take advantage of a crowd-free Fantasyland, and it was amazing!

Photos at the Castle

There were so few people during Early Entry that we got an IMPOSSIBLE photo together with nobody else on the castle bridge—no Photoshop or anything! This is truly one of my favorite photos of Oliver and me ever!

Early Entry Disneyland Rides at Fantasyland

Since we were taking it slow, we rode a few rides (some a couple times in a row) and then went to get a head start before the crowds formed in Toontown.

These were the rides we went on this morning—Early Entry made going through these lines a breeze.

• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• King Arthur Carrousel
• Pinocchio’s Daring Journey – Oliver was still too young to be scared, but I swear all these rides are traumatizing if your kiddo is easily scared.

Explore Toontown

• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (Lightning Pass Available) – We skipped this because we felt Oliver was still too young, but it might be a good option for older toddlers.
• It’s a Small World (Lightning Pass Available) – This one usually has a short line, but you might want to head straight here during the holiday season when lines are longest.
• Full Loop on the Disneyland Railroad

8:30 AM – Breakfast

If your wake-up time was 5:30 AM like us, it’s desperately time for some sustenance.

Use this as a time to feed yourselves and give your toddler a break from the rides and potential overstimulation. If you’re trying to squeeze in as many rides as possible, there are a couple of great AM snacking options for a grab-and-go meal, or you can utilize the Mobile Order feature with the Disney App.

10 AM – Explore Main Street

If time allows, this is a nice slow activity to enjoy. But make sure you give yourself plenty of time between feedings, diaper changes, and potential toddler meltdowns.

11:15 AM – Character Brunch at Hotel at Storyteller’s Cafe 

Honestly, this couldn’t have been more perfect since it was back at our hotel. I was able to book a late brunch, so it served as our lunch. Afterward, we went straight to the room for Oliver’s nap time.

12-2 PM – Nap Time

If your little one can nap on the go, you can find a quiet place in the area to take a stroller nap. We planned on taking naps back at the hotel room (so we could also rest).

This is also a great time to divide and conquer any adult rides you might want to go on.

You might have to wait 2+ hours to ride Rise of the Resistance, but honestly, it is awesome. You can do Rider Switch, so one adult can wait in line while one adult waits with your little one—then swap after the ride!

2:30-3 PM – Everyone Meets at a Designated Spot (Hotel or Park) After Nap

We took this opportunity to load up on more snacks and get in front of It’s a Small World for the parade viewing.

3:30 PM – A Christmas Fantasy Parade

Not only are the parades a fun and festive way to squeeze in so many character viewings at once, but they also allow a bit of a break from walking or standing in line. Their parades change throughout the year, but this one was about 40 minutes long.

4:10 PM – More Rides

This was the perfect opportunity to get those last rides in before we headed out of the park for the day. We wanted to visit Tomorrowland and circle back one last time to Fantasyland. 

We went on Autopia (Rider Switch and Lightning Pass Available) as the main ride for our visit to Tomorrowland.

Technically, most toddlers won’t be tall enough for this, but Oliver is very tall and also obsessed with cars, so this made sense for our family.

You could also do Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (Early Entry and Lightning Pass Available) and the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, which are in this same area, but we felt he was a little too young for these.

Once we were back at Fantasyland, it was all about the Casey Jr. Circus Train and the Storybook Land Canal Boats, both of which allowed for a slow and relaxed experience.

5:30 PM – Dinner

After a long day in the park, we ate in Downtown Disney before heading back to the hotel room. However, I’ve provided some Disneyland dining options if you don’t want to leave the park.

7:00 PM – Everyone Back to the Hotel Room

Depending on the size of your party, some of you may want to call it a night and prepare for an early morning, while others go back to the park for more thrills.

Disneyland is open until midnight (parts of the year), and depending on energy levels, you may still have a lot of adventure left to experience.

Personally, we knew we wanted to have another strong and early start the next day, so we went to bed as early as possible.

Day 2: Park Day

When you have 2 days at Disneyland, you have the opportunity to leave a bit of spontaneity for the second day. Definitely hit anything you missed on Day 1 in the morning, but I recommend leaving the afternoon to stumble upon a bit of that Disney Magic!

6:30 AM – Queue for Early Entry at Disneyland

Once again, we utilized the Early Entry perk, which meant another early morning.

More breakfast goodies for Oliver in line until a bigger breakfast and more snacks later.

7:30 AM (arrive by 7 AM) – Early Entry

We took advantage of a crowd-free Fantasyland again and rode the Tea Cups (twice) and the Carousel, once again, twice. We also snagged a few more people-free photos from a different location near the castle!

Early Entry Disneyland Rides

Photos at the Castle Bridge

8 AM – Amusement Rides at Adventureland

We did SO much during Early Entry this morning that we had enough time to get to the front of Rope Drop to enter Adventureland at the park’s opening at 8 AM.

Adventureland Rides for Babies and Toddlers:

• Haunted Mansion (Early Entry and Lightning Pass Available) – We went straight to the queue for this ride after Rope Drop and were some of the first people on the ride. This particular ride might be too scary for some toddlers, but we know our kiddo, and he LOVED it. We also did it during Christmas when it’s more ‘festive’ than spooky.
• Pirates of the Caribbean (Rider Switch Available) – Another more “adult” ride that you should consider for your family. Oliver loved it, and it’s one of my favorite rides, so it was fun for us. It is dark, there are some scary scenes, and there are a couple of drops with light sprays, so you just want to be mindful and potentially skip. If this suits your young ones’ tastes, get in line as early as possible.
• Jungle Cruise—This line is usually very short. It’s a slow ride and is perfect for toddlers, as boats and animals are some of their favorite things!
• Adventureland Treehouse – If you want to burn off some energy, this interactive experience is great for older toddlers. Oliver was still a little young for us to feel comfortable with the climbing.
• Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room – This one is a great option for toddlers to move around because it’s fully enclosed!
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – We got on so many rides that we decided to head down to the Pooh ride. Historically, it has short lines, and we got on and off within 10 minutes.

9:00 AM – Breakfast and Snacks

One of the best parts of a day at Disneyland is all of the yummy snacks! 

11 AM – Lunch

We chose to have lunch at Tiana’s Palace, and it was perfectly convenient!

This was such a festive lunch spot in the middle of New Orleans Square and is pretty new on the Disneyland scene.

It features Creole/Cajun-inspired cuisine, and you can expect plates like cajun-spiced chicken, shrimp grits, gumbo, sandwiches, mac & cheese, and beignets. Mobile Order is also available here, so be sure to order ahead of time through the Disneyland app to avoid waiting.

12-2 PM – Nap Time

Again, use this time to rest yourselves, or take advantage of some thrill rides!

2:30-3 PM – Everyone Meets at a Designated Spot (Hotel or Park) After Nap

3:30 PM – Rides and Activities

This was a really great opportunity to kind of be spontaneous (as much as the schedule will allow).

Which lines have the shortest lines? What did Oliver want to try again? Were there cool seasonal activities happening on Main Street that we might have missed? What are some more relaxing rides that allow us to sit?

This was the time to not stick to a schedule or have any expectations.

5:30 pm – Dinner

There are so many dining options between Frontierland and Adventureland, and this last dinner gives you a good opportunity to follow your taste buds.

7:30 PM – Evening Festivities

Disneyland at night is pure magic. Add in the holidays, and you’ll be bursting at the seams with holiday joy!

There are parades and evening events throughout the year, so check the Disneyland website to see which events you should prepare for your trip.

Enjoy These Events If You’re Visiting During the Holidays:

• “it’s a small world.” Holiday Lighting: 5:15 PM
• A Christmas Fantasy Parade: 6:30 PM (night parade)
• “Believe…In Holiday Magic” Fireworks Spectacular: 9:30 PM

I can’t believe how late the fireworks show is (given that this is a theme park for kids), but they are truly spectacular. Oliver fell asleep in his stroller around 7 p.m., and we woke him to see the fireworks. Then it was back to the hotel and straight to bed!