robbalvey

It's all real food! Pretty much only thing that isn't real are the humans and animals you operate on in the hospitals!

It's not often that I get a write about a totally new theme park experience to me, so that's what made our first visit to a KidZania even that much more special! In short, the concept behind KidZania is that it's a kid-sized replica of a real city for ages 4 - 13 that allows kids to work at different jobs and have fun while learning learn what it's like to be an adult. The jobs and activities range from working at a fast food burger joint to doing complicated surgery, from being an airline flight attendant to a fireman. The location is HUGE, totally overwhelming in some respects, but completely amazing! There is just so much for kids to do at these indoor parks and the attention to detail is absolutely stunning. Seriously, these parks are themed better than 99% of American amusement parks! As the kids work at their different jobs, they earn money that they need to go deposit in their bank account, and then at the end of the day they go shopping with the money they've earned. They can also spend their money on certain services around the city. KidZania is located in about 15 different countries all over the world. The company started in Mexico City and locations besides there and Tokyo include Singapore, Dubai, Lisbon, Seoul, Jakarta, Kuwait, Mumbai, Sau Paulo, and London (opening later this year.) It's a concept that was tried in the USA (Wannado City at Sawgrass Mills near Miami) but just didn't work. I feel like it might be too complicated for the US audience and most American children, sad to say, may not have the patience or attention span for it. It's a shame because it's amazing! Basically, KidZania is the coolest theme park that no one on this forum is allowed to visit! lol More info: http://www.kidzania.jp/tokyo/en/ Today Kristen is trying out a different kind of theme park! Every Wednesday is "English Speaking Day" to encourage some of the local English speakers to come visit KidZania and to help school groups practice their English. You enter KidZania via the airport! The concept behind KidZania is that kids get to role play real-life jobs & have fun while learning! Here's just a few... There's actual currency KidZania called "KidZos" & kids make or spend money depending if they're a customer or employee at a job. The inside of KidZania is seriously themed nicer that most American amusement parks! lol Take a look... Kristen is dressed in her "beauty consultant" uniform getting ready for her first job! Here's a look at the inside of the shop she's going to work in. Kristen is learning proper Japanese etiquette for working in a department store including bowing! Kristen's shop has opened, she greeting her first customer, and she's going to work! This is amaZIng! The attention to detail is amazing. The kids have to wash their hands, get into their uniforms, and carefully go through the motions that a real nail stylist would go through. "You have chosen this color. Is this the one you want?" In this scenario, Kristen has chosen to be the employee to earn money, but the other girl has chosen to be the customer and is paying to get her nails done. Calico System.nltrack [vine] [/vine]Kristen learning to bow like a proper Japanese girl is one of the cutest things ever! Like in real life, Kristen is depositing KZ money at the bank! There is even an ATM to make withdrawals! She goes to the counter... And there are even ATM's around the city that you can withdraw money at. At KidZania kids learn everything from making burgers to being a dentist, food research to a bottling plant! Take a look... Kids can even train for the fire department & put out a fire at a burning building! Kristen's next job was high-rise maintenance where she made a key, climbed a building, & changed a lock! She actually had to duplicate a real key, which she got to keep! It's clever how this is mainly a "rock climbing wall" activity, but they've made a simple amusement park attraction to be so much more. She actually had to change out the mechanics of a door lock! These Overhead shots of KidZania show just how huge and awesome looking this place is! There is easily over 100 different activities for the kids to participate in. There are two sessions every day, and morning and afternoon/evening. We did the 9am - 3pm sessions and Kristen go to do 7 different activities. Each activity ranges between 20 - 40 minutes to complete. There is just so much to do, you can't possibly do it all in one visit, and it's great that this place offers so much for repeat visits. There are real ATMs around KidZania that dispense KidZos money you earned so you can buy stuff from the shops! Apparently we just missed some sort of wedding that went on! This place is amazing! There is just so much random stuff going on all over the place! Kristen's next job is being a vet taking care of a cat... ...including cleaning it's poop ...and giving it shots! There has to be at least 30-40 different "locations" within the city that the kids can work at and many of them have multiple activities that they can do. In the medical center, kids perform surgery, work in the nursery, and perform hospital lab work! It's insane! Next job for Kristen was being a hip & cool Sony photographer! Yes, they actually gave the kids REAL expensive DSLR cameras! And then they sent them off into the city to go photograph stuff! When they got back to the Sony studio, they had to download and edit their photos, and then they printed out each kids favorite photo to keep! This is totally a skill that Kristen can use at TPR! When kids go to work for ANA Airlines at KidZania they can choose to be a flight attendant or pilot! Corkscrew(Knotts).nltrack Kristen took on the job of Manga Artist at KidZania and published her own anime comic book! She's drawing in the captions and inking the page... Next it goes to print... And she ends up with her very own comic book! At the CocaCola bottling plant kids learn how to mix, bottle, and seal Coke! Checking the empty bottle for any defects... Getting their instructions on how to mix the syrup/carbonation and use the bottling machine. And she gets to walk out with a full brand new bottle of Coke! Our daughter, the dentist! lol At the end of the day at kids can spend their hard earned cash on everything from pencils to golf clubs! Aqua.TD6 Calico System.nltrack Kristen wanted to learn to become a dentist, so that was her next job! These are the activities in English today, and this is only a small sampling of everything kids can do here! They had an animatronic dog that moves as one of the "patients" and it looked very real! Yes, there is a cheerleading class! Kristen absolutely LOVED KidZania! In fact, she said she'd give up time at Disney to come back here. That's an insanely huge glowing endorsement! The kids go to the location that they are interested in working at, and they choose the job they want to learn. You can choose one at a time, and as the park gets busier, they give you a reservation time to come back later to do the job. This is why it's important to go early so you can get in as many activities as possible. Goggles required for some of the more serious dental work! She's taking this VERY seriously! After all, she does have a paying customer!

Part 1 - KidZania Theme Park Part 2 - LaQua & Thunder Dolphin Part 3 - The Owl Cafe Part 4 - Tobu Zoo Part 5 - Nasu Highland Park Part 6 - Space World! Part 7 - Mitsui Greenland! Part 8 - Harmonyland & Random Beppu Stuff! Part 9 - Higashiyama Zoo & Nagoya Part 10 - Nagashima Spland and The Lockup! Hey everyone! Once again we have set off to our favorite place in the world, Japan! We will be live tweeting about our adventures for the next three weeks, so follow along on Twitter @themeparkreview - For the first few days we are hanging out in Tokyo doing random stuff until friends arrive and we will embark on hitting up some parks! I'll continue to keep this thread updated as much as possible, but Twitter will be the place to go for our live posts! Thanks for following along. --Robb

^ This is what I thought, too. Seems to carry its speed much better than most of the Eurofighters do.

^ That just makes zero sense. Shouldn't the school be educating the parents instead of vice versa??? I mean, by that logic, and with the story I posted above shouldn't the parents be freaking out over school busses? I mean, that school bus accident had nearly THREE TIMES the injuries as the Alton Towers accident!!! KIDS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED ON SCHOOL BUSSES!!! Again, as I said, the sheer stupidity of people just never ceases to amaze me.

How stupid of them. Shouldn't a school be more educated to know that someone has way way waaaaaay more risk of being in a car accident on the way to the park than they would at the park itself? Here is a PERFECT example!!! http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/staines-school-bus-crash-live-5411395 It just frustrates me how incredibly dumb people are. Not a glowing endorsement for the UK educational system either.

Walt Disney World kicked off their "Coolest Summer Ever" event with the 24 Hour Party over Memorial Day Weekend (Read our report here!) but there is a lot more to what is happening this summer than just that! We were invited to spend a couple of days at the Walt Disney World Resort, along with my friend Olaf, to find out more about what is happening this summer on property, and also be reminded how much fun the parks are and whether you are visiting for your first time or your hundredth, that you're going to have an amazing time! Kicking off in June will be another summer of "Frozen Fun" at the Hollywood Studios with new fireworks, an expanded parade, and more. Over at Downtown Disney there are new offerings such at The Boathouse with their "Amphicars" attraction. The Polynesian Village Resort has received some of the coolest looking upgrades we've ever seen at Walt Disney World, and there is just loads of fun to have all over the entire property! We'll do this report in several parts as there is a lot to see! So lets kick things off with Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney, and more! I know it sounds cliche, but even driving under this sign hundreds of times I still get a little giddy with excitement ! First stop! Checking into Animal Kingdom Lodge! I grabbed my media day credentials, my new pal Olaf, and we are off to start our adventures! We stayed in one of the standard rooms at the Animal Kingdom Lodge which are super nice! One of the most comfy beds you'll find at a hotel anywhere. Love the view! It's like a jungle out there! Since we were close by, we had some free time to check out the parks and Olaf suggested Animal Kingdom! Apparently Expedition Everest is one of his favorite roller coasters! Who knew? (Must be the snow on top!) I have a feeling that yeti is going to cause some trouble for us... A very familiar view from Expedition Everest! New video of Expedition Everest! Watch it in 60fps if your browser supports it! Yup, that yeti always making problems, ripping up the track, etc... After Animal Kingdom we headed down to Downtown Disney (soon to be Disney Springs) for the official grand opening of "The Boathouse." The funky and totally cool "Amphicars" are part of The Boathouse, but we'll get to those in a little bit... The Boathouse is a concept restaurant from Schussler Creative and managed by Chicago's Gibson Restaurants, known for some high-end dining establishments in that city. Some of the top brass from those companies, along with Disney came out to talk about the Boathouse and officially open it for us! The theming inside is absolutely incredible! Easily one of the nicest, most high-end restaurants at Downtown Disney. But how is the food compared to the atmosphere? Let's check it out... If you are a seafood fan, OMG, you will want to die for this! Olaf likes it because of all the ice! There were many dishes to keep any seafood fan happy! Banks Lee from Attractions Magazine says "I'm not a seafood fan! What else do they have for me! BANKS MUST EAT!!!" Well, Banks, you're in luck... "No! Not Greens! Banks wants MEAT!!!" And your wish is granted! This absolutely amazing "Tomahawk Steak" was some of the best meat we've ever had! It does carry a 5 price tag, but it's meant to be shared, although I'm not sure I want to! Pretty much ALL of the food at The Boathouse was just fantastic! Even this Mac N' Cheese literally melted in my mouth! Olaf is a little unsure about the Tomahawk steak because it reminds him of Sven, but he assured him that no reindeer were harmed in the making of this dish! Next up was the dessert! Ridiculous! But VERY tasty! I think my favorite part of The Boathouse's atmosphere was all the waterfront views. For years, Downtown Disney lacked great places to hang out and sit on the water, but all the new areas of "Disney Springs" are fixing that, including The Boathouse. The watercraft on display was also a nice touch! NOTED!!! "Walt's Dream!" Really cool, funky looking things which reminded me of something from a James Bond movie! Loved the bar on the water! This has already proved to be a very popular night time hang out spot! I'm sure whatever is in this barrel is going to leave an impression! lol It was just cool to see even some of the tables inside of real boats! Speaking of James Bond movies, let's take a closer look at the Amphicars. These are REAL vintage 1960s amphibious vehicles that can go from land to water in an instant! Our watercraft captain Gary, is going to take us for a ride! SKLOOSH! There we go into the water! There is just something SOOOO COOL about how this looks! Check out this video of what it's like to ride in an Amphicar! So cool! For you car geeks, here's a closer look at the inside of the vehicle. Gary says "Yup, I'm just driving a car in the water...nothing out of the ordinary!" Gary tells us that the front tires actually do steer the car in the water! There is no rudder like on a traditional boat! Crazy! (and yes, you can buy those rubber duckies in the gift shop!) From the Amphicars, you can get some spectacular views of Downtown Disney! You can see here the propellers in the back that help power the car in the water. Two thumbs up for the Amphicars! While they cost 5 for up to 3 people (4 if you have a small child), they were well worth it! What a fun, unique was to see Downtown Disney! Overall, we LOVE The Boathouse! This was the first of the big, main new restaurants to open as part of the new "Disney Springs" property and if this is a sign of what's to come, it's going to be AWESOME by the time it's all completed. Oh, and Olaf gives his approval as well! Part two coming soon! (thank you to Jack Crouse for the use of some of his awesome photos!) Inertiatic.nltrack This is what we called the "Ghetto Wild West Show." Yep, that's a quality show right there...fold-up chairs in the grass in front of the make-shift stage!

I'm talking about the EXACT SAME STUFF, links to the EXACT SAME VIDEOS, and the EXACT SAME PETITION that was only just posted a few pages back. If you can't respect that, you also don't have to post here.

^ Thank you! Please, everyone. Can we NOT discuss again the exact same things we've discussed a day ago? I beg of you READ THE THREAD before you post!!!

^ It was already posted a few pages back: http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1594680#p1594680

If you are following along on Twitter today, please be sure to RT all of our Coasting For Kids tweets to show your support for our riders and Give Kids The World!

It seems strange to me that they wouldn't just push back the Grand Opening. This seems to be *THE* flagship ride for the re-opening. I think they'd have a much more powerful grand opening if they soft opened the park, and then did their official Grand Opening when the ride was ready. I think they are kidding themselves if they think the coaster not being open is "only a blip." Do they really think the ride is that insignificant? Weird.

I'm just saying that you keep debating certain things that some people who have spent most of their lives working in parks are saying, but maybe instead you should be listening based on theirs (and not just my) experience.

You have obviously never worked for a park, have you?

^ I would still play around with it, and if I catch one of your periscopes I'll share it!

Periscope is a little bit more difficult only because it's easy for me to miss and I'd have to be on it, be there when you start a stream, and share it, and remember, tomorrow is our last day to get things all done before we go to Japan so it's going to be sort of a crazy day for me. I'll be able to post photos and stuff, but keeping an eye out for live streams may prove to be a little difficult.

Wasn't it two? I thought HSE cleared them to open on Saturday, but they remained closed Saturday & Sunday. I dunno, I think I'd be extremely upset if I had made plans to go to Alton Towers for the weekend and was booked into one of their hotels. I just cannot imagine how staying closed when they weren't required to is going to win them that many points with the public. But that's just me.

So, I have to be honest, this seems silly to me. If they have been given the "ok" to open from HSE, doesn't it look WORSE for Alton Towers staying closed? To everyone here I think we know this is not the case, but to the public, it makes it look MORE like maybe there was something seriously wrong at the park and maybe that crazy lady on Sky News had a point? (ugh, I can't believe I just said that!) I don't agree with them staying closed after HSE said they could open. I think that's a dumb move on Merlin's part.

Some important info for everyone attending the event this weekend - We will want to cover the even and "Live Tweet" from as many parks as possible that Team TPR is participating at. We are looking for photos of our team having fun, sitting in the trains, hanging out, pictures of the park, the coasters, etc. Just overall take us on a journey through your day having a good time at the event! To send us photos, please send them to us via Facebook or Twitter. You can tweet photos @themeparkreview and then I can retweet them, quote them, or re-post them. You can go to the TPR Facebook page and click "message" and send us a message with a photo attached. You can also email them me at robblavey@themeparkreview.com however that doesn't always work best, but it is an option. again, please put these in your phone NOW and keep us updated as the event is underway. Thank you!

Remember, if you haven't done so already, please go re-tweet this:

#dumb

Oh, please. She was one of the founders of Sky News and she's been an anchor for them for nearly 30 years. If you *honestly believe* that she will get fired over an interview with the CEO of an amusement park or an internet petition is going to have any impact then you're dumber than the people who think Smiler is going to be torn down. I mean, the crazy stuff she said during 9/11 was by far way worse than this!

You know, whenever I think the level of stupid on our forums is getting bad, all one has to do is turn to YouTube to find an entirely new level of stupid that you couldn't even imagine existed...

That's not entirely correct. You don't know how many test cycles they did before that last empty one. I've been at rides where they've sent out a few test cycles, they came back just fine, and then the loaded the next one. Your scenario doesn't actually make any sense UNLESS we find out that the train that valleyed was the ONLY test cycle they sent around, but I'm pretty sure if that was the case, someone would have mentioned that.

You guys should all go Re-Tweet this to show some support: