14 Rides at Disneyland That Are Not Worth Riding

One of the biggest parts of planning a trip to the Disney Parks is figuring out how to get the best bang for your buck. The parks aren't cheap and especially as prices rise throughout the world, Disney is just going to keep getting more expensive. This will no doubt lead to guests spending fewer days in the park and being more strategic about their time inside of the park.

One thing to remember is that even with one day, you can fit a lot into your experience. You just have to be smart about planning your day and prioritizing what you really want to do. Going in with the mindset of wanting to do it all just because it's there won't give you the most value.

With this article, we're going to talk about Disneyland in Anaheim, California and which rides are 100% worth skipping. You can probably apply these same tips to Disney parks that contain the same attractions. Skipping these attractions will definitely save you time and it will make your trip feel more productive.

Mind you, this is my personal opinion. Despite not being a California resident, my family is from the Anaheim area and I have been to Disneyland more times than I can count since childhood. I've been for various lengths from one day up to five days, including the most recent trip in April 2025 where we had just one day to enjoy.

14. Main Street USA Vehicles

Area: Main Street USA

Starting off with a classic, you can skip these unless you have multiple days in the park and you want something lowkey to do. The Horse Drawn Street Car, Omnibus, Fire Engine, and Jitney are cool to look at but they aren't really worth spending the time to go up and down the street in.

13. Autopia

Area: Tomorrowland

If I wanted to spend time breathing in gas fumes behind the wheel of a car, I would just try to enter or exit Disneyland during peak traffic on the 5. The theming of this Tomorrowland classic continues to be lackluster and the ride itself is only impressive if you're a child.

12. Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Area: Fantasyland

While the Dumbo ride is a piece of Disneyland history, this circle-spinning adventure is not worth the wait. Unless you have kids under the age of 5, you spend the time waiting in the sun and waiting even longer for riders to get into and out of the ride vehicles. Some Disney experts say the Dumbo ride at Disney World in Florida is better, you won't ever catch me wasting my time.

11. Astro Orbiter

Area: Tomorrowland

Similar to Dumbo, this is a revolving ride that allows guests to ride in a circle - only this time you're in a spaceship. About all this one provides is some cool lights and aesthetic at night.

10. Mad Tea Party

Area: Fantasyland

Speaking of spinning in circles, unless you're really into it I would skip the teacups. While Mad Tea Party is considered to be one of the picture perfect attractions at Disneyland, you'll likely just walk away with some nausea and vertigo.

9. King Arthur Carrousel

Area: Fantasyland

Keeping on the spinning in circles theme, once you've been on one carousel you've pretty much been on them all. That's all I really have to say about this one.

8. All of the Rivers of America attractions

Area: Frontierland

No matter the trip, I have never been big on the Rivers of America. The Mark Twain Riverboat and the Sailing Ship Columbia are fine to walk around on, but the actual "ride" on the boat is nothing too spectacular. It's time consuming and there's nothing to really see that you can't see on the Disneyland Railroad. In my opinion the coolest thing that happens on the Rivers of America is the Fantasmic nighttime show.

Don't even get me started on Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes, where you have to literally row the canoe. If you're into that go ahead, but a 10-15min trip could take a lot longer if you are in a boat with rowers who aren't as enthusiastic as you are. Not to mention you're in a real canoe in open water.

7. Chip 'n' Dale's GADGETcoaster

Area: Toon Town

The last time I rode this ride was about 20 years ago so it's hard to say what my experience would be now, but even then I remember the ride being not worth the wait. Granted this ride exists in Toon Town which is aimed at children around the age of 7, it's a short ride that doesn't give you much at just a 44 second runtime. Unless you're already in the area or trying to test a little one on a rollercoaster, don't feel obligated.

6. Toon Town Character Houses

Area: Toon Town

Speaking of Toon Town, you could easily get lost in there if you spend the time to meet Minnie and Mickey in their houses. Unless you have small children, you're better off spending the time in other spots and on other rides.

5. Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

Area: Tomorrowland

Again, the structure of this ride is a Disneyland classic. Originally themed to the USS Nautilus and its 1958 trip to the North Pole, the submarines got a Finding Nemo re-theme in 2007. The theme has been consistent since then and while everyone loves Nemo... the ride leaves a lot to be desired. It's another one that is pretty time consuming and provides little return. Each submarine has a limited capacity and even more limited airflow, leaving you with a fairly claustrophobic and smelly experience.

4. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

Area: Tomorrowland

Unless you love video games, love Buzz Lightyear, or simply want some time in air conditioning, go ahead and skip this one. It's just a bunch of laser pointers and blacklights.

3. It's a Small World

Area: Fantasyland

This is controversial, but this is one of the biggest wastes of time in Disneyland. I know it's a classic ride and I know everyone knows the song, but that's part of the point. It is repetitive, it's slow, the dolls are creepy, and the ride eats up at least 15min. Plus if you go on the right day, the queue can be a hefty wait and that line is 100% in the sun.

If you needed an extra nudge to skip this one, the song plays 1200 times during a 16-hour operating day. I got stuck on this ride when I was a teenager and I was temped to make a break for it and swim out.

2. Peter Pan's Flight

Area: Fantasyland

I know this is another controversial take, so you don't have to say it. In my experience, Peter Pan's Flight is easily the most underwhelming ride in Fantasyland and it often has a wait time of 45min or more. It's fine if you're really a Pan fan or the queue is short, but I won't ever go out of my way to go on this ride. It's not worth the time you spend in line.

1. Matterhorn Bobsleds

Area: Fantasyland

This one comes with a condition. Personally, I love the Matterhorn. Growing up it was easily one of my favorite rides and to this day I love the memories. However... I recommend skipping this one for one reason and one reason only. If you have a bad back, your body will not forgive you. After the 2012 refurbishment where they introduced the new sleds with individual seats, the ride became completely unrideable. I rode mid-morning during a trip I took in 2013 and my back and legs hurt the entire rest of the day and into the next day.

So with that condition, skip the ride if you have issues with your back or legs. You'll be happy you did. If you don't believe me, there are entire Reddit threads about people who haven't been able to enjoy the ride since that 2012 refurb.

Bonus tip: Skip the Park Hopper ticket

Back in the day, park hopping was kind of a no brainer when it came to Disneyland and California Adventure - especially if you had a multi-day pass. My family always sprung for the hopper ticket because it allowed you to freely stroll from one park to the other at any time, and it gave you the sense of "if I get bored."

These days? Nope. When I got my ticket this past April, I considered hopping because I hadn't been to California Adventure since 2014 and haven't seen any of the newer Marvel attractions or other rethemes in the park. However, when I saw the cost of the Park Hopper was now close to $100 extra I quickly changed my mind. It is a complete waste to spend money on a Park Hopper, especially if you only have one day. If you have multiple days, just bite the bullet and commit a full day to California Adventure. If most of what you want to do is inside of Disneyland, then skip California Adventure. Trust me, you aren't missing much.