Disney and Other Theme Parks aka PB's fairgrounds for young girls

[Monkee]

7 hours ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

I did not choose a lanyard so it’s a mere £4.50 delivery for me. I clicked past all those optional things for fear the tickets would disappear - got on at about 17.15 so think I was just in time for the 4days. 

I think with 2023 being the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi, Ewok delivery is a given.

I got onto the site at 6.25pm and the Jedi and 4-day tickets were sold out. By the time I messaged my friend to tell her the pricing for Saturday tickets then went back to the website it said they’d sold out. I refreshed a couple of times hoping a few would be re-released and I was lucky.

I didn’t dare mess around with the extras though in case I lost the tickets. I wasn’t really bothered about the lanyards/pins, etc. though so if didn’t matter.

You and @johnnyboymust be rolling in it to get 4 x single tickets though! I was gritting my teeth at just the Saturday.

[HarmonicGenerator]

22 minutes ago, Monkee said:

I got onto the site at 6.25pm and the Jedi and 4-day tickets were sold out. By the time I messaged my friend to tell her the pricing for Saturday tickets then went back to the website it said they’d sold out. I refreshed a couple of times hoping a few would be re-released and I was lucky.

I didn’t dare mess around with the extras though in case I lost the tickets. I wasn’t really bothered about the lanyards/pins, etc. though so if didn’t matter.

You and @johnnyboymust be rolling in it to get 4 x single tickets though! I was gritting my teeth at just the Saturday.

Luckily it was the four-day passes I managed to get which I think worked out at a little bit more than 2 single days. I’d have shelled out for the extra if I’d needed to, for FOMO if nothing else, but I wouldn’t have been happy!

Very off that there was a period where people could buy tickets for all four days, but not a four-day ticket.

Edited July 1, 2022 by HarmonicGenerator

[PunkStep]

Got back from Florida a couple of days ago, what an exhausting but by god terrific 2 weeks that was. It's the first time my wife and kids have been (I went with my folks when I was 17) and it's definitely the holiday of a lifetime for us. 

Thought I'd do a pretty big review on everywhere we went, so apologies for going on a bit, but there's so much to cover as I'm sure most of you already know.

We had a late morning flight and stayed at a Travel Lodge in Gatwick the night before, so it wasn't an early start. Arrived in Orlando just before 3pm, giving us plenty of time to dump our stuff and head to Disney Springs. We stayed at All Star Sports within Disney, one of their budget hotels and even though I stayed here 21 years ago (well, All Star Music) it didn't seem shabby or anything. The rooms could do with a bit of refreshing, but who cares- it's just somewhere to put our head down each night. 

 

Magic Kingdom

Thought there was no better place to start our holiday than here. My wife was in heaven- being Disney obsessed this was the perfect place for her to see before anything else. She HATES It's A Small World (she's been to DLP twice), so before the holiday me and the kids bought her a t-shirt themed on the right with 'Shut up, I love this ride!' plastered across it and she had to wear it here. She in turn made me wear a t-shirt that said 'feel free to call me princess'. Touché. 

We took advantage of the 30 mins early entry and hit some on the large queue rides straight away- Peter Pan, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain. Despite it being summer (and seemingly half of the UK were there), we didn't experience any particularly large queues and went on all the rides/saw all the attractions we wanted to. Disney's app was very, very handy to help in this respect (didn't bother with Genie+ or Lightning Lanes whatsoever during our entire trip and didn't need to). Magic Kingdom hasn't changed much since I went in 2001 and much of it is also similar to DLP, but it doesn't matter- it's spectacular all the same. We ate at the Diamond Horseshoe, where we were given a large Thanksgiving inspired banquet, which was alright. 

Best attraction: Probably Space Mountain. Magic Kingdom isn't the best when it comes to attractions, it's main appeal is the, errr, magic.

Surprise package: Monsters Inc Laugh Floor was a very clever interactive show that all four of us enjoyed.

 

Discovery Cove

Here we go, time to get brownie points by ticking the thing that has sat on my wife's bucket list since forever- swim with dolphins. Man, what a day this was. All food and drinks (including generously sized bottles of Bud Ice Lime) were inclusive and there were three main parts to the day- snorkeling in the reef, dolphin swim and lazy river. The snorkeling was amazing- stingrays and many other coldwater tropical marine fish around you. I loved snorkeling on my honeymoon in the Maldives 15 years ago so was really excited about going it again. My 10yo son really braved it and touched some stingray wings whilst snorkeling (he's not really a good swimmer, but was really brave here), my 12yo daughter a bit more squeamish. 

The lazy river was unlike any other for a few reasons- at one point you're swimming alongside Otters (separated by perspex) which is my son's favourite animal. You also swim past an island inhabited by marmosets and then through a large aviary with various exotic birds. The dolphin swim came at the end of the day and was an incredible experience. Highly recommended, probably the best day of our holiday. I just wish we had more time there. 

 

Epcot

I fucking love Epcot. The futuristic themed attractions near the front of the park and especially the mini countries surrounding the lake. Had lunch at a place in Morocco which was really nice (if only they had a Cafe Agrabah here, like the brilliant one at DLP). We couldn't go on the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride- there is no stand-by queue for this so we had to book a virtual queue slot. Even though in the afternoon we managed to get a slot (no luck in the morning), our virtual queue time grew and grew until the app told us at around 7pm that we would not be able to ride. Shame, but the only attraction disappointment we had during our entire stay so can't complain. I thought the Journey Into Imagination with Figment was a bit crap but my wife and kids adored it, so more power to them. Soarin' Around The World was great fun and the Crush Talk was also decent.

Best attraction: Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. I loved this in Paris and loved it here- such a clever ride that will (and has) inspire many other rides. The theme parks over here should have rides like this, it's fucking ace.

Surprise package: Wasn't expecting much of Mission Space but my did it deliver. The initial launch is superb, one of the best simulator rides I've ever been on. 

 

Typhoon Lagoon

This was my favourite park when I last visited, so was really looking forward to this. The wave pool still holds up as being brilliant and the lazy river is still probably the best I've experienced. Unfortunately in the afternoon the Florida summer storms hit and we were all ordered out of the water for around 90 minutes. Decided to stick it out and when everything reopened we hit a few of the slides. However another storm hit- by this point most of the guests fucked off home. We stuck it out again and half hour later we were good to go again- and this time there were no queues for any of the slides. Result. Turned out to be a really good day in spite of the storms, but it wasn't quite as awesome as I remember. Hasn't changed at all in 20 years. 

 

Animal Kingdom 

Now this has changed considerably since my last visit, the park was still in its infancy back then. With early entry, we hit the Avatar Flight of Passge ride straight away as the queues are ridiculous for the Pandora area of the park. The Kilimanjaro Safari lacked the theatrics of the driver/cast member that I remembered from the last time, but it was still an excellent experience. They've improved Asia a lot, with Expedition Everest being a superb addition. One of the best rides at Disney World. The Na'vi River Journey is one of the best dark rides I've been on too.

Best attraction: Flight of Passage. Absolutely breathtaking simulator ride, truly exhilarating. 

Surprise package: It's Tough To Be A Bug was great fun, similar to the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. 

 

Hollywood Studios 

Here we go, the big one for me and my son. I think it's fair to say this park has changed the most since last visit. My son saved up his birthday money in January and most of his pocket & chores money since then so that he can build his own lightsaber at Galaxy's Edge, as he loves Star Wars. Let's get it out of the way now- Galaxy's Edge is fucking incredible. Easily the best place I've visited in any theme park. I built a droid (Chopper!) and my son built an elemental themed lightsaber with a Rancor tooth hilt. Oga's Cantina is a must-do and the bartenders really put in a shift in character. The drinks in Galaxy's Edge are great too- just everything is perfectly themed.

Toy Story world is alright, and although the giant toys everywhere is pretty cool it isn't amazing. It's something I'd expect to see at Alton Towers. Rock N Rollercoaster is still great and it was my son's first rollercoaster with an inversion. My daughter almost cried during Tower of Terror, despite previously going on the one in Paris when she was 6. Indiana Jones' stunt show is still really good. 

Best attraction: It has to be Rise of the Resistance. We went on Smuggler's Run first and thought that would be hard to top, but ROTR is pretty epic. Took Remy's Adventure and notched up the level my a hundred. 

Surprise package: Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. Wow, this is a hell of a ride! The best dark ride I've ever been on and I don't think it will be topped for a long time, if ever. It's the closest thing to being in an actual animation. The cartoon projections are so, so clever. Top tier.

 

Seaworld

I understand this place has had to make a lot of changes over the years and I was a bit apprehensive because of how animals might be treated but I never felt this was a bad place for animals during my visit. It was incredible seeing the killer whales and the otter stole the show at the sea lion stadium. The penguin exhibition was worth the fairly long queue and the dolphin event was the best show. Wasn't a huge amount to do here to be honest, not somewhere I would come back to but certainly worth visiting as it's obviously unlike any other aquarium I've visited.

Best attraction and surprise package: Mako. 2nd tallest rollercoaster in Florida and over here only The Big One and Stealth are taller. I was expecting this to be the lesser of the coasters here but it was easily the best. Great drop from the initial climb.

 

Volcano Bay

As Blizzard Beach is still closed for refurbishment, we decided to visit Volcano Bay instead, ahead of our other option (Aquatica). Hands down, best water park I've visited. The theming is better than Typhoon Lagoon and the wristband system works pretty well. The Moana slides are out of this world, as are the other family raft rides. As well as a lazy river, they have a fearless river- which is so fast that everyone has to wear a life jacket, with strong currents and waves gushing round. It was a great experience. I then went on the big fuck-off plunge slide where you go to the top of the volcano, stand in a capsule and shit yourself silly as the floor underneath you SLIDES AWAY and you helplessly fall through this massive flume. Christ I lost my arse, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. This was a truly great park.

 

Universal Studios

Unlike most of Disney World, Universal has changed considerably since my last visit. I suppose they need to stay current and hit new trends, which is a shame in some respects because I remember thoroughly enjoying the Back To The Future, Terminator and Twister rides. Diagon Alley, in fairness, more than makes up for it. The Harry Potter part of the park is bloody good. I obviously spent $8 on a butterbear as they are delicious. My 12yo, all dressed in her Hufflepuff Hogwarts costume, was chosen to take part in the interactive wand thing and spent some of her savings (she didn't have anywhere as much saved as my son as she's shit at saving due to spending too much money going into town with her friends) on said wand.

Simpsons world is really well themed and the buildings are great but the rides were shit to be honest. Men In Black felt a little dated, Fast and Furious was a pretty good idea executed quite poorly, Transformers was ok, Jimmy Fallon ride was fun (albeit full of references none of us understood) and Rip Ride Rockit was very good although the scariest part was the initial climb.

Best attraction: Escape from Gringots is an excellent dark ride/simulator hybrid. Not quite on par with the best ones at Disney, but very good nonetheless.

Biggest surprise: Bourne stunt spectacular. Possibly the best stunt show I've seen (if not the car & bike show at DLP studios), using technology extremely well. A really good experience. 

 

Island of Adventure 

This hadn't changed as much for me as Universal Studios, Hogsmeade being the main change of course. The Velicocoaster didn't quite meet the hype it has been given, as many have claimed it's one of the best coasters ever, but it was still superb and one of the best rides here. My son cried during it as the lap bar 'hurt his nuts'. You still get ridiculously soaking wet on the Popeye rapids. Poseidon's Fury was saved by a ride hostess putting in a real graft with some acting chops, but I fear it might be one they'll do away with soon. 

Spider Man is still a really, really good 3D ride and Skull Island (Kong) is excellent. 

Best attraction: It's still the Hulk rollercoaster. It was my favourite coaster of all time during my last visit and the memories came flooding back. Both my kids rode it (my son was JUST tall enough) and also loved it. The launch into the twist, the cobra roll, the massive loop- just the sheer size of it. What a rollercoaster. 

Surprise package: I honestly wasn't expecting much from Hagrid's motorbike ride in Hogsmeade, how wrong was I! This was AMAZING. Sat on a motorbike with my son in the sidecar like Gareth Keenan in that episode of The Office, you hit quite a few parts where your carriage revs like fuck and surges forward. Then suddenly you hit the end of the track- and start zooming backwards. Wasn't expecting that at all. THEN the ride stops and you are dropped vertically to another track! Wow. This was the biggest surprise package of all parks. Five Big Dave snowflakes (6 if it took place in Tokyo Dome).

 

Disney Springs is still a really cool place to visit with so much to do and tonnes of places to eat and drink. Trying out the different Coca Cola drinks from around the world was pretty sweet and there were some nice snacks around. We got our Magic Bands here when we first arrived and they are well worth getting. Makes things so much easier when it comes to paying for everything for a start.

City Walk at Universal is much bigger and more bustling than I remember. CowFish was a really nice restaurant and the What's Shakin Tuna Bacon sandwich is one of the best taste experiences I've had.

All in all, the holiday of a lifetime. Well worth the awful jetlag we're all now experiencing. It's fucking expensive, so doubt we'll be able to go back (certainly not to the 'let's go all out' extent that we did), but what an incredible 2 weeks we had. Everything went pretty much perfectly and although the organising and planning went into it was stressful, it was worth it. 

[quote the raven]

Great write up.

20 days until we go can’t wait 

[Monkee]

Great write-up, @PunkStep. I really liked reading all that and it’s made me want to go back again so bad. We’ve been looking at 2023 holidays this week and I’d go back to Florida at the drop of a hat but my mate wants to go somewhere different. Not even an all-inclusive in Mauritius is tipping the balance right now for me.

[Dai]

Just come back myself. Havent been for 3 years, so there was plenty of new things (and old) to enjoy.

- Velocicoaster - Unlike PunkStep, I thought this was outstanding. Easily now the best ride in all of the Disney/Orlando parks. Unbelievable speed, and super smooth, plus no over the shoulder constraints.

- Spiderman, after all these years,  is still the second best of that sort of ride. Way better than Kong (which Im not a fan of), Transformers (which is crap), Fast and Furious (the best part of which was the hilarious actor in the controk room), Gringotts Bank and The Simpsons, and Fallon (which are crap). The only thing which tops it is Rise of the Resistance, which is excellent. It has the best queue as well. Really well done, and worth the giant queues.

- Guardians is really good, a great addition to the park. Again, theyve nailed the queuing part, which plenty to keep you occupied. We had Everybody Wants To Rule The World playing the first time, which was perfect for the ride. Cant remember what we had the second time, but it wasnt half as good, and didnt make the ride as enjoyable.

- Iron Gwazi in Busch Gardens is new, and is better than Velocicoaster. Hands down the best ride we did. Another one which is just a waist constraint, which seems to be the key for an amazing ride.

- Avatar is still as jaw dropping the 6th time you do it as it was the first. More rides like this!

- Like Punk said, Hagrids is another superb addition to the park. Great stuff.

- Bourne. Looked absolutley jaw dropping, and super unique. Unfortunately it had technical issues which stopped our show about half way through.

- Some things are looking dated now; Universal needs some serious cash injected into it, its feeling really old now. Men in Black should never still be open. Aerosmith ride just now feels slow after youve been on Velocicoaster and Gwazi, and it just needs a new band there instead (they were playing Queen on the way in, which might be indicitative of something). Hulk, Ive never been a fan of, just dont like it. Animal Kingdom has never been all that, but it needs quite a few new things to keep up with the others.

- Covid has ruined a load of the eating (out of the parks) there. Every place there has 'Now Hiring' adverts. 95% of the iHops and Denny's are shutting around 9pm, which seemed crazy to us. Bob Evans shuts at 4pm, and things like Cracker Barell shut early too. Even the fast majoity of fast food places like McDonalds would be drive through only from a really early time. Your post park eating options are very limited.

[quote the raven]

Landed yesterday.

What a nightmare. 2 hours at Gatwick delayed, get to mco in a huge storm that stopped them unloading the bags for another 2 hours, forgot  to set my phone to allow data roam…..over paid for a taxi. I do however count myself lucky the flight from Gatwick behind us was rerouted to tampa……

By the time we checked into our hotel on I drive it was 3am Uk time. 

Probably should stick this in the autism thread but it seems relevant 

I was utterly blown away by how my lad handled it all he slept for a few hours the night before the flight so had been up the best part of 24 hours. Had a few wobbles but nothing major considering I don’t think he understood what was happening and being unable to speak I can’t tell what he thinks.

We had today down as a rest day and spent the time getting some groceries and swimming.

Sea world tomorrow where I will put him on his first coaster ice breaker seems ok. Then islands the day after before we move to Disney. Can’t wait to do hagrids and gog

Edited September 20, 2022 by quote the raven

[Monkee]

Love reading these reviews/updates. Lots of people I know having either just come back or are in Florida right now and I’m missing it so much. I’ve not had a break since May and it’s been a rough couple of weeks so I’d give anything to be in Orlando right now.

@quote the ravenPlease keep updating on what parks you’ve been to.

[FLips]

When we went on our honeymoon to Disneyland Paris my wife got (we think) food poisoning from the Earl of Sandwich and though we had a good time she’s been eating herself up about being sick for a big portion of it.

I’m taking a promotion at work hopefully soon and have started saving to take her again. Is there a good place to get flight/ticket/hotel deals from?

[Hannibal Scorch]

48 minutes ago, FelatioLips said:

When we went on our honeymoon to Disneyland Paris my wife got (we think) food poisoning from the Earl of Sandwich and though we had a good time she’s been eating herself up about being sick for a big portion of it.

I’m taking a promotion at work hopefully soon and have started saving to take her again. Is there a good place to get flight/ticket/hotel deals from?

Not especially. Booking direct is always most expensive, but you do get the safety of anything going wrong is with them and not a 3rd party. Also, Is Eurostar an option? Find it often more reasonable then flights. Out of season (I.e a time/week there are no school holidays) is often much cheaper, but Europe often has different half terms then we do, so worth looking into when you want to go and if there are any breaks at the same time. 

[FLips]

34 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Not especially. Booking direct is always most expensive, but you do get the safety of anything going wrong is with them and not a 3rd party. Also, Is Eurostar an option? Find it often more reasonable then flights. Out of season (I.e a time/week there are no school holidays) is often much cheaper, but Europe often has different half terms then we do, so worth looking into when you want to go and if there are any breaks at the same time. 

We looked at Eurostar but we live in the Northeast so it would also mean travel down to London, which costs more time and money than the Eurostar does.

[Hannibal Scorch]

29 minutes ago, FelatioLips said:

We looked at Eurostar but we live in the Northeast so it would also mean travel down to London, which costs more time and money than the Eurostar does.

That makes perfect sense. I often look at Expedia and those types of sites. Only thing to be wary of is they will specify if they come with park tickets or not. There is normally rooms with and without. And whilst it’s sometimes cheaper to buy tickets and hotel separately it’s something else to consider. Also if you book direct never add a flight on, they always add a premium to the flight cost. 
 

But I’d use the Disneyland Paris website to get a booking cost, and then have a look around. Also, I know it’s the old fashioned way, but if you have a travel agent near you, it’s worth keeping your eyes out on deals as sometimes they will offer packages at a cheaper rate. And feel free to inbox me with other questions. I know there are a few of us on here who have been a few times that can give you tips!

[PunkStep]

11 hours ago, Dai said:

Velocicoaster - Unlike PunkStep, I thought this was outstanding

I thought it was superb, but I did think it was overhyped slightly. Also, I reckon I would've enjoyed it a lot more if my 10yo wasn't screaming 'MY BALLS! IT'S HURTING MY BALLS!' throughout the entire ride.

 

11 hours ago, Dai said:

Bourne. Looked absolutley jaw dropping, and super unique. Unfortunately it had technical issues which stopped our show about half way through.

That's a shame, it blew my mind. It had the perfect blend of physical stunts and projection/CGI. I think we experienced technical difficulties when watching the Indiana Jones stunt show at Hollywood studios, during the queue they said they would be making some adaptations due to technical difficulties and during the 2nd half there was a fair bit of stop/start.

I'm surprised and gutted that Lights Motors Action (Moteurs...Action at DLP) is gone, probably the best stunt show I have seen. These are things I would definitely like to see more of at Universal and Hollywood studios- they stand out from everything else. I'm guessing they are too expensive and/or difficult to run. Shame.

[SaitoRyo]

I would love to take my wife and kids (currently aged 4 and 2) to Disneyland Paris next year. 

How much, roughly, does five days or a week staying there cost? Hotel, park tickets etc...

[Hannibal Scorch]

15 minutes ago, SaitoRyo said:

I would love to take my wife and kids (currently aged 4 and 2) to Disneyland Paris next year. 

How much, roughly, does five days or a week staying there cost? Hotel, park tickets etc...

Roughly, anything from about £1200 upwards depending on when you go, where you stay on site. 

Edited September 21, 2022 by Hannibal Scorch