Weekend Update: First shots of Disneyland's Celebrate! A Street Party
We start out the Weekend Update this week with photos from the brand spanking new Celebrate! A Street Party at Disneyland. Is it a parade? Is it a party? You be the judge after looking at these photos from Fishbulb.
All of our destinations may be domestic this week, but that doesn't mean we can't have some fun, Weekend Update style!
We'll share in the fun that sir clinksalot and Fishbulb enjoyed at Six Flags Magic Mountain at West Coast Bash. Somehow, Fishbulb also had time to snap a few shots of Fantasmic! this week! Denise nbodyhome Preskitt shares a Walt Disney World update with great photos of the soon-to-open Characters in Flight balloon ride. (And no, you couldn't drag me onto that thing - even if Mary Poppins is painted on the side!).
The Stratosphere Tower is another thing you couldn't drag me on (are you sensing a theme here?) - but MickeyMaxx took the elevator to the top and shares some photos of the crazy things going on up there.
Last, but not least, darkfairycthulu is back this week with some fun and wacky vintage post card images.
Celebrate! A Street Party
Disneyland
The following are some random shots chosen from the hundreds of photos that were taken by Fishbulb on opening day. Keep watching MiceChat for ongoing coverage of this new Disneyland entertainment offering in the days and weeks to come.
West Coast Bash at Six Flags Magic Mountain
Valencia, California
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009, a number of MiceChatters and nearly 700 other coaster enthusiasts travelled West Coast Bash at Six Flags Magic Mountain. For their $30 admission they got Park Admission, 2 Meals, Exclusive Ride Time on several main attractions including X2, Backstage tour of the new Terminator wooden coaster currently under construction, Presentation and Q&A session with park management and industry guest speakers, an Event T-Shirt, and more! And, what a great time they had!
We have photographic journals of the event from two of our photographers, sir clinksalot and Fishbulb. First up, sir clinksalot.
Welcome to the improved Six Flags Magic Mountain!
Dark and gloomy skies make for some nice coaster shots.
X2 opened last year with new trains, new audio and new effects.
Train going up the lift (it goes up backwards)!
X2 with a train full of riders.
You can kind of see the new fire effects between all the twisted steel.
Another train of satisfied riders comes into the station.
Viper has been around for awhile now.
An overview of some of the "Twisted Steel" and wood you will find at Magic Mountain.
The front of the park looks very different than it did in years past. Now Revolution and Tatsu dominate the skyline.
Goliath is one of the tallest rides in the park.
The new and improved Games Area, looks really nice.
The new Thomas Town area was quite the welcome addition to the park.
Batman is still one of the best rides in the park.
The park has gone through some really nice re-landscaping over the past few years.
Some shots of Tatsu in action
And now, Magic Mountain through Fishbulb's lens.
Ninja.
Old boats in Jet Stream.
Notice the greeter in front of the freshly painted queue building for Colossus?
Tatsu and the Sky Tower
Nearly everyone who attended agreed that Magic Mountain is looking great, that management has an ongoing program to improve both the physical aspects of the park, and the civility of the customers. Well worth the drive to Valencia to relive some of the park's original favorites, and try out the abundance of new rides they have.
Next week, we get a behind-the-scenes look at e construction pictures of Terminator Salvation: The Ride, the park's new signature wooden coaster.
Fantasmic! at Disneyland
Anaheim, California
Some wonderful shots of Disneyland's Fantasmic brought to us by Fishbulb.
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt brings us another Walt Disney World update.
Walt Disney World
Orlando, Florida
Belle at Epcot:
The coach:
Belle and her Beast:
Tinkerbell and Iridessa in the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden:
Tink's wings have fallen off from the small statue in the Butterfly tent:
Tink reflected in her ball:
Journey Into Your Imagination:
Characters in Flight balloon at Downtown Disney, which is set to open within days:
One of my 4 YouTube videos:
Jambo House sign, Animal Kingdom Lodge:
Gates to the new guard shack (not yet opened) at the Animal Kingdom Lodge/Villas:
More of Denise's photos and videos may be seen at her website mousesteps.com.
Stratosphere Tower
Las Vegas, Nevada
Rising dramatically from the desert floor, in an rather unlikely neighborhood, is the 1149 foot Stratosphere Tower, the tallest free-standing observation tower in the United States.
Quote:
In the early 1990s, The Stratosphere was conceived by Bob Stupak to replace his Vegas World casino. At the conception of the project, one of the planned rides was to be a giant ape that would carry riders up and down one of the tower's columns. Original plans called for the Stratosphere to tower beyond 1,800 feet tall, making it the world's tallest building at that time. However, due to possible interference with nearby McCarran International Airport and any possible flights that come through Las Vegas, the tower's proposed height shrank multiple times until it stopped at its present height.
Wikipedia
On the tippy top, somebody decided it would be a great idea to affix three thrill rides.
This is my ticket to ride . . . the elevator. Thrill rides are extra.
That's the senior price, you'll pay $4.00 more for your youth.
There's the Big Shot, like a single, albeit taller, version of the Maliboomer, at 1081 feet, the highest thrill ride in the world.
Insanity the Ride, slowly pushes out over the edge of the tower and then spins, reaching a speed of 40 mph.
And XSCREAM, kind of a short little stub of a roller coaster/teeter-totter, which tilts down at the front until the riders are suspended out over the edge of the building.
And then, it suddenly drops at a steep angle, resets and does the cycle all over again.
As long as we were on the 109th floor, we took a few shots of Vegas from above.
The Strip.
And Downtown.
We spent another hour or so in the newish Starbucks on the enclosed observation deck level, surfing the net and observing people observing Las Vegas. It's a little like relaxing on the bridge of the Enterprise, don't you think?
Stratosphere Hotel and Casino Las Vegas Official Site [LINK]
Quote:
The Reptile Gardens are still there, though in fairly sad shape. I was most amused by the inclusion of photos of bite wounds accompanying the various reptiles in their glass enclosures, accompanied by lurid text of the side effects of the bite and/or poison of the critters.
darkfairycthulu
Quote:
Reptile Gardens is a must-see family attraction no matter what your age. We have something for everyone, so bring your birthday parties, family reunions, boy or girl scout troops or any gathering for that matter - group rates are available! We maintain the finest collection of tropical plants and reptiles in the world. In fact, we have more species and subspecies of venomous reptiles than any other zoo or park anywhere!
Quote:
Sad-Eye Joe is still happy to talk to visitors to Knott's Berry Farm, especially about things other than roller coasters. No longer free to go visit the old rascal though...
darkfairycthulu
Quote:
Quote:
I have actually been to this place, and it's far more a massive gift shop than a museum, but there are one or two dusty cases of Bigfoot articles and artifacts inside, in the back corner.
darkfairycthulu
Quote:
When I was a kid, my parents drove from our home in Arcata to the Bay Area fairly regularly to visit family. I always wanted to stop at Legend of Bigfoot, but my parents always refused. So when I had a chance to go there as an adult, you bet I did! It's awesome. Lots of bears carved out of redwood trees, even a giant green redwood Shrek carving! Go into the gift shop for sure, it's amazing. They sell all kinds of crap like "fool's gold!" and redwood/bigfoot-themed items. The place gets 5 stars just for the shirt I bought which says "Bigfoot Stepped On Me!" with a giant foot on the back of it. Amazing. Kelsey B., Pittsburgh, PA
Looking for up-to-date reports from Disneyland
including photos, gossip, park schedules and more?
including photos, gossip, park schedules and more?
Visit these MiceChat columns each week:
Andy Castro's Dateline Disneyland
David DarkBeer Michael's In the Parks
And that brings us to the end of another week. Our photographers have just enough time to reload their cameras before we see you all again next weekend. Thank you to all of our wonderful readers, and as always, a huge thank you to our amazing team of global photographers, spies, and gossips:
TDLFAN
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt (mousesteps.com)
SummerInFl (wdwfanpics.com)
sir clinksalot
MickeyMaxx
Fishbulb
Abominable Snowman
"Postcard Junkie" darkfairycthulu (postcardjunkie.blogspot.com)
PhotoMatt
Jack Hollywood 1939 Wixom
BigPigletFan
We'll have another chapter of Ian Parkinson's New Zealand trip next week.
Your Editor - Rixter
Where have YOU been recently? We invite you to share your photos of theme parks or any other destination that may be of interest to our readers. Please feel free to contact me via MiceChat Private Message (screen name Rixter)
or send me an email: oceansiderick@gmail.com.
or send me an email: oceansiderick@gmail.com.
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Total Comments 19
Comments
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Really fun update this week! I'm getting homesick for Epcot.
Great job everyone. Lots of brave photographers this week.Posted 03-28-2009 at 02:22 AM by Dustysage
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I would NOT go on those rides in Las Vegas! I think I'd wet myself!Posted 03-28-2009 at 04:14 AM by mister_peterman -
Incredible rides at magic mountain, but being a chicken myself (yes im a chicken and proud of it
) those rides are too much for me as well as those vegas ones...i would not ride those even if they paid me a million dollers.
From the photos themselves, the parade looks ok, just a bit iffy on the coustumes though.
Awesome report
Posted 03-28-2009 at 09:29 AM by cositaluvsmickey - Wow! The new Disney parade looks unbelievably.........uninspiring.Posted 03-28-2009 at 09:42 AM by Capt. tomorrow
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The parade looks ok, but wow does it look like a re-tread of some 1980's parades!
Magic Mountain is looking GREAT, I am so happy to see its getting better all the time. Check out my Vintage Magic Mt. posts (link).
The Stratosphere rides are just too much and altogether wrong. I wet myself just looking at the pics! You could'nt even get me up in the tower, much less on those rides from hell!
Great report, thanks for all the super info & pics.Posted 03-28-2009 at 09:52 AM by Disneyland Tickets -
Great stuff everybody. The Weekend Update never ceases to amaze me.Posted 03-28-2009 at 10:50 AM by sir clinksalot -
I still think they should sell clean underwear in the gift shop at Stratosphere.Posted 03-28-2009 at 10:59 AM by CoasterMatt -
Those Stratosphere photos look really scary!Posted 03-28-2009 at 11:58 AM by nbodyhome -
Thank you, Rixter (and the many contributors). Great Weekend Update, as usual.Posted 03-28-2009 at 01:48 PM by pirate_tim -
Love it, love it, love it!!! Great photos! Don't think I would brave the rides in Vegas either.
Thanks for a great weekend update!Posted 03-28-2009 at 03:39 PM by xalesa -
Is the rollercoaster on the top of the tower in Las Vegas no longer there or operating? It wasn't mentioned in the text.Posted 03-28-2009 at 04:41 PM by DisneysMagic -
The aptly named "High Roller" roller coaster which ran for over ten years was facing a costly overhaul. Always considered the least exciting of the rides atop the Stratosphere, the owners decided to remove it, and find another more thrilling ride to replace it.Quote:Is the rollercoaster on the top of the tower in Las Vegas no longer there or operating? It wasn't mentioned in the text.
High Roller meets fast cutter: Stratosphere maintenance crew uses plasma to cut demolition time in halfQuote:After 10 years and almost 3 million riders, the High Roller"s time has come. Although it was lifted into place by the Tower crane, more than 110,000 pounds of track from the roller coaster will be going down in the elevator, one piece at a time.Posted 03-28-2009 at 08:34 PM by MickeyMaxx - Great Postcard from Roadside America. I was born and raised in Reading, PA and an elementary school field rip to Roadside America was mandatory. The postcard doesn;t do the place justice. If yo are a model railroad junkie, the place is a must see!!!Posted 03-28-2009 at 09:06 PM by Slimshady
- Those damn coasters at Knott's are ruining the looks of Ghost Town. I remember the day when you could walk around Ghost Town and really imagine you were in the Old West...
At least Disney, when they changed Nature's Wonderland into Big Thunder, had the class to theme the coaster's appearance to fit in with the Frontierland surroundings. Knott's just sticks those huge, iron suckers right in plain view behind Ghost Town...
And I won't even mention what they did to the old Reflection Lake area. The place looks like Magic Mountain fell out of the sky and crushed the old Knott's.Posted 03-28-2009 at 09:16 PM by FredSimmons -
Great update!Posted 03-28-2009 at 11:02 PM by WheresMickey -
There is no way, and I mean NO WAY, you could ever pay me enough to go on any of those rides on top of the Stratosphere!!! There just isn't enough money in the world.Posted 03-29-2009 at 01:45 AM by disneymademoiselle -
I remember seeing Sad Eyed Joe as a kid with my parents and my grandparents. I remember he knew my name and a whole bunch of other things about me I can't remember anymore. I had myself convinced that it was just my dad or my grandpa going behind the shack and talking with a funny voice, but that's really interesting that he's a real "attraction". Wow.Posted 03-29-2009 at 12:53 PM by AliKzam -
Great update! I love the rides on top of the Stratosphere!!! Posted 03-30-2009 at 02:07 AM by TDLFAN -
my fave update of late!Posted 03-30-2009 at 11:46 AM by wdwnut4life
