Roller Coasters, Rides and Theme Parks!

[QualityChimp]

That's a nice summary, Blobcat!

I agree with most of the things you've said.

Personally, I really liked Ratatouille.
I liked how everything was massive and you rode around in rat cars.
I thought the bit under the ovens was brilliant.

I did like the Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Train too. Lots to see and some great theming.
I enjoyed it less that Ratatouille, but they're both worth going on, IMHO.
Definitely not as good as RISE though!

However with RISE, it's going to be subjective and a combination of doing it twice, paying for the privilege and weaker cast members is going to affect you.

We waited a long time as non-Disney guests, the express passes were sold out, the ride was broken most of the day and the Express payers were prioritised so by the time we got to the front, it was just a massive relief and really exciting.

It's amazing over there though, isn't it?

I'm still daydreaming about it.

[Asura]

Definitely not as good as RISE though!

It's almost unfair to compare Rise of the Resistance to literally any other theme park experience.

It's a ride, it's a special effects show, it's an interactive LARP-lite experience, it's a fully immersive Star Wars walk-through attraction... It's fulfilling in every way; sight, sound, the ride itself, narrative, the lot.

It's a cliche but you come out of it and just revel in that you got to spend half an hour in Star Wars. Nothing beats that, not even the best of the rest from Disney themselves.

I was envious as when we came off it the second time, there was a dad with two boys (twins possibly) who were around 9 years old, and the looks on their faces... This is clearly something all three are going to remember the rest of their lives, and it made me think about when I was watching Star Wars with my dad in the 80s, and honestly it almost moved me to tears. I called my dad right after, from Florida.

You saw people coming off, excited, happy, enthused, some people genuinely emotional.

It absolutely lives up to the hype.

[QualityChimp]

Heh, your wife says it's on a par with M&M's Runaway Train!

Yeah, my wife and I were absolutely buzzing when we got off the ride, literally jumping up and down with how cool it all was and how it's just an onslaught of exciting moments with no time to breathe!

Just a lovely moment, the four of us walking to the exit together having been on such an amazing ride experience that we nearly missed out on, in the warm night with the park all lit up.

Having Avatar to ourselves at the end of the day was also amazing.
Did you see Pandora at night?

[Asura]

Heh, your wife says it's on a par with M&M's Runaway Train!

...

Did you see Pandora at night?

Honestly the Mickey & Minnie thing was collectively our second-favourite thing, so no objections there.

And no; we were there in May which meant that the park closes before nightfall.

[QualityChimp]

[Blobcat]

Being the summer it wasn't predicted to be very dark when the park closed so we left well before closing both times we went to AK. We didn't see the projector/ fireworks at Hollywood Studios but watched the fireworks from Slinky Dog Dash ride which was amazing to see (the Toy Story area looked really nice at night.)

[Neon Ignition]

The redesign of Disney's Splash Mountain revealed

Disney D23 Expo Reveals First Look at Revamped Splash Mountain, Tiana's Bayou Adventure (comicbook.com)

[Soundwave]

6 weeks baby
6 ******* weeks & I'll be on my way back to Florida

Cannot ******* wait

Halloween Horror nights will be epic this year too

Neil

[QualityChimp]

6 weeks baby
6 ******* weeks & I'll be on my way back to Florida

Cannot ******* wait

Halloween Horror nights will be epic this year too

Neil

You doing Universal and Disney?

[Soundwave]

You doing Universal and Disney?

Oh yes

Going to be bloody expensive now the £ has hit the skids even worse than before but sod it

Neil

[wakka]

Well jel Neil enjoy it man.

[Neon Ignition]

All I need to do is change my identity... steal the tickets....


10 year wedding anniversary last year was also a reminder of the clear decade it's been since I was last in the US. We're really going to push toward it within the coming two years

[QualityChimp]

Oh yes

Happy to give some advice on top of what I said in my top rides post here:

https://bordersdown.net/threads/99227-Roller-Coasters-Rides-and-Theme-Parks%21?p=2440649&viewfull=1#post2440649

Get Uber and Lytt apps on your phone. Use the hotel WiFi to book cabs to the parks and the park WiFi to get home.
We stayed at Universal so walked to those parks, Uber/Lyfft to Disney etc. as its' really cheap.

Get the Express passes. No point flying all the way out there and spending hours in queues.

Use sun lotion every day and top up.

Book the Disney parks in advance.

I could bang on, but let me know if you have any questions or need further suggestions.

Well Jel.

[wakka]

I would just add, if you want to skip having to use WiFi and instead just have regular cellular access to the internet, there's an app named Airalo that lets you install and top up a local eSim with data for peanuts. I use it everywhere I go abroad.

[QualityChimp]

Ooh, get a decent USB battery!
You're hammering your phone for photos, booking rides, hiring Ubers, swiping onto rides etc.
Juice up at lunch on in a bag.

Pack light!
We have a tiny rucksack that fit in a Universal refill cup (pay once, refill all day) and packed some snacks.
The free ride lockers are tiny, so the less you can carry, the better.

We did a shop at Walmart and made some wraps as eating in the parks really adds up.

Get there early! Rope-drop is possible! Sleep is for the WEAK!