Roller Coaster Guide to Disney California Adventure: Every Coaster Ranked

Disney California Adventure is not a traditional coaster park. It has exactly two roller coasters, but one of them is among the longest coasters on the planet, and the supporting thrill lineup fills out a full day. Here is every coaster at DCA ranked, plus how to ride each one right.

1. Incredicoaster

The anchor of Pixar Pier and the fastest roller coaster at the Disneyland Resort. Incredicoaster launches you from 0 to 55 mph over the water, then winds through more than 6,000 feet of track, one of the longest steel coaster layouts anywhere. It packs a vertical loop, the only inversion at either Anaheim park, plus a second launch-style boost on the midcourse and a long string of hops and turns wrapped in an Incredibles story about chasing baby Jack-Jack through scene tunnels.

• Ride experience: sustained speed rather than raw intensity. Floaty hills, strong laterals in the turnarounds, and a surprisingly forceful loop. The ride lasts well over two minutes, which is an eternity by coaster standards.
• Height requirement: 48 inches
• Best seat: back row. The launch yanks the back of the train hardest and the hills whip. Front row is the pick for views over Paradise Bay.
• Best time to ride: first hour of the day or after dark, when Pixar Pier is lit and the loop glows. In our wait data it averages around 17 minutes, and the single rider entrance almost never posts a wait.

2. Goofy's Sky School

A classic wild mouse coaster dressed up as Goofy's cartoon flight academy. Do not let the theme fool you. The unbanked hairpin turns throw real lateral force, and the little drops near the end hit harder than most guests expect.

• Ride experience: sharp hairpins up top where the car feels like it will slide off the track, then quick dips and a couple of jolting transitions on the way down. Short, snappy, and meaner than it looks.
• Height requirement: 42 inches
• Best seat: front row makes the hairpins feel like near misses. The back gets the hardest whip through the turns.
• Best time to ride: rope drop, no exceptions. This is a low capacity ride, and our data shows it averages nearly the same wait as Incredicoaster, about 18 minutes, despite moving a fraction of the people. Midday it becomes one of the worst wait-to-ride-time ratios in the park.

Beyond the Coasters

DCA's thrill credentials rest on more than its two coasters. If you are chasing forces, work these into the same day:

• Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! is a launched drop tower with randomized drop profiles. It posts the longest average wait in the park in our data, about 35 minutes, so treat it like a headliner coaster.
• Radiator Springs Racers is a high speed slot car race through Cars Land and the park's biggest queue magnet. Use single rider.
• Grizzly River Run is a genuinely good rapids ride for hot afternoons.

First-timers guide Order

1. Goofy's Sky School at rope drop, before the line builds
2. Incredicoaster immediately after, while waits are still short
3. Radiator Springs Racers via single rider or midday Lightning Lane
4. Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! in the late afternoon
5. Incredicoaster again at night for the lights

Enthusiast Order

1. Incredicoaster back row at rope drop for the full-speed morning run
2. Goofy's Sky School once, front row, for the credit and the laterals
3. Incredicoaster single rider laps through the afternoon, it is often a walk-on
4. Guardians during the World of Color show when queues thin out
5. Final night ride on Incredicoaster in the back row

DCA makes the most of its compact coaster lineup: Incredicoaster's length and the quality of the surrounding thrill rides mean coaster fans have a full, satisfying day waiting for them. Ride the mouse early, marathon the big one at night, and you will leave satisfied.