Saturday 27 September 2014

My Disney Experience

Disney always promotes the whole 'My Disney Experience'. So I thought that I would share my favourite Disney Experience.

So My favourite experience is tough. I am stuck between two actually so am going to share them both. However, they are both from the same trip so I am going to count them. Both were from my first trip to Disneyland for the 50th anniversary from May 5th- 12th 2005.

The first one was when we first walked in my dad told me about this 'Hidden Mickey' phenomenon. During then, they had the 50 Mickey logos hidden throughout the park. I still remember looking every which way looking for these must-seen Mickeys. For me, the one I can still vividly remember is on Splash Mountain right before the the First drop on the right side of the opening for the drop was the Hidden Mickey.


The second one was the first night we went to Disneyland. It was a long night already as I was only 7. I was sitting on the curb of Main Street half asleep and suddenly it got darker on Main Street and I got confused and a little scared because it was dark. Then out of nowhere the Main Street Electrical Parade started! I was shocked! My jaw basically hit the ground i was so amazed. My eyes were wide just in shock of what I was watching. This memory happened almost 10 years ago and I still remember as if it happened yesterday. 

These two experiences are why I love Disney so much.

While these were mine I asked one of my friends what her favourite Disney Experience. She said that in 2006 she was at the Not So Scary Halloween Party and got to ride Dumbo with Chip. While on the ride she would talk to Chip to just to keep company. She said she remembers it so well she can't believe it was 8 years ago. 

So what I want to know is, what is your favourite Disney Experience?

Monday 15 September 2014

Disneyland Skyway

I know this is a little late but had some problems with the photos. Better late than never though!

This time I am going to talk about what I would do with the old Skyway Station in Fantasyland. What? You don't know about the Fantasyland Skyway Station? I don't blame you, most don't unfortunately.

The Skyway was a ride that had opened in 1956. You would use one of your D Tickets to go from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland or Vice Versa. The Skyway had been a bird's eye view of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland so was a relatively popular attraction. There was a small problem in 1958 when the designs for Matterhorn were finished as they had realized that where the imagineers wanted to put the Matterhorn was right in the middle of the way. They decided to use this to their advantage to add holes through the Matterhorn making it cheaper for them. The imagineers then did something unimaginable in making the Matterhorn without even closing the Skyway once! Then in 1994 the Skyway closed for one reason. It wasn't a death, it wasn't cost but it was because the posts needed refurbishments but the only way to refurbish the post inside the Matterhorn was to take down the Matterhorn, repair the post, then rebuild the Matterhorn. So they had to choose between taking down the Matterhorn, or getting rid of the Skyway. Sadly it was the latter.

The Tomorrowland station was destroyed with the line going across. What's left of it can be see easily if you know what you are looking for and what it is you are looking at. On you way to the Disneyland railroad Tomorrowland station stop look at the side of Innoventions and there is a metal blue staircase that leads up to the PeopleMover track. That was used as an emergency exit for the PeopleMover but also double as both the entrance and exit of the Skyway station. It would peer out over the walkway to go across to the fantasy land station. The stairs were left in as when it was taken it out, the PeopleMover was still in use (for less than a year, but was still in) and then replaced with Rocket Rods where it would also be used. 

(The stairs showing all that is left of the old station)


The Fantasyland station wasn't destroyed but was completely gutted of everything. It was then surrounded by trees and unused by everyone. It is still intact hidden away (for now at least) in the back of fantasyland. There are two easy ways to find it if you want to. The first way is to go to the exit of Casey Jr. Once you get there keep walking towards the Big Thunder Ranch. On your right hand side, there will be a little pathway with a chain going across it. If you were to go up that pathway (which you can't), you'd be at the fantasyland station. Open the doors and you are inside to the building that hosted half of this ride. The other way is if you are at the Village Haus restaurant, just walk straight across the path and you will hit that same chained off pathway. 

(Pathway that leads up to Fantasyland station (entrance seen there from lighting) at night)


Now, what would I do with it. Well the only thing that could really have anything done too is the fantasyland station as there is nothing else that can be revived. What I would do is open it back up to the public, but what I'd put in it as a museum/ blast to the past with that was in here. I'd open the main doors that the carts would come in and go out of so guests could see what the view would look like on it. I'd also include a cart that people can go in to experience how it would feel sitting in one if they couldn't previously experience it. Include a couple of posters, sketches, scale models, wall art, etc. and you are set for an exhibit that can stay for a long time. And when it does get boring you can use it like the blue sky cellar but instead of showcasing the future, you showcase the past. So then bring in stuff from America Sings, or the People Mover, or Bear Country Jamboree, or so on and so forth.

The other option that I would do if the first idea isn't feasible is I would demolish the station. While it has history and I love seeing it every time I go, that's taking up space that could be used for an attraction that can't be made otherwise as there's not enough space. For example, if you have read a recent mice age article about Star Wars land it explains how they might be instead taking out Toontown and Big. Thunder ranch instead of changing Tomorrowland. If that was the case it would fit perfectly for them to take it out to make more space. Although I'd rather the first option, if it doesn't work I'd rather the second over nothing.

Until next time! 

Corvyn

Friday 12 September 2014

New Frozen Ride

This isn't like a normal post I make. This one is more of an opinion than anything else. But please remember, this is just MY opinion and don't take it personally or as a threat!

As you may be aware, it was announced that there would be a new ride in Epcot about the movie 'Frozen'. Like many others, I found this exciting news as it's not just a new ride but also a Frozen ride that everyone has been waiting for for a while. So I thought that'd I had to read this article instantly! I opened it up and I was thoroughly disappointed. I read that it was going to be replacing the Maelstrom, the Norway ride in the World Showcase. I thought that this was a terrible idea for a few reasons.

First off, Maelstrom was a great ride. I know what you are all thinking... "But Corvyn, wait times and popularity was dropping like flies!" Yeah, I know it was... But that's common with rides 25 years old... The easy way to fix it is do what they did to Star Tours in Disneyland. Close it for a year long refurbishment and re-open it and you'll have an hour or two lineup at the beginning wig then a slow decline in the line wait like all rides. It was never an E-ticket attraction and never will be so you can't expect wait times like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Radiator Springs Racers. But an advantage is that there is new dark rice technology as you could see in Alice in Wonderland or Seven Dwarfs, screens used realistically to see like animatronics. This technology is fairly new in the Disney Parks and is the perfect solution for the Maelstrom.

Second, Frozen doesn't link to Norway properly. Frozen is based in Norway, but it's a fake Norwegian city. If you wanted to travel to Norway you couldn't co to Arendelle. You could, however go to Oslo and see some things that you can see in the Maelstrom ride. Putti the frozen ride in the world showcase would be like turning France's world showcase into Beauty and the Beast. Again, based in France but not a real city. It doesn't work as the point of the world showcase is to point out different and showcase different countries around the world. Not fake cities used in an animated movie based on a real country.

Third, I feel different movies should have gotten rides first. While Frozen is huge and all I felt like there is a better use of the money for different movies to get a ride. The perfect example is the Lion King. Before Frozen, Lion King was the most popular movie grossing wise there was for Disney. It still doesn't have a ride in Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort or Disneyland Paris. It was the biggest movie for 20+ years with no ride while they are announcing the Frozen ride less than a year after the movie came out. Another example would be The Jungle Book or Mary Poppins or Beauty and the Beast. All big movies with no ride.

I think these three reasons are all I need to explain my reasons to why I think this ride will be bad. Until next time!

Corvyn