Disneyland in Anaheim, California is just an afternoon’s drive away from where I live and yet I only make it there once every 5 years, or so. (I fly to Walt Disney World about once a year.) Currently, you must purchase tickets to the parks and make a reservation for the park you want to visit ahead of time. However, as of the date of this writing, there are no reservations available for over three weeks at Disneyland, so I can’t just take a spontaneous drive over there to visit the parks for a couple of days.
That being said, if you are going to have to plan way ahead, you might as well take the time to do some research. That’s where this article comes in handy if you are a first time Disney Park Guest. These are the rides at Disneyland (not California Adventure) that might scare your little one, or you, for that matter.
- The Haunted Mansion – A dark ride in a vehicle called a Doom Buggy through a haunted house and graveyard, including a seance scene. Fun and spooky for adults, maybe a little much for toddlers.
- Matterhorn Bobsleds – Easy, but sometimes fast rollercoaster ride through a mountain. A snow monster (Yeti?) shows up a few times which was the only scary part for my tiny tot.
- Splash Mountain – A log flume ride through singing animatronics. Most of it is very mild, however, a long waterfall / drop towards the end is a bit horrifying for some of us old folks and youngsters. I ride multiple times because I love the ride and tolerate the drop.
- Big Thunder Mountain – My favorite Ride even though I don’t really like rollercoasters and hate heights. The mountains that the tracks are set on eliminate the height factor so it’s just a fun, fast ride for most. The only person, besides tiny ones, that ever didn’t like it that I know of, is my Mom, although my Grandmother enjoyed it into her late 70’s.
- Space Mountain – Space themed rollercoaster that seems fast and steeply pitched in the darkness. I can only do it once in a trip.
- Pirates of the Caribbean – My Tot kept her eyes closed throughout much of this due to the darkness, the skeletons, and the (to her) creepiness. It is a slow water ride with one short, unexpected drop in the darkness that by the time you are surprised by it, it is over.
- Indiana Jones – Fast, jerky ride in a jeep-like vehicle that can be a bit intense and spooky for little ones.
Should you force your Itty-bitty onto a ride that will scare them? Of course not, however, the first time mine rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, we told her that it was a fast train ride, (she said that she didn’t like rollercoasters), and she loved it and asked to ride it again, right away. We knew she would like it if she got past the word, “rollercoaster”. My mother, on the other hand, came off the ride with murder in her eyes until she saw everybody laughing. Looking back twelve years after she died, watching her screaming with laughter and ducking into my dad’s chest on Big Thunder Mountain is one of my favorite memories of her.
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