lunaprk

Just emailed you but just in case. I now need an extra ticket. Preferably for MM Saturday !

Looking forward to WCB this coming weekend! Last one was 2010 I think. This trip was unusual in that I was depending on a friend and his buddy passes but I am now confirmed to fly in this Weds. Top things I'm anticipating are of course Twisted Collossus, also Full Throttle is new to me. At KBF Accelerator is a new credit since it was down in 2010. Also at DLR, Cars Land and the Haunted Masion with Jack overlays will be a first. Totally off topic but a huge first is I'm hiking to the Hollywood sign on Firday before driving up to Valencia. I'll be coming solo but I met great people last time so don't be alarmed if I crash your parties

Nice review of the offerings this year. I should be able to try most of it over the next couple months!

Saw the show tonight and it was fabulous, and almost scary how right on the satire was. Great seeing you at the show Robb.

loving the photos...so someday when I visit Dubai, I want to get a sweet photo of the skyscraper itself. Do any of the other nearby towers have an observation deck open to the public?

Good weekend everyone! I followed all the Tweets last week for the status of Potterverse and got in last Thursday. Like John DeHass (whom I ran into at FJ- good seeing you John!), I got 3 goes on FJ and had a half hour or so to walk the rest of the land before they closed down around noon. I felt the ride surprised me in several ways and disappointed me in a couple others. I'll wait till I see more posts before I get specific and spoil. One thing I will say now is the sound in the cars needs to be remixed. The narration tracks were drowned out by all the other SFX- that's an easy fix. My first impressions are that the queue line is a little more entertaining than the ride-especially after riding a couple times- incredible details and fun effects! Aside from some specific things, I wish there were more grandiose tableaus to ride through- a la Pirates of the Carribean. Every once in a while I could glance to the side and see another ride vehicle rolling ahead- they are quite fascinating to watch! Next time a park uses these, go ahead and make them part of the show! The land itself also boasts some nice detail on the buildings/shops. Nice weathered textures and nifty signage. I'm pretty surprised to see the bldg footprints from the original Lost Continent intact, just expanded upon. So glad to have the Alchemy Bar re-imagined as the Three Broomsticks! The Team Members are psyched and the walk-around characters (especially the Conductor from the "train station") entertaining and immersed in the theming. The little show in Olivanders is quite a treat. It's been pointed out before and can't be stressed enough-the shops are TOO CRAMPED. The aisles could only fit one "supersized" guest and a small stroller. Universal will have to have Potter-themed stores elsewhere around the Resort-this is their bread and butter. So I had a fun time and hope to return next week on my day off. I'll be curious to see what you all think in the months ahead! Marlon Scott

I'm definetely stoked about the backstage tours at Knotts! Too bad about Xcellerator- I've never ridden it. But I kinda figured it would'nt be ready. Theres more than enough to do next weekend! ' Marlon Scott

Hi Everyone! Thanks for all the info. I tried Priceline again and got that Marriott Courtyard for $74.99 (60 plus all the fees). So my lodging is nearly set for my visit next week. Now thinking of driving out to Big Bear Tuesday night & ski on St Pat's day! So I need a hotel out there. Marlon Scott

Thanks Jeff, Hotels.com no longer offers that hotel, but the price for a non sketchy place remains in the $90-100 range. I'll look another couple days. Marlon

Hello everyone, So I'd like some opinions about hotels near Magic Mountain. I've scoured my usual sites and everything seems expensive. I got kicked out of Priceline for that area (though I used them to get a room at a Courtyard Marriott near Knotts for $75). Anyone ever stay at the nearby cheapies in Santa Clarita? I'm talking about the Super 8 (Soledad Cyn Rd), Santa Clarita Motel on San Fernando, etc? I'm pretty much ready to just throw down $100 and stay at the Hampton Inn or the Holiday Inn Express right by the park. Marlon Scott

Hello Everyone! Finally booked my flight from O Town. Chose AA since I need to keep my miles up with them- though they were $30 more than the cheapest (US Air @ $280). Will start looking at hotels near the parks. I'm thinking of driving out to Big Bear to do some skiing (weather permitting). Most likely the Thurs before WCB (3/18). Anyone else interested? Also, anyone else going to Disney the day after WCB (Monday 3/22)? Marlon Scott

Robb, looks like a great time. Thanks for all the hard work to pull it together! I'm going to try to stay in one of the hotels near Magic Mtn Friday night. I'll either check out before the first ERT or come back and check out later during a break. I'll try to get another hotel near Knotts Saturday and Sunday night. Crazy side trip- I want to see "Alladin" at DCA one more time and it's dark monday, so i may sneak out of Knotts during any lull in the action!

Hello All! I've registered for WCB and pretty excited to attend my first official TPR Event! I have not been to SoCal since 2003, and have not been to either park since Ghostrider and Scream! opened. Also planning to hit Disney the following Monday. Plenty of In-N-Out and FatBurger in between! I dont know whom else is flying in from the Orlando area, but Kayak keeps updating me with cheaper air fares. Best is US Air at $321. Marlon Scott

Admin Edit - Posting links to copyrighted material that you don't have permission to upload, whether on this site or not, is bad. dt

Try this link: http://distantcreations.com/insidethemagic/ Hopefully I'll shoot some of my own this weekend. M

A couple Friday's ago, I was lucky enough to participate in a videotaping session for Disneys Animal Kingdom's newest attraction, Expedition Everest- Legend of the Forbidden Mountain. I believe the footage will be shown on the Travel Channel and various promotional clips for the Media. After a several-hour delay to properly secure the HD cameras in the single train, I got to sample the ride from the front, back and middle of the train. The queue area and surrounding village is nicely themed and really makes you feel like you are in a remote Himalayan outpost to get outfitted for an expedition to the infamous mountain. The queue winds through a temple, outfitter's post and memorabilia & artifacts from past exhibitions- some turned out tragically, alluding to the lengendary creature you might encounter. Much joking was made from the different samples of "scat" from local animals on display. I wonder what poor Imagineer got saddled with that project. Speaking of Imagineers, my highlight of the day was chatting briefly with Joe Rhode as he hung around the loading station all day. Rhode is the Master Planner of the entire Animal Kingdom park from it's inception. His dramatically pierced countenance sets him apart from most buttoned-down Disney bretheren. He explained little details like the rows of stone tablets near the villages' entrance. Not really shrines, they are a spiritual signpost leading to any village or mountain pass. There are also photos in the temple area he shot during a vacation he took in Tibet around the time when I first met him years ago finishing the Adventurer's Club at Pleasure Island. So what's the ride like? When I mentioned I was a coaster enthusiast and thanked Mr. Rhode for adding another to WDW's coaster total, he kind of hinted that "It's really not about raw thrills, you may not like it." For him, it's more about telling a story and it just happens that a coaster is the way you experience it. Before I get into specifics, In my opinion, it's a fun ride with a couple surprising tricks. The absence of airtime- especially on the "big" drop is disappointing. Eagle-eyed riders will spot an ingenious way the tracks switch. >>>>>Spoilers Ahead!<<<<<<< Your adventure begins with hearty "toot-toot" and a blast of "steam" from the "locomotive" at the rear of the coaster train (you don't sit in it). Rounding a right turn, you ascend a short lift hill sending the train around a mild, undulating oval of track to the main lift hill. The lift is surprisingly steep. It creeps through a "temple" section decked with assorted totems and spiritual iconography from the region. Once past the tunnel, a really great view to the right of the Animal kingdom park and to the left the Disney World "skyline." Off the lift, the train takes a moderately speedy trip through the first mountain crevase through a tunnel and dead-ending at the first reverse point. Up ahead at the dead end are twisted tangled tracks (and if you're in the "front" seat, a fabulous view as you are at the edge of the mountain structure). A large bird soars ahead of you on the "howling mountain winds" barely concealing the roar of a hideous beast(!). After about 10 seconds, the train coasts backward through what seemed like a 270-degree turn at a good speed in the dark to dead-end at the second reverse point. in this cavernous show room, a rear projection of an animation of a gorilla-like creature reveals the culprit tearing up the tracks. This only worked one time the day I rode but is quite entertaining. Also, if you look below the projection, if you look closely. You can spot the secret switch for the reverse points- quite brilliant- the whole track assembly Flips Over, rather than just switches over. The train now rolls forward again through a short stretch of darkness and out into the daylight to reveal the main drop you see looking at the ride from the ground. A fierce-LOOKING drop/ left turn, it's the most dissappointing part of the ride for enthusiasts as there is NO Airtime! It looks sooo good. Now when I rode it was very cold (45 degress) so maybe as it warms up................. After the drop curve, the train crests inside the mountain in the dark and dives right (again, speed but no air). Next is a burst out of the back of the mountain and drop into a very fast twice -around spiral curving upwards back into the dark of the mountain and right dive into the main "show area" where a Waaaay Bigger than I expected Yeti attempts to wipe the train off the tracks- Very Well Done! Actually, during normal operations only the Yeti is lit. Most of the time when we rode, the worklights were on. I thought this section was more stunning with the lights on. Once you leave the spiral and go through a short, confined dark section, it was neat to pop out into this massive interior space with the Yeti just ahead and you could take in more of the scene! But with the lights off, you miss that and are just startled by the figure. By the time you register what you just saw, the train leaves the mountain, slows to a crawl, and there you are, back at the station. General Cast Previews are this weekend and I'll take a few more rides and report on any changes. I'll try to shoot some HD video if they let me (someone has already put some POV on the web- noted earlier in rec.roller coaster). Marlon Scott