After "it's a small world", we strolled through Fantasyland to our next attraction, just beyond Peter Pan's Flight. This attraction is also my personal favorite in Fantasyland, and gives an enjoyable experience every time. It's Mickey's PhilharMagic, of course! The attraction, which replaced The Festival of the Lion King in 2003, may very well be the best 3-D show I've ever seen. It's a must hit in Fantasyland, so definitely check it out on your next trip. We came to the entrance and the cast member was waving people in for the next show, which was starting promptly. We all ran through the queue, grabbed a pair of 3-D glasses, and got into the theater before the automatic doors closed. The theater of the show is VERY large, and can accommodate a large amount of people at one time. It's themed to an orchestra hall, as we are going to see Mickey's orchestra perform before Donald comes in and screws everything up...
We were lucky to find seats quickly, the show was just about to begin. The doors closed, the lights dimmed, and we heard Goofy doing his opening spiel. The show starts off with the curtain in front of the screen, and a conversation between Goofy and Mickey. Mickey says don't open the curtain yet, but c'mon, it's Goofy. He does it, the curtain opens, and the orchestra is ready to perform. However, Mickey isn't there to lead them in their musical madness. Mickey's Sorcerer Hat sits upon his podium, just waiting to be put on the head of one so willing to conduct this orchestra through a musical masterpiece. Just aside the podium is Donald, sleeping, but is awoken by the fanatic Mickey who runs on to the stage. He tells everyone that it's showtime...but he's not ready. So Donald, now awoken, eyes the Sorcerer Hat sitting undisturbed on the podium. He lets out a laugh, and places the hat on his head. The orchestra then comes alive, and Donald tries to get control. Well, that doesn't go so well. His conducting skills, aren't the greatest, as a mass racket is produced by one swing of the baton. However, one of the flute doesn't want to stop playing the cheerful Mickey Mouse theme, and Donald tries to throw it right at us! Here's our first glimpse at the 3-D we are about to experience. This doesn't make the flute to happy, so it comes back and hits him square in the head :lol: This creates a mass panic among the instruments, and they come together to plummet Donald into a smoke filled world of musical terror! Donald flies around, trying to escape the instruments grasp. Wind is blowing in our faces and instruments are flying all around us, but it finally comes to an end in the pitch-dark. Here is our first musical encounter, Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast, ready to invite us to "be his guest". He lights up the room through his candlelight and Donald prepares for a great big feast with food flying around everywhere. Ah, the aromas of the the food are real, we can smell and almost taste the food right in front of us! As food flies around the table, Donald discovers the hat, which is what he really desires. The hat moves along with the food, and while Donald tries to find it, Lumiere finishes his song with the explosion of wine bottles...and the corks are headed right at us! You can feel the corks whizzing by our faces, and let me just say that this is one awesome effect. Lumiere ends his song on a high note, and Donald blown away from his hat once again.
Next, we are found in a dark room full of dirty plates ready for washing. And in between the stacks of plates is Donald's coveted Sorcerer Hat! He awakens, but then the brooms come marching in. That's right, the brooms carrying water from Fantasia, along with the classic song. They're here to clean all those dirty plates left behind from dinner, and in doing so, we all get a little wet! Water sprinklings shoot at us while the brooms clean the plates. Donald spots a small little broom who holds his hat, and violently takes it away from him. Not a good idea. Here comes big old mamma broom, who splashes Donald into a world under the sea, and gives us one last spray of water. Here Donald meet Ariel, aka the Little Mermaid. While she sings about "being where the people are", Donald becomes all rapped up in her loveliness. He forgets all about the hat and follows Ariel all about under the sea. So when Ariel finishes up her song, Donald tries to kiss her, and in return, receives the shock of an electric eel making his way through the sea :lol: Ariel and and a shocked Donald climb towards the surface, and out of nowhere, we meet our next musical artist, Simba from the Lion King! He just can't WAIT to be king, and isn't afraid to tell us. He even shows us his roar, as his mouth comes directly at us! Ok, we're safe, but he goes on to sing about being king. We follow Simba and the insightful bird Zazu all around the jungle, until we finally encounter Donald again, who is still just ready to get his hands on that hat. Now Donald's found himself riding on the backs of animals, and his hat seems to have done the same thing. All of the animals are now following Simba on his musical journey through the Savannah, as Donald is. As Simba starts to rap up his song, animal heads, shaped in a circle around a central point, pop out of the screen. They showcase all the animals in the kingdom, giraffes, zebras, you name it, then comes a pop up of Donald and his hat. I really love what they did with this effect, the pop ups just seem to get bigger and bigger with the more animals that are added. After this is done, Simba sings his last "I can't wait to be king" high top of a fountain. Donald and his hat are then blown out of the Savannah, and we soon encounter a whole new world.
First, we receive a first from Tinkerbell and Peter Pan, who are sitting high atop of Big Ben. Donald and the hat come flying out of no where, and each lands on a different hand of the huge clock. Peter Pan jumps off the hat's end of the clock, which sends Donald flying into the air! He can fly, he can fly! Peter Pan and Donald soar through the skies, and even the hat received some pixie-dust of its own. They all float into the clouds, Peter, Donald, and the hat. Next, we get a visit from Aladdin and Jasmine, who are enjoying a magic carpet ride. The wind of the sky blows strongly, as it does into us. The wind just flies into our faces. Aladdin and Jasmine greet us on their magic carpet, and want to discover a whole new world. Donald, who suddenly appears, has a different objective, getting the hat from Aladdin and Jasmine's carpet! Donald struggles to gain control of his carpet, but continued to chase them through the streets of Agrabah. Up, down, left, right, Donald chases them. All around the city they all go, and Donald goes through something more, someone's laundry! He shakes off the extra clothes and continues to follow both of the fellow Agrabah-ites who so unknowingly enjoy a pleasant night. As they finish their singing, Donald finally catches up to them, and tries to grab the hat off the back of the other carpet. He tries, and tries, but he can't get it. It's until Jasmine recognizes him that Donald struggles for the hat. She then takes it and places it on his head, ending his long musical journey at last...or is it?
As the hat sits on Donald's head, he can finally take a break...or not. Iago comes and knocks the hat off his head and toward the ground below, and Donald goes right on after it. This plummets him back into the same whirlwind he encountered below his musical journeys, with all the instruments and the wind effects. Around and around he goes into he's finally sucked in, and finally re-arrives at the concert hall, where Mickey's hat finally returns to its rightful owner. Mickey grabs the hat, puts it on, and conducts a short musical piece with all the instruments, and Donald floating in air. He abruptly stops it, and all of the instruments, and Donald, fall the ground. Donald grabs Mickey's baton, hands it to him, and Donald is then sucked into one of the tubas! Mickey then plays one last piece, his musical theme song. With the pressure building, once Mickey pulls down his baton, Donald shoots into the air and right at you! He doesn't stop there, however, we sails all the way back into the back of the theater. This is where he is suspended in mid-air with his legs sticking out of the hole in the wall (that he made)! And after a few moments, we hear him say "uh oh" and we see and hear him fall with a big crash at the end. Mickey then thanks the crowd, and the philharmagically show finishes.
KKR05's Expert Advice-This attraction is great. It's perfect for the whole family, and is definitely one of the better 3-D shows you'll see. Along with the great 3-D effects, they have the extra surprises, like the water, wind, and smell effects. The show was done perfectly. I can't think of any better way they could've done it. As I said, it's my favorite in Fantasyland, and it is a must-hit in Fantasyland. It'll be a hit with the little ones, the older folk will enjoy it as well.
After the show is all said and done, Goofy comes over the intercom and tells us to have a philharmagically day. Sure will, Goofy. We got up, moved down the aisle, and made our way up the exit. We dropped our glasses in a bin and arrived back out in the Fantasyland midway. Well, what was next? It was time to split up. The others wanted to go see Cinderellabration, so it was time to do want we wanted to do. And, in one word, I'll tell you all...Tomorrowland.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
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.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Chapter 7:Ticket to Terror...NOT!
After a great ride on BTMR, we gave up on Splash Mountain which was still packed and made our way over to the 3rd area of the park. We continued our counter-clockwise expedition around the Magic Kingdom, and soon found ourselves in the small area between two of the Magic Kingdom's biggest "lands". We encountered the entrance to Liberty Square, the section that is sometimes forgotten among the general public. Although the section is quite small, it holds within one of the most popular Magic Kingdom attractions, the Haunted Mansion. Why a ghoulish mansion is in a liberty themed section is beyond me, but I guess there is always something new to learn about WDW. Anyway, Liberty Square to me is a very nice small section. It isn't very congested, which you think it would because of its size. Also, the theming in the area is very, very nice. It's just like a small colonial town, where patriotism is at its best. The theme is carried throughout the square with numerous American Flags, Historical Figures, and many other items in patriotic flare. The section is home to some attractions besides the Haunted Mansion, and these do fit in with the theme set. The Liberty Square Riverboat takes you on a voyage in the Rivers of America (lake surrounding Tom Sawyer Island). Unfortunately it was down for rehab when I was there, but the ride itself is very relaxing, it did it three years ago on our last visit. Definitely check it out if you have the time, it can provide some nice photo opportunities as well. Along with the Riverboat, Liberty Square is home to the Hall of Presidents. Although I haven't experienced this attraction, I know is it a show where you can find all of our Presidents brought to life through the art of Audio-Animatronics. I haven't heard much about the show, but it seems interesting. However, its time to move on for what we were there for, the main attraction, the Haunted Mansion.
When we checked the wait times board earlier, the wait for the Mansion was 20 minutes. Sure enough, when we arrived at the attraction, the wait was still 20 minutes, but that was a bit of an exaggeration. The Mansion in all its creepiness was before us, and we agreed to enter by boarding the queue line. As we joined the queue, I noticed the Fast Pass machines off to the right. Why does this ride of Fast Pass?? It seriously doesn't need it at all, the capacity here is unmatched. They weren't even being used when we were there. Maybe they'll relocate them to the Laugh Floor once that opens, or will that need it at all? Who knows. Anyway, the queue was extremely short. We stopped a little bit after entered the covered green shade. The Haunted Mansion queue is home to a graveyard, which holds the tombstones of many dead people. Unfortunately the grass was a bit long to read some of them, but they always provide a good laugh. Most of them have little funny riddles or poems, and they can keep you quite entertained while waiting to get inside the mansion. I know the long grass is supposed to make it feel deserted, but make it short enough so we can read the tombstones! Anyway, the waiting here was minimal. We waited less than 10 minutes to get inside and to our "chamber". As we entered the building, this guy with lazy eyes stared at you...pretty freaky, but it's perfect for the attraction. We all made our way into the octagon shaped chamber with portraits high on the ceilings. The room was dark and scary looking...perfect for this attraction. Once the max number of people got in the room, the doors closed shut behind us. No turning back now. Soon our Ghost Host came over the intercom and introduced himself...how nice. The room then started to drop...or was the ceiling rising. It seemed pretty obvious that it was the latter. Up they went, once revealing happy pictures of people when we walked in, going on to reveal horrific scenes. Soon, we were bound to end up like them as we made our way into a "doom buggy". The pre-show to the Haunted Mansion is pretty cool, and it definitely surprises all the first timers. Right when the ceilings finally stop rising, the horrific pictures were revealed entirely, but I'm not going to ruin the surprise. Right then and there our Ghost Host spurns us and lets out one great big laugh. We were soon to become his victims on our ride through the Haunted Mansion. Doors on the opposite side of the chamber in which we came in flew open, and everyone scattered into the haunted house.
The mansion was dark and dreary. Dim light bulbs barely lit the dark hallways, and everything is full of cobwebs. All of us formed a line and waited to board our doom buggy, and then our fate would be sealed. The interior of the mansion hallway is extremely detailed and well-done. Just being in there, waiting to ride is freaky. There were quite a few people in our corridor, so it took a while for us to get on, not to mention a short "breakdown". The doom buggies basically stopped going for a while, which caused a delay for us. However, after that, it was all smooth sailing. My brother and I soon boarded a doom buggy, which I'll talk about for a minute. These things are insane. There are NO GAPS between the buggies on this ride. They are in continuous circuit all the time, so if you need to stop one, you stop them all. I find it amazing how these carts can be in continuous motion for such a long time. Anyway, we boarded our buggy, and we were off into the Haunted Mansion, where chills and thrills awaited us.
Inside the Mansion await many thrills and chills. Here's some of the highlights.
The Ballroom Scene-A true classic. You glide in your doom buggies on the balcony of the ballroom, and see many ghosts and ghouls dancing about below you. Through the magic of projected images, the ghosts dance all across the ballroom in circles. Truly a delight to see and always a favorite.
The Graveyard-One of my favorites. It's a big part of the ride, and features the classic song..."Grim Grinning Ghosts come out to socialize". This section is definitely the spookiest, and features many "alive" props, such as moving tombstones and singing statues. There is something to scare you around every turn, so be on the look out. This scene, to me, is the most enjoyable of the entire ride.
Madam Loeta Scene-Crazy woman in a magic ball. She tries to scare and taunt you with her head secluded in a crystal ball. When I was little I always wondered how they got her head in the crystal ball, but now, it just seems obvious. This scene is another classic, and very enjoyable.
All right, so we are going through the mansion and we are coming up to the grand finale, where we will be cursed by the mansion forever. Before us is one big and long mirror, and our doom buggy turns to face it. We look, and a cursed ghoul as suddenly appeared in our cart! A laugh always comes out of we when the ghoul appears. Anyway, after we turn away from the mirrors, the ride is just about over. Our ghost host then dismisses us in a likely fashion, telling us that we've been cursed forever. Then he lets out one big laugh...Bwhahaha. With that, we are left to leave the mansion, for we will be cursed forever after leaving the mansion.
KKR05's Expert Advice-The Mansion is a classic. You think it's going to be one big and scary mansion...but it's just overall a fun ride, and there's nothing scary about it. Even those who are easily spooked can take a trip through the Haunted Mansion. The ride is extremely built up to be scary, but it's all just make believe. When Walt first thought of the idea of the Haunted Mansion, I don't think he meant for it to be scary. I think he meant for it to offer a fun, non-scary ride which was some elements that can put a chill up your spine. Regardless, the Mansion is a great ride, and can be enjoyed all people, expect I suggest no babies on this one, of course. Like I said before, the ride is even laughable at times, like in the final scene. It always squeezes a laugh out of me how your "ghost host" takes things so seriously. Anyway, the Mansion is good old classic fun, and must hit in the Magic Kingdom.
We exited the Mansion and found ourselves back out in Liberty Square. Just beyond us was Fantasyland, the heart of the Magic Kingdom. Fantasyland is where our next attraction has its home. And this attraction my friends is not for the easily annoyed.
When we checked the wait times board earlier, the wait for the Mansion was 20 minutes. Sure enough, when we arrived at the attraction, the wait was still 20 minutes, but that was a bit of an exaggeration. The Mansion in all its creepiness was before us, and we agreed to enter by boarding the queue line. As we joined the queue, I noticed the Fast Pass machines off to the right. Why does this ride of Fast Pass?? It seriously doesn't need it at all, the capacity here is unmatched. They weren't even being used when we were there. Maybe they'll relocate them to the Laugh Floor once that opens, or will that need it at all? Who knows. Anyway, the queue was extremely short. We stopped a little bit after entered the covered green shade. The Haunted Mansion queue is home to a graveyard, which holds the tombstones of many dead people. Unfortunately the grass was a bit long to read some of them, but they always provide a good laugh. Most of them have little funny riddles or poems, and they can keep you quite entertained while waiting to get inside the mansion. I know the long grass is supposed to make it feel deserted, but make it short enough so we can read the tombstones! Anyway, the waiting here was minimal. We waited less than 10 minutes to get inside and to our "chamber". As we entered the building, this guy with lazy eyes stared at you...pretty freaky, but it's perfect for the attraction. We all made our way into the octagon shaped chamber with portraits high on the ceilings. The room was dark and scary looking...perfect for this attraction. Once the max number of people got in the room, the doors closed shut behind us. No turning back now. Soon our Ghost Host came over the intercom and introduced himself...how nice. The room then started to drop...or was the ceiling rising. It seemed pretty obvious that it was the latter. Up they went, once revealing happy pictures of people when we walked in, going on to reveal horrific scenes. Soon, we were bound to end up like them as we made our way into a "doom buggy". The pre-show to the Haunted Mansion is pretty cool, and it definitely surprises all the first timers. Right when the ceilings finally stop rising, the horrific pictures were revealed entirely, but I'm not going to ruin the surprise. Right then and there our Ghost Host spurns us and lets out one great big laugh. We were soon to become his victims on our ride through the Haunted Mansion. Doors on the opposite side of the chamber in which we came in flew open, and everyone scattered into the haunted house.
The mansion was dark and dreary. Dim light bulbs barely lit the dark hallways, and everything is full of cobwebs. All of us formed a line and waited to board our doom buggy, and then our fate would be sealed. The interior of the mansion hallway is extremely detailed and well-done. Just being in there, waiting to ride is freaky. There were quite a few people in our corridor, so it took a while for us to get on, not to mention a short "breakdown". The doom buggies basically stopped going for a while, which caused a delay for us. However, after that, it was all smooth sailing. My brother and I soon boarded a doom buggy, which I'll talk about for a minute. These things are insane. There are NO GAPS between the buggies on this ride. They are in continuous circuit all the time, so if you need to stop one, you stop them all. I find it amazing how these carts can be in continuous motion for such a long time. Anyway, we boarded our buggy, and we were off into the Haunted Mansion, where chills and thrills awaited us.
Inside the Mansion await many thrills and chills. Here's some of the highlights.
The Ballroom Scene-A true classic. You glide in your doom buggies on the balcony of the ballroom, and see many ghosts and ghouls dancing about below you. Through the magic of projected images, the ghosts dance all across the ballroom in circles. Truly a delight to see and always a favorite.
The Graveyard-One of my favorites. It's a big part of the ride, and features the classic song..."Grim Grinning Ghosts come out to socialize". This section is definitely the spookiest, and features many "alive" props, such as moving tombstones and singing statues. There is something to scare you around every turn, so be on the look out. This scene, to me, is the most enjoyable of the entire ride.
Madam Loeta Scene-Crazy woman in a magic ball. She tries to scare and taunt you with her head secluded in a crystal ball. When I was little I always wondered how they got her head in the crystal ball, but now, it just seems obvious. This scene is another classic, and very enjoyable.
All right, so we are going through the mansion and we are coming up to the grand finale, where we will be cursed by the mansion forever. Before us is one big and long mirror, and our doom buggy turns to face it. We look, and a cursed ghoul as suddenly appeared in our cart! A laugh always comes out of we when the ghoul appears. Anyway, after we turn away from the mirrors, the ride is just about over. Our ghost host then dismisses us in a likely fashion, telling us that we've been cursed forever. Then he lets out one big laugh...Bwhahaha. With that, we are left to leave the mansion, for we will be cursed forever after leaving the mansion.
KKR05's Expert Advice-The Mansion is a classic. You think it's going to be one big and scary mansion...but it's just overall a fun ride, and there's nothing scary about it. Even those who are easily spooked can take a trip through the Haunted Mansion. The ride is extremely built up to be scary, but it's all just make believe. When Walt first thought of the idea of the Haunted Mansion, I don't think he meant for it to be scary. I think he meant for it to offer a fun, non-scary ride which was some elements that can put a chill up your spine. Regardless, the Mansion is a great ride, and can be enjoyed all people, expect I suggest no babies on this one, of course. Like I said before, the ride is even laughable at times, like in the final scene. It always squeezes a laugh out of me how your "ghost host" takes things so seriously. Anyway, the Mansion is good old classic fun, and must hit in the Magic Kingdom.
We exited the Mansion and found ourselves back out in Liberty Square. Just beyond us was Fantasyland, the heart of the Magic Kingdom. Fantasyland is where our next attraction has its home. And this attraction my friends is not for the easily annoyed.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Chapter 6:The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness!
After a great ride on the all new POTC, we made our way out of Adventureland and over to Frontierland. As soon as we crossed the border, we saw that Frontierland was a lot busier than Adventureland was, but we would find out later why. The first thing we saw as we after Frontierland was one of the best log flumes in the world, Splash Mountain. This was planned to be next on our hit list. The massive drop in the Briar Patch, as seen from the Frontierland midway, really gets you excited to ride this thing. So, we made our way over to Splash's entrance to see how long the wait was. Once we got in clear view of the Stand-By wait time, I just started to walk away. The wait was long than an hour, and I didn't plan on waiting. However, what other ride is very close to Splash? That's right, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! When I was at the park in 2003, the ride was closed down because of A. Down for rehab or B. Down because the one at Disneyland recently had an accident. Anyway, this was ride 2 of 2 I wanted to hit in Frontierland, so it was up next, wait time pending. We approached the area of the ride's entrance, and noticed the wait time of only 20 minutes. Perfect. Considering this was a relatively short waiting time, and I really wanted to ride this, we decided to make this the 2nd ride of the trip!
We boarded the queue, which is highly themed, just like everything else at Disney. I love the first part of the queue line on this line, it really makes you feel like you're in the wild west. One of my favorite features is the water trough system was have overhead. The outdoors part of the queue, as I said has an awesome wild west theme to it. After taking in the awesome theming, we entered the queue building, where we stopped shortly after getting inside. It really was a scorcher out, so I was happy to be inside. Anyway, while waiting, I pulled out a park map and looked at how much it had changed since I last was there. One thing I'll note is that map the maps a lot smaller than the last time, but they seem to be fine this way. We waited in that one spot for about 5 minutes in the shade, and then we were moving. We continuously walked through the queue, only making short stops along the way. Since I hadn't been in the queue since 2000, I didn't know where it would be going, but I knew it ended in an underground station. After walking through the first room of switchbacks, we moved into the next. This is where we really started to fly. Everyone just kept going and going and going...and it didn't stop at all. We were in and out of the 2nd switchback room in no time, and now we were on our way down into the underground caverns station. We finally stopped on the downwards ramp leading to the loading area. We paused here for a few minutes, waiting in the almost complete darkness. Soon we were moving though, and were inches away from loading. Once I had a view of the loading area, I saw that rows 1, 2, and 3 were roped off. What? This simply made no sense to me, until it was our turn to board. A few people went in front of us, but then the operator asked us how many, and we told him. he then directed us to rows 3 and 4. Then, I understood. They don't want a bunch of people waiting for the row car, of course, making this an excellent system. I was very happy with my row 3 ride, considering many people wouldn't be as lucky as I. Anyway, since we were the first to be the only people in rows 3 and 4, we would be on the next train! With mere seconds of waiting, our train pulled up, and the air gates opened. It was time for the first coaster of the trip.
We all boarded our runaway train and pulled down our restraint, making sure it wasn't too tight. After that, we were ready to roll. As I waited for everyone's restraint to be checked, I looked around. The station itself is almost pitch black, aside from a few shining lights overhead. Along with the darkness of the mine shaft, the extremely realistic steam engine at the front of the train adds more to the great theming of the ride. While I was looking around, taking in all of the amazing theming, I realized it was now go time. Our steam engine's whistle blowed, and we soon crawled out of the station. The ride starts off by plummeting you through a dark cavern, full of sights and sounds. As soon as we got off the transfer track, we made a quick left and plunged into the dark cavern, full of sound effects and some little bunny hops. You hear screaming bats, and rushing water...soon we will see where that is coming from. Anyway, this part of the ride is nothing special, but this is only the beginning. After this relatively short segment, we begin to climb the first of many lift hills. This one has a surprise at the top, however...a huge waterfall separated into two by a rock in the ceiling! When I first saw this, I thought it was an awesome theming piece, and not meant for you to get wet. Once we got to the top of the lift hill, I noticed it was for both. This thing can give you quite a soaking if you sit right up against the edge of the car. Anyway, after going under the waterfall, it was time for the ride to begin. We soon found ourselves at the top of the mountain, and were given a view of the lake in which surrounds Tom Sawyer's Island. Before long, however, we were on our way into the ride's first of many turns. The ride starts off by throwing you through some wild turns, each of which were relaxing, not thrilling, mainly because we hadn't gained much speed yet. After some nice curves, it was time for the first helix, in which we gain some nice speed. Once again, this helix is more relaxing breeze-giving than thrilling. Racing through the rocky mountain terrain, we glide up a small ascent and enter one crazy put of this ride. The track in this segment is crazy, and just throws you around all over as we cross a small stream. The ride then throws us into another turn, and then we encounter the ride's main lift hill. This is where you can receive some excellent views of the mountain range, and all the theming it has to offer. Unfortunately, the views are short lived, as it's not long before you're charging into the 2nd part of the ride. We hit a sharp left-hand turn, and went back down to canyon below. Coming up is my personal favorite part of the ride. We climbed a small ascent, which leads us to, as I said, my favorite part, which starts off with a strong double helix. Around and around we went, diving in and out of the rock work, gaining more and more speed as we went. Once this thing lets you go, you've gained a very nice amount of speed, and the next element gives my favorite part of the ride a two-part punch. Right after the helix, you get thrown into a bunny hill, which looks innocent, but it's going to give you some of the only air time found on this ride. Once you crest the top, you get some sweet, sweet floater air, before heading back down under the rock work. You just have to love the sensation floater air creates. Anyway, after another little turn, we encountered the last lift hill of the ride, which is held in the dark and in another "mine shaft". As we made our last upwards climb, boulders at the sides of the shaft come out of the rock, which look like they are going to fall right down you! it was time to make a quick exit before those boulders came right down on us. Finally, we saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The brighter it got the closer we were to getting out of that mine shaft. Finally the light surrounded us, and we were back out on the mountain range. After a small hill to get us moving, we went into another sharp curve. Coming up next is the nice, swooping curve over the picturesque lake. Ah, what a nice breeze this turn creates, as well as an excellent view of the water. After that nice, sharp turn, we went up into a completely pointless part of this ride, a small block brake that holds us for a few seconds. Once it finally lets us go, it's time for the ride's finale. We went into another sharp turn in the rock work, which fed us into a tunnel created by dinosaur bones! The track in this section is a little bumpy, giving you the sensation of just narrowly avoiding the bones of a dinosaur's rib cage. After one more final turn, we hit the final brake run over a small spring, which had geysers shooting off everywhere!
KKR05's Expert Advice-Overall, the combination of a wild coaster ride along with some awesome theming (especially the rock work/canyon, it is extremely realistic) makes this a must hit. If you're looking for a thrilling coaster ride, then you'll be disappointed, but this ride without a doubt offers one fun-filled experience, and is a great starting coaster for the younger ones. Also, along with the theming and some thrilling parts (double helix), this ride will also be a favorite of the older ones. It's definitely a must ride in Frontierland, right up there with Splash Mountain. On a last note, with fast loading times and moving lines, this attraction could be hit about anytime throughout the day. Our wait time ended up being only around 15-20 minutes, for what seemed to be a very long line.
After enjoying the sights and sounds of the little themed stream that we were stuck on, the brakes released us and we flew back into the almost pitch black station. Once we did, we threw up our lap bars and headed for the exit. Everyone seemed to enjoy the ride, and it was a lot more of a ride than I thought it was (in other words, the ride is longer than you think) We quickly exited and found our way out back to a very crowded Frontierland. Since Splash was still an extremely long wait, we decided to move on in our loop around the park. As we walked toward the next section, Liberty Square, we discovered that the crowdedness of the section was mainly due to a huge meet and greet session going on near the Country Bears. Since the pathway was completely blocked, we followed the dock which goes along the banks of Frontierland's lake, and headed our next attraction, which was just dead ahead...
We boarded the queue, which is highly themed, just like everything else at Disney. I love the first part of the queue line on this line, it really makes you feel like you're in the wild west. One of my favorite features is the water trough system was have overhead. The outdoors part of the queue, as I said has an awesome wild west theme to it. After taking in the awesome theming, we entered the queue building, where we stopped shortly after getting inside. It really was a scorcher out, so I was happy to be inside. Anyway, while waiting, I pulled out a park map and looked at how much it had changed since I last was there. One thing I'll note is that map the maps a lot smaller than the last time, but they seem to be fine this way. We waited in that one spot for about 5 minutes in the shade, and then we were moving. We continuously walked through the queue, only making short stops along the way. Since I hadn't been in the queue since 2000, I didn't know where it would be going, but I knew it ended in an underground station. After walking through the first room of switchbacks, we moved into the next. This is where we really started to fly. Everyone just kept going and going and going...and it didn't stop at all. We were in and out of the 2nd switchback room in no time, and now we were on our way down into the underground caverns station. We finally stopped on the downwards ramp leading to the loading area. We paused here for a few minutes, waiting in the almost complete darkness. Soon we were moving though, and were inches away from loading. Once I had a view of the loading area, I saw that rows 1, 2, and 3 were roped off. What? This simply made no sense to me, until it was our turn to board. A few people went in front of us, but then the operator asked us how many, and we told him. he then directed us to rows 3 and 4. Then, I understood. They don't want a bunch of people waiting for the row car, of course, making this an excellent system. I was very happy with my row 3 ride, considering many people wouldn't be as lucky as I. Anyway, since we were the first to be the only people in rows 3 and 4, we would be on the next train! With mere seconds of waiting, our train pulled up, and the air gates opened. It was time for the first coaster of the trip.
We all boarded our runaway train and pulled down our restraint, making sure it wasn't too tight. After that, we were ready to roll. As I waited for everyone's restraint to be checked, I looked around. The station itself is almost pitch black, aside from a few shining lights overhead. Along with the darkness of the mine shaft, the extremely realistic steam engine at the front of the train adds more to the great theming of the ride. While I was looking around, taking in all of the amazing theming, I realized it was now go time. Our steam engine's whistle blowed, and we soon crawled out of the station. The ride starts off by plummeting you through a dark cavern, full of sights and sounds. As soon as we got off the transfer track, we made a quick left and plunged into the dark cavern, full of sound effects and some little bunny hops. You hear screaming bats, and rushing water...soon we will see where that is coming from. Anyway, this part of the ride is nothing special, but this is only the beginning. After this relatively short segment, we begin to climb the first of many lift hills. This one has a surprise at the top, however...a huge waterfall separated into two by a rock in the ceiling! When I first saw this, I thought it was an awesome theming piece, and not meant for you to get wet. Once we got to the top of the lift hill, I noticed it was for both. This thing can give you quite a soaking if you sit right up against the edge of the car. Anyway, after going under the waterfall, it was time for the ride to begin. We soon found ourselves at the top of the mountain, and were given a view of the lake in which surrounds Tom Sawyer's Island. Before long, however, we were on our way into the ride's first of many turns. The ride starts off by throwing you through some wild turns, each of which were relaxing, not thrilling, mainly because we hadn't gained much speed yet. After some nice curves, it was time for the first helix, in which we gain some nice speed. Once again, this helix is more relaxing breeze-giving than thrilling. Racing through the rocky mountain terrain, we glide up a small ascent and enter one crazy put of this ride. The track in this segment is crazy, and just throws you around all over as we cross a small stream. The ride then throws us into another turn, and then we encounter the ride's main lift hill. This is where you can receive some excellent views of the mountain range, and all the theming it has to offer. Unfortunately, the views are short lived, as it's not long before you're charging into the 2nd part of the ride. We hit a sharp left-hand turn, and went back down to canyon below. Coming up is my personal favorite part of the ride. We climbed a small ascent, which leads us to, as I said, my favorite part, which starts off with a strong double helix. Around and around we went, diving in and out of the rock work, gaining more and more speed as we went. Once this thing lets you go, you've gained a very nice amount of speed, and the next element gives my favorite part of the ride a two-part punch. Right after the helix, you get thrown into a bunny hill, which looks innocent, but it's going to give you some of the only air time found on this ride. Once you crest the top, you get some sweet, sweet floater air, before heading back down under the rock work. You just have to love the sensation floater air creates. Anyway, after another little turn, we encountered the last lift hill of the ride, which is held in the dark and in another "mine shaft". As we made our last upwards climb, boulders at the sides of the shaft come out of the rock, which look like they are going to fall right down you! it was time to make a quick exit before those boulders came right down on us. Finally, we saw the light at the end of the tunnel. The brighter it got the closer we were to getting out of that mine shaft. Finally the light surrounded us, and we were back out on the mountain range. After a small hill to get us moving, we went into another sharp curve. Coming up next is the nice, swooping curve over the picturesque lake. Ah, what a nice breeze this turn creates, as well as an excellent view of the water. After that nice, sharp turn, we went up into a completely pointless part of this ride, a small block brake that holds us for a few seconds. Once it finally lets us go, it's time for the ride's finale. We went into another sharp turn in the rock work, which fed us into a tunnel created by dinosaur bones! The track in this section is a little bumpy, giving you the sensation of just narrowly avoiding the bones of a dinosaur's rib cage. After one more final turn, we hit the final brake run over a small spring, which had geysers shooting off everywhere!
KKR05's Expert Advice-Overall, the combination of a wild coaster ride along with some awesome theming (especially the rock work/canyon, it is extremely realistic) makes this a must hit. If you're looking for a thrilling coaster ride, then you'll be disappointed, but this ride without a doubt offers one fun-filled experience, and is a great starting coaster for the younger ones. Also, along with the theming and some thrilling parts (double helix), this ride will also be a favorite of the older ones. It's definitely a must ride in Frontierland, right up there with Splash Mountain. On a last note, with fast loading times and moving lines, this attraction could be hit about anytime throughout the day. Our wait time ended up being only around 15-20 minutes, for what seemed to be a very long line.
After enjoying the sights and sounds of the little themed stream that we were stuck on, the brakes released us and we flew back into the almost pitch black station. Once we did, we threw up our lap bars and headed for the exit. Everyone seemed to enjoy the ride, and it was a lot more of a ride than I thought it was (in other words, the ride is longer than you think) We quickly exited and found our way out back to a very crowded Frontierland. Since Splash was still an extremely long wait, we decided to move on in our loop around the park. As we walked toward the next section, Liberty Square, we discovered that the crowdedness of the section was mainly due to a huge meet and greet session going on near the Country Bears. Since the pathway was completely blocked, we followed the dock which goes along the banks of Frontierland's lake, and headed our next attraction, which was just dead ahead...
Friday, September 08, 2006
Chapter 5:Dead Men Tell New Tales!
After making about a 10 minute journey total from our resort, we arrived at the MK gate! What a beautiful sight it was, to finally arrive at a WDW theme park. We pulled up to the a gate ready to pay the 9 dollar parking fee (What a scam...). Anyway, we paid the money, and received a parking ticket in exchange. After that, we were heading into the MK parking lot, held in the TTC, or Transportation and Ticket Center. We followed all of the guides to our final destination, a spot in the Donald parking aisle. We all jumped out of the car, and went over to the tram stop. I wasn't familiar with the parking configurations in the MK parking lot, so I couldn't tell if the park was crowded or not. Anyway, we walked over to the tram stop, which was luckily waiting for passengers when we arrived. We hopped on, and enjoyed a quick, but enjoyable ride to the TTC. Hey, it was our first ride of the trip. When the tram makes a tight turn into the drop-off area, the instructor told everyone to put they're hands up as if they were on Space Mountain :P. What did I do? Hang on for dear life. If I put my hands up, I'd be kissing my WDW vacation goodbye, because I would be falling out of that tram so fast I wouldn't know what hit me. Anyway, we quickly arrived at the drop off area, and climbed the ramp to the Monorail station. Luckily we grabbed a Monorail that was Express to the MK, so we didn't have to stop at the Contemporary on the way there. Ah, the WDW Monorail. I love this thing. I just love the views and the enjoyable ride that it gives. It really makes you feel like you are at Disney. Anyway, the Monorail ride was quite short, because it was an Express. One thing that is noteworthy...you receive and EXCELLENT view of the Space Mountain structure from the Monorail, perfect for taking pics. I don't have one myself..but I do have a few others. Anyway, we finally arrived at the MK, where they had some kind of odd Chip and Dale recording go over the intercom. Everyone rushed off the Monorail and to our first stop in the MK, the all important security booths. Luckily, however, security was very quick and efficient. They checked both of our bags, and we made our final stop before entering the park...the turnstiles! The MK is trying out a new system from the rest of the Disney theme parks (at least in Florida). You must place your ticket through the slot, press down your index finger, and wait for your card to shoot out. One thing about this confuses me though...my brother and I had the same ticket (Mickey on it). So how would we know who's ticket was his or mine? I guess we would just have to wait and see. Anyway, the system is quite quick, but it really makes you think... Anyway, I didn't think anything of the sort when I entered the MK. I was just ready to ride. I waited long enough. We passed under the Main Street Train Station (where I picked up some maps for my collection) and onto Main Street, U.S.A. You won't fine a more accurate replica of an old style main street anywhere else in the area. Main Street is simply charming, from its small shops to its old fashioned food stalls to its classic trolley trains. It is unbelievable how picturesque this small strip of land can be. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to take it all in. Main Street was completely packed. I think it was either almost time for a parade or a parade just let out. Anyway, we made our way through the huge masses of people to the heart of the Magic Kingdom, a.k.a "The Hub", right in front of the "dressed-up" Cinderella Castle. This is where one of the most important pieces of information for guests just entering can be found, the Billboard of all wait times in the park. As soon as we arrived at the board, I checked it out, and to be honest, I was quite surprised. The wait times were not bad at ALL. The longest waits were Splash and Space Mountain, along with Peter Pan, which are expected before entering the park. Anyway, with 20 minute waits for the all-new Pirates, Big Thunder Mountain, and the Haunted Mansion, we opted to hit the right side of the park first. Since Pirates would be the first attraction we would hit that everyone wanted to do, we decided to hit that first!
I had read about the new "additions" to the ride before the trip, and from my understanding, it seemed to be a very successful rehab in incorporating the characters from the movies. So, I was pretty excited to see what they really did during the near 6-month rehab. After walking through the sidewalks of Adventureland, we came to the ride, which has all-new decorations out from, most notably the mast of a pirate's ship with a big black and red sign saying the ride's title, "Pirates of the Caribbean". We walked over towards the entrance, expecting around a 20 minute wait, as the billboard in the front of the park had promoted. This particular ride has two different queue lines, but they all lead to the same place, just opposite sides of the station. It's been known that the left queue is ALWAYS shorter than the right. However, as we were walking towards the entrance to both queues, we saw a large amount of people walking into the left queue, so we ducked right and decided to try that queue. Unfortunately, this ended up being a poor choice on our part. Once we walked through the people-counter for the ride, we walked through the dim-lited and dark queue line until we came to a halt in one of the queue's numerous hallways. The queue for the ride is pretty nicely themed, with some random barrels and crates (full of rum, of course :P), torches illuminated with the light of fire, and overall just a prison-y feel to it, which is really cool. Even though we were in almost complete darkness, I took out one of my park maps and started observing it. Even though the MK is a pretty easy park to navigate, I hadn't been in the park in 3 years. So, I observed, and we-familiarized myself with the park itself. Our wait time, the depths of the POTC queue was about 15 minutes, in other words, we were on the "dock" in 15 minutes. Throughout waiting in the queue, I was extremely excited. It was our first official ride of the trip, and the additions to the ride really excited me. Once we arrived at the dock, we saw two operators who were definitely enjoying their job. Decked in pirates costumes and fake swords, and pointed the swords at park guests saying "what you looking at?" lol. I was waiting for one of them to do that for me...considering I had an answer for them. "You", I would simply say lol. Anyway, another operator asks us how many, and we told them. We were assigned the last two rows, which I was particularly happy about, but what can you do? We all sat down, and got ready for the ride in front of us. As I waited for the conveyor belt to send us gilding into the water, I looked around the station and realized how awesome it was. I had never realized how detailed it was. Anyway, the moving of the conveyor belt caught me off guard, and we were on our way. Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for me...
We were finally on our voyage through the seas of the Caribbean. The ride starts off very dark, and we rounded the turn, ready to take in the brand new effects added to the ride, the Davy Jones waterfall effect. We could hear his voice as we rounded the turn in near darkness. Finally, we encountered the waterfall. This thing seriously looks extremely real. The first time we rode it, meaning this ride, I thought we were going to get drenched by this huge waterfall. Well, this thing tricks you. There is no projection on the "screen" until you get close enough. Finally, the sea-monster named Davy Jones, appears on the waterfall. And what does he do? He laughs. After a big old laugh from Mr. Jones, he begins to speak, and repeats the classic line, "Dead Men Tell No Tales." I've learned that he says different things each time, which is pretty cool. Anyway, once he's done chit-chatting, there's only one way to go, through the water fall. As we went through, we were greeting with a mist-like effect, which was very awesome. It was really an awesome addition to the ride, and an amazing ride to start the ride off. Anyway, after the amazing effect, we were on our way through some sort of dark caverns with rock-formations. After a short trip through a cavern, we moved on that seems to be Isla de Muerta. The beaches are covered with plentiful ruins of old ships, and even some bare skeletons that have washed up on shore. On the other side, we see a jolly old skeleton steering a broken wooden ship. The wind sounds are now kicking in, adding more to the effect of everything being deserted, expect for the remains of some jolly old fellows. After we move on from the beaches of Isla de Muerta, we are surrounded and complete darkness. We continue to move closer and closer to a Skull and Crossbones dead ahead above us, and then, we drop. Whee! We sailed down what seems to be a 20 foot drop or less. Hey, it isn't much, but that isn't what this ride's about!After our nice, leisurely drop, it's time to meet up with our good friend Captain Barbossa. He seems to be having quite a battle on his hands. He's on his ship, decked out at sea, with multiple cannons firing from his ship to the fort next to us. The fort, which is being attacked, is firing back at Captain Barbossa, who is making orders from his ship. And we are all in the middle of it. Water is splashing everywhere from the cannonballs falling in the water, and explosions are heard when the ship or fort is hit. The Barbossa animatronic is very realistic, but looks a little differently than he appears in the movie (In a different outfit, mainly). This is the big battle scene of the ride, and it is pretty intense. What I love about this scene is how you're in the middle of it all. If you're lucky enough, you may receive a nice spray of water when the cannonballs hit. Even though Barbossa continues fighting and giving order, we move on, on the hunt to find Captain Jack Sparrow. He should be around here, somewhere...
After the fort scene, we move on into a small pirates town, where the big news is Captain Jack Sparrow, who was seen running through the small pirate town. However, where is Captain Jack. As we move on, we see him hiding in a wardrobe of women's dresses. Nice hiding spot, Jack. This is our first glimpse at how amazing these AA's really are. It really seems like Mr. Depp is standing there, acting in a theme park attraction. His look matches perfectly as in the movies, from his clothing to general appearance. The first time I saw it, I couldn't believe how realistic it was. It really is a sight to see, and an excellent addition to the classic ride to give it a little more flavor and appeal. Anyway, moving on, we notice numerous pirates doing what they do best, drinking rum, of course! Yep, this scene consist of pirates ravaging the town with rum bottles in hand. After taking in these classics AA's, which I believe all stayed the same, we pass under a bridge and into the next scene, where CaptainJack but be sighted again. However, we first see some more classics parts to this ride, including some drunk pirates chasing some girls lol. After enjoying some more classic AA's, we come upon an old drunk man, sitting down on a crate. He's explaining the story of Jack Sparrow. Now irony kicks in. As we pass by, Jack pops his head out of the barrel behind the old drunk guy and stares at him...and then at us. It was a little creepy, but awesome. Once again, these AA's are something you're not going to find anywhere else, except Disneyland of course. After our second to last encounter with Jack, our voyage continues into the next scene. The next scene is what I like to call "What Happens When Pirates Get Too Drunk". As soon as we enter, we see the town in flames and in ruins. However, this is just the Pirates lifestyle, as they greet us with the singing of the classic song, "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for me!" Sure, the town's up in flames and is burning as they sing, but does it seem like they care? I don't think so. We encounter some more classic AA figures in this scene, including a band singing the classic tune, and some pirates so drunk they can't even move, unless it is to put the rum bottles up to their mouths lol. Anyway, shouldn't we be running into Captain Jack sometime soon? Jack is nowhere to be found in this scene, but the ride moves on. Coming up next is quite possibly the most remembered scene in the whole ride, the jail cell with criminals begging the dog for the keys to open the cell. That dog is never going to move, and I think that those pirates know it, but they continue to try to try to end their misery in the prison. We now round a corner, and guess who we see. That's right, it's Captain Jack Sparrow, found in the treasure room. He's relaxing and enjoying himself with gold all around him. The treasure is his, as no one else is in sight. With the enjoyment of gold all around him, he sings with true pirate spirit. "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me". We then leave the joyous Captain Jack to enjoy his treasure, and we disembark at the exit platform. We all jump out, and head for the exit. On a final note, did a People Mover always used to be there to transport you from the exit platform to the upstairs gift shop? I personally never remembered that...Anyway, let's move onto the first KKR05's Expert Advice!
KKR05's Expert Advice-Pirates of the Caribbean-Is "Pirates" you're type of ride? Here's how to find out. Did you like the Pirates movies? If so, you will love the new additions to the classic ride. From the Davy Jones water effect to the amazing Captain Jack AA's, it's quite a sight to see. As for fans of the classic attraction, don't worry, most of the attraction has not been changed at ALL. All of older AA's are still in place I believe, along with all the old effects. Overall, Pirates is an attraction that anyone will now enjoy, especially with the new additions to the ride.
After an excellent ride on the new POTC, we made our way into the gift shop after riding the People Mover. The gift shop is now FULL of movie merchandise, along with some classic Pirate Props. It seemed to be doing very well, as it was full of people. I really think this rehab was a success and in the long run it will attract more and more people to enjoy the experience. After finding our way through the gift shop, our next stop was...the bathrooms! Yay! After a relaxing stop (lol), we were back on the "midway", and made our way west into Frontierland, home of 2 of the park's major attractions, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. One of these attractions was next up on our hit list...but you'll have to wait until next time to see which one!
I had read about the new "additions" to the ride before the trip, and from my understanding, it seemed to be a very successful rehab in incorporating the characters from the movies. So, I was pretty excited to see what they really did during the near 6-month rehab. After walking through the sidewalks of Adventureland, we came to the ride, which has all-new decorations out from, most notably the mast of a pirate's ship with a big black and red sign saying the ride's title, "Pirates of the Caribbean". We walked over towards the entrance, expecting around a 20 minute wait, as the billboard in the front of the park had promoted. This particular ride has two different queue lines, but they all lead to the same place, just opposite sides of the station. It's been known that the left queue is ALWAYS shorter than the right. However, as we were walking towards the entrance to both queues, we saw a large amount of people walking into the left queue, so we ducked right and decided to try that queue. Unfortunately, this ended up being a poor choice on our part. Once we walked through the people-counter for the ride, we walked through the dim-lited and dark queue line until we came to a halt in one of the queue's numerous hallways. The queue for the ride is pretty nicely themed, with some random barrels and crates (full of rum, of course :P), torches illuminated with the light of fire, and overall just a prison-y feel to it, which is really cool. Even though we were in almost complete darkness, I took out one of my park maps and started observing it. Even though the MK is a pretty easy park to navigate, I hadn't been in the park in 3 years. So, I observed, and we-familiarized myself with the park itself. Our wait time, the depths of the POTC queue was about 15 minutes, in other words, we were on the "dock" in 15 minutes. Throughout waiting in the queue, I was extremely excited. It was our first official ride of the trip, and the additions to the ride really excited me. Once we arrived at the dock, we saw two operators who were definitely enjoying their job. Decked in pirates costumes and fake swords, and pointed the swords at park guests saying "what you looking at?" lol. I was waiting for one of them to do that for me...considering I had an answer for them. "You", I would simply say lol. Anyway, another operator asks us how many, and we told them. We were assigned the last two rows, which I was particularly happy about, but what can you do? We all sat down, and got ready for the ride in front of us. As I waited for the conveyor belt to send us gilding into the water, I looked around the station and realized how awesome it was. I had never realized how detailed it was. Anyway, the moving of the conveyor belt caught me off guard, and we were on our way. Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for me...
We were finally on our voyage through the seas of the Caribbean. The ride starts off very dark, and we rounded the turn, ready to take in the brand new effects added to the ride, the Davy Jones waterfall effect. We could hear his voice as we rounded the turn in near darkness. Finally, we encountered the waterfall. This thing seriously looks extremely real. The first time we rode it, meaning this ride, I thought we were going to get drenched by this huge waterfall. Well, this thing tricks you. There is no projection on the "screen" until you get close enough. Finally, the sea-monster named Davy Jones, appears on the waterfall. And what does he do? He laughs. After a big old laugh from Mr. Jones, he begins to speak, and repeats the classic line, "Dead Men Tell No Tales." I've learned that he says different things each time, which is pretty cool. Anyway, once he's done chit-chatting, there's only one way to go, through the water fall. As we went through, we were greeting with a mist-like effect, which was very awesome. It was really an awesome addition to the ride, and an amazing ride to start the ride off. Anyway, after the amazing effect, we were on our way through some sort of dark caverns with rock-formations. After a short trip through a cavern, we moved on that seems to be Isla de Muerta. The beaches are covered with plentiful ruins of old ships, and even some bare skeletons that have washed up on shore. On the other side, we see a jolly old skeleton steering a broken wooden ship. The wind sounds are now kicking in, adding more to the effect of everything being deserted, expect for the remains of some jolly old fellows. After we move on from the beaches of Isla de Muerta, we are surrounded and complete darkness. We continue to move closer and closer to a Skull and Crossbones dead ahead above us, and then, we drop. Whee! We sailed down what seems to be a 20 foot drop or less. Hey, it isn't much, but that isn't what this ride's about!After our nice, leisurely drop, it's time to meet up with our good friend Captain Barbossa. He seems to be having quite a battle on his hands. He's on his ship, decked out at sea, with multiple cannons firing from his ship to the fort next to us. The fort, which is being attacked, is firing back at Captain Barbossa, who is making orders from his ship. And we are all in the middle of it. Water is splashing everywhere from the cannonballs falling in the water, and explosions are heard when the ship or fort is hit. The Barbossa animatronic is very realistic, but looks a little differently than he appears in the movie (In a different outfit, mainly). This is the big battle scene of the ride, and it is pretty intense. What I love about this scene is how you're in the middle of it all. If you're lucky enough, you may receive a nice spray of water when the cannonballs hit. Even though Barbossa continues fighting and giving order, we move on, on the hunt to find Captain Jack Sparrow. He should be around here, somewhere...
After the fort scene, we move on into a small pirates town, where the big news is Captain Jack Sparrow, who was seen running through the small pirate town. However, where is Captain Jack. As we move on, we see him hiding in a wardrobe of women's dresses. Nice hiding spot, Jack. This is our first glimpse at how amazing these AA's really are. It really seems like Mr. Depp is standing there, acting in a theme park attraction. His look matches perfectly as in the movies, from his clothing to general appearance. The first time I saw it, I couldn't believe how realistic it was. It really is a sight to see, and an excellent addition to the classic ride to give it a little more flavor and appeal. Anyway, moving on, we notice numerous pirates doing what they do best, drinking rum, of course! Yep, this scene consist of pirates ravaging the town with rum bottles in hand. After taking in these classics AA's, which I believe all stayed the same, we pass under a bridge and into the next scene, where CaptainJack but be sighted again. However, we first see some more classics parts to this ride, including some drunk pirates chasing some girls lol. After enjoying some more classic AA's, we come upon an old drunk man, sitting down on a crate. He's explaining the story of Jack Sparrow. Now irony kicks in. As we pass by, Jack pops his head out of the barrel behind the old drunk guy and stares at him...and then at us. It was a little creepy, but awesome. Once again, these AA's are something you're not going to find anywhere else, except Disneyland of course. After our second to last encounter with Jack, our voyage continues into the next scene. The next scene is what I like to call "What Happens When Pirates Get Too Drunk". As soon as we enter, we see the town in flames and in ruins. However, this is just the Pirates lifestyle, as they greet us with the singing of the classic song, "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for me!" Sure, the town's up in flames and is burning as they sing, but does it seem like they care? I don't think so. We encounter some more classic AA figures in this scene, including a band singing the classic tune, and some pirates so drunk they can't even move, unless it is to put the rum bottles up to their mouths lol. Anyway, shouldn't we be running into Captain Jack sometime soon? Jack is nowhere to be found in this scene, but the ride moves on. Coming up next is quite possibly the most remembered scene in the whole ride, the jail cell with criminals begging the dog for the keys to open the cell. That dog is never going to move, and I think that those pirates know it, but they continue to try to try to end their misery in the prison. We now round a corner, and guess who we see. That's right, it's Captain Jack Sparrow, found in the treasure room. He's relaxing and enjoying himself with gold all around him. The treasure is his, as no one else is in sight. With the enjoyment of gold all around him, he sings with true pirate spirit. "Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me". We then leave the joyous Captain Jack to enjoy his treasure, and we disembark at the exit platform. We all jump out, and head for the exit. On a final note, did a People Mover always used to be there to transport you from the exit platform to the upstairs gift shop? I personally never remembered that...Anyway, let's move onto the first KKR05's Expert Advice!
KKR05's Expert Advice-Pirates of the Caribbean-Is "Pirates" you're type of ride? Here's how to find out. Did you like the Pirates movies? If so, you will love the new additions to the classic ride. From the Davy Jones water effect to the amazing Captain Jack AA's, it's quite a sight to see. As for fans of the classic attraction, don't worry, most of the attraction has not been changed at ALL. All of older AA's are still in place I believe, along with all the old effects. Overall, Pirates is an attraction that anyone will now enjoy, especially with the new additions to the ride.
After an excellent ride on the new POTC, we made our way into the gift shop after riding the People Mover. The gift shop is now FULL of movie merchandise, along with some classic Pirate Props. It seemed to be doing very well, as it was full of people. I really think this rehab was a success and in the long run it will attract more and more people to enjoy the experience. After finding our way through the gift shop, our next stop was...the bathrooms! Yay! After a relaxing stop (lol), we were back on the "midway", and made our way west into Frontierland, home of 2 of the park's major attractions, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. One of these attractions was next up on our hit list...but you'll have to wait until next time to see which one!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Chapter 4:Sliding, Chilling, Swimming, and Relaxing
In the morning of the second day, we all slept in after a late night the night before. I woke around 9:30 to our first full day in the Sunshine State. I was excited, mainly that today would be our first day at a park, which means it's time to ride. However, our first trip to a park would not happen until later on in the afternoon. After everyone got up and was ready to go, we started off our morning by heading out to get breakfast and drive around our resort's property to see what was actually there, what we couldn't do the night before. As we wandered the property, all I thought was "holy crap this place is huge". The resort consists of many different developments that each have their fair share of rooms. After looking around at how huge the resort itself was, we made our way over to the Clubhouse, where we had our first breakfast of the trip. I had some scrambled eggs and bacon, which were delicious, along with freshly-squeezed orange juice :P. After a very nice breakfast, I looked around the Pro Shop at all the golf related items they had. They had quite a variety of items, from hats to shirts to clubs to balls. I really wanted to play some golf on this trip, but I didn't know if it was going to happen. Anyway, after the Pro Shop, we hopped back in the car and continued to explore the property. There was some MAJOR construction going on at our resort, as many of the different "developments" the resort had weren't even finished. After doing some more exploring, we went back to the room to grab our suits, as we would be starting our day over at the resort's water park. After everyone was ready, we all hopped back in the car and made our way over. It was around 10:oo AM now, and since the water park had just opened, we didn't think many people would be there, and luckily we were right. When we got there, we basically had the park to ourselves, which was amazing. We grabbed some towels at the entrance and continued to walk into the park. Once we were in, we found a few lounge chairs so we could put down all of our things. Before I jumped it, I just looked around the park. I seriously thought I was on a tropical island. The setting was extremely natural, with plenty of shrubs, trees, and scenery to make you think you really were on an island. And, while I was just gazing around, I heard a very familiar sound come over the park's speaker system. Just what was it though? None other than the Red Hot Chili Pepper's Dani California of course :P. I was now ready to jump in. We all first headed over to the lazy river for a few nice laps around. I jumped into the almost person-less lazy river to cool off on a hot Florida day. The lazy river was very nice, complete with four waterfalls, a tunnel, and of course, lush scenery. After two laps of relaxation, we all decided to head over to the main event of the park, their slide. We got out of the lazy river and climbed up the large number of stairwells to the top of rock "mountain". Since, as I said before, the park was deserted, there was no one on or waiting to go on the slide. Just how I like it. I jumped into the starting platform (it was a body slide, built into this rock "mountain") and pushed off the side of the slide. The slide sends you twisting and turning down inside this rock formation. Around and around I went until I hit that last crazy curve and flew into the water. The slide was pretty fun, and you actually gain quite a bit of speed, especially towards the end and at the final curve. Anyway, we all did the slide a few times (STILL no one on the slide), until we finally decided we had enough and decided to walk around the park and enjoy the paradise it seemed to be like. As we walked around, we heard another song that I like, Gnarls Barkley's Crazy :P I needed to figure what radio station this was. Anyway, we ended up back at the slide, and we all wanted to go to check out the kiddie playground. The quickest route seemed to be down the slide, so that's what we did! Once we were all at the bottom, we were basically at the entrance to the kiddie playground. I don't care what you say, these things can be so much freaking fun! This one was bigger than I expected it to be, so I climbed up and checked it out. While I was up there, I decided to go down the biggest slide they had. Sure it was slow, but it was still pretty fun! I used the water guns on the structure to squirt people as they went down :P After playing around for a while on the kiddie structure, we decided to head back to the main pool to relax for a bit. I chilled in an inner tube as I went around the pool. After chilling in the pool, going on the slide a few for times, and taking another lap on the lazy river, it was about time to call it day, at the water park that is. As we all dried off, another song that I like came over the radio, Over My Head by The Fray :lol: I definitely NEEDED to know this station. Anyway, after we all dried off, we threw our towels in the bin, and headed out of the water park around 1:oo PM. It was 3 hours full of sliding, chilling, swimming, and relaxing. What an amazing day to start off the day.
After the water park, we hopped back in the car and cruised back to our room. We all got changed, as we were ready for our trip to the Magic Kingdom coming up next! However, we would grab a bite to eat at the McDonald's in Champions Gate Village, which I mentioned earlier. I got what I always get at McDonald's, Chicken Selects. At McDonald's, they had Strawberry Fanta, which I had never seen before, so I decided to try it. It was actually much better than I expected it to be. I don't know if it's new or they don't have it New Jersey or something (wouldn't be a surprise), but would like to get my hands on some more of it. :P Anyway, after a quick lunch, it was time to set out for the Magic Kingdom! Yay! I was definitely ready for our first theme park of the trip (finally!) It was about time. We made the 5 minute drive to the Walt Disney World gate. (it was very convinient that our resort was so close to WDW) Once inside, you could feel the magic in the gate. Billboards and road signs pumped me up for the Magic Kingdom, just ahead! It was finally time!
After the water park, we hopped back in the car and cruised back to our room. We all got changed, as we were ready for our trip to the Magic Kingdom coming up next! However, we would grab a bite to eat at the McDonald's in Champions Gate Village, which I mentioned earlier. I got what I always get at McDonald's, Chicken Selects. At McDonald's, they had Strawberry Fanta, which I had never seen before, so I decided to try it. It was actually much better than I expected it to be. I don't know if it's new or they don't have it New Jersey or something (wouldn't be a surprise), but would like to get my hands on some more of it. :P Anyway, after a quick lunch, it was time to set out for the Magic Kingdom! Yay! I was definitely ready for our first theme park of the trip (finally!) It was about time. We made the 5 minute drive to the Walt Disney World gate. (it was very convinient that our resort was so close to WDW) Once inside, you could feel the magic in the gate. Billboards and road signs pumped me up for the Magic Kingdom, just ahead! It was finally time!
Friday, August 25, 2006
Chapter 3:Blast Off, at last!
So, after we were all done looking around the airport, we decided just to wait and sit in our gate's waiting area. We only had about 15 minutes before they would begin boarding, so I looked through my Golf Digest while waiting. They had some good tips on how to improve your swing, which I read through while waiting. Within 10 minutes, they began boarding First Class. After First Class was done, they would start to board the people towards the back of the plane. We were in the middle of the plane, so after 5 minutes we decided to head over to the gate because almost everyone on our flight was over there. We waited on line to get our tickets checked, which took about 5 minutes. Finally, we were ready to board the plane. We went aboard and quickly found our seats. Our plane was bigger than the plane's I'm usually in. It sat 2 then 3 then 2. We took the middle seats and one of the end seats. I sat on the far left in the middle row. The first thing I noticed on the plane was the TV's in the seats in front of us. Yes! I was hoping that we would be able to watch some sort of movie or something while in the air. Luckily, that would come true, but more about that later. The next thing I noticed was that people were bringing drinks on to the plane. What? Wasn't there a big liquids search going on and it was issued that drinks were not allowed to come on planes? I guess some people can never follow the rules :rolleyes: Anyway, it would be a while till blast-off (and I mean a whileee) so I opened my orange Under Armour bag and found my Golf Digest magazine that I stuffed in there before we boarded. I looked through that for a bit, especially at the parts about improved your game. While I was looking through it, the pilot came over the Intercom and had some bad news for everyone. He said that a storm was in the area and that this would delay their departure. Just great. There were clear skies outside our window, so I don't know where that was coming from. Anyway, we all just sat there, waiting to finally see some action going on. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. During the near 2 hours that our flight was delayed (yes, that's right, 2 hours!), I found a Sky Mall magazine in the pocket in the seat in front of me, and looked through that. This magazine is actually pretty amazing. It has a ton of cool stuff to look at, like the things you won't see everyday (interesting little gadgets). After I was done with that, it was time to bring out my iPod. I listened to a variety of songs, mostly from RHCP's Stadium Arcadium. Believe it or not, but after a while of listening to my iPod, the pilot came over the intercom and said that we would be in the air soon! Yay! It really didn't feel like 2 hours, but it indeed was. After that, I turned off my iPod for a while and decided to check out what they had on the airport's radio. There really wasn't much of my liking, but I really never listen to the radio anyway. Pretty soon they turned the TV's on in the plane and showed a video as to how they worked. They had an entertainment guide in the pouch in the seat in front of us, so I looked through that to see what kind of entertainment they would be showing us. They ended up having a variety of options, but I decided to watch Mission Impossible 3. I saw it in theaters and thought it was actually a very good movie, so I decided to watch it considering there wasn't much else anyway to watch. After I put the entertainment guide away, we were almost ready to launch our flight. Once we finally reached the runway, we all sat in our seats, just waiting to get in the air. Finally, we started to move, then going faster, and faster, and faster! Whee! After gaining a ton of speed, we started to drift off the runway. The lift-off on an airplane was more forceful than I remembered it. I popped a piece of gum in my mouth and prepared myself for the ascent. We soon got higher, higher, and higher! Soon enough, we were high in the clouds, soaring over NJ and ready to arrive in Orlando, FL.
Once we were high in the sky, our TV sets turned on, and we were free to change the station to whatever we had liked. I found MI3 on a channel, and then proceeded to relax in my seat for the ride to Florida. During the main part of the flight, all I really did was watch the movie. It kept me entertained for the entire flight, which ended up being about an hour and 45 minutes (there was a clock on the TV). Unfortunately, we weren't able to finish the movie as we began our descent in Orlando, FL. The descent was pretty rough, so I relaxed and continued to watch the movie until all the screens went blank. After that, the end was over for us. Ugh, I would have liked to watch the end. Oh well, we were about to land in Florida, and have an amazing vacation. Once we finally arrived at our gate, we waited to get off the plane and go into the airport. Once inside Orlando International Airport, our first stop was the bathrooms :P Then we took the trams over to the main part of the airport so we could pick up our bags. That ended up taking an extremely long time, and it seemed like the same few bags would go around and around... Anyway, it took about a half hour for us to get our bags, and once we finally found them, we went over to Avis for the car we'd be spending the next week in. Once all things were handled at the front desk, we made our way to the parking lot. Once we entered, I said to myself, "this is the nicest parking lot I've ever been in". Seriously, it was. There were a ton of waterfalls and fountains all over the place. Seemed like a good place for some gators...anyway, we found the Avis place which gave us our key to the car. Once we finally found it, the first thing that crossed our minds was...why do we have an Arkansas license plate!?!? That was pretty odd...anyway we piled in the Sonata (our rent-a-car) and hit the road for our hotel...The Reunion Resort. On the way there, we encountered quite a few things. 1. Being the major construction going on in the area. 2. Being the large amount of tolls on the road. 3. Was the insane amount of trees, most notably palm trees. Since it was pitch dark out, these were the only things we could take note of...other than the lit-up billboards, some of which were for Disney (We passed a Soarin' one right near the airport, as well as BGA) Anyway, the drive to the hotel wasn't bad at all. It was 25-30 minutes tops. We came down the main exit off I-4 (The main road near WDW) and encountered the area we would be staying in for the next week. The nice little area was home to two hotels, ours and Champions Gate, which had a nice assortment of restaurants and stores on site and accessible to anyone. It was already 10:00, and we were all pretty hungry, but we decided to go and finally check-in first. Once we finally reached the gate to our hotel, we found our area (the resort is HUGE) and pulled into the small gate house they have. This is where we would check in, and where they also had free, fresh lemonade :P Once we were all ready to go and were checked-in successfully, the lady said she would show was where our room was (yes this hotel is freaking hugeeeeeee) The drive to our room wasn't that long, luckily though. On the way there, we noticed a very rare amount of cars parked at their respective "houses" (Our district is a large assortment of "houses" hold 8-10 rooms). We figured they were all at Disney, but we were dead wrong :rolleyes: Finally, we pulled up to our house, with no other parked cars near it. Once we all finally reached our destination, the lady firmly said that there was NO ONE ELSE IN OUR BUILDING, but we had neighbors in the other houses. :lol: This was unbelievable. She said that it was a golfing resort, so most people didn't come this time of year. Anyway, after this strange occurrence, we walked into our room. Holy crap this thing was huge. Our room had 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a huge amount of closets. Holy crap...seriously. There were two floors all to ourselves. This was indeed amazing. After exploring every nook and cranny the room had to offer, we were all hungry :lol:. However, it was after 10:30 already, so we had to hurry. We all piled back in the car and headed over to Chili's for a bite to eat. I had my usual...Chicken Ranch sandwich, and it was excellent. We asked our waitress about what park to do tomorrow (I still don't know why), and she said Universal. Of course, we wouldn't be doing Universal on this trip, so she said Magic Kingdom, and noted that EPCOT was "boring". :rolleyes: Anyway, after a quick dinner at Chili's, it was almost 11:30 already. Wow. We stopped at 7-11 for drinks for the room and finally arrived back at the hotel. It was indeed a very, very tiring day, and we all fell right asleep.
Once we were high in the sky, our TV sets turned on, and we were free to change the station to whatever we had liked. I found MI3 on a channel, and then proceeded to relax in my seat for the ride to Florida. During the main part of the flight, all I really did was watch the movie. It kept me entertained for the entire flight, which ended up being about an hour and 45 minutes (there was a clock on the TV). Unfortunately, we weren't able to finish the movie as we began our descent in Orlando, FL. The descent was pretty rough, so I relaxed and continued to watch the movie until all the screens went blank. After that, the end was over for us. Ugh, I would have liked to watch the end. Oh well, we were about to land in Florida, and have an amazing vacation. Once we finally arrived at our gate, we waited to get off the plane and go into the airport. Once inside Orlando International Airport, our first stop was the bathrooms :P Then we took the trams over to the main part of the airport so we could pick up our bags. That ended up taking an extremely long time, and it seemed like the same few bags would go around and around... Anyway, it took about a half hour for us to get our bags, and once we finally found them, we went over to Avis for the car we'd be spending the next week in. Once all things were handled at the front desk, we made our way to the parking lot. Once we entered, I said to myself, "this is the nicest parking lot I've ever been in". Seriously, it was. There were a ton of waterfalls and fountains all over the place. Seemed like a good place for some gators...anyway, we found the Avis place which gave us our key to the car. Once we finally found it, the first thing that crossed our minds was...why do we have an Arkansas license plate!?!? That was pretty odd...anyway we piled in the Sonata (our rent-a-car) and hit the road for our hotel...The Reunion Resort. On the way there, we encountered quite a few things. 1. Being the major construction going on in the area. 2. Being the large amount of tolls on the road. 3. Was the insane amount of trees, most notably palm trees. Since it was pitch dark out, these were the only things we could take note of...other than the lit-up billboards, some of which were for Disney (We passed a Soarin' one right near the airport, as well as BGA) Anyway, the drive to the hotel wasn't bad at all. It was 25-30 minutes tops. We came down the main exit off I-4 (The main road near WDW) and encountered the area we would be staying in for the next week. The nice little area was home to two hotels, ours and Champions Gate, which had a nice assortment of restaurants and stores on site and accessible to anyone. It was already 10:00, and we were all pretty hungry, but we decided to go and finally check-in first. Once we finally reached the gate to our hotel, we found our area (the resort is HUGE) and pulled into the small gate house they have. This is where we would check in, and where they also had free, fresh lemonade :P Once we were all ready to go and were checked-in successfully, the lady said she would show was where our room was (yes this hotel is freaking hugeeeeeee) The drive to our room wasn't that long, luckily though. On the way there, we noticed a very rare amount of cars parked at their respective "houses" (Our district is a large assortment of "houses" hold 8-10 rooms). We figured they were all at Disney, but we were dead wrong :rolleyes: Finally, we pulled up to our house, with no other parked cars near it. Once we all finally reached our destination, the lady firmly said that there was NO ONE ELSE IN OUR BUILDING, but we had neighbors in the other houses. :lol: This was unbelievable. She said that it was a golfing resort, so most people didn't come this time of year. Anyway, after this strange occurrence, we walked into our room. Holy crap this thing was huge. Our room had 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a huge amount of closets. Holy crap...seriously. There were two floors all to ourselves. This was indeed amazing. After exploring every nook and cranny the room had to offer, we were all hungry :lol:. However, it was after 10:30 already, so we had to hurry. We all piled back in the car and headed over to Chili's for a bite to eat. I had my usual...Chicken Ranch sandwich, and it was excellent. We asked our waitress about what park to do tomorrow (I still don't know why), and she said Universal. Of course, we wouldn't be doing Universal on this trip, so she said Magic Kingdom, and noted that EPCOT was "boring". :rolleyes: Anyway, after a quick dinner at Chili's, it was almost 11:30 already. Wow. We stopped at 7-11 for drinks for the room and finally arrived back at the hotel. It was indeed a very, very tiring day, and we all fell right asleep.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Disney Trip Report
So, we were on our way to the most popular airport in our area, Newark International Airport. We quickly pulled away from our house and said "bye-bye for a week!" Man, I couldn't be happier than to get out of that house. I love being out of the house. Staying inside for hours and hours at a time will kill me. Anyway, we hoped on Route 1, and then exited so we could join the good old Jersey Turnpike, then take that to the airport. On the way to the airport, I really didn't do much of anything, besides look out the window. I had my last few looks of New Jersey before coming to the airport. I wouldn't miss NJ in the Sunshine State of Florida. I really couldn't wait to finally be there and most of all, be on vacation. Luckily there was no traffic on the Turnpike, which made our 30 minute car ride to the airport smooth-sailing. We were lucky, too. I wanted to make sure we had plenty of time for security purposes considering the circumstances. Our quick trip to Newark was shorter than I expected it to be, most likely due to no traffic. We arrived at the airport in about 20-25 minutes, not bad at all. We stopped in front of the Continental gate, which is the flight carrier we would be flying with today. Outside of the gate, the streets were packed with people trying to get out of their cabs and cars and trying to get safely inside. The place was a nightmare, so we stopped and quick grabbed our bags from the trunk. After that, we made our way over to the sidewalk and found a line outside for the "baggage check". I don't really know what to call it, but it's where they take your big bags, label them, and put them on to a large conveyor belt that takes them away. Anyway, we waited about 10 minutes in line for us to get rid of our big bags, which is nice. I really didn't feel like dragging big bags all over the airport. Once that was all said and done, the guy told us our gate was changed to 90. With that, we entered the airport, and continued to make our way towards the security terminal, which was bound to be a nightmare.
On the way there, we looked at the big TV screens to see if our flight was delayed or on-time. Luckily, it was still on-time, but that was bound to change. We noticed, however, the old gate number was still listed on the TV screens, and then an attendant reassured us that the number on the screen is the correct one. What?? Where is this guy shipping our bags then?? At that point we were all just very confused, so we went with the attendant and the TV screens and decided to make our way to the left side of the airport. However, first we would encounter security, and we were all ready for it. We made our way up the escalators and to the security station. Once we reach the top, we see…about 25 people in line. What? Weren't there supposed to be huge security back-ups today because of the bomb threat? This was the shocker of the day. The line took a matter of 5 minutes or less…especially when an officer opened a new device right where we were in line. Sweet! We proceeded towards the security terminal, and unlocked our pockets and put our carry-on bags in baskets so we could push down the security conveyor belt. After our belongings were on our way, it was our turn to go through the metal detectors. We all removed our shoes and quickly walked through with no problems. We quickly gathered up our belongings, put our shoes on, and made our way towards our gate. Since we had some (some? No, a LOT) of time to kill, we decided to find our gate, and then wander through the airport. I had been in this airport since 2000, so I really didn't remember much about it. Anyway, as we walked down the hallways, the airport started to look more like a mall of sorts. There were many little shops and restaurants…which I was surprised to see. Once we came to the end of the main connector hallway, we entered the complete left end of the airport. Now, this part definitely looked like a mall. Shops were lines up left and right…and in the middle were something you never see at any mall… People Movers! Yay! I love riding these things. There were quite a few of them, and we rode them all the way down to our gate…which was all the way at the end. We also discovered something pretty cool on the People Movers. Try walking on them to the end, and you'll notice that you have some sick speed coming off them. Anyway, once we reached our terminal, we really realized how much time we had. There were people waiting to get on the flight BEFORE us. So, yep, we had some time to kill. We explored the mall…eh…airport for a bit and I bought some gum in a magazine store. Orbit Cinnamon baby! This stuff is amazing. It's always good to have gum on a plane…it makes it much more comfortable for me. Anyway, we sat down for a while, and noticed all the restaurants and shops around us. This thing was amazing. At that point, I finally realized how HUGE airports really are. We took a quick rest, and decided to get a quick snack before boarding the plane. There was a cheesesteak place nearby called Steak Escape, so my brother and I decided to split one before boarding our plane. The cheesesteak ended up being much better than I thought it would. It was a good little snack before we were finally airborne. We relaxed at a table for a while after having our snack. A few minutes passed and we decided to check the TV screens once again to see what gate we really were supposed to be in. And sure enough...the guy single guy was correct. It was gate 90. Ugh...now we had to trek all the way to the opposite end of the airport to find our gate. Luckily, airports have the little amazing things called People Movers. As we made our way to the direct opposite side of the airport, we got to ride them once again. After about a 10 minute walk, we finally found our gate. We had about 45 minutes to kill before our flight began boarding, so we walked around the shops near our gate, going in a select few of them. This quickly burned some time, and before we knew it, it was 15 minutes till boarding time. I stopped in a magazine store and picked up the latest Golf Digest. After that, we took a seat in the waiting area, and waited for our plane to board. It would only be a matter of time now. I flipped through my Golf Digest, but the only thing that was going through my mind was "I'm going to Disney World!"
On the way there, we looked at the big TV screens to see if our flight was delayed or on-time. Luckily, it was still on-time, but that was bound to change. We noticed, however, the old gate number was still listed on the TV screens, and then an attendant reassured us that the number on the screen is the correct one. What?? Where is this guy shipping our bags then?? At that point we were all just very confused, so we went with the attendant and the TV screens and decided to make our way to the left side of the airport. However, first we would encounter security, and we were all ready for it. We made our way up the escalators and to the security station. Once we reach the top, we see…about 25 people in line. What? Weren't there supposed to be huge security back-ups today because of the bomb threat? This was the shocker of the day. The line took a matter of 5 minutes or less…especially when an officer opened a new device right where we were in line. Sweet! We proceeded towards the security terminal, and unlocked our pockets and put our carry-on bags in baskets so we could push down the security conveyor belt. After our belongings were on our way, it was our turn to go through the metal detectors. We all removed our shoes and quickly walked through with no problems. We quickly gathered up our belongings, put our shoes on, and made our way towards our gate. Since we had some (some? No, a LOT) of time to kill, we decided to find our gate, and then wander through the airport. I had been in this airport since 2000, so I really didn't remember much about it. Anyway, as we walked down the hallways, the airport started to look more like a mall of sorts. There were many little shops and restaurants…which I was surprised to see. Once we came to the end of the main connector hallway, we entered the complete left end of the airport. Now, this part definitely looked like a mall. Shops were lines up left and right…and in the middle were something you never see at any mall… People Movers! Yay! I love riding these things. There were quite a few of them, and we rode them all the way down to our gate…which was all the way at the end. We also discovered something pretty cool on the People Movers. Try walking on them to the end, and you'll notice that you have some sick speed coming off them. Anyway, once we reached our terminal, we really realized how much time we had. There were people waiting to get on the flight BEFORE us. So, yep, we had some time to kill. We explored the mall…eh…airport for a bit and I bought some gum in a magazine store. Orbit Cinnamon baby! This stuff is amazing. It's always good to have gum on a plane…it makes it much more comfortable for me. Anyway, we sat down for a while, and noticed all the restaurants and shops around us. This thing was amazing. At that point, I finally realized how HUGE airports really are. We took a quick rest, and decided to get a quick snack before boarding the plane. There was a cheesesteak place nearby called Steak Escape, so my brother and I decided to split one before boarding our plane. The cheesesteak ended up being much better than I thought it would. It was a good little snack before we were finally airborne. We relaxed at a table for a while after having our snack. A few minutes passed and we decided to check the TV screens once again to see what gate we really were supposed to be in. And sure enough...the guy single guy was correct. It was gate 90. Ugh...now we had to trek all the way to the opposite end of the airport to find our gate. Luckily, airports have the little amazing things called People Movers. As we made our way to the direct opposite side of the airport, we got to ride them once again. After about a 10 minute walk, we finally found our gate. We had about 45 minutes to kill before our flight began boarding, so we walked around the shops near our gate, going in a select few of them. This quickly burned some time, and before we knew it, it was 15 minutes till boarding time. I stopped in a magazine store and picked up the latest Golf Digest. After that, we took a seat in the waiting area, and waited for our plane to board. It would only be a matter of time now. I flipped through my Golf Digest, but the only thing that was going through my mind was "I'm going to Disney World!"
Thursday, July 27, 2006
After the Cars and the Kissing Tower, it was time to ride the park's B&M inverted coaster, Great Bear. I forgot to mention before that the ride had broken down earlier in the day, and I watched it do some test runs while on the Kissing Tower. By the time we were off both the Kissing Tower and Cars, the ride was open and ready to go. So, we made our way over to Great Bear's entrance to find an empty switchback, as viewable from the path in-between Wok and Roll and GB's entrance. Anyway, before we rode GB, we stopped at a near-by Coca-Cola cart for a few bottles of Dasani. Ah, water. It felt so refreshing when it was just blistering hot outside. I quickly took a few sips and then made my way over to the Great Bear entrance. Before I start with Bear though, I have to tell you about a very strange occurrence. While sitting on a park bench taking a few sips of water, I viewed Great Bear's entrance. I was just sitting there, relaxing, waiting for everyone to finish so we could ride. And then, out of no where, I'd say a mob of about 100 people come along and go straight the GB's entrance. I just watched with a puzzled look on my face. How were this many people coming at this certain point in time!? People just kept swarming in for a good couple of minutes. After watching this extremely odd occurrence, which really reminded me of running of the bulls, I quickly made my way over to the entrance before another mob came and the line got even longer! Fortunately, before the mob arrived, there wasn't really anyone on line waiting for the ride. However, after the mob showed up, the line stopped at the vending machines by the small "shower" in the queue line. As I stopped in the line by the vending machines, I was still in awe at this extremely strange occurrence. Oh well, good thing the operators on this ride were absolutely excellent. I said the line was out to the "shower" correct? Well, because of the awesome operators, I was IN the station in only 10 minutes. I was amazed at how well the operations were on this ride, especially with only 2 trains. Our wait really went by in no time. We just kept moving and moving and moving...we would really only stop for a few moments at a time. Finally, we arrived in the very nice looking station. The interior of the station itself is very nice, and I love the blue windows at the top. Anyway, we decided to look for the shortest row to ride, and it ended up being row number 2, surprisingly. Well, row numbers 2 and 3 had about the same wait, so we opted for row 2. The wait itself was only about a 2 train wait. Since again, the operators were doing an AWESOME job, I knew we would be on in no time.
From when we boarded the separate queue for our row to the time we boarded our train, it was a whopping 5 minutes. The operators were cranking out trains in no time, luckily for us. So, we were on the ride in no time. Our air-gate finally opened, and I made my way all the way down to right-hand seat. I always try to get the end seat on all B&M's. I love how you have much more space and a much better view than sitting in the middle. Anyway, I pulled down my restraint and made sure it was nice and comfortable, then secured the seat belt. I was ready to go as the operators quickly made their way around and checked all the restraints. Wow, they were fast. They were in and out of there before you knew it. After they quickly checked the train, it was now time to ride the Bear. we proceeded towards the lift as we made our way our of the station. We soon got hit with sunlight, which is almost completed blocked in Bear's station. We continued to pull up the lift, and as we got higher, we received more of an amazing view of the area. You notice the surrounding Coal Cracker flume, the classic Sooperdooperlooper coaster, and basically all of the Comet Hollow section of the park. However, this excellent view is soon over, as before you know it, you're at the top of the lift and getting ready for the ride to really begin. The first element on the ride is a very nice starting helix. I love the placement of this element. It really gives the ride a nice, strong start and can really grab you by surprise. Down and around we went, through the ride's first element. I found some decent forces towards the mid-point of the helix, which felt great as we continued our way towards the first major drop. We now went into a curved straightaway, moving along towards the first drop. Closer and closer we traveled, until we finally got pulled to the right and down the first very nice first drop. I felt a nice breeze as we made our way down towards the small little river in the park's Comet Hollow section of the park. Even though most of the ride itself is in the Comet Hollow part of the park, the entrance is in Minetown. It would be a better fit in Comet Hollow, but since most of the ride goes through that section, it doesn't much matter. Anyway, we traveled down to the ground below in a very nice, relaxing drop. GB's drop is very nice and enjoyable, and you gain some nice speed that carries you through the rest of the course. After a nice first drop, we sped into the first inversion the ride had to offer us, a nice vertical loop. Even though the element is forceless, you have to love the feeling the vertical loop gives you. No inverted coaster would be complete without a sweet vertical loop. We quickly went up, around, and back down again. As I said before, the element is very nice and relaxing, but shows no force. We continued to travel adjacent to Comet Hollow's stream until we came to the next inversion on our journey, a pretty strong Immelman. Since the ride had been pretty forceless so far, this element was a nice surprise. We came right up into the sky just like a regular vertical loop, but then flipped over and came falling back to earth. As we reached the element's apex, the forces were moderately strong, which was a nice surprise. What I love about the Immelman is how it really whips you back to earth. You go straight up, thinking your going to come right back down again like a regular loop, but no! The Immelman flips you over and sends you flying in a whole new direction. After a very nice Immelman inversion, you encounter one of my favorite inversions of all time and one of my favorite parts of this ride, the Zero-G roll. Before I continue, let just say that I love the feeling this inversion creates. I simply love the execution of this inversion, and it's definitely one of my personal favorites. After the Immelman, that ride throws us down and back up again into the 3rd inversion, the Zero-G roll, right over the Comet Hollow midway. We soon encountered the inversion, which really whips you 360 degrees around just like that. Before you know it you're in and out of the element. Since you have some very nice speed before entering the element, you quickly complete it in no time. Once again, the feeling the element creates is just awesome. I can't even begin to describe this feeling. All I'll say is that is unique and awesome. Anyway, after the Zero-G, we continued on our journey on Great Bear. We soon encountered a sharp left-hand turn, and we swooped over the river below. Now we would continue our journey on the other side of the river, with the water RIGHT below us. After the nice, sharp turn, we went into a straightaway along the river before going on to the ride's final inversion, a flat spin/corkscrew. After the straightaway, and upon entering the corkscrew, the ride quickly throws you to the left in a sharp turn. Then, out of no where, you speed into the final inversion. I love how they throw you to one side and then the other, which creates a really cool effect IMO. This corkscrew is like any other corkscrew. It quickly whips you around the bend, and sends you flying into the ride's last element, a slow S-Bend. The ride finishes off slow unfortunately, as you complete an S-Bend up above in the skies of Minetown. By the end of the S-bend you crawl into the station, and encounter the ride's on-ride photo. I still don't understand why Hershey decided to place the on-ride photo right here, but the only thing coming into my mind is to see the people's expressions as they slam into the brakes. And yes, after the S-Bend, the ride is complete. We slammed into the brakes and make our way around a sharp right-hand turn and back towards the station. As we waited in the brake run waiting to get off, I thought about the ride I had just ridden. Overall, Great Bear, to me, is a solid invert, and perfect for this park. The ride isn't about being tall and high or giving extreme G-forces. It's about giving an enjoyable and fun ride in a great location, and it does that well. I really like the ride and love the experience it gives. With that said, I'll give this ride a rating of 8.5/10. (Yes, I will be doing ratings for now on!)
We finally returned to the station after our long journey above Hersheypark. The train soon came to a halt and the floor came up. Our harnesses unlocked and we got out of the train. We continued down the exit ramp right by the Coal Cracker, the park's great log flume, which we unfortunately didn't ride during this trip. Anyway, we proceeded to the photo booth, and I just went straight through. I had no intention of buying a photo, plus I didn't have my glasses on me. Anyway, we went back up towards the Boardwalk Fries stall and met back up with the others. They had bought some Boardwalk Fries, which are so freaking good! All of us had some as a snack as it was around noon now. I also went to near-by Nathan's to pick up an RXCC souvenir cup which was only 6 bucks, with 99 cent refills of course! (What a bargain!) You have to love those on a hot day like that one! Anyway, after we finished up a quick snack (we would be going to the BBQ place by Trailblazer for sandwiches later...they are so good!), we headed back out to the midway. What would be our next destination? It would be the only part of the park with two woodies and current construction going on...Midway America!
From when we boarded the separate queue for our row to the time we boarded our train, it was a whopping 5 minutes. The operators were cranking out trains in no time, luckily for us. So, we were on the ride in no time. Our air-gate finally opened, and I made my way all the way down to right-hand seat. I always try to get the end seat on all B&M's. I love how you have much more space and a much better view than sitting in the middle. Anyway, I pulled down my restraint and made sure it was nice and comfortable, then secured the seat belt. I was ready to go as the operators quickly made their way around and checked all the restraints. Wow, they were fast. They were in and out of there before you knew it. After they quickly checked the train, it was now time to ride the Bear. we proceeded towards the lift as we made our way our of the station. We soon got hit with sunlight, which is almost completed blocked in Bear's station. We continued to pull up the lift, and as we got higher, we received more of an amazing view of the area. You notice the surrounding Coal Cracker flume, the classic Sooperdooperlooper coaster, and basically all of the Comet Hollow section of the park. However, this excellent view is soon over, as before you know it, you're at the top of the lift and getting ready for the ride to really begin. The first element on the ride is a very nice starting helix. I love the placement of this element. It really gives the ride a nice, strong start and can really grab you by surprise. Down and around we went, through the ride's first element. I found some decent forces towards the mid-point of the helix, which felt great as we continued our way towards the first major drop. We now went into a curved straightaway, moving along towards the first drop. Closer and closer we traveled, until we finally got pulled to the right and down the first very nice first drop. I felt a nice breeze as we made our way down towards the small little river in the park's Comet Hollow section of the park. Even though most of the ride itself is in the Comet Hollow part of the park, the entrance is in Minetown. It would be a better fit in Comet Hollow, but since most of the ride goes through that section, it doesn't much matter. Anyway, we traveled down to the ground below in a very nice, relaxing drop. GB's drop is very nice and enjoyable, and you gain some nice speed that carries you through the rest of the course. After a nice first drop, we sped into the first inversion the ride had to offer us, a nice vertical loop. Even though the element is forceless, you have to love the feeling the vertical loop gives you. No inverted coaster would be complete without a sweet vertical loop. We quickly went up, around, and back down again. As I said before, the element is very nice and relaxing, but shows no force. We continued to travel adjacent to Comet Hollow's stream until we came to the next inversion on our journey, a pretty strong Immelman. Since the ride had been pretty forceless so far, this element was a nice surprise. We came right up into the sky just like a regular vertical loop, but then flipped over and came falling back to earth. As we reached the element's apex, the forces were moderately strong, which was a nice surprise. What I love about the Immelman is how it really whips you back to earth. You go straight up, thinking your going to come right back down again like a regular loop, but no! The Immelman flips you over and sends you flying in a whole new direction. After a very nice Immelman inversion, you encounter one of my favorite inversions of all time and one of my favorite parts of this ride, the Zero-G roll. Before I continue, let just say that I love the feeling this inversion creates. I simply love the execution of this inversion, and it's definitely one of my personal favorites. After the Immelman, that ride throws us down and back up again into the 3rd inversion, the Zero-G roll, right over the Comet Hollow midway. We soon encountered the inversion, which really whips you 360 degrees around just like that. Before you know it you're in and out of the element. Since you have some very nice speed before entering the element, you quickly complete it in no time. Once again, the feeling the element creates is just awesome. I can't even begin to describe this feeling. All I'll say is that is unique and awesome. Anyway, after the Zero-G, we continued on our journey on Great Bear. We soon encountered a sharp left-hand turn, and we swooped over the river below. Now we would continue our journey on the other side of the river, with the water RIGHT below us. After the nice, sharp turn, we went into a straightaway along the river before going on to the ride's final inversion, a flat spin/corkscrew. After the straightaway, and upon entering the corkscrew, the ride quickly throws you to the left in a sharp turn. Then, out of no where, you speed into the final inversion. I love how they throw you to one side and then the other, which creates a really cool effect IMO. This corkscrew is like any other corkscrew. It quickly whips you around the bend, and sends you flying into the ride's last element, a slow S-Bend. The ride finishes off slow unfortunately, as you complete an S-Bend up above in the skies of Minetown. By the end of the S-bend you crawl into the station, and encounter the ride's on-ride photo. I still don't understand why Hershey decided to place the on-ride photo right here, but the only thing coming into my mind is to see the people's expressions as they slam into the brakes. And yes, after the S-Bend, the ride is complete. We slammed into the brakes and make our way around a sharp right-hand turn and back towards the station. As we waited in the brake run waiting to get off, I thought about the ride I had just ridden. Overall, Great Bear, to me, is a solid invert, and perfect for this park. The ride isn't about being tall and high or giving extreme G-forces. It's about giving an enjoyable and fun ride in a great location, and it does that well. I really like the ride and love the experience it gives. With that said, I'll give this ride a rating of 8.5/10. (Yes, I will be doing ratings for now on!)
We finally returned to the station after our long journey above Hersheypark. The train soon came to a halt and the floor came up. Our harnesses unlocked and we got out of the train. We continued down the exit ramp right by the Coal Cracker, the park's great log flume, which we unfortunately didn't ride during this trip. Anyway, we proceeded to the photo booth, and I just went straight through. I had no intention of buying a photo, plus I didn't have my glasses on me. Anyway, we went back up towards the Boardwalk Fries stall and met back up with the others. They had bought some Boardwalk Fries, which are so freaking good! All of us had some as a snack as it was around noon now. I also went to near-by Nathan's to pick up an RXCC souvenir cup which was only 6 bucks, with 99 cent refills of course! (What a bargain!) You have to love those on a hot day like that one! Anyway, after we finished up a quick snack (we would be going to the BBQ place by Trailblazer for sandwiches later...they are so good!), we headed back out to the midway. What would be our next destination? It would be the only part of the park with two woodies and current construction going on...Midway America!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Hersheypark Trip Report 3
After a ride on Trailblazer, we went on to the Minetown section of the park. So, to do so, we needed to climb the big, steep ascent right below SR's Zero-G and Flying Snake Dive. Climbing these large, steep hills can take a lot out of you, and the "older" part of Hersheypark has a lot of them. However, the rides in the "older" sections of the park (Comet Hollow and Minetown, mainly) use this special terrain to their advantage, which really adds more to the attraction. Anyway, I power-walked up the large hill as I looked up at SR, seeing trains whiz by overhead as I made my way to the top. Once we all got to the top of the large hill, we decided to spend some time in this section of the park, that being Minetown. We passed the Flying Falcon, which had just gone under a large rehab. The ride wasn't open yet, but it would later on in the day. I heard some rumors that the Falcon was on its way out, but I think those rumors have been put to rest now that the ride is back open. We passed the Falcon and made our way to the little section of the park that holds the Kissing Tower and the Antique Cars. Both of these attractions are great classics, and both would end up being next on our hit list. We soon came into a nice, shady plaza at the top of Minetown. This section of the park is a great area to relax. The area is basically covered in trees, and there are many tables around for sitting opportunities. We made our way over to the Kissing Tower first to see if we could grab a quick ride. When we encountered the entrance, there was no one in line, but we just missed the ride going up, which was only a few feet off the ground. Oh well, we would be first on the next ride. I love this old classic ride. It is gives an excellent view of not only the park, but the entire town. While we waited for the other guests to complete their ride, I looked around the queue line. As I said before, I love this section of the park because it is FULL of trees and shrubbery. Also, they have the classic signs hanging up in the station, saying "No eating, drinking, or smoking...only smooching!" or something along those lines. Anyway, we waited less than 5 minutes for the cabin to return to the station. Those few minutes went by in no time, and now it was our time to ride. The ride operator lifted the chain and I was the first one to go into the A/C blasted Kissing Tower :P. Ah, it felt so amazing and refreshing just to be in the air conditioning on such a hot day. I followed the operator's instructions and walked all the way around the ride capsule, finally ending up basically where I entered. Since there weren't many people waiting in line, and on the ride in general, we had lots of room to enjoy the sights through the unique Kiss-shaped windows. Once all of the other guests took their seat, it was time to enjoy our ride on the Kissing Tower. Once we started to lift off the ground, we started to rotate and the classic recording started to play. Once we reached the tops of all the trees, we received an amazing view of the park. As we rotated around, we could see the park from Founder's Circle all the way back to Midway America and everything in-between. It really is spectacular how great the views are from the tower. Anyway, we rotated around and found ourselves now looking at the town of Hershey, PA. We received a great view of the town, including the factory, and I even spotted the classic Kiss shaped lamp posts. It really is remarkable how far you are able to see from this classic tower. In no time, we found ourselves at the top of tower, looking down at the central area of town of Hershey. Once you're finally at the top of the tower, you rotate quite a few times, giving some amazing views of the entire area. I really think that if you're in Hershey, you shouldn't miss this attraction. The views are simply stunning, plus there really isn't much of a wait for the ride. I'd say it's worth a cycle or two to enjoy the views of Hershey, PA. Anyway, we enjoyed the excellent views some more as we rotated at the top of the tower. After taking in the excellent views, it was time to make our way back down again unfortunately. However, it was an excellent break and offered an excellent experience, especially with the air conditioning! Definitely a great way to take a break from the other bigger rides. Anyway, we enjoyed the last few moment we had inside the amazing air conditioned cabin before finally coming to a complete halt back on the ground. Ah, what a relaxing ride the Kissing Tower was. However, it was time to get off now, and head to our next attraction. We slowly exited and headed back into the extreme heat, which was much different from what we just experienced on the Kissing Tower.
After the Kissing Tower, since we were literally right there, we decide to do the driving cars. Since I wanted to drive my own car, we decided to do the Sport Cars instead of the Antique Cars. If we wanted to do the Antique Cars after the Sport Cars, that would be possible, considering there was no line for either of the attractions. We walked straight through the switchback, which was empty, and up on to the bridge. There was just a bit of a line on the stairs leading down to the loading section. It would only be about a 5 minute wait or most likely less. As we waited, I looked down from above at the cars below. I thought to myself that I would be starting driving in only a few months, and this would be at least some sort of practice for that occasion coming up :lol: We quickly made our way down the stairs in about 5 minutes, which wasn't a bad waiting time, mainly because the lines for the Cars can be HUGE at times. Anyway, I finally stepped on to the yellow "A" and waited for my car to arrive. Sure enough, it did within a matter of moments. Once my car came to a halt, I quickly hopped in and buckled the seat belt. The ride operator finally told me to go, and I was on my way. I hit the gas hard and pulled away from the station on my short little excursion through Pennsylvania, as the signs indicate. I hit the gas and first encountered a nice short straightaway before the first big turn. I noticed a small replica of a Sunoco station to the right-side of me, which is actually very nice looking and realistic. However, I didn't have much time to look around. I had to keep my eyes on the road! I soon encountered the first turn, it being a long U-turn to the right. I tried my best for my car not to hit the railing in the middle, and actually did very well as I rounded the bend. About half-way through, I encountered the almost pointless on-ride photo. I'm not exactly sure why they have an on-ride photo for this ride, but hey, it's one ride of few where you can basically control the expression on your face. So, I guess it really could add some more fun to the ride. I really wasn't even paying attention to it as I completed the turn and saw the flash. When I rode, and really forgot all about the camera being there. Oh well, I needed to keep my eyes on the road! After the nice U-turn, I went straight into a nice, long straightaway. I kept my car nice and straight, not touching the railing in the middle of the track. I kept my foot steady on the gas as I quickly went down the straightaway. I noticed the small green signs by the track noting all of the different towns inside Pennsylvania, which are a nice small touch to the ride. Anyway, I completed the very long straightaway and went right into a small left-hand turn. I perfectly kept my car in line with the railing in the middle of the track as I successfully completed the turn. Now it was time for yet again another straightaway. This one was shorter, but during it, I noticed the cramping of my foot/leg from keeping my foot on the petal. Since the car is pretty small, I had to bend my knee just to get my foot under the "hood" and on to the petal. Since my leg was really getting cramped up as I made my way down the straightaway, I took my foot off the petal and rested for a few seconds. I stretched out my leg and then finally get my foot back on the gas. Ah, that felt better. However, I knew that pain would be back. After completing this straightaway, I again headed into a small left-hand turn. I successfully completed it, and headed down a very short straightaway. It was time for the sharp U-turn to return back to the station. I tried my hardest to successfully complete the turn as best as I could. However, the pain was soon back. I went through about have of the turn and then lost control. I tried to straighten out my leg, which didn't work at all. So, I switched to my other leg just to complete the very sharp turn. By doing this, I couldn't keep my car in line, thus slamming it into the railing in the middle. However, I kept going, until the turn finally ended and I encountered one final straightaway before arriving back at the station. I did my best to keep my car in line with the track, which I now did. After a small turn to the right, I crawled up a small hill and saw the traffic light sign telling me to "slow down". I came down off of the small hill and returned to the station area. I slowly crawled up to the ride operator, who finally told me to stop. Since the pain was starting to come back yet again, I quickly hopped out of the car and proceeded to the steps so I could exit. I climbed the stairs and proceeded to exit. Overall, the Sports Cars are very relaxing, except for the leg cramps. The ride itself is very nice and is right in the trees, creating an excellent atmosphere. And, as I said before, it would have even been better if my leg kept cramping up. At the top of the bridge, I waited for everyone else to finish, who weren't that far behind me. Once they all came up, we headed down to the photo booth to check out our pictures. Since I didn't have my glasses, I really couldn't see my picture :rolleyes: Oh well, I didn't even know they were taking it! After everyone looked at their pictures, we proceeded through the exit and back into the nice little plaza.
After the Cars, I was really craving to get on a coaster again, and you all know what coaster is right in that area. Yes, it was time to conquer the unique B&M invert, Great Bear!
After the Kissing Tower, since we were literally right there, we decide to do the driving cars. Since I wanted to drive my own car, we decided to do the Sport Cars instead of the Antique Cars. If we wanted to do the Antique Cars after the Sport Cars, that would be possible, considering there was no line for either of the attractions. We walked straight through the switchback, which was empty, and up on to the bridge. There was just a bit of a line on the stairs leading down to the loading section. It would only be about a 5 minute wait or most likely less. As we waited, I looked down from above at the cars below. I thought to myself that I would be starting driving in only a few months, and this would be at least some sort of practice for that occasion coming up :lol: We quickly made our way down the stairs in about 5 minutes, which wasn't a bad waiting time, mainly because the lines for the Cars can be HUGE at times. Anyway, I finally stepped on to the yellow "A" and waited for my car to arrive. Sure enough, it did within a matter of moments. Once my car came to a halt, I quickly hopped in and buckled the seat belt. The ride operator finally told me to go, and I was on my way. I hit the gas hard and pulled away from the station on my short little excursion through Pennsylvania, as the signs indicate. I hit the gas and first encountered a nice short straightaway before the first big turn. I noticed a small replica of a Sunoco station to the right-side of me, which is actually very nice looking and realistic. However, I didn't have much time to look around. I had to keep my eyes on the road! I soon encountered the first turn, it being a long U-turn to the right. I tried my best for my car not to hit the railing in the middle, and actually did very well as I rounded the bend. About half-way through, I encountered the almost pointless on-ride photo. I'm not exactly sure why they have an on-ride photo for this ride, but hey, it's one ride of few where you can basically control the expression on your face. So, I guess it really could add some more fun to the ride. I really wasn't even paying attention to it as I completed the turn and saw the flash. When I rode, and really forgot all about the camera being there. Oh well, I needed to keep my eyes on the road! After the nice U-turn, I went straight into a nice, long straightaway. I kept my car nice and straight, not touching the railing in the middle of the track. I kept my foot steady on the gas as I quickly went down the straightaway. I noticed the small green signs by the track noting all of the different towns inside Pennsylvania, which are a nice small touch to the ride. Anyway, I completed the very long straightaway and went right into a small left-hand turn. I perfectly kept my car in line with the railing in the middle of the track as I successfully completed the turn. Now it was time for yet again another straightaway. This one was shorter, but during it, I noticed the cramping of my foot/leg from keeping my foot on the petal. Since the car is pretty small, I had to bend my knee just to get my foot under the "hood" and on to the petal. Since my leg was really getting cramped up as I made my way down the straightaway, I took my foot off the petal and rested for a few seconds. I stretched out my leg and then finally get my foot back on the gas. Ah, that felt better. However, I knew that pain would be back. After completing this straightaway, I again headed into a small left-hand turn. I successfully completed it, and headed down a very short straightaway. It was time for the sharp U-turn to return back to the station. I tried my hardest to successfully complete the turn as best as I could. However, the pain was soon back. I went through about have of the turn and then lost control. I tried to straighten out my leg, which didn't work at all. So, I switched to my other leg just to complete the very sharp turn. By doing this, I couldn't keep my car in line, thus slamming it into the railing in the middle. However, I kept going, until the turn finally ended and I encountered one final straightaway before arriving back at the station. I did my best to keep my car in line with the track, which I now did. After a small turn to the right, I crawled up a small hill and saw the traffic light sign telling me to "slow down". I came down off of the small hill and returned to the station area. I slowly crawled up to the ride operator, who finally told me to stop. Since the pain was starting to come back yet again, I quickly hopped out of the car and proceeded to the steps so I could exit. I climbed the stairs and proceeded to exit. Overall, the Sports Cars are very relaxing, except for the leg cramps. The ride itself is very nice and is right in the trees, creating an excellent atmosphere. And, as I said before, it would have even been better if my leg kept cramping up. At the top of the bridge, I waited for everyone else to finish, who weren't that far behind me. Once they all came up, we headed down to the photo booth to check out our pictures. Since I didn't have my glasses, I really couldn't see my picture :rolleyes: Oh well, I didn't even know they were taking it! After everyone looked at their pictures, we proceeded through the exit and back into the nice little plaza.
After the Cars, I was really craving to get on a coaster again, and you all know what coaster is right in that area. Yes, it was time to conquer the unique B&M invert, Great Bear!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Hersheypark Trip Report 2
So, after two excellent, excellent rides on Storm Runner, we made our way back to RXCC and the Music Box Way section of the park. While walking through Pioneer Frontier, we received a call from the others. They said that they got on RXCC! They also said that the ride opened up basically 30 seconds after we left for SR :rolleyes: After hearing the ride was open and running with passengers, we power-walked our way back to the ride to find the others and try to receive our first ride on the RXCC. We approached the ride's entrance and saw the others waiting in line for RXCC...which was already out of the only switchback. Ugh, we missed our chance. The wait would be at least 30 minutes from here. We decided to wait for a bit and see how much we would move. We waited, and waited, and waited some more. 5 minutes went by and we hadn't moved in line at all, so we decided to ditch it and come back later. So, we decided to walk down back towards Pioneer Frontier and decide what attraction to hit next. We decided to hit the Trailblazer for no particular reason. Since we knew Midway America never had any lines, it didn't matter when we hit that. So, we decided to back-track through the park and hit all of the attractions in the front of the park first before the heavy crowds would come in. You may say that all of the people do that, but we did it in a different fashion. We started at the back of the park, and would make our way towards the front eventually. Seemed like a good plan. So, we made our way through Pioneer Frontier and down the HUGE hill near SR. This thing sucks to walk up, and is even hard to walk down because it's so steep. As soon as we reached the bottom of the valley, we made our way towards Trailblazer's entrance. The ride's sign is actually pretty hidden all the way back towards the station, but a sign points the way to the station and entrance. We approached the brand new sign (well, not that new anymore) which looks great. We made our way up the stairs and into the station. Trailblazer's station is actually very large, as it holds two big switchbacks. However, those weren't being used. We saw that some rows in the middle didn't have any wait, so we immediately went for those. They were only using one train, so we had to wait until the one on the course came back to ride. I'm surprising they weren't using two, considering it was a weekend. However, it wasn't that much needed, considering the ride itself isn't very long. So, after about two minutes, our train finally arrived in the station. It was time to ride.
The train came to a halt and the current passengers made their way to the exit. After they all left the station, our very tiny air gates opened and we jumped in our train for our voyage. I love the new restraints they have on this ride. They are extremely comfortable and really help older people ride, not just the kiddies. I pulled my restraint down and released it in a comfortable spot. Ah, very, very comfortable. The operators quickly checked the rest of our train, and we got ready to ride. We finally heard the "dispatch", and moved slowly out of the station. We were first greeted by a small, 5 foot dip before entering a sharp left-hand turn. We made our way through the ride's car shed before finally encountering the lift hill. the lift hill isn't very large on the ride, but there are things to look at, the most notable SR's twisted finale just on top of us. As we made our way to the top, we spotted a train full of screaming riders passing by. What a great ride SR was. Anyway, the top of the lift hill comes all too fast on this ride. While your glaring up at SR or the looking around the surrounding area, your at the top of the lift hill and finally starting your ride. The ride starts off with a small slanted straightaway, which eventually ends up being the ride's first element, a nice helix. The turn into the first helix is nice and strong. It really whips you to the side before making your way downward in a very fun helix. What I love about this part of the ride is that you just keep on getting lower and lower, until you find yourself in a trench! While in this trench, if you have your hands up, you can almost touch the ground! I expect that a person with long arms can easily touch the ground, considering you are just that close to it. The helix is in its strongest part here, and I'll just say it was pretty strong here for a kiddie/family coaster. Anyway, we finally parted out of the first helix, and into a short straightaway right by a fence. This fence happens to be the same fence that separates SR's queue and the Trailblazer itself! Anyway, after a nice tame left hand turn, you fly right up into a not-needed MCBR. I still don't quite understand why they have a MCBR on this ride, but whatever. It is actually quite long, and slows down most of your speed unfortunately. However, the ride goes on, with a nice curving drop to the left, which follows that very steel path we went down to get to the ride. After a nice relaxing drop, we come back up a few more feet and into a small straightaway. Then, after that, the ride enters its strongest point, a sweet double helix. We quickly turned to the right and entered the ride's strongest point. Around and around we went, circling the trees inside the ride's double loop. The first helix is a little slow, but then you continue to pick up more and more speed, leading into, as I said before, strong second helix for a kiddie/family coaster. Finally we gained the most speed we would ever get during the the ride, and unfortunately, it was time to move out of the very fun double helix. We climbed another ascent and went into what seems to be an old mine shaft with again, some good speed. Unfortunately, once entering the building we saw that our ride was unfortunately over. We hit the brakes, and shortly came to a complete stop. The ride ends so quickly! Before you know it, it's over. Overall, Trailblazer is a very fun coaster, and excellent for the kids. Also, it offers a nice break from all the bigger rides in the park, and even a nice breeze :B
Finally we arrived back in the station after our very fun excursion on the Trailblazer. We waited for the train to come to a halt and then released our restraints. Then we followed the exit stairs and path back into the midway. Ah, the Trailblazer is such a fun ride and very relaxing. After the great small coaster, it was time to go up yet another huge hill and into the Minetown section of the park, where we would find the Kissing Tower, Antique Cars, and the most unique B&M invert, Great Bear. All of these rides would be our next hits as we nicely strolled through the great park!
The train came to a halt and the current passengers made their way to the exit. After they all left the station, our very tiny air gates opened and we jumped in our train for our voyage. I love the new restraints they have on this ride. They are extremely comfortable and really help older people ride, not just the kiddies. I pulled my restraint down and released it in a comfortable spot. Ah, very, very comfortable. The operators quickly checked the rest of our train, and we got ready to ride. We finally heard the "dispatch", and moved slowly out of the station. We were first greeted by a small, 5 foot dip before entering a sharp left-hand turn. We made our way through the ride's car shed before finally encountering the lift hill. the lift hill isn't very large on the ride, but there are things to look at, the most notable SR's twisted finale just on top of us. As we made our way to the top, we spotted a train full of screaming riders passing by. What a great ride SR was. Anyway, the top of the lift hill comes all too fast on this ride. While your glaring up at SR or the looking around the surrounding area, your at the top of the lift hill and finally starting your ride. The ride starts off with a small slanted straightaway, which eventually ends up being the ride's first element, a nice helix. The turn into the first helix is nice and strong. It really whips you to the side before making your way downward in a very fun helix. What I love about this part of the ride is that you just keep on getting lower and lower, until you find yourself in a trench! While in this trench, if you have your hands up, you can almost touch the ground! I expect that a person with long arms can easily touch the ground, considering you are just that close to it. The helix is in its strongest part here, and I'll just say it was pretty strong here for a kiddie/family coaster. Anyway, we finally parted out of the first helix, and into a short straightaway right by a fence. This fence happens to be the same fence that separates SR's queue and the Trailblazer itself! Anyway, after a nice tame left hand turn, you fly right up into a not-needed MCBR. I still don't quite understand why they have a MCBR on this ride, but whatever. It is actually quite long, and slows down most of your speed unfortunately. However, the ride goes on, with a nice curving drop to the left, which follows that very steel path we went down to get to the ride. After a nice relaxing drop, we come back up a few more feet and into a small straightaway. Then, after that, the ride enters its strongest point, a sweet double helix. We quickly turned to the right and entered the ride's strongest point. Around and around we went, circling the trees inside the ride's double loop. The first helix is a little slow, but then you continue to pick up more and more speed, leading into, as I said before, strong second helix for a kiddie/family coaster. Finally we gained the most speed we would ever get during the the ride, and unfortunately, it was time to move out of the very fun double helix. We climbed another ascent and went into what seems to be an old mine shaft with again, some good speed. Unfortunately, once entering the building we saw that our ride was unfortunately over. We hit the brakes, and shortly came to a complete stop. The ride ends so quickly! Before you know it, it's over. Overall, Trailblazer is a very fun coaster, and excellent for the kids. Also, it offers a nice break from all the bigger rides in the park, and even a nice breeze :B
Finally we arrived back in the station after our very fun excursion on the Trailblazer. We waited for the train to come to a halt and then released our restraints. Then we followed the exit stairs and path back into the midway. Ah, the Trailblazer is such a fun ride and very relaxing. After the great small coaster, it was time to go up yet another huge hill and into the Minetown section of the park, where we would find the Kissing Tower, Antique Cars, and the most unique B&M invert, Great Bear. All of these rides would be our next hits as we nicely strolled through the great park!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Hersheypark Trip Report
After an unbelieveable first ride on SR front row, I was craving another ride, especially since the line was so short. We decided to skip looking at our picture and got right back in the queue. Once again, nothing had changed from before. It was still COMPLETELY empty, which how all queues should be :P We continued our way through the queue and up into the station, which was still empty. I really couldn't believe how uncrowded the station was. Anyway, I opted to go on the right side of the station, since as I observed before, operations were running more smoothly on this side. I found every row to have a only about a one or two train wait, which was excellent. I quickly spotted that the 3rd and 4th rows only had a one train wait. It was closest to the front I could get with a minimal wait, so I quickly made my way over and got in the line. Better yet, as we entered the separate queue for our row, the train was boarding. So, as soon as the train returned, it would be our turn to ride. I was very happy at the moment with the 2 minimal waits for SR. I just thought to myself how nice it would be if the lines stayed like this all day. I would simply love it, but since it was a weekend, I knew the lines would get longer as the day went on. Hopefully not by much, though. Anyway, in no time, our train was back in the station after about 3 minutes of waiting. Excellent. I was ready for another ride on my favorite steel coaster in the world, Storm Runner.
The air gates soon opened and we proceeded into our seats. We quickly sat down and continued to pull down our OTSR's. I really like this type of OTSR on SR as well as other Intamin Rockets (Ka for example) mainly because it is very open, and gives you some nice room to move around with your upper body. I continued to secure the restraint in a good spot and buckled the seat belt. I was ready to ride. The operators, as I've said, were great on this side of the station, so we were out of there before we knew it. We made our way from the transfer track to the launch track, and got ready for the amazing ride ahead. As you sit there, the launch track intimates you, with the large straightaway in front of you as well as the large top hat. You sit there, waiting, waiting, waiting to be launched. And as soon as you move back so the catch car can attach, you know it's any minute now that you'll be launching at 72 MPH. Before long, that classic ride recording plays, and you know it's now a matter of seconds before you're out of there. You hear over the loudspeaker....
"Now get ready, here we go!"
Then, just like that, you're gone, speeding down the launch track gaining speed by the second. Faster, faster, faster you go, with the forces pushing you back into your seat. Your arms up in the air begin to feel the strength of the launch as you speed down the straightaway. SR's launch is more powerful than it would seem. It really packs a punch and slams you hard into your seat. That best thing though is that it never lets up. You continued at full force down the extremely powerful launch track and move on to the first element, the top hat. After the powerful launch, you get for first experience of vertical horsepower. The top hat sends you straight up into the sky, 150 feet up to be exact. Higher, higher you get into the Hersheypark skyline you get, until you finally reach the top. Then, it's time to be ejected. SR's top hat offers plenty of sweet ejector air as you slowly crest the top hat and enjoy a quick view of the park in front of you. For the few seconds it lasts, the air on the top hat is very, very enjoyable. No one can hate the sensation ejector air brings to the table. Anyway, after cresting the top hat, you're on your way back down into the valley below. The vertical drop into the valley is excellent, but it just seems to be over so fast unfortunately. The 180 foot drop is great, and the pull-out into the valley is very strong and forceful. After finally exiting the top hat, it's time to head into the ride's next element and first inversion, the cobra loop. This inversion is very interesting and unique. At first, it feels like a regular loop, but then pulls out at the top in a cobra roll like fashion. We made our way through the valley and back up into the sky. As I said, we went straight up into the sky, just like entering a regular old vertical loop. However, this thing is completely different. Once we finally reached the top of the inversion, we enjoyed some sweet, sweet hang time. After a moment or two of nice this great feeling, it was time to fall back down to earth in a cobra roll-like fashion. Even though the pull-out of this inversion is quite odd, I love the uniqueness of it. After the unique cobra loop, we charged back down towards the river below, only to come up yet again and into the ride's next two inversions, those being the Zero-G Roll and the Flying Snake Dive. To enter these inversions, we must climb yet another ascent. And, as a sweet surprise at the top of this ascent, we were greeted with another great sensation of ejector air. Ah, what a great way to start the next few elements. As soon as the moment of great ejector air is over, you're immediately thrown into the Zero-G. The Zero-G roll is always one of my favorite elements on inverting coasters, and this one is no different. Around and around you go, creating an amazing sensation as you complete the 360 degree horizantal twist. This element creates a feeling like no other, which is why I really love it. After the amazing Zero-G, you go directly into the next inversion. This ride doesn't waste anytime. The next and final inversion is the Flying Snake Dive, which again, is a unique element. The Flying Snake Dive throws you upside-down just like a Zero-G at first, before pulling out and heading straight down to earth. As soon as you exit the Zero-G roll, you enter the Flying Snake Dive, which seems to be just another Zero-G, but it isn't. It's a whole new kind of inversion. The uniqueness of the element is excellent, and really provides a different experience. The pull-out of the element is very strong, and before you know it, you're back towards the ground and heading into the ride's twisted finale. Banked turns are left and right as you make your way upwards in this again, unique ride finale. You really speed through this element FAST, and soon, unfortunately, you find yourself in the downward brakes and heading back into the station. It all seems so fast, but it's one of the best minutes you'll ever have riding a roller coaster. Storm Runner overall is just a spectacular ride, and has everything a coaster really should have. However, it is it's uniqueness that really stands out. This ride is basically the definition of the word unique, which I love as well. When you're at Hersheypark, make sure you don't miss this excellent coaster.
After our nearly one minute journey, we returned to the station. We finally came to a halt and proceeded to exit this excellent ride. Once we exited, we headed back to the midway and decided to meet up with the others and possibly try to get on the park's newest attraction, the Reese's Xtreme Cup Challenge. However, we knew that the ride would have a line if it was open, considering there were people waiting when we were there earlier in the morning. So, we headed back to the Music Box Way and check out what was going on, and to see if we could finally get on the RXCC!
The air gates soon opened and we proceeded into our seats. We quickly sat down and continued to pull down our OTSR's. I really like this type of OTSR on SR as well as other Intamin Rockets (Ka for example) mainly because it is very open, and gives you some nice room to move around with your upper body. I continued to secure the restraint in a good spot and buckled the seat belt. I was ready to ride. The operators, as I've said, were great on this side of the station, so we were out of there before we knew it. We made our way from the transfer track to the launch track, and got ready for the amazing ride ahead. As you sit there, the launch track intimates you, with the large straightaway in front of you as well as the large top hat. You sit there, waiting, waiting, waiting to be launched. And as soon as you move back so the catch car can attach, you know it's any minute now that you'll be launching at 72 MPH. Before long, that classic ride recording plays, and you know it's now a matter of seconds before you're out of there. You hear over the loudspeaker....
"Now get ready, here we go!"
Then, just like that, you're gone, speeding down the launch track gaining speed by the second. Faster, faster, faster you go, with the forces pushing you back into your seat. Your arms up in the air begin to feel the strength of the launch as you speed down the straightaway. SR's launch is more powerful than it would seem. It really packs a punch and slams you hard into your seat. That best thing though is that it never lets up. You continued at full force down the extremely powerful launch track and move on to the first element, the top hat. After the powerful launch, you get for first experience of vertical horsepower. The top hat sends you straight up into the sky, 150 feet up to be exact. Higher, higher you get into the Hersheypark skyline you get, until you finally reach the top. Then, it's time to be ejected. SR's top hat offers plenty of sweet ejector air as you slowly crest the top hat and enjoy a quick view of the park in front of you. For the few seconds it lasts, the air on the top hat is very, very enjoyable. No one can hate the sensation ejector air brings to the table. Anyway, after cresting the top hat, you're on your way back down into the valley below. The vertical drop into the valley is excellent, but it just seems to be over so fast unfortunately. The 180 foot drop is great, and the pull-out into the valley is very strong and forceful. After finally exiting the top hat, it's time to head into the ride's next element and first inversion, the cobra loop. This inversion is very interesting and unique. At first, it feels like a regular loop, but then pulls out at the top in a cobra roll like fashion. We made our way through the valley and back up into the sky. As I said, we went straight up into the sky, just like entering a regular old vertical loop. However, this thing is completely different. Once we finally reached the top of the inversion, we enjoyed some sweet, sweet hang time. After a moment or two of nice this great feeling, it was time to fall back down to earth in a cobra roll-like fashion. Even though the pull-out of this inversion is quite odd, I love the uniqueness of it. After the unique cobra loop, we charged back down towards the river below, only to come up yet again and into the ride's next two inversions, those being the Zero-G Roll and the Flying Snake Dive. To enter these inversions, we must climb yet another ascent. And, as a sweet surprise at the top of this ascent, we were greeted with another great sensation of ejector air. Ah, what a great way to start the next few elements. As soon as the moment of great ejector air is over, you're immediately thrown into the Zero-G. The Zero-G roll is always one of my favorite elements on inverting coasters, and this one is no different. Around and around you go, creating an amazing sensation as you complete the 360 degree horizantal twist. This element creates a feeling like no other, which is why I really love it. After the amazing Zero-G, you go directly into the next inversion. This ride doesn't waste anytime. The next and final inversion is the Flying Snake Dive, which again, is a unique element. The Flying Snake Dive throws you upside-down just like a Zero-G at first, before pulling out and heading straight down to earth. As soon as you exit the Zero-G roll, you enter the Flying Snake Dive, which seems to be just another Zero-G, but it isn't. It's a whole new kind of inversion. The uniqueness of the element is excellent, and really provides a different experience. The pull-out of the element is very strong, and before you know it, you're back towards the ground and heading into the ride's twisted finale. Banked turns are left and right as you make your way upwards in this again, unique ride finale. You really speed through this element FAST, and soon, unfortunately, you find yourself in the downward brakes and heading back into the station. It all seems so fast, but it's one of the best minutes you'll ever have riding a roller coaster. Storm Runner overall is just a spectacular ride, and has everything a coaster really should have. However, it is it's uniqueness that really stands out. This ride is basically the definition of the word unique, which I love as well. When you're at Hersheypark, make sure you don't miss this excellent coaster.
After our nearly one minute journey, we returned to the station. We finally came to a halt and proceeded to exit this excellent ride. Once we exited, we headed back to the midway and decided to meet up with the others and possibly try to get on the park's newest attraction, the Reese's Xtreme Cup Challenge. However, we knew that the ride would have a line if it was open, considering there were people waiting when we were there earlier in the morning. So, we headed back to the Music Box Way and check out what was going on, and to see if we could finally get on the RXCC!
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