Roller Coasters, Rides and Theme Parks!

[QualityChimp]

[MENTION=16665]Blobcat[/MENTION], I'm loving the daily updates, by the way!

I didn't really have time, but I tried to make notes as I went round.

[dataDave]

That's a really sensible decision, dD.

Loads of great parks to go to aimed at smaller kids.
Yes, there's stuff for kids at Alton Towers, but you're paying for those big coasters too.

I mean, there's Peppa Pig World, but I wouldn't inflict that on yourself.

As you can see a few posts up, I'm a big fan of Drayton Manor, which has a whole Thomas Land section with kid-friendly rides.
They have a hotel onsite too, with Thomas themed rooms.
Hilariously, we had a work conference there and one of my friends ended up in the Thomas room, but was secretly delighted!

That’s another thing pal. With him growing up in the Netherlands all that CBBC stuff is entirely lost on him. He used to like Peppa Pig, but has since moved on to things like Pacific Rim, The Terminator and Mad Max: Fury Road. Another friend of mine recommended Drayton, so who knows…

[dataDave]

We’re definitely going to an Arcade Club. If not I’ll stop being so polite.

[QualityChimp]

That’s another thing pal. With him growing up in the Netherlands all that CBBC stuff is entirely lost on him. He used to like Peppa Pig, but has since moved on to things like Pacific Rim, The Terminator and Mad Max: Fury Road. Another friend of mine recommended Drayton, so who knows…

OK, but be aware that Thomas Land doesn't feature rides based on Pacific Rim, The Terminator, Mad Max: Fury Road or other favourites of four-year-old children.

[fishbowlhead]

OK, but be aware that Thomas Land doesn't feature rides based on Pacific Rim, The Terminator, Mad Max: Fury Road or other favourites of four-year-old children.

When a 4 year old can't ride a 200ft high kaiju roller coaster, then whats even the point of anything?

[Blobcat]

[MENTION=16665]Blobcat[/MENTION], I'm loving the daily updates, by the way!

I didn't really have time, but I tried to make notes as I went round.

I planned to keep a diary as my mother is amazing at keeping journals for her holidays but finishing the days so tired and now spending most 'free time' actually in the pool has not given me time to site and write, typing out an update is a good way to remember what's gone on!

So back to our Magic Kingdom day (yesterday), we got the bus back and decided to have dinner at Pecos Bills Tell Tale Inn as we wanted a more savory meal and to sit down. Chose the Fajita mix meal which tasted like a cheap but tasty Tortilla franchise open fajita which was plenty and tasty for a reasonable price. We got a Haunted Mansion LL but you get an hour time slot to arrive so had time to jump into something.

Now after watching many videos about the parks I concluded the Country Bear character costumes were utterly terrifying and despite loving animatronics and hearing some love for the country bear characters in the show, I was not convinced how I'd feel. I love the illustrations of them in the pre-show room but the footage of the costumes I hoped I'd never see them but would give the show a go.

Well, what a surprise, the show and the characters were utterly Charming and dare I say I enjoyed them more than my favourite parts of the characters in Splash Mountain. We found ourselves genuinely laughing, joining in and knee-slapping by the end of it. Melvin, Buff (he was my favourite) and Max were a joy and I highly recommend keeping watch of them during the show. I will definitely watch that show again.

Haunted mansion was next which we enjoyed the effects of, then we decided to go for Philharmagic before the fireworks. It's more than a 3D movie involving Donald flying though musical scenes of some films. Very impressive and I would recommend 'joining in' like there is a part Donald reaches out to you and everyone in the room tried to grab his hands/ wings as the effect looked so good. Some 3d was better than others but when it worked it was VERY good.

Then fireworks. What can I say? The projections on the castle looked devine and the fireworks were lovely as the general feeling around of kids with their families watching. Our feet hurt from standing though but we had one more ride to go on as the park was open late and that was Space Mountain which [MENTION=5941]Asura[/MENTION] really wanted to go on and we managed to get a LL for last minute.

The idea of the ride is great but personally found it uncomfortable which marred my enjoyment of it. I definitely did not want to ride it as my first MK ride as I had heard it was a bit rattly and I'm glad I stuck to my guns about it.

Oh and the Spring rolls in Adventureland, citrus swirl and the corndog nuggets at Casey's corner were amazing!

It's just before 7am on our 4th full day here and the plan was Typhoon lagoon waterpark with a meal in Epcot this evening but as we have really done well at Disney and walked so much we may just chill today, depending on the state of our feet!

[QualityChimp]

It was pretty amazing how far the animatronics have come.
One of our first rides was Splash Mountain with all the cute but basic Brer Rabbit models, then later in the trip we did the Na'vi River Cruise and there's an animatronic at the end of that which I wasn't 100% sure was a person until we went past and could see wires.
Just breathtaking.

Space Mountain looks cool with all the (now) retro stylings, but it's such a boneshaker.
The newer one in Paris is closer to Rock 'n' Roller Coaster with the launched start, but this ancient clunker is really rough!

That castle show was astonishing. So clever and emotive.

Philharmagic was a good filler with no queue and the Lion King bit really surprised me when the widescreen effect kicked in.

Enjoy your slower pace today.
Some of those waterslides turned my Bermuda shorts into thongs, they're that fast!

[Neon Ignition]

Don't you come at my Space Mountain!
.... not sure if there's a backfiring innuendo there....

I adore that ride. So simple but massively effective. The Paris second iteration takes the same concept and completely misses why it works, reducing it to a generic indoor coaster

Space Mountain FTW!!

[wakka]

The last time I went on Space Mountain it was in Paris, and had been restyled as ‘Hyperspace Mountain’ with a Star Wars theme.

Honestly the cheapest, naffest re theme ever. It was a bit of a joke, really. Just some Star Wars flags hanging over the classic Jules Verne styling and some static lit up pictures of X-Wings inside. A real missed opportunity and a shame they didn’t keep it as the original Paris steampunk vibe, instead half assing some SW stuff on top.

I really like the Space Mountain in Japan, though. That rocks.

[QualityChimp]

Don't you come at my Space Mountain!
.... not sure if there's a backfiring innuendo there....

I adore that ride. So simple but massively effective. The Paris second iteration takes the same concept and completely misses why it works, reducing it to a generic indoor coaster

Space Mountain FTW!!

Will you pay the bill at my chiropractor for me?

[Neon Ignition]

I can tell you a ride that really verges on physical injury:






The New York, New York roller coaster that runs along the front façade of the hotel on the Vegas strip. You step into the carriage and the safety harness comes down over the top of you. This is your first point of discomfort as the seating is narrow and safety hardness clamps in low pressing down into your shoulder bones so you're a little scrunched up in your seat. The coaster runs along the front and somewhat around the rear of the hotel but one of its key moments when you're not having your shoulders and sides hurt from the tight banks it's required to do thanks to the constrained spacing it's been fitted into is its loop.




The issue with the loop is pretty clear in this shot. It's not a perspective thing as there isn't the width to slow climb its way in, it really is a loop with that hard a bend at the top of the loop. The uprise of the track really forces the safety harness to dig in before you shift to being upside down so your body weight amplifies that pain. The sharp switch to coming down from the loop rattles your sides and gives you a bit of a gut punch before the track levels out.

It's unique as in you get to ride a rollercoaster with full view of the Vegas Strip and it's brief too, probably clocking in at a minute, minute and a half. But it's one you come off with some pains for a while after and no thirst for a second go of

[QualityChimp]

Ha, yeah, that's a real anti-climax of a roller coaster!
The "High Roller" on the Stratosphere in Vegas is a good idea, but it just trundles around with no feeling of peril.

Most painful ride I went on was X and Six Flags Magic Mountain.
I'd waited years to go on it and it just felt like getting whacked with a cricket bat in the head.

[Blobcat]

Enjoy your slower pace today.
Some of those waterslides turned my Bermuda shorts into thongs, they're that fast!

I agree with you about the thong comments. I have come to the conclusion I dont like flume rides as much as I used to as a kid. Maybe its that I can't see what's coming without hurting myself, maybe it's cause I'm overweight and the speed of the vertical drop one were uncomfortable in ways I could never imagine, maybe I'm just a bit of an old fart but I loved all the rides I could see where I was going!

Loved the Crushin' Gusher ride on the inflatable which was like a rollercoaster flume ride that goes over humps, we went on all 3 routes. Also liked the others involving inflatables and the wave pool which I would have loved more if I wasn't so tired of my feet hurting. We did what we wanted by well before 1pm (including our first Pineapple Dolewhip which was divine) and headed briefly into Disney springs for the first time to the world of Disney store to grab our free gift card you annoyingly could only pick up from there (part of our holiday package came with a food voucher and a separate spending money voucher but the later you had to get it physically yourself rather than emailed on check in).

Went to the Biergarten restaurant this evening with its buffet, live music and lashings of beer steins! Just got back to the hotel and will probably have a bit of a late night as full and a bit half cut.

Tomorrow is a proper nothing day with washing, pool and a proper first look at Disney springs where we hope to eat at Chicken Guy!

Sunday will be our first Animal Kingdom day which is planned to focus on the animals that day including meeting the rhinos experience which I'm especially looking forward to

[wakka]

Yeah the rides in Vegas are pretty bad honestly. I’ve been on the Manhattan Express at NYNY twice now, for my sins.

[Asura]

Expedition Everest is amazing.