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Showing posts from February, 2013

World of Color

One of my absolute favorite things to view is World of Color. A combination of water, pyrotechnics and a lot of magic brings the Paradise Lagoon in California Adventure to life every evening! More than 1,000 water jets form screens and shapes that animations are projected onto. Although I have seen the show dozens of times, it never gets old, especially because as new Disney movies come out, they are incorporated into the show. If visiting both parks (or just DCA), be sure to get a fatspass for World of Color. The machines are right outside Grizzly Rapids and will have one of four colors (red, yellow, green, and blue), which is your viewing area during the show. Be sure to line up in your  specific area as soon as your fastpass tells you you can. Most people will sit down to wait for the show, which is fine, but be ready to wiggle to the front as people start to stand up. Another great way to get premium seating is through dining specials. Certain restaurants at DC

Jedi Training Academy

Welcome young Padawans! This live-action show, behind Buzz’s AstroBlaster across from Autopia, children from the audience can experience becoming a Jedi. Complete with brown robes and light sabers, trainees learn the sacred Jedi Oath and ancient battle techniques from a Jedi Master! The show would not be complete with having to fight off a force of Stormtroopers led by Darth Vadar (or Darth Maul). Can your skills fight them off? May the force be with you! Children between 4 to 12 will be the best targets to be chosen for participation. If you have a little Star Wars fan with you, definitely check out the entertainment schedule when you enter the park. Every time I see this show happening, the kids look like they are having a blast! 

Tiki Juice Bar (aka where they sell Dole whips!)

Disneyland is only complete with some snack stops.  Right in front of the Enchanted Tiki Room at the entrance of Adventureland, is one of my must have snacks stop while at the park, the Dole whip!  The line can get long depending on the day (so go inside the Tiki Room courtyard for a second line that’s much shorter!), but definitely get one.  The Pineapple Dole whip, is soft, airy, pineapple soft serve. The float, has the same soft serve as the whip but with pineapple juice. Pineapple spears and juice and Dole fruit bowls are also sold here. People go crazy to get their Dole whip, and once you've experienced it's goodness, you will too!

Ride Profile: it's a small world

Located in Fantasyland on the far side of the park, “it’s a small world” was originally created for the 1964 world’s Fair, to raise money for UNICEF. Passengers of all ages and heights board a boat and visit South America, Central America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the South Pacific Islands in a ten-minute voyage.  The famous, catchy song is repeated over and over in the language of the area you are in. Dolls dance and show off attire of that area, and even some Disney character dolls join the fun throughout the ride. Even though it’s a slow, easy going ride, it is a good break to take in the summer as the whole ride is air conditioned and gives your legs a chance to take a break. Every 15 minutes, a parade of dolls in various culture costumes comes out from the base of the iconic clock. As the last doll returns into the clock, the parade doors close and the large central doors open to reveal two giant toy blocks—the large block displays the hour, the small one disp

Ride Profile: Pirates of the Caribbean

Ahoy Matey! Get on board and take a voyage through the Caribbean, witnessing pirates pillage and plunder. A pirate ride would not be complete without cannons firing and a good tune like “Yo ho, a Pirates Life for Me”. The beginning of the ride does have a decent drop as leaving the bayou, but otherwise its smooth and gentle sailing the rest of the ride. This is one of the few rides that had a movie based upon it, not the other way around. To add to the fun, character Jack Sparrow, Barbossa and Blackbeard have been added to the attraction. The movie explains that at night the pirates are cursed and turn into skeletons, so decide for yourself if the skeletons on the ride are cursed or not. This is one of the very last rides Walt Disney worked on and helped designed himself, before passing away three months before is opened.   Hidden Mickey’s:   -In the treasure room, look at the lamps on the left side   -before going up the large hill at the end of the ride, look at the sh

Fantasmic!

Along the Rivers of America, Mickey Mouse conducts a musical extravaganza of good verses evil! Screens of water shoot up out of the water with projections of scenes from Fantasia where viewers follow Mickey’s dream. The show even has princesses, puppets and even pink elephants. Special effects, water projection, fiber optics pyrotechnics and lasers make this one of Disneyland’s must see events. From the beginning, guests are entertained by Disney characters - good and bad - until the final climactic scene against the dragon, and then the final exciting pyrotechnics show and characters finale on the Mark Twain Riverboat. If you plan to view this exciting show, I suggest getting a seat early since the whole area is first come, first serve.  If you have small children, it is a good idea to get the sitting area, or the first row of the standing area so your children will be able to see the show. People will start settling down for the 9pm show at about 6:00, which is a lit