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Do you love watching Disney cartoons? Have you been to any Disney theme parks before? Children love Disneyland and adults simply love to re-live their childhood dreams… Disneyland is the “Happiest Place on Earth”. Below is a list of Disney resorts around the world in Paris-France, Tokyo-Japan, Hong Kong-China, Orlando-Florida and Anaheim-California.
I have only been to Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, and it is the most visited and largest recreational resort in the world. Taken this photo with Cinderella Castle in the background during July 2007. Other Disney resorts around the world may have Sleeping Beauty Castle instead of Cinderella Castle.
Our Disneyland Passes allowed us to enter four theme parks: Magical Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studio (It was called MGM Studio when we were there.) and Animal Kingdom. We had two days to tour around four theme parks.
We visited Animal Kingdom, followed by Epcot in the afternoon as there would be a round of spectacular firework display throughout the night.
To go Disneyland, we need to take designated buses to the theme parks as the hotel shuttle bus would only stop at the theme park bus terminal. We were impressed to see that the buses could be lowered or “kneeled” by the bus operator and were equipped with a wheelchair ramp for the disables.
My first thought of Animal Kingdom was just another zoo, but it’s definitely more than a zoo! We were already there queuing up before 9am to beat the lines for the rides.
Finally, we entered the park and were ushered to a big open space where Mini, Goofy and Pluto greeted us and introduced the icon of Animal Kingdom – Tree of Life, a 14-storey and 50-foot wide tree with the swirling tapestry of 325 animal carvings.
In Animal Kingdom, there are six attractions: Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia, Dinoland U.S.A, Oasis, Camp Minnie-Mickey and Discovery Island.
Dinoland U.S.A
Our first stop was Dinoland U.S.A. It is like another Jurassic Park, where there are dinosaurs and big dinosaur bones hanging around.
We took Dinosaur – just another kiddy ride; but children might enjoy it if they don’t cry! There is a camera attached at a certain point where the climax takes place to take the facial expression of the riders. Photos are sold at the counter.
Saw this antique at the exit of the ride.
Asia
We were totally immersed in the settings of Himalayas – the scenery, the colours, the building structures and even the smell!
Our first ride for the day was Expedition Everest. It was a high-speed train ride toward the peak of Everest and then, the best part was we rolled backward at a fast speed. The mountain’s full of surprises and there is a big Yeti at the mountain too.
We “challenged” the Kali River Rapid and rafted down the so-called turbulent waters but only got ourselves all wet, not thrilling at all! That’s it. We were soaked for the day after the second ride and I had to wring out the water from my clothes in the restroom.
Apparently, this extraordinary tall “creature” was from the grape vineyard.
Africa
We were greeted by a group of colourful and friendly performers. They were beating the drums, singing and tribal dancing with the tourists. An African man tried to pull me into their tribal dance and I insisted to turn down the invitation as I thought we had no time to dance yet (plus, I was shy)! We still had got so many rides to go.
We queued up for Kilimanjaro Safaris and while in the line, we were reading signboards that prepared us for the safari ride. I had been to the Night Safari in Singapore, but never had a daytime safari yet.
We climbed aboard an open-sided safari vehicle for the exciting expedition.
The driver was a lady who narrated the tour. We watched animals roaming freely across the savannah, rivers and rocky hills. Sometimes we wondered if some animals in the far, the uprooted trees and termite hills were real or just a back lot.
The lady-driver was a good actress too. She pretended that the vehicle was stuck in the mud while crossing the puddle; and she communicated with her co-actor on the speaker about poachers in the Harambe wildlife reserve hunting rhinoceros for their tusks and how they were later caught by the park rangers. It was a joy ride in the “wild”.
The Poachers’ campsite and a van full of rhino tusks.
After the safari ride, we made our way to the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail in search of gorillas. Along the way, it was a nature walk filled with Nile hippos, birds and fish. We entered an exotic bird aviary, an underwater hippo viewing area, a savannah overlook, and had an intimate up-close encounter with a magnificent troop of gorillas.
I can always remember the name of this African animal vividly. It’s called Okapi. It resembles the giraffe, but smaller and with a much shorter neck; it has distinctive stripes on its four limbs.
These gorillas are huge with very big faces!
Rafiki’s Planet Watch
The endangered cotton-top tamarin primates at Habitat Habit!At the Rafiki’s Planet Watch, we boarded the Wildife Express Train and travelled the savannah for a behind-the-scenes journey through several animal housing and care areas of the park and to the core of the park’s conservation center. We went to the Conservation Station where Disney promotes wildlife conservation awareness.
The “researcher” in the lab, observing the gorillla in the monitor screen boringly.
A team of “researchers” were performing a surgery on a deer laying motionlessly on the operation table in the room while two “researchers” were standing next to us, “seriously” discussing about the sick deer.
And finally, the Star of the Planet Watch – Rafiki, the endangered mandrill with a blue butt. Mandrill means “Man-Ape”, the world largest species of monkey.
Discovery Island
We watched a 3-D show – It’s Tough to be a Bug! It was a stage show dazzled with amusing insects starring the show. At one part, we were like the housefly being hit by a housewife and we were even sprayed by white smoke (supposed to be DDT). Once we were even stung by a bee – we were actually being poked by a stick at the back-rest of our chair! Our legs were also being brushed by something that simulated insects running around us. It was an experience with full of surprises!
Leaving Animal Kingdom…
We walked back to Disney’s bus terminal and took the designated bus to Disney Epcot.
We embarked on another exciting journey for the day. Epcot has a lot of attractions, rides and a World Showcase.
We were hungry and couldn’t really find anything bigger and cheaper than the soft and chewy pretzel to fill up our stomachs!
Inside Disney’s Store.
Lively and colourful Disney characters posters and paintings.
We didn’t take many photos in Epcot as we kept our camera in the locker. It would be a hindrance to bring valuables along for the thrill rides.
We had a good meal at The Land Pavilion, delectable and quite cheap.
There is something really COOL in Epcot – FREE Drinks! Located in Innoventions, Club Cool has free samples of Coca-Cola soft drinks from different countries around the world.
Unlimited samplings: the tasting area has self-serve soda dispensers, dispensing Coca-Cola products for any thirsty visitors in the torrid afternoon. Some are really nice, but some just taste weird.
Our next Mission: SPACE. There were two teams for this ride – one was more intense than the other. We were “macho” enough to join the more intense ride and spent two hours queuing up with some rowdy school kids behind us. When we were nearer to the entrance of the ride, the wall became an interactive playground where all of us could literally wave our arms to create images and even compete among ourselves by hitting ball images virtually.
When we were about to take the Space ride, I nearly chicken-out when I read the notice warning us that we would experience G-force and might feel dizzy after the ride. I hate dizziness! That could make me vomit! But after two hours of queuing up, how could I just give up?
After the long wait, we finally entered the zone where we were grouped into a team of four, each of us being assigned an on-board role – Engineer, Navigator, Pilot or Commander. We were given two tasks each to perform the mission by pressing a specific button in the simulator when told.
We boarded the simulator, plucking up the courage to set off to “space”. I was quite blur with the buttons on the dashboard and anyhow pressed them. We were like astronauts, experiencing the G-force of blastoff. Our capsule simulated the illusion of speed by spinning and tilting the capsule during the four-minute mission. I was a little dizzy inside, so scared that I might vomit after that! We had a bad feeling inside us after the mission.
Next, we embarked on a free-flying adventure – Soaring. This was a very relaxing ride as compared to our previous space mission. Again, we queued for another two hours for this very popular ride. We should have bought Fast Pass for the express queue, though the express queue was also very long but shorter waiting time.
Soaring is a simulated hang glider tour flying over beautiful sceneries in different cities around the world. We were restrained with seat belts in the carriage under a wing-like canopy, with our feet dangling free. The carriage was lifted into a huge IMAX dome movie screen and as the carriage was moved forward into the dome, we could only see the images projected on the screen and were given the sensation of flight. Movements of our seats were synchronized to the film.
As we “soared” over the orange field scene, we could even smell the scent of orange blossoms. The mountain scenes were accompanied by the aroma of evergreen. The ride also featured river rafting, hot air ballooning and other action-packed adventures. We were virtually soaring over different cities in the world, with wind in our hair and our feet hanging in the air, letting our imagination run wild. The actual show lasted for about five minutes.
We spent the whole afternoon queuing up just for two thrill rides but it was well-worth the wait.
Our next ride was a kiddy ride at The Seas with Nemo and Friends. The queue wasn’t long as most kids could have already taken the ride in the morning. Inside the ride, we “sailed” in a cup-alike and watched Nemo and friends in a long movie screen.
The “real” Nemo and his father gliding through the coral.
“I’m Dory.”
“Fish are not food, they are our friends.” Bruce, the great white shark.
We watched a 3-D show – Honey, I Shrunk The Kids. In the show, we were like being “shrunk” as the 3-D images were enormous, every objects in the movie were amplified. The show is quite old but entertaining.
So much for the rides, we walked to the World Showcase where it contains pavilions representing eleven countries: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, U.S, Japan, Morocco, France, U.K, Canada. Each of these contains representative shops and restaurants and is staffed by citizens of these countries.
I was dog-tired at the World Showcase and was literally dragging my feet along the World Showcase Lagoon – a man-made lake. I nearly dozed off despite having a cup of coffee in my hand! Everyone was waiting at the lagoon for the firework display – IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth would take place in the lagoon for thirteen minutes.
Soon, awe-inspiring fireworks filled the sky with stunning illuminations and not only that, an extraordinary Earth Globe floated across the lagoon. It was the centrepiece of the show and projected images of people and places on its curved LED screens. The show also featured lasers, fire and water fountains timed to the musical score.
After the end of the fireworks display, we called it a day and took quite a long walk back to the bus terminal to catch the last shuttle bus back to our hotel.
We missed out a lot of rides due to the lack of time. We missed Test Track – another popular speed ride – as it would take us more than two hours just for the ride. Nonetheless, we enjoyed all the 3-D shows that we watched for the day!
For supper, we ordered a set meal with sausages and wedges at Denny’s restaurant adjacent to our hotel. We thought we could just pack and go back early to rest, but end up we waited for more than half an hour. A gentleman couldn’t wait anymore and told the waitress he was leaving but would pay for the food. How kind! I never see such an act before except customers complaining.
We boarded the hotel shuttle bus around 7:50am and took the designated bus at Disney terminal to Magic Kingdom first as we thought it would draw more crowds later in the day due to firework display at night.
When the park opened, we were greeted by Disney’s songs and characters dancing on the stage. It was a storybook fantasy came to live. We didn’t stay on to watch the performance, but we scurried off to the Railway to take the monorail to transport us to our first attraction – Frontierland.
Frontierland
Our first thrill ride was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It was a mild ride on a “runaway train” in which we careened through an abandoned mine complex.
Next, we “conquered” the Splash Mountain. The theme of this ride is about Brer Rabbit’s mischievous escapades as he tries to flee the clutches of Brer Fox and Brer Bear. We were seated in a log flume during the ride. The climax of this ride was when we plummeted from 5-storey high, with a big splash! We were not as wet as the first row riders though.
Fantasyland
A touch of fantasy here, with the typical Disney cartoon-like houses, castles, towers… Many kiddy rides in this land but we didn’t take any.
The World’s famous Cinderella Castle.
Different views of the castle.
Tomorrowland
We “reported for duty as security recruits in the Galactic Federation Prisoner Teleport Center” in Stitch’s Great Escape! We were restrained in our seats during the “training” with Stitch, who wreaked havocs in the Center. At one point, Stitch burped and our seats released the smell of Maggie Mee! Very gross!
Look like a racing track, but with slow racing cars…
Mickey’s Toontown Fair
Minnie’s House is a lavender and baby pink lovely bungalow decorated with hearts and flowers.
In the living room, resting on Minnie’s sofa.
Minnie’s prize-winning painting of Donald Duck and sewing machine in the craft room.
Minnie’s tea set.
Baking cake in Minnie’s kitchen.
By touching a button on the oven, the popcorns inside the microwave would pop up noisily.
Minnie’s fridge, with plenty of cheesy dairy products!
Done with the kitchen, wash hand first!
Checking out what Minnie is reading.
Minnie’s work area.
The mail box is just so “Minnie”.
Donald’s boat.
Mickey’s House is just next to Minnie’s House.
The mail box is also very “Mickey”!
Mickey’s bedroom. He keeps many white gloves in the drawer of the cupboard!
The mess could be created by Donald Duck as webbed foot prints are seen here.
Mickey’s recreation corner. I didn’t know that he plays table tennis too!
Mickey’s backyard.
Pluto’s kennel. It is not in.
At the Judge’s Tent.
Cactuses of Goofy, Mickey and Donald.
Mickey’s workshop.
Walter Elias Disney, the co-founder (together with his brother) of Disney Productions, with Disney’s alter ego – Mickey Mouse.
Taking photos with the Disney’s cartoon characters would take up time to queue up; so we just snapped some photos from a distance.
Adventureland
Captain Jack Sparrow and the don’t-know-who acting in front of the crowd. They looked very much like the real actors who casted Pirates of the Caribbean.
We took a water ride at Pirates of the Caribbean. It was a slow ride along the “canal” and the movie characters were on either side of the banks. Err… quite disappointing.
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
Swiss Family Treehouse: The walk-through attraction is centred around a giant artificial treehouse where you can hear and see various scenes based on the Disney movie – Swiss Family Robinson. Err… nothing fanciful at the Treehouse.
Mainstreet, U.S.A
The Disney’s family were preparing for the parade. We tried taking photos of the cute cartoon characters but they would coldly turn away from us when they saw our camera aiming at them, even though we were standing at some distance away.
Princess dresses, Princess dolls.
Getting friendly with the Mainstreet Fireman.
To MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios) in the afternoon …[more]
Back to Magic Kingdom in the evening for firework display.
At the end of the day, we returned to Magic Kingdom to catch Wishes Nighttime Spectacular, the biggest, brightest fireworks extravaganza in Walt Disney World.
Disney’s beloved characters were glowing brilliantly in the dark during the parade march.
Dreamy lights emanating from the Cinderalla Castle.
Just before the firework display started, lights in the theme parks were either switched off or dimmed. The magical moment began when the theme song “Wishes” was played and very soon, the sky was dazzled with the awesome display of fireworks emanated from the Cinderella Castle, accompanied by voices of the beloved Disney characters like Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan and Pinocchio. The lights and brilliant firework display synchronizing to the Disney songs had touched every childlike heart . Toward the end of the show, “Tinker Bell” “flew” across the sky. It was the most breathtaking moment of the 3-day theme park tour and the best firework display we have ever seen.
After the firework show, we had a hard time moving through the crowd. So, we made our way to the shops first, trying to be funny with cartoon head designs.
Having done with Magical Kingdom in the early afternoon, we hurried off to the last theme park on our list – MGM Studio, a movie theme park drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood.
We were just in time for the Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade. It was drizzling during the parade.
Ratatouille!
The Toy Story!
The Muppets!
Mulan!
Star Wars!
Monsters!
Aladdin!
The Villains…
Lilo and Stitch!
The Little Mermaid!
Go Go Power Rangers! Spot the tiny red Power Ranger.
Playhouse Disney.
Snow White!
Winnie the Pooh and Tigger!
Finally, the Stars arrived!
Sunset Boulevard
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – we didn’t queue for this thrilling free fall ride at a 13-storey high tower due to long queue. We should have tried it.
Instead, we lined up for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. It was a very fun though short ride. The big thrill ride simulated the force of a supersonic F-14; its initial speed was so fast that we were flung backward. The track was so dark that we couldn’t see what was ahead of us except flash lights. We could never get ourselves mentally prepared on which direction we were heading to, whether there was a bent or a slope ahead, and we were bracing ourselves at high speed throughout the ride! I was sitting in the last row of a single file, feeling so helpless!
A “movie director” in action, with children joining him for the show.
Backlot
Mann’s Chinese Theater. Also best-known for the hand and foot prints of famous people in its forecourt.
Mickey’s and Minnie’s hand and foot prints in the cement.
Cardboard buildings appearing so real.
This time, Miss Piggy is Miss Liberty.
Kermit the frog singing “Rainbow Connection”, filling the air with musical notes at the Muppet studio.
Toy Story.
The tiny soldier in Toy Story was not tiny after all. In fact, many kids were scared off by this giant green man.
Another queue for taking photo with Woody and getting his autograph at AL’s Toy Barn.
The macho Buzz Lightyear with a wannabe.
The iconic steep slope.
The babe.
Disney Pixar Cars.
Staying away from the scorching sun underneath Mary Poppins’s umbrella.
The best show of the day was Lights, Motors, Action! Stunt Show. We were lucky to grab two good seats for ourselves in the theatre. It was a live stunt spectacular that gave a behind-the-scenes look at how action stunts were created for the movies.
The cars and motorcycles used throughout the show were highly modified. The hero cars were painted red, while the pursuit cars were black to easily allow guests to tell the difference between them. One car had the interior situated backwards to allow the driver to appear as if he was driving in reverse, and the other had a seat and steering wheel bolted onto the side of the car, giving the appearance that the car had no driver in the driver’s seat.
Inflating the air mattress for the flying car to land on.
The flying red car from roof to roof.
Tires screeching and a white car was “shorn” into half but there was still a driver maneuvering it.
The show also featured two men riding on jet skis in the small canal at the front of the theatre and gun shots among the men. The finale of the show was complete with a big explosion and eventually a guy was on fire but it was quickly put off by the extinguisher.
Illusions! The seemingly real buildings and slope.
Dinosaur ice-cream booth.
The XXX…L Mickey’s Wizard Hat! This photo was voluntarily taken by a helpful Kodak photographer who saw us trying hard to capture the best angle.
We completed our tour in the Studio with a visit to Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney’s birth, the gallery exhibits archival footage, inventions, innovations and audio interviews of Walter Elias Disney.
Disney’s office.
We also watched a history show about Walt Disney in a theater, and someone sitting beside us snored throughout the show!
Warren was seemingly right. It was easier to cover Disneyland than Universal Studios, though the latter only has two theme parks where Disneyland has four. We spent most of the time taking photos and strolling leisurely in the parks. The rides in Disneyland are milder and kids will enjoy them; adults can revive their childhood fantasies and have lots of fun there too.
At the Rafiki’s Planet Watch, we boarded the 
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