A Spirited Perfect Ten

[PhotoDave219]

It's a fair point... they've gotta get you in the door, I just consider The Hulk to be overrated. I hope it's improved significantly in this overhaul.

It was the smoothest coaster Ive been on. Ever. Apollo's Chariot at BGW is pretty close. Always loved Alpengeist and Dueling dragons as they're inverted.

Although the Thunderhawk at Dorney Park will always have a special place. Wooden Coaster, built in the 1920s. Love those good woodies.

 

[indyumd]

Fun with numbers about TFA. Have not seen the flic yet but will on DCL soon. Just an interesting example of how numbers do not always mean a thing. Except for the bank deposits.
http://nypost.com/2016/01/06/the-force-awakens-is-actually-in-21st-place/

The flip side of this, of course, is that Gone With the Wind was in the theaters for FOUR YEARS in its original release. It has also had 8 theater re-releases since.

There was also no television or internet.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

After re reading the story, I'm pretty sure he's talking about Shanghai's Pirates seeing that they will be using projections of characters there instead of AAs. ILM was responsible for SFX work on the Pirates films, most notably Davy Jones for which they won an Academy Award.

 

[Mike S]

After re reading the story, I'm pretty sure he's talking about Shanghai's Pirates seeing that they will be using projections of characters there instead of AAs. ILM was responsible for SFX work on the Pirates films, most notably for Davy Jones for which they won an Academy Award.

They've shown an AA of the shark guy though so there will be a few at least.

 

[Cesar R M]

At least they cleaned the set in the last refurb, didn't make the show any better but it was done.

You can certainly tell what was created under the last owners compared to this owner. Kinda like Eisner vs. Iger

Poseidon looked better,the room changing was anti climatic tough..
loved the water tunnel in that thing.


speaking of stuff.. I returned today from another day.
Minions was down, hulk down.
Diagon, king cross, hogwarts and hogsmeade were full as well.

rode spiderman, best thing I've ever seen so far. The ride feels so perfectly timed with the 3d screens and effects.
my niece and her brother are now debating if the best ride they rode so far.. is a) Spiderman or b)The Mummy or c) gringots.

 

[Cesar R M]

I disagree with you on The Hulk and Dragon Challenge. Now that Dragon Challenge no longer duels, the novelty has worn off. They are now just decent inverted coasters. The launch on The Hulk is awesome, but as a coaster I would much rather ride Kraken. I don't think Dragon Challenge or The Hulk belong in IoA, they break the theme too much.

Agree with you on dragons.
speaking of dragons.
Anyone knows why the red one is always faster?
I noticed that for every 3 green dragon rides.. the red one would do 5 turns.
Its like the green one is longer or slower by a lot.

Poly DVC last year.

the in-hotel-DVC or the pizza huts shacks in the lake?

 

[Nubs70]

It was the smoothest coaster Ive been on. Ever. Apollo's Chariot at BGW is pretty close. Always loved Alpengeist and Dueling dragons as they're inverted.

Although the Thunderhawk at Dorney Park will always have a special place. Wooden Coaster, built in the 1920s. Love those good woodies.

You really, really need to get to Cedar Point.

 

[Cesar R M]

Speaking of universal.

Again, the whole area feels so skewed. You have either so kiddy stuff that doesnt appeal much fun wise to adults (seuss landing)then you have s bunch of extreme stuff.. (dueling dragons, gringots, rocket it, hulk..etc..) there doesnt seem to be any balanced dark ride so far.
I still need to check transformers, minions ,shrek 4d, and jurassic park..but not a fan of water rides..)

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Again, the whole area feels so skewed. You have either so kiddy stuff that doesnt appeal much fun wise to adults (seuss landing)then you have s bunch of extreme stuff.. (dueling dragons, gringots, rocket it, hulk..etc..) there doesnt seem to be any balanced dark ride so far.

This is a niche a certain giant ape plans to fill.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Speaking of universal.

Again, the whole area feels so skewed. You have either so kiddy stuff that doesnt appeal much fun wise to adults (seuss landing)then you have s bunch of extreme stuff.. (dueling dragons, gringots, rocket it, hulk..etc..) there doesnt seem to be any balanced dark ride so far.
I still need to check transformers, minions ,shrek 4d, and jurassic park..but not a fan of water rides..)

Universal's family dark rides would be Cat In The Hat, Minion Mayhem, and ET. Transformers is similar to Spider-man. Shrek 4D has a great preshow. The attraction itself isn't very good, IMHO. Jurassic Park is great, but not what I would call family friendly.

 

[Cesar R M]

Universal's family dark rides would be Cat In The Hat, Minion Mayhem, and ET. Transformers is similar to Spider-man. Shrek 4D has a great preshow. The attraction itself isn't very good, IMHO. Jurassic Park is great, but not what I would call family friendly.

I understand jurassic park isnt "family friendly" I was just mentioning what I need to see that was recommended to me.
but I might chicken out on this one. the drop seems insane and I'm not as resistant as I used to be (splash mountain dark drop clattered me pretty hard).I'm deaf and the last thing I want to be, is in the complete dark while moving at high speeds.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I understand jurassic park isnt "family friendly" I was just mentioning what I need to see that was recommended to me.
but I might chicken out on this one. the drop seems insane and I'm not as resistant as I used to be (splash mountain dark drop clattered me pretty hard).I'm deaf and the last thing I want to be, is in the complete dark while moving at high speeds.

I think the drop on Splash is more intense the JPRA. And it's not very dark in the show building. There is a big T Rex at the top of the drop.

 

[Cesar R M]

This is a niche a certain giant ape plans to fill.

speaking of kong..

theres still a lot of building going on.

 

[Rodan75]

speaking of kong..

theres still a lot of building going on.
View attachment 125642 View attachment 125643 View attachment 125644 View attachment 125645

I hope the ride measures up to that show building. That is definitely the coolest building (IMO) I've seen from Universal.

 

[tokengator]

that building is pretty badarse

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I hope the ride measures up to that show building. That is definitely the coolest building (IMO) I've seen from Universal.

I'll just say that I am very interested in hearing the reviews from Pixie Dust addicts. I predict they won't like it one bit. They'll be done before they even get on the ride.

Blend a pinch Kongfrontation, a cup of The Indiana Jones Adventure, a teaspoon of Halloween Horror Nights, and a half cup Kong 360. Then gently stir in a pinch of The Great Movie Ride. Cover with a thin layer of The Jungle Cruise before serving.

 

[rael ramone]

The lake house.

To many, this is the vacation of choice. No traveling to different places, exploring new things. They head up to the lake house, Norman & Ethel Thayer style. No touring the Louvre or the Smithsonian or the Grand Canyon. They got to get on a boat and try to catch Walter. The familiar over something different.

Imagine having a lake house. Loaded with memories. Absolutely beautiful. But too far away to go to all the time. So you hire someone to care for the place. Keep the lawn mowed. Mulch and weed the flowerbeds. Rake the leaves. Make sure the pipes don't freeze. Make sure the interior is clean. Perform necessary maintenance to ensure no leaks, drafts, or rats find their way inside. And provide security so it doesn't become a place where locals congregate to get drunk.

You pay good money for this service. But every year when you pull into the driveway, you see a beautiful property and a beautiful house. Your vacation begins.

Years later, new people take over the 'caretaker' business. And they want much, much, much more to care for the property. And they don't put near the effort that the previous operators did. Inconsistent in caring for the outside. Beer bottles in the bushes. Rats inside the house, hiding among the huge dust bunnies. And there's nobody else that can perform this 'service' in the area. And they want even more to care for your property since other aspects of their business aren't making the $$$ it used to and they want you to 'make up for it'.

But it's still your lake house. Even though you notice things that your caretakers aren't caring for properly. It's still a net positive experience. Though your 'lake neighbors' who had to use the same caretakers sold their place rather then accept 'less for more'.

For many of us, the swamps are our 'Lake House' (in some cases more literally if they own DVC - so it literally IS an investment). It's familiar. Since you know it like the back of your hand, you feel safe. It's still fun. Much of what drew you to the place is still true.

But the 'caretakers' want more to do less. Not just higher prices, but going all out for selling 'higher margin' beverages, with the inebriation among 'your neighbors' as a result. And caring less about the cleanliness of the bathrooms and queue areas. And a rat hanging out underneath Spaceship Earth....

This is why many of us who 'lean' non-positive post...

They are finally doing some meaningful spending down there. And a lot of that spending is on stuff that has the potential to be great.

And there's the potential that they'll see that caked on dust in the overhead exposed ductwork in the Soarin queue or large puddles in all the larger bathrooms is unacceptable for a place that has Walts name on it - when you expect people to pay higher prices, some are going to have higher expectations for that price point.

 

[AEfx]

I don't think Dragon Challenge or The Hulk belong in IoA, they break the theme too much.

And what theme is that?

 

[WildcatDen]

I go when mermaids tickle my fancy.

Slightly re-arranged for maximum effect. . .

 

[WildcatDen]

Love those good woodies.

Especially in the morning, right? Of course, at night is always a blast. Even though, to be honest, as my age, a good day is a good woodie at any time, really. We are lucky, up here in Cincy, we have one of the best ever. . .