Good <insert time of date> to you all!
Despite what I expected, I actually a good time at Disney. As an adult, the experience tended to fall into one the following categories: “that’s a cute thing from childhood”, “that’s an awesome ride”, or “wow I stood an hour in line for that?”
As the lord of preparation, I do want to share my supply packing experiences with my faithful readers. First off, Disney does allow you to take bags into the park (they do a quick search for weapons). Best of all, you can bring in pretty much any food or drink that isn’t alcoholic or glass. Fearing another $8 water Vegas experience, I packed a lot of water, soda, and cheezits for us. I wrapped the beverages in a towel and they stayed cool most of the day (unlike us… it was still hot). Don’t forget to pack sunscreen. Standing in line without shade will cook you fast.
I also brought my 3DS and phone for entertainment (Jamie used her Kindle and phone). Those lines are killer (some can get up to about 75 minutes long) and you might need some form of entertainment. Be warned there is a lot of glare if you plan on doing any gaming. Bring a ziplock bag for the water rides… just in case you/your bag gets soaked.
And in case you are worried about doing Space Mountain or the Tower of Terror with your bag of goodies and electronics, all of my items survived each ride. My backpack was a 17″ laptop bag that goes out to about 7″ of depth (packed). It went on every ride and after it will filled with souvenirs it was not always the most securely fit, I didn’t have any trouble bringing it on roller-coasters or other rides. That said, you might want to make sure it’s securely between your legs for something like the Tower of Terror ride (straight drop down). But even after a ride like that, Jamie’s Starbucks mugs survived.
Last bit of advice: Bring Comfy Shoes. We stayed there from open-to-close; which means lots of walking and standing. The first day I wore my really awesome hiking boots and hiking socks, which was an excellent choice. The fitbit registered 25,000 steps that day, and I was still ready to walk more. The second say I wore sandals (expecting to get wet) and my feet were killing me after about 10,000 steps. Jamie also had poor experience with her boots, so make sure to wear the right socks when you gear up.
Now for what everybody is waiting for: Justin reviews the rides in a top 15 format:
15) Soarin’ Over California
Scary Factor: 1 – “Yawn”
Fun Factor: 2 – “Kinda Legit”
Wait: Slow (45+ mins)
More like Borin’ Over California. It’s a simulated ride, so you just watch a big movie while in a ride that moves up and down to simulate being in a glider. Best part was the fans helped beat the heat.
14) Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
Scary Factor: N/A
Fun Factor: 2 – “Kinda Legit”
Wait: Medium (30 minutes)
You ride in a sub that goes underwater by about 2 feet. The special effects are nice and it has a Finding Nemo mini-story. However, aside from visuals, you don’t even feel like you’re doing anything.
13) Enchanted Tiki Room
Scary Factor: N/A
Fun Factor: 2 – “Kinda Legit”
Wait: Fast (5 minutes)
It’s a musical show with a lot of animatronics. It does have the best
drink in the park next to it: the Dole Whip Float (Pineapple Ice Cream +
Pineapple juice).
12) Star Tours
Scary Factor: 2 – “Whoa”
Fun Factor: 1 – “Meh”
Wait: Slow (45 minutes)
It pains me to put the Star Wars ride so low on the list, but it wasn’t that great. You watch a 3D movie with C3PO and get bumped around. It actually made me a bit motion sick from the 3D + bumpy. I’ve heard the story is random (different environments to fly through) but I didn’t ride it twice to confirm.
11) It’s a Small World
Scary Factor: 5 – “I think I’m Going to Die”
Fun Factor: -5 – “Wait what, negative fun?”
It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears
It’s a world of hopes and a world of fears
There’s so much that we share
that it’s time we’re aware
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small world after all
It’s a small, small world
10) Indiana Jones Adventure
Scary Factor: 2 – “Whoa”
Fun Factor: 3 – “Wind in my Hair”
Wait: Long (60 Minutes)
Great ride, but the wait is insane. We fast passed through it, avoiding the 60 minute wait. It was a lot of fun, but it lacked the intensity of some of the other rides.
9) Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Scary Factor: N/A
Fun Factor: 3 – “Wind in my Hair”
Wait: Short (5 Minutes)
Like Indiana Jones, you ride in a car. Unlike Indiana Jones you can spin the wheel around (it does nothing). Mr. Toad basically gets drunk, does some drunk driving, gets into an accident, and goes to hell. It’s pretty rad.
8) Toy Story Midway Mania
Scary Factor: N/A
Fun Factor: 4 – “Yay”
Wait: Long (60 minutes)
Brutal wait on this ride, but it has a neat concept. You ride in a cart and shoot at targets in a 3D game. I think this game is responsible for a pulled chest muscle that is killing me right now. To “fire” you have to pull a string, so i went all out trying to pull that string as fast as humanly possible… for the course of the whole game which is about 10 minutes.
7) Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster
Scary Factor: N/A
Fun Factor: 4 – “Yay”
Wait: Short/Medium (20 minutes)
It’s like the Midway Mania but with a shorter wait. You ride on a cart and shoot a laser-tag like gun at targets. It’s a lot of fun, even if you aren’t that into Toy Story. Although Midway Mania is a better game, the wait is awful and I don’t like wearing 3D glasses.
6) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Scary Factor: 2 – “Whoa”
Fun Factor: 4 – “Yay”
Wait: Long (45 Minutes)
The first of the “Mountains” rides is rather tame coaster experience. It was a lot of fun, and is a great place to start if you are just getting into coasters.
5) Splash Mountain
Scary Factor: 3 – “Whoa”
Fun Factor: Depends, do you like getting Wet?
Wait: Long (45 Minutes)
This mountain features a log and a river. You float down it without a seat belt. That means it can’t be too scary, right?
4) California Screamin’
Scary Factor: 4 – “Hold on to your Fedora”
Fun Factor: 5 – “Wheee”
Wait: Medium (30 minutes)
This was my first coaster with an upside down loop. I didn’t care for the big drops down at the start (that fear of heights), but once the ride was more about banking and looping, I enjoyed it.
3) Space Mountain
Scary Factor: 2 – “Whoa”
Fun Factor: 5 – “Wheeeee”
Wait Ungodly (75+ Minutes)
The only thing better than a roller coaster, is a roller coaster in the dark, in air conditioning, and with techno blasting at you. That’s space mountain. It’s not as crazy as California Screaming, but it’s a great experience and a lot of fun without the fear. The first time I rode it, I was scared to death of an Iron Rattler experience (that insane coaster at Six Flags).
2) Tower of Terror
Scary Factor: 6 – “Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap”
Fun Factor: 5 – “Wheeeee”
Wait: Ungodly (75+ Minutes)
I think this ride is the King of Disneyland. It has a unique experience (going up and down), and is pure terror. You wear a seatbelt, but you are almost pulled out of your seat when the elevator is going down. It’s extremely intense and I lost my voice screaming on it. However, it’s an experience that must be experienced.
1) Mad Tea Party
Scary Factor: Me: 0, Jamie: 5
Fun Factor: Me: 5, Jamie: 0.
Wait: Short (5 minutes)
You sit in a tea cup, and can spin a wheel. The faster you spin the wheel, the faster your tea cup spins. If I learned anything in Vegas, it’s that spinning wheels lead to big payouts, so I spun that wheel with all my might. Jamie did not approve. In fact, we had a “time out” after the ride on a bench with some water. I wonder how many divorces this ride causes.
I hope that was entertaining to read. I’m out, enjoy the sunset!
I love the efforts you have put in this, appreciate it for all the great blog posts.