Nic
Strata Poster
Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Cars Land added
Sorry for this part of the report being a bit light on photos. I split it here because it was where I split my day, and moved from one park to the other. In hindsight, it may not have been the best place to split the report!
Day 6 - 10th July 2012 - Part 2
After a quick nap and some food, I returned to the resort and headed for the Disneyland Park. As you walk down Main St, the first thing that hits you is how TINY the castle is. I had read several PTRs before going that said the same, but nothing prepared me for how miniscule it actually is. It's fab, but, yeah.
As it was nearby, I headed to Tomorrowland first. Anyone who's been anywhere near my Facebook since January will not be surprised to know where I went first...
I'm starting to wonder if I imagined it, but I'm convinced that they closed them all really suddenly in about March or something this year, stating that it had come to the end of what was only ever going to be a limited run in tribute to MJ. Anyway, as a result I was convinced it was closed, so was SO excited when I realised its actually still going! It's even better with added Americans who go **** MENTAL when MJ first appears on the screen! <3
Everything else in Tomorrowland had a burdenous queue, so I headed for the nearest thing with a single rider - Matterhorn Bobs.
Apart from knowing that it's the oldest tubular steel railed coaster, and being told it was a bit crap, I didn't really know what to expect. I actually really enjoyed it. I love the way the layout weaves in and out of the mountain, the scary Yeti things are fab, and its just generally really fun. I approve.
Next on the agenda was It's a Small World. Yeah, not a lot to say really, apart from the fact that the Sylvanian Families sign on the way in is a great example of how to sponsor a ride without ruining it. Oh, and, God knows what I was busily looking at, but I somehow completely missed the English section.
Literally as I was walking out of it, "The Magic, The Memories and You!" was starting up. This is basically a series of 3D projection maps onto the Small World building, inexplicably featuring a load of randomers burdenous holiday photos/videos. A couple of the projection maps I saw were pretty cool, but it wasn't anything lifechanging. As a result, I decided that if I legged it, I might just have time to get to the first performance of Fantasmic!
I'm going to briefly mention the way that they organise the crowd control for the outdoor shows/parades as this was the first time it had had a big impact on me. What they do is to rope off areas for people to watch, with seperate lanes roped off as designated pathways. They have tons of cast members everywhere ensuring that people don't stop to watch whilst stood in the pathways. This is a great idea as, especially if you're not watching the show, it still allows you to pass through/around the area relatively easily. However, it does mean that space for watching the show is relatively limited, and I very nearly got caught out.
The show was literally just starting as I arrived in the area. I followed the "walking" path along, and eventually found a gap in the "standing" area just big enough for me to stand in. I ducked under the rope, and life was all good. If I hadn't been on my own (and if I was shorter!) then I wouldn't have fared so well. This kinda too me by surprise. Being by myself, I was quite lucky for all of the parades/shows as I was able to squeeze into relatively small gaps. If you're going as part of a group and/or want the best view, then it's stating the obvious, but you really must get there early.
Anyway, yes, the show. It's awesome. It was my first time in the river area, so I hadn't seen the rafts or the Columbia before, so seeing them appear was mental (especially as, for a little while, I thought they might just be there for the show! haha) Bonus points for the existence of Maleficent, although minus points for her turning into the dragon almost immediately.
My camera fails at life
Next was Jungle Cruise. I wish I'd re-ridden this in the daylight actually, but it was a bit meh. This sign was fab though. Oh, and the cast member on our boat was pretty cute.
From there I went to Indiana Jones Adventure and whored the single rider queue. OMG, this is actually epic. Quite possibly my favourite ever dark ride. Everything about it is full of awesome, and I don't even like the Indie franchise. The ride system, the pacing of the ride, the animatronics - it's all fab <3
PotC next, as it was basically walk on where everyone else was watching performance 2 of Fantasmic. Yeah, as much as I try to love these, I just don't really get it. Sure, some of the scenes are absolutely fantastic, and the Jack Sparrow animatronics are stunning, but... meh. It takes too long to get going for my liking. There's too many scenes without characters which are merely ok. By the time you get to the good bits, I'm, dare I say it, starting to get a little bit bored.
Again, walk on because of Fantasmic, I did Haunted Mansion next. It was good, and I enjoyed it, but it's not among my favourites. I thought some of the audio (including "Grim Grinning Ghosts" which, lets face it, is the main bit anyone remembers) was too quiet.
I stumbled across Winnie the Pooh. It was walk on. Meh.
By now it was getting late, so I started to head back towards the front of the park. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters was finally without a queue, so I took the opportunity. The Paris one was closed when I went, so no idea how this compares. It was alright, but I found the shooting system took a while to get my head round. I also didn't realise the cars could be rotated. Yeah, I'm just a retard.
The animatronic in the queue line is amaze though
By now it was like 11:55pm, with the park closing at 12. I decided to go for the Finding Nemo Submarine Voage, and got on the last boat of the night. Whilst its a nice idea, some of the effects are pretty nicely done, and the whole submarine thing is different, I didn't rate it that highly. Oh well.
So yeah, that was the end of my first fabulous Disney day. To summarise the day - 20 hours awake, 14 hours on park, 27 attractions done and +4 creds.
Here's a really **** picture of the castle to end
Ride/Attraction count (part 2):
Captain Eo
Matterhorn Bobsleds
It's a Small World
Fantasmic
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Jungle Cruise
Indiana Jones Adventure
Pirates of the Caribbean
Haunted Mansion
Winnie the Pooh
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
Sorry for this part of the report being a bit light on photos. I split it here because it was where I split my day, and moved from one park to the other. In hindsight, it may not have been the best place to split the report!
Day 6 - 10th July 2012 - Part 2
After a quick nap and some food, I returned to the resort and headed for the Disneyland Park. As you walk down Main St, the first thing that hits you is how TINY the castle is. I had read several PTRs before going that said the same, but nothing prepared me for how miniscule it actually is. It's fab, but, yeah.
As it was nearby, I headed to Tomorrowland first. Anyone who's been anywhere near my Facebook since January will not be surprised to know where I went first...
I'm starting to wonder if I imagined it, but I'm convinced that they closed them all really suddenly in about March or something this year, stating that it had come to the end of what was only ever going to be a limited run in tribute to MJ. Anyway, as a result I was convinced it was closed, so was SO excited when I realised its actually still going! It's even better with added Americans who go **** MENTAL when MJ first appears on the screen! <3
Everything else in Tomorrowland had a burdenous queue, so I headed for the nearest thing with a single rider - Matterhorn Bobs.
Apart from knowing that it's the oldest tubular steel railed coaster, and being told it was a bit crap, I didn't really know what to expect. I actually really enjoyed it. I love the way the layout weaves in and out of the mountain, the scary Yeti things are fab, and its just generally really fun. I approve.
Next on the agenda was It's a Small World. Yeah, not a lot to say really, apart from the fact that the Sylvanian Families sign on the way in is a great example of how to sponsor a ride without ruining it. Oh, and, God knows what I was busily looking at, but I somehow completely missed the English section.
Literally as I was walking out of it, "The Magic, The Memories and You!" was starting up. This is basically a series of 3D projection maps onto the Small World building, inexplicably featuring a load of randomers burdenous holiday photos/videos. A couple of the projection maps I saw were pretty cool, but it wasn't anything lifechanging. As a result, I decided that if I legged it, I might just have time to get to the first performance of Fantasmic!
I'm going to briefly mention the way that they organise the crowd control for the outdoor shows/parades as this was the first time it had had a big impact on me. What they do is to rope off areas for people to watch, with seperate lanes roped off as designated pathways. They have tons of cast members everywhere ensuring that people don't stop to watch whilst stood in the pathways. This is a great idea as, especially if you're not watching the show, it still allows you to pass through/around the area relatively easily. However, it does mean that space for watching the show is relatively limited, and I very nearly got caught out.
The show was literally just starting as I arrived in the area. I followed the "walking" path along, and eventually found a gap in the "standing" area just big enough for me to stand in. I ducked under the rope, and life was all good. If I hadn't been on my own (and if I was shorter!) then I wouldn't have fared so well. This kinda too me by surprise. Being by myself, I was quite lucky for all of the parades/shows as I was able to squeeze into relatively small gaps. If you're going as part of a group and/or want the best view, then it's stating the obvious, but you really must get there early.
Anyway, yes, the show. It's awesome. It was my first time in the river area, so I hadn't seen the rafts or the Columbia before, so seeing them appear was mental (especially as, for a little while, I thought they might just be there for the show! haha) Bonus points for the existence of Maleficent, although minus points for her turning into the dragon almost immediately.
My camera fails at life
Next was Jungle Cruise. I wish I'd re-ridden this in the daylight actually, but it was a bit meh. This sign was fab though. Oh, and the cast member on our boat was pretty cute.
From there I went to Indiana Jones Adventure and whored the single rider queue. OMG, this is actually epic. Quite possibly my favourite ever dark ride. Everything about it is full of awesome, and I don't even like the Indie franchise. The ride system, the pacing of the ride, the animatronics - it's all fab <3
PotC next, as it was basically walk on where everyone else was watching performance 2 of Fantasmic. Yeah, as much as I try to love these, I just don't really get it. Sure, some of the scenes are absolutely fantastic, and the Jack Sparrow animatronics are stunning, but... meh. It takes too long to get going for my liking. There's too many scenes without characters which are merely ok. By the time you get to the good bits, I'm, dare I say it, starting to get a little bit bored.
Again, walk on because of Fantasmic, I did Haunted Mansion next. It was good, and I enjoyed it, but it's not among my favourites. I thought some of the audio (including "Grim Grinning Ghosts" which, lets face it, is the main bit anyone remembers) was too quiet.
I stumbled across Winnie the Pooh. It was walk on. Meh.
By now it was getting late, so I started to head back towards the front of the park. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters was finally without a queue, so I took the opportunity. The Paris one was closed when I went, so no idea how this compares. It was alright, but I found the shooting system took a while to get my head round. I also didn't realise the cars could be rotated. Yeah, I'm just a retard.
The animatronic in the queue line is amaze though
By now it was like 11:55pm, with the park closing at 12. I decided to go for the Finding Nemo Submarine Voage, and got on the last boat of the night. Whilst its a nice idea, some of the effects are pretty nicely done, and the whole submarine thing is different, I didn't rate it that highly. Oh well.
So yeah, that was the end of my first fabulous Disney day. To summarise the day - 20 hours awake, 14 hours on park, 27 attractions done and +4 creds.
Here's a really **** picture of the castle to end
Ride/Attraction count (part 2):
Captain Eo
Matterhorn Bobsleds
It's a Small World
Fantasmic
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Jungle Cruise
Indiana Jones Adventure
Pirates of the Caribbean
Haunted Mansion
Winnie the Pooh
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
By the time I got off the ride, it was probably just over an hour since I joined the queue. 
