going for first time with 6 adults and three kids (18 months -4). It will be the first time for all of us. Any tips on navigating the park or great rides? Bad rides, not worth it rides....
thanks
FYI....there is a lot of construction going on at the entrance (until summer 2012) and the center of the park. I don't mind, I know my way around and go back and forth between the parks.
i'm no expert, but we've been a few times... there are not very many rides for the little ones at california adventures, seems like most rides were 48+ inches...
I agree with the other posters. There isn't much for the wee ones at California Adventure. See if you can get a park hopper pass and take the kids to Disneyland. They have a lot more rides for their ages.
The adult rides: Tower Of Terror, Screamin, and the River Rapids (forgot what it was called) were my favorite.
When you walk into the park, if you go to the Right, you will come across the rapids ride and further down the rollercoaster Screamin. If you go to your left, it will take you to the Tower Of Terror ride. That's the scary Hotel Ride that drops you from the top floor. AWESOME if you like thrill rides! :-)
I still think your small kids will enjoy it. It's really not only about the rides in these parks. There are a lot of shows, characters, and just general excitement and things to look at.
One piece of advice, in the bugsland area, where you will definitely go if you have little ones, there are a couple places for water play. If it's hot (or not, kids don't seem to care) make sure you have a full change of clothes if they decide to run around and get soaked.
If you stay the entire day you probably have time to do everything in there you want. There's not as much in there as there is disneyland, but they are working on that (adding carsland and whatnot).
Best rides - Soaring over California and the Tower of Terror. Not really a little kid's park.
First thing that comes to mind is that, compared to Disneyland, there is only a small handful of rides in CA Adventure that your age group of kids will be able to ride due to height. But there are some. However, definitely catch the Muppets' show; that should not be missed!
best ride is Toy Story Midway Mania. Try to get to the park a little before it opens and head straight there. The line gets long quickly, so you gotta ride it first or you'll wait an hour or more.
We took our five and eight-year-old kids there last summer and they loved it. For your young ones, there is A Bug's Life section filled with rides for little kids. The new Ariel ride and Monster's Inc. are another two that would be good. The four-year-old would enjoy the Toy Story shooting gallery ride; there's also a carousel not far away from that ride. I can't think of any rides that were disappointing.
There is a park area in the wilderness section (across from the water ride) that's great. The climbing net will be too much for the youngest kids, but the one(s) closer to four will love it. There's a sit-down zip line (very low) the kids loved. A lot of room to run around and play in the park area. We went back a couple times to get a break from rides.
You should save your money and wait to go in the summer. Cars Land will be open then. I agree with another poster on going to the Toy Story Ride first. It is the nost popular and will have the longest wait. Also if you want to see the water show in the evening, make sure to pick up a fast pass for it first thing in the morning so you can get a good seat. Not sure if it is such a great park for the little ones though. Good Luck
