ILoveRides

Here is part 2, coverage from the second media day: Welcome to part 2! This part covers everything that happened on Thursday, June 14th. The park was closed to the public this day, but the media was allowed in, and TPR was there! Read on to see Buena Vista Street, more Cars Land, The Mad T Party, an epic special World of Color performance, and everything else that happened on this private day and night at DCA! First up is Buena Vista Street! The construction walls have finally come down, and it looks amazing. Here's a Red Car Trolley parked at the stop by the entrance. The street is themed to look like California did when Disney first arrived here. There are all sorts of old trinkets in all the store windows. Trolley Treats has cool train-related displays in their windows. This display has running model red car trolleys. There are also some vintage model trains. One of the highlights of Buena Vista Street is a statue mirroring the "Partners" statue at Disneyland. This statue depicts Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse when they first arrived to California, setting out to achieve their dreams. There are several new characters who walk around Buena Vista Street. This lady and her dog were the first we met. Her dog does a trick. He jumps on your shoulder. The trash cans remind you to help keep Buena Vista Street clean. We'll be back later to check out more of Buena Vista Street. But for now, lets move on to Cars Land. This sign greets you near the entrance of the land. Radio stations were broadcasting all along the street. There were plenty of media broadcast areas set up as well. We saw in part 1 that Radiator Springs Racers looks great at night. Well, I have good news! It looks great in the day time too. We hopped in line for an early morning ride. In the day time light shines through the glass bottles embedded in one of the queue buildings. This is where they check your seat belts before sending you off on your adventure. During the calm beginning part of the ride there are some beautiful views such as this. The waterfall is also awe inspiring. This is the view right before you enter the show building. Once you enter you narrowly miss running into Mack. Then the Sheriff tells you to follow Mater into town. On the way to town Mater takes you tractor tipping. But watch out for Frank! He's lurking in the shrubs. Once you escape Frank you arrive in town. Fillmore and Sarge greet you. You make your way through town towards Lightning McQueen and Sally. They'll either send you left, towards Luigi's tire shop, or right, towards Ramone's paint shop. In Luigi's tire shop Luigi replaces your standard black tires with white wall tires. Very stylish! If you're lucky enough to get Ramone's paint shop you'll get a new paint job. A paint sprayer sprays your car (and you!) with "paint." It even smells like paint in Ramone's. Whichever path you took, you'll then encounter Doc Hudson, who will have a few helpful words for you. Then you pull up to the starting line. There's a quick countdown, and you're off! You race around the radiator cap rock formation. Then go over a series of airtime hills. Next up is a tightly banked curve. Then one final airtime hill into a mist filled tunnel. Then you charge through the finish line into a crystal cavern. Lightning McQueen and Mater greet you at the end and congratulate you on your race. As we were exiting the ride, Brittney noticed Tory Belleci from MythBusters entering. We're huge MythBusters fans, so we decided to try to get a photo of him riding. Sure enough, after waiting awhile, he zoomed by! He's on the right hand side of the green car. The funny thing is that while we were waiting for him to drive by we were standing beside another photographer named Mark who we started talking to. Coincidentally, it turned out that he was there with Tory, and they were shooting some video for an upcoming Cars Land MythBusters special. When he heard we were MythBusters fans, he offered to introduce us to Tory and take a picture of all of us. How could we refuse!? Here's our picture with Tory! He was really nice in person. Big thanks to Mark for introducing us and snapping this picture. It was a really special moment for us! After Radiator Springs Racers we made our way back to Buena Vista Street to catch the new show Five and Dime. While there, we picked up a copy of The Buena Vista Bugle. The Bugle is a free paper which can be picked up at various locations on Buena Vista Street. It tells about the latest news and happenings around Buena Vista Street. The Five and Dime car started making its way towards us. The show has singing and dancing. Goofy even joins in on the fun! There is lots of live music in the show. They then single out a guy or two in the audience and make them a part of the show. I would be embarrassed if they picked me! But fortunately I was photographing, so I got skipped. I love the new costumes that the characters wear. They fit the Buena Vista Street theme nicely. Spears and I met Mickey Mouse. There's so much detail on Buena Vista Street and in the stores. There are archways, stained glass windows, and unique light fixtures all around. Another train display in one of the windows of Trolley Treats. Inside Trolley Treats there is this lollipop stand. There's lots of beautifully displayed merchandise. And of course, some treats! We found a hidden Mickey while wandering through the stores, but I won't say exactly where it was. I think I may need to buy this Conductor Mickey Ear cap. In the photo room there is a pin board showing their satisfied customers. The little details like this really make everything seem authentic. This ball machine was in one of the store windows. I would love to see it run! Next up is the Red Car Trolley News Boys show. Each performer in the show carries a paper with a different headline. There are crazy antics in the show. Lots of dancing. And even Mickey Mouse makes an appearance. This was my favorite of the new shows. After the show, Mickey waves out the back of the trolley as it drives away. Lets take a look at more stores on Buena Vista Street. There is plenty of new merchandise. The stores are all exquisitely designed. Check out the mannequins on the second floor display. The stores are also all very spacious, with lots of room to browse without bumping into people. Who thinks Spears should buy this hat? Or better yet, who thinks Spears should buy these? I love the ride vehicle toys they made. They even have a Mater's Junkyard Jamboree toy. Back outside, here's the monorail cruising over Buena Vista Street. As out of place as a futuristic monorail is in this setting, I think it looks pretty neat! Another one of the new characters roaming the street. The pushpin boards in the stores make the street feel like it's really lived on. Back over to Cars Land, lets check out some of the stores there! Sarge's Surplus Hut has plenty of Cars toys. This is Radiator Springs Curios. Inside there are plenty on pins, some clothes, and other nick knacks. Ramone's House of Body Art has paint sprayers and paint splatter strewn throughout. This is where we found "The Music of Cars Land" CD, which we totally recommend. The CD has all of the songs from Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, a Radiator Springs Racers full attraction ride through, and many other songs. Now that the sun is out, here are some more photos of Radiator Springs Racers. A picture in the queue. Two cars racing. A car behind the fence. Rounding the radiator cap rock formation. Over the bridge. The ride entrance. A close race! Still close! Just the rockwork. It doesn't get much more impressive than this! Perhaps the best mountain range Disney has ever made. Chocolate fans, here's something for you! Ghirardelli just opened a few weeks ago at DCA, so we took a peek inside. Obviously there's a lot of chocolate. There is some intricate tile work at the entrance. The store is very well done. The billboard in the upper left hand corner of this picture has all sorts of moving parts and special effects. Starbucks just opened as well! This is the inside of the Starbucks. The service was very quick when Spears ordered a coffee. The Pixar Play Parade has returned after a long hiatus due to all the construction. Manly pose! The parade is essentially the same as before. Which is good, because it was always a great parade. I would get so sick spinning around those bars as much as they do! It's a great day to visit Paradise Pier. The billboards have all been changed, and look much nicer. No wait for Screamin'! One of my favorite views. You know you're about to have fun when you're sitting here. Wow! No line for Midway Mania either! Woody says, "Thanks for checking out Paradise Pier!" Next up, Goofy's Sky School We learned to fly the Goofy way, which in retrospect may not have been the best way to learn. But we survived! Now it's time to dive under the sea on The Little Mermaid. Ariel's hair was recently changed. I never had a problem with the old hair, but the new hair looks good nonetheless. We have just enough time to make one more Cars Land stop before tonight's festivities. First up this time, Luigi's Flying Tires. Of course there are lots of Ferrari posters in his shop. And lots of tires. Step 1: Get in a flying tire. Step 2: Lean. Step 3: Throw balls at people. Everybody likes throwing balls at people. Over at Radiator Springs Racers, am I seeing what I think I'm seeing? Yep, sure enough, there is NO LINE! I guess everyone already headed to Carthay Circle Theater and The Mad T Party for tonight's party. But we have enough time for a few rides. We were allowed to stay on the cars and re-ride, so we marathon-ed the ride for a bit. It was a total blast! Finally, after several rides, a cast member said we had to get off. As we were exiting the vehicle another group was coming in through the exit to board our car. As they walked by us Brittney suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my God, It's Chip Foose!" Chip Foose heard her, turned around, reached out his hand to shake our hands, and said, "and what are your names?" He seemed genuinely interested in meeting us, and was happy to take a photo with each of us before getting on the ride. We're big Chip Foose fans, so this was such a cool surprise! (and Brittney's dad is a HUGE Chip Foose fan, so he's going to die when he sees this picture!) There's no better way to end a session marathoning a new ride than by having to give up your seat to someone you look up to! Over at Buena Vista Street the grand opening party for the Carthay Circle Theater, Buena Vista Street, and the Mad T Party was just getting started. Of course, more incredible food was being served. They really outdid themselves! Tacos anyone? Food stations lined the Hollywood Backlot. The Red Trolley News Boys were taking photos with everyone. Thanks to William from TPR for taking this photo! (Serious face!) There was a band and a dance floor set up in front of Carthay Circle Theater. The band played music from the era while dancers danced along. I kid you not, Pluto photobombed me! Goofy came and asked Spears to dance! They had a great time dancing! Take a bow Spears! What an awesome, unforgettable moment. Check out the fancy food! Freshly made ravioli. And of course, multiple open bars throughout the backlot. This drink says, "Drink me!" Over at The Mad T Party, there were Alice in Wonderland themed desserts. They had "Eat Me" to eat. I wonder what happens when you eat it? Card cookies. Spears decided to get her face painted. Very nice! The Hottest Deck in Town performed on the House of Cards Stage. They're an upbeat dance act. Then the flamingos came out. They're very neat. Over in The Mad Arcade they were handing out free tokens to play the games. The Mad Arcade has all sorts of Alice in Wonderland themed games to play. First up we tried Cheshire Cat's Smile Smash. The goal is to knock down all of the cat's teeth as shown. Spears then tried her hand at Bandersnatch Ball. The games are pretty fun, although I do wish there were prizes you could win. Queen's Croquet Skee Ball. Spears put on a serious face with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. They rotate between acts at The Mad T Party. This is The White Rabbit DJ. The centerpieces on the tables. The live band is pretty good. It consists of Alice and the Mad Hatter on vocals, the March Hare on bass, the Dormouse on guitar, the Caterpillar on keyboard, and the Cheshire Cat on drums. The Mad Hatter singing for the crowd. Which are better, the pants or the shoes? This act over on the House of Cards Stage is really unique. I'm not entirely sure how it's done, but it looks amazing! This creature morphs into tons of mind-boggling shapes. Make a point to see this if you attend the Mad T Party. There were lots of fun characters running around. Flamingo! Lets play croquet! The House of Cards with the Mad Arcade building behind. Spears loved the Mad T Party. Bye bye Mad T Party! Back at the Carthay Circle Theater the party was still continuing. The Mad T Party was modern and trendy, whereas The Carthay Circle Theater party was upscale and classy. Both were fun! It was getting close to time for World of Color, so we began walking towards Paradise Pier. When we got close, we stumbled upon bins filled with color changing Mickey ears. We thought they were cool, but not something particularly amazing, so we grabbed them and found a place to stand for the show. Just before the show began, a stranger came up to me and said, "Excuse me, I just wanted to let you know that your ears aren't working. When he said this, I looked over at Spears and noticed that hers turned off too. I thought that was strange, so I looked around and all around everyone's ears were shutting off. Then in unison everyone's ears flickered, and everyone came to the realization that these were VERY special ears. They were actually all wirelessly synced! The show began right after everyone realized this, and everyone's ears began changing colors in sync with the show. It's hard to explain how incredible this was, and I don't think pictures or video do it justice. Everyone in the audience was now part of the show, and rather than watching the show in front of you, it was happening all around you and with you. It completely blew my mind, and was one of the most surprising things that has ever happened to me. "Disney Magic" sums it up perfectly. Apparently these ears are called "Glow With The Show" ears, and are for sale in the parks now for about $25. They also supposedly work at The Mad T Party, and will possibly work in other venues in the future, although I have yet to try them outside of World of Color. I hope lots of people buy them, because we got to see how cool it is on a grand scale, and let me assure you, when lots of people have them it's amazing to see. Disney totally did this right. They didn't say, "Check out our new ears with this amazing technology!" They just gave them out, acted like they were nothing special, and blew everyone away when they started doing things that no one had ever seen before. It was really a once in a lifetime moment. Thanks for that special moment Disney! I can't wait to go back to World of Color and the Mad T Party and wear the ears again! Thanks for checking out part 2 of this trip report. Stay tuned for part 3, the grand re-opening of DCA, coming soon!

I can't believe people would complain about RSR. I think most people would agree it's a top 10 dark ride. It may not beat Indy or Journey, but that doesn't make it suck. It's an amazing dark ride that fits perfectly at DCA. Plus, it came along with possibly the most highly themed land ever created, and two bonus flat rides, one of which is completely unique and resurrects a classic Disney attraction. If this doesn't impress you then you are VERY hard to impress:

Disney California Adventure just completed the largest expansion in their history, and they capped it off with a massive 3-day media event to celebrate all of the new additions and changes to the park over the last several years. TPR was there with Brittney (AKA Spears) and David. Check out the full coverage below! Part 1: Red carpet and Cars Land grand opening party! [ Below ] Part 2: Buena Vista Street grand opening, more Cars Land, The Mad T Party, a special World of Color performance, and a private day and night at DCA! [ Page 3 ] Part 3: The grand re-opening of DCA! [ Page 5 ] Also, check out this Radiator Springs Racers rider cam with Spears and David: TPR is at DCA for one of the most epic media events ever! Over 3 days, we'll celebrate the grand opening of Cars Land, the grand opening of Buena Vista Street, and the grand re-opening of Disney California Adventure Park. There are tons of fun surprises in store! This is part 1 of 3. In this update we'll cover the first night, the Cars Land grand opening party. Spears and I checked in and got our media passes, then headed to the red carpet to see some celebrities! The red carpet started in front of the Carthay Circle Theater, and ran all the way down near the entrance of Cars Land. TPR got a great spot on the carpet. Spears was all set for the event with her checkered flag nails. We brought a mini Lightning McQueen and he took a quick drive down the red carpet. Mater tagged along with us too. We kept him at the ready in case Larry The Cable Guy (The voice of Mater in the Cars movies) walked by. The media and some lucky fans lined the fences, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the celebrities. Even the Goodyear Blimp showed up to get aerial footage and display announcements on its huge billboards in the sky. Here come the celebs! First up is Bonnie Hunt, the voice of Sally the Porsche. Here's Edie McClurg, the voice of Minny. Cheech Marin, the voice of Ramone. Cheech took a picture of Spears. Spears is a total celebrity! Jenifer Lewis, the voice of Flo. Michael Wallis, the voice of the Sheriff. John Ratzenberger, voice of Mack (and Ham from Toy Story, and a voice in numerous other Pixar movies!) Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Bog Iger, chief executive of The Walt Disney Company. As Larry the Cable Guy walked by we whipped out our Mater toy. Larry spotted it and came over to talk to us and take a photo. Sarah Chalke, from the Scrubs TV Series. Zendaya Coleman and Bella Thorne from the Disney Channel original series "Shake It Up!" This kid rolled down a good portion of the red carpet. It was pretty funny. Here comes one of my idols, John Lasseter! As he walked by, Lasseter pointed at Lightning McQueen and laughed and said "Cool!" Disney gave us a host for the night who showed us around, answered our questions, and helped out with anything we needed. Our host's name was Mike. He has worked for Disney for a long time, and we shared stories and memories about when DCA was just a parking lot. He didn't want any photos, but I snapped this quick one from behind as he was guiding us through the crowd from the red carpet to the Cars Land opening event stage - because it needs to be said that he was really helpful and we had a blast hanging out with him the whole night! Thanks Mike! In front of Cars Land there was a large stage set up, and a live band was playing to get the crowd excited. Get your kicks... ... On Route 66! The Goodyear Blimp hovered over Cars Land. The blimp reminded everyone that everything officially opens June 15. Bob Iger took to the stage. Iger was followed by Tom Staggs and John Lasseter. Lasseter joked that it was one of the only times he has worn a suit, and Staggs was under-dressed. Someone offered Staggs their jacket, which he accepted. It was a funny moment. Looking sharp Tom! We then got a brief look at John Lasse-tire. This is Bob Iger, if he was in the Cars movie. Tom Staggs, if he was a car. John and Tom introduced many celebrities from the Cars movies. Here is singer-songwriter Brad Paisley. Lloyd Sherr, the voice of Tony Trihull the combat ship in Cars 2. Richard Kind, the voice of Van. Larry the Cable Guy then came on stage and announced that we couldn't open Cars Land without two special guests. Lightning McQueen and Mater then began driving towards the stage. If anyone remembers the television ad where McQueen and Mater accidentally turn on the lights to Cars Land - this was like that moment in real life. As McQueen and Mater drove towards the stage, dancers started performing. The excitement was building. The grand opening of Cars Land was just moments away. We had waited years for this moment! Tom and John clamped electrical contacts to a big car battery, and sparks filled the sky. The Cars Land lights turned on in sync with a burst of fireworks, revealing the beautiful rock landscape and neon lights of Cars Land. Woo hoo! Cars Land is now open! A shot of the cars welcoming everyone to the new land. The crowd of invited guests and media began filtering in to the land. It's really open! No more construction walls! Spears got her kicks! ... and some food! Along with food at the restaurants, the event was catered and had all sorts of delicious treats! Mmmmmm! Did I mention there was an open bar? To get a drink or ride rides? Decisions, decisions. Here's a look at the Cozy Cone Motel. All the food cones were open and serving up delicious cone-themed food. We decided to try some pop-cone. Every day they rotate between various unique flavors. Today it was Dill Pickle and Nacho Cheese. Spears went with Dill Pickle. Here's a look inside the lobby of The Cozy Cone Motel. There it is! Spears found it! Flo's V8 Cafe is gorgeous at night. All the neon is stunning. There was a live band playing, so Spears cut loose and started dancing. There were a lot of dancers. It was a real party atmosphere. Ride or eat? I CAN'T DECIDE! OK, time to ride! First up we decided to hit Luigi's Flying Tires. This race car topiary is in the line of the ride. They hand out wood cones to each group that will fit on the next ride cycle, and then collect them when you board. For those who don't know, this ride is a tribute to a long lost classic Disneyland attraction. First you hop on a tire hovercraft. Grab some balls! Then you float around and throw your balls at people. The hovercraft moves in the direction you lean. We found it to be very intuitive to control, and surprisingly fun. This ride is totally unique and very enjoyable! It's nice to see a classic concept re-visited for a modern audience. Well done! I'm going to be honest, I was completely overwhelmed trying to photograph Cars Land in the limited time we had. There was just too much amazing detail everywhere we looked. It's one of the most immersive themed environments ever created. Radiator Springs Curios There were people walking around with cool backpacks that dispensed carbonated lemonade. Spears and I both had some, it was really good! Ok, I know we saw the "Here It Is" sign earlier in the report, but, well, HERE IT IS! Welcome to Radiator Springs Racers, the showpiece E-Ticket ride of Cars Land. It's really here! It's open! Can you believe it? The queue is well done. There are separate single rider, fastpass, and standby lines that all function smoothly. The line itself reminds me of Big Thunder Railroad - you're mostly outdoors, surrounded by the ride, and you get glimpses of the upcoming ride experience as you work your way through the line. There are signs posted all throughout the queue to keep you entertained. There are also lots of neat little theming details. The whole land is such an amazing tribute to Route 66. There are cacti surrounding the unique little buildings that the queue wraps through. A view from the standby line. One of the buildings in line has old glass bottles built into it. In true Disney fashion there are lots of little details everywhere you look. The line gives some great views of the surrounding rock formations as well. We're almost there! The cars drive by you at one part of the line, giving you a taste of things to come. Through that gate is where they check your harnesses before sending you off on your journey. A look back at some of the queue. We made it! Here's the loading station. And here's a shot of the waterfall from on the ride. Inside the show building you encounter many of the characters from the film. Hi Mater! Spears gives this ride a huge thumbs up! She would have given it two thumbs up if her other thumb wasn't so busy publishing live photo updates for everyone There I am in the middle getting an awesome POV for TPR! Spears is in back on the left enjoying the air time. And our host Mike is over on the right. Have you watched this POV yet? If not, you need to! It's amazing! A sign you pass as you exit the ride. You also get a great view of the cars racing by as you exit the ride. A photo as we were exiting. Another shot as we were exiting the ride. Over by the patio of Flo's Cafe you get some expansive views of all the rockwork. Stanley, the founder of Radiator Springs. We still had one more ride to check out, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. On the way there, Spears couldn't help but start dancing again. This is Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. It's the first ride you encounter as you enter Cars Land. Control panel enthusiasts rejoice! The ride is like a classic whip ride with a twist. Rather than just whipping around in an oval, your vehicle travels around a few circles. The music they play during the ride is hilarious! And the ride is great. If you like whip rides, you'll probably like this even more. It's just crazy enough to be fun without being too intense for families to enjoy. After Cars Land closed for the evening we made our way to the media center. It was located off stage, so we weren't allowed to take photos on the way there. But once we got inside I had to take a few photos because it was really neat! They actually built mini models of all the new additions to DCA. Disney really thinks of everything when they throw an event! I just wanted to give everyone a quick look at the behind the scenes details because someone put a lot of time and effort into this, even though most people would never see it. Most amusement parks would never bother, but Disney did! After leaving the media center we took one last stroll through Cars Land. The land is truly majestic, and really comes to life at night. I wish the party could have gone on longer, but unfortunately all good things must come to an end. Bye bye Cars Land! You lived up to the hype, and are a perfect addition to DCA. Thanks for checking out this trip report everyone, and be sure to check back soon for part 2!

^ Haha... We did eat there, but it consisted of like 3 lettuce leaves, with a side of lettuce, and lettuce for dessert. I wouldn't call them "vegan friendly." EDIT: Turns out you can make custom pizza there I guess, and their dough is vegan... so maybe they're more vegan friendly than we knew. Still - they're no Tomato Joe's.

$37,000 is seriously impressive! Way to go TPR!!!

Another amazing trip report from the Bebes... who would've ever guessed? I'm glad you dressed up in the firemen costumes at Adventure City. I tell so many people about that, but nobody ever does it. Dressing up like firemen and riding emergency vehicles that are too small for adults is my favorite part of that park. I *LOVE* the seriously manly pose!!!! You guys are going to have to send me an image file of that for future use. And come on guys, even Spears and I rode the John's Incredible Pizza coaster! Get with the program!

To save everyone a lot of time and effort I went ahead and conducted the feasibility study (free of charge!). I came back with this result: not feasible!

^ I'm amazed he remembers anything from that trip.

Hold on... did someone just outdo Kat and Kiwi? Is that even possible? I'm still trying to wrap my head around this thread.

Great Kingda Ka photos Joey! This report brings back tons of great memories, I can't wait to see the rest!

I agree with the consensus that this coaster looks great. I can't wait to get down there and ride it in a few weeks.

Here are some official photos that the park gave us!

Today was the grand opening press event for Transformers The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood, and TPR was there with David and Spears! TPR is at Universal Studios Hollywood for the Transformers grand opening! With REAL Transformers on the red carpet! Here's Optimus Prime. And here's Bumblebee! These walk around characters are seriously amazing. They're some of the most impressive walk around characters ever created. Way to go Universal! They were giving out Energon! It's delicious! It's like orange soda with a creamy kick. Here come the celebrities. Is that who I think it is? It totally is! Steven Spielberg made an appearance. How cool is that? Do you think Steven Spielberg drinks Energon? Optimus Prime drinks Energon. Here's Josh Sussman from FOX's Glee. Mexican music group K-Paz de la Sierra. Dustin Leighton, the voice of EVAC in the ride. Oscar Nunez from NBC's The Office. Awesome! Now we move from the red carpet to a sea of tripods in preparation for the grand opening ceremony. General Morshower lead the ceremony. Michael Bay couldn't attend because he was on the set of his next movie, but he taped a video thanking everyone for coming. He totally has his serious face on! (If you don't know about The Serious Face, a subsidiary of The Manly Pose, check out page 27 of this thread!) Suddenly things started getting exciting as Optimus Prime and Bumblebee raced into view. A battle ensued as they tried to get the AllSpark to the magical AllSpark pedistal. There was some serious action! See? I wasn't kidding! If you look closely you can see the AllSpark! The AllSpark was placed on the magical pedistal... Igniting a giant celebration and officially opening Transformers The Ride! All the VIPs and media started making their way toward the ride entrance as the confetti rained down. All the cameramen say, "Wait for me!" Spears celebrated the AllSpark being placed on the magical pedistal by draping herself in confetti. This guy celebrated by making a Serious Face. Spears made a Spearious Face! That's the AllSpark. That's the AllSpark, a bit bigger. That's as close as you can get to the AllSpark without your eyes getting cut. 6x Serious Face. Beat that! I challenge you. Spears and I are huge fans of The Office, so we couldn't resist getting a photo with Oscar. But enough dawdling! Time to ride! Most of you have probably seen photos from the line by now, but for those who haven't, here you go! Here's the AllSpark in the line. Oooooh, fancy! Spears wants the AllSpark. Universal did a great job theming the line. It adds to the experience of an already great ride. There are buttons everywhere that you can push. And lots of details everywhere you look. One more line picture. I wonder what happens if I flip this switch? Spears gets a Serious Face, that's what. There's the ride vehicle (and Gertrude)! The lap bars are called Battle Bars, but Gertrude seems to think she's strong enough to fight without the safety of the bar. They have a waiting room off to the side where they had members of the media store their belongings while riding. There was this cool toy display in the room. (I spot Gary The Giraffe in there too!) After riding, Spears posed with Bumblebee. If you do a Manly Pose and a Serious Face at the same time, which is it? Not to beat a dead horse, but these characters are SO COOL! Here are a few shots as the Transformers started driving off. I doubt there will ever be vehicles in front of the attraction like this again. The general public is back behind that barrier waiting for members of the media to finish up. Bumblebee driving off. Bye bye Bumblebee! The gift shop is really well done and has tons of Transformers merch. Hat merch. Toy merch. Shirt merch. More toy merch. Watch merch. They even had replica AllSparks for sale. There was something for everyone. Spears only dates Autobots! Here's a look at the line after the general public was let in. The ride sure looks like a hit to me! Thanks Universal for inviting TPR to come check out the grand opening of Transformers. We had a blast, and absolutely LOVE the ride! Now what are you doing sitting there reading this? Get up and go ride Transformers!

^ Interesting! Thanks for sharing.

I finally got around to reading through this thread. There are tons of great photos here Hanno! I'm looking forward to more!

"It doesn't matter" would be a perfect motto for Six Flags.

Sorry, I didn't have the heart to let either of them die or get seriously injured haha. And they just love music too much to fight.

Part 2 - The last night of Electronica at California Adventure! All photos were taken 4/15/12. Enjoy! Fast forward to evening - Spears and Gary are at Uva Bar in Downtown Disney getting ready to walk in to California Adventure for the last night of Electronica! Oh no! Gertrude is back, and she found a light cycle! Watch out Gary! Gary charged off, running towards Electronica, with Gertrude following close behind. Spears caught one last light disc on the way in. People all around were wearing Tron clothes to celebrate the final night. Lots of people turned out to send off Electronica. The party stretched all the way to Flynn's Arcade. Spears says, "Come on, lets check out the dance floor!" There was a large crowd around the center stage. Okay, Gertrude, I have no idea how you did that - but that's some impressive light cycle driving right there. Once Gertrude got near the center stage and heard the music she couldn't help but dance. She abandoned her light cycle and completely forgot about chasing Gary. There were so many people in awesome Tron themed outfits who came out for the last night. All the dressed up park guests really helped set the mood and take the event over the top. Once Gary realized that he was no longer being chased, he started feeling the beat and moving his feet too. There was a great celebratory atmosphere for the final night. Unfortunately Gertrude was too small to see much of it. People all started teasing Gertrude for being too small to see anything. Gary could see everything just fine. Gertrude wasn't so lucky. Gertrude started to get really sad. Rhyme time! ... Gertrude was mean to Gary, but Gary didn't want to be mean back. So Gary decided he would cut Gertrude The Goose some slack. Gary wanted Gertrude to have a good time too, and his Gary The Giraffe heart knew just what to do! Gary remembered something he saw earlier in the night, and he thought for Gertrude it would work just right! Gertrude hopped on Gary's back, and the crowd went wild! Gertrude and Gary even got projected on the wall. Just before the end of the night, the crowd started really cutting loose. I don't think I've ever seen crowd surfing at Electronica before. Gertrude and Gary couldn't resist! But sadly all good things must come to an end. The lights went dark as Electronica reached the end of the line. Everyone funneled out of the park, ending an amazing final night of Electronica. On the way out, Gertrude apologized to Gary for being so mean. Gary accepted her apology, and they agreed that from then on they would be best friends forever. The End! Thanks for checking out this trip report everyone!

Welcome to an epic 2-part trip report with Gertrude, Gary The Giraffe, Spears, tons of aerial photos (including Disneyland, California Adventure - with Radiator Springs Racers testing, Knott's, and Catalina), and pictures from the final night of Electronica at DCA. All photos were taken on 4/15/12. Part 1 of 2 is below, enjoy! Update: Part 2 is now posted as well. Click here to view part 2. We begin our adventure with Pilot Spears donning her aviator sunglasses and preparing for takeoff. It looks like an old friend, Gertrude, and a new friend, Gary The Giraffe, will be joining us on today's adventure. Pilot Spears takes off! Well okay, not really. The real takeoff will be soon. But first, we need to learn some pilot hand signals... Got it? Good! Time for the real takeoff! Everybody in the plane! Takeoff! Wheeee!!! Gertrude is totally not warming up to Gary The Giraffe. We'll get back to Gertrude and Gary later. But for now, check out these awesome pictures from the air. Anyone who knows me knows that I love trains - but trains from the air = even better! Angel Stadium. I should add that Pilot Spears is actually flying the plane at this point, so we are lucky we are still alive. And now, the real reason you're probably here (as if Gertrude, Gary, and Spears aren't reason enough!) - Aerial pictures of the Disneyland Resort! Here's Disneyland! It's so small from the sky. And here's California Adventure! One more shot of Disneyland, in case you didn't get enough. (And if you REALLY didn't get enough, don't worry, there will be even more pictures on the return flight. Don't miss the pictures of Radiator Springs Racers testing on the way back!) Moving North, we take a quick look at Knott's before heading out to Catalina. And you thought Disneyland was small! Seeing it from above, you really get a sense of how tiny Knott's is. How did they pack so much fun into such a tiny place!?!? Lets play "Where's Knott's?" It's like "Where's Waldo" if Waldo were an amusement park. Now we're heading out towards Catalina. The Huntington Beach Pier is at the top of this photo, and there's a blimp out over the water. Here's a look back at Long Beach with lots of ships. I see cargo ships, The Queen Mary, and a super Klassy cruise ship. Gertrude is used to being the star, and doesn't like sharing the spotlight with Gary The Giraffe. As we flew towards Catalina, Gertrude started getting violent. Catalina was beautiful from the air. And turbulent with Gertrude fighting in the back of the plane! Gary The Giraffe is usually nice, but Gertrude had gone too far. Gary took one punch, and Gertrude was thrown from the airplane! Gertrude fell and fell and fell until she splashed into the water below. Hopefully she's okay! With Gertrude gone, the plane flight was very peaceful. We flew over Avalon and then began heading back towards home. What's that down there? It looks like Gertrude survived, and somehow got herself a speedboat! Gertrude rode off into the distance, promising to get revenge on Gary. I wonder if we'll see her in part 2 of this trip report for one last epic battle?!? Back to the Disneyland Resort for one last look from the opposite direction. Here's Disneyland close up. A monorail is just pulling out of the Tomorrowland monorail station. An overview shot of Disneyland. Now over to DCA, where if you look closely you can see Radiator Springs Racers testing! I spy 2 cars! Zoom! And away they go. Here's a shot from one more race, to satisfy even the nerdiest of viewers. Bye bye Disneyland Resort! (Sorry about Gary's reflection in the window, it was hard to avoid reflections in these photos.) We're finally coming in for a landing. What an adventure! Yay, we landed safely! Stay tuned for part 2 of this trip report with photos from the last night of Electronica at DCA. (And possibly Gertrude returning to get revenge on Gary!) Thanks for looking everyone! And if you like Gary The Giraffe, go "Like" Gary The Giraffe on Facebook for more fun! www.GaryTheGiraffe.com

It looks like they did a great job with this ride. I can't wait to get up there and ride it! As for your trip report, this is all I have to say about that:

I kept forgetting to check this all week, and I just now finally got around to it. And of course it's AWESOME, just like every Bebes trip report! Super hilarious, super interesting, super wonderlicious! I wish their was a 3rd day of West Coast Bash so that you guys would make another TR haha. I can't wait to hang out with you guys again!

*Needs a night ride on this*

I'll go with Verbolten at BGW!

Here's a Facebook cover you can use to help spread the word about Coasting For Kids! Just upload it to your timeline to get the word out! If you want to link to your specific URL, you could add a description to the cover photo. That way when someone clicks the cover it could tell them more about what you're doing and how to donate. NOTE: Just to be clear, this is an "unofficial" cover made by me. It wasn't made by TPR or Coasting for Kids. Hopefully the use of the logos is ok for this purpose (but if not, let me know and I'll take it down). Coasting for Kids Facebook Cover. This is the actual file that you use. What it will look like on your profile