11 Disneyland Rides That You Can Walk On
During a Disneyland visit, you have one main goal. You want to participate in as many attractions as possible during your park day. In a perfect world, you’d prefer to avoid waiting in line as much as you can. And I have a few suggestions on how to do that! Here are 11 Disneyland Resort rides that are sometimes walk-ons.
Autopia
What’s a walk-on attraction? It’s something with such short lines that you could enter it in 10 minutes or less. Obviously, a park’s crowd traffic on a given day influences the wait-time.
Similarly, the time of day plays a factor, too. Afternoons bring the largest crowds to Disneyland Resort, while early mornings and evenings are when you’ll fight the crowds the least.
Keeping these aspects in mind, several attractions require waits of 10 minutes or less on a typical park day. Everything here definitely falls below 15 minutes when Disneyland contains average crowd levels. And one of the opening day attractions at the park, Autopia, certainly qualifies.
Kids don’t get the same thrill out of driving a fake car that they once did. A Go-Kart track provides a similar experience, and so the bloom is off the rose a bit with Autopia. Still, it’s a charming attraction, particularly for parents to do with their small children.
Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes
Did you know that you can get a workout at Disneyland? And no, I’m not talking about all the walking that you do. Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes encourages you to paddle your way across a river.
It’s a group exercise, and you’ll have enough people on the canoe that you don’t HAVE to do it. You should, though. It’s a fun way to get your heart pumping while you admire the sights at the park.
Golden Zephyr
Some of the opening day attractions at Disney California Adventure suffer from poor reputations. And I must be honest here. The Golden Zephyr looks like the cheapest ride at Disneyland Resort. It’s more of a carnival attraction than something that you’d expect at the place with The Incredicoaster and Soarin’.
Still, Golden Zephyr provides quite a bit of fun. It’s a good carnival ride for what it offers. You enter something that looks like a space train, and then you spin around for 90 seconds. As you twirl, you’ll bear witness to some of the most magnificent sights at Disneyland Resort.
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Pixar Pal-A-Round, and other landmarks whiz by. Golden Zephyr provides some phenomenal filming opportunities, presuming that you can hold your phone steady while you spin.
Jessie’s Critter Carousel
Disney operates a couple of carousels in Anaheim, one of which is actually older than the park. Both are true walk-on attractions in that you’ll rarely wait in a long line for either one. However, I recommend the newer carousel if you must pick.
Disney has themed Jessie’s Critter Carousel after Jessie from the Toy Story franchise. Imagineers recently repurposed the ride to add kawaii animals that kids adore. Plus, the upbeat music will have you dancing in your seat as you rotate around the carousel.
The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure
Disney dark rides do a marvelous job of bringing your favorite animated movies to life. This attraction sticks you into a moving clamshell and retells the story of The Little Mermaid, the feature film that restored Disney to glory. It triggered a wave of blockbuster animated movies and remains one of the company’s best outings.
On the ride, you’ll listen to Ariel sing Part of Your World, watch aquatic creatures frolic underwater, and face off against fearsome Ursula. The Disneyland version of this attraction is somehow less crowded than the Magic Kingdom one, which is difficult for me to believe. Both are terrific.
Mad Tea Party
I apologize in advance if you’re pushing down a sudden wave of nausea right now. Mad Tea Party’s reputation precedes it as that infernal spinning ride that will cause you to spill your guts in a literal sense.
Still, it’s another opening day attraction that many people love. If you’re one of them, I have fantastic news. This iconic ride rarely has a line these days. Oh, and Walt Disney World fans visiting Disneyland are in for a treat! It’s an outdoor attraction here.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Disneyland can make anyone’s dreams come true. For example, as a child, you probably dreamt of Hundred Acre Wood, the home of Winnie the Pooh and his friends. During a Disney visit, you can visit your friends at their adorable home.
While the attraction feels a bit threadbare compared to the one at Magic Kingdom, it’s a touching tribute to the writings of A.A. Milne. And you get to ride in a honeycomb! How great is that?
Mickey’s PhilHarmagic
Sometimes, you’d prefer to sit down for a while. At Disneyland, two beloved attractions seat so many guests that you’ll rarely have to wait for more than one show. In other words, you’re seldom more than 10 minutes away from an entertaining show.
Mickey’s PhilHarmagic only recently came to Disney California Adventure. Disneyland fans had clamored for it for years. Despite the buzz, its lines have remained short.
This celebration of Disney animated movies can seat a movie theater full of people for each 12-minute performance. And anyone who loves Part of Your World, A Whole New World, or Be Our Guest will have a spectacular time watching the show.
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Oh, J. Thaddeus Toad, Esq., how do I love thee? Allow me to count the ways. I admire the beauty of your stately mansion and the works of art on display throughout your home.
I’m impressed by your automobile collection and your willingness to ignore the laws of the land while recklessly driving across town. And while I don’t like the idea of prison escapes, I still respect that you possess the wits to break out of jail.
I would offer a word of warning, though. You really ought to look both ways before you pull out onto a road. You never know when a train might barrel down the train tracks where you’re currently driving. Also, you shouldn’t drive on train tracks.
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride first won the hearts of Disneyland fans back in 1955. Since opening day, it’s entertained guests with its whimsy and dark sense of humor. It’s undeniably a classic, yet its wait-times are quite modest. Since you can’t ride it at Walt Disney World anymore, you MUST take a spin at Disneyland while you’re there!
Snow White’s Scary Adventures
Like most ancient fairytales, the story of Snow White is pretty messed up. On opening day at Disneyland, guests expressed confusion and dismay over this ride’s accurate portrayal of the story.
Over the years, park guests have become more familiar with the concept of the dark ride. It’s allowed people to appreciate the cleverness of this attraction. Unfortunately, the scary adventures have remained a divisive topic, forcing Disney to plus the ride in a different way.
When this ride re-opens in the spring of 2020, it’ll feature a fairytale theme, somewhat negating the title. But it’s still a Disneyland classic that you’ll want to experience. Warning: It may have long lines for a while in 2020 due to the updates. After a few months, it’ll go right back to having no wait, though.
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
The other show worth your time dates back to the early 1960s. When Disney introduced Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, Audio-Animatronics (AAs) wowed crowds. Nobody had ever seen robotic creatures like these, and they solved a different problem.
Walt Disney’s original idea involved a restaurant…and real birds. His underlings advised him on the perils of guests dining in a room filled with flying creatures who go to the bathroom in mid-flight.
By employing AAs, Imagineers solved the problem and unlocked a second angle. Birds could tell a story, sing some catchy tunes, and generally entertain the audience.
Since the AAs utilized recorded voices, each show would play out the same, something that’s untrue of cast members. With an elegant solution in place, the Enchanted Tiki Room became an instant classic that entertains guests to this day. Due to its age, it’s rarely crowded, though. So, you’ll never have a problem getting into the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room.
