TR: Walt Disney World and Universal

[pvcoasterguy]

Video (slideshow) located here: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23776

 

EPCOT

 

Spaceship Earth- I don't know why, but I like this ride. The ending is very cool (except the annoying 'your car is turning backwards' lady...) and is a nice, relaxing ride. The narration is very good, and it's one of the rides that is an original from the old EPCOT days (for the most part.)

 

Mission: Space- This ride had no line at all. Why? Disney scares all people out of riding it. In reality, the ride is not bad at all- it didn't feel like we were spinning- you could only feel the G's. Overall, though, it's a great ride, very intense and fun.

 

Test Track- This was one of my favorites. I found the ride and its premise very enjoyable. My favorite parts were the ABS test and the performance test. Overall, it was a great, fun ride for the entire family. And, the singles line was very fast.

 

Universe of Energy (Ellen's Energy Adventure)- Ugh... don't even get me started on this one. This ride completely and utterly sucked. The ride was not very fun at all, and it was 47 minutes long, not including the annoying pre-show. I hope this ride goes along with Wonders of Life- the ride is just embarassing. By the time we were off it, all we could think was, "WTF?"

 

Journey into Imagination- This ride was totally random. We weren't really sure what was going on. Luckily, it had no line.

 

We explored the pavilons for the rest of the day, until heading to Blizzard Beach the next morning.

 

Blizzard Beach

 

Wow, this is a waterpark! Lines were minimal here (as they were in EPCOT.) We hit up everything multiple times in three hours. Among the best rides were: Downhill Double Dipper (the best- it has air!), Summit Plummit (crap-your-pants scary), Slush Gusher (almost as bad as Summit Plummit- you're not on the slide after all of the dips), and Teamboat Springs. We also enjoyed the toboggan rides.

 

Then, we headed over to...

 

Disney-MGM Studios

 

We only had from 3:30-7:00 in the park, so we had to hurry. Luckily, we'd be able to hit everything in the park.

 

Rock'n Roller Coaster- So random guy came up to us and gaves us five Fastpasses for it, so all the people in our group who wanted to ride could. (It saved us an hour wait!) The Vekoma was actually smooth, and the launch very intense. However, some of the ride got a little boring. But, overall, it was a nice, fun ride.

 

We then got Fastpasses for Tower of Terror, then we headed over to...

 

Star Tours- Another ride with no line. Was fun enough- at least it was smoother and more enjoyable than Back to the Future. The lack of line was nice, also.

 

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire- Play It!- We decided to hit up Elissa's favorite. Overall, it was very enjoyable. Although, the only time I got on the leader board was fourth for the fastest finger (in which I guessed.) I liked the setup and it was truly fun. However, no one got over 1,000 (they missed and slid back down.) Our host got a tad annoying after awhile, but, again, it was fun.

 

Tower of Terror- Wow! This is theming! We got on our elevator, and I was amazed. The 'ghosts' were really cool, and I liked how the elevator moved forward, also. The drops were actually very intense, and I like how the first few were in total dark. We had a very good program. Nice ride.

 

The Great Movie Ride- This ride aspired to be something more, but you could never see it. It was okay, but it could have been so much cooler...

 

MuppetVision 3D- The pre-show took forever, and the actual film was alright. A tad dissapointing- not enough 4D effects, but anywho...

 

We then left, went to MK for the rest of the night, and returned in the morning.

 

Magic Kingdom

 

Tomorrowland Indy Speedway- Was entertaining. It was fun riding when the fireworks were going on. My steering wheel didn't work right, but it was fun enough.

 

Tomorrowland Transit Authority- Again, another fun ride. It's a relaxing ride that never has a line. Thoroughly enjoyable.

 

Got Fastpasses for Space Mountain, then went to

 

Haunted Mansion- It was cute. But not scary to say the least. It was pretty entertaining, though, and relaxing.

 

Then grabbed FP's for Splash Mountain, and went back to Tomorrowland

 

Buzz Lighyear's Space Ranger Spin- Bo-ring. The guns were terrible and it wasn't nearly as immersive as Men in Black. Overall, it was alright, but it wasn't worth the 40 minute line for it.

 

Space Mountain- Great. This ride is a classic. The inline seating is cool, as is the ride. Once it gets going, it is actually pretty intense, and some of it catches you off-gaurd. However, I feel the building needs to get darker, and it needs a soundtrack. (But that's just me!)

 

Got Fastpasses for BTMR and went on

 

Splash Mountain- Fun ride! I like how all of the songs are integrated into the ride, and the ride continually gets darker and darker along the way until the drop. However, does anyone know how Brer Rabbit escapes? We couldn't figure it out.

 

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad- Good ride. There are two spots of pretty good air, however, the last lift (ending) is a little dissapointing- you don't get going again. But, other than that, the ride was nice and fun.

 

it's a small world- 'Nuff said.

 

Hit some rides again at night, then headed back to the hotel (Radisson Worldgate.)

 

The next day, we headed to

 

Disney's Animal Kingdom

 

First of all, doesn't anyone know why you can get a Fastpass every hour here, unlike all the other parks?

 

Got a Fastpass right away for Expedition Everest, then headed to

 

Kali (not-so) River Rapids- Not a very intense rapids ride at all. Hardly got wet, and there were hadly any rapids on the ride. Very dissapointing.

 

Got another Fastpass for Kilimanjaro, then headed to

 

Primeval Whirl- Eh, it's just another spinning mouse. However, with four teenage guys in our car, it was interesting enough. Spun quite a bit at the end, and there wasn't too much braking.

 

Dinosaur- Everyone forgets about this ride, but it really is the hidden gem in Animal Kingdom. It's a great ride. The story is good, the pre-show is good, and the ride is intense. I just really like the ride system also. Great ride.

 

Kilimanjaro Safaris- It was relaxing. It was fun spotting all of the animals, but there was no way that I'd wait in an hour-long line for that.

 

Expedition Everest- Didn't live up to the hype. Yes, it was fun. Yes, the yeti was cool. Yes, the backwards portion was intense. Other than that, the ride lacked. After the big drop and first portion of the helix, the ride continues to drag on. You then go back into the moutain, do a drop while you see the Yeti, then immediately hit the brakes. It was fun Very overhyped, however.

 

Universal coming soon!

[Erik Johnson]

You, like Brer Rabbit, gets thrown into the briar patch. "Pleaseeee, don't throw me into that briar patch!"