cfc

Red isn't even a real panda. He's some sort of freakin' raccoon.

The Carnival guy has some sort of seedy Nick Nolte look going on.

Tokyo DisneySea is the one park that not only lives up to its concept art, but also surpasses it.

I think Kidsville was long overdue for some kind of refurb. As for the old Treasure Cave, it was pretty beat up and not what one would call "amazing." I can understand why some of KD's fans might miss it, but I think I'll miss the AC more than the attraction.

The question didn't come up. No idea what they do with the dinosaurs.

This counts as a credit, right? Only if you count powered coasters . . . no, not even then.

It's Winnie the Pooh on steroids--with penguins! (Try singing that to the tune of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.") I like what they're doing with this attraction.

Kings Dominion Gives "Hard Hat" Tour of Planet Snoopy Construction Gene Petriello, Kings Dominions public relations manager, and Wayne Fuqua, rides maintenance manager, showed us how the work is progressing in the park's expanded Planet Snoopy area. Once finished, this expansion will encompass the old Kidsville section, take up nearly 14 acres, and offer 18 attractions that kids and parents can enjoy together. This will make it the largest Planet Snoopy of all the Cedar Fair parks. Eight of the rides in Planet Snoopy will be brand new: Snoopy’s Rocket Express: An aerial monorail that gives families a view high above Planet Snoopy. Flying Ace Balloon Race: Hot air balloons that lift up 15 feet into the air, as you spin around. Each balloon represents a different country throughout the world. Linus Launcher: This ride will give families a sense that they are flying around together in Planet Snoopy. Charlie Brown’s Wind Up: Families will hop in and swing around on this baseball-themed ride. Snoopy’s Junction: It’s all aboard a Snoopy-themed railway, with Woodstock leading the way. Lucy’s Tugboat: Come on board a rocking tugboat, as guests set sail with the entire family by their side. Snoopy’s Space Buggies: Defy gravity, as families hop into moon buggies that bounce up and down and rotate in a circle. Woodstock Whirlybirds: Spin around in the classic teacups, with a new Woodstock-themed twist. Ten of the rides will be existing attractions, some of which will be rethemed with the Peanuts gang in mind: Lucy’s Crabbie Cabbie (formerly Boulder Bumpers) Great Pumpkin Coaster (formerly Taxi Jam) Woodstock Express (formerly Ghoster Coaster) Snoopy vs. Red Baron (formerly Red Baron) PEANUTSTM Turnpike (formerly Junior Turnpike) PEANUTSTM Road Rally (formerly Road Rally) Boo Blasters on Boo Hill (This attraction will remain exactly as it is--no retheming.) Joe Cool’s Driving School Flying Ace Snoopy’s Moon Bounce Many details, such as height requirements, are being worked out as the work continues. The new rides will be arriving at the park between February 13 and March 1, 2013, and Planet Snoopy is scheduled to open with the rest of the park on March 29. This is, of course, subject to change due to unforeseen conditions. The names for the rides could change, too, as the process grinds on. And before construction, there has to be some destruction. Many of the old Kidsville attractions, such as the Treasure Cave, have been permanently removed. Much of the work being done now involves digging to prepare Planet Snoopy's infrastructure. Let's have a look. Welcome to Kings Dominion and Planet Snoopy. But please keep in mind . . . . . . this is a "Hard Hat Area." Yes, it's so dangerous that Snoopy has been wrapped for his own protection. Here's the area we'll be covering. Remember Snoopy's Splash Dance? It's being replaced by an "iconic" Planet Snoopy fountain. There are no plans for a water-play area in Planet Snoopy. This fence is one remnant of the old Kidsville that will remain. The Treasure Cave, which was closed all this season, used to be here. This will be the site of the Snoopy's Junction train ride. No, this isn't "Pigpen's Dumpster of Delight." Woodstock Whirlybirds will be installed here (near Snoopy's Junction). RIP Treasure Cave. This will be Lucy's Crabbie Cabbie (kiddie bumper cars). The old Boulder Bumpers facade has been removed. "Stupid concrete! I pulverize you good!" This is for all the fans of piles of dirt, sand, and gravel. You know who you are. While the old air-conditioned Treasure Cave may be gone, parents and kids can seek relief in what used to be the old "Lost Parents" building. Kids (and, I presume, parents) will even be allowed to take naps inside. OK, Taxi Jam is being rethemed as Great Pumpkin Coaster. Will you count it as a new credit? I sincerely hope not. Next to Great Pumpkin Coaster will be the station for Snoopy's Rocket Express. This will be an electric (not cycle) monorail ride. The station will be roughly 10 to 12 feet above the ground. Hmm--I don't know what the fate of this little dinosaur will be. Gene Petriello talks to a reporter from Fredericksburg, Va. Moving on toward Boo Blaster. The park will be adding three new rides here, in addition to retheming some existing rides. They're still working out the details, but three new rides located here should be Flying Ace Balloon Race, Lucy's Tugboat, and perhaps Snoopy's Space Buggies. "Must move big rock . . ." See that pile of rubble on the left? It's roughly where Lucy's Tugboat will be located. The existing Red Baron planes have been removed for refurbishment. Here it gets a little confusing. Boo Blasters was technically not part of Kidsville, but it will be part of Planet Snoopy--but the ride itself will not be altered. The two electric car rides here will be renamed Peanuts Turnpike and Peanuts Road Rally, but will be essentially unchanged. A moment of silence for the old Kidsville sign. They'll be "Snoopying" this one up, too. Well, that's it for the tour. There will be others as construction progresses. I leave you with this shot of Kings Dominion's official Planet Snoopy Mobile. Thanks for reading.

They didn't "theme up" any other rides--Nacht Tower does play Christmas music on the way up and down.

Just got back from hanging out at Christmas Town with a friend. This marks the first time I've seen the headlights and taillights running on the Verbolten trains. Looked pretty cool as they came down the big drop.

Now we must face the horrifying prospect that they can reproduce!

^And god only knows what they used to stuff those plush prizes!

I don't get the whole "Duffy thing," either, but people like what they like--and the Japanese like a lot of weird stuff.

^Based on a search of this thread, quite a few people.

This looks like a nice addition to Downtown Disney. And having good food in a bowling alley is definitely a plus.

^I'd forgotten all about those games. Did you play any of them?

The next two parks are a study in contrast. One (Xiaofantain) is located in the middle of nowhere in what looks like some sort of resort/summer camp, while the other (Amazing World) is inside of a decidedly urban shopping mall. Robb's joy is apparent as he rides Xiaofantain's Jungle Mouse. This ride is now immortal. I don't think anyone rode the neighboring Paratrooper. Well, there were chickens living under it. I think this guy was selling dried mushrooms, but I'm not sure. There was a haunted walk through, which I unfortunately missed. Yes, you will be amazed. KFC--the fried chicken that Bruce Lee liked. (Or is this "Kung Fu Chicken"?) But where is the amazement? Ah ha! Amazingness, at last! Hmm--I don't think I'd call it "amazing" but it does seem like "Pretty Pleasant World." The "amazingness" levels have now slightly increased. This is Amazing World's "extra large" Rollerskater. It bears the catchy name of "Roller Coaster." It is, indeed, a bona fide Vekoma that has passed its safety test. Roller Coaster has reached "amazing speed," which is just one step short of "ridiculous speed." This is Speed Mouse--a very funky spinning coaster by Zamperla. (I'm sure Golden Horse is taking notes.) Their excitement at sharing this experience is palpable. "Must . . . make . . . 'ridiculous . . . speed' . . ." This walk through was better than the dark ride pictured earlier. There was a pretty fair assortment of flats, such as this "Bouncy Bouncy" ride. (It was fun.) I'm getting a bit of a "Laurel & Hardy" vibe from these two. "Stanley, this is another fine mess you've gotten us into!" Er . . . if you say so. "Care to share me fully licensed, legal can of spinach, mate?" I leave you with a shot of big, glowing bunches of balls. That's all for now.

Chapter 15: Yes! More Crazy Mice!--Whorin' the Credits in Guangdong You have probably sensed something of a pattern here: Visits to major parks are bracketed by fast-paced days of hitting little parks and credits scattered around a city or province. This is how TPR rolls, folks. Robb did have to rearrange the schedule a bit, thanks to a cancelled flight. We were sitting there in an airport (I don't even recall the name of the city now), waiting to board the last flight to Guangdong (the name sounds somewhat "dirty"). The boarding time slipped by, people milled around the gate, but nothing happened. So, we sat and waited until, finally and with no announcement, the red "Cancelled" message on the gate sign was illuminated. At this point, Chinese Hell broke loose. Angry, shouting Chinese people crowded the gate attendants, some of whom simply gave up and walked away. It all looked pretty hopeless, but Robb called the Chinese tour company and fixed it for us to spend the night at a local hotel and catch the earliest flight for Guangzhou the next day . So, in the end thanks to Robb's diligence, all was well. He had to change the schedule a bit the next day, too, by switching our filming session at Chimelong Paradise. My thanks to Robb for keeping a cool head and making sure everything went as smoothly as possible--we made it to Guangdong the next day without any issues. And this is where we encountered our newest guide: Jack. This fellow actually started out reasonably well, but when we got to Shenzen, his entire world collapsed. More on this later, but for now, let's say that he and the bus driver got into some rather amusing arguments (even if I couldn't understand a word they were saying). So, let's ramble around Guangdong and Guangzhou Province, shall we? Jack knows a lot about the area, and he's more than willing to share that knowledge with you. Boy, did he share it. Whether you wanted it or not. Pick out the happy Brit in this morning airport photo. We were all blown away by the bus's high-tech sound system! This was not our hotel in Guangdong, but it is an excellent example of Chinese prowess in coming up with names. Welcome to the Guangzhou Zoological Garden. They were setting up for some sort of flower festival. Breakfast, anyone? This looks like an enormous version of one of those "seed bells" that people put in birdcages. Never step barefoot on sharp, pointy things. This is always sound advice. Charlie Chaplin impersonators are allowed in this area. This zoo has a Mega-Croc! Excellent! It also has some credits--one with fully legal, licensed Disney theming (of course). This is the Little Worm Train. I doubt that "Guangdong" is Chinese for "little worm." They have some woodland creatures to carry through the whole "Snow White" theme--such as it was. Scott! Get excited! Forest Flying Mouse--which although it invokes feelings of deja vu, should not be confused with "Deja Vu." OK, I don't want to know what's in this pitcher--or whether it's being used to dispense or accept fluids. Yep--looks rather familiar. "The Pink Mouse of Power is mine!" The Smiling Dutchman rides again! Species "randomasaurus." Next up: Tianhe Park. I'm reasonably sure of this. I could be wrong. Hmm--my finely honed theme-park-geek instincts tell me that there may be a kiddie park here. Call it, a hunch. Robb is going to make the Fruit Worm Coaster a star. Oh boy! Golden Horse strikes again! I'm sure they sold a mess of these at IAAPA . . . oh, wait. It just wouldn't be a Chinese park without one of these beauties--right, gents? "You know, I've really lost track of how many of these we've ridden. How about you?" And, yes, there is a Sliding Dragon. I know you're shocked, but it's true! "I am the Chinese God of Sheer Terror! I hope you're wearing your adult diapers, because you will need them! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!" "Yes! A spider! Always terrifying! Better wring out your shorts!" "A dinosaur! The one you call Dave Thomas would approve! But this is nothing compared to the terror that is to come!" "It's a mask and a sheet! On a stick! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!" More "amazing" stuff to come.

Now that's the way to watch Fantasmic--from the comfort of your hotel room while enjoying a nice beer, wine, or cocktail.

Yeah, this would make more sense to me if it went from the airport to not only the convention center, but also to Universal (or the I-Drive area in general) and Disney.

Big Bad Wolf--defunct like this thread. I think we have this covered in our "Say Something Random" thread.

For me, it's a tough call between Apollo's Chariot and Griffon.

Well, it does make me miss the Florida version. RIP, Jaws.

I caught the "flat" version of Life of Pi today and really enjoyed it. Rather nice to see a "fantasy" flick that doesn't involve super heroes or orcs (although I am looking forward to The Hobbit).