What ride in Disneyland should be a child's first?

As a child of Southern California who was treated to the Annual Family Trip to Disneyland, the first ride that came to my mind was Small World. I think it probably captures the feel of Disneyland the very best. As I got older and less terrified I grew to love Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion the most.

Most of the attractions for this age group are located in Fantasyland and Toontown. The lines at Dumbo move with elephant-like speed, so go there first. (And don’t kid yourself that you’ll be able to talk a toddler into skipping it. It’s Dumbo. It’s in all the ads. You have no choice.) The caterpillar cars at Alice in Wonderland are irresistible and the flying pirate ships at Peter Pan’s Flight were always my daughter Leigh’s favorite when she was a preschooler. The scenes in the ride faithfully re-tell the story in the movie, so even three-year-olds know what’s going on.
good-luck.

I would second Small World…but with a caveat. The young child wants to do it again and again and again… It takes approximately 6.2 years to get the earworm out of your head.

I have ony been to Disney World, but I know many of the rides are the same in both parks. I would recommend It’s a Small World or Peter Pan if he likes to fly.

By the way, if Disneyland has Soarin’ that is the best ride hands down for every age. But, not magical like the others I mentioned.

We always take the train ride around the park so we can see the whole thing. Then we decide from there where we will go first.
I just took my granddaughter last week. She’s only 3, but for the most part, she determined what rides we went on.

My first visit to Disneyland was when I was 3. Small World is the first ride I remember going on. I loved it. I also enjoyed Peter Pan. These were the two rides I immediately wanted to go on when we visited again.

@SuperMouse Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion became my favorites when I was older. =)

Do they have the jungle cruise there? That’s a good one too. Not for the first ride, but good after a few.

Suggestion from last weeks experience, Get there when the park opens and do as much Fantisyland early before it gets crazy crowded. Toontown also tends to get crazy crowded and nobody wants to be in either place during what is normally afternoon nap time. Unless you enjoy the sound of screaming babies whose parents are neglecting nap time in order to force their children to have a good time.

As a child my favourite ride was Small World! I loved it so much that I can’t actually remember the others (I was 5 at the time of our trip and I haven’t been back to Disney World since).

Don’t start with Small World. Save that for when the kid is tired. I would start with Mr Toad’s Wild Ride or Alice in Wonderland.

When my son was 4½ we rode Alice in Wonderland about 8 times in an afternoon He just loved it.

5yrs old was my first experience too and I remember it! How fun for you to introduce him to the habit magic of Disney.

My vote is for the carousel in Fantasyland followed by Dumbo’s Flight and the Storybookland Boat Cruise. He can enjoy these without knowing the stories behind them.

By the way, the new Little Mermaid ride in California Adventure is GREAT and was designed to make the line move really fast. The Disney Jr show in California adventure is a must see too for any kid who loves Handy Mandy, Little Einstein’s, and all the new Disney channel preschool shows.

The Haunted Mansion.

It was my first (in the Magic Kingdom) and my favorite and I turned out alright.

My son always love the Pirates of the Carribbean (very deliciously scary) and the flying Dumbo. He didn’t understand the Dumbo controls at first, but once he got the hang of it he kept going back over and over.

I haven’t been to Disneyland for several years now, and I really miss it. I want to take the youngest grandkids, but with their Dad out of work, we can’t afford it. They are too small yet, only 2 and 4.