Angry_Gumball

Gold Striker was AWESOME! You all are in for a real treat!

CGA's still looking for teens for this Thursday. www.cagreatamerica.com/promoshoot Do you call of duty if you haven't already, and if you can make it!

^They are probably getting enough participants so that they can swap out riders. They wouldn't just get as many riders as possible just to simulate a 2 hour wait. I was also wondering myself if there would be a dry run so we can get a feel for the ride. We shall find out in about 9 hours

Yea I have all 3 of my "Golden Tickets" now So, this post is going to consist of several things...first off, let's let the speculation begin. CGA posted something about the Bumper Car attraction: Anyone hear of Rue Le Disco? Would be kind of neat to see a little pizazz added to the bumper cars...as with any ride during Haunt (lighting packages? Visioning Berserker outfitted with strobes inside the shed, fog, etc..) Next up, my little writeup/highlights about Yesterday. I'll keep it short. As we all know, Star Tower opened. Tons of Gold Porn to be seen once again. The plaza looks good. Only issue is that many of the GP were confusing the exit path with the entrance and you basically had 2 lines merging into 1. Some signage to designate which path is the entry (as much as I already know which one it is) would be a good thing. Highlights: - Bumper car was moving much faster than usual....at full speed, I slammed into Robman (hitting the side of his car) and sent his car skipping across the arena like a rock (slid about 2-3 feet?). - First ride on the Rapids...turned the 4 of us who said YOLO into soaked chumps - Light crowds - While waiting to see if GS was going to cycle, we heard the queue music fire up along with some of the pre-recorded ride spiels...sounds pretty good! You could hear this in the Star Tower plaza. Lowlights: - Lackadaisical employees at the flyers...not that I like to get anyone in trouble but more attention should be had when counting riders to get in the tubs. Blue Fire Guy was a victim of getting tub jacked by a kid who should have still been in line. Several of us explained to the op what happened when she just seemed to care less and 'couldn't do anything about it.' Our whole intention was to try to have our group together (7 of us) on the flyers and not have to have 1 member sit out/wait for next cycle...or in what BFG did, just exited and watched us. We got back on though and made sure we got our reride as a group. - Didn't see Gold Striker test...but that could be a good thing, meaning that it's probably completed all of it's required cycles! I've got my pass and I'm ready! This can only mean a good thing. Naturally we head to Star Tower first...Take the tunnel! Oooh! Gold porn session is about to begin! And up we go! This looks a lot different than it did back in October, let alone a year ago. NERDS! Wait a sec....where'd Gold Striker go? You mean to tell me this past year's just been 1 really long dream? *slaps himself* Ok, there it is! I was about to say... Twisty tunnel shot Another traditional taking video of me taking a picture of BFG, taking a video of me taking a... Yup, you probably saw this already...but you get really close! Can you imagine what photo ops would have been like without the tunnel? Meanwhile, back on Terra Firma...a look at the queue that's being assembled...morning lines are gonna be hot so bring a hat! Another look at the switchbacks. The road to Club Blood or whatever goes in. Needing to realize what we just saw from 200 feet up...minds = blown. Of course we had to ride again. Purdy entry! The station, outfitted with an elevator. Oh Em Gee, I just sh*t bricks, I'm that excited! Looking good! Nice little touches, need more of this! Flight Deck fun (finally) And Delirium...hadn't ridden this thing since GWW (in the rain). Poor Rob got the brunt of the wetness on Logger's...with only 3 riders in their log. We had 4 in ours and just got mildly wet. Back for more Gold Striker (Can you tell that this was were we liked to hang out at all day?) Take the wooden structure path! The "Saxophone" as I dubbed it. This view will never get old. More artsy fartsy shots... And yes! I'm touching Gold Striker! A quick run on the Rapids was a must. Haha, you missed us! Nevermind... After our much needed cold shower from viewing Gold Striker, it was over to Firefall to dry shoes/socks off And I'll end my trip report with a little splash of YOLO-itis.

My Monday is dragging more than Grizzly in the 10-min turnaround prior to all the recent retracking I'm also on for Day 2. Currently on gold overdrive!

Nice photos, was a fun day out at the park! Only downside was at the end of the day when some little kid 'tub-jacked' us on the flyers...one of the members of our group actually got lightly bumped out of the way as this kid swiped it. The ride op that was running it wasn't counting and/or paying attention and let one too many kids in, and pretty much did absolutely not a thing about it. Oh well, we did get right back on for the last cycle of the day and a guarantee full group ride (7 of us) on board. A lot of my photos are pretty much what Flagg O' Dim covered, but I do have a blog to update...I will still probably post a few general shots tomorrow with a little more detailed write-up (and my now traditional Vine compilation video that will happen for each visit)...Yes, I'm becoming a huge fan of Vine!

And as its 25 minute ride for me... I'm planning on getting off work early, need to beat rush hour traffic. It can easily become a 40 minute or more nightmare.

^Just follow what they tell you. They will most likely shuffle everyone around, swap with riders that are waiting, etc. in film and photo you always get more footage than you really end up using in the end. Can you take an earlier light rail? You may be pushing it, it is a bit of a walk from the Great America station, right by the convention center (I took Amtrak to the park a couple times, took about 20 minutes to get to the gate from under the Tasman overpass.

I'm printing both email and .PDF file. Feel safer that way rather than using smart phone...if it decides not to load and/or fumbling through all my emails...

^This. UT looks like it's going to be a very nice addition to the 'Walk!

^Awesome! So tomorrow will be a nice little teaser for all of us (the typical group) followed by reality hitting us come Tuesday. I'm kind of guessing the same thing as far as the other 2 days I signed up for, and surprised that the email for the first session came in today!

YES!!! I also got in on Tuesday for the shoot! Can't contain excitement!!!

^¡Sí señor! Saw a post last night from a local group sharing the link to that page, stating that confirmation emails will be sent on the 29th, Monday. I'm wondering if this got extended, perhaps needing more riders?

I actually found FD's queue pretty quick since it's pretty much just a path. Long queue would have to go for X2, SFMM. Not only do you have to cross the bridge to get to where X2 sits, but you have to go in pretty far! I can only imagine the wait if the line spilled out of the bridge. And agreed, Indiana Jones entry and exit path are pretty long actually. Again, the show building sits in pretty deep. Back to SFMM, Riddler's Revenge seems to have a pretty long exit path, along with Goliath having a long entry and exit path

Out of the 2 trains, I really like the "Train B" in it's brownish color, favoring that one over the red one

Not yet, this is truly a test of patience

CGA just posted a pic of their Train B on their Facebook page. Looking really good. Front grill looks quite different though... Rather than the open air bars, it appears to be solid.

Day 2: Disneyland Resort! After a nice night's sleep at the Travelodge Anaheim Inn, and grabbing some waffles for breakfast (mmmm....really good stuff), it was off to Disney! So weather-wise it wasn't exactly the best weather but it was just enough to somewhat keep crowds in control. We had an overnight drizzle and was still drizzling as we left our motel room. Having my last visit to Disney in 1998 I was way overdue! Also I have a new park credit! We got into DCA first after a smooth-flowing security check and got our World of Color fast passes. Yes, it's needed, this show fills up and getting a decent spot can be tough even with the passes. But it's not that time yet. Onto what we did! California Screamin' only had a 10 minute wait after the park being open a half hour which seemed pretty good for my expectations...I expected longer. Screamin' was not the most intense thing ever made but still a very fun ride...plus it's Intamin so what isn't there to love about it? I was amazed at how fast dispatch times are on this ride, though you do pretty much take everything with you on the ride. I just made sure I stuck my legs through my backpack straps so that it wouldn't fall out in the loop. Wasn't the source of Screamin's valleying someone's bag that was dropped onto the track? Over to Tower of Terror with a 30 minute wait...You can call this ride "Airtime at Disney!" as my butt was continuously being slammed into the seat! You can think of a Frog Hopper out of control, with drops in the dark...why am I saying this? We all know the concept of ToT! In the end I loved it and several moments caught me off guard (drops in the dark anyone?) Itching to head over to the Disneyland side, we all decide to leave DCA for a bit and hit up DL. First ride we hopped on was Pirates of the Carribean...never realized how long the ride time is, 15 minutes...I only waited 5 minutes in line! Boats stacked much like an RCT boat ride with a short station But there was a continuous flow of boats ready to be boarded! Awesome dark ride, the water smells fresh but musty at the same time, if that's even possible! Next on my to-do list involved finding my laughing place and being thrown into the briar patch! Yup, Splash Mountain! It's been years so I barely remembered what was in there...mainly being that weird coaster track element..."Ain't nuttin' in here but bees!" And coming back up from the quick dive in the cave gave me a little pop of air! I'm glad this "mountain ride" opened after the whole fiasco that erupted Saturday...the whole OSHA thing just makes me...nevermind, this TR isn't about that! Another 'must ride' that I was craving was the classic Haunted Mansion! Of course I couldn't help it but think of Madame Marie when we came across Madame Leota (from CGA's Massacre Manor Haunt maze)...Can't visit Disney without riding this classic! Also this was pretty much a walk-on despite the traditional 13 minute waits we saw on the Mouse Wait app. Lunch time...Monte Cristos! These were good but I honestly couldn't eat too much of it as the whole funnel cake aspect of it was like overload. At least they served fruit with it, to make me feel less guilty! For those who never had a Monte Cristo, think this: funnel cake mates with ham, turkey, & cheese sandwich and has a freak child. After the rather expensive meal I couldn't finish, it was off to Indiana Jones! Again it's been a while since I rode this ride but it's definitely great! Though it's not a coaster, it sort of feels like one with the bouncy jeeps that send you slamming into your riding buddies! Great..now I'm having a craving to ride it again! After Indie, since another Disneyland staple was next door, we may as well watch that poor animatronic hippo get shot down again (poor hippo). Yup it's the familiar Jungle Cruise full of puns and is probably Disneyland's 'cheesier' rides if you want to say. Not saying that the theming isn't good because it is...but combine plastic animals with corny puns Another ride I hadn't done since it was made 3D was the Star Tours ride. Sorry CGA and any other motion simulator out there that I've done, Star Tours spoiled me and raised my standards. I actually felt like we were moving forward, turning left/right, etc. Pretty cool stuff! Not to mention, the 3D was actually 3D and not fuzzy/seeing double images through just 1 eye. Unfortunately Space Mountain was down so Star Tours was to satisfy my craving. After hitting up the classic Autopia, we decided to brave the Matterhorn, in which I heard horror stories of how bad the trains are. Well, being as the seats are hard plastic, you can feel every bump! So yes, it's gotten a bit rough! Still a fun ride, just...very bumpy now! From there we wrapped up the day on Small World (yes we like to torture ourselves), Pinocchio, Snow White (the "Cliff Notes version" as we call it as the ending seemed to come rather abrupt), Haunted Mansion, and Indiana as it was literally a walk-on. We finished the evening over at DCA for me to experience my first World of Color show! Onto pix! Mickey ears...you know what this means... Ride closures... And we've finally entered DCA! Park credit for me! Well, you know what this means...time to nab another credit! ... My cousin taking a picture of me taking a picture of her taking a picture of... This is DCA's still new hotness! It really looks good at night! And then it was time to get our room...are we sure we want to stay at this place? Would most hotels take us into these 'back areas'? End our ToT session with the classic photo op The group, when not plunging down elevator shafts Jeff looks excited about this signage Now to head back across to the Disneyland side. Clever, very clever...no this is not a hidden Mickey What?? I can't quite see what's behind that statue! Ah, so that's what's back there! It's so tiny! (Let the small castle jokes begin in 3...2...1...) Welcome to Adventureland! Crowds don't look too bad yet anyway "I can read maps in Japanese! Now where's Pirates again?" Well, Jeff proved himself right as we did make it to Pirates And on over to another Disneyland staple. And we walked right into the stretching gallery! So far, so good! Madame Leota, relative of Madame Marie, a little less crazy Creepy! And on over to find our secret laughing place only to be tossed into the briar patch... ... Wheee! Now was this an acceptable amount of wetness? Well it's Disney water, so yes it is! The food that made my stomach nearly explode! It was good but I can not eat all of it...making this not worth the cost Over to one of my many favorite dark rides! It is also a great way to get out of the sun! And over to the odder of the bunch as far as rides and concept goes...definitely a must ride! Ready to gun down some animatronic hippos! Heading back toward Tomorrowland, something rises above to say hi...We'll visit you soon Matterhorn! Main reason why we headed over to Tomorrowland...since Space Mountain was down, this had to satisfy our needs Arrivals and departures! (Yay, I can read a foreign language from another planet!) Trippy metalic-looking 3D glasses... Booooo! Ok, so I'm driving and taking pictures...sounds safe, right? Just after this shot, Jeff crashed into me, followed by his car letting out a loud backfire Looking back, poor Space Mountain looks lonely... And for the longest line of the day, for Matterhorn! Here's some "Matter-porn" for y'all! Curves... Take the splashdown! Almost looks...real! For you monorail fans out there...at least this SoCal monorail is running! Last bit of "Matter-porn": Take the tunnel and control panel shot And finally...to put our sanity to the ultimate test! Now that it's evening and Disneyland is closed, we've got a show to catch! Carthay Circle restaurant...looks like the Mission de Oro along I-5, near the Anderson's Split Pea restaurant My current view for the show...yup, complete with that speaker post! Paradise Pier long exposure I was pleased with how this shot came out ... The wonderful world of color..next show I'm not standing at this spot! As the show cleared out, I was *finally* able to get some decent shots of the closing number. And good night Disney, we'll be back tomorrow! Stay tuned for Disney Part 2 coming soon!

^Someone also said "Fiddler's Fling." For those who don't know CGA, Fiddler's Fling is now Centrifuge, which is the park's Schwarzkopf Calypso flat ride. Now speaking of CGA, this is just complaining for complaining's sake...throw in some exaggerations and here you go! First off, I never spend $400 on a single visit to the park, even when I am buying lunch, dinner and park swag. Second, go to any amusement park...a meal will cost you at least $10. Do your math and take advantage of any family combo deals if available like we did at SFMM ($40 covered 4 of us to have 2 slices of pizza each, soda, and cheese sticks...) The park has way more than 5 rides... 5 is this many: *holds up hand and counts fingers* Nope, CGA has more If you only got on 5 rides, perhaps you should have planned your day better Even on a busy day I can get at least 10 rides in. Just saying...

^^Exactly...in the mean time I do need to let my work know about getting off an hour early I think they'll be ok with that!

^This. I'm totally juiced for the event, assuming there's light at the end of our tunnels so to speak! It just may save me $30 (Fast Lane) in which will end up being spent anyway on more Gold Striker goods

Riding the coaster would be worth it alone...Souvenirs would just be the icing on the already delicious cake

Unless you have a kid with you, no taxi jam credit can be had. I need to hijack one of my nieces for the day so I can get that credit

(Yes this happened locally here!)