Disneyland's Adventureland & New Orleans Square: Ride by Ride

This is one of my favorite parts of the park.  Adventureland has some great rides and the atmosphere of New Orleans Square is just fun and party-like.  Plus it has some great food.  Here's your breakdown of rides in these two areas:

Adventureland


Enchanted Tiki Room--This is an aniamatronic adventure show featuring flowers, birds, and tikis.  Enter into the courtyard and enjoy a Dole Whip while you wait.  The kiosk serves from both sides, but if you wait to get one outside of the courtyard, your wait will be twice as long.  As you enjoy your Dole Whip, you'll be entertained by talking tikis throughout the garden as well.  There is a wheel chair access, just ask as you enter the courtyard and wait for assistance.  Once inside you'll enjoy a fun, comical music show that's appropriate for all ages.  It crescendos with a bang that can be slightly frighting for smaller children.  However, having Dole Whips, sitting for a spell, and being in the air conditioning, along with a fun show makes this an attraction not to be missed.

Jungle Cruise--Everyone can enjoy this leisurely cruise through the Amazon.  You'll board a boat and check out all the aniamatronic animals.  Your captain tells lots of corny jokes making it especially fun for the adults.  And depending on your captain, the jokes change so it's a fun experience every time.

Indiana Jones Adventure--Riders must be 46 inches and the line can be quite long on this one.  From start to finish the cue is approx. 1/2 mile long.  Since this ride is ALWAYS busy, this is a great one for picking up a Fast Pass.  The ride takes you on an adventure encountering snakes, the forbidden eye, bubbling volcanic action, etc, but can be jerky.  So if you have back problems, skip this one.  Otherwise, this is on our Must Do List.

Tarzan's Treehouse--Originally the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, this walk through feature has been updated for a younger audience.  It tells the story of Tarzan through reading, viewing vignettes, and music playing in the tree.  There's a lot of steps, but this is a great attraction for younger kids to enjoy through while everyone waits in the Indiana Jones line.  At the end of the tree house is a play area of the explorer's camp that includes hands-on music features.

Aladdin's Oasis--Although not a ride, this little oasis area is a great spot to find Aladdin and Jasmine.  I've seen them there often.  In fact, last time we were at Disney, we got off the Jungle Cruise right there as Aladdin and Jasmine walked up.  We were at the front of the line.

New Orleans Square

Disneyland Railroad--The railroad travels all over the park and has wheelchair access at all stops except Main Street.  This is a fun way to get around the park and has a stop between Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion.  This stop is also conveniently located near a bathroom.  Yeah for those of us traveling with little ones.

Pirates of the Caribbean--This is a classic Disney style boat ride filled with drops, gun fire and aniamatronic pirates pillaging the town.  The entire ride is underground with three drops making it a nice ride to enjoy on a hot day.  The line can be unpredictable.  So if you see it 20 minutes or under, get in line.  Some features can be a little frightening for younger guests.

The Haunted Mansion--Again this line can be quite long.  Guests are ushered into a chamber that appears to expand as they are told about the mansion and the ghosts who haunt it.  Once you exit the chamber, you'll board a car-style ride that takes you through various scenes: a ballroom, an attic, a graveyard, as the spooks go about their business.  Although there's no height requirement on this one, I didn't allow my child to ride till he was 6 years old and then he was still nervous.  However, my 4 year old loved it so just be aware of your child's temperament.

Extras:

Bengal BBQ--This is one of my favorites.  A small spot directly across from the Indiana Jones ride, you could miss it if you didn't know it was there.  They feature skewers in several varieties from sweet to sour to spicy.  There's even a bacon wrapped asparagus skewers.  My favorite is the spicy skewer.

Royal Street Veranda--This walk up counter serves soups and gumbo in a bread bowl.  The portions are easily big enough to share and the quality is always fantastic.  Plus the price is considerably lower to many of the other sit down restaurants in this area of the park.

Fantasmic!--Prime seating for Fantasmic! can be found across from French Market Restaurant on the Rivers of America.  However, you will need to arrive early as this area can fill quickly.  One tip is to leave those that want a rest while everyone else can ride some of the bigger rides while the lines are short.

That's the breakdown for Adventureland and New Orleans Square.  There's always lots of music in New Orleans Square and this is where Princess Tiana hangs out as well.  So keep your eyes open.  My favorites in this area of the park: The Enchanted Tiki Room and Pirates of the Caribbean.  The Tiki Room is unique and Pirates is just classic Disney.  

Stay tuned for more Disney updates.  And leave me a comment if you have any questions, tips, or ideas.  I'd love to hear them.