Around the World with Weekend Update: September 20, 2008
We really take you around this world this week with some amazing photos from both hemispheres! nbodyhome shows us the Disney World, Ian Parkinson's Adriatic Adventure continues, Mark Gonzales takes us on a stroll down Main Street, SummerInFL takes us on an African expedition, MickeyMaxx shares his blockhead adventure, and Marcia G. takes us south to Argentina.
This week we'll start on the East Coast:
Denise nbodyhome Preskitt shows us around some of the East coast theme parks this week. First up, Universal Studios is getting ready for their very popular Fall event: Halloween Horror Nights. Denise and MiceChat sponsor Eric Davis (Orlando Fun Tickets) checked out the park and spotted some of the preparations for this event.
Universal Studios
Orlando, Florida
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Eric from Orlando Fun Tickets took me to Universal this past weekend. Some Halloween Horror Night photos as decor is being installed.
Eric sees himself in the mirror and is startled:
The Adventurer's Club
Pleasure Island
As most of our readers already know, The Adventurer's Club at Pleasure Island is going to close forever on September 28th. Denise has been visiting the club often since the closing was announced and she shares these last chance photos.
Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World Resort
Epcot
Walt Disney World Resort
More of Denise's fantastic photography can be enjoyed at her website: mousesteps.com.
Cephalonia, Greece
In part three of Ian Parkinson's Adriatic Adventure we resume our sightseeing trip on the Greek Island of Cephalonia:
The island of Cephalonia is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece, with an area of 350 sq. miles. The island is named after the mythological figure Cephalus, although some hold its name literally means "island with a head", referring to the island's shape; the name "Ciphalis" is derived from the Greek word for "head".*
Disneyland
Anaheim, California
Mark Gonzales takes us on another photo tour of Disneyland. This time we'll take a walk down Main Street.
"Welcome to Main Street"
Don't forget to visit Mark's flickr album to view more fantastic photography.
Busch Gardens Africa
Tampa Bay, Florida
SummerInFL takes us on a tour of the quieter side of Busch Gardens Africa. Lest anyone think that the park is only dedicated to animals, however, we'll start the report with a few photos of SheiKra.
SheiKra is a vertical drop roller coaster in Tampa, Florida. It is situated in the Stanleyville section of Busch Gardens Africa. SheiKra was the first dive machine roller coaster in North America. It is tied with Six Flags Over Georgia's Goliath for tallest roller coaster in the southeast. SheiKra first opened in May 2005. On June 16, 2007, SheiKra was converted into a floorless roller coaster. The name SheiKra is derived from a shikra, an African hawk that is known to dive straight down for its prey.*
Busch Gardens Africa, formerly known as Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, opened on March 31, 1959, and has an African theme. The park was originally tagged "The Dark Continent". The theme park is one of America's largest zoological institutions, with more than 2,700 animals. Attractions include: Rhino Rally, Montu, Kumba, Scorpion, Gwazi, Edge of Africa, and SheiKra, a vertical dive coaster which opened in 2005. The theme park is some distance away from downtown in central Tampa.*
Summer reports that Busch Gardens has two of her favorite things, animals and shade. Looks like she saw plenty of both.
Coincidentally, one of my favorite blogs vintagedisneytickets posted these photos this week of a vintage Busch Gardens Tampa ticket. You can also view a vintage brochure at the blog.
Legoland
Carlsbad, California
MickeyMaxx treats us to some photos of his recent trip to Legoland.
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Ten adults, 2 children . . . for a park that is designed for the much younger set, our ratio of children to adults might have been a bit low, save for the fact that all of us are kids at heart.
We were surprised to note that the admission prices were just a little south of Disneyland's. Luckily, we were the recipient of generous discounts from our host which allowed us entry for less than the cost a burger and soft drink at Disneyland.
It's a park of gentle rides, gentle coasters, gentle humor.
But just because Legoland is full of mostly gentle rides, that doesn't mean one must be faced with a boring day. Take a simple boat ride. All begins well as this gentleman is the first to pull away from the dock.
One, by one, the others follow in an orderly procession.
Until, at the first turn, their leader looks to be in trouble, suddenly facing backwards.
What appears to be utter chaos eventually finds every single driver returning to the dock in the exact opposite order than they started out in. Turns out that was their plan all along to add a bit of a challenge to what started out as an innocent ride for children.
Entertaining for all ages, is Miniland USA, the detailing is so intricate, one is hard pressed to take it all in.
A funeral in New Orleans.
Detailing in the same city.
San Francisco.
And a New York street scene.
There is a fair amount of product placement, like from Volvo, a park sponsor. There are lots of mini Volvo XC 90s parked in every city. And a full size XC90 replica made of Lego blocks near the entrance. Plus the Volvo Driver's School attraction. Note the miniature silver Volvo in the photo above and the blue one in the Las Vegas photo below.
Also note the working Las Vegas Monorail.
And, San Francisco from the waterfront.
There is one ride that is uncharacteristic of this park. Knight's Tournament is a robotic arm ride, where you select your level of intensity, and then hold on tight.
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We had a great day. Watching the reaction of the kids underscored who this park is aimed at, but there is a lot to see for all. Several of us vowed to come back and spend a full day in MiniLand. Now if we can just find some more discount passes.
MiceChat reader Marcia G. travelled to Argentina recently and shares these magnificent photos with us.
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina. It is geographically located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent. Greater Buenos Aires is the third largest urban area in Latin America, with a population of about 13 million.
After the internal conflicts of the 19th century, Buenos Aires was federalised and removed from Buenos Aires Province in 1880. The city limits were enlarged to include the former towns of Belgrano and Flores, which are both now neighbourhoods of the city.
People from Buenos Aires are called porteños (people of the port).*
The luxurious Santa Fe St. in the neighborhood of Palermo, Buenos Aires
The Casa Rosada, with barricades (Evita and Peron resided there)
Statue in a plaza in front of the house
A busy blvd. in Buenos Aires at dusk
And another
A "statute" outside of Alto Palermo (shopping mall)
Disney is known for classic characters that you grow to love. Disneyland has the Minnie Mouse of your dreams. Argentina has the Minnie of your nightmares. (Also taken outside of Alto Palermo).
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"Wannabe" costumes are very typical, especially of Disney characters. Since there is no Disney park in South America, children go crazy for anything Disney. Even this Minnie made kids happy, as they thought she was real. I was very surprised by the kids reactions, since none of them seemed frightened at all by this Minnie Mouse. I truly think that this is the scariest fake Minnie that I've ever seen. Moreover, this photo fails to capture Minnie's entire costume, which was jeans worn under the dress and white Nike sneakers.
The hotel we stayed at (Marriott Plaza Hotel)
The gorgeous lobby of our hotel.
Flags hanging from the hotel
More from inside
Buffet Restaurant at the hotel
View from the pool area (closed in the winter months)
We'll have more photos from Marcia G. next week when we will visit the widest street in the world and Evita's gravesite.
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 Ian Parkinson, Mark Gonzales and Marcia G. for sharing their vision with us.
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.
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:
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*Some factual information sourced from wikipedia.com.
Total Comments 23
Comments
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I am always pleasantly surprised at what part of the world I will get to see on the weekends. Great job everyone.Posted 09-19-2008 at 10:40 PM by pratt55
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One more reason why I LOVE the weekends.
Great job everyone, and thank you to the special contributors for sharing their vacations with us!Posted 09-19-2008 at 11:52 PM by Dustysage -
It's uncanny how much Eric resembles TDLFAN from behind.
You Miceboys are too much... having such fun at Legoland.Posted 09-20-2008 at 06:42 AM by TDLFAN -
Hey! I got married at the Candlelight Wedding Chapel once!
The real one, not the Lego one...
Great photos and thanks for bringing it all together here!Posted 09-20-2008 at 07:28 AM by PEZZ Lightyear -
Every week I try to check out the update as it always contains some of the finest photography on the planet. Outstanding shots, everyone!
Posted 09-20-2008 at 07:32 AM by Mac Daddy -
Great update everybody.
I miss Legoland.
Haven't been there in YEARS.Posted 09-20-2008 at 07:58 AM by sir clinksalot -
Awsome! Really good update! Thanks everyone.Posted 09-20-2008 at 08:04 AM by dl_appurtenant -
Thank you -- I really enjoyed all that!Posted 09-20-2008 at 08:35 AM by Javamom -
Great update!Posted 09-20-2008 at 08:45 AM by WheresMickey -
I love how the Weekend Update is so different every week! It's becoming our own little travel show.
Posted 09-20-2008 at 09:56 AM by SusieP. -
Wonderful! Thank you, Rick for putting together such a great column every week!
Also...that robotic arm ride at Legoland looks pretty intense!Posted 09-20-2008 at 09:56 AM by pirate_tim -
Great update. I always enjoy seeing all the pics from around the world. Lego Land admission prices are way too high. Although I really like the models of the different cities. Especially San Francisco.Posted 09-20-2008 at 12:09 PM by Craigroy8287 -
Another great weekend update!Posted 09-20-2008 at 12:27 PM by Abominable Snowman -
Gotta love the fastest trip around the world every week.
6 days to the BIG 4-0 trip to WDWPosted 09-20-2008 at 05:51 PM by hadesthecat - Evita & Juan Peron never lived in the Casa Rosada. It is simply the president's place of work. She resides in the barrio of Olivos.Posted 09-20-2008 at 07:42 PM by Nick
- Also, the Bulnes subte station photo (showing Avenida Santa Fe is incorrectly listed as being in Palermo. That stop is located in Barrio Norte.Posted 09-20-2008 at 07:47 PM by Nick
- Love the shots in Argentina. My son will be living there for the next two years. It's good to see some of the city where he may reside. Thanks for the photos.
Another awesome weekend update. keep up the good work!!Posted 09-20-2008 at 08:01 PM by Carnation Dave - For being a fake, that Minnie Mouse looks pretty decent actually.Posted 09-20-2008 at 08:56 PM by ChrisFL
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I despise Lego Land. It is one of the single most sterile, uncomfortable places I have ever been to; like visiting a hospital... and their entry prices are absolutely ludicrous.Posted 09-20-2008 at 09:29 PM by WickedScorp -
Great update. By the way, not quite 2009, yet!Posted 09-21-2008 at 12:16 PM by Evan
