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Scott
Posts: 2766
Registered: 11/7/2004
Rank: Platinum Critic
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 4/13/2007 10:56:54 PM
I visited WDW last weekend. I was in orlando for 5 days (6 nights.) I visited 7 parks in the 5 days. Crowds were not too bad, and I had a generally good time.
Day 1
Sarah and I went to disneyworld to celebrate my 27th birthday. By staying on Disney property we were able to take advantage of several perks Disney offers its resort guests - free parking at all Disney parks; free shuttle transportation from our hotel to the parks; Disney's Magic Express service, which includes free shuttle service to and from the Orlando airport (very handy since my return flight departed Orlando at 6:25 am)
I had never stayed on Disney property before, and I have to say there's a world of difference between their budget All-Stars resorts and the nicer properties we visited like Disney's Boardwalk, Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Grand Floridian. We ended up referring to our place as "the shithole" and vowed never to lower ourselves to such crappy accommodations again. This was nothing more than a low-budget motor lodge with outside entry, teeny tiny rooms, no coffee pot, a small tv and a remote with a mind of its own. I would suggest staying at a nicer hotel off Disney property.
We decided to spend our first day at the Magic Kingdom. The park was crowded, but not crowded enough to cause any huge lines at the rides. Apparently most spring breakers visited the week before.
We had not been to the Magic Kingdom in 6 years, so there were lots of new rides and attractions to take in. One of the Magic Kingdom's best is Mickey's Philharmagic, a 3-D experience that revisits some of Disney's most classic musical moments in an entirely different way. The attraction is made all the more enjoyable thanks to Donald Duck who, in my opinion, is one of the funniest Disney characters ever created. He's also one of the most under-utlized characters in the park, so I was elated to finally see him featured so prominently in this attraction.
Pirates of the Caribbean has also undergone a significant makeover, and the results are dazzling! All-new lighting, costumes, sound and special effects have been added, and Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow has been added to several scenes. The likeness to his character is amazing, even slightly creepy!
Day 2
We visited animal kingdom on our second day. We immediately went to Expedition Everest, which I knew absolutely nothing about. I was awed by the structure even before we got into the park, but seeing it from different vantage points inside the park really gives it a signature ride kind of feeling much like Spaceship Earth at Epcot and the Matterhorn at Disneyland.
The queue is wonderful, on a par with DL's Indiana Jones and IOA's Dueling Dragons. As for the ride itself, it depends on what kind of expectations you have. As a coaster it probably falls a little short, since it only has one moment of airtime and is primarily centered around the mountain's helix. But as an attraction it's extremely fun! It's an amazing creation though I personally thought the torn track would have been much more effective had the train actually traversed the outside edge of the mountain, leaving riders dangling over the edge with only a torn track in front of them! I also thought the Yeti could have appeared one more time, perhaps chasing us somewhere in the helix. But those are minor quibbles, overall the ride is fun and thrilling and a great addition to a park that desperately needed this type of attraction.
Another new attraction in the Animal Kingdom was Finding Nemo: The Musical. The building itself looks completely out of place and doesn't fit in with the park's theming (of course you could say the same thing for all of Dinoland U.S.A.). But what goes on inside is, I think, the best musical show in any of the Disney parks. It was REALLY good, and I've never even seen "Finding Nemo." It was almost like watching two variations of the same play at once - you could watch the animated characters, or you<
Message updated 4/15/2007 10:56:30 PM by Scott
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taylorb251
Posts: 1181
Registered: 3/8/2004
Rank: Platinum Critic
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4/15/2007 10:47:42 AM
Nice trip report. I'm glad you had fun.
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hrrytraver
Posts: 1270
Registered: 7/16/2005
Rank: Platinum Critic
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4/15/2007 11:12:09 AM
i'm not very interested in florida parks, scott...but your writing is fun and easy to read. i read that whole thing.
all of your extraneous details enhance the overall reading experience. you should do some journalistic probes into the urban planning of orlando to see if they dliberately engineered the highway system to act as a giant conveyor belt carrying doomed livestock in the slaughterhouse mega-attractions.
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larrygator
Posts: 4654
Registered: 11/7/2002
Rank: Platinum Critic
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4/16/2007 9:43:39 PM
I totally agree with your assessment of the "ghost town" at Universal. Seems like they should be able to do something useful with those buildings.
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RCGenius
Posts: 1180
Registered: 12/23/2004
Rank: Platinum Critic
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4/17/2007 8:44:11 AM
Muy excellente review Scott. Glad that you had an amazing time at some of the best theme parks in the world. It's like whenever you're going inside a Universal or Disney park, it's a completely different world inside the gates. The theming & landscaping takes you on a journey & you wish that you would never have to leave. What I liked the most about your TR is how you pull us into your story as if we were at those parks with you. Your descriptions of every ride were on point & creative. Keep up the good work man.
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