Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Mountain Railroad,
a r unaway roller coaster that races thr ough a deser ted 1870s gold
mine. Childr en will dig the petting z oo, and ther e's an A be Lincoln-style log cabin;
both are great for exploring with the little ones. This is also where you board one of two
riverboats—
Mark Twain
and the
Sailing S hip C olumbia
—that navigate the waters
around Tom Sawyer Island and Fort Wilderness. Beautiful crafts, the riv erboats provide
lofty perches from which to see Frontierland and New Orleans Square. The
Sailing Ship
Columbia,
however, has far mor e historic and aesthetic appeal. As with the other riv er
craft, the riverboats suspend operations at dusk.
When it 's sho wing (it 's a seasonal pr esentation), head to F rontierland's
Riv ers of
America
after dar k to see the
FANTASMIC!
show. It mixes magic, music, 50 liv e per-
formers, floats, and sensational special effects. J ust as he did in
The Sorcerer's Apprentice,
Mickey Mouse battles evil and conjur es good, using his magical po wers to cr eate giant
water fountains, enormous flo wers, and fantasy cr eatures. There are plenty of pyr otech-
nics, lasers, and fog, as well as a brand-new, 45-foot-tall Audio-Animatronic dragon that
breathes fire and sets the water of the Riv ers of America aflame. I f you've seen the show
before, it's worth seeing it again for the new enhancements, which include a new projec-
tion system using HD format. The difference is amazing.
MICKEY'S TOONTOWN
This is a color ful, whimsical world inspir ed by the film
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
—a wacky, gag-filled land populated b y 'toons. It even looks
like a cartoon come to life, a trippy, smile-inducing world without a straight line or right
angle in sight. I n addition to ser ving as a place wher e guests can be cer tain of finding
Disney characters at any time during the day, Mickey's Toontown also serves as an elabo-
rate interactive playground where it's okay for the kids to r un, climb, and let off steam.
There are several rides and play areas, including
Roger Rabbit's CarToonSpin,
Donald's
Boat, Chip 'n' Dale's Treehouse, Gadget's Go Coaster,
and
Mickey's House & Min-
nie's House.
Tip:
Because of its popularity with families, Toontown is most cr owded
during the day but often deser ted after dinnertime.
FANTASYLAND
With a stor ybook theme, this is the catchall “land ” for stuff that
doesn't quite fit anywhere else. Most of the rides are geared to the under-6 set, including
the
K ing Ar thur C arousel, M ad Tea Party, D umbo the F lying E lephant ride,
and
Casey Jr. Circus Train.
Some, like
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
and
Peter Pan's Flight,
appeal
to grown-ups as well, and are original attractions fr om opening day in 1955. You'll also
find
Alice in Wonderland, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Pinocchio's Daring Jour-
ney,
and more.
The most lauded attraction is
it's a small world,
a slo w-moving indoor riv er ride
through a saccharine scenario of all the world's children singing the song everybody loves
to hate. (Perhaps the ride would be more entertaining if each person got four softballs on
the way in?) F or a differ ent kind of thrill, tr y the
Matterhorn Bobsleds,
a zippy r oller
coaster through chilled caverns and drifting fog banks. It's one of the park's most popular
rides and the world's first steel tubular track r oller coaster.
TOMORROWLAND
Conceived as an optimistic look at the future, Tomorrowland
employs an angular , metallic look populariz ed b y futurists like J ules Verne. Longtime
Tomorrowland favorites include the newly revamped
Space Mountain
(a pitch-black
indoor roller coaster that assaults your equilibrium and ears), and
Star Tours,
the original
Disney-George Lucas joint v enture. Those with queasy tendencies should sit out this
ride. I t's a 40-passenger S tarSpeeder that encounters a spaceload of misadv entures—
achieved with wired seats and video effects—on the way to the M oon of Endor. In the
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