Weekend Update Back to School Edition for August 23, 2008!
The lazy days of summer vacation are over for most of us. We are settling back into our pre-vacation routines and starting to count the days until we can leave it all behind us again for our next vacation. Our photographers will whet your appetite for your next vacation with photos from around the world. Greg L. shares some photos from Europe, JediMasterMatt offers more stunning images from Walt Disney World, Jack hollywood1939 Wixom takes us on a tour of Disneyland's Splash Mountain and sir clinksalot takes us to Vegas, baby!
This week we'll start in Europe:
As a reminder, MiceChat reader Greg L. spent six months in Europe earlier this year, and he is sharing some amusement park photos with us. This week, we visit the largest theme park in The Netherlands.
Efteling
Kaatsheuvel, The Netherlands
Efteling is the largest and most popular theme park in The Netherlands, and one of the leading theme parks in Europe. It is also one of the oldest theme parks in the world. Efteling is located in the town of Kaatsheuvel, in the municipality of Loon op Zand. Efteling was opened in 1952.
Originally the park catered towards children with a fairy tale theme. Nowadays Efteling appeals to both young and old with its cultural, romantic and nostalgic themes and its variety of amusement rides. In over fifty years the park has evolved from a nature park with playground and a Fairy Tale Forest, into a full-size theme park along the lines of Disneyland. In 1992 Efteling received the IAAPA Applause Award for Best Amusement Park in the World.*
I'll stick to the English name and call this attraction the Flying Dutchman,
a new attraction that was really great.
Queue reminiscent of Pirates of the Caribbean with a load in a harbor town at night. The coolest feature of this attraction was the fact that the boat dives into pitch blackness with only the lantern on the front of your boat to show through the fog while a booming soundtrack elevates the coming storm. A very repeatable ride.
The section of track outside before the plunge into the water.
The atms in this park were heavily themed, in this case a gigantic treasure chest hides the machines tucked in the sides. There was also a giant couch that was climbed all over for massive group pictures.
The grand looking Efteling Theater is located right near the entrance
for after-park-hour shows, dinners, and events.
I enjoyed the look of the Coke machines.
This photo shows a Laaf scientist. This park had tons of paths and small-scale structures to explore on foot including the Land of the Laaf People and a large fairytale land. Both were great.
A couple more Laafs in their wizzing workshop.
A great looking maze designated for children.
The view from the flying Pagoda shows off the beautiful landscaping
and parklands that made Efteling so fantastic.
Enjoyed the old-fashioned carnival nature of this carousel building that housed both this attraction as well as a dancing fountain show and the miniature dioramas that the next picture shows. This building was very cool but seemed to get very little traffic.
Next weekend we'll present the final installment of Greg L.'s photos. Europa-Park is the second-most-popular theme park in Europe (more than 4 million visitors in 2007), after Disneyland Paris and the most-popular seasonal theme park in the world.
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MiceChatter Jack hollywood1939 Wixom is taking us on comprehensive tours of the attractions at the Disneyland Resort. This week we are treated to some amazing photos of Disneyland's version of Splash Mountain. I have been inside that mountain dozens of times, but I have never seen it in such detail!
Splash Mountain
Disneyland
Yes, I was just that stupid to take my camera on it.
After the first drop:
Before the BIG drop:
SPLASH!
Final show room:
The end. Hope you enjoyed. Jack
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I raided JediMasterMatt's photo album again this week (with his permission, of course!) These beautiful photos make me want to make a trip to Florida, but I'll just have to wait for the MiceChat Disney World Invasion and Gumball Rally in October.
Walt Disney World
Orlando, Florida
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sir clinksalot was in Las Vegas recently to attend a MiceChat wedding and shares these intriguing photos with us.
Las Vegas, Nevada
The Desperado Roller Coaster at the Buffalo Bill Hotel and Casino in Primm, Nevada
The wedding was held at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip:
The Atrium in the Bellagio Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip:
A few photos from the Rio Hotel and Casino just off of the Las Vegas Strip:
The Bar
Lucky Strike Bowling Lanes
Eye Spy
In our EyeSpy feature, we provide you with Disney Details which we challenge you to identify. Where in the universe can you find these details?
These Disney Details are both in the same place. Can you guess where?
Eye Spy Answer from last week:
Where can you find this hidden Tinker Bell?
In the photo area in the Greetings from California store in California Adventure. According to the CM who showed it to us, they melded it into the glasswork there. [sir clinksalot]
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:
Jack Hollywood 1939 Wixom
TDLFAN
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt
SummerInFl
PhotoMatt
Fishbulb
sir clinksalot
MickeyMaxx
A very special thank you to our wonderful guest photographers Greg L. and JediMasterMatt for sharing their vision with us.
Your Editor - Rixter
If you have interesting theme park shots that you would like to share with the readers of the Weekend Update, please send a message to oceansiderick@gmail.com.
It is readers like you who make MiceChat such a special place.
It is readers like you who make MiceChat such a special place.
Don't miss a single one of MiceChat's Featured Blogs (including the Weekend Update). Add our feed to your favorite feed software or site: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Micechat-Featured
*Some factual information sourced from wikipedia.com.
Total Comments 14
Comments
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the carrosell building is Beautiful!
whoot first comment!Posted 08-23-2008 at 04:30 AM by Scary Scott
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Lovely pics everyone... especially enjoyed the Bellagio photos... Such a classy hotel! Can't wait to stay there again soon.Posted 08-23-2008 at 09:13 AM by TDLFAN -
wow... more pix of efteling... anybody else been to this place? looks like a hidden gem! cross between disneyland and tivoli... and how bad can that be?Posted 08-23-2008 at 10:15 AM by MrTaste -
Great pictures!Posted 08-23-2008 at 10:36 AM by WheresMickey -
Great shot of the carousel building in Europe. What's amazing is those facades were portable. Too bad those wooden facades never were popular in America. Then again, can you imagine having to lug those things from town to town, usually by steam tractor!?Posted 08-23-2008 at 11:25 AM by wec -
Great update and pictures. I really enjoyed the pictures from Efteling. That place looks amazing. I love the detail in the line queue and the soda machines. That place reminds me a lot of a Disney theme park. And the way you described the ride with the lantern on the front of the boat as the only light sounds so cool. I really want to see that for myself.Posted 08-23-2008 at 12:34 PM by Craigroy8287 -
The Europe park looks great, by any chance has anyone ever been to the Smurf park in France?Posted 08-23-2008 at 04:54 PM by hadesthecat - I love the shot of Cinderella's castle. It reminds me of the mentos in the Diet Coke trick.Posted 08-23-2008 at 05:32 PM by toemblem
- I owuld not mind seeing a version of the flying dutchman at the south western corner of Paradise Pier in DCA.
A nice themed building, an interior show scene and i would not mind the track racing between screamin west helix and the pizaa oom mow mow area with a splash down in that bayPosted 08-24-2008 at 01:30 AM by Baloo -
Cool to see that you guys like the Efteling so much, does me great joy as a Dutchman
There's only one illegal picture in that TR; the picture of the Flying Pagoda (the one before the Carousel) now shows a ride from Europa Park (next week's TR I guess). The big blue water coaster looks great, but the view of the Pagoda looks even better!Posted 08-24-2008 at 09:18 AM by Jorn - Efteling park was totally new to me! I like that. I'm going to Disneyland tomorrow! I can't wait! I hope the crowds stay away. Pretty soon, all the kids will be back in school! Yah! It's the most wonderful time of the year!Posted 08-24-2008 at 02:31 PM by whamo
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Gosh, I would love to go to Efteling. Add that as another place I plan to go when I suddenly become wealthy and travel the worlds theme parks.Posted 08-24-2008 at 07:24 PM by MirandaPen -
Wow, the Efteling photo's are amazing. Some day ... Some day.Posted 08-25-2008 at 09:52 AM by sir clinksalot -
great picsPosted 08-25-2008 at 11:43 AM by wdwnut4life
