Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
202
queue area that will protect you and your stroller-bound children from both sun and rain
(this ride offers the only covered stroller parking in the park).
Tip:
Nod hello to the parrot
(Peg-legged Pete) above the entrance plaza and he may offer you his own greeting.
Swiss Family Treehouse
Frommer's Rating:
C
Recommended Ages:
4-12
This attraction, based on the 1960 Disney movie version of
Swiss Family Robinson,
includes a few more comforts from home than did the original. After climbing its many,
many steps, you'll finally reach the treehouse, its rooms filled with mahogany furnishings,
decorative accents, and running water. If you're nervous about heights, this one's not for
you—visitors will find themselves walking along a rope-suspended bridge high above the
ground, not to mention the climbing that's required to make it up and down all the stairs
that lead around this 50-foot banyan tree. The “tree,” designed by Disney Imagineers, has
330,000 polyethylene leaves sprouting from a 90-foot span of branches; although it isn't
real, it's draped with actual Spanish moss. It's a good place for kids to work off some
excess energy, though things can get crowded up there.
Note:
People with limited mobil-
ity beware—this attraction requires a lot of climbing.
Shopping in Adventureland
Located at the Pirates of the Caribbean exit, the
Pirates Bazaar
is filled with everything
a child needs to play pirate, from hats to hooks and everything in between. There are also
muskets, toy swords, and loads of other pirate booty, as well as a small selection of island
wear and costume jewels.
If it's the Pirate Life you prefer, head to the new
Pirate League
(p. 206), where buc-
caneer wannabes (of all ages) are transformed into swaggering swashbucklers.
FRONTIERLAND
From Adventureland, you'll step into the wild and woolly past of the American frontier,
where the sidewalks are wooden; rough-and-tumble architecture runs to log cabins and
rustic saloons; and the landscape is Southwestern scrubby with mesquite, cactus, yucca,
and prickly pear.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Frommer's Rating:
A
Recommended Ages:
8-adult
This roller coaster earns high marks for what it is—a ride designed for those not quite
up to the lunch-losing thrills of the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney's Hollywood Stu-
dios (p. 241). Think of Big Thunder as
Roller Coasters 101.
(Survive and graduate to the
next level.) It sports fun hairpin turns and dark descents rather than sudden, steep drops
and near collisions. Your runaway train covers 2,780 feet of track and careens through
the ribs of a dinosaur, under a thundering waterfall, past spewing geysers, and over a
6
Tips
Riding the Rails
Although it's an oldie, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is still a magnet for the
masses. If a FASTPASS isn't available (and that can happen), try riding it late in the
day (coaster veterans swear the ride is even better after dark) or during one of
the parades that draw visitors away from the attractions.
