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Geez, that went quick. Doesn't seem too long ago that I saw there was 50 days until I leave for Disney World. Hopefully the crowds won't be too heavy.
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I got some of these in the mail yesterday. They are 3 inch vinyl figures that look like mickey and have designs on them. There are blind-boxed series (in which you cannot tell which of the 12 designs you will get) and open series (where you can tell which one you get.) The designs are fantastic: in the Park series, they relate to the attractions in the Disney Parks. In the Urban series, the designs are all over the place. That's why I haven't gotten any blindboxes of the urban series yet. And then there are some other series, such as the Muppets(!) and exclusives and whatnot. So here are the ones I got in the mail yesterday, 2 Park Series #4 figures and 1 Muppet Series: Statler Leopard from it's a small world Retro Tomorrowland Spacesuit (with really cool glossy finish) And I ordered these two from Ebay last night: Cast Member Exclusive Mickey (limited edition of 500. Was only available to those who work at the Disney Parks) Retro Walt Disney World logo Puzzle
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I was just thinking about this last night- I listen to podcasts as I go to sleep, and I thought that I should make a short list of the best Walt Disney World podcasts for the blog contest. WDW Radio- The host, Lou Mongello, produces quality videos and exclusive audio. Whether it's an interview, roundtable discussion, or restaurant review, he delivers the info in an enthusiastic manner. WDW News Today- A personal favorite of mine. The podcast has a new segment every week- sometimes it's a News and Rumor Report, or Top Ten, etc. The always entertaining content and great hosts make this an awesome podcast. Netcot Podcast- While the shows are too infrequent, the episodes pack interesting content into shorter, 30 minute episodes. Each episode has a top 7 list, a feature segment, and rare audio. The Adventures of a Teenage Disney Geek- Again, the shows are rather infrequent, but still great. The host, Keegan, takes you through the parks with his "Dysfunctional SuperFamily" by way of actual audio from his trip. The shows have the right amount of humor and great audio taken in stereo to go with it. WDW Today- The thing I love about this podcast is the fact that episodes are delivered on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each episode has a topic of discussion related to the planning of a trip and the experiences that Disney World has to offer. Definitely check out these podcasts if you are going to make the trip to Disney World, or just like the parks as a whole. Each of these really explore everything Disney World.
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Read on for a tour of the Magic Kingdom! Welcome to the final park tour of our 4-park series: the Magic Kingdom. Seen by many as the defining part of Disney World, let's check out the one park that Disney World opened with. Main Street USA As you enter the gate, you probably notice that you don't see a castle anywhere. What you DO see is the Main Street train station. It intentionally blocks the view of the castle, acting as a "curtain". Once you come out of the tunnel, revealed are the colors and the atmosphere of Main Street. Though there aren't any real "rides" on Main Street, the welcoming, friendly atmosphere is enough to set the tone of the park. At the end of Main Street is the "Partners" statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. Behind it is the most imposing structure in the park, Cinderella's Castle. The castle area works as a hub, with the spokes leading to the lands of the park. Let's go clockwise into Adventureland. Adventureland Adventureland is home to several notable attractions. One of which is the Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise is a classic attraction dating back to Disneyland roots. The boat ride takes you through scenes depicting animal audio-animatronics while your "skipper", or boat driver tells corny jokes. Hey, it's enjoyable. The most noteworthy ride in Adventureland is Pirates of the Caribbean. The ride went through a recent update to include characters from the movie that the ride inspired. That's right: the ride came before the movie. An indoor boat ride, Pirates features various animatronic scenes portraying the common view of pirates in humorous ways. GREAT ride. And I'll end the Adventureland tour right there- the other two rides in the area aren't worth your time. Frontierland Frontierland features two absolutely fantastic thrill rides. Splash Mountain is features characters from "Walt Disney's Song of the South" in animatronic form. The log flume-style ride has several smaller drops, culminating in one huge outdoor drop. This is one of my favorite rides, hands-down. Right next door is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The roller coaster is themed to be a runaway mine train. The ride is pure fun- 'nuff said. I myself have never been on Tom Sawyer's Island, so I couldn't tell you what it's like. You may want to check it out. Liberty Square The Haunted Mansion is one of the most well-known attractions. While the ride's name speaks for itself, I have to say that this ride has tons of detail, both in the queue and on the omnimover ride. It features some of Disney's best special effects. Don't miss this ride. Also in Liberty Square is the Hall of Presidents. I haven't been on it in a long while, but I can tell you that it is an animatronic show with the US's presidents. Obama was added into the show last year. Fantasyland Fantasyland is filled with slower rides. Because I haven't been on all of them, I'll just rattle them off for ya: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Peter Pan's Flight Snow White's Scary Adventures it's a small world Dumbo the Flying Elephant Mad Tea Party (actually not that slow- you can spin around your tea cup really fast) Cinderella's Golden Carrousel *catchs breath* Okay, now for that great show I must see every trip: Mickey's PhilharMagic. The show is pure Disney. It's 3D with some 4D effects, such as sprayed water, etc. PhilharMagic isn't to be missed. The plot is difficult to summarize, so I'll leave it at that. Mickey's Toontown Fair I don't really know what to say about this land. It's very character oriented, with Mickey's house, Minnie's House, Donald's Boat, etc. There is one ride here, and that is Goofy's Barnstormer. It's a very very short coaster meant to be ridable for the smallest kids. Tomorrowland The theme of Tomorrowland can somewhat be described as the future that never was. The land features a great mix of attractions. Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor is an interactive show featuring characters from the movie Monsters, Inc. It's really funny, I have to say. The technology used is incredible. It's like the on-screen characters are actually interacting with the audience. Stitch's Great Escape... oh, please don't ride it. From what I've heard, it's the worst ride Disney's ever made in that the experience is far from enjoyable. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA) is a calm ride based on the WEDway Peoplemover system. It's great on hot, summer days, when you want to get out of the crowds and sun. It provides previews of most Tomorrowland attractions. The Astro Orbiter is a ride similar to Dumbo, except you load 3 floors above ground and ride in space shuttles instead of elephants. You can get some great views of Tomorrowland and the Contemporary Resort from up there. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is an interactive ride in which you ride in a modified omnimover vehicle and shoot targets with your lazer gun. My brother maxed out his score last trip- some targets are worth way more than others. The Carousel of Progress is a classic Walt Disney attraction- it was originally shown at the 1964 Worlds' Fair. Walt played a personal role in developing this animatronics show. You follow a family as they go through the technological changes in several decades. The theater you sit in actually spins, not the stage. Tomorrowland Indy Speedway- I don't know what it's doing in Tomorrowland, it being a ride in which guests can drive little cars that actually run on gasoline. Now, the wildest ride in the Magic Kingdom: Space Mountain. The coaster isn't actually that wild when compared to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and the like, but the big catch here is that the ride takes place in pitch black darkness. The track is still bumpy like it was when it originally opened, too. The queue has a great feel to it, with a "starport" theme. The Magic Kingdom is the heart and soul of Walt Disney World- it was the one park that Walt Disney really had a role in creating, where Epcot was an offshoot of one of his ideas and the other two parks were made differently. Don't miss this park- you simply cannot.
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Read on for a tour of Disney's Hollywood Studios park! Hollywood Boulevard You enter the park from Hollywood Boulevard. You have your eyes set on the park icon, the Sorcerer's Hat from Fantasia. This area serves as the hub of the park, branching out in several ways that allow you to access the rest of the park. Hollywood Boulevard sets the mood for the park, with it's "streetmosphere" entertainers. Once you get to the hat, you may notice something peeking out behind it. A replica of the famous Grumman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, the facade of the Great Movie Ride is striking. Before the hat was installed in 2001, this was the first thing you saw at the end of Hollywood Boulevard. The Great Movie Ride is/was the ride that characterizes the park. Sunset Boulevard Something most people do is head down Sunset Boulevard first thing. Being a fan of the two thrill rides there myself, I do this. Once you get to the end of the street, you've probably noticed a large structure called the Hollywood Tower Hotel. This is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, arguably the scariest ride in Disney World. Be prepared to plunge faster than gravity in a random drop sequence that'll make anyone nervous. This ride is (also arguably) the best themed. You'll find tons of intricate details in the queue. Before you see the Tower of Terror, you'll spot the Rock n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. This queue is also nicely themed. You walk through the fictional G-Force Records, and encounter Aerosmith. They offer to take you on a ride to their show via "super-stretch" limo, and before you know it, you're going 0-58 mph in 2.8 seconds. Awesome ride! Hidden to the side is a walkway to Fantasmic!, a nighttime show that runs on some evenings. PIXAR Place This map is a bit out of date. Somewhere in the back, by where it says "Mickey Avenue" and "Animation Courtyard", is what is now PIXAR Place. The main ride back here is Toy Story Midway Mania. A very fun, competitive ride, Midway Mania shrinks you down to toy size in the queue. Once aboard your ride vehicle, you put on 3D glasses, and you're off. The ride is very interactive. You play minigames that require the use of your blaster, as you see 3D effects and surprises along the way. For example, you may feel a gust of air after you "pop" a balloon. Also somewhere in this area is One Man's Dream, a walkthrough exhibit and movie celebrating Walt Disney with memorabilia. Commissary Lane, The Streets of America and Everything Else In this area, near Echo Lake, is the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. It's got "Epic" in the name- how can it not be good? You'll see performers reenact several effects from the Indiana Jones movies right in front of you. The giant AT-AT probably caught your eye- yes, this is a Star Wars themed attraction. Walk into the queue, and take your time to check out the animatronic droids, such as C-3PO. Look up and see Mon Calamari (or is it Ackbar?). The ride is a simulator attraction, taking you on what was supposed to be a tour of Endor that gets very much out of hand, as the tour guide (a droid named Rex) is on his first flight. The ride is set to be refurbished in autumn. When it reopens, it will include 3D and a whole new film. Moving to the back, Muppet*Vision 3D is my favorite show in Disney World. The show is really fun, with tons of great lines. Don't miss this one. In the very back of the park is the Backlot Tour. The best part is Catastrophe Canyon, a simulated flash flood and earthquake. And that should conclude the tour of the park, I believe. Next up, the final tour: the Magic Kingdom.
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Read on for a tour of Disney's Animal Kingdom park! The Animal Kingdom is Disney's newest theme park at Walt Disney World. The park opened in 1998, and it's still young, so it's been known as a half-day park. That being said, expect this to be a shorter tour, as there are still a bunch of things here I haven't done. I was too busy riding Expedition Everest 10 times in a row. And it's really not a half-day park. There's much to explore. Oasis This is the first part of theme park, right after the entrance. There are beautiful exhibits here that it seems many people pass by. By looking at these waterfalls and animals, you'll get a feel for the park. Discovery Island Discovery Island serves as the "hub", just as the castle is at the Magic Kingdom. Discovery Island is home to the Tree of Life, a HUGE sculpture that has detailed carvings of a variety of animals. Under the Tree of Life is a 4D show called It's Tough to be a Bug. Starring the characters of Pixar's a Bug's Life, you'll enjoy this very fun show. There are a bunch of surprises along the way. One of my favorite restaurants is on Discovery Island. It's called Flame Tree Barbeque. They have very good pulled pork sandwiches and babyback ribs. Camp Minnie Mickey Not much to see here. Mostly character meet-and-greets, nothing you would be interested in unless you're looking for the more prominent characters. Africa This area is home to the Animal Kingdom's signature ride, Kilimanjaro Safaris. REALLY awesome ride, a must-do. You board a safari (duh) and get to explore the huge amount of land and the animals living back there. Keep an eye out for rhinos, lions, elephants, and giraffes. The coolest part about this ride is that these are real animals, and this is the closest you might get to them. Sometimes, the animals can get really close, crossing in front of your safari vehicle. Also located in Africa is the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail. This is another great way to get pictures of animals. Rafiki's Planet Watch I've never wandered back here. Plain and simple. However, I DO know that it is home to exhibits where you can see animals being treated by veterinarians. Asia Home to the best ride in the park, IMO, Expedition Everest. This is a roller coaster going through the Forbidden Mountain, guarded my the Yeti. While waiting in line, look at the various artifacts pertaining to the Yeti. As you are going up into the mountain, look around. You can spot Spaceship Earth at Epcot, and the Sorcerer's Hat at the Studios. This ride is so cool because it's unique- you go both forwards and backwards. You even encounter the Yeti himself. Not to be missed. Flights of Wonder is a live show where you get to see majestic birds of huge sizes. A very cool show if you're into that kind of thing, for sure. Kali River Rapids is the one ride in Disney where you'll get the most soaked. This is a raft ride that is very fun- you're bound to get soaked, no doubt. Dinoland A pretty oddly themed land. The main chunk of Dinoland is called Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama. It's supposed to be like one of those roadside traveling amusement parks. This kind of sucks, IMO. The best ride in Dinoland isn't part of Chester and Hester's Dino-Rama, luckily. It's called Dinosaur, an indoor ride which includes many encounter with, as the ride's name suggests, dinosaurs. The dinos on this ride are some of Disney's most complex audio-animatronics they've ever built, second to the Yeti at Everest. The ride vehicle is special, too- the body of it bounces around via hydraulics, so you feel like you're careening through a bumpy, dark forest at full speed, avoiding realistic dinos along the way. This ride is incredibly well themed. And that finishes the tour of Disney's Animal Kingdom. the next tour is Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park. Stay tuned.
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Read on for a tour of the SECOND half of Epcot- World Showcase! Moving clockwise around the World Showcase Lagoon, the first pavilion you see is Mexico. Once inside the large pyramid temple structure, you really feel as if you are transported to Mexico on a mysterious evening. This pavilion is home to a boat ride called Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Cabelleros. Onto Norway. Norway has one of the few rides in World Showcase, Maelstrom. A viking-themed boat ride, you explore Norway's history and folklore with a few surprises along the way. China is home to one of two Circlevision 360 films in World Showcase. Circlevision 360 is a technology in which scenes are shot with a special camera theatres where screens are placed all around you in a full circle, for 360 degree coverage. Germany is all about the atmosphere. There are specialty dining options all around and great shops to stroll through. The aroma of the signature pretzels wafting through the area is enough to make me love this pavilion. Italy is, like Germany, about the food and the atmosphere. The gelato is great on a summer day. Food is part of the experience of exploring World Showcase. :wink: The United State pavilion is home to the American Adventure, a half hour show that goes through the history of America. The colonial theme is well represented here. Japan is just plain fun- walk right on through the giant store filled with quirky Japanese specialty merchandise. The store even sells pre-packaged (also quirky) Japanese foods. Check out the Koi Pond. Morocco is amazing in that you really feel like you are in Morocco as you set foot into the pavilion. The feeling of walking through the narrow, well-themed walkways deep into the pavilion is like no other. There is even a sense of mystery as you walk along. Residing in France is a film entitled "Impressions de France." While the film isn't Circlevision 360, it is displayed on five huge screens, offering 200 degree coverage. United Kingdom is really cool. Take in the architecture and the red phone booths. The Rose and Crown pub is known as the place to go for the United Kindom's signature fish and chips. In between the UK pavilion and Canada is a daily performing celtic rock bank called Off Kilter. Awesome stuff! Canada has become my favorite pavilion. Canada is home to a Circlevision 360 film entitled "O Canada!" A 2007 update to the film brought Martin Short and his great humor and narration of the beautiful scenes of Canada. Also at the Canada pavilion is a REALLY good steakhouse called Le Cellier. Oh, I mustn't forget about the nighttime spectacular Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. A wonderful combo of fireworks, light effects, and pyro. And that's about it for Epcot. Next park to be toured- Disney's Animal Kingdom.
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Read on for a tour of the first half of Epcot- Future World! Welcome to Epcot. The park is in two parts- Future World and World Showcase. Future World focuses on innovation and the intricacy of the human, while World Showcase celebrates cultures and you really can travel around the world in 80 minutes. But that's if you're in a rush. Future World Future World Central includes Spaceship Earth (the giant "golf ball") and Innoventions. Spaceship Earth isn't just a 165 foot geosphere- there's a great ride inside it. A dark journey through time, the ride spirals up the sphere's central shaft. Focusing on the evolution of human communication, Spaceship Earth is a ride not to missed- it's truly beautiful. Innoventions is a series of interactive exhibits. Future World East is thrill-heavy. Mission: Space is an immersive motion simulator like no other. It uses centrifugal force (otherwise known as spinning really fast) to create the feeling of a spaceship lift-off to Mars. Next door is Test Track. Test Track is another thrill ride which takes you through the tests that cars go through before they enter production. While you are on line, you can look at several smaller tests. Towards the end of the ride, you reach 65 miles per hour and loop around the building. Ellen's Energy Adventure is a fun show/ride starring Ellen DeGeneres, which, as the name suggests, focuses on energy. This pavilion is also known as the Universe of Energy. Interesting tidbit: you see that gold dome next to Energy? That's the Wonders of Life pavilion. Now closed, it used to hold rides about, obviously, the human body. Future World West focuses more on life. The Living Seas, now known as the Seas with Nemo and Friends is like an aquarium itself. After the refurbishment that brought Nemo to the pavilion, there is now a short dark ride within it that projects Finding Nemo characters into the tank, making it look like the characters are swimming in the tank with the fish. The Land features the most popular attraction in Epcot. Lines can reach up to FIVE hours on the most crowded day of the year! That ride is Soarin', an immersive experience in which you are seated and lifted up 40 feet into the air. You are positioned nearly above an IMAX screen. You really do feel like you are hang-gliding above California. You can even smell the Pacific ocean and orange groves as you fly over them. Next door is the Imagination pavilion. This includes a great, imaginative (well, duh) dark ride with a character created just for Epcot- Figment, a jolly purple dragon. The ride is aptly titled Journey into Imagination. A refurbishment brought Eric Idle of Monty Python fame to the ride. Also within the glass pyramids of the Imagination pavilion is a 4D show called "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience." It includes the characters of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and the chairman of the Imagination Institute from Journey into Imagination, Dr. Nigel Channing (Eric Idle). Scroll down to the next entry for part two of the tour.
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IMO, the new TRON monorails at Disney World look sick. Pics after the bump.
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I just caught this on the Disney Parks Blog: The Photoshop of the monorails makes them look pretty ugly, but I think it'll end up being cooler IRL. Just think of it-- a TRON lightcycle running around EPCOT. Sounds pretty sick if you ask me. B) Oh, and it looks like Tron is coming out on my birthday next year.
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Well, I Guess I Should Go Check Out Hotel Rates Now ._.
Kylus posted a blog entry in blogs_blog_1563
Because I really want to go back... ;_; You see that? That's the sight I want to see again, the one where I know I'm in one of my favorite places in the world having a good time. This was my August trip to WDW, and I barely took any pictures. The only ones I have are from the Magic Kingdom. Don't get me wrong, it's great having awesome pictures of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad like the one above, but I wanted a lot more. Example: My brother and I were in EPCOT, during extra magic hours (extra time late at night for resort guests to go to a selected park), so there was a small amount of people there. This was at the end of extra time, so there was literally nobody there. We walk out of Soarin', as we got the last ride of the night. It was amazing: EPCOT at night, with nobody else there. My point: why didn't I take advantage of the awesome photo opportunities, or at least lay back a little and take it in? It's so annoying to look back at that now, a great trip with little photos to stay with me. >< It makes me want to go back more, and take full advantage of the trip. This entry seems pretty aimless and overly free-form, right? -
So, I saw this set in my latest LEGO catalogue: So, it's just your basic battle pack, right? Well, I wanted to look a little more closely. Right when I saw this piece, it brought to mind my favorite geosphere on the face of the planet, SpaceShip Earth in EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. SSE's outer shell is composed of aluminum-composite triangles. Here's a close-up of the tiles: So, if I had the time, patience, and money, I would create a sphere composed of an inner hub with several long bars expanding outward. At the end of each "branch", i would add three triangles positioned so they form a larger triangle that protrudes just like on the real SSE. The only problem: I lack the aforementioned time, patience, and money to invest in plastic to build a model of a geosphere.
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What? There's a complete lack of Disney World discussion over there.
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Well, it looks like its time for a new subtitle. *tries to think of one off the top off my head* How about this? It's from the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. "I need a bigger car. Make a stretch- no, make it a super stretch."
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Let's see... *opens up quote archives* Ah, this one might be interesting to use as a subtitle. It's from Test Track, at EPCOT. "Did you remember to turn off those robots?"
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Well, after two days of having this Tower of Terror subtitle, I have decided it's much too long. So now, I'm going to swap it out with a line from a classic Disney World/EPCOT song. It's just about as iconic as "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow". It's "One Little Spark" from Journey Into imagination! "One Little Spark... of inspiration" *belts into song*
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This quote comes from The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror from Disney Studios or whatever they call it now. In tonight's episode you are the star, and this elevator travels directly to .... THE TWILIGHT ZONE
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K, I came up with a new system for subtitles because I feel that they are lacking. Because I have this useless Walt Disney World category, I'll make use of it by having a quote from WDW as the subtitle every few days. The first one is from the classic (and frankly extinct) EPCOT Center attraction Horizons. Horizons once stood where Mission: Space is today. "If we can dream it, we can do it" Horizons
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Dude, does this concept art for Epic Mickey not seem, um, EPIC? It's especially awesome for me, being that I'm a Disney World fan. It's so cool seeing a steampunk'd Spaceship Earth (from EPCOT) and the Earful Tower (from Disney Studios), not to mention the Tower of Terror (also from the Studios)... on a WHALE-thing.