Theme Park Review

Sorry if this is too off-topic but this TPR video got me interested. What happened to this ride? Is it SBNO? Or did it get scrapped? It's a shame there was never another of such a unique ride or that it didn't get relocated.

^ Thanks Bert. I remember reading this `"drag and drop" system. Just haven't actually worked it out, yet. Silly old bear I am. 🧔 Thanks again.

^ on the pictures. . once you have them in your post, you can "drag" them into the order you want. just click (and hold), then just move up and down in your post to place them where you want. - the other option?    Put them into the "Drag files here to attach" section rather than dropping into the main section of your post.   once in that section, you can then click the "+"  on each file, and it will load them in that order -  it will mean you'll have to scroll back down to the "list" of pictures each time to click the next "+" you want to insert, but it will put the images in your post in the order you want them. personally?   I think  it's easier just to drag them to the order you want in the main post.

Here we go. 👻 "My Visit To SLAYland.....at Playland!" Last night was a really nice night. Literally. The sky was clear of clouds, and the temp. didn't plummet to other worldly numbers. It was cool. But not freezing cool. I arrived about a 1/2 hour before opening time. The lineup was fairly long, but nothing I hadn't been in, before. But by the time Playland opened, the queue was way beyond the mini golf course, around the corner and up beside Coaster's fence. Hmm. I already had a Playland mask on, so the free one I got with my admission, I pocketed away to take home. I headed straight for Coaster. And it was an easy, sooooo easy line to get into. I was in the station right away! And here's my first future RULE: Go on Coaster as many times as I can, when I get there! 🎢 By the time I left the park, after 8, the line had snaked everywhere and looked to be an easy 1 hour+ wait. And, with all the photos I took,. I didn't realize how shaky and literally BAD most of them were, due to wearing purple garden gloves, as part of my 'costume' (the theme was Retro - I went as Retro NEON, heh). They continually got me snagged on the wrong parts of the camera. And I didn't bring my glasses along. They would also have been messy to deal with. But I couldn't clearly see the view screen so...... there ya go! Fuzzy BUT colourful, yeah? 😬 I got single rides on Coaster; West Coast Wheel; Bug Whirled; Gladiator; and....The Honey Bee Express train ride. Truth! First of all, Gladiator was having a problem with one of it's four 'arms." One of them would go up, like the rest did in the cycle. But once it reached it's height..... it never came back down! And they did try putting passengers in that arm's vehicles, but the ride op told me it made the ending worse, and the arm came down ever - so - ever - slow - and slowly - even more. So they decided not to have people on that arm, BUT they still let it run, which I thought was very cool of them to do, under the malfunctioning circumstances, lol. The kids' (usually) train ride turned out to be a surprise (of two) at Playland. The ride ops at the Wheel suggested I check out the Haunted Hornet Express, which was the Honey Bee, but altered and "added to..." Turns out they had scare actors in it, and great dark lighting on everything, including something (one?) handing from an upturned boat. After me and two other guys rode it, we intended to let A LOT of people know about it. A secret SLAYland gem. The other surprise was the " SLAYland Exhibit" they put together down along the covered Arcade. In each "room" they recreated the 'theme' of whichever Haunt House they usually put together during a regular Fright Night. And besides a mad scientist and Dracula roaming around (he knew me, too! Eep), they had a few scare actors in it, keeping their distance, but suddenly appearing at pretty good times. I was constantly on edge, wandering through it all, and wondering where "who would appear from where", etc?  I loved it. A great exhibit I wish they could somehow modify and run this, during a regular future Fright Nights. Got my food at the White Spot "Triple O" place, wandered around a bit more for more photo ops. Then, called it a night, once I saw the GI-normous lineup for Coaster! P.S. I have tried and tried to load all these images IN ORDER. But "something" is not letting me do that. So I've loaded them together as best I can. Pardon. It's a learning experience, right? 😉 Am I blue? You'd be too. They actually had a couple of Arcade Games going! And Pizza Pizza was open, as well. The lineup, as I was about to leave the park. A definite hour and a half wait. No thanks. The Eating Tent. My meal. The fries and milkshake were great. The burger? Um...not so much. Didn't taste "freshly made." One the bus, on the way to the park. This is the PNE main entry way. "The Rubik's Cube explains it all." Doesn't look long, but with the distancing and all... stretched quite a bit down the sidewalk. The Great Gonzo made an appearance. Fuzzy. Along the way of the train ride theming. One is a scare actor. The other is a Playland VIP. Entrance to The Exhibit. (Awesome!) Haunted Mansion is still quarantined till.........................................? I thought this was for "the new coaster". But it's Chjristmas-sy stuff, so I am wondering if they are planning to do a Holiday Event here at Playland? Stay tuned for that one. At first, I thought both tower rides were down. But AtmosFEAR opened for the evening. Yes. A ride on The Wheel for an overview of everything. The park looks deserted. Lights up on Grouse Mtn. What's called the North Shore is below it. A walk on for ordering burgers and stuff. This thing kept moving all night. Never stopped. Then it would occasionally roar. Flash shows IT up, better. Where the meal was gotten, other side of the building. Wheee! The Gladiator, with that "stuck up" arm there, on the right. Definitely fit the theme of the night. The was the last photo taken, before I left. But like I said before...order isn't working here. Partially green. This guy's usually in front of Coaster. Wasn't moving at all. <sad> Bright Breakdance. White Light. Only shot I took of Coaster. Before night fell. <thump> Cute couple. Last shot here - The White Spot Menu! (o;

Just needed to point out that the second arrow down says “Mystery Line.” Purely a mistake, or an intentional combination of Mystery Mine and Drop Line? The world may never know...

Their season pass renewal system is running on the same server as Lightning Rod. 

Mines stuck saying can't renewed. Dollywood needs to fix their shit has anyone successfully renewed? Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk

^ Aw that's too bad. And I edited my previous post to reflect your not getting the "twofer" ride on it. 🤓

I just honestly can't believe they staffed it...

Thanks so much for these pics. I miss Cedar Point so much. I would never have thought that Cedar Point will be so far away for us one day.

It's a weird thing to break down because Disney is so wildly inconsistent with their theme park show quality.  Some are incredible, some are good, and some downright suck, and what's funnier is that budget doesn't seem to come into effect for any of it.  I honestly think they just throw everything at a wall and rather than seeing what sticks they just blindly grab at whatever is leftover and implement that.  Now, I worked as Production Manager and Tech Director for a 500-seat professional theatre outside Philly a few years ago and we operated on very tight budgets as we were non-profit.  We still put on Beauty & The Beast, Newsies, and other large-scale shows to rave reviews.  Most of the time my set budget was $5K, sometimes it was only $2K, but I never had more than $5,500 to play with for the set.  Costumes, lighting, and audio all had less budgeted per show, so you can imagine the kind of money we were working with.  I designed a three-story set for Newsies, a 40-foot by 20-foot rolling house (with a second floor!) for A Christmas Story, a multi-level MC Escher-inspired set for Next To Normal, etc, all on less than $5,000.  The $5,500 came when we said screw it and rented the castle set for Beauty & The Beast, haha.  My point is people can make excellent, fun, compelling entertainment for very little money.  Disney, on the other hand, has money to burn and they still manage to be all over the place in terms of quality. The Lion King show at Animal Kingdom was fun because it was trying to be fun.  The Little Mermaid I can't give an honest take on because I've not seen it since I was maybe 12 years old back in the mid-90s.  Beauty & The Beast's show next to Tower of Terror was middle of the road but still definitely on par for a theme park revue.  Frozen failed, IMO, because it tried to tell the exact story from the movie in 2/3's of the time (60 vs 90 minutes) rather than truncate it to a manageable narrative.  Aladdin did it wonderfully.  They still had all of the hits, all of the humor, but it was 45 minutes and the audience was satisfied.  Frozen is 60 minutes long and sucks because it's too confused for its own good.

I must say reading the comments after such a policy would be hilarious. @jconsolmagno, the answer to your question is they absolutly get more snow than New England, they have the joys of lake effect snow from Lake Erie to deal with.  Could they do Holiday in the park? Yes Will they do it this year? I can't see that happening.

Disney has announced that Buena Vista Street inside Disney's California Adventure will be open for shopping and dining! https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2020/10/more-shopping-more-dining-coming-soon-downtown-disney-district-at-disneyland-resort-extends-to-buena-vista-street/?fbclid=IwAR2Zds_emU_DAYRWwHcV5ig-hFfsRkueP8wFosEbRKr0qCrCeJ-EdC0Mk0I More Shopping, More Dining! Coming Soon: Downtown Disney District at Disneyland Resort Extends to Buena Vista Street Beginning in November there will be even more distinctively Disney dining and shopping for you to enjoy at the Disneyland Resort, when the Downtown Disney District extends to Buena Vista Street!   Recently, we introduced Downtown Disney guests to the Disneyland Resort Backlot Premiere Shop at Stage 17. This store is currently showcasing an array of seasonal merchandise for you to browse. With Buena Vista Street soon opening select shopping and dining experiences, you can find even more places to enjoy a memorable meal or a fun shopping excursion during your visit.   Here’s what you can discover – be sure to put these places on your shopping and dining list: Holiday shopping? Head to Elias & Co. The store is divided into distinct sections for men, women and children, so you’ll find something special for the entire family! At Julius Katz & Sons, peruse even more holiday merchandise and Disney-themed home décor. At Kingswell Camera Shop offers great gift-giving ideas like frames, photo albums and more. Buena Vista Street stores have a variety of your Disney favorites! If you are looking to tempt your taste buds with a snack, Trolley Treats offers classic candies, old-fashioned confections and all kinds of freshly made treats. Vending carts will offer popcorn, churros, ice cream and other “must-bite” treats. Swing by Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe for the enchanting sights and sounds of Buena Vista Street—and a cup of coffee or scrumptious artisan sandwich. Sit-down dining options include Carthay Circle Lounge, where you can unwind in our expanded outdoor seating area featuring an all-new menu of cocktails and dining. Smokejumpers Grill is serving up tasty American classics for lunch and dinner with a streamlined menu of burgers, fries, onion rings and craft beer, located just around the corner from Buena Vista Street. The primary way to place your order at this dining location is through mobile order on the Disneyland App.* Only the shopping and dining experiences along Buena Vista Street will be accessible from the Downtown Disney District at this time, as Disney California Adventure park is currently closed.

Their rumored plan on their WDW attractions is to basically finish the exteriors and then put the projects on pause. That may be what happens here too...

I would recommend reading some other folks thoughts on here as well as on trip advisor. Especially of recent, because crowds seem to have ticked up. Also you need to make a reservation, they’ve been filling up most days.