A Closer Look At - Mickey's Fun Wheel

Mickey's Fun Wheel is a Ferris Wheel in Disney California Adventure's Paradise Pier section. As most people know its huge, dominates the landscape, and looks spectacular at night when its all lit up.  I never went on the ride in its previous incarnation as the Sun Wheel but since the makeover to Mickey's Fun Wheel a few years ago I've been on it two or three times.  For the longest time, I avoided the thing.  You see, I'm afraid of heights, I'm afraid of Ferris Wheels, I'm a afraid of things that have you dangling in the air where escape can only be achieved through help by firemen.  Not for me.

Others in my family have braver souls than I as even the 4 year-old family members would venture on the swinging buckets of the Sun Wheel / Fun Wheel.  After years trying, my sister finally got me on the non-swinging side of the ride and you know what? I kind of liked it.  For every two swinging cages, there is a fixed non-swinging cage and as long as I remember to get into the right line and in the non-swinging side, I think I'm good to go - even if its by myself.

Mrs. DisneylandTraveler has not conquered her fear of heights, Ferris Wheels, and rides that move slowly at dizzying heights so when we make our trips to Disneyland just ourselves, I now have to make the quiet, breezy trip around and above DCA alone while she whips out her charge card in the souvenir shops conveniently located across from Mickey's Fun Wheel entrance.  She hates Mickey's Fun Wheel, I dislike shopping in souvenir stores.  We have fun.

Below is a quick little video of Mickey's Fun Wheel, no barf bag required 

"But Doesn't Mickey Look a Little Small?"

You have to admit Disney has done a pretty good job its makeover of its Paradise Pier section of Disney California. Yes, there is still room for improvement. The retail shops near the old Maliboomer site need to be re-themed to more closely fit in with the predominantly Victorian themed architecture. Everyone is still waiting for a real "Disney" worthy queue line for California Screamin'. There's not much that can be done with King Triton's Carousel. It is what it is. 

Perhaps the biggest single improvement to the pier was the peeling and discarding of that ghastly looking giant orange covering that housed the swing ride - once named The Orange Stinger. Man it was ugly. The ride itself - swings spinning on a spindle - is sadly an off-the-shelf carnival ride that is featured at most non-Disney theme parks and even state fairs. These are rides that are bought, not "imagineered" in the true Disney sense. Disney owned it so the ride wasn't going anywhere but it did have to be re-themed to fit in with the new vision of Paradise Pier and now spins wildly to the music of the William Tell Overture as Silly Symphony Swings based on an early Mickey Mouse cartoon - The Band Concert. Up on top of the ride, conducting the mayhem, stands bandleader Mickey. It is the only ride/attraction in either park that features its most prominent resident (not counting Fantasmic here).

But I noticed it right away and everybody I am with pretty much says the same thing when coming near the ride  - "isn't Mickey a little small?" Yes. Yes. Double-yes. Supposedly the figure of Mickey that tops the ride is about 6 feet tall. On a ride that tall, he does really look mouse-like. To do justice to the ride and Mickey, he should have been taller and more prominent. He should have been made to where his silhouette could stand out from hundreds of feet away. It's a bad ride but at least it could been a more pronounced focal point if we had been given a bigger Mickey. Maybe there was a ride engineering / balance problem with a bigger Mickey but with the small Mickey, you've taken the park's biggest star and made him into cake topper.

Worst Queue Line Ever - California Screamin'

Think about getting in a queue line for some of Disneyland / Disney California Adventure big D and E ticket attractions. Some them are excellent in theming (Star Tours, Tower of Terror, Roger Rabbit Cartoon Spin, Indiana Jones). Some of them are pretty good (Buzz Lightyear, Haunted Mansion). Some of them are just OK (Space Mountain, Soarin' Over California). And then there is California Screamin', arguably DCA's biggest and best E ticket attraction and an attraction with a queue line that has no theming whatsoever just a series of switchbacks that are semi covered to keep you out of the sun. Wait times can be long for some of these rides and Disney is to be given a lot of credit for providing in line guests at least a little bit of entertainment and amusement while they wait their turn to get on. But California Screamin' provides absolutely nothing for the guests as they meander their way to the front boarding area. Yeah, you could make a stretch and say that views of Paradise Pier are the guests entertainment but even Toy Story Mania provides Mr. Potato Head and some posters to read. Screamin' has nothing.

People have complained about Screamin's queue line in forums and discussion boards for years and even in a billion dollar renovation, Disney still hasn't addressed the weak California Screamin' queue line. The ride opened yesterday after about a 6 week refurbishment. It got a fresh coat of paint and a rebuilt loop but the queue, its the same dull thing it ever was. Maybe some day Disney will take a look at it. Maybe Tom Staggs (Disney Parks Chairman) should take his sons and go stand in line and experience some serious boredom.

The World of Color or My Aching Feet

Disney California Adventure's World of Color water show has pretty much run non-stop for over a year now (except when my sister went to see it and it shut down after about 2 minutes because of "technical difficulties").  Everything you have seen or read about the show is true - it is spectacular and a must-see for any visitor to the Disneyland Resort.  At 25 minutes long, the large grid of fountains, fire, and digital animation projections bring you the world of Disney as it's never been seen before.  Walt would have been proud of this one because of the creativity and technical achievements of the show.

BUT....

Here is where the Disneyland Traveler may run into some trouble.  There is no real story in World of Color so it doesn't build to anything in particular.  The film clips show classic Disney (and Pixar) scenes but they look assembled rather than flowing cohesively.  World of Color meanders with some segments too long, others too short, and in some cases, a segment which should have been left out entirely (the Mufasa death scene from the Lion King). These are quibbles.  It's a great show, but it really could be better.

AND....

So you've just spent all day at the park and you're dead tired.  Now it comes to time to line up for the World of Color show and then be escorted into your viewing area where you stand and wait and wait.  Some people hit the ground and sit on the concrete but at our age, me and Mrs. DisneylandTraveler know that sitting for any length of time on the concrete ground is a risky proposition.  So you continue to stand and wait and wait while it gets more crowded, and more crowded.  But then, the misery in waiting quickly dissipates once the show begins and the fountains of color show their stuff.

Once I get back to my hotel room, the shoes come off in world record time and I am stretched out on the bed.  I tell my feet "it'll be ok, you'll feel better in the morning."  My feet tell me "shut up and get some Advil and don't do that to us again."  The feet have a strong argument for awhile but they'll be back waiting for the World of Color again some day.  The eyes insist on it.

One of the best YouTube video's ever is Disney Park's World of Color Aerial View.  Enjoy WOC from this spectacular perspective.

The Rides of Paradise Pier

According to Disney, the Paradise Pier area of the Disney California Adventure wants to recreate a seaside amusement park from a bygone era. In the current DCA expansion plans, Paradise Pier is almost complete. There are a few souvenir shops that need to be refurbished to blend in with the pleasant Victorian theme. There is also a rumor of a ride to replace the defunct Maliboomer that was replaced by a temporary "park" area. A "Green Army Men Parachute Drop" was shown in a model in Blue Sky Cellars. The new Paradise Pier looks nice for the most part. The hideous "Giant Orange" overlay to the swings is gone. The Maliboomer never belonged in a Disney Park. The garish Mulholland Madness at least looks better as Goofy's Sky School.

But for me and Mrs. DisneylandTraveler, the rides of Paradise Pier pretty much miss the mark for our demographic. First of all, Toy Story Mania is great and the best addition to PP. It's probably in our top 5 rides for both parks. I'm sure we'll enjoy the Little Mermaid once we get on but its probably going to be lumped in as the equivalent of Monster Inc. or Winnie the Pooh in Disneyland. Nice rides, certainly not great ones (but the Mermaid building looks spectacular). The rest of the PP rides throw off big question marks for me and Mrs. DLT.  After TSM and the Little Mermaid, Mrs DLT is done, through with Paradise Pier rides.

Me? I really like California Screamin' but as me and my wife take more trips by ourselves and not with extended family, riding as a single ride is only an occasional thing. I really like the view from Mickey's Fun Wheel on the non-swing side but the Mrs. DLT won't go near it. She goes to the souvenir shops across the way while I make my rotations.

Neither of will go near Silly Symphony Swings. The thought flying around like that suspended by a "chain" seems the like the definition of insanity. Now I would go on the slower moving Zephyr which is also suspended by a chain but Mrs. DLT claims it messes with her head so we give it a pass. King Triton's Carousel and Jumpin's Jellyfish are for small children and thankfully so. So that leaves Goofy's Sky School. Again, I'll go on it once I'm down there, but as a single rider, once I've been on it and have the experience in my pocket, I probably won't go back unless I am asked. In the years of Mulholland Madness, I think I was only on it twice that I can recall.

So Toy Story Mania and the Little Mermaid are the only "must-do" rides for us in Paradise Pier (excluding the World of Color altogether in this post). Good thing the new restaurants are getting great reviews. It's the only reason to walk over to that side of the pier other than taking pictures.

Please note there is a wonderful video on YouTube spreading around various internet sites the last couple of days show Paradise Pier at night. It's called Bella Notte - Paradise Pier at Night by G74Vlogs. Hauntingly enchanted.  I'm embedding it below.