All aboard the Transport Ride Capital of Disneyland: Main Street USA! Next stop, everywhere!
As mentioned previously, Main Street USA is the gateway to every other area at Disneyland. It comes as no surprise then that when building the park, Walt wanted a lot of transport style rides for this area. These rides include the famed and newly refurbished Disneyland Railroad. the Omnibus, the Fire Engine and the Horse Drawn Street Car. The transport rides are listed in detail below.
Ride Specifications:
- Ride Type: Transport
- Age/Height Requirements: None
- Ride Duration: Max. 15 minutes
- Area/s: Stations exist at Main Street, New Orleans Square, Toontown and Tomorrowland.
- Opening Day Attraction: Yes
- Fastpass: No
- Recommendation: Must do for all ages.
- Hours: 10:00am-9:00pm
Overview: The Railroad is the crown jewel of Disneyland and, arguably, the most historically significant. If Walt Disney had not been so obsessed with steam trains and miniature railroads, Disneyland may not be the same or perhaps not even exist at all. Luckily for us these sliding doors moments are rhetorical and it has been serving park guests since July 17 1955.
Ride Description: Having recently been updated and rerouted, to accommodate Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, a ride on the train is now better than ever! Doing the whole Disneyland loop from Main Street and back, will take you through picturesque scenery, diorama tunnels and basically views of the entire park.
Highlights include:
- The Bridge through Splash Mountain.
- The beautiful, redeveloped, Rivers of America.
- The Prehistoric and Grand Canyon Diorama tunnels.
With stations in all corners of the park, people, do use this as transport if their feet are tired from a long day. However, it's probably still quicker to walk.
Verdict: Charming, historic and beautiful, the Disneyland Railroad really is a must do for all ages.
*Spoiler alert. Below is a video that shows you a full ride on the Disneyland Railroad. Video courtesy of Inside the Magic.
Ride Specifications
- Ride Type: Transport
- Age/Height Requirements: No
- Ride Duration: 3-5 minutes
- Area: Main Street
- Year Opened: 1955
- Fastpass: No
- Rider Switch: No
- Recommendation: Good for children under 10.
- Hours: 10:00am-9:00pm
Overview:
The Main Street Vehicles, while classified as transport rides, don't take you anywhere quickly or very fast, they give something different. Atmosphere. To match the theming of Main Street, all of these rides are modelled off real, turn of the century vehicles, adding an ambiance and immersiveness that can only be found at Disneyland.
Ride Description:
All of the Main Street Vehicles simply go up Main Street from outside of the Station and drop you off at the Hub. New passengers are taken from The Hub, back down Main Street, to the station again.
Omnibus: An early version of a modern double-decker bus.
Fire Engine: More like a fire car. This vehicle has been repurposed to fit passengers.
Horse Drawn Street Car: Looks like an old tram or trolley bus but without a motor.
Horseless Carriage: An old timey car.
Verdict: You don't need to do any of these attractions if you are over 10 y/o and don't have little children with you. For me they are purely atmospheric attractions.
Attraction Specifications:
- Attraction Type: Exhibit and Show
- Age: Family (Not great for under 10s)
- Duration: 15 minutes (For the Lincoln Show)
- Year Opened: 1965, (2009 Updated Edition)
- Recommendation: 50/50
- Hours: 10:00am-9:00pm
Overview: This attraction has been in and out of Disneyland a couple of times, most recently reopening in 2009. It is part museum (outlining the history of Disneyland) and part show, featuring a very realistic Abraham Lincoln animatromic.
Attraction Description
The Disneyland Story Exhibition:
Good little museum for gaining an insight into the life and times of Disneyland. It includes a short video, presented by Steve Martin and Donald Duck and various models/displays. Part of the building also opens into the Disneyland Gallery, where you can see and, in the shop next door buy, Disneyland artwork, featuring artists like Thomas Kinkade.
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln:
The show is in a small theatre and begins with an eight minute biographical film about Lincoln. Then, from behind a curtain, sits a to scale version of Honest Abe, who stands and delivers lines from his famous speeches, including the Gettysburg Address. The show ends the only way a Disney's America show can, with a patriotic rendition of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".
Verdict: If you are not that keen on a patriotic view of American history then you'll probably want to skip this one. However, the Lincoln animatronic is impressive and worth a look and its air conditioned so god for a hot day. The Museum is quite interesting as well but overall wouldn't bother taking the kids, especially if tight for time.
As mentioned previously, Main Street USA is the gateway to every other area at Disneyland. It comes as no surprise then that when building the park, Walt wanted a lot of transport style rides for this area. These rides include the famed and newly refurbished Disneyland Railroad. the Omnibus, the Fire Engine and the Horse Drawn Street Car. The transport rides are listed in detail below.
The Disneyland Railroad
 |
| Photo courtesy of Disneyland |
Ride Specifications:
- Ride Type: Transport
- Age/Height Requirements: None
- Ride Duration: Max. 15 minutes
- Area/s: Stations exist at Main Street, New Orleans Square, Toontown and Tomorrowland.
- Opening Day Attraction: Yes
- Fastpass: No
- Recommendation: Must do for all ages.
- Hours: 10:00am-9:00pm
Overview: The Railroad is the crown jewel of Disneyland and, arguably, the most historically significant. If Walt Disney had not been so obsessed with steam trains and miniature railroads, Disneyland may not be the same or perhaps not even exist at all. Luckily for us these sliding doors moments are rhetorical and it has been serving park guests since July 17 1955.
Ride Description: Having recently been updated and rerouted, to accommodate Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, a ride on the train is now better than ever! Doing the whole Disneyland loop from Main Street and back, will take you through picturesque scenery, diorama tunnels and basically views of the entire park.
Highlights include:
- The Bridge through Splash Mountain.
- The beautiful, redeveloped, Rivers of America.
- The Prehistoric and Grand Canyon Diorama tunnels.
With stations in all corners of the park, people, do use this as transport if their feet are tired from a long day. However, it's probably still quicker to walk.
Verdict: Charming, historic and beautiful, the Disneyland Railroad really is a must do for all ages.
*Spoiler alert. Below is a video that shows you a full ride on the Disneyland Railroad. Video courtesy of Inside the Magic.
Main Street Vehicles
Ride Specifications
- Ride Type: Transport
- Age/Height Requirements: No
- Ride Duration: 3-5 minutes
- Area: Main Street
- Year Opened: 1955
- Fastpass: No
- Rider Switch: No
- Recommendation: Good for children under 10.
- Hours: 10:00am-9:00pm
Overview:
The Main Street Vehicles, while classified as transport rides, don't take you anywhere quickly or very fast, they give something different. Atmosphere. To match the theming of Main Street, all of these rides are modelled off real, turn of the century vehicles, adding an ambiance and immersiveness that can only be found at Disneyland.
Ride Description:
All of the Main Street Vehicles simply go up Main Street from outside of the Station and drop you off at the Hub. New passengers are taken from The Hub, back down Main Street, to the station again.
Omnibus: An early version of a modern double-decker bus.
Fire Engine: More like a fire car. This vehicle has been repurposed to fit passengers.
Horse Drawn Street Car: Looks like an old tram or trolley bus but without a motor.
 |
| Photo Courtesy of Disneyland |
Horseless Carriage: An old timey car.
Verdict: You don't need to do any of these attractions if you are over 10 y/o and don't have little children with you. For me they are purely atmospheric attractions.
The Disneyland Story Presents Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
 |
| Photo courtesy of Character Central |
- Attraction Type: Exhibit and Show
- Age: Family (Not great for under 10s)
- Duration: 15 minutes (For the Lincoln Show)
- Year Opened: 1965, (2009 Updated Edition)
- Recommendation: 50/50
- Hours: 10:00am-9:00pm
Overview: This attraction has been in and out of Disneyland a couple of times, most recently reopening in 2009. It is part museum (outlining the history of Disneyland) and part show, featuring a very realistic Abraham Lincoln animatromic.
Attraction Description
The Disneyland Story Exhibition:
Good little museum for gaining an insight into the life and times of Disneyland. It includes a short video, presented by Steve Martin and Donald Duck and various models/displays. Part of the building also opens into the Disneyland Gallery, where you can see and, in the shop next door buy, Disneyland artwork, featuring artists like Thomas Kinkade.
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln:
The show is in a small theatre and begins with an eight minute biographical film about Lincoln. Then, from behind a curtain, sits a to scale version of Honest Abe, who stands and delivers lines from his famous speeches, including the Gettysburg Address. The show ends the only way a Disney's America show can, with a patriotic rendition of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".
 |
| The Abe Lincoln Animatronic. Photo courtesy of Inside the Magic |
Verdict: If you are not that keen on a patriotic view of American history then you'll probably want to skip this one. However, the Lincoln animatronic is impressive and worth a look and its air conditioned so god for a hot day. The Museum is quite interesting as well but overall wouldn't bother taking the kids, especially if tight for time.
Main Street Cinema
 |
| The Main Street Cinema Featuring Steamboat Willie. Photo courtesy of Disney Pal. |
Attraction Specifications:
- Ride Type: Show
- Age/Height Requirements: All Ages
- Duration: 8 minutes for Steam Boat Willie
- Opening Day Attraction: Yes
- Recommendation: Missable
- Hours: 10:00am-9:00pm
Attraction Description:
I'm going to leap straight into this one as there's nothing majorly unique about the Cinema.
An opening day attraction, The Main Street Cinema, showcases some of Disney's early animated films, including Steam Boat Willie.
Verdict: While there is something romantic about watching old cartoons in an historic cinema, this one is a miss for me (Except to escape the heat or the crowds).
That's it for Main Street attractions. The Atmosphere is brilliant but it is more purposed for shopping, dining and getting you elsewhere, so has less attractions.
Please remember the verdicts here are merely an opinion so feel free to take on as much or as little as you like!
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