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!
Showing posts with label Vacations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacations. Show all posts
Sunday, January 21, 2007
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, December 04, 2006
Chapter 10:To Infinity...and Beyond!
After our viewing of Mickey's PhilharMagic, it was time for the others to go to their viewing of Cinderellabration, the new stage show brought from Tokyo Disneyland to the Magic Kingdom as part of the Happiest Celebration of Earth. Well, seeing that show wasn't part of my agenda, so we split up, and had some time on our own. Hmm...what was there to do? Well, there wasn't much left in Fantasyland, so I think it was time to move on to my favorite area of the Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland! We pushed our way through Fantasyland and towards the furutistic town of tomorrow. On the way there, we passed the new Pooh's Playful Spot, a new area across from the Pooh dark ride (which I didn't ride this trip) where the little ones can play. The area replaces the old sub lagoon, which was unused for who knows how long. I think this area could have been used for something much more than a kiddie playground. Anyway, we continued through Fantasyland and towards Tomorrowland. Once we passed the Teacups we were greeted into the town of tomorrow with some great futuristic music and theming. The first ride we encounter is the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway, which is usually a skip for me. Why? You can get this kind of expierence at other regional amusement parks across the country, although they are becoming a bit extinct. The ride always pulls long lines and is quite popular, but there's no Fast Pass option for this one. Those reasons make up why I've never gone on this attraction. Anyway, one ride I've really wanted to get on since we arrived in Florida is Space Mountain. The ride is simply a classic, and one of my favorite, if not my favorite attraction in the Magic Kingdom.
We walked through Tomorrowland Plaza and over to the attraction's entrance. As we approached it, the while was forming outside of the mountain, so we knew there was going to be a wait. When we approached the sign, we saw that the stand-by line was an hour wait. It was time to whip out our Park Hoppers and get some Fast Passes, our first of the trip. Fast Pass, to me, is a huge advancement in the amusement industry made in the past few years. The system allows you to insert your park ticket to a machine, which will give you a ticket to come back at the time posted. When you come back at the posted time, you can get on with little or no waiting! Now, many parks have tried their own systems like Fast Pass, but Disney's system to reigns surpreme. Also, the fact that it's free with your admission is a definite plus. Anyway, it was more than an hour before our time to ride Space started, so we ventured across Tomorrowland Plaza to other of my favorite attractions, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. The ride is a shoot-em-up dark ride where the guests become Junior Space Rangers to defeat the evil Emperor Zurg! Zurg's latest evil plot...taking the energy (aka batteries) from all the toys! It's now up to you to defeat Zurg and regain power for the toys! As we approached the attraction, we saw the stand-by line was 20 minutes for the ride. Sweet, now long at all! To my surprise, the wait ended up being shorter than that.
Our journey begins in Star Command Headquarters, which is where the queue takes base. The line was right to the doors out front, and from what I remembered from my last trip to WDW, the queue inside isn't that long. So I figured we would looking at a 15 minute wait tops here, and I turned out to be almost exactly right. The queue moves extremely fast for this attraction, due to very fast loading times and a surplus of ride carts (The boarding system is just like the Haunted Mansion's, with carts in continuous motion which you access on a moving platform). While waiting, we enjoy the sights and sounds of Star Command HQ, where the queue weaves in and out. On the walls, we can find a numerous amount of posters which show the plans of the mission we are about to go on. Also, the queue has its on Audio-Animatronic Buzz Lightyear himself, which is very impressive to have in-line for an attraction. While in line, he explains our mission and has some help from one of those toy viewers (I forget what they are called!). The red flashing alarms in the queue area tell us that Buzz is ready to speak, and it's time to listen up. Our journey will consist of many things, but first we have to zap the "Z" targets to regain the power that Zurg stole from the toys, which are now fueling his monsters! Once that's done, it'll be time to take on Zurg himself and stop him from reaking havoc in the toy world!
There's plenty to keep you entertained in the queue considering how short you're in it. This is easily one of the fastest moving lines in the park, so you can hit it at just about any time during the day, even peak times. Anyway, I highly suggest checking out the Buzz AA before riding as well, it's awesome. Anyway, it's time to set off on our journey to save the toys of the universe! We climb into our XP-37 Space Cruiser, which we already know how to control thanks to the sketch on the Etch-a-Sketch in the queue line! Once we leave the station, the platform with our Ion Cannos and our 360 Degree Spin Stick comes down, and our personal points calculator sets to zero. It's time to travel into Sector 9 to save the toys and defeat the Evil Emperor Zurg!
As we enter the attraction our score counters light up, and we get power from the Astro Blaster, which we pass in the ride's first scene. After getting our power, we are ready to go save the toy world! As soon as I get a sight of the first room, I start shooting my gun randomly. Hey, I sometimes manage to score a few easy points this way (and one time an extreme surplus...but that's for later...) Once we're completely in the first room, I put one hand on the gun for aim and one hand on the trigger to shoot (this is the best technique I found to use the gun), and starting blasting away at the Z targets. Zurg's monsters are roaming about, stealing batteries from from innocent toys here in the first scene, which are floating about. Since I'm a little rusty with the ride (I haven't played in a couple of years), I had to get used to it. My score in the first room didn't calculate to much, but the more you ride this thing the better you get. I always aim for the big monsters/robots, which to me seem to calculate the biggest amount of points. I always shoot for that big red robot in the first scene, especially the targets on his hands. Although you move at such a slow pace, it seems like you fly through each of the rooms. Take advantage of the rotate stick, it can put you in position to get just about any target you want to. Anyway, as I said, the first room wasn't a one for me this time around. But round 2 is coming up next.
We passed through a tunnel and found ourselves in the next room, where I soon started zapping away. This room has a lot of different, wierd looking monsters, some that have Z's plastered all over their bodies. It's time to take them down. The big points in this room are on the moving monsters, the hidden targets, and the spinning UFO way in the back. Be on the lookout for the UFO, I didn't realize it was there until I rode the TTA later on that day. If your having trouble getting points, there are some targets on the wall which is almost right up against you. They won't give you much, but they're almost definite hits. This room is a ton of targets in it, so make sure you take advantage of it. For beginners, as I said, shoot for the easy targets on the wall. However, for the pros, you don't really need to use you rotate stick in this scene, just shoot away at where all the action is. I improved my score quite a bit in this area, but the next area is where I really started to warm up. After the 2nd room, we move into the 3rd room, which is basically a long tunnel. We enter it with some easy targets on the walls (the ceiling is low, and the walls aren't high). We move on and see a bunch of batteries stacked about. Definitely try to hit those, and if you do, you'll get big points and they even actually fall down! After this, we get our first look at the Evil Emperor Zurg!
In our first encounter, Zurg's just chilling in his machanical machine. He's loaded with Z targets, so shoot him up for some big points! It seems he's getting a little pissed at you, and decides to take matters into his on hands. After this, we head out of the tunnel, and before entering the darkness scene, there's a spinning wheel in the wall. Only a portion of it is revealed at a time, so to shoot the Z's which are on it, you need to time it just right. After that, we turn and enter the room of darkness. We become surrounded in it, the only light in this room is the bright pink light at the end of the tunnel. I still don't the purpose of this room personally, but shoot you're gun around in random spots. I receieved a couple of points by doing this, so give it a shot! I still think there's a hidden target in here that's worth a million points...Anyway, once we finally reach the light, we head into the next room, where we begin the final battle against the energy-hungry Zurg!
The next room to me is awesome. It's basically a large television screen built into the ceiling. On it, we see that we're in space, and that Zurg is reeking about in his mechanical machine. This is it, it's time to defeat Zurg! Zap him down as he moves about in space in his machine, and continues to get hit by various flying space objects. The more times you hit him, the more points you'll get. Since he's basically always moving, it can be a little hard to really zap him down. However, he really only moves from left to right over the entryway into the next room, so keep you're gun focused in those areas. And once you're through, you'll move on to the final room of battle. Here, he find Zurg in his now broken mechanical machine, thanks to us defeating him in the last scene! However, those Z's are still all over him, to zap him some more! These targets are worth a LOT, so be careful with your shots! I always aimed for the one at the top of his machine, and it gave me a nice amount of points. This scene will be over in no time, so when you're about to reach the exit, rotate your car so you face backwards. This way you can continue to shoot inside the exitway until you finally are out of his reach. By the way, when Zurg's machine flashes, a picture is being taken. It can get you pretty distracted it, but it will most likely result in a hilarious picture!
After the last fight with Zurg, we meet up with Buzz (an AA just like the one in the queue), who congradulates us on capturing the evil emperor Zurg, who is hanging from the "Claw", as seen in the movie. Now that Zurg's been taken care of, our job as junior space rangers is over for now. However, how did your score turn out? On my first time of the trip, my score was around 35,000. Not very good, but I was still getting used to it. By the end of the trip, I'd have this thing mastered. As you exit your cart at the exit, there's a list of rankings on the wall. I don't really remember the titles, but the one for my score wasn't very good...I guess better luck next time. We hopped out of our carts, went down the treadmill, through the photo area, and back out on to the midway.
Ryan/KKR05's Expert Advice-Overall, this ride to me is just a blast. I love everything about it, and it could easily be the most fun attraction in the Magic Kingdom. It's just like being in a video game and shooting up all the monsters. The attraction is perfect for all ages as well, everyone from young to old will enjoy it. It's also got that competitive edge to it...you HAVE to beat the other people in your party haha. Even if you're not too good at shooting the targets, and ride aspect to it is excellent. I highly suggest this attraction to EVERYONE. This is a must-hit at the Magic Kingdom, and it can become the highlight of your trip. Put it on your hit list!
After my first spin on Buzz for the trip, it seems I needed some more practice with a final score around 35,000. I would get the practice, but not until later on in the day. Right now it was time for another Tomorrowland classic. Paging Mr. Tom, Mr. Tom Morrow....
We walked through Tomorrowland Plaza and over to the attraction's entrance. As we approached it, the while was forming outside of the mountain, so we knew there was going to be a wait. When we approached the sign, we saw that the stand-by line was an hour wait. It was time to whip out our Park Hoppers and get some Fast Passes, our first of the trip. Fast Pass, to me, is a huge advancement in the amusement industry made in the past few years. The system allows you to insert your park ticket to a machine, which will give you a ticket to come back at the time posted. When you come back at the posted time, you can get on with little or no waiting! Now, many parks have tried their own systems like Fast Pass, but Disney's system to reigns surpreme. Also, the fact that it's free with your admission is a definite plus. Anyway, it was more than an hour before our time to ride Space started, so we ventured across Tomorrowland Plaza to other of my favorite attractions, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. The ride is a shoot-em-up dark ride where the guests become Junior Space Rangers to defeat the evil Emperor Zurg! Zurg's latest evil plot...taking the energy (aka batteries) from all the toys! It's now up to you to defeat Zurg and regain power for the toys! As we approached the attraction, we saw the stand-by line was 20 minutes for the ride. Sweet, now long at all! To my surprise, the wait ended up being shorter than that.
Our journey begins in Star Command Headquarters, which is where the queue takes base. The line was right to the doors out front, and from what I remembered from my last trip to WDW, the queue inside isn't that long. So I figured we would looking at a 15 minute wait tops here, and I turned out to be almost exactly right. The queue moves extremely fast for this attraction, due to very fast loading times and a surplus of ride carts (The boarding system is just like the Haunted Mansion's, with carts in continuous motion which you access on a moving platform). While waiting, we enjoy the sights and sounds of Star Command HQ, where the queue weaves in and out. On the walls, we can find a numerous amount of posters which show the plans of the mission we are about to go on. Also, the queue has its on Audio-Animatronic Buzz Lightyear himself, which is very impressive to have in-line for an attraction. While in line, he explains our mission and has some help from one of those toy viewers (I forget what they are called!). The red flashing alarms in the queue area tell us that Buzz is ready to speak, and it's time to listen up. Our journey will consist of many things, but first we have to zap the "Z" targets to regain the power that Zurg stole from the toys, which are now fueling his monsters! Once that's done, it'll be time to take on Zurg himself and stop him from reaking havoc in the toy world!
There's plenty to keep you entertained in the queue considering how short you're in it. This is easily one of the fastest moving lines in the park, so you can hit it at just about any time during the day, even peak times. Anyway, I highly suggest checking out the Buzz AA before riding as well, it's awesome. Anyway, it's time to set off on our journey to save the toys of the universe! We climb into our XP-37 Space Cruiser, which we already know how to control thanks to the sketch on the Etch-a-Sketch in the queue line! Once we leave the station, the platform with our Ion Cannos and our 360 Degree Spin Stick comes down, and our personal points calculator sets to zero. It's time to travel into Sector 9 to save the toys and defeat the Evil Emperor Zurg!
As we enter the attraction our score counters light up, and we get power from the Astro Blaster, which we pass in the ride's first scene. After getting our power, we are ready to go save the toy world! As soon as I get a sight of the first room, I start shooting my gun randomly. Hey, I sometimes manage to score a few easy points this way (and one time an extreme surplus...but that's for later...) Once we're completely in the first room, I put one hand on the gun for aim and one hand on the trigger to shoot (this is the best technique I found to use the gun), and starting blasting away at the Z targets. Zurg's monsters are roaming about, stealing batteries from from innocent toys here in the first scene, which are floating about. Since I'm a little rusty with the ride (I haven't played in a couple of years), I had to get used to it. My score in the first room didn't calculate to much, but the more you ride this thing the better you get. I always aim for the big monsters/robots, which to me seem to calculate the biggest amount of points. I always shoot for that big red robot in the first scene, especially the targets on his hands. Although you move at such a slow pace, it seems like you fly through each of the rooms. Take advantage of the rotate stick, it can put you in position to get just about any target you want to. Anyway, as I said, the first room wasn't a one for me this time around. But round 2 is coming up next.
We passed through a tunnel and found ourselves in the next room, where I soon started zapping away. This room has a lot of different, wierd looking monsters, some that have Z's plastered all over their bodies. It's time to take them down. The big points in this room are on the moving monsters, the hidden targets, and the spinning UFO way in the back. Be on the lookout for the UFO, I didn't realize it was there until I rode the TTA later on that day. If your having trouble getting points, there are some targets on the wall which is almost right up against you. They won't give you much, but they're almost definite hits. This room is a ton of targets in it, so make sure you take advantage of it. For beginners, as I said, shoot for the easy targets on the wall. However, for the pros, you don't really need to use you rotate stick in this scene, just shoot away at where all the action is. I improved my score quite a bit in this area, but the next area is where I really started to warm up. After the 2nd room, we move into the 3rd room, which is basically a long tunnel. We enter it with some easy targets on the walls (the ceiling is low, and the walls aren't high). We move on and see a bunch of batteries stacked about. Definitely try to hit those, and if you do, you'll get big points and they even actually fall down! After this, we get our first look at the Evil Emperor Zurg!
In our first encounter, Zurg's just chilling in his machanical machine. He's loaded with Z targets, so shoot him up for some big points! It seems he's getting a little pissed at you, and decides to take matters into his on hands. After this, we head out of the tunnel, and before entering the darkness scene, there's a spinning wheel in the wall. Only a portion of it is revealed at a time, so to shoot the Z's which are on it, you need to time it just right. After that, we turn and enter the room of darkness. We become surrounded in it, the only light in this room is the bright pink light at the end of the tunnel. I still don't the purpose of this room personally, but shoot you're gun around in random spots. I receieved a couple of points by doing this, so give it a shot! I still think there's a hidden target in here that's worth a million points...Anyway, once we finally reach the light, we head into the next room, where we begin the final battle against the energy-hungry Zurg!
The next room to me is awesome. It's basically a large television screen built into the ceiling. On it, we see that we're in space, and that Zurg is reeking about in his mechanical machine. This is it, it's time to defeat Zurg! Zap him down as he moves about in space in his machine, and continues to get hit by various flying space objects. The more times you hit him, the more points you'll get. Since he's basically always moving, it can be a little hard to really zap him down. However, he really only moves from left to right over the entryway into the next room, so keep you're gun focused in those areas. And once you're through, you'll move on to the final room of battle. Here, he find Zurg in his now broken mechanical machine, thanks to us defeating him in the last scene! However, those Z's are still all over him, to zap him some more! These targets are worth a LOT, so be careful with your shots! I always aimed for the one at the top of his machine, and it gave me a nice amount of points. This scene will be over in no time, so when you're about to reach the exit, rotate your car so you face backwards. This way you can continue to shoot inside the exitway until you finally are out of his reach. By the way, when Zurg's machine flashes, a picture is being taken. It can get you pretty distracted it, but it will most likely result in a hilarious picture!
After the last fight with Zurg, we meet up with Buzz (an AA just like the one in the queue), who congradulates us on capturing the evil emperor Zurg, who is hanging from the "Claw", as seen in the movie. Now that Zurg's been taken care of, our job as junior space rangers is over for now. However, how did your score turn out? On my first time of the trip, my score was around 35,000. Not very good, but I was still getting used to it. By the end of the trip, I'd have this thing mastered. As you exit your cart at the exit, there's a list of rankings on the wall. I don't really remember the titles, but the one for my score wasn't very good...I guess better luck next time. We hopped out of our carts, went down the treadmill, through the photo area, and back out on to the midway.
Ryan/KKR05's Expert Advice-Overall, this ride to me is just a blast. I love everything about it, and it could easily be the most fun attraction in the Magic Kingdom. It's just like being in a video game and shooting up all the monsters. The attraction is perfect for all ages as well, everyone from young to old will enjoy it. It's also got that competitive edge to it...you HAVE to beat the other people in your party haha. Even if you're not too good at shooting the targets, and ride aspect to it is excellent. I highly suggest this attraction to EVERYONE. This is a must-hit at the Magic Kingdom, and it can become the highlight of your trip. Put it on your hit list!
After my first spin on Buzz for the trip, it seems I needed some more practice with a final score around 35,000. I would get the practice, but not until later on in the day. Right now it was time for another Tomorrowland classic. Paging Mr. Tom, Mr. Tom Morrow....
Monday, November 06, 2006
Chapter 8:Not for the Faint of Heart
After a not-so-scary ride through the Haunted Mansion, we walked through the portal and into the Fantasyland section of the park. When people think of Fantasyland, they think that this section is only for the kiddies...not true. This section can also be a delight to anyone who tries to enjoy it. Sure, it's geared towards the younger ones, but that doesn't mean people of all ages can't enjoy it. Anyway, Fantasyland is the "Heart" of the Magic Kingdom. This section has a numerous amount of attractions, and I believe the most in the entire Magic Kingdom. Anyway, Fantasyland is the home to our next attraction in our round-trip around the Magic Kingdom, "it's a small world". I know that when some people think of this ride, they say "Skip it, can't stand hearing that song over and over again!" Well, yes, is some cases that's true. The song can get obnoxious, but the ride is a classic from the 64 World's Fair, and has been entertaining ever since. Plus, the point the ride brings across is evident by just going on the ride. For those that think it's just an annoying kiddie ride, they are missing the point the ride brings across. The world is indeed small, and must try to live friendly with one another. For these many reasons, I respect the ride for what it's worth.
OK, so we're heading into Fantasyland and we pass Peter Pan. I'll say something about this now, considering we didn't get on it this trip. The ride is insane. The queue line for this ride is most likely the longest in the park. That is for many reasons, most notably the bad capacity. Along with that, the kiddies love this ride, and it's the perfect ride for them to enjoy with their parents. So, here's a tip about Peter Pan's Flight. If you plan on riding, get a Fast Pass, or get there EARLY. I'd actually go with the ladder, considering what happened to us later on in the trip. That's for later though. Anyway, Peter Pan was a must-skip with the line expanding out of the fairly large queue. The ride across from it was, you guessed it, "it's a small world". The ride was our next hit, and with a very large capacity, we would be on in no time. The line was down the ramp just a little bit, and it was only about 10 minutes until we were in our boat. While in line, I looked around the station, and it looked different to me. Then, out of nowhere, a bell rang and a large grandfather clock on the wall told us it was now 5:30 PM. From what I remember, after that, some dolls came out of the door in the clock and dance around. Then, it hit me. They recently re-did "it's a small world", last year I believe. I could tell the queue area had been re-done...it LOOKED new with a different color scheme and different props, such as the new clock, which was a pretty cool addition. So after a quick wait, we climb in our boat, and it's time for departure. As we pull out of the station, the main operator in the tower above waved to our boat, and everyone waved back :lol: Around the bend, and we approached the portal to "it's a small world".
Just before we recap this classic attraction, I'd like to mention something. One would be rich if they went swimming in "it's a small world's" lagoon...the amount of loose change in the area is ridiculous. I guess people have a lot of loose change to get rid or something, but to me it's pointless. Ok, end rant. Here we go into it's a small world. During the ride, you sail through the following areas of the world-Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and the South Pacific Islands. Each room of the ride has an amount of the total 289 dolls in the attraction who sing the easily recognized theme song. In the first scene, there are some magic carpets flying from the ceiling. Evidently I was scared of these when I was younger, which was brought up as we went through the attraction. Hey, I was like four, little kids are scared of everything. My favorite scene on the ride is the Africa scene. I love the animal animatronics. The giraffes almost reach the ceiling and the hippos are a surprise as they hide in the water. The area has a great jungle feel to it, and is very colorful.
After we've visited all of the countries, we move on to the finale! This scene is awesome. People (dolls) are brought together from across the world to have a great time together. This scene features dolls from every country we've already visited. The entire area is very white and bright, and features many different props than those we've already seen. There's a ferry boat, a merry-go-round, and even a roller coaster lit up brightly in the background! All of the dolls, again are singing together the ride's theme song. It's a great way to end the ride, and is one of the best done areas on the entire attraction. Anyway, once we pass through this area, we enter one more small area where we get a final good-bye...in many different languages. See how many you can recognize in this scene, it's interesting to see how many you'll know. You'll have time to look at all of the signs and see how many you know because the ride is usually backed up into this area. There are just too many boats on this ride to keep it constantly moving. Unfortunately the waiting time until you finally return to the station can be more than 5 minutes...so try to relax and enjoy the theming. After about 10 minutes, we finally exited, and made our way back into Fantasyland. As for a closing statement on the ride, like I said earlier, it's a classic. The ride can be very enjoyable if you try to enjoy it. Many of the scenes are very well done, and can be very interesting to observe. Along with that, the message of the ride is supreme, and it's more than you would ever think.
KKR05's Expert Advice!-Nothing much to say that I haven't said already. The ride is good for all ages, except be careful with the little ones. I told you the story about me and the magic carpets, so be aware if you're a parent. Other than that, hopefully the song won't stay in your head for that long after the ride!
We returned to the Fantasyland midways, which I must say were very crowded on a summer afternoon. The walkway between Peter Pan and it's a small world is very small, so the area can be very congested. So continued on through Fantasyland and decided what attraction was next on our hit list. It was almost time for some of the others to go see Cinderellabration...some we decided to hit one more ride before they had to go off and see that. And that attraction is many definite favorite in Fantasyland.
OK, so we're heading into Fantasyland and we pass Peter Pan. I'll say something about this now, considering we didn't get on it this trip. The ride is insane. The queue line for this ride is most likely the longest in the park. That is for many reasons, most notably the bad capacity. Along with that, the kiddies love this ride, and it's the perfect ride for them to enjoy with their parents. So, here's a tip about Peter Pan's Flight. If you plan on riding, get a Fast Pass, or get there EARLY. I'd actually go with the ladder, considering what happened to us later on in the trip. That's for later though. Anyway, Peter Pan was a must-skip with the line expanding out of the fairly large queue. The ride across from it was, you guessed it, "it's a small world". The ride was our next hit, and with a very large capacity, we would be on in no time. The line was down the ramp just a little bit, and it was only about 10 minutes until we were in our boat. While in line, I looked around the station, and it looked different to me. Then, out of nowhere, a bell rang and a large grandfather clock on the wall told us it was now 5:30 PM. From what I remember, after that, some dolls came out of the door in the clock and dance around. Then, it hit me. They recently re-did "it's a small world", last year I believe. I could tell the queue area had been re-done...it LOOKED new with a different color scheme and different props, such as the new clock, which was a pretty cool addition. So after a quick wait, we climb in our boat, and it's time for departure. As we pull out of the station, the main operator in the tower above waved to our boat, and everyone waved back :lol: Around the bend, and we approached the portal to "it's a small world".
Just before we recap this classic attraction, I'd like to mention something. One would be rich if they went swimming in "it's a small world's" lagoon...the amount of loose change in the area is ridiculous. I guess people have a lot of loose change to get rid or something, but to me it's pointless. Ok, end rant. Here we go into it's a small world. During the ride, you sail through the following areas of the world-Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, and the South Pacific Islands. Each room of the ride has an amount of the total 289 dolls in the attraction who sing the easily recognized theme song. In the first scene, there are some magic carpets flying from the ceiling. Evidently I was scared of these when I was younger, which was brought up as we went through the attraction. Hey, I was like four, little kids are scared of everything. My favorite scene on the ride is the Africa scene. I love the animal animatronics. The giraffes almost reach the ceiling and the hippos are a surprise as they hide in the water. The area has a great jungle feel to it, and is very colorful.
After we've visited all of the countries, we move on to the finale! This scene is awesome. People (dolls) are brought together from across the world to have a great time together. This scene features dolls from every country we've already visited. The entire area is very white and bright, and features many different props than those we've already seen. There's a ferry boat, a merry-go-round, and even a roller coaster lit up brightly in the background! All of the dolls, again are singing together the ride's theme song. It's a great way to end the ride, and is one of the best done areas on the entire attraction. Anyway, once we pass through this area, we enter one more small area where we get a final good-bye...in many different languages. See how many you can recognize in this scene, it's interesting to see how many you'll know. You'll have time to look at all of the signs and see how many you know because the ride is usually backed up into this area. There are just too many boats on this ride to keep it constantly moving. Unfortunately the waiting time until you finally return to the station can be more than 5 minutes...so try to relax and enjoy the theming. After about 10 minutes, we finally exited, and made our way back into Fantasyland. As for a closing statement on the ride, like I said earlier, it's a classic. The ride can be very enjoyable if you try to enjoy it. Many of the scenes are very well done, and can be very interesting to observe. Along with that, the message of the ride is supreme, and it's more than you would ever think.
KKR05's Expert Advice!-Nothing much to say that I haven't said already. The ride is good for all ages, except be careful with the little ones. I told you the story about me and the magic carpets, so be aware if you're a parent. Other than that, hopefully the song won't stay in your head for that long after the ride!
We returned to the Fantasyland midways, which I must say were very crowded on a summer afternoon. The walkway between Peter Pan and it's a small world is very small, so the area can be very congested. So continued on through Fantasyland and decided what attraction was next on our hit list. It was almost time for some of the others to go see Cinderellabration...some we decided to hit one more ride before they had to go off and see that. And that attraction is many definite favorite in Fantasyland.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
