Belle Ella
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2007
- Messages
- 13,501
Ahh ... now where were we? Oh, yes - Pirates!
This was the first time I had sailed through the Caribbean since the addition of Ian McShane's Black Beard that coincided with the release of the latest POTC film. Back when the first movie-tie-in additions were made I was actually pretty fond of the changes. Yes, you heard me, I have no complaints with the addition of the multiple Jack Sparrow's (other than to wonder how he can be in 3 places at once) although I know it irks others who wish the ride hadn't been tampered with. What can I say, I like the evolution which is in part what Disneyland is all about - but that's another tangent entirely! But let me just say that Blackbeard just isn't as intimidating to me as Davy Jones was. Perhaps it's because Davy Jones was more of an actual representation of a monster and Blackbeard just looks human that differentiates the two but I really think it all boils down to one thing: Bill Nighy's (the actor who portrayed Davy Jones) voice. Yeah, his voice has given me the creeps for years, no question about it. So that's my take on it all. I suppose Blackbeard will do, but the voice just isn't intimidating to me.
Thanks to the earlier starting date for this year's Halloween festivities at Disneyland one of my favorite rides (and the only other ride located in New Orleans Square), the Haunted Mansion, was already closed while Jack Skellington and his friends prepare for the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay. I wont lie, it was a bit of a bummer. The last time I remember riding the 'regular' version there were bits of audio missing that really spoiled the experience for me. At least I enjoy the holiday overlay and will get to see that up and running when I return in just a few short weeks. But since this wasn't a current option I didn't end up hanging around in NOS and skipped off towards Adventureland and one of my all-time favorite rides: Indiana Jones!
Go figure, right? But then again I should be used to this by now. You would also think that with my band new iPhone I might have remembered that I have the Mouse Wait app and would have checked there but I'm pretty sure I forgot all about that for the entire duration of this trip. What a smarty-pants I am, huh? I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that Indy just happens to have the most frequent down-times, but I love the ride so much I can forgive it for those faults. Just so long as I get to ride eventually. That's what matters. But no Indy just yet.
Instead I make the short little trek (skipping, of course) over to the Jungle Cruise - your best bet if you're a fan of corny jokes, which of course I am! It's even better when you can pretty much recite the entire dialogue word for word right alongside your Skipper which, which of course I did (although to be fair to those around me I recited them in my head for the most part with a few occasional verbal outbursts that probably made it look like I was the crazy woman talking to herself or something). It still hasn't gotten old to me, and I doubt it ever will at this rate. And how's this for coincidences: I had the same exact skipper every single time I dropped by the River Exploration Company this trip. He was probably starting to wonder just how many birthdays I had by the time my last day rolled around. As for me, I was beginning to wonder how many 8th Wonders of the World there really are.
By the time I exited my boat (watching my step and my head so there was no need to watch my language, which would have been English regardless) it was just after 10:30 and I needed to figure out what else I was going to do before taking my Park-break for the day while I checked out the Health & Fitness Expo at the Disneyland Hotel, for those of us participating in the weekend's running events. The Expo didn't start until noon and I wanted to be there as close to that time as possible, so I had time to get a ride or two in, plus food, before heading towards the DLH's convention center. This is when I decided that maybe I could give Star Tours a try for the first time ever. People have always given me crazy looks whenever I tell them I have never been on Star Tours. Apparently because something isn't a roller coaster I can't have an excuse for why I'd be too much of a chicken to give it a try, but I have excuses for everything Godnabit! I'm too much of a chicken for motion simulators, duh! There's also this small little bit where I have to confess I'm not a huge Star Wars fan to begin with (hence my desire to re-theme the Star Tours 5K for myself as I mentioned in my PTR). What can I say, it's just not my thing. You put those two things together and is it really that shocking I had never been on the original Star Tours?
Now that Star Tours has been upgraded and re-opened and I've finally learned to pull up my big-girl panties and tackle the big-girl rides there was no better time than the present to give it a try. What was the worst that could happen? I could hate it and decide to just go back to walking by it without a second thought just as I always had before. Of course the special FP's that Paula (smile4stamps) had given me were what really sealed the deal. Without those suckers I would have passed completely simply to avoid the craziness of either (a) waiting in a super-duper-long standy-by queue or (b) waiting in a super-duper-long FP queue. Neither of those options were something I found appealing at all. So with one of those FP's I suddenly found myself in the queue. I can't say I really have an opinion on all there is to see in the queue itself since it's all pretty much not my area of expertise, but at least it was air conditioned. As for the ride itself, I'm kind of in the "meh" camp. Sorry to all the Star Tours lovers out there. I'm still really not a fan of the motion simulators and once you add in the
I pretty much check out. I pretty much can't stand and it makes me a little nauseous and light-headed. To be honest, breathing was a little hard for me the entire time. On the other side, I had a little fun and I would be lying if I said I didn't. I can probably see myself going on this once a trip, but that would probably be enough for me. Now the question is, can I remember which scene sequence I got? Well, since I'm no Star Wars expert I had to look this up, but here was my breakdown from my first time ever on Star Tours:
I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. I mostly just hate the way it makes me feel.
At this point I've pretty much decided to grab me some grub before heading over to the Expo via the Monorail and after some internal debate over where to eat I finally decided (well, my feet ultimately decided by leading me straight to my destination) to stop by the Golden Horseshoe. They still have some walls up right next to entrance that extends all the way down the Frontierland boardwalk towards the Pioneer Mercantile shop, but at least the Golden Horseshoe is open. Being there so late in the morning/early in the afternoon was pretty odd as there were no more than 6 or 7 people lounging around the tables and eating their food. I have never seen in that empty, especially since I'm usually there to catch Billy Hill and the Hillbillies who always draw a crowd. At some point over the weekend I wanted to take in a shoe at that stage, but would have to figure it out later. I was eating at 11:15 which was too early for their first show and didn't want to wait for it (even though I would have had the best seats in the house) because I wanted to get to the Expo and get all of my race things in order and so the plan was to eat and head straight to Tomorrowland to board the Monorail and get dropped off in Downtown Disney. Perfect, right?
Well, I got side-tracked! It may have been too early to catch the Billy's at the Golden Horseshoe but it wasn't too early to catch them playing on the boardwalk right in front of the Pioneer Mercantile. I couldn't just walk past without stopping to listen, and so that is just what I did. And of course I took some photos, albeit with my iPhone, but that's better than nothing right?
billy fiddle and his camera ... where have i seen that before?
aha! back from march.
I hung around for their whole little set and afterward spent a little time talking with Billy Fiddle about cameras, mandolins, and how despite my nickname, Jazz, I have a love for Bluegrass. To put it simply, it was just some boring "shop talk" from on Billy to another. But then they all had to be on their way which I took as a cue for me to be on my way as well. I crossed the Park through the Hub and into Tomorrowland, boarding the Monorail just a few minutes before noon only to sit there with about a 10 minute delay. It's not really a fun thing when you're in a confined space with no air conditioning, even if the door is wide open. But at least I was sitting down. A few of the other people waiting with me were also registered for the weekend's events and were trying to make their way over to the Expo so we chit-chatted a bit. Eventually the doors closed and we were off!
This was the first time I had sailed through the Caribbean since the addition of Ian McShane's Black Beard that coincided with the release of the latest POTC film. Back when the first movie-tie-in additions were made I was actually pretty fond of the changes. Yes, you heard me, I have no complaints with the addition of the multiple Jack Sparrow's (other than to wonder how he can be in 3 places at once) although I know it irks others who wish the ride hadn't been tampered with. What can I say, I like the evolution which is in part what Disneyland is all about - but that's another tangent entirely! But let me just say that Blackbeard just isn't as intimidating to me as Davy Jones was. Perhaps it's because Davy Jones was more of an actual representation of a monster and Blackbeard just looks human that differentiates the two but I really think it all boils down to one thing: Bill Nighy's (the actor who portrayed Davy Jones) voice. Yeah, his voice has given me the creeps for years, no question about it. So that's my take on it all. I suppose Blackbeard will do, but the voice just isn't intimidating to me.
Thanks to the earlier starting date for this year's Halloween festivities at Disneyland one of my favorite rides (and the only other ride located in New Orleans Square), the Haunted Mansion, was already closed while Jack Skellington and his friends prepare for the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay. I wont lie, it was a bit of a bummer. The last time I remember riding the 'regular' version there were bits of audio missing that really spoiled the experience for me. At least I enjoy the holiday overlay and will get to see that up and running when I return in just a few short weeks. But since this wasn't a current option I didn't end up hanging around in NOS and skipped off towards Adventureland and one of my all-time favorite rides: Indiana Jones!
But
it
was
CLOSED!!
it
was
CLOSED!!
Go figure, right? But then again I should be used to this by now. You would also think that with my band new iPhone I might have remembered that I have the Mouse Wait app and would have checked there but I'm pretty sure I forgot all about that for the entire duration of this trip. What a smarty-pants I am, huh? I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that Indy just happens to have the most frequent down-times, but I love the ride so much I can forgive it for those faults. Just so long as I get to ride eventually. That's what matters. But no Indy just yet.
Instead I make the short little trek (skipping, of course) over to the Jungle Cruise - your best bet if you're a fan of corny jokes, which of course I am! It's even better when you can pretty much recite the entire dialogue word for word right alongside your Skipper which, which of course I did (although to be fair to those around me I recited them in my head for the most part with a few occasional verbal outbursts that probably made it look like I was the crazy woman talking to herself or something). It still hasn't gotten old to me, and I doubt it ever will at this rate. And how's this for coincidences: I had the same exact skipper every single time I dropped by the River Exploration Company this trip. He was probably starting to wonder just how many birthdays I had by the time my last day rolled around. As for me, I was beginning to wonder how many 8th Wonders of the World there really are.
By the time I exited my boat (watching my step and my head so there was no need to watch my language, which would have been English regardless) it was just after 10:30 and I needed to figure out what else I was going to do before taking my Park-break for the day while I checked out the Health & Fitness Expo at the Disneyland Hotel, for those of us participating in the weekend's running events. The Expo didn't start until noon and I wanted to be there as close to that time as possible, so I had time to get a ride or two in, plus food, before heading towards the DLH's convention center. This is when I decided that maybe I could give Star Tours a try for the first time ever. People have always given me crazy looks whenever I tell them I have never been on Star Tours. Apparently because something isn't a roller coaster I can't have an excuse for why I'd be too much of a chicken to give it a try, but I have excuses for everything Godnabit! I'm too much of a chicken for motion simulators, duh! There's also this small little bit where I have to confess I'm not a huge Star Wars fan to begin with (hence my desire to re-theme the Star Tours 5K for myself as I mentioned in my PTR). What can I say, it's just not my thing. You put those two things together and is it really that shocking I had never been on the original Star Tours?
Now that Star Tours has been upgraded and re-opened and I've finally learned to pull up my big-girl panties and tackle the big-girl rides there was no better time than the present to give it a try. What was the worst that could happen? I could hate it and decide to just go back to walking by it without a second thought just as I always had before. Of course the special FP's that Paula (smile4stamps) had given me were what really sealed the deal. Without those suckers I would have passed completely simply to avoid the craziness of either (a) waiting in a super-duper-long standy-by queue or (b) waiting in a super-duper-long FP queue. Neither of those options were something I found appealing at all. So with one of those FP's I suddenly found myself in the queue. I can't say I really have an opinion on all there is to see in the queue itself since it's all pretty much not my area of expertise, but at least it was air conditioned. As for the ride itself, I'm kind of in the "meh" camp. Sorry to all the Star Tours lovers out there. I'm still really not a fan of the motion simulators and once you add in the
I pretty much check out. I pretty much can't stand and it makes me a little nauseous and light-headed. To be honest, breathing was a little hard for me the entire time. On the other side, I had a little fun and I would be lying if I said I didn't. I can probably see myself going on this once a trip, but that would probably be enough for me. Now the question is, can I remember which scene sequence I got? Well, since I'm no Star Wars expert I had to look this up, but here was my breakdown from my first time ever on Star Tours:Droid - Wookie Planet - Princess Leia - Naboo
(hopefully that makes sense to someone)
(hopefully that makes sense to someone)
I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. I mostly just hate the way it makes me feel.
At this point I've pretty much decided to grab me some grub before heading over to the Expo via the Monorail and after some internal debate over where to eat I finally decided (well, my feet ultimately decided by leading me straight to my destination) to stop by the Golden Horseshoe. They still have some walls up right next to entrance that extends all the way down the Frontierland boardwalk towards the Pioneer Mercantile shop, but at least the Golden Horseshoe is open. Being there so late in the morning/early in the afternoon was pretty odd as there were no more than 6 or 7 people lounging around the tables and eating their food. I have never seen in that empty, especially since I'm usually there to catch Billy Hill and the Hillbillies who always draw a crowd. At some point over the weekend I wanted to take in a shoe at that stage, but would have to figure it out later. I was eating at 11:15 which was too early for their first show and didn't want to wait for it (even though I would have had the best seats in the house) because I wanted to get to the Expo and get all of my race things in order and so the plan was to eat and head straight to Tomorrowland to board the Monorail and get dropped off in Downtown Disney. Perfect, right?
Well, I got side-tracked! It may have been too early to catch the Billy's at the Golden Horseshoe but it wasn't too early to catch them playing on the boardwalk right in front of the Pioneer Mercantile. I couldn't just walk past without stopping to listen, and so that is just what I did. And of course I took some photos, albeit with my iPhone, but that's better than nothing right?
billy fiddle and his camera ... where have i seen that before?
aha! back from march.
I hung around for their whole little set and afterward spent a little time talking with Billy Fiddle about cameras, mandolins, and how despite my nickname, Jazz, I have a love for Bluegrass. To put it simply, it was just some boring "shop talk" from on Billy to another. But then they all had to be on their way which I took as a cue for me to be on my way as well. I crossed the Park through the Hub and into Tomorrowland, boarding the Monorail just a few minutes before noon only to sit there with about a 10 minute delay. It's not really a fun thing when you're in a confined space with no air conditioning, even if the door is wide open. But at least I was sitting down. A few of the other people waiting with me were also registered for the weekend's events and were trying to make their way over to the Expo so we chit-chatted a bit. Eventually the doors closed and we were off!
After that there really wasn't anything else to top off my quick afternoon at the Expo so I figured I would shoot my mother a quick text that I would be on my way soon. But I did have to stop for this quick little photo before departing.
