2024 Awards: Best of Disneyland

2025 is almost here. Before we enter the year that will see Disneyland celebrate its 70th anniversary, let’s take one more glance back at 2024. In this article we’ll take a look at TouringPlans 2024 survey submissions to find out your favorite rides, restaurants, and hotels in Disneyland Resort. 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 2024

From Indiana Jones Adventure to Radiator Springs Racers, Disneyland Resort’s attractions are world-renowned. Disneyland opened a new ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure late in the year and because of that does not appear in the top three for any age group. This is similar to last year’s newest ride, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, which also did 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. Mad Tea Party (Disneyland – 5.0 stars)
2. Dumbo the Flying Elephant (Disneyland – 5.0 stars)
3. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (Disneyland – 4.5 stars)

Top Rated Attractions for Grade Schoolers

1. Radiator Springs Racers (DCA – 5.0 stars)
2. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Disneyland – 4.5 stars)
3. Pirates of the Caribbean (Disneyland – 4.5 stars)

Top Rated Attractions for Teens

1. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Disneyland – 5.0 stars)
2. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disneyland – 5.0 stars)
3. Space Mountain (Disneyland – 5.0 stars)

Top Rated Attractions for Young Adults

1. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Disneyland – 5.0 stars)
2. Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! (DCA – 5.0 stars)
3. Indiana Jones Adventure (Disneyland – 5.0 stars)

Top Rated Attractions for Over 30-Year-Olds

1. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Disneyland – 5.0 stars)
2. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disneyland – 5.0 stars)
3. Radiator Springs Racers (DCA – 5.0 stars)

Top Rated Attractions for Seniors

1. Soarin’ Around the World (DCA – 5.0 stars)
2. Pirates of the Caribbean (Disneyland – 4.5 stars)
3. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disneyland – 4.5 stars)

Last year,  Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance was at the top of the list of almost every age group. This year, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad tops the list for teens, young adults and the over 30 crowd. It’s great to see classics like Pirates of the Caribbean and Big Thunder appear along side modern mega rides like Radiator Springs Racers and Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!

 

Highest Rated Restaurants of 2024

Disneyland Resort restaurants have seen some fantastic seasonal food items added to the park’s various menus in 2024. In a theme park complex that sees a lot of repeat business, visitors enjoy having something new to try every month or so.

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

Disneyland:

1. Cafe Orleans – 92% thumbs up
2. Carnation Cafe – 92% thumbs up
3. Blue Bayou Restaurant – 87% thumbs up

Disney California Adventure:

1. Carthay Circle Lounge – 88% thumbs up
2. Wine Country Trattoria at the Golden Vine Winery – 85% thumbs up
3. Carthay Circle Restaurant – 84% thumbs up

Counter Service Restaurants

Disneyland:

1. Tropical Hideaway – 99% thumbs up
2. Harbour Galley – 98% thumbs up
3. Edelweiss Snacks – 98% thumbs up

Disney California Adventure*:

1. Smokejumpers Grill – 96% thumbs up
2. Corn Dog Castle – 96% thumbs up
3. Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe – 96% thumbs up

*Three-way tie in percentage of thumbs up so we ranked these by number of vote.

Like last year, the top-rated restaurants in the Quick Service category have two things in common: they’re quick, and they’re cheap. All but one of the top rated 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. Harbour Galley and Edelweiss Snacks’ popularity can be explained by items that broke out and went viral on social media. The fresh baked soft chocolate chip cookies at Harbour Galley and the cheesy garlic bread at Edelweiss Snacks draw long lines and were an instant favorite of may park visitors.

Highest Rated Hotels of 2024

1. The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa (87% Thumbs Up)
2. Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa (85% Thumbs Up)
3. Disneyland hotel (83% Thumbs Up)
4. Pixar Place Hotel (80% Thumbs Up)
5. The Villas at Disneyland Hotel (80% 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 its rating did jump up from 73% last year to 80% this year. Surprisingly, Pixar Place Hotel’s rating dropped to 80%. The hotels previous incarnation, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel received 82% thumbs up last year despite being worse in almost every way.

Needs Improvement List

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

Lowest Rated Counter Service Restaurant: Refreshment Corner (Disneyland – 79% Thumbs Up) – It says something about Disneyland Resort food that the lowest rated counter service eatery is still rated at 79% thumbs up. This is the second year in a row Refreshment Corner has received this honor.

Lowest Rated Full-Service Restaurant: Goofy’s Kitchen (Disneyland Hotel – 83% Thumbs Up) – Kids love the character dining aspect of Goofy’s Kitchen but the food leaves something to be desired.

Lowest Rated Attraction: Jumpin’ Jellyfish  – 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 the planet, and everyone unanimously agreed that Country Bear Jamboree is the most missed Disneyland attraction. Hopefully Disney will listen to the people and return this universally beloved classic back to the park.

Do you agree or disagree with your fellow TouringPlans readers? Let us know in the comments.