Thanksgiving Week P:TR

[krazekiddd]

Part One: Broward County Fair

 

To set this up, after the 2007 Midwest Tour, a few members went through serious withdrawal thanks to the amazing job that Robb & Elissa do with the trips. Seriously, anyone that is thinking about signing up for a future TPR trip, do it! It is simply the most amazing vacation you will ever take. The friends I've met on the past two trips have become a second family to me and one that I will always cherish.

 

We decided that we had to get together, and soon! We decided to leave our families at home and meet up with our new second family. In what is now an annual tradition, we all go to Orlando for Thanksgiving for some food, fun, and drinks.

 

Anyway, so to start off the trip to Orlando, my friends and I decided to hit up the Broward County Fair. This was my first time to the event and I gotta say, it is pretty lame. It reminds me of a church or mall carnival. Compared to the Dade County Fair, this just fails in the atmosphere I love.

 

The star attraction here was Speed, which is basically a Skyscraper attraction. While normally not part of the wristband included attractions, the fair board advised the midway operators it had to be. Needless to say, it was pretty popular and a low capacity ride. The ride only takes 8 people at one time, however, they were only letting TWO people ride at a time. Yeah, that's right, two people. With a 4 minute ride time, the line was taking forever. After about waiting 30 minutes, we finally left to just do other rides.

 

Another thing I hate about the Broward County Fair, are the carnies. Usually, I don't mind them, and have fun, but these carnies seemed vicious. If you were walking by them and they wanted your attention, they would actually grab you to stop you to play their game. It became quite annoying!

 

Ok now that my little rant is over, on to the photos! Next will be ICE at the Gaylord Palms.

And lastly, we end on this photo. This ride is one of my favs. The ride op actually left for about 3 songs to smoke, so we just kept spinning 'till he got back. Amazing!

The after effect!

And then we had this evil contraption. The free spinning version I love, this version hurts guys!

My all time favorite carnie ride! This thing always brings back memories.

I wish I had a photo of how long the line was. He only let 5 cars go at a time.

After going to Knobles, I developed a slight fascination with Bumper Cars.

It took me a while to figure out this was a boy and not a girl! I wish I could find the close up photo, but yah.

Baby rabbit! All together now, "Awwwwww"

Apparently some good 'ole bestiality will cure red eye.

Evil bull! Seriously, look at its eyes.

After some food and a few rides, we decided to feed the local wildlife.

Ever wonder why carnies are missing teeth? They deep fry EVERYTHING!

While it didn't look like much, the coaster was really fun! The turns whip you like you want it.

More speed!

This is speed. Please, only 2 people on at one time! Oh and you couldn't sit next to each other. It was one on each side.

Yay a credit! Ok there was two, but the wacky worm was smack in the middle of the games and I didn't want to go back.

On the south side of the midway, you have your typical rides that you can see at any carnival.

First up is the North side of the Midway. This shot includes the evil Starship 3000.

[astroworldfan1]

Great photos! That little coaster does look like fun! Do you know who made it?

 

-Tatum

[coastercrazed49]

OMG that power surge type ride looks terrible for guys!

 

That looks like an awesome fair though, its just to bad that they only run Speed with two people on each car.

[ajinaz]

Loved the shot of the Zipper. It's also my all-time favorite. I first rode the Zipper on July 4, 1970 in Cecilton Maryland. It was my very first thrill ride. I always loved how the door never felt quite like it was closed correctly and how the noise of the midway sounded so far away when you were stopped at the top.

Thanks for the pictures. It's funny how all these fairs seem to have the same basic elements all over the country.

[krazekiddd]

Part two!

 

Tuesday night, Mike and I picked up our new friend (TPR: KerryB) that I met on the East Coast trip. She is truly a breath of fresh air and an amazing person. After getting her around midnight, we checked into The Fountains with all of our stuff for Thanksgiving.

 

In the morning, we decided to do Ice at the Gaylord Palms. Kerry, thinking ahead, actually brought mittens. Needless to say, she was the smart one. My hands were frozen afterward. If you are in Orlando this holiday season, you should really check this attraction out.

 

It's really cute but seriously cold! I've always wanted to check out the Gaylord Palms, and it was really worth it. The atrium and courtyard was worth the visit alone.

 

Next up is me fisting a turkey!

Of coarse being me, we added shots of Godiva Liquor for $2. Perfect end to that day.

And finally, we went to the atrium to get our free hot chocolate!

Yep, Parkas not needed anymore

I totally turned 5 years old after this sign.

Now that's a Florida Christmas!

Ha! She's almost totally adorable!

Hi!

Oh and the Coca-Cola bears were there too!

The last room, aka The Penguin room that Kerry goes crazy in.

Kerry didn't quite slide, however, she did manage to push herself down.

Oh yeah, I'm going down!

Kerry and I had fun not letting excited little kids cut in front of us.

The ice slides! This was by far the most popular room.

The Nativity.

See? It's breathtaking.

This room was beautiful. No colors, just ice carvings that looked like crystals.

The final room before the slides!

There is just something so wrong with those eyes.

Wow, Santa's eyes are creepy!

And the other side!

Hi Kerry!

This room had me ready to eat.

Gingerbread!

Next up was Candyland!

And for those who want the full view!

Please do not lick or touch the balls!

Colored balls everywhere!

Next up was the "Hall of Ornaments", an acid lovers dream.

And since I'm retarded and didn't post this first!

It was really awesome in here! Everything, including the bridge you walk on, was ice.

Oh, it became night suddenly.

This bear is presenting!

First up, the main room, Winter Wonderland! It was supposed to be a frozen park with bears!

That's better.

It almost looks like a candle. Well at least that's what I see. All I need is a black light.

Its freezing, so we decide to sit on ice! We're smart!

Finally, we've entered!

Boo!

These signs are supposed to entertain you on the long walk to the convention center.

See? Cold! Outside it was 70 degrees, quite a transition.

Thankfully we were given these heavy parkas! It was getting C O L D.

Kerry is very excited.

Yep, well Snowy for Floridians.

The entrance was through Snowy Way!

Getting closer!

Ohhh I've been very naughty!

Yay, I'm feeling the season already.

Noted!

Time to get prepared! Seriously, she was smart, or maybe she came from an area that was cold!

Nerds! Oh wait, I'm taking their photo.

We've arrived! Just in case you forgot where you were going after you've paid the $12 for parking.

[grinch1313]

Awesome photos so far, Scott.

 

Ice looks really amazing. I wish I could have been there for that, but I had a blast Thanksgiving day and today.

 

It was great seeing everyone again and meeting Mike. I can't wait for our next trip anywhere!

[krazekiddd]

After Ice, we had to rush home to start Thanksgiving day food! Somehow, with Kerry's help, we actually didn't kill anyone while cooking. I've NEVER actually cooked Thanksgiving dinner and doing it alone was a mission. I didn't know how to cook a turkey or any of the food. Thankfully, my mom, wrote out step by step directions for everything and it came out awesome.

 

This trip report takes over two days so I don't post Thanksgiving twice.

 

Thanksgiving dinner with your TPR friends is really awesome!

 

Next up will be Universal/Islands with a preview of Grinchmas.

Finally, to fulfill the ACEr quota, here's your gravy.

Oh and some people had too much wine.

We all had seconds and in some cases, thirds!

We all were starving!

Yay wine!

Eli seems hungry!

Time to eat!

The final product. All I need now is wine!

God I was so hungry at this point!

Awww, look how cooked he is! Seriously, I let him sit in the juices too long, but he ended up being super juicy!

Oh yeah baby, just like that.

Salt! Yeah, that's the stuff

Before I lube Bubba up, one more romantic gesture.

Because I'm a klutz, I spilled the Pecan Pie mix all in the fridge. Kerry had the task of cleaning up Corn Syrup!

Feed you, not fist you! Oh yeah, I gave it to Bubba all right.

Hi, my name is Bubba, and I'm hear to feed you!

And Pecan Pie!

Yay for home made Pumpkin Pie!

Look I'm cooking! Are you scared?

[YoshiFan]

Great photos! That little coaster does look like fun! Do you know who made it?

 

-Tatum

 

It's a Zierer Flitzer. Hopefully the one in this TR wasn't braked too much. The one at Playland in Ocean City, NJ slows you down any time you pick up speed. Kind of boring.

[DiSab]

Mmmm... All that turkey is making me hungry. For left-over turkey!

[rhoadkillstew]

It was fun to Finally Meet these TPR people Scott has talked about... they are real after all Scott did forget to mention that he Banned me from the kitchen which was probably a good idea the food was AMAZING!!!

[generaleclectic]

It is always so good to get together with TPR friends new and old. Thanks for having us Scott!!

[krazekiddd]

^No problem! Since you and David aren't doing West Coast next year, we need to come up with alternate plans.

[Guy T. Koepp]

Awesome TR (Turkey Report) so far! That Ice exhibit looks incredible! Did they not want you to lick everythng because they were afraid it would all melt or because the colors were toxic? I say that because everything looked like giant snow cones. I would so be trying to lick everything!

 

Your Thanksgiving turkey dinner looked amazing. I hope it was as good to eat as it looked on camera. God I love this time of year. Speaking of which, I think I have a half of a Dutch Apple pie left. Better go take care of that now.

 

Happy Holidays! Say Hi to 'erbody down there in Floruba.

[televisedconfession]

You got me excited for the park updates.

[Meteornotes]

This PTR rocks. Especially the cooking part. Looking forward to more!

 

And your Thanksgiving was far superior to mine, which included a lecture on how Dancing With The Stars is fixed, and a really long rant about a non-working VCR and how technology is evil and how nothing is as good as it used to be, until it was discovered that the batteries in the remote control of the Evil Technology VCR were actually inserted backwards.

 

No wonder my alcohol consumption is up...

 

dt

[mxman005]

i went to ICE last year and it looks like they have made some additions. I don't remember the ornaments from last year, and i think they have changed around the slides

 

Last year they had 2 small ones for kids, and then 2 larger ones that got going pretty fast and actually turned. Is the picture you have is a few of them or is there many of them that are outside the shot.

 

Great TR. Even though I live in Orlando I love seeing other peoples pics. Really looking forward to the grinchmas b/c I'm not gonna be able to get out there this year.

[nay]

Great TR! I especially love that they make deep fried Reece's cups at that fair. Deep fried chocolate peanut butter must be amazing and I will have to try that someday!

 

And Ice looks like really cool (and cold)! I've always wanted to go see that and I'll be back in Orlando in a few weeks, but doubt I'll have time to go there.

 

It looks like you guys had a fun Thanksgiving! I'm looking forward to seeing the rest.

[rollin_n_coastin]

Scott, awesome TR so far!

 

That ICE thing looks awesome! Reminds me a bit of an indoor version of the ice hotel they build up here.

 

I guess that turkey really didn't know what it had coming (bread or rice stuffing?).. lol

 

Glad you all had a good time, can't wait to see the rest.

 

Cheers,

J

[DenDen]

I have to agree with every rant you had about the BCF. It really is one of the lamest fairs I've ever been to, and this year was no exception. I prefer Santa's Enchanted Forest, or even the Palm Beach County Fair.

[krazekiddd]

^I need to make my way to Santa's Enchanted Forest. That place is interesting for sure.

 

Edit: Now I have the Santa's jingle stuck in my head.

 

Great TR! I especially love that they make deep fried Reece's cups at that fair. Deep fried chocolate peanut butter must be amazing and I will have to try that someday!

 

And Ice looks like really cool (and cold)! I've always wanted to go see that and I'll be back in Orlando in a few weeks, but doubt I'll have time to go there.

 

It looks like you guys had a fun Thanksgiving! I'm looking forward to seeing the rest.

 

It literally only takes a few hours, you should definitely check it out

[krazekiddd]

Over the coarse of two days, we park hopped between Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. I thought I had taken more photos than I did, but apparently that's not true.

 

Unlike last year, the parks were crazy busy. When we went on Thanksgiving last year, we killed both parks in about 5 hours. This year, we pretty much took all day to do Islands and did a few rides, well only Mummy, at Universal.

 

These photos will focus on Islands only. We had SpideyFreak join us, however, I only have one shot. I don't have too many photos, and you guys have probably seen most of them, so I'll post what I can.

 

The best part of today was riding Dudley in 50 degree weather. Oh yeah, that was REAL smart. Somehow, it actually made it more fun. Since Kerry had only done the coasters before, we thought we'd suck it up and sacrifice our warmth just for her.

 

Apparently, I totally skipped taking photos on Lost Continent, Dragons, and Harry Potter. I don't remember why, but I can tell you Dragon's was up to a 60 minute wait. I opted out and talked to the talking fountain.

Of coarse David likes his poles WAY too much. Well that's it for now.

Even I sucked up and rode it.

With any visit to Suess Landing, we all turn 5 years old again.

This is about the point my camera finally died on me and I was too lazy to get more batteries.

I love how they go all out for this. I equally love that they put fake snow on EVERY tree in site.

Its Grinchmas! I love Suess Landing already and even more with the decorations.

And now, a moment of Kerry, deep in thought.

I chose smoking under the stupid assumption that it must keep me warm!

And now we go to the point when we get delirious and take shots of us eating.

After being soaking wet, the most natural thing to do is to ride Jurassic Park. I love this ride for the lack of getting me wet again!

I on the other hand just removed my shirt and wore my nifty TPR sweater. David on the other hand is striking a pose.

Kerry opted for the more natural approach to drying off.

They didn't really do much. The down side was, when you stepped out, you were even colder with the now warm wet clothes you had on. I believe some people went into the bathrooms and used the dryers.

It was about a 15 minute wait. However, it's pretty warm in here, basically like being under a giant hand dryer in the bathrooms.

After reading on ScreamScape about the new dryers in Toon Lagoon, we thought we'd try them out.

Cold! That was shockingly cold! I was shivering forever. We faked smiled so appear happy while everyone laughed.

Next up, we thought we'd catch pneumonia and ride this. Honestly though, I really HATE these lapbars. Getting in and out is a mission.

Realizing how busy it was actually going to be, we made a quick beeline over to Hulk.

Well here we are. Time for our favorite game of "Run through the group photo taking people!"

[ElToroExtreme]

GOD i wish i could have gone! But on the positive side i just got a new digital camera!

[Spideyfreak]

 

These photos will focus on Islands only. We had SpideyFreak join us, however, I only have one shot. I don't have too many photos, and you guys have probably seen most of them, so I'll post what I can.

 

The best part of today was riding Dudley in 50 degree weather. Oh yeah, that was REAL smart. Somehow, it actually made it more fun.

 

Riding Dudley wasn't as bad as me riding Popeye right after. I got completely drenched. Kinda funny that David hardly got wet on Dudley though...

 

Eli was the smart one lol...

[grinch1313]

We were so stupid to ride Dudley that day. I believe I even screamed out after getting drenched on the first drop, "Why are we so stupid?!!!" I have to admit it was seriously fun getting soaked though and riding. The Xcelerator dryer in the bathroom worked better than the $3 dryer. It was warm in the $3 dryer though.

 

I also hate those lap bars. They are so ridiculous and you have to contort yourself under them.

 

I love the random weird faces me and my friend, Kathi, are making in the photos though.

 

I absolutely had a blast though. It was a great Thanksgiving!!

[the ghost]

Wow, Grinchmas looks almost as awesome as Disneyland for Christmas. Is the whole park decorated for Christmas like Disneyland? or is it just Dr. Seuss land?