Lots of DCA attraction questions...

[PRINCESS VIJA]

I just finished reading the unofficial guide and it led me to some questions. Now I know they kind of geer their descriptions negatively, so I would love to hear from the real experts!

1. In "A Bug's land" are the attractions really just for preschoolers?
Would a 10 year old still like them?
What about a 14 year old boy?
Which of the rides can adults go on? All of them in the area? according to the book, it seemed like only 2 of them allowed adults.
If you are a "pooh" sized lady, would some of these be too tight a squeeze?

2. IS the Goden Zephyr and Jumpin Jellyfish fun? Book tended to make them sound lame?
WHat about the Pooh size thing again? Any issues?

3. Maliboomer:
Book made it sound more tame than similar rides in other parks. Is this true? The only way I would ride this is if it is tamer. But It still makes me nervous

4. At WDW the Kali River Rapids is reportedly a "tight fit" so I never tried to go on it. What about GRR? If you are bigger is it a problem? I REALLY want to do this ride, but I am so worried about fitting on it.

5. How much do the games at the boardwalk run?

6. If you have preferred seating for Alladin, how early do you have to line up? Where do you line up?

7. Is the redwood creek challenge trail fun for kids 10 & 14? How hard is it to keep your eye on them?

Any other helpful hints?

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I just finished reading the unofficial guide and it led me to some questions. Now I know they kind of geer their descriptions negatively, so I would love to hear from the real experts!

1. In "A Bug's land" are the attractions really just for preschoolers? Yes, pretty much.
Would a 10 year old still like them? Personally, I don't think so - not with all of the other things to do at the park, unless the 10 year old likes to do everything, or is a bit on the shy side.
What about a 14 year old boy? Not a focus type attraction for 14-year old.
Which of the rides can adults go on? All of them in the area? according to the book, it seemed like only 2 of them allowed adults. I've only ridden the Heimlich chew chew train, but am sure all can fit adults since they have to ride with the children.
If you are a "pooh" sized lady, would some of these be too tight a squeeze? Not really.

2. IS the Goden Zephyr and Jumpin Jellyfish fun? Book tended to make them sound lame? Jumpin Jellyfish was okay, and loved the Golden Zephyr at night.
WHat about the Pooh size thing again? Any issues? Shouldn't be.

3. Maliboomer:
Book made it sound more tame than similar rides in other parks. Is this true? The only way I would ride this is if it is tamer. But It still makes me nervous. You can watch from the ground. It's a fun ride, more than a "thrill" ride. I liked it.

4. At WDW the Kali River Rapids is reportedly a "tight fit" so I never tried to go on it. What about GRR? If you are bigger is it a problem? I REALLY want to do this ride, but I am so worried about fitting on it. I think you can ask a castmember when you get to the ride & they will let you know.

5. How much do the games at the boardwalk run? Around $2, but I haven't seen them lately. They may be gone.

6. If you have preferred seating for Alladin, how early do you have to line up? Where do you line up? If it's a crowded day you still need to line up early because the preferred seating can get filled up. If not busy, then maybe a half hour before the show? You go to the Hyperion theater & walk through the entrance gate. There will be a cm to direct you.

7. Is the redwood creek challenge trail fun for kids 10 & 14? How hard is it to keep your eye on them? I think it's fun for the 10 year old. I don't think you need to watch them. Just stay near the entrance so when they leave they have to go past you - or establish a meeting place for them. My kids liked it at 10, but the 14 year old might find it tame.

Any other helpful hints?

Be sure to go in the Animation Station. One of the best ideas for a souvenir was to go and draw a character and then have that character sign it later. There are a lot of fun things in there and your family should do all of them. You can skip Playhouse Disney. See Tough to Be a Bug & Muppet shows. They are fun. Don't miss Soaring Over California - it's a must-do.

 

[blutes]

you will have no problem on GRR..seatbelts are big...........

 

[Sherry E]

A Bug's Land may not be for your group in general - but I have a feeling the It's Tough to be a Bug show may go over really well - that seems like the sort of thing kids and teens would LOVE! So don't miss that (I find it to be a little alarming because I hate spiders, but most folks love it.)

I am one of those wacky people who is 40+ years old and has no kids, but I love places like ToonTown in DL (don't miss Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin - it is a lot of fun) and A Bug's Land in DCA - because they have a lot of clever, exaggerated structures and lots of details and little hidden gems that are cool to discover if you are kind of wandering around observing details. For example, in A Bug's Land, there are a couple of locations where you can stand (I think one of them was outside the bathrooms) by some inconspicuous-looking foliage, minding your own business, and all of a sudden little 'bug noises' can be heard from behind the leaves....like munching...mumbling...even sneezing at one point, I think I heard. It scared my friend half to death because it just looked like a regular old planter area, and all of a sudden this loud rustling could be heard. It is cute. Also, because ABL was supposed to have been built by bugs (and we are supposed to be the same size as the bugs, so lots of things are gigantic), there are lots of big, human-sized things around the land which are nice touches - like a bench made out of popsicle sticks and other structures/rides made out of 'junk' the bugs found. It is a really clever idea with a lot of cute details in the typical Disney fashion, but I bet a lot of adults skip it. It is a great place to look around if you have time, and really see everything. On Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, you can smell the scent of watermelon and Animal Crackers, among other things (again - more 'junk' that Heimlich found to nibble on).

There are also several water features throughout ABL. It seemed that around every corner we turned, there was another giant faucet (again, human sized, but put there by bugs) or similar water feature...good for a hot summer day, but maninly a hit with small kids.

 

[DLR29]

5. How much do the games at the boardwalk run? Around $2, but I haven't seen them lately. They may be gone.

Actually, they just did a big refurb on the games, and now they have a wonderful exterior and they are themed after Disney characters. It still is $2 a game, but instead of pure cash, they have a card system, similar to the ESPN Zone if you been there before. You load money onto a card, and then you get a certain number of games put on your card.

 

[stacielee]

Be sure to go in the Animation Station. One of the best ideas for a souvenir was to go and draw a character and then have that character sign it later. There are a lot of fun things in there and your family should do all of them. You can skip Playhouse Disney. See Tough to Be a Bug & Muppet shows. They are fun. Don't miss Soaring Over California - it's a must-do.

And while you're at the Animation Studio, don't miss the Zoetrope, it is SO cool!!

 

[VegasMike21]

I just finished reading the unofficial guide and it led me to some questions. Now I know they kind of geer their descriptions negatively, so I would love to hear from the real experts!

1. In "A Bug's land" are the attractions really just for preschoolers?
Would a 10 year old still like them?
What about a 14 year old boy?
Which of the rides can adults go on? All of them in the area? according to the book, it seemed like only 2 of them allowed adults.
If you are a "pooh" sized lady, would some of these be too tight a squeeze?

2. IS the Goden Zephyr and Jumpin Jellyfish fun? Book tended to make them sound lame?
WHat about the Pooh size thing again? Any issues?

3. Maliboomer:
Book made it sound more tame than similar rides in other parks. Is this true? The only way I would ride this is if it is tamer. But It still makes me nervous

4. At WDW the Kali River Rapids is reportedly a "tight fit" so I never tried to go on it. What about GRR? If you are bigger is it a problem? I REALLY want to do this ride, but I am so worried about fitting on it.

5. How much do the games at the boardwalk run?

6. If you have preferred seating for Alladin, how early do you have to line up? Where do you line up?

7. Is the redwood creek challenge trail fun for kids 10 & 14? How hard is it to keep your eye on them?

Any other helpful hints?

1. No, the show is for everyone. I went last year and really enjoyed it and I'm 29 years old. I wish it was a little longer though.

2. Jumpin Jellyfish I didn't do, Zephyr is pretty fun though and you won't have any problems fitting into them as I'm a big guy as well.

3. Maliboomer I won't do, don't like dropping and I'm not to keen of heights although I did love the Sun Wheel which is now in renovation mode.

4. Again I'm a big guy as well 5' 11" and 270 and didn't have a problem when I went on Grizzly River Rapids.

5. Boardwalk games run a few bucks, $2 for most games I believe. I won a small monkey last year throwing balls and knocking things down.

6. Not sure, didn't have preferred seating

7. Not sure.

 

[S. S. Columbia]

JMHO, I think Golden Zephyr is o.k.; but Jumpin' Jellyfish is lame in general, and for 10- and 14-year-olds it would be very lame.

You mentioned the Unofficial Guide. The following thread might be worthwhile:

The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2009 -- Outdated Information (LONG)
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2156831

Like DLR29 mentioned above, the Games of the Boardwalk was re-opened in April. David "Darkbeer" Michael wrote about it -- he said that almost all of the games cost $2.50.

Here's a link to Darkbeer's update:
http://micechat.com/forums/blogs/in...rsion-games-boardwalk-some-quick-updates.html

Helpful hints... In the DCA Animation Building see the Toy Story Zeotrope. It takes about 5 minutes to see the little show -- I've heard it's very good.
(I typed this before I saw stacielee's comment above. )

 

[Golfing Goofy]

My kids are close to the same ages and they do not ever want to do Jumpin Jellyfish. They think it is too babyish for them. Of course, I force them to do it with their cousins, who are much younger and love it...

They call it the Maliboomer Trainer for Babies.

hth

 

[stacielee]

3. Maliboomer I won't do, don't like dropping and I'm not to keen of heights although I did love the Sun Wheel which is now in renovation mode.

Not anymore, it's up and running. And still fun!!

 

[PRINCESS VIJA]

You guys are the best!

Thanks for all the helpful info, it certainly does help. Loved the links, it certainly helped to read about the incorrect info in UG.

I love it over here, you guys really help out!

 

[mikayla73]

4. I am a pooh sized girl myself and I didn't have any problems on GRR (or KRR for that matter). I do have long legs, so I couldn't put my feet up on the center console thing, but I had on flip flops so it was OK anyway.

7. I walked throught he RCCT when we were there in May. I am not sure about the ages of the kids, but there were lots of kids climbing and having fun. If they climb up in the towers (or what ever they are) it would be harder to keep an eye on them if you didn't go with them, apparently there are a couple ways to get out of the other side of the tower. Also the "floor" between the towers is braided rope (kind of like a net). If anyone doesn't like heights, I am sure walking on those "floors" would be a no go for them. (I'd never get DH up there.) But I did walk on them from the beginning to the end and it was fine, a little unsteady in flip flops, but OK. There were serveral other adults up there too.

 

[Saskiwi]

If it's hot when you visit, make sure you check out A Bug's Land for the fun water play areas - bouncing fountains, giant garden hose etc - the rides might be a little babyish for your 2 but my boys 9 and 6 still got a kick out of the smells on Heimlich's Train and the detailed theming in the area in general is pretty cool. As another poster said, don't miss It's Tough to be a Bug - it scared the jim-jams out of my 9 yo son as he hates spiders - and it has some very cool 4D effects too.

My boys thought Redwood Creek was a little tame, but fun for a break for 15 mins or so - it was easy to lose sight of them, but they knew they had to stay in the general area, so we eventually found them again! Maybe arrange a meet up point?

 

[bumbershoot]

The ages of your kids is tricky, and if my brothers were any indication, one moment they might be having fun and the next moment they'll put on the bored face.

If they like the teacups in DL, take them on the Ladybug Boogie. Slightly different movement, but don't tell them you can't spin the wheel to make it spin faster or they might not go on.

The Tuck and Roll bumper cars are slow and difficult to really bump, but they might still like it.

Flik's Flyers is fun for any age, IMO.

Heimlichs is pretty slow, but there is burping at the end!

Jumpin Jellyfish looks really lame, but it scared me more than Tower of Terror did! It goes up higher than you expect. Watch out for the molded seats, though, there's a thing that comes up in the middle of your legs...could hurt an unsuspecting male (or female if she smashes hard enough down).

Hubby and son (neither one a teen or preteen, however) LOVE the Zephyr. I think it looks horrid and won't step foot on it. Just another spin around in a big circle ride!


As for size, I'm not dainty, and hubby's 5'10" and still hovering over 280 with a big belly, sumo sized legs, and a very broad thick back, and the only things he's had problems with are Maliboomer (b/c the harness has a strap that comes from the bottom "u" of the harness and has to clip to the seat, and that clip won't clip) and Mulholland Madness (b/c he can't get his legs low enough to allow the bar room to get under his belly...if his legs weren't so muscular he would have more maneuvering room) (by the way, the Cast Members are WONDERFUL about that sort of "uh oh" moment...fellow guests, on the other hand, were NOT last week ). Everything else is fine. GRR is very fine b/c it's just a seatbelt.

Most important thing for ANY seatbelt ride? Stay standing, pull the seatbelt ALL the way out, and THEN sit down. This is for GRR, Indy, Star Tours, TOT... just anything with a seatbelt, do not sit down and then fumble...pull the seatbelt out and THEN sit down. And if there's a lap bar and you're worried about it, pull that down *as* you're sitting down, if you have a belly, so you can get it under the belly instead of smashing into it. That gets the lap bar in tighter, with less chance of troubles like hubby had on Mulholland.