Good Things About The Disneyland Resort

Went to the Disneyland Resort this past weekend and wanted to talk about one good thing about each park. Two things that make both parks worth the current price of admission.

Disneyland - "Buzz Lightyear"

This is just a damn fun ride. You and your companion site in a small buggy each armed with a light-emitting pulse gun. You move through the ride, zapping little targets of various shapes (diamonds, squares, circles, etc.) each with a Z in the middle (Z for Zurg). If you hit a target, it and your gun light up and you get points. The harder the target to hit, the more points you get if you hit it. This is "almost" the same ride that's at the Magic Kingdom in Florida.

But there are a few differences. Much, much better differences.

In Florida, the guns are mounted to the cart. You can move them around on the pivot and aim, but that's about it. The guns at Disneyland are detachable. They're only connected by a tether. That way you can aim your gun any-which-way to shoot targets all over the place. The other difference is you get your picture taken while on the ride (imagine picture after picture of people staring intensely at something while aiming their guns in every James Bond-esque pose imaginable). Instead of having to shell out $16 for the picture, you get to email your picture to your home email account. Kudos to Disney for that generous offer.

California Adventure - "Tower of Terror"

Again, another ride duplicated from the one in Florida. Again, BETTER than the one in Florida. The California version offers some extra nifty special effects while working your way towards the drops. But the biggest difference is the drops themselves. Whereas Florida gives you a chance to prepare yourself before each drop, the California version keeps taunting you - going up a little, dropping a little, going back up a little, before dropping you way down, the repeating the taunts a little more -- you're never given a chance to prepare.

Awesome. Period.