Map is from Magic Guides

The rides at Disneyland can be overwhelming especially when you don’t know what each ride entails and if it’s a good fit for you and your party. I’m going to break down the type of rides of some of the most popular rides at Disneyland.

The Bumpy, The Fast, and The Whiplash


Thunder Mountain, (Hyper)Space Mountain, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Splash Mountain, and Indiana Jones are my favorite rides and they are the most intense roller coaster rides based by speed and dives. 


Thunder Mountain: This is my favorite ride at Disneyland. You aboard a high speed railroad train. You get beautiful views on the top of the roller coaster and it’s even more gorgeous and thrilling at night. 

Matterhorn Bobsleds: While not as fast and thrilling as Thunder Mountain, it’s still a fast roller coaster. Watch out for the Yeti! If you notice one of the popcorn turners, it’s also a Yeti.

Splash Mountain has the thrill of deep drops but isn’t a fast roller coaster (in between the drops). The inside of Splash Mountain is cool because they have sets with characters so it’s not only a roller coaster with surrounding outside walls. There are no seat belts or anything to keep you secure and people somehow don’t fall out. They do have ramps to hold onto on the sides of the ride. You will get soaked on this ride so I recommend to keep your electronics secure and go during the day time so you can dry fast.

Hyper Space Mountain is special because it’s inside, dark, everything you are seeing is from lights, is a simulation, and it’s hard to tell where exactly you are going. The surprise is what makes Space Mountain so much fun. You don’t have to worry about any dives but make sure you hold on tight to the bar! Make sure you put away any loose items. I lost my hat on this ride and I was convinced it was impossible for my hat to fly off.


Indiana Jones is more like a fast paced track because there are no drops however, it is very bumpy! It’s super fun and I wish the ride was longer because I love it so much. It’s very adventurous and exciting.

The Calm But Spooky


Pirates of the Caribbean – It’s truly amazing how much details they put into the “people”, the lights, the sounds, and the sets. It looks very real and there is a lot to notice and look around. There are two small dips so it’s great for kids who may not want a fast paced roller coaster. 


Pinocchio’s Daring Journey & Snow White’s Scary Adventures: They are slow pasted but the theme of both of these rides are creepy/scary! 


The Haunted Mansion: During October through December, The Haunted Museum is “The Nightmare Before Christmas” theme with Oogie Boogie, Jack, and Christmas/Halloween decorations. I still don’t understand how they are able to make a floating head that is talking and moving along with holograms. A true masterpiece. Very impressed!

 

The Cute

The best time to get a photo with a character is when they are switching them out. For example, I saw Pooh Bear go “backstage” with a cast member and 5 minutes later, Pooh Bear came back. The line was very minimal so that saved a half an hour at least waiting to get a photo.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh– Hop abroad a beehive and see Pooh Bear, Tigger, Eeyore, and other characters.

Alice in Wonderland – This is a small caterpillar ride that goes through Wonderland, you see Mr. Rabbit, the garden, filled with the Queen, her guard cards, takes you outside, then back in to conclude with a tea party. I love how true these types of rides are to the original, cartoon version film. Another ride right next to this ride and that is also Alice in Wonderland themed is the spinning tea cups “Mad Tea Party“. The Mad Tea Party’s line goes by very quick because of the amount of people the rides takes and how short the spinning is.


Dumbo the Flying Elephant/Astro Orbiter: These two rides are like merry go rounds but in the air. Both of these rides have no height restrictions. 

Mickey’s House and Sleeping Beauty’s Castle (walk through): The line to meet Mickey is long. When you think you are getting to Mickey, you are mistaken. You go through his house, backyard, barnyard, to his movie theater, THEN you meet Mickey. Even on a non-peak day the process to get to Mickey takes a long time. For me it took me an hour with a estimated wait time of 30 minutes. Anywhere in Toontown is beyond cute.

Minnie? We don’t know her.

Star Tours — The Adventures Continue was really entertaining and a 3D ride of flying. You wear 3D glasses and buckle up on a moving room. The queue to get to the ride is worth it alone because you get to see R2D2, C-3PO, and a cute security robot who looks a lot like Wall-E.

The Jungle Cruise  is about a 10 minute ride observing “animals” in their natural habitat. I personally think this cruise is worth going on just to hear the Dad jokes. The operators on the rides make me laugh and I love a cheesy joke. 

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run gets to you to ride the Millennium Falcon. You get to see Hondo Ohnaka before boarding the vessel. Hondo is probably my favorite animatronic because of how realistic he looks. The effects on Smugglers Run with the moving room and lights make it almost scary because you feel the Millennium Falcon crash and move. The ride consists of 6 people including yourself in a room to team up: a set of 2 people are the pilot, gunner, and engineer.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage – Aboard a submarine (feels very legit!) and see the creatures of the sea featuring Dory and Nemo!


*Don’t forget if you weren’t able to upgrade for the MaxPass, you can still get FastPasses near the rides and it’s free. Once you scan your ticket you are reserved to come back at a later time to skip the line.  Thanks to the fast pass I was able to ride Space Mountain twice.

The Creepy…?

It’s A Small World is longer than what you would expect. The ride takes 15 minutes to go through. You boat a small boat and it goes through several rooms of different cultures singing. Many put this ride in the creepy category because of the dolls and the continuous loop of the same song. I am torn but for the most part, I am going to have to concur. I really like how Little Mermaid, Lilo and Stitch, and Donald Duck is in the ride. The cute outside touches makes me want to ride It’s A Small World again. 

Don’t forget the happiest place in the world…inside the happiest place in the world 😉 They have Disneyland Starbucks mugs, cups, and ornaments.