I love Adventureland in the early morning; no strollers or crazy crowds. This is about the only time of day to get shots like these where you can take in all of the scenic splendor of the carefully crafted buildings.
Here you can see Aladdin's Oasis and the exit area of the Jungle Cruise attraction. I was quite pleased to see ZICO Coconut Water for sale at this market, as it is my favorite rehydration drink!
Aladdin's Oasis was once the Tahitian Terrace; now that the Aladdin show is no longer being performed here, the area has been opened up as a meet-and-greet/rest/companion restroom area.
Although it would be great for this space to be used as something more entertaining, I am pleased that at least it provides a quite place to relax and get away from the crowds.
It really is a spectacular setting; much of the decor from the Aladdin and then the Indiana Jones Stunt shows are still here.
Looking up, you can still some remnants of the previous Tiki theme that pervaded the Tahitian Terrace Restaurant:
Instead of watching a luau, today you can meet Princess Jasmine and Aladdin here:
And if you're anything like me, you'll go nutz over the light fixtures!
While nearby, I took a spin on The Jungle Cruise, where I was able to walk right onto a boat. Skipper Sara did a great job!
She kept us safe from the gators...
and took us through the African Veldt, where you can still see the humor of Marc Davis:
My beautiful cruise took a sharp detour to WTF when I saw that the Back Side of Water was now toilet-bowl green. I had to do a double take (and of course take a photo!):
I'm all for fantasy and colorful scenery, but dyeing the water a pukey shade of aqua seemed to be just a little too much. Is someone in Imagineering partial to this color?
Based on this other design gaffe in Adventureland, that's the only conclusion I can arrive at. Unless Home Depot is having a huge sale on this color.
Poor Trader Sam...his business continues to shrink.
I took advantage of the short lines at Indiana Jones Adventure and got a few detail shots of areas I normally zip by.
Just think of all the set design work that went into these areas that guests rarely pay attention to. Imagineers, take heart...I love 'em!
"Welcome, welcome..."
Our vehicle broke down, and all the lights came in. Scene spoiler: this attraction looks like ca ca with the lights on. It really is a startling change. As a bonus for our trouble, the cast members allowed us to ride through a second time.
Supposedly this very vehicle was used in the actual "Raiders of the Lost Ark" movie:
To avoid the heat, we ducked into the Enchanted Tiki Room:
Mimi and friends looked and sounded as good as ever; this show is always a lighthearted treat so enjoy.
Once the storm started, we all knew it was time to go. See you tomorrow with the conclusion to this Trip Report series!
See more vintage and current Adventureland photos on my Adventureland web pages.
Whoa, that Schweitzer Falls water is bizarre. I always thought that the Rivers of America and the Jungle Cruise shared the same water? It just makes you wonder who decided that a waterfall is improved by making look even more artificial than before.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought you were experimenting with your photographic effects on the Schweitzer Falls image. I've heard they used dyed water in both rivers before, but this is a bit much.
ReplyDeleteIt's a far smaller Falls than in my day working the JC in the early-mid 70s. But overall, the look of Adventureland has been significantly plussed. Now if they would just bring back the Tahitian Terrace and properly utilize that space. The sound of the shows alone added to the atmosphere. BTW, I used to take many a break above the Bazaar in that first picture. It was a good place to get away but yet watch the boats cycle and see when mine arrived to start the next rotation. Late in my tenure, 3 female CMs were "trialed" on the JC for about 3 months. They were seasoned employees, not rookies. But the guest response was negative. They came to see the JC guys do their spiel. In addition, there was difficulty in hearing them over the drone of the engine. I don't think any of th4e gusy at the time were disappointed in that outcome.
ReplyDelete"...business continues to shrink"...priceless. LOL.
ReplyDeleteI am on board with the cool light fixtures...it's stuff like that that makes Disneyland so fun to visit...all the tiny details. It's like a giant diorama in a way.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved those rocks by the bathrooms! I've taken pics of them myself.
ReplyDeleteWaiting in line at the indy ride is the best part, they should have made the whole thing a walk thru or a slow POTC type thing, To me the ride part of indy looks like ca ca with the lights out too. It's like they just said "that's good enough."
Is that Tink helping keep the 2nd light fixture glowing bright behind the blue glass? Catching up on posts and reallly loving all your beautiful HDR photos. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Suzy - glad you like the photos. I am sure Tink is there in spirit!
ReplyDeleteThe blue-green stuff in the water is called Aquashade. It reduces the growth of algae by darkening the water and blocking the sun's rays. I will have to say that they went a little overboard with it, though!
ReplyDeleteThese are some fantastic photos!
ReplyDeleteCan I ask you what type of camera you have and what lens you use? That shot of the lost safari is an AMAZING shot!
-Janey
Knotts - thanks for the info on Aquashade! Janey- my camera is a Nikon D4. I used a Tamron zoom lens for that shot.
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