Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Menken and Howard Ashman's classic songs, and original animator Glen Keane and act-
ress Jodi Benson both returned to lend their talents.
Unfortunately, though the ride is colorful and kinetic, it suffers from shortchanged
storytelling and several sections that feel unfinished. While it's a welcome addition to
DCA's short roster of kid-friendly indoor rides, anyone expecting a modern-day classic to
competewithHauntedMansionandPiratesoftheCaribbean(asthereported$100-million
budget might suggest) will come away sorely disappointed.
TOURING TIPS
As one of the park's newest attractions and one that's suitable for most small
children, The Little Mermaid can attract long lines as soon as the park opens on peak
days. (On a positive note, this should reduce some of the early-morning demand for Toy
Story Midway Mania! and Cars Land.) This attraction does not have Fastpass. However,
the Omnimover ride system is capable of efficiently handling more than 2,000 guests per
hour, keeping lines moving swiftly even on busy days. If you find the line prohibitive,
check back in the late afternoon, when you will often be able to walk on with little wait.
Mickey's Fun Wheel
What it is
Ferris wheel.
Scope and scale
Major attraction.
When to go
The first 90 minutes
the park is open or just before closing.
Special comments
The world's largest chicken coop;
may induce motion sickness.
Duration of ride
2 minutes.
Loading speed
Slow.
DESCRIPTION AND COMMENTS
Higher than the Matterhorn attraction at Disneyland Park,
this whopper of a Ferris wheel tops out at 150 feet. Absolutely spectacular in appear-
ance, with an enormous Mickey in the middle of its wheel, the aptly named Mickey's Fun
Wheeloffersstunningviewsinalldirections.Unfortunately,however,theviewisseverely
compromised by the steel mesh that completely encloses the passenger compartment. In
essence, Disney has created the world's largest revolving chicken coop. As concerns the
ride itself, some of the passenger buckets move laterally from side to side across the Fun
Wheel in addition to rotating around with the wheel. Because it feels like your bucket has
become unattached from the main structure, this lateral movement can be a little discon-
certing if you aren't expecting it. If the movement proves too disconcerting, motion sick-
ness bags are thoughtfully provided in each swinging car.
TOURING TIPS
Ferris wheels are the most slow loading of all cycle rides. Thus, we were
very curious to see how the loading and unloading of the Fun Wheel is engineered. The
Fun Wheel has a platform that allows three compartments to be loaded at once. The lat-
eral sliding buckets are loaded from the two outside platforms, while the stationary com-
partments are loaded from the middle platform. Loading the entire wheel takes about 6½
