Part 1 of 5
Myself and my girlfriend were in California for six days in mid-September and had an amazing experience. I don’t think we really fit into the stereotypical Disney visitor category (mid 20s), but we both enjoyed the unique magic that only Disneyland can bring.
Rather than do a standard trip report, I think I’d like to do more of a trip review where I talk about my favourite – and least favourite – aspects of the trip.
The key details would be that we there Sept 10-16, so midweek to midweek, and stayed at the Desert Palms. We spent three full days in the Disney Parks and two separate half-days (first and last day of trip) plus a full day at Universal and SeaWorld respectively.
I read a lot from people saying the Desert Palms was "too far." I don't know if it's the nature of our life style, our age or what, but it was by no means too far to walk. It was a pleasant 12 minute walk from our hotel room to the DL turnstiles. Very pleasant in the early mornings and late nights.
I’ll try to go through my “reviews” in as somewhat cohesive manner, but I’m sure I will end up jumping around. We were pretty heavily geared towards doing the rides, so obviously that will dominate my own thoughts on the trip.
Before I get into the specifics, the one thing I’ll say is that I believe we went at the absolute best time of the year. The line-ups were non-existent. With the exception of a 25 minute wait for Nemo, we never waited more than 10 minutes for ANY ride at ANY peak weekend time, and the overwhelming vast majority was walk on. We walked on to major attractions like Indy, Splash, Space routinely.
Disneyland (just going in order of the attractions list from the official DL site). Ratings out of 10.
Autopia – One of only a couple rides we didn’t do in the entire park.
Frontierland Shooting’ Exposition – Disappointing. I had read in a guide book that they considered it a hidden gem. I just didn’t get any enjoyment out of it. 1/10
Mad Tea Party – Fun times, we both enjoyed the ride and got some very funny photos from our time wildly spinning around! 7/10
Roger Rabbit – A fun ride, but nothing special. I was a little underwhelmed by the mechanics of the ride as it felt like the controls were far, far too stiff. 6/10
Big Thunder Mountain – I think this surprised my gf as one of her more favourite rides. I enjoyed it immensely as well. It really seemed like the coaster was moving faster when we rode in the PM rather than AM though. Strange. Overall, a quality and probably underappreciated coaster. 8.5/10
Indiana Jones – First ride we ended up doing (after the Railroad). It’s obviously a tremendously well-planned ride that is more immersive than your average thrill ride and I respect that a lot. One thing I did feel was that the Indy robots could have been a little higher quality, but that’s nitpicking. Some cool effects with the arrows and false ceiling. We must have rode Indy at least five times. 9/10.
Matterhorn Bobsleds – We rode the ‘sleds a number of times, making sure to enjoy both sides of the mountain. Another ride that didn’t seem to consistently move at the same speed, but it’s probably just in our minds. 7/10
Space Mountain – Both of our favourite rides in Disneyland, we loved Space and rode it a half dozen times or more. I had a vague memory of the ride from the last time I went (when I was 12) and wasn’t prepared for the speed! Absolutely unbelievable attraction. 10/10
Splash Mountain – We did Splash twice earlier in the trip and then twice more as our final two rides to say goodbye to DL. It’s a classic ride combining thrills with the environment that only Disney can create. Fun times and I got absolutely drenched my final ride. 9/10
Star Tours – Disappointing and in bad, bad, bad need of a major overhaul. We did it once on the first day and never once considered going back for more. Update this ride and improve the motion simulator while you’re at it. 2/10
Mickey’s House – Gotta meet the big guy.
The First 50 Magical Years – I believe this is one of the hidden gems of Disneyland. It’s a great informative and entertaining movie. We both loved it. 8/10
Innoventions – We had split thoughts on this. She enjoyed it, I found it tedious.
Pirate’s Lair – A nice distraction from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the part. Jack was over there for a part of the time we were which made it a little more fun. It’s a neat little place to wander around, especially for those with kids I’d imagine. 5/10
Astro Orbitor – Far more entertaining than either of us expected. Also more cramped quarters as we jammed ourselves into one orbitor. I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t ride this more than once as it was a pleasant surprise. 6.5/10
Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters – Easily the most disappointing attraction we hit up at DL. I just didn’t have any interest in it, thought the guns weren’t sited the best and overall just didn’t enjoy the experience. 2/10
Enchanted Tiki Room – Make it stop…..not a fun way to spend 15 minutes. I would be very happy if they just ditched the entire concept or found a way to integrate the birds into another attraction like the Jungle Cruise or something. Just not for me. 1/10
Finding Nemo – A neat ride, but absolutely not worth the typical wait time. It’s terrible value for your standing time in line, but as a ride on it’s own, it’s not bad. 6/10
Haunted Mansion – CLOSED
HISTA – I thought this was overall a subpar experience, especially in comparison to the other 3D shows we saw during the other parts of our trip in other theme parks. 4/10
Jungle Cruise – Yes I know it’s a classic and yes, I recognize that the quality of your cruise depends largely on the wit of your captain, but I personally feel this ride is in bad need of a major, major overhaul. I just think the animatronics are visibly dated. The concept is sound, but it’s time for one of Walt’s originals to move a little closer to 2008. 5/10
Mr Toad’s Wild Ride – Another surprisingly enjoyable ride in the “kiddie section” that is Fantasy Land. Although I’m not sure the storyline is the most appropriate, it’s a fun ride that moves surprisingly quick and makes some fun turns. 7/10
Pirates of the Caribbean – A classic that still performs. I love the updates to the ride to modernize it to the movies a little bit. I feel it maintains the original integrity of the ride while making it easier to younger generations to relate to it. Loved the water screen effect with Davey Jones as well. 9/10
Scow White’s Scary Adventure – I left this ride confused and feeling like there wasn’t a resolution to the conflict. Weird…. 2/10
Alice in Wonderland – A cute little experience. I liked it because I thought it does a great job of essentially summarizing the story. 6/10
Winnie the Pooh – An above average ride in my opinion for what it is. It’s visually pleasing and the art-work etc is really up to par. It’s a well put together ride. 6/10
Peter Pan’s Flight – EASILY the most surprising ride in the entire park. Both of us loved this ride. It’s one of the most beautiful attractions in DL and tells a good story. 9/10
Pinnochio – Meh, I apparently forgot a lot about the storyline of the very confusing fairytale. The quality of the ride was okay, but this was one of the more forgettable experiences of our trip. 4/10
Railroad – A fun way to get around. HOWEVER, they need to get rid of the Grand Canyon section and do something else there. It’s just not up to par for a World Class park anymore. I don’t care what they put there, just improve it.
EDIT
I forgot a few key items.
Billy Hill and the Hillbillies – See this show. Do not miss it. Period. 9/10
Remember Dreams Come True Fireworks – An outstanding show, well worth spending the time sitting on the sidewalk to stake out your preferred viewing area. We caught the show twice and were amazed both times. It truly is a breath taking performance and was probably one of my favourite experiences of the entire trip. 10/10
Parade – Very, very well done. I am not a “parade person” but found it very enjoyable and believe it would be a must-see for anyone. 8.5/10
Next: Disney's California Adventure
Myself and my girlfriend were in California for six days in mid-September and had an amazing experience. I don’t think we really fit into the stereotypical Disney visitor category (mid 20s), but we both enjoyed the unique magic that only Disneyland can bring.
Rather than do a standard trip report, I think I’d like to do more of a trip review where I talk about my favourite – and least favourite – aspects of the trip.
The key details would be that we there Sept 10-16, so midweek to midweek, and stayed at the Desert Palms. We spent three full days in the Disney Parks and two separate half-days (first and last day of trip) plus a full day at Universal and SeaWorld respectively.
I read a lot from people saying the Desert Palms was "too far." I don't know if it's the nature of our life style, our age or what, but it was by no means too far to walk. It was a pleasant 12 minute walk from our hotel room to the DL turnstiles. Very pleasant in the early mornings and late nights.
I’ll try to go through my “reviews” in as somewhat cohesive manner, but I’m sure I will end up jumping around. We were pretty heavily geared towards doing the rides, so obviously that will dominate my own thoughts on the trip.
Before I get into the specifics, the one thing I’ll say is that I believe we went at the absolute best time of the year. The line-ups were non-existent. With the exception of a 25 minute wait for Nemo, we never waited more than 10 minutes for ANY ride at ANY peak weekend time, and the overwhelming vast majority was walk on. We walked on to major attractions like Indy, Splash, Space routinely.
Disneyland (just going in order of the attractions list from the official DL site). Ratings out of 10.
Autopia – One of only a couple rides we didn’t do in the entire park.
Frontierland Shooting’ Exposition – Disappointing. I had read in a guide book that they considered it a hidden gem. I just didn’t get any enjoyment out of it. 1/10
Mad Tea Party – Fun times, we both enjoyed the ride and got some very funny photos from our time wildly spinning around! 7/10
Roger Rabbit – A fun ride, but nothing special. I was a little underwhelmed by the mechanics of the ride as it felt like the controls were far, far too stiff. 6/10
Big Thunder Mountain – I think this surprised my gf as one of her more favourite rides. I enjoyed it immensely as well. It really seemed like the coaster was moving faster when we rode in the PM rather than AM though. Strange. Overall, a quality and probably underappreciated coaster. 8.5/10
Indiana Jones – First ride we ended up doing (after the Railroad). It’s obviously a tremendously well-planned ride that is more immersive than your average thrill ride and I respect that a lot. One thing I did feel was that the Indy robots could have been a little higher quality, but that’s nitpicking. Some cool effects with the arrows and false ceiling. We must have rode Indy at least five times. 9/10.
Matterhorn Bobsleds – We rode the ‘sleds a number of times, making sure to enjoy both sides of the mountain. Another ride that didn’t seem to consistently move at the same speed, but it’s probably just in our minds. 7/10
Space Mountain – Both of our favourite rides in Disneyland, we loved Space and rode it a half dozen times or more. I had a vague memory of the ride from the last time I went (when I was 12) and wasn’t prepared for the speed! Absolutely unbelievable attraction. 10/10
Splash Mountain – We did Splash twice earlier in the trip and then twice more as our final two rides to say goodbye to DL. It’s a classic ride combining thrills with the environment that only Disney can create. Fun times and I got absolutely drenched my final ride. 9/10
Star Tours – Disappointing and in bad, bad, bad need of a major overhaul. We did it once on the first day and never once considered going back for more. Update this ride and improve the motion simulator while you’re at it. 2/10
Mickey’s House – Gotta meet the big guy.
The First 50 Magical Years – I believe this is one of the hidden gems of Disneyland. It’s a great informative and entertaining movie. We both loved it. 8/10
Innoventions – We had split thoughts on this. She enjoyed it, I found it tedious.
Pirate’s Lair – A nice distraction from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the part. Jack was over there for a part of the time we were which made it a little more fun. It’s a neat little place to wander around, especially for those with kids I’d imagine. 5/10
Astro Orbitor – Far more entertaining than either of us expected. Also more cramped quarters as we jammed ourselves into one orbitor. I’m a bit disappointed we didn’t ride this more than once as it was a pleasant surprise. 6.5/10
Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters – Easily the most disappointing attraction we hit up at DL. I just didn’t have any interest in it, thought the guns weren’t sited the best and overall just didn’t enjoy the experience. 2/10
Enchanted Tiki Room – Make it stop…..not a fun way to spend 15 minutes. I would be very happy if they just ditched the entire concept or found a way to integrate the birds into another attraction like the Jungle Cruise or something. Just not for me. 1/10
Finding Nemo – A neat ride, but absolutely not worth the typical wait time. It’s terrible value for your standing time in line, but as a ride on it’s own, it’s not bad. 6/10
Haunted Mansion – CLOSED
HISTA – I thought this was overall a subpar experience, especially in comparison to the other 3D shows we saw during the other parts of our trip in other theme parks. 4/10
Jungle Cruise – Yes I know it’s a classic and yes, I recognize that the quality of your cruise depends largely on the wit of your captain, but I personally feel this ride is in bad need of a major, major overhaul. I just think the animatronics are visibly dated. The concept is sound, but it’s time for one of Walt’s originals to move a little closer to 2008. 5/10
Mr Toad’s Wild Ride – Another surprisingly enjoyable ride in the “kiddie section” that is Fantasy Land. Although I’m not sure the storyline is the most appropriate, it’s a fun ride that moves surprisingly quick and makes some fun turns. 7/10
Pirates of the Caribbean – A classic that still performs. I love the updates to the ride to modernize it to the movies a little bit. I feel it maintains the original integrity of the ride while making it easier to younger generations to relate to it. Loved the water screen effect with Davey Jones as well. 9/10
Scow White’s Scary Adventure – I left this ride confused and feeling like there wasn’t a resolution to the conflict. Weird…. 2/10
Alice in Wonderland – A cute little experience. I liked it because I thought it does a great job of essentially summarizing the story. 6/10
Winnie the Pooh – An above average ride in my opinion for what it is. It’s visually pleasing and the art-work etc is really up to par. It’s a well put together ride. 6/10
Peter Pan’s Flight – EASILY the most surprising ride in the entire park. Both of us loved this ride. It’s one of the most beautiful attractions in DL and tells a good story. 9/10
Pinnochio – Meh, I apparently forgot a lot about the storyline of the very confusing fairytale. The quality of the ride was okay, but this was one of the more forgettable experiences of our trip. 4/10
Railroad – A fun way to get around. HOWEVER, they need to get rid of the Grand Canyon section and do something else there. It’s just not up to par for a World Class park anymore. I don’t care what they put there, just improve it.
EDIT
I forgot a few key items.
Billy Hill and the Hillbillies – See this show. Do not miss it. Period. 9/10
Remember Dreams Come True Fireworks – An outstanding show, well worth spending the time sitting on the sidewalk to stake out your preferred viewing area. We caught the show twice and were amazed both times. It truly is a breath taking performance and was probably one of my favourite experiences of the entire trip. 10/10
Parade – Very, very well done. I am not a “parade person” but found it very enjoyable and believe it would be a must-see for anyone. 8.5/10
Next: Disney's California Adventure
