The Best Rides at Disneyland for Toddlers
In a week, Squirt will be turning four (four!) and of course, we will be celebrating his birthday at (what I like to think) is his favorite place: Disneyland. Squirt is no stranger to Disneyland, in fact, he is an annual passholder and has been to the parks more time in his four years than most people go in a lifetime. And because he goes with me, he has developed the right kind of attitude when it comes to a day in the parks. The other day I asked him if he wanted to go on a ride and he said, “Let’s just walk around and get a snack.” #proudmama Even though we try new rides every once in a while, especially as he gets older and taller, he has his favorites, and it is rare we stray from them. So, from the mouth of babes, here are the best rides at Disneyland and California Adventure for toddlers:
DCA
We spend most of our time in DCA. Not because of the booze (I rarely drink when it’s just he and I in the parks) but because of the space, the accessibility of the bathrooms, and because of Cars Land. My kid loooooooves cars of all kind, so of course Cars is his favorite Disney movie. The only ride we sometimes go on in Cars Land is Luigi’s, but that’s a sporadic one for us. Mostly, he likes to “say hi” to Lightning McQueen and Mater, who hang out in front of the Cozy Cone on a regular basis.
Ride wise, one of our favorites is Little Mermaid. There are a couple of benefits to this one. The line is usually short, it’s indoors and air conditioned, and it’s a decent length. There’s bright colors and music and fish, all things that most toddlers seem to be pretty into. I’m into sitting down for five minutes and not sweating.
Squirt’s favorite ride at DCA is without a doubt, Monsters Inc. We are gonna be so sad if/when this guy closes. Due to the intense car love, Squirt was into this one from the beginning, since you ride in a taxi throughout Monstropolis. He also thinks the monsters are hi-larious. This is one we go on pretty much every trip, and he loves it every time. We’ve been stuck on it more than once, and have probably thirty selfies of us in our taxi.
Disneyland
We don’t spend as much time in Disneyland, but the time we do spend in the park involves more rides than DCA. First and foremost, Squirt loves the train. Even when the trains were on hiatus, we still spent a lot of time climbing all over them. Now that it is back, Squirt loves it even more because not only is it a train, but you get to see dinosaurs when you do the full circle trip. Bonus. Also, this picture is giving me the feels.
It should come as no surprise that “it’s a small world” makes the list. I mean, duh. Squirt is a big fan of the “little kid boats” (not to be confused with the animal boats, see below). Due again to the indoor, air-conditioned, seated nature of the ride, I tolerate the music.
Animal boats, aka Jungle Cruise, are another favorite, for obvious reasons. Kids love animals, and Jungle Cruise allows them to ride on a boat and see animals doing silly things. Plus, cheesy jokes! Jungle Cruise has always been one of my favorites, so I’m always happy to go on this one. However, the line can be tricky with a toddler as there are stairs and narrow spaces. Proceed with caution.
Other rides we have done at both parks include Luigi’s (aka spinny cars), Star Tours (I want him to love this ride as much as I did as a kid, and he mostly does, though sometimes still gets scared), Autopia (which he loves but I hate so we never go on it anymore), Haunted Mansion (not a fan), Pirates (depends on the day), Casey Junior (love, but the line is rough), and all of Bug’s Land (not worth it, IMO). Obviously, Disney is a park made for kids, and the majority of the rides are toddler friendly. I recommend finding the rides that work best for your kiddo, and sticking with those.
What rides do your kids love at Disney?
