Top 5 Disneyland Attractions
Most kids love a trip to Disneyland. Some parents do too. Other parents are pressured into it. Whatever the case, it’s important to have an itinerary if and when you do go to maximize your time at the park. Knowing which rides and/or attractions are worth the wait, and how to get around some of those lines will be useful. First and foremost, the Genie Plus service is probably worth the extra $25 a person to skip many of the lines. It allows for you to book rides ahead of time which helps plan out your day. You’ll streamline your time at the park and feel like you got far more bang for your buck. With that being said, let’s take a look at those Top 5 Disneyland attractions.
1. STAR WARS: Rise of the Resistance
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is still relatively new, having opened at Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland on January 17th, 2020. Since then it has become one of the most popular attractions at the park, if not the most. The reason it’s become such a massive hit is because it is an experience that completely immerses parkgoers into the Star Wars universe and this particular story. It truly is out-of-this-world. The actors do a phenomenal job of staying in character and the sets, video visuals, and animatronics are unmatched.
To get a boarding pass for this insanely busy attraction it is a wise idea to download the Disneyland App on your smartphone. If you don’t have a smartphone, there are kiosks scattered throughout the park that offer Boarding Group passes. You can find these on the map you’re handed when you first enter Disneyland. After you download the app, scan your park ticket into it under Tickets & Passes, add others to your group here. Tickets uploaded to your app will automatically generate when creating your boarding pass. Note that tickets can be added to multiple accounts.
MAY THE APP BE WITH YOU
You’ll want to make sure that your park ticket is scanned at the main entrance of the park when it opens. Getting into the park within about 5-10 minutes after opening is crucial for joining a Boarding Group. You can arrive much earlier than the park opens to get scanned in.
Be sure to stay on the Home Page of your Disneyland app until the time turns 8 or 9 AM. Next, you’ll want to click on the Find Out More button located under the header Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – Access by Boarding Group. The next page that loads allows you and your group to Join Boarding Group. If all goes well, you’re set to embark on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
If that all seems too complicated, another trick that seems to work is to go to the park on a weekday, such as Tuesday. Then wait until the late hours of the night shortly before they close the doors to this ride. It’s likely that the line and wait time will be a fraction of what it normally is. There is no guarantee in either plan, but this maneuver worked out well for our group.
2. Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run
Yes, it’s another Star Wars ride. You might think I’m a Star Wars fanboy at this point, but I’m not. I’m a casual fan who loves the greatness of these two SW experiences. While Smuggler’s Run is not as quite as grand in scale as Rise of the Resistance, it is an outstanding virtual adventure that makes you feel as though you’re in the film(s) as well. Flying the Millennium Falcon, or at least feeling like you are, is an experience like no other. Once again, the visuals are stunning, and you’ll have a team of others to help you mash buttons and pull levers. Cast members and soundbites playfully give you a hard time and other time offer compliments on your flying skills.
There is probably going to be a ridiculously long line to get on board so the Genie Plus pass will come in handy for Smuggler’s Run. It’s also close to the previous attraction, so you won’t have to go far. Both are located within the Star Wars area of the park labeled Galaxy’s Edge. Appropriate for all ages and heights, your kids will absolutely adore this experience, and you most likely will as well.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean
The storytelling and aesthetic happening around you while aboard this boat ride is more fun than the films it inspired. You’ll travel through many eerily fun and dimly lit sets to the tune of “Yo Hot (A Pirate’s Life for Me”. The animatronic pirates and animals have been operating since 1967 and still hold up to this day. There’s ship battles, dazzling night skies, skeletons, prisoners, and hundreds of scurvy pirates doing pirate things. The ride lasts about 16 minutes and you’ll come out with a ton of photos, many of which won’t turn out so great in it’s dark setting. Once again, the Genie Pass is going to come in handy since the line on this swashbuckling attraction can sometimes be hours long. Book it in advance on the app then skip to the front at your designated time.
4. Haunted Mansion
Like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the Haunted Mansion is a slow ride that takes you on a journey into a mysterious and spooky world. It’s all in good spirit though. Like the latter, it has been around since the late 60’s with updates made to it occasionally, such as the Nightmare Before Christmas additions. First you’re guided through it’s mystifying hallways as pictures and statues come to life. Eventually you find yourself in a moving doom buggy that takes you passed dancing spectres and ghosts whizzing by you to the tune of “Grim Grinning Ghosts”. A solid and mildly scary attraction the whole family should enjoy. The Genie Pass will be useful in getting into this “phantastically” fun and classic attraction without the wait.
5. Splash Mountain
I’m a little reluctant to put Splash Mountain on this list for the simple fact that is soon going to be under construction to get a Princess and the Frog makeover. That is supposed to finish near the end of 2023, so go soon if you want to enjoy the original log ride featuring Br’er Rabbit and other characters from Song of the South. You’ll likely get soaked, so this ride is perfect for a hot summer day, but you may want to avoid it if it;s chilly out. There’s plunges and plenty of animatronics, making it a good time for all ages. Hopefully the park leaves most of it in tact when they give it that pending makeover.
Keep in mind that Disneyland has a plethora of insanely cool rides and attractions. Space Mountain is a parkgoer favorite as well, but has a line that seems to go to infinity and beyond. “it’s a small world” is another very popular ride, perfect for the kiddos, as well as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Getting into all of these rides in one day would normally be next to impossible. With the Genie Pass, we hit them all, and I’m sure you can too. Best of luck!
