disneyfan1313

Heh. When we went to guest relations that night (which we never do but we were a tad bit miffed about the 45-60 min waits WITH fastlane) there was a guy in front of us complaining that DejaVu is always closed when he comes. The lady was saying how "It is always open" and he "Must have bad luck" and it is "One of their most reliable rides". I seriously almost laughed out loud.

and more... I leave you with this ferris wheel photo. McDonalds and Vekoma in the same picture.. Love it or hate it?!?! It is enough to make you go crazy. Before our flight we hit navy pier which had horribly overpriced parking, marginal food and a few rides. Dinner was at another amazing restaurant called Sweets and Savories where we had a great meal and a 3 course desert tasting. This was our Duck Fat Fries with Fig Ketchup. The fries melted in your mouth.. drool. No one has *ever* taken this photo before! OMG! I'm touching myself! We then went to the Millennium Park where we saw the Cloud Gate sculpture - it was pretty amazing! I'm not sure what is worse.. the little girls, the moms or the dolls. This one was pretty creepy! Then to the American Girl Doll Store for Stacey which made her very happy! We then headed to downtown chicago to explore. This used to be the Chicago DisneyQuest.. RIP! The food was too die for. We don't have a grill in our apt so it is a rare treat! For lunch the next day we went to the Weber Grill restaurant where they cook all of their food on... huge weber grills. It was *awesome* We were kinda hungry so of course we had to get another white castle credit. Why are these not in Florida? The clone of Primeval Whirl at DAK.. it was *exactly* the same.. with no theming or audio. Fun ride - horrible people in line. We then ran over to the next attraction at full speed. We had 5 minutes at the end of the night to make it to... Hi Joe! We searched and searched for the headline magic show that was in the map. This is where it was.. we laughed and walked away. We actually got their early thinking we wouldn't get seats! This was the *free* scare zone. Once again it seemed scaring was not their focus. They mainly hung out, talked to each other and occasionally scared a small child. Hmm. We skipped this crappy ride.. We have decided to never ride stand ups ever again....seriously. The Troll way!!! GET IT?!?!! HAh! The tower actually looked really cool at night with smoke and flames in addition to kong. Demon was also a highlight of the day.. not for the horrible and rough ride but the retro 80's song and commercials playing in the queue for the ride.

More fun and food! Wow.. Let me put on my surprised face. Damn you stacker and your PSP prize taunting me. I'm really good at this game usually but at a $1 a pop and the top prize a PSP..it took me for quite a few dollars. Best Coaster in the Park.. Raging Bull! Fast Lane was very helpful here! The Demon! Rock ON! The theming at Viper consisted of a sign out front saying "Snakes on a Train"...that is *Amazing* halloween theming. Area 51-- OMG!! Perhaps the Aliens could help with the 90 minute wait for every attraction in the park? They had a few different scare zones but no people really scaring - just kinda walking behind you. When we were in guest relations later that night we heard them say they "Toned it down" this year. They tried with their theming..but it just cant get that bad six flags taste out of your mouth. We then made it to SFGA...the most bizarrely crowded park EVAH! Next day for lunch we headed to Portillos for some hot beef action! No..seriously...they serve hot beef there. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING! Stacey is not tall enough to get the pumpkin credit Awesome apple cider, apple cider donuts, and apples with warm caramel and nuts. MmmmMM Apple-Delicious Stacey got lost in the Hay Maze.. it was only really effective if you were.. um.. 3 feet tall. A combo Zebra and Donkey! ROCK ON! The ACEr's built their own park.. yae for them!

Stacey and I had a wedding to attend this past weekend in Chicago so we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it and do Six Flags Great America for Fright Fest, explore Chicago since we have not been there in a few years and eat WAY too much amazing food. Overall it was a very fun and relaxing trip! I do feel as if I have grown out of Six Flags parks however... While we had a good time they just do not feel as if they offer much to me any more. Credits are good but the horrible service, long lines, lack of other rides and entertainment and the clientele make me want to stay away. Ahh well. We have a bad tendency to go to SFGA when it is *way* to busy and this time was no exception. We had 45 min to an hour lines even with Fast Lane and the lack of an open full service restaurant and huge lines at the crappy quick service actually had us leave the park to eat dinner (which we never do!) For some reason I thought the opening weekend of Fright Fest on a Saturday nite would not be busy... silly me! This is *way* to country for us! We then decided to try out the corn maze. It started off very easy but we actually got lost a few times. I want to try a bigger one now! These little piggies all have their boob credit I decided to try and feed this creature with long claws that was very fast. Bad idea? Why yes... yes it was. Hello Robb! They even had a zoo set up at this farm! This was a very sad looking tiger... I got to fondle a donkey! Yae! Donkey credit! They also loved to violate copyrights here... Why are the muppets on sesame street? Oh yeah..they were painted by a drunk farmer! Being city folk we had always wanted to check out a corn maze and a traditional farm. About 20min from our hotel we got our wish! Next day lunch was at Gino's East for some deep dish chicago pizza! I told you it was all about the food This was all over the buildings near the restaurant. WTF?!?! We had an amazing dinner at a restaurant called Cafe Mateu - The highlight was poached figs drenched in honey. It made me cry! Our hotel was in Schaumberg and we could see our Ikea credit taunting us from our window! (we don't have ikea here either so its a big deal to us!) We landed at Midway airport and ran smack into a White Castle after we got our rental car. We don't have White Castle in Florida so it was a rare treat!

Robosaurus has just started at HHN and will be there on Fri/Sat for the next 2 weeks.

Good episode! What on earth could they be using Jack for... ? Is it really that they have contact with the outside world or do they have one way (like a satellite dish) contact.

Welcome to the East Coast (the better one of course ) Cool shot of the lamp with the old logo - I *heart* the lights at Flame Tree BBQ at Animal Kingdom that at night look like bugs are crawling around them. /member of the DAK is best at night club... founder actually //you better come to Frontierland on Sunday night!

The sad thing is they spent countless thousands of dollars to an ad agency to come up with this and will spend thousands more on print, tv and radio ads. Yae tax money!

This time of year they set up for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights which requires lots of work on the buildings.

SPOILER ALERT! So OMG! I loved the episode! So the whole zoo thing freaked me out a bit... is that where the polar bear came from? Are they trying to break them down to get info? If so..what info? Why was she reading a stephen king book (he is a big fan of the show..but is there more too it?) ARGH!!! Drives me crazy!

Happy Birthday Dude! If I had known it was coming up when we were in Epcot I would have gotten you a beer... Ahh well.. there is always next time!

I add another vote for the Monte Carlo as well. We were so happy we took R&E's recomendation to stay there, especially after we saw some of the other hotels rooms.

There are quite a bit more tables around world showcase this year. But they are the standing kind...not the sitting kind..

Hey! Cool report - it is neat to see other countries, especially in a way that we are not used to seeing in the US.

Have you bothered to read the website? /quote] Sigh. Why yes.... yes I did. The websites description describes it as a land where people will commit any act possible for you for a credit card number and that you will "Choose your way" and the "Lights will go out" . None of which happened in the maze. The description on the website does not explain any of the scenes in the maze to me.. and plus, IMHO, I should not have to read the site to have a basic understanding of what a maze is about. Every other maze had a storyline that was apparent without even reading the description in the map.

The sad thing is... that actually makes sense

Please someone explain Run to me. I feel like I am the only person who did not get it. What on earth did it have to do with the original Run and what was the storyline? It really seemed like a bunch of random leftover scenes stuck together with the only thing typing them together was people in rubber aprons with blood. What on earth am I missing?

Ugh - Being over 6 feet tall means a lot of water slides are painful to me as it is. That slide looks like my worst nightmare. No thanks!

That looks like so much friggin fun! Are the dark rides as cool inside as they are out, or are they kinda cheesy? Are all rides pay per ride or is there a POP available? I want to go on the Octoberfest Trip!

So as is my tradition for almost all of the last 16 HHN I attended opening night of this years.... Sweet Sixteen. Overall I was a bit disappointed from the last few years. I feel the event really looses quite a bit being at the Studios and the scares just really are not there. I also thought they would bring the overall theme together a bit more this year than they did. The characters had houses, but they really had nothing to do with what was in the house (besides perhaps the caretaker). The event still is one of the premier halloween events in the world... everything has off years sometimes The average wait throughout the night was about 30-45 min for the houses (which is average for an opening night and a non-peak). Quite a few of the houses seem to be low capacity this year so express pass is a MUST if you even are thinking of going on a Friday or a Saturday. The following are the houses in order of preference..starting with what I felt was the best. All Nite Die-In: Take 2 - WOW. I very rarely have a house which I leave amazed..but this was it. It really had a cohesive theme, lots of BRAND new sets and great scares. I can't wait to go through it again! Screamhouse - The Resurrection - Not really that scary, but well done. A bit gruesome but with some good visuals. The caretaker is a fun character, but it is odd how many times he appears in this. Psycho Path: The Return of Norman Bates - A fun telling of the psycho story with a twist. It had some new sets and some great actors. As with the one below it is in a VERY ghetto tent behind Back to the Future. People Under the Stairs: Under Construction - Perhaps it was just because I got to wear the hat (similar to last years one in Poseidons Fury) but I actually enjoyed this one. This is also in a VERY ghetto tent behind Back to the Future and is VERY short. Psychoscareapy - Maximum Madness - Every year there is a house that is all style and no substance. This is it. It is almost a carbon copy of the Psychoscareapy that was in the Jurrasic Park Discovery center a few years back. Great sets, great visuals, great audio. Except this time the actors wear crappy clown makeup and it is very bright. Really - I was texting stacey on my blackberry the entire time I was in there.. that is how NOT scary it was. Jack was not even in the thing! WTF? Dungeon of Terror - Retold - Kinda short, very hot and pretty lame. Its if carnies took over HHN as a roadside attraction. Really no scares. RUN: Hostile Territory - WTF WAS THAT?!?!? I can't even explain it. It got you wet....multiple times. WTF WAS IT?!?! WHAT WAS THE STORY!?!? ARGH! Most frustrating, lame, no story house. EVER. I feel dirty even talking about it. Entertainment: Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure - As always a fun show and this year was no exception. Tried to cram in too many references and was a bit too self effacing but still fun. Not as good as last year IMHo. The Arrival - this is supposed to be the welcome show which times in all the characters......kinda odd...kinda lame. Sweet 16:The Directors Cut - AKA - They took Universal 360 and MADE IT WORSE! I did not think it was possible, but they took a show which was "Meh" and made it total CRAP! It was actually boring.... yep..thats right... CLIPS OF HORROR MOVIES AND FIREWORKS made us look at our email out of boredom. There is something wrong with that on many levels. Anyways... Still a fun event and hopefully it will be back at IOA next year.. And we ended the night with bill and ted! Zombie Ho's ROCK! I always like to include pics of food. Had a delicious dinner at Finnegans, which was in the middle of a scarezone and completely dead! The brought back the chainsaw drill team which was cool. One of the scarezones - it was kinda like the "Children of the Corn" one from a few years back. Goth Hotties at the arrival show. This is where the arrival show takes place. It was an interesting concept, but not very well done. This was as you were coming in past the brown derby, they had all the characters from past events lined up for photos...it was pretty cool! She was friggin HOT! (get it.. she is ice...eh..nevermind.) Even though I prefer the event at IOA, it is nice to see the logo on the arch. Next time I think I am gonna Valet. Waiting 30 minutes to park....sucks.

October is absolutely my favorite time of year to live in Orlando. The weather is getting great, food and wine starts at Epcot, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal and Mickey's Not-So-Scary at the Magic Kingdom. Tonight was a great start to my favorite month as Stacey and I took in the Sneak Preview night of Food and Wine which officially begins tomorrow. The Epcot Food and Wine festival has evolved quite a bit over the years - and has gotten MUCH more popular. The little booths that line the world showcase promenade are only a very small portion of the overall experience. There are also the cooking seminars in the Odyssey Pavillion, winemaker and chef dinners that sell out months in advance and concerts at world showcase. Pair that with the great october weather and you have a perfect evening (which is when food and wine should be experienced!). Tonight was no exception - we got to sample some great foods and started to map out the rest of the month with which chefs we want to see and what we want to try. I'm gonna gain 50 lbs by November! And we finished with a quick ride on Soarin' which only had a 20 minute wait and a look in MouseGear at the new merchandise for the new celebration which starts on Sunday. Yae! This is one of the things we got - yummy cheddar cheese soup and DELICIOUS maple custard from canada.. heaven for $4 bucks. This stand was called Hops and Barley! I wanted to buy some raw... all they had was silly sam adams beer "Guten Tag Derrick - I am the Octoberfest pavilion.. I will be killing your liver in a few days! Muuwahhhaaa!" As all of you are aware, you are obligated by law to take a picture with Soren if you enter Epcot. Stacey fulfilled our legal obligation. (although I have to be nice to him.. he has a blackmail picture of me! ) I love how Epcot always has a great picture around every corner. It's like our version of TDS.. kinda.. Awww... Silly History stuff It was actually a really cool exhibit - it reminded me of when the Amazing Race saw them! A new exhibit in the China Pavilion just opened. TOMB RAIDERS! Awesome! I get to see Laura Croft! We then headed over to Epcot. This is the China booth, many of the menu items are improved or new this year and they have fixed quite a few of the crowd control issues. Lots of tables also! Chicken Tika for Stacey and Chicken Briyani for Me. Plus FREE NAN!!! Yum! We started off by going to dinner at the best Indian restaurant in Orlando...and trust me we have tried them all! (This is the place we want to drag you to R&E!!!!)

Dave - I *heart* you! Jarvis - It really depends how strongly you feel about this and if you want to make it an issue. Chances are you could force the issue and you would probably be allowed to keep it up, and the person who told you to take it down would get a slap on the wrist...but it might hurt your career in the long run. Do you work for a large company? Does it have a separate HR department? If so, talk to them, you have a better chance of getting something done without retribution. Some companies even have anonymous hotlines that you could call and make a vague complaint and then perhaps a memo would be issued saying that they cant police cubes.

There are *many* threads that ask this question on a regular basis. Please take the time to look through existing threads and the great SFMM Update Thread here which gives you an idea of what is currently going on there including closures. You can also check the parks website or call for information. Thread Closed.

As with anything in life its all about balance! I've only ever done a few marathon coaster days and I found myself wishing I had taken the time to explore the other things in the park. Stacey and I are more of theme park geeks than coaster geeks so we would rather go on a dark ride, see a show or try weird local food than get a crappy credit. If it is a good credit...than that is another story!

Is it just me or is it kinda a rip off of the year of a million dreams contest that WDW and DL are having.. right down to the "Dream Night" title.. hmmm...