Jump to content

Gabe

Members
  • Posts

    1,744
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Gabe

  1. I still have a metal Eiffel Tower replica I bought at the park when I was a kid..circa probably 1978 or so. Also, my parents still use old stadium cups featuring The Beast to this day as well!

  2. Smurf (are we there yet Papa Smurf:0),

    when are you hitting the parks in Nov? Tgiving week is very very busy and you can expect long lines for all major rides. In general, the MK can be done in a long day, but every other park can be shortened by just hitting the highlights. In Epcot, the future world stuff is all def worth riding (though the Living Seas isn't really a ride), but the world showcase, aside from Mexico and Norway (which have boat rides..Norway's being the better of the 2) are just a loose collection of shops and restaurants with a couple of films (China, Canada) and a show in the American pavilon which is basically an expanded version of the show at the Hall of Presidents)..so, if you breeze through the world showcase, epcot can be done in about 3/4 of a day.

    the studios and AK you can def do in one combined day..just be sure and utilize your fastpasses as much as you can to save time. Also, for a romantic evening, consider going to the top of the contemporary hotel (the giant toaster) for a drink at the Bar..the bar overlooks the MK and is a great spot to watch the fireworks at nights' end.

  3. I agree the Disney bus system is very good. Keep in mind that the WDW resort is over 42 sq miles (about the size of metro San Fransico!), so that's a lot of ground to cover. Again, from experience, I know that the busses are very clean, efficient and get you where you need to go as quickly as possible. At some point in the far distant future, I know the master planners at WDW want the monorail system to connect all the parks and major hotels, but that is a very costly undertaking and one that would ultimately be implememented over a number of years. Also keep in mind, however that Disney stipulated in his will that only 25% of the total area he purchased could be developed. The rest had to remain in its natural state. To date, the park has developed somewhere between 10-15% of the available land..which tells you just how massive the resort is.

  4. I agree that The Racer has needed a new paint job for a few seasons now, esp the station. The ride looks very tired and run-down when seen up close. Also, I hope they have scraped away all the gum in the final brake run tunnel before you reenter the station..it always disgusted me to see wads of who knows how old old gum wads stuck in there.

  5. Well I for one am a pretty decent jumpshooter when it comes to basketball, so the good thing about this is that it is the only game where the odds are in your favor if you're a good shot (ie there is nothing skewed to the park like in the Coke bottle ring toss or the peach basket toss, etc. ) Like all prizes, they can be bought much more cheaply offsite, but if you're a good shot and can hit about 80% of your shots, you can win something decent. I've never played the game, but I know that its location attracts a lot of players on their way to/from BLSC.

  6. If you can stand the raindrops hitting you, riding The Beast in the rain is a great experience, since the rain adds just enough wetness to the tracks to reduce the friction normally caused by the trains, which allows the ride to go faster! I love racing through those tunnels when the track is wet!

  7. I'm with Kat. I just call it the waterpark (esp since I really don't go there all that much in a season). Likewise. I couldn't tell you the old/new names for rides there, except when I'm standing in line and have to endure Paul Hogan's voice telling me 50x an hour if I'm ready for "Blank!" :wacko:

  8. Terpy is right--I can rattle off just about every attraction at wdw--you work there long enough, you know. Also, about a road trip--I'd avoid Indiana Beach. They may advertise there is more than corn in Indiana but that park isn't worth the money. The new coaster looks cool, but that is about all they have to offer..the Cornball Express is on par with The Racer. They have a 'waterpark' area that incorporates much of Lake Shaeffer, but that lake (at least around IB) is pretty dirty. I know the park is pretty dirty as well, but hopefully the new owners have cleaned it up. Most of the other flats are carnival type rides you can find in your avg summer carnival staged in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

  9. Yeah, at busy times, there is still about a 15 min wait even with fastpasses..and I know from working at wdw that during busy times, they can 'speed up' some rides like spalsh mtn..normally, the ride is about 15 min long (it's not your reg flume ride..its one of the best rides they;ve ever built, IMO), they can speed up the current so your boat sails through in about 7 mins if need be. There are differences btwn DL's MK and WDW's MK..and in my opinion, WDW got cheap copies of all the great DL rides--esp Pirates and the HM! Although Splash is much better at WDW than at DL.

  10. I seem to recall an industrious math geek person (sorry Kat!) who, after meticulous research at Disneyland about ride capacities, fastpass, time of day, time of year, etc. invented an algorythm software program whereby you entered into the program the rides you wanted to ride,along with your time entering and leaving the park and the program spit out an itineray for you to follow to avoid the lines..it cost 20 bucks, so I figured I'd use it on a trip to DL a few years ago..surprisingly, it worked like a charm! The program didn't guarantee no lines, just that the lines would be short. At the time, he was working on a sim program for wdw..in essecnce, here were the basics of his program:

    1. do Fantasyland early..rides are low capacity and long lines..esp if you have little ones..also, at the same time, have 1 member of the group get fastpasses for every ride you can..most rides are linked so that you cant have more than a few FP at one time, but I recall some (Mansion, Pirates) not being on the system, whereby you could basically get those as bonus passes and not have them count aganist your allotment.

    2. The FP for big rides run out early on busy days..usually by lunchtime all the FP have been issued for the day; however, what you can do is get a fastpass and use it AFTER the time alloted on your tix..the Cast Members are trained to frown upon that practice, but they will not stop you from riding after your alloted time.

    3. Time lunches for off hours-11 or 1 pm..and NEVER around parade time, when crows gather at various points. Also, despite popular myth, not everyone sees the parade, so the lines for popular rides arent really affected that much

    4. for the fireworks show in the eve--the best view of them wo having to fight the masses is at the top of the Treehouse in Adventureland..there is a clearing at teh top where you can look out over the castle and get a tremendous view

    I used to work there, so I have other tips as well..if anyone wants more advice, feel free to pm me.

  11. Terrific! When I worked at Disney World on a college internship back in 93, I helped out with the Give Kids The World event, where Disney hosted thousands of needy and sick kids from all over the world for a weekend of fun. I was lucky enough to escort a group of kids around to all the different rides and seeing their smiling faces is something I have never forgotten!

  12. I also recall reading in the paper that there is a park in Lebanon that is installing one of the biggest ziplines in the midwest in time for the summer season. I recall reading that it goes out over a gorge. I don't know the cost, but it sounds like fun! There used to be an attraction in downtown cincy that allowed you to walk over an old railroad bridge that crossed the river they converted to a pedestrian bridge, but high insurance costs (which in turn prompted high admission prices--think $50-60) eventually caused the attraction to close after only being open a year and a half. The ironic thing is that the operator of that attraction was one of the 'founding fathers' if you will of Kings Island waaaaaay back when before selling to Taft.

  13. It's the ride with the one long row of seats, over which a plexiglass shield is lowered. While it wasn't working, it looks like the ride spins you around in a circular motion at fast speeds. Hats off to Kat for a good trip report!

×
×
  • Create New...