Some of us like to know EXACTLY how something is going to work before we get there. Maybe you have never visited a Disney Park or maybe you would just like a little review on what it is like to board a ride at Disneyland Resort. Here is a quick overview of the attraction boarding procedures at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. Disney can change the policies at any time, but we hope this gives you a good preview on how to get onto a ride at Disneyland Resort in California. The process may look a little different for a show versus an attraction, but the basics are similar.
Check an attraction’s wait time.
You can check the estimated time you will spend in waiting in line for an attraction by looking (1) on the Disneyland app, (2) at one of the electronic display boards in the parks or (3) at the wait time sign at each attraction’s entrance.
This estimated wait time applies to the standby line. If you have access to a Lightning Lane Multi Pass or are considering a Single Pass, you can check the available reservation times in the Disneyland app. If you have a Lightning Lane Premier Pass, the wait time does not apply to you, and you may enter each Lighting Lane attraction once per day with minimal wait.
Check an attraction’s accessibility, height restrictions and any other requirements.
Each attraction will have a posted signed with accessibility information and any ride restrictions. Disney also supplies this information in the Disneyland app and on the Disneyland website. Some attractions have ride vehicles near the entrance. You may find it helpful to practice entering and sitting in these vehicles if you have particular concerns before you board a ride at Disneyland Resort.
Rides with height restrictions will have measuring posts near the entrance. If one of your riders looks to be close to the required height, a cast member will ask that rider to stop and be measured. This way, you will know before spending any time in line whether everyone in your group is able ride. Our shorter riders have often had their height checked a second time later in line: those cast members want to make sure everyone is as safe as possible!
If one of your group members cannot experience or chooses not to ride a certain attraction, be sure to look into the free ride switch service!
Cast members at the entrance to each attraction can help you with understanding and evaluating any attraction requirements. They can also provide a rider switch: just ask.
Enter the queue to board the ride.
Many attractions will have more than one queue entrance. You will need to choose the one that is right for you.
The standard entrance is for the standby queue: enter here if you are NOT using a Lightning Lane pass. The posted estimate waited time applies to your wait: hopefully you will be boarding the attraction in that many minutes or fewer.
Use the Lighting Lane queue if you are boarding this attraction with a paid Lightning Lane pass. Each type of Lightning Lane pass is slightly different, so check-out our guide here, but all of them use the Lightning Lane entrance. The Lightning Lane entrance has a scanner with a slot for inserting and scanning your mobile device (or Magic Band+ or paper ticket…). Each member in your riding party will need to be scanned-in (though it is okay if all of the tickets are on one mobile device). A cast member will be at the scanner to help you with this. If the light on the scanner turns green, you are all set! You will be able to proceed into the Lightning Lane for a short wait.
You will also (usually) use the Lightning Lane queue if you are entering the attraction with rider switch pass or other kind of priority pass.
Wait for the attraction.
Now you wait. If you have chosen to use a Lightning Lane Pass, hopefully your wait is a shorter one. At certain points the line may divide in two. A cast member may direct you to a different area.
Some attractions have a pre-ride loading area: groups will be directed into a room or series of rooms, and at this point you will no longer be in a single-file line. Usually these rooms have a “pre-show,” which could be a safety video or a presentation which begins the attraction’s story, sometimes both. Do not worry about what happened to the line: your group will be directed to the next area and you should be boarding the ride soon.
If the attraction requires 3D glasses, you will be directed to grab a pair.
For tips on how to enjoy your time waiting or at least make the most of it, check out our article: Make the Best of Your Time in Line at Disneyland and Have Fun.
State your party size: How many are in your group?
As you approach the loading area, a cast member will ask you how may people are in your group. Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park cast members do their best to keep groups together. They are asking so that they can try to seat your group in the same row or in nearby groups of seats.
Boarding an attraction at Disneyland with children under 7
Keep in mind that children under seven cannot ride alone: this means anyone from an infant through six years of age will need to be seated with an adult. This is why a cast member may ask the ages of the children in your group. We have always had great and smooth experiences with cast members keeping our group together and helping young ones feel comfortable.
In our experience, what it means for kids under seven to be “with” an adult varies a bit by attraction and cast member. The adult does need to be on the ride itself. If multiple people can fit in one row, the cast members always directs us to ride with the children six and under in the same row as an adult. Usually, the cast member also instructs that the youngest riders be furthest from any doors or open entrances.
On attractions where configurations become trickier (for example: short benches where a lone adult and all children six and under cannot fit together), cast members seem to have some flexibility for seating an adult directly behind or across from a small child. Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, where every seat is an individual seat, sometimes cast members want us adults to sit behind the youngest smugglers and sometimes they want us to sit across from them. We have never been turned away from an attraction based on difficulty seating a young child with an adult, and cast members have always been happy to suggest seating arrangements that would work well for us.
Get ready to board the ride.
A cast member will direct you to the area where you will board the ride vehicle.
For some attractions, like Radiator Springs Racers, “it’s a small world” or Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, a cast member will point you toward a row number. This is a kind of “on deck” boarding area. You will wait here until your ride vehicle arrives and you will then get into the matching row.
On other attractions, the cast member will point you directly onto the ride vehicle or onto a moving walkway (like a people conveyor belt) for the vehicle. This is the case for attractions including the Haunted Mansion and The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure.
Time to ride!
When your attraction vehicle arrives, you will step inside. You will secure any safety restraints and stow your belongings. A cast member will do a final safety check. And, it is time to ride!
Thank you for reading our article on how to board a ride at Disneyland Resort. We hope this helps you to feel ready and comfortable for your own visit!
If you are preparing to visit Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park, we recommend our Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. For paid ways to lessen your wait in line, read Disneyland Lightning Lanes: How to Super-Charge Your Visit, and for complimentary options, be sure to look into: Disneyland Virtual Queue Guide and Disneyland Mobile Ordering Guide. Thanks again for reading!