A couple of weeks ago, I decided to head over to Disneyland…at least virtually. In that post, we explored Main Street U.S.A. So, I thought it would be fun to head back to Disneyland and this time explore Adventureland and New Orleans Square. If you head up Main Street U.S.A., much like the Magic Kingdom, the various lands can be reached through the Hub. The first land to your left is Adventureland. Now, I couldn’t find a good walking through video of Adventureland, so this will have to do…

In this video, there is some walk through moments. It also captures the Jungle Cruise and visiting Aladdin’s Oasis.

This is an interesting video that has some fun facts about Adventureland. Now that we have the overview taken care of, let’s explore the attractions.

Welcome to the Enchanted Tiki Room! Before the show, enjoy a Dole Whip! This attraction premiered at Disneyland on June 23, 1963. The music was penned by the Sherman Brothers. A few years ago, I got to go to a presentation by Richard Sherman who told the story of how the song came about. They didn’t have very long to write the song. Walt Disney called the brothers into a soundstage at the Studios. They had no idea what they were getting into. When they arrived, all that was working was the animatronics. Walt was enamored with how real they looked. So, from these moving birds, Disney gave them the order to write the show. I forget exactly how long they had. It might have been a day or less. But, they took the challenge and penned the incredibly catchy song we all know and love today.

The Jungle Cruise is one of the attractions that has been here since Disneyland opened in 1955. It is rumored that Steve Martin once was a Jungle Cruise captain back in the day. The Jungle Cruise captains do have a script in which they follow. However, there is a little bit of leniency with that script. The temptation for the skippers is to veer away from the script. In order to keep them from veering too far from the script, Disney does have “secret shoppers” who will hop on board from time to time. However, I love this attraction.

Hands down the very best queue line at the entire Disneyland Resort and my second favorite attraction at Disneyland is the Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. As you can see by the video, the queue line is Walt Disney World immersive! There are lots of fun surprises in the queue line. Don’t be afraid to touch things along the way. Some of them have special effects attached. The line for this attraction is typically long. This is a good attraction for using Fast Passes. If you don’t opt for this, my advice is to head over here during the first showing of Fantasmic. It seems like the line is usually at its shortest during this show. For added fun, when you’re on the ride vehicle, don’t hold on to anything. It’s more fun that way.

Last up in our Adventureland journey is Tarzan’s Treehouse. This used to be the Swiss Family Robinson’s Tree house, but was changed in 1999 to Tarzan’s Treehouse. I don’t go up here often because it can really take it out of your legs. However, the views are spectacular!

Okay, I saw this and thought it goes perfect here. Why? The guy starts off in the Tarzan Treehouse and then ventures to the shopping of Adventureland at the Adventureland Bazaar. He also checks out the Adventureland dining. So, if you were to shop or want to eat here, this video is for you.

Want to walk around New Orleans Square? Well, I think I’ve found a You Tube channel worthy of subscribing to. He has lunch at the Blue Bayou and walks around New Orleans Square while waiting. So, if want to look around the shops, check the video. It finishes in the Blue Bayou.

Since the previous video ended in the Blue Bayou, I had to finish the experience. Dining in the Blue Bayou is the best dining Disneyland has to offer, in my humble opinion. This is a restaurant you will need to make advanced reservations in order to dine at. It’s totally worth it and gives the best service outside of Club 33. The ambiance is amazing!

My favorite attraction at Disneyland is Pirates of the Caribbean. I could literally go on this ride all day long and be a happy camper. Disneyland has the best version of this attraction, in my humble opinion. Okay, the Magic Kingdom queue line is way better than the Disneyland queue line. Other than that, the Disneyland version is superior in every way. From the ambiance of the Blue Bayou at the start of the attraction to the two drops (vs. 1 drop at the Magic Kingdom) to the way the story is told and the order its told, Disneyland’s version is the best. As much as virtual Disneyland can be fun, nothing beats being on the boat itself.

Okay, this is kind of cool. It’s Pirates of the Caribbean with night vision. I just thought I’d throw this in as an extra. It is kind of cool. Isn’t it?

At the end of New Orleans Square is the Haunted Mansion attraction. New Orleans Square has 2 attractions and I love them both! Like the Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom has the superior queue line. I loved that queue line when I was there for Marathon Week! As to the attraction itself, this one is a toss-up for me. I like both versions equally. One difference of note between the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland is that the Disneyland stretching room is actually an elevator that takes you down. At the Magic Kingdom, the room stretches up, but you don’t move.

Where the Disneyland version of the Haunted Mansion shines is in the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay that you can experience from the end of September/beginning of October through the Holiday Season. Unfortunately, the Magic Kingdom does not have an alternate version. If you’re coming in for the Disneyland Half Marathon, this attraction will likely not be open as they begin the work to turn this attraction into the Nightmare Before Christmas version. If you’re coming in for either the Avengers Super Heroes Half Marathon or the Star Wars Half Marathon, you will likely get to experience this excellent version of the Haunted Mansion.

Finally, to close the evening off, check out my favorite Disney theme park show…Fantasmic. The Disneyland version is still my favorite. I saw the show back in 1992 and thought it was totally worth the price of admission to Disneyland alone to see this show! World of Color is a wonderful show. However, Fantasmic is still my favorite. If you can stay at the park late enough, catch the second show (or third if they have it) of the night. People will literally begin staking their claim to viewing for this show 2-3 hours before the first show. The second and third shows have fewer people. I’ve been able to sit right along the Rivers of America  showing up 15 minutes before the second show. So, if you don’t have to take off early, catch the second showing of Fantasmic and you’ll get much better viewing of the show without having to camp out for a few hours.

Oh, I almost forgot. Have you ever wanted to see inside the exclusive Club 33? Well, this video will make you think you’ve visited. I got to dine at Club 33 on my 33rd Birthday. True story. It’s one of my favorite Disneyland stories. My wife and I had just started dating a few months prior. A friend of hers’s parents had a membership. So, she was able to get me in. She had been a few times with her friend and knew I had never been. So, she made it happen. If I never get to go again, I can say I’ve been at least once. The fun story of that day is that, while waiting for my wife to use the restroom at the end of our time, there was another guy with his kid waiting as well. They saw my “happy birthday” button and wished me a happy birthday. I told them that it was my 33rd birthday. The kid looks back up at me with a serious look. He then asks if I was going to Club 34 next year. His dad and I got a good laugh at that. The dad explained that there was no Club 34.

I hope you enjoyed this virtual trip to Adventureland and New Orleans Square at Disneyland. Tomorrow, I get to go to Disneyland for real! Have a great weekend!