Director_Guy
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Posts posted by Director_Guy
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^Magic. Pay attention.
Can't wait to see WestPot. In November. Maybe.
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Missed opportunity to call this thread "Show Us Your Bush!".
Er, I mean... Happy Christmas!
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Oh, man. What a fantastic ride. I was on the 6-in-a-row train before we had a break (I had to split, unfortunately) and when they were finally able to have the trains synchronized, it was pure delight. It felt like we had earned it (even though all we did was sit there).
What to say about TC that hasn't already been said? It's fantastic. The air-time is unprecedented in California; I don't think I made contact with the seat from lift to lift. When it duels, the trains swirl around each other in a perfectly choreographed dance designed to fire off every little endorphin loving cell in your body. The track twists in such a way, seemingly not to mimic flight, but to embellish the steel structure itself. It wants you to feel the track curving and diving in such unpredictable ways, that no creature of flight is capable of. It's as if a giant took hold of Colossus and, with its mighty grip, mangled every piece of track in, oh, the very best way.
The steam punk theming, on the other hand... well, I'll wait until it's finished.
Thank you to Six Flags and the excellent crew for letting us experience the ride a little early.
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Thank you! Sorry it took two months to get online. But people said they enjoy my TRs so I made three this time.
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J man - Thanks! Next one coming up now!
Jew - My thoughts exactly! It really challenged my expectations.
Part III: Mickey's Halloween Party
The time has come for our favorite Halloween event! Disneyland! The only place child-like adults can dress up and have harmless holiday fun.
And yes, you should be jealous of our awesome costumes...
Okay, that's enough. Let's get to the theme park now!
We met our pal Austin, who was a Ghostbuster for the third year in a row, at Disneyland.
Here, we waited a long, long time for Diandra to show up.
The ecto-goggles were lost so this had to suffice.
Megan made the awesome choice to shave part of her head for this costume.
At last, Diandra arrived dressed as Fred Krueger. Unfortunately, she had no time to put on her burn scars.
Our group was now all together and we finally made it into the park.
Only to learn of this unfortunate event.
We were all very disappointed. This was something we looked forward to as a part of the event and it didn't feel quite the same without it. Oh well.
We were still doing pretty good, though. Didn't seem to be many lines yet.
The ghostbutser showed off his lightning fast reflexes while we were leaving Indy.
"I don't want to alarm you... but there's GHOSTS in this haunted mansion."
"I ain't afraid of no ghost."
Turns out, the PKE Meter was just going off because of Freddy.
It was REALLY going off in Freddy's boiler room.
"How sweet. Fresh meat."
This park looks great for Halloween.
Even The Mouse's were out trick 'r treating.
"I think they're looking at us. Let's get 'em...."
"...on this ride and enjoy ourselves!"
The Matterhorn was a low moment for the night. The ride was as enjoyable as usual, but that also means it was as rough as usual and we had a few casualties.
Earlier in the night, Megan decided to place her cell phone in her gun holster.
Which held up until, you guessed it, The Matterhorn. But we didn't know it yet. It took a ride on Space Mountain to find that out. The excellent folks at Space looked in every train that went by (not knowing they would never find it there). They were kind enough to call the other mountain for us and they had it! It worked out well, but it was not a pleasant half hour.
Not only that, but Freddy lost a finger!
Poor Fred. How's she supposed to kill teenagers now?!
But worst of ALL, I lost my bag of candy! Matterhorn did NOT like us that night!
Like I mentioned, Ghost Galaxy was next.
One ghostbuster meets another!
"Did you take my candy?!"
Look at the excitement on their faces. They have no idea how unpleasant it's about to get.
Which way is up?!
Turns out, I was Freddy the whole time!
"Whatever you say. Too hungry to argue."
Austin then felt like he needed to get something off his chest.
In reality, he just wanted to ride Indy again.
What is with these lines?! It's amazing!
We then saw this killer sword that was just lying around and no one was watching. So, we tried to steal it.
Our plan failed.
Around then, the night was dying down.
The park had closed and people were headed home.
But we had to get one last visit in with the Halloween tree.
Man, I need to get me one of these trees.
It was a long night but incredibly fun.
We had many ups and downs, sugar highs and lows, and enough pictures not to remember any of it. It was a fantastic evening. Of course nothing could prepare us for...
The drive home.
And so concludes my Halloween adventures. My favorite time of year comes and goes so quickly, but always leaves me with a smile.
Until next time.
The End
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Well, the plan is to get this done before Thanksgiving, so let's get started...
Part II: Fright Fest
This is the first Fright Fest I've been to since being a scare-actor at Six Flags Great America. Let's see how it goes!
My cousin James and his gal Sarah joined me in this Halloween adventure. Once again, I'm the third wheel.
No complaints though, 'cause coasters!!
We spent most of the morning riding most of the coasters. I left my camera in the car and grabbed it after we got lunch.
The spooky decorations set the tone for things to come.
We went on a really good day, there was rarely a line for anything.
James was just as surprised as you.
More fun decorations. Can't wait!
For whatever reason, we skipped Apocalypse our first round trip of the park, so we hopped in "line" for it.
I have "line" in quotes because it was a literal walk on.
Sarah attempts to pass off a wicked smile. Even sadder, James is trying to do the same thing.
For whatever reason, I thought this coaster looked better in black and white.
I think I was right.
They still have a Terminator in the gift shop.
The sun is setting! Almost time for frights!
Oh man! I forgot about Full Throttle. We rode it first thing in the morning and it surprised the hell out of me. I thought, originally, this would be a pretty gimmicky coaster, but I was amazed how fun it is! The lapbar only makes it so awesome, I thought I might literally come out of the seat.
We wanted to hit it again, but the line got too crazy.
We made our way up the hill. And as darkness fell across the land, a thick fog began to spread.
Fright Fest.
Our first maze was this one.
Definitely enjoyable.
This fella' was mighty scary! He had a rat.
Some people even mentioned we look alike... strange.
Family resemblance?
Well, we didn't have time to conduct any paternity test because we were chased away by this demon thing.
We took refuge in the queue for Gold Rusher.
I gotta say, this ride is very different without the log ride.
Even the classics can be dangerous! This one came without warning.
Everywhere we turned there was a monster or zombie ready to pursue us. Points definitely go to Six Flags for just filling the park with these guys.
This maze turned out to be my favorite of the night, actually. I've forgotten all of their names, unfortunately.
The minute we walk in, the fog is laid on thick. I couldn't see my hand in front of my face, let alone where I'm going. Then it gets pitch black. There's no scares, just this. And it's awesome. Then we walk out into this big arena where things are blowing up...
...and buildings are crumbling.
It was fantastic. I was very impressed.
James insisted that we'd ride the scrambler and the bumper cars. They were quite fun, I must admit.
In return, I got to pick the next one.
This guy was threatening to ride with us! Probably so he could eat us at the top. Food tastes better at a higher altitude.
This is what happens when Gumby handles a hand grenade.
After a long night, we made our way toward the exit. It was getting pretty cold.
Oh.... nice fountain.
whatthe...
AHHH!
Demon Face.
And that's it. Fright Fest actually exceeded my expectations and I had a great time. I'll definitely come back next year.
My last Halloween adventure for this year is our trip to Disneyland found in Part III, coming soon.
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Yes, that seems to be a problem. Odd, because they work in the preview but not once they are posted.
EDIT: I fixed it some how!
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My favorite time of year has come and this year wasn't short on adventures (both excellent and bogus). As the warm summer nights give way to the cold bitter winters, it seems to put a spike in people's adrenaline. They seek out thrills and scares, accelerating their hearts, making them feel more alive. I've always felt that Halloween is a very important piece in our culture; allowing us to deal with our own mortality, our personal identities, and eat MOUNTAINS OF CANDY.
But I'll get to the candy.
For now, we go to a quiet evening in late September. The moon was full, the air was clear, and the hairs on the back of my neck had just begun to prickle.
Part I - Halloween Horror Nights
Part III - Mickey's Halloween Party
Part I: Halloween Horror Nights
This was me. The old me. Which is ironically the young me. I suspect I was feeling a little upset after getting frisked by security at the main gates.
This was before I learned about...
The early entry line! This was seriously great. Using this, we did ALL of the mazes. What a life saver.
Austin and Diandra shot themselves in the face. They were disappointed to learn the HHN serves no alcohol.
The gates were open and we were on our way to the lower lot.
Austin and Diandra enjoyed their time on the Starway by doing couple things.
"I'm all alone!"
The trams came very promptly and we were whisked off to the backlot.
"You want us to ride in that thing? You're braver than I thought."
The ride over was nice. Breezy but brief. Then, they let us off.
The chaos had begun.
This lady was CLEARLY having a great time.
The Walking Dead was our first maze. It was pretty awesome. Great scares and some GREATER sets. I love how they got the "second story" into that prison.
I always feel like somebody's watching me...
We caught the tram back to the lower lot after finishing the mazes. Sabbath was pretty cool.
This was their idea of a scarezone and it was pretty underwhelming. The actors they had were doing great with what they work with, but it's all kind of a mess down there.
It was fun to see these folks entertaining other folks in the queue for Insidious. I think every maze should get something like this. It's like a preshow.
We then got a locker and put all our stuff in it and went on all the rides. I have no pictures, but I think it went a little something like this...
After the rides, we headed up to the Yooper Lot, eh? We finished off the mazes with El Cucuy.
We must've beat everyone because there was NOBODY on the upper lot.
This maze was great. I think it might have been my favorite this year. Great storytelling, especially since I have no context (not Latino).
Austin, who has a Latina girlfriend, was given plenty of context.
This is the look of context.
We all felt a hunger that
Pinks would have to do.
How have I never eaten Pink's before?! This wiener is fantastic in my mouth! So good, I won't apologize for that double-entendre!
Then it was time to work off all of those lovely calories...
by laughing!
This year's show was filled with immature jokes, dated references, and the worst misappropriation of fantastic characters. Just like every year. And I love it. Every year.
Bill and Ted is an enigma because it's not well written at all, but at the same time it is thoroughly enjoyable. It's exactly what it tells you it is and has no pretense about it.
Empty seats? Maybe they all went to go complain about being offended.
Terror Tram didn't seem like our style this year, so we walked around and enjoyed the sights.
This, of course, means a montage of pictures I took for the hell of it.
This guy was really on that night. Chasin' folks with a chainsaw.
Guys seriously! There are children present!
It was a nice walk around the park. I loved seeing people getting scared and even got scared a few times by some sinister spooks!
It was great.
That is, until this ax wielding maniac chased us out of the park!
We made it out safely, but not before promising to return again next year.
Part II coming soon.
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^Hahaha! I've always said he's more of a Woody Allen looking guy. He even has that green jacket he wears in Annie Hall.
I'm glad you enjoy my reports! I'd make more if I could get out to parks more.
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1. The Silent Hill maze was a combination of the latest movie and video games.
That's right. I think I even remember some from the first film in there. "I'm burning". Both films weren't very good, though having seen the second, the first one looks like a masterpiece.
2. The awesome place (Parisian Courtyard) was announced by John Murdy as a maze location this year! Construction is already underway.
Aw man! I liked how cool that place looked and how quiet it was amongst the madness that went around outside it's walls. Well, regardless, I'm sure this year will be fantastic, just like every other year.
I've already begun watching horror movies in anticipation. The Itch cannot be scratched!
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This is a very delayed trip report, seeing as it's almost time for THIS year's event. But around July, as I'm sure many of you do, I start to get what I call "The Itch". And right now, the best way to satisfy my itch is to share with you all my experiences from last year's event. Here goes:
Somehow, I was separated from my party and ended up much farther from the exit than they were. I was lost in a sea of people and I honestly didn't mind. I had a better view of the opening scare-emonies.
Granted, not that much better.
My friends are somewhere in this mess... I'm sure.
It didn't take long until we found each other and we headed straight for the lower lot.
Austin and Diandra are crouched in fear. George, behind them, can't help but think about all of the germs they're encountering. Horror Nights, indeed.
Silent HIll: Home to the Stars!
Oh man. So excited!
For a long time, Silent Hill has been my favorite form of ANYTHING, so I was incredibly excited to learn that HHN would be doing this as a house. Even better that it was based on the games.
And you know, it was pretty okay. I get the feeling it was made by someone who didn't really understand or enjoy Silent Hill, but it was really cool to see a lot of the visuals from the games become reality. Though, honestly, I thought Sinister Pointe did it better.
Pyramid Head is still the star of my sexual nightmares.
We then moved on to visit our good friends, the Sawyers.
George was delightfully disgusted that they sold turkey legs in the queue for this attraction.
Austin made sure our items were safely secured by giving the locker his blessing. Amen.
So we rode some rides, headed back up to the upper lot, and totally killed it on the Terror Tram.
Terror!
We did some exploring before moving onto another maze.
My flash went off unexpectedly, but caught some spooks at play.
This person was in line ahead of us to get into The Walking Dead house.
Should have used Express Pass.
We all took a break and began our yearly tradition of eating one of those giant freakin' donuts while listening to the screams around us.
This place was really cool. I wish my apartment looked like this.
Hey look! I made it into this trip report!
"Oh sweet nourishment. Refuel my sweat and tears. I'm gonna need them."
We had an excellent adventure with Bill and Ted.
I wish the show were just a little more Halloween oriented, though. This year was great because the Grim Reaper made an appearance. But something else to tie it into the event would be nice.
Station!
The show certainly put a smile on George's face.... one... creepy ass smile.
Austin... Where did you get that turkey leg?
"I... don't... know..."
We suspect it was actually cursed human flesh, because after eating the leg, Austin became a crazed fire demon.
Pity.
"Fear me, mortal!"
Stop it!
Austin became normal again we he found a way to include fart jokes into tonight's trip report.
Look! We're adults!
We were then ejected from the park for being using fog to simulate flatulence.
Or at least, we should have been.
The End.
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Yeah. Really wish you did more PTRs. They're always top notch.
Wow, thanks. I enjoy doing them, I just wasn't sure if they were appreciated. I'll have to up the frequency.
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You always have epic trip reports.
Haha! Thanks! It probably just flows from my naturally epic lifestyle.
Great TR! I went there around the middle of October and it was a lot of fun! It's not scary like HHN or Knott's, but how can you say trick-or-treating at Disneyland is lame? I actually was a Ghostbuster as well when I went, but your costume has put mine to miserable shame. Mine was a cheap one with an inflatable proton pack. HahaGlad to see you had a great time!
As much as I love horror and gore and all the wonderful scariness that comes with it, the event I look forward to the most is Disneyland. Every year. I have an annual pass to Disney and it's a bit annoying to pay $60+ for a park I'm already granted admission to, but being able to dress up and soak up the Halloween atmosphere is something I have been looking for, for quite a while now.
Great TR! Looks like you guys had a ton of fun. I've missed Halloween Time for 2 years running now. I have to stop doing that, it's such an awesome event.Seriously, get on that.
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Halloween has come and gone. For some, it was a fun night watching scary movies, maybe having a few drinks. For myself and a few friends, it was a two month long spook-tacular celebration. Movies, haunts, treats, and decorations for almost 60 days. All of this culminated in a fantastic display of trick-or-treating on Monday, October 29th, at Disneyland's Halloween Party.
Meg and I dressed up this year as Finn the Human and Marceline the Vampire Queen from the animated series "Adventure Time".
Before the Halloween Happenings began, we met up with our friend Austin, who turned out to have the best Ghostbuster costume I've ever seen.
We went to the resort a few hours early to jump in line for the newly opened Earl of Sandwich restaurant. Rumors had been circulating on it opening a few days earlier than the official date and they turned out to be true!
"Look, Jake! They have hot sandwiches!"
Am I the only one who finds it hilarious to see a Ghostbuster buying food?
And here it is. Finally.
Marceline quite enjoyed sucking the color red out of her sandwich.
With the line and dining, altogether it took about an hour. So when we left Earl, it was time to Trick-or-Treat!
The castle was already being transformed into "Christmas Time", but we figured it was actually the Ice King who made the snow fall.
We met up with Nick and Natalie, who dressed as The Phantom of the Opera and Christine Daaé. We all rushed over to ride Star Tours, not knowing that this would be the last day that Lucasfilm was not owned by Disney.
Like I said, his costume is amazing. It even lights up!
There was this guy's costume. It was really great. But I think Austin wins because I know him.
It's Disney, now!
Marceline is ready to brave The Matterhorn!
The Phantom knows how to fight off the abdominal snowman... by singing!
The Ghostbuster's proton pack malfunctioned didn't get to ride with us. He got it working again shortly after.
A full moon over Disneyland. This was a good night to come.
Spooky line for spooky treats.
So much fog!
An orange pumpkin singing the blues.
For the event, the park has all sorts of different lighting and fog effects. It's almost a different park!
"Zuul!"
Riding on a runaway ghost train!
The Dapper Dans sang a capella versions of some favorite spooky tunes. It was quite fantastic.
Marceline really enjoyed the music. She played along on her axe.
Christine wanted to sing along but the Phantom kidnapped her instead.
Around this time, Diandra showed up and showed off her costume.
Katniss Everdeen was ready for some candy!
In the candy line! You can see The Jetsons in the back, trying to get a picture of Phantom and Christine.
So much awesome fog!
Our Ghostbuster was ready for all the ghosts on The Haunted Mansion.
Ray Bradbury's Halloween Tree is quite the sight to see. I want one of these in my own house.
Around this time, there was a gathering of people out in front of the castle.
"Hmm... there must be a reason for this..."
Of course! FIREWORKS!
We met up with our friends George and Elly, who dressed as Jack Skellington and Sally, and we watched the fireworks. But not before taking an awesome group picture.
The fireworks show was fantastic. A little cheesy at times, but really great at others. Love this one every year.
Katniss just learned that Indy would be closed until December.
The night was winding down and we wanted to hop on another coaster. We decided that a final spin on Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy would be prudent.
HISS! Christmas at Halloween! Be GONE!
A little more trick-or-treating was in order.
Man, animatronics have gotten REALLY good over the years.
By now the park was closed down for the night and it was apparent that the Halloween season was at an end.
We followed the outflow of bodies toward the exit and headed home.
And so ends another wonderful Halloween Season.
Happy Halloween!
P.S.
Look at this haul!
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Well, it's officially been a year since this trip occurred and three months since I started the trip report. I think it's about time I finish it, don't you think? At this point, I need to finish it for finishing's sake, but I hope you'll enjoy the pictures.
Part V:
Parker was kind enough to drive me to Epcot today, even though he was going to sit the day out.
Today, I decided that I was going to go at a nice slow pace. Soak in some of the lesser attractions and really enjoy myself.
So, that's what I did.
Most of these attractions I had no idea existed, so it was quite a surprise.
"Mine?"
I was cool seeing these clamshells because Little Mermaid hadn't opened at Disneyland yet. Got me excited for my return to Disneyland.
I did a lot of wandering. I think, in some cases, I wandered a little too far...
"I shouldn't be here, I don't know what I'm pressing."
I then hopped on the monorail toward Magic Kingdom.
"Look, nobody! Disney!"
Just my luck, arriving the same time the parade does.
There is a way around it, though.
People on this train sit the normal way. Weird.
Splishy spalsh.
With broken figures, it's still a pretty fun ride.
Love the new queue at Haunted Mansion, though I can see how some think it ruins the mood.
However, I don't like how in this Mansion you go under the house, not into its front door.
Also, the stretching room has awesome sound design, but it doesn't make you feel trapped like Disneyland's. I think it has to do with the height of the elevator compared to the height of the moving ceiling.
They look like tombstones!
Mortals pay a token fee. Rest in peace, the haunting's free.
Oh my god! Talk about midway madness!
Probably the best 3D show out there.
For lunch, I caught a show by Sonny Eclipse.
Also, the chili cheese dog was pretty good.
That is a huge castle...
We wants the red head!
If anyone wants to buy this for me, please feel free.
A return to Epcot.
My friend Brad then joined me in my trip around The World.
I showed him the wonders of Ramune then we did a little park hopping.
I kinda missed Disneyland at this point.
Happily, no one will ever see this again!
Lap bars suck.
Adventureland is a drastic change from what I'm used to. There's plenty of room AND there's no people. What a world!
That's when I met Parker back at the timeshare and totally passed out. One more day to go. Can we make it?
To be continued (I promise)...
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^Is that hippo pool regulation size? I call foul play.
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^Nah, too watery. I like my butterbeer uninterrupted. But, I do still like it.
Part IV
Aww man, another gorgeous day? Typcial.
We started today at Disney Hollywood Mayer Goldwin Mayer Studios City.
Parker had yet to take a new flight on Star Tours.
Where's the fun AT-AT?! Get it? N... nevermind.
Good to see you two haven't moved in years.
New Starspeeder looks nice. Slick.
Patrick Warburton!
In 3-D!
Star Tours was fun, but I knew where I really wanted to be.
This ride is just so awesome.
A speedy limo ride through Hollywood was good, too. It was kind of weird seeing icons that I see almost every day back home, here in another part of the country.
RnR is good fun, but...
Well... it just doesn't beat ToTty. Which we took another spin on.
Kind of cool that California will be getting these back soon, albeit in a completely different form.
A short bus ride away, more thrills were to be uncovered.
Down kitty!
It's like if Michael Bay made The Matterhorn.
Parker is ready to face the mountain.
Weeee!
Beware the Yeti!
The Yeti awaits our return.
Parker was exhausted from a thrill filled morning so he went back for a mid-day awesome nap. It's what people to do make themselves more awesome.
I stayed behind and explored Animal Kingdom. Out of my three visits here, it's my least explored park.
So I bought one of these and took a long stroll.
I'm amazed at how green this park is!
My siestas are getting chorter and chorter.
I even got a little lost in this place. Which wasn't bad. It just shows how extensive it is.
Somehow I ended up on the Hogwarts Express.
This turned out just to be a train owned by a human trafficking ring.
Years later, I finally made it free and roamed the park some more.
I hit Everest once more, to taunt the Yeti.
The drying clothes on the steps.
This is amazing theming!
I headed back to Studios for some of the attractions Parker wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.
Again, weird seeing this here.
I really freakin' love this ride. It's kind of cornball but it's totally up my alley.
Asps, very dangerous. You go first.
Wow... terrifying.
I wanted to get one last flight in before I met Parker again.
I saw Rex. He was not doing so well.
Back at MK. Where is he?
"Lundy! You gotta try this thing!"
Weeeeehooooo!
Glad to see the nap did him some good.
You know us thrill seekers. We gotta get our heart racing. And clearly the only way to do so...
...is the Peoplemover. What up!
I'm experiencing a sensation that is new to me! And frankly, I love it!
The castle is so big, I feel like it hits me in the face every time I see it.
Boom!
Ahh... Jeeze, watch it, Castle.
They Might Be Giants: The Ride?
I'm not saying I'm jealous of WDW's size or anything but THIS PLACE IS HUGE!
The Trippiest Ride In The Wilderness.
Ahh, crap. I spilled my rocks.
Here's hoping for no concussions!
Goat trick?
It was the legend of Thunder Mooountaiiin...
Boom!
Ah my face!
Yeah, that's right, walk away.
Space. Without Michael Giacchino's awesome score, it is nothing.
Parker had a request to ride something and I told him "Whatever you want!"
Big mistake.
"You'll ride this but not The Great Movie Ride? You're doing this to spite me aren't you."
At least the water's shiny.
The sun was setting on the Magic Kingdom and we knew our fun was numbered.
We hopped on a few classics then walked back out toward the Monorail.
By the way, this park is huge.
Boo- NO! Not this time.
"I think I'm gonna sit tomorrow out"
"Are you crazy? There's so... much... more..." ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz
To Be Continued.
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They're even wearing the magical hooides!
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Mirror, mirror on the wall, who will go to Disney and have a ball?
Those guys look like us! That means we're going to Disney!
Yes, the day has finally come for us to go to Walt Disney World. None of that fake out stuff like before.
Parker and I made our first stop at Epcot where we asked a cast member for a photo.
He obliged, but only after I did my Asian tourist impression.
There was a large crowd moving some where and we decided it'd be best to follow. Just in case it led somewhere good.
It led here.
Yes, the first ride I rode at Walt Disney World was one I could ride back home.
That's okay. I'm over it.
Okay, so we walked back over to do some other ones.
We went into space for a bit and decided to test out some cars.
"Lundy, are you quite sure this is a good idea?"
"No, Parker. It's a great idea."
"WHOOAAAA!"
"Mmm... yes. Feel the heat."
"This is why I moved to California!"
"Oh, no. What does that mean?!"
"Are we gonna hit that?! AHHHH!"
"AHH!"
"This is quite enjoyable."
After my knuckles went from a nice shade of white to a pinker complexion, we took a spin on Spaceship Earth.
I really hope this isn't my future.
Would you like some cheese with that ham?
We walked around Epcot some more afterward, hitting things like the Beverly,
(which is as nasty as ever)
A journey with our pal Figment,
and a cool dark ride/lame plant tour.
Seriously, I thought I hated* vegetables before.
What'd you call me?!
Then we took another spin on Test Track.
Parker had to cancel his cable subscription. Just because he's on vacation doesn't mean his whole life stops, sheesh.
That's when we got some eats.
Side note, I like WDW's food much better than Disneyland's. It's a nit picky thing, I guess, but even their quick service food is better. This, of course, does not count Blue Bayou, which is amazing.
To walk off that food, we took a stroll around World Showcase.
I love how the back of Tower of Terror blends in with Morocco.
Parker needed a break from the fun, so he headed back to the Timeshare.
I see you.
Run! We've been spotted!
With him gone, I hopped on the nearest monorail.
I was on a mission.
And I freakin' made it!
Never ceases to impress me, how big this place is.
Look at that! Water! And space to move my arms!
This was my first stop.
I love the Haunted Mansion. The Florida version just keeps getting better every time I see it.
Man, this castle is huge.
I had a limited time to do this, so I had to hit my favorite attractions. Which is why, I closed my eyes, made a wish and ended up...
...here.
For this.
Good ol' ToTty. It's been too long, my friend.
This was a blast. I totally dig this ride back home and it's even cooler out east.
Around this time, the new Star Tours had just opened up. Literally, it opened up three days before.
This was during Star Tours weekends as well. How long did I wait? About 25 minutes.
I swear this says 25 minutes.
To put in perspective, I still haven't seen the wait time go below 40 minutes for this ride at Disneyland. That's on a slower day. What is going on?
It was getting late, so I rushed back over to Epcot to meet Parker for dinner.
We ate in Morocco.
The food was great and this lady was dancing while we ate.
Also, my feet were killing me, so it was a great place to sit and rest. I could literally feel the heat rushing from my feet. I was exhausted.
Then we hit some of the awesome and lesser known Epcot rides
Back! Over da falls!
I also raised this bridge with my mind powers. No biggie.
And I made the earth move.
Yeah, I'm pretty amazing.
The sun set on Walt's World and we called it a night.
More Disney in Part IV.
* = That's right kids, I don't eat veggies. This is while I will die at age thirty. More butterbeer please!
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Thanks guys! Here's the next installment:
Today, we go to Disney World!
Due to unforeseen circumstances, our park experiences were delayed. So... this day, we went around doing free things!
Like riding the monorail!
"At Least it's air-conditioned", Parker says.
Parker observes classy and reserved behavior on the Walt Disney World Monorail.
"ZOMG MOn0raillz!"
"Lundy, why you no behave?"
Because, we're at Disney World, duh.
Our first stop was at the Polynesian.
This is the first time I'd ever seen a WDW hotel and I was pretty impressed.
Neat pool.
Neater view!
"Okay, I'm staying here for the day. Go on without me."
"I want to go to there."
Next stop was the Wonka Factory.
Talk about ritzy! Mein goodness!
Parker is surrounded by swank.
We took a stroll on the grounds.
When we looked up, we saw some kind of bird.
That thing is alive.
What is that, an eagle?
Dude... I think that's an eagle.
Disneyland has cats. Walt Disney World has eagle. Way to overachieve, guys. Jeeze.
This place is really nice. I almost felt like I shouldn't be walking around there because I didn't pay.
Hey look! Another free ride at Walt DIsney World.
This was the closest we got that day.
I think the heat is starting to get to Parker.
Then we headed out. And when you can't get into Disney World you go to the next best thing.
Outdoor World! The shopp-iest place on earth!
To be continued...
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^Not a fan of pumpkin pie or anything like that. I suppose I should give it a try at least once, but it doesn't seem like my kind of drink. When it comes out west, I'll probably have some.
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Yeah, that's the place! Parker's the one with the timeshare, I got to stay for free. Sweetheart deal, it was.
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The task of creating a trip report can be quite daunting some times. As much as I want to share my pictures with the world and spout out lines that only I think are clever, it's incredibly time consuming. So, you can see why my week long trip in which I had taken almost 900 useable photos has taken almost a year to publish to the web.
So here it is. Finally. Last summer's trip to Orlando.
Part I (below)
Part I:
My six hour flight was finally over and I arrived just in time to surprise Parker, who was expecting someone much more exciting.
I couldn't hold off Disney any longer so we drove over to Downtown Disney for some late lunch.
Okay, I've seen a Mickey within the first two hours. I feel much better.
Later, we went to play minigolf at one of the WDW minigolf places.
Our local friend Dan was there and he totally kicked our asses.
It was actually pretty fun. I'm not a huge fan of mini-golf, but I'd definitely do it again.
The best part, though, was being able to see this beauty from the course.
Soon, my pet, soon.
Parker and I then headed back to the timeshare and just relaxed before I big day tomorrow.
This was the view from our window. Freakin' awesome.
The next day was an early start, as would be every day until the trip ended.
And we arrived at our first park.
Oh, I didn't know we could take a train in. Man, shoulda done that.
Good old Hoggy-Warty.
The park had just opened, so naturally the wait was already 2 hours.
Worth it. Honestly, the ride was really awesome. I preferred the dark ride portions over the blurry simulator portions, but it was a really cool ride. Intense. Can't wait til California gets one of these.
After Forbidden Journey, we strolled around Hogsmede and enjoyed the sights, the sounds, the...
...tastes.
This is the actual moment my tongue touched its first Butterbeer.
"My god. It tastes like dreams."
Seriously, this is my new favorite drink. Pepsi used to reign supreme. No longer. A lot of people can't seem to take how sweet it is, but my motto has always been the sweeter the better.
Whoa, talk about "pugly".
This was quite clever, the ATM is themed to Gringotts. Bring us your muggle money!
"Give me your magic!"
Parker was starting to get antsy, so we headed toward the rest of the park.
We rode a couple rides and got some lunch at the Hard Rock.
They ran out of water, so they just gave us some of the blue stuff they us in their toilet bowls.
"I claim this burger in the name of Hardrochia!"
Full of meat and moxy, the coasters were calling our names!
I wasn't too impressed with this one. It's pretty ordinary for being so weird looking.
They use this net to catch any muggle money flying from the trains.
Seriously, though, give me a real coaster.
That's what I'm talking about!
Rode Mummy like eight times in a row. Love Single Rider. Seriously a great ride and WAY more amazing than USH's Mummy. It's a crime they even share the same name.
This park is so much better themed than USH, too.
We met up with these two yokels. One of whom was wearing a shirt of an aaaaawwwwwsome ride.
I'm so glad this is still here! It's so cheese!
This was an awesome bit of nostalgia, it really was. As a kid I used to pretend my bike was the E.T. ride.
Good god in heaven!!
Well I know what my nightmares will be like tonight.
The other three decided to take a break, so they all went away. I stayed at the park and enjoyed some alone time.
Great Scott!
Twister is really cool. Not much else to say.
This is now a relic of an ancient time. I climbed aboard onto, what I now know as, my last ride on Jaws.
"This is my BOOM stick!"
No sharks here.
Good gravy! That's the biggest one I ever...
"Crap, the boss is gonna kill me."
That was fun. Goodbye, old friend.
I know it's lame, but I went to ride the kiddie coaster for the credit. I'm shameless.
Looking back on these pictures, I think being alone was starting to get to me. There's definitely a point in which I chase around a pigeon.
"C'mere, you!"
"I'm gonna getcha!"
"Heeya! Aww..."
I'll chalk it up to blood sugar being low or something, 'cause I was then on my way back to try another Butterbeer.
Yes, yes. I know. You think it's too sweet. I think you're insane.
Here's a tip, go get your butterbeer inside the Hog's Head as opposed to the huge line outdoors. It's air conditioned in here and the line is probably shorter.
You sign your receipts with a "quill".
This time I tried the frozen kind which, honestly, wasn't as good as the regular one. Still damn good, though. And the Three Broomsticks was nice, too.
Butterbeer POV
Another spin on Forbidden Journey was well worth it.
A really impressive ride.
"I directed Thor!"
I just love the small touches they've included here.
"Show me on the Tiny Dark Lord where he touched you."
The sun was setting here at IOA and it was about time to head back.
It was my last chance to do so, so I got butterbeer number three and left.
So long Universal!
Disney, you're next.
"This is gonna be a long week."
Part II coming soon.
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Just want to thank the Travel Channel folks who invited us to do this. And the Knott's folks who allowed us to ride their ride. Today was awesome.
I know someone took a picture of all of us. If you could post it, I'd really love to see it.
Universal Studios Hollywood (USH) Discussion Thread
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted
WestPOT looks great! Unfortunately, I now have to convert all of my money into Butterbeer.
I'm a little disappointed by the visual intrusions, but whatever. It's Universal. Everything else is great. Can't wait to give it a shot.
Accio WestPOT!