Double0Kevin

The parks have to get approval for all "actors" portraying the characters from WB (who own DC). From what I've heard, Superman has a ton of rules about who can portray him and all that, over twice as much any other character. DC is pretty protective of the big guy. Six Flags doesn't bother with the extra headache. Not sure how accurate all this is, but it's what I've heard in the past.

Saw Hansel and Gretel yesterday. I'm not usually into the "Classic Fairy Tale with a Twist" kind of movies, but this one was pretty good. It won't win any types of awards or anything, but it was enjoyable to watch. Gemma Arterton looked hot as always.

My first of 2013 ended up being California Screamin' at DCA. 12 Years and still running awesome, gotta love Disney.

Yay it's back! Ballot has been cast.

^ Awesome. Looks like the lift is topped out with the archway thingy over the top similar to Grizzly.

Part 6 - Magic Kingdom Got a little lazy on the TRs here, but I'm back with Magic Kingdom! I regrettably did not spend enough time at this park. I avoided crowds whenever I could and Magic Kingdom always had them. I got the major things I wanted to do in though, so I don't feel like it was a wasted trip; and now I have more to look forward to on my return trip this November! The day I was at the park taking photos, they were filming the Christmas Day Parade, so Main Street and the hub were pretty packed. Overall I really liked the park. It's tough not to walk through and draw comparisons to Disneyland. But the parks were easily different enough to stand on their own two feet. My only major gripe with the park is how much of a pain in the ass it is to get to the front gate, but that's easily overlooked by the awesome park and the fact that there isn't just a parking lot chilling out front, a lake is much prettier. Rides: Space Mountain - It was an OK ride, the left side was definitely better than the right. Overall though, I doubt I would ever wait in a long line for it. Mermaid - Overall the ride itself is exactly the same as the one in California, but the queue line just absolutely awesome. It really does add to the overall experience. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Awesome. Better than Disneyland's. End of story. Pirates of the Caribbean - I liked the look of the outside, but the ride itself left much to be desired. Anyways, on with the photos: Welcome to the Magic Kingdom Doesn't look bigger than Disneyland's castle to me... Oh... Ohhhhhhhh.... I understand that Disneyland's is never going to get replaced cause it's all historical and crap, but god damn... You can actually see it from the end of Main Street. City Hall Am I in Texas? Everything is bigger. There was a parade that kept stopping and then restarting on the command of some voice over the intercom, or God... wasn't sure which. Darth Vader was there. Welcome to Tomorrowland! ...Jealous. Wait... They are on top of Peoplemover, not in a pit? That doesn't quite make sense. M.I.L.F. Who the hell thought that wouldn't go unnoticed? Eh... They were building something. This was a cute little area. Dueling Dumbos. Unlike Islands of Adventure, Magic Kingdom wasn't afraid to duel their rides. Nice to see a splash area at a Disney park actually working (looking at you DCA). Fun little coaster. New Fantasyland is gorgeous. ...and it was popular. Gaston's, didn't get a chance to go inside, but outside looks great. And then, this... Stunning Waterfall Love looking at it. Weird seeing Small World with the loading area indoor. Does it make me less of a man to say that I loved Tangled? Oh well... Welcome back to Main Street... wait no, New Orleans Squa... Where the hell am I? Hall of Presidents... Didn't watch it. Ohhh... Look at the pretty mansion. Weird to see Tom Sawyer Island without all the Fantasmic stuff. Makes it look more like an actual river. Frontierland is really pretty at this park. And more defined that it's west coast counterpart. And this beauty is the best part of it! Seriously loved this version. Pretty Boat From the train Adventureland! Ugh... so much better than Tarzan's Bush. How many of these type of rides does one park need? Loved the outside! Inside was not as impressive. Nick Canon and some chick that looks 14 but sounds 34. AVENGERAIL! And that's where I leave you. Disney's Hollywood Studios is next, and hopefully won't take me a month to get to.

Just saw this and immediately thought of TPR and the SFMM Thread.

I believe Dale came on in 2010, right after I left the park. He's the only one they've had since Eric Gilbert left the company.

If these parks can stay open through the winter in the snow, I call BS on a lot of the parks in America. Awesome update! Disneyland Paris is one I really want to visit. It looks like such a beautiful park. I know it gets a lot of crap, but it's still Disney so I'm sure I'd love it. I think their castle might be my favorite, and the show at night looks awesome. Thanks for sharing!

Shame to hear Dale is leaving. He was well liked around the park. I got nervous for a sec when I saw Great Escape. The last Park President that came out of there, Eric Gilbert, was a complete nightmare and ended up being the last one I worked under. But, from what I've seen of the new corporate management, they seem to pick their Park Presidents much better now-a-days. I'm sure Don will be great and wish him luck. Congrats to SFoG on their luck getting Dale too.

^ They Have been for the past few years. Remeber Renegade at Vallyfair and Prowler at Worlds of Fun? They've been slowly putting them in the parks that need them most. Other parks have wooden coasters that, though possibly disliked by enthusiasts, are still very popular.

^ I was in no way complaining, more remarking on how long it's actually been when it doesn't feel that way. Personally I'm thrilled they took the route of keeping up the existing rides that we already love. Space Mountain is much improved because of it, I personally love the subs, and I'm excited to see a fresh Big Thunder.

Are any of the other races this insane when registration starts? Next time I'm going to use my Visa or AP privileges to register early. I'm happy to at least get to do the Half, but really wanted to do the Dumbo Double Dare. I can't believe Toon Town is 20 years old! Crazy how time flies. That means Indy will be 20 years old in 2 years. Hard to believe that the last brand new E-Ticket to Disneyland was built almost 20 years ago (Winnie the Pooh is not an E-Ticket in my opinion).

You CGA guys are awesome for these updates! Looks great. Here is one posted to CGA's Facebook just now:

Someone did this when they first announced Texas Giant's remodel. It was hilarious ripping on the whole thing but, as it turns out, very wrong since NTAG turned out awesome.

I can understand both arguments, it's a little busy. I personally don't mind it, and when it comes down to it, it's just a logo. The park is still awesome.

When I fly down there, I definitely prefer Long Beach. It's a small airport and very easy to get in and out quick. It's also only about a 20 min drive from Disneyland and avoids most of the really bad traffic in and out of LA. John Wayne isn't terrible either and that one is even easier to get to and from DLR as the traffic is typically north of Anaheim and Santa Ana is south of it. If you can afford to stay at the Disney hotels, do it. They are so easy when it comes to getting to where you need to go (especially on race day). If you are like me, I go for the cheapest I can find. Since I work for Hilton, it's usually at one of their properties. The Anaheim Hilton is very close. The Anaheim Marriott and Fairfield Inn by Marriott are both decent hotels too and within walking distance. If you stay at a Good Neighbor hotel they will have a free shuttle to the starting lines of the races too, though the shuttles aren't free at other times (something like a dollar a day). I got a hold of Active today and they confirmed my registration went through. So I'm pretty relieved about that. Anyone know when the Wine and Dine at WDW typically goes on sale? I want to run that one this year for my first Coast to Coast.

^^ I have always wondered why parks don't do that. Parks put videos up warning people about things like rollbacks on Rocket Coasters, but don't do videos that might expedite loading on confusing restraints.

I know that I am a DL AP holder, but I only go 4 or 5 times a year, and this sounds like heaven. I would love to visit Disneyland with less locals and more distant tourists. I was lucky to get into the Half. I'm bummed I missed the Dumbo Double Dare, but the Half is my main reason for going. Contemplating doing the 5K as well, I had a blast doing it last year.

The park released their new logo on Facebook today. I think it looks great. Simple and represents the park well.

When I saw this I was really bummed by it. Then I saw that it fully inverts, and I was no longer bummed at all. Looks like a great flat ride.

^ I'm having similar issues with my Half-Marathon registration. I received a confirmation saying I was registered but when I click the link to view my registration, it says I'm not authorized to view it. Card was charged and got a separate email confirmation on that with a transaction confirmation. When I log into Active.com, it says I have no events scheduled.

DL Half went on sale today. Pretty bummed I missed the Dumbo Double Dare. Sold out almost instantly. All signed up for the half though and mulling over doing the 5K.

Well, Golden Age of WTF IS THAT Coasters. I'm not sure we're fully in the realm of Wooden Coasters anymore. Especially the Iron Horse (or whatever they call that track now) coasters, thoses are definitely hybrids. It is seriously a cool age of coasters that we are currently in. No doubt about it.

Sooooo.... No Giga Coaster?