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[Warm Machine]

Heading to Anaheim for a week starting Sunday. Doing 3 days at Disney, 1 at Universal Studios, and 1 at Seaworld. I might drop in on the San Diego Comic Con while I'm there. Where at Disney and Universal should I go. What arcades are worth checking out?

 

[jenov4]

Check out the "It's a Small World" ride. You'll totally understand the Simpsons referenced episode where those robots went berserk.

 

[bionic77]

Disneyland sucks compared to Disneyworld, but it still has the best ride ever: "Tower of Terror".

 

[Gizmo...]

THE TEA CUPS BABY!

 

[videogamer]

THE TEA CUPS BABY!

they nerfed the tea cups

 

[ConfusingJazz]

they nerfed the tea cups

THOSE FUCKERS!

Does Mr. Toad's Wild Ride still have real flames?

 

[MonkeyBoy]

THE HAUNTED MANSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sc0la]

THOSE FUCKERS!

Does Mr. Toad's Wild Ride still have real flames?

THATS GONE TOO.

fuckers....

edit:wait is it or am I confused? ...

 

[All Hail C-Webb]

The Florida theme parks are so much better than the Cali ones.
If you can, you should switch to 2 days at Universal, and cut out 1 day at Disney. The rides at Universal are alot more fun (IMO).

 

[aparisi2274]

yeah Disneyland blows, and California Adventure is absolute crap. If you are going to DL, I say hit the Haunted Mansion, and DEFINATELY Indiana Jones ride. But I would definately go to Universal now, because they got the new Mummy ride.

Also, as a side note. Disneyland can fit in the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom in Florida.

 

[FortNinety]

fuck the haterz, it's all about Space Mountain (and Star Tours)

 

[aparisi2274]

fuck the haterz, it's all about Space Mountain (and Star Tours)

Space Mountain is closed. In case you havent heard the entire building is gutted and empty, as they begin to rebuild the ride as Space Mountain 2.0 for the 50th anniversary celebration next year.

EDIT: Oh and Big Thunder Mountain is closed as well, because there was another minor accident on it again last week. So lets see the 2 best rollercoasters in Disneyland are closed. I guess I would pay close to $60 for a ticket to get on teacups.


Also here is a schedule of ride closings and rehabs. Not sure when you are going, but here ya go;

Enchanted Tiki Room will close on July 30th until ???? (Listed as closed through Nov.)
Snow White’s Scary Adventures will close on August 16th until September 11th.
Haunted Mansion closes Sept. 7th until Haunted Mansion Holiday opens on Oct. 1st.
Mad Tea Party will close September 7th until September 14th.
Matterhorn will close September 7th until ???? (Listed as closed through Nov.)
The Columbia will close September 7th until ???? (Listed as closed through Nov.)

 

[CB3]

Space Mountain is closed. In case you havent heard the entire building is gutted and empty, as they begin to rebuild the ride as Space Mountain 2.0 for the 50th anniversary celebration next year.

EDIT: Oh and Big Thunder Mountain is closed as well, because there was another minor accident on it again last week. So lets see the 2 best rollercoasters in Disneyland are closed. I guess I would pay close to $60 for a ticket to get on teacups.


Also here is a schedule of ride closings and rehabs. Not sure when you are going, but here ya go;

Enchanted Tiki Room will close on July 30th until ???? (Listed as closed through Nov.)
Snow White’s Scary Adventures will close on August 16th until September 11th.
Haunted Mansion closes Sept. 7th until Haunted Mansion Holiday opens on Oct. 1st.
Mad Tea Party will close September 7th until September 14th.
Matterhorn will close September 7th until ???? (Listed as closed through Nov.)
The Columbia will close September 7th until ???? (Listed as closed through Nov.)

wtf? they should just close the whole damn park.

 

[jenov4]

Also make sure you freeze a bottle of water/pop/juice/whatever and bring it in, otherwise you'll be paying like $10 for pop. Fucking rip off.

 

[aparisi2274]

wtf? they should just close the whole damn park.

Thats why there is this whole backlash against Eisner right now. Its like the powers that be are doing everything to ruin Disneyland. If you look at that list of ride closures, 4 rides close down all on Sept 7th. Some run until ???, so you know thats a long time. I mean I know that according to Disney this is off-season for them, but there are still people who plan trips and who go there during that time, and if I spent close to $1000 on air, hotel, and park tickets, and half the rides are closed, I would be pissed as hell.

 

[Mike]

It's primarily about Indiana Jones. It's my favorite ride there.

 

[aparisi2274]

It's primarily about Indiana Jones. It's my favorite ride there.

Disney even fucked that ride up. I remember watching a news story about it, and supposedly there are 3 different adventures in there. I remember, or at least I remember, seeing that when u first get into the jeep and you go into the main room, there are 3 doors in there, and it was like, every jeep was randomly chosen to go through a specific door. Now for somereason, there is only one door, and one track. Hell if you look, you can see the outline for the old tracks that are not there anymore.

BOOOOO DISNEY!!!


PS> I still love the ride though, but the new mummy ride in USF and even USH blows it away.

 

[CB3]

http://www.savedisney.com/news/disneyland/tl/tl_ss061104.1.asp
Man they really f'ed up tomorrow land. it looks all plain and boring now compaired to the old shots. My mothers uncle helped design some of those rides and designs in the old pictures and now most of them are gone. Sucks.

 

[Tabris]

No Space Mountain?

Ewwwww. Don't even bother going.

Universal rocks though. I both loved Jurassic and BTTF.

The only aspect of BTTF that sucks is having to watch the safety and Doc Brown speeches each time.

 

[Warm Machine]

Thanks for the suggestions thus far! Keep em coming!

 

[CB3]

Thanks for the suggestions thus far! Keep em coming!

Drive an hour to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia. IIRC its buy one get one free tickets with a coke can. You will have much more fun there than at disneyland or Universal. Though lines are usually longer there than anywhere else and its hotter.

 

[aparisi2274]

Thanks for the suggestions thus far! Keep em coming!

Single Day theme park ticket prices:

$49.75 (Disneyland) and all the good rides are closed. I mean really, all the good rides are closed. NOT WORTH IT!!!!

$49.75 (California Adventure). Tower of Terror and California Screamin'. Thats all I can think of.

Also you CAN NOT part hop with a single day ticket. SO if you want to hop you need to get the 2 or 3 day park hopper pass:

2Day Park Hopper: $98
3Day Park Hopper: $124(Adv. Purchase)
$129(Main Gate Pricing)

I just cant see paying those prices for a place where all the quality rides are closed.

 

[Dilbert]

I'm assuming that your hotel is already booked for Anaheim for a week...otherwise, I'd recommend that you stay overnight in San Diego and check out more of the atttractions there instead.

Disneyland is MASSIVELY overrated, unless you are bringing little kids who think dancing cartoon characters in fuzzy suits are cool. I think that only spending ONE day in Disneyland would be the best use of your time. The rides are mostly shut down...and quite frankly, are completely pussy compared to the rides at Six Flags Magic Mountain. If you're into rollercoasters, then you DEFINITELY want to ride up to Six Flags while you're down here. X, Goliath, and Riddler's Revenge are damn fun. It's a straight shot up I-5 to Valencia...depending on when you leave, it's probably a little bit over an hour. I haven't been to Universal Studios in a long time, but again -- I can't see spending more than one day there. The tour is interesting (I guess), and some of the rides and shows are cool, but it's a big money trap for tourists.

If you're going to be in Orange County, why not enjoy other parts of Southern California while you're here? Spend a day at one of the beach communities getting some sun and doing some shopping -- Laguna Beach and Newport Beach are both great for that kind of thing. If you're into baseball, catch an Angels game at Edison Field -- it's a beautiful park, and the Angels are doing very well this year. Check out some of the museums in downtown Los Angeles, perhaps. From Anaheim, most everything is 60-70 minutes away if you avoid rush hour.

As for San Diego: Sea World is OK, I guess, but the San Diego Zoo is the coolest thing down there. The Wild Animal Park is also great to see, and it's a little closer to Anaheim than Sea World is -- check out more info on the web and see if it's your kind of thing.

 

[aparisi2274]

I'm assuming that your hotel is already booked for Anaheim for a week...otherwise, I'd recommend that you stay overnight in San Diego and check out more of the atttractions there instead.

Disneyland is MASSIVELY overrated, unless you are bringing little kids who think dancing cartoon characters in fuzzy suits are cool. I think that only spending ONE day in Disneyland would be the best use of your time. The rides are mostly shut down...and quite frankly, are completely pussy compared to the rides at Six Flags Magic Mountain. If you're into rollercoasters, then you DEFINITELY want to ride up to Six Flags while you're down here. X, Goliath, and Riddler's Revenge are damn fun. It's a straight shot up I-5 to Valencia...depending on when you leave, it's probably a little bit over an hour. I haven't been to Universal Studios in a long time, but again -- I can't see spending more than one day there. The tour is interesting (I guess), and some of the rides and shows are cool, but it's a big money trap for tourists.

If you're going to be in Orange County, why not enjoy other parts of Southern California while you're here? Spend a day at one of the beach communities getting some sun and doing some shopping -- Laguna Beach and Newport Beach are both great for that kind of thing. If you're into baseball, catch an Angels game at Edison Field -- it's a beautiful park, and the Angels are doing very well this year. Check out some of the museums in downtown Los Angeles, perhaps. From Anaheim, most everything is 60-70 minutes away if you avoid rush hour.

As for San Diego: Sea World is OK, I guess, but the San Diego Zoo is the coolest thing down there. The Wild Animal Park is also great to see, and it's a little closer to Anaheim than Sea World is -- check out more info on the web and see if it's your kind of thing.

Yeah Orange County is a cool place. I was there last year at this time and I went to the Orange County Fair, and I had a blast. It was so much fun. San Diego is a cool place, but the zoo left me unimpressed, as it is no where near as good as the Bronx Zoo. Sea World I didnt go to, because I been to the one in FL so many times, and they are all teh same. I wll agree that Magic Mountain is awesome, but you have to be careful as Superman: The Escape is closed. X is riding on a very limited schedule.

 

[hobbitx]

I'll tell you what you shouldn't check out....that haunted house! Those paintings inside are fucking evil!

Star Tours is cool if they still have that, I haven't been in years.

 

[Cooper]

If you're into baseball, catch an Angels game at Edison Field -- it's a beautiful park, and the Angels are doing very well this year.

And it's even nicer now that it's no longer Edison Field, but just Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

 

[Teddman]

Disneyland ain't all that bad, don't listen to all the haters.

As a standalone park, it is better than Florida's Magic Kingdom equivalent at Disney World. It combines many greatest hits of the other Disney World parks with longstanding classic rides that all began there. And don't forget, Disneyland is the very first Disney park and you get the sense of history and some classic rides/stores/restaurants not found anywhere else.

Here are the top attractions, based on what's open:

Indiana Jones: Temple of the Forbidden Eye
-Get a "fast pass" for this ride right away, the lines often get ridiculously long as the day wears on. A great hydraulic buggy ride through a "Temple of Doom" type dungeon, complete with Indy helping you save the day.
Pirates of the Caribbean
-Better than the version at Disney World. A bit dated, but great atmosphere and you can spot all the references in last year's movie.
The Matterhorn
-Nice toboggan coaster, a Disneyland exclusive. Check out the bridge you go under at a high speed, a woman was decapitated there about 20 years ago.
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
-Now a Disneyland exclusive (and the original), after its counterpart closed in Disney World. A fun little ride, and interesting for Disney because it seems like a drunk driving simulator. Always was better than Florida's version due to the heat effect in the Hell section (you'll see).
The Haunted Mansion
-Entirely different exterior from the Disney World version, though the inside is much the same.
Splash Mountain
-Cool off with this log flume water ride.
Star Tours
-The Star Wars motion ride that originated in Florida's MGM park.
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
-This 3D attraction's days are numbered. Check it out while you can.
Peter Pan
-Cute ride in Fantasyland is longer and more elaborate than the Disney World version.
It's a Small World
-About five times bigger than the version in Disney World (which could be a good or bad thing), and the original ride that won the world's fair award.
Enchanted Tiki Room
-Cute animatronic parrots sing to you in a tropical pagoda. More fun than it sounds, and the only remaining original version... Disney World bastardized theirs with the obnoxious Iago character from Aladdin.
Storybook Land Canal Boats
-Ride on a boat past miniature settings from the animated movies. Do this at night, since the model cities are lit up then and look better, and try to be on the ride during the nightly fireworks (ask an employee when they are). It's the only ride that stops to observe the fireworks, and the ride host will direct you so that you don't miss a single one. The best location for the fireworks in the park.

Also check out The Blue Bayou for Disneyland's only full-service restaurant; it's inside the Pirates of the Caribbean and has great atmosphere and pretty good food. Make reservations or the wait can get long.

The Main Street U.S.A. drag after the entrance to the park is home to many charming little stores, all of which were replaced with one huge bland Disney store in Florida's Magic Kingdom.

New Orleans Square (near Pirates and the Haunted Mansion) is my favorite themed area, with Jazz bands and Louisiana architecture. There's no such area in Disney World.

As for Disney's California Adventure, it is a newer park and has less rides than Disneyland, but there are a few standouts:

Soarin' Over California
-Best ride in the park, a great hangliding simulator over the sights of CA.
California Screamin'
-Nice coaster, not insane, but a good sensation of speed.
Tower of Terror
-"The Twilight Zone" themed thrill ride from Florida's MGM is pretty intense.
The Maliboomer
-It's like Tower of Terror in reverse.
Malibu Madness
-Fun little coaster that derives thrills from sharp turns rather than big drops.
It's Tough to Be a Bug
-3D attraction from Animal Kingdom in Florida based on the "Bug's Life" movie.
Muppets 3D
-Another 3D attraction from Florida.

Hope you have a good trip!

 

[StrikerObi]

yeah Disneyland blows, and California Adventure is absolute crap. If you are going to DL, I say hit the Haunted Mansion, and DEFINATELY Indiana Jones ride. But I would definately go to Universal now, because they got the new Mummy ride.

Also, as a side note. Disneyland can fit in the parking lot of the Magic Kingdom in Florida.

Bah, don't hate on Disneyland. It's the fucking classic theme park. Just because it's not chock full of thrill rides doesn't make it automatically bad. It's got a ton of charm, and lots of classic rides that everybody loves. It's got Pirates of the Carribean (better than the FL version IMO), Haunted Mansion (about on par with the FL version). Sure Tomorrowland is crap now, but it's still a wonderful park. Also, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril is an absolutly fantastic dark ride, one of the best ever.

If you want the best versions of Pirates and the Mansion, you'll have to buy a ticket to Paris. I've been on all the major rides at Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World in Florida, and The Magic Kingdom at the Disneyland Paris resort. The Paris versions of both Pirates and the Mansion beat the shit out of their US counterparts. Now I just need to get to Tokyo.

California Adventure is nice and fun, and in my opinion certainly not as bad as everybody makes it out to be, but it's still only a decent theme park over all. Soarin' Over California is lots of fun, the Tower of Terror is a blast (though it sucks compared to the FL version). California Screamin' is a nice fun rollercoaster.

If I were you I would probably do two days at Disneyland and two at Universal, and one at Seaworld.

 

[Teddman]

If you want the best versions of Pirates and the Mansion, you'll have to buy a ticket to Paris. I've been on all the major rides at Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World in Florida, and The Magic Kingdom at the Disneyland Paris resort. The Paris versions of both Pirates and the Mansion beat the shit out of their US counterparts. Now I just need to get to Tokyo.

Me too, Disneyland Paris rocks.

You're right about Pirate and Mansion, but don't forget Space Mountain. Paris' "Fly Me to the Moon" version of it is also the best anywhere.

 

[StrikerObi]

Me too, Disneyland Paris rocks.

You're right about Pirate and Mansion, but don't forget Space Mountain. Paris' "Fly Me to the Moon" version of it is also the best anywhere.

Yeah Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune is really fun. But I think the Disneyland version is going to trump it once it's rebuilt.

 

[CB3]

disney land closing those fast little space pod things a couple years ago was a stupid move. that ride ruled.

 

[aparisi2274]

Bah, don't hate on Disneyland. It's the fucking classic theme park. Just because it's not chock full of thrill rides doesn't make it automatically bad. It's got a ton of charm, and lots of classic rides that everybody loves. It's got Pirates of the Carribean (better than the FL version IMO), Haunted Mansion (about on par with the FL version). Sure Tomorrowland is crap now, but it's still a wonderful park. Also, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril is an absolutly fantastic dark ride, one of the best ever.

If you want the best versions of Pirates and the Mansion, you'll have to buy a ticket to Paris. I've been on all the major rides at Disneyland Resort in California, Walt Disney World in Florida, and The Magic Kingdom at the Disneyland Paris resort. The Paris versions of both Pirates and the Mansion beat the shit out of their US counterparts. Now I just need to get to Tokyo.

California Adventure is nice and fun, and in my opinion certainly not as bad as everybody makes it out to be, but it's still only a decent theme park over all. Soarin' Over California is lots of fun, the Tower of Terror is a blast (though it sucks compared to the FL version). California Screamin' is a nice fun rollercoaster.

If I were you I would probably do two days at Disneyland and two at Universal, and one at Seaworld.

I am not hating on DisneyLand, but if you read my earlier post, half the good rides are shut down, and I am sorry, I am not going to spend $50-$150 so I can go on all the children's rides in Fantasyland.

 

[IntestineBoy]

Disney even fucked that ride up. I remember watching a news story about it, and supposedly there are 3 different adventures in there. I remember, or at least I remember, seeing that when u first get into the jeep and you go into the main room, there are 3 doors in there, and it was like, every jeep was randomly chosen to go through a specific door. Now for somereason, there is only one door, and one track. Hell if you look, you can see the outline for the old tracks that are not there anymore.

BOOOOO DISNEY!!!


PS> I still love the ride though, but the new mummy ride in USF and even USH blows it away.

actually, there always one only one track. the beginning room had a mirror in it, to make it look like there were 3 paths. theres only one path, and a few years ago they just cut out the beginning part, so you just go into the ride. they tricked you foo!

 

[Warm Machine]

Thanks Teddman and everyone else pitching opinions in here. We've got reservations for the hotel for 7 days and we prepurchased our tickets so the itinerary is set. That said I'm sure my GF and I can just drop a day if we need to and do something else!

Indiana, Star Tours, Pirates, Small World, and Haunted Mansion are all on my to do list.

Is there a beach nearby and how far from Disneyland Anaheim to San Diego?

 

[Boogie9IGN]

Pirates of the Caribbean is godly. I was too much of a chickenshit to go on Indiana Jones though last time I went ('98 maybe?), even after standing in line for a half hour.

EDIT: Maybe a bit more than 2 hours from Anaheim to San Diego, cause it's 2 from Pasadena to SD.

 

[Teddman]

Long Beach is directly west of Anaheim, it's OK, but I'd head down the coast another 45 minutes or so and hit Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Dana Point, or Balboa Island. Great beach towns, Laguna is my favorite. Check out French 75 for a fantastic (but expensive) French/Californian cuisine restaurant there. The Sandpiper Lounge is a nice no frills bar nearby, often has live music.

I think Anaheim to San Diego commute is roughly an hour and a half to two hours, depending on traffic and your rate of speed.

 

[aparisi2274]

actually, there always one only one track. the beginning room had a mirror in it, to make it look like there were 3 paths. theres only one path, and a few years ago they just cut out the beginning part, so you just go into the ride. they tricked you foo!

Damn them bastards. Man, I got Served.

 

[aparisi2274]

Long Beach is directly west of Anaheim, it's OK, but I'd head down the coast another 45 minutes or so and hit Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, Dana Point, or Balboa Island. Great beach towns, Laguna is my favorite. Check out French 75 for a fantastic (but expensive) French/Californian cuisine restaurant there. The Sandpiper Lounge is a nice no frills bar nearby, often has live music.

I think Anaheim to San Diego commute is roughly an hour and a half to two hours, depending on traffic and your rate of speed.

yeah when I was in CA last year, I stayed in Costa Mesa. We hit Hunington Beach, Newport Beach, Balboa. Listen to Teddman, those are awesome beach towns. So much fun there. Also, check out the Orange County Fair. Not sure when it starts, but it was going on when i was there last year, although I was there at the end of July, beginning of August.