Chrismas Vacation 2012 – California (Part 2/6)

by Nathan Stout (of AccordingToWhim.com)

Welcome to the second part of my Christmas Vacation 2012. Sorry this is a bit late but things got ontop of me and it sat unfinished. So here we go!

We were still in Disney’s California Adventure last post and we will continue there. Just to let you know the videos I link to are not my trip, they are just ones I found on YouTube.

Goofy’s Sky School:
Goofy’s Sky School is a compact rollercoaster that used to be called Mulholland Madness. I really REALLY like all the old Goofy ‘how to’ cartoons and that is the theme of this coaster. There are a lot of sharp turns and some neat visual gags (like giant holes crashed-through in billboards ahead of your out-of-control coaster car) and other Goofy-esque type comedy. It was fun and I think the theme is better and the Mulholland one. Here you go.

Grizzly River Run:
Your typical river rapids ride, Grizzly River Run is beautifully decorated and has some neat views (and neat view for onlookers too). Not much to say about it. I did find the loading platform to be cool. The whole think spins to speed up the loading/unloading process. It was kinda cold so I made sure I went only after getting a poncho so I wouldn’t get too wet. You won’t get wet watching it.

Soarin’ Over California:
This ride was so good (I assume) that they duplicated it at Disney World. Shouldn’t it have been Soarin’ over Florida? Anyway it is a neat MEGA screen that is in the shape of a slight bowl. You sit in these long line of chairs (like a bench with restraints) and when the ride starts up the bench swings forward and up so that you are in the bowl shape (so you don’t see the ceiling or floor). You are then treated to a fly over of all sorts of California locations complete with the wind blowing in your face and the smell of oranges while you fly over California’s orange groves. Enjoy.

Mickey’s Fun Wheel:
Known previously as the Sun Wheel it was re branded to Mickey Mouse (which I prefer). I guess they renamed the rides to either generate re-interest or they simply wanted people who come visit Disney to be able to ride Disney-themed rides. Anyway this is a Ferris wheel with 2 choices. You can ride the slow, hardly moving cars or you can ride the crazy ones. They have a mini loop on their track so that when you get to certain spots your cart swings out in a crazy fashion. You are high up so it is quite a thrill when you get to those spots. My wife and I were riding with some locals so we were somewhat distracted by all the talking. Here is a video I found online.

Monsters Inc.:
This is another dark ride (I love me some dark rides). Not the most advanced but it was still fun. Lots of crazy monsters and some neat visual gags. Check it out.

Toy Story Midway Mania:
This is an interactive 3D dark ride (basically). You sit in cars that move between super large screens which have midway type games. You have a pop-gun type thing on your car and you shoot at the screens. It’s all 3D and looks cool. You score is kept track of and you can see how you did against your family and friends. The screens could have been brighter but I guess when this ride came out the technology wasn’t there. Here you go.

Ok, we will wrap up the California Adventure stuff in the next post then it is off to Disneyland! See you then…

Click here for Part 1
Click here for Part 2
Click here for Part 3
Click here for Part 4
Click here for Part 5
Click here for Part 6

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