A Perfect Disney Day (Part 1 of 3) Quiz

Answer: Straight ahead through the castle

Disneyland Park (also increasingly called "Magic Kingdom" like its Orlando cousin to differentiate it from the overall Disneyland Resort) is laid out in eight "lands" around the castle. Guests may enter via Main Street, USA up to fifteen minutes before the actual park opening. Near the end of Main Street, security staff wait for the "rope drop" ceremony during that time, letting guests into the main part of the park.

When they drop the rope, you are sent onwards with some Disney music ("Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" from "Song of the South") to your first destination. From left to right, these are: Adventureland, New Orleans Square, Frontierland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Mickey's Toontown (allegedly to be removed and integrated back into Fantasyland soon) and Tomorrowland.

Answer: Peter Pan's Flight

Peter Pan's Flight is special in that it has been a part of Disneyland for as long as the park is in existence. Of course the ride has been changed and expanded in the meantime (it received a major overhaul in 1982/83). It is a rather typical dark ride with various scenes from the Peter Pan movie, but unlike in most such rides, the vehicles are suspended from the ceiling and thus the guests actually "fly" over the scenes. Like the former "E.T." ride at Universal studios (which operated on a similar principle), Peter Pan also makes extensive use of fiber-optic lighting to simulate stars and create a fantastic ambiance.

Answer: Mr. Toad

Based on "The Wind in the Willows", this ride takes you on a somewhat bumpy track in a vintage motorcar. You get to drive through MacBadger's living room and several of the less favorable quarters of the town, you will find heavy and dangerous equipment in your way (and out of it once you have driven straight through) and finally meet your just demise in an oncoming railroad.

But this isn't the end because there's always the afterlife... just don't expect to make it to heaven with that driving record! The car in the ride takes several sharp turns and stops and the last scene is heated to enhance the effect, so the overall experience is a bit on the wild side - an early, tamer predecessor to elaborate thrill rides such as "Indiana Jones Adventure" and Animal Kingdom's "Dinosaur".

Answer: It's a Small World

"It's a Small World" was originally designed for the New York World Fair in 1964, as a tribute to UNICEF. It opened as a permanent installation in Disneyland in 1966. The soundtrack is a simple melody played in a synchronous loop all across the attraction, but the language of the lyrics and the instrumentation match the different scenes of the world's lands and children, all depicted in a "candy land" style with bright colors.

As one sails through the slow ride, the music is thus constantly changing in a very subtle way.

At the end of the attraction, a final hall shows all races and nations reunited, wearing white versions of their national clothes.

Answer: Space Mountain

At just 32 mph, Space Mountain is rather slow for a rollercoaster and the drops are not very high (the track's peak is just 75 ft above ground), but in spite of these seemingly unimpressive statistics, the ride delivers an exciting experience through sharp turns, the almost perfect darkness punctuated only by fiber-optic stars and a very well written music track delivered through on-board loudspeakers.

In order to make the lift more compact, it was split into three sections, each occupying a dimly lit "charger" tunnel, colored red, blue and white, but unlike the lifts at Big Thunder Mountain, they form one single group at the start of the track. Space Mountain was built in 1976 and still uses the original track layout, but the track was completely dismantled and rebuilt in a major renovation 2003-2005. All Disney parks have an attraction of the same name, but they are quite different - the one in Paris, for example, is an induction-launched coaster with a Jules Verne theme using significantly higher speeds and featuring three inversions.

Answer: Buzz Lightyear

Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters is literally a video game transposed into the real world. Guests sit in spinning vehicles and each has a toy gun with a laser they can aim at various targets, ranging from extremely easy to almost impossible to hit. In addition, either rider can rotate the entire car by using the central joystick.

The story is a battle against the Evil Emperor Zurg who is, together with his droid army, attempting to conquer the universe. The space cadets (guests) use the power of "crystallic fusion cells" (which are, essentially, normal blue batteries) to defeat the would-be conquerors.

The game tied in with an internet promotion that allowed for virtual play and even some limited interaction - internet users could light targets in the actual attraction for higher scores.

Answer: Grizzly River Run

Grizzly River Run takes the concepts of two types of wet rides - the traditional log flume ride like "Splash Mountain" with its steep drops and the whitewater rafting rides such as "Kali River Rapids" - and combines them into one experience. Most of the course (which uses circular whitewater ride rafts) is a typical whitewater ride, but there are two drops built into the layout.

The second drop is approached via a water bridge - you are first treated to a ride over the drop (ideally watching the raft in front of yours taking it), then a 270° left turn and then your raft takes the plunge to the lower level - a very surprising and innovative arrangement greatly enhancing the experience!

Answer: Soarin' Over California

The key visual element of "Soarin' Over California" is an IMAX movie shot at 48 frames per second (twice as many as a conventional movie) with an orchestral score by Jerry Goldsmith. Riders are sitting in three rows which "take off" in front of the screen in a staggered pattern, the front row rising the highest. Through the use of visors and shades, the ride very well prevents guests from seeing the screen edge (unless seated at the very outside) and subtle vertical movements of the platforms enhance the sense of flying, creating a near perfect illusion.

Answer: A flat linear induction motor followed by a high hill

One of the fastest Disney attractions, this coaster accelerates to 55 mph (still quite slow compared to coasters in many other parks). At over 6,000 feet, it is one of the longest roller coasters in the United States and the longest one to contain a looping (as of 2011). Built to look like a wooden coaster, it is actually made of steel.

The launch is preceded by a countdown, "five, four, three, two, one, SCREEEEEEEEEEAM!", but occasionally and randomly, the sequence is modified to "five, four, three, two, OOOOOOOOOOONE!" with an unexpected early launch!

Answer: Toy Story

Toy Story Midway Mania is a more modern and technologically advanced version of the ride type first introduced as Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. Guests have a vehicle-mounted toy weapon to fire at various targets for points. Unlike the older type, this ride however completely operates in software, relying on 3D glasses for the spatial effect.

The advantage is that it allows for much more flexible and variable gameplay, keeping the ride fresh by simple replacement of software code. A typical Disney "attention on fun at all times" element in this ride is that whenever there is a delay in the ride (for example due to slower unloading of vehicles ahead), the game actually gives you a non-scoring practice round to play (using the same screen type you just played for points) instead of having to wait.