Permanecer Sentados, Por Favor
On July 22, 1994, Walt Disney World unveiled a brand new attraction that would redefine what an E Ticket really is. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror opened that summer and blew guests away. It has the detail of rides like Pirates of the Caribbean and the thrill of rides like Space Mountain. Tower of Terror is a truly unique attraction and it is a prime example of Imagineering at its best. Here are some photos I took from my last trip to Walt Disney World in December 2010.
Enjoy!
Hey all!
Here’s another in our ongoing series, but first, where was last week’s photo taken?
And now for this week’s floor:
I love park maps. During the 50th and even a few years after, there was a influx of great park maps. I would always eagerly await and collect these new maps as they came out. Then they did the “Year of a Million Dreams” promotion and the park maps took a turn for the worse. And there’s nothing terribly wrong with them but they almost never change and when they do, none of the designs are as good or creative as they were during the “Happiest Homecoming” celebration.
Then we have these classic park maps. These are maps of a park that many of us Disneyland bloggers never got to see. Sure, there are pictures and even old film strips from those early years but these hand-drawn park maps have a level of detail and care that you just don’t see anymore.
I could look at this all day — and I probably will. But I thought I would share this park map from 1962 posted by Flickr user Wishbook who has a ton of other great park maps. Check him out!
CLICK HERE to see a high-res version of the park map and download it as well!
July 17, 2011 marks the 56th birthday of the happiest place on Earth: Disneyland! I had to be there!
Unfortunately, there seemed to be a lack of celebration for the park’s birthday. The only thing that gave a hint that the park was celebrating an anniversary were the buttons Cast Members were wearing. I did hear that earlier in the day there was a little event involving nearly all the park’s walk around characters!
July 17, 2011 also marks the first time we enter Disney California Adventure through the new Pan Pacific turnstiles! It really looks beautiful and even better at night! I’m so happy with it.
The first thing we decided to do was Goofy’s Sky School, but it was closed unfortunately. We had asked a Cast Member why the ride was closed and if he knew when it would reopen. He gave the most robotic and rehearsed response we have ever heard. It was kind of funny.
So instead, we went to the Paradise Garden area of DCA and enjoyed some pizza and pasta. As I said in the last trip report, the area is so wonderful. It is such a welcomed addition to DCA. And the food was pretty delicious too. I like that flat bread pizza much more than Disneyland’s Pizza Port.
After dinner, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We decided to see the Magic, Memories, and You presentation displayed on the facade of it’s a small world. We had yet to see the show and it was quite enjoyable. The projections on the small world facade were top notch and looked wonderful. I just wish that they displayed images of Disneyland rather than people’s home movies and pictures. I don’t quite understand why people would want to see someone else’s home movies. Even so, the show was fun and it even had a fireworks finale!
Then it was time to see the new fireworks show for the summer: Magical. While nothing can compete with the 50th anniversary fireworks show, Magical was still really good. It did a great job interweaving different Disney tales and the appearances of Tinker Bell and Dumbo flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle were breathtaking. I got so emotional when Dumbo was flying over the Kingdom. It was one of the best Disney moments I had ever experienced.
It was then time for Pirates of the Caribbean and it was quite the experience. While in line, a highly intoxicated girl started to chat us up. She decided that we were all best friends and she insisted that we ride with her. I was a little upset because I wanted to enjoy the ride and not have her babbling throughout. My Girlfriend, Inthia was seated right next to her. The Drunk Girl talked on and on about hidden mickeys and how her sister was eating at Club 33 and spending a “million-bajillion” dollars. On the drops, the girl held tightly onto Inthia’s arm and basically hugged her throughout the ride. She also kept insisted on getting pictures with Inthia. She was very annoying, but it was a good story worth telling. At the end of the ride, she just ran off like she had never met us before. She was a very strange girl. Even with the intoxicated girl, the ride was great. The guy in the middle waiting to be dunked is still missing. Everything else looked as good as can be.
We then went over to the Haunted Mansion hoping we would not run into that girl again. Thankfully, we didn’t see her. The ride was great as always. Everything seemed to be working well and I didn’t see any changes from the previous visit. And Madame Leota was still floating.
The night ended with a trip on the Disneyland Railroad through the Grand Canyon and Primeval World. The train is one of my favorite things to do at Disneyland and it is the perfect way to end the night. We caught the train in New Orleans Square and sat in the back. I love the Grand Canyon and Primeval World. I love the amount of detail and the wonderful backdrop painting. It is one of those timeless things that does not seem to change with time. On this particular trip, the T-Rex vs. Stegasaurs scene was covered up for a refurbishment. It was really strange to see all the great dinosaurs and not have that incredible finale. Oh well… As long as I get some dinosaurs, I’m happy.
The train made its way to Main Street where we departed and exited the Magic Kingdom. It was a fine birthday for the park, even if it was low key. Happy Birthday Disneyland! I can’t wait to visit you for many more years to come!
Enjoy some more photos from our trip:
Hey all!
Here’s another in our ongoing series, but first, where was last week’s photo taken?
And now for this week’s floor:
Sunday afternoon we arrived to the Disneyland Resort and made our way to Disney California Adventure.
The entrance to DCA is really coming along and it should be ready within a week. I must say it really looks great. It makes me very excited for all of the changes coming to the main entrance of the park. I can’t wait to see Buena Vista Street completed with Carthay Circle Theatre looming in the distance.
The first ride we went to was The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure. The line was posted at 20 minutes, but it only took about 10. I love how many people can get through the ride. It really is one of the best loading situations Disney has ever produced. The ride was great as always. I can look at those animatronics all day!
We then went over the the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, but the wait was 50 minutes. So instead of riding, we just went inside the gift shop to look around. Then something strange happened. As I was walking through the shop, all of the sudden all of the lights turned off and the music stopped. It was pitch black inside. After a few seconds, the lights flickered back on and the music followed soon after. It was so eerie. It really felt like the Tower was losing power (which it was). It really was a great unintended effect. Unfortunately, all of DCA lost power at that point. Everyone was evacuated from the Tower and it remained closed for at least an hour.
So we walked over to Goofy’s Sky School, but that was closed too due to the power outage. The Little Mermaid ride was closed as well. So we went to the new Paradise Garden section of Paradise Pier. It really looks great. The amount of detail is terrific and there are many plants and trees, which DCA badly needed. It felt like Main Street at Disneyland. The menus look good at the new restaurants too, but we did not try any of the food. That will have to wait till next time!
Then we walked over to the newly themed Redwood Creek Wilderness Explorer Camp. The camp is themed after Pixar’s Up. It is pretty much exactly the same, except you now do these activities to earn merit badges. When entering, you are given a map of the area and after you complete the activity listed, you scratch off the badge. It was a fun time and kids really seem to enjoy it.
We then went back over to Goofy’s Sky School to see if it was open and it was! This would be my first trip on the newly themed attraction. While it is a fun ride, it is pretty much exactly the same as Mulholland Madness. They just added new billboards featuring Goofy. The only thing I wish they did was put speakers in the cars and have the classic Goofy “How to” narrator speak as you “fly” around. Oh well… It is still a very thrilling little ride, however.
After our flight with Goofy, we walked over to Disneyland and headed for Pirates of the Caribbean. The middle guy waiting to be dunked in the well is still missing, but the ride was excellent. The lighting really seemed to be perfect on this particular trip through the Caribbean.
It was now dinner time and we went to the French Market for some roast beef. It was near the end of the night, so I didn’t get the best roast beef. It was a little tough, but still good. And those mashed potatoes are a masterpiece!
After dinner, we went to the Haunted Mansion to visit some spooks. I didn’t notice anything different about the ride during this visit. Everything seemed to be working great. The ghost we got in our doombuggy was Gus (The little guy with the beard). And yes, Madame Leota was floating!
We then took a walk around the park going through Tomorrowland and ending up at Casey Jr.’s Circus Train in Fantasyland. We rode the caboose of Casey Jr., as that’s the best seat in the house! I can’t say enough about how much I enjoy this ride. I really love it. I love how close you get to the little mountains above Pinocchio’s village. That might be my favorite part of the ride.
It was near closing by this time so we just took one last look around Fantasyland and headed home having spent a wonderful night at the Magic Kingdom.
Here are some extra photos from the trip:
New Orleans Square transports park guests to a simpler time in New Orleans when it was a port town for trade ships, etc. Disney was not one to miss out on any detail and if you look at the right angle, you can see evidence of another waterfront just beyond the train tracks behind Royal St.
How neat!
The first brand new attraction since Toy Story: Midway Mania on Paradise Pier in 2008, The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure continues the dark ride trend with this attraction. While not completely innovative in terms of ride vehicle technology, WDI has outdone themselves with these audio-animatronics here.
Rather than building the jaw-dropping figures as they have with Pirates and Mr. Lincoln, these characters look like the cartoons. Now, they do have some great pixar animatronics, but the animatronics in this ride are based upon a hand-drawn cell-animation style and they pull it off in spades.
We attended a soft-opening a week-or-so before the official opening day and were greeted by a short line. The first thing we noticed was how standard and uninspired the queue was. Just a back-and-forth just outside the ride. This could have come from some of the queues of Fantasyland but I don’t think the sea-life looking plant life between stantions reads as well as the poster art and wood carved railings of the “Pinnoccio” queue. We did notice some great detail in that the cement upon which you walk when in the queue is designed to look like sand with sea shells in it! This was a really nice touch and made us feel a little better about the ride ahead.
Upon entering the building, you are greeted by an impressively spansive mural depicting all of our favorite characters from the film. This is great looking and really harkins back to the Fantsyland dark rides. As your “shell-buggy” (maybe it will catch on?) approaches, you are whisked through a shipwreck and into the world of Ariel as narrated by none other than Scuttle! He starts to tell you about Ariel’s story as you start to go ‘under the sea’.
The ride’s biggest flaw is that’s the last time we see Scuttle until the end of the ride. Some of the biggest complaints about this ride are that it has no story and is just familiar scenes from the film. I argue that the scenes are great but there is enough down-time between them to have Scuttle guide us into the next scene. I suppose he wouldn’t possibly BE under the sea but don’t set it up that way and not follow through. There are plenty of times we are not under the sea.
I have no complaints about this ride beyond having Scuttle take us from scene to scene to tie it all together but it’s not that distracting to me, anyway. WDI really stepped up their game and this new tenchology they have created with the skin on these animatronics lends itself to the exciting possiblity for other classic Disney films withno rides like “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.”
I back it!
I. Love. Star Tours. The thought of them touching it 5 years ago would have scared the bejesus out of me. Sure, there have always been rumors circling about the outdated ride technology and a possible update to the attraction but isn’t that nostalgia what we love most about the parks? The Pepper’s Ghost effect has been around for hundreds of years and the Fantasyland rides are always among the longest of the lines in the park. Plus, we all know how badly Lucas and Co. messed up the Star Wars world by CG-ing (we coin terms here at Remain Seated Please) everything in lieu of practical effects.
Yet, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue NAILS IT. I was so sad on my final trip to the Endor moon but when the RSP crew got to ride the new attraction for a passholder preview, all of us were stunned. The story varies from ride to ride but at the ride’s core, you are at a Star Tours port awaiting your flight to an undisclosed location. They prep you for your flight on the Star Speeder 1000 by issuing you galactic flight goggles and then send you on your way.
The preflight sequence gives you a glimpse into the workings behind your port’s door. While your ship is being fueled, cleaned, and maintained, C3-P0 follows R2-D2 to your vehicle for a systems check. While our R2 unit is loaded, 3-P0 releases our pilot, Ace, in order to repair our navigation systems prior to takeoff. We then get the normal schpiel about galactic flight regulations and as soon as our star speeder is prepped and has approached the launch platform, the doors open and a steel flight path takes us into our ship.
A flight person gives us our final check and sends us on our way… but without our pilot! C3-P0 is now at the helm and no one at Star Tours is paying attention to his distress calls. This is where the differring stories begin.
There are rumored to be 54 different story combinations, all of which I will not give away but it seems that the stories are broken up into 5 different sections. Each segways into the next seamlessly through clever storytelling by the WDI team. We rode about 10 times over the course of a few days and can say that while it is exciting to have randomized flight sequrnces, there does not seem to be 54 sequences.
Now, a cast member did tell us that during previews not all destinations were being previewed and more destinations like the Endor moon and Geonosis. We have not, however, taken another flight since the ride’s greand re-opening June 3rd of this year and I have not seen anything new come up on any Disney blogs or Twitters. Have you seen them yet?
Even so, the good sequences and destinations are GREAT. Unfortunately, the bad ones are just boring. The CG, however, looks incredible thoughout (sans the preflight sequence. They really bought the farm on that one.) I had to go to Hoth 4 times before I even thought to look for CG environments or elements. For someone as finnicky as I am about such things, that’s a great sign. Fake environments are so distracting and for them to be 3D on top of that is just icing on the cake of diappointment (great band name, by the way). But this ride breaks that mentality. They pulled off great CG, great 3D, and a great story.
I highly recommend this ride for children of all ages. It’s interactive (one of your fellow passengers is a Rebel spy, as it turns out!), funny, gorgeous, and thrilling! There are numerous nods to the original attraction, there are special guests from the Star Wars films that visit you during the ride, and a great randomized ride sequence. The rumors of other destinations like Geonosis and the Endor moon are glimmers of hope that this ride will be more well taken care of by WDI and Lucas this time around (Remember when star tours motion simulator format was sold upon the idea of easy updates and enhancements?)
I loved Star Tours but Star Tours: The Adventures Continue pulls off the greatest feat of all – replacing an amazingly popular E-ticket attraction with something better.
I love all of the hidden gems in the parks. From Europe to Anaheim or Mickeys to restrooms, there are so many small details and special touches that really drive the vision of Walt Disney into genius.
This gem is one I was shown by a cast member inside the brand new Star Trader in Tomorrowland. It’s a hidden Mickey do you see it?
It took me a while to find it but sure enough it was there. i actually thought this was the one she was talking about.
This also made me re-think my skepticism about the one on the planet at the Space Mountain exit. These hidden Mickeys are so well hidden that some can just be glanced over without a thought.
What are some of the most illusive “hidden trasures” you have found at the parks – be it hidden Mickey or otherwise? I cant wait to tell you about all of the freemason symbols throughout the park.
