Southern California may not be prone to the horrendous humidity of a Florida summer (and autumn, and winter, and spring), but that doesn’t make the heat any less bearable—especially during one of the area’s infamous heat waves. Thirty-four of the Disneyland Resort’s 54 moving attractions are at least partially, if not totally outdoors, and offer limited shade and none of the cooling fans that are strategically placed in many Walt Disney World queues.
It can be daunting to plan a day at the parks when you’re preparing for 90- to 100-degree weather, particularly if you’re traveling with young children or are sensitive to excessive heat. Granted, you can spend your entire day cycling through Frozen – Live at the Hyperion and the Enchanted Tiki Room and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, but when it comes to actual rides… well, that’s where it gets a little tricky. Here are three attractions you can enjoy in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure when the heat gets too intense (of course, investing in a Squeeze Breeze and staying hydrated are also essential to staying cool, too!).
1. Indiana Jones Adventure (Disneyland)
Image: Loren Javier, Flickr (license)
Air Conditioned: No
Shaded Queue: Partially
Good for Kids: No (height requirement: 46 inches)
While this is the least kid-friendly attraction on the list, it’s also guaranteed to get you out of the sun for the longest amount of time. Even with a FASTPASS, you still have to walk the half-mile queue to get to the load-in area, and the ride itself is a cool 10 minutes long—indoors. If you want to cut down your wait time, you can always opt for the single rider line by entering through the ride’s exit, but be aware that single rider availability is occasionally disabled when the park nears capacity, so that may not always be a viable option. If you’re traveling with young children and need an alternative, more family-friendly attraction in the area, the Jungle Cruise has a shaded outdoor queue and the boat canopies and shade from the trees keeps most of the sun off the ride itself.
2. The Little Mermaid ~ Ariel’s Undersea Adventure (Disney California Adventure)
Image: Loren Javier, Flickr (license)
Air Conditioned: Yes
Shaded Queue: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
It’s not the most thrilling attraction in either of the parks, but when you need a family-friendly, air-conditioned break without getting “It’s a Small World” stuck in your head for the rest of the day, Ariel’s Undersea Adventure is one of your best options. As with most dark rides, there’s no FASTPASS or single rider option here, but the queue is kept completely in the shade and tends to move quickly even on crowded days—not to mention that its proximity to the newly-opened Pixar Pier means that the bulk of the crowds will be moving toward the Incredicoaster and Toy Story Midway Mania, anyway. What this attraction lacks in innovative technology and roller coaster-type thrills, it more than makes up for with that first refreshing blast of A/C as your shell-shaped ride vehicle dips “under the sea.”
3. Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin (Disneyland)
Image: Jeremy Thompson, Flickr (license)
Air Conditioned: No
Shaded Queue: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
A cross between the Mad Tea Party and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, this is currently the only FASTPASS-enabled dark ride in Disneyland. If you elect to try the standby line, you’ll be treated to a fully-indoor queue, albeit not one that’s blessed with air-conditioning—and with the body heat of a few hundred people crammed in the faux alleyways of Toontown, it can get a little warm. The ride itself lasts only four minutes, but as soon as you exit Mickey’s Toontown, it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump over to the next indoor attraction (also FASTPASS-enabled, albeit with a long outdoor queue): “it’s a small world.”
4. Soarin’ Around the World (Disney California Adventure)
Image: Jeremy Thompson, Flickr (license)
Air Conditioned: Yes
Shaded Queue: Partially
Good for Kids: No (height requirement: 40 inches)
Even if you forget to book a FASTPASS for this 4.5-minute hang-gliding adventure, you’re still in luck: the hour+ wait times Soarin’ commands are made all the more bearable by a mostly-indoor queue lined with interesting historical photographs and memorabilia of famous pilots. The outdoor portion of the line is kept in partial shade, and on extra-hot days, mist is periodically sprayed from fans mounted above the queue. Like Indiana Jones Adventure, single rider is never a guaranteed option here, but it’s always worth asking the cast member at the front of the line… just in case.
5. Splash Mountain (Disneyland)
Image: HarshLight, Flickr (license)
Air Conditioned: No
Shaded Queue: Partially
Good for Kids: No (height requirement: 40 inches)
We would be remiss to leave off all mention of the park’s iconic water-based rides on this list, but it’s worth noting that these rides, as with most in the parks, have outdoor or unshaded queues that can make a crowded, hot day feel even more unbearable. Here, the key is to bypass both the standby and FASTPASS lines for Splash Mountain (both of which run similar routes through shaded and unshaded areas) and instead head back through the exit toward the single rider line. On Disneyland’s busiest days, this isn’t a crowd-beating tip as much as it is a sun-beating tip. The single rider line is fully shaded and often the shortest of the three. The only downside? Single riders are usually placed in the back of the ride canoes, so if you want to get really, truly soaked, your best bet is to get a FASTPASS and hope for seat no. 1.
5. Toy Story Midway Mania (Disney California Adventure)
Image: Jason Pratt, Flickr (license)
Air Conditioned: Yes
Shaded Queue: Partially
Good for Kids: Yes
More interactive than Ariel’s Undersea Adventure and more suitable for acrophobes than Soarin’ Around the World, Toy Story Midway Mania is one of Disney California Adventure’s best and most family-friendly options on a hot summer day. Most of the queue is in shade or indoors, and the ride itself lasts eight minutes without once spinning its riders out into the Southern California heat. Of course, this is also one of the park’s most popular attractions, so it’s well worth reserving a FASTPASS before the temperature reaches triple digits.
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What’s your go-to strategy to escape the heat at the Disney Parks? Do you prefer dark rides, roller coasters, or grabbing a Dole Whip and waiting for the sun to go down in the Enchanted Tiki Room?
