It was time to head over to the Imagination! pavilion and ride Journey Into Imagination with Figment. The ride has changed many times over the years, and I believe the last time I rode, Figment was not part of the attraction. I remember the ride going through multiple scenes, each showing the importance of our senses. When I rode this trip, Figment was there to ruin that trip about half-way through. So, we approached the double pyramid shaped building, and saw the line for the attraction being 5 minutes. Not even. We walked through the decent sized queue with no other person in sight. The queue is nicely themed as the "Imagination Institute", and holds the offices for each of the professors who work inside, one of which we are about to meet. We finally reached the entry ramp and saw there there were people actually riding the attraction! Wow! Anyway, it was no time before we entered out red car part of three in a train. We pulled out, and entered the the first stage of the attraction. Here, Dr. Nigel Channing introduces himself, wants us to discover how our five senses can help develop our imagination. Figment, the little purple dragon comes around, and wants to go along for the journey. Dr. Channing rejects, but Figment doesn't take no as an answer. The ride advances through multiple scenes, each showcasing a human sense. We go through each lab, sight, sound, smell...and Figment is there to ruin the prof's tests each time. After the dragon stinks up a storm in the Scent Lab, the professor calls off the tour. However, Figment invites us all to his house for an open house, and shows us how important our imagination really is. We glide through his house, but there has to be something wrong...it's all upside-down! This is when the professor comes to the realization that imagination is your world turned upside-down. After a ride through Figment's place, we return to the Imagination Institute. After we arrive in the final scene, the prof comes into agreement with Figment at last. We are left with Figment shouting "Imagination's a Blast!", and then get hit in the face with a strong wind, which I took as extremely unexpected. The ride ends with Figment's imagination taking over, showing him doing things only his imagination would let him. As the prof and Figment sing the "Imagination" song, our red vehicle comes to a half in front of the exit doors. We get off, and head into the "What If" Labs after this one crazy, wacky ride.
My opinion on this crazy adventure through the world of imagination? It's a fun, witty ride, but is it one of the best in EPCOT? No. It's a fun ride that rarely will have a line, and it's a good ride to do while waiting for a FastPass to be ready. It's not a must-hit at EPCOT, but it can be a fun ride for the kids. I'd like to see something better come out of this attraction, however. Imagination! is one of the least popular pavilions in EPCOT. I think it's about time they update not only the attraction, but the pavilion as a whole. Anyway, last word on Figment? It's a fun ride, but has a lot more potential. And my expert advice on this attraction? It's an attraction the whole family can ride, but some of the effects might be frightening for the little ones. Anyway, moving on, we spend some times in the Kodak "What If?" Labs, which were all right, but these could use a nice updating as well. After about 5 minutes, we left, and decided to head back over to the Land, as our Living with the Land Surprise FastPass was just about ready. We made the quick walk over and re-entered the Land for the second time that day. We made our way to the bottom level, which was again packed with people. They seriously need something to control foot traffic down there. Soarin' wasn't ready just yet, so we went to the other side of the lower level and Living with the Land. Since regular FastPass was not available LwtL today, we were lucky to get that surprise FastPass. We showed our passes the the Cast Member, and entered the FastPass queue. It was only about 5 minutes until we got inside our boat, and note that this is before they replaced Cast Members with recordings. With that, we made our journey into the ride's first scene.
The first half of the ride is just an educational look at different areas of the Land that we live on. First we'll make go through a rainforest, which has a terrible storm going through. The recording (this part of the ride has always been a recording) informs us about how important the rainforest is for our planet, especially with the amount of oxygen it produces. It's saddening to see rainforests being cut down across the globe...they are such an important part of our lives, and by cut them down, cut are only hurting ourselves. In the next area, we encounter a scorching desert. With the little water available, everything that lives in the desert has to make due with what they have. It's interesting to see how wildlife lives in the desert, it's something you would think is impossible. The next scene is a showing of the American farm. Obviously, the land has a huge effect on how farming works, or doesn't work. You need good land to work with, and needs the right indegrients for things to grow. After the prairie scene, we enter a barn-like building with many picture screens, and learn how large human effect on the land is. We can definitely take the land for advantage, and must learn how to "live with the land", doing things to benefit human beings and the environment itself. After this scene, it's time to head in the research lab to discover how they are working to live with the land.
The Cast Member now takes over as our trip through the labs begin. In the first lab, we get a look at the many tropical plants growing inside. You'll see many different types of plants and fruits in here, including bananas, the java apple, the blue pumpkin, and many different types of spices. It's always interesting to see what they're growing inside this lab. Chances are there will be something different every time you ride. In the next area, we get a look at some of the fish living inside a heated lab area. There's a ton of different kinds of fish in there, and you'll even find the good old American Alligator. Luckily, they are all safely secured in a tank! We move on through the fish area and into the next lab. Here we get a look at some of the more innovative crops growing inside the labs, such as the giant (these things are huge!) pumpkins and the nine-pound lemon! Moving along, we'll get some more truly unique ways to grow crops, like the tomato tree and one of the coolest things you'll see while in the labs, the Mickey Mouse shaped pumpkin, which is grown through a certain molding! After this, we move on into the final area of the many labs, which features plants grow through aerial environments. It's truly amazing how they come up with these ideas, and how well they work. I always love this area of the attraction, it shows how innovative we can be with crops. Some of the things growing in there are truly special, especially that Mickey shaped pumpkin. Anyway, we move back inside to finish our adventure on Living with the Land. The ride ends with many pictures of people living with the land, which is what this attraction is all about. After the short sequence, we're back at the platform inside the pavilion and get off our boat when it finally comes to a complete stop. Living with the Land is always one of my favorite attractions at EPCOT. It's an extremely educational attraction, plus you get a look at something that is truly REAL and going on right now. The dark ride area of the ride is a great lead-in into the labs, which is definitely the highlight. This is an attraction that you can't miss at EPCOT, it's one of the few educational attractions left! My expert advice for this attraction? Put this one on your hit-list, especially if you're looking for an educational experience. This is also an attraction that anyone can ride, so you have no excuse for missing out on this ride!
After a great Living with the Land ride, it was time to move on over to the other side of the lower Land area. This is one of the attractions I was most looking forward to, and now the time was here. Soarin', here I come!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Chapter 16:Communication, Sea, and Pixar
We climbed aboard our blue train and made a journey through the classic Spaceship Earth. It's one of those rides that is always enjoyable to ride, and it's also one where you'll walk out learning something. The ride takes you through the world of communications, from beginning to end, and beyond. We start off in the stone age, where language was first being developed. The ride continues to take you through numerous scenes illustrated through Audio-Animatronic figures, until we reach the likes of today. Once you reach the top of the sphere, you rotate backwards to return to the station. This is where you'll get a glimpse of what the future of communication has in store. Overall, this attraction is a classic and always one of my favorites. It's educational, relaxing, enjoyable, and fun. It's one of those attraction that I could never see Disney touching, or at least I hope so. I think the ride itself could use a nice rehab, it's due for one. Fixing up some of the AA's and fixing the special effects would be excellent for this attraction. Anyway, my expert advice for this attraction? Next time you're at EPCOT, you must give this ride a whirl. It's one of the few educational theme park attractions in existence, and the fact that you can walk out of the attraction having learned something is refreshing. The attraction is slow-moving and tame, so just about everyone has the chance to experience this classic ride. Once again, this is a MUST HIT on your next trip. Anyway, after the ride, we walked down the ramp and saw that they were doing work on the post-show area. I remember some really cool things being in the post-area on my last visit, so I hope they can bring that area back to life again. I believe it will re-open this spring at EPCOT.
Moving on, we all enter the central hub of EPCOT at last. The Tip Board is straight ahead, so we decide to check it out. Lines are moderate, only Soarin' seemed to have much of a line. Since Soarin' was an attraction everyone was going to go on, we decided to head over to the Land pavilion and pick up a FastPass. So we made a right and headed towards the Land, situated between the new Seas and the Imagination! pavilions. I always felt like the Land needed a big attraction...and Soarin' delivers. That's for later, however. Anyway, I entered the Land for the first time in 3 years. The place looked pretty different, as they changed things around a bit when Soarin' opened. The lower area looked all different to me...they re-did the entire eating area, adding new theming, put in a new sign for Living with the Land, and the area itself looked nicer. Anyway, we had to go downstairs for our FastPass, so we went down and into the new Soarin' area, previously occupied by Food Rocks. The area is now themed to an airline terminal, complete with a ticket counter and ticket machines near-by, aka the FastPass machines. We went over to one, and inserted all 5 of our Park Hoppers. Then...SURPRISE! We got a surprise FastPass for Living with the Land! This was excellent for us, as all of us were going to do that attraction as well. Well after that, it was time to leave the Land. Our LwtL and Soarin' times weren't until later, so we decided to check something else out before returning back to the Land. Overall, the Land looked quite impressive, but there were a TON of people in there. On our way back up, there was a QUEUE for the ESCALATOR! I just went along and walked up the stairs...wow people. Anyway, we made our way back out, and decided what would be next on our agenda. We decided to check out the Seas with Nemo and Friends, which was going through a current transformation when we were at the park. A certain new attraction to spring up there, Turtle Talk with Crush, would be next on our hit list.
We left the Land and made our way over to the Seas, which when we were there, had the big blue wall around the entrance. To get inside, we needed to use the back door. We went around back and came inside the big blue pavilion that is the Seas. Once we walked in, mostly all of what we saw was a huge queue line in the middle of the pavilion floor. We checked out the scene, and realized it was for the pavilion's current big hit, Turtle Talk with Crush. I was interested to do this attraction, as I have heard very good reviews of it, and it seemed to be a great interactive, educational attraction. So, we decided to check it out first. We got in the queue, which was totally out of place. Fortunately, the queue and attraction have now moved to a new area, so the main floor is queue-free! Anyway, the queue was pretty crowded, but it only took about 10-15 minutes to get inside the theatre. Inside, there are many long benches to sit on, and an area up front for the little ones who want to talk to Crush. The theatre isn't large at all, but it ended up packing in a decent amount of people. Everyone took a seat around the large screen of the sea, and soon the show began. Crush comes over to us and introduces himself to us. He wants to find out information about the human world for his son Squirt, and in return he will tell us about life in the sea. The fun-filled show lasts about 15 minutes, and is full of jokes from Crush, tidbits of information, and interaction with the guests. It's hilarious when Crush talks to the little kids! I really enjoyed this attraction. You will definitely be entertained throughout the entire show. The information Crush reveals about the sea is interesting, and the interaction factor is hilarious. Overall, it's a good rounded show, and very entertaining to say the least. I still love how this technology works and how it is put to use in this attraction. My expert advice for this attraction? Sea it! This is a show everyone in the family can enjoy. It's not drawn out, or too short to feel ripped off. It's a great enjoyable experience, and a definite hit in the new Seas pavilion. It's very popular, so this could be the pavilion to hit in the morning hours, especially with no FastPasses available.
After Crush, we made our way back out into the pavilion. Since the main attraction of the pavilion was still being worked on when we were there, we decided to go upstairs and discover the exhibits the Seas has to offer. We went over to the manatee exhibit first. They're always enjoyable to watch, and we were fortunate to catch them at feeding time. Since these creatures are endangered, it was nice to sit back and watch them for a couple of minutes. After that, we checked out the other fish exhibits the pavilion had to offer, which were great as well. I then began thinking about how well the movie was used throughout the pavilion. It was used where it could be used to their advantage. Turtle Talk is an excellent attraction with the perfect character, and the many sea life exhibits are brought to life through "Finding Nemo" theming and educational films. I was disappointed I didn't get to go on the Undersea Adventure, but it'll have to wait. I'm concerned with the Pixar overload inside WDW, but to me, this was a great addition to re-brand this dying pavilion. This is an example of how WDW used their Pixar characters to their advantage, and it is obviously working. Turtle Talk, in fact, had one of the biggest queues for our entire time in EPCOT, for a pavilion which was basically half-open. The pavilion at full capacity should be a huge success for the park. Anyway, after viewing the exhibits, we made a quick bathroom break and headed out. Once again, I really like this what WDW did with this attraction. They've just got to learn where to use Pixar and where not to use Pixar.
Well, after a great time in the Seas, we stopped outside, found a bench, and enjoyed the beautiful Florida day. That sun was so strong that day, I remember chugging a water bottle as we all sat. After some nice relaxation, our FastPasses weren't just ready yet. So, for our next attraction, we decided to journey into our imagination, with a certain purple dragon. After that, it's time for Land, Land, and more Land...with Living with the Land and one of my stand-out attractions of the trip, Soarin'.
Moving on, we all enter the central hub of EPCOT at last. The Tip Board is straight ahead, so we decide to check it out. Lines are moderate, only Soarin' seemed to have much of a line. Since Soarin' was an attraction everyone was going to go on, we decided to head over to the Land pavilion and pick up a FastPass. So we made a right and headed towards the Land, situated between the new Seas and the Imagination! pavilions. I always felt like the Land needed a big attraction...and Soarin' delivers. That's for later, however. Anyway, I entered the Land for the first time in 3 years. The place looked pretty different, as they changed things around a bit when Soarin' opened. The lower area looked all different to me...they re-did the entire eating area, adding new theming, put in a new sign for Living with the Land, and the area itself looked nicer. Anyway, we had to go downstairs for our FastPass, so we went down and into the new Soarin' area, previously occupied by Food Rocks. The area is now themed to an airline terminal, complete with a ticket counter and ticket machines near-by, aka the FastPass machines. We went over to one, and inserted all 5 of our Park Hoppers. Then...SURPRISE! We got a surprise FastPass for Living with the Land! This was excellent for us, as all of us were going to do that attraction as well. Well after that, it was time to leave the Land. Our LwtL and Soarin' times weren't until later, so we decided to check something else out before returning back to the Land. Overall, the Land looked quite impressive, but there were a TON of people in there. On our way back up, there was a QUEUE for the ESCALATOR! I just went along and walked up the stairs...wow people. Anyway, we made our way back out, and decided what would be next on our agenda. We decided to check out the Seas with Nemo and Friends, which was going through a current transformation when we were at the park. A certain new attraction to spring up there, Turtle Talk with Crush, would be next on our hit list.
We left the Land and made our way over to the Seas, which when we were there, had the big blue wall around the entrance. To get inside, we needed to use the back door. We went around back and came inside the big blue pavilion that is the Seas. Once we walked in, mostly all of what we saw was a huge queue line in the middle of the pavilion floor. We checked out the scene, and realized it was for the pavilion's current big hit, Turtle Talk with Crush. I was interested to do this attraction, as I have heard very good reviews of it, and it seemed to be a great interactive, educational attraction. So, we decided to check it out first. We got in the queue, which was totally out of place. Fortunately, the queue and attraction have now moved to a new area, so the main floor is queue-free! Anyway, the queue was pretty crowded, but it only took about 10-15 minutes to get inside the theatre. Inside, there are many long benches to sit on, and an area up front for the little ones who want to talk to Crush. The theatre isn't large at all, but it ended up packing in a decent amount of people. Everyone took a seat around the large screen of the sea, and soon the show began. Crush comes over to us and introduces himself to us. He wants to find out information about the human world for his son Squirt, and in return he will tell us about life in the sea. The fun-filled show lasts about 15 minutes, and is full of jokes from Crush, tidbits of information, and interaction with the guests. It's hilarious when Crush talks to the little kids! I really enjoyed this attraction. You will definitely be entertained throughout the entire show. The information Crush reveals about the sea is interesting, and the interaction factor is hilarious. Overall, it's a good rounded show, and very entertaining to say the least. I still love how this technology works and how it is put to use in this attraction. My expert advice for this attraction? Sea it! This is a show everyone in the family can enjoy. It's not drawn out, or too short to feel ripped off. It's a great enjoyable experience, and a definite hit in the new Seas pavilion. It's very popular, so this could be the pavilion to hit in the morning hours, especially with no FastPasses available.
After Crush, we made our way back out into the pavilion. Since the main attraction of the pavilion was still being worked on when we were there, we decided to go upstairs and discover the exhibits the Seas has to offer. We went over to the manatee exhibit first. They're always enjoyable to watch, and we were fortunate to catch them at feeding time. Since these creatures are endangered, it was nice to sit back and watch them for a couple of minutes. After that, we checked out the other fish exhibits the pavilion had to offer, which were great as well. I then began thinking about how well the movie was used throughout the pavilion. It was used where it could be used to their advantage. Turtle Talk is an excellent attraction with the perfect character, and the many sea life exhibits are brought to life through "Finding Nemo" theming and educational films. I was disappointed I didn't get to go on the Undersea Adventure, but it'll have to wait. I'm concerned with the Pixar overload inside WDW, but to me, this was a great addition to re-brand this dying pavilion. This is an example of how WDW used their Pixar characters to their advantage, and it is obviously working. Turtle Talk, in fact, had one of the biggest queues for our entire time in EPCOT, for a pavilion which was basically half-open. The pavilion at full capacity should be a huge success for the park. Anyway, after viewing the exhibits, we made a quick bathroom break and headed out. Once again, I really like this what WDW did with this attraction. They've just got to learn where to use Pixar and where not to use Pixar.
Well, after a great time in the Seas, we stopped outside, found a bench, and enjoyed the beautiful Florida day. That sun was so strong that day, I remember chugging a water bottle as we all sat. After some nice relaxation, our FastPasses weren't just ready yet. So, for our next attraction, we decided to journey into our imagination, with a certain purple dragon. After that, it's time for Land, Land, and more Land...with Living with the Land and one of my stand-out attractions of the trip, Soarin'.
Friday, February 02, 2007
We're back...
Hello all, I hope you've been enjoying the on-going WDW Trip Report. I've decided to merge my two projects into one here at GSTP. You'll continue to have continuous updates with the longest trip report ever created, along with the news, info, and reviews from the Game Show and Theme Park world. Well, that's about it. I'll try to keep continuous updates of anything and everything in the game show/theme park world, so get ready to ride.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Chapter 15:Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow
Well all, it's the morning of day 3. Today I slept in, got up around 9:30-10. So, no early day at the park for us. That wouldn't be a problem though. I got ready for the big day ahead and went to my trusty Extra Magic Hours list to see what park would be good for today. I guided everyday at the parks around this list, because I knew going to the parks when there was an EMH morning would be bad. After looking at the list, it seemed like EPCOT would be the perfect fit for today. So I went downstairs, ate a quick breakfast, and everyone decided to head out to the pool for a swim before heading to the park. The pool is for everyone in our "district", but it is located literally right outside our doorstep, which was awesome. Plus, the fact that we had the whole building to ourselves made this even sweeter. Once we arrived at the pool, it was deserted. Very nice. We had the whole thing to ourselves for the hour and a half we were there. This was an opportunity we just couldn't give up. The pool was of a very nice size, it was all to us. It was extremely relaxing, and a great way to start off our morning. We just didn't want to leave it was so amazing. Anyway, after an hour and a half, we headed back to the room and got ready for a day at the Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow.
Once everyone was ready, we headed out to the car and set out on our journey. Before we went to EPCOT, we stopped to get something to eat. We decided to check out some roads near our hotel, and found one with just about every chain restaurant you can think of. It seemed like looking here would be a smart choice. We just wanted something quick before heading to EPCOT for the day, so we explored the long road and decided to go to Chik-Fil-A. I had never been there before, so this would be hopefully a nice change from the norm. The place ended up being excellent. My grilled chicken sandwich was great, along with a pack of the chicken strips. This place is definitely one of my favorite fast food destinations now. Too bad there are many up here in NJ :(. Definitely a surprise of the trip with quick, good food. I got a cookies and cream milkshake on the way out...which was amazing as well. Well, now it's time to over to WDW and go to one of my favorite Disney parks, EPCOT. The drive was quite short, about 10 minutes tops until we were inside the WDW gates. We came in the same way we did the other day, near MGM. So, we got a nice view of Tower before heading over to EPCOT. From there on it didn't take long at all, probably 5 minutes and we were at the toll booths. We paid the ridiculous parking fee of 9 bucks and headed in. Once inside the parking lot, the park seemed to be pretty crowded. We were situated in one of the two parking lots located closest to the toll booths. Hopefully the crowds again weren't bad at all, especially for midday. How non-crowded the parks were those days still amazes me. Anyway, we hopped on the tram, and headed into EPCOT, the Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow!
We arrived at the ticket booths and got our hoppers out and ready. EPCOT also has a fingerprint system, but it's different than the Magic Kingdom's. MK's is just a thumb print, EPCOT's (and the rest of the parks I may add) have a two finger system. This one was a bit more complicated, it took me a while for it to work. I hope they replace the these with the ones like at the MK, as they are much easier. Anyway, we finally got inside. First things first...maps! Always have to pick up a map on my way in. I have quite a collection now...starting with WDW maps for 2000! Anyway, I grabbed a few Soarin' themed maps and even an "espanol" map :). Hey, I am taking Spanish in school, so I decided to take it. Second things second...the beast that is Spaceship Earth. This thing is truly a monster. This thing dominates the skyline of the park. None of the other pavilions even have a shot at competing with this thing's gargantuan size. Sometimes you just have to stop and store at it. It's accompanied by the Mickey Wand, which a lot of people evidently have a problem with. I don't know, it doesn't seem as a big problem to me. Anyway, this thing's huge, and it's the first thing in our path. With a posted wait of 5 minutes, we decided to check out this classic attraction first. It's always a relaxing and educational ride through evolution of communications. We walked through the almost empty queue, and we actually never stopped walking. We just kept walking, as did everyone in front of us, until we came to our vehicles. We stopped on to the turntable and then into our retro blue vehicle. Our journey through Spaceship Earth begun as we approached the dark lift tunnel.
The journey through Spaceship Earth is coming soon!
Once everyone was ready, we headed out to the car and set out on our journey. Before we went to EPCOT, we stopped to get something to eat. We decided to check out some roads near our hotel, and found one with just about every chain restaurant you can think of. It seemed like looking here would be a smart choice. We just wanted something quick before heading to EPCOT for the day, so we explored the long road and decided to go to Chik-Fil-A. I had never been there before, so this would be hopefully a nice change from the norm. The place ended up being excellent. My grilled chicken sandwich was great, along with a pack of the chicken strips. This place is definitely one of my favorite fast food destinations now. Too bad there are many up here in NJ :(. Definitely a surprise of the trip with quick, good food. I got a cookies and cream milkshake on the way out...which was amazing as well. Well, now it's time to over to WDW and go to one of my favorite Disney parks, EPCOT. The drive was quite short, about 10 minutes tops until we were inside the WDW gates. We came in the same way we did the other day, near MGM. So, we got a nice view of Tower before heading over to EPCOT. From there on it didn't take long at all, probably 5 minutes and we were at the toll booths. We paid the ridiculous parking fee of 9 bucks and headed in. Once inside the parking lot, the park seemed to be pretty crowded. We were situated in one of the two parking lots located closest to the toll booths. Hopefully the crowds again weren't bad at all, especially for midday. How non-crowded the parks were those days still amazes me. Anyway, we hopped on the tram, and headed into EPCOT, the Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow!
We arrived at the ticket booths and got our hoppers out and ready. EPCOT also has a fingerprint system, but it's different than the Magic Kingdom's. MK's is just a thumb print, EPCOT's (and the rest of the parks I may add) have a two finger system. This one was a bit more complicated, it took me a while for it to work. I hope they replace the these with the ones like at the MK, as they are much easier. Anyway, we finally got inside. First things first...maps! Always have to pick up a map on my way in. I have quite a collection now...starting with WDW maps for 2000! Anyway, I grabbed a few Soarin' themed maps and even an "espanol" map :). Hey, I am taking Spanish in school, so I decided to take it. Second things second...the beast that is Spaceship Earth. This thing is truly a monster. This thing dominates the skyline of the park. None of the other pavilions even have a shot at competing with this thing's gargantuan size. Sometimes you just have to stop and store at it. It's accompanied by the Mickey Wand, which a lot of people evidently have a problem with. I don't know, it doesn't seem as a big problem to me. Anyway, this thing's huge, and it's the first thing in our path. With a posted wait of 5 minutes, we decided to check out this classic attraction first. It's always a relaxing and educational ride through evolution of communications. We walked through the almost empty queue, and we actually never stopped walking. We just kept walking, as did everyone in front of us, until we came to our vehicles. We stopped on to the turntable and then into our retro blue vehicle. Our journey through Spaceship Earth begun as we approached the dark lift tunnel.
The journey through Spaceship Earth is coming soon!
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Chapter 14:Cockroach Eating Isn't Only at Six Flags
After we pulled out of the Magic Kingdom parking lot, it was time to find a place to eat. We came to a conclusion on going to the Crossroads area to find something. The Crossroads is a shopping/eating area located just outside the WDW gate. I'd say the area is closest to Downtown Disney, as we passed it and Hotel Boulevard on our way there. The drive wasn't far at all, maybe 10 minutes tops, until we came to the light right outside the WDW gate. This thing just took forever. By the time we made it across the street (which is where the Crossroads is) it was another 10 minutes. So here's a tip...don't try to exit WDW through that gate...especially if it's near closing time. That light would just not move at all. Once inside, we checked the place out. They had more than quite a few places to eat, so it was going to be tough deciding on just one. We ended up deciding on Jungle Jim's, a tropical themed family restaurant near the end of the Crossroads strip. We had been there about 10 years ago, on my first WDW trip ever. I was little, maybe 3-4 or so, so I didn't remember anything about it. Anyway, the rest of the family decided it would be a good place to go for something to eat, so we tried it. Everyone was wiped out from our first day at the MK, and after a late night the night before, we all wanted to get a good night sleep. So, we parked the car, and headed into the truly jungle themed restaurant.
We walked inside and I noticed immediately how well themed it was...maybe a bit TOO well themed. It really looks like a jungle in there, full of green trees and blue waterfalls. The place seemed pretty popular, so hopefully this would be a good choice for the night. We were quickly seated upon coming in, and we walked through the very green restaurant towards a table in the back. We sat, relaxed after a long day, and checked out the menu. Everyone ordered quickly, i went with a buffalo chicken sandwich. While waiting for our food, I checked out my MK map and some of the brochures I begun collecting during the trip (I "collect" maps). I noticed that the WDW maps had been downsized since my trip in 2003, they went down to one single horizontal flap instead of two. Anyway, the maps are still very nice looking, I guess they didn't need all that extra space. So, that's what I did while I was waiting. However, let's fast forward to when the food gets here. It luckily didn't take that much time, maybe 20-25 minutes tops. Once our food was here, everyone dug in. My sandwich wasn't bad, I finished it pretty quickly. However, as soon as I did finish it, all I heard was "OMG"....and looked up.
There were two huge cockroaches climbing down the wall right beside me. They were on a mission, to capture my food! Well, the rest happened so fast. My mom and sister were out of there in an instant, my brother slowly behind. The cockroaches were still quickly gliding down the wall, looking to get a bite at my dinner. My dad and I waited a while, and I just watched them crawl down the wall in shock. Well, they don't call the place Jungle Jim's for nothing. Soon our waitress came around, and we showed her the nasty things climbing down the wall. She quickly apologized for the matter, and my dad and I made a quick exit. We left the place disgusted...it was a very spur of the moment kind of thing. While I at least got my sandwich down, which I didn't feel to good about now, some of the others didn't get to eat anything. Oh well...I guess this was a bad choice. I still can't get over that incident, and probably never will. Anyway, as you can see, I'm pretty speechless about the subject, so I'll say no more. However, I will give you a statement of advice...beware Cockroach Jim's...
After leaving, we met up with the others outside. Everyone just about had it for the day, and it ended on a pretty shocking note. Anyway, we headed back to the car, and made our way back to the hotel. The drive was about 20 minutes with no traffic. Before heading to the room we stopped at the Publix by our resort. We picked up a few items for the room, some sodas, snacks, etc..., and then made our way back to our room. Ah, how nice it felt to kick back and relax in our room. We all got ready for bed after a long day. I put on the Little league World Series and reflected about the day we just encountered...so here's a recap for those that are just joining us.
-Starting the day off at the resort's mini water park is awesome and relaxing
-Parking is expensive
-I love the Monorail
-The Magic Kingdom really wasn't crowded around midday, which is surprising for a hot summer day
-The new Pirates upgrade is a new, fresh addition to the attraction
-Big Thunder was wilder than I remember it
-Splash Mountain has the longest lines in the park
-The Haunted Mansion is a classic, but needs an upgrade
-it's a small world isn't for the faint of heart
-Mickey's PhilharMagic is the best 3-D show in the World
-Buzz Lightyear is fun yet incredibly hard for a beginner, yet with practice you will get better (trust me)
-The Tomorrowland Transit Authority is just freaking sweet. Most relaxing ride in WDW and one of the best for photos
-Space Mountain can NOT just go 28 MPH. Not possible.
-The Carousel of Progress simply doesn't get the respect it deserves.
-WDW popcorn is amazing...
-Beware Jungle Jim's...
-After a day at the park, it feels great to relax back at the room.
With that, I was out in no time. Tomorrow we would brave another park, the Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow...EPCOT, of course! EPCOT may be my favorite park of the four at WDW, it is very, very close. Anyway, and in hopefully the near future...the biggest Expedition Everest review ever. Well, that's enough for day 2. Good night, sweet dreams, and drive save. Day 3 is on the horizon.
We walked inside and I noticed immediately how well themed it was...maybe a bit TOO well themed. It really looks like a jungle in there, full of green trees and blue waterfalls. The place seemed pretty popular, so hopefully this would be a good choice for the night. We were quickly seated upon coming in, and we walked through the very green restaurant towards a table in the back. We sat, relaxed after a long day, and checked out the menu. Everyone ordered quickly, i went with a buffalo chicken sandwich. While waiting for our food, I checked out my MK map and some of the brochures I begun collecting during the trip (I "collect" maps). I noticed that the WDW maps had been downsized since my trip in 2003, they went down to one single horizontal flap instead of two. Anyway, the maps are still very nice looking, I guess they didn't need all that extra space. So, that's what I did while I was waiting. However, let's fast forward to when the food gets here. It luckily didn't take that much time, maybe 20-25 minutes tops. Once our food was here, everyone dug in. My sandwich wasn't bad, I finished it pretty quickly. However, as soon as I did finish it, all I heard was "OMG"....and looked up.
There were two huge cockroaches climbing down the wall right beside me. They were on a mission, to capture my food! Well, the rest happened so fast. My mom and sister were out of there in an instant, my brother slowly behind. The cockroaches were still quickly gliding down the wall, looking to get a bite at my dinner. My dad and I waited a while, and I just watched them crawl down the wall in shock. Well, they don't call the place Jungle Jim's for nothing. Soon our waitress came around, and we showed her the nasty things climbing down the wall. She quickly apologized for the matter, and my dad and I made a quick exit. We left the place disgusted...it was a very spur of the moment kind of thing. While I at least got my sandwich down, which I didn't feel to good about now, some of the others didn't get to eat anything. Oh well...I guess this was a bad choice. I still can't get over that incident, and probably never will. Anyway, as you can see, I'm pretty speechless about the subject, so I'll say no more. However, I will give you a statement of advice...beware Cockroach Jim's...
After leaving, we met up with the others outside. Everyone just about had it for the day, and it ended on a pretty shocking note. Anyway, we headed back to the car, and made our way back to the hotel. The drive was about 20 minutes with no traffic. Before heading to the room we stopped at the Publix by our resort. We picked up a few items for the room, some sodas, snacks, etc..., and then made our way back to our room. Ah, how nice it felt to kick back and relax in our room. We all got ready for bed after a long day. I put on the Little league World Series and reflected about the day we just encountered...so here's a recap for those that are just joining us.
-Starting the day off at the resort's mini water park is awesome and relaxing
-Parking is expensive
-I love the Monorail
-The Magic Kingdom really wasn't crowded around midday, which is surprising for a hot summer day
-The new Pirates upgrade is a new, fresh addition to the attraction
-Big Thunder was wilder than I remember it
-Splash Mountain has the longest lines in the park
-The Haunted Mansion is a classic, but needs an upgrade
-it's a small world isn't for the faint of heart
-Mickey's PhilharMagic is the best 3-D show in the World
-Buzz Lightyear is fun yet incredibly hard for a beginner, yet with practice you will get better (trust me)
-The Tomorrowland Transit Authority is just freaking sweet. Most relaxing ride in WDW and one of the best for photos
-Space Mountain can NOT just go 28 MPH. Not possible.
-The Carousel of Progress simply doesn't get the respect it deserves.
-WDW popcorn is amazing...
-Beware Jungle Jim's...
-After a day at the park, it feels great to relax back at the room.
With that, I was out in no time. Tomorrow we would brave another park, the Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow...EPCOT, of course! EPCOT may be my favorite park of the four at WDW, it is very, very close. Anyway, and in hopefully the near future...the biggest Expedition Everest review ever. Well, that's enough for day 2. Good night, sweet dreams, and drive save. Day 3 is on the horizon.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Chapter 13:There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow...
As I mentioned, it was time make a decision. Our decision came to this conclusion, to go on a favorite among us all, Carousel of Progress, then head out to get something to eat. After that we'd return to our hotel so we could actually get a good night's sleep, which we didn't get the last night. CoP was only a short walk away, and I was excited to ride this classic again. This is one attraction that I just enjoy going on whenever I visit WDW. It clearly shows how things have evolved, and will evolve. Plus, they have numerous entertaining scenes featuring Audio Animatronics to keep you entertained. This is one attraction that I would hate to see the World do away with...it's such an underrated classic. It really never has a line, which is quite disappointing. Anyway, we all approached the attraction and walked up the entry ramp. There were only a couple of other people waiting to ride, which again to me is disappointing. A lot of people are missing out on a classic Disney attraction. Anyway, it was only a couple of minutes before the doors were opened and we were allowed into the rotating theatre. We all took a seat (which are actually very comfortable, by the way) and got ready to enjoy a piece of Disney magic about one of the things that fascinated Walt the most, progress.
They filled up the theatre as much as they could, which unfortunately seemed like less than half of the total seats. People don't know what they're missing with this one. Anyway, after a few minutes, the doors closed, and lights dimmed, and the show was ready to begin. The red curtain in front of us opens, and shows the Carousel of Progress logo. Our host then greets us (who we're about to meet), and tells us some history about the attraction. It was created for the 1964 World's Fair, and it was entirely Walt's idea. It was a hit back then...unfortunately not so much now. He also explains how Walt was fascinated with the American family. The show itself shows a regular family going through the changes and advancements of the 20th century. With background info in hand, it's time to move on into the next part of the theatre. We begin to rotate towards the next area, and can hear the classic song "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" beginning to be sung as we enter. This first scene takes place around the turn of the century (In 1900, that is). It was a time when flying seemed impossible and automobiles were a rarity. Our narrator (named John) shows off his living room with the greatest inventions of the time, the telephone, gas lamps, and the good old icebox. We see the family living in almost 100 years ago, and they are shocked about all the new inventions popping up nowadays. However, this is only the beginning. There's plenty more of progress before this show's over...
Next up, we fast forward about 20 years to where electricity is the big thing. Our narrator shows off all of his electric powered devices now situated around the stage. Also, the invention of the radio brings in news from all around the world. They couldn't be more happier about indoor plumbing as well..."it's good for cold nights", says John. The family is prepping for the town's Fourth of July parade, and everyone's getting ready in costume. When the new handy-dandy radio says the festivities are starting to begin, it's time to head out for the parade. We exit the scene again with our narrator singing the classic tune. When we arrive in the next scene, we're in the fabulous 40's. The family's Halloween has been enhanced with tons of new inventions, such as the automatic dishwasher and the famed first television. The family is quite busy with Halloween festivities and transforming their basement into a "rumpus room"...it was all the rage at the time. And when John's paint mixer spatters paint all over the room, he tries to cheer up his wife, who was painting, with his song. With that, the 40's are over and its time to move into the next area. The time of this era isn't stated, but I've begun to think of it as the future, and we'll see why in a bit. It's Christmas time in the our narrator's American household, and everyone's over to celebrate the holiday. We see many new inventions popping up in the house, such as voice activation systems and and virtual video games that are played just through a set of glasses! I don't see is this as any time but the future. Everyone's having a great time until the voice-activated oven overhears the number "750", raises the temperature, and burns the Christmas turkey! After some talk about what will happen in the future, the final scene ends again with everyone singing the song together. Finally we rotate into the exit scene (which is different than the entry scene), and our narrator lets us go with "tomorrow's just a dream away..."
The doors opened and we all got up from our seats. We exited the theater and went back out into Tomorrowland. Overall, the CoP is an amazing attraction to me. It's highly informative and provides a learning experience for all. Also, the show it presents is highly entertaining. It's fascinating to see how much has evolved over the next decade, and how things will continue to evolve. To me, the attraction is excellent, as well as the idea behind it. It's a definite must hit on your next trip to WDW. Well, the day was beginning to end, and it was now time to head out. As we walked back to the main gate, I thought about was an awesome day it was. It was short, sweet, and I got on mostly everything. I'd be back later on in the trip to hit what I missed. However, for the first real day, it sure was a nice relaxing one at the park. It surprisingly wasn't crowded at all...no waits were longer than about 30 minutes and we only needed one Fast Pass. Not what you would expect from a hot August day. However, I did plan our days around the Extra Magic Hours, so maybe that had something to do with it. All in all, it was a great first day at the Magic Kingdom.
KKR05's Expert Advice-I think I've said most of what's had to been said about the CoP. It's a great ride for all ages...really everyone can experience this classic attraction. I said it once and said it again, this ride doesn't get what it deserves. So, on your next trip, head to the CoP for a nice pleasant surprise.
It was time for the last ride of the day...the monorail ride that is! We took an express shuttle back to the Transportation and Ticket Center. I love riding the monorail, it's so relaxing and gives excellent views. The trip was short yet sweet as we arrived back at the TTC. Our car was just a tram ride away now. Once we finally exited the monorail and got to our car, we noticed a surprising amount of people heading into the park. It seems we got out just in time (it probably was Extra Magic Hours). Now, it was time to eat, so we dashed over to the Crossroads for dinner, where we'd discover that cockroach eating wasn't only at Six Flags.
They filled up the theatre as much as they could, which unfortunately seemed like less than half of the total seats. People don't know what they're missing with this one. Anyway, after a few minutes, the doors closed, and lights dimmed, and the show was ready to begin. The red curtain in front of us opens, and shows the Carousel of Progress logo. Our host then greets us (who we're about to meet), and tells us some history about the attraction. It was created for the 1964 World's Fair, and it was entirely Walt's idea. It was a hit back then...unfortunately not so much now. He also explains how Walt was fascinated with the American family. The show itself shows a regular family going through the changes and advancements of the 20th century. With background info in hand, it's time to move on into the next part of the theatre. We begin to rotate towards the next area, and can hear the classic song "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" beginning to be sung as we enter. This first scene takes place around the turn of the century (In 1900, that is). It was a time when flying seemed impossible and automobiles were a rarity. Our narrator (named John) shows off his living room with the greatest inventions of the time, the telephone, gas lamps, and the good old icebox. We see the family living in almost 100 years ago, and they are shocked about all the new inventions popping up nowadays. However, this is only the beginning. There's plenty more of progress before this show's over...
Next up, we fast forward about 20 years to where electricity is the big thing. Our narrator shows off all of his electric powered devices now situated around the stage. Also, the invention of the radio brings in news from all around the world. They couldn't be more happier about indoor plumbing as well..."it's good for cold nights", says John. The family is prepping for the town's Fourth of July parade, and everyone's getting ready in costume. When the new handy-dandy radio says the festivities are starting to begin, it's time to head out for the parade. We exit the scene again with our narrator singing the classic tune. When we arrive in the next scene, we're in the fabulous 40's. The family's Halloween has been enhanced with tons of new inventions, such as the automatic dishwasher and the famed first television. The family is quite busy with Halloween festivities and transforming their basement into a "rumpus room"...it was all the rage at the time. And when John's paint mixer spatters paint all over the room, he tries to cheer up his wife, who was painting, with his song. With that, the 40's are over and its time to move into the next area. The time of this era isn't stated, but I've begun to think of it as the future, and we'll see why in a bit. It's Christmas time in the our narrator's American household, and everyone's over to celebrate the holiday. We see many new inventions popping up in the house, such as voice activation systems and and virtual video games that are played just through a set of glasses! I don't see is this as any time but the future. Everyone's having a great time until the voice-activated oven overhears the number "750", raises the temperature, and burns the Christmas turkey! After some talk about what will happen in the future, the final scene ends again with everyone singing the song together. Finally we rotate into the exit scene (which is different than the entry scene), and our narrator lets us go with "tomorrow's just a dream away..."
The doors opened and we all got up from our seats. We exited the theater and went back out into Tomorrowland. Overall, the CoP is an amazing attraction to me. It's highly informative and provides a learning experience for all. Also, the show it presents is highly entertaining. It's fascinating to see how much has evolved over the next decade, and how things will continue to evolve. To me, the attraction is excellent, as well as the idea behind it. It's a definite must hit on your next trip to WDW. Well, the day was beginning to end, and it was now time to head out. As we walked back to the main gate, I thought about was an awesome day it was. It was short, sweet, and I got on mostly everything. I'd be back later on in the trip to hit what I missed. However, for the first real day, it sure was a nice relaxing one at the park. It surprisingly wasn't crowded at all...no waits were longer than about 30 minutes and we only needed one Fast Pass. Not what you would expect from a hot August day. However, I did plan our days around the Extra Magic Hours, so maybe that had something to do with it. All in all, it was a great first day at the Magic Kingdom.
KKR05's Expert Advice-I think I've said most of what's had to been said about the CoP. It's a great ride for all ages...really everyone can experience this classic attraction. I said it once and said it again, this ride doesn't get what it deserves. So, on your next trip, head to the CoP for a nice pleasant surprise.
It was time for the last ride of the day...the monorail ride that is! We took an express shuttle back to the Transportation and Ticket Center. I love riding the monorail, it's so relaxing and gives excellent views. The trip was short yet sweet as we arrived back at the TTC. Our car was just a tram ride away now. Once we finally exited the monorail and got to our car, we noticed a surprising amount of people heading into the park. It seems we got out just in time (it probably was Extra Magic Hours). Now, it was time to eat, so we dashed over to the Crossroads for dinner, where we'd discover that cockroach eating wasn't only at Six Flags.
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