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What do Navi River Journey and Flight of Passage have to do with animals? Should they replace them with a petting zoo or something? What do gas powered cars have to do with the future? What does a creepy haunted mansion have to do with a magical kingdom? Epcot purists are the most pretentious people in the theme park fandom and you can't convince me otherwise. I know a lot of people won't agree with me on this and that's okay but I don't like Epcot at all, at least not when you compare it to the other parks at WDW. I feel like as a passholder I would enjoy it because it's a great place to walk, there are great dining options and there are some okay rides in Future World that never have lines. Also, there ARE a couple of rides there that I really do like (like Frozen and Test Track) but as someone who needs to buy a ticket and can't park hop there is no effing way I would go there. It's Disney Springs plus 2 stand-out rides with a $130 cover charge except that I actually think Disney Springs is nicer looking (Future World is hideous). Epcot needs better rides desperately and I'm absolutely thrilled that this coaster is a thing (and Ratatouille which isn't mind-blowing but it's a lot of fun and will be one of the better rides at Epcot by default). The great news is that every complaint I just listed is something that Disney is currently working on. I could see me loving Epcot in 5-10 years. I know people like different things but I can't wrap my head around the fact that people are mad about this awesome ride with a great IP replacing a ride where Ellen and Bill Nye taught you about the future of energy (Which for a long time was sponsored by ExxonMobil because lol). Now THAT was education! Then again these are the same people who thought that Frozen Ever After didn't belong on Norway because rock trolls and a talking snowman weren't as educational as three-headed-trolls and a talking tree.

On Sunday I ventured out to the Universal Orlando Resort for a chance to see the new holiday offerings at the two parks. This year is a little different thanks to COVID-19, but Universal has still managed to offer modified holiday experiences (including a few new ones) that keep the holiday season alive in fun and delicious ways. Over at Islands of Adventure, along with the holiday fun, Jurassic World Velocicoaster nears completion as theming installation is winding down. A familiar sight... Construction on the new retail expansion in the former Fossil/PiQ!/Island Traders space is well under way in CityWalk. Looking towards Islands of Adventure, you can see Velocicoaster's 155 ft tall spike from outside of the park. It hasn't been indicated if this yet-to-be-announced CityWalk project will introduce several new options or one larger venue... The entrance of Universal Studios Florida is decked out for this year's Universal Orlando Holidays event. Universal Orlando's Cinematic Celebration has resumed showing to socially distanced crowds at Universal Studios Florida, making this the first consistent nighttime spectacular to resume performances from inside of the Central Florida parks. In lieu of the typical Universal Holiday Parade featuring Macy's, the floats from that popular experience have been cleverly arranged inside of one of the studios to make for fun walk through and photo op experience inside. This was a surprisingly effective alternative to the normal parade experience... I have to wonder if we could be seeing something similar for this year's Mardi Gras. It isn't a Universal parade without Minions! Madagascar floats are on full display inside of the exhibit. Puss in Boats is out to take social distanced photos with guests. The experience is tightly packed into this one studio but is really well set up! With his signature float from the parade parked behind him, Santa Claus is present for social distanced photos! While my visit was first thing in the morning with no wait time, the experience is capacity controlled and can be set up to require a Virtual Line reservation to enter. The park's New York/Central Park area is dressed for the holidays with its signature Christmas Tree. Just a few weeks ago this was the Halloween Tribute Store. Universal quickly turned over the space to introduce their first ever Holiday Tribute Store. The interior layout is mostly the same as what came before the with the Halloween Tribute Store, but you'd never know from the interior furnishings. Universal has joined other parks in embracing the appeal of the retro Mold-A-Rama machines to offer fun made-in-front-of-you souvenirs. The Halloween machines were updated to offer holiday molds. One of the Tribute Store rooms is themed to How the Grinch Stole Christmas and features some fun photo ops along with a large selection of themed merchandise. One of the rooms is themed to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and features a selection of holiday gifts and apparel for Potter fans. Earl the Squirrel is kind of an in-joke for Universal's creative teams but it is fun to see the character fleshed out in his own section of the Tribute Store, specifically hosting a collection of food and beverage counters. Lots of treats to choose from! I was a huge fan of the Beating Heart gummy treats from the Halloween Tribute Store so I was excited to see more of this concept fleshed out, but none of these flavors appeal to me for what I want in a gummy. I absolutely love the display approach though--the gummies you see here are the ones you're served when you buy one! They have Sticky Buns... Unfortunately mine was obviously left over from the day before and was too hard to cut or eat... I do appreciate the effort that went into fleshing out the theming in this room. I also tried the Peppermint Mousse Ornament and a Hot Chocolate Bomb... The Peppermint Mousse Ornament was really tasty, though really heavy on the peppermint, so plan to share it or be prepared to not be able to finish it all. The Hot Chocolate Bomb is neat in that they give you the chocolate ornament on the side to let you drop it into your hot chocolate. The hot chocolate already has marshmallows in it, but when you drop in your ornament and let it melt (you may have to flip it if you want to speed up the process like I did), you'll find even more marshmallows inside. Ultimately the melted ornament amped up the chocolate inside of the cup and made this an even tastier treat. Of the three items I ordered, this was the only one I'd go back for a second round. Another look at this year's Christmas Tree. Diagon Alley has been dressed up for the holiday season... And fans of Warm Butterbeer will be happy to know this seasonal beverage is back on the menu at both Wizarding World of Harry Potter locations in Universal Orlando. A food truck has been parked over my the Animal Actors On Location! Theater... It wasn't open during my visit but that Maple Bacon funnel cake is beckoning me to return... The other food truck in the park near the Hollywood Bowl is the new Arepa Rellenas truck. I really wanted to try the Beef Picadillo and I was not disappointed! This is honestly one of the best quick service items I've eaten at Universal in a long time! I'll definitely be ordering it again before the end of the Holiday season. Over at Islands of Adventure, the lines for Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure continues to send guests through the former Sinbad theater to queue... I had a Virtual Line reservation but when I checked in, I was told that it would be at least an hour from this point so I skipped this one for the day as I had places to be. Velocicoaster really does look fantastic! A few section of the fenced in portion of the coaster have been designed for spectators to look in from the outside. This certainly looks different when compared to the view a year ago. New lockers for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey have been built near the greenhouse portion of the ride's queue, but they have been masked by a new themed barrier since they face the Jurassic Park section of Islands of Adventure. Nothing says Harry Potter like a coaster swooping right by the land... Hogsmeade is also dressed up for the holiday season, but it didn't need those added touches to keep it busy. Seuss Landing has received its typical Grinchmas decor, even though the How the Grinch Stole Christmas show is not being offered this year. Have I mentioned how much I'm loving the look of this coaster? Two really fun looking maneuvers! I can't wait to come back to ride this sometime next year when it opens to the public! Overall, Universal has managed to put together a really solid holiday lineup including the modified experience offerings. If you're looking for a place to enjoy the holidays at a theme park, I could definitely recommend Universal Orlando as an option, based on my experiences!

EPCOT hasn't been the thinking person's park for at least two decades. And I say that as someone who does a lot of research on educational entertainment attractions.

yeah. .I seriously do not understand the complaining. I don't like Harry Potter. Not a fan of the Author, and found the 1st book boring, and later books boring. Still haven't seen most of the movies. but I enjoyed the hell out of Forbidden Journey at USJ, because it's a really great ride. and the theming in the village was fantastic. and i liked the butterbeer. it DOESN'T matter if you like, or don't like the characters the concept is based on. as long as the ride is good. I don't buy Marvel Comics, but that won't stop me from riding the new ride. just as not being a fan of Aerosmith never has stopped me from enjoying Rock N RollerCoaster.

To those who for some reason are complaining about Disney adding some really cool looking brand new coaster..

Does being open count as a characteristic of the ride?

I've never noticed. We usually just get an immediate fastpass for it with like 1-2 refreshes and totally minimal effort. Pre-Covid we never really did stand-by for anything at Disney. It's just such an easy ride to Fastpass.

I wouldn't go there without an AP until park-hopping comes back. I really wouldn't. I really like Test Track and Frozen Ever After a lot. Mission Space is fun. Soarin' is fun. Spaceship Earth is fun. I wouldn't wait more than 15 minutes for any other ride at Epcot. I feel the same way about them as I do about Fantasyland dark rides. They're fun if they have short lines but they're not the same level of quality as you would expect from modern-day Disney (I have a bit of a soft-spot for Living with the Land though and I don't really know why).

^Have you seen humanity lately?! A thinking, smart park would fail pretty quickly.

Mystery Mine with lap bars would be game-changing. I already love the thing, but taking such a unique, highly themed coaster and giving it restraints that don’t bash your brains out... I’d go ahead and start planning my next trip! I just hope that wouldn’t mean losing the ridiculous tiny vertical drop off the trestle. That thing is insane. Oh and Lighting Rod actually working sounds cool, too.

My tips are that you really don’t need two full days in the park if they’re running rides at full capacity, but they probably won’t be next year in time for the event given the vaccine schedule. We went for the first time in 2019 and it was an incredible event, Friday and Saturday night ERT’s were insanely good with untrimmed Voyage having ~10 minute waits. But once we got there on Friday and rode everything in the park we realized quickly that we didn’t need 2 full days. In the future we’ll come in Friday night for some Voyage laps then enjoy the park on Saturday. Even as a 30 year old the untrimmed Voyage rides really take a lot of energy out of me... I haven’t slept so good in years as I did after those.

I think we just need to give Disney the benefit of the doubt here that they'll pull it off and it will be a great ride for the park. I mean, didn't everyone FREAK THE EFF OUT when they announced the theme change for ToT at DCA and now everyone loves that version!?!

I bet the re-track will have some reliable loops.

Here's a taste of the projection show in Germany. Yeah, it's not exactly Disney-level stuff, but it adds to the atmosphere.

Holy crap you nerds are a tough crowd. It looks like a coaster that will make me hoot and holler the entire time I'm on it while simultaneously trying to throw my fat ass as far from the train as possible. I'm so damn sold.

At first glance I saw Desperado trains!