Adventureland is designed to be an amalgamation of the jungles of Africa, Asia, South America and the South Pacific. It is full of trees and plants as well as lost of wooden structures, Tiki poles and the shops represent huts and has a 1930s feel to the area.
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| The exterior of The Enchanted Tiki Room |
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| One of the many birds who will sing and dance for you! |
As you cross the bridge from Main Street U.S.A. into Adventureland, you will encounter stalls on your right hand side and the Enchanted Tiki Room to your left. The Enchanted Tiki Room was one of Walt Disney's favourite attractions in the park. It was originally designed to be a restaurant where guests would be serenaded and entertained by the animatronic figures of birds. This however, wasn't too be and the attraction has under gone minor changes but is still much unchanged. The attraction opened in 1963 and was the first attraction to use Audio-Animatronics - a design patented by the Walter Elias Disney Enterprises (WED Enterprises). The attraction sees guests enter a courtyard and be entertained by Hawaiian music and guests are entertained with rhyming verses performed by the representations of Hawaiian Gods. A drumming pattern beckons guests to enter. Guests enter a room and take seats on benches and face the centre of the room - where they are looking directly at a fountain. Guests are entertained by four, very life-like Macaw birds named Jose, Michael, Pierre and Fritz. Each has their own unique colouring and personality. The four are joined by a cast of 150 audio-animatronic talking, singing and dancing birds, flowers, the magic fountain, drums and totem poles. On a hot day, this is a great attraction to beat the heat for 15 or so minutes - the room is fully air-conditioned and was the first Disneyland attraction to be fully air-conditioned due to the computer that controlled the Audio-Animatronics. Little kids may be fidgeting toward the end of this attraction - but it will be enjoyed by young and old alike. This is one of our favourite things to do after a big meal in the park - or while waiting for the caffeine from that most recent coffee to kick in!
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| The entrance to Tarzan's Treehouse |
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| The Treehouse |
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| Bridge in the Treehouse |
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| View from the top into Frontierland - and Big Thunder Mountain! |
On one of our first visits to Disneyland, Dad and I spent quite a while exploring and navigating the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House. At this point in time, it was not a walk-through attraction, rather it was more like a playground that had ladders and platforms and you could climb and explore at your own pace. Now, it has been renamed Tarzan's Treehouse. It features interactive activities and scenes from Disney's animated feature - Tarzan. The walk-through can take as little as 5 minutes if you don't stop to look at anything, however, the scenes inside the room of the treehouse and at it's base are interactive and quite beautiful to look at, so allow at least ten minutes. Young children will love this attraction and there are never any queues - however, it may be a little crowded at times. You also get beautiful views across to Frontierland and Critter County from the top floor.
For thrill-seekers, Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye is a great ride - with really extensive queues. This ride does utilise the Disney FastPass system but even then you can expect a 10-20 minute wait on a good day (we'll discuss FastPass in a future post). The ride queue is great as guests walk through the queue, there is video footage introducing the plot line not too mention the fact that you are walking through the Temple - with mock-ups of the trap doors and tricks designed to stop people from getting inside - just like Indy would face! Guests board a battered military-style vehicle that lurches, rocks and jerks through the ride. The ride travels through the Chamber of Destiny, Cavern of Bubbling Death, The Skull Room and many others before reaching it's rather incredible finale. The ride lasts just over 3 minutes and will definitely frighten little ones! Make sure you prepare them in advance for this! Utilise FastPass because the 90 minute plus wait isn't worth it - especially when the ride is constantly breaking down!!
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| Entrance to the Jungle Cruise ride |
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| Just some of what you can expect to see on the Jungle Cruise |
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| One of my favourite photos! Such a feel good moment! |
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| You'll understand this shot better when you are on the ride! |
The Jungle Cruise is meant to represent the rivers of Asia, Africa and South-America. Guests are taken on a voyage using replica tramp-steamers and have a tour-guide. The ride takes it's inspiration from the movie "The African Queen" and although Walt wanted to use real animals, he decided against this once he was informed that real animals would probably hide and sleep all day! There are Animatronic animals throughout the ride and your "Skipper" will guide you through your tour. The jokes told are a little corny and the ride itself can be good or completely awesome depending on the person you have navigating the ride for you. I have to admit, I was fascinated with the highlight of the trip, "the backside of water" when I was younger! Who would have thought that travelling behind a waterfall could be so exciting?? The original ride opened in October 1971 and has remained relatively unchanged since. The boats have been repainted and slightly altered but the animals themselves are unchanged. This is a great ride for families, particularly large groups travelling together as you'll all be able to ride together on the one boat - with each boat seating between 15 and 20. I thoroughly recommend you ride at least twice to be able to see everything and if the ride happens to be open at night during your visit, I really recommend that! The ride is very dark with minimal lighting and your "Skipper" will be using a flashlight!! It's great!!!!!
Michelle's Magic Tips for Adventurland:
The first tip is to utilise the Fastpass facility for Indiana Jones. If you are unfamiliar with the Fastpass concept, I will write an entry about it very soon. Make sure you pick up your pass early in the day - it will definitely help cut the queue times!
The second tip - if you are travelling with strollers or people unable to navigate stairs, they probably won't be able to enjoy the Tarzan Treehouse! However, they may enjoy coffee or a snack at a nearby cafe or restaurant - or to grab you a table for lunch whilst you enjoy the attraction. The attraction tends to be busiest during the lunch hours (12-2) as people use it as downtime to settle their tummies before they explore another adventurous ride!
Finally, enjoy the Tiki Room when your group needs some downtime or some time out of the sun. Not only will it thoroughly entertain you and your group, but you'll be out of the sun, in the cool (or if it's cold, you'll be in a warm room and likewise in shelter if it is raining) and you can sit down for a quarter of an hour and just relax. Young adventurers may find the attraction a little bit long - but with some forewarning that this is a show and that you can't talk during it - they will more than likely be fine and entranced by the Animatronics - just like you!
That's the four main attractions in Adventureland. I will post soon about the non-ride attractions and shops in Adventureland.
Until next time, Have a Magical Day.
Love,
Michelle
xxx
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