The Miscellaneous Thought Thread

[Rich T]

People scoff when the harmful effects of horror films, video games, and rock n roll are mentioned but there’s complete truth to such statements.

Horror films and rock n' roll are genres. Video games are a medium with as many genres as film. There are good and bad in every genre, every medium, every form of expression and entertainment. You can put a spin on anything and have a mob burning records and smashing pinball machines.... as if *that* was a great way to live life. Personally, I like non-gory horror films with happy endings, video games that focus on art, humor and music, and rock n' roll that's really artsy and pretentious (Long live Yes, Genesis and Supertramp! ) I don't like anything that focuses on the negative or the ugly side of life.

 

[mickEblu]

People scoff when the harmful effects of horror films, video games, and rock n roll are mentioned but there’s complete truth to such statements.

I dunno. I was watching Chucky when I was 6 and I haven’t killed anyone yet. But I do think you can have consequences by overexposing the wrong material to the wrong person. Particularly if that person doesn’t have a solid upbringing as clearly I did with parents who let me watch Chucky at 6. Lol. No I have great parents, just one of those weird things.

These days I just try to surround myself with uplifting music, movies, people etc. I think I just kind of subconsciously started doing it to balance out all the negative stuff in the world.

 

[mickEblu]

I don't like anything that focuses on the negative or the ugly side of life.

I think most of us here can agree and is probably a big reason why we love DL. We love escapism and are drawn to a romanticized, Utopian, fantasy view of the world.

Of course this kind of all comes crashing down when it’s too crowded.

 

[Phroobar]

So about those $50 per person rooms including admission... What’s the catch? Are they clean and decent?

It was a great place. It's very clean and decent. The waterpark is indoors and very humid but fun. The place is only a few years old and huge. Just expect a lot of little kids running around. I believe the price goes back up on saturday. They seem to be doing very well a couple of miles from Disneyland.

 

[mickEblu]

It was a great place. It's very clean and decent. The waterpark is indoors and very humid but fun. The place is only a few years old and huge. Just expect a lot of little kids running around. I believe the price goes back up on saturday. They seem to be doing very well a couple of miles from Disneyland.

Nice. Any thrilling water slides?

 

[TROR]

There’s something so charming about the country. I wish Critter Country would elevate its Dixieland theming. Honestly I’d be happy if they got rid of “Critter Country” and just made the entire land straight Dixie themed. If I was insane I would say combine it with New Orleans Square for a single Dixieland.

 

[Mac Tonight]

People scoff when the harmful effects of horror films, video games, and rock n roll are mentioned but there’s complete truth to such statements.

No harmful effects for me, I know to only watch the horror movies that aren't real.

 

[mickEblu]

It's not a log flume (but it is a flume). Rapids don't need to be strong for a good adventure. Even Grizzly River only offers brief moments of turbulence. I think the pacing and motion of Grizzly River is fine, though. It's the lack of any of the touches that used to distinguish Disney rides from other parks that's the attraction's problem. Is it really that hard to improve? It is when Disney would rather spend the funds moving an old kiddie ride to Pixar Pier so that they can promote it as a new attraction.

I just saw a ride though of BigFoot 2.0 and I’m not impressed. Roller coasters all over the place. What GRR does well is it makes you feel like you re in the middle of a Forrest somewhere. I’d rather have that feeling than see those very basic AAs. Now ideally I’d rather have GRR with a few higher quality AAs.

 

[Phroobar]

Nice. Any thrilling water slides?

A cone raft ride. A drop slide. Four lane racing slides. A two person drain raft ride. Various inner tube and single person slides. Wave pool, body board pool and lazy river. A couple of kids water play areas. It's like indoor Raging Waters.

 

[Nunu]

(Long live Yes, Genesis and Supertramp! )

Omg, I like you so much!

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Are we too hard on DCA? Is it just that Disneyland took all the good stuff so at DCA they have to theme everything to all the leftovers? Like cartoon Pixar piers and oil refinery’s, junkyards and college campuses/ circuit city stores? I mean DL took ghosts, Pirates, jungles, the Wild West frontier, the world of Tomorrow, all the classic animated Disney movies etc.

I’m kidding of course. TDS shows us that a great second gate is possible. With that said, the phrase “nothing new under the sun” comes to mind.

oh no i can be harder on DCA. Me saying turn it back into a parking lot is me being nice.

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Can I ask something I have always wanted to know but kind of embarrassed to ask for afraid of being made fun of in case the answer is obvious? Are The Mark Twain and Columbia on tracks in Rivers of America or can the captains actually control where they go on the river freely? i know for fantasmic there is all kinds of electrical stuff at the bottom of the rivers that is why i ask.

 

[The_Mesh_Hatter]

Can I ask something I have always wanted to know but kind of embarrassed to ask for afraid of being made fun of in case the answer is obvious? Are The Mark Twain and Columbia on tracks in Rivers of America or can the captains actually control where they go on the river freely? i know for fantasmic there is all kinds of electrical stuff at the bottom of the rivers that is why i ask.

It’s actually not obvious. The ships float on shallow guide rails. They’re not completely attached to any track, it rests on top of rails. Some degree of steering is required: the ships could potentially come off the rails if the steering wheel is pushed in the wrong direction

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

The answer is not obvious. The ships float on shallow guide rails. They’re not completely attached to any track, it rests on top of rails. Some degree of steering is required: the ships could potentially come off the rails if the steering wheel is pushed in the wrong direction

Oh that's cool. Thanks for the info. Has it ever derailed before??

 

[lifeisgoodboy]

Oh that's cool. Thanks for the info. Has it ever derailed before??

Happy 64th Birthday Disneyland !!!

 

[TROR]

Oh that's cool. Thanks for the info. Has it ever derailed before??

I don’t know about the Mark Twain or Columbia, but the Railroad has derailed.

 

[Phroobar]

I don’t know about the Mark Twain or Columbia, but the Railroad has derailed.

How exactly does a boat derail?

 

[TROR]

How exactly does a boat derail?

Dangerously.

 

[Darkbeer1]

One of the reasons the Mark Twain and the Columbia operate the way they do, aka free floating ships that power and steer on their own, with a guidance system (not rails) is to be licensed to operate through the Coast Guard and not the state. It comes down to regulations and taxes, which are cheaper as ships instead of rides.

 

[Rich T]

...Now ideally I’d rather have GRR with a few higher quality AAs.

Or even how about a few low-quality AAs? How about a couple of static bears along the route? HOW ABOUT A CARDBOARD CUTOUT OF A BEAR SOMEWHERE ALONG THE FLUME? That's what ticks me off so much about GRR, DCA and the whole Pressler/Eisner cheap-a-thon. They spent a lot of money to build GRR and then--somewhere between we-don't-get-it and there's-no-difference-between-Big-Thunder-and-Mulholland-Madness, they nix the idea of any California animal life along the way, leaving GRR as possibly the single most un-Disneyish, unimaginative, personality-free major attraction in Disney's park history.

And they've had nearly 20 YEARS to--at the very least--buy a bear statue from a roadside lawn ornament vendor and stick it somewhere on the ride.

It took Knott's one year to add a bunch o' stuff to their raft ride. And the change wasn't even necessary. They did it to make an already popular ride even better.