Parker Reviews Mean Streak at Cedar Point

Hello Nerds,
Cedar Point is known for its many amazing coasters.  Unfortunately, some aren't as amazing as others.  In this outtake from the Cedar Point episode, Parker gives his expert opinion on what riding Mean Streak, one of the park's wooden coasters, is like.

Enjoy!

Cedar Point Update

Hey there nerds,
It's time for another Ohio theme park update.  This time, I went to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH, on a very windy, rainy day.  Most everything in the park was closed for most of the day, but it still made for a coaster filled afternoon.  Check out the Theme Park Nerds' video blog covering the trip.  In it, we talk about the park, Millennium Force, Top Thrill Dragster, Magnum, Maverick, Cedar Creek Mine Ride, and all sorts of other fun coasters at the park.  Parker even goes into some operating secrets from his years of being a operator at Corkscrew.

Check it out!

See you in the parks nerds!
Mike

Kings Island

Hey there nerds,
So Parker got married a few weeks ago.  It was a beautiful event that afforded me the opportunity to run to theme parks afterwards :)

First up, Kings Island in Mason, OH.  A very nice, well rounded coaster park owned by Cedar Fair.

Check out our review of Kings Island in our latest Theme Park Nerds episode.

See you at the parks nerds,
Mike

Iron Man Poster!

Hey Nerds,

Have you always wanted your very own FREE Iron Man poster?  Me too!  And thanks to Disney and Limited Time Magic, we both can get our very own FREE poster (all we have to do is buy plane ticket, fly to Anaheim, purchase entrance to Disneyland, head to Innoventions, partake in the Iron Man experience, and POOF, poster).

Of course, there is a chance they may run out of Iron Man posters.  If that's the case, you would get an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. poster instead, which isn't as awesome.

Or, if you have a poster printer or live next to a Kinko's, Disney has provided a handy PDF of the posters together so you print them yourselves and avoid that pesky Disneyland vacation all together.  Of course, then you also wouldn't be able to get your spooky Mickey ears or your Jack Skellington cup cake, but those cost more money anyway.

If you want the PDF of the poster, it can be found at
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/media/disneyparks_v0100/media/let-the-memories-begin/limited-time-magic/tactics/Iron-Man-3-Agents-of-SHIELD-poster.pdf

In the mean time, I am going to find a recipe for skeleton cup cakes and pretend I am at Disneyland.

Later Nerds,
Mike

Thoughts on Avatar Land

Hey There Nerds,
Last week was the Tokyo D23, Disney's own fan club convention where Disney nerds from all around gather to listen to the company hype whatever they have decided we need to be excited about.  Anaheim had their own D23 earlier in the year and nothing of note really came from it on the theme park front.  In Tokyo, however, they finally had something to announce.

While we've know it was coming for a while, Imagineering finally released more information about Avatar Land, the huge expansion coming to Disney's Animal Kingdom sometime in the next 5 year (possibly 2017).  At Tokyo's D23, WDI released some beautiful concept art and shots of their scale model to give an impression on what the land may look like.  As expected, the concept shows lots of glowing plants and weird, alien flora and fauna, just like the first Avatar film.  While everything about the land continues to look beautiful, I am still waiting for the wow factor that will convince me this will be an amazing land.

from http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/

What we know so far is the land will include at least two major attractions.  A boat ride through the forest of Pandora (pictured above) and a simulator ride flying through the skies of Pandora.  In addition to the attractions, you can expect your normal assortment of restaurants, snack bars, shops, and character meet and greet locations to round out the land.  The land itself looks to be backed by a GIGANTIC floating mountain, towering above the visitors to Pandora, as seen in a shot from the announcement below.

from http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/

While I am excited Animal Kingdom is getting a major expansion (it needs it) and I do agree the land will be beautiful and the attractions will be very well done, I am still not excited about this, and I WANT to be excited about this, but I'm not.  I have seen the Avatar film and, while I thought it was beautiful and very well done, it didn't leave a lasting impression for me.  It was weak on story and high on visuals and that is exactly how I feel this land will be.  Beautiful, but not lasting.  This is reported to be a $500 million project, which is around what Animal Kingdom cost to originally build (more or less).  I expect more. 

The boat ride I am actually OK with.  It looks like it will be a minor C or D ticket ride that will be nice on a hot Florida day.  It looks like portions of it will be inside and it will have lots of colors and bright lights that will amuse kids for 5 to 10 minutes, which is exactly what Animal Kingdom needs.  The park does not have a good children's ride in the classic Disney style, and this feels like it will be much simpler version of Small World...on an alien planet.

What REALLY worries me is the E ticket simulator that I am sure will be the anchor of the land.  Aside from the fact that Disney is touch and go with simulators, they're either amazing (Star Tours, Sorin') or horrible (Body Wars, Mission Space), they don't have the shelf life or grander that Disney does best.  I am sure it will be a good enough ride, but what I am not sure about is that it will continue to pack in the crowds for years to come.  Attractions like Radiator Springs Racers and Expedition Everest will continue to be exciting for years to come because they combine mild thrills with epic Disney art and story telling.  Simulators become stale and have to be continually refreshed to remain relevant.  Sims are great as side attractions, in support of other major attractions to round out a land.  As THE major attraction, I'm not sold.

Only making the situation worse is the fact that up I-4, Universal Studios Florida IS making grand, epic attractions that focus on art and story telling (not Transformers, Harry Potter).  They are trying to beat Disney at their own game, and if WDW keeps on the path they're on, Universal will win.

So what do you think?  Are you excited to walk through the world of Pandora, or is your next trip to Orlando going to center around Harry Potter, with WDW being a side trip?

--Mike

Walt Disney World Thoughts

It had been years since I was last there and there were maybe only a few new experiences.  Disney needs to get their butts in gear and build something new quick.  Hopefully the rumblings of Avatar for Animal Kingdom, Star Wars Land, and Cars for Hollywood Studios come to fruition.  Avatar, for all its thematic inappropriateness of being in a Disney park, is now desperately needed.  The makeover of the Hollywood Studios has me the most excited.  Meanwhile Epcot just sits there.  A giant mall with some decades old attractions that need some love.    It’s weird but I found myself most of the time wondering if Transformers at Universal Studios was having technical rehearsals on the days I visited and how I might have been able to sneak away for a day.  It’s not a good thing for a theme park when a guest is thinking about shaving off a day to visit a competitor.  
That’s all the ranting I can handle for one day.  
Thanks for reading and I hope to contribute more in the future.
-Brian

New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom Review

Before I go too much into New Fantasyland, let me say that the Magic Kingdom has not looked this polished and nice in a very long time.  I frequented this park most during my visits.  After the requisite rides on The Carousel of Progress and the TTA Peoplemover, my all-time favorites at the Magic Kingdom, our group sauntered over to New Fantasyland and Storybook Circus to check out the new stuff.  Let’s go through the positives first.  

The area looks very nice and very picturesque.  Some of the finest theming since The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  The train station, Carolwood Park, in Storybook Circus is a great homage to Walt’s love of the railroad.  I also appreciate the way Disney opened up the space behind the carousel.  There was never a huge backup of foot traffic like there used to be.  

Even though Butterbeer is certainly the better drink, Le Fou’s Brew from Gaston’s Tavern is still very good and refreshing on a hot day.  And finally, my lunch at Be Our Guest was quite spectacular, even if I had to contend with a tropical storm.  

For the attractions, I rode Dumbo and The Little Mermaid.  Didn’t bother with Enchanted Tales with Belle because I am not a 9-year-old girl.  I have always had a soft spot for Dumbo and riding it at night is just a delight.  

The Little Mermaid is certainly a ride.  It just sort of ends, doesn’t it?  I found more entertainment in the queue to be honest. 

Like cotton candy, I found most of New Fantasyland to be pretty but hollow.  An excuse to install more shops and eateries without putting much thought into the attractions themselves.  When your anchor for an entire new land is a restaurant, there’s an issue.  I know that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is set to be open sometime this decade and that was a big mistake on Disney not to fast track that thing.  Maybe my opinion of this new area would be different had it been open, but it wasn’t.  

I can’t go on without mentioning the new Tangled “E-ticket toilets”.  Once again, a very pretty area, but it’s a place to drop a deuce, nothing more.  The charging station area will come in handy for those “iPad photographers”.

I did really enjoy my time in Disney but I can’t see myself going there any time in the near future.  

Thanks for reading,

- Brian