Celebration, Florida and WDW

[Wags]

So I made a big move, a really BIG move, from Arizona to Celebration, Florida. I studied the new urbanism planning principles of Celebration almost a decade ago, so living here really is a dream come true for me. I have been a resident for a week now, bought my Premium Annual Passport, and visited the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. The best aspect of living here is the proximity to the parks; I can pace myself and enjoy the parks in different way.

 

My observations so far:

The level of detail in Animal Kingdom blows me away; the theming in the queues for Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, and Kilimanjaro Safaris are the most authentic I have ever seen in a theme park. Everest is like a modern cross between the Matterhorn and Big Thunder Mountain, but way more thrilling than both of those rides. I barely saw the yeti, it went by so fast doubt I could even tell if it was operating.

 

The new Little Mermaid ride is ok, at least there is no wait due to the large capacity. I'm not a suitable critic for this ride because I'm not a child - they seem to love it. The queue is very nice.

 

The Pooh ride is vastly better than the DL version, now I see why people familiar with the MK version complained about its DL counterpart.

 

Rock 'N' Roller Coaster was rough. I know it has its fans, but IMO the theming seems cheap and doesn't live up to Disney's reputation. I don't think I ride it again due to the roughness. People were trying to abuse the single rider line, glad to see the cast members wouldn't allow it.

 

Holy crap, this Tower of Terror is way better than DCA's! No comparison.

 

That's all for now, pics to come.

[TheMaxster]

What I find surprising is that I know many people on the theme park forums that are from celebration. I was actually living in Celebration until I moved to Chicago a few years ago. I hope you enjoy the neighborhood as much as I did because it was a blast being so close to so many major theme parks. Celebration is even where I developed my interest in theme parks and I wouldn't be on this site today if I didn't have the opportunity to live there.

[Wags]

What I find surprising is that I know many people on the theme park forums that are from celebration. I was actually living in Celebration until I moved to Chicago a few years ago. I hope you enjoy the neighborhood as much as I did because it was a blast being so close to so many major theme parks. Celebration is even where I developed my interest in theme parks and I wouldn't be on this site today if I didn't have the opportunity to live there.

 

Thanks! So far I am loving it, people are very friendly here, and its quiet - that's the biggest surprise so far.