Disneyland 2019

Unlike going to Disney California Adventure, our trip to Disneyland was very much planned ahead of time. Still, planning usually goes out the window as soon as you get to the park. The park was for the most part very manageable throughout the day. We went the weekend after Thanksgiving, so I was hoping that most visiting families would have packed up and gone back home. This only gets you so far, as most of Disneyland is populated by townies. Still, we were able to do basically everything we set out to do. While my wife sat out of Disney California Adventure, she wouldn't miss the chance to go to Disneyland again. Like I mentioned in the last entry, Goober was tall enough to ride almost everything, so it made the trip that much better. He's also older, and wasn't freaking out at every line.

Fantasyland

Peter Pan's Flight

The go-to first stop for Disneyland. If they ever re-do the outside of this ride, I'm sure a Fastpass queue will be the first thing they add, as this ride sorely needs it. We were at the park at rope-drop and we still had to wait a good fifteen or so minutes to get on since this is what most early birds go for first. Goober was still a little bemused by waiting in line, but he put up with it rather well. They added a new animation affect on Big Ben in the "flying over London" scene, so that was really cool. Otherwise, it appears to be extremely similar to the Magic Kingdom version.

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

This would have been a no-brainer last time we went, but they were unfortunately refurbishing it. Dumbo was back this time around, with an updated queue and everything! I haven't been on Dumbo since I was little, so this was a lot of fun to ride with my family. Goober had a blast and loved pointing out Timothy Q. Mouse in the middle of the ride.


Alice in Wonderland

I was disappointed we didn't get to go on this one last time, as it is the only version of this ride in the world. This is probably one of my favorite dark rides. There is so much detail and bright colors, I feel like you could discover something new each time you ride. I also think it's fun you go outside for a small portion and then go right back in for the Mad Tea Party. While some of the other dark rides can be a little too loud (Mr. Toad) or frightening (Snow White), this one is perfect for small children.



Mad Tea Party

My wife had to sit this one out as she is unable to ride spinning rides anymore. Goober was super excited to get on this one, though. He demanded to be spun at maximum level! This is another one I hadn't rode on since I was a kid, and riding it with Goober was pure joy.





Pinocchio's Daring Journey

This dark ride was a little bizarre. Definitely not one of my favorites at the park. It was...too dark? I know it's a dark ride, but everything looked dull. I was surprised to learn that this was added in the early 80's, as it does fit in with the traditional look and feel of the dark rides from the mid-50's. This is another storybook dark ride that kind of yada yada's most of the plot, especially the ending. Like, you go from Pinocchio escaping from Pleasure Island, and then Monstro just shows up and then you're in your house again and the Blue Fairy is there. It's a necessary evil with this movie though, as there are way too many bad things that happen to Pinocchio. I would say if you visit and can't fit this in, I wouldn't worry too much about it. That being said, there is never a line for this ride.

Snow White's Scary Adventures

This ride in Disney World went the way of the dodo, so this is the only way to ride it in the U.S. The title of this ride is not kidding, this ride can be pretty terrifying, especially for young kids. Most of the ride is you being harassed by the Evil Queen in hag form. The ride begins with you seeing Snow White, and then at the end you get a picture of Snow White being carried away by Prince Charming. Anyone expecting a ride full of Snow White will be both disappointed and scared out of their wits. The theming this one is great inside and out, with the exterior made to look like the Evil Queen's castle. You can even see her open and shut the curtain in a window above the ride every once in a while. Inside the queue there is a a barred window you look down from and see the Evil Queen's lab. Very nice touches!  I always got a kick out of this ride, so it was fun to be able to ride again. Goober was not having it, however. This wasn't the ride that scared him the most that day, however.

Matterhorn Bobsleds

This ride wrecked me last time I rode it, and that was because I was not prepared for a rickety roller coaster from the late 50's. This time I was prepared and braced myself the whole way, so I actually enjoyed the ride much better this time around. While I had a good time, Goober was having a much different experience. I might have forgotten to tell him that this ride had a yeti on it, and as soon as you start the ride you go into a tunnel with the yeti roaring all around you. Suffice to say, he had his eyes and ears covered for most of the ride. Yay! Dad of the year! In my defense, he loves roller coasters, though I didn't consider the yeti as a possible problem, so you can still call me dumb. My wife seemed to enjoy it, too, though the ride throat-punched her when it started up. The funniest thing about the whole experience is that Goober is obsessed with this ride. Yes, it scared him half to death at the time, but ever since the trip he only wants to talk about the "geti" as he calls it. I have probably watched the ride-through video of this ride on Youtube a hundred times with him now. I have an album of Disneyland ride songs and he demands to hear the Matterhorn song as soon as we get into the car (it's all yodeling). If I took him back to Disneyland today, I can almost guarantee he would refuse to ride it, but that doesn't mean he can't enjoy it from the comfort of his own home!

It's A Small World 

Our next stop after Matterhorn was Small World, as I knew we needed something to calm Goober's nerves. What's more calming than a bunch of dolls singing the same songs over and over again!? What was neat is they do a massive holiday overlay on this ride, so the outside was completely decked out in lights. Inside they had a ton of holiday themed decorations, lights, and characters. I know this caused a stir for some die-hard Disneyland fans, but I enjoy seeing the Disney characters dispersed throughout this ride. It's like Where's Waldo, except this time I'm trying to find Stitch. This got the job done in calming Goober down, who loved all the songs and lights. The queue and outside of this ride is so much better than Disney World's it's not even funny. Yes, Florida's much rainier than Southern California, so there's a good reason that Disney World's version is covered, but it just doesn't look as good. The outside, even when not decorated for the holiday season, at Disneyland is just so much more vibrant and unique. Yeah, I know some people can't stand this ride, but it's always a must-ride for me.

Storybook Land Canal Boats

This mouthful of a ride is a calming boat ride through areas populated with miniatures from your favorite Disney movies. Did I also mention that this calming ride starts with you going through the gaping maw of Monstro? Seeing this part of the ride on my old VHS copy of Disney Sing-A-Long Songs "Disneyland Fun" always made me jealous that it wasn't at Disney World. This ride and Matterhorn were both sore spots for me as a kid since they were only at this magical park I never thought I would go to in my life. Now, this ride is nowhere near as exciting than Matterhorn, but it's a nice break from the hustle and bustle of a crowded theme park. Goober seemed to like it, too, though mostly because of Monstro.

Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough

Amazingly, one of my favorite parts of the day, and I think Goober's too, was not even a ride. We hadn't really bothered with this last year, mostly because the entrance wasn't as apparent as the ride entrances were. I managed to find it this time around and it's just a fun walk-through of the Sleeping Beauty story. You travel through the castle and look into windows which are populated with beautiful dioramas of different scenes from the movie. Most have some special effects that really make the story come alive. Goober loved every second of it. It's a simple experience, but definitely worth seeing.

We skipped Casey Jr. Train as he rode that last time, and it shows you a lot of the same things as the Storybook Land Canal Boats. We also didn't go on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, as Goober was very frightened last time by the explosions.

Tomorrowland

Star Tours: The Adventure Continues

Our first ride outside of Fantasyland was Star Tours. This one is a favorite of my wife's and mine, and we were hoping that Goober might feel the same. He has only a passing knowledge of Star Wars, so the characters weren't familiar to him. He has seen the original version of Star Tours on Youtube a few times. When he was smaller I would put him in a laundry basket and move it around pretending to be part of the ride. He is unfortunately too big for that now. Goober seemed to like the ride itself a lot, but was still upset when we were walking out of the exit. I asked him what was wrong and he frowned and said, "We left without the captain! Where was the captain?" The beginning of the ride has C-3PO saying that they can't take off yet because the captain isn't aboard, but of course Star Tours takes off without him. That was apparently Goober's takeaway from the ride. We did get to ride this again much later in the day. The best thing about this ride is there are a bunch of different versions, so you usually don't get the same experience. Our first ride involved The Last Jedi, while our second ride was centering on the prequels, mostly The Phantom Menace. Both lots of fun! Goober liked the ride much better the second time around.

Astro Orbiter

A ride in the same vein as Dumbo, this one goes a bit higher in the air. Both times we went there seemed to always be a line just long enough to keep you from riding on a whim. We did wait to ride since we had to wait on our Hyperspace Mountain Fastpass to come up, and it was pretty smooth sailing besides them stopping the ride because it looked like someone was going to climb out? My wife and Goober rode together on this one and I did my best to record the experience, but Goober loved going up and down so much I couldn't keep up! The centrifugal force is a bit stronger than you think it will be on this ride, especially if you aren't holding on like I wasn't. Fun ride if you have the time and if your kids like heights and spinning!

Hyperspace Mountain

If the name looks a little off, it's because this is the Star Wars overlay of Space Mountain. The overlay has been used a couple times at Disneyland, and had come back this past year thanks to Galaxy's Edge opening. I hadn't really heard much about this ride ahead of the trip, so I wasn't too sure what to expect with Goober. Well, the ride for my wife and me was probably the highlight of the day, while Goober didn't seem to appreciate the darkness and loud noises. I swear I'm not trying to scar my kid for life. I honestly didn't think they could make Space Mountain any better, but just adding John William's score and some projections of Tie Fighters and X-Wings battling each other really makes the ride into a whole new experience. I'm a little sad they don't do this in Disney World, but I think Disneyland has to do some special things to keep it interesting for the townies.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

This was a last minute choice near the end of the day. We had passed by this submarine ride several times during the day and Goober was always very curious what the ride was like. I decided that we might as well experience the ride since they don't have it anywhere else. My wife bowed out since the thought of being crammed into a small submarine underwater was not her idea of a good time. This ride has an extremely slow load up, so the wait time was very deceptive. Also, the ride is not short, so in all we spent 45 minutes in total for the whole experience. Was it worth it? I would say so. I know a lot of people would rather see this area used for something else than a low capacity ride that costs a ton of money to operate, but it has its charms. It replaced the original Submarine Voyage from 1959, which closed in 1998, so it wasn't like they came up with idea of a submarine ride in 2007 when the Nemo version opened. Goober was utterly fascinated the whole time. You look out of portholes and see a lot of physical props, but also a lot of screens so it looks like Nemo and friends are there with you. The one thing that I can't stand about this ride and also the Finding Nemo ride in Epcot is the voice actor for Marlin. Albert Brooks, like many famous actors, chose not to reprise his role as Marlin and it shows. This is a weird gripe, but it just takes me out of both rides every time Marlin speaks. While Goober loved the ride, I'm not sure I would take the time to ride it again thanks to the large amount of time it takes to ride.

In this section we skipped Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and Autopia. Goober decided as we were in line that he was scared of Zurg so we got out Astro Blasters quick. Autopia was not a priority, plus don't think we wanted to smell like car exhaust the rest of the day.

Adventureland

Tarzan's Treehouse

This walk-through attraction replaced the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse in 1999 and also exists in Hong Kong Disneyland. I don't have too much nostalgia about Swiss Family Robinson, so I was fine seeing this re-do. It is a very fun walkthrough, with plenty of interactive spots. The trouble is there are so many people taking pictures and instagramming that you can't really get in and experience everything. At least that's what happened to us. Goober was super interested in the life-sized leopard, Sabor. That was, until Sabor roared loudly in his face. Just like the Matterhorn, Goober's fascination with this experience has only grown, though he was frightened at the time. He also requests to listen to the song for Tarzan's Treehouse, though he always calls it "Jungle Cruise".

Jungle Cruise

Speaking of Jungle Cruise, we rode that immediately after Goober and I traveled through Tarzan's Treehouse. Disneyland's version somehow never has a terrible wait compared to Disney World's and I'm not sure what the reason is. No unusual surprises here. It's the Jungle Cruise, and you get the same basic experience with the Jungle Cruise. Some of the jokes may change a little bit, but most have been used for decades. Goober loved riding this again, and this was a nice, pleasant ride in the middle of the day. I will say, because we were in line for about ten minutes versus walking right on like last time, I got to see a whole lot more of the queue, and it is very detailed and fun to poke around.

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room

My wife does not like this show. It was the first thing I made her experience at the Magic Kingdom and she was not impressed. I wasn't going to force her to see the show this year, but Goober saw the sign as we were getting Dole Whips and demanded we see the tiki birds. One thing I'll say is the waiting area outside of the show room is much better than Magic Kingdom's. You have a bunch of Polynesian gods that take turns telling you about themselves and moving around a little bit. You can tell it's something that's been around since the show started in the mid-60's and it's really fun to watch. As far as I can tell, the show itself is no different from the Magic Kingdom version. It's just a fun, hokey show. I get a kick out of these old rides from a bygone era, especially this, Carousel of Progress, and Country Bear Jamboree. Goober had a great time and requests the Tiki Bird song often, though not as much as Matterhorn or "Jungle Cruise".

Goober was only too short for one ride at Disneyland and that was Indiana Jones Adventure. Even if he was big enough, I'm not sure how he would have reacted. It's a super fun ride, but I don't think small kids would enjoy getting bounced around and surrounded by snakes.

Frontierland

OK, so we didn't really do anything in Frontierland besides sit near the Mark Twain riverboat and eat popcorn. They had both the Sailing Ship Columbia and the Mark Twain Riverboat operating, so that was neat seeing them go down the Rivers of America. We didn't have enough time to go on Tom Sawyer's Island, unfortunately. I don't remember ever going as a kid so I was curious what is over there. Plus, Goober probably would have benefitted from some running around time, but it also may have tired him out prematurely. There is one ride that couldn't miss, however.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Goober had been looking forward to this ride for a long time. For the most part, I think it lived up to his expectations, though. He got a little freaked out by the dynamite at the end, so he covered his ears. Big Thunder is such a fun coaster, and I used to not give it a second thought in the past. Maybe I just like Disneyland's version better? I'm not sure, but this was a lot of fun to ride with Goober, including pointing out the goat chewing on a dynamite stick.

New Orleans Square

Pirates of the Caribbean

This ride kept intermittently closing, so we kept coming back over to it to see if we could finally ride it. Even with the fast load up, we spent probably the longest time in this line than any other. It's all worth it, as this is still one of the coolest rides at Disneyland. Goober had a better experience this time, as he wasn't freaked out by the small drops.

Haunted Mansion Holiday

From September through December, the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland gets taken over by The Nightmare Before Christmas. This isn't a lazy overlay. They really go all out on it. There's a good portion of the Haunted Mansion effects that are still present, mostly in the ballroom scene, but others like the attic are almost completely changed. Is it a good presentation? Yes. Was it entertaining? Yes. That being said, it was probably the biggest disappointment of the day. I love the Haunted Mansion. Like, a lot. I wanted to be OK with this overlay, and I guess I am just OK with it, but I would never go out of my way to ride it again. Goober was very unimpressed, and he likes the Nightmare Before Christmas characters. And this isn't me hating on Nightmare Before Christmas. I also love that movie, so you'd think this is a perfect combo for me. Alas, it just wasn't our thing.

Critter Country

Splash Mountain

Splash Mountain is one of the most popular rides in any Disney Park. Every time I've visited Disney World, the line is always long. I kept looking at the wait times for Splash Mountain at Disneyland and the wait never moved from 5 minutes. OK, so maybe the wait times app is acting up. Nope! Turns out local Californians don't like to get wet if the temp dips below 75 degrees. It was late November and it wasn't the warmest day, so I guess I can't blame them. We walked right on this ride and didn't see another person the whole time. Comparing the Disney World and Disneyland Splash Mountain, the Disney World version is better, honestly. In Disneyland, they took a bunch of old animatronics from America Sings, a recently closed show in the 80's and put them into Splash Mountain. The age shows on some of the characters, and otherwise there were just some animatronics missing. I'm not talking random animals missing either, I mean Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear. One of the last scenes I heard Brer Bear's voice, but didn't see him anywhere, and that's when I realized he had been removed form the scene entirely. That, coupled with absolutely no one else being on the ride kind of dampened (ha) the experience. Also, we got wet.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

I said it last time, but I had slept on this dark ride because it seemed like a cash grab replacement for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in Disney World. Turns out this dark ride is really fun and has some cool effects! It's one of our favorites at the park and Goober got a huge kick out of it. My only gripe is that this ride took over Country Bear Jamboree, which would have been fun to take Goober to.

Mickey's Toontown

Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin

This was unfortunately all we got to do in Toontown. The wait for Gadget's Go Coaster was too long for how late it was and Goober was too tired to fly through Mickey and Minnie's House or Donald's Boat. We honestly did this ride on a whim since there happened to be a Fast Pass available soon after we did Tiki Room. Car Toon Spin is in the style of a classic dark ride, though you have the ability to spin your car around at most intervals. This is what makes the ride. Goober loved spinning around as much as possible, though it does take a good amount of effort to turn the wheel. Otherwise the ride is nothing spectacular. There seems to be a lot of empty space and mostly disparate goofy scenes. It's definitely not a run through of the movie. No Judge Doom, though the weasels do show up and Jessica Rabbit is near the end of the ride. It's fun enough, but not one that I would go out of my way to ride again.

Galaxy's Edge

OK, so I knew ahead of time that I would most likely not be riding on Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run, so I didn't even put this area as a priority. I knew I wanted to at least walk through the land, but I knew there wasn't anything there for us to do as a family. Besides Smuggler's Run you have a very small bar that you have to have reservations for and a few shops. Rise of the Resistance wasn't open yet, either. So, we didn't end up going here until the end of the day, closer to 5 or 6. We got a few pictures and mosied around some of the areas, but otherwise there wasn't too much going on. Definitely a cool area, and I wish we had visited during the day time, but I'm glad we went through it.

After we left Galaxy's Edge we made our way back up to the front of the park. Goober was completely spent at this point, so we knew we wouldn't be getting on any other rides. However, there was one ride that we hadn't done yet that was just passive enough to not agitate Goober, and it was something he loved: The Disneyland Railroad. By the time we got up to Main Street U.S.A., the night parade had started. We got a few good looks at some of the passing floats, but were trying our best to hopefully catch the train before it departed. We also didn't know if it was there in the first place, so this was completely a shot in the dark. Luckily, the train was still there and we got on no problem. It was a very pleasant ride through Disneyland, and not something I had done before at night. Goober was mostly conked out on my wife, but lifted his head to watch the pass through Splash Mountain and the Grand Canyon/Prehistoric Times diorama building between Tomorrowland and Main Street U.S.A. Needless to say, Goober went right to sleep after we finally got back to our car. It was a very full day, but very worth it.

It's taken me much longer to finish these posts than I thought, so this vacation is a few months in the past. Goober is still wants to listen to Matterhorn and "Jungle Cruise" on most car rides. He also likes to take the maps of each park and have me go through the whole day, while he adds in his own commentary on how he felt about each ride. I do hope we can go back again someday, but I'm pretty sure our next Disney trip will be down in Florida instead.