Monday Musings - April 23, 2012

Disney/Universal Studios thoughts this week

1. Bring your own wine. Disney's selections are mediocre at best.

2. Talk to the attendants--they usually have a pretty funny and somewhat sarcastic sense of humor.

3. Can you imagine having to deal with tourists like yourself every day?


4. Find fun in the long lines.

5. Is there really any reason to run from one attraction to the next? I thought this was supposed to be a vacation.

6. Pray for rain. Then everything slows down.

7. Plan time to sleep in (past 7 AM).

8. Funniest thing I heard: The attendant had just completed her spiel about how rare it was for something to happen, we should feel very lucky. I said something like--until the next group arrives. She laughed and said "Every three minutes all day and who has to listen to it over and over again? I do!"

9. If the internet is free (which it is) then the connection is going to be a problem.

10. If you have to run, you probably won't make it anyway.


11. Sometimes the funniest things, weren't meant that way.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Observations of Tomorrowland - Day 5

Our return to the Magic Kingdom was mostly devoted to exploring and becoming reacquainted with Tomorrowland.

Tomorrowland remains a 1970's vision of life in the future. It has become tarnished and is in need of a total make over. The marquee ride remains Space Mountain--which while nostalgic, is a far cry from the spectacular roller coasters deployed in the 40 years since it first hit the rails.

I first visited Tomorrowland during 1973, two years after the park opened, and it was a magical place expanding the mind and thoughts of the future. Now, it is dated and old. Gone is Alien Encounter replaced by Stitch's Great Escape--no difference just a different character.

I note, as we walked around the larger Magic Kingdom, that Fantasyland is under going a major reconstruction. I only hope that Tomorrowland is next.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

The Noise on the Bus

It took an eternity to get from our resort to the place we had reserved for dinner. One leg, on a Disney bus, was done amid the most noise of screaming children and adults talking I've the screams that I have ever experienced in my life. It was awful. And the the arrival announcement came on and added to the din. I have been near jet engines which were quieter. It is better now though. We are waiting for dinner and enjoying some evening libations. It could be worse, it could be better but it isn't.

Star Wars meets Phineas and Ferb - Day 4

What a crazy day. Hot sunny skies punctuated by thunderstorms while working across the entertainment spectrum from cartoons to


wookies.

One of the highlights of the day was meeting Darth Vader along with two Storm Troopers. That happened because of the thunderstorms. The best fun of the day was at Toy Story Arcade.



Hollywood Studios has really improved since my last visit. The Tower of Terror, which I did twice, is really pretty lame. The Rock 'n Rollercoaster is exciting and fun, but too short.


I have to confess, this park is not a visually stimulating as Universal Studios, but it is fun nonetheless. Where else can I stand in the middle of one street and take a picture of San Francisco AND turn 90 degrees and take a shot of NYC?



The restaurant we ate lunch in was probably the best of the trip--it was Italian fare.

Note to all who like wine--I mean decent wine. There isn't any in Disney. Ugh!
The wine is mediocre at best and the selection is very pedestrian. They need to stop buying in bulk and begin to specialize in better wines.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Universal Studios Islands of Adventure - Day 3

Universal Studios Islands of Adventure was the day 3 destination. Can you imagine the crush of people who want to visit Hogwarts and the Harry Potter section of the park? Why?


Because it is worth it.

And I am not a huge Harry Potter fan, but this section of the park makes the books come to life in a believable way. The place is magical as are the other sections of the park which include Jurassic Park, Super Hero's Island, Dr. Seuss, and Sunday Comics Land.




This day was devoted to adventure and riding rides. Chris and I rode one roller coaster four times during the first hour while watching Jax during the period when the rest of the party was off doing the marquee ride in the Harry Potter section.



We also had a great meeting with Captain America! Who was very engaging. I personally think he was happy to meet some boys who at least spoke English. There were a lot of languages being spoken at the park--not English.


I did get to experience three different wide where the signs said something like: "You may get wet." I can assure you, the signs understated the probability. Indeed, the ride designers apparently took the opportunity to ensure that those who dared to pass the signs got soaked. I also got to experience a "people dryer." And it felt good on a cool day.

It was a busy day. A fun day. A wet day, A day devoted to fancy and imagination.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Wire to Wire in the Magic Kingdom - Day 2

From the Character Breakfast at 7 AM in the Contemporary Hotel, to the welcome performance in front of the train station entrance to Main Street USA, to the 10 PM fireworks to close out the day, in the words of someone: "we did it all," well mostly.


The boys were fried by the end of it all even though we did return to the resort for a middle of the day respite (read nap). But we also experienced a very active pool area as well.




My take on the day--the Disney magic is beginning to fray around the edges. We had trouble with out lunch reservations and then our dinner reservations and saw behind the Disney magic a bit to the side where people are over worked and not really happy to help. We also decided that the busses do not run frequently enough from our resort, although we did get out of the park at the end of the day in fairly efficient fashion.

That written, the Fast Pass system works well. Having a plan for the day works great too. Nicole's plan to start the day saw us on five attractions within two hours. Fabulous. Well, almost, running at full tilt at 9 AM to get on an attraction is a bit excessive--but it worked.

The boys were great--mostly. But of course the heat and constant activity took its toll.


-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD