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Disneyland report (forgive the awful formatting)
13 years ago
Well, I've been back for about a week from the Disneyland trip. Might as well give a report on it. After this trip, let's just say I understand why my parents never wanted to go there for longer than a 3-day trip. My feet and legs hurt like hell. My brother and I were in the parks for about 23 hours or so over those 3 days, and the majority of that time was spent walking or standing in line.
Now, here's a breakdown of what we hit, ride-wise. The number represents how many times we rode it during the three day trip. A number of those I only rode once were because they gave me nostalgic feelings from earlier visits.
Sadly, the Matterhorn and the Haunted Mansion were both closed during our visit, so that was disappointing (even if Matterhorn is my least favorite of the four mountains on account of noisy yeti).
1 Astro Orbiter : Brother wanted to go on it. Was short and meh. Glad we got it out of the way early.
1 Star Tours : Changed a lot, very popular with long lines, but overall pretty meh. The Star Wars nerd in me has numerous complaints about the ride’s many problems with canon.
1 Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride : Nostalgia. I had to hit at least one of the old dark rides for old time’s sake, and the line for Peter Pan was too long.
1 Mad Tea Party : More nostalgia. Man, this ride’s still just as I remember it back in 1989. Still, I can’t imagine how the cast members that run it avoid going insane due to the short repetitive music. Maybe they take very short shifts.
1 Finding Nemo’s Submarine Voyage: Yet more nostalgia. The old 20,000 leagues under the sea influence has been replaced by Finding Nemo. Lots of nightmare fuel for the kiddies, but a meh experience in general for me.
1 Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin : Yet more nostalgia. I visited it back when Toontown opened, and the line used to take about 45 minutes. This time it was more like 2 minutes. A very meh ride, with the only brief bright spots being the opportunity to see Jessica Rabbit in bondage a couple times.
1 Captain EO : It was originally released in the year of my birth, and is now back for a revival of sorts. I saw it just to experience it once, and for some cheap laughs (Insert Michael Jackson jokes here). George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola were not on their A game when they made this one. Also, MJ apparently travels through space with a crew of discount alien muppets that make Jar Jar Binks seem like a compelling character.
1 Disneyland Railway : On previous visits, we rode this one all the time, apparently to save our feet (I learned that the hard way this time). This time I only rode it once, and only to go through the part with the dinosaurs. Nostalgia strikes again.
1 Soarin’ over California : One of only two rides I consider worth a damn at California Adventure.
2 Grizzly River Run : The other worth a damn ride. Sort of like Splash Mountain lite, with a circular raft instead of a log and only one really major drop.
3 Splash Mountain : Splash Mountain is always one of my favorite rides (probably #2 behind Pirates), but it’s one I always seem to have to psyche myself up for and so I never seem to get to it until the last day of a visit. For some reason, every time I went on it this trip, they put me in the front. Let’s just say I’m glad I wasn’t carrying any expensive electronics.
4 Big Thunder Mountain : A classic favorite. It's not as enjoyable as it used to be for me, but it's still fun.
4 Indiana Jones Adventure : I remember going on this one back when it first opened. Still awesome, and still has the best line to be stuck waiting in in the whole park.
6 Space Mountain: A lot darker than I remember. Couldn't see shit. Fun as hell, though.
7 Pirates of the Caribbean : Goddamn the line moves fast. Never had to wait more than 10 minutes. Frankly, I don’t mind the changes they’ve made based on the movies (adding in Jack Sparrow, Barbossa, etc). Overall, probably my fav ride.
Total:35
Now, here's a breakdown of what we hit, ride-wise. The number represents how many times we rode it during the three day trip. A number of those I only rode once were because they gave me nostalgic feelings from earlier visits.
Sadly, the Matterhorn and the Haunted Mansion were both closed during our visit, so that was disappointing (even if Matterhorn is my least favorite of the four mountains on account of noisy yeti).
1 Astro Orbiter : Brother wanted to go on it. Was short and meh. Glad we got it out of the way early.
1 Star Tours : Changed a lot, very popular with long lines, but overall pretty meh. The Star Wars nerd in me has numerous complaints about the ride’s many problems with canon.
1 Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride : Nostalgia. I had to hit at least one of the old dark rides for old time’s sake, and the line for Peter Pan was too long.
1 Mad Tea Party : More nostalgia. Man, this ride’s still just as I remember it back in 1989. Still, I can’t imagine how the cast members that run it avoid going insane due to the short repetitive music. Maybe they take very short shifts.
1 Finding Nemo’s Submarine Voyage: Yet more nostalgia. The old 20,000 leagues under the sea influence has been replaced by Finding Nemo. Lots of nightmare fuel for the kiddies, but a meh experience in general for me.
1 Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin : Yet more nostalgia. I visited it back when Toontown opened, and the line used to take about 45 minutes. This time it was more like 2 minutes. A very meh ride, with the only brief bright spots being the opportunity to see Jessica Rabbit in bondage a couple times.
1 Captain EO : It was originally released in the year of my birth, and is now back for a revival of sorts. I saw it just to experience it once, and for some cheap laughs (Insert Michael Jackson jokes here). George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola were not on their A game when they made this one. Also, MJ apparently travels through space with a crew of discount alien muppets that make Jar Jar Binks seem like a compelling character.
1 Disneyland Railway : On previous visits, we rode this one all the time, apparently to save our feet (I learned that the hard way this time). This time I only rode it once, and only to go through the part with the dinosaurs. Nostalgia strikes again.
1 Soarin’ over California : One of only two rides I consider worth a damn at California Adventure.
2 Grizzly River Run : The other worth a damn ride. Sort of like Splash Mountain lite, with a circular raft instead of a log and only one really major drop.
3 Splash Mountain : Splash Mountain is always one of my favorite rides (probably #2 behind Pirates), but it’s one I always seem to have to psyche myself up for and so I never seem to get to it until the last day of a visit. For some reason, every time I went on it this trip, they put me in the front. Let’s just say I’m glad I wasn’t carrying any expensive electronics.
4 Big Thunder Mountain : A classic favorite. It's not as enjoyable as it used to be for me, but it's still fun.
4 Indiana Jones Adventure : I remember going on this one back when it first opened. Still awesome, and still has the best line to be stuck waiting in in the whole park.
6 Space Mountain: A lot darker than I remember. Couldn't see shit. Fun as hell, though.
7 Pirates of the Caribbean : Goddamn the line moves fast. Never had to wait more than 10 minutes. Frankly, I don’t mind the changes they’ve made based on the movies (adding in Jack Sparrow, Barbossa, etc). Overall, probably my fav ride.
Total:35
(Of course this is speaking as someone who always checks in advance to make sure the Haunted Mansion will be open. Have I mentioned I'm something of an obsessive about the place?)
Still, it'll be all right. It just means I'll have to go back there sooner than I otherwise would.