Our Guide to Disney's California Adventure
Growing up in Southern California, I’ve been to Disneyland and California Adventure a lot. Like 84 visits a lot. During an especially boring pandemic stretch, my sister and I calculated our approximate visits to Disneyland. School choir performances, Grad nights, years of being an annual pass member, and, even, a brief stint working for Disney, means that I’ve been lucky enough to rack up a lot of hours spent at Disney parks.
I’ve loved California Adventure ever since it opened in 2001. Long before its many renovations and new lands. It’s usually a little less crowded than Disneyland and always feels more spacious and open. With the addition of Cars Land and then the addition of our own little, Lightning McQueen-loving boy to our family, my adoration for this Disney park has only grown more over the years.
We haven’t been to California Adventure in almost three years. (We did visit Tokyo Disneysea during our year of travel, so don’t feel too bad for us!) So to quell my longing to head back, I’m going to share my favorite places in the park and a few strategies to get the most out of your visit.
OUR FAVORITE CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE TIPS:
GET THERE EARLY - If you’ve read any other posts on this website or my book, you will know that we’re big fans of arriving to spots early. An early start in any Disney park means that you can snag a Fast Pass to your favorite ride before they’re gone. (More on Fast Passes below.) The turnstiles at Disneyland parks open 30 minutes before the schedule opening time. During this time, you can enter the park, wait behind the roped off area, and be amongst the first hundred people to head to the rides when the official opening time occurs.
MAKE THE MOST OF PARADE TIME - Visit the little kid’s rides during parade time. California Adventure has a popular parade that draws in little ones. This is the best time to visit rides like Monster’s Inc. and the smaller rides in Cars Land or Paradise Pier.
PARADE ROUTE INFO - Also, be aware that during parade times, it’s harder to cross the main thoroughfare to or from Cars Land and Paradise Pier. Best to plan to spend all of your time on one side during parade time.
TWILIGHT AT CARS LAND - At sunset, Cars Land comes to life! The “Sh-Boom” song is played as the neon lights turn on and it truly is one of our favorite times of the day during our visit.
REDWOOD CREEK CHALLENGE TRAIL - Need a break from the lines? This play area is always a hit with our kids. You can usually spot Chip and Dale here too!
FROZEN MUSICAL - Another great way to find a break in the day. The Frozen musical at the Hyperion Theater is incredible and I can’t believe its free. It’s 55 minutes long, perfect for the attention span of little ones. You’ll want to arrive early. We usually get there about 20 minutes before show time. Our favorite seats are in the first row of the mezzanine which aren’t as popular and means that we don’t need to get there any earlier.
FAST PASSES
Fast Passes are critical to enjoying a full day at California Adventure. I’m shocked when I learn that people don’t really utilize this system. In Japan, Fast Passes are taken very seriously and most are completely gone by the early afternoon.
Fast Passes are available for the following rides:
How do Fast Passes work?
Find a Fast Pass Distribution Center (usually near the ride exit), insert your park ticket, and you will receive a Fast Pass reminder “ticket”. (You don’t need to keep this for entry, only as a reminder. You will show your park ticket for entrance to the ride.) Printed on the reminder will be your return time. It could be an hour from when you received it or it could be close to the park’s closing time. Fast Passes are distributed in 15 minute increments from the park’s opening time to when it closes. The more popular the ride, the faster the passes go until they run out. When your return time window occurs, head to the Fast Pass line of the attraction and enjoy a much shorter line!
Once you receive a Fast Pass, you are unable to get a Fast Pass for another ride for a window of time. The time when you are eligible to hold an additional Fast Pass is printed on the bottom of your Fast Pass reminder ticket.
The one exception to this is World of Color, the evening water and light show at California Adventure. You can pick up a Fast Pass for this show (near the Little Mermaid ride) and it won’t affect your eligibility to get another Fast Pass for a different ride.
Our Fast Pass Priority Order:
Radiator Springs Racers - Unfortunately, this ride is prone to breaking down throughout the day. So we try to ride this as soon as possible!
Toy Story Midway Mania - The whole family loves this ride but we don’t love the line. It is slow moving and tends to be long.
Soarin’ Around the World - Another family favorite with a notoriously long, slow-moving line.
There are also Single Rider and Buddy Passes which allow you to get through the line faster. (Though it’s not guaranteed that you wait time will be quicker, it usually is.) Single Rider passes are great when you have little ones but want to get your rollercoaster fix. Trent and I used to take turns riding the bigger rides with this system. The Buddy Pass is good for smaller groups with little kids (1-3 people) and works to fill seats like the Single Rider passes. Head to a Cast Member at the line entrance or Fast Pass Return area and ask about a Single Rider or Buddy Pass. If they are available they will give you one and direct you to where to wait.
MUST-RIDES & WHAT TO SKIP
Our top 10 Favorite Attractions (ranked!):
Incredicoaster
Soarin’ Around the World
Toy Story Mania
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree
Guardians of the Galaxy
Monster’s Inc.
Radiator Springs Racers
Pixar Pal-A-Round (Ferris Wheel)
Turtle Talk with Crush
The Little Mermaid
You can never squeeze in everything in one day. Here’s what we would skip if needed:
Golden Zephyr
Goofy’s Sky School
Grizzly River Run
Jumping’ Jellyfish
Meet Ana & Elsa (This was the longest line-over an hour!- that we waited in on our last visit and our daughter was too young to really be into it. If your kids love meeting characters then this would totally be worth it!)
WHERE TO EAT
AWARD WIENERS - A quick stop of lunch with unique hot dogs.
COCINA CUCAMONGA MEXICAN GRILL - Street Tacos make for a great lunch here.
PACIFIC WHARF CAFE - We love the Chicken, Apple, & Walnut salad here in a sourdough bowl.
KARL STRAUSS BEER CART - We always grab a beer when passing through the Pacific Wharf area.
FAIRFAX MARKET - If we haven’t packed enough snacks, this is a great place to pick up a piece of fruit or something healthier.
LAMPLIGHT LOUNGE - We used to visit this when it was Ariel’s Grotto and loved the bar that overlook the Incredicoaster ride. It sounds like the set up is a little different after its been renovated, but we haven’t seen it ourselves.
CLARABELLE’S HAND-SCOOPED ICE CREAM - The Mickey-shaped ice cream pops are a childhood favorite, but for quality ice cream head here.
DOWNTOWN DISNEY - We also like heading out to Downtown Disney for a meal at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen or Naples Ristorante e Bar for pizza.
I could go on and on about California Adventure. And I definitely can’t wait to write our Disneyland post and more about our visit to Tokyo Disneysea. What’s your favorite Disney park? What about your favorite spots or tips for California Adventure?
