Adventureland
All of Disneyland is an adventure, but in this land, the escapade takes you all over the world, to Aladdin and Jasmine's Agrabah, to Polynesia, on a cruise down the world's rivers, on an archaeological expedition, and into a tree house.
Aladdin and Jasmine's StoryTale Adventures
Ages 2–4: |
*** |
Ages 5–10: |
*** |
Ages 11–15: |
** |
Ages 16–adult: |
* |
The stars of the popular animated film take the stage in Aladdin's Oasis several times daily, to spin tales of love and adventure in the land of Agrabah.
If your children want to participate in the interactive part of the show, make sure they sit in the floor seating area in front of the stage. After the show is over, Aladdin, Jasmine, and Kazoo stick around for a photo and autograph session.
Enchanted Tiki Room
Ages 2–4: |
* |
Ages 5–10: |
** |
Ages 11–15: |
** |
Ages 16–adult: |
** |
The Enchanted Tiki Room was the first Disneyland attraction to feature Animatronics, a technology that allows Disney Imagineers to make models of people and animals appear to move and speak. Sit down, relax, and see if you can resist singing along.
The Enchanted Tiki Room has been a popular attraction at Disneyland since 1963, and while it certainly doesn't offer state-of-the-art entertainment, it does offer a pleasant break from a hectic day. The show is presented on an ongoing basis throughout the day. You'll seldom wait more than a half hour, and once you're inside, you'll find the room is air-conditioned.
FAST FACT
If you go to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando and visit the Magic Kingdom's Enchanted Tiki Room, you'll find the show totally revamped, but the Disneyland version sticks to Walt's original vision.
Guests waiting to enter the Enchanted Tiki Room enter in a small park area, complete with benches where you can rest your tired feet. The Tiki Juice Bar just outside sells tropical pineapple treats, and some Disneyland fans think their Tiki Room visit isn't complete unless they've had a Dole whip or a pineapple spear snack while waiting.
A few minutes before the show begins, the Polynesian gods' statues around the waiting area come to life and explain their role in Polynesian culture. Inside, four parrots named Fritz, Jose, Pierre, and Michael host a seventeen-minute, fun-filled musical performance featuring dozens of Animatronic birds and 225 Animatronic performers in all.
Some of the scenes — a thunderstorm and some briefly angry gods — may be a little too intense for small children, but the biggest risk is that the song will get stuck in your head: “In the tiki-tiki-tiki-tiki room….”
Indiana Jones Adventure
Ages 2–4: |
N.S. |
Ages 5–10: |
*** |
Ages 11–15 |
*** |
Ages 16–adult: |
*** |
One of the most popular Disneyland attractions, Indiana Jones Adventure is based on the live-action movies featuring the swashbuckling archaeologist Indiana “Indy” Jones.
Because the main part of the attraction is actually located outside the park boundaries, the entry queue is quite long. However, it's one of the best decorated in the park, littered with the gear of a jungle expedition and passing through an ancient temple. The line stops near the boarding area, where Sallah, Indy's partner from the films (played by John Rhys-Davies) narrates a short safety film.
After splitting into two lines, guests board twelve-passenger offroad vehicles that look a little like a dirty, topless Hummer. Take off your hat and make sure your glasses, purse, camera bag, and any other loose belongings are secure.
As you pass through a door, you trip a booby trap by looking into the Eyes of Mara, and then you're off. Would-be treasure hunters embark on a fast-paced and extremely turbulent trip through the simulated jungles of India and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, passing several Animatronic Indiana Jones figures along the way before returning to safety. Among the things you'll experience are a bridge collapsing over a fiery pit (with your vehicle on it); a lunging, ten-foottall cobra; a creepy bunch of bugs; and a house-size boulder rolling straight at you. The experience lasts three minutes.
FAST FACT
If the troop transport vehicle you see outside Indiana Jones Adventure looks familiar, it should. It dragged Indy in a high-speed chase scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Other props from the popular film franchise can be seen as you move through the line. Once inside, there are 160,000 possible combinations of twists, turns, plunges, and other maneuvers, so you never experience the same journey twice.
Because Indiana Jones is one of the most popular Disneyland attractions, you can expect to wait in long lines (up to two hours) if you don't use RideMax or fastpass. If you're trying to do it on the fly, the lines are usually shorter early in the morning, late at night, or during a parade. Wait times are somewhat overstated, and if you see a posted wait of fifteen minutes, it really means there's no wait at all. It will take you five minutes or more just to walk through the long entry area and get to the loading zone, and you'll usually get right on.
Although not a roller coaster in the traditional sense of the word, Indiana Jones Adventure is extremely erratic, with lots of jerks and sudden moves. Anyone with back or neck trouble or any other condition that might be aggravated by all the quick movements, young children less than 46 inches tall, and anyone who doesn't like being jolted and jostled should not try it.
Jungle Cruise
Ages 2–4: |
N.S. |
Ages 5–10: |
** |
Ages 11–15: |
** |
Ages 16–adult: |
** |
The Jungle Cruise is one of Disneyland's original rides, although it has been modified over the years. The line snakes through the offices of an African river cruise company before guests board a boat that takes thirty-two people on a quiet cruise down a manmade river. River scenes include Animatronic hippos, elephants, hungry piranhas, and a ransacked jungle camp.
FAST FACT
The Jungle Cruise is a truly international journey, replicating sections of rivers in Burma and Cambodia, the Nile, the Congo River, and the rapids of Kilimanjaro. When you see the gorillas, look closely and you may spot a crate labeled “WED Safari.” WED stands for Walter Elias Disney and refers to WED Enterprises, now called Walt Disney Imagineering.
Disney cast member/boat drivers should get hazardous duty pay to tell you some of the worst jokes you'll hear all day long. Cringe, laugh, and groan out loud and some of them will take the bait and get better.
The Jungle Cruise is cute, entertaining, and suitable for people of all ages. The trip lasts seven minutes.
Tarzan's Treehouse
Ages 2–4: |
N.S. |
Ages 5–10: |
*** |
Ages 11–15: |
** |
Ages 16–adult: |
** |
This artificial tree (which Disney's Imagineers dubbed Disneydendron semperflorens grandis meaning “large everblooming Disney tree”) was the Swiss Family tree house, modeled after Disney's 1960 movie The Swiss Family Robinson. Nowadays it offers a Tarzan theme, based on Disney's animated film.
FAST FACT
Tarzan's Treehouse is 70 feet tall, weighs 150 tons, and has 450 branches bearing 6,000 leaves.
While the tree might look real, it's all artificial and good for climbing and exploration. Think of the tree house as a giant jungle gym for your kids (although it's suitable for adults, too). There's seldom a long line, it takes about ten minutes to walk through, and it's something that kids really enjoy. Because of the stairs involved, Tarzan's Treehouse is not accessible by wheelchair or electric convenience vehicle (ECV).
