Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
203
Parental Touring Tip
Tips
Many of the attractions at Walt Disney World offer a
Parent Switch program,
designed for parents traveling with small children. While one parent rides an
attraction, the other stays with kids not quite ready to handle the experience;
then the adults switch places without having to stand in line again. The bonus
(beyond the obvious) is that the kids able to ride the attraction will get to ride
again, too. Notify a cast member if you wish to participate when you get in line.
Most other Orlando theme parks offer this option, too.
bottomless volcanic pool. Animatronic characters (such as a long john-clad fellow in
a bathtub) and critters (goats, chickens, donkeys) enhance the scenic backdrop, along
with several hundred thousand dollars' worth of authentic antique mining equipment.
Note:
You must be at least 40 inches tall to ride, and Disney discourages expectant
mothers, people prone to motion sickness, or those with heart, neck, or back problems
from riding.
Country Bear Jamboree
Frommer's Rating:
B+
Recommended Ages:
3-adult; though the younger the child, the better
This is a foot-stomping hoot! It opened as one of the park's original attractions way-back-
when in 1971, a time when entertainment was more low-tech but fun just the same. The
15-minute show stars a backwoods troupe of fiddlin', strummin', harmonica-playin'
bears (all audio-animatronic, of course) belting out lively tunes and woeful love songs.
The chubby Trixie, decked out in a satiny skirt, laments lost love as she sings “Tears Will
Be the Chaser for Your Wine.” Teddi Barra descends from the ceiling in a swing to per-
form “Heart, We Did All That We Could.” Big Al moans “Blood in the Saddle.” In the
finale, the cast joins in a rousing sing-along.
Blue-light bonus:
The jamboree is a great
summertime place to cool your heels in the A/C.
Frontierland Shootin' Arcade
Frommer's Rating:
C
Recommended Ages:
8-adult
Combining state-of-the-art electronics with a traditional shooting-gallery format, this
arcade presents an array of targets (slow-moving ore cars, buzzards, and gravediggers) in
an 1850s boomtown scenario. Fog creeps across the graveyard, and the setting changes
as a calm, starlit night turns stormy with flashes of lightning and claps of thunder. Coy-
otes howl, bridges creak, and skeletal arms reach out from the grave. If you hit a tomb-
stone, it might spin around and mysteriously change its epitaph. To keep things
authentic, newfangled electronic firing mechanisms loaded with infrared bullets are
concealed in vintage buffalo rifles. A dollar buys you 35 shots. Though it's a pretty cool
arcade, there are far better ways to spend your time in Magic Kingdom.
Splash Mountain
Frommer's Rating:
A+
Recommended Ages:
8-adult
If you need a quick cooling off, this is the place to go—because you will get wet (though
it's hit or miss whether you get damp or drenched)! Based on Disney's 1946 film
Song of
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