Tasman's Trip Report Dec 24th - 26th

[tasman]

Hello, merry Christmas to all. This is my first trip report here. While in Orlando I will post my impressions of the parks, then post some photos when I get back home. I am visiting with my mom and sister. This past day (December 24th) was spent in Epcot. We will also visit MK and DHS. This was my third trip to Epcot (the first was in 1985, the second in 2001). I will rate the rides as follows:

**** Great
*** Good
** Fair
* Poor

By the time we entered the park, it was about 10 AM. People were streaming into the place like a massive horde of ants. SpaceShip Earth was OPEN, and already had thousands of people lining up, so we went there first.

Spaceship Earth **** The animatronic scenes were crisp and beautiful. A pleasant surprise, after all the doom and gloom I had heard here, was that I didn’t mind the descent one bit. Now maybe, animatronic scenes of the future instead of interactive touchscreens, might have given the ride more polish. However, the touchscreens were not bad in and of themselves, and the time period did not feel long at all (it was about a minute). In fact we all had fun seeing “ourselves” in the future, with the superimposition of our faces on Jetsonesque torosos. The post show looked good too, but with all the people there and our own limited time, we didn’t stick around.

We picked up a Fastpass for Soarin' and headed over to:

The Seas with Nemo and Friends *** The ride is not very substantial (could use a little more story than all the "Nemo! Nemo!" banter) but the sets and projections are all very well done. The projections in the aquarium were vivid, with no hint of a screen. The queue also deserves mention, with a number of neat effects and great atmosphere. After that we attended a presentation of Turtle Talk *** ½, a very polished interactive show. As with the SpaceShip Earth postshow, we didn’t stick around to check out the rest of the pavilion. A solo trip with more time would be more conducive to such exploration.

Last time we were in Epcot, we had spent the bulk of the day exploring Future World, and didn't have much time left over for World Showcase, which was the primary area of interest for my mom. So this time we decided to head to WS earlier on in the day.

First up, Mexico is a somewhat modest pavilion externally but interior space is well utilised and very atmospheric. The newly refurbished Caballeros ride was a cheerful and pleasant experience (***). The ride isn't superlative but does have some nicely detailed sets with some neat projections and special effects. Since there wasn't any FastPass to worry about, the line moved along at a dent pace, regardless of the large numbers of people.

The Norway pavilion was nice, as are all WS pavilions, but didn’t really impress me to the extent of the other ones. Neither did the ride…which gets a measly one star (*) from me. Part of that had to do with the hour we spent in the graceless standbye queue. Unlike Mexico, there is FastPass here, and it seemed that about ten or so people with Fastpass were being allowed to board for every one person in the Standby line, and the latter very literally moved at snail’s space. The ride itself was very short for such a long wait and rather cheesy to boot. We skipped the follow-up film.

Next up was China, a very a beautifully detailed pavilion. Everything about the experience was commendable here, from the musical preshow to the circlevision film, the film itself (***), the sideshows, shops, details, etc. Very well done.

After some snacks and a little breather we headed off to use our Fastpasses for Soarin. This time the Dark Side was with us as we bypassed a massive Standby line. This was my first time on Soarin, and despite the criticism I have heard here, I have to give it a ****. Because my mother has back problems, she does not ride thrill rides. Which is why an attraction like Soarin is so welcome, because it gives people like her some of the sensations of a thrill ride, but without any of the jolts or G-forces. My mom absolutely loved it. Our screen had a clear image and I thought the motions and sensations were classic Disney…being able to thrill without being intense. A family ride but with a little adrenaline thrown in, great job. While I would prefer to be soarin' over somewhere other than just California, the diversity of landscapes in this particular state probably satisfies most peoples' expectations. Another minor gripe...like most rides built nowadays, it's really short...and I don't know how I would have felt if I had been waiting a couple of hours in the Standby line.

Next we wanted some dinner so we headed to one of my mom’s favorite venues for this activity – Morocco. However the main restaurant was fully booked so we ate at the café (Tangerine). Food-wise this wasn’t a bad trade-off because the $13 Shawarma plates were great. However, we did have to dine outside in a rapidly cooling Orlando night. The Morocco pavilion itself is gorgeously detailed, and with a convincing layout somewhat akin to New Orleans Square. All that’s missing is an attraction of some sort. A folktale along the lines of Sinbad at DisneySea, and this would be a perfect pavilion for me.

By then we were too tired to line up for the Candlelight Processional so we went to take in a showing of the American Adventure. This was the first time for any of us and though the show certainly has educational value, it's not terribly entertaining, and I’m not sure I’ll come back unless the upcoming refurbishment adds something noteworthy (this gets a **). The screen also had some noticeable blemishes.

Finally, being too tired and cold to wait for Illuminations (which we have seen before), and with another day of park hoofing afoot, we decided to call it a night.

That’s all for now…more later. Time I was hitting the sack tonight.

[tasman]

Christmas Day - Magic Kingdom. Still a wonderful park regardless of the criticisms of us knowledgeable Disney fans. The daytime crowds were Godawful, but improved somewhat by nighttime, and all in all the day was great. I won't go into too many details, just some reviews of the rides, in order ridden:

**** = great
*** = good
** = fair
* = poor

Haunted Mansion **** Looking better than ever after the recent spruce up. The board indicated a 60 minute but the actual time was about 20 minutes...can't complain about that!

Small World **** Yes, I admit: I'm a fan. I would prefer, however, that the theme song here not be sung in multiple languages. For me this much maligned song is a big part of the charm of the attraction, but the combination of subpar audio (almost ubiquitious at MK) and foreign words resulted mostly in incoherent mumbling.

Pooh *1/2 (or maybe **) No, not much of a fan. I think one of the main problems with the ride is that the story is not not conveyed very clearly. People who haven't seen the cartoon (like my companions) may not understand what's going on here. Some synchronised audio narration might be of great benefit. The ride also feels very short even after a bearable Fastpass wait. On the plus side there are some beatiful details here and there. I am willing to give this ride a second chance...but the initial impression wasn't great. Of course the solution to most, if not all, of the shortcomings here already exists...in Tokyo.

Pirates ***1/2 Abridged but still impressive. The first time riders with me liked it without reservation, but I did understand how the deleted scenes make the ride seem not as well paced as the best Disney classics, and how this contributes to a somewhat abrupt ending. It's unfortunate that the most successful of all Disney parks does not have a proper version of the greatest Disney classic...many people likely think that this version is as good as it gets. Also, the audio here, as at much of the MK, was very unclear.

Philharmagic **** Repeat viewings haven't diminished my enjoyment of this show. The best 3D Disney film, hands down.

Peter Pan ***1/2 Small but beautiful. Would be perfect if it was a little longer. My own ideas would be to spruce up the London scene a little (make it more akin to the Neverland scene) and maybe add an intermediate scene of flying among the stars (I picture the visuals of that great Silly Symphony, "Wyken, Blynken, and Nod").

Splash Mountain **** 20 minutes standby on this other miserably crowded day: can't beat that! A gem in MK's crown. A perfect amalgam of thrills and traditional Disney set pieces.

Also managed to catch the Christmas parade, which was OK, and Spectromagic, which was excellent.

Some pics later.

[tasman]

Dec 26th – last day – and trip to Disney MGM, my first. The weather was glorious and the crowds for once this trip were manageable. The Hollywood Blvd / Sunset Blvd / Echo Lake areas of the park are quite beautiful, more so than one might expect from pictures, with the notable exception of one hideous Hat...which is every bit as inappropriate as I imagined it to be...a jarring piece of tackiness in an otherwise evocative setting. For a first time visitor, there is enough in this park to fill up the day, but some serious updating / expansion is necessary for repeat trips to be truly worthwhile. Here are my impressions of the rides I went on, using the same rating system as before:

**** = great
*** = good
** = fair
* = poor

Tower of Terror **** This is a pretty flawless example of what a Disney thrill ride should be. The building itself is very beautiful even in its “delapidated” state. The queue is second to none, and the ride has just the right combination of sets, special effects, and thrills. I didn't mind spending an hour in the beautifully detailed queue...in fact I intentionally opted not to take a Fastpass so that I could take in the theming. Aside from the details, another aspect of the queue I appreciate is that the garden section has comfortable ledges to sit on. I think other rides with long queues would be more bearable if they gave us a way to occasionally take the load of our feet.

Great Movie Ride *** A good old fashioned audio animatronic extravaganza, and more enjoyable than I was led to believe by some other reviews here. The quality of the ride does depend a lot on the live actors, and all of ours were great. However, I do appreciate that this ride may have less repeat value than most. Some minor gripes: 1) the ride vehicles were too long, with the effect that not everyone was in the same scene at once, 2) that Alien looks rather pathetic, and 3) the 2-D ending is a bit anticlimactic…I would have preferred an extrapolation of the penultimate scene, with our ride vehicles heading off to the castle of Oz.

Backlot Tour **1/2 Has some fun elements, and it’s worthwhile since the wait is not too long, however the whole feels somewhat randomly thrown together. Honestly I would prefer they just give up these "real studio" pretensions and find a better use for all this land, which they might eventually do as some rumours suggest.


Muppet Vision *** Nice but dated…pales after Philharmagic. The show has charm, but I probably won't be in any rush to view it again. This is located adjacent to the New York area, which is also not without appeal, but which could be improved substantially if real buildings were to replace the 2-D facades. This scenario was supposed to have happened with the construction of the Muppet Studios area (with Great Muppet Movie Ride E-ticket) in the 1990s, but never came to fruition. I think Muppets are perhaps not as meaningful to the current generation, and the area would probably benefit from being rebuilt along the same general lines as the Muppet Studios concept, but with a different theme.

Star Tours *** Another pleasant but dated ride. We’ll see what the rumoured update will be like in the coming years, but this is an attraction that could be reborn if Disney invested in Spiderman technology.

Indiana Jones Stunt Show ***1/2 A great show in its own right, but like some other attractions in this park, has somewhat limited repeat value. Of course another of those 1990s plans that never came to fruition…the version of the Disneyland Indy ride that eventually made it to Tokyo and was supposed to have been built behind the Stunt Show…would be of immeasurable value to the quality of this park, would compliment the show perfectly, and would have no repeatability issues. With the upcoming movie, one can always hope that this is still a possibility.

Fantasmic **** However this show may compare to the Disneyland version, it's still great in its own right, and a fitting conclusion to a day at this park.

Didn’t get to try Rock N Roller Coaster, Lights Motors Action, or Beauty and the Beast…but this at least leaves something new for next time. Overall verdict: a very pleasant park to spend a day but limited repeat value in most of the rides / shows and lots of room for improvement overall. And of course, that miserable Hat needs to be destroyed or at least swap positions with the Christmas tree out front. On the plus side, the streetmosphere and theming in Hollywood, Sunset, and Echo Lake are top notch...the ambience of these sections really needs to make their way to the other areas of the park.


Pictures later today or tomorrow.

[tasman]

I think I've lost the memory card with my Epcot pictures, but here are some from MK and DMGMS. The 6th one shows the D-MGM version of the Cathay Circle Theatre, a larger copy of which will be the new icon for DCA. The last one shows the current construction status of Toy Story Mania on Mickey Avenue, now walled off from guests.

[BigPigletFan]

Thanks for posting your TR so far! It's been great reading your thoughts and seeing those pictures. I heard MK hit closing limits during the day so that's probably why it was so packed. It looks like you had a fun time. I especially enjoyed your comments about Disney-MGM Studios since it was your first visit to this park. I can't wait to see more photos - good luck finding that memory card! If not, call your hotel ASAP!

[tasman]

Originally Posted by BigPigletFan

Thanks for posting your TR so far! It's been great reading your thoughts and seeing those pictures. I heard MK hit closing limits during the day so that's probably why it was so packed. It looks like you had a fun time. I especially enjoyed your comments about Disney-MGM Studios since it was your first visit to this park. I can't wait to see more photos - good luck finding that memory card! If not, call your hotel ASAP!

Thank you! I am curious to learn the number of people at MK that day, if anyone knows.

[seenoevil]

I never get tired of looking at WDW pics! Thanks for posting.

[tasman]

^^^ Thanks Seenoevil.

And thanks to the nice hotel manager, I was able to recover my memory stick, so here are some pictures of Epcot. I did take a bunch of night and interior pics at all three parks, but in general they turned out pretty lousy, so I just include one below. I will have to try to hone my skills in this department.

[LilRah08]

Originally Posted by tasman

Yay! I'm so excited for Toy Story Mania, finally a new ride to the Studios, and hopefully it will be pretty good!

[tasman]

Originally Posted by LilRah08

Yay! I'm so excited for Toy Story Mania, finally a new ride to the Studios, and hopefully it will be pretty good!

I think that...in keeping with the whole "Studios" idea...they are theming the building to look like the real Pixar Studios in Emeryville. Even the entrance to this section of Mickey Avenue seems to modeled after the gateway to the Emeryville complex. In the real Pixar Studios there is a sign over this gate saying "Pixar." I would bet that in the case of DHS, this is where they will put the "Pixar Place" sign. I am posting a picture of the gate I am referring to below. You can see what I mean by comparing to picture above.

[Phonedave]

Nice report, very well written and enjoyable to read.

Looking at your pics, all I can say is - Wow! Holy crowds Batman!


-dave

[tasman]

^^^ Thanks Phonedave. And yes, the crowds were awful at Epcot and MK (Dec 24th and 25th). But Epcot being the much larger park was able to accomodate the masses better. On the other hand, it took us a couple of hours from the time our car lined up outside the entrance to the Magic Kingdom parking lot, to the time we actually set foot in the park. I would love to see a statistic on the number of people at MK that day.

Anyhoo...here are few more random pics of MK, Xmas day:

[LilRah08]

Wow.. that's A LOT of people. Probably more than I was what was their when I went this summer, haha.

[tasman]

Random photos continued...this time a sequence from the Tower of Terror queue and postshow:

[tasman]

A few more of Disney MGM