Yesterday, our family got our mouse ears and Mickey shirts on as we prepared for the most ridiculous anticipated event of the summer - going to Disneyland... in our house. The day started with us taking selfies at all the Disney castles/monuments around the world, airplayed on our Apple TV.
After eating some mickey-shapes pancakes, we had a family Toy Story Mania game championship. We played darts (Rex and Trixie's Dino Darts), ring toss (Buzz Lightyear's Flying Tossers), kendama (Hamm & Eggs slingshot), shoot the moon (Woody's Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Gallery), and Jenga (Green Army Men Plate-Breaking Shoot Camp).
Then, we watched a few POVs from Disney and Universal. We watched fifteen throughout the day, one of which was a rewatch for a guest who was using the facilities during our ride. Here are the POVs ranked by which were the most enjoyable to watch from home, NOT necessarily the best rides:
POVs ranked below:
1. ET Adventure
Colorful, well-themed, and with a striking sense of realism unusual for family dark rides, ET is both a great attraction (I've ridden it once before and was quite fond of it) and a great ride to watch from home (it was the highlight of our virtual tour).
2. It’s A Small World
Adorable or annoying, that is the question - in my opinion, adorable. Between the homages to Disney movies, classic theme song, and nostalgia value, It's A Small World is a hit. I will note that the animatronics look much more static via video with such a small amount you can see, so ET tops it (although which is better in person is much more difficult to choose).
3. Jaws
I had never ridden this Universal classic, but since everyone was spraying water at each other like crazy in our household and the tour guide seemed charismatic, this was a no-braner to put high on the list.
4. Superstar Limo (watched twice)
I said at the beginning this wasn't for which is the best attraction! We watched SL twice (we had never ridden it before), and thought its laughable production value and colorful sets made this surprisingly amazing to watch from our couch.
5. Frozen Ever After
We had never ridden this cute modern dark ride before, and while it didn't bring anything super fresh to the table, the production design was spot-on and the visuals were quite fun to watch from home. Also: more water spraying.
Then, a BIG JUMP:
6. Radiator Springs Racers
It sickens me to put my favorite ride in the entire world this low, but it simply must be seen in person for its magic to be believed. The animatronics, thrills, and gorgeous atmosphere simply can't be taken in on a POV. However, it still brings back plenty of memories that keep it near the middle of the bunch.
7. Kongfrontation
We hadn't ridden this ride, and it was... interesting. The plot was questionable, and the entire thing basically took place in one set. The King Kong animatronic's scope couldn't be appreciated online, but it was still nice to see practical special effects (virtually).
8. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
We had never ridden this one before, and it wasn't super interesting to watch via video - the dwarf animatronics aren't stunning when not in person, and watching roller coasters go up and down made me more upset that I wasn't there than thrilled. Still, it was cute, short, and enjoyable.
9. Expedition Everest
A GREAT ride, but like Radiator Springs Racers, it doesn't have the same effect on video since the immersiveness is all about the atmospheric theming. Still, much better than...
10. Madagascar: Crate Adventure
Oh, what a weird ride this is! Well-themed towards the start, and bizarrely uneven towards the end, it is both a book report ride and has no story. The animatronics barely move, but the physical theming was quite good. I never had the chance to go to Universal Singapore, but it doesn't seem like I would be missing much if this ride is one of the highlights. Nonetheless, it was colorful enough to be entertaining for eight minutes.
11. Great Movie Ride
It was slightly slow/boring... and confusing... and nearly unwatchable, but other than that, it was a decent ride. I love the subject matter and some of the iconic scenes were nice to see, and although I had ridden it once in person, there was still plenty new to see.
12. Alice in Wonderland
A kind of absurd collection of the absurdities of Alice in Wonderland doesn't have great production value, but is still colorful and enjoyable to watch, although not necessarily understandable or exciting.
Then, a BIG JUMP:
13. Jurassic World: The Ride
I am not a huge fan of the Jurassic Park ride in Orlando, and I thought Jurassic World would be better. In my opinion, it was not. The problem is that not much happens, there's not much to look at, and it just isn't executed very well. A big meh.
Then, a BIG JUMP:
14. Horizons
As a relative newbie to the theme park subculture, I never had the chance to ride this, and its depiction of the future is... well, kinda dated. It was probably better in person, but the video didn't quite make sense and just wasn't fun to watch.
We also tried some of the "Imagineering tour" videos on Comcast, which were surprisingly uninformative. Attempting to plan our own theme park didn't go down well either. However, the day was redeemed by walking around our local forest ("Pandora") and eating ice cream bars. To close the night off, we watched Sleeping Beauty, followed by the HappIly Ever After fireworks, which reminded me why I love Disney in the first place.
Have you done any theme park-themed activities in quarantine? Please share below!
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Thanks for the write up..
We are not going to travel until the mess is cleared up... With the lack of leadership, I am not sure when that will be... Just hoping a great company can get a effective vaccine and maybe a treatment if we get this virus...
(What a mess the WH has made, but you know it is a Hoax virus)...