At a glance
This ride is a roller coaster that blends a dark ride section with high-thrill stretches. At the start, the vehicle, shaped like a turtle shell, glides slowly past underwater scenes from the movie Finding Nemo. You’ll spot characters like Nemo and Squirt, brought to life with digital projections and physical sets.
The pace changes once the shell starts climbing in total darkness. That’s when the vehicle begins to spin freely, depending on how the riders’ weight is distributed. You then feel the speed through tight turns and sudden drops that mimic the power of the East Australian Current.
Crush’s Coaster ranks among the most popular rides in the park, since each ride feels different depending on how your shell spins. Nearly the whole track is indoors, and losing all sense of direction in the dark makes it feel even faster.
Because it’s in such high demand, Crush’s Coaster closes regularly for maintenance. Before your trip, check the refurbishment calendar.
The most original spinning coaster in the resort. Turtle vehicles spin freely in the dark on a track inspired by Finding Nemo, with surprise bursts of speed and sudden reversals. Single Rider is all but mandatory to skip the very long lines on busy days.
History
Crush’s Coaster opened on June 9, 2007 in what was then Toon Studio and is now Worlds of Pixar. Walt Disney Imagineering created it with ride maker Maurer. You’ll only find it at Disneyland Paris, and no Disney park had a spinning coaster before it, nor a thrill ride drawn from a Pixar film, here Finding Nemo (2003).
Technical specs
- Top speed
- 61 km/h
- Duration
- 2 min 20
- Length
- 550 m
- Opened
- 2007
- Type Coaster
- Opening date June 9, 2007
- Duration 2 min 20 sec
- Model Indoor spinning coaster (Maurer SC 2000 model)
- Top speed 61 km/h (38 mph)
- Maximum height 15.5 m
- Vehicle type Turtles with spinning cars
- Number of vehicles 11
- Riders per vehicle 4
- Hourly capacity 895 riders/hour
- Minimum height 1.07 m
- Design Walt Disney Imagineering
- Manufacturer Maurer Rides GmbH
- Composer Thomas Newman (background music in the line)
- Track length about 550 m
Theme & world
Levels & accessibility
- Fear level moderate
- Thrill level moderate
- Emotional impact moderate
- Perceived wait high
- Height requirement 1.07 m
- Recommended age tweens, teens, adults
- Wheelchair accessible
- Open to pregnant visitors
Premier Access, Single Rider, PhotoPass
Skip the standby line whenever you like. Handy in peak season, when the wait often goes past 60 minutes.
A "single rider" line: you fill the empty seats, often much faster than the standby line.
No PhotoPass on this ride.
Usually open during this early slot before the park opens to the public, mainly for Disney hotel guests and Disneyland Pass Gold holders. A good time to ride it with a shorter wait.
Who it’s made for
Pros and cons
The highlights
- Cars that rotate on their own, for a feeling you won’t get elsewhere
- Immersive sets that faithfully recreate the Pixar world
- Plenty of thrills, yet gentle enough for kids
The downsides
- Extremely long wait times all day long
- The spinning can trigger nausea
My verdict
Crush’s Coaster is the most original spinning coaster in the resort: 4-seat turtle shells spin freely in the dark along a track inspired by Finding Nemo. Top speed 61 km/h (38 mph), minimum height 107 cm, and Single Rider comes in very handy. Big thrills guaranteed, without being rough on kids who meet the height requirement.
It’s one of my personal favorites in the Worlds of Pixar land, one of a kind. The only real drawback: the wait times are among the longest in the resort all day, so Single Rider is close to essential. My tip to pass the time: use your time in line to play the smartphone video game made specifically for this ride (few people know about it). Skip it if you’re prone to motion sickness, because the free spinning of the cars is unpredictable.
Best time to go
Based on this ride’s wait time history, updated every day.
Map & getting there
Crush’s Coaster is in the Worlds of Pixar land, close to Cars Quatre Roues Rallye.
Your questions about this ride
01 How can you avoid long lines for the most popular rides?
To skip long lines at Disneyland Paris, I mix several strategies. First, Single Rider is free and really speeds things up on the rides that offer it, including Crush’s Coaster, Flight Force, Ratatouille, and Spider-Man, as long as you don’t mind boarding apart from your group. Next, Disney Premier Access is a paid service that guarantees you priority entry on the headline rides. If you’re staying at a Disney hotel, Extra Magic Time lets you into the park before official opening, and that’s the best time to ride the popular attractions back to back without waiting. Last, heading to the busiest rides during a parade or a big show empties the lines dramatically.
02 Are the wait times posted in the park accurate?
Yes, the wait times shown in the app or on the park’s screens are generally accurate. They’re often equal to or slightly longer than the real wait, which helps you plan your day better.
03 How can I find out if a ride will be under refurbishment during my vacation?
Disneyland Paris posts the list of rides closed for refurbishment on its official website several weeks ahead of time. Since the parks are open year-round, maintenance crews sometimes work on days the park is open, which leads to temporary closures. My tip: check this calendar (or the one on my blog) before you book, especially if there’s one particular ride you really care about.
04 What are the height requirements for each ride at Disneyland Paris?
Here are the minimum heights for the thrill rides at Disneyland Paris. In Disneyland Park: Autopia at 0.81 m, Star Tours and Big Thunder Mountain at 1.02 m, Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain at 1.20 m, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril at 1.40 m. In Disney Adventure World: Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop at 0.81 m, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at 1.02 m, Crush’s Coaster at 1.07 m, and Avengers Assemble: Flight Force and RC Racer at 1.20 m. All the other rides have no height requirement, which families with young kids love.
05 Which rides might scare young kids?
Several rides at Disneyland Paris can be a bit much for young kids, even with no height requirement. Blanche-Neige et les Sept Nains, in Fantasyland, has dark scenes with the witch that can catch them off guard. Les Voyages de Pinocchio also has some unsettling moments. La Tanière du Dragon, beneath Sleeping Beauty Castle, is home to a very impressive animatronic dragon. Phantom Manor, in Frontierland, leans into its ghostly mood and stays pretty intense for little ones. Pirates of the Caribbean switches between cheerful scenes and darker ones. I recommend watching how your child reacts before you board.
