What Are The Best Rides At California Adventure – I’ve always been intrigued by Disney’s California Adventure. Although it bears some similarities to the Orlando theme parks at Walt Disney World, it is a different Disney theme park than the others. With several iconic areas such as Pixar Pier and Cars Land, Disney’s California Adventure offers something for the whole family. There are also many fun rides at Disneyland California Adventure that are great for families.
Here are some of the best adventure attractions in Disneyland, California, along with tips for visiting the park. Missed your favorite? Leave us a comment below:
What Are The Best Rides At California Adventure
Disclosure: We received discounted/free tickets as part of our participation in the AWEsome Retreat. All opinions are my own. A purchase through one of these links may result in a commission being paid at no additional cost to you.
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Unlike Walt Disney World, it is very easy to move between the two Disneyland parks (Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure). You will park at one location (or stay at a nearby resort/hotel) and then walk to the entrances of both parks.
Due to the current situation, some things have (temporarily?) changed at Disneyland. We recommend checking for the latest information to make sure you don’t miss any of these top attractions.
Disneyland recently introduced Genie, Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes. You’ll need to change your theme park strategy to avoid long lines at the most popular attractions.
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Also, park hopping is a little different than it used to be. All guests must have valid Disneyland tickets and reservations to enter the parks. If you want to park, you will need this additional option on your ticket.
You will need to make a reservation for one of the parks and then enter it. At 13:00 you will be allowed to park and go to another park. See the bottom of this post for information on how the virtual queue works.
One of my favorite attractions at Disneyland is Radiator Springs Racers located in Cars Land. On this thrilling ride, which is similar to the Test Track at Epcot, you’ll prepare for the big race as you go through the dark part of the ride. Of course, you’ll be able to see some of your favorite residents of Radiator Springs.
Like the test track, after a dark ride, you’ll head out with the vehicles to race the majestic Cadillac Mountains. For me, this is the best part of the trip.
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Radiator Springs Racers is a must ride and extremely popular. Because of this, you will find that the wait time can be quite long. There is a single rider line option if you don’t mind splitting up your group to ride a little faster.
Radiator Springs Racers is for those 40 inches or taller, so prepare before you go. You definitely don’t want frustrated younger kids who may be too young to drive.
There are two additional rides in Cars Land – Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. They may appeal more to young children.
Probably one of the most exciting attractions at the Disneyland Resort is the Incredicoaster located at Pixar Pier. Originally called California Screamin’, it was reimagined with a Disney Incredibles theme. It is the only attraction at the Disneyland Resort that turns upside down.
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On this thrilling roller coaster ride, chase Jack-Jack from The Phenomenals through several laser-lit tunnels as you hurtle through the roller coaster. If you like roller coasters, I definitely recommend riding this one.
Looking to cool off on a hot day at the Disneyland Resort? The Grizzly River Run, located on Grizzly Peak, is a raft ride similar to the Cali River rapids at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
While this is a great way to cool down, you’re bound to get wet during the ride. Lockers are available to store valuables and it’s a good idea to bring a rain poncho if you don’t want to spend the rest of the day drying off.
As a fan of Disney’s Hollywood Studios’ Tower of Terror, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the Tower of Terror’s transformation in Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: PROJOR! at Disneyland. I’m happy to say that I really like it.
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The changes include the retro music that the movies are famous for and the whole ride is chaotic fun (quite spooky). Although there are some differences, the general concept of the trip remains the same.
I’m still glad they still have the original version at Walt Disney World – that way I can go to both!
Toy Story Midway Mania is a 4D ride inspired by midway games that are usually played on a pier or boardwalk. It stars popular Toy Story characters like Buzz and Woody.
While riding in the attraction vehicle and wearing 3D glasses, you will be transported to various breaks. It’s so much fun trying to beat the other drivers in your vehicle and it’s a great ride for the whole family.
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In Paradise Gardens (next to Pixar Pier) is Goofy’s Sky School, a light slide. It’s different from the rides at Walt Disney World and I like its uniqueness. There is a minimum height requirement of 42 inches.
This popular ride is exactly the same as the East Coast version at Epcot. When you board the hand-skating-style ride, you’ll be able to soar above the world’s most famous attractions.
While I still prefer the “Soarin’ Over California” version of this fun ride, this one is still worth the ride. Even after driving it a few times, I still have to drive it every time I visit.
Disney California Adventure’s newest attraction is located in its newest land, Avengers Campus. WEB SLINGERS: The Spider-Man Adventure uses a new virtual tail and is very popular. I haven’t had a chance to visit the Avengers Campus yet, but I will definitely try to ride on my next visit.
These Are The Best Rides At Disneyland
One of the newest additions at Disneyland/Walt Disney World is the virtual queue. It was originally introduced with Rise of the Resistance in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Disneyland Park, but is now also being used with the new WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure attraction.
The virtual queue is free to access and is the only way to ride these latest rides. There are no standby lines available for any of them.
To try to enter the virtual queue, you will need the Disneyland app downloaded to your device. Make sure you’re signed in with your Disney account and all members of your party and their tickets must be linked to your account.
You can only have one virtual reservation in the queue at a time and you can only have one per attraction per day. Therefore, it is important to decide which one you want to try first. Virtual queue reservations are not guaranteed.
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When you have an upload group in a virtual queue, you need to make sure you set up push notifications. You will receive a notification from the app when your group is invited and you will have one hour to check in to the attraction.
The virtual queue reservation system opens at 7am and then again at 12pm. You should make sure you read all about the system on the Disney website before you go as there are frequent updates.
Visiting Disneyland in California? Click to see all of our Disneyland posts with reviews, tips, top attraction reviews and more. We’ve already told you all about the rides at Disneyland Park, but what about the other big theme park at the Disneyland Resort?
It’s a short walk from Disneyland Park to Disney California Adventure (DCA), which is packed with even more attractions and entertainment, including the Avengers campus! DCA has gone through a lot of changes since it opened in 2001 and has many different attractions to suit all families and interests. Learn everything you need to know about DCA rides right here!
Virtual Disneyland Rides
Just like we did for the Disneyland Park rides, we’ve categorized the Disney California Adventure rides into two different groups—just to make it easier for you to figure out which rides you want and which you can skip. Now let’s move on to ranking EVERY ride at Disneyland Park!
We categorize this section as the best rides for families and small children, but there’s no reason why adults can’t have fun with these rides too!
Silly Symphony Swings is a classic ride that you probably know from many other theme parks, with guests sitting in single or tandem swings that are lifted into the air as the canopy rotates. If you don’t get dizzy, you’ll get incredible views of DCA.
Guests must be at least 40 inches tall to ride a tandem swing with an adult or 48 inches tall to ride a solo swing. While this ride can be really fun, it’s also pretty simple compared to many others