You know what I mean. Disney, Universal, Six Flags, Seaworld, Busch Gardens, and so on. Who doesn't love a well-done theme park or awesome ride?
Since I live about an hour or so away from the Orlando parks, I go occasionally and keep up with their developments. Disney and Universal at least. I don't give a fuck about Seaworld. I might finally get an annual pass to Universal this year, so I can go whenever I want and have something to do when I visit my friends who will go to school around that area. It's more fun to go to than Disney, and has a lot to offer, so I'm up for it.
As for Disney, here's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIarm5FEQXI) a recent addition to California Adventure, the new Little Mermaid dark ride. I think it looks cool, if an inferior version of the Snow White one at Magic Kingdom done for The Little Mermaid instead. I also really don't like Sebastian's replacement for here. It sounds very weak.
-bump-
Living back in Michigan prior to 2007, Cedar Point was my jam. In saying this, though, I must admit that I've never been on the two "mega coasters" they host, those being Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster. Long lines are a natural part of any amusement park, and it may seem like a weak excuse, but I've just never had the patience for these two. Dragster, in particular, is like a 4-6 hour wait (not kidding here; at least, last time I went it, it was), and the ride itself lasts no longer than 20 seconds. Keep in mind, I haven't been there since 2006, and both of those rides still had "novelty factor" working in their favor then. I'm sure now, the lines aren't quite this bad... but I'll have no way of knowing; Nevada, obviously, is much too far away from Ohio for me to make any return trips in the near future.
Probably my favorite roller coasters at Cedar Point were Raptor, and Disaster Transport; both are fun rides, and the lines aren't very long either (older rides do have their benefits). Cedar Creek Mine Ride was another fun coaster; it acts more as a "tour guide" throughout the park, but obviously it's still a roller coaster, so you're covering twice as much ground in seeing things as you would walking/riding other, slower "transport" rides.
Also being a water park kinda guy myself, Soak City (adjacent water park on the same grounds, if you didn't guess) was a lot of fun as well. Eerie Falls was definitely my favorite slide; the gimmick is that it's completely pitch black inside, making for quite an interesting slide down.
Man... reminiscing like this, I want to go back so badly... but obviously, again, that's not really an option, given my current residency being hundreds of miles away. At some point here, I need to make my way down to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, which would be the closest park to where I'm living now. It's actually a lot closer to Reno than Cedar Point ever was to where I lived in Michigan (city called Fraser, if you're curious), but I can't get my parents to take me to amusement parks anymore (too old; bleh), and I don't have the means to go by myself. I'm unemployed, once again, for one thing, meaning money is an issue... and I'm completely unfamiliar with the city of Sacramento, so navigating it by myself after having only been there once or twice before would be a herculean task that I'm just not up for.
Oh well. One of these days... one of these days, I'll make it down there.
Yeah, there's a whole bunch in California, most of which I've been to at one point or another. I don't know about the Sacramento thing(personally don't much like Sacramento or the surrounding area), but there is a Great America in Santa Clara, right outside San Jose, that I used to go to a lot as a kid back when we lived there.
Of course, then you can go down to Southern California, where they've got Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood and Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain and SeaWorld and Legoland and...
I haven't been to a theme park since last year, when we went to Six Flags Great America a few times last summer, which is just north of Chicago. I don't know where the closest Six Flags to Norfolk is, but I know we have a Busch Gardens a little ways away from us, up towards Richmond. I'll probably check it out sometime.
Legoland's good for the little pups but they do have a Bionicle ride that's suitable for 55" and up.
So they have a Legoland in Florida now? Huh, you learn something new every day, it's just that I learned this little bit of info from a box of Life cereal...
I seriously love and miss Disney World. I was only there once for a week, and that was three years ago. But it was probably the best week of my twenty-one years thus far.
I need to get back there with my friends someday.
The only time I was in Disney World was 1998, and honestly I think I was too young to really appreciate it. I'd like to take my parents there some day. When they took my sister and I, we were ungrateful brats the whole week.
Never been to D-World. Been to Disneyland a few times, but I have much more experience with Cali than I do Florida(considering I was born there and lived there for half my childhood, plus before joining the Navy the furthest East I had ever gone was Colorado).
Quote from: Comeau on July 01, 2012, 08:43:21 PM
So they have a Legoland in Florida now? Huh, you learn something new every day, it's just that I learned this little bit of info from a box of Life cereal...
Yep. I haven'y been though. I also actually haven't been to Busch Gardens either.
And since I've barely left the state of Florida, let alone the east coast, I've never been to Disneyland. It's been a goal of mine to when I move to California for my career to go to both parks at least once, but it obviously hasn't happened yet.
I remember back when I used to live in Orlando. Every Summer I'd go to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, since they were back to back and I'd have a blast there.
Now that I live in New Jersey, the closest theme park to me is Six Flags which I've gone to a few times. Its a great park, but it also feels kind of limited in scope since I've already gone on every interesting ride in the park at least once (most of them multiple times, though). That said, its still fun to go there just to hang out with a group of friends, but I rarely ever have the time to do that anymore, even during the Summer.
The 2nd closest theme park is Hershey Park, which is about 2 hours away from my house and I've only ever been to it once on a school trip (though we did get to stay overnight, so I got plenty of time to see what the park had to offer). It was pretty cool, but I haven't had a chance to go back. Actually, some of my family went there just the other weekend, but I couldn't go because I was too busy with things at home.
Believe it or not, I've never been to Disney World, and have only ever been to Disney Land once in my entire life, and I was really young then, too, so I barely even remember the experience. I'd love to go there again sometime, but for right now its just not possible as its very far from where I live and even if it was close by I simply can't afford to go there right now.
Other parks I've been to only once are Bush Gardens, Dorney Park, and King's Island. I was really young when I went to Bush Gardens, so just like DL, I barely remember it (though my visit to that park was the first time I ever went on a roller-coaster, so it was still a great experience for me). As for Dorney Park, I went there on a school trip just like with Hershey Park. Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with it, but to be fair I was with a group of friends who weren't so keen on going on too many rides so that really limited what I could go on. Either way, though, I don't have any real desire to return there. As for King's Island, I just went there for the first time last summer when I was staying in Kentucky with my cousin. He took me there on my last weekend staying there before I flew back to New Jersey, and I really loved my experience there. All of the rides I went on were awesome, and Flight of Fear may just be the best indoor roller-coaster that I've ever been on. Invertigo and Diamondback would also rank in my top 10 favorite roller-coasters out of all of the ones that I've ever been on (Diamondback especially since it reminds me of Nitro from Six Flags, which is probably my personal favorite roller-coaster).
I remember watching a video about Hershey Park in one of my classes when my teacher didn't feel like doing any work. I also know that Demi's done a couple of shows there over the past year.
I've also been to Six Flags Over Georgia once. I really enjoyed it when I went, but I can see how limited in scope they can seem in comparison to Disney and Universal.
Yeah, Six Flags has some great rides and attractions, but it doesn't take more than a couple of visits to the park to feel like you've seen it all and then you'll never really have any interest in going back. I feel like with Universal I could spend days there and still have plenty of things that I didn't experience, yet. Also, I just like the theme of Universal more, what with all of the movie-inspired rides and shows.
Truthfully, I've only been to Universal Studios once. For my grad bash senior year and I got to go to both parks. Sadly, not everything was open in either park. But yeah, I liked the Hollywood theme it had. Oh, one thing that really annoyed me is that my two favorite rides from there, Jaws and Jimmy Neutron, are now gone.
Islands of Adventure is the one everyone else wants to go to if we have a choice, and that rules for all the islands it has. The Marvel island, Jurassic Park, Hogwarts, etc. There's a LOT to explore.
Quote from: Avaitor on July 02, 2012, 01:05:56 PM
Truthfully, I've only been to Universal Studios once. For my grad bash senior year and I got to go to both parks. Sadly, not everything was open in either park. But yeah, I liked the Hollywood theme it had. Oh, one thing that really annoyed me is that my two favorite rides from there, Jaws and Jimmy Neutron, are now gone.
They took out Jaws!?! :shit:
That was my favorite ride in the entire park when I was a kid, and I was hoping to one day go back to it for the sake of reliving some great nostalgia. Why the fuck would they get rid of it? :burn:
QuoteIslands of Adventure is the one everyone else wants to go to if we have a choice, and that rules for all the islands it has. The Marvel island, Jurassic Park, Hogwarts, etc. There's a LOT to explore.
I love Islands of Adventure. I haven't been there in so long, though, so I've never had a chance to explore the Hogwarts section of the park, since that was only built a few years after the last time I've been there. I always loved the Marvel island, as well as Jurassic Park and all of the other sections.
They always get rid of stuff to "update" things, even moreso than Disney does. On the top of my head, the only thing they have from the day that the park first opened is the Lucy exhibit, or whatever that is.
What's funny is that I don't think Islands of Adventure has replaced one thing since they opened. Even the unlicensed mystical stuff they had is either still around or changed to become Harry Potter related. They might even keep Marvel for a while, since Disney doesn't seem to mind as long as they get some cash settlement from it.
Ooh, I remember going to Hershey Park long long time ago. No what scale it is these days.
Bummer that Jaws is gone.
Y'no, as I've been thinking about it, I do wish that EPCOT added Canada to the park.
They can have a Tim Hortons, so the east coast can finally get one, as well as a replica Second City Theater, a Niagara Falls ride, and I'm sure more.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/24/the-simpsons-themed-area-coming-to-universal-studios-florida
Whelp DLA, it looks like I'll be making the trip down to Florida sometime in the future. I just gots to ride that Escalator to Nowhere.
Now that's a good way to celebrate the 25th anniversary!
I actually haven't been on the ride, though. I've only been to Universal Studios twice (but I've been to Islands of Adventure a lot), and didn't get a chance to ride it either time- one of the people I was with the first time can't handle rides like that, so we had to pass, while the second was when I went to see Demi, and I only had an after 5 PM pass, so little time for anything but her.
I've only ever been to Universal Hollywood, back in like 2000, so yeah way before the attraction existed. I've always wanted to ride the ride though...
Google says an 11 hour drive from Norfolk to Orlando. I think I can manage that, I've got Sirius to keep me company. I wouldn't be able to do it until September at the earliest, that should give it enough time to actually open.
Hey Chalmey (http://www.insidethemagic.net/2013/06/krusty-burger-moes-tavern-open-at-universal-orlando-where-simpsons-fast-food-boulevard-offers-a-taste-of-springfield/), it's up.
I know, I'm still thinking about it. From what I understand Universal is actually two parks, so how much is it to go to both of them? It kind of seems pointless to go down there and only see one and not the other.
And I don't even want to think about DisneyWorld, even though I'd have to go if I go to Orlando.
There are deals where you can go to both for a certain amount of days for a cheaper price than to just do one or the other. Keep in mind, though, that I'm not a great person to ask about prices for these places, since I'm used to the Florida resident discounts. You'll have to check on your own.
But even if you only go to one of the parks, there is CityWalk, which is free. Which reminds me, I still need to go to the Whopper Bar over there.
You're along way from home city boy... I'll start a tab.
Quote from: Avaitor on June 06, 2013, 12:57:28 PM
There are deals where you can go to both for a certain amount of days for a cheaper price than to just do one or the other. Keep in mind, though, that I'm not a great person to ask about prices for these places, since I'm used to the Florida resident discounts. You'll have to check on your own.
But even if you only go to one of the parks, there is CityWalk, which is free. Which reminds me, I still need to go to the Whopper Bar over there.
I'm sure I can get some sort of military discount.
Thanks to No-Personality's suggestion not that long ago, I'm watching more of Some Jerk With a Camera's videos, and found this (http://blip.tv/some-jerk-with-a-camera/the-top-11-florida-attractions-not-in-california-part-one-11-6-5291737) list (http://blip.tv/some-jerk-with-a-camera/the-top-11-florida-attractions-not-in-california-part-two-the-top-five-5322357). As a Floridian, I think it's really cool!
11: Maelstrom- Sadly, my experience at EPCOT is mostly limited to restaurants, shops, and some of the sights. I've always wanted to ride this though.
10: Rock n' Roller Coaster: Aw yeah, I love this one. Aersomith and a fast coaster? Yes, please! And screw you man, Here We Go Again is a fantastic album.
9: Test Track- Yeah, haven't rode this one either. But it looks like fun!
8: The Cat in the Hat- Ooh, I rode this one when I went to Universal last month. It's very cute!
7: The Great Movie Ride- I've only been on this one once, because whenever we do MGM/Hollywood, no one else wants to go on. But the film lover in me makes me it a lot of fun for me.
6: Kilimanjaro Safaris- I haven't done Animal Kingdom at all, but I really want to go on this one with my mom, who can't do most rides, but is very interested in AK.
5: Spider-Man- This recent trip to Universal was the first time I didn't do Spider-Man while there, which saddened me. We went on Transformers, which is supposed to be the same thing, but isn't nearly as awesome.
4: Mickey's Philharmagic- I saw this once, and it was a lot of fun! I'd gladly go again. And I remember that Lion King show it replaced. That was around back when we went to Disney a bunch, and it was my mom's favorite thing at the park. I got sick of it after a while, but now I kind of miss it.
3: Men in Black Alien Attack- Ugh, I never get the high score on this one, but I love it each time.
2: Expedition Everest- Something else I really want to do. :/
1: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey- It really is good stuff. I do recommend it, and I'm not even much of a Harry Potter fan.
So recently, a friend of mine, who is a big fan of Disney World and has been there multiple times, went to Disney Land for the first time, since it would be a newer experience than going to Disney World again. He said what I figured he would, that it's certainly not as good as Disney World (World has many awesome parks, Land has two, one of which is supposedly a slightly less awesome version of Magic Kingdom), but he's glad he went there instead. Apparently Land is also really good for a smaller, three to four day trip (when we went to Disney World years ago, we went for a full week and still felt like there was more to do). I hear some of its advantages are the much smaller walking distances between parks (no need to ride buses to get back and forth between parks), and that California Scream is one of the best Disney rides ever. Makes me miss Disney World, and of course I'd love to check out Disney Land, some day.
I also wonder about the Disney parks around the world, such as Disney Paris. Of course, I'm sure none of them top Disney World since it's so big, but I wonder what most people consider to be the second best Disney park overall.
Is Harry Potter a Universal ride, or was it part of another them park? Either way, I haven't been to. Universal, Islands of Adventure, or Disney World in over a decade, each, so I never would have had a chance to go on any of the relatively recent rides added to any of those parks.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on May 29, 2014, 07:51:15 PM
Is Harry Potter a Universal ride, or was it part of another them park? Either way, I haven't been to. Universal, Islands of Adventure, or Disney World in over a decade, each, so I never would have had a chance to go on any of the relatively recent rides added to any of those parks.
Harry Potter is a part of Universal. Right now, just Islands of Adventure has Hogwarts, but Universal Studios is getting Diagon Alley come this summer.
After seeing Hogwarts and Springfield up close, I kind of wish that Universal could keep the rights to their Marvel land at IOA indefinitely (there are no plans for it to go just yet, but there's little chances of them keeping it for good). When Islands opened up, Universal just wasn't as good at building aesthetics for their parks as Disney is, but they have really stepped up their game recently, so I would love to see them redo their Marvel section.
Oh, and for WDW vs. Disneyland, World has more and bigger parks, obviously, plus California doesn't really have anything like Epcot or Animal Kingdom, some overlap in attractions aside. But Disneyland has its perks from what I understand.
1- It's the original park, the only one that Walt was able to experience as it opened.
2- Disneyland has more, stronger unique attractions to it as compared to Magic Kingdom (not factoring in the other parks outside of the US). The Indiana Jones, Alice, and Pinocchio rides, as well as the Matterhorn Bobsleds, all look awesome.
3- Including Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Snow White Scary Adventures, which MK doesn't have anymore.
4- Apparently, Disneyland's Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Peter Pan are stronger than their WDW counterparts, and they also have an awesome update to Big Thunder Mountain that we have yet to receive. Although I've also heard that we have the better Haunted Mansion and Splash Mountain.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 30, 2014, 10:24:12 AM
Oh, and for WDW vs. Disneyland, World has more and bigger parks, obviously, plus California doesn't really have anything like Epcot or Animal Kingdom, some overlap in attractions aside. But Disneyland has its perks from what I understand.
1- It's the original park, the only one that Walt was able to experience as it opened.
That's true. There is something special about it for that reason. Though it's also true that Disney World was still Walt's idea and vision. He just didn't live to see it fulfilled.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 30, 2014, 10:24:12 AM2- Disneyland has more, stronger unique attractions to it as compared to Magic Kingdom (not factoring in the other parks outside of the US). The Indiana Jones, Alice, and Pinocchio rides, as well as the Matterhorn Bobsleds, all look awesome.
3- Including Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Snow White Scary Adventures, which MK doesn't have anymore.
Wasn't Mr. Toad's Wild Ride replaced with a Pooh ride? Or was that in Disney World?
Quote from: Avaitor on May 30, 2014, 10:24:12 AM4- Apparently, Disneyland's Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Peter Pan are stronger than their WDW counterparts, and they also have an awesome update to Big Thunder Mountain that we have yet to receive.
That's what I heard. I actually remember thinking that Big Thunder Mountain was slightly underwhelming (still awesome, just not as good as I thought it would be before I first went on it).
Do you know anything about the other Disney parks around the world?
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 30, 2014, 01:34:51 PM
Wasn't Mr. Toad's Wild Ride replaced with a Pooh ride? Or was that in Disney World?
At Magic Kingdom, yeah. Disneyland did get that ride, but it replaced the Country Bear Jamboree instead. Disneyland still has Mr. Toad.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 30, 2014, 01:34:51 PM
That's what I heard. I actually remember thinking that Big Thunder Mountain was slightly underwhelming (still awesome, just not as good as I thought it would be before I first went on it).
Yeah, I'm not a big fan of MK's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It's still not bad, but of the 3 mountains, it's always been my least favorite and least essential to ride.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 30, 2014, 01:34:51 PM
Do you know anything about the other Disney parks around the world?
Yeah, I've been in a real Disney park mood over the past month or so, so I've been reading about some of the other ones. Tokyo DisneySea looks like the best, with an awesome Jules Verne-themed land, complete with a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride unique to the one originally at MK, and a stunning recreation of Venice. It looks very well built all around, including the "kids" Little Mermaid and Aladdin lands.
But Disneyland Paris also looks incredibly stunning. They also have a Space Mountain that's somewhat based off of
From the Earth to the Moon that I would love to go on. Its sister park, Walt Disney Studios Park, also has some original stuff that makes it stand out, even if it's mostly a MGM/Hollywood Studios retread. I haven't been able to find out too much about Hong Kong Disneyland though, but I'll try to keep an eye out.
I'm currently typing on my phone thus making quoting tedious, so I won't bother with this post. Either way, you'll know what I'm talking about without needing quotes. :P
I will say about Thunder Mountain that I remember it having two tracks. I might be wrong there. But I do remember enjoying the ride when I rode it a second time, far more than my first time riding it.
And yeah, I know what you mean about just being in that Disney park mood. I've been reading about them lately, too. Tokyo Disney sounds really great, largely because of DisneySea. Do you know if people like it more than Disney Land? Disney Paris also sounds very nice, but I actually heard from one source (from a few years ago) that it had a few Disney magic breaking moments, though I'm not sure if that was just a one time problem or if it's really relevant nowadays. Hong Kong Disney sounds like it's the smallest and has had a bit of a rocky history, so maybe it's not quite on par with the others. Relatively speaking, of course. I'm sure that all of these parks are 10/10 compared to non-Disney parks. Also, they are apparently building another Disney park in China.
I'd love to go to all these parks someday, but I'm sure that'll never happen. So far, I've only been to Disney World.
Yeah, they're building a Disneyland Shanghai that'll be open by the end of next year. That's going to have an exclusive Tron ride, as well as their first Marvel ride, an Iron Man one.
I'm not sure if people like Tokyo Disneyland better than Anaheim, but I know that it and DisneySea are the third and fourth most visited parks in the world, trailing MK and Disneyland.
This discussion has inspired me to rank the Disney World parks in order, from favorite to least favorite. Because even if all four parks are uber god tier, some of them have to be slightly less uber godlike.
1. Animal Kingdom - My overall favorite Disney World attraction (Kilimanjaro Safaris), my second favorite "ride" (Expedition Everest), one of the best shows (Finding Nemo ? The Musical) and much more. It was also the first Disney World park I went to when I was there, so it has that personal connection.
2. Magic Kingdom - My favorite ride in Disney World (Splash Mountain), a really cool roller coaster (Big Thunder Mountain), and of course just that magic of walking through the park. I think Space Mountain is also here, but that ride was down when I was in the resort. This is basically tied with Animal Kingdom, really.
3. Hollywood Studios - Toy Story Midway Mania, Fantastmic, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and other great rides and shows. I want to say that, when I was in Disney World, this is the park I was at most, but I might be wrong.
4. Epcot - No shame in being last on this list. The world and everything the different countries display is awesome. Test Track is really cool, and Soarin' is phenomenal. Plus, the fireworks shows here blow Magic Kingdom's fireworks out of the water.
Welp, it's official.
RIP Maelstrom. (http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/09/frozen-attraction-coming-to-epcot/)
So Avaitor, have you heard about the Be Our Guest Restaurant? Apparently, it's so jammed that you typically need to make reservations for it up to five months in advance. I have a friend who was just in Disney World to visit his girlfriend and stay for a week (she's doing that program where you work there for a few months).
... They made reservations for it three weeks ago. Some people just get absurdly lucky, man.
But I was told that it really feels like walking into the ballroom from the movie.
Yeah, it's supposed to be insanely good. It's a little surprising to see the most popular part of New Fantasyland be a restaurant, but it combines the best aspects of Disney's theme park storytelling with awesome French food. And the grey stuff is supposed to be delicious. Apparently, the best time to go is during lunch, since all 3 rooms are used. One of them isn't available during dinner.
Another thing I know is that this is the only place at Magic Kingdom which serves alcohol. Walt originally wanted the Disneyland park (but not the hotels, mind you) to be a dry area, which carried over to MK, as opposed to their other parks. But since alcohol is a must for the French during dinnertime, you can order wine or beer during then.
I'm going to Food & Wine at Epcot for the first time this Sunday!
I'll try to make a post with some of my favorite things that I've tried. Although I'm not sure if I'll get to any alcohol, even though I'm most likely not driving. I'm not a wine person, the beers have been disappointing from whoever's told me about them, and I can't deal with sour mix, which Disney uses in a lot of their cocktails. But I'll see what I can do. :P
I'm lazy, so I didn't make my post yet, but Food & Wine was great! I'll try to do it soon, since I have a LOT of pictures saved. I'll just say that no one picked a loser from all of the options my group went with.
I'm posting here, though, to share this great article (http://passport2dreams.blogspot.com/2014/11/stitchs-great-escape-ten-years.html) about the 10th anniversary of Stitch's Great Escape. It's a detailed read that explores the rise and fall of the Lilo & Stitch mania (I want to see something similar for Frozen a decade from now, when its fall occurs), why the Alien Encounter never really caught on, and most of all, just why this "ride" has failed to catch on itself.
I never got to experience the Alien Encounter- most of its run existed during the 5-6 year hiatus my family took from Disney after Eisner's insane price hike, and by the time we went back, it just didn't look that appealing to our younger selves- but Stitch never did much for me. It's true, that the experience feels like a weird mesh between funny and scary that doesn't begin to pay off in any regard, and right away it drops any pretense of respecting your intelligence. Is it the worst ride at Magic Kingdom? Maybe.
I really didn't like Stitch's Great Escape. To me, it was the worst attraction across all four Disney parks that I got to experience.
Also, did you know they are revamping Hollywood Studios, apparently?
Hollywood really needs more rides. I swear, you can do everything at the park in just a day.
I do like it more than Epcot. I love the world in Epcot, but it's kind of lacking in the more traditional Disney attractions, so by default it ends up being my least favorite by default.
I hear they are getting rid of the Mickey hat in Hollywood Studios.
Meh, but at least there's a lot to do in Epcot. The World Showcase is just gorgeous to walk through, while most of Future World has awesome stuff to do. Hollywood has its share of great stuff, but lots of dead space.
Not to mention that Toy Story Mania way isn't worth the long lines. It's a mediocre shoot-em-up, but so is the Buzz Lightyear ride at Magic Kingdom. Men in Black at Universal trumps them both.
And I'm happy with the hat being retired. It's never been that nice to look at, especially since the original icon was supposed to be the Great Movie Ride. And I can't wait for TCM's additions to that, as well.
Quote from: Avaitor on December 07, 2014, 04:04:37 PM
Meh, but at least there's a lot to do in Epcot. The World Showcase is just gorgeous to walk through, while most of Future World has awesome stuff to do. Hollywood has its share of great stuff, but lots of dead space.
Not to mention that Toy Story Mania way isn't worth the long lines. It's a mediocre shoot-em-up, but so is the Buzz Lightyear ride at Magic Kingdom. Men in Black at Universal trumps them both.
And I'm happy with the hat being retired. It's never been that nice to look at, especially since the original icon was supposed to be the Great Movie Ride. And I can't wait for TCM's additions to that, as well.
I know. I'm not denying that Epcot is fantastic. I adore Soarin, and the Epcot fireworks blow away the Magic Kingdom ones. But to me, all four parks are fantastic, 10/10s. And I do think that Epcot has fewer rides than the other three, though I do love the world.
I'm a huge fan of Toy Story Mania, so I can't agree there. The Buss Lightyear one is indeed mediocre, though. But I hear they've been working to cut down on the waiting time of the lines in Disney World. Apparently it's far more convenient now than it was five years ago, which was when I was there. As for the hat, I do like the idea of each of the four parks having a sort of compass and an icon, but I do like the icons of the other parks more (the castle, Spaceship Earth, and the Tree of Life).
From what I remember, Magic Kingdom has the most stuff to do. And it's nearly the best of the four. But I have to say that, to me, Animal Kingdom just barely edges it out. I hear that, in Animal Kingdom, they are in the process of building an Avatar-based park. Pandora does make sense to make an amusement park out of, but I do think they should have gone with their original idea to make Beastly Kingdom, work a focus on fictional animals.
I forgot to mention something else, but I adore the aesthetic of the Disney World parks. They each just have this really strong feeling to them. Of course, Magic Kingdom just flows with classic Disney, but I think each park excels in their own way. Animal Kingdom, for example, feels more outdoorsy. There's more nature around the place, and I specifically remember exotic birds just walking around going about their day on the paths. It's no wonder people talk about the "magic" of Disney World, and Disney really makes sure the illusion is never broken.
Nintendo rides are coming to Universal Studios. (http://www.siliconera.com/2015/05/07/nintendo-universal-team-theme-park-attractions-based-nintendo-properties)
One step closer to Nintendo World.
Right now, there aren't any definite plans for where any Nintendo-themed attractions could head over to, but if they go to Universal, I could see it be time to retire Toon Lagoon in favor of Nintendoland. You'd think that Marvel would be the place to go, but Universal has the rights to the area until 2050, and the Spider-Man and Hulk rides are way more popular than Dudley Do-Right and Popeye.
But they don't really replace much at Islands, do they? Even Dueilng Dragons is basically the same as before, just with some lazy tie-ins to Harry Potter. Universal Studios is the park that usually loses an older attraction for a newer one.
They should take some rats and paint them yellow, take some cats and glue medallions on their heads, take some ponies and set them on fire, and let me run through Kanto to catch some motherfucking Pokemon. I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was...
Also I would so love to Blue Shell the fuck out of some poor schmo in a real life version of Mario Kart. Donkey Kong could meet King Kong, just so much potential.
I thought the thread was about the tv show.
I could possibly get free tickets to Worlds Of Fun. I might jump on that opportunity.
Indy Jones-themed bar and restaurant coming to Disney Springs. (http://wdwnt.com/blog/2015/05/breaking-hangar-in-disney-springs-is-an-indiana-jones-themed-restaurant-jock-lindseys-hangar-bar-opens-this-fall)
I kind of forgot to mention this, but I made it through the 24 hour day at Magic Kingdom on Friday. I even got a complimentary Inside Out button for making it to the gate before 6 am, which is something they usually do for guests who do the same. I know last year's button was Maleficent, and I'm pretty sure the previous year's was Monsters University. 2012's was themed to leap year, since that was the first time they did the event and that was the general theme of the event. Monsters U was the actual theme of 2013, and the past 2 have been less specific, but heavy on Frozen.
But yeah, being at Magic Kingdom for the whole span of 24 hours was great. I actually wasn't there for the whole time, though, only 18 hours. I went to Animal Kingdom for about 2, Epcot for about 3, and Hollywood for only about an hour in between (word of advice- unless you're WAY into Star Wars and don't mind massive waits, don't head over to HS for Star Wars Weekend). But my friend and I hit a lot of rides early in the day and some more at night, but once it hit midnight is when the lines started getting crazy. I think a lot of people headed over during Wishes at 9, or even later, to revel in being at the park for so late. We hung at the dance party on Main Street for the last few hours until we caught the Kiss Goodnight at the gate.
Compared to what I've heard about previous events though, this wasn't too special. There were no special meet and greets and very few things to make advantage of the day, while last year had special parades for heroes and villains that allowed for meet and greets after. The most special thing to happen during the day was an pre-Main Street Electrical Parade float for Frozen, which was nice but wasn't anything too special. But hey, being at the park for a full day was an event in and of itself, and I'm glad I made it there.
Have you been to Disneyland, Avaitor?
Quote from: talonmalon333 on May 27, 2015, 06:51:15 PM
Have you been to Disneyland, Avaitor?
I think I've mentioned this before, but I haven't left the east coast.
Disney has purchased some new land in Anaheim. Disneyland could be expanding.
http://www.inquisitr.com/2309557/disneyland-buys-land-in-anaheim-rumors-of-star-wars-or-marvel-expansions-begin
http://www.insidethemagic.net/2015/08/d23-expo-2015-star-wars-land-announced-for-walt-disney-world-and-disneyland-ever-14-acres-of-new-attractions/
Say goodbye to Toon Town, say hello to Star Wars Land! This also apparently goes in conjunction with the land in Anaheim that Disney bought, apparently the backstage portions behind Toon Town will be moved out to this new land.
Good riddance. Toon Town was a bore. It had nice aesthetics, but nothing of interest.
Bring on Star Wars Land! :swoon:
EDIT: Toy Story Land is coming, too! (http://www.themeparkinsider.com/flume/201508/4696)
UPDATE: Holy shit! (http://www.themeparkinsider.com/art/2015/hyperspace-mountain.jpg) :shakeshakeshake:
I'm a little disappointed about losing Toon Town, since I've always wanted to go on Roger Rabbit, but the Star Wars expansion looks great. Better than Animal Kingdom's Avatar stuff is looking, and I think that looks really good itself.
Hollywood really needs more stuff, too, and I'm sure that this will go over well there. Toy Story Land probably will too, even though it mostly looks like kiddy stuff. But if you check out the concept art, it appears very inviting!
There's also footage of the new Frozen ride/area at Epcot, and it looks nice. Nothing too impressive, but it could be worse.
You know, I can't find any official announcement about Toon Town and Big Thunder Ranch being the areas leaving. Where does it say that?
Edit: Well, Big Thunder Ranch is indeed going. (https://mobile.twitter.com/DisneylandToday/status/632955625836777472) I do think that Disneyland may at least try to keep Roger Rabbit afloat, since it's a fairly popular ride, but I would not be surprised if they gut all of Toontown as well. I just wanted confirmation for everything.
Where will these locations be in Disney World?
Nothing has been put out yet, but the demise of Toon Town has been floating around on the rumor mill for quite some time.
Still, even if Toon Town gets the boot you probably still have like another year or two before they start tearing it out.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on August 16, 2015, 04:49:13 PM
Where will these locations be in Disney World?
The Star Wars area is going to Hollywood Studios. which is also getting a Toy Story land.
Quote from: Commode on August 16, 2015, 05:54:28 PMNothing has been put out yet, but the demise of Toon Town has been floating around on the rumor mill for quite some time.
Even if they haven't confirmed it, the writing is still on the wall. Disney World tore out Toon Town years ago, and the one in Disneyland barely gets any visitors. (Only the parents with really tiny kids go there; it skews younger than even most of the Fantasy Land rides.)
I honestly don't think it'll be around much longer.
I dunno, still, Roger Rabbit does continue to be a popular ride (something Magic Kingdom's Toon Town lacked), and there seems to be enough area adjacent to Big Thunder Ranch to bring Star Wars into instead. I'm just saying that it doesn't seem to be the definite answer just yet.
Banksy's Disneyland Parody (http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/08/dismaland)
Quote from: Daikun on August 20, 2015, 04:53:45 PMBanksy's Disneyland Parody (http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/08/dismaland)
Watch the trailer! (http://time.com/4010001/banksy-dismaland-trailer)
Ubisoft theme park opening in Malaysia. (http://www.toonzone.net/2015/09/ubisoft-theme-park-to-be-launched-in-malaysia)
Well, tomorrow I'm doing something that I've always wanted to do- go to Disney and Universal at the same day!
For Disney, I'm going to Magic Kingdom to hit up the recently renovated Pirates. It was down for the whole summer, about a week or two after I received my annual pass, so I've been missing it. And then I'm going to Epcot for a little to check out some of the Food & Wine booths, and maybe go on a ride or two.
Then, I'm heading over to Universal for Halloween Horror Nights with a few friends! I'm especially looking forward to the American Werewolf in London house, which is supposed to be great.
I seriously hope that I return to Disney World, someday. What's your favorite attraction, Avaitor?
I might make a masterpost soon.
And I will also try to write about HHN. But it was pretty good!
Captain EO may be closing permanently. (http://epcod.com/2015/11/13/breaking-captain-eo-to-close-12715)
It's a shame, since the show's a classic.
But at the same time, it has stuck around for a LONG time since its return for Michael's death. If they can make something good to replace it with, I am interested.
More info on Star Wars Land. (http://www.toonzone.net/2015/12/star-wars-comes-to-disneyland)
Construction begins January 10.
Rumor has it that Disneyland will lose Toontown after all, but not for Star Wars. They might get their own Fantasyland expansion, similar to Magic Kingdom, and just like ours, Toontown will be cut in the process. It looks like they'll get an Arendelle recreation along with a Frozen ride and a Beauty and the Beast dark ride, all similar to what Tokyo has coming up.
If you add in Tiana's Palace to top it off, then they'll seriously get something to top MK's New Fantasyland.
Okay, so this has been making the rounds for a while, but it's starting to look like the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror will be rethemed to be a Guardians Tower (http://micechat.com/125382-disneyland-guardians-of-the-tower/), at least in California.
I love GOTG as much as most people. It's one of the best super hero movies ever, and it's a treat from start to finish. And the comics run that the film is based off of is equally great.
This is one of the worst ideas ever.
Quote from: Avaitor on May 10, 2016, 04:56:52 PMOkay, so this has been making the rounds for a while, but it's starting to look like the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror will be rethemed to be a Guardians Tower (http://micechat.com/125382-disneyland-guardians-of-the-tower/), at least in California.
I love GOTG as much as most people. It's one of the best super hero movies ever, and it's a treat from start to finish. And the comics run that the film is based off of is equally great.
This is one of the worst ideas ever.
That's a shame. I really like
The Twilight Zone and didn't like
GotG myself. I'm guessing they're changing it up so they don't have to pay CBS for the rights to the name.
Yeah, I don't like this idea, either, but I get why Disney is doing it.
I understand it, too, but it's still not a good move. The Tower of Terror is one of their richest concepts and greatest experiences. There are plenty of different ways to bring the Guardians into the park, and the licensing fees for CBS can't be that big.
This can happen in Orlando, even if they're not confirming it yet, btw. Under Universal's deal with Marvel, any characters that are a part of their area, Disney can't use in the east coast. Since there's no signs of the Guardians anywhere on Universal property, they are fair game. But the Tower has a more important history (and is more popular) in Hollywood Studios, and it might also be getting a bar (http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2016/04/13/rumor-twilight-zone-tower-of-terror-bar-and-lounge/), which might make this a west coast-exclusive.
It's official. (https://d23.com/guardians-of-the-galaxy-to-breakout-at-disney-california-adventure/?share_token=eaa35a4009) Sigh.
Well, it's not happening in Orlando yet, at least. From what I understand, they're afraid of Hollywood Studios losing attendance with all of the changes, so they're trying to avoid closing as many big attractions as possible, so we're keeping our Tower, as well as Rock n' Roller Coaster (whose overhaul would have made more sense, IMO) for now.
Instead, the word around town is that they might take out Ellen's Energy Adventure at Epcot for a Guardians ride, complete with a new track. I would be less sad about losing that, but I'm not crazy about the idea of Epcot becoming increasingly IP heavy. Besides, I'd much rather see an update for that ride, with Ellen and Bill Nye commenting on what's been proven different for fossil fuels since it came out in the 90's.
So this is happening. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2016/11/30/nintendo-is-teaming-up-with-universal-studios-to-help-bring-mario-into-the-real-world)
Tony Goldmark provides updates on Star Wars Land.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK-S4ese2dU
It looks pretty sweet!
An Avengers ride might be coming to DCA. (http://www.slashfilm.com/avengers-hatch-outside-guardians-mission-breakout)
Yep, the plan is for the Tower area to become a Marvel land. Universal's contract with Marvel prevents Disney from doing anything with most of their characters on the east coast, but the west is fine. And Guardians is also fair game here, since they weren't a part of Universal's contract. Same with Big Hero 6 and Doctor Strange, among some other less popular characters.
Oh, I got to do a preview of the Pandora stuff at Animal Kingdom a week or two ago. It was pretty cool, but I feel like I didn't get the full effect since I went at day time. But Flights of Passage is an awesome ride and makes you feel like you're in this big world. I do think it's a tight fit though. One of Universal's biggest problems that Disney hasn't shared in the past is that a lot of their rides are not meant for plus-sized guests, but this seems like that could be a similar problem. The river ride is just okay.
Epcot is getting a major overhaul. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WsDE0HkHJc)
I just skimmed through this one, but I've heard of a lot of these rumors. The Ratatouille ride seems like the most likely case, especially with recent permits hinting towards that. Most of them sound like good ideas, although I don't think the Guardians are the best fit for Epcot- but better them replacing Ellen than us losing TOT.
DCA is getting an Incredibles rollercoaster. (https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2017/11/pixar-pier-to-bring-new-incredicoaster-and-more-to-disney-california-adventure-park-summer-2018)
Toy Story Land opens June 30. (https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/disney-just-announced-toy-story-lands-opening-date/ar-BBJdCit)
Well, that's pretty sudden.
Not really, the speculation date was in like April.
What the fuck? (https://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-wwd-modelland-santa-monica-tyra-banks-20190205-story.html)
TWDC is planning to finish Walt's original vision for Epcot. (https://gizmodo.com/for-the-disney-fan-who-has-everything-now-theres-story-1848548887)
Blah.
Finally, a place where all those Disney Hipster/content creators can live in.
Love it.