|
|
||
 | Oktoberfest. Munich, Germany September 24, 2006 |
|
| Apple | Cool | Disney | Entertainment | Fitness | Geek | Microsoft | Politics | Seattle Storm | Transit | Travel | UW MBA | ||
July 1, 2009More On HKDLThe details keep coming about the investments Disney is making in Hong Kong Disneyland. Some of my favorite nuggets:
Blue Sky Disney has the best roundup (and commentary) on the project (and some thumbnail-sized artwork); personally, this all sounds like great news, and gives me an excuse to nip off to Hong Kong in a few years' time. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 1, 2009 5:52 AM. June 25, 2009Hong Kong Disneyland To Double In SizeSo says Reuters. They're spending HK$4Bn on the park, and construction is slated to start within the year. Awesome news - I've had zero interest in seeing HK Disneyland, due mostly to its small size and lack of anything unique, relative to the other parks. Hopefully this will give the Imagineers a nice, blank canvas to work with. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 25, 2009 3:54 PM. June 13, 2009Disneyland Paris In Google Street ViewMore Google/Disneyland Paris love: last month, it was the DLP+Google Earth experience; today, it's DLP+Google Street View. Details from the Google blog: So, last October, as the last few rays of sunlight remained high enough in the sky, Disneyland Paris opened its gates early to our Street View car to capture some of the magic at street-level. We drove up Main Street USA (outside of Paris!), through Adventureland, and around Fantasyland and even in Walt Disney Studios Park. This is, for a Disney geek, pretty cool stuff. And, of course, I immediately clicked over to Discoveryland to see Space Mountain 2. Man, I'm needing a theme park fix right now. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 13, 2009 4:51 PM. June 12, 2009Disneyland's Matterhorn Turns 50Sunday, June 14 marks the 50th anniversary of the Matterhorn at Disneyland: The ride, officially known as the Matterhorn Bobsleds, rises 147 feet - the tallest point inside Disneyland - and can be seen from miles around. It's a 1/100 scale of the actual Matterhorn peak in the Alps at the border of Italy and Switzerland. This is the sort of news that makes me wish I lived a little closer to Southern California. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 12, 2009 1:35 PM. June 7, 2009Tips For Playing Toy Story ManiaThe OC Register has a nice post with some hot tips for playing Toy Story Mania: "Look a the Hamm and Egg game - it's one of the first games you play. Down in the corner, there is a chicken coop with a fox on it. Hit the fox, and then three chickens come out of the chicken coop and they're worth more points" Elaine and I got into the spirit of cooperative play when we were last at Disneyland; the "little green aliens" level goes into a pointstravaganza when you cooperate and "launch" the rocket in the middle of the screen. Good times. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 7, 2009 8:12 PM. May 29, 2009Disneyland Paris in Google EarthI got in to a conversation last week about Disneyland Paris: specifically, what I liked about it, and how it differs from Disneyland in Anaheim or Disney World in Orlando. I gave some of my usual comments - amazing theming, Discoveryland vs. Tomorrowland, the awesomeness that is Space Mountain: Mission 2 - but I realized as I was talking that it can be hard to capture the flavor. Well, now you can see for yourself. Disney has introduced a Google Earth fly-through of Disneyland Paris that is pretty astounding. It gives you a terrific sense of the place - the layout, the detail, and what makes the park distinctly European. Disney And More has a huge number of screenshots from the fly-through, but if you're a Google Earth user, you can check it out here. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 29, 2009 7:09 AM. May 23, 2009Audio-Animatronic Obama To Debut At Disney World July 4We have a new President, so the the Magic Kingdom's Hall of Presidents is is getting an update: The Obama figure is the result of attention to minute details by Disney sculptors, animators, engineers and even anatomists who pored over presidential photographs and video of him and then drew on the latest advances in robotic technology. I have to say, this sounds pretty cool. The Johnny Depp-inspired Jack Sparrow inside Pirates of the Caribbean is shockingly lifelike; "Robobama" is supposedly the same generation. I don't have any plans to attend WDW any time soon, but this would likely be worth seeing. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 23, 2009 10:32 PM. May 14, 2009Details On "Toy Story Mania" For The WiiThe OC Register has an update on the development of "Toy Story Mania" for the Wii, including quotes from the developers and some interesting stills of the game-in-progress: The game version includes the five carnival galleries found in the ride, such as balloon pops, plate tosses and darts. In addition, game developers came up with new and original galleries along with a series of mini games, for a total of 30 different games. My favorite note? The game was produced by the Irvine-based Papaya. Because of the company’s close proximity to the theme park, game designers got to spend time understanding the game. Emphasis mine. Yeah, sounds like a rough life, huh? "Honey? I'm off to California Adventure for a few hours for, uh, 'research'..." Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 14, 2009 5:45 AM. May 9, 2009Walt Disney Museum To Open In San FranciscoThis sounds like it's right up my alley: A new museum about the life of Walt Disney is planned to open in three buildings in San Francisco’s Presidio in the fall, but don’t expect any spinning Tea Cups or Haunted Mansion. The NY Times article is here, and the official site from Disney (www.waltdisney.org) is pretty sparse; it's big message is "Opening Fall 2009". Can't wait. Maybe I can catch it when I'm at Macworld next year. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 9, 2009 8:40 AM. May 7, 2009"Toy Story Mania" Is Coming To Tokyo DisneySeaLooks like we have a full-blown franchise hit on our hands: "Toy Story Mania" is coming to Tokyo DisneySea in 2012. This will be the third park to get the ride - can Paris and Hong Kong be far behind? I've been eager to see DisneySea for a long, long time - and not that I needed much encouragement, but this might make it all the more fun when I finally drag my ass to Tokyo. (Tip of the hat to Blue Sky Disney) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 7, 2009 8:24 PM. May 5, 2009"Mickey's Fun Wheel" Is Now OpenCalifornia Adventure Update: "Mickey's Fun Wheel", part of the $1.1Bn renovation of California Adventure, has soft-opened. There's a small sense of momentum, here, especially since this follows so closely after last month's re-launch of Paradise Pier's "games of the boardwalk". Step by step, DCA's gettin' better. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 5, 2009 9:02 PM. March 25, 2009"Toy Story Mania" Is Coming To The Wii!This is an awfully nice thing to wake up to: It's the news of the week, and it's really cool: Disney Interactive studios officially announces today that a Toy Story Mania video game - of course inspired from the DCA and WDW attraction - will be released this fall, exclusively for Nintendo Wii. And in 3D! Remember, folks - there's only a couple hundred shopping days left until Christmas... Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated March 25, 2009 5:55 AM. March 18, 2009Paris' Walt Disney Studios Turns 7I don't know how I missed this, but Monday was the seventh birthday of the Walt Disney Studios park at Disneyland Paris. Disney and More has a great collection of photos from the park's original opening in 2002. WDS is a tiny park; as I wrote back on my first visit in 2006: We wrapped up our Disneyland visit right as the Villains parade was getting under way, and popped over to the Walt Disney Studios park. I didn't know a whole lot about this one - I've visited Disney-MGM studios, of course, and have spent time in the Hollywood Backlot area of California Adventure. So to say that I was underwhelmed, well, would be kind. This puppy is barely a park, and it's clearly been built on the cheap. Disney Studios has exactly two(!) rides - Rock n' Roller Coaster and a "flying carpet ride". The rest are "ride experiences" like the behind-the-scenes tour, or some of the stuff you get at Universal Studios. Disney has invested in WDS since then, opening a Tower of Terror and (soon) a "Toy Story Land". However, it's a little shocking to see the photos from opening day and realize just how thin the gruel really was. California Adventure's opening looks positively opulent in comparison. Here's hoping Disney brings its second Parisian gate up to scratch sooner rather than later. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated March 18, 2009 6:28 AM. February 7, 2009"it's a small world" Is Finally OpenAfter a long refurb and a brief opening for the holidays, Disneyland's "it's a small world" has finally re-opened, including the long-vilified "America" section and the inclusion of Disney characters in their home countries: After a yearlong renovation, it reopens Friday with a new scene that depicts the "Spirit of America," a relocated rain forest and 29 added Disney and Pixar characters inserted in the countries where their stories take place. ... the characters -- which look like children playing dress-up -- show up in the settings of their original stories: Peter Pan and Tinker Bell fly over one tower of the London Bridge, the Pinocchio marionette appears in a puppet show in Italy; Aladdin and Jasmine ride a flying carpet in the Middle East scene. The early reviews are pretty good; the ride seems to have been given a gentle touch and a new lease on life. And the kids seem to be responding well to the "Where's Waldo?" aspect of the ride, searching for their favorite characters in all the various set pieces. Can't wait to ride it, m'self. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated February 7, 2009 8:38 AM. February 1, 2009"Toy Story Land" Coming To Disneyland ParisJanuary was a crazy month, so I'd missed this: apparently, there's a new land coming to the Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris: This new Toy Story Land, although some keep saying it'll be open at the end of 2009 should in fact open in 2010 and of course will be part of the new attractions for next year season. The timing will be absolutely perfect as we know that the two first Toy Story movies will be released in 3D at the end of this year and early 2010, and the awaited Toy Story 3 will be released summer 2010 in Europe. So, next year will definitely be a "Toy Story" year. Just three attractions: an "Army Men" parachute drop (incidentally, this was originally intended to replace the Maliboomer at California Adventure), a "Slinky the Dog" carousel-type ride, and an "RC Racer" thrill ride for kids. It's a small expansion to an even-smaller park (Walt Disney Studios is, without question, the tiniest and least-built-out park in all of Disney's holdings), but I'm pleased to see that the company is investing, especially since they just opened a Tower Of Terror there. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated February 1, 2009 11:45 AM. December 11, 2008California Adventure: The Interactive MapThe friendly folks over at the Orange County Register have put together a slick interactive map of the changes coming to Disney's California Adventure over the next couple of years, complete with concept art and timeline. I love it (and only regret that I didn't think of it first). Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated December 11, 2008 5:13 PM. November 24, 2008"it's a small world" Re-OpensAfter a 9-month refurbishment, "it's a small world" has finally re-opened at Disneyland. However, the apocalypse-inducing placement of Disney characters in the ride is on hold until the new year: The changes to the interior of the attraction are more subtle, and those who were eager to see how the Disney characters would be incorporated into the show scenes will have to wait until the post-holiday refurbishment is complete. A few characters from the rainforest scene have been relocated, reportedly to make room for a new America scene after the holiday overlay is removed. Photos and more detail are at MousePlanet's weekly Disneyland update. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated November 24, 2008 10:54 AM. November 15, 2008DCA Makeover: The Motion PictureI know I've been covering the makeover of California Adventure a lot of late, but if you're interested in getting another perspective on what's coming down the pike, turn your eyes over to YouTube. There's a terrific video presentation on what's being done, where, and when - and although it was put together in March (thus predating the opening of Toy Stoy Mania), it's still pretty interesting. (Tip of the hat to RansomThink.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated November 15, 2008 6:09 PM. November 12, 2008Space Mountain Wait Times On Your Cell PhoneThe Los Angeles Times is reporting that Disney and Verizon have cut a deal that will let visitors to the parks use their cell phones in a more intelligent, interactive way: Visitors to Disneyland or Walt Disney World would be able to download an application to their mobile phones to make trip plans, including booking hotel rooms and creating a checklist of attractions and shows to see. Once they arrive, they'll be able to use their phones to check wait times at Space Mountain or find the nearest pizza. It's launching in early 2009 at Epcot, and will initially require a special, Disney-supplied device. However, given who Disney's largest shareholder is, I wouldn't be surprised to see the iPhone supported sooner instead of later. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated November 12, 2008 7:50 AM. October 22, 2008Space Mountain 2 Artwork & VideoDisney and More is up with an artwork-and-video-heavy post about Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris - its history, design, construction and evolution. They even sport some cool - and, as memory serves, prety darn accurate - simulated ride-through videos of the coaster in action. (If you're interested in Space Mountain 2 (I confess to being a bit obsessed), be sure to spend the 45 minutes checking out the BBC "Shoot For The Moon" documentary.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated October 22, 2008 10:00 AM. October 18, 2008Goofy's Sky SchoolWith the Preview Center opening Monday, it's turned into a big news week for Disney's California Adventure. This morning's LA Times Travel Blog has a blurb (and artwork) about the coming transformation of "Mulholland Madness" into "Goofy's Sky School": Gone is the giant foldout map of Southern California that always seemed like a futile attempt to hide the fact that the coaster was nothing more than a wild-mouse ride found at any freeway entertainment center. Gone too is the Magic Mountain-esque, slapdash, Caltrans maintenance-yard theme involving little more than a plastering of roadwork signs. "Mulholland" is one of the "tells" about DCA origins - an off-the-shelf, built on the cheap ride with minimal themeing. The fact that they're tackling this eyesore head-on - and with a bit more creativity than I'd have expected - is encouraging. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated October 18, 2008 7:56 AM. October 16, 2008More On The DCA Preview CenterThe Orange County Register is up with an in-depth story about the new Preview Center at Disney's California Adventure. Lots of photos, lots of copy; here's a bit about what's coming to Paradise Pier: The Mickey Wheel will replace the park’s current attraction, The Sun Wheel. The sun face will be replaced by a vintage “pie-cut eyed” Mickey face. Different vintage Disney characters will be featured on each gondola. The center itself opens to the public on Monday, the 20th. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated October 16, 2008 9:06 AM. October 10, 2008Sketches Of DCA's FutureThe Orange County Register has a great story (and, more importantly, an embedded slideshow) about the re-imagineering of Disney's California Adventure. (Personally, I love what they're doing with the Orange Stinger.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated October 10, 2008 6:17 PM. October 7, 2008DCA's Preview Center Opens Oct. 20Al Lutz is up with a column this morning about the changes coming to California Adventure. The new DCA "Preview Center" opens to the public on October 20, and here's what we can expect: On the upper level that used to be the theater seating, you will immediately be drawn to a detailed model under glass of the completed makeover of Paradise Pier. The cheap and modern minimalist decor approved by Paul Pressler and Michael Eisner back in the late 1990's is gone, and the ultra themed Victorian look of Midway Mania has swept from one end of the pier to the other. Around the large Pier model are some smaller models of architectural mock-ups of the remade midway games, with explanations of how Imagineers use these types of models to fine tune the scale and overall look of a facility during the design phase. I'm a little bummed that Elaine and I couldn't see this in person last month, but it's still damn exciting. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated October 7, 2008 6:25 AM. October 5, 2008"Shoot For The Moon"I've been spending part of my weekend savoring a fantastic, 1995 BBC documentary called "Shoot For The Moon", about the creation of "Space Mountain: Mission 2" at Disneyland Paris. If you're interested in Disney park attractions, roller coasters, or Imagineering in general, it's a must-see. It runs about an hour, and is available in five parts on YouTube: one, two, three, four, five. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated October 5, 2008 8:54 AM. September 12, 2008Disneyland Trip Report
The trip was Friday-to-Tuesday, so we had plenty of time to see, well, everything at both Disneyland and California Adventure, plus do some sleepin' in and hangin' out. A few notes:
I don't know when we're heading back to Anaheim, but I suspect it will be a while. I can't wait to see what DCA looks like when we get there. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated September 12, 2008 9:38 AM. September 4, 2008A Few Thoughts On Disneyland's (Controversial) "it's a small world" UpgradeElaine and I are off to Disneyland later this month, and one of the attractions we won't be riding is "it's a small world". (It's closed for refurbishment through November 29.) The refurbishment isn't a new thing - the ride's been offline for months - but as I was researching the state of the park for our trip (Haunted Mansion and Fantasmic! are also closed ... sigh), I was reminded about what a crazy firestorm of criticism Disney got subjected to when it announced the rehab in the first place. The Disneyland version of "small world" is old - it's the original, the one built for the 1964 World's Fair. And, after drilling that song into everybody's head for the last 44 years, the ride, unsurprisingly, needs a bit more than a paint job and some new screen doors. (Incidentally, one big improvement - pun intended - that's being made is to widen and deepen the fiberglass canals that carry riders through the building. Seems that tourists are a bit bigger in 2008 than they were in 1964, and, as such, it's not uncommon for boats to, uh, bottom out and get stuck. The new-n'-improved "small world" will address this issue. Be sure to read Al Lutz's article from Oct '07 for the juicy details.) The problem with the rehab is that, in addition to the road-widening initiative, Disney is also "plussing" the attraction to make it more modern. They're cleaning up the audio-animatronics, adding a new "USA" section, and (this is the supposedly-offensive part) adding a handful of Disney characters to the lands where they're "from" (e.g., Mulan is in China, Aladdin in Persia, Lilo & Stitch in Hawaii, and so on). Yeah, let that one sink in for a minute. (The nerve, right?) Some Disney fans have seriously lost their shit over this. There are "Save the Rainforest" petitions on the Internet, open letters from the upset family of Mary Blair (one of the original artists and designers of the ride); these led to an open-letter response from Disney itself, and, when that didn't do, legendary Disney Imagineer Marty Sklar posted his open letter. Dogs and cats living together ... mass hysteria. Honestly, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Al Lutz (who I read, respect, and adore) wrote the following earlier this year: "The premise behind small world is simple, it's a ride about 'the children of the world' and for over forty years it has continued to pull in solid rider numbers despite a gradual decline in show quality. Thanks to an extremely well executed holiday makeover it has even grown those numbers to become a vital component of the Christmas season plans for the park. Here's the thing - none of what Disney is doing in Anaheim is new. The Disneyland Paris version of "small world" has a "USA" section. Hong Kong Disneyland has the characters (you can view a ride-through here). The Anaheim version of the ride is, if anything, behind the times - it needs to get brought up to code. (In fact, the Disneyland Paris "small world" is, without quesion, the nicest version of the three I've ridden - Anaheim and Orlando being the other two). Leaving the ride stuck in the past has a price, too. I am reminded of my experience riding Space Mountain at Disney World in January '06. I'd just ridden the new, rebooted-and-rebuilt Disneyland Space Mountain six months earlier, and, when we hit the Orlando version, the experience was still fresh in my mind. I wrote: The Anaheim Space Mountain is a brand-spanking-new, modern coaster with kick-ass effects and music that's synchronized to the ride. The Orlando Space Mountain is a 35-year-old roller coaster in the dark. There's no comparison between the two. At all. Anaheim makes Orlando look old n' busted. Disney really ought to rebuild the Orlando version as soon as possible. We're talking potential brand damage, here, people. And this, basically, is what will happen with "small world" if it doesn't change with the times. Yes, I love the ride. Yes, it's cool to know that the version I've been riding is the exact! same! version! that Walt Himself rode in 1964. But you know something? Times change, tastes change, and Disneyland is not a museum. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom is about just this thing - preservationist friction between people that want to keep the Haunted Mansion exactly as it was built, while other voices want to update it. It's a normal, understandable tension, and one to be expected, but c'mon - let's be fair. Adding Ratatouille's Remy to the France exhibit isn't the end of the world, particularly if it's done tastfully. To be fair to my fellow Disney freaks: yes, it's possible for Disney to fuck up a ride by making it "hipper" - the travesty that is the Disney World "Enchanted Tiki Room - UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT" is a poster child for How Not To Do It. Putting Iago in the classic venue and then mocking the attaction itself by calling it out of date is clearly a bad idea. These days, however, Disney creative is being run by people who get it. It would never happen now. (In John We Trust.) Change is good. The parks aren't intended to be frozen in blocks of Lucite, preserved for eternity As Walt Knew Them. Let's catch our breath, mmmkay? November 29 will be here soon enough. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated September 4, 2008 4:45 PM. July 26, 2008Disney Is Rebooting TronBlue Sky Disney is reporting that Disney is developing a sequel to "Tron" - and they they showed a 3-minute clip at Comic Con this week. Other coverage from FirstShowing.net: The trailer opens with a man running from an approaching light cycle. As he continues to run, he makes a Matrix-style leap into the air. When he reaches the peak of his jump, he leans forward, and a light cycle forms around him. (OMG!) UPDATE: Jim Hill has more details on the film, and the clip itself is up on YouTube (better hurry before someone at Disney asks that it be taken down). Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 26, 2008 7:02 AM. July 21, 2008New Coaster Coming To Disney's Hollywood Studios?Jim Hill has a story up this morning about how the success of Toy Story Mania at Disney World has loosened the purse strings for a brand-new Pixar-themed roller coaster that would open in 2011: "So what's it going to be?," you ask. That long-rumored clone of Walt Disney Studios' "Crush's Coaster" ? Or -- better yet -- some "Ratatouille" -themed restaurant that will feature regular appearances by that new Living Character Initiative version of Remy ? Oh, man, now that would be worth a five-hour plane ride for opening day... Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 21, 2008 7:49 AM. July 14, 2008Honoring The Adventurer's ClubIn honor of its soon-to-be-closing, Disney and More put up an incredibly in-depth post about the Adventurer's Club, complete with high-res photos and a couple pretty good videos. Definitely worth a look (especially if you've never had the chance to see it in person). Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 14, 2008 6:16 AM. July 3, 2008Adventurer's Club, RIPWalt Disney World's Downtown Disney is going through some changes, the biggest of which is the closure of their Pleasure Island club district in September: Walt Disney World will close its six nightclubs at Pleasure Island Sept. 27 and remake the 120-acre complex into a more family-friendly entertainment district. While I'm not crying too much over this in the broad sense (I found Pleasure Island's club scene to be pretty sterile and generic - a comedy place, plus themed clubs for 80s, 70s, jazz and so on), I'm really sad to lose the Adventurer's Club, which is easily one of the best things at Walt Disney World, and a personal favorite of mine and Richard's. The best summary of the Adventurer's Club comes from Re-Imagineering (who is pretty pissed off about its loss): Some guests who enter this 1930's gentleman's club wander around the mezzanine, and depart without discovering the true genius this venue has to offer. Guests who descend the staircase and sit down for a drink or two are in for the time of their lives. Richard and I would spend hours - entire evenings, sometimes - just hanging out in the club, drinking margaritas, interacting with the actors and other patrons, and laughing our assess off. When we planned our last Disney World trip, we set aside a few nights just to chill at the Club and unwind. Disney World is losing something really precious, and it's a shame. There's an online petition to save the club, not that I think it'll do much good. Adventurer's Club, you'll be missed. Kungaloosh! Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 3, 2008 4:47 AM. July 2, 2008A Peek Inside Tokyo DisneySeaBlue Sky Disney ran a piece on Monday that contained links to several YouTube videos about Tokyo DisneySea. Two of them - clips from a Travel Channel special - stood out for me: Of these, Part One is better, but they're both worth a look (and will take, in total, about 16 minutes of your time). As expected, the park looks incredible - lushly detailed, with incredible production value, innovative attractions and great ideas. As I watched, I was reminded/saddened that Tokyo got DisneySea in 2001, while the US got California Adventure. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 2, 2008 12:03 PM. June 23, 2008MousePlanet Covers The "Midway Mania" OpeningIt's a terrific set of photos, but my favorite part is here: "I tell you, put Pixar and Imagineering together and you get Toy Story Mania." Lasseter also refered to the new ride as, "the start of the rebirth of Disney's California Aventure," a comment that drew a loud round of applause from the Imagineers in the audience. He mentioned the upcoming Little Mermaid attraction and Cars Land addition... It's about damn time. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 23, 2008 9:57 AM. June 22, 2008John Lasseter On "Toy Story Mania" High ScoresThe LA Times blog scored a cool video interview with John Lasseter about Toy Story Mania; the interviewer gets to ride along with John on the attraction, and find out some of the secrets to getting a high score. We also get to see a bit about how the ride operates, and what the game looks like while playing. God, this thing looks like so much fun. Check it out! Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 22, 2008 8:29 AM. June 17, 2008Disneyland's 'House Of The Future' Re-OpensDisneyland is opening its rebooted "House of the Future" in Tomorrowland, and yesterday's PI had an article ("This Dream Home comes with a Mouse") about what we can expect - and one of the Microsofties who's been working on it: The Dream Home is a modern-day sequel to the Monsanto House of the Future, a Disneyland attraction from 1957 to 1967. The new Dream Home project, in Disneyland's Tomorrowland, includes some futuristic technology concepts, like its predecessor. I find it interesting - but not surprising - that they're using some of the concepts I saw during my Microsoft Home tour earlier this year. I'm curious to see what they've cooked up in Innoventions - and to see if they can keep it fresh in 2009, 2010, and beyond. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 17, 2008 7:40 AM. June 16, 2008DCA's Orange Stinger To Get A MakeoverFrom the L.A. Times Travel Blog: The Orange Stinger swing ride will get a new Disney theme and back story as part of the planned $1.1-billion Disney’s California Adventure makeover, Walt Disney Imagineering officials confirmed. Awesome, and it's about time. One more el-cheapo carnival ride down, 15 to go... Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 16, 2008 9:03 PM. June 13, 2008LA Times Reviews "Toy Story Mania"The Los Angeles Times has a glowing review of Toy Story Mania at California Adventure: After a preview ride this week, I only had one problem with Toy Story Mania: the all-consuming game prevents me from sitting back and simply enjoying the scenery. I have to play. For me, the game has already proven so addictive as to cause TSM (a.k.a. Mania Elbow) — a form of repetitive stress injury brought on by repeated tugging on the spring-action shooter. I find myself constantly shaking my sore wrist after each round of play. The ride opens officially on June 17. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 13, 2008 5:56 AM. June 2, 2008"Disney and Pixar - The Power of the Prenup"The NY Times has a good article ("Disney and Pixar - The Power of the Prenup") about how the Disney/Pixar merger is working out, two years in: When Disney bought its rival, Pixar, in 2006 for $7.4 billion, many people assumed the deal would play out like most big media takeovers: abysmally. The worries were twofold: that either Disney would trample Pixar’s esprit de corps (turning Mr. Lasseter into a drone, chanting “Hi Ho” en route to Mickey’s animation mines) or that Pixar animators would act like spoiled brats and rebuke their new owner. (My favorite detail from the story is that John Lasseter wears Hawaiian shirts everywhere.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 2, 2008 6:49 AM. May 17, 2008"Toy Story Mania" ReviewMiceAge's Kevin Yee has a (spoiler-filled) review of Orlando's Toy Story Mania - he gives it a "D+", meaning it's "but a sliver away from being an E-ticket attraction." If you're eager to know more about TSM, give it a read. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 17, 2008 9:47 PM. May 13, 2008"Toy Story Midway Mania" Ride VideoDestinations In Florida managed to attend the annual-passholder soft open of "Toy Story Midway Mania" in Orlando on the 10th, and filmed it. The video is up on YouTube. The ride looks ... incredible. Lushly themed, highly creative, interactive - it makes Buzz Lightyear look like Pong. (And admittedly, it's supposedly even better with the 3D glasses on!) The California Adventure version of "Midway" is a clone of Orlando's, and is slated for soft-open sometime next month. My argument for taking a Labor Day trip to Disneyland gets stronger by the minute... (Tip of the hat to Disney and More!) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 13, 2008 7:26 PM. February 15, 2008"Disney's Night Kingdom" Coming In 2011?This has shaped up as a big week of Disney theme park news here on the blog, but (apparently) when it rains, it pours: today, Jim Hill has the scoop on the forthcoming fifth theme park that will open at Disney World in Orlando: "Disney's Night Kingdom." Disney's Night Kingdom's operating hours will be 4 p.m. to midnight (5 p.m. to 1 a.m. during daylight savings time). Price? $520 million. Slated for 2011. Fingers crossed! Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated February 15, 2008 9:34 AM. February 14, 2008Disneyland's "House Of The Future" ReturnsBoth The Disney Blog and the LA Times Travel Deals blog report that Disneyland's (lame) "Innoventions" pavillion will be re-opening shortly as "The House of the Future" - an attraction that originally appeared at Disneyland from 1957 to 1967. Only this time, it's powered by Microsoft and HP: The two-bedroom demonstration home with a kitchen, living room, dining room, study and backyard (but no bathroom) will feature current and near-future technology, including: The new "House of The Future" is slated to open in May. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated February 14, 2008 7:51 AM. February 13, 2008Blue Sky Disney On DCAMonday's Blue Sky Disney report contained a bunch of stuff on California Adventure's rebuild, from Toy Story Mania to the Little Mermaid ride, and "Carsland": The entrance to the area right past the HBL will lead to the jewel of D(C)A... Carsland. The land which will take up 20 percent of the park will have 3 attractions upon opening four years from now... Radiator Springs Racers, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi's Roaming Tires. But the new land was designed to hold at least two more attractions. By the Second Phase we should see at least one more D-Ticket or a plussed C-Ticket at the least. It's all rumor and speculation, of course, but the details are tantalizing (and certainly exciting) for Disney aficionados. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated February 13, 2008 3:49 PM. February 10, 2008"Will Disney Keep Us Amused?"The New York Times has a great article today about the renovation of Disney's California Adventure: Visit Disney’s California Adventure — a 55-acre theme park next door to the fabled progenitor of the modern amusement Mecca, Disneyland — and you will find a noisy reminder of what happens when a company loses its focus and cuts corners. Definitely worth a read. Elaine and I are talking about a Disneyland trip in September to ride "Toy Story Mania" -- anyone interested in goofing off with us? Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated February 10, 2008 12:49 PM. December 10, 2007Tower Of Terror Opens At Disneyland ParisDisney And More posted a terrific, in-depth article yesterday about the opening of the Tower Of Terror at the Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris. The ride is a clone of the California Adventure version (rather than the superior, original one in Orlando), but the theming looks lavish and over-the-top, which is a welcome change from the bare-concrete-and-billboard aesthetic that's been used at WDS since its launch (frankly, WDS makes California Adventure look like Tokyo DisneySea). Elaine and I saw the Tower of Terror under construction in 2006 and on the honeymoon; I'm kind of bummed I missed the opening by a mere 10 weeks. (Oh, and be sure to check out this photo, taken from the top of the drop tower -- that's Space Mountain 2 in the distance!) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated December 10, 2007 10:11 AM. November 28, 2007Toy Story Mania PreviewDisney has put up a Flash-based preview of "Toy Story Mania!", the new attraction opening next year at California Adventure (and Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando). There's concept art, video clips of the ride designers, and annoyingly catchy background music. If you're not familiar with the ride concept, Wikipedia has a good summary: Park guests will wear 3-D glasses aboard spinning vehicles that travel through virtual environments based on classic carnival midway games. Ride vehicles will seat up to eight and will record each guest's score as points are acquired with toy cannons firing at virtual targets. Similar technology has been used in various park's Buzz Lightyear attractions and Tokyo Disneyland's Monsters, Inc.: Ride n' Go Seek interactive dark rides. The queue will feature a huge Mr. Potato Head audio-animatronic figure that will interact with the public. We're hoping to make a trip next September, and "Mania!" will almost certainly be one of the first things I ride. (Tip 'o the hat to The Disney Blog.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated November 28, 2007 7:34 AM. October 22, 2007MousePlanet's Disneyland UpdateThis morning's MousePlanet has a good summary of the changes coming to California Adventure (and a little editorial about it as well): Last Wednesday the Walt Disney Company finally unveiled the long-awaited plans to renovate and retheme Disney's California Adventure. Here is a brief overview of the plan, compiled from the official announcement made by Disney President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger and Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo, as well as reporting from national and local news media. They also link to this gem of a map in the Orange County Register, visualizing how the park will be changing over the next five years. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated October 22, 2007 7:45 AM. October 18, 2007Al Lutz: The Goods On DCAAl Lutz has the detailed scoop - straight from yesterday's Disney Cast Member briefing - on the changes coming to Disney's California Adventure. As expected, it's all good news: Finally, it was time for Bob to unveil plans for the biggest piece of the Phase One expansion, the new Cars Land section of the park. The Radiator Springs Racers attraction using a third generation Test Track ride system, with dual tracks and a custom built show building, is clearly the headliner here. Bob showed several pictures as he explained that the ride will have indoor and outdoor ride sections, with the indoor show scenes featuring all of the Cars characters before the ride turns into a thrilling road race with you and another car racing side by side. Check it out. (The concept art alone is pretty exciting!) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated October 18, 2007 9:11 AM. October 17, 2007WSJ: Disney Spending $1.1bn To Fix DCAWow, it's official: Since its 2001 debut, the Walt Disney Co. theme park Disney's California Adventure has floundered in the shadow of its legendary neighbor, Disneyland. To fix it, Disney is now planning a $1.1 billion overhaul -- the most extensive makeover the company has ever given to a theme park. ... The Disney Web has been covering this for some time, but it's still terrifically exciting that Disney has gone so public with it - and so public about why they need to overhaul DCA: Even so, California Adventure has had special problems. On a recent afternoon at the Disneyland Resort, 18-year-old season-pass holder Megan White made a standard complaint: "Disneyland is a magical place, but California Adventure is just a theme park you can get anywhere." Ms. White, of Valencia, Calif., adds she spends most of her visits at Disneyland, only entering California Adventure for one or two rides because it has "no imagination." Translation: it was built on the cheap, and people know. Good on ya, Disney, for swallowing the bitter pill. I can't wait to see what the newly relaunched park looks like. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated October 17, 2007 9:37 AM. August 29, 2007More On DCAYesterday's Al Lutz column at MiceAge has some more scoop on the changes coming to California Adventure. It's a must-read: Tied in with the project to radically remake the entrance is a plan to rebrand and retheme the current Hollywood Pictures Backlot section directly to the east of the existing Sunshine Plaza. Instead of a fake Hollywood backlot themed to being a fake Hollywood, the area will be redone to actually be Hollywood during the Golden Age of the 1930's. ... This is all really exciting, and I personally can't wait to see how it all turns out. Elaine and I will be down at Disneyland in early '08, and I'm hoping to see the Orange Stinger for, maybe, the last time. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated August 29, 2007 11:45 AM. July 23, 2007Fixing California AdventureLast week's travels took me out of the news loop - RSS or no RSS, it's hard to stay current on the road. So imagine my surprise (delight!) when I returned home, booted a browser, and discovered that Disney management has finally, finally decided to Do The Right Thing at the Disneyland Resort. They're going to spend [pinky to lips] a billion dollars to fix Disney's California Adventure. Al Lutz has the scoop (as usual): While the final budget wasn't the shoot-for-the-stars 1.5 billion plan that John Lasseter encouraged Imagineering (WDI) to dream up, the Board did plunge right in and approve right around one billion dollars in improvements and additions for California Adventure (DCA) into early next decade. The end result is that the creative folks in WDI's Glendale headquarters are downright giddy, and the suits in Team Disney Anaheim (TDA) out back are just as giddy but slightly shell-shocked at the huge budget numbers that have been approved to fix DCA. This is, without question, unbelievably cool. Since its launch in 2001, DCA has been an underperformer for both its owners and the public. Many believe (as I do) that the park suffers from being done on the cheap - it offers off-the-shelf carnival rides, makes extraordinarily light use of themeing, and suffers from a relative dearth of genuine attractions (remember, this is a park where tortilla-making is listed as something to do). Disney has tried to fix the park here and there - it closed Superstar Limo, built Tower of Terror, brought back the Main Street Electrical Parade. And yet none of this has been sufficient to give the park what it needed - a character of its own, a heart, a reason to exist other than being across the Esplanade from Disneyland. In February of 2006, I wrote: The park needs to be rebooted. It's salvageable. I'm greatly encouraged by John Lasseter's appointment as the senior creative guy ("Principal Creative Advisor") in charge of the theme parks - John's a former skipper on the Jungle Cruise, and loves Disneyland as much as the hard-core fans. If anyone will fix DCA - with imagination, spectacle, and vision - it's John. My hunch is that DCA will be a radically different (and radically better) park by the time it turns 10. And now - almost unbelievably - it looks like Bob Iger has finally decided to fix the problem. I'm in shock. Delighted, but in shock. Concept art isn't available (yet), and Disney is still mum about what's officially in store. But John Lasseter is a class act, a guy who loves stories, loves Disneyland, and loves to delight people. If he's got the power of the purse, I expect that DCA will finally blossom into something worth raving about. Let's sweep out the cheap carnival games, the crummy Orange Stinger, the paper-thin Hollywood Backlot. Let's put in some fantastic Pixar-themed attractions, bring over the Rockin' Roller Coaster from Orlando, and dial the park ambience up to 11. I'm telling you, construction walls never looked so good. In all seriousness - DCA turns 10 on February 8, 2011. It's a Tuesday. Anyone up for a midweek trip to California? Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 23, 2007 9:24 PM. July 19, 2007L.A. Story(With a happy nod to Steve Martin's genius movie of the same name) Work has brought me to Los Angeles for the past two days, which was much less in-n'-out than Oklahoma City (e.g., I was on the ground for more than 24 hours), but still didn't provide the kind of free time I need to see the sights, kick back, and enjoy a little vacation. Plus, it's not like I'm ready to just run around like a frat boy at Daytona Beach: customer visits can be exhausting, mentally and physically, and by the end of a good half-day or day-long session, I've generally got a hard drive full of notes and a head full of cotton. Back to the hotel, sleep, repeat as necessary. And yet, it was still a lot of fun. To wit:
Damn, it's good to be home. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 19, 2007 11:33 PM. June 11, 2007The Subs Are Back!Marnie sent me this Chicago Tribune article ("Back From The Depths") in e-mail today, and I realized I'd been a bad, bad blogger. (Missing Disneyland news? For shame!) Yep, Disneyland's newest attraction (re)opened today -- after laying dormant for nearly a decade, Tomorrowland's Submarine Voyage has received a "Finding Nemo" overlay and is once again circling the lagoon: Reinvented as the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, the long-dormant and eagerly anticipated attraction immerses riders in a 12-minute journey through a coral reef, exploding volcano and shark-infested wreck as they search for the orange-and-white clown fish of movie fame. With its impressive animation and spotlessly reconditioned bright-yellow submersibles, park-goers might just forget that the area of the theme park containing the ride — which Walt Disney himself helped conceive — was nearly paved over. I'm pretty jazzed about this, and have been following the redevelopment of the subs since Al Lutz started covering the project on MiceAge. Now, I never had the opportunity to ride the original subs - my first Disneyland experience was in 1985, and as memory serves they were closed for refurb. And when I (finally) came back in 2001, they'd been permanently closed (along with the PeopleMover/Rocket Rods). So I don't have the kind of emotional attachment to the subs that some do, but it's damn exciting to see Disney continuing to invest in their parks, and doubly exciting to see Tomorrowland gain another attraction. The lagoon had been sitting empty for a loooong time, and "Nemo" will add more motion, more color, and more vibrancy to a pretty-damn-cool part of Disneyland. I can't wait to ride it when I'm down next. (In the meantime, I'm sure Gina or Tony will exercise their season passes and send me taunting e-mails...) UPDATE, September 6, 2007: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 11, 2007 3:46 PM. May 9, 2007Custom Google Map Of The Magic KingdomThe Disney Blog is running an article this morning with a link to a custom Google Map that shows the distinct geospatial location of most of the attractions, restrooms, and so on inside the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Switch to the satellite photo (like this Space Mountain link) and zoom around! Link. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 9, 2007 9:40 AM. March 17, 2007Behind The Scenes At Club 33Napa Valley Register reporter Jennifer Huffman got a cool, behind-the-scenes tour of Disneyland's Club 33: Club 33 was created by Walt Disney in 1967 as a private retreat for guest dignitaries and other VIPs, said Bracco. Named after its "address" in New Orleans Square, only 480 corporate and individual members belong, paying between $9,500 to $25,000 to join, plus $3,175 to $5,925 in annual dues. A simple letter to Disneyland requesting a Club 33 application is all it takes to apply, said Bracco. But be prepared to wait seven to 10 years for your chance to join. More than 1,600 people await their turn. And while members get into the park for free, there's no free lunch -- they still have to pay for their meal. It's a great article, and it makes me a little wistful that Elaine and I didn't get to see more of Club 33 when we were at Disneyland. We did see some of it (the "Walk In Walt's Footsteps" tour takes you in the lobby - check out the photo of us ... in the elevator!), but we didn't get to see the private upstairs. Pity. (Tip o' the hat to The Disney Blog for the link.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated March 17, 2007 11:25 AM. February 20, 2007Gav n' Lane's California Adventure
(Yes, I'm talkin' about Disneyland.) We're home now - and wiped out from the nonstop craziness - so I wanted to recap some of the highlights and goodness from the trip. To wit:
If you're interested, my Flickr photostream is available. (And, yes, I really am trying to turn Elaine into the most-photographed woman in the world, this side of Princess Diana.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated February 20, 2007 10:32 PM. January 30, 2007Disney's "Music Behind The Magic"On Sunday, Khan, Christine, Elaine and I went down to the Experience Music Project to see their "Disney: Music Behind The Magic" exhibit. It's actually pretty cool. The exhibit itself is rather small - the EMP doesn't have a lot of floor space (which is odd, given how hulking the structure is), and they've put the Disney stuff at the top (smallest) level of their facility. When you get there, you're treated to a walk-through of Disney memorabilia ("Mickey Mouse Club" sweatshirts; original Disneyland vinyl records, an Audio-Animitronic bird from the Enchanted Tiki Room, etc.), as well as a number of flatscreen narratives about films, and some interactive exhibits. For me, the best part about the exhibit was seeing just how far animation has come over the last 60 or 70 years. Venerable films like Snow White are displayed alongside integrated animation/live action in Mary Poppins, with The Little Mermaid nearby. It's astonishing to see the quality of the images, color and sound leap up the evolutionary ladder as they've move from one era to the next. Another goodie is all the archived footage of Walt Disney at work in the studio with his animators and musicians, each goofing around and trying this thing or that. Walt's a personal hero, and I never get tired of seeing old footage of the guy (Disney's recent "Treasures" DVD releases are a good resource for that sort of thing). Seeing the whole exhibit won't take more than an hour; we actually had to blow through it in 45 minutes (EMP closes at 5; we arrived at 4. Note to self: next time, check the Web site for hours of operation), but I didn't feel like I missed too much. It's not a big exhibit (and, at $20 a head, fairly spendy unless you're going in to the EMP for a few hours), but worth a look if you're in to film or a Disney buff. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated January 30, 2007 8:36 PM. January 4, 2007Rockin' Space Mountain!Screamscape has a blurb this morning about the new "Rockin' Space Mountain" (formerly "Rock It Mountain") flavor of Space Mountain at Disneyland. Disney’s converted both Space Mountain and California Screamin' into "Rockin'" versions from now through April. This gives each ride a new soundtrack (by the Red Hot Chili Peppers), as well as some new effects and whatnot. (Whee-ha! Lane and I are going in February!) There’s a not-very-good YouTube video of Space Mountain (what do you expect? It’s in the dark) up now . Check it out! UPDATE, January 6, 2007: A better-quality version of this has surfaced on YouTube. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated January 4, 2007 10:54 AM. October 17, 2006Paris, Day Three: Space Mountain: Mission 2
Getting to DLP is about the easiest thing ever - just take the RER "A" train to its Eastern terminus in Marnee-la-Vallee, get off, walk out of the station, and turn right. You're there. Like Disneyland in Anaheim, Paris has two parks. The US has Disneyland and California Adventure. Paris has Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios. We'll get to Walt Disney Studios in a sec. Disneyland Paris is very much modeled on Anaheim's Disneyland, and less on Orlando's Magic Kingdom. The park has a keenly Parisian feel that comes through in the art design, landscaping, painting, and attractions. For example, Paris' Sleeping Beauty Castle isn't as small as Aneheim's, or as large as Cinderella Castle in Orlando - instead, it takes a middle path, choosing iconography over landscape domination. Food, too, is different - in addition to the usual American-style stuff (burgers, fries, etc.), the food choices reflect local tastes, such as baguettes and Nescafe. (And yes, the restaurants all serve wine.) But probably the best example of the park's Paris-ifcation is that Disneyland Paris doesn't have a "Tomorrowland" - rather, it has "Discoveryland", which is kinda what Tomorrowland might've been if the future envisioned by Jules Verne came to pass. As a wicked example of what that means from a theming perspective, consider Space Mountain. Formally known as "Space Mountain: Mission 2", the ride is completely different from its predecessors in Orlando, Anaheim and Tokyo. Rather than the clean, white, futuristic lines and space-station motif of the other Space Mountains, Mission 2 uses an ornate, Victorian look; the idea is that you're being launched out of one of Verne's ancient "moon cannons" into the farthest reaches of the universe. What's killer about this is that you actually induction-launch at a steep angle along the outside of the building (with a big burst of steam), then arc and dive into Space Mountain proper from the top. (I shot a 30-second video of this with my camera; it's cool. 46.7 MB, QuickTime required.) The music wasn't working when we rode (which kinda sucked), but the effects (planets, stars, supernovas) are done in a very Rock n' Roller Coaster-ish style. (Oh, yeah, and the ride has a couple loops in it.) If you like Rock n' Roller Coaster, Space Mountain: Mission 2 won't disappoint. The entire park is done up for Halloween, with these "pumpkin guys" running around and causing mischief. (Check my photostream for details; suffice to say, Richard would love it.) It's a very cool, creative motif, and complemented with a "Disney Villains" parade every afternoon. Sadly, there's no "Haunted Mansion Holiday" in Paris. Paris has some original rides, such as "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril" - a classic outdoor roller coaster, with some Indy-ish theming, and it's actually kinda cool. There's no clone of this ride at any Disney park that I know of. Most of the other rides are Paris-local adaptations of the greatest hits from the other Disney parks - Pirates of the Caribbean, "it's a small world" (closed, sadly, for the holiday overlay), Big Thunder Mountain, and the Phantom Manor (aka the Haunted Mansion). Without question, Big Thunder at Paris is the coolest, baddest version of the coaster, ever. Let's start with the great stuff: it's an island. Thunder Mountain sits smack-dab in the middle of the Thunder Mesa lagoon, so to get you out to the island they acutally run you under the lagoon. (How cool is that?) It's fast, it's smooth, it's fun, and just excellent. I'd say it beats Space Mountain: Mission 2 in terms of overall quality. It's that good, and that novel. Overall, DLP isn't as dense as its cousin in Anaheim, but it's certainly worth a visit. I'm not sure, exactly, who the market for this park is. Local Parisians? Families from Spain, Italy, Germany and the UK? Disney fans from the States? The park's inability to make a profit is somewhat legendary, but there are good things, here. The local color is a nice change from Disney's usual strategy of cloning a successful ride and then transplanting it into all its other parks. We wrapped up our Disneyland visit right as the Villains parade was getting under way, and popped over to the Walt Disney Studios park. I didn't know a whole lot about this one - I've visited Disney-MGM studios, of course, and have spent time in the Hollywood Backlot area of California Adventure. So to say that I was underwhelmed, well, would be kind. This puppy is barely a park, and it's clearly been built on the cheap. Disney Studios has exactly two(!) rides - Rock n' Roller Coaster and a "flying carpet ride". The rest are "ride experiences" like the behind-the-scenes tour, or some of the stuff you get at Universal Studios. (Suddenly, California Adventure doesn't look so bad.) They do have a Tower of Terror (very visibly) under construction, but I have no idea who would consider paying money to get in to this park. It's a second gate that shouldn't be one - we got in for free (the default ticket is a one-day park hopper), and I'm glad - if I'd spent an extra $5 for this, it'd have been too much. Really. What am I talking about? Well, take a look at this photo that depicts the outside of the Rock n' Roller coaster at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando. Note the giant guitar, the integrated lights, the festive feeling. Yes, it's just a roller coaster, but the ride feels like a place, an event, a happening. Now look at the companion entryway at Walt Disney Studios. We have a billboard. And a cheap one. Period. No theming, no nothing. It's actually tacky. This, um, efficiency manages to insinuate itself throughout the park. It's very un-Disneylike, and it's penny-wise, Euro-foolish, in my opinion. Ah, well. We rode the coaster twice and called it a (happy) day. (Flickr photostream is available.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated October 17, 2006 8:39 PM. August 9, 2006Orlando, MGX & Expedition Everest
Gina wrote me on Tuesday with the following: When were you in Orlando? I was looking at your Flickr photos and it looks like you did expedition everest? Short answer: yeah, I was in Orlando. And yes, I got to ride "Expedition Everest." But due to the loss of my hard drive, the post I'd worked on that was All About My Trip To Florida wound up getting lost. So here we go, as best as can be reconstructed from that other storage system called "long term memory." I went to Orlando on July 18 to attend the Microsoft Global Exchange, or MGX. MGX is a week-long conference for Microsoft's sales and marketing professionals; they fly in from all over the world to see executive presentations, hear about new products, watch demos (MGX is demos-a-go-go), and network with one another. Microsoft rented both the TD Waterhouse Centre and the Orange County Convention Center for the duration; TD Waterhouse is where all the executive sessions are held, while the interactive learning stuff is in the Convention Center breakout rooms. The scale of the show is just crazy, and the whole thing tends to be a party! party! party! atmosphere (for instance, the closing-night party was at Universal Studios Florida - we got run of the place, including complementary food, drink, and booze). (MGX has been known to get out of hand - rumor is that Microsoft isn't allowed to book another company function on Maui ever again after one particularly, um, "rowdy" year.) So I fly down to Florida for the week and wind up staying in the Walt Disney World Dolphin hotel. I'm bunked down with Balu, a classmate from UW, and we're both pretty busy with sessions, meetings, and whatnot. For a Disney geek like me, this is a bit torture-ish: just outside my window I can see the top of the Contemporary Resort and Space Mountain, as well as the top of Everest over at Animal Kingdom. But, lacking time to do much of anything personal - let alone Theme Parkin' - I'm stuck with my nose to the glass, staring into the candy store from the sidewalk. Ah, well. So MGX wraps up on Saturday night, people are going crazy at Universal Studios, and I slip out around midnight to head back to the hotel. My flight leaves Sunday night at 6:30, and I've figured out that I've got an oasis of personal time - about five hours, tops - to get up in the morning, pack, and hit Animal Kindgom before I have to get back to the hotel and head for the airport. And so, on Sunday morning at 11 AM, I'm in the single-rider line for "Expedition Everest", bypassing entirely the 60-minute wait. And, after about 20 minutes of anticipation, I'm through the line and sitting in the coaster, slightly disbelieving that the previous day I'd been watching Steve Balmer hold court in front of 14,500 people at a sports stadium. Here's the verdict on "Everest": it's good. It's not the best thing I've ever ridden (and it's not the best coaster on property -that's still the "Rock n' Roller Coaster"), but it's a solid addition to a park that needs it. In many ways, "Everest" is a cleaned up, modern version of Disneyland's "Matterhorn." Both rides have the same general motif (snowy mountain), gimmick (encounter with the Abominable Snowman and the Yeti, respectively), and ride mechanism (both are roller coasters). The difference, of course, is 50 years; where the Matterhorn is the first-ever steel-tube coaster in the United States (and looks it), "Everest" is a clean, smooth, well-balanced, modern thrill ride. Just not too thrilling. And that's the point, I think, for Disney. This coaster is supposed to be fun enough for the teens, but not too scary or intense for Mom, Dad, and Little Gav. They've succeeded on that score - it's a coaster with street cred, but not too much attitude. I rode it twice, and then I was done. With a few hours still remaining on my personal shot clock, I upgraded my ticket to a Park Hopper and zoomed over to Epcot to ride "Soarin'." A 75-minute (!) wait later, I was flying over California. (And grinning like a madman - I love that ride.) That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. And if you want the pictures, check out my Flickr photostream. (PS - if you've ever got the opportunity, going to a theme park by yourself is a ton of fun. Single rider lines reduce your wait, and you feel like you've got run of the place. I'd forgotten how great it was when I did my day at Magic Mountain in 2004.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated August 9, 2006 11:25 PM. June 22, 2006Backstage At Disney WorldSunday's Washington Post had a great article about what it's like to take one of the (several) "backstage tours" at Disney World ("Behind the Scenes at Disney World"): Did you even know you could peek behind the curtains at Disney World? They do almost nothing to promote these stunning backstage ops. But in fact, any civilian willing to pony up $12 to $199 can ogle a bit of what goes on within one of the most painstakingly designed, constructed and managed patches of all human civilization. The author sampled three different tours: "Keys To The Kingdom", "Backstage Safari" and the "Epcot Seas Aqua Tour." I wholeheartedly recommend the backstage tours. Back in 2002, a group of us spent a week at the World and took an entire day on "Backstage Magic." We kicked off at EPCOT, headed out to the Magic Kingdom, and then finished up at Disney-MGM studios. Amazing day. The "Utilidors" under the Magic Kingdom are damn impressive, but the stuff that blew me away was a lot of the under-the-hood stuff at places like EPCOT's "American Adventure". We got to see all the audio-animimatronics in action, and see how ingeniously the show buildings are designed to provide the best possible guest experience. One other thing that I found intriguing was Disney World's own recycling and trash-handling operation (the formal Disney name is "Environmentality"). From the article: Trash is a big deal in a place that moves a couple of Super Bowls' worth of people through every day. On our first backstage stop, a utility area behind Pirates of the Caribbean, Matthew points out a rubbish compactor the size of a four-unit apartment building. Remarkably, before the garbage is sucked here from around the park by a Swiss-built network of pneumatic tubes, it's sorted by hand to pull out recyclables and all the wallets and cameras people toss by accident. The combustibles are burned to generate a third of Disney's electricity. If you're headed to the World and want to take a tour (and you should), check out WDWInfo's page on the subject. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 22, 2006 11:29 AM. May 29, 2006NPR On Expedition: EverestNPR had a segment on earlier this week about Disney's "Expedition: Everest"; turns out that the ride feels fast, but actually ... isn't: At a mere 50 miles per hour -- less than half the top speed of some of its competitors -- Expedition Everest at Disney's Animal Kingdom makes its way along snow-capped mountains surrounding a realistic Tibetan village. The clip is about 4:30; you'll need RealPlayer or Windows Media to listen. (Thanks to Diana for the link!) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 29, 2006 9:31 AM. May 23, 2006RockIt Mountain: The Video!There's a video on YouTube that was recorded inside the new RockIt Mountain version of Disneyland's rebuilt Space Mountain. The picture is crap (I mean, what did you expect?), but you do get to hear the rock n' roll soundtrack, and can make out a few details. RockIt Mountain isn't open yet; this was a special thing done at a Grad Nite on the 11th. I don't know what the planned launch date of the conversion is (it was going to be this month, but Disneyland management delayed it); hopefully it'll be running when I'm there in September. You can get the video here. UPDATE, September 4, 2006: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 23, 2006 7:20 PM. February 16, 2006Walt Disney's ApartmentThe Orange County Register has a really cool narrated, VR multimedia tour of Walt Disney's private apartment at Disneyland. (Flash required) The apartment is 500 square feet (and above Main Street, USA); Walt stayed there while the park was being built. After the park opened (and he became increasingly famous), the apartment became a haven for him when he needed to get away from the crowds and just grab some alone time. Like Club 33 (or the Matterhorn's basketball court), this is one of those Disneyland places that give the park some of its charm and mystery. Be sure to give yourself a good 5 or 10 minutes to walk through it. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated February 16, 2006 9:23 PM. February 13, 2006Five Years Of California AdventureDisney's California Adventure turned five on February 8th (last Wednesday). Today, MousePlanet has an update on the non-event birthday celebration, and a long-form thread about what's changed in the park since its launch. Five years. Wow. In 2001, we took all of Media Access down to Disneyland as a celebration for the company's over-the-top performance in 2000. California Adventure had been open just two weeks; we put everybody up at the Grand Californian and basically ran around the parks like drunk five-year-olds. It was fabulous. Even then (especially then), I think everyone was struck by the feeling that something wasn't quite "there" with the new park. The place seemed odd ... empty ... hard to figure out. Yes, it was novel and shiny and new, but the place was light on attractions, long on overpriced restaurants and stores, and featured a demo of tortilla-making as something to do. Since our first trip, it's become obvious to everybody that DCA is a broken park. Yes, it's got some great attractions ("Soarin' Over California", anyone?), but DCA never evolved into a cohesive whole in the way that Disneyland did. Clearly built on the cheap (and with the cynical expectation that anything with the Disney brand on it turns to gold), DCA has staggered as it's tried to find its footing. Cheap fixes ("Who Wants To Be A Millionaire") didn't work, and neither did expensive ones ("Tower Of Terror"). The park needs to be rebooted. It's salvageable. I'm greatly encouraged by John Lasseter's appointment as the senior creative guy ("Principal Creative Advisor") in charge of the theme parks - John's a former skipper on the Jungle Cruise, and loves Disneyland as much as the hard-core fans. If anyone will fix DCA - with imagination, spectacle, and vision - it's John. My hunch is that DCA will be a radically different (and radically better) park by the time it turns 10. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated February 13, 2006 8:23 AM. January 18, 2006"Expedition: Everest" Ride VideosWow! Ricky Brigante (host of noted DisneyWorld podcast Inside the Magic) has secured not one, but two different ride videos of the soon-to-open "Expedition: Everest" at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The quality's shockingly good for what it is - which is basically a guy with a camcorder sitting in the back, trying to capture the ride and enjoy it at the same time. (Did I mention the coaster goes backwards? It. Goes. Backwards.) The first video is here (36.7 MB, QuickTime), and the second is here (33.1 MB, QuickTime). (I can't believe I missed the window to ride that puppy by only a few weeks. Dammit!) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated January 18, 2006 11:38 AM. January 8, 2006Day Six: Segways Rock!
We headed off to Epcot (Got the Soarin' FastPass? ... check!) for lunch at the UK, and then strolled around Innoventions for a bit. Innoventions is a series of exhibits and interactive games that help people "visualize the future" - but, since the future has this bad habit of actually happening, the exhibits tend to be three to 10 years out of date. When we were here last, some of the Innoventions stuff was laughable ("One day, people may use their computers to listen to music!" ... at which point I walked off the ride and spun up my iPod), and a lot of the exhibits seem driven more by what product a given corporate sponsor (e.g., IBM) wants to push, and less about engaging the imagination or educating people about new trends and tech. This time, though, we both saw something that really blew us away - the Segway. Look, I know the Segway is old news. Gob drives one on Arrested Development partly as a way of mocking them. I've read the book about its creation So it turns out that Disney offers Segway rentals. And it further turns out that they have two options - an inexpensive, hour-long classroom thing, and a more-expensive, two-hour long thing where you get to drive the Segway around Epcot's World Showcase before the park opens. We quickly hit the Guest Relations booth, only to be told that they were all booked up for the morning of Monday, the 9th. Phooey. Gregg's Greenlake Cycle allegedly rents Segways, though, and now we're all hot to try them. Richard gets pretty excited with shiny new tech, and I swear to God that if they took AmEx at the Innoventions booth, we'd be shipping one home by now. He practically drooled on the floor model. So we strolled. Strolled over to Norway and rode "Maelstrom." Strolled to France and watched the French film about French things that was clearly made in the 80s. We then hit Soarin' (yes!), and caught the boat over to MGM to ride Rock n' Roller Coaster one ... last ... time ... before the park closed (made it by 5 minutes, too!). For our final act, we thought we'd pop over to the Magic Kingdom and ride a few classics. The park formally closed at 8, but folks staying on Disney property (that's us) can take advantage of "Extra Magic Hours" - basically, the park stays open an extra three hours for resort guests. What they don't tell you about Extra Magic Hours is that they only operate a subset of the park's attractions. Richard wanted to do the Jungle Cruise - but it wasn't open. "it's a small world" was running, but a good chunk of the other rides were shuttered. So we did Small World, a final run through in Space Mountain, and called it a day. Our flight leaves tomorrow at 5:50 PM, but hotel checkout's at 11. (Travel days suck for trying to squeeze in that one extra thing anyhow, so that's likely for the better.) That means the vacation's over. Six days seems like the perfect number for relaxing, partying, and riding a good buncha stuff. (Heck, my Flickr photostream is sporting 329 shots!) I've had a blast, but I'm excited to get back. (Frankly, I feel like I've been gone a month or so!) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated January 8, 2006 2:41 PM. January 7, 2006Day Five: Minigolf Smackdown!
Of course, "sleeping in" in Orlando isn't quite the same as "sleeping in" in Seattle; with the three-hour time shift, getting up at 11 AM here means we're really getting up at 8 AM back home. So while 11 AM feels luxurious and indulgent at first blush ... it's not so much. Ah, well. The fourth (and final) Disney park on our list was Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is the newest, smallest, and - frankly - weakest park among the four; its attractions are pretty lightweight, and the place lacks a "killer ride", ala "Rock n' Roller Coaster" to get people through the turnstiles. On the plus side, Animal Kingdom does have a lot of animals (natch) for you to look at, so it appeals as a zoo. It's a half-day park, tops. Thus, we hit a few rides, had some lunch, visited the petting zoo and called it an afternoon. (One distinct bummer about timing: Animal Kingdom is about to open their killer ride, called "Expedition Everest", in a few weeks' time. It's rumored to be the biggest and best roller coaster on the property. Cast members are currently able to participate in test rides, but it's not open to park guests at all. Which, for a coaster guy like me, really sucks.) During our time at Animal Kingdom, Richard and I ha d begun arguing about who was the better minigolfer - aka the 'ol "Don't Make Me Kick Your Ass On The Putting Green And Embarrass You In Front Of Everyone" conversation. I mean, I'd won the first round handily at Winter Summerland, and then he'd gone and had a good day at Fantasia Gardens two days later. But now we were stuck - Richard's mouth was clearly on a trajectory to get the rest of him in trouble, so we had to take our action back to the green and get this matter settled. We returned to Winter Summerland, loaded up with putters, two cans of Foster's, and a scorecard, and hit the "winter" half of the course. The game was close. I was ahead for the first few shots, but Huff pulled away after I had a disastrous Hole 8. Two of my famed holes-in-one put us within one point of one another, but then I got shafted with two bad short-game putts in a row on #16 and #17. In the end, he took me by four points. Bastard. As you might imagine, it's going to be a looooooooong flight home. And I swear, if I have to hear "boo-yah!" one more time, I'm going to murder somebody. Our evening entertainment was the Adventurer's Club (again) - we wanted to be able to spend a few hours soaking in the environment, participating in games in the Mask Room and the Treasure Room, as well as the final evening sing-a-long. Two funny notes. First, Richard purchased a maroon sweatshirt at the Epcot Canada pavilion a few days ago. It says "ROOTS" across the front, and has a small Canadian flag at the bottom. Ever since he bought it, people have been stopping him to ask a) for directions and b) if he's Canadian. It's very funny. So we get to the Adventurer's Club and Richard is randomly picked by one of the actors for harassment. He's hauled to his feet and asked if he's Canadian ... and he elects to play along. He tells them he's from Vancouver, and then proceeds to answer all kinds of questions about Grouse Mountain, Stanley Park, you name it. And then they make him (and another guy) do this dance in the club. Now, I have this dance captured in a crappy video format on my mobile phone. It's, um, hysterical. And no, I'm not sharing it. But you know, if someone decides to mouth off a bit too much about the minigolf thing ... well, payback's a bitch, huh? Second, I apparently look like Zach Braff. I'm sitting in the Treasure Room and one of the actors is doing his spiel. Suddenly, he stops, puts his hand on my shoulder, leans in, and says, "I love you on Scrubs." Huge laugh. (I've heard this before from other friends, but candidly - I don't see it. Do I really look like Zach Braff???) We partied late, crashed hard. I don't even remember when we got back to the room. The Flickr photostream is now up to 304 images! Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated January 7, 2006 2:09 PM. January 6, 2006Day Four: Rock n' Roller Coaster (At Last)
Like Space Mountain, Rock n' Roller Coaster is a steel coaster inside a darkened building. Unlike Space Mountain, Rock n' Roller Coaster has a zero-to-sixty launch time of 2.8 seconds, loops, corkscrews, hard turns, and a kick-ass soundtrack provided by Aerosmith. It's fast, fun, intense, and something I can ride over and over and over and over and over again. So today, we hit Disney-MGM, and I got on this sucker twice. Wahoo! MGM is different from the other Disney Parks in its tight focus on staged entertainment. MGM has stunt shows, musicals, and other performances that the audience can sit back and watch. It's not so big on rides. That said, aside from the aforementioned Rock n' Roller, it's also home to a fantastic drop ride - "The Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror". Like Rock n' Roller, I can ride Tower of Terror all day long. Unlike Rock n' Roller, however, Richard has steadfastly refused to step foot on the thing. Ever. He wasn't having and part of it when we were here in 2002, and he wasn't having any part of the one they built at California Adventure when we were there in November. The ride's fun, and it's harmless. You do, you know, drop 13 stories and all, and it's creepy-fun with the whole Twilight Zone thing, but it's not queasy-inducing or dangerous or anything. In fact, it's much less scary than those straight-drop rides you see at most Six Flags parks. And so, with much arm-twisting and cajoling ... I got him to go. He didn't exactly rave about the experience, but he certainly grumbles less about it. Which is something, right? Our final event at MGM was a staged show called "Lights, Motors, Action!" which is an import from Disneyland Paris. It's a 30-minute stunt show with cars, motorcycles, jumps, fireballs, jetskis and guys falling off buildings. Pretty astoundingly cool, and very entertaining. A definite thumbs-up. After having such a blast at Winter Summerland minigolf on Wednesday, we thought it might be fun to hit Fantasia Gardens and do a round there. The route from MGM to Fantasia Gardens is quite walkable (it's about 2 miles), so we elected to hoof it. The golf round was a lot of fun. Fantasia Gardens is a harder, more elaborate course than Winter Summerland - more gimmicks (water spouts, trick shots, and so on), steeper banking, more skill. We worked our way around the 18 holes, each scoring a couple holes-in-one. Richard took this round by a narrow, 2-point margin. With our evening in front of us, we thought it might be fun to hit Epcot and do some of the stuff we didn't get to last time. We continued along the path from MGM (it runs to the Boardwalk, and, ultimately, Epcot, popping out right next to France and the UK in World Showcase). We caught "Journey Into Imagination" (which sucks, by the way, unless you have reeeeeeeally small children), found out that "Soarin'" was all sold out for the evening (dammit!), but managed to slip on to "Mission: SPACE" again. And then, one of the guests in our car barfed during the ride. (They provide barf bags, just like an airline, so I assume this happens a lot.) Actually, the popularity of Mission: SPACE is something of a hot topic between the two of us. Richard loves the ride, the same way I love Soarin' or Rock n' Roller Coaster. The lines for Space aren't too bad, though - usually, they're 20 or 30 minutes, as opposed to Soarin's perpetual 80-minute-wait-and-all-the-FastPasses-are-gone scenario. Some of this can be explained by the fact that Soarin' is just newer, but I think it goes beyond that. I think people are actually scared of Mission: SPACE; its intensity puts people off. Interestingly, we did some research on this, and it turns out that Rock n' Roller coaster pulls far more G-forces than Space does. But still, nobody has died after going on Rock n' Roller Coaster. (And hopefully, it'll stay that way.) We rounded off our Epcot evening with dinner and a run on "Test Track". All in all, an excellent day. (The Flickr photostream is now up to 245 images.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated January 6, 2006 2:05 PM. January 5, 2006Day Three: Mine Trains, Parasailing & Hathaway Browne
We were up and out the door fairly early to head over to the Magic Kingdom. While we'd hit some rides on our first night here, there were a handful of other attractions, like Splash Mountain and Pirates of the Caribbean that needed our attention. So off we went, doing Pirates, Big Thunder, Splash Mountain and the Carousel of Progress. Sadly, "it's a small world" was too painful a ride for Richard to bear, so we skipped it. (sigh) I get asked a lot by people who have never been to Disney World if it's "like Disneyland." The answer is a qualified yes - many of the same attractions exist in both places, along with other theme park-y things like $5 bottled water and tacky t-shirts. But the thing about Florida is that it has space. Disney took 28,000 acres of swampland and terraformed it, engineering lakes and beaches along with the hotels, parks, rides, roads, and the rest. All of this is a long-winded way of saying that, after lunch, we strolled over to the watersports section of the Contemporary Resort to go parasailing. No, really. The Magic Kingdom is on the north shore of a large body of water called the Seven Seas Lagoon. The lagoon feeds in to another, larger body of water - Bay Lake - just to the east of it. The Contemporary resort straddles the two bodies of water; they have boat rental services, among other things. And if you're so inclined, you can go parasailing over Bay Lake for 10 minutes or so. It was fabulous. Florida's pretty damn flat, so when you're 450 feet in the air you can see - well, not forever, exactly, but you can certainly survey the park. It's easy to pick out landmarks (Epcot! Tower of Terror!), and you also get a sense of just how huge Disney World really is. Both Richard and I went up in the air - and I have to say, I think he enjoyed it more than he expected to. If you're so inclined, you can see a video of Richard's return to the boat (115 MB, AVI format); notice the huge smile on his face. Freshly pumped up on adrenaline, we caught the monorail to Epcot (hmmm, a monorail as a way of getting around ... I wonder if something like that would work for Seattle...), and promptly shot over to get FastPasses for Soarin'. It was only 3 PM, but the ride was dispensing passes for 8 PM. With 5 hours to kill, we elected to go wait in line for Mission: SPACE. And, hoo, boy - does that ride blast your hair back. "SPACE" is an astronaut flight simulator. You're on a manned mission to Mars, going through the process of Earth liftoff, negotiating a lunar slingshot, and finally finagling a Martian landing. The ride is incredible - it uses a centrifuge to provide some extraordinary G-forces. (The liftoff, in particular, has to be experienced to be believed.) And yes, barf bags are included. This is easily Richard's favorite ride on the property, and with good reason. I've never done anything quite like it. The next few hours were spent walking around World Showcase, checking out the CircleVision movies in the China and Canada pavilions, shopping, eating, and mostly hanging out. We rode Soarin' at 8 (it's a direct clone of the ride from California Adventure), and then caught the bus over to Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island. Pleasure Island is a "grownup" section of Disney World, composed of dance and comedy clubs. The audience is decidedly younger, sort of a Spring Break crowd on the make. Depending on your tastes, you can dance to 70s and 80s, listen to jazz, or watch improv comedy. But we both came for the Adventurer's Club. The Adventurer's Club is an improv comedy club done in the style of a 30s country club. The host, Hathaway Browne, is a blowhard who has traveled the world and brought back all manner of artifacts to decorate the place. He is accompanied by other members of the club, each of whom walks around and interacts with each of the (increasingly) drunk members of the audience. The jokes are pretty ribald, with more double entendres than a Bond film. The last performance of the evening pulls everyone into the library for a hysterical song-and-dance number. We got to the club too late to hang out as long as we'd like, so we'll be going back later this week. (The Flickr photostream is now up to 182 images.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated January 5, 2006 11:55 PM. January 4, 2006Day Two: Blizzard Beach Birthday
(Oh, and happy birthday to me - 33 years on the planet!) Blizzard Beach is one of two themed (natch) water parks here in the World (the other is Typhoon Lagoon). I'd never been to Blizzard Beach; the last few times I'd come to the World, it had been closed for refurbishment. But this time 'round, Typhoon was the one being renovated. Score. The Blizzard Beach gimmick story is that Florida was hit by a freak snowstorm a while back, and a ski resort was built to take advantage of it. Then the sun came out, and now the whole thing is sitting here, melting in the snow. The park has a working chairlift (!) and loads of long-run, high-speed slides, including the "Summit Plummet" which shoots you out at 55 mph(!). Richard and I had a blast. Blizzard Beach has a bunch 'o competitive rides, like toboggans and timed-innertube races, so we wound up trash talkin' and doing a whole lotta racing against one another - laughing and being obnoxious the entire time. (Oh, and generally Richard got spanked.) After a few hours in the sun, we hoofed it out of the park and over to the Winter Summerland minigolf course. I'm a minigolf freak - if there's a dancing hippo and a putting green within about two miles, I'm generally able to sniff it out. So we spent an hour or so maneuvering the ball around Santa and his elves. And, as the cherry on top, it was an under-par game for the both of us. Quick trip to the hotel, change of clothes, and off to Downtown Disney to see the resident Cirque du Soleil show - "La Nouba". The Cirque folks have a permanent installation in the "Westside" section, so the plan was to get dinner at the Bongos Cuban restaurant at 7, and then head over to the show ... until Bongos lost our reservation and was totally unhelpful about doing anything about it. (Fortunately, the day was saved by the World's Best Waiter at Wolfgang Puck, who got us in and out in 30 minutes flat.) If you've never seen Cirque du Soleil, go. Seriously. I can't recommend it enough. It's kind of a strange thing to explain - I'm forever telling people what it's not ("OK, so it's like a circus, but they don't use animals, right? And they have clowns, but they're not, like, creepy or skanky or anything. And they use acrobats, too, and other kinds of physical artists, but it's not all Barnum and Bailey or anything..."), but that's because it's such a unique experience that there's no good baseline for comparison. So let me just say this: Cirque du Soleil is one of those experiences that gives you a renewed appreciation for the human body, training, art, and music. It's incredible. Now, I'd seen "La Nouba" back in 2002 (Richard hadn't caught that show, being that he was prepping for the marathon at the time), and was so impressed that I'd gone on to see "O" and "Mystere" in Las Vegas later that year. I've also seen the traveling shows that come to Seattle now and again (e.g., "Dralion"). So I can say with authority that "La Nouba" is the best of the lot. Astounding, astounding stuff. (My Flickr photostream is up to 74 images.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated January 4, 2006 11:47 PM. Day One: My Tomorrowland Can Beat Up Your Tomorrowland
We got to the park 'round 8:30, with a parade going full-blast down Main Street. Fireworks were scheduled for 9; the park closed at 10. We looked at one another and said, "Tomorrowland." And thus began the fun task of threading through throngs of slow-moving tourists, each of whom had a 50% chance of stopping, pointing, and going, "ooooh, look!" as some parade float went by. At which point they'd stop. Grr. We made it through in one piece. Tomorrowland was busy, but not packed; the parade n' fireworks were siphoning off large numbers of people. So we hit Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Space Mountain, and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. And then, with just minutes to spare before closing, we slid in under the wire at The Haunted Mansion. With my recent Disneyland trips so fresh in memory, I was struck by a lot of the differences between the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland and the Real Thing back in Anaheim. Without being too blunt, lemme just say: Anaheim is better. Period, full stop, end of argument. The California version of Buzz Lightyear, for example, is a markedly better ride. The ray guns you use are on flexible tubes, letting you point them every which way; in Orlando, they're firmly welded to the dashboard of your vehicle (making for a semi-frustrating experience). In Orlando, when you shoot a bad guy, the target doesn't light up to let you know you've scored. When you leave Orlando's version, you're not even given a freebie, e-mail-able photo of yourself and your friend, with your score embedded. Instead, you have to buy a score-free old-school picture. Bleh. (And the ride is dirtier, grungier - that sounds like a nit, but it's not.) And then there's Space Mountain. The Anaheim Space Mountain is a brand-spanking-new, modern coaster with kick-ass effects and music that's synchronized to the ride. The Orlando Space Mountain is a 35-year-old roller coaster in the dark. There's no comparison between the two. At all. Anaheim makes Orlando look old n' busted. Disney really ought to rebuild the Orlando version as soon as possible. We're talking potential brand damage, here, people. One thing for Orlando, though, is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. The Disneyland version, the PeopleMover, was discontinued back in the '90s and replaced, eventually, with the RocketRods, which broke down too often and were themselves shuttered. As a result, Orlando has a cool, five-minute arial tour of Tomorrowland (and you get to go through Space Mountain, which rocks); Anaheim has, uh, defunct track. Yeah. Point goes to Orlando. So we're here, and we're in one piece, and we're having a ball. But don't let anybody fool you: the Tomorrowland you want is the Tomorrowland in California. Seriously. (Oh, and my Flickr photostream can be found here.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated January 4, 2006 3:25 PM. January 3, 2006Off To OrlandoVACATION! Richard and I are off to Walt Disney World for the next week. We'll be riding the "Rock n' Roller Coaster", catching Cirque du Soleil, and chilling out in the Adventurer's Club. I also got Richard a gift certificate to go parasailing on Bay Lake, so I assume one of the two of us will be a good 450 feet in the air at some point. I've no idea if I get in-room Internet (we're staying at "Disney's Screaming Children Resort"), but if so, I'll try to upload my photostream as we go. I'm off to catch transit to the airport. Have a great week, everybody! Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated January 3, 2006 5:23 AM. November 26, 2005Pirates Rehab Is A Go!An entry in yesterday's Disney Blog says that the green light has been given to upgrade the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" rides, as per the earlier rumors from Al Lutz : First, the planned overlay of Disneyland and Disney World's Pirates of the Caribbean attractions looks to be going forward. Scenes from the three movies will be squeezed in to dead areas of the ride leaving the existing scenes mostly untouched. I think is is great, and part of an exciting trend of designing rides such that they have a lot of flexibility and variety - think of the Tower Of Terror randomized drop sequences, or the Space Mountain/Rock It Mountain "night" mode. One of the reasons I was thinking about getting the Annual Pass is that so much is going on with the parks right now: the Monsters, Inc. ride at DCA, the "Finding Nemo" overlay on the subs, Rock It Mountain, you name it. Disneyland and DCA are going to be a lot of fun, with lots of new stuff to see, well into 2007. UPDATE, September 4, 2006: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated November 26, 2005 8:58 AM. November 25, 2005Disneyland Trip Report (At Last)
The four of us (dad, stepmom, Richard, and me) arrived on Friday afternoon, and flew back at around the same time on Sunday. That gave us a quick-run-around-and-do-fun-stuff Friday night, one entire, leisurely day in the parks (Saturday), with a catch-anything-else-if-we-feel-like-it Sunday morning to boot. People often ask me why I'm so enamored of Disneyland and Walt Disney World. It's true that I find a lot of Disney product cheesy or tepid (those direct-to-video sequels What am I talking about? Well, let's compare a Disney park with a typical amusement park like Six Flags. At a Six Flags, the ride is king. The experience of riding a given ride - the acceleration, the drop, the G-forces, whatever - is the point of the park. The typical Six Flags ride is a coaster, which is all about the bigger/faster/longer value proposition. The more extreme the coaster, the better - go from 0 to 105 mph in 4 seconds! Zoom through four loops instead of two! Shoot 420 feet straight up! Pull some serious G's! Apart from the appeal of the bigger/faster/longer, Six Flags parks don't offer much. The rides themselves are painted, but not themed; the mechanical underpinnings of the rides (chains, brakes, levers, cables, oil) are out in the breeze, for all to see. In some cases, such as the Wild Thing coaster at Enchanted Village, this is taken to an aggressive, odious extreme - the obnoxious green paint job aside, Wild Thing is surrounded by unadorned chain-link fence; the ground beneath the ride is nothing more that patches of grass, crushed rock, and weeds, spotted with nice patches of oil and grease. "The point of this ride is the corkscrew loops," it seems to be saying, "and you better like it, because we're not spending a nickel on anything else." In comparison to monster Six Flags rides, Disney park rides are physically tame. A good example is one of my favorite Disneyland rides: Space Mountain. Space Mountain is a roller coaster that's been enclosed inside a building. The ride isn't particularly fast - about 40mph at its peak - and it lacks loops, mag-lev takeoff, high G-forces, or anything that might make it attractive to the Six Flags jet set. So what's the attraction? Well, Space Mountain, like most Disney rides, carries a big aspect of make-believe. The gimmick is that you're a "space traveller" about to launch on a galactic journey. As such, the entire ride is designed around this storyline: the building, the paint job, the props, the video clips you watch while waiting in line, and the experience of riding the ride all come together to create, if not a compelling illusion (it's still a roller coaster in the dark, and everyone knows it), then at least the sensation that the ride is more than the sum of its parts. In other words, I'll take a slow-moving, loop-free roller coster in the dark as long as there's a good reason, something to believe in. Six Flags is about the ride; Disney is about the story. This "about the story" piece manifests itself throughout the parks. The themeing inside Disneyland is outrageously good - Frontierland is much different than Tomorrowland, which is itself much different than New Orleans Square. This level of detail and imagination becomes, in effect, the attraction of the park, and, if you're in to that sort of thing (which I clearly am), you'll quickly find yourself paying attention to the puns, the inside jokes, the flourishes. You see something new every time. Heck, there's a whole series of "Hidden Mickeys" that are designed into the topiary, the buildings, the pathways, you name it. (And if you ever go to Disney World, take the "Backstage Magic" tour. Your eyes will pop.) So. The family had a fabulous time. The park wasn't too crowded, and we breezed through lines. We hooked up with friends - Tony, Heidi, Chris and Todd - joking and laughing all night. Saw fireworks, rode the monorail, snapped photos. (And I almost bought an annual pass, but decided that I'd better stick with one season pass at a time.) If you've not been to Disneyland in a while, go. If you've got kids, four years old or better seems to be a good number (and check the height requirements for the rides before you pony up for the admission). And when you're there, pay attention to the details - you won't be disappointed. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated November 25, 2005 5:48 PM. November 10, 2005Virtual Space MountainFrom the "people with too much free time department": someone used Roller Coaster Tycoon to model Disneyland's version of Space Mountain ... and then filmed the ride-through. They even paired the final video with the old Dick Dale soundtrack. Which means you can relive the fun of riding Space Mountain from your cube. (Yes, you. Right now.) It's awesome. And, having ridden the ride four or five times this past weekend, it's eerily accurate. Check it out (hosted on Google Video; Flash required). Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated November 10, 2005 1:23 PM. November 3, 2005Disneyland, ReloadedI'm off to Disneyland. Again. This time, it's for a three-day weekend with Richard, my dad, and my stepmom. We're flying out first thing tomorrow morning (did I mention that Microsoft has 'floating holidays' for employees? And that they rock?), and will be staying through Sunday. We're all booked into the Grand Californian, and will be spending a lot of time on Space Mountain, California Screamin', and all the rest. Disneyland at the holidays is a special, special thing. The place is decorated with festive lights, some rides get amazing makeovers (e.g., "Haunted Mansion Holiday"), and the whole vibe of the park is very warm and happy. Put that together with the makeover for the 50th birthday, and this is going to be a great weekend. I'll probably break Flickr with all the pictures I'm going to take, but I don't know if I'll be blogging. Disney tends to - how do I say this? - CHARGE FOR EVERYTHING, so if the hotel Internet access is $24.95 a day or something, I'll post when I get home. Whee-ha! Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated November 3, 2005 10:20 PM. October 31, 2005"Disney's Technology Grows Up"Wired News has a great article about the changing nature of Disney theme-park entertainment, and specifically, how cheap computing is allowing Disney to offer some eye-popping new stuff: At the Turtle Talk With Crush exhibit at Disney's California Adventure theme park, Crush the sea turtle makes a cameo like those at the start of most Disney rides. Nothing seems out of the ordinary as the character goes though the script with a cast member, until the Finding Nemo star takes questions from the audience. I caught "Turtle Talk" when I was at Disneyland's 50th in July; it was (and still is) an amazing thing to see (and if you're a 5-year-old, it's about the coolest thing ever). The article also talks about Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters as well as EPCOT's Mission: Space. The article's right, too - the attractions are getting better, more surprising, more interactive. We've come a long, long way from audio-animatronics. I am so looking forward to my Disneyland getaway this Friday. UPDATE, January 1, 2006: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated October 31, 2005 9:07 PM. July 18, 2005Disneyland's 50th: The Report
Disneyland's 50th birthday was amazing. The post-Storm/Sparks gang had been out kind of late on Friday, so I didn't get to bed until 1. My original plan had been to hit the park at 6 AM, which necessitated my being out the door at a quarter past five. Since that would have given me a scant four hours of sleep in front of a very busy day, I elected to take an extra hour. Khan, it seems, was right about the $14.50. Mea culpa. In some ways, I was relaxed about the crowds. Despite my suspicion of record morning crowds and insane lines (fueled, in no small part, by buzz on the Disney fan sites), I wondered how many people were actually going to show up more than an hour ahead of the park opening to be in line. I suspected I'd see people, but it wouldn't be that bad. So I woke up with a start at 5:48, showered, and hit the road. I parked at the Mickey & Friends garage in Anaheim, and noted there were already a number of cars in the garage. Hm. I walked down the garage escalator and caught the tram to Downtown Disney. I noticed that the tram filled with people. And then we were away, pulling up to Downtown Disney just three or four minutes later. And then I saw the lines. At 6:45 in the morning, there were easily 30,000 people in line. Easily. The line snaked from the tram drop-off, around a corner, and then down the entire length of Downtown Disney, only to make a U-turn at the Lego Store (next to the Monorail station) and head back to the security booths in front of the Esplanade. In addition to these 30,000 folks, an additional 20,000 had spent the night at Disney's California Adventure. (Call me cynical about DCA, but this might be the largest crowd ever in that park.) The net effect was that, despite the fact that the park gates were opened at 7 AM - a whole hour ahead of schedule - I spent an hour and 45 minutes just waiting to get in to Disneyland. This was not, by any means, a bad time. In fact, as you might imagine, I had a few things in common with the 29,999 other folks in line. People were swapping stories, talking about where they were from, how many times they'd been to the park, favorite memories, favorite rides, you name it. Some couples had proposed to one another in the park (as my friends Cale and Rosheen did, for example); others were returning for the first time in a decade. It was truly amazing. So the lines moved (this is Disney, after all, and they know queueing theory), and I finally entered the park around 8:30. Every guest got free, gold-colored mouse ears with "July 17, 2005" stitched on the back, as well as commemorative park maps for Disneyland and California Adventure. Cast members were also dispensing free cupcakes to guests all day long. Khan and Christine, as guests of the Disneyland Hotel, had managed to finagle primo slots in line, and were already having breakfast at the Plaza Inn when we hooked up around 8:45. I checked in with them and booked over to Space Mountain for a FastPass; my return time was already 12:20. Satisfied that I'd get to ride the coaster at least once, I headed back to the Plaza to chat with Khan & Chris. The "big events" for the day included a formal park birthday announcement at 10 AM, and a replay of Walt's historic dedication of the park at 4:45 PM - 50 years, to the day and time, of when it was originally delivered. The birthday announcement was to be held in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle, but Disneyland management had set up Jumbotron monitors all over the park that were covering the live broadcast.
With the crowds in front of the castle growing to insane levels, the three of us elected to go to Tomorrowland to watch the broadcast (the photo at the top of this post is Khan and me in Tomorrowland, waiting for the broadcast - you can see Space Mountain and the Jumbotron in the background). Tomorrowland has always been my favorite Disney "land", and it seemed somehow fitting to watch the ceremony from the part of the park that had, ostensibly, been most concerned with trying to forecast what our lives would be like in 2005. (Sadly, the flying cars never came to be.) When 10 AM rolled around, you could sense the outrageous energy from the crowd. Art Linkletter, who hosted the original Disneyland ceremony in 1955, is still alive and kicking (at 93!), and was on hand to both reminisce about the old days and talk about how excited he was to be here today. He introduced Bob Iger, who introduced Michael Eisner, and who in turn introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger. Diane Disney Miller (Walt's daughter) was on hand to represent the family. All told, it was a touching - and appropriate - 45 minutes. After the ceremony, Khan and Christine headed back to their hotel to swim in the pool (they had an early flight back to Seattle, and wanted to unwind first), which meant I was on my own for the balance of the day. Despite the crowds, lines moved well - I got on Space Mountain, of course, but also Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, The Enchanted Tiki Room, Haunted Mansion, and visited the "Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years" exhibit. I even made it over to California Adventure and hit Tower of Terror, California Screamin' (twice!), Soarin' Over California, and "Turtle Talk with Crush" in the Animation pavilion (if you have kids who liked "Finding Nemo", take 'em to "Turtle Talk." Trust me on this one...). After seeing the 4:45 rededication from Main Street, I called it a day. I could not have planned - or hoped - for a better time. Yes, it was crowded, and yes, it was crazy-busy. It was a hot day, and the lines for everything - rides, food, bathrooms, you name it - were omnipresent. That said, there was a lot of fun to be had, along with a deep and abiding sense of being there for something that was unique and special. Khan and Christine are Disney maniacs, so being able to experience the morning with them was a treat - like going to a concert of a band you love with a few friends who know the music as well as you do. I'm going back to Disneyland in early November - three days, this time - to experience the holidays with friends and family. It will be great to slow down and drink the parks in with a little more time and a little less frenzy. But there's just no replicating the 17th. The golden mouse ears - as well as my ticket, and the maps - are on my bookshelf. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 18, 2005 8:56 PM. July 11, 2005MousePlanet On Disneyland's BirthdayThis morning's MousePlanet Disneyland Update has some bits and pieces about what to expect on Disneyland's 50th: "The most frequent question we've been getting at MousePlanet lately is, “What will the crowds be like on the 17th, will I get in?” It is going to be very crowded on the 17th and there is no guarantee that you'll get into the park. It is very likely you will, but the only guests with guaranteed access are participants in the merchandise event who will be inside the park before it opens. Beyond that, if the fire marshal decides the park is at capacity (likely somewhere between 70,000 and 80,000 people), then there is no guarantee for anybody. Being a guest at one of the three on-property hotels will get you preferential entry, but if the gates are closed they are closed completely." Sounds like a party! Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 11, 2005 10:23 PM. July 7, 2005Khan's Goin' To Disneyland!Fellow Disney-maniac Khan phoned me today with some excellent news - turns out his employer is sending him down to Los Angeles next weekend for some bid'ness, and that means he'll be running around Disneyland on the 17th - 50th Birthday! - with me and Tony. Whoo-hoo! ('cause, you know, Disneyland needs another person to show up that day, right? I'm sure attendance will be real light.) Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 7, 2005 8:26 PM. July 1, 2005Photo Tour Of The New Space MountainRC Pro has a photo tour of the new "Space Mountain 2.0" at Disneyland. (I can't wait for the 17th!) UPDATE, September 10, 2005: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated July 1, 2005 8:53 AM. June 24, 2005Al Lutz On Disneyland's BirthdayAl Lutz's column in MiceAge this morning talks about how Disneyland's management is starting to freak out a bit about the expected crowds on July 17: "What has longtime Disneyland-watchers worried is that TDA seems to have severely underestimated the emotional attachment many Disney fans have to July 17th. There is currently no plan to hold a line of thousands of overnight campers, like when they naively believed 50,000 or more people would show up for DCA's grand opening and the actual number came in under 5,000. If the Disney fans of the world descend on Anaheim en masse as they keep promising to do, it could be an event that quickly devolves into mayhem due to poor planning." My friend Paul in Santa Monica thinks I'm nuts to come down for the event: "Dude no offense, but you must be out of your mind to come to Disneyland on it's 50th birthday. It is bad enough going to that hell hole in the Summer.....I just took my kids a few weeks back on a rainy day, and it was a nightmare!" I have to say that the crowds don't bother me - I look at them the same way I look at the long lines on the opening day of an "event" movie, or like waiting to see a band you love. Other people's energy is part of the experience. That said, I'm not gonna camp out, but the park opens at 8 AM ... so Tony and I might be in line around 6. UPDATE, September 10, 2005: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 24, 2005 10:06 AM. June 21, 2005Gavin's (2005) California Adventure!Lately, I've been toying with the idea of going to a Storm away game. The only time I've seen the team outside of Key Arena was last year, when they did a "home" game during HoopFest in Spokane. As I started researching all this, two things popped out. First, if I'm going to go to an away game, my best choices for proximity are either the Sacramento Monarchs or the Los Angeles Sparks (I mean, given the flight time, I'm not too keen to cheer in Connecticut, you know?). And second, if I'm going to California, I'm going to want to hang out with friends for at least part of my trip. As Ah-nuld and I are on the outs right now, that means Los Angeles. So looking over the summer schedule, I notice that my two choices for games against the Sparks are July 16 or July 31. I've got a wedding to go to in late July, which kicks the 31st out of the pool. So I flip over to check my calendar about the 16th ... ... and notice that, Disneyland's 50th birthday is the very next day (the park opened July 17, 1955). Oh, yeah, baby! Could this be more perfect? My airline tickets are bought, couch-crash arrangements made (thanks, Heidi!) and I'm gathering a group of folks to hit Staples Center on Saturday, the 16th. Tony and I are planning to run around Disneyland (along with, in all probability, every Disney maniac for 1,000 miles) all day on Sunday. Lines will be, undoubtedly, off the charts. So so so so cool. I can't believe it came together like this! Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated June 21, 2005 9:04 AM. May 1, 2005Orlando Sentinel on Walt Disney World
"Disney has to be more creative to draw increasing numbers of visitors. Its core audience -- young children -- is shrinking as a share of the overall population. The percentage of U.S. children younger than 14 has decreased from about 28 percent in 1970 -- just a year before the Magic Kingdom opened -- to about 20 percent today. As a result, Disney has already taken steps to appeal to adults in its parks and through other activities, such as spas and golf. Aside from the demographic challenge, increasingly sophisticated children aren't as easily entertained as before, putting pressure on Disney to make a theme-park vacation ever more exciting." I'm a bit of a Disney World nut - I'm fascinated by the place, the vision behind it, and how it operates. As I was telling Jeff on Friday, when I look at Disney World, I'm often more intrigued by the processes and technology behind the rides - the "how did they do that?" aspect - than I am with the rides themselves. And if you're in to that kind of thing, too, Disney World offers a "Behind The Magic" tour that I highly recommend. And if you prefer historical, how-they-built-it construction photos, check out "Since The World Began Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated May 1, 2005 9:51 AM. April 29, 2005Jim Hill On "Nemo" Submarine RideJim Hill has a good article on the forthcoming "Finding Nemo" conversion/re-opening of Disneyland's Submarine Voyage: "The Imagineers have come up with a clever plan to fold new elements from "Nemo" into existing parts of the old Tomorrowland attraction. With the end result being a new-ish Disneyland ride that tells one rather funny story." The Submarine voyage ride at Disneyland has been shut down for years, and was presumed dead and gone by most fans. This is most welcome news! UPDATE, May 13, 2006: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated April 29, 2005 9:19 AM. April 27, 2005Al Lutz On "Rock It Mountain"MiceAge's Al Lutz has a bit about the Space Mountain/Rock It Mountain conversion at Disneyland ("By day, it rockets, by night it rocks!"). Highlights:
This is awesome! With luck, it'll be up and online when I visit later this year. UPDATE, September 10, 2005: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated April 27, 2005 2:48 PM. April 13, 2005Space Mountain = Rockit Mountain?
One blurb in particular, however, seemed really cool: "close inspection of the newly installed Space Mountain sign outside the attraction shows a second set of fiber-optic lights that read "Rockit Mountain" The theory is that Space Mountain will become a different attraction at night, with new music and different effects. Screamscape has some information on this (search for "Rockit Mountain" once the page loads); the original rumor is over a year old. We're going to Disneyland in November. This will rock! Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated April 13, 2005 2:46 PM. March 11, 2005Space Mountain: Relaunching July 15, 2005
Disneyland's Space Mountain has been in rehab (or, more properly, rebuild - the shell has been gutted and an entirely new track, loading area, and so on are being put in place) for the last year or so. Since Disneyland turns 50 this year, Mary and I have been planning to head on down around the winter holidays to visit the park, ride California Screamin', and so on. Problem is, Space Mountain was originally slated to re-open in mid-November. Being a coaster guy, this was a real bummer- it seemed like there was good chance that it would open late, or in early 2006, which means we'd be out of luck. Well, it looks like Disney management has managed to get some budget for overtime. Space Mountain is now slated for a July 15, 2005 opening - two days before the park's 50th birthday! UPDATE, June 3, 2005: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined. UPDATE, September 10, 2005: One or more of the original hyperlinks on this page expired, and has been dereferenced. The hyperlinked text is now underlined. Posted by Gavin Shearer. Last updated March 11, 2005 7:44 AM. |
Elaine and I had our first anniversary this week, and, to celebrate, we decided to take a quickie jaunt down to The Happiest Place On Earth with a 
Elaine and I spent this past weekend (with chunks of Thursday and Friday thrown in for good measure) getting in touch with our inner 5-year-olds by goofing off at 
Today, we got to check out Disneyland Paris.
We're leaving tomorrow, so today was the get-it-done-before-you-go day, handling the few things we thought might be fun to do (once), and a few others we wanted to do again. (But no rush.)
, seen one or two in passing (a guy in my building at work has one), and so on. But watching the demo, where the Disney employee was, well, dancing with the silly thing, my jaw hit the floor. They're amazing in person.
Today was a sleep-in day.
When it comes to rides at Disney World, there's only one that's really worth talking about. I'm speaking, of course, of the 
Today was a long day.
For our second day here at Disney World, we decided to go play at a water park.
Richard and I arrived in Orlando around 5, and, after much fooling around with shuttles, buses, and the lines, lines, lines to get checked in to the hotel, we dropped our crap on the floor of the room and hoofed it over to 
The Orlando Sentinel has an 
