Disneyland Rides – Jungle Cruise

The Jungle Cruise at Disneyland is a good, relaxing ride.  The cruise takes you on a boat ride through the jungle.

Perhaps the best part of this ride is the witty tour guides you will encounter.  They are pretty funny, although at times a little predictable.  Always good for a few laughs and chuckles.

This is a ride that is appropriate for all ages.  The line can seem long, but it usually moves pretty fast.  Additionally, most of the line is shaded for those hot days.  This is a great ride to head over to for a little down time, and is located near some interesting shops that can hold even the young ones attention while browsing.

Be sure to take a look at the rest of our Disneyland ride reviews!

Disneyland Attractions – Tom Saywer Island

Tom Saywer Island is one of my favorite Disneyland attractions.  It is great fun for the whole family, and can entertain everyone.

To get to the island, you need to take a small skiff over.  Once you disembark, you are free to roam and explore the wilds of Tom Sawyer Island.  Walt Disney himself re-designed this island as he was unhappy with the original design.  The end product is magical for young and old alike.

Explore the caves, where there are some hidden rooms, walk across the suspension bridge, climb the treehouse and take a look at the scenery while on the island.

This is a great attraction for families, especially for those with children who may be afraid of some of the nearby rides.  Pirates of the Carribean can be scary, the Haunted Mansion as well.  Indiana Jones may not be suitable for young children.  Tom Saywer Island offers a nearby attraction that can entertain the little ones, as well as be enjoyable for the adult staying behind.

If you have not been out to Tom Saywer Island, be sure to check it out.  One thing to remember, it does close down in the late afternoon/early evening.  This is the launching point for Disney’s Fantasmic, so be sure to visit the island during the daytime hours.

Be sure to check out the rest of our Disneyland ride reviews!

Disneyland Rides – Indiana Jones Adventure

The Indiana Jones Adventure ride is one of the more popular rides at Disneyland.  The line is typically one of the longer rides, but it does offer fast pass services.  I would suggest using the fast pass service if you want to ride this one, as the line can be quite long at times.

Indiana Jones Adventure is a decent ride.  It is a bit bumpy, and very jerky.  If you are into the Indiana Jones movies, this is a ride you will quite enjoy.  If you are not into the movies, this is one that you may move down your list.

The line for this ride is well done, with all the Indiana Jones atmosphere and the cave like walkways.  The ride itself puts you in a jeep, and takes you on an andventure through many of the classic Indiana Jones scenes.  An interesting ride, but not one that I would ride multiple times.

Overall, not one of my favorites, but well done if you are an Indiana Jones fan.  Check out the rest of our reviews of all Disneyland rides for more writeups like this!

Disneyland Rides – Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean – one of the greatest Disneyland rides of all time.  This ride is such a classic that they made a whole movie series from it.  If you have not been on the ride in some time, you will notice that a number of characters from the movie have been inserted into the ride, including Captain Jack Sparrow, of course!

Pirates of the Caribbean takes you on a boat ride through a pirate siege of a town.  It can be a little scary for some small children, it is a bit dark, and can be noisy at times, but overall this is a good family ride.

Don’t let the line deter you, it may look long, but it moves quickly, generally taking much less time than the posted signs suggest.  In addition, when you walk under the main arch and get to choose to go into the left or the right line, go right, that line moves more quickly.  Keep track of the people entering the left line as you enter the right, chances are you will be on the ride before they even reach the inside portion of the line.

In addition, Pirates of the Caribbean is situated next to Tarzan’s Treehouse and across the river from Tom Sawyer’s island.  For families with children scared of this ride, it makes it easy for someone to stay behind and still have something close by to do.

Overall, Pirates of the Caribbean is one of my favorite Disneyland rides, a must see for everyone, regarless of how often you may visit the park!

Disneyland Rides – Matterhorn Bobsleds

The Matterhorn Bobsleds is one of the iconic rides of Disneyland.  You can see this ride from all over the park, the large Matterhorn mountain peaking above it’s surroundings.  One of the original rides, building this attraction took a little bit of creativeness on the part of Walt Disney.  Read more about that in our Disneyland Secrets section.

The Matterhorn is a great ride for young and old.  It takes you up to the top of the mountain, and then you “sled” down the mountain.  It can be a bit bumpy and toss you around a bit, it is not a smooth running roller coaster, but it is a must ride for most coming into the park.

The lines for this ride are not too bad, typically there are two lines open, and they move pretty quick.  No fast pass service for this attraction, it is a good ride to check out in the early part of the day, or during fireworks or parades as the lines will be less.  Even on the busiest of days, however, you can expect your wait time to be maybe 45 minutes tops.

Be sure to check out our reviews on the other Disneyland Rides, and check back in as we continue to review more and more Disneyland attractions.

Disneyland Rides – It’s a Small World

Another classic of the Disneyland rides.  It’s a Small World is just a great ride, and a must see for everyone, no matter how many times you have been to the park.  This is one of the rides that defines Disneyland.  Even with that, the line is usually not too bad, and moves along pretty well.

It’s a Small World is a boat ride that takes you around the world.  Filled with music, you hear “It’s a Small World” sung in many different languages.  Additionally, during the holidays it is decorated.  Great to see after dark all lit up, this is one of the rides that just makes people happy.

The ride is very well done, and has something for everyone.  Again, one ride you won’t want to miss.  Be sure to read our reviews of other Disneyland rides!

Disneyland Rides – Autopia

Autopia is one of the all time classic rides at Disneyland.  Set in Tommorrowland, Autopia allows riders to drive their car through nicely landscaped areas, under the Monorail and beside the submarines.  A favorite of many kids as they get to drive and even get their own license!

The line for this ride can be very long, but it does offer fast pass service.  I recommend this ride at night, it is nice with the lights, and you don’t have to worry about the sun in your eyes.  During the parade is another good time to get on this ride, the lines are much shorter then.  If you have kids, this is one of the rides you should check out, especially for the smaller ones.

Check out the rest of our reviews on Disneyland rides for more!

Disneyland Rides – Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

Buzz Lighyear Astro Blasters is one of the surprisingly good rides at Disneyland.  This is especially true if you have video gamer children, or are a video gamer yourself! The wait time is not usually too bad, and it does offer a fast pass service.  Additionally, the interior of the line is done pretty well, with Toy Story characters and whatnot to keep you entertained.

The ride is basically a single car that seats two.  Each car is fitted with two blasters, laser tag type guns.  The ride takes you through a variety of Buzz Lightyear themed areas, and there are a number of different targets throughout for you to blast.  A LED display on your car keeps track of your score, and you score various amounts of points for shooting the different targets.

At the end of the ride, you can look up your ranking based on your score.  This is a great ride, and one you may find yourself on more than once during your stay.  Even non video gamers will enjoy this ride, and all ages will be able to score points.  A great ride, and one I highly recommend.   Check out the rest of our Disneyland Ride reviews for more!

Disneyland Rides – Finding Nemo

Finding Nemo is an underwater ride in a submarine.  It takes you down through the depths with a small porthole type window to look out of.  It has a Finding Nemo theme to it, and children familiar with the movie will get a kick out of the animated fish and creatures.

With that being said, this ride has one of the longer lines in the park.  I was not overly impressed with the ride, and would not put it on my “must see” list.  If you are a huge Finding Nemo fan, or are spending multiple days at Disneyland, it is worth checking out, but it is not a ride you are likely to go on twice in the same trip.

In addition to being one of the longer waits in the park, there are no fast passes available for the Finding Nemo ride.  Check it out if you have time, but there are much better rides and attractions.  Take a look at our Disneyland rides page for more reviews.

Disneyland Rides – Space Mountain

Space Mountain is a Disneyland classic, and one of the crowd favorites.  It is one of the only true roller coaster rides in the park, and a must see ride for those who like the roller coaster type rides.

Being one of the favorites, you can expect the wait time to be one of the longest in the park.  We reccomend trying to get on Space Mountain first thing in the morning when the wait time will be less, or getting a fast pass for the ride.  Please note, however, fast passes for Space Mountain do tend to sell out early in the day, especially on busy days, so if you want to avoid the long wait, be sure to plan ahead.

As far as the ride is concerned, this one has been redone very well.  It is a fast roller coaster that is pretty smooth.  The interior of the ride is dark with a star background that is excellent.  Although you really cannot see where you are going, the ride is still smooth enough that you are not getting bumped and tossed around.  With the stars all around, this ride has a great atmosphere, and is one of the classic Disneyland rides that should be on your list.