Finally Forty Inches (Part 2)

Our first thrill ride after entering Disney California Adventure was Radiator Springs Racers. My daughter grudgingly tolerated the 45-minute line first thing in the morning, but her eyes got big as we got closer to boarding. It's an awesome ride. There are a couple scary bits in the indoor section, including Frank the combine, but the rest of the ride was a lot of fun for us. During the race part of the ride, my little girl held her hands in the air and cheered all the way.

Out in Paradise Pier, she wanted to ride California Screamin', but she's a long way from meeting the 48-inch height requirement. As it has a 40-inch minimum, she could ride the Silly Symphony Swings in a tandem chair, sitting beside me. She won't be able to have a chair to herself until she's 48 inches tall. I loved the swings when I was young, but they don't have the same appeal to my daughter. She could take them or leave them.

Soarin' was the only big ride where I didn't warn her about anything. She's used to ski hill chair lifts and has no fear of flying. So she walked in, buckled her seatbelt, and took off on an amazing ride. She was cheering and shouting at the top of her lungs when she saw the fireworks over Disneyland. Several times on our vacation, she asked to go back to "that flying ride."

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was the biggest challenge, and one we approached very carefully. I actually rode it first by myself, and reported back to her exactly what the frightening elements were. But try as I might, I just can't think like she does. I prepared her for the darkness and breaking glass in the library. The ghost actors in the elevator were just pretend. And the drops were just like Jumpin' Jellyfish, only a little faster. But who could have predicted that the thing that would scare the willies out of my little girl was the video image of herself and the rest of our elevator, waving to ourselves, and then our image being distorted and twisted away. My daughter was upset. "Daddy, why did we wave good bye to ourselves? Why did our video go fuzzy and disappear?" Unsatisfied with my "it's just pretend" explanation, she vows never to ride it again.

40 inches is tall enough to ride Jumpin Jellyfish


Here's a quick summary of my daughter's favorite rides. Most are fast-paced outdoor attractions.
• Jumpin' Jellyfish
• Goofy's Sky School
• Golden Zephyr
• Radiator Springs Racers
• Mater's Junkyard Jamboree
• Mickey's Fun Wheel (swinging gondolas)
• Heimlich's Chew Chew Train
• Francis' Ladybug Boogie
• Soarin'
• Grizzly River Rapids

The following attractions were too frightening for her to experience more than once. Frightening characters dominated her experience:
• It's Tough to be a Bug
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (the video of herself scared her)
• Disney's Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular
• Monster's, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue

About the Author: Brian Rawson is a single dad, now living near Calgary. His father took him on the Matterhorn Bobsleds when he was five, and since then, he has traveled extensively to feed his roller coaster addiction. He has ridden around 200 different roller coasters and experienced all the "Disney Mountains" in Florida, California, France, and Japan.