Disneyland Resort A to Z - Grizzly River Run

I guess this area of Disney California Adventure Park is still called Grizzly Peak. With almost every other area of DCA getting constructed, refurbished, and otherwise tweaked, this area of the park has been quietly left alone. The area it occupies is quite large but plays home to only one major attraction and a minor one - The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.

The major attraction is Grizzly River Run, a sudo white water rapids ride that is 100% guaranteed to get you wet. And we're not talking Splash Mountain kind of wet here, this is usually a full on head to toe drenching. So depending on your ability to enjoy getting buckets of cold water dumped on you from just about any possible angle is all you need to know as to whether GRR is a great ride or one that you can pass on.

Now when its 90 degrees in the summer, a good soaking can feel rather welcoming. On the other hand if you get on the ride at 5:00 pm on a November evening because someone in your party says "look, no line" as I did a few years back, then beware. You will get wet, then cold, then miserable, pretty much in that order. When someone says "look, no line" for what usually is a very popular ride the correct question to ask yourself is "Why isn't there a line?". Wise people don't go looking to get wet when the sun is rapidly setting and the temperature dropping like a stone. Luckily the Boy was with us on the night in question so I probably told him I would buy him a churro or something if he would go back to the hotel and get me a change of clothes.

Of course, Disney is always at the ready to help you out - for a price. There is a gift shop right next to the ride filled with sweatshirts and hoods to warm you up should that bone chilling cold go right through you. And they are also more than willing to sell you a cheap plastic drop cloth that they call a poncho to put on before you get on the ride. That little gift shop must make a bundle.

White Water Souvenirs off the right of the ride entrance

Disney also doesn't want to be responsible for expensive cameras and cell phones getting a ruined so they also provide lockers near the ride that are free to use for the duration of your excursion. 

But what about the ride itself? Well, I believe at one time it was the longest water ride every constructed and it still may be. Though there is a rather nice launching area from a thematic stand point and several vistas to shoot pictures of the raft vehicles, assorted waterfalls, and impressive rock work the ride itself is what it is, a water ride. There are a couple of small drops during the ride and one big drop toward the end that provide the thrills. What usually gets people are the pop-up geysers that launch huge plums of water near the very end of the ride. This is what usually causes the most water damage to the passengers.

I enjoy Grizzly River Run a great deal. It is fun and just one of those rides that will just have you talking about your experience the rest of the day (and maybe years later). The caveat is - you have to pick your spots for GRR. Get an afternoon fastpass on a warm day that will allow ample drying opportunity before nightfall and all will be good. When the days are short and the weather is cool or cloudy, just walk on by unless you are one of those who choose to ignore wisdom.

Watch our for these!!!!

Disneyland Resort A to Z - The Fantastic Fantasmic

Readers of this blog know that I am a huge fan of the Disneyland nighttime spectacular Fantasmic. Simply put, it is the resort's best live action performance attraction. One of the more wide ready posts in this blog is my Fantasmic vs. World of Color entry. Yes, Fantasmic is better than World of Color in my humble opinion (though I think WOC can be made better than it currently is). Many Disneyland fans complain about how the park was managed (or rather mismanaged) during the Michael Eisner era. But under Eisner's watch, imagineers did give us Fantasmic.

Part show and part spectacle, Fantasmic gives the viewer an all out Disney assault on the senses. Using live characters, projections, animatronics, ships, fireworks, water fountains, lasers, music, and one big fire breathing dragon, Fantasmic gives us a Disney history lesson that builds to a thrilling, goosebump inducing, climactic end. You can't walk away from seeing it without the feeling you have watched something very special. The show is about 22 minutes long. If you have seen the show, you know what I am talking about. If you are planning a trip to Disneyland and have not seen Fantasmic, put it on your must do list of attractions. It's a shining example of what Disneyland and the magic of Disney is all about.

And now for the bad news - simply - crowds. Wall to wall people swell to see Fantasmic, thousands of them, and for many, this is a turn off. I know people who visit Disneyland regularly and avoid Fantasmic for all they are worth simply because of the numbers of people who gather to see it in the relatively small show viewing area around the Rivers of America. There are all kinds of strategies for Fantasmic viewing but the simple fact remains that it is a hugely popular show and it packs them in. People show up hours early in various areas just to hopefully get optimal viewing.

I have seen Fatasmic maybe a dozen times or more. I have waited hours to see it - squatting a table at the Riverbelle Terrace, sitting on the ground closer to the river's edge. I think I am to the point where I now just show up 20 or 30 minutes before showtime, crowd in, and hope for the best. The second showing also tends to be a bit less crowded than the first. 

Be patient, with all those people, there is a bit of crowding, leaning, pushing, along with some general rude behavior and sometimes people do not take to kindly to this. A lot gets forgotten once the show begins

In the end, Fantasmic is remarkable on many levels but what separates it from its World of Color counterpart is Fantasmic actually takes the time to tell a story and is not a collection of Disney's Greatest Hits as WOC tends to be. The show is so vast and expansive that it really has a life its own in Disneyland. It doesn't fit in any one land. Fantasmic is a classic show for the Disney ages. 

Disneyland Resort A to Z - Enchanted Tiki Room

My best thoughts about Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room have already been written in this blog. It's one of my favorite pieces of writing since I started this thing. You can read it from the link below....

The Tiki Room Is Not An Excuse To Eat Ice Cream

For me, the Enchanted Tiki Room in Adventureland is what Disneyland is all about. It's what Walt Disney was all about - a thousand details working in harmony to provide entertainment and magic to all who see and hear. The Enchanted Tiki Room is the sound of innocence in an age of complexities. It's decades worth of joy and fond memories.

Should Disney ever make the ill-fated decision of removing the Tiki Room as some people who have grown tired of the attraction have suggested, then that will be the day Disneyland really dies. WDW made the ill-fated decision of updating their Tiki Room for a new generation with the - Under New Management idea. It's pretty much universally hated for what they did to the original attraction, a poster child for imagineer's over thinking and "don't let this happen again"

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The Enchanted Tiki Room is not an attraction with the "wow" factor. It's an attraction for the heart and soul. Not every attraction has to tie into a movie or whatever else Disney may be promoting at the time. Sometimes it's just nice to hear the birds sing.

Disneyland Resort - A to Z - Disneyland Monorail

So there I was, laying in bed last night, thinking about what Disneyland Resort attraction or restaurant actually started with the letter 'D'. The only thing I could come up with was the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes - a boat ride around the Rivers of America that I have never been on (I think) or have any plans to ever go on. No interest in it whatsoever. Sorry, it looks like work. I don't go to Disneyland to work (though some days it feels like hard work).

And then while looking into it a bit more this morning it came to me. You knucklehead - it's not called "the train" or "the monorail". It's officially called the Disneyland Railroad and the Disneyland Monorail. Now, if you are a regular reader of this blog, you know my unending affection for the Disneyland Railroad. As a ride, as a transportation system, as a vehicle to just sit back and take in the grandeur of the park, the Disneyland Railroad is fantastic. So rather than posting about the Disneyland Railroad again I'll move over the other way and talk about the Disneyland Monorail for  a paragraph or two.

On every one of our Disneyland trips, Mrs. DisneylandTraveler and I will make a round trip on the Disneyland Monorail leaving from the Tomorrowland station. Occasionaly we will use it as transportation to Downtown Disney or for the times we have stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. But mostly we just sit back and make the round trip on the sleek looking trains. The latest versions of the monorail, the Mark VII's, are indeed impressive to look at from many vistas around the resort.

Mrs. DLT and I usually try and get the very back car (the tail). Why? Well, the front compartment with the driver (the nose) is very high in demand for families and you have a better luck getting on in the rear of the train. The other reason is that the front and rear compartments are the only train cars that actually have air conditioning since they do not have windows that open like the cars in the middle sections of the train. Air conditioning is important to Mrs. DLT. Air conditioning is important in January to Mrs. DLT.

The ride itself is kind of, well, ..... meh .... It's smooth, it's quiet but you get to see a lot of the backstage areas of Disneyland and DCA that are not all that impressive to see. Perhaps the ride highlights come when the monorail shoots through the Grand Californian Hotel property and the minute or two when it actually wraps around Fantasyland and Tomorrowand in Disneyland. It's certainly not anything to get excited about, just something nice to do. If the monorail wasn't running on one of our trips (which has been known to happen since it seems to frequently have issues of some sort or other) it would not be missed.

But lest we forget, if you are a boy (and maybe even a girl) of age 5 or 6, the Disneyland Monorail may simply be the greatest thing ever, a true highlight of a Disneyland trip for most young children. And for adults, the Disneyland Monorail is just a beautiful thing to marvel at often allowing you to recapture that moment of youth when you made that first trip. You know, for adults, a ride on the monorail may not be the greatest thing in the world but at one time, it probably was.

Here is a YouTube video that quietly gives a you round trip ride on the Disneyland Monorail.....

Disneyland Resort - A to Z - California Screamin'

"Get ready screamers.....launch in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ......" and you are off on DCA's California Screamin' roller coaster located in the Paradise Pier section of the park. It's hard to miss - the thing is huge. As a coaster ride, it's one of the best for someone like me who doesn't mind a good coaster ride but doesn't want to stare death in face that you are now getting on some theme park coasters. California Screamin' is just right - long, fast, smooth as glass, and just enough thrills that when all is said and done, it's hard not to walk off the ride with a smile on your face.

Yes. I'm a big fan of the California Screamin' roller coaster. But there is a big BUT.... California Screamin' could just as easily be sitting a few blocks away in Knott's Berry Farm or several miles away in Six Flags Magic Mountain. There is absolutely nothing DISNEY about the ride. It's a generic off the shelf roller coaster that's manufactured in Europe. Disney imagineers could have bought it from a catalog. What's worse is not only did they put an unthemed generic coaster in a Disney park, they didn't even put in the effort to construct a queue line that shows the the slightest bit of Disney imagination. Just line 'em up and herd them in.

So while California remains a great coaster ride, serious Disney points have to be deducted for the total lack of imagination that has been applied in making it a Disney kind of experience. And in the end that is kind of disappointing. Maybe they'll get around to adding some Disney touches some day but I wouldn't expect it to be anytime soon. The massive coaster would just need too much work at this point. It is what it is.... Maybe if we could just get a decent queue line - that would be a start.

There are a number of videos available on YouTube for Screamin'. Here's a nice one from Theme Park Review. PS.....  You couldn't get Mrs. DisneylandTraveler on California Screamin' for all the tea in China as the saying goes. I've tried to sell her on giving it a try because it really is as smooth as glass but so far no luck.

Disneyland Resort - A to Z - Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

In my look at the Disneyland Resort by alphabet, for the B's, I really wanted to write about the Blue Bayou. But other than being a bit overpriced, you are not going to have a lot of negative things to say about the Blue Bayou. Maybe I'll write about it in my second pass through the alphabet :-)

For today, I'm contemplating Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, an interactive ride in Disneyland's Tomorrowland, and a favorite of myself and Mrs. DisneylandTraveler. But the Buzz ride gets its share of flack from Disneyland hardliners. Why, you might ask? You see Buzz Lightyear has nothing to do with Walt Disney's original vision for Tomorrowland. Yes, Buzz might be something of a spaceman but he has absolutely nothing to do with the tomorrow of the future. When it comes down to it, Buzz is a child's toy. You can buy one in the gift shop as you exit the ride. Why is he in Tomorrowland?

Well, for Mrs. DLT and I, phooey on all that. We love the ride. It brings out the competitive juices in us and my personal never ending quest to beat her in the interactive shoot-em-up game part of the ride. As mentioned before, the good Lord pulled a trick on me and gave me a bit of a tremor in my hands. Yes, I am Don Knotts playing Barney Fife with any sort of a weapon in my hand. But I try (and try, and try) and to this day, I have never beaten my wife in Buzz Lightyear scoring. Some day.

The ride itself is fun, colorful, and makes for a great experience as an attraction. Since it is an omni-mover type ride vehicle system (cars run on a constantly moving conveyor belt) it is a fast loader and seldom has a lengthy wait. For Disney, Buzz is a people eater taking in huge numbers of guests each day.

Some people have complained that the ride can use a refurbishment pointing to peeling paint and some fading in the colors. Maybe so but I tend to be so focused on my scoring that I can overlook something that might need some touch up work.

For Mrs. DLT and I (and our friends and co-workers) Buzz Lightyear is a must-do, can't miss ride. In the top 10? Heck, it may be in the top 5 of our favorite attractions in the park.

Don't forget to email your photo and scores back home. Serves as motivation to return and finally beat her.

Disneyland Resort - A to Z - Ariel's Grotto

I'm always looking for a new series of things to write about. Sometimes I think I have a good idea of a series of things to write about with my Disneyland adventures but it often dies out of boredom. I guess my most recent series are the posts on my Disneyland Bucket List. Since I pretty have much done everything there is to do in and around Disneyland, the Bucket List stopped at #5. I'm sure there will be more but it might be awhile before I think of something else to put in there.

I chanced upon a food blog yesterday where someone took recipes and restaurant reviews and blogged about them A - Z. Nice idea (Jaymee Sire). I could easily apply that to the rides, attractions, and dining places around the Disneyland Resort.

But it needs to be interesting and something of a challenge. Take the letter A for instance (which seems like an appropriate place to start). I could write about Autopia but I think the last time I rode around in one of those cars was 2004 and if I went to Disneyland tomorrow, Autopia would be the furthest thing from my mind. I know how to drive. I could take the Alice in Wonderland ride, and a fine ride it is, but that nice little attraction has its own thread life running through this blog with its seemingly endless quest to get rid of what were supposed to be temporary plastic tarps and hideous guard rails.

For A I'm going with what has proved to be a challenge over the years - dining at Ariel's Grotto. Mrs DisneylandTraveler and I first went to Ariel's Grotto back in 2004 when it was general Disney character dining. We had out of town visitors with small children in our dining party so the interaction with the characters was great. Unfortunately, the food was bad, not just bad, real bad. I recall having something harmless like meat loaf with mash potatoes. Instead of a nice brown gravy, this concoction was slathered with some kind of tomato based gravy that was just horrible. Probably my single worst dining experience at the Disneyland Resort. I wasn't in any hurry to get back.

But we did go back - 2007 - for my great niece's 4th birthday. By this time, the character dining had morphed into a Disney Princess dining experience which it is today. There was a large group of us, both adults and children. Again, the kids meeting princesses as they came to our table one by one was very sweet even if the official Disney photographer tried to annoyingly get in on the act (and sell you some "professional" photos). 

Rylie meets Mulan - Ariel's Grotto 2007

But the food. Recalling my horrible meal back in 2004, I took the safest route I could think of on the menu - a chicken Caesar salad - and it was fine if nondescript. But the others who dined at our table offered up some other choice words about their entrees. The one remark I will always remember is my niece calling her meal "jack nasty", and expression I had never heard before but really did fit. What Ariel's Grotto tried to pass off as "chicken pot pie" seemed to be particularly offensive to a few.

When World of Color launched, Disney removed the Princesses for the dinner hours to create a World of Color dining package (which is no longer offered). For our very first viewing of WoC, Mrs. DLT and I decided to take this route. The deciding factor was that the old menu had changed and what was now being offered with the price fixed menu seemed to have some interesting choices. Finally, in our third try at Ariel's Grotto, there some measure of success as the food was really pretty good. I had cioppino and Mrs. DLT had the tri-tip. Neither of us had any complaints (nor should we at a price approaching almost $40 a meal). Plus the passes we received for WoC viewing were dead center with only the long standing wait for the show to begin putting damper on the evening.

Like I said, WoC dining is no longer offered at Ariel's Grotto for some reason. It's back to all Princesses, all day. In this current set up as strictly a character dining I would not expect Mrs. DLT and I to go back to Ariel's Grotto which is kind of too bad. We enjoyed our meal the last time we ate there and the views from the outside tables are simply lovely.

A view from our outside dining table at Ariel's Grotto 2010