SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Knott's added)

[Nic]

Day 1 - 5th July 2012

So the plan was to fly out to LA, land at 3pm, get through immigration, grab the hire car, and be at SFMM for about 6pm. Yeah, that was the *plan*

We were late taking off because of on the co-pilots was late. WTF? Then there was loads of drama during the flight as a bloke had a nosebleed for hours that wouldn't stop. They even did the whole "Is there a doctor on board?" thing. Eventually (already behind schedule) we landed and they started to get people off the plane. Just as I had stepped off the plane into the bridge thing it became clear there was a problem and that we weren't going anywhere. About 10 minutes later, and the message arrived that the airport was being evacuated, so we couldn't go in. However, due to silly security regulations, anyone who had already left the plane (remember, I was the last person to have stepped off it) wasn't allowed to get back on it. That meant that whilst half the people were able to go and sit back down, get a drink, use the toilet etc, the rest of us were stuck in a corridor. They eventually cleared out a transit lounge, checked us with sniffer dogs, then let us sit in there. We got out 3 hours later.

By the time I'd collected the car, been terrified, got lost, got to SFMM, got my season pass printed and got in the park, it was 8pm. It closed at 9pm.

After a couple of false starts (X2 had a 90 minute queue, and I got a bit lost) I discovered that Revolution was walk on, so that became the first ride, and cred, of the trip. For some reason, I'd got it in my head that it was a shuttle loop, so was rather surprised when it turns out that, well, it isn't. It was actually kinda fab in a retro kinda way.

Next up, I decided to try my luck in the Green Lantern single rider queue. It was walk on. Score! I'd never done a ZacSpin before, so this was a proper treat. OMG, it's so ridiculous! I loved every second of it. The total out of control feeling, and not having a clue what's coming next made it really fun to ride. I still think it was a very silly choice of ride for a park that gets so busy, and already has an epic 4D coaster, but meh, it's fab.

From there, I ended up at Batman, which was also walk on. I rode this in 2007 and wasn't overly impressed. Re-riding in the back row at night, I really don't know what went wrong before. It was utterly amazing. Really forceful and well paced, I really enjoyed it.

Next up was Colossus (Right) in the back row. Not a lot to say about it really. It reminded me of Nick Streak or Big Dipper really. Just a generic "old" woodie with not a lot else going for it. Oh, and they were only running the one side.

By the time I got off and got round to Scream, the park had closed for the day. Oh well, considering how dreadfully it had begun, 4 rides and +3 creds wasn't a bad end to the first day of the trip.

Ride Count:
Revolution
Green Lantern
Batman (back row)
Colossus (Right) (back row)

 

[insanecoastervids]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour - July 2012

too bad you only had an hour at sfmm

 

[Nic]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour - July 2012

^On Day 1. Days 2 and 3 coming tonight...

 

[Nic]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour - July 2012

Day 2 - 6th July 2012

I got there reasonably early, but not early enough to get that close to the gates before opening. I was still early enough to have to endure the tragic duo trying to “warm up” the crowd beforehand though. There was no national anthem awkwardness though, which was a relief.

Anyway, despite running most of the way round, I still had to wait 40mins to get on X2. I amused myself with the signs in the queue.

Only one of these looks like a coaster goon to me...

Lets just quickly put this into context. I rode X in 2007. It was the only coaster that had ever made me genuinely scared, and that is why it shot to the top of my favourite coasters list, and had remained there ever since. Therefore, especially with the reboot and everything, I was desperate to get back on.

I somehow managed to snag a front row seat, and off I went. Oh. My. God. Its every bit as awesome as I remembered. Whilst it didn’t scare me this time, it was truly exhilarating – something that I rarely experience on coasters anymore. Unfortunately, none of the surrounding effects were on, and the speaker closest to me was knackered so I couldn’t really hear it, but none of that mattered. I’d ridden #1 again, and it proved that its very much still worthy of staying in that top spot.

I don’t normally buy ORPs, but the look on my face just summed it up so well that it had to be done.

As I was in the queue for X2, they were obviously having a proper opening ceremony for Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom (it was the media day, no public riding) I saw flares/fireworks at one point, as when I walked past later there’d clearly been tickertape involved. They’d also had a stage up. It’s a shame I missed it, if in fact, it was even viewable by non-invited guests (they’d been restricting access to bits of that part of the park/nearby rides intermittently through the day) but, y’know, AWESOME coaster happened

I then wandered round for a while, before realising that it was really quite busy as most things already had pretty big queues. Therefore, I relented, and decided to look into getting a FlashPass. I ended up with the cheapest one which, with Season Pass discount, was $35 (£22). As it turned out, most of the queue times on the Q-bot were nothing like the queue times in real life, meaning that a lot of the time (especially in the morning), it only made me wait 5-10 minutes, if at all.

Next ride was Goliath, and as the Q-bot entrance is at the back, ended up sat in the back row. Whilst the first drop is pretty cool, and the rest of it pretty forceful, it’s pretty meh overall. I’m pretty sure that was also my reaction last time. I don’t dislike it (I know some people hate it), but I can’t get too excited about it.

I then went back on Batman (at the back again) Whilst it wasn’t as epic as it was in the evening, in the ark, the night before, but it was still a great ride. From there I headed straight to Riddlers Revenge. In ’07 I came so close to passing out in the station as it was so cramped and hot that I didn’t really take in the ride as I was too busy concentrating on how crap I felt. Well, the station hasn’t improved. At all. They really need to sort that out. It’s VILE. As for the ride itself, WTF? I thought it was only Thorpe that was capable of buggering up a B&M, but apparently not. It was rough an utterly unpleasant all the way round. Eugh.

Gold Rusher was walk-on so that happened next, again at the back. It’s quite fun for a family coaster, and makes epic use of the terrain. More than a +1 (even though it wasn’t, as I’d already ridden it twice last time)

Here’s the area next to Gold Rusher where they spited the log flume thing. It’s a reasonable plot, but not enormous. However, on the other side of the main footpath (sorry, didn’t get pics) there’s another fair size area that’s empty. They could easily put something in that goes over the top of the path, giving them a huge area to play with. Here’s hoping for something awesome.

Even with the Q-bot, it still took like half an hour to get on Tatsu. The Q-bot only gets you to the bottom of the stairs up to the station, those combined with the tons of people in the station/air gates, and the fact that its dual loading, means that last bit is pretty hard work. Still, it was worth the wait. I still can’t believe how forceful it is, it’s epic. It’s not likely to appear in my top 10 any time soon, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable ride. I was also amused by the girl next to me who shouted “IS IT OVER YET?!” about halfway round, then burst into tears as soon as she got off. I’m mean.

By now it was time for lunch, and I had a pulled pork sandwich at the Texas BBQ place. It was huge, and awesome. I want everything I eat to be smothered in BBQ sauce from now on. Or failing that, maple syrup.

The whole time I’d been in the park, I hadn’t seen Apocalypse. I knew it existed, but I didn’t know where, and couldn’t understand why I’d seemingly been round the whole park (twice) but not seen it. When I eventually found it, I kinda understand why. It’s so tucked away, in such a quiet corner, so far away from anything else that its impossible to just see it in passing. Also, due to how massive everything is at SFMM, you can’t really see it from a distance. I was glad I did find it though, as its pretty awesome. You can definitely tell its a GCI. It breaks my heart to think that, here, it’s a minor filler attraction, tucked away in a corner where few people ever go, and no one really cares. Yet, so many British enthusiasts would happily sacrifice a limb to see one of these built in England. If we ever do get one, it’d be such massive news, and marketed as (at least one of) the park’s major attractions. I also love the theming. The video of their knock-off Lara croft woman running around the base of the coaster shooting stuff is awesome, and the car crash scene as you go round the ride is amazing. It’s so refreshing to see a woodie given a futuristic theme. “Woodies are too old fashioned and out-dated”? Yeah, **** off.

By now, the massive amounts of food, stupidly hot weather, lack of sleep and miles of walking were really taking their toll. Q-bot said I had 40 mins to wait for Ninja, so I went and sat on a bench in the shade and very nearly fell asleep for a bit. From before, I remember this being pretty disgusting to ride. Once my 40 mins were up, and I went back on it, it was better than I remembered, but still not good. It really is showing its age, and I know loads of people will hate me for saying it, but I really wouldn’t be sad to see it go. Sure, the way it interacts with the terrain and scenery is excellent, and as there’s only a handful of these left, it’s a nice history lesson, but just think what they could put in its place!

I still wasn’t feeling great, so went for a trip up the sky tower. I took loadsa pictures, loads.

I took the Orient Express back down the mountain and, after whoring the free wifi for a bit, realised that Roadrunner Express had a short enough queue so as not to be *too* humiliating. +1

By now, the media party of LLoD was in full swing, but Scream was accessible again, so I went round to ride. Again, WTF? My memory from before was that it was, well, not very memorable. The only vivid memory from it was of the car parking spaces that it sits on top of. It turns out, it’s vile. I also really don’t get why they bother with these “floorless” trains they give no different an experience to the ones on Khan.

As I was getting off, I realised that Superman was running. With people on! I legged it up the mountain, only to discover that it was for media guests only. ARGH! Got the Orient Express back down again, whored the wifi again, then went and rode Viper. I remembered this being vile, but it wasn’t *that* bad. It wasn’t anywhere near good, but I’ve been on worse. The only thing was that, as I got there, they took a train off, so there was loads of faffing, and I had to wait for what should’ve been basically walk-on.

By now, the end of the day was rapidly approaching, and my energy levels were fading more quickly than the sunlight. After finding that Colossus was still only running the same side as the night before, and that it had a huge queue, then wandering round some more, I landed back at Apocalypse. This is where the funniest moment of the day happened. Every single time she dispatched the train, the ride op kept insisting on saying, in a high-pitched, over enthusiastic, sickly sweet way, “Enjoy your ride on Apocalypse – YAYYYYYY!!!” Now, I’d noticed this earlier in the day, and it made me roll my eyes. As I was just tutting at it again, the guy behind me turned round to his gf and said “It’s the end of the world – YAYYYYYY!!! You’re all gonna die – YAYYYYYY!!!” which made me actually genuinely lol, and confess that I also thought the same. From then on, every time we caught eachothers gaze, we’d shout “YAYYYYYY!!!” complete with jazz hands. As he was on the train behind me, this also happened twice during the ride, and once whilst he was in the break run and I was leaving the station. <3

By now, time was getting on and I was completely dead (YAYYYYYY!!!) so decided to call it a night. I took the Q-bot back, had a wander round the shops, collected my ORP, then bid farewell to the mountain. Not the biggest ride count, I know, especially with the Q-bot, but I was more than happy. I’ll leave you with these

Cheesy fountain shot:

Obligatory picture of entrance sign:

Ride count:
X2 (front row)
Goliath (back row)
Batman (back row)
Riddlers Revenge
Gold Rusher (back row)
Tatsu (back row)
Apocalypse
Ninja
Sky Tower
Orient Express
Roadrunner Express (back row)
Scream
Orient Express
Viper
Apocalypse (back row)

 

[nadroJ]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour - July 2012

I loved Apocalypse, kind of broke my heart too to see it shoved away in a corner, it's kind of forgotten about over there </3

 

[Nic]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour - July 2012 (SFMM Day 2 ad

I know </3 It was basically permanently walk-on because its so easy to not even know that its there, and since they spited Deja Vu there's not really any other reason to go into that area of the park. Even the show arena nearby isn't being used at the moment, which is a shame because that may help to tempt people over to that side of the park. I wish it was possible to just pick it up, carry it over here, and put it somewhere were it will be well used and well loved

 

[Gavin]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour - July 2012 (SFMM Day 2 ad

You can add me to the Apocalypse (well it was Terminator then) fan club; I really enjoyed it as well.

I'm one of not many people who also really likes Riddlers, Goliath and Scream though, so what do I know.

 

[Nic]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour - July 2012 (SFMM Day 2 ad

Day 3 - 7th July 2012

The day started really early. I decided to make the most of it by checking out of the hotel, going in search of Walmart to buy some last minute stuff I needed before Vegas, grabbing some brekkie then getting to the park stupidly early to get at the front of the scrum. It all went fine apart from the whole wandering into Walmart while it was still closed thing. I also experienced American Starbucks for the first time, complete with hilariously friendly locals. Anyway, I got to the park at something stupid like 8:30am, for a 10am opening.

This was when I snapped a photo of my rental “Yaris”. Dear America, this is not a **** Yaris. I don’t know what it is, but it sure a **** isn’t a **** Yaris. </rant>

Anyway, for most people, there was one reason they were there that day – the public opening of Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom

*squee*

Anyway, I got about 4 people back from the front of the queue at the gates, and that was fine by me. During the wait, and the infuriating repeat of the cheesy “warm up” act from the day before, I met the totally awesome Howie/CouchOtter/bloke with the awesome beard. We bonded over wing-riders, commercialisation of parks, theming, cheesy ents and old skool palm pilots, to name but a few.

Eventually, the park opened, I got through the turnstiles, and the mad dash began. Like 99% of the other people in the park, I literally ran all the way down to Lex. By the time I arrived, the queue already filled the indoor section, and I joined it just about at the doorway. Although running that far at that speed wouldn’t normally be an issue, in the dry heat, I couldn’t stop coughing and completely **** my throat. Also, whilst the indoor section looks cool, it was like a **** oven in there. An oven full of sweaty coaster goons who have just been running. Yummy.

Every 5 mins or so, another sizeable group of people would be called through, out the other end of the indoor cattle pen. Believing that the ride would have terrible throughput, I was convinced that there must be another huge cattle pen somewhere because, well, “they must be going somewhere!”

To my surprise, once I got out there, I realised that, no, there was a short queue down the side of the building, then people were being batched onto the platform at the end. How the hell had they managed to get all those people on the ride in such a short time?! As I watched, it became apparent that the two guys on the platforms were on fire! They were doing such an amazing job, and I really do believe that the astounding throughput was down to their hard work and effort on the day. The girl doing the batching made a few odd decisions (meaning I had to wait about 3 cars longer than I should’ve) but she got there in the end.

My main gripes about the outside are that there’s no theming, and despite being outside, it’s still pretty hard to actually see the ride as there’s a roof over the queue. Whilst I appreciate it being shaded, you won’t be out there long enough to care *that* much, and you can leave the bit where the staff stand. The other thing that seemed crazy, but they coped with it very well, was the locking “system” on the gates to the platform. They had a bolt and a padlock that the ride op had to lock when the ride left, then unlock with a key and remove each time to get back in to release/check bars for the next set of riders. This seemed like utter madness to me, and is hopefully only a short term solution. Like I say, the two awesome guys didn’t let it hinder them, but I wonder how long that’ll last without the pressure of the opening day rush.

So, I got on, got strapped in, and up we started to go. And up. And up. And up some more. The kid next to me turned round to see how far we’d got, “We’re still only on the blue bit!” he exclaimed in horror, referring to the new colour scheme of Superman’s tower. Still we climbed, with objects on the ground getting smaller and smaller. After what seemed like an eternity, we came to a stop. The speakers at the top were nice and clear, and it’s odd not to have heard them from down on the ground. Seconds later and off we went!

Once you get over the initial shock of the actual drop, you get into the “ooh, I’m falling, this is cool” feeling. However, this may have been my imagination, but just as I would normally have started to think “yeah, this is nice, but what next” I swear there was an extra kick that felt like it sped up, and kept the excitement alive. Overall, the sensation wasn’t as intense as say Detonator or Apocalypse (Drayton Manor), but it was miles better than Hurakan Condor. The extra height does make a difference. As well as making the climb and anticipation that much more extreme, the extra time on the descent is excellent. Overall, it definitely gets the Vadge seal of approval.

Of course, lets not forget that you’ve also got the added excitement of a bloody great rollercoaster thundering up and down the side of it. Whilst it didn’t go past whilst I was on Lex, the tower was wobbling a bit at the top, so I can only imagine how ridiculous it is when the coaster comes storming up there.

In other news, whilst I was queuing for Lex, Goliath got stuck on the lift hill for a bit

By the time I got off Lex, I’d probably been in the queue maybe 45 mins? Considering this ride sits 16 people at a time (counting both sides) that’s pretty impressive. Once I got off, I went round to survey the length of the queue.

In reality, I don’t imagine those people did wait 3 hours. Probably 2 at most. Again, testament to the fast throughput and dedication of the ride ops.

I caught back up with Howie and we went off on a trek up the mountain to sample the other half of the battle.

Quick context – I’d seen Superman on one of those “World’s craziest thrill rides” things as a teenager and always thought it looked awesome. When I finally got to ride it in 2007, I was disappointed. I thought the launch was pedestrian, and the airtime minimal. Therefore, I was looking forward to seeing how much of a difference the reversal had made.

After not too long a queue, we got on, and ended up in the front row. Going backards definitely improves the launch. Whilst it still doesn’t really feel like the 2nd half of it is doing anything, and you seem to be travelling horizontally for an age before the track curves upwards, it was less noticeable. I didn’t really get much in the way of airtime at the top. No idea if being at the back would make any difference in this case *waits for the gravity lesson from Hixee* The real surprise and highlight of the ride was the descent. I had a full on Jeremy Clarkson Ariel Atom face thing going on. It was ridiculous! It may not be as mental if you’re not at the front, but it was definitely different, and a lot of fun

All in all, reversing the ride was a good decision and has given it a new lease of life. Whilst it still can’t compete with its more modern launched counterparts, by going backwards, it doesn’t have to. An enjoyable ride, and a pleasant surprise.

Oh, and it was the opposite side to the one I rode last time, so... *drum roll*... +1!!!!

Needing to leave for the airport at 1pm, we headed back down the mountain and decided to take advantage of the inevitable walk on queue at Apocalypse (YAYYYY! – although, it was a different ride op and they weren’t doing it) Back row <3

After whoring the wifi, there was just time to get in some tat shopping. The car actually slides up and down and everything <3

Then it was time to say our goodbyes and for me to head over to the airport. I’d like to take this opportunity to again give massive thanks to Howie for making my morning all the more epic, and being an all round awesome guy. If you haven’t already, please go and take a look at his take on the day with his amazing video and trip report - viewtopic.php?f=31&t=34543

Ride count:
Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom
Superman: Escape from Krypton (Right) (front row)
Apocalypse (back row)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, not relevant, but in the afternoon I flew to Vegas, then had an absolute nightmare getting to the hotel, getting booked in, not having lights that worked, further transport woes etc. I eventually met up with everyone else at well gone 10pm, for them to (quite understandably) all want to go to bed an hour later. Stupid bus! Stupid hotel! Stupid fireworks display! Stupid monorail!

 

[TilenB]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Lex opening add

Wow!! Half an hour waiting for Tatsu, even with a Q-bot!!
I had a real luck apparently, it was only a 5-10minutes queue (thank god it was, if it wouldn't be i'd never get my cred on X2)

Great trip report!

 

[Nic]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Lex opening add

Day 4 - 8th July 2012

Joy and I went for Breakfast

$4 Mimosas were involved

Sara and Jon got married. It was utterly lovely.

We had lunch at the Paris hotel. There was cake. It had tigers on it

We went up the fake Eiffel tower. We saw the Bellagio fountains doing their thing.

We spent the evening wandering round a casino. There were slot machines. And Whisky.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Day 5 - 9th July 2012

I got woken up at 3am by next door shagging. The wall was so thin you could hear actual fapping noises and everything. It was **** vile. Despite putting my headphones on, and them eventually stopping, I couldn't get back to sleep and eventually gave up at about 5am. I played in the casino for a short while then went for a walk along the strip. It's really nice at that time in the morning. Really quiet too, and as it was a monday a hell of a lot of stuff was closed. The city that never sleeps? Yeah, right.

I had to get back at 7 to say bye to Joy, so hopped on the monorail. Once Joy had gone, it was time to head for the pool. You have to walk through the gardens to get there.

The rest of the world had the same idea

It was pretty awesome though

9am cocktail

After not long enough,. I had to go and pack, and check out. I had to pop into Sara's hotel, so went for a quick nosey in the Venetian on the way

After seeing Sara & Jon to drop off stuff and a much longer walk than I anticipated, I got to Circus Circus. It's a dump.

(photo taken the day before through a hotel window)

But there's a cred

It was pretty good actually. Quite smooth. Being indoors definitely makes a massive difference to the longevity of these things. After that, I had another massively longer than expected walk to the monorail station behind what's left of the Sahara. Seeing the empty hole in the ground that was Speed's tunnel was really sad

The original plan had been to get the monorail down to the MGM, pop across the road to NY NY, grab the cred, then jump back on the monorail to the Flamingo. However, as both walks had taken like 3 times as long as I'd anticipated, by the time I got back to the Flamingo, I only had just enough time to collect my bags and get to the airport. If I'd have attempted to go anywhere else, I definitely would've missed my plane, so it really wasn't an option. Cred spite <///3

I flew back to LA, and checked into my hotel over the road from Disney. Whilst looking through leaflets to decide what to have for dinner, I found this :lol:

Ride count:
Canyon Blaster

 

[nadroJ]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Vegas added)

Circus Circus is where I stayed lol! It wasn't that bad tbh, the bed was comfy and all we did in there was sleep, shag and shower so eh, it did the job!

Vegas <3

 

[Martyn B]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Vegas added)

See, everytime I see Vegas, I think it looks nice, yet I hear so many people say that its a dump, and dont go out at night etc. Is it really that bad?

 

[Nic]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Vegas added)

You have such a talent for taking stuff I say completely out of context. Its impressive

I've only ever been on the strip, so can't comment for other areas of Vegas. Basically, once you get past the Encore, then is starts to get dumpy. Circus Circus isn't *too* bad, but its basically out on its own now, and anywhere past there is vile. It's definitely got a lot worse since my visit in '07 - I suspect the closure of the Sahara has contributed, although it's probably a bit chicken and egg in that respect. I definitely wouldn't fancy walking round there after dark. In fact, I didn't feel particularly comfortable walking round there on my own in the middle of the day. Especially not along the front of the Sahara. The overgrown foliage make it all a bit rapey. Mind you, I didn't go there this trip, but the Stratosphere was ok when we went last time.

However, the rest of the strip is fab. I think it helps that it's a lot busier. This might also sound really bitchy/snooty/mean but I genuinely observed a stark contrast... as it's more expensive, the people wandering round tend to be less, well, whatever the American version of Chavy is. That doesn't mean they're classy (we spent our entire time there playing "Tourist or Hooker"), but it does feel a lot less like you're going to get beaten up for looking at someone in the wrong way or whatever.

I adore Vegas. The buildings are spectacular - that's why it kept taking me WAY longer than I realised to walk anywhere, as everything is so HUGE that it looks a lot closer than it actually is. It can also be a hell of a lot of fun.

That said, I do feel like its starting to lose its way a bit. It might just be that we're getting old/had more important things to worry about, but it definitely didn't seem as party oriented or as crazy as the last time we were there. All the new hotels being built have given up on outlandish theming, and are concentrating on opulence and luxury. That doesn't mean they're not spectacular, but that's not what Vegas is about. I expect (and want) Vegas to be tacky, fun, outrageous and not at all serious, but they're all trying far too hard to make it classy. Even in the 5 years since my last visit, a lot of what I consider to be the "Vegas spirit" has disappeared. Another indicator is that it seems to have got a hell of a lot more expensive than my last trip. Last time, the hotels there were about half the price of the ones on the rest of the trip (for comparable quality) as they kept the prices low to draw you into their casino/shops/restaurants. This time, room prices were much closer to those on the rest of my trip. Perhaps with the credit crunch etc people have less cash while they're there, so they've had to do it? I dunno. Either way, there's been a definite shift in attitudes, and I'm pretty sure I don't agree with the direction its heading in.

Anyway, ignore all that. Vegas is AMAZING, and you should definitely go <3

 

[Martyn B]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Vegas added)

My comment wasn't aimed at what you have said, you paint it a pretty picture. It all looks very nice from your report.

I'm too lazy to search for it, but did that City Centre complex ever open?

 

[furie]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Vegas added)

Circus Circus is where I stayed lol! It wasn't that bad tbh, the bed was comfy and all we did in there was sleep, shag and shower so eh, it did the job!

And kept the neighbours awakefor 2 mins - you heartless cow. Next time think of Nicand it'll last longer

 

[Nic]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Vegas added)

Day 6 - 10th July 2012 - Part 1


Obligatory front entrance sign photo. It's really underwhelming.

I arrived and got my ticket sorted just in time for the 8am opening. As my magic hour plan for later in the week hadn't worked out (they gave me a ticket that I could only actually use on the Sat, and ten it was only valid for the Magic Kingdom, not CaliAdv) I decided to leg it to Radiator Springs and see what the deal was. As I arrived, there was a HUGE queue of epople waiting for fast passes. As I turned the corner into Cars Land, there was a queue pretty much the whole way along the street. I stopped to ask a cast member where the single rider queue was, only to be told that the ride was currently closed. Eugh, I needed a plan B.

Coming back out of Cars Land and heading out toward the back of the park, I stumbled across the Little Mermaid. It was walk on. As in, I was the only person on it. My main reaction is wow! Sure, there's a couple of bits I think they could maybe improve upon, but on the whole it's fantastic. I think the most impressive bit is the Ursula animatronic.

From there I headed across the bridge, and onto my first cred of the day - California Screamin'. I used the single rider queue, and when I eventually got to the platform was disappointed to find some uncharacteristically inefficient batching, resulting in many single seats being dispatched empty. I have to say, this was pretty much the only ride where I found this across both Disney parks, and every host I saw on this ride throughout my time there seemed to be having similar issues (some even worse than others). I don't know what makes this ride seemingly harder to batch than the others? Anyway, I was on soon enough, and off we went. My two main impressions of this ride are that it's stupidly long (which is awesome), and that I really enjoyed the audio. I can't really understand why they bothered with the loop, I don't really think it makes the ride any better (or worse).

As its basically next door, it seemed like the sensible thing to do Toy Story Midway Mania next. I queued about 10 mins. I'd not been on anything like this before, as the mouse one at Phantasialand wasn't quite finished when I was there. I quite enjoyed the ride although I wasn't very good at it - even with the advantage of having all of the targets to myself!

Goofy's Sky School. Plus one.

I then ventured back into Radiator Springs to see if it was worth trying to get on Racers...

That means no then. However, as I was walking away (again, feeling a little bit disappointed) who should be sashaying up the street <3

Flying tyres also had a burdenous queue (at least 90 mins), although it does look quite fun

By the way, I will come on to my thoughts on Cars Land. I'll cover it in detail later on.

I decided to head for the only other ride there I was desperate to get on...

It was walk on. First observation was that it really is pretty much identical to its Parisian counterpart. Whilst I knew that the ride system was the same, I was surprised by the similarities in the theming. Even the sideboard things next to the doors as you go into the library look the same to me.

Anyway, yeah, as this is the same ride cycle as Paris, it's fab. I absolutely adore this ride, and is yet more proof (as mentioned previously on this trip) that - when it comes to tower rides - bigger is not necessarily always better. As I exited, I thought about re-riding, but the queue was starting to build, so I grabbed a fast pass and went to see what else was on offer.

Almost by accident, I stumbled across the Monsters Inc dark ride. I didn't know this existed and, as it's one of my favourites, I did get a bit excited. It's a fairly traditional dark ride and, compared to the animatronics elsewhere, it it does look a little bit low budget. That said, the bit with the doors was still pretty amazing. Oh, and Roz as you come back into the station <3

During my travels round the park, I was amazed at how much there was going on. These guys seemed to be driving round really regularly. They were singing/playing live, and were quite impressive.

Then there was the whole Newsies thing. They'd rock up on their tram, do a whole performance, then bugger off back on their tram again. I didn't stop to watch all of it, but I'm sure it was pretty good if you like that sorta thing/don't think Mickey is a massive burden.

It's also worth mentioning here my impression of the characters around both parks. On the whole (apart from the ones that have their own designated meet and greet "attractions") it's all very casual, yet very efficient. If they're very popular, people form an orderly queue and all take their turn ensuring everyone gets a fair chance and a decent photo. If they're a less popular character and/or in a quieter area of the park, then they may well just be wandering around pretty much on their own, so are easy to catch for a pic. This makes it SO much less stressful than Paris. Not that I really bothered because, well, its one thing to bother when you've got the moral support of someone else, but alone? That really would have been tragic.

Next up was Soarin'. I didn't really know what to expect, but it's quite effective. I HATE the way the video jump cuts from one place to another though. Just as you're starting to get into it and really suspend disbelief, bam! One second you're flying past kayakers on a river, then you're in the middle of a forest, then you're skiing down a mountain, etc. For me at least, it did spoil the experience. I also can't help but wonder how long it'll be before this gets some kind of 3D/4D makeover.

As the weather was scorchio, it had a single rider queue, and I had a few mins left to wait for my fast pass, I decided to wander round to the Grizzly River Run. Whilst I did come of it fairly moist, I fared better than some, and have definitely been on wetter rapids rides. The two drops are awesome, but the rest of it isn't really anything that special.

Tower of Terror fast pass <3 You'll notice a theme start to emerge across the course of my Disney trip reports (also true of my Paris PTR). It should already be becoming apparent! haha! I grabbed another fast pass for it once I got off.

This left me in perfect time to join the queue for "Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular". Apart from overhearing someone in the queue describe it as "A proper musical. You know, kinda like The Lion King" I had no idea what to expect. I have to say, that description was pretty accurate. OMFG, it was actually AMAZING. I have honestly seen West End musicals with less spectacular sets, smaller casts, and worse quality performances. The whole thing was stunning from start to finish - and it was about 45 minutes long. Some of the puppets, props and sets really are mindblowing. The guy playing the Genie clearly stole the show though. Whilst he wasn't in any way playing it as a Robin Williams impression, he did manage to capture the same essence that made the animated version a classic character. I also wonder how often they re-write that script, as there were quite a lot of reasonably topical gags (pantomime style) thrown in to keep it fresh and very funny. I absolutely loved the show and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the park, even if you're pressed for time.

Popped into Muppetvision 3D after that. It was ok, but I'm not really a muppet fan, so couldn't get that excited. The animatronics and stuff in the theatre are pretty fab though, and definitely raise this a notch above your average 3D/4D attraction.

I don't think I even need to say what I rode next.

That left me with enough time to stake out a spot for the Pixar Play Parade. I quite enjoyed it. The water is unnecessary (albeit refreshing) though. Some of the acrobatics and stuff they have one some of the floats is pretty spectacular though, and very unexpected. Main memory of it though is the theme song which, as ever, welds itself inside your head and refuses to leave for days (weeks?) Main thing though is I swear they were singing "Big big gay parade!" Hmm, maybe not.

As you can see, I'd chosen to stand by the entrance to Cars Land. This was tactical. My plan was to leg it to Radiator Springs Racers as soon as the parade passed to try and beat the rush. Thankfully, it paid off. I joined the single rider queue as the sign said 45 minutes. No more than half an hour later, and I was on the ride. I also got talking to this old woman in the queue. She definitely would've warranted a massive "She's FAAAAAABBB!!!! <3" from Jake! hehe!

I'm sure you've all seen the POVs, and can understand why I was stupidly excited by this ride. Much to my relief, it is every bit as spectacular and awesome in real life. The on board audio is fantastic, and really brings another dimension to the ride, especially the very first section. The animatronics indoors are amazing. Once it split, I got Luigi's tyre shop. White-a wall-a tyres! The race is really excellent. The "launch" is effective and the way the cars are neck and neck all athe way round works really well. I was also amazed at how excited all my fellow riders seemed to be once they realised what was going on and clocked that we'd be having a race against another actual car with actual people in it. Our car won!

Once I got off, I spent a while at the viewing area just kinda taking it all in. I genuinely found it very hard not to forget that it's all manmade, has not been there forever, and that, beyond the horizon is other buildings and stuff, not more mountains! I know there's been a lot of hyperbole relating to this area, but I can honestly say that Ornament Valley is absolutely without doubt the best bit of theming I have ever seen in my life. As I say, I was honestly struggling to remember it wasn't real.

Then I found an excellent example of why Disney is the absolute master when it comes to theming

The whole sign includes various car references (some more subtle than others) and also talks about the history of Radiator Springs, the caves (which you see on the ride) and local plant life etc. The way its written and presented, again, make it hard to remember than its not real. The level of detail, and the complexity of the back-story surrounding the area is astounding. I stood there for ages reading it all, and totally had to scrape my jaw up from off the floor at several points.

As for the rest of Radiator Springs, that's also fantastic. It really is like being in the film.

You know how I'm a sucker for anywhere that themes their bins and benches...

There was another random little show thing going on which I stood and watched for a while

I then went into the Blue Sky Cellar which has been transformed into a museum for Radiator Springs.

There's a nice amount of stuff about the imagineering process (concept art etc)

Then they were showing an animated short starring Mater, describing how Stanley met Lizzie and founded Radiator Springs. I then looked around me and realised that many of the items mentioned in this short were actually sat in the room.

The short film also shows the fountain that's in the Racers queue line. If you join the main queue, it also takes you through the building referenced here -

I also adore this

I mean, honestly, who other than Disney would ever bother to go to all that effort just to pad out their back story? Again, I was completely in awe at the whole thing.

After that, I popped back to the hotel for a quick nap and some food before coming back to tackle the evening. Part 2 to follow!

Ride/Attraction count (part 1):
Little Mermaid
California Screamin' (back row)
Toy Story Midway Mania
Goofy's Sky School
Tower of Terror
Monsters, Inc.
Soarin' Over California
Grizzly River Run
Tower of Terror
Aladdin Musical Spectacular
Muppetvision 3D
Tower of terror
Pixar Play Parade
Radiator Springs Racers
Blue Sky Cellar

To be continued...

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Cars Land added

Holy crap, Cars Land looks INSANE. I hate Cars, but that's a masterpiece.

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Cars Land added

Cars land looks amazing.

 

[Jake]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Cars Land added

That's fab. It's hard to even imagine where all this stuff is... it looks so different from a few years ago!

Oh, and...

Roz <3 <3 <3.

 

[Martyn B]

Re: SoCal: The Forever Alone Tour July 2012 (Cars Land added

Cars Land does look utterly amazing!