Fantasyland
Located behind Sleeping Beauty Castle, Fantasyland is home to many of Disneyland's classics and filled with activities smaller children will enjoy. Because of its location close to the castle, where the fireworks explode, most of Fantasyland closes during the fireworks display.
Alice in Wonderland
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Generations have grown up hearing the story of Alice in Wonderland, but only at Disneyland can you leap down the rabbit hole and meet Tweedledee, Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, and other characters from the classic story.
Guests sit in caterpillar-shaped vehicles as they travel through this colorful, enchanting “dark” ride. Like all of the Fantasyland attractions, Alice in Wonderland is designed for kids but suitable for guests of all ages. The journey lasts three minutes and ends with a very sweet surprise — an exploding “unbirthday” cake.
Alice in Wonderland is one of the few Disneyland rides to close when it rains.
Casey Jr. Circus Train
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The Disney animated classic Dumbo inspired this train ride, which was actually designed before Dumbo the Flying Elephant, but the attraction was not quite finished on opening day, opening shortly afterward in July 1955. The train is the circus train that carried the big-eared elephant from city to city, pulled by an engine named Casey Jr. Guests travel in train cars (including the popular monkey car) to make a three-and-a-half-minute journey around Storybook Land, providing a different view of the area than the one you get from the Storybook Land Canal Boats. Young children will enjoy themselves, and older guests may find it nostalgic. This ride also closes when it rains.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
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Of all the rides at Disneyland, Dumbo the Flying Elephant is one of the true classics. It's been experienced by guests since Disneyland's earliest days.
FAST FACT
When U.S. president Harry Truman — a Democrat — visited Disneyland, he refused to go on Dumbo the Flying Elephant because elephants are a symbol of the opposing political party.
Young children (who should definitely be accompanied by parents) can hop on Dumbo's back and take a two-minute journey into the air as they fly in circles at a speed that'll thrill most young people, without scaring them. It's popular because a child and parent can ride together, with the child controlling the vehicle's height. It lasts a minute and a half.
Disney Princess Fantasy Faire
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Located near the entrance of Mickey's Toontown and the Disneyland Train Station, Fantasyland Theatre has staged many shows over the years, but currently it's the home of the Disneyland Princess Fantasy Faire.
All day long (11 A.M. to 6 P.M. weekdays, 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. Friday through Sunday), it's Disney princess overload at the Faire, with multiple activities going on at once. They include a meet-and-greet area where kids can meet the princesses and a crafts area where young guests can make their own paper crowns. Several times a day, Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, or Belle appears to tell her story. The Royal Coronation Ceremony teaches youngsters what it takes to be a knight or a bona fide princess, and there's a Royal Dance.
“it's a small world”
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Walt Disney's team of Imagineers created this attraction to be the Pepsi Cola Company's display at the 1964 New York World's Fair, and it moved to the park in 1965. The theme is world peace, understanding, and friendship, and it's been dubbed “the happiest cruise that ever sailed.” Riders' opinions seem equally divided: They either love it or swear they'll never set foot near it again.
TRAVEL TIP
Most families visit the park early. As the day progresses, however, kids get hungry and tired. By evening, most families with kids tend to leave the park, making late afternoons, evenings, or nights the best times for adults to experience Fantasyland and some of the other areas most popular with families and small children.
Outside the ride, you'll find a fine collection of topiary animals, and you can enjoy looking at the exterior decorations and watching the complicated cuckoo clock that goes off every fifteen minutes. The twelve-minute boat ride floats through a series of colorful and magical sets filled with more than 300 Audio-Animatronics dolls, representing countries from around the world, all of them singing the famous theme song in their own language.
The attraction closes in November to get dressed up as a winter wonderland for the holidays. It closes again in early January to put everything back together again.
King Arthur Carrousel
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This musical carousel is an antique, built in 1876 in Germany, upgraded in Toronto, Canada, in 1921 and bought by Walt Disney in 1955. The original carousel featured a variety of animals, but Disney wanted his carousel to have all horses, so the carousel's train cars were recycled to the Casey Jr. Circus Train, and additional horses were purchased and reconfigured into a jumping pose.
The carousel's seventy-two horses were originally painted in different colors with only one white one, but the single white horse proved so popular that all the horses were painted white when the carousel was renovated in 1976. It's suitable for all ages, but small children should use the seat belts and adults should stick very close to the littlest ones.
Mad Tea Party
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Here's a classic ride for anyone who wants to take a spin in a giant teacup. Inspired by a scene in Disney's Alice in Wonderland animated movie, the teacups were Disneyland's first “thrill ride” back in 1955, and they've been spinning ever since.
Guests climb into a giant teacup-shaped vehicle that spins in circles around other teacups. At the same time, riders (three or four per cup) can make their own teacup spin quickly or slowly around its own axis, adding to the dizzying thrill.
Extremely young children should not ride the Mad Tea Party. Even though it only lasts a minute and a half, all the spinning is quite hard on anyone who suffers from motion sickness, so if you do, either stay away or use your favorite remedy.
Matterhorn Bobsleds
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The Matterhorn Bobsleds can be seen from miles around Disneyland. It was the tallest structure in the park until the Tower of Terror appeared at California Adventure. In reality, the fake mountain is only 147 feet tall, but the Disney Imagineers use forced perspective to make it look a lot taller.
Inside the snowcapped mountain is a roller coaster that was state-of-the-art when it first opened. It's since been upgraded, so it continues to make you feel as if you're riding in an actual bobsled down, through, and around a giant mountain.
Guests ride in bobsleds made up of two cars, each holding up to eight people. The cars climb to the top of the eight-story-tall ride and drop back down while circling the mountain. The ride lasts two minutes. Along the way, you'll pass the abominable snowman, whose glowing red eyes sometimes frighten smaller children. It may be best to warn them before you go.
FAST FACT
Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsleds ride was the world's first tubular-steel roller coaster. The attraction took its inspiration from a film called The Third Man on the Mountain, made in 1959.
You can expect one of the longest waits in the park on a busy day, but if you enjoy roller coasters, it's worth it. This high-speed ride is teen-and adult-oriented, not suitable for very small children, and you must be 35 inches tall to ride. Guests who suffer from a weak back, heart condition, or any other condition that might be aggravated by careening around at high speed should not ride. If you're prone to motion sickness, use your favorite remedy.
Meet a Disney Princess
Near Sleeping Beauty Castle, you may find the Disney princesses available to meet visitors and sign autographs. They show up daily but are not around during the parade. Ariel, the Little Mermaid, can be found nearby in her grotto, which is in Triton's Garden next to Tomorrowland.
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
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As one of the classic rides at Disneyland, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is based on the 1949 Disney movie The Wind in the Willows. Guests ride in high-speed, car-like vehicles driven by Mr. Toad, who is not the best of drivers.
FAST FACT
Look for J. Thaddeus Toad's coat of arms in Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and you'll find the motto Toadi Acceleratio Semper Absurdia, which means “speeding with toads is always absurd.”
In addition to the kid-oriented thrill element, there's a lot to see along the two-minute journey, so keep your eyes open. This indoor dark ride is suitable for guests of all ages.
Peter Pan's Flight
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Also one of the original Disneyland rides, Peter Pan's Flight is an indoor dark ride. It's much like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, except the vehicles, which look like pirate ships, are suspended from the ceiling to give more of a feeling of flying. As you wait in line, listen carefully and you may hear Peter Pan and Wendy laughing.
Based on the classic animated film, the ride takes guests flying over a scale model of the city of London, soaring through the air in Never Land and seeing many familiar sights from the popular film. The ride lasts two minutes.
Peter Pan is suitable for guests of all ages. Although guests ride in a moving vehicle that simulates flight, the movement isn't too fastpaced or scary.
Pinocchio's Daring Journey
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Disney's Pinocchio animated film, which premiered in 1940, inspired this ride. Guests travel in slow-moving vehicles as the Pinocchio story unfolds before their eyes. Jiminy Cricket is the guide, and Animatronics, holograms, fiber optics, and other effects add a touch of Disney-style magic that kids in particular will enjoy. The ride lasts two minutes.
Pinocchio's Daring Journey is suitable for everyone.
Snow White's Scary Adventures
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Based on Disney's classic animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this is one of the park's classics. The dark ride has been in Disneyland since it first opened, although it was named merely Snow White's Adventures until 1983.
Traveling in cars that accommodate four adults each, riders see Bashful, Happy, Dopey, and their buddies, visit their house, and hear music from the movie soundtrack.
Snow White's adventure is far more enchanting than scary, since it's designed primarily for Disneyland's young guests. Like many Fantasyland rides, it lasts about two minutes.
Storybook Land Canal Boats
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Your gentle ride begins as Monstro, the giant whale from the Pinocchio story, swallows the boat. The balance of the five-minute cruise along a manufactured canal takes riders past expertly crafted miniatures that re-create scenes from many Disney movies and other classic stories, including the town of Agrabah from the Aladdin film. Adults will truly appreciate the incredible detail of the miniatures, while kids will enjoy the boat ride.
Sword in the Stone Ceremony
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Held in the courtyard between the carousel and the castle, this daily event features wizard Merlin and a volunteer from the audience who, after much difficulty and urged on by Merlin's humorous chatter, manages to extract the sword from the stone.
