7. Indiana Jones

So you want to partner up with Indiana Jones on an adventure. Which coast — Florida or California — gives you the best experience? The good news is, in my opinion, both resorts offer a top-notch experience…and both are completely different. Let’s start with Disneyland in Anaheim.

 Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye is one of those attractions that was a game-changer when it opened in 1995. It incorporated new technology that made the vehicles bounce around rather than building a roller coaster-like track that rattles the riders. Similar technology is found on the Dinosaur ride in Orlando’s Animal Kingdom, but it’s not done nearly as well.

To create the ride, Imagineers actually had to exit the park….in fact, the ride is out where the Eeyore parking lot used to exist. (Apparently, there’s a tribute to Eeyore on a back wall in the queue area.) It’s a solid half mile walk through the queue to get you out to the attraction. The good news is it’s a well-themed and interactive queue that helps set the stage. (That said, I’ve never fully experienced the queue as I always use Fastpass, so I’ve missed out on some of the fun gadgets, like feeling like the ceiling is collapsing when pulling a key in one of the rooms.)

Reading on Wikipedia, I learned that there’s a whole story attached to the ride, which I’ve never known but is quite fascinating. Not that you need to know it to enjoy the ride, but essentially, Indy’s funds are running low, so he’s allowing tourists (you) a chance to enter his latest dig to see it. And Indy has been lost in there for a week, so you’re trying to help find him, which you do at the end. It is a rip-roaring rollicking ride that is one of Disney’s best…and counts as one of the main reasons to visit Disneyland even if you regularly visit Disney World.

 That said, if I could only experience one Disney Indiana Jones attraction, I’d choose Orlando. I’d say nine of ten Disney fans would completely disagree with me, but that’s OK…this is my blog. ☺

Hollywood Studios in Orlando has a half-hour Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular show which I absolutely love. I guess I’m a sucker for a great stunt show….and this one is awesome, partly because it’s themed around a movie series that is one of Hollywood’s best and is known for its amazing stunts. It opened just a few days before I left on my mission in 1989…as such, it has become a bit dated, which is a major complaint of regular Disney visitors to the park. But it has the rolling ball, spikes coming out of the floor, a great bazaar fight scene, as well as a large moving airplane and exploding cargo truck.

Both Indiana Jones attractions offered by Disney are “10+” in my book and should be experienced when visiting the respective parks. But if I was given an option to experience only one of them today, I’d choose the stunt show in Orlando.

6. Disney Railroads

When it comes to the Disney Railroads, Disneyland in Anaheim easily wins.

Both parks' railroads are a great way to get around the park, especially when you need a lift to another "land" and don't want to walk.  Both parks' railroads give you a sneak peak at the finale scene in Splash Mountain...which is great if you have kids who are scared to go on Splash Mountain and its intimidating final splashdown but would like to see some of the attraction.

But Disneyland wins for two reasons:

For starters, it has four stations instead of three.  That means it is a more convenient means of transportation for weary travelers as there are more getting-on and getting-off points.  (Both parks have a stop on Main Street and one at the "8 o clock" position of the park if you consider the park as it relates to a clock....in Disneyland, that's New Orleans Square and in Florida, it's at Frontierland.  They both have one in the Toontown / Fantasyland quadrant.  The difference is only Anaheim has a stop in Tomorrowland.)

But the big difference is Disneyland has a diorama between Tomorrowland and Main Street that doesn't exist in Disney World.  It's divided into two section:  the first is a look at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (not sure how that fits with the theming of anything, but hey, at least it's something cool to look at!)  Then, you move on to see a diorama with dinosaurs known as Primeval World.  While perhaps not an "E-ticket"-worthy attraction, it's a nice little viewing bonus and beats just looking at a housing area for the parade floats.

And since Florida doesn't offer these two dioramas on its trains, Disneyland steams ahead to another victory in the competition of Disneyland vs. Disney World.

5. it's a small world

Perhaps it's fitting in keeping with the ride's theme of happiness and world peace, but I can't declare a winner as to which resort has the best it's a small world attraction.  They both have unique elements that I like, and I enjoy the different experience found at each park.

If you were to conduct a poll among Disney fans, I would guess that most would say that the original version in Disneyland is superior to its Florida cousin.  But the one thing that I really like about the ride in Orlando is that the attraction floats through a "flooded room" vs. going through on a canal-like flume track. In other words, at Disney World, there's water for as far as the eye can see.  That alone almost makes me like Disney World's version more than Disneyland's.  The canal approach feels very dated and clunky.

The Disney World version also loads inside (though the line can stretch beyond that area) which is a nice plus.

But Disneyland's version has the huge facade that welcomes you to the attraction, featuring the clock that celebrates the arrival of each quarter hour as if it's New Year's Eve.  Plus, it almost feels like it's a small world is an entire themed land unto itself as it is certainly a stand-alone attraction.  (In Orlando, it feels very much like it has been shoved into a corner and can even be overlooked by guests.)  Disneyland also has an additional twist which some love and some purists howl about.  A few years ago, Disney added some characters from Disney animated movies into some of the scenes.  So, for example, the Little Mermaid, Pinocchio and Woody make appearances.  Personally, I like their presence and don't feel it's layering on a commercial plug.  Guests attend Disney parks because they like Disney characters, after all.  It makes a fun game to play, too, while sailing through to see if you can spot the Disney characters.

So no winner will be declared with this attraction...beyond the guests themselves (OK, that's a little sappy, but so is the attraction itself...which is why I like it). It will forever be a multiple ride attraction for me whenever I visit either Disneyland or the Magic Kingdom in Orlando.

Thoughts? Do you think one is better than the other?

4. Upside-Down Experience

So if you like a roller coaster that goes upside down, which resort has the best option? Each resort only offers one upside-down attraction. In Florida, you have the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios while in California, you have the California Screamin' at Disney California Adventure.

The winner: Disney World’s Rock 'n' Roller Coaster!

 Why: When I returned home from our first family trip to Disney World, I remember saying Rock 'n' Roller Coaster was my favorite ride in the entire resort. That may be a little bit of a stretch and it’s hard to compare apples to oranges, but I still stand by my feeling that it’s certainly one of my favorite things about visiting the Orlando parks.

It’s amazing how just putting a ride in the dark (think Space Mountain which is simply a Wild Mouse type ride in the dark) notches up the fun and adventure several levels. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster also has a solid story line: you’re boarding a limo and trying to get across Los Angeles as fast as you can to make it to a concert. So you have to do every trick imaginable to make it through gridlock. Glow-in-the-dark freeway signs enhance the experience. Plus the music makes it very fun. And, what’s great, too, is you really don’t know when you are upside down as it’s just so fast and frantic. (For the record, they are more corkscrew turns vs. full inverted loops at California Screamin'). I could ride Rock N Roller multiple times and not get tired of it.

Now even though Florida wins this round, California Screamin' is a very worthy competitor. I’m not a big fan of upside down coasters, but this one just calls out to you...must be a Disney thing. It’s smooth and fast and a real blast. BUT there’s no story and I can only go on it one time and I’m done. It’s not a re-rideable ride for me.

 So for me, the upside-down thumbs up goes to Disney World.

3. YETI!

The mythical Yeti (aka the Abominable Snowman) can be spotted on two different Disney rides...the Matterhorn at Disneyland and Expedition Everest in Animal Kingdom at Disney World.

The Matterhorn dates back to 1959 and is one of the oldest attractions in a Disney theme park and is the first Disney roller coaster.  The Yeti was not part of the original ride but was added in the mid-1970s when other updates made the ride feel even more like a trip around the Matterhorn.   He now makes two appearances during the ride, in addition to some growls and a set of red eyes that shine out at you at one point.

The Yeti at Expedition Everest unfortunately hasn't had a very successful life span.  The ride opened in 2006 with a Yeti encounter at the top of Everest.  Unfortunately, it's a very complicated design and a very heavy animatronic character that broke a few months after the ride debuted.  He was designed to move 5 feet horizontally and 2 feet vertically.  But early on, the framing split preventing it from operating and moving properly.  So instead, Disney uses a strobe light to make it look like he's moving.  As the damage is within a concrete base structure, it can't easily be fixed and most likely will remain motionless until they can do a major rehab for the ride, which would result in closing it for an extended time.

So which ride showcasing a Yeti is better?  The Matterhorn, hands down.

The Matterhorn has been my all-time favorite ride at Disneyland for years.  Riding low to the ground, it really is exhilarating!  The views are amazing and it's even wilder and more fun at night.  The theming, complete with waterfalls, makes this one of Disney's best, in my opinion.

I had really high hopes for Expedition Everest.  When it was announced, I envisioned it being a wilder and better version of the Matterhorn.  I couldn't wait to ride it when it finally opened.  But I must say I was disappointed.  Yes, it's a great coaster and sure, there's a good view at the top.  But I think the theming throughout the actual ride is weak.  And I think they could play up the search for the Yeti more  because you see it relatively early on, and then that's it.

Will I go on Expedition Everest when visiting Animal Kingdom?  Sure.  But would I go on it multiple times or purposely visit that Park so I can ride it?  No.  With the Matterhorn, it was one of the big reasons I wanted to return to Disneyland this past summer even though we live on the East Coast.

I've never understood why they haven't put the Matterhorn in the other Disney parks...

2. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

As I recall, the rides are essentially the same so it's hard to issue a favorite simply on the ride content....although I do think I liked the content in Disneyland more than in Orlando, yet can't recall why. And I applaud both rides for tipping their hat to the former attractions that occupied that space in their respective amusement parks. For example, Winnie the Pooh replaced Mr. Toad in Orlando and there's a couple of scenes in the ride where there is a tribute to Mr. Toad, such as you can see him handing over the deed to the attraction to Owl. And in Disneyland, the ride replaced the Country Bear Jamboree, and they kept the taxidermy heads (Max, Buff, etc.) in one of the rooms on the ride in Anaheim.

(I will say that nixing Country Bears for Winnie the Pooh should act as a strike against Anaheim winning this comparison as I wish they hadn't deleted that attraction. But I'm going to let that pass for now.)

One would naturally think I'd give the nod to Orlando on this one, simply because they have now added an interactive queue to pass the time that I hear is rather awesome. BUT....that's exactly why Anaheim wins this comparison.

Why? Well, Winnie the Pooh is a great attraction, but not good enough to warrant any kind of investment in terms of time (thus shouldn't require an interactive line) or FastPass. In Orlando, it's going to cost you 30 minutes to an hour OR a valuable FastPass slot. That's ridiculous! It's a short attraction and a nice distraction, but is meant to be like a ride on the PeopleMover in Orlando...just a way to chill and relax for a few minutes. In Anaheim, the ride is positioned over by Splash Mountain and is kind of forgotten about. In Orlando, it's in the heart of Fantasyland and all the chaos. The location (and lack of lines) in Anaheim gives the win to Disneyland.

And for a bonus point, Anaheim is better because it's an easy place to hang with young kids who can't or don't want to ride Splash Mountain...I wish there was a simple toddler ride near Splash Mountain (and Big Thunder) in Orlando so I had something to do while I hang with the toddlers...

1. Pirates of the Caribbean

This one is no contest….Disneyland’s version is so much better that I almost don’t even like going on the one at Magic Kingdom at WDW. Quite simply, the tranquil bayou at the first of the Disneyland version makes it far superior to Florida’s version. It really sets the stage, too.

I’ve always felt that the premise is you are out for a peaceful float in the bayou and essentially take a wrong turn that dumps you into the pirate world. At WDW, you simply jump right in and it makes no sense. And, if memory serves, Disneyland is the only version that has my favorite scene: the pirate ships shooting at each other, with water/light fountains creating the effect of the cannonball shells hitting the water.

I also prefer having the “lift” at the end of Disneyland to get the boats back up to the main level…it plays to the premise that you entered some pirate underworld, but need to go up to get back out. My understanding is that Pirates wasn’t slated for Orlando but after it proved so popular in Anaheim that they worked it in later. But in so doing, they didn’t have as much space and had to skimp a bit.