Critter Country is the area of the park where, if I remember correctly, the Country Bear Jamboree used to be located. It's not there anymore. Nor is it anywhere, it's just gone. That is too bad, as I bet the kids would have really liked it. Now, in Critter Country, is The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It is another one of those rides like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride where you are in a car and you go through a twisty, turny ride while looking at Day-Glo cutouts that illustrate the stories from Winnie the Pooh. Particularly fun was the psychedelic “Heffalumps and Woozles” section. Crazy, man!
Also in this area are Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger characters. We naturally got in line to see both. When visiting with Pooh, Stewie was so excited that he wouldn't turn around for a photo op. Ellen yelled, “Turn around!” Stewie didn't move, but Pooh turned around so his back was to us. Ellen had to clarify, “Not you, Pooh!”, at which Pooh turned around again and if it's possible for a character to have a sheepish look, he had one. It was classic!
In the meantime, Tigger was bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bouncing all over the place. He would even leave the area when kids were visiting, bounce over to Pooh, and then bounce back to the kids who were waiting for him. They (and the crowd) loved it!
Critter Country also has a restaurant where we ate lunch a couple of days. I expected the food and other amenities inside the park to be outrageously expensive, but I was pleasantly surprised. We ate at the Hungry Bear Restaurant for about $50 for a family of six. That's about right. We spent that much at the IHOP outside the park, and that was with 3 kids meals for free. And, the ambience! We sat on the patio, overlooking the “lagoon” where the boat rides were. As we ate, we were passed by the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Sailing Ship Columbia, and the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. Also, the guys in flak jackets who were setting up the evening spectacular laser light show.
After lunch, the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes looked like so much fun that we decided to give it a try. We all climbed into these large canoes, and we had to paddle ourselves around the “river”, staying ahead of the riverboats, of course. I shared a seat with Munchkin, who was not so adept at paddling. Ahead of me was Stewie, and we kept getting our paddles tangled. Behind me was a kid not much older that Munchkin, who couldn't seem to get his paddle in the water without soaking me! I didn't mind so much, but as I was holding the paddle with both hands, and then when Munchkin gave up (about 4/5 of the way through) I was holding two paddles, I really couldn't protect the camera. Fortunately, it didn't get too wet, and we all had a lot of fun.
Critter Country also has what I believe is the newest ride – Splash Mountain. It was the one with the longest line every day we were there. On the good days, the line was 45 minutes. On the bad day it was 90. Again, FastPass to the rescue. I got a FastPass for it and Beenie, Keke, Stewie, and I got to jump the line and go on the ride. It was fun, but I don't get why it is so popular. The ride is a boat that floats through a flume, and all around is the Song of the South story. It's calm and tranquil, except for a couple of short hills that the boat slides down. Right near the end of the ride there is a huge drop down toward the Briar Patch, that culminates in a big splashdown where everyone gets soaked. And then it's over. The ride was fun, everyone had a blast, but I don't get the appeal – definitely not worth an hour and a half wait.
Also in this area are Winnie-the-Pooh and Tigger characters. We naturally got in line to see both. When visiting with Pooh, Stewie was so excited that he wouldn't turn around for a photo op. Ellen yelled, “Turn around!” Stewie didn't move, but Pooh turned around so his back was to us. Ellen had to clarify, “Not you, Pooh!”, at which Pooh turned around again and if it's possible for a character to have a sheepish look, he had one. It was classic!
In the meantime, Tigger was bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bouncing all over the place. He would even leave the area when kids were visiting, bounce over to Pooh, and then bounce back to the kids who were waiting for him. They (and the crowd) loved it!
Critter Country also has a restaurant where we ate lunch a couple of days. I expected the food and other amenities inside the park to be outrageously expensive, but I was pleasantly surprised. We ate at the Hungry Bear Restaurant for about $50 for a family of six. That's about right. We spent that much at the IHOP outside the park, and that was with 3 kids meals for free. And, the ambience! We sat on the patio, overlooking the “lagoon” where the boat rides were. As we ate, we were passed by the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Sailing Ship Columbia, and the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. Also, the guys in flak jackets who were setting up the evening spectacular laser light show.
After lunch, the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes looked like so much fun that we decided to give it a try. We all climbed into these large canoes, and we had to paddle ourselves around the “river”, staying ahead of the riverboats, of course. I shared a seat with Munchkin, who was not so adept at paddling. Ahead of me was Stewie, and we kept getting our paddles tangled. Behind me was a kid not much older that Munchkin, who couldn't seem to get his paddle in the water without soaking me! I didn't mind so much, but as I was holding the paddle with both hands, and then when Munchkin gave up (about 4/5 of the way through) I was holding two paddles, I really couldn't protect the camera. Fortunately, it didn't get too wet, and we all had a lot of fun.
Critter Country also has what I believe is the newest ride – Splash Mountain. It was the one with the longest line every day we were there. On the good days, the line was 45 minutes. On the bad day it was 90. Again, FastPass to the rescue. I got a FastPass for it and Beenie, Keke, Stewie, and I got to jump the line and go on the ride. It was fun, but I don't get why it is so popular. The ride is a boat that floats through a flume, and all around is the Song of the South story. It's calm and tranquil, except for a couple of short hills that the boat slides down. Right near the end of the ride there is a huge drop down toward the Briar Patch, that culminates in a big splashdown where everyone gets soaked. And then it's over. The ride was fun, everyone had a blast, but I don't get the appeal – definitely not worth an hour and a half wait.
