Fall 2018 Theme Park Trip-Day 14

Last day at Universal?

Today is the day for Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) event so it's going to be a long day.

Up at 6am to get ready and walk over for early entry at 7am. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is really an amazing place. Something that I noticed is there are all these little mechanical flourishes all throughout and the are all still working, at least the ones that I remember. The one possible exception was the Whomping Willow on the Forbidden Journey ride. Don't know if that has done the Everest Yeti at Disney or if it was just not working when I rode it. But all the little animations in the stores and windows were still performing routinely.

Spending time just walking around and looking at the details is always a lot of fun.  Eventually I ended up in the area where lots of characters come out you can interact with them. Most of them engage slightly, get the picture and then onto the next guest. I really need to compliment the person playing Shaggy from Scooby Doo. He was pulling people in really getting engaged with them. For me he asked where I'm from and the response, as usual, got a big reaction. We got into the discussion and we eventually parted with one last question....Pineapple on pizza? I said no. He said anything would go on a pizza!

Something I've tried to do is monitor the amount of steps/mileage that I've been doing. Unfortunately, if you don't get the numbers before the end of the day, you don't get a summary, but individual sessions broken down and I've discovered that the numbers don't add up.  But I ended up walking back and forth twice to the hotel and all the attractions. But some steps aren't recorded as the cell phone gets locked up before all of the queue walking and steps in certain attractions. The queues for the mazes were crazy long and from the best I can figure I did about 13 very sweaty miles.

For the first time on the trip which I think was because the day was so long, the chaffing started about 10 pm during the horror event. Luckily, earlier in the evening I met up with another former co-host from In the Loop and the discussions helped keep my mind off of the pain. It was great to see Will again and grateful and thankful that he took time out of his schedule to meet up in the park.

This was my second HHN and some of the same issues I had the first time occurred again. Stayed in the park in a lock down zone and even with being in the first group going to the first house before the public was let it, the Stranger Things house was still a 45 minute wait. I saw the movie Killer Clowns from Outer Space about a month ago and really loved the scare zone. Unfortunately, Bill and Ted were no longer populating the stage and I head from several people that the Academy of Villains show was OK but wouldn't be missing anything if you didn't see it.  Overall an enjoyable event.

On the way out of the event, they were asking people to take a survey. I finished and they were asking for statistical information. I got to where they asked gender, they only listed male and female. I was thanked by a manager type when I finished and pointed out that in the city of New York, they officially have 31 genders and why were they not being inclusive by including all of them in their survey. He kinda looked at me and just said thank you for the feedback.

Once I got back to my room I was glad to get the sweat soaked clothing off and start to get comfortable. When I went to write down some more notes  about the resort, I discovered that my notes had disappeared and a new note was there saying "We are very sorry we are already on track to solve your problems." The iPad in the room has a chat feature and I reported that my notes were missing, they were incomplete and that I wanted them back. Within minutes, they chatted back that someone from housekeeping would be in touch in the morning. Finally was able to hit the sack about 2am. Again, it was a long day!

Tomorrow (actually later today) is another transition day, but more importantly, it's a night to go see Yehaa Bob over at the River Roost at Port Orleans Riverside.

Fall 2018 Theme Park Trip-Days 12 and 13

After three days at Cedar Point, it was time to head down south to the warmer weather. After 24 hours there, not having problems with a runny nose!  Yea!

One of the issues I had in Cleveland was the blue tooth connection in the vehicle. Had no problems in Knoxville or Boston. I tried several items to get the bluetooth to work with the Sync in the Ford vehicle, but no luck. As I get to select my car I was looking for 1) a covered back so as I ran around today people couldn't see the items in the car and 2) blue tooth and not a USB or AUX input because of the type of phone that I have. After trying several different cars, I ended back in the same type of car I had in Cleveland. UGH!  But, this one had the manual still in the glove compartment. Blue tooth is NOT in the index, you had to look up phone and media and then found what I needed. Apparently because I have Android, I have to get a special app to worth with a car's blue tooth.  Not  a happy camper, but I eventually got it working 45 minutes after getting down to the agency to select my car.

From there it was over to Fun Spot. Got the unlimited band that would allow me to both locations. Did Mine Blower several times. Really liked it!  Good job Gravity Group! Next door at Old Town was the ride called Vomatron. I saw one in Hawaii about a decade ago and decided since one was there I would do it. Unfortunately, all the pictures they took came out blurry so other than a receipt, I have no proof. Did one of the two go-kart tracks they have at the Kissimmee location. Unfortunately one of the two was down for repairs but it was great to try for the first time!

Heading into Orlando, it was Star Flyer time. Really surprised me as it was more forceful rotation speed that I anticipated. I really am not afraid of heights, but I started to rotate. If you ever watched the video of the Tacoma Narrows bridge oscillation, that was me with my rotation a little at first and then eventually, I was facing the people behind me. It freaked me out a bit. I wasn't trying to get it to rotate, but when I asked the attendant why, she was clueless.

Since I was there, did the Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum. Can say I've been in one and not sure I would do it again.

At the Orlando Fun Spot location, I did the coasters there and also the go-karts. On the one track called Thrasher, there was no one waiting in line and me and the one other guy on the track were allowed to keep going and going and going. I finally got the hang of it and it was sort of like drifting. Between the coasters and the go-karts, I got my money's worth of the band use!

At the hotel, I learned that Google Maps gives you wrong directions. They need to put up a big sign saying if you don't turn to the left or right at the one set of lights, you will have to go to Lake Buena Vista and turn around!

The hotel is nice. It opened about a month ago, but it still has some bugs to work out. After I got myself settled down found out that a couple of other coaster buds are checked into the same hotel as they posted on FB their view. Much nicer than mine as I have a view of the garage. Hope to run into them later. After using the room and property a bit, have some feed back for them. One of the items is that they provide coffee in the room. When I asked about tea, was told that I can go to the Urban Pantry or Starbucks to order some. There is a note pad with pen and keeping there in the old fashioned way. So many items are controlled by the iPad and at least the pen and paper are not.

I had a friend who was supposed to get me a discount for park admission. Unfortunately, that fell through so I got on-line and ordered my ticket. Universal is having a special offer where you you get extra admissions for use within a week. I might use it on Thursday.

The room uses an iPad like device to control everything. Set the alarm and figured I'd walk over in the AM. Discovered that the alarm is not that loud and the pathway isn't really clearly marked. Used the bus to get over the parks. I've learned through experience that by using a fanny pack, yeah, I know it looks dumb, but when it comes to going through security, it makes things so much easier. Same thing when you have to put items in a locker for the rides.

Spent the day getting on those items that are new to me like the Jimmy Fallon and Fast and Furious rides as the targets but then just walking around and enjoying the place. With all the go-go-go that I've been doing I did something that I usually don't do, but decided to head back to the hotel and take a nap. I took the path that I was looking for this morning and discovered that they really don't have it marked well and have made notes to give the hotel. As for the nap, it was so worth it. Even with the curtains open, I fell asleep. It was needed.

After heading back into the parks after following the path, this time it was only a 20 minute walk into Islands of Adventure, hit up more rides and just taking in the place. The pathway has some very nice views. Something that really hit me as I was riding the Hulk roller coaster is that these are big mammoth machines and that as a rider you really have to believe that both the manufacturer and park have your best interest in heart when they give you their instructions. You really do have to have faith that the restraints are going to hold you in place and I chose to believe them. While I might have those funny feelings in my lower tummy and I'm being turned upside down, I can rest assured that the restraints and physics are going to hold me in place!

Back to the two coaster buddies. Ran into them and chatted for a few minutes. Tomorrow will probably send more time with them and hopefully some others at the Horror Nights event.

Something that I did today that was bad...I completely threw the eating habits out the window. Something that I did today which makes me proud...managed to get back to my room, put on my gym clothes and put in several miles on the treadmill at the gym in the hotel.

Additionally, I was contacted by work yesterday about a certain report. Some software was supposed to be updated so a new processed would have run the report but the software failed and had to drop back to the old method. Luckily I was in my room and had access to a computer. Today, had a question about a process. Luckily it was a simple text answer.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day with early entry and then the Horror nights event. It might be very practical to take a break in the afternoon.

Fall 2018 Theme Park Trip-Day 11

Last full day here in beautiful Sandusky Ohio.

Being a Sunday, I needed to do a longer run for my marathon training. Not being familiar with the area I did a run, but didn't do the total mileage that I wanted. Running along the causeway that leads out to the park, it gives you a different perspective than you would as you cruise along at 30 MPH getting ready to ride the coasters. At home, along my route I know there are places with restrooms in parks and water fountains. Not so with this run. So I ended up cutting it short. But, at least I got in something.

The weather today has been really warm. I have been using a long sleeve shirt and then I have a second layer of a short sleeve shirt that buttons down but I leave open. It got warm enough that I went into the restroom and took off the long sleeve and just used the short sleeve shirt.  To keep the ladies at bay, I made sure to button up the shirt.


With yesterday's purchase of the season pass, I was allowed into the park an hour early. Immediately head to the back of the park to take in Steel Vengeance. Hiking back there takes time and even with just the passholders in the park, the first ride took 1 hour to complete. But able to take in a few more coasters before the park really got going.

Nice thing about days like this is you have your goals done and you can just relax, walk around, take in some of the smaller details. Go over to the petting zoo and pet some of the llamas they have there. They had the indoor haunts open and I did a couple of them. They were good. The lighting was such that you could see the scenes and the actors which was so nice as compared to the outdoor mazes of the previous nights.

As I walked around the park and rode the rides, the staff seemed to be very efficient, but in terms of friendliness, they were focused. Let me get your your drink, food or up and running on the ride. The associates just did what they needed to do. For me, that meant that I was able to get on and off the rides quickly.  Except for the Giant Wheel. I waited in line and when I got to the front, was told they don't allow single riders. That was the first time that I've been rejected for the number in the party as compared to the weight/size of the rider.

Cedar Point has a long history and that includes a train so a train ride was necessary. They had some scenes set up to add to the experience, but there was something else that really caught my eye. There are so many coasters at the park and as you ride the train, it really becomes apparent. The excursion leads you next to so many parts of the track but more so the support structures. Up along the midway the area is designed so that you have lockers and booths and buildings. But there in the back you really get to see what is making up these rides. It was a fascinating look behind the scenes.

The one ride that I wanted to do a second time but wasn't able was Top Thrill Dragster. It had been marked in the app as being closed. There was staff on the platform and trains on the track, but there was nothing going on not even test runs of the vehicles. I was hoping to see some testing with a possible roll back, but...nothing.

While the park was open until 8pm, I decided to call it a day around 5pm. This is such a long trip and with limited clothing with me, I ended up back at the room and did laundry. At home I line dry my clothes so it was a change of pace to end up using a dryer for the first time in ages.

I thought about going to Chet and Matt's for dinner, as I've heard lots of good things about this location from other coaster enthusiasts but decided that the diet needs to keep some semblance of order so I decided to pass on this trip.

Laundry, packing and getting items lined up for Orlando's adventure that starts tomorrow.

Fall 2018 Theme Park Trip-Day 10

Today was day two at Cedar point.

The goal was to finish up the coasters that I didn't get yesterday. I didn't spend any time trying to repeat anything. I ran into two problems. The first was with Wicked Twister. It was listed as closed on the app. When I went over there, the sign said one hour, but the app still said closed and there was a sign saying closed but there were people in the station. The other was Wilderness Run. That is in Camp Snoopy. The problem is that if you are an adult over 54 inches you can't ride alone unless you had a small child with you. So on the latter, it was a no go. With the former, I was at Wicked Twister at the right time and got on without a wait when they reopened it.

So from opening until 6pm I was able to get the coasters and some of the flat rides. Mission accomplished!

One of the items that I think would be very helpful is if Cedar Point would standardize what you do at the coasters. Some of them have no bins, some have bins, some only have lockers, some have bins but the sign says leave in locker, some have bins that are only for loose footwear. It would be great if they could get the signage to match what is at the coaster at least.  With the lockers, they need to put up some barriers so that there is shading on the screens. There were several times when I had a real hard time trying to use the screen as it was washed out by the sun.

I also tried a couple of eating locations and couldn't find any place that had unsweetened iced tea. For those of us trying to avoid sugar, the only option was for water.

Lastly,  if I had paid for the Halloweekends event, I would have asked for my money back. I tried the event tonight. I went through another scare zone and then two outdoor mazes. To me the mazes were horrible and the scare zones weren't much better. The biggest issue is the way the lighting and the fake fog interact. The lighting blinded you so you can't see any detail in the sets they had set up. All the details were lost. The players, you couldn't see any details about them. They were backlit and their faces and the makeup or masks were obscured. There was confusion as to were areas began and how the lines were supposed to be lined up. The app didn't give much clarification on these items. again, it was a good thing that it was included and not a separate charge item.

I'm going to head to the park tomorrow. I had purchased a two day ticket. For a third day, I'd have to buy a new ticket. I'd also pay for parking. BUT, Knott's is a Cedar Fair park so I talked to customer service and made the decision to upgrade to a platinum pass. So I'm covered for two more park days and have the parking covered. Weird to be a pass holder for such a short time.

One aspect of the fall season is how the parks decorate outside of the Halloween theme. I really liked all the pumpkins, corn stalks and squash and bounty items scattered around. Due to the difference in the seasons in Hawaii, these sort of decoration really aren't used. It brings back a lot of memories growing up in Massachusetts.

Something I have to give Cedar Point a big thumbs up about is the mark parking spot portion of the app. When you park you can go into your profile and click the save parking location. It shows a google map image of the parking lot with a dot of where you are within the huge parking lot. When I left the park, it changed to Return to Car. I click on that it and showed the dot where my car was parked and another dot where I was. It was very helpful!

Tomorrow will an attempt to run and at the park repeat rides on a couple of coasters and then probably call it a short day so that I can get a bit of rest and updates processed before flying to Orlando on Monday.

Fall 2018 Theme Park Trip-Day 9

Well, I have day 9 listed but the last post was day 4, what happened to the days in between you might be asking? Well, those weren't days spent at a theme park or traveling to/from one. I went back to the Boston area to visit my family. It's been 6 years since the last time I saw them which was when I returned for my mom's funeral. Briefly, it was a emotionally weird trip as I spent most of the time cleaning up my old bedroom. I moved to Hawaii in 1990 with the idea that I would be returning. That didn't happen. This trip makes trip six back and each time I've shipped items back. I have a number of items that I'm shipping back to myself in Hawaii so that I can scan them since I have the devices and software to be a good job doing it. I'll cover issues and feelings while home in another post later.

Meantime, today was a very exciting day. I flew into Cleveland for the second time in my life. The first time I was visiting my Walt Disney College Program trailermate Jim and that was back in 1988. But it wasn't the fact that I was in Cleveland, but that fact that I was on my way to Cedar Point, the East Coast Roller Coaster Capital of the US. The park was open tonight for their Haunt event. My goal is to get my coaster count up.

I arrived and got misty eyed. It was so excited that I finally am doing something that I talked about doing for a long time. As I was driving into parking lot I had that night before Christmas feeling about it. I'm walking in feeling like I'm walking on air as I had an electricity just exciting me as I moved to walk under the Gatekeeper keyhole structures. As I walked in, my head turning left and right looking around taking it all in for both the coasters that surrounded me and the park being decked out for their Halloween event. I also had chills due to both the excitement and the temperatures. I'm really glad I brought the long sleeve shirt.

I figured I'd get the newest, most popular ride out of the way first and Steel Vengeance is all the way at the back of the park. Even though I got there when the park opened, I still ended up waiting for the better part of an hour to ride. I don't know the exact time as they don't want to see any cell phones in line and I put mine in a locker. I did start a conversation with the group of people in front of me. One facet that I have going for me when I do talk to people is that I live in Hawaii. People want to know about Hawaii.  While waiting in line, the park was showing promos on monitors through out the queue . I was surprised that my old In the Loop co-host, Adam House was featured. Unfortunately, I was too far way from the monitor and holding a conversation to hear what Adam was discussing.

In the next line for Maverick I started a conversation with a family who comes from Michigan and the kids in college coming from New York join up for a family event. They highly recommended doing the Haunt events tonight and the rides tomorrow as they said the park will be crowded. I walked around a bit and did one maze and was not impressed. The scare area and the maze had, in my opinion, poor lighting. I couldn't see the objects or people as I had lights flashing in my face. Due to the back-lighting, I couldn't tell if the person coming towards me was a monster or a fellow park attendee. I could hear grunting and yelling and other noises, but couldn't see how the monster was decorated.

The rest of the night was spent riding coasters and doing a bit of shivering as the chill winds blew in from Lake Erie. I know that tomorrow I'll make sure to bring a third layer to have with me. I'll leave it in the car. I'll also be talking to park staff to see if I might save some money by getting a 2018 season pass as I'll be going to Knott's Berry Farm who has Cedar Fair as their parent company as well.

Until then...

Fall 2018 Theme Park Trip-Day 4

Today was all over the place!

I have the Honolulu Marathon in December and decided that for this trip I'm going to do my best to keep up some sort of training while I'm traveling. Going running in an unfamiliar city can bring about different vistas and running patterns. The run brought me along a long veterans highway with a huge side walk along it although for most of it, there were just fields and forest next to it. I ran early so that I could spend the rest of the day running around to attractions so I started at 6am. Next to the motel where I'm staying there is a beautiful mountain stream which lead to a mill. What a beautiful site. As I got closer, I couldn't hear my podcasts as there was a small drop off and the water cascading over it made this beautiful thum-thum-thum sound. From there is was up towards Dollywood's entrance and then just kept going. It was dark and there were very few cars. Being the Smokey Mountains, there was mist everywhere. Several times when I went to scratch my beard I was surprised at how much moisture was clinging to it. I didn't encounter any other people walking or running and I'm sure I must have been out of place to the drivers as they went along their task.  When I returned to the motel, at the embankment of the river there was an older gentleman sitting on top of a picnic table there playing his guitar and singing.  What a way to start a Sunday morning!

For activities, spent the earlier portion  of the day heading into Gatlinburg. Did my first mountain coaster which was before you got into the downtown district. It was different than what I expected but still a lot of fun. I had been on a alpine side where you take a chair lift to the top and then ride down. Part of the charm was being towed up while sitting in the cart. The ride down was lots of fun but didn't expect it to be so short.

I had been to Gatlinburg once before in 1982 when I had visited Knoxville for the world's fair that was taking place in the city. The one memory I had from then is a store that sold these troll creations. Funny enough, the second store I went into had trolls. Not exactly as I remember them but thought it odd that I ran into them so quickly and only in the one store on the second floor of a mall that was tucked away in the back of the walkway.

I did a couple of the really touristy things like the The World of Illusion, Earthquake, the ride, and Mysterious Mansion. The first two were really hokey. I laughed though the whole Earthquake experience. With the Mysterious Mansion, I got grouped up with a number of other people and the "leader" was this 6 ft 270 lb guy that was a really scaredy cat but yet he
kept taking the lead and screeching out as the two actors would pop out of different places and yell boo.

Throughout the day I did four of the mountain coasters. The newest one is called The Rowdy Bear and in addition to the coaster they also had a what is being called a mountain glider. You're suspended from the bar and you zip along. I trust that these devices are safe but there were a couple of corners that I whipped around that made me swing back and forth that made me wonder for a second. I mentioned the Florida Zipline Coaster and they said they were aware of it but this was the first deployment of their technology in the US. I did buy the pic and a video and they have done something that I've never seen before. They gave me the physical print and on there is a QR code that you can use to download both pic and video. Something that I didn't like it that in the downloaded pic, it also includes the QR code so that other people could get it too. I'll need to photoshop it to remove the code, but eventually I'll get those posted.

Away from Gatlinburg, back in Pigeon Forge, spent time at both the Titanic and Alcatraz East attractions. Within Titanic, the item that I thought really drove home the point of what happened to the people is you walk outside the bridge and they have a representation of the iceberg next to the ship. You can run your hand along it, and it's real ice. The air in that room is chilly like it was that night. Then you can put your hand in some water that is kept at 28 degrees, the temp the people of the Titanic were dropped into once the ship sank. I only kept my hand in it for about 20 seconds and could really, really feel it. I could pull my hand out of the water, but they didn't have the option which really drove home the point of how these people died.

At Alcataz East, it's not a history of the place itself, but a museum that looks at crime and justice in all sorts of aspects going from back in ancient times to today. They had a number of actual items involved with topics they were discussing. Something amusing here that happened is that unlike at Titanic where they just handed you a self guide tour wand, the Alcatraz folks wanted you to leave your ID. So I asked if they would be responsible if I had ID theft during the next year. She then commented that the wands were $300 a piece and they could use my car keys to make sure they got it back. Fine. In the back of my head I'm thinking Titanic didn't ask for something as a hold but then again, maybe as a crime museum that's what they're worried about happening to them. At the end of the tour she asked for the name on the ID and said I was the guy with the car keys and she responded, "Oh yah, you....". Bit of an attitude, but the information presented was fascinating. I ended up spending 90 minutes in there.

By this time, it was almost 9pm and it was raining so decided to call it a night after grabbing a bite to eat. Unfortunately, that meant no moonshine tasting so I'll have to save that for another trip. Tomorrow is up really early for an early fight to visit family in Boston.

Fall 2018 Theme Park Trip-Day 3

Day two at Dollywood was a very calm day as compared to the first day.

To start the day, I didn't set an alarm. I hadn't gotten much sleep the past couple of days. The two flights didn't get me much rest and about the time I was checking into the hotel I was really starting to feel it. I didn't get up until almost 7:30am. I let me body let me know when it was ready. I did a little bit more planning and got to Dollywood for their opening at 10am.

Because I had rushed around the park the day before and basically did all of the coasters, today was just a day to enjoy without worrying about accomplishing any goals. First thing I noticed going into the park is that not only were there more people, but more kids. Also, when did toting kids around in one of those collapsible wagons go into vogue? I was surprised at how many I saw. Because there were more families today, I decided to move quickly and hit a bunch of rides before the crowds really piled up. Made a coaster pass including several rides on Wild Eagle and Mystery Mine.

So on with the exploring. I continued to go back to the Artisan Valley of the park and look at all the different crafts. I talked to some employees and they said that the park wanted to expand that area but was finding it hard due to a troubles finding talent. We then discussed is it because the artisan didn't want to pass it on on there wasn't anyone behind them that wanted to learn? They felt it was more of the latter than the former. That's a shame but then again, we have technologies that help produce items for people at a quicker pace and cheaper cost, but in many cases the quality is not the same.

A train ride is always an enjoyable endevour! They were loading people on and taking people not in a circle pattern, but more of a dumbbell shape something like two circles connected by a line. In parts if you were on the left side of the train, where you saw the left side going out, coming back you got the ride side. If you're a park nerd, the trip went around the area that is being expanded for 2019 called Wildwood Grove. Land has been cleared, grading is going on and some construction has already started. I ended up talking to a clerk at a clothing store that is outside of the park and they said they are really excited as being a resident in the area, it will give them something new to look forward to when they visit the park.

One of the challenges has been the food and what to eat. I did find a couple of items that weren't the best, but better than alternatives. I got what would have been an Italian sausage sandwich but I asked them to hold the bun and the chips. I asked the cashier if she would give the chips out to someone who just wanted chips at her stand and she wouldn't do that so I just asked the people behind me if they wanted an extra bag and they said sure. Later in the day I did decide to go off script. I had one of the park staff say that Ham and Beans had good southern food. I ended up with a platter that had beans, corn bread and potatoes in addition to some meat and other veggies. They also had  blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream included in the price. Oh, it all tasted sooo good! A little later when I was looking for an outlet, I ended up getting a salted caramel milkshake. I just know that tomorrow I need to make sure that I don't continue the trend.

While I didn't watch any shows from front to back, there were so many available that I caught pieces of throughout the two days.  One of the people happen to start while I was eating the corn bread. I couldn't see who it was from where I sat due to a wall in the way. It turned out to be part of one of the other items I was told I must do is get a picture with Miss Lillian, the Chicken Lady of Dollywood. After the show was over, Mission Accomplished!

I really want to applaud Dollywood for providing me such a good time. There is a warmth and charm there that just oozes out of everything going on there. As a side note, I was surprised at how many guys I saw there with epic beards and mustaches that were on staff. Disney only allows close cropped stuff. One guy operating Mystery Mine had a beard about as long as mine and a great handlebar mustache. But then again, it totally falls into line with the story they are telling at the park. I found the food prices reasonable. Anywhere you could ask for ice water and you got it for free. They were running the rides with multiple trains and kept the lines down. Granted at one point of the day I did see Tennessee Twister with a 50 minute wait, but that seemed to be the longest I saw when I looked at the map. The longest I personally waited was for Blazing Fury at 10 minutes. Over the past several years they have had Timer Tower, the Adventure Mountain ropes course and Lighting Rods which closed shortly after opening. Granted the other two are already gone and they are still working to get Lightning Rod working, but they have some rides that have some wonderful theming and work very creatively in the spaces they have available for use.

Outside of the park I wanted to do a little bit of shopping (reference paragraph 5) as they have several outlet malls unlike what we have in Hawaii. I went to a store to pick up a shirt and on the way back to the hotel I traveled down Parkway. That's right, just Parkway. Not Parkway Blvd, Parkway Ave or Parkway Parkway. This reminded me of  what RT 192 was in Kissimmee, FL back when I worked at Disney.  Today's Hwy 192 only wishes it is as busy as Parkway is now. One item that was recommend was Jurassic Jungle Boat Ride. I saw the lighted sign and had to go around the block to get back into the parking lot. OMG, I posted a couple of pics to Facebook and I stated it was Gloriously Tacky! It was so bad it was good! Many of the animals didn't work. The lighting didn't work in several areas. There was one place where they had a giant Jurassic cockroach with its latex rubber skin ripped, hanging down and showing the stuffing underneath. There were several times that I just laughed. Unfortunately, the last scene where it seemed to have several things go wrong I was laughing as some action took place with a loud noise and the little girl (is a 10-11 year old little?) in the row in front started crying. I wasn't laughing at her as I started laughing before she started crying. It took the parents a minute or two after getting off the boat to get her calmed down.

I'll go running in the morning, but tomorrow is primarily more of Parkway in Pigeon Forge and the touristy stuff including a couple of mountain coasters, Titanic and moonshine tasting!

Fall 2018 Theme Park Trip-Day 2

Well maybe day 1.5? I left on a Thursday. My usual shuttle company that I have used before went out of business last year so I was left scrambling looking for a new company. With such short notice, I used Uber. With tip is was still cheaper that one of the shuttle service one way charges.

My trip started with a long overnight flight from HNL to EWR or in other words Honolulu to Newark. When I arrived at EWR, it was on a Friday hence what really to call the day. Although, the start was very reminiscent of another trip that I took in 2010 which ended up with major repercussions for me. They said they were needing 124,000  lbs of fuel for the flight. Unfortunately, we had a slow pump. We were supposed to be taking off and we were at 27,000 lbs and still trying to get more. We ended up moving gates to get a different pump. They sent out two updates via text. Eventually we left almost a full hour after we were supposed to. I had 1 hour 45 minutes between connections and the new landing time cut that down to 25 minutes. Fortunately they were able to push a bit and get us there and gave that to about 25 minutes before the boarding began.  Even though the gates were are away, made it there 15 minutes before boarding would start. Praise be for minor miracles!

As someone who has a license, but not a car, I'm spending all sorts of time fooling around with the car trying to figure out what's where and how does it work. All these new fangled  doo-dads.
So it's trying to figure out how to adjust the wing mirrors, adjusting the seat, adjusting the steering column, trying to find if it has a USB port, trying to find how to wash the windshield, how to pair the car with blue tooth and finally, how to pop the hood to be able to check the window washer levels. The USB in the car wouldn't charge the Pixel faster than the battery would drain while using GPS.  Also challenged to control the volume on the device or pause the playback without having to pick up the phone and fingerprint in instead of  dealing with the lock screen.

With the GPS, I finally made it to Dollywood about 12:30. It was hot and humid. I got to the parking lot and changed from jeans to shorts because it was so hot. Once inside the park, looked for the first sit down place so I could plug in and get a bit of charge on my phone. Finally after 15 minutes the phone was charged enough that I started my day at the park.

I was so excited to be there. Being on In The Loop we had Pete Owens, the PR Director of Dollywood, on a number of times talking about the park. It was wonderful to be there to finally experience it myself. My first ride, Thunderhead, a fairly small compact woody. I use a fanny pack at the park and decided to keep it on. I was worried the whole time as I had so much packed in it. After I got off and went to my next ride, they have cubbies there where you can place your items. I used it. OMG, I felt so much better knowing that I couldn't lose my fanny pack. As I was impressed walking around the park and the quality of the staff. I felt like I was in a concierge level service location.Instead of just acknowledging you being there, they asked questions. When I responded, I ended up getting in several conversations with the staff. It was fun! When I go back tomorrow, not sure how crowded it will be as I guess Tennessee is taking the Florida Gators and many people will stay out of the park to watch the game.

Tomorrow will be more focused on the shows as I was able to get most of the rides done with many of them being walked in. In many ways I think Dollywood is like Knott's Berry Farm in that they have lots of historical cultural information to share and I want to take in those details as I also plan to do with my return trip to Knott's.

Fall 2018 Theme Park Trip planning-Recognition Card

Just a couple of days to go before heading out to the mainland.  Really excited about this. The hotel and car reservations are all taken care of. Have several tickets purchased, but not all of them at this point. Looking to see about discounts for some of the attractions.

The first week is pretty well planned out. Dollywood and Pigeon Forge then to Boston to visit family. I had the suggestion to go to Six Flags New England or Canobie Lake Park while in New England. Unfortunately, they are on their fall schedules and not open weekdays while I'm there.

Spent time over the weekend buying some gifts. Not wanting to cart around on the different legs, it will be easier to pack and ship some items rather than trying to bring with me on the plane. Food goodies are nice because they can get eaten and you don't have to dust them over the long haul.

Worked on the recognition card. When I've talked to people about the idea I haven't received any negative feedback. People really like the idea. It will also help to keep me focused on looking for positive during the trip.  Last time I only gave out half a dozen. This time, I'm hoping for more. Bringing 50 cards with me. I'll bring the softcopy with me in case I need to make more but might need to find a Walmart or something to find the card stock on which to print them.

Since I started planning the trip and knowing that I was going to San Diego I was trying to get in touch with an old college buddy. We lost touch a number of years ago. I would send them my Christmas card and one year I got it back in the mail as deliverable. The old email addresses and phone number went stale. Lookups for name searches didn't work. Facebook negative.  Finally, I did have a  family member name of someone I didn't know. Was able to find them on FB and reached out. They in turn were able to get me some contact information. After doing the Belmont Park roller coaster, we're going to get together. It's been over two decades since we last communicated and I look forward to catching up with them.

One of my concerns for the trip is my diet. I haven't been doing sugars and grains for a while now.  I know there are going to be days when I'll be going outside that range. I just need to remind myself not to do it every day. Last year after doing the marathon I ate whatever. One months later there was a 20lb difference. I don't want that to happen on this trip so I need to be a little more judicious with my choices.

Finally I was trying to decide what to pack as the weather is going to be different in the mountains of Tennessee vs the shore of Lake Erie, New England then Florida and Southern California. Living in Hawaii for so long has thinned out my New England blood and have decided that some long sleeve garments might be necessary as below 70 could be considered cold for me. Stupid, I know, but five locations on one trip forces some choices.

Fall 2018 Theme Park Trip-plans and planning

Looking back it's been two years since my last post. Time to fix that.

Well, I have another big trip coming up and am totally ecstatic about it. I am about to get a full month off from work. I've been working to make sure there is another person in the office that knows my skills. I'm one that I'm not afraid to share everything that I know.

Travel plans include Dollywood and Pigeon Forge area attractions, going to Boston to visit family. Heading to Cedar Point to the East Coast coaster capital. Time in Florida will include Universal Orlando and Halloween Horror Nights, the Disney parks including Food and Wine Festival and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Legoland, Florida Zipline Coaster, Star Flyer, and Fun Spots. In California the West Coast Legoland there in the San Diego area and their SeaWorld plus Belmont Park in the "extreme south" are the plans. Traveling north to Anaheim and the Disneyland resort including Mickey's Halloween Party, Knott's Berry and Scary Farms, Santa Monica Pier, Universal Hollywood, Six Flags Magic Mountain the West Coast coaster capital...possibly their Halloween event and then the Warner Bros Studio Tour and their Halloween event. So Heartland, East Coast, Mid West, the South and West Coast will be covered on this trip.  I am so appreciative that I have the ability to do this.

Along the way I plan to meet up with a number of people. Some are coaster buddies, some are Disney pals, others are college friends and some are former co-workers and podcasters. So while I may be traveling solo, I won't be doing everything as a single.

Surprisingly enough, when I was trying to make the travel arrangements, I wanted to maybe do trains between say Sandusky, OH and Knoxville, TN or Knoxville, TN and Orlando, FL as a way to see the country. Those options weren't viable due to how far away trains stations were from starting or ending points needing buses. I looked at maybe buses outright, but the amount of time and transfers were rather awkward and cumbersome. Luckily I was able to make the flight arrangements through one carrier, United, although several legs will be with code share partners. Learned that it is difficult to try to book a trip with more than five legs to the trip. All totaled, I have nine segments. The first leg I have to travel from Honolulu to Newark which is a ten hour flight and then back up to Knoxville. Blissfully the LAX to HNL flight is six hours.

In my big 2010 trip, I had business cards that I gave out for people going above and beyond in their work. Back then, I gave them a card recognizing them for their effort, took their pic, blogged about them and their actions

and then made sure I wrote back to the companies involved to give the person credit. While I don't have the cards ready to go yet, I plan on doing that again this trip. It's really easy to fall into the negative and those cards helped keep me looking for the positive.

During my fall 2016 trip, I lost my wallet while riding Mako at SeaWorld Orlando the day before I was to fly to LAX. Still haven't heard back from SeaWorld if they dredged the pond where it dropped  and recovered it with the $700 still inside. If I ever get that back, really need to make sure to make big noise about that! But with losing my ID, I want to make sure on this trip that I have backups like maybe making sure that I bring my passport and not keeping all the money on my person. Also I need to make sure that I follow my procedures and not rush when I get on a coaster to make sure that I have everything really secured.

One of the other challenges that I have is with the rental car portions. I have a valid drivers license, but don't own a car in Hawaii. When I rent I must do the responsible action have have some insurance and the costs add up quickly. So the RAC company would look at say Friday noon to Monday 6am as just three days, the insurance company says it's four so on those transfer days, I'm having to pay for insurance twice. Plus the insurance itself isn't cheap with charges that have been 15-25% of the daily rental rate.  But, it's something that I have to do since I don't have my own policy.

I use Flickr instead of Instagram. When I would post to Flickr, it would automatically post to Twitter and then a bit later to Facebook. Something has happened to the interface and that no longer happens.  If you want to see pics during the trip, goto flickr.com/frikitiki. For quick updates I'm @coconutwireless on twitter.

If you have comments or questions, let me know. The fall 2018 Coaster Trip begins on September 20th!

Over View

Twelve Parks Collage

So while on my trip to Shanghai Disneyland, I was asked how I would rate the park against the other parks. I have been very, very fortunate with my Disney travels in order to be able to have visited all of the Disney theme parks. For those that aren’t familiar, there now twelve parks total. You’ll find Disney across the globe. Two parks are in Anaheim, four in Lake Buena Vista, FL, Marne-la-Vallée France is the home to two parks; Hong Kong supports a single park, two parks in Urayasu, Japan and now a single park in Shanghai, China. On my excursion in June, 2016 I visited Disney in Hong Kong, Japan and China in a single trip along with a side trip to Universal Studios in Osaka. I haven’t visited the US parks since 2010, but that will be remedied in October 2016 by doing an east coast and west coast swing. Within four months that will be ten of the twelve parks.
The visit to Disneyland Paris resort was in 2008. Why do I mention this? To give a reference point of my experience with the parks and what was and wasn’t in the parks when I visited.

Little bit of a disclaimer up front. This is my rating of what I liked. You may agree with me, you may not. There are items that tickle my fancy but for you, it may be like dragging nails across the chalk board just as there may be somethings that stick in my craw but causes a big smile on your face. No two visitors to any Disney park will take away an identical experience. That’s fine. In the background, keep in mind that while there are a number of similarities, all of the parks are different. They all have their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses. My ratings will be based on my actual visits to the parks and not things they have changed since the latest visit. With each park, I’ll put the last time I visited there as part of the description.

12 Walt Disney Studios Paris

Walt Disney Studios Paris
Dedication Plaque

This visit was in October of 2008. It was the last park on my list at the time in order to make the complete circuit of all the parks at that time. What did I like about the park? Well, they had Crush’s Coaster. You loaded 4 people into a turtle shell and rode the EAC (East Australian Current) mostly inside a themed building while the turtle shell spun around on the track. They also had the Cinemagique and Animagique stage shows in the same area of the park. Cinemagique combined on screen action with live actors telling the story of movie history. Animagique was a puppet show using techniques similar to the Voyage of the Little Mermaid show at Disney Hollywood Studios that highlighted segments of Disney classic animated tales. Animagique closed in early 2016. The big highlight of the park was supposed to be the Backlot Tour. This was not a highlight. Unlike its US counterpart at the time, it wasn’t a real studio and it showed. The showcase piece was from Reign of Fire about dragons that had taken over London. It was their version of Catastrophe Canyon. It was a bad movie and it was a bad ride. They had a copy of the California version of the Tower of Terror meaning no Fifth Dimension room plus a copy of the Rock-n-Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. Upon entering the park you walked through a large sound stage building which acted as the main hub for retail and eating. There was nothing there that made a really solid impression outside of the cleanliness or lack thereof which I will cover with my Disneyland Paris rating. The person I was traveling with even commented that he wished it could have been a better park to celebrate the accomplishment of being the last park of the global tour.

11 Disney California Adventure

Pre-Transformation Disney
California Adventure
Entrance Plaza

My last adventure to California Adventure was May 2010. At the time the park was wrapped up in the cocoon of green construction walls as it was being converted To Disney’s California Adventure. Many people didn’t like the Paradise Pier section of the park claiming it was off the shelf amusement park rides, but I understood how is was representative of the beach side amusement parks that dotted the California coast and accepted it as a clever part of the theming. The Maliboomer was still there but much of the park was starting to transition. I was there for the DPN Westfest event. I held a meetup called One Last Time with Jasmin and Aladdin as the show was supposed to be closing that summer. Well, it didn’t. Disney changed their mind a month or so later and the show didn’t finally close until January 2016, almost six years later. Up until that time, it was my favorite of any of the Disney theater shows across their theme parks division. The icon of the park should have been those green construction walls. The Little Mermaid ride was in construction. The World of Color hadn’t opened but we could see the testing that was happening. Orange Stinger was gone and the Silly Symphony Swings were going in. I took a picture of Band Leader Mickey from the top of the ride and use it as one of my computer wall paper images. The California Food and Wine festival had been cancelled that year. The park was a mess. Due to the topsy turviness created by the transition, I give it my number eleven spot.

10 Disney's Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom Entrance

One of the Florida parks at the low end of the scale with a visit in April 2010. There have been complaints about DAK being a half day park. There are arguments that the half day theory is wrong. In my world both are right. If you are looking at the rides, yeah, it’s a half day park. If you want to spend the time wandering the park and looking at the details the imagineers have built into the park, it’s a full day park without a doubt. With the animal aspect, you can sit or stand there and marvel at what you’re seeing, but as Walt learned at Disneyland when he was originally putting in the Jungle Cruise, you can’t control the animals and what they will or won’t do. They aren’t paid actors and willing to do something on cue although the imagineers have worked to try to get some action regulated by the ingenious positioning of feeding troughs or possible cooled rock to get the animals close to the guests. DinoLand USA is similar to California Adventure’s Paradise Pier with off the shelf amusement park rides and games. I understand why with Chester and Hester, but I expect more from a Disney experience for this land. Another strike against the park is Disco Yeti. For those of you who don’t know, the yeti in the Expedition Everest ride was touted as the largest, most powerful animatronic that Disney had ever built. The yeti had the thrust equivalent to a 747 was the stat that Disney quoted. Then they ran into problems and couldn’t have the figure move because the foundation had issues. The yeti was put into “B mode” where it was stationary and had a strobe light flash as the train went by to try to trick you into thinking it was moving. So the BIG marketing point doesn’t work and no idea when Disney will close the ride for a long term repair. There was even a parody song made about Disco Yeti . In my book due to the lack of attraction WOW and SIZZLE, it’s towards the bottom of the list.

9 Disneyland Paris

Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant
Disneyland Paris

The first of the Disneyland style parks to hit my list a number nine. This park visit was October of 2008. The park has according to me and the person I traveled with had some of the best rides when compared to their counterparts in the other parks. We agreed that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Phantom Manor, Pirates of the Caribbean (at that time) and Space Mountain were by far the best version of the ride that Disney had to offer. Big Thunder, ride under the Rivers of the Far West to the island in the middle and experience your ride there before traveling back under the river to unload. Pirates, tell the story in the correct order which hadn’t been fixed in the other parks after the initial concept at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. Phantom Manor, a different more macabre take on the Haunted Mansion concept based on the idea that the town had changed after the gold strike. Space Mountain Missions Deux, a launched coaster based on Jules Verne Mission to the Moon shooting riders out into space with loops and excitement galore inside of the building structure. What would drop this park to be so low on the list? The cleanliness and upkeep. The park was horrible in those areas. There were cigarette butts all over the place. People smoking in the queues. Light bulbs were out all over the place. Trash cans overflowing. Litter around the park. The cleanliness of the parks is what is supposed to separate a Disney park from its rivals. When asked during the original planning of Disneyland why his park would be different from carnivals or other attractions Walt determined and insisted that he would keep his park clean. The water in the lagoon for the Nautilus walk through was so filled with algae that inside you couldn’t see the attack of the giant squid properly and on the water surface bubbly scum floated on top from the algae laden water. The speakers on the Space Mountain vehicles didn’t work. Lastly, there were fiberglass rock structures that were kicked in. I was so disappointed as a big Disney fan and former custodial host after traveling half way around the globe that I started to cry. It’s not just about the rides, it’s the whole experience wrapped up and delivered to the guests.

8 Disney Hollywood Studios

Disney Hollywood Studios sign

The second of the four Florida parks on the list with last visit in April 2010. This park too suffers from the fact that it is now a faux studio with no real work being done there. I can remember visiting the park in September 1989 when it was Disney-MGM Studios and being so excited about the fact they were making real movies and TV shows there. Walking through and seeing the sets for Wheel of Fortune and The New Mickey Mouse Club or riding upon the back of a bumble bee to make a green screen insert for Honey I Shrunk the Kids provided as we say in Hawaii, chick skin moments (For those of who not in Hawaii and don’t’ speak Hawaii Creole, aka pidgin, chicken skin means to get goose bumps). Move forward to 2010 and it’s just a shell of what it used to be one. For me one of the highlights was the Citizens of Hollywood. I absolutely adore these people. The fact they can work their improve, keep it clean, for the most part, stay in character, take what is given to them and bring smiles and laughter just amazes me. Upon my last visit, the staff has been cut down, cut me down. The shows Beauty and the Beast, Indiana Jones and Lights, Motor, Action has stopped to impress me. Yes, they had added Toy Story Mania and The American Idol Experience but the overall magic of movie making had been lost. The giant sorcerers’ hat didn’t add much and was blocking the beautiful view of the Chinese Theater. Although granted, a picture taken down Hollywood Blvd and using Photoshop to insert Neil Patrick Harris did help me win a contest (Day at the Park with Neil Patrick Harris), the idea of Hollywood in the 1930’s-40’s had been contaminated with the addition of what would become the icon of the park.  One bright spot for the park is that they still have the original Tower of Terror with the Fifth Dimension room. I know that my upcoming visit in October 2016 will be like my last visit to Disney California Adventure in 2010 with lots of construction walls so not sure if this ranking will change anytime soon.

7 Tokyo Disneyland

Partners statue at
Tokyo Disneyland

Surprisingly, this park is in the bottom half of my rankings even with my visit in June 2016. I had worked at the Magic Kingdom in 1986 and many aspects of this park remind me of that time. They still have the old Autopia, Star jets, Country Bear Jamboree, Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, and the old style Dumbo ride where you can see the giant pneumatic pistons keep the park rooted in the past. One the plus side, the Japanese take aspects of the parks and bring them to a whole new level. The customer service at the park is just WOW. As an English speaker, they went out of their way to try to help me. Many of the cast members spoke English, but if they didn’t they would move very quickly to get help. I was looking for post cards and stamps and the Cast Members were extremely accommodating to assist me. Their food selections were different, but familiar and yet crazy all at the same time. How they handle you at restaurants while they are crowded and how they handled parade crowds would be wonderful if they could transfer those skills to the American parks. The popcorn flavor selection, the popcorn buckets and Dreamlight parade brings it up on the rating, but with all the items rooted in the past the ranking isn’t in the top 50% on my list.

6 Epcot

Spaceship Earth at night

At one point in time Epcot or more correctly EPCOT Center was the love of my Disney life. I had finished the Walt Disney World College Program in the spring of 1986 and stayed on through the summer working The Land Theater and The Kitchen Kabaret. As a cast member I had access to the library and spent hours watching videos of imagineers talking about the different pavilions, why it had a particular sponsor, the story being told at each location and inevitably each finished with the explanation of the double knit polyester costume used to complement the story. I loved the learning aspect and took all the tours I could sign up for at the time, edutainment at its finest! Now jump forward to spring 2010, my first visit during the Flower and Garden show. The show itself was impressive, but there had been no new pavilions in years and they relied on the show to bring in people because the park itself didn’t have new and exciting features. The guest center for the event was being housed in what used to be the Wonders of Life pavilion which opened in 1989 and then has sat empty of full pavilion status since 2007. Heck, World Showcase hasn’t seen a new country since 1988. Because of this miring and stagnation, Epcot and Tokyo Disneyland positions are interchangeable.

5 Hong Kong Disneyland

Sleeping Beauty Castle
Hong Kong Disneyland

People are going to be surprised at my ranking here with Hong Kong. During my first visit to the park in June 2007, the sight of the mountains behind Sleeping Beauty Castle gave me the chills. To me it made sense that a fairytale castle would have the backdrop of mountains. My original trip coincided with pirates taking over of Adventureland to try to draw people to the park. Between that visit and my next one in June of 2016, they added a number of items including Small World and three new lands: Grizzly Gulch, Toy Story Land and Mystic Point. While the park is small, the additional lands help flesh it out. The area of Fairy Tale Forest and the vignettes from many of the classic tales with their animated scenes added a charming layer of whimsy that brought a smile to my face. On this trip I again stayed at the Hollywood Hotel on property, but this time, I walked to the park instead of taking the bus. The back promenade between the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel and the entrance plaza walking among the character banners, water fountains, topiary and sculptured landscaping set the atmosphere. Walking in again I had that heightened sense of anticipation knowing what I would see again. Tomorrowland was pulled apart as they were getting ready for Star Wars to take over which was going to open two days after I left plus the building of the Iron Man Experience construction limited movement in the area but with Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars terrain coaster and the styling and story of Lord Henry Mystic and his monkey companion Albert at Mystic Manor more than balanced out the excitement level. Add to that the original Paint the Night parade, Hong Kong Disneyland lands in the upper half of my rankings.

4 Shanghai Disneyland

Enchanted Storybook Castle at night
Shanghai Disneyland

After visiting Disney’s new park during the Grand Opening on June 16, 2016, it ends up ranking in the top third of my list. Shanghai Disney was unique among the Disneyland style parks. Tomorrowland was on the left and not the right. No Main Street USA or World Bazaar but Mickey Avenue. No hub, no train circling the park or within the park. In front of the humongous Enchanted Storybook Castle and not part of Fantasyland were Dumbo and the carrousel. Lots of deviations from the normal expectations but replaced with many unique facets Disney styled for the Chinese market. Going back to the castle for a moment, it was HUGE with the attraction inside of the first Disney princess Snow White with tributes to the princesses that came afterwards. The Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure was a masterpiece of the blending animatronic, environment and screen technology that just caused your mouth to drop. The Captain Jack stunt show with a feature that I won’t reveal here I hadn’t seen before. The magical environmental storytelling of Tarzan: Call of the Jungle with the incorporation of the Chinese acrobatics kept me mesmerized. The Voyage to the Crystal Grotto boat ride that brings you under the castle in a ride is unique to Shanghai. Over in Adventure Isle they had a ropes course that had me hanging strictly by my harness as my foot slipped off a cable and for the first time in my life I lost a pair of sunglasses. Lastly mounting a cycle to be enveloped in the electronic world of Tron Light Cycle Power Run is something that I hope they leave in Shanghai to force Disney fans to get their passport and Chinese visa to experience a Magic Kingdom of a different level.

3 Magic Kingdom

Custodial host on the right!

This rating is mostly sentimental. My last visit to the Magic Kingdom was in April 2010, but it was my first which vividly sticks in my mind. The Challenger shuttle had exploded just a week or so before my college program started. My first steps EVER into a Disney park were through stairwell number 9 by Lancer’s Inn, what is now Mrs. Potts, looking out to swarms of sea gulls hanging around trying to get food dropped by or stolen from people sitting at tables with umbrellas and on the other side of the walkway was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. My first entry ever into a Disney park was as a cast member. It wasn’t until a week later, on my first day off, I parked in the regular parking lot with thousands of others to take the tram to the TTC then the ferry across the Seven Seas Lagoon to walk in the gates as a guest. Many of my memories are tied to helping people as a custodial host. Gone are the Sky Buckets, Mike Finks Keel Boats, the bird show in Adventureland where I nearly wet myself with excitement as I was allowed to help walk out a hyacinth macaw and Tabasco the 80’s cover band who would make their entrance or exit as I pushed the button on the elevator stage at the Tomorrowland Terrace. More memories about the Magic Kingdom, rather than the attractions and shows in the park were of the program itself and the friends made. Even today, 30 years later a number of us are still in contact.

Cinderella Castle
Magic Kingdom

Damn it…I got water drops screwing up my key board now. Twenty ten was my DC2CerUMA, Disney Coast to Coast-er Universally Magic Adventure doing the six US Disney parks, riding all the attractions on both coasts that weren’t under rehab, passing out Awesome Job cards by catching people doing their jobs well and as stated in other blog posts, visiting with Disney friends old and new so while I was traveling solo, I wasn’t traveling alone. Yeah, a very sentimental rating because of people and friends instead of rides, parades and shows.

2 Disneyland

me and partner statue
Disneyland, Anaheim, CA

What to say about Disneyland. This is where it all started. Walt Disney planned and tinkered and experimented and created a new American cultural touch stone with this park. It’s been the foundation for what was planted in five other global locations. It’s small but it’s very intimate. This is where WED Enterprises cut their teeth designing attractions that even after 60 years are still in place. The iconic monorail, the Matterhorn, Small World brought back from the 1964-65 New York World's Fair, the omni mover from The Haunted Mansion, Great Moments with Mr Lincoln also from the New York World's Fair, the Jungle Cruise, all elements that mapped out the blue prints and standards for the future in technology, creativity and story telling. It all helped found a company that has influenced America and people around the world. You stand on Main Street USA looking at Sleeping Beauty Castle and wonder what Walt would think of his park today. You look at the light illuminating the window in the apartment above the firehouse and just say to yourself, Thank You or in my case, Mahalo for having the guts, insight, fortitude and willingness to surround yourself with people who were willing to push boundaries and the financial wrangling (Roy I’m looking at you!) to have a dream and vision come true.

1 Tokyo DisneySea

Mt Prometheus behind
Fortress Explorations

Here is it, the top dog, the big cheese, the golden Mickey. To think this or a variation of it could have ended up in Long Beach although if it had, I don’t think it would be at the top of the list. This park really shows what Imagineering is capable of doing when provided the budget. To walk in past the Aquasphere and under the Hotel Mira Costa to the reveal of Mediterranean Harbor is one of the moments you won’t forget. For the first time in June of 2007 and again in June 2016, looking at Mt Prometheus with its smoking vents and occasional rumbles with expulsions of flame with the large Fortress Explorations in front of it as a streamer moves to the left and seems to approach a Venice canal gondola cause you to wonder what mystic portal you just stepped through transforming and transporting you from the everyday world into this unique environment. The Ports of Call instead of lands let you know you’re not in your typical Disney park. Owned by the Oriental Land Company they have to constantly change the park to keep the local population which is the largest group of attendees coming in through the turn styles. The architecture and blend of attractions have those fine details that distinguish this park among the Disney park roster. But, it’s the constant changing of the parades, shows, special events and food mean you won’t experience the same park twice. The one strike for the park is that a number of the newest attractions like Toy Story Mania, Fantasmic or Turtle Talk with Crushwhich can find elsewhere are almost direct copies as compared to the attractions early in the park’s life like Aquatopia, Journey to the Center of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea or my absolute favorite attraction across all of the Disney parks, Sindbad’s Storybook Adventure located in the Arabian Coast section of the park. OLC poured $4 billion into the park and surroundings when it opened in 2001 and are looking to invest $50B into the entire resort between 2014 and 2024. It’s going to be fun watching the park evolve even further.

So that’s my list. With my upcoming trip to the US parks for the first time in six years, my rankings may change. Cars Land, World of Color and Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure, experiencing Food and Wine for the first time at Epcot, the new Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios being ripped up for the new Star Wars lands and maybe The Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will undoubtedly factor into those rankings.

Are you P12 meaning that you’ve experienced all twelve parks? If so, share your rankings let’s see what makes or breaks your rankings for the parks? You know, P12 probably isn’t a good name because eventually Disney will build their 13^th park. What would you call it instead?

Memorial Day remembered

Growing up the son of a florist meant holidays took on a different meaning. For weeks before a flower holiday, things got tense at home as my dad would be getting the store ready and then the week of, wouldn’t see him until late at night. Unlike other retail stores where you could buy your gift or card well in advance and hold onto them until the holiday, flowers being perishable meant that everything got crammed into the last few days before date that was bolded or otherwise highlight on the calendar.

Memorial Day was unique among the flower holidays. Instead of grabbing a single bloom, bunches of flowers, a plant or small arrangements, dad was making these huge arrangements. You been to a funeral? Those kinds of arrangements. Big ones. Ones that were heavy and took up lots of space.

When I was in grade school, my dad’s flower shop was in the downtown corridor of my little home town. Maynard, Massachusetts - small town America with a big stripe of hometown pride. There was my dad’s shop sandwiched between Firestones on the left and The Outdoor Store on the right, right there on Nason Street. The place was narrow but long-ish with most of the floor taken up by the glass display refrigerator and selling space in the front, a smaller work space in the back and storage space in the basement that you got to via a narrow staircase.

As a kid, when I would visit dad at the flower shop during the Memorial Day week I remember these HUGE arrangements being created and shuttled around. My dad and his brother John would be making the arrangements on these two benches. The would grab a special papier mâché type of vase. Sometimes it would get stuffed with shredded sytrofoam and sometimes they would put in a product called Oasis both used to hold the flower in place. They would grab ferns and leather leaf to create a background. Elastics holding the bunches together were either pulled or snapped off in order to get to the individual pieces. Then would come the big background flowers like gladiolas or pompom chrysanthemums. They would grab the stem and then break it to the appropriate height then discard the broken, unused stem at their feet. Other flowers like carnations, daisies or mini carnations were used for the middle. Occasionally a dozen roses would be wired up to keep the heads from drooping and then inserted into the arrangement. Finally, baby’s breath or statice was interspersed among the blooms to give the final touches to fill out the creation. The entire process, start to finish, taking 15-25 minutes to complete.

Each was unique. Between placement, type and color of flowers, each was its own master piece of creative artisanship. Each was special.

Now it had to be stored. That was the tough part. The front of the store didn’t have much space to start with as it was stuffed with geraniums and other plants but some were squeezed up there. Many were taken down the stairs to the basement and put on the floor or on shelves that were hanging from the walls. Eventually this location was filled. Once or twice a day they were brought up from the basement through the bulkhead into the van in the alley that separated my dad’s store from The Outdoor Store and transported to a secondary storage location. My parents had bought the house next to my childhood home. During the front end of Memorial Day week, the place would be stuffed with these large arrangements. The van would head there and fill up the living room, dining room, den and basement with these floral displays.

Behind our house was a greenhouse and that was chock filled with geraniums and mum plants. After dropping off the arrangements, the back of the van was loaded with the plants to bring back to the flower shop to replace those that had been sold. Towards the end of the week the van would be picking up and not dropping off anything as the house once again became empty and the stock level of the green house dropped down.

This routine changed while in was in Junior High School. My dad remodeled the house next door so that the first floor living space sans an enclosed porch area and the kitchen became the retail selling space and a new 20X40 addition with full basement on the back of the building became the work and storage area. The old green house had been torn down and a new larger one was placed further back.

The Sunday late afternoon and night before the holiday I can remember walking the 20 steps between the house to the flower shop and watching dad. The front door was locked and he was in the back room at the bench where he always worked. On the bench were circular styrofoam rings. He was taking gilded or coated magnolia leafs and special U-shaped pins and stick the leaves to the ring overlapping the pins with the leaves so the pin would be hidden. He would take a red white and blue stripped ribbon and hand make a bow with long tails. The bow was attached to the top and the tails attached towards the bottom side. He would also make a couple of small flower bouquets with the bases of the stems held together with string. When it was done, it was wrapped in waxy green tissue paper.

Early on Memorial Day my dad would get up early and load the van with all of the wreaths and bouquets to deliver them. Maynard wouldn’t exist without the Assabet River. In the downtown area there are three bridges that crossed it at Main Street, Walnut Street and Waltham Street. He would head to these bridges and manage to attach a wreath to each as well as leave a bouquet. During the Memorial Day events the bouquets were thrown into the river as a tribute to those who had lost their lives in service to the country. At the memorial park area on Summer Street he would set up a stand and place one wreath there.

I think dad loved and was privileged for doing it for several reasons. One, he was a vet himself after serving in Korea. Two, Maynard is a tight knit community with veteran’s organizations like the VFW and American Legion in town. Although, I’m not sure if they still exist there today. Even as I checked my Facebook this morning, someone from Maynard posted pictures of the parade going down Main Street with a color guard, veterans, a band and boy and girl scouts, with stops on the Main Street bridge and the memorial park. Lastly, I think dad did it to honor an uncle I never knew, his brother Stanley who was killed in action and is buried over in the Philippines. Didn’t know anything about him because dad barely ever mentioned anything about Stanley or what he himself did while in the military.

Later in the day the family would head to the cemetery to visit my brother Scott’s grave. I never knew him. As we’d enter Glenwood Cemetery there would be many graves with flowers, plants, bouquets or arrangements on them. Some of my dad’s flowers were there. I’d handed out some of them within the few previous days. We’d go over and mom and dad would clean around the marker and dig out the dirt and debris that had gotten into the engraved letters.  Mom’s there now laid to rest next to her first son. After a few years we’d head over to Grammy Tomyl’s grave. She passed during the summer between finishing junior high school and starting high school. She was buried in a different part of the cemetery. Being one of the two florists in town my dad knew the guys who worked for the cemetery. Sometimes they’d be there and they’d come over and talk to the family giving dad the low down of what was happening.

That’s what I remember. As a kid I ended up helping at the flower shop through high school and college and the few years after until I left to move to Hawaii to go to school. Even in those few years I can remember the number of geraniums sold going down and all that space that was originally built into the new flower shop not being fully utilized as an older generation passed away and the meaning of the weekend shifting from that of remembrance to that of being a three day weekend, a chance to get away. When I would talk to dad and ask about the holidays were going with sales he’d say something along the lines of “It isn’t like it used to be.” I think being a florist’s son gave me a different perspective because flowers tie into people and events in a much deeper, more personal level. So I sit here, recalling, reminiscing and reflecting about part of what Memorial Day means to me.