You won’t be cruising around the world just once – with a toddler in tow, I’ve learned you’ll need to prepare yourself for round after round of “It’s a Small World (After All)”.

There’s a lot to plan for, prepare for, and manage when you’re taking a toddler to the Happiest Place on Earth. And even though my family and I are Disneyland locals who’ve visited Anaheim’s two theme parks hundreds of times, bringing our son as a toddler always throws a new curve ball our way. One of the most memorable? Facing the great test of parental patience that is riding “it’s a small world.”

As parents, there are plenty of aspects of visiting Disney Parks that get annoying (I’ve almost got the spiel for Storybook Land Canal Boats memorized!). But there’s perhaps none that measure up to “it’s a small world.” I liken the attraction to toddler catnip. Your kid is almost guaranteed to love it, and that means you’re going to have your patience put to the test.

And having ridden “it’s a small world” roughly four times per visit since first bringing my son to Disneyland back in 2023, here’s why I think it’s the biggest test of parents’ patience in the park.

Toddlers Love “it’s a small world”, So You Can’t Ride Just Once

Photo by Danny Shuster

Toddlers simply can’t resist “it’s a small world,” and I completely understand why. It’s colorful, it’s slow-moving and gives them a chance to really soak up the sights, and it’s filled with dolls who, in my own son’s words, look like “baby” – so they can see themselves reflected in this attraction. Plus, the super-catchy tune is a wonderfully kid-friendly song.

At Disneyland, the attraction is even more exciting for little ones because mixed in with the dolls are Disney characters, blending right in with the same look and feel Blaine Gibson originally created. So, while the dolls themselves are fun, the appearance of characters like Jessie and Woody, Aladdin and Jasmine, and even Miguel and Dante make the ride extra exciting for toddlers.

After taking my toddler son on “it’s a small world” for the first time, we’d barely excited the show building before he was shouting “More! More!” and signing the word, too (much to everyone in our boat’s delight). He insisted we go again – and was very confused why we had to exit the boat after each ride. 

The obsession with riding “it’s a small world” not just once or twice, but three or four times in a single visit tests even the most laid-back parent’s patience. My husband, who’s never really minded the attraction and always enjoys a sit in air conditioning, starts to crack after four trips around the world. I, on the other hand, can handle a solid four boat rides around the world… but the longer the wait time between rides, the more my patience starts to fade.

The Song is Truly Inescapable (and Your Kid Will Love It)

“it’s a small world” doesn’t get a bad rap because of its dolls, storyline, or even lack of thrills. Instead, it’s the catchy earworm of a song – officially called “It’s a Small World (After All)” – that drives guests up the wall.

And as a parent who’s listened to it back to back to back, you really do start to wonder if it’s ever been used as a form of torture. In fact, guests who’ve wound up stuck on the attraction and forced to listen to it on repeat do liken it to torture. 

You can’t escape the song. It plays in the last stretch of the queue at Disneyland, impossible to unhear even if the dolls are making their dance around the clock tower every 15 minutes. It plays on a loop as you travel around the attraction’s makeshift globe, passing iconic sights like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Great Wall, and Moulin Rouge.

While the song does differ slightly from room to room as it plays in different languages, it’s really inescapable and unchanging. If you’re someone who doesn’t like a lot of repetition, it’s a tune that’ll really test your patience, especially if the boats back up and you wind up sitting for a longer-than-expected period.

Your toddler, on the other hand? They’ll love it. They’ll love it so much they will ask for it the rest of the day or in the car on the ride home (the worst outcome, in my opinion). They will want to hear it on Spotify, ask for it days later in the car, and insist on hearing it any time “Disneyland” or “Mickey” comes up in conversation, and it will never leave your home.

The Wait Time Will Test You Just As Much As the Song

Photo by Heather Adams

In my experience, there’s one detail of “it’s a small world” that’s more of an endurance and patience test than the song: the queue. While Disney World’s version of “it’s a small world” offers an indoor queue, Disneyland’s is entirely outdoors. And on most sunny Southern California days, that means you’re standing outside in too-warm weather.

Add onto the exposed queue the fact that the wait time for “it’s a small world” regularly tops 35 minutes, especially on busy weekends, and you’ve got the perfect formula for a parental meltdown. Trying to keep toddlers entertained in line is no easy feat, and I find it particularly trying to do so in blaring, oppressive heat with no opportunity for shade.

Fortunately, when I’m close to losing my patience, I will credit Disneyland with providing one toddler-friendly source of entertainment in the ride’s queue. The “it’s a small world” building features numerous gold accents that spin when they catch wind, glitter when light hits them, and catch toddlers’ eyes easily. Those little details, when paired with the Disneyland Railroad rolling by occasionally, do offer the kind of free entertainment that gives parents at least a 1-minute respite during which you don’t have to put on a song and dance (or stop your active toddler from playing with the queue chains).

Yes, “it’s a small world” Will Require Patience – But Your Child’s Joy Will Make Every Ride Worthwhile

Ultimately, taking your toddler on “it’s a small world” is incredibly fun once, but exhausting and patience-testing if you brave the task twice (or more) in a single Disneyland trip. But in my experience, what reminds me to relax and enjoy the many, many identical boat rides is the sheer joy this attraction brings my son.

As soon as our boat enters the show building, he lights up along with the dolls. There’s so much for him to take in, from the multicultural attire to new languages to glittering decorations and his favorite Disney characters (and the song, of course). Watching his face instead of the ride as we cruise along, I can see him soaking up the experience like a sponge. 

It also takes me back to riding the attraction as a kid myself. I loved seeking out specific dolls in each country, taking in the little details that differentiated them from one another, and being awed by the finale in which the world comes together. It’s bright, it’s loud, it’s a song I’ll never get out of my head – but it’s also a ride that really speaks to Disney’s littlest guests. 

No other ride at Disneyland is as captivating as “it’s a small world.” So, while it may drive parents up the wall in a number of ways, it’s hard to say no to a second (or third or fourth) cruise around the world. Dumbo the Flying Elephant is thrilling, but can’t measure up; the same is true of Casey Jr. Circus Train and even those classic Disneyland dark rides. When “it’s a small world” is under refurbishment, my son is deeply upset about the dolls.

And really, it’s worth having every last string of my patience shredded to let him sit back, take in the song we’ve all heard hundreds of times, and gaze at this doll-centric representation of the larger world. One day, he’ll find it just as annoying as every other parent – and I think, then, I’ll realize it requires a different kind of patience to let him come back to “it’s a small world” as an adult and appreciate it in a different way.