2023 Awards: Best of Disneyland

2024 is upon us and before we descend into another year of theme park madness let us take one more glance back at 2023. In this article we’ll take a look at TouringPlans 2023 survey submissions to find out your favorite rides, restaurants, and hotels. We’ll also wade deep in the muck and grime to see which offerings you all rated the lowest.

Highest Rated Disneyland Resort Attractions of 2023

From Indiana Jones Adventure to Radiator Springs Racers, Disneyland Resort’s attractions are world-renowned. Disneyland opened a new ride, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and while it is a popular attraction, it surprisingly does not appear in the top three for any age group.

Our data is based on a 1 to 5-star scale – 1 meaning poor to 5 meaning excellent. We then average the ratings based on age range to determine the top three attractions for each bracket. We are only including attractions that have more than 10 reviews submitted to Touring Plans last year and cannot be a seasonal attraction.

Top Rated Attractions for Preschoolers

1. King Arthur Carrousel (DL, 4.7 Stars)
2. Disney Junior Dance Party! (DCA, 4.7 Stars)
3. Dumbo the Flying Elephant (DL, 4.7 Stars)

Top Rated Attractions for Grade Schoolers

1. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (DL, 4.8 Stars)
2. Radiator Springs Racers (DCA, 4.8 Stars)
3. Toy Story Midway Mania! (DCA, 4.7 Stars)

Top Rated Attractions for Teens

1. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (DL, 4.9 Stars)
2. Incredicoaster (DCA, 4.9 Stars)
3. Radiator Springs Racers (DCA, 4.8 Stars)

Top Rated Attractions for Young Adults

1. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (DL, 4.9 Stars)
2. Incredicoaster (DCA, 4.9 Stars)
3. Radiator Springs Racers (DCA, 4.8 Stars)

Top Rated Attractions for Over 30-Year-Olds

1. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (DL, 4.9 Stars)
2. Radiator Springs Racers (DCA, 4.9 Stars)
3. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (DL, 4.8 Stars)

Top Rated Attractions for Seniors

1. Soarin’ Around the World (DCA, 4.8 Stars)
2. Radiator Springs Racers (DCA, 4.8 Stars)
3. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (DL, 4.7 Stars)

Unsurprisingly, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance appears at the top of several lists, while Radiator Springs Racers is also popular with almost every age group. Kid-friendly attractions such as King Arthur Carrousel and Dumbo are a hit with the grade schoolers while teens and young adults rate Incredicoaster as one of their favorites.

Highest Rated Restaurants of 2023

Disneyland Resort food has bounced back from the limited restaurant menus that popped up when the park reopened after the pandemic closures. Both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure restaurants are also thankfully seeing many new items that come and go seasonally, so there’s usually something new to try at almost every location in the parks.

Our data is binary – positive reactions receive a “thumbs up” and negative receive a “thumbs down”. We then determine the thumbs up out of the total votes to determine the approval percentage. We are only including restaurants that have a full food menu (snack carts, beer stands, and pool bars are omitted).

Full-Service Restaurants

1. Magic Key Terrace (DCA, 100% Thumbs Up)
2. Cafe Orleans (DL, 93% Thumbs Up)
3. Carnation Cafe (DL, 92% Thumbs Up)
4. Blue Bayou Restaurant (DL, 87% Thumbs Up)
5. River Belle Terrace (DL, 86% Thumbs Up)

Counter Service Restaurants

1. Edelweiss Snacks (DL, 100% Thumbs Up)
2. Bengal Barbecue (DL, 96% Thumbs Up)
3. Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe (DL, 96% Thumbs Up)
4. Ronto Roasters (DL, 96% Thumbs Up)
5. Corn Dog Castle (DCA, 96% Thumbs Up)

I immediately noticed that all of the top-rated restaurants in the Quick Service category have two things in common: they’re quick, and they’re cheap. Four of the top five Quick Service eateries involve food that can be eaten on the go. As for the prices, it’s not surprising Disneyland Resort visitors are favoring the cheaper menu items these establishments offer.

Highest Rated Hotels of 2023

1. Disneyland hotel (85% Thumbs Up)
2. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa (84% Thumbs Up)
3. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa (84% Thumbs Up)
4. Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel (82% Thumbs Up)
5. The Villas at Disneyland Hotel (73% Thumbs Up)

There’s not much difference in the ratings between Disneyland Resorts various hotels. We’re surprised to see The Villas at Disneyland Hotel rated as the lowest, but also it’s only a couple of months old and we don’t have a lot of survey responses about this new DVC property yet.

Needs Improvement List

The following locations rated low in their respective categories for various factors, from poor design to crowds.

Lowest Rated Full-Service Restaurant: Carthay Circle Restaurant (83% Thumbs Up) – Carthay Circle is a beautiful restaurant and the food is good, but a limited menu and extremely high prices hold it back.

Lowest Rated Counter Service Restaurant: Refreshment Corner (79% Thumbs Up) – It says something about Disneyland Resort food that the lowest rated counter service eatery is still rated at 79% thumbs up.

Lowest Rated Attraction: Jumpin’ Jellyfish (3.01 stars) – Jumpin’ Jellyfish is a favorite of the grade school crowd, but all other age groups rate it as the lowest attraction in the park.

The Most Missed Disneyland Attraction

Country Bear Jamboree (DL – 100%)

We surveyed every single person on our mother Earth, and everyone unanimously agreed that Country Bear Jamboree needs to return to Disneyland. It’s heartwarming to see every member of the human race come together to agree on such an important cause.

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What were your favorite things at Disneyland Resort in 2023? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!