Okay, this new laptop - sorry, this new Chromebook - has been a bear. It's a culture shock almost trying to manage life with this new hardware. I had no clue that I had purchased a Chromebook, nor did I have ANY clue that the entire purpose of this device is to use the Internet. Gone is my capability to hold photos, music and other such downloads in addition to having Internet access. Grrr... I would return it, but the box and receipt have vanished in the trash... Ah well. My Google Docs might now run at the slowest speed possible (seriously, like, aggravatingly slow) but nothing will stop me from finally completing my dream resort!
Also, the color palate for my lettering (on WDWMagic) has been completely changed for whatever reason. Not sure if this is a site update or a Chromebook thing. Sorry if things are a bit inconsistent because of it, but it is what it is.
The show must go on!
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Uncharted Lagoon
“No fear have ye of evil curses sez you… HARRrrr - HU - HUMmm. Properly be warned, sez I. Who knows when that evil curse will strike the greedy beholders o’ this bewitched treasure… Dead men tell no tales.”
As we travel north from the jungles of Adventureland and into the shipwreck-peppered shores of this Uncharted Lagoon, we venture down a forested-path that appears to be of the Caribbean Islands, but not before encountering the remains of a crashed safari jeep, overflowing with empty crates, its tires submerged into the muddy earth. The jeep’s radio crackles in and out.
“Hello? Hello? Yes, ah, this is the Paradise Springs Department of Fishing and Game...p...e...se...I...today. Again, this is the Para...Dep...Game seeking an audience with Mr. E. L. O’Fevre...ain...Mr. E. L. O’Fevre...hello? Mr. Fevre? Huh, seems like there’s nobody there...I...p...o. Headhunters, no doubt?”
As our path transitions from the wilds of Freedom Island, we begin to spot the skeletal remnants of former pirates among the reeds and brambles, many having fallen just short of their earthly duties. A captain, by the look of his decayed uniform, stands impaled against a palm tree, a cutlass run thru his chest. In his tri-cornered hat, a seagull sits, having made its nest within the hat. The half-submerged crow’s nest of a since-sunken galleon plays home to yet another deceased buccaneer, still gazing at passers-by with his rusted telescope.
“Hear ye a dead man’s tale o’ a dastardly deed. Brave seamen, these… Helped bury the gold they did, then silenced forever. Har! So thought that black ‘earted divil! … But stay, I told their tale ‘afore...now I be tellin’ it again. Here be where the gold… Dead men tell no tales!”
Ocean bluffs and crooked palms cast their shadow upon the ruddy wreckage of many an unfortunate vessel, their tattered flags and sails still swaying in the coolness of an ocean breeze. Amid the tropics of this foreboding oceanfront, the structural remnants of a former colony preside along the edge of a storied lagoon. The battle-scarred La Fortaleza (“The Fortress”) towers above the shoreline, a one-time stronghold meant to protect the once-thriving seaport from unwanted visitors. It appears as if their efforts were proven futile; the iconic skull and crossbones of the Jolly Roger fly proudly from the highest tower.
Entering thru a secret entrance in the fort’s armory - crafted in the shape of a large cannonball - we find ourselves meandering thru the gloom and mystery of La Fortaleza’s dark dungeons and arsenals, frozen in time, left as they were in the fort’s prime. A crumbling passage leads our path into a Blue Lagoon at twilight, where we hop aboard a cargo ship for an unforgettable voyage…
Alongside Jack Sparrow, the most charismatic rogue to ever sail the West Indies, we embark on a voyage on, over, and under the deep blue in Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. In search of Davy Jones’ sunken plunder, we cross paths with mermaids, pirates and the monstrous Kraken, stirring into a climactic duel between Sparrow and Jones aboard the wreckage of the Flying Dutchman. But beware, as you may know, “dead men tell no tales...” The Blue Lagoon Restaurant lays cast beneath the stars, adjacent to the calm waters of a twilit lagoon. Seafood and steak is what’s for dinner at this quaint veranda tucked along the shores of the Caribbean Sea. Having once been owned by Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, we dine at candlelit tables under colorful strings of lanterns and tattered flags, soothing waves crashing against the sandy shore. The soothing rustle of the wind, the symphonic murmur of exotic birds, and the light of a pale moon set our stage for a luxurious meal fit for the finest captain, inspired by the Blue Bayou of Disneyland's own Pirates of the Caribbean.
Upon disembarking from our own battle for sunken treasure, we take a detour thru Pieces of Eight, where storefront windows display glittering jewels, treasure chests, gold doubloons and grinning skulls. Inside: a plethora of pirate loot - toy rifles, fool’s coins and gems, plastic swords, hook-for-hand replacements, miniature telescopes, eye patches and more, all under the watchful eye of “First Mate Jenkins.” Jenkins, a “tough” parrot with an anchor-tattoo, peg leg, captain’s hat, and eye patch, squawks and whistles from the cash register, often singing to himself, “Yo ho, yo ho, a parrot’s life for me! Squawk!”
Another oddity, Fortune Red’s Pirate Arcade finds its namesake in Fortune Red, a mechanical soothsayer with a disgruntled grin and finger pointed at an “X Marks the Spot” on an unfurled treasure map. Mean-eyed portraits of Henry Morgan, Black Bart, and Calico Jack keep watch over the arcade from various vantage points, where one-of-a-kind arcade machines require the same skill and strength needed of a buccaneer on the Black Pearl. Such games include “Whack-a-Croc,” inspired by the pesky crocodile that always seems to follow Captain Hook, and "Bone-Cage Ball," a Dead Man's Chest variation on Ski-Ball.
Captain Hook, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Long John Silver, Blackbeard, Henry Morgan and countless other legends and terrors of the Seven Seas find their legacy in Rogue’s Gallery, a gloomy wax museum found just at - or thru - the exit of Battle for the Sunken Treasure. In this hall of infamy, the most cutthroat sailors of our time are displayed, represented thru storied placards and humored narration, as spoken by the seasoned tongue of an unseen spirit.
As we depart from the hallowed halls and remains of La Fortaleza, our travels bring us to what remains of this former seaport, past a collapsed structure or two, and into a dockside collection of shops, merchant stalls, and converted storehouses, filled to overflowing with imported goods - stolen or otherwise - from around the world, starting with the glistening House of Treasure. A true one-of-a-kind shop, the aptly named House of Treasure is the fine purveyor of nautical gifts, artifacts, knickknacks and treasures, all beneath the watchful eye of Jack, Barbossa’s beloved capuchin. The semi-collapsed timbers of a rickety dock bring us to the deck of The Wicked Wench, a battle-scarred galleon kept afloat thru the centuries. Aboard this “ancient relic,” we explore the creaking decks and private quarters of a vanished crew, engaging in hands-on (or hooks-on) activities and games. Readied rifles and a loaded cannon offer a bit of “target practice” amid the floating debris and astray shipwrecks in the adjacent lagoon. The motley Bootstrappers bring a sense of musical “integrity” to the abandoned seaport, providing salty chanteys and horrid puns for anyone brave enough to listen…
La Fuente de la Fortuna (“The Fountain of Fortune”) is found within what once belonged to a plump, mustachioed magistrate and his nagging wife (“Don’t tell him, Carlos! Don’t be chicken!”). Now a storehouse for pirate clothing and a cracked wishing well, the shifty-eyed proprietor swears that his pirate attire will bring nothing but fortune to those who wear it. This is false, however, given the various means of public execution found throughout the town, some still in use, though the victims are long deceased… The Major-General Tavern recalls the drama and excitement of an authentic “pirate tavern,” complete with crooked card games, mountains of rum, and the orange light of flickering lanterns. Named for and founded by the legendary Major-General Stanley (The Pirates of Penzance), the ramshackle tavern is our one-stop shop for hot dogs, short ribs and the almighty turkey leg of Disney lore.
La Fortaleza looks toward the ancient waters of an ominous oceanfront: Dead Man’s Lagoon. By foot, we cross a rickety suspension bridge ‘cross shark-infested waters and to the edge of Adventure Isle. Thundering waterfalls, unkempt forests, crumbling shipwrecks, and mysterious caverns craft the mystical, well-traversed realm of Adventure Isle. Seeming to have been ripped from the pages of Treasure Island, the foreboding wilderness would have brought a ray of sunshine into the heart of Blackbeard or Long John Silver. From the moment we step foot in the sand of the quaint shore, we seem to recall the opening sequence of Muppet Treasure Island - a steamy, Caribbean jungle teeming with dark secrets…
Skull Rock looks to the southern reach of the island, surrounded by an entire “orchestra” of thundering, whitewater falls. From within Skull Rock, we traverse a labyrinth of dark caverns and torch-lit grottoes, an echo of the fateful “Tiger Lily incident.” Rising tides, phosphorescent waterfalls and long-deceased skeletons appear chained to the cavern walls, crude pencil-markings an indication of the rising tide. Shadows above reveal an ongoing duel between Peter Pan and Hook, not forgetting the forlorn cries of an unseen Smee and Wendy. The noise of the duel has garnered the attention of a grinning Tick-Tock Croc in the tide pool below, hungrily eyeing spectators before bobbing back beneath the surface…
The ominous Graveyard of Lost Ships whisks us thru an outdoor maze of beached vessels and volcanic bluffs, where decayed timbers and sand-kissed barnacles create a haunting, sub-aquatic playground. A capstan wheel levies a treasure chest from beneath the surface of a nearby inlet, the skeletal remains of an unfortunate brigand still clinging to the chest. Rusted pumps drive seawater out from a water-logged hull, revealing long-departed pirates and their earthly treasures. Pontoon Bridge is our secondary access to the mainland, rocking and splashing in the lagoon when crossed, often providing a glimpse of debris and artifacts afloat beneath the shallow seawater.
A vast labyrinth of subterranean caverns and paths harken to the ghostly catacombs of Paris: Dead Man’s Grotto. On a bold journey in the vein of Robinson Crusoe, we pass a collection of crude warnings - a la Injun Joe’s Cave - and enter a tunnel haunted with the eternal howl of an unseen hurricane. Lush waterfalls pour down into underground pools thru jagged fissures in the rocks alongside glistening crystals, stalagmites, and stalactites. The skeletal victims of an ancient sea battle appear strewn throughout the grotto, acting in lieu of furniture and decor. Thru an archway built from ribs and skulls, a dark path brings us to the underground lair of Mcgillicutty the Musical Sea Monster. With his pencil-thin mustache and starched collar, the operatic sea serpent sings in every known octave - bass, soprano, alto, tenor - and will happily perform an aria to a backdrop of dancing fountains and technicolor waterfalls before diving back beneath the surface with a thunderous splash.
Decayed rowboats and slashed sails mark our transition into a new portion of the cavern, thus unexplored by mortal men… Mysterious shapes run past beneath the surface of the surrounding waters, perhaps being sharks or some other fish… The haunting refrain of “My Jolly Sailor Bold” rings out as we come eye-to-eye with the skeletal remains of a perished mermaid, bound and tied to the wreckage of a small skiff. This chamber - Siren’s Keep - is the subterranean dwelling of nightmares and despair - land of the mermaids. Occasionally, the slightly-visible mermaids will engage in a feeding frenzy, screeching and howling, not showing what exactly they’re dining on. Quickly, we trek forward, wishing to explore a presumably safer stretch of this endless cavern…
“Shipshape the anchorage for pleasure-seekin’ rogues… Aye! After months at sea, facin’ the perils o’ their adventurous trade...they was inclined to traffic their ill-gotten wealth for the pleasure of a lovely lassie’s voice and… Dead men tell no tales!”
A possessed harpsichord plucks away at the familiar theme of “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)” from its pedestal in the once-lavish interior of a sunken galleon, now completely submerged fathoms below the surface and deep into the earth. Jagged rocks and waterfalls surround the Crew’s Quarters on the starboard side, a dockside tavern stocked with every grog, rum and whiskey known to piratedom. A pair of skeleton patrons drink in splendor, eternally bound to a cobweb-draped bar-top. One buccaneer guzzles an endless pull of firewater from his glowing, red bottle. Large droplets drip into strategically placed pots and pans below, while in the background, girlish giggles and giddy chuckling emit from a spiral staircase leading into the abyss. A pair of fossilized cats warm themselves by an absent fire, as does a skeletal parrot in a stocking cap, frozen atop its cutlass-perch.
On the opposite side of the passage, the finely appointed quarters of a ghostly sea captain are found in the Captain’s Quarters. The old captain lies in his bed, surrounded by the spoils of a lifetime of piracy. With his slender fingers, he clutches a magnifying glass over an outspread treasure map, magnifying his hollowed eye socket to grotesque proportions. On a nearby perch, another, but this time living parrot resides, blissfully unaware of the meaning behind its mindless chatter.
“Morgan says the streets are paved with gold! Storm the fort and steal a fortune. Squawk! Drink up me hearties, yo ho! Avast there, mates - wait for dark! Squawk! Our fortune’s made, lads. Quick now - we’re keepin the ladies waiting! Aye, Captain, your heart’s as black as your beard. We’ll have a hot time in the old town tonight.”
Flint’s Treasure Cave is our last stop in the sprawling maze of Dead Man’s Grotto, the infamous treasure cache of Captain Flint himself. From atop a mountain of gold doubloons, jewels, and pieces of eight is the skeleton of Captain Flint himself, having returned in the afterlife to his beloved hideaway. Four of his doomed crew members lay at the base of the “mountain,” having been shot dead by Flint long ago. The evil captain examines a stack of doubloons in his gnarled hand, an old pistol in the other. Sharks can be seen lurking near the shore, perhaps welcomed by Flint as “built-in” security.
A trail leads north from Skull Rock and into a dense forest of tropical blossoms and intoxicating aromas. Fantastical trees and technicolor flowers immerse us into a vibrant realm all-too-reminiscent of Peter Pan’s Neverland. The split-in-two hull of The Jolly Roger, Captain Hook’s ship, appears strewn among the rocks and mud of a gooey swamp. As fate would have it, Peter crashed the flying ship into the mainland by mistake on his flight home from London. Legend has it that when Hook and his crew returned to Neverland, Hook sobbed for an entire year at the sight of the wreck, unable to pay mind to the construction of a second Jolly Roger which currently sails in search of Peter.
A quick step inside the near-collapsed hull brings us not into a shipwreck but instead into… London? Peter Pan’s Flight brings us aboard a flying pirate ship above the clouds and landmarks of a moonlit London before a descent above the volcanic peaks, tropical flora and sparkling waterfalls of Neverland. A swashbuckling duel between Pan and Hook gets us hooked on faith, dust and a bit of pixie dust as the enchanted Jolly Roger takes flight and returns to the nursery of the Darling children.
It is only appropriate that Peter, Wendy, Hook and Smee all make meet ‘n’ greet appearances around and about Adventure Isle, often involved in humorous antics with one another. The Hangman’s Tree offers a walking tour of the Lost Boys’ hideaway, a 6 story treehouse and interactive playground. Hands-on activities and plenty o’ climbing mean spectacular 360° views of Adventure Isle and the entire Magic Kingdom as seen from the eye-level of a soaring Peter Pan.
Back ashore, we follow the "compass of our heart" toward the frosted fjord of Arendelle, but not before we examine a narrow avenue of crashed shipwrecks and mysterious relics. It seems as if we have since departed the tropics of the Caribbean and laid foot in a foreboding canyon of international crafts and adventures. Ships that recall the great heroes and kings of the Arabian Sea lay strewn among the rocks, while what appears to have once been a great Mediterranean palace rots among the passage of time. Our attention is pulled to the sight of an Arabian vessel, crashed upon a mountainous rock high above us. A small cavern in the base of the "mountain" leads us into the hallowed halls and chambers of a beautiful Arabian palace. Ahead: Sinbad's Storybook Voyage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmK2VlFHyWQ
The fantastic adventures of Sinbad the sailor and Chandu, his trusted tiger cub, are reborn in this musical retelling of Sinbad’s Seven Voyages. To the inspired hero’s anthem of “Compass of Your Heart,” we follow Sinbad and Chandu as they explore the islands and continents of the Arabian Sea in search of adventure. Giant Rocs, beautiful mermaids, musical monkeys, and a one-eyed, singing cyclops are just a handful of the obstacles and friends encountered on our voyage thru fantasy and beyond. Built into a sub-aquatic grotto, Tales of Scheherazade is our resident “exit thru the gift shop,” a subterranean bazaar of 1,001 Arabian Nights. Ornaments of jade and camel bone line the shelves, fanciful rugs and tapestries found amid the glistening candles, imported candies and Egyptian relics for purchase. Curiously enough, a tattered map offers a clue to the whereabouts of the mystical Cave of Wonders. Better yet, the amount of paces needed to reach the Cave are one and the same with the actual distance between the map and the Storybook Land Canal Boats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtsMfy1hhHU
View attachment 255003
The eerie, abandoned homestead of Prince Eric looks north toward the port of Arendelle, left to rot amid a collection of tide pools and the near-collapsed remnants of the prince’s prized galleon. Entering the palace thru an underground cavern at low tide, we explore a series of abandoned chambers and halls, including a rotunda with mosaics portraying great sea battles with supernatural beasts - one such beast resembling Ursula the Sea Witch. A colorful clamshell brings us fathoms below the surface in Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid. The classic songs, scenes and characters of The Little Mermaid are brought to life during our undersea adventure, from Ariel’s gadget-filled grotto to a climactic battle with a gargantuan Ursula, and of course, a timeless production of “Under the Sea!”
Our seafaring adventures are brought to an end as we visit Ariel’s Grotto, the same cave where Ariel once yearned for the world above. Now a meet ‘n’ greet for the beloved princess, we are also invited to play interactive games with Scuttle while waiting to meet the little mermaid. Gadgets & Gizmos, built from the structural remnants of an old lighthouse, is the ultimate souvenir stop for all our Little Mermaid needs, with gadgets and gizmos aplenty and whose-its and whatsits galore! From here, our path connects with the port of Arendelle, a perfect transition into the world of fantasy and pretend.
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@spacemt354, this is another instance where I don't have much layout in mind other than having the two main bodies of water, one being shared with Arendelle and one being the pirate-themed Dead Man's Lagoon. I'd rather the latter be separate from Arendelle for obvious reasons. The big part of the land's layout is having plenty of waterfalls and random shipwrecks around and about. Of course the Kingdom Railway would traverse the perimeter toward Fantasyland... I'd very much like to surround the tracks with trees so the illusion of being in an 18th Century seaport is kept intact.
Obviously, Adventure Isle is rather massive and has three main access points, a large suspension bridge leading to and from the mainland, the smaller Pontoon Bridge leading to a different area of the mainland, and a quiet, "non-bridge" portion of the mainland that connects to the northern reach of the island. Peter Pan's Flight is found on the island, as are all the interactive walk-thrus and attractions mentioned.
The only logical thing I can think of other than all that is having Little Mermaid and Sinbad closer to Arendelle than the POTC stuff. I know the above write-up might make it seem like POTC is closer to Arendelle, but I'd much rather have the fantasy properties closer to Fantasyland. It would make sense to have La Fortaleza looking toward Dead Man's Lagoon and the non-pirate properties looking toward Arendelle from the "fjord." Whatever works easiest and is aesthetically pleasing. I really want to keep Skull Rock as far as possible from Arendelle's sight-lines lol.
As always, feedback is appreciated. My apologies for the delay, and apologies for how long it took me to edit and post this write-up. Darn Chromebook... This is going to take some serious practice, but I'm sure I'll get back on track in no time at all.
