5. Red Car Trolley versus Main Street Vehicles – The red car trolley in Disney’s California Adventure (DCA) runs all day from the park entrance to the Tower of Terror and back. There are two stops in Carthay Circle and in front of the Disney Animation. No food and drinks are allowed on board. Periodically throughout the day, Newsies and sometimes Mickey, take the trip as well, waving out the window as they go. The trolley runs on tracks highlighted on the street by red brick. If you see the trolley coming or hear the bell behind you, make sure to get out of the way. When the trolley has to stop short because someone gets in the way, it’s not so fun for people on board who get a bit thrown around.
On Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom there are a variety of vintage vehicles to ride. They run from Town Square to the Hub in front of the castle, one way. They are usually running in the morning, though when I’ve tried to ride cast members haven’t been able to tell us exactly when to be where to get on. I also find it a longer walk back down Main Street than Buena Street. So I prefer the Red Car Trolley, personally.
4. Grizzly River Run versus Kali River Rapids – Both of these rides are whitewater raft rides where you travel freely down a fake river and have a different ride experience every time you take the journey. This means you never know exactly how soaked you’ll get, but I’d count on it on both coasts. This also means both rides are very popular on hot days. Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom was built first. Each raft here holds 12 people. I find the queue area, with its statue and shrine ruins, well themed to Asia, where the ride resides. The ride is mostly in a concrete tube with some “jungle” and then some dead, logged trees surrounding it. The queue and ride’s message against illegal logging also supports the conservation message of the park.
Grizzly River Run was built later and, most people agree, Disney improved upon the ride in DCA, making it longer and better. The rafts here hold 8 people and you travel further up hill before you start going down here. Along the ride there are more rocks, caverns, and other natural looking features that tie you into the theme. The ride is built into the Grizzly Peak fake mountain range that is well themed to California’s state parks. Grizzly Peak is also a focal point of the park and makes a great background for a PhotoPass opportunity.
3. Radiator Spring Racers versus Test Track – Both of these rides share a very similar ride vehicle, with three across in each of two rows in a car, making single rider lines a big deal. They both also share a similar track set up, but there a lot of differences. Test Track is in Future World in Epcot and it resides in its own building with minimal outside theming. Inside, you’ll design your own car, including considering its aerodynamics and energy efficiency. Then you get in a car and go through a series of tests that are performed on cars to ensure their performance and safety, including sharp turns and skids. Since the tests show off different technologies, sometimes it feels like a car commercial. After each test, theoretically, you can get an update on how your car is doing on the small screens to the sides, but it often doesn’t work out quite right. The last test includes speeding up to 60 miles per hour in a loop outside the building on an elevated track. After the ride, guests can see how their cars would perform and check out a number of Chevrolet cars and games. This attraction fits well with the educational theme of Epcot.
Radiator Springs Racers is even better than Test Track, however. It is located in the incredibly themed Cars Land and the ride takes place in an amazing construction of Ornament Valley. The ride starts with a gentle drive by a waterfall and then goes into the dark ride part of the ride. Here you barely avoid crashing into Mack, get warned to slow down by Sheriff, go tractor tipping with Mater, and get chased by Frank the Combine. I really appreciate the details of this part of the ride, like how the trees move when Mater shows you how to sneak up on the tractors. Then you drive though Radiator Springs at night and either get a new paint job or your tires upgraded to get ready for the race. You then take off on a race against another car on a parallel track through Ornament Valley. While you don’t reach the top speed you do on Test Track, here you have a longer, more exciting ride including going over bunny hills. The race ends in Tailight Caverns. I appreciate how this ride combines high thrills with Disney storytelling and the adorable characters from the Cars series. While I like Test Track, I think Radiator Spring Racers definitely gets the win here.
2. California Screamin’ versus Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster – These are the most high thrill roller coasters on their coast. They are both steel track coasters that include an inversion. Both rides start with a blast off that really throws your hair back. Both rides might be intimidating for those who don’t like big roller coasters, but are actually quite enjoyable and have other redeeming ride elements beyond their speed. That is about where the similarities stop but I think those are significant.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is located at the end of Hollywood Blvd. at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While the ride doesn’t have much to do with the Golden age of Hollywood, you are suppose to be located in Los Angeles during this attraction. The area has its own themed bathrooms in its courtyard as well as a giant guitar that lets you know you are about to get rockin’. Once you enter the queue, you are at Hollywood Records; in the queue you’ll see some old recording equipment and music posters that set the scene. In the pre-show area you see Aerosmith at the recording studio and then get invited to join them at their show. The only problem is your limo is caught in traffic. You load super stretch limo ride cars that actually are sculpted like limos in front and back of the cars, even if the safety restraints provided here aren’t ones you normally see in the back of a super stretch. Then the traffic suddenly lifts and you are flying through Los Angeles to the venue; as you progress through your high speed travels you pass road signs and bright neon lights.
California Screamin’ is designed to look like an old wooden roller coaster you can still find dotting some of California’s coastline. This ties it to the theme of Paradise Pier where it resides. While it looks like a wooden roller coaster, it actually has a steel track, making the ride a lot smoother. While it is a high-speed roller coaster, it actually didn’t move quite as fast as I expected when I first rode. It felt slower than Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. This was a plus for me. This provides a little more time to enjoy the fantastic views of California Adventure. Plus, I was able to enjoy the ride more instead of just being terrified. Another plus for me was on the weekdays we were here, we hardly had to wait at all for the ride, without a FastPass. Overall, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is definitely better themed, but I still enjoyed the actual ride of California Screamin’ more. I think I have a thing for riding old wooden roller coasters, even fake ones, and checking out views from on high.
1. Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue versus Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor – both these attractions are based on the popular movie Monsters, Inc. and features characters and story lines from it. That is about where the similarity ends. Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, at Magic Kingdom, starts with a pre-show video in which Mike Wazowksi explains that Monstropolis needs more human laughs, so he is opening Monstropolis’ first comedy club. Inside the comedy club, Mike Wazowski, Roz, and a number of other monsters appear on video screen. There is significant audience participation as they pick on members of their audience, like many human comedy clubs. The technology is similar to Turtle Talk with Crush and there are live actors performing voices behind the screen. I don’t like Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor that much. I am also not so sure how it fits into Tomorrowland, maybe laughter could be a future energy source in our world too one day?
I did however really like Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue in DCA. This ride is pretty adorable and the line can be short. In the queue you see ads for Monstropolis Transit Authority and then you load into your taxi cab for a leisurely tour of Monstropolis when the alert goes out that a human child is on the loose. You then travel through various scenes of the movie seeing all your favorite characters and the Child Detection Agency. Unlike in Magic Kingdom, Sully and Randall make numerous appearances, and in Randall’s case, disappearances, in this attraction. My favorite room is the one with all the doors. It is a basic omnimover ride but it is totally fun. On the way out Roz makes various comments directed at a person in your car, it’s a pretty cool feature of the ride. The ride is located in Hollywood Land, which I guess connects to the fact the ride is based on a movie and set in a city, but it’s not particularly well tied in. However, I give DCA a big win for this one.
