Interesting. I’ve found the opposite. Not only do I enjoy the dark rides more during the day for the day to nighttime effect but I find that because my eyes are less adjusted I see fewer things that I’m not supposed to.
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Top 5 iconic Disneyland moments.
- Thread starter mickEblu
- Start date
Interesting. I’ve found the opposite. Not only do I enjoy the dark rides more during the day for the day to nighttime effect but I find that because my eyes are less adjusted I see fewer things that I’m not supposed to.
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
The exception here is I prefer riding Mansion first thing.
You get an empty foyer. An empty stretching room. And you move quick enough that your eyes don't adjust so the overly bright load area and graveyard aren't as big a deal.
Misted Compass
Well-Known Member
In general, getting to walk on Mansion and Pirates (whether in the first or last hour of the day) is a peak Disneyland experience.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
I agree with this.
Me in the morning: "Sweet, they fixed the lighting on Mansion!"
Me in the evening: "No, no they didn't."
Not going to lie though, I still love looping Mansion and Pirates in the last hour before park close.
I haven’t enjoyed the parks in the late evening for quite some time. They’re just synonymous with exhaustion at this point. The “playing hookie” of it all is gone at that point and I’m just thinking of the walk back to the car, the long drive home and work the next day. Perhaps I’ll enjoy late nights at the parks again when the kids are older or if we pop in late because we’re staying at the hotel. We re actually doing a little staycation at the DL hotel in late August. Looking forward to eating at Blue Bayou and inside Trader Sam’s. It’s been about 10 years since we ve done either.
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truecoat
Well-Known Member
For myself, some of the lighting effects pop more after dark. My eyes are sensitive to bright light so that might explain why it works better for me.
Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
When I think of Disneyland, these are the images/memories that enter my brain:
#1 - The reveal of Sleeping Beauty Castle from Town Square. Remains brilliantly cinematic 70 years later.
#2 - The first glimpse of Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America from the Disneyland Railroad. In the current iteration, the narrator says, "This is my favorite part of the journey. Around every bend, there's natural beauty as far as the eye can see."
#3 - Rounding the corner after the second drop on Pirates. "Yo Ho" gives way to the foreboding "Dead Men Tell No Tales." You're no longer in Disneyland, or even in Anaheim. You've entered a different place.
#4 - The moment "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" kicks in after the final drop on Splash. The escalating tension of Burrow's Lament and the threat of being skinned/roasted is behind us. As the light of day allows everyone to compare how wet they've gotten, the most jubilant song in Disney's library begins playing subtly in the background, as if the soundtrack to our and only our experience. I love everything that follows -- the porcupine drumming on the turtle's shell and the raccoon playing harmonica, the gators, the riverboat, "Home Sweet Home" -- but the moment at the bottom of the drop is pure joy.
I'm stealing this one.
#5 - Everything in the outdoor portion of It's A Small World is maximum Disneyland charm -- the ticking of the clock, the procession of dolls every 15 minutes, the "Welcome to It's A Small World. For your safety..." announcement. On a bright sunny SoCal morning, all the irritations of a visit to Disneyland melt away when you're in this space.
But there's something about floating past those postcards at the end of the ride (specifically, the "Weather's Nice!" postcard comes to mind) that is such a cherry-on-top of an already beautiful and moving attraction. It feels like a big hug.
#1 - The reveal of Sleeping Beauty Castle from Town Square. Remains brilliantly cinematic 70 years later.
#2 - The first glimpse of Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America from the Disneyland Railroad. In the current iteration, the narrator says, "This is my favorite part of the journey. Around every bend, there's natural beauty as far as the eye can see."
#3 - Rounding the corner after the second drop on Pirates. "Yo Ho" gives way to the foreboding "Dead Men Tell No Tales." You're no longer in Disneyland, or even in Anaheim. You've entered a different place.
#4 - The moment "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" kicks in after the final drop on Splash. The escalating tension of Burrow's Lament and the threat of being skinned/roasted is behind us. As the light of day allows everyone to compare how wet they've gotten, the most jubilant song in Disney's library begins playing subtly in the background, as if the soundtrack to our and only our experience. I love everything that follows -- the porcupine drumming on the turtle's shell and the raccoon playing harmonica, the gators, the riverboat, "Home Sweet Home" -- but the moment at the bottom of the drop is pure joy.
I'm stealing this one.
#5 - Everything in the outdoor portion of It's A Small World is maximum Disneyland charm -- the ticking of the clock, the procession of dolls every 15 minutes, the "Welcome to It's A Small World. For your safety..." announcement. On a bright sunny SoCal morning, all the irritations of a visit to Disneyland melt away when you're in this space.
But there's something about floating past those postcards at the end of the ride (specifically, the "Weather's Nice!" postcard comes to mind) that is such a cherry-on-top of an already beautiful and moving attraction. It feels like a big hug.
Great list: you summed up #3-5 beautifully. # 4 would have been on my list if it were still around
. TBA really shows you how much all the little touches add up. Still the same ride path, drops etc. You still have singing animals, similar music and yet the magic is missing. We essentially have the same list except for #1. As much as I appreciate Sleeping Beauty Castle for whatever reason it doesn’t get me in the feels. I will say I love all the waterways and little nooks / pathways surrounding the castle, Fantasy Faire and the Frontierland entrance. And the Snow White wishing well of course.
Just wanted to add that nothing brings me back to my childhood trips to DLR more vividly than the outdoor portion of IASW and those postcards especially like you said “on a bright sunny so cal morning.” It was the ultimate “I’m not at school, I’m at Disneyland moment. A highlight of many trips. A ride where you re whole party joined in and sometimes filled a few rows if not the whole boat. A moment synonymous with excitement and joy as it usually occurred early on in the day where there was still so much fun to be had. A happy moment shared with family and friends in a setting with max Classic Disneyland charm. And somehow for a few moments 30 + years later I can still feel all of that again as a cynical adult who’s been to the park 200+ times when the company and stage is set right.
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Too Many Hats
Well-Known Member
Great list: you summed up #3-5 beautifully. # 4 would have been on my list if it were still around
Tiana at Disneyland honestly has several things going for it (lovely exterior, detailed queue, upbeat jazzy outdoor section, fun-enough "going down the bayou" section), it just doesn't stick the landing. It falls flat on its face, actually. Whereas Splash (IMO) got better and better as it went along, culminating in a joyous finale, Tiana starts pretty strong and then completely runs out of steam 2/3 of the way through the ride (my hot take is that the Tiana finale scene is actually pretty bad). But I think there is a salvageable attraction in there, if WDI ever gets the chance to reconsider some of the storytelling choices.
I grew up going to WDW and never really connected with Cinderella Castle in any way (I was always much more blown away by Spaceship Earth and the Tree of Life). But on my first visit to Disneyland, rounding the corner and seeing SBC in person for the first time, my heart skipped a beat. I'm sure it was just the shock of seeing in person something I'd seen so many times in books/TV/pop culture as a child -- but I also think (another hot take) the scale of Disneyland's castle and Main Street actually complement each other much better than their counterparts at MK. That view never ceases to warm my heart.
Yeah I think I tend to give the finale on TBA a pass because there is so much going on and they at least fleshed out the scene. With that said I don’t think the staging is great, Splash finale was so much better and that the TBA finale could and should have been better.
Adventureland Veranda
Well-Known Member
Forgot to mention, the first sighting of the monorail when you get to the resort. I don't care about the location, always puts a smile on my face to see it.
One day, I’m going to regret not going on the monorail more when I had the chance. I know it. Not saying they’re going to get rid of it but if they move the spaghetti bowl portion along with Autopia (and it’s trees) it won’t be the same. I suppose as long as it still goes over the lagoon and around the Matterhorn I could live with it though. We should all probably spend some more time on Autopia, subs and monorail. I’d be surprised if they were around in their current configuration for DL’s 80th.
I never really viewed the Laughing Place as a “tunnel” at DL until after the retheme and I think that speaks volumes. Before it felt like an expansive little world inhabitanted by the critters and now it literally feels like a tunnel with nothing going on. Shows you far staging can go. And oh yeah- removing dozens of AAs / figures and replacing them with 4. I think they also enclosed some scenes you used to be able to see through of I’m not mistaken?