This list will get me in trouble, but after nearly twenty visits with family, however this is our list that could have been dubbed “Things TO BE Missed at Disney.” What do you think? Did I miss anything?
Honorable Mention. Journey into Imagination with Figment – this is only on the list because my 17-year-old son demanded it. His exact words were “dad, families reading this list will thank you later for giving them the warning!” Well, this ride is dated and awkward, but Figment has sort of a cult-following among Disney traditionalists and I might be one of them. So, here you go, son, this one’s for you.
- The Wave. . . of American Flavors – Disney resorts have so many incredible dining options, which obviously includes The Contemporary Resort. However, The Wave is not one of our family’s favorite. To make it clear, it is not bad, it is not dirty, and the service was fine. In our opinion, it’s just ok, and for the money you are paying, ok is not ok. We ate breakfast off the menu. There is also a breakfast buffet available, which its options included the normal breakfast items, although The Wave claims to have some healthier options, but I cannot claim to have tried any of those.
- Grand Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros – This is one of those Epcot attractions that you do when all of the others are too crowded. I will say that the venue that houses this attraction is the best part – the Mexico Pavilion’s pyramid. It attempts to give a humorous cultural display of Mexico, but it my opinion, it falls flat. My favorite part of this ride is the first minute as the boat floats through the river that flows past the San Angel Inn restaurant inside the pyramid. I usually do not like traditional rides to change, but Coco might be needed here to revitalize this attraction.
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends – I like the Coral Reef restaurant and the massive tanks of fish in that same pavilion, but this particular ride featuring Nemo does not hit the mark for enjoyment or inspiration. This ride consists of getting into a “shell” and riding through a dark route of fish tanks with Nemo and his friends showing up interspersed through the ride. The best aspect of this ride is afterwards when you can browse the aquarium’s tanks as well as get a picture inside of Bruce’s large shark mouth. Now, I will say very young children will probably enjoy aspects of the ride.
- Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid – Very similar to the above mentioned The Seas with Nemo and Friends, guests ride through this Magic Kingdom dark ride in a shell. No, I don’t have anything against shells, the sea, or any of its creatures, and if you have a girl who loves the Little Mermaid, they’ll probably love the ride. Nearby in a completely separate queue, guests can get a picture with Ariel, which we (me, my wife, and three boys) accidently stood in line for attempting to experience the ride. Much to our surprise around the corner was a real live Ariel, which our boys kept walking right through without a picture. I wonder if Ariel thought we were rude? Really, we didn’t mean to be!
- Hollywood and Vine – This buffet-style restaurant located at Hollywood Studios has character dining with Roadster Goofy, Doc McStuffins, Sophia the First, as well as main characters for dinner. We brought our boys here a few years ago and the only one who really enjoyed it was our youngest, who was in preschool at the time. As for the rest of us, we endured average food and an extremely loud, cramped, and over-crowded atmosphere. You can do better elsewhere!
- Rivers of Light – Excitement was in the air when Disney announced a new nighttime show at Animal Kingdom. That excitement lasted until opening night and quiet murmurs of “seriously, is this it?” began to float around cyberspace nearly immediately. So, I had to see what all the talk was about. And. . . all the rumblings were. . . unfortunately, true. The only remotely enjoyable aspect of this show was the costumed characters walking through the crowd, but I hear that aspect is being deleted for cost savings. In my opinion, Walt would not have approved. I believe he would have chosen a quality experience over saving a few bucks. This show is not worth the time when you could be experiencing one of the excellent attractions at this park.
- Navi’ River Journey – The newish “land” of Pandora at Animal Kingdom is incredible. The attention to detail and creative design makes it a must see, and when you add in the Flight of Passage attraction, it could be the best area of any of the Disney parks. However, they added in a ride called the Navi’ River Journey. It is a boat ride similar to Pirates of the Caribbean or It’s a Small World. I guess I was hoping for more. The colors and technology keep me remotely intrigued, but once you’ve seen the first 30 seconds, you’ve seen the whole thing – it’s just more of the same. This is one of those rides you do once and then maybe on a future visit only if the lines are short, which at this point is seldom. Heed my warnings and enjoy one of the other excellent attractions at Animal Kingdom.
- Alien Swirling Saucers – Hollywood Studios’ new Toy Story Land is very well-done and contains two of the park’s best attractions – Slinky Dog Dash and Toy Story Mania. However, it also houses Alien Swirling Saucers, which is a mix between the swirling component of Mad Tea Cups, the rough ride of an old wooden rollercoaster, and the potential whiplash of a carnival Tilt-a-Whirl ride. When you put those together, you have this modern Disney fiasco. If my memory serves correctly, all five of us could not wait to get off and had no desire to experience that again unless the line is under ten minutes, which is not often. Do this at your own risk!
- Jungle Cruise – Including Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise ride in this list will get me some dirty looks and hate mail, but in my family’s humble opinion, it just needs to be in here. Now that Disney has the Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction at the Animal Kingdom, the Jungle Cruise is old-school and obsolete. Yet the lines are as long as anytime in Disney history. I do like the fact that this is an original Walt Disney creation, but that is about all that I like about it. The boat skippers do their best to entertain with their corny jokes and one-liners, but in spite of their best efforts, it can be painful to endure.
- Enchanted Tiki Room – Another Walt Disney original that made my three boys roll their eyes, give me dirty looks, and close their eyes for a bit of rest on our last trip to the Magic Kingdom. The 15-minute show seemed to last at least double that with the 150 audio-animatronic birds singing away all in surround sound (those birds are spread all over that small theater). My only advice is at least grabbing a Dole Whip next door at Aloha Isle before heading in to the Enchanted Tiki Room and take your time eating it so you can at least enjoy something during this experience. This show is “for the birds.”
