Photo TR: An Orlando October with TPR

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Well, once again, it is the GRISLY MONTH OF HORROR, which means that it's time for get candy at the Magic Kingdom, get scared at Universal, and get wet at Busch Gardens Africa--not to mention lots of fun with plenty of great people. My thanks to Robb and Elissa for organizing this trip--it was great!

 

I'll let the photos do most of the talking this time, until we get to Halloween Horror Night.

 

I met the group at Hooters, and we headed out to Old Town. No pictures, as my camera was locked up in mu suitcase, but I did get two new credits, thanks to Old Town's Wacky Worm (OK--how many of you just lok at these things, then count them?) and Windstorm (which brought on some flashbacks to the late Coney Beach's Megablitz).

 

Day two took us to Wet 'n' Wild (no pics, again) and Epcot for our first round of "Eating Around the World." Let's start there, shall we?

Here's a marketing campaign that should inspire many a bad joke. More to come.

Almost time to chow down, but first, a little window shopping

There you go! Smooth, eh?

You know, Renee, sometimes it's just better to toss back a shot of Beverley.

Larry had never seen Ellen's Energy Adventure, so Pete and I rode with him--just in case he was too scared of the dinos, or something.

The motley crew waits for Test Track.

Spaceship Earth totally failed at taking my picture--twice. I guess I'll never get to build my ideal future.

"Hailing frequences open, Captain."

"Hmm--this new 'movable type' will make distributing my pornography much easier."

D'oh! Stupid Dark Ages!

"And that, my friends, is my Cave Anology and Theory of Forms. So, who's up for some drinking and homoeroticism? We are ancient Greeks, you know." (The new animatroincs are very good.)

First stop, the "new" Spaceship Earth.

OK, as you can tell by the giant ball and jagged, broken teeth, now we're at Epcot.

Well, first stop the house, actually. By the looks of this sign, Robb got here first--after eating at Waffle House.

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More Epcot escapades.

And out comes the Big Blue Marble. More of Epcot later on.

We were standing right behind a launcher--the exhaust damned near knocked us over!

. . . it's time for FIRE!

. . . and Kristen cavorts for our amusement, . . .

And as the moon rises over Epcot, . . .

Larry tries extra hard to drive out the taste of Beverley.

"Ah . . . this'll kill that Beverley aftertaste!"

Darkness shrouds World Showcase Lagoon.

Yo ho, yo ho, a Viking's life for me! We carry an ax and drink lots of beer! Drink up, me Vikings, yo ho! We fill the Angles' hearts with fear! Drink up me Vikings, yo ho!

So, off we went to World Showcase.

"Enough of this--it's time for alcohol!"

Mom, I'm scaring me! Make me stop!

Mom, Vampire Melanie-Mickey is scaring me!

Mom, Matt's smoldering, seductive eyes are scaring me!

Mom, Rich is scaring me!

[cfc]

"Boo to You!": Disney MGM, er, Hollywood Studios and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Cameron: "Chicks dig the tongue."

Melanie: "Ignore him."

Rich: "Hey, Cameron's tongue is sort of turning me on."

MNSSHP is next.

Yes, we are all so ready for the "OK Movie Ride." Yes, we never get tired of the shenanigans of the gangster or the gunslinger. Boy, just can't wait to see one of them again.

Die, Mouse, die! I must have your creamy vanilla center!

Some of us did have problems with the ride's more "technical" aspects.

Yeah, you can sure tell this is a new, family-friendly ride--it was mobbed pretty much all day.

Oh boy! Time to Fast Pass Midway Mania. This is a very good addition to the park. I liked it quite a bit, even though Renee outscored me.

On a Vekoma launched coaster you can bang your head--literally.

Sniff! Matt has no friends on Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

All too easy.

Spot the Hidden Mickey here.

Hidden Mickey, or just a trick of the light? You make the call.

Good morning! I'm your Hollywood Tower cabana boy. Have you been helped?

We had time to kill before our Midway Mania Fast Passes were usable.

Hmm--from the looks of this mob, there's either a new ride around here somwehere or the Dumbo line has really gotten out of hand.

Must . . . crush . . . hat!

[dandaman]

^(last pic): You mean he actually took a break from texting long enough to show some tongue action?

 

I bow to your captions, sir. SSE is rife with homoeroticism... and Dame Judi. But mostly innuendo.

[cfc]

"It's really not so scary!"

 

But it did seem a bit more crowded than last year; for example, the wait for Space Mountain was 20 minutes most of the night, and the Haunted Mansion got up to 45. But MNSSHP was an enjoyable event, as usual--even if it isn't endorsed by the American Dental Association. (You think they'd like it--all that candy has to be good for business.)

That's it for the Magic Kingdom. Boo to you! IOA and Universal are next.

Rich comforts Cameron, Joe is trying to stay out of the picture, and Renee wants to show off her cute Chesire Cat ears.

Er, Matt--do you know that you're sitting next to a vampire?

Hmm--looks like I got two-thirds of a Mickey here.

Looks like the castle got the Halloween lighting that Space Mountain didn't get, or something.

"Take the candy--or I'll swallow your soul! Hmm--actually, that's not much of a threat. Damn, I suck at being a soul-sucking ghoul"

God, it's like I'm back in Europe again . . .

"If we hold this pose long enough, Chuck will fall on his ass at the bottom of the conveyor! That would rule!"

"Walt Disney's Buzz Lightyear's Candy Blast": as presented at the 1964 New York World's Fair.

All good things must come to an end.

No purty Halloween lights for Space Mountain tonight--why?

There damn well better be . . .

Fill my sack, damn you! Fill it now!

Here we enter the Gauntlet of Goodies.

Goofy, The Pusher.

Hmm--Ball of Pooh bad! Wash hands now!

"Mmm . . . turkey leg good! Turkey leg mine!"

You see? It's an ice-cream shop, so the pumpkins have ice-cream cones carved out of them! Isn't that magical?

Really not so scary (that is, "so Universal") Halloween decorations.

Aw, that castle ain't so big.

Let's see--we're all adults who are going to go around demanding candy from people in strange outfits. Nope--nothing "so scary" about that.

[PKI Jizzman]

Always a great report, Chuck!

 

Thanks!

-JZ

[Cameron]

^(last pic): You mean he actually took a break from texting long enough to show some tongue action?

 

Bah .. you're just jealous that I wasn't texting you!

 

Cameron.

[dandaman]

I don't even have a cell phone! (Apparently that means I won't get brain damage from all them waves. Or sterility.)

[cfc]

Next up is IOA and Universal for Halloween Horror Night. I've always look forward to HHN--particularly this year. The "Bloody Mary" storyline Universal posted online was excellent, and I think they really delivered on the mazes and scarezones this year (particularly Path of the Wicked, with its flying monkeys and Wicked Witch, and Fractured Tales). Here's my take on the mazes, starting with my favorite.

 

Scary Tales--BGE started its own twisted take on fairy tales at Howl-o-Scream last year, but Universal's maze leaves BGE in the dust. You have to like any maze with a hot Little Red Riding Hood in leather who sharpens knives, right?

 

Body Collectors--The Collectors are sampling the good people of Victorian London, using serial killers such as Jack the Ripper and Sweeney Todd as cover. The sheer atmosphere of this maze is tough to beat, and it's the goriest one of the lot (especially the "chiropractor"--you'll know him when you see him).

 

Dead Exposure--This was the most interesting concept for a maze, I thought: the last night of a tabloid photographer's life as seen through the flashes of his camera. This was, possibly, the best use of strobes ever, a real "now you see the zombies, now you don't, now they're in your face" experience (excellent work by the scareactors here).

 

The Hallow--A good companion piece to Scary Tales, this maze also had a bit of a "storybook" feel to it. Basically, it's a generic story about a "bad place" possesed by an evil force, but very well done.

 

Reflections of Fear--This was the "icon" maze, which told the story of Dr. Mary Agana, who eventually became the vengeful spirit "Bloody Mary." I think I was one of the few in our group who liked this maze, mainly because I thought it tied in well with the Web site (and the good doctor's experiments in fear). It was cool to see Mary's case files come to life.

 

Interstellar Terror--The movie Event Horizon, a story about a lost spaceship possessed by an evil force, comes to mind here. The sets and effects used in this maze, including a "weightless" body, are well done.

 

Creatures--Not the scariest, but easily the funniest maze of the night. Rednecks defend their roadhouse against space aliens; frankly, it's tough to know who to root for. I enjoyed the black humor here, but I think the timing of the scares and effects were a bit off when I went through it.

 

Doomsday--This was the weakest maze of the night, but it is based on a movie I didn't like, which probably colors my opinion a bit. Basically, it's Road Warrior meets 28 Days Later.

 

The Bill and Ted show was excellent--better than last year's, I thought.

 

We also received a behind-the-screams tour from Mike Roddy, one of the creative artists behind HHN. Mike took us through Interstellar Tour and Body Collectors that afternoon with the show lighting on (but no effects or actors), and held a Q&A afterward. This whetted all our appetites for the mazes that night.

 

My thanks to Robb and Elissa for setting all this up, and to Universal, particularly Mike Roddy and Karyn (sp?), for taking good care of us at HHN this year. What a great night! Nothing tops Halloween Horror Night in Florida!

 

Here's a look at IOA, Universal, and HHN.

Thanks for the awesome tour, Mike! More to come from IOA and Universal.

"Now serving number 7!"

"Yeah, I'd like three pounds of the flank steak and some of that nice looking tripe."

"Well, don't shamble by like ninnies! Go ahead! Evisicerate someone!"

I couldn't help it! I was just so hungry!

"As usual, Watson, I am amazed by your uncanny grasp of the obvious."

"I say, Whitechapel, Holmes! Looks like dirty work afoot, wot?"

"Captain Ren Hoek here! We are being pulled into the heedious vortex of the black hole!"

"Coolant system rupture" is one of the little-known side effects of Viagra.

"Scott to Bridge! We lost emergency power down here! I'll have to be takin' the mains off the line before we pull the body parts out!"

"Scott to Bridge! I found the problem with the warp drive. There's a disembered corpse stuck in the matter-antimatter convertor."

"Why do spaceships always have chains hanging from the ceiling?"

Prepare for Interstellar Terror!

They took us through a cast members' exit that linked the two parks.

But when it comes to riding a beast,

No one beats Guy, no not in the least!

(Why does it seem so appropriate that Guy should be in picutre number 69 of this TR?)

Normal people may shrug and ask "why?"

When goofs with cameras go prancing by,

Before we descended the depths of Hell,

We took over the Caro-Suess-el!

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More Universal and IOA.

Hmm--either there's two Wicked Witches up there, or I've chugged a few margaritas. Busch Gardens Africa is next.

I think this is a rather blurry shot of Scary Tales, my favorite maze of the night. Looks like we have Jedi protection, too.

While Erik distracted me here, some dude with a rat hanging from his mouth freaked me out! Excellent!

Hmm--Asylum in Wodnerland looks more like "Rave in Wonderland."

Hey, caterpillar! Pass that hookah!

We now know the secret of Jeff's longevity. Look at his eyes! He's a vampire!

SAY MY NAME! CRASH! TINKLE!

"Oh, joy! Oh, glee!

The trolley is here, but I have to go pee!"

"Oh, the pain! Oh, the sorrow!

The trolley won't get here before tomorrow!"

We ambled back to IOA, where we were acutally dumb enough to get soaked on Ripsaw Falls. Curse you, Snidely Whiplash!

"Sigh! Does Chuck never tire of these group shots?"

"Ack! No one wants ta play Willie's rigged game!"

The Krustyland themeing kicked butt.

I was looking forward to checking out the Simpsons ride. I liked it quite a bit.

"Matt, come share my 'specialness' with me."

Psst! Nobody told Rich that we replaced the water in the kids play area with pure Clorox bleach. Let's watch the fun!

You can just see the joy radiating off him as he gets his credit.

Aw, Larry is special, too!

Yeah, I'm a major Rocky & Bullwinkle mark.

Aw, if Joe wasn't a special person before, he is now.

After the tour, some of us went back into the studios.

[TheRapidsNerd]

But when it comes to riding a beast,

No one beats Guy, no not in the least!

(Why does it seem so appropriate that Guy should be in picutre number 69 of this TR?)

 

Great quote and one of the funniest TR's I've read from you. Enjoying the updates much.

[cfc]

Well, all good things must come to an end--let's end this TR with Busch Gardens in Tampa, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot, shall we?

Beware! For in the dead of night, when the moon is full, this meerkat becomes . . . absolutely nothing. I mean, he's just a meerkat. Hell, being as he's out in broad daylight, he's not even a vampire meerkat. Next up--that other park with animals and that other park with food.

I'll swallow your soul, Colin!

We weren't doing Howl-o-Scream, so I decided to make my own version. Bwa-ha-ha-ha! I'm a mummy! You're all petrified. I can tell.

It does amaze me how well Busch hides the ugly Tampa neighborhood that surrounds it from view.

"OK, we're gonna amble into a three-way here. You folks might wanna come back in an hour or two--then you'll see some really hot action!"

Once again, Larry is special! On Sandstorm! (If he were in Williamsburg, he'd be special on DaVinci's Flying Machine.)

Yes, we suckered ourselves into yet another water ride--the Congo River Rapids. Rich and I got it the worst.

"Oh, I scarfed down way too many tourists this morning . . . pass the Pepto."

"Ah, good morning! You all look so delicious, I hardly know where to start! Busch always has great food!"

See, Cameron? Angus isn't so bad.

So, is Gwazi as bad as it's made out to be? I've ridden both sides once, and it was OK each time. Guess I'm just lucky (or addlebrained).

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More songs about rides and food.

Aghh! Bloody Mary has followed me to the airport! Thanks for reading.

A bunch of us checked out Innoventions' new Stormstruck attraction. Fun to do once (especially if you like having water squirted in your face at random intervals).

"The secret is to swallow hard before the snail has a chance to crawl out. That's how you eat escargot."

Canaba rules! Their soup has cheese and bacon!

It will be a honor to die a horrible death in the icy vacuum of space with such stouthearted men as you!

Time for one last lap around the food and wine festival.

. . . and state-of-the-art animatronics?

I mean, how can you beat this incredible combination of themeing . . .

And now, "the greatest ride in the history of the universe"--Dave Thomas. (Well, I can't vouch for Dave being the "greatest ride," but he does say that about Dinosaur.)

"Grr! Spend money in my giftshop--or die!"

Oh, that loveable Yeti! Up to more adorable hijinks, again.

Ice? It wasn't that chilly this morning.

A lift with a view. Animal Kingdom is a beautiful park--even if it could use another E-ticket.

Eric wishes me luck on Expedition Everest.

And Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto beckon. Yeah, hakuna freakin' matata to you, too--now get outta our way!

The giant head of broccoli beckons.

The jungle beckons.

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Awesome TR! As always, your captions are hilarious. Thanks for a fun week!

[RIP Psyclone]

Excellent work as always, Chuck. Thanks for going to Central Florida and having a good time--so we don't have to!

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^Yes, it's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it.

[TheRapidsNerd]

Well done sir, well done!

[RCFreak]

I love this TR and not just cause I'm in it! (I havent used that one in a while lol. Great pics and another excellent TR CHuck. Thanks for sheilding me from all that water on Congo River Rapids!