Aceman88888
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2003
- Messages
- 198
As I also post on a coaster site, please excuse some of the coaster related detail, but trip report cut 'n' pasted for days 4-6
Monday 5th May- Universal Islands of Adventure
Arrived at the park at 9.30am via a huge trip from the car parks via travelators (must be almost a couple of miles)
1st ride of the day on Spiderman as I missed it on my last visit. What can I say .. It was awesome. The combination of 3D, giant projections and the hi-tech vehicle, it truly immerses you into the story of the ride. I can now see why it cost so much to develop. Q time zero and well worth it!
Grabbed a quick hotdog as we had skipped breakfast and got some good photos of Hulk and surrounding area.
Next onto Hulk which had the only Q of the day, about 15 mins. Got a seat at the back as usual and then off. Launch was as before, awesome and as my only comparison, is much better than Space Mountain in DLP. The cobra roll was by far and away the best inversion and as most suggest, the 2nd part of the ride was tedious with a fair bit of earbanging (with sunburnt ears its not nice)
Missed out DR Doom due to Qs and went over to Popeye & Blutos Bilge Rat Barges, which again I missed in 1999. People were coming off the ride wetter than they were coming out of a swimming pool!
Surprisingly ;-) no Q, so straight on, removing as many clothes as possible inc. shoes etc. First part resulted in us getting a full-on Tsunami in the face and 12 inches of water in the footwell!!!. Nice soaking from the spectators (some beggars evan had their own water pistols) and even more tidal waves. Onto then the lifthill nicely themed into a car wash and then over the top and Wow a near vertical curverd drop with full-on rapids for a couple of hundred feet. Ive never been so wet in my life!. A few twists and turns then completed the ride and we spent a few minutes salvaging our belongings like a buch of shipwrecked sailors.
Next to Dudley Doorights Ripsaw Falls. Ludicrous height restriction meant my little one couldnt ride but it was still enjoyable with the double end drop through the rapids probably still rating as my all time favourite log flume experience. Got surprisingly wet on this one too, although it was hard to tell where the old wetness ended and the new stuff started!
Took a bit of a time out for photos etc and then onto Jurassic Park river ride. What a wonderful ride, themed just like the film with good animatronics and effects. The T-Rex in the building scared my little one silly and then the drop finished him off!!
Grabbed some pizza lunch just outside Jurassic and then made our way down to Duelling Dragons. When I rode these in 1999 I was not too impressed; probably because the park was empty and even the front row was walk on. This time I was much more impressed, with Fire Dragon being easily superior to Ice, particularly the Immelman as the 1st inversion and the airtime on the first crossover. Back-rows all the way through (2x Fire, 1xIce) but will ride the front next week.
Next took the little one on the Flying Unicorn as the Pteradon Flyers were down, which was harmless and no Q. I think after riding Skorpion he found it a trifle unfulfilling (at 5 years of age!) but still good fun.
Skipped Poseidons fury as next show was 30 mins later (will try next week) and went down to Seuss Landing. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue fish was excellent and probably the best example of a spinning family ride (as in Dumbos flying elephants) you can find. Lovely music, well timed with a face full of water to add. Next tried Cat in the Hat which was excellent, nicely paced with loads of kiddie orientated effects.
Was getting a bit hot by then so took a final ride on the rapids and made a swift exit for the car park about 4pm and back to the villa for a BBQ, swim and beer or 6.
END OF REPORT
Tuesday 6th May- Disneys Blizzard Beach Water Park.
Got to the park about 10.30am after a Ponderosa all you can eat breakfast. Nice and quiet and easily managed to get sunbeds in a good location.
Had a quick splash around kiddie area and then went to Q for the chairlift. Directly behind us in the Q were Chris Blackwell and Steve Goddard from Towerstimes. (What a chance in a million encounter!!!!!). Whilst Qing they filled us in on their part 1 trip to Georgia including SUF amongst others. Ill let them post their comments when they get back though. Chris Bailey had skipped the day due to sore feet I think.
Went on the family raft ride and then into the pool and then met up with the TT guys again to do some of the flumes. Did not bother this time with Summit Plummet as I was sore with sunburn and the Q was 20 mins. A couple more rides on the family raft and a full circle on the lazy river followed. Finally a good bob in the wave pool and we left the park at about 4pm.
Went back to the villa, had a swim etc and then went up to Downtown Disney. Took a quick look at Pleasure Island (IMO not worth it unless you are into clubs) and then had dinner in Planet Hollywood (The blackened shrimps are the highlight).
After some frenetic texting we managed to locate the TT boys in Hooters of all places and after we found the correct one at Pointe Orlando, we met them there for a quick beer. Quite a highlight for us males with a combination of smutty service (Im not kiddin) and compulsory tipping for the girls (never give the waitresses a large denom. Note as you wont see the change ;-). The TT boys seemed to enjoy it though.
Got back to the villa about 12.30 am for a kip.
END OF REPORT
Wednesday 7th May- Disneys Magic Kingdom
Arrived at park about 9.30am and got a stroller for the nipper as the park was so big.
Went around the park clockwise hitting the Aladdin area first with a ride on the magic carpets and a quick walkthrough of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Managed to get autograph from the genie and then over to Splash mountain with no Q. This is a nice long ride, mostr suitable for kids although the large drop probably puts off most parents.
Next over to Big Thunder Mountain which was walk-on. My little one loved this, even though it is less intense than the DLP counterpart and I managed to get some good on ride video.
Took a trip over to Tom Sawyer Island for a quick explore in the shade and then back across to the haunted mansion. Excellent ride just like the DLP version with the highlight being the ghoul on your lap at the end!.
Got Fastpasses for Peter Pan (Tip: This is the only ride where this is essential) and took in a quick ride on Small Small World which the little one is still not bored with at 5 yrs of age!
Took lunch in Cosmic Rays Starlight Café (Tip: If you get a burger, top it up at the toppings bar where you can add salad, mushrooms, onion, loads of sauces etc which turns a basic burger into a feast)
Used our fastpass on Peter Pan and then went to the view the parade. Sat near to Caseys but the sidewalk was so hot there was a danger of 3rd degree burns. Disney Staff did a great job keeping the kids entertained and the parade was excellent, if a little short. Got some great photos and the nippers face was well and truly lit up.
Moved straight across to do Buzz Lightyear and then the Astro Orbiter, the latter with a 10 mins Q.
Big surprise for me was the transit authority tram which lasted for ages and takes you through the space mountain building and others, all with a nice breeze. Well worth the trip!
Q for the Indy Speedway was a bit long so we went to do Space Mountain and XS Alien Encounter. Alien Encounter was a bit disappointing as most of the special FX in my seat were not working but the clever use of directional screams and shouts were great.
Next to Space Mountain. Long-ish Q of 25 mins but nicely air conditioned. Ride was better than I remembered and much longer but again a silly ride height restriction meant that the nipper could not ride.
Took a slow walk back to Main St. collecting pressed pennies along the way (got a full folder already) . Loads of Character greets at the entrance and managed to get autographs for Mr Mouse himself amongst others.
Caught the monorail to Epcot for our evening entertainment (Fireworks). Grabbed a quick go on Test Track which the nipper loved, especially the outdoor speed test and then hung around Mission:Space for a few minutes hoping to be invited on for a soft ride .. no such blooming luck ;-)
Managed to get a good spot for the fireworks between France & England for the fireworks (France was surprisingly quiet ;-) ). Even though the show is only short it was well worth the wait and the combination of the picture globe, fire, fountains, lasers and very, very loud fireworks probably made it my best fireworks show ever. Got Fantasmic Thursday night though.
Monorails were nice & quiet back to the car park and got back to the villa at 11pm after nearly running out of fuel (long story ..).
Took a floodlit swim and a few redneck beers then hit the sack
END OF REPORT
Monday 5th May- Universal Islands of Adventure
Arrived at the park at 9.30am via a huge trip from the car parks via travelators (must be almost a couple of miles)
1st ride of the day on Spiderman as I missed it on my last visit. What can I say .. It was awesome. The combination of 3D, giant projections and the hi-tech vehicle, it truly immerses you into the story of the ride. I can now see why it cost so much to develop. Q time zero and well worth it!
Grabbed a quick hotdog as we had skipped breakfast and got some good photos of Hulk and surrounding area.
Next onto Hulk which had the only Q of the day, about 15 mins. Got a seat at the back as usual and then off. Launch was as before, awesome and as my only comparison, is much better than Space Mountain in DLP. The cobra roll was by far and away the best inversion and as most suggest, the 2nd part of the ride was tedious with a fair bit of earbanging (with sunburnt ears its not nice)
Missed out DR Doom due to Qs and went over to Popeye & Blutos Bilge Rat Barges, which again I missed in 1999. People were coming off the ride wetter than they were coming out of a swimming pool!
Surprisingly ;-) no Q, so straight on, removing as many clothes as possible inc. shoes etc. First part resulted in us getting a full-on Tsunami in the face and 12 inches of water in the footwell!!!. Nice soaking from the spectators (some beggars evan had their own water pistols) and even more tidal waves. Onto then the lifthill nicely themed into a car wash and then over the top and Wow a near vertical curverd drop with full-on rapids for a couple of hundred feet. Ive never been so wet in my life!. A few twists and turns then completed the ride and we spent a few minutes salvaging our belongings like a buch of shipwrecked sailors.
Next to Dudley Doorights Ripsaw Falls. Ludicrous height restriction meant my little one couldnt ride but it was still enjoyable with the double end drop through the rapids probably still rating as my all time favourite log flume experience. Got surprisingly wet on this one too, although it was hard to tell where the old wetness ended and the new stuff started!
Took a bit of a time out for photos etc and then onto Jurassic Park river ride. What a wonderful ride, themed just like the film with good animatronics and effects. The T-Rex in the building scared my little one silly and then the drop finished him off!!
Grabbed some pizza lunch just outside Jurassic and then made our way down to Duelling Dragons. When I rode these in 1999 I was not too impressed; probably because the park was empty and even the front row was walk on. This time I was much more impressed, with Fire Dragon being easily superior to Ice, particularly the Immelman as the 1st inversion and the airtime on the first crossover. Back-rows all the way through (2x Fire, 1xIce) but will ride the front next week.
Next took the little one on the Flying Unicorn as the Pteradon Flyers were down, which was harmless and no Q. I think after riding Skorpion he found it a trifle unfulfilling (at 5 years of age!) but still good fun.
Skipped Poseidons fury as next show was 30 mins later (will try next week) and went down to Seuss Landing. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue fish was excellent and probably the best example of a spinning family ride (as in Dumbos flying elephants) you can find. Lovely music, well timed with a face full of water to add. Next tried Cat in the Hat which was excellent, nicely paced with loads of kiddie orientated effects.
Was getting a bit hot by then so took a final ride on the rapids and made a swift exit for the car park about 4pm and back to the villa for a BBQ, swim and beer or 6.
END OF REPORT
Tuesday 6th May- Disneys Blizzard Beach Water Park.
Got to the park about 10.30am after a Ponderosa all you can eat breakfast. Nice and quiet and easily managed to get sunbeds in a good location.
Had a quick splash around kiddie area and then went to Q for the chairlift. Directly behind us in the Q were Chris Blackwell and Steve Goddard from Towerstimes. (What a chance in a million encounter!!!!!). Whilst Qing they filled us in on their part 1 trip to Georgia including SUF amongst others. Ill let them post their comments when they get back though. Chris Bailey had skipped the day due to sore feet I think.
Went on the family raft ride and then into the pool and then met up with the TT guys again to do some of the flumes. Did not bother this time with Summit Plummet as I was sore with sunburn and the Q was 20 mins. A couple more rides on the family raft and a full circle on the lazy river followed. Finally a good bob in the wave pool and we left the park at about 4pm.
Went back to the villa, had a swim etc and then went up to Downtown Disney. Took a quick look at Pleasure Island (IMO not worth it unless you are into clubs) and then had dinner in Planet Hollywood (The blackened shrimps are the highlight).
After some frenetic texting we managed to locate the TT boys in Hooters of all places and after we found the correct one at Pointe Orlando, we met them there for a quick beer. Quite a highlight for us males with a combination of smutty service (Im not kiddin) and compulsory tipping for the girls (never give the waitresses a large denom. Note as you wont see the change ;-). The TT boys seemed to enjoy it though.
Got back to the villa about 12.30 am for a kip.
END OF REPORT
Wednesday 7th May- Disneys Magic Kingdom
Arrived at park about 9.30am and got a stroller for the nipper as the park was so big.
Went around the park clockwise hitting the Aladdin area first with a ride on the magic carpets and a quick walkthrough of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Managed to get autograph from the genie and then over to Splash mountain with no Q. This is a nice long ride, mostr suitable for kids although the large drop probably puts off most parents.
Next over to Big Thunder Mountain which was walk-on. My little one loved this, even though it is less intense than the DLP counterpart and I managed to get some good on ride video.
Took a trip over to Tom Sawyer Island for a quick explore in the shade and then back across to the haunted mansion. Excellent ride just like the DLP version with the highlight being the ghoul on your lap at the end!.
Got Fastpasses for Peter Pan (Tip: This is the only ride where this is essential) and took in a quick ride on Small Small World which the little one is still not bored with at 5 yrs of age!
Took lunch in Cosmic Rays Starlight Café (Tip: If you get a burger, top it up at the toppings bar where you can add salad, mushrooms, onion, loads of sauces etc which turns a basic burger into a feast)
Used our fastpass on Peter Pan and then went to the view the parade. Sat near to Caseys but the sidewalk was so hot there was a danger of 3rd degree burns. Disney Staff did a great job keeping the kids entertained and the parade was excellent, if a little short. Got some great photos and the nippers face was well and truly lit up.
Moved straight across to do Buzz Lightyear and then the Astro Orbiter, the latter with a 10 mins Q.
Big surprise for me was the transit authority tram which lasted for ages and takes you through the space mountain building and others, all with a nice breeze. Well worth the trip!
Q for the Indy Speedway was a bit long so we went to do Space Mountain and XS Alien Encounter. Alien Encounter was a bit disappointing as most of the special FX in my seat were not working but the clever use of directional screams and shouts were great.
Next to Space Mountain. Long-ish Q of 25 mins but nicely air conditioned. Ride was better than I remembered and much longer but again a silly ride height restriction meant that the nipper could not ride.
Took a slow walk back to Main St. collecting pressed pennies along the way (got a full folder already) . Loads of Character greets at the entrance and managed to get autographs for Mr Mouse himself amongst others.
Caught the monorail to Epcot for our evening entertainment (Fireworks). Grabbed a quick go on Test Track which the nipper loved, especially the outdoor speed test and then hung around Mission:Space for a few minutes hoping to be invited on for a soft ride .. no such blooming luck ;-)
Managed to get a good spot for the fireworks between France & England for the fireworks (France was surprisingly quiet ;-) ). Even though the show is only short it was well worth the wait and the combination of the picture globe, fire, fountains, lasers and very, very loud fireworks probably made it my best fireworks show ever. Got Fantasmic Thursday night though.
Monorails were nice & quiet back to the car park and got back to the villa at 11pm after nearly running out of fuel (long story ..).
Took a floodlit swim and a few redneck beers then hit the sack
END OF REPORT
Sounds like you love the coasters!
