Visiting Lagoon Amusement Park in Utah for the First Time

Way back, a long time ago, the Beach Boys sang a song called Salt Lake City, and in the lyrics they mention Lagoon, an amusement park in Farmington Utah: "There's a park near the city, yeah. All the kids dig the Lagoon now. It's full of all kinds of girls and rides and we'll be flyin' there soon now. And girl for girl they've got the cutest of the Western states. They got the sun in the summer And winter time the skiing is great, yeah. Salt Lake City we'll be coming soon."

The song is groovy, only 2 minutes, and can be heard on YouTube.

But here's the thing, I've never been to Lagoon!  Despite constantly traveling South to visit a certain Disney park over and over again, going North to visit Lagoon just never happened.  Mainly it was due to Lagoon's focus on roller-coasters, and I get motion sickness.  And Disneyland is just... I just love it so.

 

When my family decided as a whole to visit Lagoon last weekend the time had finally come to travel North for the visit.  And to be honest I wasn't too excited about it.  (I know... :\).  In my mind I chanted, "It's for the kids," over and over.  When the day was over I really had a great deal of fun!  And the kids had a blast, too.

 

The best way to describe Lagoon is if a State Fair married Knotts Berry Farm and had a baby. Various roller-coasters, a water park in the middle (extra pay), a couple of water rides, several kid rides, funnel cakes and cotton candy, and a couple of shows.

 

There's also a Pioneer Village where each store is filled with antiques feeling like a giant museum.  

The only roller-coaster I went on was Cannibal.  Wasn't going to do it as I don't like riding rides without my glasses, but Steven, Lindsay, and Robbie talked me into it! And Robbie kept my glasses in his pocket.  We did single rider and I got the front row!!!  My prescription is -6.75 in each eye with a strong astigmatism, but even so the ride was super trilling.  The smoothest roller-coast I've Ever been on, which was a surprise.  You rise up an elevator and that drop... 0_0 ... it's like there's nothing there, and then you fall down 116 degrees.  But Wow, it's great. There's several POV videos, which I watched later to see what I couldn't see. And I didn't get motion sickness!!!!!! That was a super surprise.

And then we all went on Rattlesnake Rapids. :\

And we all got properly soaked... :\ Including the little ones!!!!! :0(

 

Overall a really great day, and the rides were fun.  Super hot, but still found ways to stay cool.  There were more roller-coasters I would have liked to ride, but that's how it goes. Had a super chillax day.  No plans.  I didn't even look up the rides or watch videos before going, just went with the flow with what everyone else wanted to do. Even ran into some old friends close to closing time.

I'm really glad to have finally visited Lagoon. :0)

Sarah

5 Reasons Why Soarin' Over California is the Best Version

Soarin' Over California is my favorite Disney ride, so maybe I'm starting this blog a little biased.  It's so relaxing. Peaceful and fun at the same time.  The rolling movements. The scents. And seeing the scope of California's beauty is an added bonus.

When Soarin' Around the World came out I was excited, hoping for the best, but was ultimately disappointed by the updated ride.  Would Soarin' Over California become a distant memory, a fragmented remembrance of a favorite experience?  Rides come and go at Disneyland. The parks are ever changing.  I still miss the rocket ride that replaced the People Movers, but it was removed over structural problems and whatnot.  That was such a fun ride! And it was always breaking down, adding exuberance to the ride when it did work.  And I miss the People Movers. There's just no winning.

When it was announced Soarin' Over California was coming back last June for a month I was excited, and sad I'd miss it, but glad that there was a chance it could be brought back in the future.  Then it was expanded to July, when I did get to go, and I rode it at least 4 times. (Soarin' Over California ultimately went through August, turning a one month return into three.  That's just how awesome this ride is.  And all the message boards and comment sections online praised this old favorite while bemoaning the new, making me realize I'm not the only one who loves this classic ride.)

5 Reasons Why Soarin' Over California is the Best Soarin' Ride

1. Soarin' over California is a celebration of Nature.  Sure, California has many landmarks, and you see the Golden Gate bridge right off the bat, but California has such a vast range of natural wonders.  When the river scene comes on, and it feels like your feet is going to touch the water, it's pure magic.  Throughout the ride you see Oceans, Waterfalls, Mountains, and Deserts. It's all rejuvenating, and it feels like a journey, the sort of things you'd want to soar over.
2. Authenticity! Soarin' Over California feels authentic. They're real scenes. It feels like you're cutting into true moments. Whereas Soarin' Around the World is such a CGI fest it just feels like an interactive movie.
3. Subtle transitions that flow from one scene to the next.  Soarin' Over California just cuts between each scene. No fanfare. No gimmicks. This style of transition adds to the flow and gentleness of the ride.  Around the World transitions with dirt being flown up, kite/bird/plane zooming in and swishing across the screen, flashes of light.  I guess they're trying to make the ride more exciting, but I think it disrupts the flow.
4. Better scents. Around the World does have a nice flower scent, but I'm okay not smelling the grass.  But with Soarin' Over California you have the smell of Pine, the ocean, and the oranges!  I'd love a candle with that orange scent. 
5. No tall buildings in a majority of scenes.  The only way to experience Soarin' Around the World is in the middle section of seats. The curvature of the screen makes the Eiffel Tower and other tall objects bend if you're on the side. It's awkward.  Because Soarin' Over California is more nature focused, the scenes don't have tall objects that get distorted by the screen, therefore making it a better experience for more riders in the theater.

Don't get me wrong, I still like Soarin' Around the World, but it doesn't spark the same joy Soarin' Over California brings.  In my humble opinion it's just a better experience, one I miss every time I visit California Adventure.  And, come on, for a park called "California Adventure" shouldn't Soarin' Over California be a staple? It's the most California part of the park!  Especially since so much of the park is getting rebranded.  It would have been cool if each Soarin' ride was different, highlighting the areas in which each Soarin' ride was based. Soarin' over France. Soarin' over Japan. Soarin' over Florida.  That would be so neat.  And yet there is a California version that's still very much loved, yet it gets brushed aside.

In Which My Niece Believes Jungle Cruise is Real

 (Ha! I totally look like I wasn't paying attention in this photo, but I was. 
Also, our guide was really funny.  One of my favorites yet.)

In a five years old mind everything is possible.

When I was five years old I actually believed Star Tours, the ride at Disneyland based on Star Wars, was real. I wrote about that in 2012, and since then I've thought about it.  Was I exaggerating?  Was I remembering it correctly? That was my memory, but how much of my memory remained intact?  Really I've just been wondering if I could have been that easily fooled.

My nieces did the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disneyland last month, and while they were waiting they were told that Cinderella's mouses were preparing their dresses.  I thought it was cute, but my five year old niece came over to me and asked, "Are the mouses preparing our dresses?"  She said it with such excitement that I couldn't say no.  It would have been like denying Santa Clause, who I think she still believes in, not sure.  Who am I to destroy a little Disney magic? I honestly went along with it.  You're only young once.

A day later we went on Jungle Cruise.  It was both my nieces first time as the ride was under refurbishment November 2015.  I just assumed it was pretty obvious that the animals weren't real.  During the first part of the ride I looked back to see my five year old niece with a look of uncertain discontent.  My Mom said to me that she started snuggling into her in fear, asking if the animals were real.  My Mom told her they were robots.  Technically I believe they're animatronics, but that's besides the point.  She calmed down a little, but was still uncertain.

We went on Star Tours a couple days later.  I told my five year old niece several times that it was an interactive movie in a moving box.  With her believing in Cinderella's mouses and questioning the reality of those Jungle Cruise animals I couldn't take a chance.  For starters she doesn't care for fast/intense rides.  The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is more her speed, and as she told me several times during the trip it's one of her core memories.  She seemed to like Star Tours, but I couldn't get her to go on it again.  Thankfully my six year old niece was game.

I believe the day a child loses the imaginative belief that all things, including Santa Clause, is possible is a sad day.  We all need a little Disney Magic.  That suspended belief.  I love Disney magic . . . except with Star Tours.  I couldn't let my niece go through the same trauma I endured at her age.  The line had to be drawn.

Many Firsts at Disneyland

 This is my last Disneyland post chronicling my recent trip to the Magic Kingdom.  I've somehow managed to create about seven blog posts out of just that one day visit.  Can you imagine how many posts I'd create if I stayed several days, or a week at Disney World?  The possibilities!  (I've never been to Disney World; someday I'll make it).  I've been to Disneyland so many times over the years I'm well into 30-40+ visits.  I've lost track.  So doing anything new at the park is a wonder, which made this visit all the more special as I got to experience many firsts.  

Starting out my family was Mickey's "Guest of the Park," getting a special badge, free parking, and a special parking spot.  Below are some more, new aspects to Disneyland/California Adventures.

 Star Tours: The Adventure Continues opened Summer 2011 with sparkly 3-D and many ride combinations.  Taken from Wikipedia: "There are eleven random segments of the film (two opening segments, three primary destination segments, three hologram message segments, and three ending destination segments; when combined, they allow 54 different possible ride experiences.) which are presented in the ride."

The Original Star Tours, which opened in 1987 and was my first exposure to Star Wars, was getting a little boring, though I will always remember it was great fondness.  As fun as the new ride is, I miss those robots!  The father and son robot team you hear talking in the line and the ships pilot.  Well, whenever I feel nostalgic I can listen to the original via "Star Wars: An Audio Retrospect" which came with this book I got . . . "I know this is probably your first flight and it's . . . mine too."  That never got old.  Poor Rex got his memory erased after each flight! You can read the original script here.

 California Adventure, at Disneyland, opened World of Color in June 2010.  I had heard so much about this show, seeing videos and watching behind the scenes, that I couldn't wait to finally see the show 2 years after it's opening.  Long time waiting, but it really is amazing.  Tip: make sure the first thing you do when you get to the park is get a World of Color Fast Past.  Fast Past's are typically used for rides, but here they use it for seating sections.  The sooner you get your fast past, the better the section.  You can find it by heading through Condor Flats to the Grizzly area.  Unfortunately my family learned the hard way and got our ticket early afternoon.  The standing area wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fantastic.  The show itself?  Wonderful!  And worth the wait.  Now they need to do this Fast Past section thing with Fanstasmic.

 I wrote two separate blog posts on this, which shows how excited I was with visiting Radiator Springs and riding the ride.  So amazing!  The Radiator Speed Racers is currently my favorite ride, gasp, even over Star Tours . . . until they open Indiana Jones again after refurbishing and small updating.

 I love the Little Mermaid and always wished she had her own ride, and now she has one!  The movie is one of my favorites.  Disney's Golden Age of animation started in 1928, but this film launched the Disney Renaissance in 1989 which lasted till 2000.  I'll never forget going to the theater to see The Little Mermaid.  My family was visiting my grandparents and we went to a nice theater in Riverside CA.  The place was covered in Little Mermaid decorations, and they gave out prizes before our showing.  It was a big deal!!  And the movie changed my life.

 Talking about 1928, California Adventure got a face lift to reflect this golden age of Hollywood.  It was in 1928 when Disney came to Hollywood, and the front of the park was made to reflect that.  I love old California architecture, and I love art deco, so the change is nice.

 Grizzly River Run opened when California Adventure did, but somehow I've never managed to ride it.  That might have something to do with Magic Mountain.  Back in middle-school I went on their rafting ride, first thing, and spent the entire day soaked.  Not fun, but the Grizzly ride was fun, and I didn't get too wet, which is really quite lucky.

 Soarin' Over California is one of my favorites, but my brother Steven hadn't been, so this was his first time.  I would buy potpourri of that pine and orange scent they mist during the ride.  It smells like California. Growing up in Central California . . . it's lucky they didn't do cow smell . . . (Talure County CA reference, which is the County I lived in . . . I heard once there were more cows then people.)

 First time I tried this cake!  There's this amazing, crunchy hazelnut thing going on at the bottom.  Plaza Inn, 'nuff said.

 I was waiting in line for It's a Small World when everything got really dark, all lights going out dark, and suddenly Nutcracker music started playing as colored projections shined on the ride's facade, giving us a little show. So unexpected and cool.

 And it's the first time I've seen Sleeping Beauty's castle look like this.  Enchanting.

Merry Christmas!!