Disfans

I’ve got an ice pack on my back, and I’m still recooperating, but I put together my Top Ten favorites from California Adventure for you, and I also put a Slide show together.

Jen’s Top Ten from California Adventure:

10. Disney’s Electrical Parade: AKA: The “Main Street Electrical Parade”… A darkened street, and then that music, followed by all the floats that we loved as children with all those light bulbs..it can only be the Electrical Parade. The only difference is that its now no longer on Main Street USA in Disneyland. I love this parade, and I’m so glad Disney brought it to California Adventure so those of us who remember and still love this parade can still enjoy it.
9. Bountiful Valley Farm: A great place for the kids to run and play and get soaking wet. I get to sit down and have a drink, or an ice cream while the kids refresh themselves. Not to be missed if you have hot, tired kids, on a hot afternoon.

8. Grizzly River Run: If you’ve done a water rapids ride, this will be familiar to you, but its still a great ride. Fun to get wet!

7. Monsters Inc: Its a dark ride, like the ones found in Fantasyland in DL. Fun for the kids, short, and even better, the line for this one is not usually as long as the ones in Fantasyland.

6. California Screamin’: Roller Coasters are not really my thing anymore, but this one is fun. There is one upside-down loop, but other than that, its your standard wooden roller coaster, at really high speed. Not sure this one is really wooden, though.

5. Muppetvision 3-D: I’m a sucker for the Muppets, ok? Kermit, Fozzie, Ms. Piggy and Gonzo are all in this fun show. The appearance of all these old favorites, and the horrible, horrible jokes (which are standard for the Muppets) make the annoying “new” characters bearable.. Wukka, wukka, get it? BEAR-able? Hm. Well, I love this show, and I see it every time we’re at CA Adventure

4. It’s Tough to Be a Bug: I’ve seen this one a few times, too. It’s a really creative 3-D show, and lots of fun, even when you know all the gags already, its fun to see the audience reactions. Word of warning, this one is a tiny bit scary for little ones or those that don’t care for bugs or spiders.

3. Soarin’ Over California: This is an awesome ride, do not miss it. Even my son, who hates anything that might remotely resemble a roller coaster in any form.. LOVED this ride. You really feel like you’re flying and gazing down at the beautiful landmarks familiar to Californians. I felt a little homesick for my native California.

Two way tie for first: Two things I was really surprised and impressed by. These 2 are excellent examples of why we come to the Disney parks.

1. Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular: I was taken by surprise by this one, quite frankly. They say “Spectacular” right in the name, but I wasn’t expecting this. This is a full, staged musical of the story of Aladdin with great songs, action and “special effects”, in a “real” theater. The genie steals the show, of course, and there are some unexpected surprises. Everyone in our group loved it, from my 8 year old son to my mother. My son was actually entranced by this show, and engaged by all the characters. While I loved the show itself, I loved watching my son enjoy it even more.

1. Turtle Talk with Crush: I was also not expecting this to be as much fun as it was, the effect of Crush talking to the audience is really amazing. Crush spoke to my daughter first, and we were all really charmed by him. She was amazed that the animated character could actually see her and talk to her about where she was from and how she got to California Adventure. He didn’t get around to everyone in the audience, but we were all captivated by Crush, and his reactions to people in the audience. For a little while you really believe that animated character is real, and talking to you.

Honorable Mention: Ariel’s Disney Princess Celebration at Ariel’s Grotto. The food is decent, we were able to sneak in without a reservation, but the highlight of this place is really the princesses. They gave my kids a lot of individual attention and we never felt rushed even when 4 or 5 of us all wanted pictures. The princesses are very sweet and attentive to the children, calling them “Prince Charming” and “Princess”, and pretty much giving them the royal treatment.

Service is so-so, and we did wait a while for our food. The picture guy was kind of annoying, to the point that I felt I needed to buy a picture package from him to get him to leave us to eat in peace. The prices for the food are kind of high, but this is a Disney establishment, and if you want a sit down meal, you’re going to pay for it.

The food is ordered as a complete meal, including soup or salad, entrée and dessert. I kept one of the kid’s menus. For $13.99 plus tax, you get carrot & celery sticks with ranch dressing, choice of drink, choice of entrée (spaghetti with green beans, fish sticks with mashed potatoes and green beans, chicken tenders with mashed potatoes and green beans, or mac & cheese with hot dog slices and gold fish crackers), and choice of dessert (apple slices with caramel sauce or yogurt and berry parfait). The kids meals are for those 3-9. My daughter ordered off the adult menu, which was waaaay too much food for her, and my son was disappointed when he didn’t get the same kind of fancy dessert offerings on the kids menu that were offered on the adult menu. I knew that would probably happen, though. My daughter is a very fussy eater, and doesn’t eat very large portions even if she loves it, and the adult portions of food were very generous. My son was satisfied with a few bites from grandma’s dessert, and a couple bites from mom’s dessert. There was plenty to go around.

I liked that the restaurant seemed to do a good job of thinking about what kids like to eat, and putting some nutritious choices on the menu, offering veggies and fruit. I loved the individual attention that the kids got from the Princesses, and the general relaxed and welcoming atmosphere of the restaurant. I would definitely try Ariel’s Grotto again.

I hope to add Mike’s Top Ten coming soon.