bert425

it's not just the ride, it's a whole little area of the park with that theming (just FYI). there was a "museum" too. . which I didn't go in, since again - not familiar with the property.. .so can't tell you if it's good or not. As well as some themed food stands, and a store.

really like the Pacific Park sign too. . . all your night time photos always look great. I agree with your comment upthread about Disney too. . as you may have noticed, i too take *hundreds* of pics while at Disney. (and it's not like you're not enjoying everything too.. . you don't even realize you're doing it as it's so magical). Mrs Knott's chicken with a knife? would have razzed you as a heathen if you did! Fried chicken is meant to be eaten with your fingers ! did you find the flyer folks more aggressive on Hollywood Blvd than on the Vegas strip? because I've always found the Vegas strip folks way more aggressive (and way more pathetic in many cases, such as the state of the "character outfits"). . but maybe it's just cause i have no interest in a "date with a showgirl". . so it just feels like they are so much more pushy to me.

I would go back to Japan (and brave Fuji-Q) *just* for Eejanaika! I loved it that much. but luckily, I got to ride it a bunch, so got it out of my system for a few years I have to, at some point in the next year or so, book a weekend trip to California, to make it to SFMM. I've never been, and I have a freaking season pass!

Hi Garet, it was there when we visited in October of last year. I mentioned it in my Trip Report. . I liked the design of the building, but was L.O.S.T. as I am not familiar with the anime, other than that some of the characters wear those metal head bands. So I just shot at everything. . LOL I wouldn't say it's anywhere near the level of ToyStory Mania, but it really does *want* to be that. It was interesting, but nothing I'd make a trip to the park for. (unlike Farm De Bang Bang !! at Nagashima SpaLand, which I LOVED).

Tokyo DisneySea part 4 we still had time before our show, and we noticed that despite the "moist" weather that was still about, the Venetian Gondolas were still operating (we actually caught them right at the end of the night, as they closed the line behind us shortly after we got in queue. . . likely to get ready for Fantasimic in the main Harbor). These were something I wanted to do.. try new things I'd never done before at Disney, and all. . .and William was up for it to. So Jon went shopping, and William and I got in queue (very short queue due to the wet weather) yeah, it started to drizzle a bit, so William pulled out is TPR poncho when we were seated on our Gondola. the Gondoliers were all in rain-gear too. Just us, and ~20 new friends, enjoying a romantic (LOL) gondola ride thru "Venice" and out into the main Mediterranean Harbor. it really was quite fun to go under all the bridges. I can only imagine doing this during the day in nicer weather (something to do if I got back), but was still great fun in the wet evening. and just a wow moment when you go out into the harbor. . and see THIS. . from the water level. the volcano was starting to hint at eruption. . . and so our very funny front Gondolier, jokingly stood in front of Mount Prometheus to block the pictures that everyone was trying to take. (he moved after a second). Tho he didn't speak a lot of English, he made an effort, and interacted with everyone in our Gondola, asking where from and if anyone was celebrating Birthday or Anniversary.. lots of jokey small talk. made for a fun ride. BEAUTIFUL we finished our ride, met up with Jon, and headed to the theater for our reserved seats for Big Band Beat. As with the other shows, no photography allowed during the show. . but the theater itself is really nice, so snapped a few pics after sitting down. how was the show? VERY good, and I'd highly recommend it. Mickey tapdancing was a highlight for me, but the music and voices of the emcees, band on stage were all excellent. i can see why folks were getting back in line, and waiting up to 2 hours to see it. Even tho it was moist, Fantasmic was still on for the night. . . so we headed over to the side of the Harbor near Soaring so we could stand on the steps for decent view (and across from Tower of Terror, so I could get more pics of it ), and got ready for the show. I believe that's Micky at the top of this amazing LED float. . it's hard to see since the float is so bright (so it didn't translate well in many of my pics), but it tells a story in the LEDs. SUPER impressive. and Mount Prometheus erupts during the show. . I just missed the fireball in this pic, but you can see the aftermath, as it's calming down. one of the best effects of the evening - Maleficent (in dragon form) comes THRU the mirror that was on the float. (that's the mirror coming down, as the dragon comes up and thru) and the Harbor catches on fire. so cool. one of the "celebration" boats, full of characters as it goes around the harbor. a wonderful show, and I'm glad I got to see it, since it's since ended performances (I believe I heard they had stopped performing it at TDS). after Fantasmic, since we were on that side of the harbor, we headed back to Arabian Coast, where I got to rid on the bottom level of the Carousel - hey it's a double decker. . both levels MUST be ridden (LOL). . and then we got in line for the Magic Lamp Theater to catch the final performance of the 3D show. but while in queue, the fireworks started that are shared between the two parks. so got some nice pics thru the turrets at the top of the Magic Lamp Theater in Arabian Coast. Theming in the theater queue line. yup. . we Kewl and ready for 3D. there's animatronics in the pre-show room.. mainly Jaffar's snake, and the Parrot too. the show was entertaining enough - really geared towards the younger crowd, with a lot of slapstick from Genie. . .but was a nice use of time. of course, we aren't going to leave this area without another ride on Sindbad tho! didn't ride Raging Spirits again, but it certainly does look fantastic at night. but we did hop into single rider line for another ride on Indy as we passed by it. the Meet and Greet trails were shut down for the evening but was able to get close enough to the entrance to get a pic of the sign now. Water Taxis making their final rounds. . . . after Fantastmic & the fireworks, the crowds really died down. the Finding Nemo ride facade looks great at night too. I keep saying that, but EVERYTHING looks great at TDS. and of course, we aren't going to leave TDS for the evening without one last ride (and a night one at that) on Aquatopia. here's a fantasmic pic i have in my phone, taken from the front of the stage, so it must be one from Eric (or maybe Brad) who had shared it with the messenger group during the trip. l wanted to share, but not sure who to give photo credit to, so will give to both. could also be Robb ! again a pic from either Eric, Brad, Robb, or maybe Joey. But such an amazing pic of Aquatopia the Toyville/Trolley Park area, just might be the best night-time area of TDS. very much reminiscent of Luna Park. and then it was time to head out, and to go back to the hotel. this had been a really long day (from ~7am-10pm) and I still had two full days left, but now could park hop as much as I pleased. time to head back to hotel to crash! the globe in the main entrance plaza looks great too. goodnight Tokyo Disney Sea! Will see you again tomorrow.

Tokyo DisneySea part 3 inside the Fortress, and there it is - our plans for lunch today (thanks to the app from yesterday that Guest Services helped us out by loading): Magellen's the Leonardo Da Vinci inventions around the area are part of the Leonardo Challenge - which I'll get to on another day, but you can wander around and admire/look at them without participating in the actual "Challenge" part of the experience. the set lunch menu - you can either choose the "North Star" menu, or the "Atlantic" menu. they are the same except for the "main" entree - and a difference of ~$9 if you can't get a reservation (or don't want a sit down meal), the Lounge area upstairs has a small menu of offerings that you can get as a walk in. overview of the restaurant - upstairs is the lounge, downstairs the seated dining, where they take you after checking in for your reservation. the restaurant is Gorgeous. . as is most everything at Tokyo DisneySea waiting to be called for our table, once checking in. the view from our table. (and yes, the globe rotates) and the view of us at our table. some nice wine options avail. . tho I believe we all went for the house white. tho this special course sounded wonderful, I wasn't really in the mood to schlep a cup and saucer back home. and there was something on the Atlantic menu that sounded really good. . so just went for that. But for a sit down, nice restaurant at Disney? I thought the prices were super reasonable. wine with lunch? yes please! (LOL. .tho Jon has a beer). the interior of the dining room is really amazing to look at. including the "hidden" dining room. See this bookshelf? yup. . there are tables back there that the staff pushes a hidden button to open up for service. here's my starter - I believe it was a broccoli cream soup, but could be mis-remembering. those wonderful Mickey sweet rolls! and my main - I had the Sangen Pork with Whole Grain Mustard sauce. it was SO good. and they kept coming around and offering us more rolls and bread.. . hey, we're children at heart, would you expect any less? the desert course. . again, so good. and tho not a hidden Mickey (he doesn't seem to have a "ton" of presence at Tokyo DisneySea), it is a "hidden" smiley! and desert / meal comes with tea. (that does have Mickey on the tea bag tag) we took our time and really enjoyed our meal, and the ambiance of the restaurant. and as we were finishing up, we saw Alex, Zach and Allison come in, so we stopped by to briefly chat on our way out. . but how nice to run into fellow TPR travelers during our day! and then we were off to had back to the section of the park we had not yet visited - the Arabian Coast. the folks there are lined up to get into the Magic Lamp Theater, to see a 3D Cartoon/Live stage show starring Genie. we didn't wait for it now, but came back later tonight and did catch it before end of day. TDS has a double-decker Genie themed Carousel !!! here's a pic of it from across the main courtyard in this area of the park. the detail and mosaics over here are among the best in both parks. . . I had such a good time running around and taking so many pics of them. closer shot of the Carousel. William wanted to buy a Chandu stuffed toy (The tiger from the Sindbad ride - tho he ended up buying a Chandu puppet), so we headed to the Marketplace area of the land - again, completely enveloped by the theming around us. it's amazing. here's the Chandu puppet in front of Sindbad's ride entrance. I believe we DID go in and ride Sindbad here, and I was instantly in love with it - and the song was instantly stuck in my head. but across from Sindbad, was Jasmine's flying carpet. and tho I loved Chandu? I was way more interested in getting a pic with Rajah once I saw him over there by the Jasmine's Flying Carpets ride. yay! the sky was starting to really cloud over, and suddenly it started to drizzle. So the line for Jasmine's Flying Carpets literally disappeared as folks scrambled out of the line and under cover. So we pulled out our TPR (or other) rain ponchos, put them on, and got in line for the ride - which continued to operate even tho it had started raining. here's some of the wonderful tilework from the Jasmine's Flying Carpets queue. yeah, it was "moist", but still a fun ride, even if it basically is Dumbo (but you can control the tilt of the car) no spitting camel on this version that I recall, but we were wet enough anyways. . . after already getting pretty moist, we headed over to the Carousel - which was pulling a pretty decent line now that it was raining (since this ride is covered). . but since it's a double decker, with lines on both floors? it split the line out pretty evenly, once you got to the stairs that allowed the line split. oh look! it's got Genies you can ride! we headed upstairs, to ride that level. and yep, I got a Genie look how happy! until you realize that the way the Genie is designed? you slide forwards during the ride. yeah. .it's not super testicle-friendly. but I still really loved riding the Genie option. see? William and Jon seemed to enjoy it too. . but by this time in the trip, Jon already knew how excited I get by Carousels. saw whut? Elephant butt. Overview of the central square in Arabian Coast, from the upper deck of the Carousel (possibly while riding) not sure what those cranes are constructing back there behind Arabian Coast. . I'm sure Bill knows (someone told me during the trip, but I just can't remember). more detail work in this area. Really like the sconces. walking back across the park (I think to ride Tower of Terror again, as we likely had gotten a fast pass after our earlier stop in that area for ToyStory Mania). . we passed along the side of the Harbor this time, and caught part of another showing of the "Festival of Mystique" show. but since it was raining? this was the "rain version" . . with no dancers or many folks out on the stages, and the characters wearing plastic rain gear. So cute. (we would get to see the full show the next day when it was drier, and I really liked it). yep, crossing back across the courtyard in front of Tower of Terror (where I mentioned earlier that most of the Halloween Theming in this park is). So stopped to snap a few pics as we cut thru. Venetian Goth Mickey. . fantastic Yup! More of a line than earlier (even with Fast Pass). . but it gave me chance to appreciate more of the theming inside the main queue. (still no pics of the preshow room tho. . go yourself and enjoy it). after our ride on Tower, we walked along the waterfront back around to Aquatopia (which I think we rode in the mist and I got the version that goes thru the cave),and we may have grabbed a fast pass, which got us onto Nemo here. I recall that the line for Nemo was still pretty long, but they had fast passes that were for almost right away, so I THINK we did that and got to ride Nemo now). we had to eventually get back over to the Waterfront area, for our tickets to Big Band Beat later. . so I pushed to just hop on the Trolley that had a station over here right where we were that would bring us back over there. I *really* wanted to ride the trolley, and had been "voted down" earlier in the day since the line was so long at that time. But now that it was getting to be evening, Jon & William were open to it, so we headed to the station and got to see this wonderful artwork in the station over here at the Port Discovery station. night comes quickly, and it had gotten really dark while on the short trolley ride, and the courtyard over by Tower was looking amazing at night. (as was the tower itself, which has "lightning" that sometimes shoots up and down the facade of the tower

Tokyo DisneySea part 2 Duffy's friend Gelatoni, dressed up in a Halloween Costume (this lady was behind us in the queue) the ride vehicles for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. a ride system very similar to Peter Pan's Journey, tho you sit up to 6 per car (each looking out a different window) and you have spotlights that you can control to look around during the ride. when you "dive", the windows fill up with a thin sheet of water. the effect is incredible, and this quickly shot into my top 5 favorite Disney Rides. I think I rode this 5-6 times during the trip, because depending where you sit, the ride experience is different. poor Jon is tall. . he had a snug fit in the diving bell vehicle Movement, and dark.. . so yeah, didn't get a lot of good pics. .but got some decent enough to share : I can't stop taking pictures of this area! LOL. . but it was time to head out to other areas of the park. . . so we headed out of Mysterious Island towards the "Mediterranean Harbor" section, that houses the Fortress & the Galleon (the Fortress is where "Magellan's" our lunch reservations were for. . so we figured we'd check out the menu). but we came out and caught the very end of the special Halloween water parade "Festival of Mystique" we were way at the back, so didn't get to see any of the performers that were on the stages at the front and sides of the Harbor - where the storyline takes place. . but we did get to see the floats that are part of the show. Those go around the entire harbor, so all guests get to see the characters on them. the floats were cool, but it's almost time (finally) for our ToyStory Mania fast pass. . so heading back to the Waterfront. a look at the Fortress and the Galleon as we pass by (the fortress offers an experience called the Leonardo Challenge, where you explore the fortress and it's unique rooms to solve clues and resolve the puzzle. William did it the next day, but several of us wandered around without the clue map and still had a wonderful time exploring the rooms. Never did make it onto the Galleon tho. . next trip!) here for our Fast Pass and we aint the only ones! holy. . look at that standby line! FORKY! (this is just a park guest dressed up for Halloween!) go into the mouth. . creepy, but so very Luna Park. fantastic. such detail in parts of the buildings most folks won't notice. more fun than a barrel of monkeys. serious sensory overload in the ride queue. heh. .the ride starts out by going under Andy's bed. otherwise, very similar to the version at California Adventure.. but such a great queue. almost time for lunch.. but I simply MUST try this right? it's a Minnie Mouse Ice Cream treat, that shaped as a clamshell, and filled with sea-salt ice cream, with jelly in the center. you bet I have to try this. a slightly off putting orange color. . but one bite and I forgave. SO GOOD. Sully and Piglet onesies "costumes". . looking towards the water play area. it was a bit overcast, and slightly chilly on this day, but there were still some kiddos playing in the fountains. Scrooge McDuck! but his line was way long, so settled for a pic of him as we walked by. cutting across the courtyard across from Tower of Tower, headed towards the Biglietteria section this courtyard was where Tokyo DisneySea had the main Halloween Stuff out, such as this photo op, and some character statues. yep. . definitely in the "Italy" section. . . Venetian Gondolas. the "lottery" machines. . . such great theming even in here. why had we detoured over here to go into Biglietteria? This is the building where they do the show lotteries, and we really wanted to try and get reserved tickets for Big Band Beat - that show who's theater we had passed on the way in. Reserved tix were the way to go, as we observed folks coming out from one performance, and then immediately standing in line for the next performance - 2 hours early! Success! yes. . another picture of Tower of Terror. This time from across the Mediterranean harbor. Told you it was photogenic.. even better at night all lit up purple! we left the Biglietteria, and headed to the right side of the park - which we had avoided upon arrival due to Soaring being in this direction. . but it was time to check out this side of the park. at the top of these steps is Soaring. if we go that way, we go back into Mount Prometheus. um. . yeah. . this is the STANDBY line for Soaring. and this is the part you can see. . it wraps around and goes down some steps to a lower level. (the fast passes were *way* gone by this time). yeah.. we'll ride this another day. but. . while we're over here. . . I know we're gonna eat in not too long. . but hell yes. it was good too. turned out we had to go back thru Mt Prometheus anyways to get to the Arabian Coast section we wanted to check out. So up that way, past the standby line for Soaring, and towards the Fortress so we could cut thru the volcano. little bits of theming everywhere around the park, even inside the Volcano. hmm. .what is this thing? there's a small queue set up, but no instructions. watching someone tho, we quickly realized what it is and got in line. a handwashing station, that distributes Mickey Mouse soap! we didn't quite make it to the Arabian Coast, as got distracted by the "Mermaid Lagoon" area as we passed it. So crossed over the bridge and headed there first. hard to see in this pic. . but these are all covered in absolutely gorgeous mosaics and polished stones. There's the "Arabian Coast" across the waterway.. we'll get to you soon. but first? let's go inside and explore Triton's Kindom. . an indoor section that has a bunch of rides, and playscapes. . incredibly themed, and again, sensory overload. There's a show down here too, featuring the Little Mermaid (who "swims" on wires above the audience in a truly impressive performance). The seats slightly tilt back to further sell the impression of being under the sea, with the performers floating above you. tho the star of the show is a HUGE Animatronic King Triton. among the most impressive things I've seen in a Disney Park. no photos allowed during the show (something that was true of all the shows we saw in TDS), so here's a pic of us waiting in the theater for the show to start. a gift shop themed to a whale? Bwaaa-haaa-haaaa.. . wonderful! this says "the Whirlpool" the ride that William and i rode in this area this one somewhere along the way - and I can't remember where - I was asked by a cast member if it was my 1st visit, and I told her yes, so I got a TDS 1st visit sticker to wear here too. Jumping Jellyfish a play area (with strangely, no kiddos playing).. great design work here. line was a little too long for this, but it looked like a fun mid-sized ride. Little Mermaid statue, that blends in with so much around it. . but I noticed it oh, there's a coaster here too. . but didn't make it down that far to ride it. heck, i didn't even realize I had a pic of it until I was going thru my stuff here [Paul Simon] Me and Ariel, down by, the grotto [/Paul Simon] it was getting to be close to our Lunch reservation, so would have to save "Arabian Coast" for after we eat. we need to head back to the Fortress. Cutting thru Mount Prometheus to get back to the fortress, we came across the main entrance to this. . just to rub it in that we couldn't ride that's ok tho. . we knew when the trip was planned that it was down. and honestly, had been having an incredible time regardless. . . so here's a smile, knowing that someday I'll be back and get to ride this.

Tokyo DisneySea Part 1 as with the 1st day at Tokyo DisneyLand, I took well over 900 pictures on my 1st visit to Tokyo DisneySea. Did a lot of editing, but still sharing a few hundred! Enjoy! the excitement got to us - or maybe it was just poor planning - but several of us woke up really early, and headed down to breakfast in preparation for our 1st day at DisneySea. the park opened at 8 (an hour earlier than DisneyLand opens), and tho I can't recall if we actually ended up eating breakfast, or if we just grabbed something from the convenience store. . but I do remember we headed out of the hotel really early so we could be at DisneySea way before they opened. . rather than just dinking aorund the hotel lobby/restaurant until it got closer to opening. i DO recall we were out of the hotel before 7am, and that I snapped this pic at the Resort Monorail station of our Hotel in the morning. a Halloween decorations wall up at the Tokyo DisneySea Monorail station. Explorer Donald welcomes us to Tokyo DisneySea gate area (statue just at the bottom of the Monorail station exit) my 1st good closeup view of Tower of Terror (as you'll see from the many pics of it. . .and I'm not even posting most of them I took, the structure is gorgeous and super photogenic from anywhere on the left side of the park). as noted, we were here ~1 hour prior to opening, and werent' the only ones, but eventually this whole courtyard did fill in with folks waiting to get in. (the gates are thru the security checkpoints on the right there). but just like DisneyLand, it was incredibly organized, and we entered really quickly once the park officially opened for all guests. Peeking thru the security gates to get a pic show how orderly everyone is sitting waiting for the gates to open, even tho it was still about 35 minutes until official open. Cast Members were available, and wandered thru the lines and handed out guidemaps (with show time inserts) to anyone in the queue who wanted them to peruse while waiting for the gates to open. here's the park map opened. It's much bigger than I expected, and the amount of detail can be overwhelming from the map. but I LOVE that they included the box in English there, to say to just point if you need help from a castmember (and request to take a picture is an option too. . LOL). Happy Castmembers holding signs in both Japanese and in English so i guess the "running of the bulls" is not just an American phenomenon. my first real indication that I was headed somewhere that was going to be totally unlike any other theme park I'd ever been in - as it looked like we would enter this world thru a town (which turns out to be a hotel inside the park perimeter!). and once you step thru the gateway? STUNNING view of Mount Prometheus (tho I really didn't know that there was so much *inside* it as part of the "Mysterious Island" section of the park) and yes, even with all the visible scaffolding? the view is still stunning. at the main split across the lagoon from Mount Prometheus, the vast majority of the crowd headed to the right. why? Most were going to queue up (or grab fast passes) for the new hotness that was "Soaring: Fantastic Flight" which had just opened a short while prior to our visit. we decided we'd save that for either much later in the day, or for one of the other days, and the folks I was hanging with headed to the left - towards the American Waterfront / Toyville / Trolley Park area. Others had the same idea, but not even a quarter of as headed to the right towards Soaring. but paused walking fast enough to grab another pic of Tower of Terror (and the theater for Big Band Beat). that ornate-ish building straight ahead? those are restrooms at the restrooms, we took a turn to the left and into the "Toyville / Trolley Park" section. While many immediately hopped in line for Toystory Mania, our plan was to get Fast Passes, then head over to Tower of Terror. I snapped this pic from the Fast Pass machine line. (even tho we had headed right here at park open, I believe our Fast Pass time wasn't until after 11 am, so we had a few hours to explore before needing to come back). a photo op? in front of a "Slinky Dog Carousel" why sure! by the time we exited the gift shop, and were considering getting back in line? Standby line looked like this (!) zooming in, it looks like that sign says 50 minutes. so we were happy with our 1 ride (for now), and headed off to explore more of the park. good decision to head directly to Tower of Terror after getting our Toystory Mania Fast Passes, as this is what the inside queue looked like on our 1st ride of the day! Grouped up for the 1st pre-show room. the theming in this queue is incredible. I only snapped a pic or two that came out decent, but I wouldn't share any pics from the pre-show room anyways . . don't wanna spoil! whee!!! (and as with the prior day on Splash Mountain, picture taken with the encouragement of the cast member who was standing nearby pointing out folks in their photos). OMG.. look, it's Duffy! he was High-Fiving folks as he was headed to his photo-spot in the courtyard across from Tower of Terror. I was really unfamiliar with Duffy, but quickly learned all about Duffy and his friends, and how they represent Tokyo DisneySea (thanks Robb) walking along the outer perimeter of the park. SO immersive, it really is hard to believe that you're in the middle of a theme park, in Japan! some work going on here on the S.S. Columbia, as well. but it's shocking to see an almost full-size facsimile of a ship in the park. it houses a restaurant, and the Teddy Roosevelt Lounge (tho didn't get to go to either of them. . something else for the next visit!) on the upper levels. and on the lower level is "Turtle Talk with Crush" (but noted as "Japanese Language Only"). So didn't do that either. so THIS trip, just admired the Columbia from afar. looking across the water to Mount Prometheus in the background. Behind me on the left is one of the "water taxi" stands. . . while directly behind me is a pier housing food stands. Crossing the bridge, and looking back to where we just left. again. . hard to believe in a theme park! closer look at the Water Taxi loading station as we walk overhead on one of several bridges in the park. oh, Tokyo DisneySea doesn't just have *one* giant ship as part of the atmosphere. . . S.S. Columbia may be the biggest, but here's the Raymond Wallace sailing ship, parked alongside rowboats in the "Cape Cod" area of the park. (and there's still a giant pirate ship you can explore parked alongside the main lagoon). continuing around the side of the park, we leave Cape Cod, and start to come into the "Port Discovery" Section. what's that I spy thru the trees? the ride I arguably have been most excited about since I signed on for the trip (since I knew Journey was down for maintenance). . the WTF ride that is "AQUATOPIA" OMG. . awesome. . it looks incredible, and doesn't do much but slowly dance in the water. . . I was in love. I don't think we rode it right now tho, as we were headed towards something else 1st. . but took pics as we walked by. this is the Finding Nemo ride, where you shrink down and go for a ride in the ocean. Think Star Tours, but I actually *loved* this when we rode it later in the day. . it really felt like you were floating in the water. The mosaic artwork outside was pretty breathtaking. . and it would look even better at night. continuing our journey around the outside of the park, we passed over another bridge (and you can see one of the water taxis crossing under that other bridge up there). . and into the "Lost River Delta" area of the park. what's back in this area? why Indiana Jones, and Raging Spirits (rollercoaster) As well as some meet and greet character trails. we were here for Raging Spirits 1st tho. This cast member is directing us to the Single Rider line (we couldn't get another fast pass yet, because we had still only recently gotten our ToyStory Mania one). the single rider line is fantastic. . tho, as noted in TDL, they ask the person you'd be sharing with if it is OK with them. We had no problems here again, and tho we went Single Rider, bypassing a quite sizable queue (that we saw a few fellow TPR members in - they wanted to ride together), we did end up getting seated in almost back to back trains anyways. I love the sign in this picture too. . where it notes there's a 360 loop? the *sign spins* as the train goes thru the loop each time. It made me giggle each time I saw it. I got on first, and tho liked it, I didn't LOVE it. So only really rode this the 1 time. hi William! Loop- De-Loop !!! Hi Jon ! and then we went next door (really closeby) for single rider line for Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Crystal Skull. theming! honestly, this is an incredibly detailed queue. and a really good ride too. Very happy there was a single rider line, that allowed a bypass of the vast majority of the standby queue. and as with Raging Spirits, we were all seated almost back to back, in vehicles. what can I say? we're cuddly UNLIKE Raging Spirits tho? I really liked this, and ended up riding it multiple times during the trip. after our rides, it was time to head back the way we had come, to try out Aquatopia. the standby line wasn't "Short" . .but it wasn't too bad. . maybe 15 minutes? and the area is really incredible, so much to look at and take pictures of. That's the DisneySea Electric Railway station the trolley is pulling out of in this pic. it connects to a station near the American Waterfront, over by Tower of Terror. OMG. .this ride is so insanely WTF. . as noted, I love it already I think I like it even better than Monster Mansion at SFOG. . . this one is so pointless, yet so much damn fun. are we gonna ride it? YES WE ARE!! it's trackless too.. so there are multiple courses your "boat" can take, sometimes threatening to ram other boats, and then just spinning sillily in a circle. or ALMOST going into a waterfall. So good. *and* there are two sides that load onto separate courses, so you can ride it a bunch, and get different rides most times. more theming in the area the station for Aquatopia is really incredible if you're a fan of this style. look at the letters in the name! It looks even better lit up at night. yeah, I'm here. yeah, I'm impressed yeah. . everyone that told me I'd love Tokyo DisneySea was right. (and we haven't even done the majority of the park yet!). oh, and notice the top of the Volcano, has started puffing smoke. wow. Tokyo DisneySea is right on Tokyo Bay. know how I said the attention to detail is amazing? well, this is a 'crack' in the damn wall. why? it's theming for the Water Taxi riders. . most other people won't ever notice it (we only saw it from Aquatopia as we went to the very end of the pier upon exiting the ride). water taxi riders enjoying the theming THIS is the queue for the Nemo ride !! i mean. . HOLY CRAP. and what was most interesting, is that there were Fast Pass available for less than 10 minutes from the current time. That's something we saw a few times during the visit - also on 20,000 Leagues: folks seemed to prefer standing in the standby queue with friends/family, then going to the Fast Pass machines, and being able to simply walk onto the ride with almost no waiting. I guess it's a cultural thing? lots of street entertainment around the park too. . all of it very good. we climbed up the stairs to take a shortcut to head into the "Mysterious Island" section in the center of the park, and stumbled across a character meet and greet area, with many characters out in Halloween Costumes. while many folks in Tokyo Disneyland were dressed in "costumes". . what seemed to be most popular among Tokyo DisneySea guests were onesies or Jackets with Duffy & Friends theming. headed into the Mysterious Island centerpiece of the park. wow really like the activity in the water within Mt. Prometheus. that's the entrance to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride across the center of the volcano, with the unique spiral ramp down Nemo's submarine, the Nautilus, just parked for theming! this whole area is stunning. . yes, I'm drunk on Disney Magic! and I just noticed, the wheels on the drill above the (sadly closed) Journey to the Center of the Earth ride, are spinning, and smoke is coming out of the pipes! Even the gift shop in this section is wonderfully themed! these steps are the exit from the Restaurant in this section (we're standing above the dining room area) I found my glass slipper! this map of the inside of the crater, is SUCH a nice touch. ok. . . we've walked around the entire area, time to actually get on a ride. only one option since Journey is down. . . it's been long enough we can get a fast pass, even tho we can't use our Toy Story Mania one yet. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has a decent line going on (~30 minutes wait). . let's take a peek at the Fast Pass time. yep, we can get Fast Pass and use them immediately. . so let's do THAT. these are the wonderfully designed Fast Pass machines for 20,000 Leagues. a look down the standby queue, which come ups and wraps near the Fast Pass machines (the full queue isn't being used yet, as the line isn't super long). at the Fast Pass entrance, the Cast Members are staying in character. Aye aye Captain! and we head down the ramps to the lower queue for the ride.

that is very cool, and I love stuff like this (made a special trip to the Science Museum in Chicago a few years ago for a similar exhibition to this). did they mention anything about this possibly becoming a touring exhibition? Would love it it would come to one of the museums in Houston for a little while, as I'd absolutely make the drive there to see it. (but California is a bit too far at the moment) thanks for sharing!

National Association of Broadcasters. . it's a big show. I'd assume that's what Sluggo is referring to nice to see they have a status update at the top of the event page to keep folks in the loop. https://nabshow.com/2020/

oh yeah. . that's one serious silver lining. Did you see the cruise I posted for Bill over in the Disneyland thread? Starting at $265-300 for 7 day Caribbean, with ALL perks included free (drink package, excursions, onboard credit. . sheesh). and agreed! kudos for the cancellation options RC rolled out today!

Haven't posted in this thread, as I haven't had much to contribute. but. . . I think we *are* about to see some parks shut down in the USA. I hadn't thought it would happen, but then these two things - that hit close to home for me - just suddenly made announcements today. Emerald City Comicon (held in Seattle and supposed to start next week) was announced today they are postponing until Summer 2020. and here in Austin, pretty much signing the death warrant for multiple struggling clubs/gallery spaces that count on SXSW to survive. . . SXSW was just cancelled moments ago. This is a pretty huge one. https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/06/sxsw-cancelled/ I think some parks are going to be forced into a PR situation where they are going to have to close or else face accusations that they don't care about their customers. this really sucks. . . . but I do think it's gonna happen.

that looks amazing, thanks for sharing! I must admit that this has me SO much more excited to book a trip to Orlando, than the opening of Rise of the Resistance ever did. think this is getting penciled in for a 2021 trip!

bring a poncho!

this one for example (leaving Sunday). . or a week later: similar itinerary w/ same perks for $265 pp.

^ Cruises are taking advantage. . super cheap 7 day cruises right now.

google "Knoebel's Impulse Booster Seat". . . images will come up with the seat on the coaster

Garet, I'm feeling the same way Bill is, in that I'm not sure what to say. I mean, I'm aware of the status in that part of the world because of my daily meetings with co-workers in Singapore, Japan, and Suzhou . . . .but talking to them via skype (as they are adjusting to working from home) is not the same as experiencing it. I hope all resolves sooner, rather than later, and that all will be able to get back to normal soon. I echo what Bill says about thanking you for taking the time to write all that up. It really is truly a learning opportunity, and I appreciate you sharing with us. sending good vibes and thoughts your way (don't worry, they are free of Coronavirus) !

Thanks for the reply! Dorney and Sesame Place are more for nostalgia. I might actually just drive by Sesame Place to take a look at it from the parking lot because I have a lot of fond memories of that place from childhood. I'm definitely open to going to King's Dominion instead of Six Flags America in the DC area. I sort of just noticed there was another Six Flags somewhat between the other parks I was planning on going to. I want to go to the best parks so if King's Dominion is generally regarded as superior to Six Flags America I'd go there no question. Now the question is whether or not I should even go down to the DC area. I'm not sure what you mean with the Hershey deal? I should get into Hershey plenty early, especially if I change my DC plans. Are you saying that with a 2-day pass I get like extra morning hours the second day? I really hadn't planned on spending more than one day at any parks. I'm rolling solo and my experience so far with amusement parks as an adult is that I can get quite a lot of rides in in a day because I treat it like a challenge. I recently went to Disney World and spent 1 day in each of the 4 Disney parks and rode everything I wanted to with no problem. Is there really 2 days worth of activities for me in Hershey? I'm willing to pay for all FastPass-type options at each park. Honestly, I've seen a couple videos about Knoebels and I guess its cool but I never went there as a kid so I hold no nostalgia for it. I went to Hershey and Great Adventure every year as a kid but haven't been for at least 15 years so they were a no-brainer for the trip, especially because I want to end up in NJ. Cedar Point has been on my list of places I want to go forever so that was added on, then Six Flags Great America because Chicago is sufficiently far enough away to start there and have an 'epic' road trip. Then I sort of just needed something between Cedar Point and Hershey and just landed on Six Flags America in DC. It's always cool to visit DC. I could definitely be convinced to instead just head from Cedar Point to central PA and spend 3 nights in the same hotel maybe hitting up Knoebels... King's Dominion is vastly superior to SFA (and has not only Twisted Timbers, but the amazing Intimidator 305 coasters (as well as Dominator, and a really good coaster/flats lineup). But KD is inferior to Busch Gardens Williamsburg (less than an hour from KD) -- that park is AMAZING. But you really need a full day at minimum to enjoy that amazing park. So around the Holidays with a tight schedule? Save BGW for a specific trip where you can take your time on multiple days to experience what is simply one of the most beautiful parks in the Country (with a great coaster lineup there as well: Loch Ness Monster, Griffon, Invadr, Alpengeist, Verbolten, Apollo's Chariot, as well as others - and the new one opening this year). as to HersheyPark - I'm not talking about a 2 day ticket. A 1 day ticket allows you admission the evening before your full day at the park. So if you are going on Saturday (for example), you can get into the park on Friday ~2-3 hours before the park closes. If you purchase parking during the Preview Night, it's also good for the next day too (so you're only paying to park once). Those 2-3 hours at the end of the day? will allow you access to many of the most popular coasters/rides with very minimal wait. . and then you can spend the full day hitting other rides, or re-riding things you liked. if you're planning on going to Hersheypark? You should plan on arriving the evening before, early enough before the park closes to take advantage of the Preview Plan. and as to Knoebel's? I noted above, the place is Magical, and is worth a stop just for Phoenix. . but you'll want to ride Twister, Impulse, Flying Turns, and a bunch of the flats (which run some of the best programs in the world - in particular the Flyers, the Paratrooper, the Bumper Cars (which I don't ride, but that's due to back issues, and those are basically tanks that give a lot of bump) and the flume, but all the flats are great). . . . oh, and parking and admission are free (and it's in a beautiful area). . . so you just pay for what you wanna ride. make sure you play a few rounds of Fascination (be warned, it's addictive) and check out the museums & Eagles on site as well.

per the Luna Park site announcing it was coming soon (from Jan)..there's a video screen up there at the top, that will "interact with the riders, making each ride different" so yeah.. I suspect multiple drops.

Batman at SFFT is the first one they installed, and flips more than many of the others. You have to ride it aggressively: Restraint as tight as you can get it, and pushed back into the seat (arms pushing you back from the restraint bars). if you flip WITH the seats? it's a fantastic ride. If you go in "loose"?. . it will toss you like being inside a dryer with every flip and knock the crap out of you. Arashi at Nagashima Spaland flips more than any S&S Freespin I've EVER been on. seriously. but I really liked it. among my faves in the park - hell, bought both a T-shirt and a magnet featuring it.

^ Harley's Aztek Nachos!

not any of the Alveys, but I'll opine that NO you should not tack on Dorney (or Sesame Place, unless you don't mind TONS of little kiddos). I'd totally skip Six Flags America too. . if you're going to be near/in Washington DC? Go to King's Dominion instead of SFA. and if you're not getting into Hershey early enough on the day before your full day there? you're missing out greatly on the preview night deal (you get in ~3 hours early with the next day's ticket). Well worth your time, especially as you're traveling right around the holiday, and those extra hours can really allow you to hit the hugely popular coasters/rides with very little crowds. I'd also try to find some way to spend some time at Knoebel's, if you're gonna be in Middle Pennsylvania anyways.. that place is *magical* and worth a visit.

^ I see it on Youtube, but since from a 3rd party site (even tho it credits the footage to Disney), probably not a good idea to post it here. let Robb/TPR post official footage that Disney sends to them (or allows them to shoot). . it's safer. but yes, it *DOES* look pretty amazing, even just from the B-roll footage online.