bert425

sorry to disappoint. . . I know I had the paper underwear when I unpacked. . .but I can't find where I put it to take a picture. So it must have ended up in the trash

Howdy all, so I had the Privilege and the Honor to participate in the TPR 2023 Scandi tour - an almost 3 week trip that would visit 5 Countries and 17 Theme Parks (+ a mountain coaster!) It was such an amazing assortment of people, and was so great to see friends from past trips, and to meet some folks who I've seen here on Theme Park Review over the years, but have never actually met in person - such as Big Mike, Shane (of Shane's Amusement Attic), Matthew Martin, among others (spoiler, all of em are awesome folks). If you read my Trip Report from Europe 2022, you're aware that my Spouse passed shortly after I got back from the trip. . so I really made this year's adventure an excuse to force myself to a) be social again , and b) force myself to face some fears and do things I'd be terrified to do (such as a 300 foot free fall, a stand up drop tower, a single rail mountain coaster (in the rain!). yes, I had some very emotional moments on the trip - especially after doing something that I was scared to do, and then realizing I had no one to call home and tell about it. But all in all? I had an incredible time and I'm looking forward to sharing my adventure and pics. --> I know there's a couple of folks already posting Trip Reports as well (go read em, Chuck's (CFC) & Erik's are both starting out as wonderful reads with great pictures). But since we all didn't hang out together the whole time, tho the pics from some parks/places/cities might be the same? the photos should be different, and hopefully enjoyable. let's get this adventure started! Day 1, June 2nd-3rd. I had my flight out of Austin scheduled for Noon, and tho I had two connections, I was supposed to get into Copenhagen by Noon on Sat, giving me a full evening of sightseeing as well as the full next day before the trip officially started on Monday 6/5. I dropped my car off at my Best Friend's house (he rightly argued that I should leave my car there since he lives 10 minutes from the airport, instead of paying for long term parking for 3 weeks) and he dropped me off. TSA pre-check saved me a ton of time at Security. .. .which then got eaten right back up as I was "randomly selected" to have further check, so off came the boots, the belt, the hoodie. . .etc while they swabbed everything. Oh well, still had plenty of time, and before long it was time to board. I had paid for upgrades to enjoy the flight, and so the flight from Austin to Chicago wasn't too bad. rare window seat. . so took a pic. No idea what State this is. . LOL Since was in 1st, we got a nice meal on this ~2 1/2 hour flight: It doesn't look too tasty, but it actually was pretty good. upon landing in Chicago, I took my phone out of Airplane Mode and immediately got the update that the long, International Flight was delayed by an hour. i was concerned and spoke to the gate agents, about what that would do to my much shorter connection in Brussels. I was *assured* that the plane would "make up the time" in the air, and that I shouldn't change anything, just leave it alone, and if we were late, United would take care of me. They made me feel quite stupid and were very dismissive of me for even being concerned that I might miss my connection out of Brussels. (and no, I will never believe the gate agents or customer service again. . if I'm worried about a connection? I'm going to change it myself despite what they try to tell me) anyways, so I got on the plane, and had a really nice flight, once we actually left - about an hour late. they served us a very nice Dinner: as well as a lovely Breakfast (I had Crepes), and I watched a couple of really stinker films: "Antman & Wasp: Quantummania" - long and boring, and I just don't understand why Kang is a "bad" guy???? & "65" which was so stupid. . and then you get to the twist, and it's even MORE stupid. and even at just 80 minutes still felt too long, and too short at the same time, like a lot of stuff got cut out, and they just ended the film when they realized what a dud it was. So we land in Brussels and lo and behold. . .. I've missed my connection as we did NOT make up any time in the air. Myself and dozens of other passengers had been re-assigned new flights and we were to go see the gate agents. the agent I spoke to was very cheery, and could not understand why I did *not* want to take 3 additional flights to get to Copenhagen. I wanted a replacement direct flight from Brussels to Copenhagen, that I had SEEN while at the counter in Chicago, and could still see. . but was told that "United doesn't partner with discount airlines" (nevermind the flight that I missed was on, you guessed it, Finnair, which they called a "discount airline" she assured me: "we do this all the time! don't worry, and this gets you into Copenhagen earlier". . . with a smile of course, and handed me my tickets (yup) for three flights on Lufthansa. . . .but no seat assignments, so I should go over there right away and check in. "over there" was in a different terminal which took me 42 minutes to get to (yes, I timed it and I remember it was 42 from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, thanks Douglas Adams!). Because the airport in Brussels is huge, and by changing terminals I had to go thru passport control - where of course, only 1 person was working and all the auto readers were closed. whee. . . oh, extra bonus.. the 1st flight I was supposed to go on with Lufthansa was delayed. So they gave me a coupon for 17 Euro to use in the airport for my "inconvenience" ugh.. oh well, at least there was a cheery photo op. Eventually my flight took off and I began my tour of Germany's airports via Lufthansa, as the planes got smaller and smaller. here's Frankfort: and Munich and Berlin eventually. . I *DID* get to Copenhagen. Exhausted from flying all day, but at least was there. . in the happiest place on the planet (surveys have shown, no really). and it was "only" ~7pm. . so ok, I had lost most of my day, but still kind of early, so had been chatting with Colin about going to sightsee a bit once I landed anyways. but then the luggage came out. . .well. . most of the luggage came out. not mine. took about an hour filling out forms (once somebody was able to help me find someone to talk to at the Baggage claim area, as I couldn't leave the area to talk to the airline and there was no one representing them there). . but eventually someone from Lufthansa came down and spoke with me. Thank goodness I had purchased Apple Airtag that was in my bag, so once out of Airplane Mode, I could clearly see that United had left my bag in Brussels and never even put it on the Lufthansa plane. nice partnering. . huh. but I will say that Lufthansa was very pleasant to work with, and helpful (they gave me a "we're sorry we lost your luggage, here's some necessities" kit - which included a 2XL undershirt and paper underwear (I'll attach a pic of that in a moment). Luckily I had arrived more than a day early, and we were at the 1st hotel for a few days - so there was time for them to get the luggage to the hotel for me if they could find it. exhausted from the travel day, I didn't even mess with the buses or the trains, and instead just hopped in a taxi that took me directly to the 1st hotel: "The Square" I got there around 9pm . .messaged Colin that I still wanted to go out, but needed to freshen up just a bit, and checked into the room (after letting the hotel know about the luggage situation) nice size room. My roomie, AJ, wasn't coming until tomorrow, so the room looked really large - especially without my big bag in it then went down to the lobby and met Colin and we decided to walk to find a place to get drinks. . and I REALLY wanted to go see the Little Mermaid Statue that Copenhagen is famous for. so we decided to walk. . I was, shockingly, full of energy by this point. . so off we went. the view from the lobby of the hotel - overlooking "the Square". . with the Train Station right across the street. (and Tivoli Gardens right around the corner) no sleep, and look like it. . but I VERY quickly learned how much the folks in Denmark love their bikes, and to really be careful and look out for the Bike Lanes! the folks in the bike lanes have right of way, and they WILL take your ass out if you're not paying attention. Colin and I just wandering sorta towards where the Little Mermaid Statue is. . .checking out bars and deciding if we wanted to stop in at any of em. they were mostly a bit fancy, but we did stumble across a Tiki Bar and went in there and enjoyed Pina Coladas and Daqueries. . and some weird interactions with locals (along the lines of "s'up?" "nuthin, s'Up with u") strangely I have no pics of the Tiki bar. . LOL. . I thought i had taken one. The drinks were decent tho, and big. we continued our trek after the drinks and I snapped pics of the architecture (it was almost 10pm here) as we walked and walked.. (and decided we were taking the trains back, LOL) it finally started to get a bit darker as it closed in on 11pm. the docks you need to go to for the famous statue is a small entertainment area.. that was really quiet on this Saturday night. but there are some other interesting things over here. . including some pretty cool "junk" sculptures. and a "SeaPlane Museum". . .closed at this hour, but I snapped the pic as we walked by. and eventually, we were here at the famous statue. it was very cool to see it up close, and as it was just after 11pm, it was really just us and 1 other small group there. So was able to really get up close and admire it. so I'd recommend going really late to avoid the crowds, but do note, the statue has NO lighting on it. so if your phone doesn't have decent night photos, it might be worth it to go earlier in the day. One of the folks in the other group told me that since people kept stealing the statue's head (you really can get quite close to it in the harbor), they've now filled the head with concrete to help prevent theft. my clumsy ass took a spill going down the rocks and landed hard on my bum. . . but still.. worth it for the picture statue seen, we started our walk back towards the hotel - or at least a train station that would take us to the hotel. it's a LOVELY city. .tho fairly quiet for a Saturday nite, I thought. exiting the train station back at our hotel, we caught a glimpse of one of Tivoli Garden's gates. .and wandered over that way to take a look at it all lit up I like the modern architecture here too. and the Irish Pub near the hotel was hopping still.. with a photo op! ooooo. . we were late enough that caught the Tivoli Garden's Saturday fireworks! the lights at night are absolutely gorgeous here . . . and with that. . I was wiped, and tomorrow was gonna be a full day as I was gonna cram in all the sightseeing I could before the welcome dinner at Wagamama. so I said my goodnight to Colin, and headed up to the room. . where I crashed hard. and dreamed of lost luggage (tho the pic of Nick I had in the carry on. . so THAT I had, thank goodness)

^ the way she's holding it, perhaps it's her "Emotional Support Duck" ? (or that night's dinner)

I dunno HOW I missed that Hans Christian Anderson figure over the dark ride (and I rode it at least 6 times). thanks for that pic. . .that's a cool touch!

glad to see it's back open

hearing reporting (in a Coasterstock group I'm a member of) that Don Helbig is no longer part of the Kings Island family. Not sure if it was his decision or not his choice, but he will absolutely be missed at the park. as a fellow Carousel lover, we bonded over the anniversary of the Kings Island Carousel a few years back - and at multiple CoasterStocks. the man put so much effort, energy, and promotion into CoasterStock, and the park in general. . I really think his loss will be felt. but I wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors, and thank him for his input into making my past few visits to Kings Island so fantastic.

Great start, Chuck, and bringing back tons of memories. thanks for sharing!

^ so basically. . . I'll *hate* AFO too bad.

^ I'm sorry the food disappointed on your visit, but I'm thrilled you got to rub the phallus for good luck! parking lot is interesting, but I never have a car when in Atlanta. The MARTA station is in the airport, and goes right to the convention area. . . so I just do that, and then Lyft/Uber to anything I want to do that's not near the MARTA tracks (such as the zoo, or SFOG)

Finishing this up. . .well. .it only took me almost a year after the trip started to finish! the final day - flight home. Up way too early. . and I didn't get too much sleep (was worried about Nick, and also there was an airline workers strike going on while I was in France, and I was concerned it might impact my flights) but I was the only one from my Disney Hotel who had booked an airport shuttle. . and only a couple of others joined. . . so I had almost my own private bus to get to the airport. sat close to the front so could chat with the driver during the trip. only 3 other passengers my last glimpse of the French Countryside (for THIS trip at least) soon enough we were at the airport, and was pleased that my flights (via United) were not affected at all by the strike. luggage checked, and thru security rather quickly. . I made a stop at some of the stores in CDG airport to pick up some macrons for folks at home. and enjoyed some Starbucks and a waffle to wake me up and get me perky for my flight. soon enough it was time to board. I believe I was in Premium Plus for the long flight back. . which meant "not nice enough to get silverware & plates" but still a decent meal. tho it looked much better once unwrapped. later in the flight, we were given "breakfast" eventually we landed in USA, and had to go thru Customs. can't really recall what airport, but I'm guessing from this photo I took by Customs exit, it was Newark? change of plane, and schlep my bag over to the other flight check in. . and I was almost home. but there were some slight delays. luckily, my best friend was willing to pick me up super late at the airport and drive me all the way home (as Nick had dropped me off at the start of the trip, I had no way home since he was in hospital). I texted him and told him I had made it back safely, and that I would test in the morning and then be there. THANK G-D the universe looked out for me: I was at his room by 6am, and he seemed to be in good spirits. soon enough they had him prepped for Surgery: . . which WAS a success, by the way. it wasn't until 3 days after the surgery (the morning of when he was supposed to be released) that I got a call from him at 4am telling me they had moved him down to ICU. but "don't worry, go back to sleep and he'll see me when I get there later". . . yeah.. .I was at the hospital (an hour away) 40 minutes later. He was in ICU for 2 1/2 weeks - and tested Negative for Covid the whole time. Despite the nurses telling me to leave, I refused, and was there with him the whole time (other than running home every few days to shower and change). when they told us we needed to be "prepared". . . I got him home (his final wish was to pass at home). . and he was here for 9 1/2 hours of really good time before he started to go downhill quickly. (won't share any pics of that. . . . because.. well, I just won't) it's been just over 10 months, and I'm still brokenhearted and it hits me often how much I miss him. . . but I'm glad the therapist told me to start working on this Trip Report. it really did help. and I think he'd be thrilled knowing that I'm headed out on another adventure soon. thanks for reading. bert

DLP swag: this is one of my favorite things I bought. it has glow in the dark sections. (too bad in Texas it's so hot, I've only worn it once since I got it)

Day 4 Part II: we made the short walk from DLP over to Studios. . noting the Balloon was still flying - tho it was all the way over on the other side of Disney Springs. . .so wasn't going to make that detour . . and here we are back at Studios. I THINK we may have headed over to Ratatouille and gotten a ride, before getting in line for the next showing of Frozen - we had tried to make the showing, but it was completely full, so we joined the other folks who missed the showing and just queued up for the next one. Reminded me very much of how you have to do it in Tokyo Disneyland as well. (again. . taking a picture, so the kid (and mom in this case too) stares right at my camera) at least the queue has some very interesting animation style drawings to look at while waiting (tho no benches) eventually they let us into the cooler lobby - filled with all kinds of neat animation stuff to explore. it's a show about the Sister and her boyfriend (and Sven) throwing a birthday party for Elsa in her Ice Castle. . and we're all invited too! but they don't tell you it's a standing show. . . so tho very entertaining, and I enjoyed it immensely. . my feet were hurting a bit. you start off in the cabin for a few scenes/songs. and they teach you the moves to "Let it Go". . so when we're at the Ice Castle we can surprise Elsa by moving along. and then you move as a big group into the next theater (also standing).. for a pretty impressive light-mapped set. and an impressive Olaf puppet Let it go! Everybody move along and sing! (lol. the number of shots I got with arms in the air, that I had to edit out. . .LOL) overall a very entertaining show, and I recommend it. we exited, and realized we were less than 20 minutes from the showing of the "big" show on property. . . Mickey the Magician (or something similar) that features many Disney Characters, and magic, while also performing songs from the films. big theater, so no issue getting into this one. . tho we were pretty far back. I enjoyed the show, and really didn't pull out camera for any pics until the curtain calls. . . but it was very good, and I'd absolutely see it again (and best part? seats!) from there it was over to Tower of Terror for another ride (or two) LOVED how they sell the Mickey & Minnie ears.. with a mirror in the center, so you can "see" how you'd look wearing them there was still one ride here I wanted to go on, and we hadn't yet - the Cars Jamboree. . .(or whatever it's called). .so we popped in over there and found no line this late in the day. whee! a quick stroll thru for a last look at Cars Land - tho we didn't' ride anything in here. seriously, as impressive as RC Racer LOOKS. .it's lame, and really not worth waiting more than 5 minutes in line for (same with SlinkyDog here) but the Parachutes were fun, and I'd ride those again. headed out to close out the evening in Disney. . we found no line at the Monsters Inc photo op. Don't mind if I do! even James got in the spirit we rode a few other things and did some shopping. I LOVED this, and really, really wanted it. but didn't want to schlep it home. I also had a text from Nick telling me that he had been brought back to the Hospital. . so I was kind of freaking out as a distraction, we went over to Tomorrowland, and rode Hyperspace Mountain again. and walked around a bit. . . the steampunk soda machines were pretty cool. if I recall, this was a stage that was not in use any longer (since the pandemic), but it was attached to a big food/beverage complex. So it was just being used as seating to relax and eat. i'm sure they'll make use of it again, it's too good of a stage to be wasted as just rest area. . . but I clearly was in a state where I wasn't gonna enjoy the rest of the night. . and as there wasn't really anything we still wanted to do, we made the call to close it down just a little early and head back to the hotel to rest up for my flight back the next day (James was taking a train) but as we passed the area where the Balloon launch is? yup. already closed for the night. Just wasn't meant to be. oh well. reason to go back, as I say. James went into the room and I called Nick on the phone while I strolled around outside, as reception in the room was terrible. I knew it was super early in the morning in Texas, but he had texted me earlier he had been put in a room now and call when I could. he sounded good. . he told me that he was having trouble breathing again so he called his friend Sharm to bring him to the hospital (after i yelled at him for driving himself the prior time, so he did good on that). The diagnosis was that his other lung had now collapsed, and they had him on machinery helping (which is why he sounded good). tho the specialist we had been seeing had tried to avoid any surgery (since he never reacted well to it after) we were at the point where they HAD to operate, as both lungs were now failing. They had scheduled the surgery for Wed (the day after I got back)..and I warned him I was worried I wouldn't be able to be there if I had been exposed to anything while on the plane - but the universe looked out for me and I never got Covid. . not for the entire time he was in the Hospital. Since my flight was in the morning, there was no point in trying to do anything sooner, as he was where he needed to be, and told me just to rest and that he'd see me Wed morning. feeling a bit relieved, I took a couple of pics of the area: including one I sent to him. . and then went to the room to pack up for the flight home the next day. end of Day 4 at DLP - thanks for reading along!

Day 4 - 4th of July, and final day in the parks Not everyone had stayed for 4 days after the end of the official trip, so several of the TPR folks had already headed out. James and I still had a full day - as did a few others, and we ended up meeting up with a couple of them to hang this day. Taking it easy, doing things we hadn't done yet (like the riverboat, the train, and some shows). we had a lunch reservation at Aggrabah Marketplace, and made plans to meet up with Jere there. early entry today for hotel guests was DLP, so we got up bright and early and headed over. but first a peek out the window at our view from our room at the Paris version of Wilderness Lodge: Lobby "decorated" for 4th of July tho not sure this would fly as politically correct in USA these days. it was early enough, and a Monday (I think), so there weren't a whole lot of folks around and finally got this photo op I'd been eyeballing for a few days! Mickey waving hello to guests at 8:30 as we entered the park I swear. . I think this might be my favorite of the Castles. . . just so damn pretty. we headed directly into Fantasyland to reride the dark rides. . . but since no one was around? I tried to pull the sword from the stone. fail but, I mean, this is why we headed to Fantasyland first: the queue for Snow White the queue for Pinocchio the queue for freaking Peter Pan !!! (this is the hidden outdoors part I mentioned in yesterday's pics) by the time we knocked out the 3 dark rides, folks were starting to show up in Fantasyland, and the standbys were starting to get some folks in them. still only a 5 minute wait at this point tho and Dumbo was almost a walk on. . so headed to that "not yet ridden" gem. . Great views of the surrounding area from up high on Dumbo. . and a pretty long cycle too, if I recall. whee! after Dumbo, we decided to head towards Pirates for a ride, stopping for random photo ops, or walkthrus along the way. in Adventureland. . I guess I thought if I didn't just rub the lamp, I'd get more wishes? bed of nails, make me holla! oh look. . we ended up at BTM, where the Maintenance guys were intensely watching the loading of the trains. . . .I guess they started out with a rough day here? but it was running fine when we got to it. the Molly Brown from the BTM exit queue. . we were gonna take a ride on this today. would have done the balloon as well - it hadn't been flying on prior days - but we simply ran out of time.. it was NOTICEABLY less crowded today, as it wasn't the weekend any longer. . . . and the park had out all the "other" transportation running. including the horse-drawn trolley on Main Street and the Antique Car rides on main street. I know I did these in TDL/TDS. . but I can't recall if we rode these here? (as you can see, no line at all, so I'm betting we did take a spin around Main Street USA) then over to Hyperspace Mountain. the design on these trains. . . so wonderful. Nemo's submarine in front of Hyperspace Mountain! I hadn't noticed that prior. and yet more metal movement sculptures I hadn't seen yet. DLP really should sell miniature versions of these. . I'd buy a Genie in a heartbeat. we decide to do the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse - which hadn't been open the prior days (maybe staffing??). . but was open today. along the way tho we passed the caves and Skull island, and one of the folks hanging with us today hadn't been inside the caves yet.. so we did a walk thru. inside the giant skull, looking out and headed into (and up) the treehouse. a closer look at the Shooting Gallery (cropping out the kid who was staring at me taking a picture - something that happened a LOT, you may notice. . the kids always stare right at you when you're taking a picture. in many cases, can't crop em out. . here I could) another spin on Phantom Manor.. think this was #7 or #8 during our visit. such a well done version. geysers! part of the show for the riverboat, but visible from the exit of Phantom Manor it was time for lunch, so we headed over to Adventureland to go to the restaurant. easily one of my favorite themed Disney restaurants. . I mean. . look at these pics! it's like you're eating on the streets of a city. (and it didn't hurt that the food was very good too. nothing super fancy, but if you like Mediterranean food? highly recommended) stuffed full. . we needed something really relaxing. . so it was time for the Riverboat. . . we went into the upper deck (some great views, but man did it get hot up there in the direct sun). a nice 20 minute or so ride tho.. . really enjoyed it cleverly disguised docking area for when the boat needs maintenance (or where they keep the backup boat) plastic animals. . LOL and the geysers from the boat! and since BTM is on the island that the Riverboat goes around? you really can get some great pics from it. upon re-docking, we took a quick peek thru some of the interior rooms on the lower deck as we were making our way to the exits. still a bit full tho, and not ready for anything.. "thrilling" but luckily, the Train Station is closeby the Riverboat Dock. .and the train was gonna be by momentarily. and I DID want to ride it.. . . real animals on the other side of the station, here. nerd shot for you train surveilance fans the cars really are quite lovely. I can't recall if this station by Fantasyland was open. . I'm thinking it wasn't, as I only recall the stops in Frontierland, and at the front gates. but it does go behind Alice's Labyrinth . . and you get a nice view of the park & castle from the train. including a great shot of that closed slide I mentioned that was in the Queen's tower in the Labyrinth oh, this was pretty neat. A drained "it's a Small World" (which was down for refurb during our visit) pulling into the Tomorrowland station - which I know for certain was closed down.. . so we just stopped there for a moment, before continuing on. the Engineer said that they hadn't used this station for a while (it's above the Star Wars Meet and Greet) some lovely views of Hyperspace Mountain from the train. but we exited at the front gate stop. there were several things we wanted to do in Studios, so we headed under the DLP Hotel, and over that direction. . . to be continued. . .

oh no! changes to the masturbating Idol?

cont. . .Part III I had heard of fantastic things within the Castle, but we hadn't made it over that way yet. so that was the next stop.. if we could navigate the weird pathways in the park, after we left Adventureland . . LOL pretty tho! (and NO ONE back here) ah. .we came out along side the castle. .. One of my favorite pics from this day (and one I sent home to Nick) some of the kinetic metal sculptures over here that I hadn't seen yet: and down this path. . not really marked, but it SEEMS to be leading somewhere. . ahhhh. . . I had heard there was something evil living in the basement of the castle! a bit hard to see in the pics, but an INCREDIBLE animatronic dragon Malificent that moves and puffs smoke at those who dare come to look at it. as they say in the infomericals tho. . . .BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!!! upstairs? you can actually enter the castle, where the story of Sleeping Beauty is told via a walkthru filled with Tapestries and Stained Glass Windows. this is probably the most stunning walkthru at the park, and highly recommended. *and* the walkthru allows you to go outside on the Castle walkways, to get some lovely views of not just Fantastyland, and the castle itself, but also other areas of the park: (I see you Lancelot's Carousel. . .. and I hear you calling my name) yeah. the Carousel is huge, and can seat a lot of people. but there's also a lot of people in line. but you bet your butt I waited to ride it. beautiful! I have absolutely NO idea what this is from. My gut says "Snow White" and I do recall we rode it again at some point, as it had just come back up from downtime, so it was basically a walk on as it opened as we were passing. but that's too many folks in front of me - do they stack ride vehicles at the end? maybe that's what this is? and I spotted Cinderella's chariot! off by itself with no one around. this park has so many "hidden" things all over. . you just have to really pay attention to the details. it was almost time to head over to Studios. . tho we had a bit of time before dinner. this appears to be Star Tours. . tho I can't recall if we rode it in DLP before heading over to Studios? or if it's actually in Studios? I just know we rode it. ok..Star Tours must have been in DLP. . because here we are going back into Studios. . . not super busy over here today! (it was a Sunday if I recall). . but DLP was pretty crowded. my camera says we took a ride on Tower of Terror and then Ratatouille awwwww. . how CUTE!!! the Ratatouille ride exits with glass walls that let you peek into Remy's Restaurant! hi TPR folks enjoying a meal our reservation still wasn't for about 30 minutes. . so we just relaxed in the area. the lobby of the restaurant - which is themed as if you're a mouse, so everything is giant. the attention to detail is pure Disney level. .tho still not exactly sure what this is! (tho we took guesses.. LOL) the Menu. . looking thru the other side of the glass.. into the Ride exit. wanna see the food? sure you do! (and yes, it was all very good) this was the Duck Pate en crute (with fig jam). my main was the roast Cod and desert was the lava cake. Not quite "lava-y" enough, but still pretty good. as noted earlier, meals in DLP complex are "take your time, sloooooow" so I think this meal took about 1:45. .and by the time we were done, the park was closed. At least allowed me to get some good pics on the way out: Mickey waving goodbye on the balcony on the way out. back over to DLP. .which is open a good 3 hours past Studios. and folks had already staked out places for fireworks. good.. we saw them the prior two nights. . . .we're gonna do other stuff! Like buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin and Hyperspace Mountain and why not? Autopia and I'm so glad we did. . Autopia was SO much fun. .and absolutely beautiful as it got darker. Don't miss this one if at DLP they had this Star Wars meet and Greet (think it was Darth Vader). . but the hours were so weird, we were never by there when it was open. we went the back way around to Fantasyland (no Small World for us, as it was down for refurb during our visit) but I'm pretty sure we rode the teacups (under this lovely covering) and based on her uniform, we swung by Pirates too. and most likely a night ride on Big Thunder Mountain. ooooo. . pretty. I'm pretty sure we were wiped out, so left just before the fireworks started. . .so we beat the crowd out. which would be why everyone is coming towards us, as exiting here. back at the hotel. . I did some wandering and found a Chip & Dale themed "event" area. . basically a scavenger hunt around the property, if I'm recalling. with video clues. if you noticed me carrying a big vinyl DLP 30 bag in some pics? it's because when we rode Tower of Terror earlier in the day, I got talked into purchasing a picture as they were running a special where a lovely (heavy) cardboard frame comes with. they DIDN'T tell me that the hugely awkwardly shaped thing was *not* one of the items that you could buy and have sent back to the hotel to hold for you. Tho they gladly sold me the bag to carry it around in all day. yeah.. . .still. . it IS a great picture, and it survived the whole trip home! and that ends Day 3. thanks for following along!

^ I'm shocked how good they were! I've had middle of the night cravings for it.. . no, really! it's like rasperry, and orange sherbet. . so good!

Part II:. . . . after the boats, we headed next door to the Casey Jr. Train. . . the best way for Children to travel - in cages. ooo. . we were gonna be "Poneys" (and James' arm directing the little girl that she's exiting the wrong side of the train. . LOL) I really do love how the two rides back here interact with each other. . . and it's TOTALLY separate from the rest of the park. it's really like you're not even in a theme park. we then (at my begging) went back to Peter Pan - it's among my top 3 dark rides. . and besides, we had been gifted "Skip the lines" from some folks that had to leave the prior day, so we had two times access to this (the way the Skip the lines work here, is you get one time skip on a list of certain rides. . but since they had left, they sent us photo-snaps of the passes they didn't use so we could use them). I mean. . I'm really only happier when on a Carousel. (I also had gotten that message from Nick that he was out of the hospital, recall, so I was really enjoying this day) blurry as hard to get a shot of the indoor, moving, dark ride with my phone. . but then the ride stopped (probably to load a Handi-Capabble person). . so was able to get some nice pics of Capt. Hook! and the mermaids heading over to Pirates of the Caribbean (which I think we rode while over here?), we did another DLP walkthru along the way - a massive Cave Complex on Skull Island. looks like this was intended at one point to be a Jungle Cruise type ride (that DLP does not have). . . not really missed, but would fit in well here, I'd think, blocked off entrance to what seemed to be a "raft" type attraction that perhaps existed at one point over here. . . I mean there were some figurines set along the riverside, so there must have been some reason they were put there ? see? the folks from "Up" and then we just happened to stumble across a photo op with King Louie ! we took a wrong turn and ended up at Indiana Jones (the paths in DLP are a bit confusing). can't recall if we rode it again or not.. I know it was included in our Premier access, so we probably did. and passed Baloo ! (tho he's no King Louie, so didn't stop. . LOL) but we eventually found our way to what we wanted to go on next. . the best version of BTM. and with our pass, was a pretty short wait. and since over here. . . .of COURSE gonna go take *another* spin on Phantom Manor pics from the walk over to that. but along the way? a snack. I'd seen Kristen have one of these the day before over at the Eiffel tower. . and really wanted to try it. it was amazingly good. Highly recommended if in Paris. Kinda like a Sherbet pop. ' Unlike in the USA? they still have the shooting galleries here. ok. . now in the Phantom Manor line. the queue wasn't long, and I really wanted to see the theming in the queue.. so we did Standby so I could take pictures. hmmm. .what's this? thru these gates is a "graveyard". .that's similar to the queues for the USA versions of this ride. I wonder if this was at one point the main entrance to the ride? it's off to the right of the main ride, and we were really the only ones over here. . but the tombstones had a theme, and some of them "groaned" or "breathed". . . so I guess you could count this as another DLP walkthru experience speaking of Walk Thru. . we then went thru another of DLP's signature walk-thrus. . the Legends of the Wild West fort. a real bird made a nest among the mannequins. . LOL pretty nice break from the crowds, so even if not SUPER interesting? the walk thrus are a good way to get a bit of a breather. our dinner plans tonight were at Chez Remy over in Studios. . but tomorrow we had lunch booked at Cafe Agrabah. . and we hadn't been into Adventureland yet.. . (no real rides over here. .not even an Aladdin's Flying Carpets - those are over in Studios). let's check it out. a cast member told us a story about this chandelier. . which I don't really remember now. but I think it's a replica (or maybe the original) that was given to the Premier of Paris from an Egyptian leader? it was very cool tho. found where we need to go tomorrow! (and the food was excellent by the way) ohhh. .what's this? (folks were rushing thru it, as if it were a ride queue, but it's actually another Walk Thru attraction, telling the Aladdin story via miniature dioramas) to be continued in Part III

Gigantic photo dump from Day 3 at DLP Complex (trying to finish up before I leave for next adventure). We started out Day 3 at Studios, then headed to DLP, then back to Studios for dinner reservation at Remy's before finishing night off at DLP (Studios closes much earlier than DLP, so by the time dinner was over, we were really the only ones left in the park and just headed right to DLP). hope you enjoy the pics! not the greatest coaster on site - but it's a fun spinner, with some excellent effects, so we started the day here, before the line got huge. I believe we also took a spin on Ratatouille & Tower of Terror, before heading into Toy Story land to pick up what we had skipped the prior day . . . wandering the park - which is pretty empty in the mornings, other than Crush's Coaster (but recall, this was before Avenger's Campus opened. . so that might have changed) overall the rides in Toy Story Land are kinda "meh". . tho the parachute drop was way more fun than I had expected. but the design work over here is incredible. a photo op? why of course! wheeeeee! we hadn't eaten yet today (we didn't get meal plan with the booking James and I had). . so we decided to grab some Mickey Waffles. . . but check out the 30th specials they had going. that's what I want. . a Mickey waffle with Nutella. sitting down to wait for our waffles, looking at the almost open Avengers Campus (it would open about 10 days after our visit. . . so an excuse to come back!) umm i THINK there's a Mickey under there. OMG. . If I liked Nutella before? I hated it about halfway thru this. . SO cloyingly sweet, I couldn't even finish it. but we had a good laugh over just how much was on the waffle and how it just obliterated Mickey! headed out of Studios, we passed Mickey waving hello to all those coming in (who didn't have early entry from the hotels) and Goofy out doing photos (he had a big line, so didnt' stop) a short walk over to DLP, and we got stopped by the 1st parade of the day. . . but it worked out pretty good, as we had a fantastic view as they were coming out from the start of the parade. I still have nightmares over this Genie! I swear. .it might be small-ish, but the castle here really is stunning. we headed into Fantasyland to hit the rides that are not covered with the "Fast Pass" option they have here as early as possible. 1st up was Snow White. yeah. tho the lines do move pretty fast. . . lots of short "back and forth" queues. and right next door to Pinocchio . . this one I think we did wait almost 30 minutes for.. but we wanted to get a ride on it, and not covered by the skip the lines options. after getting Snow White and Pinocchio out of the way, we headed over to Peter Pan - which thankfully IS included in the skip the lines passes we got. that's a huge (mostly outdoor) line, that's hidden behind the building. But happily, the "Premier Access" was less than 2 minutes! Worth every penny. and then it was time to explore Alice's Labryinth. . . one of the many "walk thru" attractions unique to DLP. spoiler - I LOVED this, and could have easily spent another hour in here. the queen's tower, that looms over the labyrinth. . with some pretty fantastic views this is looking towards the storybook boat ride, and Casey Jr. train) towards the front of the park/castle down to see those lost in the Labyrinth there are "hidden" pop up figures of the Queen thruout the Labyrinth. . not all of them were working on our visit, but the ones that were? really startle the hell out of you when they pop up (they must be motion activated) funhouse mirrors in the tower (and what looked to be a slide that is no longer in use . . it was blocked off and full of people's trash) exiting the tower. . or maybe the entrance? there are all kinds of ways to go in the Labyrinth if you know me? you know I DO love me a good throne. . . onward to the Storybook minatures boatride! the land of Oz. . . at Disney???? to be continued in part II . . .

Met up with my friend John today at SFFT to get him the Dr. Diabolical credit (success! x 2), and Boomerang (missed it as was having maintenance issues - it just reopened on Friday with upgraded train, new brakes, and new launch system. . so I guess it's really in Technical rehearsal. Tho I'm sure they did eventually get it going, we had to head elsewhere by 12:30. so we did a few things in the park. . wanna see? sure ya do! waiting for John to meet up. Tho the park opened officially at 10:30? gates were open at 10 and Goliath were running by 10:15am. (I'd assume Boomerang would have been up too, if it weren't having issues) ooo.. per the letter I saw from Salim? all the Parks now have a VIP entrance for Diamond and above passholders. the one at SFFT is to the left (by the "outside" restrooms (klassy!) and Goliath). . . we used it specifically so I could get pics, but really the main gates lines were moving smoothly and on this morning really didn't need it. Can see it being a big perk later in the day when the main entrance lines get really long tho. we checked out the new E6 Gaming complex in the main Plaza next to the theater and across from the DC Superhero store (popping our head in 5 minutes before opening, and the great staff there encouraged me to come in and get pics while the place was empty). I didn't get a pic of the small retail area, but it sold game themed stuff, and John bought a Mega Man shirt from here before we left really, REALLY nice. . and all lit up like being inside TRON. We headed over to Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger, and rode twice - once in back row, and then again in front row. I insisted John take middle seat on front row, as it's 7 across so you can ride the track. tho I still say Dr. D. is a back seat dive coaster, for the airtime you get in that row. . . John loved front row. Boomerang had started testing, so we headed over that way, but were told it would still be a few hours, as maintenance was working on issues they were seeing. So got a pic of John with the sign.. he'll just have to come back to San Antonio again for this "credit" It's not a visit to Six Flags Fiesta Texas without a visit to Sweet, Sweet Connie tho. . . so popped into Sangerfest to say hello. and then we decided on the way out to check out the "soft opened" VIP lounge - which is upstairs over the E6 gaming place. WOWZA. . . it was really deserted, but I think that's simply because many folks don't realize it's there, and open. this place is beautiful, and what wonderful perks. you show your diamond level pass at the kiosk and they give you a pass (and lanyard, tho no lanyard this morning) and up the stairs to this incredible place. with tons of seating. . televisions, charging stations. . . and even ride time boards installed, so you can see what wait times are for the biggies i the park! a spread of snacks, with cookies, fruits/nuts/veggies/cheeses/meats, Pretzels & mustard, as well as juices, water, and coffee (that was really good coffee) a full service bar too - with a soda gun for free soda refill in membership cups. I asked how much the discount was for drinks - as had thought I had heard during a construction tour that the drinks would be specially priced. but when he punched one up to see, it came up to ~$14. . which didn't seem to be discounted. But again, it's a soft open, so maybe they just haven't figured that out yet. the bartender guy (as well as the lady restocking the food) and the other couple that was relaxing in there with us - all were very nice, and we had a wonderful conversation with them all. . mainly about how much we love SFFT, and how great a Park President Jeffrey Siebert is, and that's a big part of why this park is so amazing. looking around at some of the other rooms with seating available up here. . I *think* there's another room back there behind the doors too. . probably where they are storing additional improvements - but that door on the left? Heads out to a nicely sized patio with more seating that overlooks the plaza and Boomerang. overall? Very, very impressed with what SFFT has to offer..and can't wait to pop in here on a packed and hot day to cool down and take a look at how it does when really full of people.

Looks like a fantastic time. and of COURSE I'm gonna get most excited about the Carousel. not only is Pepe Le Pew not cancelled there in Abu Dhabi. . but the attention to detail, that his spot on the Carousel is right behind/chasing Penelope Pussycat. OMG. . love it.

83 isn't really that "old" she was actually younger (by a good 5-7 years) thank I thought.

2026 is the restoration of the Smithsonian Carousel. when you have artisans fully restoring the horses/chariots/seats one or two at a time? Yes, it takes a long time. assume ~1 month for each horse.. . so let's assume 56 horses (on a standard carousel). divide by 2, because we're going to assume they are going to do 2 at a time (ie: hired two artisans). that will take 2.4 years. Smithsonian is saying 2026, that's 3 1/2 years from now. . . so they either have only one artisan working it, or it's taking longer than 1 month per feature. regardless, a true restoration takes time. and that's why those continually bitching about SFStL are just noise. . because they don't care about the facts, they just want to complain. (complain that the park didn't bring in a temporary replacement during the refurbishment? yeah, right there with you on that. .and the park SHOULD still do that for the current season). but just bitching it's taking a long time? yeah, that's just bitching to bitch about it).

^ or . . . it's again proving how long a properly done restoration takes, and makes all y'all bitching about SFStL's timeline look even sadder.

it will be packed and you'll likely want more than one day. .there's just so much to do and see there. as to the coasters? Twister & Phoenix are both people-eaters, so don't let the lines scare you off. Flying Turns will get the longest line, and moves the slowest. . . so I'd say go there 1st and wait in the line (as it won't get any shorter as the day goes on). Impulse is just a "meh" coaster to me, and tends to get long lines because it's towards the "front" of the park. .but that line does shorten as the day goes. Don't miss the chairlift, the main Carousel (with the rings), the haunted house (upcharge, but worth it), the Pioneer Train, the flyers, the bumper cars (even tho i dont' do bumper cars. . they are classics). . . hell. . everything at Knoebels is great. Play Fascination, do the museums, enjoy the pool if it gets too hot. all the food there is good, but I'm sure folks will point you to don't miss beyond the Periogies & and the Cheese on a Stick.