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.