Going To Disneyland | Taking Teens To Disneyland + California Adventure Park

Are you planning a trip to Disney soon? Going to Disneyland in one day is doable, and I’m sharing how we did both parks in the same day. As well as tips on taking teens to Disneyland and their favorite rides and things to do.

Going To Disneyland | Taking Teens To Disneyland + California Adventure Park

Fresh off another family vacation to California, I’m reflecting on our time spent at Disneyland. One tradition we put in place several years ago when planning family trips is to involve the kids. The boys, especially our youngest son, Zayd’n, loves to get in on the planning. The twins don’t give as much input (meh, teens), but they all agreed that they wanted to go to Disneyland.

My boys are out of the stage of being excited about going to Disney for the kiddie rides, meeting characters, and believing in the magic of Disney. The thing is, the magic of Disney is real. And you can’t escape it, regardless of your age.

Do teens love Disneyland?

Yes, teens still enjoy Disney, including the OG- Disneyland. As we started to plan our trip, Zayd’n (an almost teen) was super excited about going to Disneyland and seeing Mickey. I was kind of surprised at how excited he was, and in Zayd’n fashion, he expressed it as, “Mickey is the OG. I gotta go see my dawg, Mickey!”

Knowing we only had one day to do both theme parks Disneyland and California Adventure Park, we had to plan carefully. We’ve been to both parks several times, so we focused on our favorite rides and some of the new attractions.

The character meet and greet for Black Panther was #1 on our list.
Derrick and I wanted to get in on the foodie scene while the Food and Wine festival was going on.
And of course, the rides.

Best Rides at Disneyland and California Adventure Park for Teens

While teens may not get excited about going to Disney for the characters and the shows, they go for the rides. Here’s a list of rides teens like at California Adventure Park and Disneyland.

Big Thunder Railroad
California Screamin’ (new name Incredicoaster) {a favorite}
Grizzly River Run {another favorite}
Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout {a favorite ride!}
Haunted Mansion
Indiana Jones Adventure
Jungle Cruise
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Mickey’s Fun Wheel
Radiator Spring Racers {super fun and a favorite}
Soarin’ Around the World {a classic and a favorite}
Space Mountain {one of our favorite rides}
Splash Mountain {another favorite}
Star Tours- The Adventures Continue

Rides like Dumbo, It’s a Small World, the show Fantasmic! are rides we go for the nostalgia. With teens, they are there for the excitement, the thrill, and of course, the food.

What to do at Disneyland and California Adventure Park in One Day

Here’s a look at our day at Disneyland and California Adventure Park. Early on a Friday morning, we all climbed in the 2017 Kia Sedona (which is a beautiful, stylish mini-van), buckled in, and headed to Disneyland.

Everyone was excited. The weather was perfect, a breezy, warm 72-degree California day. It’s important to get to the park early if you plan to only spend one day at Disneyland and California Adventure Park. After quickly parking and making our way past security, we were on the tram to the entrance.

California Adventure Park closes early, so I recommend starting there. We started with hopping on some of our favorite rides listed above. As soon you as enter the park, start with getting your Fastpasses. Radiator Spring Racers is a popular (and super fun) ride, so I highly recommend getting a Fastpass for this ride.

Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout is another ride you should obtain a Fastpass for as soon as you get to the park.

Pixar Pier was under construction during our visit, but now it’s open! The FastPass (available by standby as well) will come in handy here using it to get on Toy Story Midway Mania. California Screamin’ is another favorite of ours and under a new name: Incredicoaster.

If you have time before heading over to Disneyland, two other classic rides worth hopping on are Soarin’ Around the World and Grizzly River Run.

Getting a pair Rose Gold Minnie Mouse ears was on my bucket list.

After spending time in California Adventure Park, we headed to Disneyland around 2 p.m. The goal was to spend the rest of the day, then catch the fireworks before heading back to our vacation home. Taking a picture in front of the castle is always a must, and thankfully all children cooperated.

Rides we recommend getting Fastpasses for are Space Mountain and Splash Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain is another fun ride to try at night. And of course, we had to take in a parade. Fantasmic is back at Disneyland, and it’s a popular show. You can get a Fastpass for this attraction or take the risk of standing in line to get into this show. If you have time to do the Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, and It’s a Small World, those are always classic favorites.

Fun things to eat at Disneyland Resort + California Adventure Park

There are so many awesome things to eat at Disneyland and California Adventure Park. We grabbed a delicious pizza for lunch, but throughout the day continued to eat a few well-known Disney food items.

Who can resist a good turkey leg? Disneyland was where we grabbed a few while waiting for the parade to start.

With the Food & Wine Festival going on, Mexican Street Corn was one of the items we had to try. We loved it so much, we went back and got another one.

Churros is another foodie bucket list item our family loves.

A new item at Disneyland + California Adventure Park is the Rose Gold Macaron. It’s filled with a strawberry compote and lemon verbena buttercream, and it’s so good! Plus, it’s a great Instagrammable foodie photo.

Where can you find Disney’s Rose Gold Macaron? You will find them at both Disneyland Resort and California Adventure Park. (Starbucks locations within the parks carry them, as well as, Jolly Holiday Bakery, Clarabelle’s Hand-Scooped Ice Cream)

Another must-try spot in California Adventure Park is the Adorable ~~Abominable~~ Snowman Frosted Treats. I went there a few times during Pixar Days, but this is a permanent spot so you’ll be able to enjoy frozen treats again and again.

One other fun food item I have to mention is the beignets. Besides going to New Orleans to get the best beignets, Disney is the second best option for the best beignets. And in Disneyland (Cafe Orleans), you can get Mickey shaped beignets.

It is possible to do both parks in one day with a concrete plan and everyone onboard with this plan. It’s important to sit down as a family and decide what rides are a must, what experiences to try, and what food you want to eat while at Disneyland and California Adventure Park. Now with Star Wars Land opening at Disneyland in June, the parks are going to seriously packed.

If you’re not interested in Star Wars Land, then you may get lucky to have less wait time on other rides. (maybe?!)

We love Disney. As the boys get older, they haven’t got tired of going to Disney and look forward to each trip; making a new adventure as a family. Disney is the place where all the magic happens. Yes, even the magic can happen with teens. With so many things to do for every generation, Disney is the place where families can go to create memories that will last forever.