Disneyland and California Adventure 3/24/09

Written by Bradley Robertson

Tuesday, 24 March 2009 00:00

Valerie and I's plan for this visit was to get to the turnstiles a few minutes before park opening. We left the hotel around 7:30, but ran in to traffic on our way in. Since I was on vacation I forgot it was Monday and I would have to deal with rush hour traffic. Between traffic, parking, and riding the tram to the entrance we didn't arrive at the gates until 8:30. When we got to the turnstiles we handed the cast member our Walt Disney World Park Hopper tickets with the no expiration option on them. The cast member called someone else over and that person took our tickets and said he would be back in a few minutes. Ten minutes later he came back with our original tickets and a set of Disneyland/Disney's California Adventure 1 day Hopper tickets. This was a tip I found on MouseSavers.com. The difference in cost between what we had paid for our WDW tickets and what the 1 Day Disneyland Hopper tickets would have cost saved us around $100.

Once we were in the park I took advantage of the relative emptiness that you only see the first hour after opening, and I took the obligatory pictures of Main Street and Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Originally I was going to try to follow the touring plan that was in the Unofficial Guide to Disneyland, but when I reached for my photocopied version in my back pocket it wasn't there. When we got back to the hotel I found it sitting on the desk. Without the plan we just decided to wing it and I tried to re-create the plan as best I could from memory. We decided to head over to Space Mountain first, and it was a short 15 minute wait. I had remembered this one being better than the WDW version, but honestly after having just rode that one 3 months ago I am gonna have to change my opinion. Even without the upgraded visuals and music the Alpha side at WDW is much better than the Disneyland version. Valerie and I both were a little disappointed by this. I have since read that the effects are different at night, but I didn't take a night ride on this trip so I'm not sure what the differences are. I know that most people will disagree that the WDW version is better, but for the time being I am sticking to this.

Since Matterhorn Bobsleds was just a hop, skip, and a jump away we decided to stop there next. Unlike Space Mountain, I was not disappointed with my experience. It was about like I remembered. It is nicely themed and you never really know what to expect is coming up next. While there are better coasters out there, it is always nice to enjoy what is probably the predecessor to Everest. At least I would like to think that had the technology been available Uncle Walt would have designed it that way.

Next we took a short walk over to It's a Small World. While we were waiting in line we got to see clock strike 10am. It was kind of neat to see the giant animated clock with the children walking across the front. This Disney classic ride recently just finished having a major, and controversial refurbishment done to it. It was controversial because it was one of the few remaining rides left at Disneyland that was the same as when Walt commissioned it. To be perfectly honest, I was a little worried on how it would turn out after seeing what has been done to Pirates of the Caribbean. I don't like how a ride that inspired a movie franchise has been changed to better reflect the movie, but enough about that. With the refurb It's a Small World looks like a brand new ride. The colors are vibrant again, and the animatronics seem to be in better shape. One of the additions that worried me when I read about it was that several classic Disney characters have been inserted into the ride. However, the way it was done was very clever. As an example, Woody doesn't look like he would fit in Toy Story any more because he has been stylized to fit in with the other characters of this ride. Because of this it actually made the ride more fun to try and spot all the new characters. This has definitely breathed new life in to the ride and it will continue to remain popular for years to come.

Once we exited Small World and tried to get the tune out of our head we headed in to Toon Town to check out a few rides. Valerie really wanted to ride Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Standby was 20 minutes and FastPass was 45 minutes so we grabbed FastPasses and got in line for Gadget's Go Coaster. Like Goofy's Barnstormer in WDW, Gadget is a fun kiddie coaster. However, Barnstormer has a little better theming, is a little longer, and has a better layout. Gadget's Go Coaster is one I will skip in the future unless I am with kids. After our ride we still had about 30 minutes left before we could get ride Roger Rabbit so we decided to go ahead and wait in line to get out pictures taken with Minnie. Even though we tell ourselves we aren't going to do character pictures anymore we always seem to come home with at least one. Once we had taken pictures with Minnie we still had a few minutes to kill so we explored Toon Town a little more. When we finally got on Roger Rabbit I ended up being a little disappointed. This ride is similiar to A Cat in a Hat at Islands of Adventure, but on this ride you can control the spinning. The story is okay, and the Benny the Cab themed cars were neat. However, the spinning aspect of the ride ends up detracting from it. Because you can control the spinning you are often facing the wrong direction if you leave it alone, forcing you to spin your car so you can follow along. Because we basically left the car alone we felt like we missed a lot of the key scenes.

We left Toon Town and headed in to Fantasyland to get on a couple of rides that don't exist at WDW. Our First stop was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. It had been about 20 years since I ridden the WDW version which has since been closed. The ride is a weird tour through London and the English countryside. The storyline didn't seem to make a lot of sense to me considering that you survive a massive TNT explosion, but when you get hit by a train you die and go to hell. The later part would make me think twice about taking little ones on the ride as it could be a little scary. Definitely some suspension of disbelief is needed to follow along with this story. Also because of it's age it is a little jerky compared to some of the other dark rides in the park and can make you a little dizzy. Unless you are feeling nostalgic (like I was) you could probably skip this one.

The other Fantasyland ride we wanted to go on was Pinocchio's Daring Journey. This ride basically takes you through the movie with a few surprises. Valerie and I had just watched the re-release of the movie a few weeks prior so the story was fresh in our minds and I think that helped with the enjoyment of the ride. However, we also thought that had we not seen the movie recently we might not have liked it as much. It's hard to say either way, but this is a gem that seems to be ignored in Fantasyland since the line for it was empty most of the day. Also, be sure to take a look at the ride vehicles. Pseudo wood-carved benches add a nice element to the theme of this ride.

Next we headed over to Frontierland to grab a FastPass for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. We took the jaunt over to Critter Country to see what the wait was like for Splash Mountain, but it was 80 minutes so we decided we would come back later. Instead, we headed over to New Orleans square to ride Haunted Mansion. As usual the stand by time was listed as 13 minutes. Just as when I rode the WDW version a few months prior, I once again noticed new items. I think a large part of this due to just how much there is too see in the attraction. You can only remember so much of each individual ride you take that unless you ride it frequently your mind will always find something "new" to see. Even though this ride never gets old, I will have to say I was a little disappointed with the seance scene. There seemed to be too much light in that room and you could see the strings attached to the floating crystal ball. This was definitely not the case at the WDW version. This is just a minor nitpick, and there are plenty of people out there that think this version is the best.

We were allowed to get more FastPasses at this point so we went ahead and grabbed them for Splash Mountian. Next we headed to Frontierland to use our now active FastPasses for Thunder Mountain. Like most of Disney's non-kiddie coasters this was a fun and long ride. I will say I enjoy it more in the back, but like most Disney rides you don't really have a choice where you sit and we were in the third row of the first train. It didn't seem as intense as the times we were able to ride in the back. I realize that this is a way to maximize ride capacity, but it is also frustrating to not have any say in where you sit. In the past I have been able to get people to switch seats with me to getter a slightly better spot for on-ride photos (the first row in each car usually makes for the best photos). I haven't tried that trick to go from row 3 to the last row and I'm sure it would annoy the cast members if I did.

After our ride on Thunder Mountain we still had a lot of time before we could go on Splash Mountain so we decided to go over to Adventureland and see what the line was like for the Indiana Jones Adventure ride. The wait was 55 minutes and we couldn't get another FastPass for over an hour. When were trying to decide if the wait was worth it we saw that there was a single rider line and Valerie decided that was our best bet. Most of the time when you do single rider you end up on the same vehicle, but in different rows. This time we were in separate vehicles, but it only took a total of about 10 minutes to get through the queues and get a seat on a ride. Saving ourselves 45 minutes in line was definitely worth splitting up for. This is one of the must visit attractions at Disneyland. I enjoyed it as much as the first time I rode it. There are some great effects on this ride, and it is easy to understand why it always has a 45+ minute wait.

Next we decided to hit up the Jungle Cruise. This is an attraction that the guide makes all the difference. A few months ago at WDW our guide was not good, and as a result the ride suffered. Of course, it probably didn't help that it was also raining cats and dogs at the time. This time we had an older gentlemen and much better weather. It was obvious from his name badge that he was a seasoned cast member since he had a few different anniversary pins on it. He was definitely one of the better guides we have had on the Jungle Cruise. Now that I have ridden it twice in the last 3 months I think I am good going without another ride for several years. You need time to recover from all those puns after all.

We still had lots of time before we could use our Splash Mountain FastPasses so went back across the park to Tomorrowland to ride Star Tours. I do still enjoy this ride, but I really wish that they would upgrade it to the long rumored version 2.0. If they created a new story and changed it in to a 3D motion simulator this would once again be an excellent attraction. Otherwise, this ride has become just a time-filler for me and I'll skip it if the wait is over 30 minutes.

Finally, it was time for us to use our Splash Mountain FastPasses. I had never ridden this version of the ride and the story is not only different from WDW version, but it is also a little shorter. One thing that is different is that it feels like you are experiencing the story in medias res. As a result, the story doesn't flow as well. The boats are also different from the ones at WDW since you sit in a single file like a typical log flume ride instead of in rows like the Shoot-the-Chutes style boats at WDW. Based on how wide the canals are at the Disneyland version this is unlikely to change without completely gutting the mountain and starting over. This most likely explained why the lines were long all day. The ride capacity for this version has to be considerably lower. Another drawback of this ride is that at one point you could see another part of the story/ride on a lower level through the current scene. This definitely decreases the immersive theming that is extremely important for the suspension of disbelief that is needed for this kind of ride.

With most of our touring done for the day it was time for a late lunch/early dinner. Earlier in the day I had requested priority seating at Cafe Orleans for 4PM. We started out with the highly recommended Pomme Frites. They were basically garlic fries with a tasty remoulade sauce on the side. For our entrees I orderd the Monte Cristo sandwich and Valerie had the Seafood crepe. The Monte Cristo was excellent, and I think it was better than the ones I usually get when I eat at Bennigan's. Unfortunately, Valerie did not hold the same high opinion of her crepe. We both agree that if you want some place to sit for a little bit and just snack on some Pomme Frites this is a great place. Keep in mind during peak times there will be a wait so your best bet is to get priority seating or come well after the lunch or dinner rush.

After dinner we did some shopping on Main Street to let dinner settle, and so we could avoid the park closing rush as well. With our shopping done we headed over to Disney's California Adventure to get in a few rides before closing time at 8PM. First we took a look at the Blue Sky Cellar attraction which showcases all the changes that are planned for DCA over the next several years. I had read about all of these beforehand, but it was nice to see the artwork and models in person. Valerie and I both agreed later that these changes really are necessary for Disney to justify charging the same for admission as they do at Disneyland. Currently, the only two attractions that we care to visit at DCA are California Screamin' and Toy Story Midway Mania. DCA's version of Tower or Terror is sub-par compared to the one at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and neither one of us likes Soarin' Over California.

Because of all the new things that are being worked on it appears as if half the park is under construction, and to a certain degree that isn't far from the truth. The bridge to Paradise Pier has construction walls setup on both sides, and the lagoon has been completely drained for the World of Color construction. The wait for California Screamin' was about 30 minutes and we were lucky enough to sit in the second to last car. Overall, this is just a fantastic coaster. It has a fun LIM launch with a countdown that comes from the speakers in your headrests. During the ride the speakers play decent music that fits well with the ride. Even though this is a steel coaster, they have done a great job at designing it to look like a classic wooden coaster. Since it is the 8th longest coaster in the world this coaster definitely can't be called a short ride.

After we were done Screamin' we walked over to Toy Story and ended up waiting 45 minutes. The only difference I noticed between this one and the DHS version is the queue. Otherwise, it was just as fun as the one at DHS. I scored 138,200 points which is far lower than the 500,000+ point range that made up the daily top scores. A lot of folks thought the Buzz Lightyear rides were some of the best that Disney has ever done. I never really understood that. I always felt they were lacking in some way. It wasn't until I rode Toy Story that I realized that adding 3D to a similar ride and changing how you use the gun for the game makes all the difference.

Once we got off Toy Story it was decision time. It was 10 minutes before park closing and we needed to decide whether we should we get back in line for California Screamin', Toy Story, or go get some ice cream. We opted to go to the front of the park at get some ice cream at Bur-r-r Bank Ice Cream and look for souvenirs when we were done eating. We had ice cream here on our last trip as well and it is some of the best I have ever had. We didn't really have any plans to get any DCA branded souvenirs other than a magnet for the fridge. We went in to the large store at the front of the park and had a hard time finding anything branded with DCA, let alone just a magnet. After walking through the store a few times and only seeing Disneyland stuff I asked a cast member where I could find DCA branded items. He took me to a very small wall that only had a handful of items with the California Adventure logo on them. Apparently DCA gear is so unpopular they found they really only needed to have two different shirts, a mug, and key chain. After seeing this Valerie and I were glad we bought the shot glass we have on the last trip.

After failing to procure a DCA magnet we went back to Disneyland to try to take a ride on Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. On our last visit to California we missed being able to take a ride on Nemo by 10 days. From what I had read in books and on blogs the lines for this ride continue to be 1-2 hour waits 3 years later. The Unofficial Guide recommended going during the afternoon parade or during fireworks. Since there was no parade we opted to miss fireworks. The closer it got to that time the shorter the end of the line got. Valerie and I figured that the same folks that would want to ride Nemo wouldn't skip the fireworks. This also seemed to be backed up by the length of the line for Matterhorn. It was the longest I had seen all day. We ended up waiting 45 minutes, and to be blunt and to the point I liked what used to fill this lagoon better. I haven't seen the movie so I am sure that has something to do with it. However, I wasn't as awe-struck with the effects as I thought I would be. Now that I have ridden it I know that I don't have to worry about missing fireworks or a parade on my next visit to Disneyland.

With only a little more than an hour left before park closing Valerie and I only had one more item on the agenda and that was to tour Sleeping Beauty's Castle Walkthrough exhibit. This attraction re-opened in November after being closed since October of 2001. I wasn't really sure what to expect out of this attraction as I didn't know much about it. More than anything I was just excited to be able to walk through the castle! However, I was pleasantly surprised with what I found inside. As you walk through the castle there are several murals from the movie. These murals have been enhanced with CGI effects allowing each part of the story to come to life. One of the coolest parts of the exhibit is where a moving shadow of Maleficent greets and laughs at you as if she is standing around the corner. Although there are plenty of pictures on the web detailing this experience, I didn't take any. I felt this was an attraction that you really have to experience in person to appreciate it, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone.

I want to point out that even though I was fairly critical of Disneyland and made several comparisons to Walt Disney World I had a great time and I will go back. Part of my reason for the critiques is that Disneyland has the 2nd highest annual attendance of all theme parks, with the Magic Kingdom taking the top spot. For that reason I felt it was prudent to make a comparison of the rides when applicable. Disneyland is a great park and is worth visiting at least twice in your life. Once as a newcomer, and a second time after a visit to Walt Disney World so you can appreciate the differences between the two parks.

Hopefully you have enjoyed reading this as much as I did experiencing it. For the rest of my pictures from this trip, as well as full size pictures of the thumbnails above please visit my Gallery or visit my Disneyland Part I, Disneyland Part II, and California Adventure albums on Facebook.

Bradley Robertson dot com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License and has been republished with permission.

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