BarryH

Generally, the slow times at the Orlando theme parks are: January (except for New Year's Day) February (except for President's Day weekend) May (except for Memorial Day weekend) The first two weeks of June (the beginning of June is slower than the rest of the month) September (except for Labor Day weekend) to November (except for Turkey Day weekend) The weeks of December before Christmas and New Year's Eve week (the earlier in December, the slower) Saturdays can be busy, regardless of the time of year.

Actually, if there's isn't a long line (like 15 minutes or less), the Team Members really don't scan or mark the Express pass. Once the line becomes long, the TMs start scanning the pass. They used to mark the pass, but now they have big hand scanners that actually scan the Express passes. Oh, BTW, I've seen a single rider line on Jaws, but I've never used it. You can do the Horror Makeup Show when you can squeeze it in. Usually, if you're in the waiting area, you'll get into the next show. Just be sure to note the next show time on the sign outside. I would wait in the queue area about 10-15 minutes before showtime. There's some neat stuff to look at in the display area. Besides, you can get out of the heat for a little bit.

I tend to think of a USF attack plan without using Universal Express or the onsite room keys. If you want to use the paid Universal Express, you can, but be aware you can only use it once per ride. I see you want to ride some things multiple times. If you stay onsite, your room key acts as an unlimited Universal Express pass. If you aren't using Express, I would make a gameplan. Out of your ride list, the following rides have large capacity because they are theater attractions and can "eat" a lot of people: Shrek 4D Twister Disaster T2 3D Thus, you want to hit the rides first. Since the Simpsons ride is so new, many people will want to ride it. The line can get very long, very fast. So here's what I would do: Arrive at the USF parking garage at least 45 minutes beforehand. This gives you time to pay for parking, walk from the parking lot to the front gates, use the restroom, rent a wheelchair, buy sundries, and make love to your honey. Try to be at the front entrance gates 30 minutes before the official park opening. The park can open as early as 30 minutes before the official time if the attractions are ready (this happens more often during busy periods). Check your park map. Disaster and Jaws may not open until 10 am during slow times. T2 may not have its first show until 9:30 or 10. When the gates open, do the attractions in this order: - Simpsons ride (ride it twice at park opening unless you want to stand in a long line!) - ET - MIB (if you want to ride together) - Jaws - Disaster! - ROTM (you can use the single rider line if the wait is too long) - Shrek 4D - Twister (I've never seen a long line for it) - T2 Then wander around and do what else interests you or have lunch. ROTM and MIB have single rider lines, so use these lines if you want to go on the rides again. I find myself riding MIB several times. If you want to do T2 again, try to do it near park closing or near its closing time (as indicated on the park map). T2 is near the front of the park anyway, so you can do it again as you're leaving. Have fun!

^^You know, I did think about doing that if it was a last minute thing. If he tried to swing at me, I'd douce him with gasoline and break out the matches! I could have also beaten him with the squeegee or the gas nozzle. He must have been drunk if he makes a threat from 500 yards away and expects me to be there when he finally arrives. Psst...what is PMW?

^That video always seems to get me into trouble!

Well, I was at the gas station at around 1:30 am tonight and there were no other cars around. I was pumping gas and I was finished. About 500 feet away, a car pulls up and some guy yells, "Hey, I'm gonna kick your ass!" He got out of his car, tossed down his hat, and walked menacingly towards me. I put on my mean face and quietly got in my car. I was able to drive away when he walked up to my door. In the rear view mirror, I could see him standing there going "WTF?" I don't know what I did to provoke him. I was just standing there and pumping gas, minding my own business. I think he had too much to drink. I would hate to think what would have happened if he walked a little faster. I'd probably grab the squeegee and give him a whooping! I'm still shaken over the incident. The guy was really stupid to try and pick a fight with me. How many cameras do you think are around the gas pump anyway? I don't think I was a wimp. I'd rather retreat than spend the night in the hospital and filling out police reports.

^Let us know how the timeshare thing went. I'm always curious about what the timeshares do to make you buy.

^^I don't know why, but I thought of the Batcave from the movie "Batman & Robin" when she mentioned the cooler.

I don't recall any fire that surrounded the boat. There is the big gas tank explosion and the fire that runs in front of the boat. Sometimes the fire will be turned off if the wind speed is too high. I know the fire in front of the boat was turned off in the past due to high gas prices.

I don't know if Six Flags works the same way, but I used the print at home option for my Six Flags San Antonio tickets. I had to show a picture ID with my tickets, but I had left my driver's license in the car. I showed them my Six Flags season pass with my photo on it and they accepted that as the picture ID.

The only 1-day ticket discounts I've seen for Disney is through AAA. Even then, it's usually only a few dollars less than the gate. The best way to get a discounted Disney ticket is to buy a Magic Your Way pass (or what I still call the "Parkhopper pass"). I believe the longest MYW pass is 14 days. The more days you buy, the cheaper the pass tends to be. The price does go up if you add the non-expiring option or waterparks. You can do a timeshare to get the Disney tickets for free or at a low price, but be careful. Most of the time, the timeshare presentation require a few hours of your time in the morning to see it. The best time to visit the parks are in the mornings to ride the attractions with a short wait. Also, be prepared for a high-pressure sales presentation. Be prepared to say "no, thank you" a lot. I think that some timeshare presentations require you to be of a certain age (like over 30), be married, or have a certain income level.

Great photos! Of course, if there is a Credit Whoring Day, we always will see Jeff Johnson.

Great photos! Can we see scans or photos from the old yearbook? I hope Dave and his girlfriend Falafel can make it down to WDW. I can just see the crazy photos now. Don't forget a side trip to Universal, Sea World, Busch Gardens, and the buffet at the Golden Corral.

Congratulations to all! Damn, I didn't win another one! So how did the other videos place?

I love Dollywood! I'd visit there, even if they don't build anything new! My friend called Dollywood "Disney in the Smokies." That's a fair assessment. I've never laughed so hard at a PTR!

A short movie review: "Equilibrium" "Equilibrium" was a movie that came out in 2002, but it was never a box office hit. It had found an audience on DVD and became a cult classic. I had never heard of it, though. I stumbled on this film by accident. One night, I was reading Wikipedia and found an article on the movie "Ultraviolet." It mentioned Gun Kata (a mix of martial arts and gun play) and the Gun Kata article mentioned the movie "Equilibrium." I had causally put "Equilibrium" on my Blockbuster queue and forgot about it. Somehow, it got pushed to the top of the queue and was sent to me. I put it into my DVD player, without knowing what the movie was about or even reading the description on the DVD sleeve. Sometimes surprises can be pleasant ones and I really enjoyed "Equilibrium." What is "Equilibrium" about? Here's a good plot summary that I found from imdb.com: "At the end of World War III, the world fell under the control of Father and the Tetragrammaton: a government that outlaws all forms of art and emotion. Citizens are forced to take drugs that eliminate emotions. However, 'Sense Offenders': citizens who resist the laws and operate underground are continually at war with the Tetragrammaton. John Preston is a Cleric, an elite super-soldier who's mission is to hunt down and eliminate Sense Offenders with the help of a ruthless police force. One day, Preston accidentally breaks his morning dose of emotion suppressant drug and begins to feel. Soon, he begins sympathizing with the Sense Offenders and begins to understand the beauty of feeling... A beauty that the government, in which Preston spent his life serving, would like to see destroyed. " The movie stars notable names as Christian Bale as John Preston, Sean Bean as Errol Partridge (a fellow Cleric), Emily Watson as Mary O'Brien (a "Sense Offender"), and Taye Diggs as Brandt (a fellow Cleric). If you've read the plot summary or watched the trailer, you might think that this movie borrows from various sci-fi movies, like "Fahrenheit 451," "1984," "Logan's Run," and "The Matrix." In fact, if you put sunglass on Preston, he'd fit right into Neo's gang from "The Matrix." However, I'd never found a movie that borrows from so many elements as "Equilibrium" to be so satisfying. The movie has some kinetic action scenes. You can almost think of the action scenes as "The Matrix" minus wires and CGI. The hero almost never seems to be hit by the enemy's bullets, yet the scenes are very fun and thrilling. The movie would not be as good as it is if not for Christian Bale's acting. He is a man who had no emotions to one who is experiencing emotions for the first time. His journey is about as compelling as the action. The director of "Equilibrium" is Kurt Wimmer. He also directed "Ultraviolet." I did see that movie a while ago and I don't remember the world or the action being as compelling as "Equilibrium." I'll have to give "Ultraviolet" a second look. There are some movies you find that very few people have heard of. When you find such a movie, you want to let everyone know to go out and watch it. "Equilibrium" is one of those movies. Even after watching it a few weeks ago, I often think about it and find movie clips on YouTube. Heck, I even read the fansite www.equilibriumfans.com once in a while. I still remember the action sequences and I wonder what sort of world it would be if we had no emotions. Go out and rent or buy this one! It's worth seeing. Here's the movie trailer. Here's a great music video of the movie (WARNING: SPOILERS!). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hynqSB8wxTU Enjoy!

This is what Orlando's Holy Land Experience should have been!

Wall-E FTW because it's Pixar. Kung Fu Panda looks like a rental, IMHO.

^Personally, I don't mind waiting 30 minutes for a roller coaster, but I know people who don't want to wait. The Quick Queue would have been helpful on the water rides. The Congo River Rapids queue was spilling onto the bridge under Kumba's cobra roll. It looked like a good 45-60 minute wait.

I think it was an "ancient Robb Alvey secret."

Now who doesn't love Burlington Coat Factory? Burlington Coat Factory isn't ghetto. Now Bealls Outlets is something different. Whenever I go there, it smells like Vicks Vapor Rub.

^^Actually, I rode Rhino Rally about 15 minutes before closing and the line was about 5 minutes. The last 3 times I've been on it, though, the water portion was broken. I've been on the water part several times in the past, but I feel like I'm cursed to never experience the water part again.

I was at BGA yesterday and they were selling Quick Queue passes, BGA's version of Fastpass and Universal Express. It costs $24.95 and $19.95 for passholders. It gives you express access to Sheikra, Kumba, Montu, Gwazi Lion, Gwazi Tiger, Rhino Rally, and Congo River Rapids. In most rides, you have a special Quick Queue entrance (much like Fastpass). At Montu, it looks like they blocked off row 2 for Quick Queue. The ride ops will still fill empty seats in row 2 from the regular line. Rhino Rally, Congo River Rapids, and Sheikra had a special line for Quick Queue. I didn't see any rows blocked off on Kumba and I'm not sure how they load Quick Queue for it. I didn't ride Gwazi to check out the Quick Queue access. I haven't seen Quick Queue make the regular wait longer, as not too many people were using it. Besides, Kumba, Montu, and Rhino Rally had less than 5 minute waits when I rode. Sheikra had a 20 minute wait. You might have used Quick Queue for that, but the wait wasn't too bad. From what I've heard, it is currently in test mode. With the busy season coming up, it might be a worthy investment to buy the Quick Queue passes. Still, $25 to me is lunch and souvenirs. I think $25 is better invested in food and drinks. However, since the busy period is around the corner, I can see the park getting a lot of sales with Quick Queue. Quick Queue is available for purchase at any Admissions window or the Desert Grill information booth.

Here's a review of the Atari Jaguar's Kasumi Ninja. Boy, was it pretty bad! it was a really bad rip-off of Mortal Kombat. It was like a bunch of fighters raided Party City for costumes and beat each other up! The controls were horrible. The Atari Jaguar controller was bad already! The only redeeming quality is when Angus shoots fireballs from his...well, watch it and find out!

WTF???