As a Disney Mom, I’m a huge proponent of starting them young! In my opinion, there’s no age too young or too old to enjoy Disneyland. Every toddler loves Dumbo, meeting Cinderella, and exploring ToonTown, but is there anything for a toddler in Disney California Adventure? At first glance, this may seem the more “adult” of the two parks. With adult beverages served and rides like Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout and Incredicoaster, it’s easy to miss the family appeal of DCA. The family fun is there, though – you just have to look for it!
Today, I’ll dig a little deeper to uncover all that DCA has to offer for your whole family. We took our son to DCA for the first time at 20 months, and he had a blast exploring the park. We were surprised by all the great attractions for little ones to enjoy and delighted by how much fun we had as parents along the way.
Monsters Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue
This dark ride is a fantastic choice for the whole family. It’s a mellow taxi ride through Monstropolis, making it a great first ride to start the day with. Well, mellow in that the vehicle motion is mild – the story is an adventure! Kids will be dazzled by the colorful monsters and silly scenes, while parents will enjoy the little touches of humor throughout. The final room with the hanging doors – enhanced with a little Disney mirror magic – is really something to marvel at.
MONSTERS INC TIP: If traveling in a party of one or two, ask a cast member about the Buddy Pass, which is similar to a Single Rider pass except you can ride with your child as long as you all sit in one row.
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
For our family, it’s not a trip to DCA without taking a whirl on Mater’s. This ride, themed after the movie Cars, spins and swings you around with just enough thrill to make your toddler giggle without being too scary. It’s simple, but we cannot get through this ride without smiling. Make sure to check it out during Halloween and the Holiday Season for special-themed music and seasonal decor. A note that this ride does have a small height requirement (32 inches), but our shorter toddler was able to ride before he turned two.
Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters
Another Cars Land family classic, this ride takes you onto the dance floor… in a vintage car! Fun to both watch and ride, you’ll be amazed as the vehicles do the mamba without a track (which makes it seem like magic). The music is a blast and the spin at the end is a thrilling way to end the dance session. This ride also has a height requirement of 32 inches, but still great to watch from the sidelines if you have baby in your travel group.
Pixar Pal-A-Round
DCA’s Ferris Wheel is a two-in-one ride. We love it because you have the option to ride in a traditional Ferris Wheel gondola, or choose a swinging gondola for a more wild ride. Fair warning, our toddler loves the swinging gondolas, but they are not for those who get motion sick (i.e. this mom here writing this article). Whichever option you choose, you’ll be in for an amazing view of the whole park.
WEB SLINGERS – A Spider Man Adventure
Did you know that guests of any age can sling webs in Avengers Campus? WEB SLINGERS has no height requirement and the interactive component makes it the perfect ride for a busy toddler. We recommend practicing slinging webs with your little one before embarking on the ride, as it’s most fun if you understand how to work the technology. You can lap sit or sit your little one next to you, but you will find that that tech works best with every guest in their own seat.
Toy Story Midway Mania
In the theme of interactive attractions, Toy Story Midway Mania is another engaging ride for little ones. The attraction takes you through a variety of virtual midway games like darts, ring toss, and throwing pies (the pie throwing is a big hit in our family). We like to lap sit our toddler on this ride to help him work the pull string that you use the play the various games. Watch out for that toy store at the exit of the ride, though! It’s set up to entice little ones who belong to vacationers with money to burn.
The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Under the Sea Adventure
Is this the best ride in the park? No, but it’s great place to take an air conditioned break on a hot day. We jump on Little Mermaid when everyone needs a rest from the excitement of the parks. If you’re a Little Mermaid fan, you’ll still enjoy the journey through the well-loved story and a taste of all your favorite songs. It’s colorful and kid friendly, and you’ll breathe a sigh of relief the moment you sink into that clam shell and are whisked away on a relaxing voyage under the sea.
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
While not officially a “ride,” you won’t want to miss out on The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Whenever we stop by here, we cannot get our toddler to leave. We love popping over in the afternoon when it’s time for a break from all the standing in line. This play space is full of exciting things to explore. The larger rope bridges and slides can be navigated with the help of a parent. However, if you head to the back of the complex, you’ll find an area set up just for toddlers with smaller slides, a crawl tube, a cave to explore, and rocks to climb. The best part is there are places for parents to sit and keep an eye on their kids while they play. So you can relax while your kids have a blast.
Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind
This ride may seem simple, but it’s full of heart. It has the vibe of Dumbo (it’s actually the old Flik’s Flyers from A Bug’s Land rethemed), making it perfect for kids of all ages. Themed after the Pixar movie Inside Out, different characters from the movie switch out narrating, so it feels like a new attraction each time. Outside the ride are a collection of whimsical stone benches perfect for a break – that our toddler enjoys climbing and playing on.
Jessie’s Carrousel
I’ll be honest. I miss the beautiful piece of art that was King Triton’s carrousel, so it took me until becoming a parent to hop on this re-brand of the DCA carrousel. It’s silly, but it sure is fun! Instead of your traditional horses, you’ll find all sorts of cartoon animals, from a snake to a pink bunny to a skunk you ride backward. My son laughs every time we ride, making the experience joyful for everyone. A bonus is that there’s never much of a line, so we head over to the carrousel whenever the park is busy and we don’t want to wait.
Golden Zephyr
You’ll feel like you’re flying on this spinning ride that’s surprisingly peaceful. There is no height requirement, even though it may look like an intimidating ride from down below. I get motion sick easily and find this ride manageable. Like the Pixar Pal-A-Round Ferris Wheel, you’ll get a great view of park. The only downside to the ride is it doesn’t run in windy conditions, so even slightly poor weather will ground it for a time.
Bonus: Soarin’ and Radiator Springs Racers
If you have a taller toddler who has hit 40 inches, Soarin’ Around the World and Radiator Springs Racers are great “big kid” rides to start with. Racers moves fast like a roller coaster, but starts as a traditional dark ride and is the perfect “gateway” ride to more thrilling options like Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain.
Our toddler cannot get enough of Soarin’ and asks to ride every time we’re in the parks. It’s a great way to teach little ones about the different parts of the world. The technology is so well done, the first time he rode, my son really DID think he traveled to these places aboard a glider. You can’t help but walk away with sense of awe and wonder as you disembark from this attraction.
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Let’s Hear From You
Are you looking to take little ones to visit Disney California Adventure? We hope you have as much fun as we did with our little guy on his first trip. If you’ve already been to DCA with a toddler, let us know in the comments which of these rides and attractions you loved most and any additional tips you may have!