Pick Nine Disney California Adventure

Disney California Adventure often gets a bad rap, and I know because I’m often the one doing the rapping.

Memories of 2001 linger. If you weren’t around for the drama, let’s just say there was plenty of it.

Disney fans recoiled at Michael Eisner’s attempt to build a Disneyland companion park.

To the credit of Bob Iger and Walt Disney Imagineering, this park eventually turned a corner.

Once Radiator Springs Racers and the rest of Cars Land arrived, everything changed.

Nowadays, Disney California Adventure operates 17 rides on most days.

Then, we have several other shows and other experiences to consider as well.

So, let’s say that you can only pick nine experiences at Disney California Adventure. What should you choose?

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!

Despite the sheer volume of attractions available at this park, picking nine of them is fairly easy.

Well, at least six of the choices are no-brainers. The other three can be a bit divisive.

I suspect that every list would include the Guardians of the Galaxy ride, though.

That knowledge provides Disney with a sense of relief due to the unpleasantness of a decade ago.

The single-worst Disney controversy I’ve ever reported was this one, which outraged fans.

Disney closed Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in favor of a Marvel-based re-theme.

People were beside themselves about the move…at first. Then, they rode the replacement.

Mission: BREAKOUT! amazes me due to how well it works with multiple songs.

Disney has gotten tons of mileage from Peter Quill’s love of 20^th century classic rock music.

That’s on full display here, with the action occurring onscreen matching the music perfectly.

I highly recommend this ride throughout the year, but it’s even better during the Monsters After Dark overlay.

The Incredicoaster

Another obvious selection is the roller coaster formerly known as California Screamin’!

Even during those shaky early days of DCA, fans loved the park’s best thrill ride.

In the early 2000s, a consensus formed that it was one of the park’s best three rides.

Roughly a decade ago, Disney re-themed the coaster from “California” to The Incredibles.

The current way is night and day better, and I’m not just saying that because I once had a cat named Jack-Jack.

Adding the Parr family to the mix allows the ride to tell a story that’s fun and easy to follow.

Disney primarily added this storytelling inside the tunnels, which is a special sort of genius.

Overall, the Incredicoaster still runs just as fast, but it’s now more charming due to The Incredibles.

The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure

Here’s where I may lose some of you, especially if you’ve noticed this list is alphabetical.

Yes, I chose Ariel’s Undersea Adventure over Grizzly River Run, and here’s why.

First, I don’t know exactly when you will visit, and you may not be in the mood for a wet ride.

Thus far in 2026, many people weren’t even considering Grizzly River Run until mid-March.

Next, we have the time factor, which matters greatly to this conversation.

I want the nine attractions I pick to be attainable during a single park visit.

Since some of the thrill rides take a long time to experience, I’m not listing them all.

On a hot day, the wait times for Grizzly River Run legitimately double. Meanwhile, this delightful indoor dark ride rarely grows crowded, even on hectic park days.

Better yet, you’re celebrating one of Disney’s best Renaissance-era movies.

Mickey’s PhilharMagic

See above re: rides vs. shows. You need a couple of them to balance out everything else.

A year ago, I would have recommended some of the Avengers Campus live shows instead.

Alas, Disney cut almost all of them while performing expansion at this themed land.

So, we’re back to the best shows at the park, and one of them is definitely Mickey’s PhilharMagic.

You can watch Donald Duck interact with scenes from the aforementioned Disney Renaissance.

Let’s just say that his presence often causes hiccups during these scenes as well as unpleasantness for him.

This show is a joy, and I’m unashamedly an evangelist for it.

Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!

Then, we have the Pick Nine option that won’t be available in a year.

The Monsters, Inc. ride will close to make way for new attractions coming to DCA.

We’d expected that to happen in 2026, but Disney recently confirmed this ride will survive into 2027.

So, there’s a distinct “now or never” aspect to this particular ride. I’m on record as wishing it were better, as the Tokyo Disney version is clearly superior.

Still, you’re reliving the events of the original Monsters, Inc., and that’s plenty great enough!

Pixar Pal-A-Round

Ah, the Sun Wheel. Err, I mean Mickey’s Fun Wheel. No, wait, I’m being handed a note.

Okay, it’s now the Pixar Pal-A-Round, and this name seems like it’s going to stick.

The ride everyone describes as the giant Disney Ferris wheel actually isn’t that.

Nitpickers like me know that it’s an eccentric wheel due to the location of the passenger cars.

Disney intentionally stylized its wheel to make it more accessible for guests.

Believe it or not, some Ferris wheels cause major freakouts for the riders, especially kids.

Since Disney knew its wheel would soar into the sky and didn’t want to stress its guests, it did this instead.

Even so, the Pixar Pal-A-Round certainly isn’t for everyone. Some guests just say no.

The rest of us are glad because the hesitance to ride this one keeps the lines reasonable all day.

I sincerely believe that this ride offers some of the best bang for the buck at Disneyland Resort.

Radiator Springs Racers

Well, I mentioned this one in the intro as one of the defining moments at DCA. So, that’s a strong sign that I consider it a must-do, and it absolutely is.

Younger fans may not remember the days before this park opened Radiator Springs.

I’m here to tell you that DCA was a Hollywood punchline up until then.

Everything changed with Radiator Springs Racers. That is not an exaggeration.

You can point a direct line from the Cars Land debut to the popularity of DCA today.

Yes, I know that Disneyland Park dwarfs it, but trust me here. The gap used to be the Grand Canyon.

Nowadays, people can happily spend a day at DCA and feel wildly satisfied by the experience.

That’s partially because Disney converted this park to half-Pixar and half-Marvel theming.

Even before then, Cars Land was attracting tourists with its brilliance.

The centerpiece of this themed land is Radiator Springs Racers, which I still consider the park’s alpha.

When Avengers Campus adds two more attractions, that may change…but it hasn’t yet.

There’s just no point in going to DCA unless you ride Radiator Springs Racers.

I mean, this person has ridden it 15,000 times!

Soarin’ Around the World

I’m listing it this way because that’s the ride’s name for most of the year.

In a few weeks, that name will temporarily change to Soarin’ Across America.

While I’m sure that version will be patriotic and wonderful, it’s still not the top choice of Disneyland fans.

In a perfect world, they’d have the ride remain Soarin’ Over California the entire year.

When the park opened, this was the one ride that everyone adored.

Even now, Disney brings back the original version each spring as part of a DCA festival.

So, when Soarin’ Over California is an option, it’s right there with Radiator Springs Racers.

During the rest of the year, Soarin’ Around the World is absolutely wonderful; it’s just not the One True Version of Soarin’. 

WEBSLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure

For the body of a year, WEBSLINGERS was the most popular ride at DCA.

This is the natural life cycle of E-ticket attractions at Disney theme parks.

Eventually, all of them experience a cooling-off period after all the opening hype. Even after that, this Spider-Man ride remains a delightful way to pretend to sling webs.

While park guests cannot fling themselves through skyscrapers like Peter Parker, we can wreck Spider-Bots.

For anyone with arachnophobia, this ride is oddly cathartic.

For the rest of us, WEBSLINGERS provides a wonderful opportunity to outscore our friends.

I’m a huge fan of all Disney rides that include bragging rights, which makes this one a must.

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Feature photo: Disney