The Nerds of Color was invited by the Disneyland Resort to preview just how summer is gearing up to be a fandom family fest with new The Mandalorian and Grogu experiences at Galaxy’s Edge, Bluey taking over Fantasyland, and character fun with the Disney Friends Dance Party at Disney’s California Adventure.
It’s a great time to visit the Disneyland Resort with the littles, as the SoCal theme park resort welcomes families with its Kids Rule Summer season. And with that comes a special Kids’ Summer Ticket Offer running through September 7, 2026 with tickets starting at $50 per kid ages 3-9, and if you have an under-3-year-old, they don’t have to pay for admission to visit.
Those early-year trips are special, and as a Disney fan who has often heard “but they won’t remember,” that shouldn’t stop excited parents from going as early as they want. Again, under 3, they’re free, and you can take in all these core memories to show them later (smartphones, who knew?). Plus, the 3-9-year-old deal is a good one if you have younglings who love Star Wars, especially.
As a toddler mom living in Southern California, getting my kiddo to Disney is something I couldn’t wait for. Yes, I took my daughter for the winter holidays as soon as she could be there as a baby for photos, and we’re also there every other week as local Magic Key holders. Now with an almost two-year-old, there are plenty of pro tips for what to do with kids that’s not just fun for them but fun for parents too. Here are my summer musts for families heading to the parks this summer!
Bluey’s Best Day Ever — Disneyland
If your kid hasn’t gotten enough of Bluey at home, here’s their moment to see them for real life! The Fantasyland Theater by It’s a Small World has transformed into a Bluey Coachella-esque festival space with live music from the show to dance to and familiar games (Barky Boats!) featuring some of their favorite characters. Some bits recreate favorite moments from the show, like The Grannies learning to dance, ballet with Muffin, and storytime by that chaotic handpuppet Unicorse.
This is such a great space to mix it up during the summer if your kid isn’t yet used to waiting in long lines for rides, especially in the heat, and can be a good spot for getting the restless wiggles out before the next attraction. There’s plenty of shade and stadium bench seating to watch from, not to mention a pit for the littles who want to be a part of the show’s interactive action. The showtime sets are throughout the day but wrap up considerably early, before 5 pm. It can get packed on the weekends, but on weekdays, there’s definitely a bit more room for now before summer vacation hits. And just a heads up, it’s a no-stroller zone, so we recommend parking it as soon as you get to the area. I’d opt for Toontown, as we tend to head there after Bluey closes.
Take Your Toddler to Toontown — Disneyland
For more playground antics, Toonmlp=town features slides, active animated apparatuses, and silly exploratory environments inspired by the cartoon world of Mickey and Friends. In the past years, the land, inspired by Toontown in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, got an update that complements more generations of cartoon classics, such as Disney Afternoon’s DuckTales, with its kid characters on Donald’s Boat that are activated through tactile sensory play. Then A Goofy Movie gets lore in Goofy’s and Max’s house, which has Instagrammable toony photo-op spots and also photos of Max as a baby (his mom remains a mystery, still!).
Toontown also boasts one of Disneyland’s latest E-ticket attractions, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The ride is a perfect modern gateway to theme park fun outside of the more traditional dark rides in Fantasyland. The state-of-the-art trackless ride and its openness to guests of any height make it such a great family attraction. The level of immersion is a delight that leans into the unpredictable hijinks of being brought into a cartoon world that perfectly channels the charm and hilarious energy of Paul Rudish’s The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse and the Mickey Mouse Shorts (watch these on Disney+ for a break from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, trust).
There’s so much in Toontown for kids to discover, no matter their age. They can pick their theme park firsts, including Gadget’s Go-Coaster for the braver young ones ready to try thrill rides. For the tots starting to walk, there’s also an enclosed soft-play padded area, and the caves near the back of the land provide serene shading for a quick nap. Oh — and if you’re hungry, Daisy’s Cafe has some of the best budget-friendly quick food service in the whole park; the pizza flop-overs are so good for on the go! Plus, Toontown is open late (it reopens after fireworks), and if you want to run your kid’s energy out so they’ll pass out in the car, here is where you should go.
Smuggler’s Run featuring The Mandalorian and Grogu
Let’s start with the question Star Wars fandom families have about Galaxy’s Edge attractions. Is my kid old enough for the activities here? This is why I hope some of the experiences from the Galactic Starcruiser, such as the lightsaber training rooms, exploratory galactic bridge games, live music, and combat-based shows, eventually make it to the land with the likes of Luke, Leia, and Han. At least their introduction as characters you can now meet gives us the hope that families can share more generational lore immersion in the future in those ways.
The closest we’re getting is the Youngling Saber Building Expo — A Loth-Cat Crew Experience, which allows kids ages 3 to 9 to build a lightsaber in Savi’s Workshop. They need to be accompanied by an adult to participate in the experience for free, but note that a lightsaber is not included with participation. At the end of the experience, families will have the chance to purchase the lightsaber they built. Heads up, the price is $249.99 per lightsaber, plus tax, which feels a bit steep to tempt kids with when they’re more collector items than sabers kids that age might want to run around with. In theory, this is a great idea, but maybe it needs revisiting with more budget and play-friendly lightsabers for the littles.
For kids interested in the attractions, the minimum height requirement on Smuggler’s Run is 38 inches, which will appeal to fans of The Child, formerly known as Baby Yoda, who is now pretty much the ride’s new star. The Mandalorian and Grogu update to the ride now features new destinations such as Cloud City on Bespin, the Second Death Star Wreckage on Endor, and a cityscape chase on Coruscant. These new outcomes make the ride a blast and add to the re-rideability of the motion-screen-based gamified crew adventure on the Falcon. If you choose to be one of the engineers, you also get to pick the destination. It’s all thanks to Grogu’s main character vibe interrupting The Mandalorian’s mission as part of the attraction’s new story. So we suggest sitting in the back row to help Mando hunt down some outlaws by selecting the right coordinates to make the jump to hyperspace (BESPIN IS THE BEST).
Also note that if you ask a cast member about a special Easter egg version of the ride, there is a Grogu Mode. They might instruct you on how to activate this version of the ride, which gives the Mandalorian star the reins, complete with baby-babbling to your crew the whole time as you hope his mastery of the force is enough to get the mission pulled off without a hitch.
Disney Friends Dance Party — Disney California Adventure
The Disney Friends Dance Party takes over the Disney Theater in California Adventure for evenings of free-roaming party vibes for the littles to meet favorite characters and get the wiggles out. It’s such a great offering for fans of kids who are starting to get used to meeting Disney friends like Chip, Dale, Clarice, and more. My kid loves to bust a move and had such a great time running around on the dance floor. This was her favorite activity we did together in a nice AC’d space. In addition to the music, which is a medley of top 40 hits, kids will delight in the light shows, bubbles, and snow (bubble foam) that fall periodically.
If you get hungry, there are hot dogs right across the way at Award Weiners to nom on. It’s great to have quick service to turn to when dancing burns a lot of energy. My favorite nearby snack spot is Schmoozies!, which is California Adventure’s hidden gem for being the only place in the park where you can get Mickey Waffles à la carte. Each order comes with two snack-sized waffles with seasonal flavors and a dip. It’s so great and such a cute photo moment to capture you sharing a bite with your little one.
Toy Story and more Pixar Fun – Disney California Adventure
Just in time for Toy Story 5, meet Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep, and Jessie at Pixar Pier with some costume updates to match the characters’ updated looks in Pixar’s latest release. We’re excited to see how the new film will make its mark at Pixar Pier; it’s definitely such a great area for young ones to ride Jessie’s Critter Carousel or try their luck on Toy Story: Midway Mania!
Older kids who want to level up their Pixar fun can also check out Cars Land and hop on Radiator Springs for more race car thrills. My kid is too small for that one, but she really enjoys the dancing on Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, the trackless ride features vehicles that spin and move along to music. For more gentle fun, take flight on Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind with a gorgeous control room core memory backdrop. We love how this ride looks at night.
Avengers Campus — Disney California Adventure
Heroes-in-training can meet Spider-Man and their favorite Marvel supes at Avengers Campus. You never know who might turn up. During our last visit, we ran into Shang-Chi and Doctor Strange alongside the likes of Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America. There are tons of great photo-op areas, and throughout the day, you might catch Spidey swinging over the land.
For foodies in the making, we love visiting Pym Test Kitchen, which features micro and macro meals inspired by popular Marvel moments. The bites feature playful spins on comfort faves, think a giant fillet with a small bun on the Not so Little Chicken Sandwich, PB&J experiment trays, and the Experiment 7290: Cookies & Cream Cold Brew: a quantum powered caffeine to help us parents keep up with
Families can take advantage of extra summertime savings with the Kids’ Summer Ticket Offer, offering tickets as low as $50 per child (ages 3 through 9) with a 1-Day, Park Hopper ticket for visits May 22 through Sept. 7, 2026. Those looking to extend the magic can also take advantage of savings at the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort, including up to 15% off on select stays from Sunday-Thursday nights through Sept. 7, 2026.
