Data TR #4 (for four!)

[Datameister]

Part 1

Howdy y'all! So, the news about RDCT coming to a close made it suddenly very easy for me to decide whether I should take a trip to the park during finals week. Who needs studying for college classes when you can be witnessing the world's only true E-ticket in the sky? It turned out to be a very enjoyable day, but it was not a solo trip like I initially thought it'd be - I was fortunate enough to meet and spend time with SeaWolf38, startours1, and the Dark Lady! Honestly, I think this was the first time I'd been with multiple MiceChatters at the same time, and boy, was it fun. I have to say, I didn't do a particularly great job in the backstage photography department this time, but that's all right. Still some goodies in this TR, as well as some more conventional shots. As always, CLICK THE PHOTOS FOR LARGER VERSIONS!

So the day started out with a 1.2-mile rush on foot to a bus stop, followed by an hour or two of public transit. I ended up in the park around 9:30, a half-hour after opening. I was feeling kinda ho-hum, as you can see...



...but the resort was telling me to celebrate in colors that were too...vibrant to ignore. And besides, it was St. Patrick's Day. I may not have red hair (except for a bit of my beard), but I insisted on wearing green anyway.



The park was definitely busy. Indy was already listed as a 30-minute wait, so I decided to get a FastPass and go for a spin on the Jungle Cruise. Don't think I'd ever done that attraction first thing in the morning before! Unfortunately, my attempts at photographing the side of the first Pirates show building on the west side of Main Street failed, for the most part, but oh well. Pirates came next, and I took a LOT of photos. These are a few of the most interesting ones, I suppose. Notably, Davy Jones was looking better than I'm used to. Can't say if it matched the effect's "glory days" - I missed those - but it was an improvement.





















That last one is the control tower, of course. Anyway, HM came next. Finally got some decent shots of the large ventilators on the roof of the show building, barely visible over the ridge of the berm behind the house. The roof of the show building slopes down right there to meet the ridge, and those ventilators sit right near there.





Inside, I took some more conventional shots, some of which turned out okay...







But I also had fun taking a 3D photo of one of the staring busts. Cross your eyes and move your head back and forth to experience the famed effect right at your computer!



After that, I headed over to Splash Mountain, but the line was too long, naturally, and it wasn't quite time for me to be able to get another FastPass, so I surprised myself and went on Pooh. I'd been on it only once before, which I figured was enough at the time, but it seemed appropriate that I give it a second chance, especially now that I'm more familiar with the FL dark rides. Now, as you all know, Pooh is a good replacement for the Country Bears, as evidenced by the long lines it regularly has. I knew when the sign said "3 minutes," it had to be underestimating, and sure enough, it was at LEAST 3 minutes and 10 seconds. Although the wait might have gone a little less torturously slowly if not for me studying the way the entrance of the attraction sneaks beneath the berm and into the show building back there.



Y'know, the ride isn't that bad, comparatively. Most of the individual elements aren't terribly problematic. Unarticulated figures are nothing new to this genre (unfortunately), and the individual stories are interesting enough. But the sets are too big and empty-ish to be exciting, the rolling motion is more annoying than fun, and perhaps most of all, the various stories are thrown together into one nonsensical mess. If you're going to do a story-based attraction, make sure that story is clear.



At that point, I was joined by none other than Justin, aka SeaWolf38! Finally getting to meet him was a real treat...and not because he had a special pass that allowed us to drastically reduce many of the substantial wait times around both parks. For that reason, most of the day tended to look something like this:



Anyway, we hit Splash Mountain at that point. I gave it a favorable rating, as always, but the camera didn't manage to capture what exactly SeaWolf was gesturing behind me. No idea who the other people were.



After a ride on the railroad, we met up with David, who some of you might know as startours1. We ended up on FNSV eventually, which was MY FIRST TIME! And I'd never been on the classic subs, either. My reaction? I found the three-dimensional sets, props, and figures much more compelling than the blatantly two-dimensional projections, but I enjoyed it overall. I'm sure I would have preferred the original subs, since they didn't take the projection route, but since I don't have that experience to compare FNSV to, I thought it was a fun little ride.

We then headed over to White Water Snacks, where the Dark Lady (Triana) graced us with her presence! Unfortunately, she had to leave pretty soon, but we managed to sneak in a ride on Soarin' over California first. I dunno why, but I love that blue screen! (Not to mention everything else about the attraction...)



It was sad to see the Dark Lady go, but I snapped a shot of her and the guys first. That background won't be around for too much longer...



Mysteriously, however, the Dark Lady lived up to her screen name, as you can see. Don't ask me...ask her!

Paradise Pier was a mess of (wonderfully themed) construction walls, with the drained lagoon in the middle, of course. I hadn't seen all this in person, so I found it pretty interesting.









Then came Midway Mania, another first for me! Unfortunately, my feelings on it were pretty mixed. After the massive positive hype, it really didn't seem all that impressive. The exterior, queue, and exit are amazing, naturally. I already knew that. But the ride itself was a mixed bag. The tactile nature of the game interface is great. Much better than BLAB in that regard, especially once I really started getting used it. Aiming is a lot more easy and a lot more fun. Also, the sensations of air and water and stuff work nicely, though they sometimes didn't seem to match up with what was happening onscreen. But I found the animation and 3D effects to be average at best. There was a significant lack of depth, and the animation suffered from a poor framerate, desaturated colors, and lack of sharpness. That was the part of the whole experience that was the most disappointing for me. The vehicle motion seemed a little...unnecessarily rough, too, but I'm not losing any sleep (or meals) over it. I'm told my score of 108,700 isn't bad for a first-timer, but I wouldn't know.

I gotta say, while I still find the very idea of theming an area to an unthemed park, if that's the way it's gonna be, I fully approve of the Paradise Pier revamp. The contrast between the old and the new could not be any more stark, sad, and HILARIOUS. Can't wait to see the rest get the same treatment. It's never going to be my favorite land, but I think Paradise Pier is at least going to feel fairly Disney-ish in the end, and for that I am grateful.





We tried for Grizzly River Run, but the line was ridiculous. So we headed to the Blue Sky Cellar, ANOTHER first for me! I liked getting to see the concept art and so forth - especially since I do intend to become an Imagineer before too long! - but none of it really changed my opinions about the changes for the better or for the worse. Cars Land is going to be an amazing spectacle that won't work well enough with the California theme. TLM is going to be an amazing spectacle that won't work well enough with the California theme. And the new entrance isn't going to be an amazing spectacle, but it'll be a very, very nice improvement that will work wonderfully with the California theme. This'll all be an interesting experience, but I certainly can't argue with the money being invested in it. In the mean time, I'll continue enjoying the behind-the-scenes views it affords...



And backstage views in Disneyland itself, too. Unfortunately, those can be hard to come by. Those pesky trees practically jump in front of the camera! Got a few of the west side of Main Street, though...



(That shot is actually three that I've combined into one, to help me get rid of tree branches and leaves.) Anyway, the Matterhorn was up next. Having captured the "real" Harold already (see my older TRs), there was little for me to photograph backstage-wise, so I had some fun with the scenery. Come on...who needs boring stuff like abominable snowmen and lost expeditions and icy caverns filled with glowing crystals?





Then came Space Mountain...



Poor SeaWolf just didn't find Space Mountain entertaining. By the end of the ride, he was sleeping like a baby. I actually didn't think it was that great either - in this shot, I'm not giving it a thumbs-up...I'm thumbing for a hitch, 'cause I wanted off. Terrible attraction. Honestly. Those old-school Imagineers had no idea what they were doing.

Sorry, can't keep a straight face through that one.

Wowee...this is getting long-ish. Gonna split this up into two parts, I think. Hopefully it won't be TOO long before that second part is ready...I'm dealing with finals and so forth. But highlights will include a secret next to the secret bathroom, an almost-first-timer's impressions of Alice in Wonderland, maybe more Matterhorn pics, mini-Harold looking creepy as heck, my very last viewing of RDCT (with some not-too-shabby photos), and, just for our dear sediment, a detailed description of my experiences with getting back afterward.

Part 2

[royaldisneyfan]

Very nice shots! Can't wait for part 2!

[vfire]

Great TR, looking forward to the next part.

[IzzyInWonderland]

Looks like fun. Glad to see some normal "people" photos thrown in there with the backstage stuff. What happened to The Dark Lady?? Did she disappear?

[denice25]

nice pics.. great share!!! so excited to see the part2!

[Sir Didymus]

Originally Posted by Datameister

But I also had fun taking a 3D photo of one of the staring busts. Cross your eyes and move your head back and forth to experience the famed effect right at your computer!

That kept me entertained for a good 20 minutes, lol.
I'm lovin' it!

[SeaWolf38]

Excellent so far! I had a great time hanging out with you yesterday... and you're right, that Space Mountain ride WAS boring This TR is great! Great re-enactment of my usage of my pass, also. The guy you used to pose for the pic looks really cool and fun! Too bad that isn't me though... and don't get me started on that pic of some crazy guy at the beginning of your TR. You think Harold is scary.... hahaha kidding, kidding. And, by the way, the bust illusion kinda works even if you don't cross your eyes. That's really cool how you did that (cuz idk how you did haha)! You can't play the "I planned it that way" card with that secret next to the secret bathroom, remember. I said so. Muhahahahaha! Ok, I'm jumping around to a bunch of different subjects. I'll stop now. One more thing. Put the camera strap around your neck. :oD

[Coheteboy]

Nice little report, data. When did you get your emotion chip installed?

j/k! hahaha

[Datameister]

Thanks, folks! If all goes well, I'll be able to post part 2...tomorrow afternoon, I think.

You can't play the "I planned it that way" card with that secret next to the secret bathroom, remember. I said so. Muhahahahaha!

I know, I know...I'm actually not even sure how much I'm going to divulge about that, but I'm sure I'll mention how timid I am when compared to you rule-breaking daredevils.

Put the camera strap around your neck. :oD

Oh, man, good times...good times...I swear, I normally keep that thing strapped to me when I ride the Matterhorn!

When did you get your emotion chip installed?

It's actually not a chip - just a convenient little plug-in I downloaded for free. It was a limited-time trial, though, and I'm already reverting back to my usual degree of lifeless emotional detachment.

[The Dark Lady]

Bravo, bravo! Excellent TR so far, Joe!

Originally Posted by IzzyInWonderland

Looks like fun. Glad to see some normal "people" photos thrown in there with the backstage stuff. What happened to The Dark Lady?? Did she disappear?

He just captured my good side. My screenname ain't for nuthin', you know.

[orbitalpunk]

Originally Posted by Coheteboy

Nice little report, data. When did you get your emotion chip installed?

j/k! hahaha

Can't wait for moments like this in future TRs.


Life Forms by Data

[startours1]

Hey datameister..... the dream home is THAT WAY!!!!! hahahahaha

[Datameister]

Originally Posted by startours1

Hey datameister..... the dream home is THAT WAY!!!!! hahahahaha

Ohhhhh, man...that was very much unlike me.

(For everyone else, we had just come out of BLAB at night, and we were talking for a bit, and we decided to try the dream home at Innoventions, and I totally thought we were standing outside Star Tours for some stupid reason, so I pointed in the wrong direction. These two proceeded to make fun of me plenty, albeit not as much as I deserved - and the great irony, of course, is that the ORIGINAL House of the Future was located in the direction I inadvertently pointed. )

[SeaWolf38]

Originally Posted by Datameister

I know, I know...I'm actually not even sure how much I'm going to divulge about that, but I'm sure I'll mention how timid I am when compared to you rule-breaking daredevils.

I wouldn't say daredevils.... at least not me lol. I tend to stay on the rule-abiding side of things. Mostly.

Originally Posted by Datameister

Oh, man, good times...good times...I swear, I normally keep that thing strapped to me when I ride the Matterhorn!

Those are good times, for sure! Hilarious stuff!

[FeistyFigaro]

I love your Harold shot.