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Disneyland Attractions
Main Street
Main Street Cinema
The cinema runs several different Mickey Mouse shorts simultaneously.
There is no seats, and the entire interior is very small, so clearly this is
not a place to linger for more than a few minutes. If you're a fan of the
Mouse, you'll want to stop in for sure. Otherwise, do it if you have time to
stop in.
Disneyland Railroad
The railroad is really a must-see attraction for any railroad buff or
Disney history aficionado. Walt himself was a very big fan of model
railroading. His home in the LA area had a huge layout in the backyard. Kids
love this ride mostly because of the thrill of riding on a real train (the
engines are indeed steam powered). Another tidbit is that, with some careful
thought, the railroad can be used strategically to move around parades and
other shows. Also, you can get some glimpses of the backstage areas as you
ride around the berm that surrounds the guest areas of the park. The Grand
Canyon and Primeval World diorama's are located between Tomorrowland and
Main Street, if you want to see the remnants of Ford Motor Company's 1964
World's Fair attraction.
Main Street Vehicles
If you're on a time budget, skip the trolley, the horseless carriages,
and the fire truck. You'll certainly get to the other end of Main Street
much more quickly on foot. On the other hand, these can be fun to ride...and
your kids might really enjoy doing so.
The Walt Disney Story and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
This attraction is exceptional. It combines two of my own personal
favorites...a film documentary on Walt Disney's amazing life, and a
presentation of "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln", which was
developed by WED Enterprises (now Imagineering) for the State of Illinois's
1964 New York World's Fair pavilion. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln has been
significantly updated since 1964 with a state-of-the-art audio-animatronic
president and music pilfered from "The American Adventure" in
Epcot.
Adventureland
Enchanted Tiki Room
The Enchanted Tiki Room is an audio-animatronic show in which birds,
flowers, trees, and Tiki totem poles all join in song to entertain.
Jungle Cruise
The jungle cruise is a waterborne adventure over many of the rivers of
the world. You'll see animals from all of the major jungle areas of the
world including Africa, India, and South America. Actually, the ride was
based in part on the Real Life Adventure documentary "The African
Lion". In my opinion, WDW's version has better audio-animatronics than
the Disneyland version, and includes a ride through a far-Eastern temple. On
the other hand, Disneyland's queue area is far and away the better of the
two. This is also one of my son Allan's favorite rides.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye
E-Ticket,
not to be missed!
Requirement: Riders must
be at least 46 inches tall.
This is the opportunity you've been waiting for...to actually visit one
of those Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark-like archeological digs that Indiana Jones
is so famous for. During your visit you'll see the most detailed queue area
ever devised by Imagineering. It's simply fantastic...you really feel like
you're walking in an archeological dig. The details are incredible. After
walking through the incredible detail of the queue (which, by the way, also
sets up the story behind the legend of Mara, the goddess to which the temple
is dedicated) you load up into "troop transports" which really
look like the venerable jeep on steroids. The ride itself is chock full of
detail. You can't possible see everything that's going on in one pass. End
result? This might just be Disney's best effort in North America.
Tarzan's Treehouse
You'll do a lot of climbing in the treehouse, but if anyone in your party
is a Tarzan fan, you just have to check this out. There's much more of a
line now than when the Swiss Family Robinson lived in this same tree.
Also, I'd recommend that you rent and watch the film before leaving on your
trip. That will make this attraction much more enjoyable. Also, I'd suggest
that you visit the treehouse when you're fresh and rested.
New Orleans Square
Pirates of the Caribbean
E-Ticket,
not to be missed!
This is one of my favorite attractions in the park. The whole idea of a
treasure hunt on the Spanish Main is a little boy's fantasy...and I've never
really graduated from little boy. The ride begins with a quiet float past
the Blue Bayou restaurant. The clinking of utensils and glassware echoes
across the still water as you glide by the diners. The fireflies and banjo
music just add to the Southern Bayou flavor of the moment. Next, you plummet
down a terrific waterfall and into a series of ghostly caverns. You'll see
the pirates treasure, too, which sets up the rest of the attraction. Since
you know where the treasure is, the pirates just can't let you go. You have
to be stopped because "dead men tell no tales" about where the
treasure is located. During the balance of the ride, you witness the pirate
ship attack on a shore fortress and the ransacking of the town the fort is
supposed to protect. Since this this is a much longer, and more detailed
ride in Disneyland, don't you dare miss it. Even if you've ridden countless
times in Florida.
The Haunted Mansion
E-Ticket,
not to be missed!
Ok, so it used to really be a D-Ticket, but it should have been an E in
my opinion. The Haunted Mansion is another wonderful Disney special. It's filled with
special effects and scenery that is top shelf. I especially like the ghostly
ball and the graveyard scene. It's in the graveyard that the music is first
heard. When you hear it, you are instantly cursed with the "It's a
Small World" curse....you keep humming it over and over...until you
ride "It's a Small World" again and get hooked on that Sherman
Brother's tune instead. Now that's horrifying!!!
Frontierland
Tom Sawyer Island
Make sure you read the classic "Tom Sawyer" or at least see
Disney's "Tom and Huck" before you head to the island. Besides the
raft trip over, there are a lot of fun things to see and do on the island.
Kids left to romp will have a blast, but make sure you keep an eye on them
or you might lose them in Injun Joe's Cave. Tom's Treehouse is a tight
squeeze for the stout (I speak from experience here).
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
E-Ticket,
not to be missed!
Requirement: Riders must
be at least 3 years old and 40 inches tall.
The spirit of Big Thunder doesn't approve of the deep-shaft mining that
has been removing the riches of the mother lode from the mountain's innards.
Not unexpectedly, bad things happen as a result. As you wait in the queue
area, notice the various buildings of the boom town. Sometimes you can hear
some of the town folks inside the buildings. At the Magic Kingdom, you ride
through the town, instead of walking through it as you do in California.
Also in Florida, the town is shown in the midst of several natural
disasters. Big Thunder is one of my favorite rides. It's a fun coaster-like
ride, but not excessively obnoxious. The worst thing about it is trying to
catch the detail of the area during the quick trip through the mountain.
Mark Twain Riverboat
This paddle wheeler takes visitors on a ten minute ride around the
"Rivers of America". It's a nice, quiet ride and gives you a nice
view of the scenery around the river. Like most of the other transportation
attractions, this is worth the time if you don't have any higher priorities
to take care of first.
Columbia
This replica of the famous sailing vessel also takes visitors on a ride
around the "Rivers of America". Columbia runs only during the
busiest times of the year, so I've only had the privilege once. When it's
not in operation, Columbia is docked at "Fowler's Harbor" adding
some additional atmosphere to New Orleans Square's waterfront.
Critter Country
Davy Crocket Explorer Canoes
The canoes provide a people-powered method of circumnavigating Tom
Sawyer's Island. The canoes, like Columbia, typically run only when the park
is busy.
Country Bear Playhouse
This is another audio-animatronic show. This time, a group of bears and
other forest animals entertain with a show of country music, hand-clappin',
and foot-stompin'. Pay careful attention to the lyrics. The music is ok, but
the words are a hoot!
Splash Mountain
E-Ticket,
not to be missed!
Requirement: Riders must
be at least 3 years old and 40 inches tall.
"The Song of the South" and Br'er Rabbit's adventures with
Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox is the basis for this ride. The audio-animatronics
are wonderful and the soundtrack, as is typical with Disney, is marvelous.
Only after watching Br'er Rabbit get into a heap of trouble with the other
main characters do you realize that you're about to follow in his footsteps
and escape the villains by jumping (six stories) into the briar patch. Don't
miss this one...unless you have a clinical fear of six story drops into
briar patches.
Mickey's Toontown
On a time budget? spend some time here anyway...especially if you've seen
Toontown Fair in Florida. This place will let you see what WDW should have
done to Mickey's Birthdayland / Starland / Toontown Fair. No kids? check it
out anyway...even if just for a few minutes. Besides the
"attractions", the entire area is worth seeing. The atmosphere is
great, and there are a bunch of hands-on sound effects and such that are fun
to play with.
Gadget's Go-Coaster
Requirement: Riders
must be at least 3 years old.
This is a relatively tame roller coaster for the younger set. The speed
of the ride is sufficiently slow so all but the most worrisome of mothers
won't mind their kids taking a spin. Even so, the ride is a real, live
roller coaster, so the kids will love it!
Roger Rabbit's Cartoon Spin
This is the first new "dark ride" in Disneyland in many, many
years. The atmosphere of the queue and the spinable vehicles enhance this
ride over it's older Fantasyland peers, though. The whole attraction is
based on "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", the movie in which toons,
Toontown, and inquisition via dip were introduced to the public (even though
the toons had always been living in Toontown, of course).
Fantasyland
Sleeping Beauty Castle
Sleeping Beauty Castle is smaller and less obtrusive than Cinderella's
chateau in Florida. However, the Disneyland citadel has something that the
Magic Kingdom's does not -- a walk-though diorama telling the story of the
heroine's experience with the spinning wheel. It's a lovely walk, made all
the more wonderful due to the fact that adding the walk-though was Walt
Disney's own idea.
Peter Pan's Flight
Peter Pan is one of the classic Disney films. The music, animation, and
characters all work their magic as the story unfolds. The fantasy of
pirates, flying, and mermaids all play to the minds of children. In this
attraction, many of those magical moments are recreated as you fly in a
galleon through the Darling's nursery, over London's Big Ben and the Tower
Bridge, and off to Neverland. Of course, Peter, Wendy, and the boys defeat
Hook in the end (along with the crocodile). A word of warning, very
young children should be told about the sudden appearance of Monstro.
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Although in Florida this is the poorest of the Fantasyland "dark
rides", the Disneyland version is far superior because of the greatly
increased attention to detail in the queue. Based on The Wind in the
Willows, Mr. Toad, has several adventures in this ride. If you're not
already familiar with it, you'll find it very difficult to pick out any
story line here. Also, the adventures of Mr. Toad tend to be intense for
little ones.
Alice in Wonderland
This is one of the better dark rides in Fantasyland. It tells the story
of Alice in Wonderland in fair detail. The visual effects and painted
characters in the attraction are quite well done. Plus, there's the surprise
of a temporary exit from the ride (your vehicle takes you out-of-doors
briefly during the journey). The Mad Tea Party is located adjacent to this
ride, so the whole area is appropriately themed.
Mad Tea Party
Don't ride the Tea Party after a meal, or else... Young stomachs can get
pretty queasy, especially if the riders insist on spinning the cup.
Matterhorn Bobsleds
E-Ticket,
not to be missed!
Requirement: Riders must
be at least 3 years old.
The Matterhorn is a classic. It's a real live roller coaster flume ride,
in fact, it's Disney's first such attraction. One of the joys of the
Matterhorn was zipping around the holes cut in the mountain for the skyway
cable cars. Now that the skyway is now longer with us, the holes have been
enclosed and the Matterhorn ride is much darker than before. Not necessarily
better, but darker.
It's A Small World
It's a Small World was originally developed by the Disney Company as a
pavilion attraction for Unicef at the New York world's fair of 1964. It was
one of four such projects that Walt accepted. The Small World at Disneyland
is actually the original one that was brought back to California after the
New York fair closed. The building facade of this attraction is a
crowd-stopper. The Disneyland Railroad tracks right through it. Of course,
the music and the dolls are still the same...
Storybookland Canal Boats
Storybookland was another Walt Disney idea. The plan was to have a
miniature village for people to enjoy. In typical Disney fashion, the idea
was expanded to include buildings from many of the most loved Disney animated
features. The canal boats are a nice way of seeing the miniatures up close.
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Another typical Walt Disney idea is to offer multiple ways of seeing an
attraction (notice the many ways that guests can float on the Rivers of
America). Casey Jr. ("I think I can, I think I can") is a small
train that runs through Storybookland.
Dumbo
Dumbo is another midway-type of ride in which the guests take Dumbo
himself out for a spin. You can control the height at which you spin around
Timothy Mouse, but that's the extent of your power on this ride. Because
Dumbo has very little loading capacity, lines form early and only get worse
as the day wears on. If you or your child want to ride, get here pronto in
the morning...or be prepared to wait.
King Arthur's Carousel
Each and every hand-carved horse on this beautifully restored carousel is
white so every rider is a prince or princess. The carousel's calliope plays
music from many of the Disney classic films.
Pinocchio's Daring Journey
Another dark ride, this time based on Pinocchio's penchant for lying and
disobedience...and the negative results of that behavior. I particularly
enjoy Lampwick's fate. It's something I can relate to.
Snow White's Adventures
Snow White's Adventures is a retelling of the story of Disney's first
full-length animated feature film. As you ride through the scenes of the
story, you'll see the wicked witch. Beware, as some youngsters are
frightened by the haggard appearance and sudden arrival of the witch. You'll
also pass through the forest in which Snow White ran through after abortive
attempt by the woodsman to murder her. Although no mention of the woodsman
is made on the ride, the trees do appear as if they are about to grab
you...just as they did to Snow White as she ran in panic from the woodsman.
This is a very intense attraction for younger children, so beware.
Tommorrowland
Space Mountain
E-Ticket,
not to be missed!
Requirement: Riders must
be at least 3 years old and 40 inches tall.
Space Mountain is a Disney classic. It's not as high as some coasters, or
as fast as some coasters, or as steep as some coasters, and other coasters
run in the dark, but the combination of sufficient speed and air-time along
with the Disney atmosphere make this ride fun. If you're a coaster fan, try
it. It's not anywhere near as intense as the Beast or the Magnum, but it's a
passable coaster. If you're not a coaster fan, try Big Thunder Mountain
first. If you enjoy Big Thunder, graduate to Space Mountain. Unlike Space
Mountain in Florida, this version has a sound track of "surfer music
ala electric guitar" that blares in your ears during the ride. The
music is synchronized with the motion of the vehicle, so the effects of
drops and spins are heightened. Frankly, Space Mountain in Florida is tame,
now, compared to this...but it's all an illusion. As an aside, buried in the
"surfer music" are several melodies from well-known classical
works. Debussy's "Prelude to a Faun", which is also heard in
Epcot's "Impressions Du France", is one that I've recognized.
Autopia
Requirement: Riders
must be at least 3 years old and 52 inches tall to drive, and at least 1
year old to be a passenger.
Younger kids will really enjoy the opportunity to drive on a rather
interesting road just like Mom and Dad do. Teens will be bored with the fact
that the center rail and the engine's governor keep them from driving like
the natives do on I-5. This really is a very visually appealing attraction,
so you'll probably be roped into riding if you have a child in Elementary
school. Autopia is being rehabbed, due to open in the summer of 2000,
with new cars and a larger track (the Tomorrowland and Fantasyland Autopias
are being merged.
Star Tours
E-Ticket,
not to be missed!
Requirement: Riders must
be at least 3 years old and 40 inches tall.
When I was a kid, and saw Star Wars in the theatre, I dreamed about what
it would be like to attack the trench on the Death Star. It would be so
spectacular to writhe across the surface of the station in an X-wing, rogue
squadron in support. Tie fighters and the station's own defenses would be at
full alert while the entire rebel fleet worked our attack plan. If you, too,
have ever wondered what it would be like, wonder no more. Captain Rex, a
droid pilot, will take you on just such an attack run...along with several
other misadventures along the way. I personally think that this is still,
Disney's best ride ever. The stirring Star Wars music along with stunning
visuals and fight simulator technology are top notch. May the force be with
you.
Monorail
The monorail provides you with a nice view of the Tomorrowland and
Fantasyland areas. Beware, though, because this is also a main
transportation link to the Disneyland Hotel. If you exit the monorail at the
hotel, you'll need to keep your ticket stub and get your hand stamped for
readmission
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
E-Ticket,
not to be missed!
This attraction begins as the formal presentation of the Scientist of the
Year award to the guy that "shrunk the kids" and "blew up the
kid". After demonstrating some of this other work, his shrinking
machine gets turned on the audience. The effects are excellent. Be aware
that there are some frightening snake and lion 3-D effects that you might
want to warn your children about in advance. Also, since this is a
full-sensory attraction, you'll experience more than just 3-D visuals.
Astro Orbiter
This is similar to Dumbo, but faster...and the vehicle tilts much more
when you raise or lower it. There's not much to the orbiter. It's very
appealing visually, but the ride is a very simply spin with minimal height
control at the driver's discretion. I think it's a fun ride, but not worth a
wait of more than just a couple of minutes.
Innoventions
This is a takeoff of the Innoventions areas at Epcot. Basically, this is
a bunch of displays of newer technology. Some of it is interactive, some
static. Be prepared to spend some time, though. You won't benefit much by a
brief walk through.
Rocket Rods
Requirement: Riders
must be at least 46 inches tall.
The old people mover was replaced with this high-speed attraction.
The acceleration and speed (which isn't as tremendously exciting as it
sounds as you hear the Rods zip around Tomorrowland) doesn't make
up for the lack of a story or good effects. All in all, this is a
disappointing attraction.
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