Adventures of Jason and gabi

TENNESSEE - NASHVILLE

2011-03-01T13:35:00.022-05:00

NASHVILLE TENNESSEE

Once upon a time I lived worked and went to college in Nashville. Much has changed since then so Gabi and I went just to see how things have changed. She had not ever been so I was going to treat her to some things that usually only the locals know about. First off the Foreign Market on Nolinsville road. We stopped here to get fruit and other snacks for our hiking trips. Las Palmas on Antioch Pike was a great place to take her to lunch since I hadn't been in 17 years. Th food was still as good as it always has been as was the case for the great pizza place in the Arcade. we walked all over the city and visited several major locations. I suggest riding a bus into town, drinking at the local bars that are NOT on Broadway or 2nd ave and just walking around. Nashville is a very walkable city!

INSIDE FORT NASHBORO

It is very strange to see a row of log cabin style buildings in the midst of a hustling metropolis but those are not just an attraction. These buildings are actually what is called Fort Nashboro and what really amounts to be the first makings of Nashville. Its set up like any town back then would be and it is kept up by the local government. This place really gives a good feel to how this wonderful city started an any visit to Nashville without seeing Fort Nashboro is not really a visit to Nashville. After all its free and a wonderful place to take pictures and walk around a bit.

Nashville is one of those places where there are little hidden gems everywhere. Such as the sign outside the Arcade section of town for a place called THE AMBERS SHOWCASE. This sign is for a business that hasn't been in operation since the civil war. It was a very famous brothel. Another example of these many hidden gems is the statue of a dog in an alley off of 2nd ave. that honors a dog that loved his walks around the area.

Some places in the area are very touristy but the thing that makes even the tourist traps in Nashville interesting is th history tat comes with them. Take for instance the Ryman Auditorium. Known for hosting the Grand Ole Opry back in its heyday. Most tourists walk by and take their pictures not realising the significance to the city. This was basically the place whee country music was born.

Strange sculpture across the river in Nashville

Downtown Nashville

Another unique thing about Nashville is that you can visit it a a major city, the music capitol, a bar hopping excursion, a way to see government work, a cultural experience etc. There are so many aspects to Nashville you would not even know about if you didn't explore it from many aspects.

Ancient Tennessee Artifact - Tennessee State Museum

One of the wonderful places that most tourists overlook is the FREE, yes I said FREE, Tennessee State Museum right in the center of town. This museum showcases Tennessee from every possible perspective. It follows the history of the state through artifacts and exhibits from ancient people to modern times. It also showcases art and culture of the area focusing on the unique people that have made Tennessee a rich place.

When I say the Tennessee state museum goes over the history of the are I mean IN DETAIL! almost every significant event to happen in Tennessee is displayed with artifacts, interactive displays, films and descriptive illustrations. The civil war exhibit alone covers almost an entire floor. We spent two hours here and was reading and walking very fast and still missed alot. You'll really need to soak this in and it will take some time.

A STEAM CAR - TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM

RECORDER USED AT SUN STUDIOS TO PRODUCE ELVIS'S FIRST ALBUM

A few miles from downtown a small area not ruined by urban sprawl holds an agricultural center and an excellent little state museum that showcases th agricultural history of the the state. The admission to the Tennessee agricultural museum is free and although small this is a very interesting place to visit.I must warn you tough. Each museum we visited in Nashville we had to wait on giant classes of elementary students to pass. If you are going to visit these wonderful places keep in mind that Field trips may also be going on when you go.

A beautiful horse outside the Tennessee Agricultural Museum

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

GEORGIA - FORT MOUNTAIN STATE PARK

2011-02-26T13:19:00.005-05:00

GEORGIA - FORT MOUNTAIN STATE PARK

Mysterious Rock Wall

STONE TOWER AT FORT MOUNTAIN

Some state parks have great hiking to mountain overlooks. Some state parks have pristine lakes where you can fish and boat in a beautiful setting and nature abounds. Some state parks feature great amenities such as camping, picnicking etc and others have wonder historic monuments and significance as well as folklore and myth surround them. Some state parks are known for their challenging mountain bike trails. Fort Mountain State Park in Georgia has all this and more. This is a one stop wonderland for anyone who loves the outdoors. We saw hawks, deer and bear in a one day trip we did last spring. I would suggest the first thing you should do is stop at the visitor center for snacks, souvenirs, and a map.

STEEP STAIRS ON TRAIL

Most of the trails here are fairly easy however thee are sections that have steep walkways and steps. the overlooks in this park are just amazing and they have nice benches and wooden decks over the cliff edges to allow you to see the entire valley below and te circling hawks above.

Along the left side of the fort wall trail as you go up you'll see an a small rock wall. This is an ancient mysterious wall that has many stories about how it came about. There are wonderful signage along the way describing the tales. The legend of the moon eyed people being my favourite, Suggesting there is a lost people living on Fort Mountain who eyes look like the moon and only come out at night. Are these the people responsible for this wall?

There are trails that go to waterfalls around the edges of a cliff and even strings mountain biking trails with elevation gains that look like vertical drops on the map we were using. There is also a wonderful easy hike around the entire lake that also works as an interpretive trail showing all the plants that were used by the local native americans who lived here for healing and cooking.

This is a great place for a day hike, a weekend camping or a couple of fishing days. The lake has paddle boat and row boat rentals and a nice sandy beach for families. This is a top notch State park and is a must visit.

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

TENNESSEE - BICENTENNIAL CAPITOL MALL

2011-02-20T20:04:00.002-05:00

Tennessee Bicentennial Capitol Mall

Entrance to the Lower section of the Capitol Mall

Gabi and I visited the Tennessee Capitol Mall on a very cold winter day! The lower section is filled with monuments that tell the ongoing story of Tennessee. The upper section contains the Capitol and some smaller monuments. Next to the lower section is the State Farmers market. Gabi and I visited all of these places.

First we went to he lower section and spent hours reading he monument and learning about the history of Tennessee. We we going at a faster pace so I could see someone spending and entire day just here! There's a giant map of Tennessee, many war memorials, a wall through history, and bell towers honoring musicians and other famous Nashville people.

The Farmers Market Next to the lower section was just getting started when we walk through. One big part is more lie a food concession center in a mall or Airport. lots of food stalls and such. Don't let this throw you off, many of these places use food grown here in Tennessee. In fact we bought some homemade Chow CHOW here. I LOVE CHOW CHOW. out back are the market vendors selling produce and plants. There was a great selection here as well. After the market we decided ti was time to scale to giant hill where the capitol sits. trust me this s no easy task. HUNDREDS of stairs and steep too! I mean we hike mountains and this little hill knock my breath out of me.

Atop the hill behind the parking lot of the Capitol building are remnants from the original capitol building that sat atop the Hill prior to the one wee see today.It is neat seeing these pieces laying there in ruin. Reminded me of seeing temple ruins in Rome or something. Makes great pictures too!

Next to the Capitol on the left side is the supposedly haunted tomb of James K. Polk. Trust me it is creepy even in the bright day of the morning it was dark there and after reading the plaque I was getting chills. I can see why some people think they see his ghost here in the middle of the night as they pass his tomb.

The Capitol Building is very intimidating. After standing there looking at for a while we decided we didn't want to go into it. I mean we just felt uncomfortable going in so we didn't. after walking to the front of the building we saw a large man in a tux holding a briefcase. I asked him where the entrance was and he said "I don't know sir" and walked away very fast and suspiciously. STRANGE. If you live in Tennessee or even visit you should see the Capitol.

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

TENNESSEE - BLEDSOE CREEK STATE PARK

2011-02-12T18:49:00.001-05:00

BLEDSOE CREEK STATE PARK

Sign outside park entrance

Well, Gabi and I visited this park as part of the 4 State paks in one day trip in Nashville. We had no idea they closed this park up for winter but that didnt stop us. We didnt climb any gates or anything but the part that was stillopen was a few paved trails, Playground and boardwalk area, so we explored.

The small boardwalk went over the lake. The walk makes a geat point for pictures of the lake. YES another park near Nashville that has trails around a lake! Alot fo those around here. The park was completly empty and I am not sure we should have went into teh park seeing it was closed but we did it anyway.

The problem I have, and the reason I want to revisit the park is that since the parks visitor center was closed we didnt get to see alot fo the park, know any of the history o feel like we actually got aything out of it other than pictures. We definatly have torevisit this one. It is a very pretty place. I jut want to know and ee more of it.

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

TENNESSEE - LONG HUNTER STATE PARK

2011-02-10T13:20:00.002-05:00

Long Hunter State Park

Paved Trail around the small lake

Gabi and visited Long Hunter state park the same day as 4 state parks in Nashville in one day! The museum/visitor center here is very insightful and useful. The pars maps are very detailed and the head park ranger here is the best. I cannot remember his name but he told us all the history and things to do one could ever imagine. He also told us of a state park that i not listed and hard to find. He recommended we take the paved hike around the smaller Lake. This was an easy trail.

Flood damaged fishing pier

There were remnants of the great Nashville Flood of 2010 along the trail. Don't worry though most of the docks and the wooden bridge were untouched. In fact we were told all the fishing utilities and recreational amenities in the park will be up and running as usual by springtime.

This is such a beautiful and HUGE place. There are many trails in the park from easy to extreme but the one around the lake is a must. The lake was an accident. When TVA flooded the valley and created the much larger lake in the park water rose up and formed a lake that unfortunately appeared in the middle of a road. The road is gone but you can still see part of it.

Pier over the small lake

I would recommend this park for hiking, wildlife viewing and recreation of all kinds. We are glad we found this one. A must when visiting the Nashville Area just remember to visit the great visitor center/Museum and get a map!!

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

TENNESSEE - CEDARS OF LEBANON STATE PARK

2011-02-09T18:53:00.000-05:00

CEDARS OF LEBANON STATE PARK - TENNESSEE

This is a very secluded park on the outskirts of Nashville and thus it is worth seeing. Gabi and I arrived on the day we visited 4 state parks in one day. The weather was COLD! The park was empty and we were went on a 2 mile hike the Ranger recommended to us.

The trail i very easy an would probably be much easier if it wasn't 20 degrees outside. The park is well maintained and the trail was full of neat sinkholes and rock formations.

The park itself has various amenities but we weren't able to use any of them. Be sure to visit the visitor center get a map and ask about the history of the park. Its very interesting that the park was named after a biblical land and doesn't contain any Cedar Trees other than one planted by park staff.

If you get visit the Nashville area I recommend visiting this park as well. Its definitely a picnic, easy walk park. Perfect for families too. Just be aware that there re houses very close to the and if you get off the trails too far you'll be on private property. Also make note some of the markers on the trail we took were kind of confusing and the map doesn't help too much either.

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

RADNOR LAKE STATE PARK

2010-12-16T20:16:00.000-05:00

RADNOR LAKE STATE PARK

Gabrielle taking pictures at Radnor Lake

In a way to help us visit all the Tennessee state parks in the next few years Gabrielle and I went to Nashville and visited 4 in one day! The first one was Radnor Lake State Park. This was also her Birthday trip and since she was born in December it was VERY COLD IN NASHVILLE!!! It was about 30 degrees or less the entire time. Several times it snowed on us as we hiked but that definitely added to our experience.

Radnor Lake was designated a state park in the70's but has always been a preferred place for birdwatchers. When we explored the trails we heard hundreds of song birds IN DECEMBER!!! The history of the place goes back to Native Americans on up through the pioneer days and even now holds something special for its visitors!

Above the small dam

A small dam was made to form the lake for recreational use. The result is a wonderful pocket of wilderness and nature. Radnor is a small getaway from the busy streets of Nashville but not too far away. The sun rose up through the cold air and the glaring sun reflected the waters like a dream sequence in a 1980's romance movie. It was definitely a fantastical place. Along our journey a fat little chipmunk ran along side us very slowly! I am not sure what he gets fed but he sure wasn't starving. Gabrielle said he looked just like Theodore from Alvin and the chipmunks!

Sculpture by Mother Nature

Along the trails past the dam area are little places next to the shore that in winter time offers a natural sculpture garden. Roots, vines and other materials used by Mother Nature to create amazing abstract art with the lake gleaming in the background. This place is a complete dream.

The trails are easy and that is a good thing because it was so cold. There is small museum in the front of the park with a great tracing of the parks history. the girl who was on staff the day we visited was very helpful and told us about many aspects of the park including a local art group who paint at the lake en plein air and meet so often throughout the year! If there were any place that could inspire a group of plein air artists this is it! The only thing I would recommend is a GPS as this place is pretty hard to find even with a GPS we had a few challenges, it is basically located in middle of an upper scale neighborhood and the signs are not marked the best!

MORE PHOTOS ON FACEBOOK HERE

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

TATE PARK

BELIZE

2010-12-10T17:59:00.001-05:00

Part 6 from Florida to Central America 2010

BELIZE

Once the Carnival Legend docked in Belize we headed straight for the gates to meet up with the independent tour company Cave-tubing.com. Just like at other ports the Cruise ship warned of dangers here outside the gates. We also overheard people

saying it looked scary out there and they weren’t going. Well they sure missed out. Belize City was beautiful and although we only drove through on a bus I would not have any trouble feeling safe there!

Once outside the gates we met up with Speedo one of the guides for Cave-tubing.com. He nicknamed me Moonshine because I am from Tennessee and by the end of the day everyone was calling me that! They are big on nicknames here in Belize! Once on the bus we were treated to a semi tour of the city as we made our way out of the city and into the jungles of Belize where a little hut style bar awaited us. It was here we got onto ATV'S and travelled through the muddy jungle trails. Gabrielle had trouble figuring out the controls as she had never ridden one before so one of the guides helped her out the entire time making sure she was getting it and comfortable! We were a muddy mess when we ere done but that’s what we wanted! It was a fun ride! The people at Cave-tubing.com were there the entire time watching after us.

After the Jungle ATV ride, we reloaded the bus, were given samples of cashew wine and went down the long dirt road to Caves Branch Archaeological Reserve where we grabbed our tubes and headlamps and began our thirty minute hike into the jungle. It was not a hard hike but most of the group was traveling faster than our comfort level in the heat so we were lagging behind a bit. My wife had trouble carrying her tube so Speedo helped out with it. Once at the mouth of the caves we were able to swim a bit in the cold (they call it refreshing) water! Trust me it is VERY refreshingly cold after the hot walk.

Once in our tubes it was a relaxing journey through the caves. The formations were amazing and the air cool! it is very hard for me to explain the experience because every word I can come up with isn’t enough to describe it. This is something that must be on your must do before you die list. The water is calm so it is not scary for those who are worried about that! We took a cheap digital camera with us that stopped working halfway through so we didn’t get many pictures. Make sure if you take your camera that it is one you don’t mind

ruining or get a water cover!

On the way back they stopped back at the hut/bar again and offered a free lunch of chicken and rice. We thought it was the best food all trip! Very authentic Belizean meal! Gabi and I are foodies so we appreciated that! I loved the Belizean beer they had there called Belekin Beer and wished I could find it here in Tennessee. Speedo and the rest for the crew are great people and we left feeling as if we actually made friends in Belize with them! I gave the tour a good tip and gave Speedo a half a pack of my grape cigars that he liked! Wished I could have afforded a

shirt but my money was pretty spent after the many Belekin I drank.

We made it back to our ship on time and as promised. The crew of Cave-Tubing.com were some of the most professional group we had ever encountered. We would do this again and at a total of $75 for the entire day of ATV and Tubing and meal why wouldn’t we recommend this!?! This is a MUST!

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

ISLA ROATAN HONDUROUS

2010-12-09T22:50:00.000-05:00

Day 5 from Florida to Central America Adventure
ISLA ROATAN HONDOURUS

Our cruise Ship, the Carnival Legend arrived at the port named Mahogany Bay in Honduras on the beautiful Island of Roatan. The port is cool and full of eye candy but you MUST leave the port to get a real feel of the island. This manmade commercial area is nowhere near the real Roatan! We did not go with the ship on this one. I would recommend doing what we did by hiring your own driver for the day to take you wherever you want to go even on a whim! The company we used is the best we saw! We used Victor Bodden Tours click link. We would defiantly use his company again. Victor and all his employees we encountered seemed liked they were there to make sure we had a great time, and we did, thanks to them.

Our guide was Wordy. Wordy was very nice, informative and cared about what WE wanted to do! He even stopped at a local gas station for me to get the local drink he recommended, Banana soda. I recommend the soda just as much as Wordy and Victor Bodden. You can request a certain driver when you make you reservations and you don’t pay until your done with the tour!!! You have to walk out of the port gates and Victors people will be there waiting on you!

On our way away from the port area he told us about the islands history, politics, culture and food! We learned the children were getting ready for their independence day and as we saw a school band practicing he allowed us to stop and watch for a minute and take pictures! He drove us through the real roads which by the way don’t have speed limits or stop signs! Let’s just say they make great use of their horns!

Our first requested stop was the iguana farm Click Here! This place was started to protect the iguana on the island from being eaten. On the island it is a delicacy. Here the iguana are safe, protected and well taken care of. We were able to feed them giant leafy veggies and they came out of everywhere! Hundreds of them piled in mounds trying to eat from our hands! It was pretty scary! They made me realize if one of these things were to go Godzilla on us we would have no chance! They were in the trees, and crawling everywhere! You really get a good experience with the wildlife here! They have a few other animals in small cages that I wished had bigger habitats. Down at the back of this small attraction is a dock over the bay that showcases the areas sea creatures, this part is amazing. We saw all kinds of turtles, barracuda, stingrays and other things swimming right by you!

After the Iguana Wordy took us to a high mountain peak with a wonderful view with a few people selling trinkets! The view was amazing and the trinkets were neat too! We didn’t buy any because we didn’t carry much money with us over what we needed to see what we wanted to see.

We then headed to Carambola Gardens, Click here. Gabi and I were planning to visit the gardens and hike up the mountain but it was so hot we could barely do the gardens without feeling like we were going to pass out! The gardens are very worth it though! They are not some botanical garden set in the middle of some city with plants form the jungle like most places of this type, no; instead this is a botanical garden that is really in the jungle! The pathways are confusing but you will not care as the plant life at every turn is interesting! You will see hummingbirds and butterflies that are indigenous to Honduras and a delight to see! You will see glimpses and hear the Monkey Lala, a local lizard, but good luck seeing it for longer than a second or getting even a blurry picture of one of these fast creatures! This place is run by a real nice gentleman from North Carolina and is full of info! This place is worth visiting! Just make sure you have bottled water!

Next up we stopped at victor’s house where he has an attraction called MONKEY BUSINESS where you can actually pet monkeys and let them run around you! Of course they tried stealing my Gabi’s sunglasses and wearing them! We had emptied our pockets earlier and recommend you do the same or else they will steal something you won’t be able to get back! The monkey Gabi was holding was digging in her pocket and we

were laughing because we emptied our pockets but low and behold the monkey found a bottle cap she overlooked! It was lost and the monkey had a new toy! It seemed as if they use found objects from tourists as money and/or status symbols! There is also a nice collection of birds and other animals here and for five bucks this is a must! I am not sure if any other tours are allowed here so make sure you use Victor Bodden Tours!

Wordy then took me to see a local artist that is well known here in the states for his wood carvings. His name is Melvin Bodden. We drove up to his small house and were greeted with “welcome to my heaven!” Melvin is a wonderful artist and gave me great advice for my art! He showed us his sculpture outside then took us into his house and introduced us to his wife and showed us his paintings. He told me that he has sculpture all over the states but no one ever buys his paintings so I bought one! His paintings are very affordable! I would say if you visit him make sure you have $20 to $50 to purchase a great painting from him! His paintings he holds very personal and they mean more to him it seems! Melvin was a very spiritual artist and extremely shamanistic. I loved him right off the bat and hope to one day see him again! He is an inspiration and a visit to Roatan without seeing Melvin would be a loss!

Melvin told me of how he thought angels and space ships go together and he painted it. Thisis the painting I bought from him! He had many more paintings I wanted and wished I had brought more money with me!

One of his coolest sculptures is of a mermaid giving milk/life to a dolphin repressenting sea life! Melvin loved explaining his work just as much as we loved hearing him do so!

We then drove though Coxen Hole which is a neat local town with lots to see. Wordy offered to take us to west end to see the beach but we didn’t get out as we weren’t interested in the normal vacation touristy stuff. We told him we like the underground, rare strange and unique roadside type attractions! Not sure if he understood but he must have because the day was great and we learned a lot about the Island and its people! We saw some crazy tourist spots a lot of people miss and we will always hold Roatan in our hearts! Roatan is a place you have to see and you cannot see it from the port!

Carnival will try to keep you from the real places they take you by telling you that the outside gates are not safe etc. Don’t believe it for a minute. Go see the real places or don’t go at all!

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

Tennessee State park Challenge!!!

2010-12-09T20:55:00.000-05:00

Now I would try this in a year but Gabi and I are doing other trips too so shoving these in will be tough but this is what we plan to do! I am 36 years old. I have lived in Tennessee all my life I have only visited a few Tennessee state parks before Gabi and I got together. Since then we have visited less than half of them. My mission now is to visit all 53 Tennessee state park by my 40th birthday! That's 33 State Parks in less than 3 years! That's eleven state parks a year including our other trips we have planned! THAT'S A LOT! and when I say visit I don't mean dropping in for 5 minutes, I mean hiking, camping and taking advantage of the park the way it is meant to be seen. This is our mission and we are sticking to it. The best part is we are going to record our experiences here as usual!

WISH US LUCK!

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

TULUM - MEXICO

2010-12-09T20:37:00.000-05:00

From Florida to Central America PART 4

TULUM Mexico

We arrived in Cozumel got off the cruise ship, found our tour group, waited in a line, rode for about 30 minutes on a very fast and rough ferry boat to Playa Del Carmen,

got on a bus rode for anther long period of time (stopping at a gift shop along the way picking up snacks), arrived in the Tulum Parking area, Walked about a mile to the gates and then given a short tour. It was a long trek with lots of transportation but we had finally arrived at the great Mayan Temple of Tulum! We were very excited and it was defiantly something we will remember the rest of our lives.

We learned a lot from our guide such as the legends of 2012 and that it was the belief by the Mayan people it was a new beginning, a cycle of life and not necessarily the end of the world or of time! In fact we met a great couple who shared with us that they had brought the ashes of their beloved cat to spread at the site due to this belief! Gabrielle and I loved that.

Tulum is the only Mayan temple city built on the coast. The cliffs around the ancient city drop straight down into the ocean and beach below and you can go down to the beach and enjoy the water! Don’t listen to those telling you that you won’t have time. Just make sure to bring a watch with you and you’ll be fine. We were able to see most of the Mayan city on our own after our tour except on the far off hill and still had time to swim for about 30 minutes or so!

We took lots of pictures and thought the buildings reminded us of other great buildings from other civilizations. Something about the columns looked like ancient Greek ruins and some of the stone buildings reminded us of the ancient Native American houses and of course there’s the pyramid in center of town which screams Egypt until you learn more about it! The pyramid was actually a giant calendar and depending on what day it is in the month the sun would hit a particular spot. The Mayans were amazing people who created genius ways to measure time!

A lot of people think of the Mayans as savage but something we learned really opened our eyes. The sacrifices they made were never their own people and most always that of their enemy. This sounds like every other culture on this planet to me!

The area and the towns we passed through seemed very nice considering this is Mexico. In fact I asked about it and was told that the Yucitan was the prettiest and safest part of Mexico. You really can tell. Though we saw some poverity we never felt unsafe or bad about anything. Things just operate differently there. For instance instead of an automatic door they have two guys who manually slide the glass doors open at the gift shop. They actually have jobs instead of tecnologies and I think that is a good thing. Of course I did feel like what I was seeing could be in a great action movie.

The ancient city of Tulum was beautiful and a must see before you die! There were iguana all over and from what we heard its good to see them! It means there are no snakes around! On our way out we haggled at some of the shops and got a vendor to drop his price of a hammock from $40 to $16. Don’t give in and you’ll get it! Haggle haggle haggle! When we came back to the bus for the long journey back the tour guide gave us a ice cold rag for our face and head, its was much appreciated! We were on our Carnival cruise and booked this excursion through the ship and would reccomend this excursion to anyone!

We loved this place and are glad we saw it! VIVA LA MEXICO!!!

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

2010-12-09T19:31:00.000-05:00

Part 3 of the florida to central america trip 2010

Grand Cayman Island

There is supposedly allot to do here! We didn't see any of it. All we saw were tons of banks, gift shops and dullness. Nothing unconventional here. The main attractions are mainstream so we didn't partake, instead walking around trying to find the real culture. There is no real culture in Grand Cayman. The historical monuments are basically plastic pirates at gift shops with very badly written information that didn't sound very accurate.

I tried Caybrew beer and hated it. I mean there was just nothing here at all. so trying to make things better in a land of Hard Rock Cafes and Margerettavilleswe decided to go snorkeling.

I love snorkeling but Gabi got very sick from the waves. I would definitely go snorkel again but I doubt I would visit Grand Cayman again unless I was forced.

The small remnants of Fort George doesn't even have a historical marker with info on it. The park with the small fort can be walked in 10 steps, literally step ten times from on end to the other.

More photos of Grand Cayman on the facebook photo album. here http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?

id=1657864508&v=photos#!/album.php?aid=151205&id=1657864508

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

Busch Gardens Tampa bay

2010-10-06T19:33:00.002-04:00

Day two of our From Florida to Central America adventure.

On the few days prior to our cruise we stayed in Tampa Bay Florida. The hotel we stayed at was great, The Hampton Inn Rocky Point Tampa Bay. TIP They have a great rate for people cruising out of Tampa that includes transportation and parking for the entire cruise! The free breakfast here was excellent and the staff was super nice and understanding. The pool there was tiny but they will let you use the hotel next door for the pool since they are sister hotels. The beach that was in walking distance isn't usable, this was a disappointment for us but the hotel hosts told us there are dangerous bacteria in the waters. Across the parking lot literally is one of our favourite restaurants, Bahama Breeze.TIP though a bit pricey they have great food and you must try the house made beer, Aruba Red! I would definitely stay here again even though driving around the area was difficult to say the least, even with a navigator!

We arrived early at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, about an hour early and there was already a huge crowd of people waiting to get inside. This shouldn't have worried us because all day long the lines were short, and the park seemed vacant. We both have been here before but this time we did a few things we have never done before, the first being riding Sheikra. This coast has 90 degree drop straight down an looks intimidating. Too bad its bark is worse than its bite. Sure it was a fast ride but not really much to it. I got more thrills from Montu and Kumba as per usual. Those two are the best rides in the park. We both have a place in our hearts for Scorpion and hope it never meets the same fate as the great Python! Some classic rides just should be left alone.

This trip we did something else different. We tried the sunset safari (adults only) and while we fed giraffe and watched the other animals we drank free beer. Our guide Gabe was amazing. he knew more about the animals than most thick reference books! know a lot about animals but Gabi and I learned so much more than what we already knew that we left completely re-educated!

The park is big and after only two times around our feet was killing us! There was only one rude employee who told me I was a stalker for standing outside the bathrooms waiting on my wife to finish! TIP We found a great pizza place at the garden cafe, for $10 each you can all you can eat! Also don't try beating the crowds to Shiekra like we did, they wont open that side of the park til later and we found ourselves behind our planned schedule due to waiting at the edge of that section!

We love Busch gardens Florida and would definitely revisit if given the chance.

For more pictures of this adventure click here!

FROM FLORIDA TO CENTRAL AMERICA - DAY ONE

2010-10-02T18:57:00.018-04:00

SILVER SPRINGS NATURE PARK

Ocala Florida
http://silversprings.com/

Day one of our 2 week, From Florida to Central America trip.

We stayed overnight at the Country Inn and suits Ocala for a great deal found on priceline. After the long drive to Ocala Gabi and I were ready for a soft comfortable bed. Not only was the bed comfortable but it was the most comfortable bed in any hotel I have ever stayed. If you know me, I don't even like hotels, I would rather camp but in Florida and on the road camping is not an option. This Hotel was very nice with an enclosed pool and nice staff. I cant say enough about this place! We would definitely stay here again!

The next morning we arrived to a vacant Parking lot at Silver Springs. I was worried because of all the bad reviews I read about the place. I didn't care, I had been wanting to come here since I was 10 years old and some bad reviews was not going to stop me. Lets just say for the record that you can disregard any bad reviews you have read about Silver Springs! The place was beautiful, well maintained and the staff was very friendly. This is one of those OLD Florida attractions that has survived the Disney epidemic. This is a classic feeling park and thank goodness it has never changed that feel! Its refreshing to visit places like this.

As soon as we entered the park there were birds everywhere, parrots and displayed birds as well as wild ones. One thing I love about this place is that not only do they have displayed animals of Florida in the park to enjoy but they also have wild ones running around. In the springs there were wild gators swimming by the glass bottom boats and some for the most beautiful water birds you have ever seen! The animals on display all seemed very happy and well cared for.

The park has a long history as it was a trading post, fort and community over 100 years ago and since then has been used for many Hollywood films including the original Tarzan movies, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Legend and even James bond movies! TIP There is a museum in the shopping strip area that details the history of the Springs but it has no sign that we saw. Just look through he shop windows and you'll see it. Inside are relics from the movies, fossils that were found around the springs including saber tooth tiger skulls, brochures dating back to the parks beginnings and a great tale of Reese the original owner and how he tried to populate an island at the springs with monkeys. Little did he know that monkeys could swim and they escaped. You can see the monkeys in the park at times as they come out of the woods as they are still wild. In fact Florida is the only state in America that has a large population of wild monkeys. Reese Monkeys are now found over the entire state, all thanks to Reese!

There are three boat rides in the park and all are Glass Bottom, all recommended and all are very different. One focuses on the natural springs themselves, the other focuses on the areas where some films were made and the other focuses on the older history of the park where the fort and village areas are recreated. TIP One of the best attractions in the park is hard to find. In the back of the park near the bear trail look behind the gift shop and get onto the jeep safari. This bumpy ride takes you through animal habitats, through the jungles where Tarzan was filmed with some props still remaining and if your lucky (we weren't) the Reese monkeys will come to the jeep and welcome you!

Other things not to miss are the Lighthouse ride, a tower ride that lets you see the park from high above it. also a must do is getting your picture taken by the crooked palm tree, its good luck! Don't miss the gardens with their many walkways and Alligator feeding times! Those are some vicious gators! The handlers feed them whole prepared chickens. Inside the reptile building you can also see the elusive albino alligator! TIP If you come on a concert day the concert is included with the price!!

Gabi and I really enjoyed this park. We would definitely go back!

PROS Beautiful springs on every boat tour. Great animal exhibits with active animals. Park well maintained and employees very friendly.
CONS Pretty pricey, especially with a family. Two for one online coupons have many blackout dates. Gift shops are plenty but not stocked very well.

General /Senior Admission $29.99
Children (age 3-10) $24.99
Children (age 0-2) Free!
Hours, Directions and contact info available here
http://silversprings.com/hours.html

Ocala Country Inn and Suites info can be found here - http://www.countryinns.com/ocalafl

MORE PICTURES OF THIS ADVENTURE ARE ON JASONS FACEBOOK PAGE!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1657864508&v=photos#!/album.php?aid=151125&id=1657864508

See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

NEW LOOK NEW APPROACH

2010-09-29T23:46:00.003-04:00

We have a new look and new name. We are going to approach this blogging thing completely different. We have some new adventures to add for you in the next day or so. Hope you enjoy the new format.
See ya on our next adventure - With love, Jason and Gabi

2009 ORLANDO TRIP - A Summary

2009-07-01T18:40:00.010-04:00

2009 Orlando Trip Summary

The Following article is a summery of the ten day trip to Orlando my wife and I adventured into on our first anniversary. We took the trip during the first two weeks of June 2009. Below you will find reviews for each park, our hotel, our transportation, the books we read, websites we used to plan etc.

I hope the information on this page will help others in their planning to the area and give some insight and tips for the first time visitors to the Orlando / Kissimmee area. Please leave comments below if there is something we left off that you feel we should add and we will! Thanks for reading.
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PARK REVIEWS
Here is a quick reference to the parks we have reviewed on our blog. Remember you can always use the links to the left to find the parks of your choice to read our current entries on them. I have them under various categories such as theme parks, state parks, zoos, etc.

THE PARKS WE VISITED
MAGIC KINGDOM (part one)
MAGIC KINGDOM (part two)
EPCOT WORLD SHOWCASE
EPCOT FUTURE WORLD
DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
DISNEY’S ANIMAL KINGDOM
UNIVERSAL’S ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA
SEA WORLD ORLANDO
OLD TOWN
REED BINGHAM STATE PARK (ADEL GA.)
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THE HOTEL
We Stayed Off site. Here is our reasoning. Even the Value Resorts at Disney are pretty Expensive. We usually camp wherever we go so we are used to paying something like 20 bucks a night NOT 74 bucks being a discount rate! Also after long discussion my wife and I thought if we had Disney 24 seven we might go crazy, also we wanted to go to other parks and be near real stores like Wal-Mart, this way I don't have to pay 10 bucks for a 2 dollar pack of cigars (yes they are 2 bucks usually). Our choice was located on the bus line on 192.
HOWARD JOHNSON TROPICAL PALMS
Address:
4311 W. Highway 192/W. Vine St./W. Hwy. 192
Kissimmee, FL 34746
Maps & Directions
Phone:407-396-7100
Fax:407-358-5140
E-Mail: hojoexpin@aol.com
WebsiteCLICK HERE
RATING: 8 out of 10 stars

We chose this Hotel because it is walking distance to the Wal-mart, a nearby Mall, bus stops and a Flea Market is right next door that offers great souvenirs for very cheap!

We used multiple discounts for our room first AAA and then Wyndham Rewards which is free to sign up for online and really helps save. we saved 8 bucks a night, this equals 80 for for entire stay plus wasn't charged any resort fees etc. our total per night was 21 bucks! We loved the price but were scared of the room. We brought our own sheets pillows etc but never had a need to use them.

The room was surprisingly clean. In fact our room was cleaned everyday and smelled cleaner than our apartment back home. The room is not decorated very fancy but it is definitely not trashy or old and worn in any way. This was a great little room next to the pool.

There were pluses and minus's about this place but overall it saved us money and was not bad at all.
First the pluses - Free Internet in the lobby - Nice large pool with kiddy pool. designated smoking area for those staying with non-smokers so you can sit on a bench and enjoy it without bothering others. The clerks were all very nice and recommended things for us to do. The place was very convenient as far as location. The front desk even recommended his favourite pizza place to us and we loved it. There's a lunch and breakfast room on site.
Now the minus's - The pool area is loud at night so if you want to sleep before the 10pm closing of the pool I suggest asking for a room on the front side. The time share people up front in the lobby are persistent, make it a point to make sure that your not interested as soon as you arrive. Our biggest problem was that I got my wife and I a non-smoking room. I didn't want her smelling smoke left over in the room because she has allergies etc. She is OK with my cigar smoke but cigarette smoke bugs her. I chose to smoke outside in the smoking area. One night when we came back from a park we were locked out of our room. The guy up front said the housekeeper thought we were smoking because she saw my cigars. There was no smoke in the room and no ashes, I smoked outside the whole time. I explained all this to the guy at the desk and he let us back in pronto. Nothing else really happened to us. This is a good place to stay to save money. You get more than you pay for here. 8 out of 10 stars.
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LYNX BUSES
Address: 455 N. Garland Ave.Orlando, FL 32801
Website:http://www.golynx.com/
RATING: 9 out of 10

We hate driving on vacation. Before we left we heard many bad things about the Lynx buses but nothing anyone said was true. If you time out the routes and figure out when the buses leave arrive etc. from the schedule you'll be on time every time and get where your going without having to pay for parking or getting frustrated in Orlando's heavy traffic.

We got two 7 day passes each for 16.00 each. Added up this is much cheaper than driving for parking fees alone not to mention gas and frustration. You can purchase passes here http://www.golynx.com/?fuse=shop&app=store the Fixed Route 7-day Standard Pass is the way to go and will get you to and from all the parks.

If you are staying on 192 in Kissimmee you can get to Disney on the #56 with a straight shot to the Disney TTC where you can ride the monorail to Magic Kingdom and Epcot or get on a Disney bus to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. Same thing if you are at Disney want want to go to Old Town or somewhere on 192 just take the #56

To get to Sea world just ride the #56 to the TTC (transportation and ticking center) as if going to Disney and from there get on the #50. You will get off at Sea Harbour Drive. Ask the driver for the best spot to get off and they will tell you. You will have to walk across the parking lot but its not too far of a walk. This is a cheaper option for those staying at Disney as well. I saw people paying 30 bucks to cabs to go the short distance to Sea World when all you have to do is pay a couple of bucks and your there! Just go the the TTC and hop on bus #50 its that easy!

To get to Universal from 192 is a little trickier. NOTE THIS IS FORM 192 so from TTC you will need to ask a bus driver or use the Lynx trip planner here http://trip1.golynx.com/

The way we did it was to walk to the Osceola Square Mall and hop on the #4 (this is a long route) take the #4 to Florida mall and then from the Florida mall take the #37.

One thing I really should stress is to always know where the bus is heading. Ask the driver if he is going where your going even if you have the correct # of bus because we got on the right number but ended up on the other side of the route. ASK ASK ASK! You cant go wrong if you ask!

The Lynx Buses can add time to your trip but its worth it not having to drive. The longest hardest route we did was to Universal. Sea World and TTC are easy! Also get to know the routes here http://www.golynx.com/?fuse=cstm&app=route before you go!

The Buses are convenient and on schedule 99 percent of the time. 9 out of 10 stars. I don't see why others don't do it, it beats driving and paying 30 bucks or more for a cab or shuttle service.
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THE BOOKS WE READ
In getting ready for our trip we read two books.
Hassle Free Walt Disney World Vacation 2009
by Steven M. Barrett
This book tries hard to give good advice and tips for your trip.
It fails hard. Most of this book includes things you can easy find online for free and what it should talk about it doesn't. I do not recommend this book for anyone other than a child. There are better books and this just isn't one of them. 3 out of 10 stars for being empty of real tips and suggestions.

The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World
This is the book you want. Here id the official website http://www.touringplans.com/
This book has everything, Tips, readers comments, detailed descriptions of attractions and the best part is you get free use of their crowd calender on their official site. You can get dates up to 30 days without the book but if you have the book you can get crowd rankings way ahead of time. Here's the crowd calender http://www.touringplans.com/tp2/UG2_index.php?PageID=14 .

Another great thing about this book are the touring plans. We used them but as the book said you can easily mold them to what you want to do and we did. These plans worked almost 100 percent accurate only Disaster at Universal was lost in our plans! That's a 99% accuracy level! Even if you don't want to do the plans in the book or even look at the crowd calender this book is priceless for info. Its published by Wiley who also publishes college text books so you know its full of analytical input and fact instead of just opinion. I recommend this book for anyone going to Disney, even the pros who have never read it really need to. 10 out of 10 stars because this is the BEST travel book i have ever read and the most useful as well.
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WEBSITES
The following are the websites we used and we recommend all of them. Instead of rating them I will just list them because in my book they are all 10's!
Planning
http://www.touringplans.com/
http://www.disboards.com/
http://www.tripadvisor.com
News
http://www.screamscape.com
Tickets
http://www.undercovertourist.com/
Hotels / Discount club - free
http://www.wyndhamrewards.com/
Buses
http://www.golynx.com/
Getting in the mood
http://www.mouseworldradio.com/

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TIPS
The following are tips that we used ourselves. I would never ever give advice I hadn’t used myself. For tips for specific rides and parks check the reviews of each park.
- Get there early. I keep saying it but its true. We got most of each park done before the crowds started coming in just because we were there when the park opened. Now if you taking the lynx this means waking up at 5am every morning but its worth it!
- Have a plan. Seriously, if you go in a park without a plan thinking you’ll be spontaneous and do a lot that day you are kidding yourself. If only 25 % of the people in the park have a plan that means hundreds of people have an advantage over you! They will see all the shows ride all the rides and eat at the good places while you are spontaneously missing shows, not riding rides because you don’t even know they are in front of you etc. Make a plan, make reservations for food and stick to it.
- Study the maps. Its good to memorize the park layout the best you can so you don’t find yourself lost or backtracking unnecessarily.
-Ask Questions. before you leave go to the forums such as disboards.com and ask questions, when you get there don’t be afraid to ask CM'S questions. In fact I found myself asking regular people questions and surprisingly i got all my questions answered some better than the CM'S answers!
-Horde Food. Get a hotel with a small fridge and microwave. Eat dinner at the hotel to save money. We spent 40 bucks a day minus one day we spent 60 and another day we spent 90 at World Showcase on food and beer! You can have pretty expensive lunches if you eat dinner at your hotel or if you want an expensive dinner take a bag with sandwiches for lunch and then eat a good dinner. You save a ton!
-Go to Flea Markets. There are several Flea Markets on 192 that are great for souvenirs. The prices here are better than even Wal Mart. We were able to get souvenirs for all our friends and family for less than 30 bucks total! Disney price we estimate about 150 bucks we would have spent!
-Ask for discounts. If you have AAA or any other discount type of card ask if it is accepted EVERYWHERE you go! We were surprised at the places that took AAA. We even got discounts on food at Universal with our AAA card!
-USE LYNX. Its cheaper though not as fast as driving. You will waste maybe 15 minutes longer than driving but 15 minutes is better than 11 bucks a day for parking, gas wasted and stress in traffic. Don’t even think about spending 30 bucks for a cab, that’s almost what we spent at a park for a whole day!-Stop at the Visitor Center. The Florida Visitor center has TONS of brochures with discounts etc. They will be able to help you with any questions you have and they have FREE orange juice!
-Check the brochure racks at your hotel. One benefit of staying off site is the fact they have these brochure racks with attractions and such. If you look hard enough you’ll find coupons. Not just any coupons but good ones. We found a coupon for a free CeCe's pizza Buffet when one is purchased for 4.99. We ate there twice for a total of 10 bucks for two meals!
-Eat Flippers! Flippers Pizza at Old town is the best pizza this side of Spain! They Deliver.
-Share the Love. Keep the Karma ball rolling. When we were given a fast pass from a nice lady and her daughter we vowed to do somthing nice for somone before we left. We ended up giving our lynx passes that had 4 days left to a very poor couple on the bus!
-Have Fun. If you can't do this dont even bother going.
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If you have anything else you want reviewed that wasn't just ask below in the comments field and I will add it!

Thanks for reading this. I hope you enjoyed reading all this as much as I did writing it.

REED BINGHAM

2009-06-30T18:36:00.006-04:00

-ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART ELEVEN-
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART SEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-seven-read-part.html
READ PART EIGHT HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-eight-read-part.html
READ PART NINE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/universal-islands-of-adventure.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html
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STATS
STATE PARK: REED BINGHAM
RATING: 8 out of 10
Address: Reed Bingham State Park542 Reed Bingham RoadAdel , GA 31620
PHONE: Park (229) 896-3551 Reservations (800) 864-7275
Official website: http://www.gastateparks.org/info/reedbing/
Park Hours: 7AM-10PM
Office Hours: 8AM-5PM
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If you have been following my blog, you know I hate it when people go to their destination and only do one thing! Those people miss out on the other great things there are to see. The same thing can be said for those who drive to their destination and never stop along the way! My wife and I make it a point to stop at least once to take in a state park we otherwise would drive by and never see.

On the way to Orlando we stopped at Reed Bingham State Park for a couple of hours. We were glad we took the time to see this park, not only was it fun but it also gave us a rest from sitting for 6 or 7 hours!This park is home to the protected Gopher Tortoise. We hiked the short Gopher Tortoise Trail in the Gopher Tortoise reserve section of the park. The trail was beautiful however the fire ants were pretty bad here. If you watched where you were stepping you can avoid them. We saw tortoise nest but they were elusive on our short trip! We did however see and hear bald eagles overhead!

This park is home to lots of wildlife, Alligators, bald eagles, the rare limpkin, herons, indigo snakes, black vultures and turkey vultures and the parks most protected gopher tortoises. This park is absolutely breathtaking and there is a 375 acre lake for fishing, boating, canoeing and they even offer pontoon boat tours. The wooded areas are just as pretty! The campgrounds looked very nice as well. There is a mini golf course on site and bike rentals are available. If your traveling with your bike this is a must stop! They offer paved areas to bike as well as raw dirt / mountain bike trails!

The park is facing a problem right now however and they NEED you to stop here for a break on your way to Orlando! WHY? A lot of their trails are closed right now due to flooding damage and wash outs. The economy has made it very hard for them to repair these areas and the five dollar park fee you will pay to enter the park will go toward these much needed repairs. This is a wonderful place to stop for a hike or a picnic and they need your help. If you drive passed this park on I-75 without stopping you may be helping them get deeper into their problems and they may cease to operate in the future. If this happens you will have no choice other than not to stop! Reed Bingham is located a couple of miles from the I-75 and is very easy to get to from your drive! PLEASE SUPPORT REED BINGHAM!

The park Fee is only 5 bucks per car and will help the place revive itself and continue to protect the Gopher Tortoise which really needs help to flourish again as it once did in south Georgia! Be sure to stop by the ranger shelter for maps and info!

8 out of 10 stars. PLEASE Stop by this park and support them so they can get the trials and other areas running up to snuff and they can become a 10 star park as I am sure they once were.

I don’t just review theme parks on this blog I review all parks because parks are important to us as a society.

TO BE CONITNUED …
TOMMORROW
2009 Orlando Trip SUMMERY

All Photos on this blog entry © 2009 - Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

- UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

2009-06-29T19:24:00.005-04:00

-ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART TEN-
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART SEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-seven-read-part.html
READ PART EIGHT HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-eight-read-part.html
READ PART NINE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/universal-islands-of-adventure.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html READ PART ELEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/reed-bingham.html
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STATS
THEME PARK: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA
RATING: 9 out of 10
Address: 1000 Universal Studios Plaza Orlando, Florida 32819 USA Official website: http://www.universalorlando.com/usf_index.html
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I really only had two big problems with this park the day we went. First the Rip Ride Rockit still wasn’t complete and we didn’t get to ride. This was sad but the rest of t he park made up for it. Secondly The line for Disaster was the worst line in the whole park. I wasn’t expecting that at all. In fact it stayed 60 minutes the entire time we were there and we felt that this was the only ride we missed here that we wanted to do.We arrived at the gates at 8:30 and were let in at 8:45 again with no walk backs! Being early really is a tip I cannot stress enough. We walked straight to Revenge of the Mummy.
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REVENGE OF THE MUMMY
I don’t know what it is about Universal and their long queue lines. The queue line is very long but also themed very well. The wait was never more than 10 minutes every time we looked and was able to get in multiple rides. This is the ride that was born if Expedition Everest and Rock n Roller coaster had a baby! Seriously this is one awesome ride. The effects were creepy and the ride itself was a little creepy as well. You start off as if it were just a dark ride with animatronics and other effects and then your soul is swallowed by a mummy where all hell breaks loose. GREAT RIDE. 10 out of 10 stars for being so different and proving different is good!
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THE SIMPSONS RIDE
AGAIN I cannot stress how important it is to get here early! We waited 10 minutes to get on the Simpson’s ride but as we waited the line behind us grew enormously! If we would have come here first it would have been a complete walk on! Later in the day the line was inconceivability long. Basically you wait in a sheltered queue then you wait in smaller lines once inside the building. Here you feel like your waiting in a queue for Krustyland. Then you are directed to go to a numbered door where you wait again but this time watching a preshow video of a Krusty Ride. There’s a lot of waiting even for a short line! When the ride starts the fun begins. This is my favorite simulator ride I have ever ridden. I mean the action is non stop and the humor is the best you can get from the Simpson’s. We were laughing the whole time. A giant Maggie even sucks you as a pacifier. You can even smell her baby powder. No details were skipped on this one. 10 out of 10 stars for taking a common and overdone style of ride and making it work with originality!
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E.T.
We then headed to E.T. and walked straight on. You are asked your name upon entering the ride and E.T. is suppose to say your name at the end but he skipped us for some reason. This really is a cool ride and to us it really doesn’t show its age like some have stated to us. The queue inside really feels like a forest, SO COOL! You ride your bikes through the forest avoiding the cops and scientists. This really is high quality here and I give it 9 out of 10 stars because it is so cool. I am only taking off a point due to some non functional things but for the most part it was perfect.
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MEN IN BLACK
We walked right onto this shoot-em up and really loved it through and through. The queue line was neat and the ride was amazing. This is our favorite shoot-em up in all of Orlando! The animatronics and such were in the Disney Class to say the least with even better themeing inside and better animatronics than Buzz Lightyear. This is one cool ride. The monsters you are supposed to shoot are EVERYWHERE! I MEAN EVERYWHERE! I don’t think my trigger finger ever got a break! 10 out of 10 stars for being the most awesomeness of all shoot em ups!
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We left Men in Black and headed straight for JAWS. We were starting to get hungry but the food places weren’t open again. A familiar scene from Islands of Adventure.
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JAWS
This is the Classic Universal Ride that you would miss if you hadn’t ridden it. I don’t understand the chatter we heard about it being out of date, boring etc. We felt otherwise. I really liked it and thought it lived up to all my expectations of it. This is a really well designed ride if you ask me. The tour guide we had was great as well. I guess if you had a horrible guide it may not be as good. I give this classic ride an honestly fair 8 out of 10 stars for being a great classic ride that I hope they NEVER EVER get rid of!
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By this time we were starving! It was around 11:30 and some of the food places were just opening! That 2 and a half hours with no food for anyone. This is ridiculous! We waited for the Nathan’s Hot Dog place to open and got our food using a AAA discount. The hotdogs here are good but not near as good as Casey’s at Disney! Still though it wasn’t bad at all and actually felt worth the price.After we ate we were asked to give our email addresses for a survey. We still haven’t gotten a survey. When we were at Epcot the same thing happened to us and when we got home there was our survey. I don’t know how long it takes but we are still waiting.We then headed to Disaster and the sign said it was a 40 minute wait. We were about to give in when the sign increased to 60 minutes. It never let up the whole day and we regret not riding it but we also don’t regret waiting for tan hour to ride it since 99 percent of the time on our trip we never waited more than 15 minutes for anything.We instead headed to Twister and walked on, along with a whole bunch of other people.
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TWISTER
The sheltered queue line outside is ugly and not themed at all. Once inside the preshow is in a large room but is standing room only for what seems like forever and is very boring. The room may have been large but we felt like cattle inside. The indoor queue after the preshow is neat but not extraordinary. Then you have the ride itself, if you call this a ride. I cannot figure out why they call it a ride. This is the worst thing at the studios. The effects were on the line between silly and ridiculous. The worst part is that you’re standing the entire time! Just plain horrible! My wife and I were expecting something a little better. After we saw it we were discussing what a good twister ride would be and I came up with an awesome idea for a ride based on twister…
IMAGINE THIS>>>
An indoor Topple Tower http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topple_Tower surrounded by a 360 degree Imax screen. You put on your IMAX glasses raise to the top, begin spinning and topple toward the screen as 3d images of debris come at you as it appears you are floating around inside the tornado! I think THAT would be a twister ride. NOT what ever this was. 3 out of 10 stars for being the worst attraction at the studios! They should replace it!
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After Twister we walked around the streets and took in the sights before we headed to the Lucy Tribute
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LUCY TRIBUTE
My wife and I were both excited to see this one since we both loved A MAN AND HIS DREAM. We had a hard time finding it because it isn’t marked too well. Once inside the attraction consists of a row of quiz machine and about 5 display cases with things that belonged to Lucille Ball. Not much else. You then exit through a gift shop that had hardly anything to do with Lucille ball. I just didn’t get this one.This was less like a museum and more like a display in the back of a store, very disappointing. 4 out of 10 stars.
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TERMINATOR 2
You could say its dated, you could say its played out, you could say all these things but I will say its awesome! How’s that? I think the Terminator show was very good. The mixing of IMAX 3d with animatronics, live actors that latterly jump off the screen and everything else they use is pure genius. I don’t care if it is based on a movie that is 20 years old, its still an awesome show! I can see how it would be boring to do over and over but for the first time it was great! 9 out of 10 stars!
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We kept find relaxing places to sit and people watch here. For some reason this was the best park fir this for us. There were characters everywhere and you didn’t have to wait in line to see them, instead they were walking and some cases driving around. I wish Disney would do this. Having lines to see a character is ridiculous for people who don’t want autographs. After doing this for a while we headed to the kiddy section and rode Woody’s Nut Coaster
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WOODY'S NUT COASTER
again a walk on. This was a normal style kid coaster and was fun but nowhere near Barnstormer quality. 5 out of 10 stars
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CURIOUS GEORGE GOES TO TOWN
Being that I work at a PBS affiliate I was very curious about this. We were hot and needed some water! This is a little town filled with water! Dropping buckets and our favorite, doors and squirt when you open them. We loved this and was cooled off in no time. The only thing more fun than this is watching all the adults on the sidelines acting like they are too good to get wet. Hey we might be dripping water from our crevices but who’s sweating? 10 out of 10 stars because this is the best water play area I have ever seen! Plus who doesn’t love George?
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HORROR MAKEUP SHOW
The Horror makeup Show was very cool, extremely funny and pretty informative. There are chances for audience participation here and a few surprises as well. I kept getting the impression the host was insane, FOR REAL! 10 out of 10 stars. This is good for all ages except maybe the smallest ones, the horror parts are pretty pg rated. This is a must see!
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JIMMY NEUTRONS NICKTOON BLAST
This was our last ride of the day. We opted for this one instead of Shrek because my wife and I cant stand Shrek. He gets on our last nerve pretty bad! Jimmy Neutron was really a good simulator. I can see where some would think it too jerky or get motion sick but my wife and I were fine and LOVED IT! In fact the jerky parts were the best! The chicken dance was so awesome, I started clapping it with the movie and everyone in the theatre joined in! I got to see my favorite Nicktoons such as the Rug rats and Spongbob so I was pretty happy!I give this simulator a good 8 out of 10 stars!
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It was about 3:00 when we were all done at the park and though we pretty much did everything we wanted except Disaster. We headed back early to get some rest!
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PARK OVERVIEW
This was an extremely well designed park. You could tell more thought went into this one than Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The rides were surprisingly good and the food wasn’t too bad with better prices than other parks including their own Islands of Adventure. There are some great places to sit in the shade. The park is clean and again the employees here are just as friendly as Disney. AGAIN the food places open too late! The queue lines are sometimes too long and mean even if there are no lines you’ll be walking a long distance to get on. I really don’t like the sheltered queues and prefer the indoor ones. This was a great park despite a few things that should be fixed here. We had a great day at Universal and for some reason I cant really figure out, we had more fun here than at Islands of Adventure. When Rip Ride Rocket opens I will be wanting to come back but will probably have to wait a while. I give Universal studios a good 9 out of 10 stars. It’s not perfect but it is defiantly above the grade!
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TO BE CONTINUED...
TUESDAY
REED BINGHAM STATE PARK
and
WEDNESDAY
come back to read the trip summery that will include reviews of our hotel, the lynx busses, and books we read about the area and more!

-UNIVERSAL - ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE

2009-06-28T18:24:00.003-04:00

- ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART NINE -
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART SEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-seven-read-part.html
READ PART EIGHT HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-eight-read-part.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html
READ PART ELEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/reed-bingham.html
-----------
STATS
THEME PARK: UNIVERSAL ISLANDS OF ADVENTURE
RATING: 9 out of 10
Address: 1000 Universal Studios PlazaOrlando, Florida 32819 USA Official website: http://www.universalorlando.com/ioa_index.html
Status: Operating since 1999
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My wife and I arrived at Universal around 8:30AM. We took the Lynx Buses on our trip and the cool thing about the lynx buses is they drop you off right outside the entrance to the parks. From the Lynx bus drop off you simply go up some escalators and down a bridge type walkway and you end up right in the center of City Walk.Today we were going to Universals Islands of Adventure. Both parks at Universal are just a short walk from the center of City Walk and there are no other transports you have to take like at Disney. Once your there, your basically there.At the gates of Islands of Adventure we were let into the park about 8:50 with no walk backs like Disney does.

The gates opened and we charged in!The best thing to do to get this park done without waits is to get there early and to go from left to right! You’ll probably have to wait a bit for the shows but if you go left to right there won’t be much of a problem.
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HULK
Our first stop was HULK! Of course it was a complete walk on this time of morning. One thing I like about Islands of Adventure is that the cue lines are just as extravagant and cool as Disney’s queue lines are. Hulk was no exception. Once on the ride we knew we were in for a treat. This Bollinger & Mabillard tire propelled launch coaster is simply amazing. You hear Bruce Banner changing into the Hulk and is he turns you go faster and faster until you shoot out of the building and into 7 inversions at 67 MPH. The Hulk is one smooth ride and a great coaster all around. Not my favorite B&M coaster but still a great ride! 9 out of 10 stars because Hulk rocks!
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SPIDERMAN
Next on our list was Spiderman. It was still very early at about 9:00 when we got in line for Spiderman so it was walk on as well. If you come later I was told that the lines for this one get horrendous so best to come early. Spiderman was a great dark ride that features 3d film images with animatronics and other special effects while you are in a moving vehicle. The ride was really cool and very exciting. Though not near as good as the Curse of Darkastle at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which is the same type of ride and features better effects and such than Spiderman, this is still a ride of greatness. You will spin a little but you shouldn’t get dizzy. Again I hear some people get motion sick on this one but I think you would have to be able to get motion sick pretty easy for this one to effect you. 10 out of 10 stars for this awesome multi-sensory dark ride!
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POPEYE AND BLUTO'S BILGE-RAT BARGES
We decided to ride the water ride in Toon Lagoon early because they too get a long line as the day goes by. Toon Lagoon is themed to the old comic strips in the newspaper! Bilge Rat Barges in Themed to Popeye. We walked onto this ride as well and walked off soaking wet! This is the best River Raft ride I have ever ridden. That’s right folks I have a new #1 Raft Ride. This one knocks Dollywood’s down a notch and leaves Disney’s Kali River Rapids way behind in the dust. The effects on this ride are great such as the sharks swimming in circle around the Me-Ship-Olive and near your raft. The rapids are crazy and for this type of ride you really get some speed. Some of the areas of this ride the water flows so fast around the curves your raft will bank the curves like a bobsled! 10 out of 10 stars for the best raft ride ever!
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DUDLY DO RGIHTS RIPSAW FALLS
We walked right onto this ride as well. We were both looking forward to this heavy themed water ride as well since we loved Splash Mountain and Atlantis! The log is cramped and hard for larger taller people to get into. You really feel like a sardine in this one. The themeing was great and the splash and the end gets you pretty good but the crampness really hurt at times. The ride itself is fun but I have to take off points for being uncomfortable and the fact the lap bars on this ride do nothing but add to the discomfort! 8 out of 10 stars for what could be a 10 if they got different boats than what they have and remove the stupid lap bar that doesn’t really need to be there to be safe.
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We headed to Pteranadon flyers but we were turned away since they were only letting children ride. This is the only ride in Orlando that we saw that would let adults ride. We even rode the wacky worm at old town with no problems. I just don’t get it. They say the children don’t have many options in the park but really they do! There’s a entire section based on Dr. Seuss etc. This is considered a Roller coaster and yet it is out of the grasps of most enthusiasts to ride. I hear if you come early they will let you ride, by early they mean park open. I don’t see why they just don’t let everyone ride.
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JURRASIC PARK
After getting turned away from Pteradon flyers we headed to Jurassic Park! After Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom we were expecting something spectacular here. We really didn’t get spectacular. Thought he ride was fun the drop was not as big of a deal as the park would lead you to believe, the Animatronic dinosaurs were not that great and there were zero startling moments. This ride is not scary or adrenalin pumping whatsoever. This ride is like those movies that are all build up and no climax.. I think it really is one of the few skippable rides at Islands of Adventure 5 out of 10 stars for being mediocre.
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We were going to come back to go to the Jurassic Park Discovery Center later in the day but once through the park and we were ready to call it a short day so we never go to it. We will defiantly make it a point next time. We also skipped DR. DOOM because we don’t like those type of rides at all. What we do like though are coasters so we were off to pick up our next two credits and two of the most anticipated coasters on our trip.
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Dueling Dragons
The cue line is very very long for this ride. If you are wanting to ride both sides which I recommend, you will have to walk though it twice and that’s a lot of walking! This is worth it though. The Queue is gorgeous and kind of creepy in parts. Really sets the mood and is fantastically themed. The trains on this B&M inverted coaster were themed well also. The fronts of the trains are dragon heads and you basically sit in the dragons mouth! Fire was our first followed by ICE. The FIRE side was full of forces and great inversions. Really a great ride. Ice however didn’t have as many forces but had more head and feet choppers and one really got us where it looked as if we were going to hit the side of the castle. We liked Ice the best because of the maneuvers BUT both sides get a 10 so Dueling Dragons in all gets a 10 out of 10 stars! That goes for both sides and together as well! This ride is simply a 10 no matter who you slice it.
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Once we entered the Lost Continent side of the park we were starving. It was only about 10:30 and most of the food places weren’t even open yet. This is the Biggest problem we had at both universal parks. They open the park then open the shops and food places way later. IT really kind of sucks when your hungry and cant even find anything to eat other than the small stalls with pretzels. We got a pretzel and it was just not good! The food at Universal was not the best either. We had planned on eating later at mythos but after filling up on bad pretzels we just decided to save money!

We waited for the first show of Poseidon's Fury because it starts before the first show of Sinbad! We had to back track a bit but they are not that far from each other. Seeing Poseidon first allows you to catch the next Sinbad show only a few minutes afterward
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POSEIDON'S FURY
We were worried about this show because of the famed effect of the water tunnel had been removed. Everyone in the forums were talking about how the show was horrible without it. All I can say was that we didn’t feel like anything was lacking without it. The show is amazing and one of the best in Orlando. Not #1 but defiantly in the top 5 somewhere. The epic battle at the end is simply amazing. I don’t want to give away too much so I will just say if you never seen this one it is a must! 10 out of 10 stars with or without the water tunnel! You must see this one!
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EIGHTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD
This show was better than expected but I expected really bad! Not the best show in Orlando but the kids seemed to like it and with good reason. It feels as if it were designed with kids in mind. Its shopped full of cheesy moments and corny jokes. Water and fire explosions, martial arts style fighting and cartoon like story lines. Like I said its not horrible but I think smaller children would love it more than us adults would. 7 out 10 stars! I love Sinbad movies and wished this show was more like that but instead its more like a dollar store animated video version performed in live action.
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We headed out of the beautiful themed area of the Lost Continent and into the Dr. Seuss area which was very surreal and interesting. This is the coolest looking section of the park! Our first ride was the…
________
The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride
This is a fun ride though very short. It has two sides and they are completely different rides. If they would connect them into one ride it may be more worth the wait, we waited 15 minutes for this short ride! The animatronics are cool and riding above the crowds below is cool too but it is just very short! 5 out of 10 stars for keeping us wanting more, not in a good way!
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CAT IN THE HAT
This dark ride is exactly how I remembered the book and the cartoon! AWSOME! You will spin a little on this ride but we never got dizzy. The animatronics are great and parts of this ride were so chaotic you feel that your actually inside the book! This is DISNEY Quality and a good rival for the fantasy land dark rides! This was walk on for us but I could see how line could form pretty easily on this one! This is a must ride though! 10 out of 10 stars!
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Caro-Seuss-el
We skipped one fish two fish because the wait was 20 minutes and we just didn’t see the point waiting that long for that type of ride. The line for Caro-Seuss-el was zero so we went on that before we left the park! The ride was as fun as any carousel but the problems with this one is how it showed its age. The characters had huge chips out of them, the parts were not working such as their ears etc. Really looked liked the park let this one go for some reason, That’s sad too because it’s a pretty ride. 5 out of 10 stars because it needs some TLC bad!
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I figured out the overall theme of this park is literature and its different forms! This is really a great idea and yet so subtle most people don’t get it as that. That’s a cool thing.

We left the park satisfied of everything we got done about 2:30PM! We headed to the Whopper Bar in City walk but couldn’t find it. When we asked for directions we were sent up to the top section where the bars are and it wasn’t there. This is another problem we had with Universal, the bad directions the workers there give.
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PARK OVERVIEW
This is a great park but it has some bad problems.
The good stuff…
- Staff just as friendly as Disney (only found one unfriendly)
- The rides are excellent
- The park is kept very clean
-.The park is designed excellently and is easy to navigate
- The themeing is wonderful!

The bad stuff...
-Food places open too late!
-Workers give bad directions or just dont have answers
-Some of the rides seem neglected

I am only taking one star off for all these because the good stuff really outweigh the bad. The bad things could really be fixed easily but if not this park could drop more on another visit. 9 out of 10 stars hoping the improvements needed here are taken care of!

TO BE CONTINUED...
TOMMORROW
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FLORIDA

- OLD TOWN

2009-06-24T17:41:00.008-04:00

- ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART EIGHT -
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART SEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-seven-read-part.html
READ PART NINE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/universal-islands-of-adventure.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html
READ PART ELEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/reed-bingham.html
-----------
STATS
THEME PARK: OLD TOWN
RATING: 8 out of 10
Address: 5770 West U.S. Highway 192Kissimmee, Florida 34746 USA
Phone numbers:( 407)-396-4888
Official website: http://www.old-town.com/
Status:Operating since 1997
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Today we were sleeping in and were going to do something completely different. We needed the rest from all the Disney stuff and as a matter of fact we needed an escape from it. A grown man can only take so much sensory overload. Disney is like a rich cookie, its good and very tasty but too much and you’ll end up with a belly ache. This is one reason we were both happy we stayed offsite during our trip. At about 1:00 pm we headed out to what would be a very nice surprise for the both of us. We were riding the Lynx buses to Old Town Amusement park!

When we arrive it started raining a bit but not too much and by the end of the day the sun was bright once again. One cool thing about escaping the Disney stuff and coming here is the contrast. The Parking is free here, though we didn’t use it because we rode the Lynx Buses everywhere on our trip. The admission is free too. Now if you want to ride the rides it costs but here are the best ways to do it. For 20 or so bucks you can get a wrist band and ride the rides all day. For us we were here more to relax and only wanted to get the two coaster credits in. We found out that if you go online and get a coupon you can take it to the general store at the park and get a HUGE coupon book for the shops etc. There are coupons in here for ride tickets as well. If you only want to ride a couple ride this is the best way. It cost us 8 bucks to ride the two coasters and we were done with rides. The park itself is small but much bigger than you would expect. This place has a real Coney Island feel to it which was very welcomed after all the themed rides and such at Disney. Here everything is simple yet exciting. The rides are that of an old fair. They are spread throughout on the front side and backside of the main areas. In the Main areas you have shops and a real old town feel. The Shops line both sides of a two lane street with benches and shaded areas in the middle.

The shops are really nice and remind me of the shops in Gatlinburg. In fact the entire park is like Gatlinburg meets Coney Island.. A very laid back place for entertainment. There is a haunted house on the street as well as a interesting game room with oddities and nickelodeon style machines next to the latest games . The General store has a lot of cool stuff as far as souvenirs and BEER! In fact This was the only other day on our trip I drank. I had no ill effects here and I was able to buy a 32 oz can of Kirin here for 2 bucks. Kirin was 6 bucks at Epcot for a 12 oz cup! The other shops range from music stores to t-shirt shops, tattoo shops and puppet shops. Very unique place.The rides also vary.

I say it reminds me of Coney Island because there are different sections of rides. Ride in the back of the park are carnival style rides where the two coasters are, Go-carts up front with those bungee style thrill rides. Up and down the street are other attractions such as mechanical bull, bumper cars inside of a store front, laser tag etc. It really does feel like an old boardwalk town here. The two coasters are not the best coasters in the world but are still fun, even if their age shows. Windstorm is one of those larger portables and the Wacky worm is one of those coasters that every park has. The thing is about this place is even with the familiarity it is unique here. There are great smelling places to eat and some cool bars as well. On Friday and Saturday nights they have hot rod parades running up and down the street!The best Pizza in Orlando is here at Flippers pizza. We ordered a large pizza and ate it all in one sitting because it was so good. Second only to the Mediterranean pizza in Barcelona. They are a local favorite, this is where the locals go and they also deliver!

This is a really cool place to go for a few hours to get away from all the rich Disney stuff. This is a place to relax and have a beer without feeling your wallet get lighter. This is a go at your own pace, no waiting in long line, lets get vintage kind of place. I totally suggest Old Town for anyone. All this park really needs is a couple of bigger rides added to what they already have and to repaint the ones they have. Maybe a portable log flume and a music express or something. Other than that this is a great traditional park.I give old town a steady 8 out of 10 stars because if you want something different and more laid back than the bigger Orlando parks THIS IS IT!

After our day at Old town we caught the bus to beck to Epcot for Illuminations.

TO BE CONITNUED...
TOMMORROW
ILLUMINATIONS

- DISNEY ANIMAL KINGDOM

2009-06-23T19:46:00.007-04:00

-- ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART SEVEN --
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART EIGHT HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-eight-read-part.html
READ PART NINE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/universal-islands-of-adventure.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html
READ PART ELEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/reed-bingham.html
---------
STATS
THEME PARK: Disney’s ANIMAL KINGDOM
RATING: 10 out of 10 stars
Address: Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830 USA
Phone numbers:(407)-824-4321
Official website: http://www.disneyworld.com/
Status: Operating since 1998
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DAY SIX, We arrived at Animal Kingdom at 8:15 and there was nobody there! Only employees at first. But after we used the bathroom and got some water the crowds began slowly moving in so we got up to the gates quickly. By 8:45 there was a very long line behind us.

The park opening ceremony was awesome, our favorite of the entire trip. The Walk back was only about halfway and when people started sprinting to Everest I told my wife to walk normal and sure enough we were passing them eventually as they had gotten out of breath rather quickly and we were still ok. The whole trip people were telling us to go to the safari first thing but we knew better. Our experience from other zoos and such told us not to do the safari first things but rather wait for the afternoon rains then go. So instead we did the right thing by heading straight to Everest.
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EXPEDITION EVEREST
I was very excited as this was going to be my 100th coaster! We walked right onto the coaster and when I told a CM this was my 100th they smiled and told us to sit in the best seat, THE BACK! They were right; The back IS the best seat. You really feel the G’s on the part where you go backwards! The ride was smooth and for Disney pretty crazy. Before we went we were told by several people that many effects weren’t working. Since this was our first time we would find it hard by telling you what effect wasn’t working so we will tell you what was working. The waterfall, the projection. The audio, and unless our eyes were deceived the Yeti was moving at the end as well, swiping at us. We were going by so fast it was hard to tell but it looked like it was working properly. This is really and amazing ride if not the best ride on Disney Property. AGAIN this was a Vekoma that wasn’t rough! WOW! I don’t know what Disney does to make these Vekomas not rough and beat you, but it works! After our first ride we got fast passes and came back before we left for the day. Our last ride proved to us that the back seats were the best as we sat in the middle. However we did notice the ride seemed to have more speed just before park closing. If I didn’t give Expedition Everest a 10 out of 10 I would be lying but I ALWAYS tell the truth and rate things honestly so it gets just that! Amazing ride with gorgeous themeing and scenery!
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PRIMEVAL WHIRL
This is the most elaborately themed mouse coaster I have been on. We are not big fans of Mousers but this one just looks fun. In fact it looks more fun than it is. The ride is heavily padded thank goodness because I have ridden some mouse coasters without pads and ended up with big bruises! The spinning also helps with the otherwise painful lateral G’s . This is not the worst mouse coaster I have ridden but also not the best. As far as Spinning coasters I prefer the mouse coaster at BEECH BEND. This one is not too dizzying and not too rough but just enough of those things to make it a mouse coaster. This is a fun ride and certainly not skippable for the first time but is skippable if you’ve ridden it before. We were wanting to get credit for both sides but only one side was operating and the ride was walk on. In fact the dino area was almost bare empty of people this early in the morning. We give Primeval Whirl 7 out of 10 stars for being a good Mouse coaster but not the best.
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The Dino Land U.S.A. area was my favorite area of the park due to its themeing. Its themed to the 50’s route 66 style tourist traps that used to line our highways back in the day. I just have a huge place in my heart for these type of places so this area was just so campy fun to me.
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DINOSAUR
I heard a lot about this ride before we rode it. It makes some motion sick. I don’t see how really. My wife gets motion sick really easy and was fine on this. It is a rough ride, not really. It’s bumpy but its suppose to be and in fact its not near as rough as some coasters I have ridden. If you have medical problems you shouldn’t ride it but other than that its rough in a way that’s fun. I have also heard that it has nothing to do with the Disney movie Dinosaur. UNTRUE! You are sent on a mission to recover guess who? The character from the movie. In fact you are chased by the same villain dinosaurs from the movie. The premise is different but the rest goes right along with the movie. The time machine part was neat. Knowing it was designed by an imaginer who got the idea from the inside of his toaster was a cool thing as you passed through it. The ride itself is pretty neat and pretty intense. I can see how smaller children would be afraid to ride this one. I am a 34 year old man and my wife is 26. We have been on many haunted attractions and Halloween stuff. We have seen some scary stuff and this really scared us! I am not talking those startling scares I am talking SCARED! The picture screen at the end of the ride showed us screaming our lungs out as if we were on a horror movie. The attacking dinosaur was awesome and realistic. This is the most fun scary thing I have ever ridden and the second best ride in the park! DON’T MISS THIS ONE unless your kids may freak! 10 out of 10 stars for one badass ride!
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We walked around the Dinoland area a bit then we were back off to Kali river Rapid. Every where you walk in this park has a pretty view and or a neat thing to look at. We found ourselves stopping a lot. Though we didn’t bring our cameras due to we just wanted to enjoy ourselves we still stopped to see the scenery.
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KALI RIVER RAPIDS
I have ridden almost as many water rides and raft type rides as Coasters in my life. I can say in short that Kali River Rapids has excellent themeing and is one pretty ride. The problem is the ride itself. If this was the only raft type ride I had ever ridden I may have liked it more. I have ridden many better ones though. My favorite of this type is at Dollywood! There was some people that got soaked and others barely got anything. Most people were the barely got anything. The layout was strange and the rapids were small. There were some beautiful waterfalls though. I would ride this one again but only because its pretty, not because its thrilling. The story line was lost to me. Apparently someone was cutting down forest but that’s really all we could figure out. I give this one a 7 out of 10 stars and recommend it for sight seeing.
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MAHARAJAH JUNGLE TREK
This area is like a zoo. I have been told by others that Animal kingdoms animal areas are nothing like a zoo. Well They are. With that said they are very nice and some of the best habitats I have ever seen. Maharajah Jungle trek was where you see the tigers and we saw a few. The best part for us though was the Giant Bats and the bird aviary. You really feel as if you are in the habitat with the animals at times. Very nice place to view animals. 10 out of 10 stars.
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We skipped the bird show because I have seen many bird shows and they are almost always boring to me. I love birds but these shows always are about the same Instead we headed to the Pangani forest trail with a stop to get fast passes for the safari. Those afternoon thunderstorms would start soon. On our way we saw Devine. For those who don’t know Devine is a character on stilts that represents the forest as she is covered in vines. Very cool to watch and it really added to the experience to see her.
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PANGANI FOREST TRAIL
The Pangani Trail is just as good as the Maharajah Trek. Lots to see here. We only saw one gorilla though but a CM told us there was one playing in a waterfall near the exit of the safari so we went and saw him. It was an awesome experience. On this trail the Aviary was again the best part. We love birds. What’s cool about these aviaries is that you can pick up a big card with birds listed on it and you can try to identify them while your there. VERY COOL! 10 out of 10 stars.
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We had our fast passes to the Safari and we were near lunch time to we headed to our place where we head reservations. The Tusker House. Outside the Tusker House was an African drum group and let me tell you they were awesome. They had people in the audience and walking down the paths dancing. They even pulled people up there with them. You have to stop and watch this one. We passed them several times during the day and it looked as if they never stopped playing all day! The drummers here are a must see!
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TUSKER HOUSE
We walked right in after we gave name for our reservations. We were seated and explained how the buffet works and where everything was. Then we were off. The all you can eat here is expensive a bit but its way worth it. We ate a ton and loved it. This was the best restaurant on Disney property and the best food we ate our entire trip! It was amazing. The food here is different, mostly of African touch but besides Spain this was the best food we ever had! SERIOUSLY! You have to eat here. The samosa are the best! The deserts are great too and a lady at he counter told me that they make most of their deserts fresh every day, BY HAND! 10 out of 10 stars because it was worth more than the 40 bucks we paid to eat there. If we ever come back we shall never eat anywhere else in the park other than here! EXCELLENT FOOD!
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WILDLIFE EXPRESS TRAIN AND RAFIKIS PLANET WATCH
The train ride itself is not amazing but the place it takes you is. Once at Rafikis Planet Watch you get to see nursery exhibits where animals are being hatched, doctored and cared for. There are CM’S everywhere with animals in there hands and arms so you get to see them up close and on some occasions touch them. This is very cool! At certain times you can watch vets work on the animals. There are these booths I think called sounds of the rainforest. They are really neat and its amazing to have an attraction that relies solely on audio like this and it be so fun! The only thing that wasn’t open was the petting zoo section but I am sure it may be because of the swine flue or something. I give 9 out of 10 stars for the entire experience. Kids will get more from this in most cases but my wife and I are kids so we loved it. You’ll learn a lot here. This is a place to educate and learn .
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While we were at Rafikis Planet watch the downpours came and we knew when it cleared up it was time to go to the safari!
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KILIMANJARO SAFARI
I have ridden several safari type rides in my life and this was simply the best! It was about 2:40 when we got on the safaris. We walked right on with our fast passes. Not a lot of people in line and we heard a few people saying that went earlier in the day, like most people say to do and saw only a few animals. We went right after the rain in the early afternoon and saw everything except the lion. The thing about the lion is that he is hard to see at any time of day because they sleep like 19 hours a day or something crazy like that. The other animals though were all out and very active in the rains aftermath. The rhinos were hyper! The elephants were walking around happy and we saw tons of babies. There were all kinds of animals everywhere! The effects on this ride added a lot to the experience as well. This is a great experience and if you miss this one you miss the idea of the entire park! 10 out of 10 stars for being the best safari type ride in the country.

MUST MUST MUST DO! The best time to go from what we were told by a few CMS at the ride are right after a rain or right before park close. The whole thing about going first thing in the morning only works occasionally!
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After the safari we had a choice. The park closes early and we had to choose which show to see. I wish we could have seen them all but we could only see one. Festival of the lion king, Finding Nemo, or it’s a bugs life. We chose festival of the lion king so we headed down to the theatre where they hold the show and we were the first ones there.
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FESTIVAL OF THE LION KING
Its very strange for us to pick this one since the movie The Lion King was not either our favorites. But we are glad we chose this one! We were chosen to be VIP’S! We swung our arms around to open the doors to the show, was given front row seats and was told several times by the heavy set singer lady that she was taking me home with her! This was an awesome experience all by itself but the show was awesome too! A great celebration and an excellent way to end the day! This show has singing, dancing, animatronics, fire and acrobatics. THIS TOO IS A MUST SEE SHOW! 10 out of 10 stars!
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After the show we walked around the oasis to see some animals, a lot were already put away but we saw a few. We had a full day and although we didn’t see the pother two shows we felt like again we didn’t miss too much! It was a fun day !
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PARK OVERVIEW
Animal Kingdom is easy to get around. At times we didn’t even use the map! I was told this park is the hottest of all the parks but my wife and I thought it was the coolest. The shade and misty air really gave us a break from the heat. It may be because of where we are from, who knows. This is also defiantly the most photogenic park as well. This is the only park I felt bad for not bringing a camera. The CM’S, minus one that heckled us for being married only one year and was a complete jerk, were awesome. Some of the friendliest CM’S during our trip. This was a unique place and full of magic. The best food on our trip was a t Disney and our best food at Disney was at TUSKER HOUSE! The lines were never really bad all day and the most crowded section we saw was around the tree of life. This was our favorite park of our entire trip and we did 8 parks! This one was just up our alley and we had the most fun here! Disney really has an asset with this one. I can only hope they expand the park and learn that they can always close the animal sections at 5 but leave the park open later for shows and rides. 10 out of 10 stars unregrettably.

TO BE CONTINUED...
TOMMORROW
OLD TOWN
And we go back to Epcot for
ILLUMINATIONS

- DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

2009-06-22T18:36:00.007-04:00

-- ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART SIX --
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART SEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-seven-read-part.html
READ PART EIGHT HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-eight-read-part.html
READ PART NINE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/universal-islands-of-adventure.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html
READ PART ELEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/reed-bingham.html
------------
STATS
THEME PARK: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
RATING: 7 out of 10
Address: Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830 USA
Phone numbers:(407)-824-4321
Official website: http://www.disneyworld.com/
Status: Operating since 1989

DAY FIVE - My wife and I both feel that Hollywood studios is our least favorite Disney park and our least favorite park in Orlando. There are some great rides here and some duds too. The park is pretty in some section and downright ugly in others.

We started our day at the front gates, as usual. The front gates here were extremely crowded. Since we were here during Star Wars Weekends we were entertained with storm troopers while we waited for the park to open. They were funny as they stood on the rooftops and made fun of the people waiting. Once the gates opened the rush was on. This was the only Disney walk back that felt like a cattle herd up. There were people tripping, pushing, cussing and the whole nine yards. When we got to the far right side of the park we got our fast passes for Rock n Roller Coaster and then we were off reluctantly to Tower of Terror.
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TOWER OF TERROR
We waited about 10 or 15 minutes to get on. Considering this was opening time that is pretty bad! Now we hate drop rides but were both told on many occasions by many people that Tower of Terror was different. We figured with Disney themeing and such this would be a different ride. IT WAS NOT! The themeing on Tower of Terror is sub par for Disney and we thought the ride would do more than just drop. We were wrong. What makes this worse for people who hate drop rides is the floating stomach sensation we hate on these rides is extended due to not just one but multiple drops. This was no different than any other drop ride in the world except for the bad themeing they added! We are biased because we hate drop rides so I give it a 4 out of 10 stars! I am sure people would disagree but they are probably biased because they like rides like this. If you go on this thinking the themeing will be close to haunted mansion you will be as disappointed as we were.
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ROCK AND ROLLER COASTER
Next up we used our fast passes for Rock and Roller Coaster. We waited maybe 5 minutes or less before we entered the pre-show. The pre-show was pretty cool with Aerosmith leaving to tour and you are to follow closely behind in your limo! You are heading to the garage looking area where you will board your launched limo. Not bad for a Vekoma, in fact very good for a Vekoma. Vekoma made coasters are known for being rough and the restraint systems they use are usually tools used to beat your head around. Rock and Roller Coaster was not too rough at all. In a couple of spots I got some minor head banging but it really wasn’t much at all. Zero to fifty seven MPH in 2.8 seconds was nice. No Furious Baco though. The neon signage inside was a good touch. I can see them re-themeing this one in the future with updated effects. This was a fun ride, though not a 10 by any means a good ride. I give this one a fair 8 out of 10 stars. Considering this park doesn’t have a 10 rated ride in my book this is one of their top rides
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GREAT MOVIE RIDE
After getting a spicy cheese stuffed pretzel (one of the best things ever) we made our way to walk on the Great Movie Ride. You enter a large room where old movie trailers play. This brought back some old memories and for anyone who loves old movies this is pure joy! Now I have heard people complain about this room saying they should replace the screens with HD screens etc. WHAT? NO WAY! The effect of seeing these trailers the way they were once seen is pure grainy pleasure. when you get on the ride you experience tour guide hijacking and gangsters, awesome animatronics representing movies from Hollywood history and an all together great ride. This was a fun experience and I hope they never change this one! I like it just the way it is. 8 out of 10 stars.
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HOLLYWOOD BACKLOT TOUR
This is one of those movie tour ride things where you are suppose to go behind the scenes and see where movies are made. We saw props, effect demonstrations and even the wardrobe rooms but never, not once did we see anything filming. This was an interesting experience for my wife who is interested in this type of thing but for someone like me who has made feature films before this was sort of a mediocre disappointment. I give the Hollywood Backlot tour 7 out of 10 stars because its heart is in the right place and for someone who doesn’t know much about filmmaking it would be neat but it falls short for anyone expecting more. There is a great costume and prop museum upon your exit if the tour wasn’t enough for you.
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During the Backlot tour it started raining as we pulled up to the station. We walked over to the Muppets 3d show for shelter and when we got there the storm really picked up with lightning and a full downpour. We had shelter and we also get to do an attraction as well.
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MUPPET VISION 3D
The pre show was amusing but the over crowded room where it takes place is stuffy and you feel like a sardine. Once the theatre doors opened people pushed and shoved themselves in. This makes no sense to me because the first ones in have to sit at the end of each row and that is not good seating. I prefer to sit in the middle so we took our time and got great seats. We put on our Glasses and was hoping for a Mickey’s Philharmagic repeat. The show was good but only good. It wasn’t spectacular like philharmagic was. This is not a bad show but its not the best either. I love Muppets and was expecting more I guess. I give Muppet Vision 3d 7 out of 10 stars because in the world of 3D movies in Orlando it doesn’t live up to the others as well. This would have been better without the 3d! After the movie the storm was letting up and it was time to go to lunch. We had 12:30 reservations and it was already noon. We got some fast passes for star tours first though as the wait was 20 minutes!
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SCI–FI DINE IN
Even with reservations we waited about 15 or 20 minutes for our seat. We were seated in 1950’s style convertibles as we ate and watched awesome B-movie trailers on the drive in style movie screen in front of us. The experience was AWSOME. My wife had a grilled chicken sandwich that she says was good but not the best. I had the hamburger with bacon and mushrooms. This Hamburger was the best Hamburger I have ever had, knocking a few from home down a notch. I miss this burger! I would defiantly come eat here again if I were to ever want to endure this mediocre park again. 9 out of 10 stars for the Sci FI Dine in, taking off a point only for my wifes chicken sandwich.
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STAR TOURS
After our lunch we made our way over to this classic Disney attraction and before you know it we were on our tour of the universe with our droid who was celebrating his first ever flight! This is a fun ride and the queue line is amazing! So what if this ride is old as heck, it’s pretty fun. I have ridden motion simulators before and expected this one to be pretty bad and rough since it was one of the first. It was not rough, not bad and I don’t see how anyone would get motion sick on this one. My wife gets motion sick pretty easy and this one didn’t affect her at all. 8 out of 10 stars for this classic.
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After Star tours we made our way to Pixar place where we talked about riding the toy story ride. With a line of 50 minutes and the fact we both dislike Toy Story and hate video games it was an easy “SKIP IT!” We don’t feel like we missed anything by skipping it.
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ONE MANS DREAM
When you enter this attraction you will be immersed in the museum like displays. This is a very magical place. You learn about the man himself and see things he created throughout his life that led him to become the great WALT DISNEY! The film at the end of the attraction is a must see. You really feel for him starting from nothing. This is a laugh and cry presentation. A MUST SEE! THE ONLY 10 out of 10 stars in the entire park!
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THE MAGIC OF DISNEY ANIMATION
You sit through a dull interaction between the cm on stage and Mushu. Then you’re done! THAT’S IT! They have a drawing class upon your exit but the film was enough to bore us so much we were ready to move on at that point! They don’t even make animation here anymore so it is almost a waste of time. 3 out of 10 stars.
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INDIANA JONES STUNT SPECTACTULAR
My wife and I LOVE INDIANNA JONES! We thought this would be a 10. Its close but no cigar. The show itself is great, WHEN your not watching them change sets and when the bad jokes form the fake filmmaker are not making you puke. The show GREAT the in betweens not so great. I give the Indiana stunt show 8 out of 10 stars taking off points for the above mentioned.
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PARK OVERVIEW
We left this park way early. You can basically do this one at a slow pace and not miss much. The park design is one of the worse layouts I have ever seen at any park! The paths connect to other paths or dead ends and the map simply doesn’t correlate at all. You can get lost even if you know where you are! Confusing! In fact we saw several people walking to the front gates as we left simply to say something like “Crap, we walked to the front again”! Your sense of direction gets thrown way off here. The CM”S are about 50/50 here. We met some of the nicest CM’S here and we also met some CM”S that appeared unhappy but with a smile. Almost like they were forcing themselves to be happy. The rides here are not the best of Orlando by any means and Disney really should consider a park wide renovation to bring this place back up to snuff. We saw teh Parade here and watched about 5 minutes before we just got so boraed we walked away. Also the High School Musical parade thing was bad as well! BAD BAD BAD! Disney Hollywood Studios just doesn’t meet my expectations for a Disney park, It barely meets my expectations for a Six Flags park! 7 out of 10 stars for Disney Hollywood Studios. Do it once then after that SKIP IT!
TO BE CONTINUED…
TOMMORROW _
--ANIMAL KINGDOM--

- SEA WORLD ORLANDO

2009-06-21T18:27:00.010-04:00

-- ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART FIVE --
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART SEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-seven-read-part.html
READ PART EIGHT HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-eight-read-part.html
READ PART NINE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/universal-islands-of-adventure.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html
READ PART ELEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/reed-bingham.html
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STATS
THEME PARK: SEA WORLD - ORLANDO
RATING: 10 out of 10
Address: 7007 Seaworld Dr Orlando, Florida 32821 USA
Phone numbers:800-327-2424 Toll Free407-363-2280 Local
Official website: http://www.seaworld.com
Status: Operating since 1973
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DAY FOUR - on 6-04-09 we arrived at the front gates to Sea World at about 8:30 am. The Highs for today were only 84 degrees with some thunderstorms later in the day and the crowds were not bad at all. The worst crowds of the day were at the bag checks and the front gates. This was the most crazy of all bag check areas we experienced in Orlando.

The gates were opened five minutes before the official opening time. I cannot stress enough about getting to these Orlando parks early. You really have to if you don’t want to miss anything. We rand to the parks newest coaster MANTA and got a locker as fast as possible. The ride was a walk on this early in the morning.
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MANTA
The cue For this ride is gorgeous. The faux rock walls accent the many aquariums beautifully. Here you can see many rays and other fish. The music that is played in this queue is also part of the experience. By the time you reach the coaster your are completely in the mood! The crew loaded us in very fast and the trademark feeling you get form the seats of a B&M flyer raising you off the floor only lets you know there is no turning back now. The lift hill was very low. By this I mean, sure the drop is great but its not that high as compared to other coasters of this type. The short lift hill does not take anything away however. You glide at a good 56 mph through four inversions and across the top of the manta tank. A great water effect makes you feel as if you are skimming the waters with the rays! I was curious before I rode if you are able to even get a glimpse of the rays in the tank as you ride, considering you are going fast through all these inversions. I was happy to find I was able to see them clearly as we zoomed by. The ride is smooth but that’s to be expected from a B&M. Manta has more bite than most B&M coasters of this nature such as Superman at Six Flags over Georgia. Manta is a pretty ride to look at from the walkways, from the cue, on the ride and every where else you can see it. There just isn’t an ugly part of this ride and that includes the ride itself. This has to be the best of the new coasters for the year of 2009! I cannot give this one any more stars than ten but I wish I could! 10 out of 10 stars! Ride this one first thing in the morning to avoid long lines after the initial rush at the gates.
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After the great ride on Manta we headed to Journey to Atlantis. We wanted to get the three major rides at Sea World in first to avoid crowds. We had a little trouble finding it but eventually we did. One piece of advice I would like to give about Sea World is don’t be afraid to ask directions from the workers there. They are always friendly and eager to tell you where you need to go. I say this because the map does not always correlate with the park. The map frequently showed an attraction next to another one but in reality it was a further walk than it seems and also the map would have paths that were not there or exclude paths etc. The map can be confusing especially on the left hand side of the park and around the bayside arena on the right side of the park.
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JOURNEY TO ATLANTIS
We decided to ride this one next since we were advised earlier by an employee at the front gates that this ride gets a huge line fast after opening. We walked on and got front seat. Needless to say the front seat gets you very soaked! Despite popular belief this is not a typical log ride and is in fact considered a roller coaster. There is a great twisting drop from a coaster track inside the building into the water that is unexpected and gives a great adrenaline rush right before you get soaked! AWSOME!

The effects inside are great and I have read in books and other places that it doesn’t come close to Disney standards and therefore doesn’t come close to Splash Mountain! I disagree 100 percent. The effects inside are more exciting than Splash Mountain and the drops are way cool! In fact this is the BEST water ride in Orlando in my opinion. The others just don’t come close to this one. The best part? You don’t get a spit of water like on Splash Mtn, Instead you get drenched. We rode it twice and the second time after Kraken was also a walk on! If you want to get DRENCHED sit in the front, if you want to just get spit on don’t even ride it cause you’ll get very wet in every seat. 10 out of 10 stars for the best water ride in Orlando.
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After Journey to Atlantis we headed over to the Coaster I have been waiting to ride for years!, the majestic Kraken!
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KRAKEN
The Kraken is a huge B&M floorless coaster that races through seven inversions at speeds of 65 mph. This one really reminded me of Dragon Khan at Port Aventura in Spain! The floorless trains really don’t add any extra excitement to the ride for me but the ride itself is full of excitement. Our ride again was a walk on and before you know it we were upside down, downside up and every where in the sky and under ground. The ride was pretty good but the only complaint I had was the roughness. Yes I said it! This was the ONLY B&M I have ridden that beat my head against the restraints! Usually this NEVER happens on B&M’S! The funny part is the ride itself is smooth but in the inversions my head was banging like a metal music fan! Other than the headache from the beating I enjoyed the ride but this has to be my lowest rated B&M coaster I have ever rated. 8 out of 10 stars because it SO deserves a 10 but it also deserves to not bash my head in!
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After Kraken it was time to see some exhibits. The animal exhibits here at SEA WORLD are top notch but instead of wasting space talking about them lets just say every exhibit here is a must see and I rate every single exhibit we saw from a 9 to a 10! It was time to start seeing what Sea World is best at, The shows!
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CLYDE AND SEAMORE TAKE PIRATE ISLAND
We arrived early for this one and I suggest you d o too unless you want to be hackled by the pirate mime. That’s right; there is a funny mime that makes fun of people who are late. He is entertaining and you’ll laugh at his jokes the entire time. You will also be thankful YOU got there early. The show itself was funny and creative. Clyde and Seymour are seals and with the help of their otter friend they will put on a great show for you. I heard someone after the show complaining about it. They said something to the effect that the acting was bad and the seals screwed up a couple of times. First off the bad acting was what made the show so great and I just wanted to ask her as her children were misbehaving “how well do you have your children trained?” The thing is animals are very hard to train and the fact they screwed a couple of things up while doing more than 50 tricks and commands correctly is amazing to me. I give Clyde and Seymour a good 9 out of 10 stars. Every show at sea world is a must see and this is the funniest of them.
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BLUE HORIZONS
This is the show I almost skipped. I have seen many dolphin shows in my life and thought it was going to be just the same. Boy was I wrong. I am glad this one didn’t get skipped. Its like a European show almost. A water ballet with dolphins. Beautiful costumes, amazing dolphins and great choreography. There are also birds involved in this show as well. Despite a slow start this show picks up quickly and then never slows back down. Beautiful and exciting. I give Blue Horizons a 9 out of 10 for being the most unique Dolphin show I have ever seen.
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SEAPORT PIZZA
After Blue Horizons we ate at Seaport Pizza.This is a counter service place where you eat under a terrace. The food was AWSOME and CHEAP! I think we spent like 13 bucks for both of us to eat but we did have our own drinks with us. I give Seaport Pizza a 8 out of 10 stars because it was tasty but eating outdoors can get hot in Florida.
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PETS AHOY
Though most of the animals here only did one trick you must remember there are a LOT of animals in this show. The best part? They are all adopted from shelters and given a second chance at life. The show features dogs, cats, rats, pigs and other things as well. This is a great show and pretty funny as well. If you are an animal lover you’ll really like this one. It makes you feel good! 9 out of 10 stars!
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A’ LURE CALL TO THE OCEAN
The best show at SEA WORLD! PERIOD! Imagine a cirque du sole and china acrobats mingled together with awesome visual effects about the ocean floor in a mythical performance! The sets were creative, the effects amazing, the acrobats and dancing just superb and I thought this one felt more like a nice dinner show instead of the average theme park show. You could tell the people in this show KNEW they were good and they do things you would think was impossible. The story of a man following the call to the ocean to find himself in a underworld of magic and intrigue was also amazing. 10 out of 10 stars for the best show at sea world. I hope they keep this one here for a while. I would hate to not ever get the chance to see it again!
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After A’ Lure we went toward Shamus Happy Harbor to get tour last roller coaster credit of the day. As I have said in the past , We love coasters! We have no shame and some of the kiddy coasters we have ridden are just as fun as the bigger ones. Shamu Express was next.
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SHAMU EXPRESS
Of course this is a kiddy coaster and Kiddy coasters don’t have major thrills per say but some of them are just pain fun. This is NOT one of those. Kind of weird the only disappointment at Sea World was a kiddy coaster. Not sure what we were expecting but it wasn’t this very slow, very bumpy and cramped ride. In fact my Wife likes Wacky Worms better than this one. I even heard some kids talking about how they didn’t like it. I wish they would replace this one with a better kiddy coaster along the lines of Tibidabo Express or even Barnstormer at Magic Kingdom. 2 out of 10 stars EVEN FOR A KIDDY IT WAS BAD!____________________
We skipped the other rides at the Shamu Happy Harbor Area due to the oncoming rain and the long lines. These are rides that you can find at carnivals and smaller theme parks. Nothing really exciting here for adults. We Also skipped Wild Artic as we were told many people had gotten sick on it and the queue line was confusing. We asked the lady at the line where we needed to go to not see the movie but see the displays. I couldn’t understand her accent so we just said screw it and went up to the Shamu Arena and waited. The rain came and so did heavy thunderstorms and lightning so close it was scary!
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BELEAVE
The show was held back for 20 extra minutes due to the storms. You could see Shamu in the back pool getting anxious to perform, He knew what time it was! this is Florida and the Storms finally passed and the show began.This was a real treat. I expected a good show since this is the parks namesake BUT I didn’t expect the sentimental and soul moving aspects of this show. This IS a great show. Some complaints however would be that the large LED screens on the stage only worked periodically and the one on the far right wasn’t working at all. Beside that I must give the show a 10 out of 10 because if a 34 year old man can cry when the trainer gave a relek from HIS childhood to a little girl who wants to be a marine biologist then it MUST be a moving show!

If you go to Sea World and miss this show WHY EVEN GO?
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It was about 7:30 when we left. We saw all the shows except the fireworks show and rode the major rides. We could’ve stayed and completed the entire park but the storms were brewing again and we really didn’t feel like we missed too much by leaving early.
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PARK OVERVIEW
Sea World is a wonderful place. I just cannot understand how people can go to Disney and never leave Disney Property when there are great and exciting places such as this one just down the road. If you visit Orlando and miss Sea World your missing A LOT! The park does have its problems such as confusing paths and such but it seems every park in Orlando has a problem with maps and confusing paths so I cannot take too much off for that. The employees here were just as nice and helpful as Disney and the themeing here is very impressive. 10 out of 10 stars for one of the Best parks in Florida!
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PLANNING
Just like every park in Orlando they can get crowded and if you don’t arrive early and have a plan you can find yourself doing 3 attractions and leaving frustrated. The Plan for Sea World will be a little difficult to create but a necessity. First off if you want to ride the three major rides Manta, Kraken and Atlantis, ride them first then see the attractions and shows. You should stop and see the walk through attractions between shows and when time allows. The guide maps say arrive at the shows 45 min before the show but we didn’t find this necessary when we were there. We arrived anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes prior to Showtime and had the best seats! Of course we didn’t experience large crowds either, so on busy days you may have to arrive even earlier. Sometimes the higher seats have better views and best of all shade!!The park only releases show schedules about a week ahead of time so keep checking! YOU NEED TO KNOW THESE BEFORE YOU ARRIVE!. You will need to schedule the shows from where you are in the park and correlate the times to your location. If you just go into this park haphazardly you may see two shows all day!

YOU WILL NEED A PLAN!

TO BE CONTINUED….
TOMMORROW –
DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

EPCOT - FUTURE WORLD

2009-06-17T17:03:00.018-04:00

-- ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART FOUR -
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART SEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-seven-read-part.html
READ PART EIGHT HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-eight-read-part.html
READ PART NINE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/universal-islands-of-adventure.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html
READ PART ELEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/reed-bingham.html
---------
STATS
THEME PARK: EPCOT - FUTURE WORLD
RATING: 9 out of 10
Address: Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830 USA
Phone numbers:(407)-824-4321
Official website: http://www.disneyworld.com/
Status: Operating since 1982
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DAY THREE -On the way to Future World we noticed that we were so early there wasn’t much of a crowd at the monorail. Wearing our anniversary buttons we asked if we could ride up front and was told SURE! It was a great experience riding up front in the monorail with the driver. Our driver was very nice and talked to us about Disney movies the entire way. When we arrived he gave us co-pilot cards. Even though we are adults this is an experience we just will not forget.Upon arrival at eh gates we noticed we were a little further back form the gates than we were at magic kingdom but still pretty close. When the ropes dropped we were walked back to Soarin where we got our fast passes. No every other time we got fast passes they were for an hour later but these said 9:25! This was a first and I didn’t think they ever printed Fast Passes that early!We turned right around and rushed to Test track. Future world is pretty small considering and very easily managed. Walking back and forth in this section of Epcot is pretty easy.
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TEST TRACK
The lines were still low here and we basically just walked on. There was a short wait near the cars but we are talking 2 or 3 minutes here. Before we knew it we were on!The queue line for test track is as much fun as the ride itself! You get to see all kinds of dummy tests as you walk through. Needless to say we walked through the queue pretty slow even though there was no line at this point in the morning.The ride itself was fun though not a high thrill as Disney would lead you to believe, it does have its moments. I spotted the eggs frying in the heat room and the ice tray in the cold room. After a few fun tests you soar out at about 64 miles an hour which is fun! This is a good ride! I give Test Track 9 out of 10 stars for being an uniquely fun experience but just don’t expect coaster like thrills.
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After Test Track we headed back to the Land pavilion to ride Soarin.
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SOARIN
By this time it was already about 9:30ish and the standby line was HUGE! I would suggest either riding it first thing in the morning or getting fast passes or else be prepared to wait a long time. The wait time at 9:30 was already 40 minutes and around 10:00 it was 60 minutes! Even the fast pass line gave us the longest wait so far in the trip. We waited a good 15 minutes with our fast passes! The wait however was worth it. This is NOT your average movie simulator. Soarin is an all immersive experience and more thrilling to me than even test track.Your soar over orange groves where you smell oranges, you dodge golf balls as you soar over a course and you experience the fireworks over Cinderella’s castle with the best view. JUST AWSOME! Soarin is worth even a 60 minute wait but it would be ashame to wait that long so get to it early VERY EARLY! 10 out of 10 Stars for the BEST attraction in Epcots Future world
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After Soarin we went to ride Living with the Land. It is located in the same pavilion as Soarin and pretty easy to get to once downstairs.
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LIVING WITH THE LAND
My wife and I really enjoyed our educational boat ride into the science of farming and being able to see new and different ways to grow produce and such. This would not be for everyone but if you have an interest in science, farming, biology, or plant life you will love this as much as we did. The plants grown in the greenhouses on this ride are used in some of Disney’s restaurants. I found that fact astonishing. 10 out of 10 stars for this awesome ride but keep in mind this wouldn’t be a 10 for everyone as it is pretty specific to science and farming. They also offer a behind the seeds tour where you can get even a closer hands on experience in these green houses. I think we will try this tour next time.
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After the land we walked over the next pavilion The Seas with Nemo.
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THE SEAS WITH NEMO
The "mine mine mine" Birds outside are hilarious. Now I have been wanting to do this one since it was called the Living Seas and I was a child. Though pretty fun it was a little bit of a letdown. We have been to many aquariums and this may be why we feel the way we do toward this one. We walked onto the ride but the queue line seemed to go on forever. Once on the ride in our little clams we had a ride experience not much different from the Gran Fiesta Tour. Basically instead of Donald Duck jumping from screen to screen you had the characters from finding Nemo. Once you depart your clam you enter the aquarium portion of the pavilion. This area seemed to be neat for children and would be pretty interesting if you never been to an aquarium before but if you have you may find it a little bland. After walking to a few exhibits we were ready to leave. We got pretty bored pretty easy here. I give this attraction 7 out of 10 stars because it is fascinating but the interest only lasts for a little bit.
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After we left the Seas with Nemo we went once again back to the Land pavilion. We were getting hungry. Once we arrived back at the land pavilion I realized my water bottle with belt clip was missing. I remember sitting it on the Living with the Land ride so I went to that ride to see if they found it. I figured they probably just threw it away but they sent me to the desk at Soarin, this is where lost and found is at the Land pavilion. I didn’t even finish my sentence when the guy at the desk handed it to me. Disney’s Lost and found was the best! I lost it about 30 or 40 minutes ago and it was already at the lost and found!
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SUSHINE SEASONS
Once I got my water bottle back we went to the Sunshine Seasons counter service restaurant to eat. It is VERY affordable they have some great food to choose from. We hade vegetarian Cuban sandwiches and they were absolutely to die for! I suggest if you on a budget and want some healthy energy EAT HERE! 10 out of 10 stars for Sunshine Seasons since it has a great selection of tasty food and budget prices!
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When we were finished we headed out of the Land Pavilion and the sun was out with a nice breeze. The landscaping in the Future world area caught our attention on several occasions. What a beautiful park! We slowing made our way to the imagination pavilion as we soaked in the beautiful day.
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JOURNEY INTO IMAGINATION WITH FIGAMENT
This ride quickly became another favorite of ours. The whimsical dark ride features Figament a dragon that controls you imagination. Very surreal with great music and I found myself happier after this ride as I sung the song for hours! After the ride are some fun interactive displays. My wife and I loved jumping on the projected images of music instruments to play music the most. This is one of those rides that make adults feel like kids. 10 out of 10 stars! You cannot leave this ride without smiling!
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The time was about 1:00 at this point so we decided to explore both sides of Innoventions. Innoventions is a sort of exhibition center offering interactive exhibits divided in half on either side of the back of Spaceship Earth. These are the attractions we participated in. We didn’t do everything there only because some things didn’t interest us at all.
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INNOVENTIONS WEST

ROCK'N ROBOTS
The first exhibit we saw was the musical robots. This was fun for about 3 minutes but got old fast 3 out of 10 stars.

SEGWAY CENTRAL
This was an awesome experience where you are given about 5 minutes with an instructor to learn to drive a Segway. There are restrictions such as health and age requirements and you must sign a waiver. The lines were not bad when we were here but I can see then getting outrageous on crowded days since there are only two Segways operating at a time. 10 out of 10 stars!

WHERE'S THE FIRE
This is an interactive game played with two teams of six or so people with flashlights. Basically each member of each team uses the flashlights in different rooms to spot fire hazards. Where’s the fire is very educational especially for younger folks. Would be a great way to make children and even some adults aware of fire dangers. I give this one 8 out of 10 stars for being a creative way to educate about fire safety.

SLAPSTICK STUDIOS
This is a cool game show presentation about Velcro. I was picked for the second half and I found myself competing against another guy. We were wearing aprons and sticking little baby dolls on it after we grabbed them from a conveyor belt and diapered them up. I had more babies on me then he BUT they said my diapering was questionable. We both ended up getting a blue ribbon sticker. This is a VERY FUN experience and everyone should try this one. After the game show you enter a room where you design a Velcro frog and take one home with you! My wife and I will have this free souvenir to always remind us I had to diaper babies in front of a crowd! Being childless you can imagine my embarrassment, NAH I have no shame. IT WAS FUN! 10 out of 10 stars!

CLUB COOL
The entrance to this great place is actually outside. This is a not to be missed thing to do! FREE SODA from around the world. Beware Beverly from Italy. My wife and I loved Meso Mix from Germany. It was my favorite. 10 out of 10 stars because its free, fun and a must do!
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INNOVENTIONS EAST

HOUSE OF INNOVENTIONS
This is basically a tour of a house equipped with the latest (a very expensive) technologies. Though fun and interesting it was not all great. Some technologies such as voice activation have been around for a while but others were new to me. They crowd this tour with big groups and at times some rooms are hard to see unless you’re in the front of the group. 7 out of 10 stars due to logistics and the feel it should be updated.

TEST THE LIMITS LAB
This is a great concept. You are able to test eh integrity of products by smashing them and pushing them to their limits. Unfortunately less than half of the displays actually worked and it got boring fast! 3 out of 10 stars.

STORM STRUCK
This is a wild 3D show that is NOT to be missed. You basically sit through a major storm that destroys the houses and trees around you. You see and FEEL the rains, the wind and all the crashes. After the storm you are asked to vote on ways to improve the structures for the next storm and then again you sit through the storm, only this time seeing if the changes you voted for will work. This is educational, exciting and unique. PURE FUN! 10 out of 10 stars. Don’t underestimate the fun levels on this one. The best at Innoventions!

I give Innoventions an honest 9 out of 10 stars because although some of the exhibits there were duds many were educational and fun and that usually is a very hard thing to achieve. When we left it was about 3:30 so we wasted a good amount of time in there!
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We walked right past the Mission Space ride because we don’t do spinny rides and honestly I hate centrifuge type feelings such as Gravitron rides so we just skipped it. The last thing we wanted was my wife getting motion sick and me having chest pains. Instead we went to Ellen’s Energy Adventure. It was warm outside so we figure even if its as bad as people say it is we will have 45 minutes of A/C.
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ELLEN'S ENERGY ADVENTURE
When we walk to the pavilion we were scared because the wait time display was not operating properly. We asked a CM what the wait was and they said "hurry and go in, the show is starting now!' As soon as we walked in and sat in the floor it started. I have to say this is NOT as bad as people claim it to be. In fact it’s quite enjoyable. It’s a slow moving ride with lots of movie screens but if you pay attention you’ll get more out of it. With that said we did notice a lot of people getting bored. I just don’t see why. My wife and I liked it. It’s no 10 or anything but it is a fun ride! 8 out of 10 stars because its no soarin but it does have its place and I would hate to see this one go. One interesting fact we found out was the entire ride is powered by solar panels located on the roof of the pavilion.
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It was about 4:30 and we only had one last ride to get in!
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SPACESHIP EARTH
My biggest piece of advice for this one is waiting until the end of the day to get into line. We saw long lines the prior day when heading to World Showcase but at 4:30 it was a 5 minute wait. We were on and riding in no time as per usual. This is a great ride and basically about the communication advances through history. I really like this one so much that a few days later when we returned just to see Illuminations this is the only ride we rode! Since this was my first trip to Disney I cant compare it to the old version but the version I rode was great and well worth 10 out of 10 stars.
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We left the park at 5:00 having took our time most of the day minus the runs between Soarin and Test Track. We went back to our hotel to get plenty of rest because to next day would be a FULL day at SEAWORLD!

On another day we came back for one thing....
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ILLUMINATIONS
This is a fireworks show that takes place at Epcot on a nightly basis.

We arrived at Epcot at 7:00pm and found a great place to sit in front of the lake on the center south end. A CM told us we would have the best view. HE WAS RIGHT!The crowds came in about 30 minutes before show time but it didn't matter! the sidewalk here is slanted so if you have 300 people standing in front of you, you can still see everything!

There's alot to see! This is not the normal fireworks! In fact this is the reason I said in the Magic Kingdom Review that Disney could do better than Wishes. I say that because they already proved that they can with Illuminations! This was the best Fireworks show I have ever seen. It is more than just fireworks. Its fireworks, mixed with explosions, lighted buildings, synchronised water fountains in the lake, lasers and more!I could go on and on about this show and you still would have no idea what its like unless you see it for yourself so I will cut this one short and say 10 out of 10 stars for this one.

If you miss Illuminations you miss the best! If you have a choice between wishes and Illuminations I say Illuminations is way more complex and entertaining. Dull is not a word to use to describe any of this! YOU MUST SEE THIS! SERIOUSLY! YOU HAVE TO!
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THINGS WE MISSED

MISSION SPACE
If my wife and I had ridden this we probably would have been useless the next few days and we had other parks to go to. We just didn’t feel like making ourselves sick

SOME DISPLAYS AT INNOVENTIONS
The things we didn’t list we didn’t do because it just didn’t interest us
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PARK OVERVIEW
I suggest doing the Future world section on its own day! Though pretty small there is a lot of walking and you’ll be on your feet a lot even if you not standing in line due to the nature of innoventions and exhibits in other pavilions. The rides here are great and educational while not depleting much excitement at the same time. I love this section and it is by far more entertaining the World Showcase. I hated seeing the wonders of life pavilion standing there inoperable and hope they find something to put into there soon. I give Epcots Future World 9 out of 10 stars because it’s not your average theme park and it is really a different experience than most. The creativeness here is overwhelming at times. With that said I feel like Epcot would be a park we could skip on another visit, not because its not fun but its one of those things that once you do it, you’ve done it. Now if they add a few more attractions it would be redoable. I feel they really need a water ride here. They have some great fountains to get wet in but I just feel like they need a good splasher. Imagine what they could do with a water ride based on science? Can we say AWSOME?
TO BE CONTINUED…
- IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS-
!!!!!SEAWORLD!!!!!
PLEASE LEAVE SOME COMMENTS

EPCOT - WORLD SHOWCASE

2009-06-16T16:22:00.011-04:00

- ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART THREE -
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART SEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-seven-read-part.html
READ PART EIGHT HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-eight-read-part.html
READ PART NINE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/universal-islands-of-adventure.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html
READ PART ELEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/reed-bingham.html
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STATS
THEME PARK: EPCOT - WORLD SHOWCASE
RATING: 8 out of 10
Address: Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830 USA
Phone numbers:(407)-824-4321
Official website: http://www.disneyworld.com/
Status:Operating since 1982
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Since Epcot Future World and Epcot World Showcase are two completely different experiences I am divided them up as if they were two parks. We did them each on separate days.First I want to say keep an eye out all week as I will be posted reviews from our trip for the next two weeks. At the end of reviewing all the parks I will give an overview of our trip including our hotel, transportation, rating the CM's, how we did it for 40 bucks a day and more.
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DAY TWO!
It was 6/02/09 a Tuesday and the high we experienced that day was 88 degrees with a nice breeze and no rain whatsoever all day. We slept in because World showcase doesn’t open until 11 or so. We also needed a little recovery from the all day we had at Magic Kingdom.
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MEXICO PAVILION
We arrived around noonish and headed straight to the Mexico Pavilion. As soon as we arrive there was a great mariachi band playing so we stopped and watched. It was a very nice band and added to the feel although I never really FELT I like was actually in Mexico at this pavilion Although I really did enjoy it. We entered the pavilion and were surprised to see a wonderful art display in the pavilions lobby. This display showcased woodcarvings of animals in Mexican lore. I really love the art but my only complaint is the people standing in front of the displays not looking at them but blocking the views of others. Of course my wife and I kind of pushed them aside saying "excuse us". We were looked at as rude but I feel like the rude ones were the people who feel the need to block the displays when them their selves are not even interested in them.
GRAN FIESTA TOUR
When we were done with viewing the art we headed to the Gran Fiesta Tour. Since I love the Three caberllos and Saludos Amigos I was excited about this ride. There was so much going on though with Donald jumping from screen to screen and the others chasing him it was hard to keep up what was going on. It’s a beautiful ride but as my wife put it, "This is what it feels like to have ADD". I enjoyed the ride but it took over an hour afterward just to let it all sink in. I give this ride a 7 out of 10, great concept but a mental overload.
SAN ANGEL INN
After the tour we found ourselves hungry already. We thought the San Angle Inn was a beautiful place as it overlooked the boat ride and a volcano. I told my wife since we didn’t have reservations not to expect anything but I would talk to them. When we went up to the desk I asked if we could sit in for a beer and appetizers with a reservation. They looked at our anniversary buttons and said sure. While we were waiting on our reservations we saw many people turned away for not having reservations so I am assuming we only got in because of our buttons. The food was great and not your traditional Mexican faire however two beers a margarita and an appetizer ended up costing us nearly 50 bucks. Needless to say this was the day our 40 bucks a day in the parks was already shot to hell. I would give the San Angel 10 out of 10 for taste but the price forces me to give the place an 8 out of 10 for value.Overall I give the Mexican Pavilion a 9 out of 10 as it was one of the more beautiful pavilions in the world showcase.
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Next up was...
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NORWAY PAVILION
This pavilion seemed small to me and I was expecting more. The Norwegian beer though was a 10!!! It was one of my favorite beers of the entire day. We looked around some of the shops and then saw the Maelstrom ride had a 20 minute wait! We got in line and it looked longer than 20 minutes to us but miraculously the true wait was about five minutes, an ongoing theme for our trip.
MALESTROM
Though this is a gorgeous ride and quite fun it is disappointing in the fact it is very short and leaves you wanting more when you get out of your boat. I had to find a restroom quickly after our ride so we didn’t see the movie afterward. I give Maelstrom a good 7 out of 10 for what it was and wish it had more to it.Though beautiful the Norway pavilion itself also had me wanting more.

It seemed awfully cramped with not much to do after the ride on Maelstrom. I had heard somewhere there was a garden and playground here but was told when I was there that there was only the ride and shops. I felt like I miss something completely. I give the Norway pavilion 8 out of 10 stars because while beautiful and compelling it was lacking something I just couldn’t put my finger on.
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CHINA PAVILION
The only bad thing about the China pavilion was the beer. It tasted absolutely terrible. However the pavilion itself was the second best in the world showcase. The CM'S working there talked to us for about 15 minutes or so about the first emperor and the displays of the replicas from his tomb were amazing. You could really get a feel for the history of china here and this pavilion was the first for the day where for a second you could feel like you were actually in China. I give the China Pavilion 10 out of 10 stars because of the detail in the architecture and the amazing replicas of the artifacts inside
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AFRICAN OUTPOST
We breezed right past this one as there isn’t really much there but some drums to bang on and I would rather not rate this area as it isn’t really even a pavilion
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GERMANY PAVILION
We spent only a few minutes in Germany as it felt to us not as good as the feel we get from Helen Georgia. For those who don’t know Helen Georgia is an entire town dressed up to look like the German Alps. I hate to say it and maybe we are a little biased because we love helen so much but we Felt the architecture in Helen and the overall feel of Helen was better. I give the Germany Pavilion a sturdy 7 out of 10 stars since I was expected it to blow my mind but didn’t. I drink German beer all the time but had to get one for the road. Some of the best beers come from Germany!
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ITALY PAVILION
When we got to the Italy pavilion I tried the Italian beer Moretti (I think its called) and was amazed. This was my favorite beer of all time knocking estrelia Dam from Barcelona down a notch! It was so smooth and so tasty! The Italy Pavilion Was the best most beautiful of all the pavilions in the world showcase. In fact we just sat there and I drank moretti for about 30 minutes just taking in the sites. It felt like I was really in Italy and nothing change that. We watched the mime performance and met a very nice lady working the perfume store. The statues and fountains are exquisite. If I could only visit one pavilion in the world showcase it would be this one as I could spend all day just in this one place! 10 out of 10 stars wishing I could give it a 15.
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We skipped American Adventure because after going to colonial Williamsburg I wasn’t impressed much from the facade. We headed straight to Japan
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JAPAN PAVILION
Another great pavilion with excellent themeing and a wonderful drum show that’s not to be missed. I got a glass of Kirin and loved it. I wanted to try sake and the lady asked me if I had ever had it. Telling her no, she looked around to see if anyone was watching and snuck me a sample. I know she wasn’t suppose to but I am glad she did. I dont think a whole shot would have been a good thing. This was the most horrible thing I have ever had in my life. We headed to the robot display and thought it was very interesting and then spent some time in the Japanese gardens watching the Koi. As we were standing there the sake was really starting to kick my butt. I realize now I must stick to beer if I want to keep my sanity. we met a very nice lady who comes to Disney a lot and she had fast passes for test track but wouldn’t be able to ride it because they had to leave early. She gave my wife and i those fast passes and we are so grateful. What a nice lady and daughter! I wish them the best and hope someone is nice to them in return. It inspired us to spread the magic as well as you can read later in another blog entry. I give the Japan Pavilion 10 out of 10 stars.
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After we left the koi pond the sake really took hold. The ground became the sky and the sky became the ground. We were on our way to test track and I could barely walk from the sake. We used the fast passes given to us and rode but I will not review this ride now but will review it tomorrow in my Epcot - Future World Blog because I don’t remember too much from my first ride and I am not sure if virtual drunk driving counts as a fair take on the ride.
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MORROCCO PAVILION
After all the walking to test track and back I started feeling a little better and a whole lot less drunk. Needless to say I didn’t drink much more the entire trip after that and will never try sake again. I was however sober enough to really enjoy Morocco. This is yet another great pavilion and I loved walking the small corridor style streets with my wife. We caught the amazing belly dancing show and was really impressed with the entire area of Morocco. I give the Morocco Pavilion a 9 out of 10 stars!___________________________
FRANCE PAVILLION
We walked though the Pavilion pretty quickly and never really saw anything interesting to us. Maybe if they had a replica of the Eiffel tower you could actually go up into like at Kings Island or something it would have been different but to us it was bland. 5 out of 10 stars.
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UNITED KINGDOM PAVILLION
This pavilion didn’t really spark our interest too much either. I found the themeing and England section and Bush Gardens Williamsburg more appealing for some reason. We just zoomed through and headed to Canada. 5 out of 10 stars.
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CANADA PAVILION
NOW this was a BEUTIFUL pavilion. The rocks and caves and buildings really seemed adventurous and made me ask my wife if she would like to go to Canada one day! We saw wild rabbits hopping about but we seemed to be the only people in awe about this. We didn’t have enough time here as we wished but what we did see was a 10 out of 10 stars! The only thing I would change is the Horrible kilt wearing emo band that played out front. They just didn’t go with the rest of the pavilion and that type of music just isn’t our tastes and we have a broad taste in music. What a nice area to sit and people watch too.
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It was about 8:30 when we left world showcase. We wanted to skip the Illuminations that night because we had planned coming back just for Illuminations on another day!
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WHAT WE MISSED
AMERICAN ADVENTURE
We were just not too excited so we skipped it.

ALL THE MOVIES
We didnt feel like watching any of hte movies at any of the pavilions. We were having too much fun exploring.
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PARK OVERVIEW
I really feel this section should be considered separate than Future world as it is a different experience all together and I also feel you should a whole day just doing World showcase in order to get a good feel for it. We spent all day here and still felt rushed in the end of the day. The pavilions are great and some are above par. I think anyone should enjoy this section of the park. I have heard it said that small children don’t have patience for this park but from what I saw with the Kim possible game, the kidcot booths and even some parents playing there own games such as guess the country it is possible for a child to enjoy it. I think it’s the parents that may have to have more patience in the way they present the area to their kids.Overall I feel some of the Pavilions really need more to them and some fell short of expectations while others topple my expectations and were plain awesome! I give the World Showcase side of Epcot a fair 8 out of 10 stars. I hope that Disney puts more of a focus on additions and such to this area since World Showcase really does have potential of being a 10 out of 10.
TO BE CONTINUED.....
CHECK BACK TOMMORROW
FOR EPCOT FUTURE WORLD

MAGIC KINGDOM Part TWO of TWO

2009-06-15T16:42:00.014-04:00

- ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART TWO -
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART SEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-seven-read-part.html
READ PART EIGHT HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-eight-read-part.html
READ PART NINE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/universal-islands-of-adventure.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html
READ PART ELEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/reed-bingham.html
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STATS
THEME PARK: Magic Kingdom
RATING: 10 out of 10
Address: Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830 USA
Phone numbers:(407)-824-4321
Official website: http://www.disneyworld.com/
Status:Operating since 1971
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First I want to say keep an eye out all week as I will be posted reviews from our trip for the next two weeks. At the end of reviewing all the parks I will give an overview of our trip including our hotel, transportation, rating the CM's, how we did it for 40 bucks a day and more.

Secondly I want to apologise for the lack of pictures. My wife and I was so caught up in the magic we didn't want to waste time taking them.
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After lunch we headed out to the Jungle Cruise to fulfill our Fast pass. Along the way checking to see if the tiki bird show was open yet but it wasn't. Adventure land is the most confusing section of the park and every time we went there we had to ask for directions to places we had seen before. The rest of Magic Kingdom is not so confusing when it comes to directions. We entered the fast pass Que for Jungle cruise and walked right onto the next boat.
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JUNGLE CRUISE
The Jungle cruise also has a stigma placed on it by others. I have heard it needs to be replaced and that its way outdated and useless since the advent of animal kingdom. I disagree. The Jungle cruise was fun and interesting. I have heard that the jokes were bad and dull but I again disagree. If you have ever been on a cave tour here in the Appalachians you'll know bad touring jokes. I found our tour guide quite humorous and I guess it would depend on the tour guide whether they can pull off the jokes or not. Its like an actor, you have good ones and bad ones. Just so happens we had a very good one. The Jungle cruise is another classic Disney ride that feels like Walt had his hands in it and that is what makes this such a wonderful ride. I only wished the elephants had actually soaked us as we were hoping to get wet after being in the sun all day. I wouldn't change a thing about this ride though and hope it never gets replaced or changed. I like this 8 out of 10 ride just the way it is.
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After the jungle cruise we checked the lines for the Swiss Family Tree house and there was NO LINE at all! I have read that the lines get bad but we didn't see any so we explored it.
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SWISS FAMILY TREEHOUSE
Here is another attraction we hope never changes. My wife and I love museums and walk through attractions and thought this one was a blast. The plant life around the tree house was just as impressive as the attraction itself. Leaves as big as I am on some plants helped give it that jungle island feel. It felt to me that at any moment the Swiss family could show up and continue with their daily chores. The entire time my wife and I was touring the tree house we were talking about how cool it would be to live in something like that. Disney World was definitely making us feel like kids again and that's what its all about. The Swiss Family Tree house was the first attraction that made us feel truly kiddish on our trip! Though not a fast ride and not an animatronic fiesta I give 9 out of 10 stars for the tree house because its just makes you feel happy to be there and when its over you wanna go right back through again!
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At this point it was only about 1:30 and we were about an hour and a half ahead of schedule so we stopped for a quick cooling off snack. We waited the longest line we had all day (about ten minutes) for a Dole Whip. We were told by several people to try one. My wife is allergic to cobalt which is a preservative for ice cream but dole whip doesn't contain it so she was fine. After I saw one I too got one. We got the floats of course.
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DOLE WHIP
A dole Whip is a pineapple soft serve dessert but not really ice cream. It is good for those with dairy allergies and such as well but ask the person at the counter to make sure your condition will be OK. They will be very friendly about it. The Dole whip float, which we had, is this soft serve pineapple treat floating in a plastic glass of real pineapple juice. If you are hot this will cool you off fast! The Dole Whip Float was a taste of pure delectable ecstasy and we didn't stop talking about it the entire trip! This is something you cant just get anywhere. You can only get it at the Magic Kingdom at the stand called aloha Isle and at the Polynesian resort. I also hear you can get them in Hawaii but I am not too sure about that. I only know for sure that you should get one! There about 3 dollars and some change and very very worth every penny! 10 out of 10 stars for the best frozen treat of the entire trip!
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After our awesome Dole Whips we traveled back up the park to Tom Sawyers Island.
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TOM SAWYERS ISLAND
My wife and I love outdoorsy things, we are avid hikers if you didn't already know from this blog. We found where the rafts board to cross the river. It is sort of confusing finding where the rafts actually board but the CM's along the way were more than helpful. Although we didn't wait long at all to board the raft the rafts are packed pretty full with standing room only, My biggest advice when riding the rafts across is to find something to hold on to if you can. When the rafts start and stop there's a bit of jerking and since you standing the entire trip you can fall down if your not expecting the jerking.

On the other side we found neat man made caves and cute little paved trails. It cannot replace to feel of hiking on a wild unpaved trial but it was still very fun to us. We checked out the two mills, the bridges, the caves and the fort. We thought we would be here for at least an hour or two but after about 30 to 40 minutes we had explored it all. I am guessing it is due to the fact we are used to this type of thing. If you have children I am betting you could spend more time here.

The island itself is very shaded and nice to escape the blaring sun. More advice would be to make sure you are wearing insect repellent here. When we finished with the island we had bites on the backs of our legs.

I hope this place stays intact for generations to come as well as it really is part of the Disney experience and a wonderful place to escape all the sensory overload in the rest of the park. 10 out of 10 stars for Tom Sawyers Island just because it is the best place in Magic Kingdom to escape the rest of the park, the crowds and the sensory overload. Tom Sawyers Island is a great place to take it easy for a spell.

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At this point it was about 2:30 and the crowds were getting a little larger but since we already rode the major rides we would learn the crowd size wouldn't matter too much for us for the rest of the day.We made our way to the Liberty Bell Riverboat and once again WALKED ON!
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LIBERTY BELLE RIVERBOAT
I have ridden true river boats before and also many types and many river cruises. The Liberty Belle wasn't as good as the real thing but it did have the feel and that's a good thing. What it lacked form the real thing it added from the pages of tom Sawyer. The narration from the the Tom Sawyer books was a neat addition to the ride and the explanation of it was great! Again this is a good escape from the rest of the park for a few minutes. The Liberty Belle Riverboat is a good way to take it easy for a few. I give this experience a 5 out of 10 stars. I would hate to see this one ever removed but a good change to it would be welcomed.The first would be more seats as most of the boat is standing room only. The few seats that are on board are in the sun.
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After the Riverboat ride we decided to head down main street to get our anniversary buttons for the rest of our trip. At Guest services you can get buttons to wear that states what you are celebrating on your trip. For us we were celebrating our first anniversary. We waited until know to get them because we wanted to make sure we got the more crowded rides in before the big crowds came. now that we were starting to take it at a slower pace we decided to get them and are we glad we did. We got a lot of "Happy Anniversary" and as you will read in future posts about this trip a lot more spacial things happened to us as well.

Also on the way to get our buttons at guest services we ran right into the celebration parade! We found a good spot and watched!
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CELEBRATION PARADE
The Celebration parade was really nice. We were celebrating our anniversary so it was very special to us. I could see where it may not be as exciting for someone not celebrating anything. The character jazzed us up and filled us with joy and excitement enough to finish out our day. At the end streams of confetti shot out and everyone rushed to claim some. I had my pockets full as a souvenir our our first anniversary trip! I think this parade is a nice touch for the middle of the day! 8 out of 10 stars.
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After we got our buttons we jumped on the train for a great ride to Toon Town. There awaited our second coaster for the day. We are coaster Junkies and love getting coaster credits. We are not ashamed to ride kiddie coasters and as a matter of fact some of them are very fun. The train in itself was pretty nice.
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WDW RAILROAD
If you decide to ride the train form the front station please don't just get into line and onto the train. The best part of the station is actually in the lobby. Its like a museum in there. Neat posters and paintings of era railroad lore and the best part are the nickelodeons. We spent a good 10 to 15 minutes watching to ole time moving pictures. In fact we were disappointed when the train arrived because we were not really finished with them. The train itself stops at Frontier land, Toon Town and the front station. This is very convenient when you want top get to another side of the park and don't want to walk all the back. We were in toon town in no time. I have ridden many trains in theme parks and NOTHING comes close to riding a real steam engine on real tracks here in the Appalachians BUT Disney's train was the best theme park train I have ever ridden and that says a lot because before this one I held Dollywoods at the highest. I think mainly it was the station that added that final touch for me. 9 out of 10 stars!
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Once we were in toon town We headed to the Goofy's Barnstormer. This was probably my least favorite area as far as themeing is concerned. It basically reminded me of other theme parks I have been to and since Disney is great at being different it was sort of a disappointment. The line for the Barnstormer looked long but in about three minutes we were on!
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GOOFY'S BARNSTORMER
This little coaster packs more punch than you would expect. I felt some pretty good kiddy g's in the turns and an awesome head chopper. The cue line was pretty cool as well but I am biased as Goofy is one of our favourite characters and the corny jokes were fun to us. They actually involved corn (bu bu bum)! The only problem is that it was WAY too short. Now before everyone starts saying"but its a kiddy ride and kiddy coasters are always short." let me say I have ridden some crazy ones before like the tibidabo express at Tibidabo in Barcelona that was not only twice as long as the barnstormer but also gave you two cycles. I would give the barnstormer a lot more stars if we could have had two cycles or if it was just a little longer. 6 out of 10 stars for being so short, still a good rating for a kiddy coaster.
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After the Barnstormer we explored Mickeys house and Minnie's house. These are cute little themed houses but totally skippable and I wont review them because everyone is going to have a different experience here. If I were 5 or 6 years of age I would be all about mickeys house but to us it was just cute. If you do go through mickeys house make sure you escape through the garage and avoid the tent. The tent is a greeting area and the lines are like something out of a horror movie.

We walked around Toon Town a bit and realised there just wasn't anything else there for us so we found a great little hidden path way on the left side of barnstormer that takes you behind the tomorrow land speedway and directly to tomorrow land.

Once in tomorrow land we saw the next adventure waiting in front of us. The Carousel of progress. The sun was getting hotter now so we decided to give it a spin, We are glad we did.
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CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS
The Carousel of progress was first released at the worlds fair back in the 60's. This classic ride is now an integral part of the Magic Kingdom and the animatronics on this one are some of the best in all of Disney. The story is fascinating and I hope that Disney never feels it out of date and removes it because this was impressive on all levels. Basically its called a carousel because the seating area moves in a circle around different stages. The show follows a family through history and societies progress. What a great attraction and I am a big fan. We didn't have a wait for this one either but form what I hear there is rarely a wait for this one as it holds so many people at a time. If you miss this one you'll miss the spirit of magic kingdom. DON'T MISS IT! 10 out of 10 stars!

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After The Carousel of Progress we slowly strolled around Tommorrow land and noticed the line for Astro Orbiter was horrendous but it made me think. All the slow spinning rides that are not much different than carny rides is where the lines get the worst. We skipped all those sort of rides because not only were the lines long but they didn't seem to have as much Disney magic as the rides were you cannot see the entire workings of the ride from the sidewalk. We passed buzz lightyears spin and noticed a 20 minute wait. 20 MINUTES? we hadn't waited more than 5 for anything the whole day so we fast passed it and went onto the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. We were inside the theatre within 5 minutes!
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MONSTERS INC. LAUGH FLOOR
This is the funniest show in the magic kingdom, period. The characters from the movie are collecting laughs for energy and will do everything to get them, even ridicule the audience. There is nothing funnier than watching people your sitting near getting ridiculed. As long as it isn't you right? My wife and I laughed til we cried. We only did this one once but I am guessing that considering the format of the show every show would be different. 10 out of 10 stars for originality and humour! a must see!
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After Monsters inc we walked around Tomorrow land to waste time so our fast pass for buzz lightyears ranger spin would become valid. Once our Fast pass was valid we were getting into our space vehicle and ready for battle!
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BUZZ LIGHTYEARS RANGER SPIN
We did not plan on riding this one at all but it was only a little after 6:00pm and we had hours to waste before the fireworks so even though TOY STORY was my least favourite Disney movie we tried it anyway. I am glad we did. Again the animatronics are not the best but some of the effects are awesome such as the near the end when it looks like hyperspace. The spinning is all controlled by you so if you don't wanna get dizzy you don't have too. It was so much fun and my wife and I both had pretty good scores as well. I have ridden shoot em up rides like this one and even though (as you'll read in upcoming blogs about this trip) this was NOT the best shoot em up in Orlando it is a good one and worth an honest 8 out of 10 stars!
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After we got of the Buzzlightyear ride we were shrugging our shoulders what to do next. We had already ridden everything we planned on riding minus the tiki bird show and just didn't know what to do next. We hadn't walked through the castle yet so we did that and ended back in Fantasy Land again where I saw Mickeys Philharmagic. I am not a big fan of Imax movies but that was about to change.
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MICKEYS PHILHARMAGIC
Once again we walked right into the theatre with no wait whatsoever. We grabbed our glasses and experienced the BEST 3d movie in Orlando! The effects on screen and off are amazing and there are some great surprises as well. I wished we had watched this one twice but next time it will definitely be on our agenda. 10 out of 10 stars because you don't get better than this with 3D movies! In fact there is only one other 3D movie in Orlando that comes close and its not in Disney (hint).
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Well It was about 7:00 and we still had hours to waste and nothing to do really so we thought we would just walk up and down Main street for a while until finding a place to sit for Spectro Magic. By the time we got back to the top of Main Street I was hungry for a good snack so we saw a cool little hot dog shop called Casey's!
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CASEY'S HOTDOGS
This place was AWESOME, there was a guy outside playing piano and inside were bleachers to sit and eat while watching sports. I am not a sports guy so we sat outside and ate with the ducks, they have to eat too ya know. The lady at the counter talked to us about our anniversary and was so sweet giving us a free bag of cracker jacks. The best part was the hot dog! Now hot dogs are not meant to taste so good. Let me say this was the BEST hot dog I have ever eatin. The bread was so soft and light and the wiener was thick and juicy. Simply the best I had EVER had! When I told someone who worked there it was the best I was told everyone says that and that people come to Magic Kingdom just for a Casey's hot dog. I don't know about that but If I ever get back there that's where we will be eating lunch. 10 out of 10 stars for being the best!
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We walked up adn down the Main Street area several times and visited several shops. We were getting bored so at about 8:15 or so we decided to find a spot for the parade they call Spectro Magic. It was tough finding a spot but we finnaly found a great spot on a bench right next to the parade route. We sat and sat and sat and waited and waited and waited. THEN IT HAPPENED!
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SPECTRO MAGIC PARADE
This was the best parade I had ever seen adn will probably always be. The parade consists of lighted floats, characters, music adn these are not just floats, they are extravagent works of art. What a neat experience. The best characters on in this parade. The colors of the lights change moods etc. I was astonished though to hear people, when the demon character from fantasia came by, asking "who is that?" "What movie is that from?". Maybe this is mean of me but I feel like if you dont know at least the classics you shouldnt even go to disney! I mean how could you understand splash mountian without seeing song of the south or at least knowing about it? I guess one could still enjoy it without knowing the whole story but for me thats what makes it speacial. The coreography of the dancers was seemless, the work that goes into this must be hell! I give Spectro Magic 10 out 10 stars because I would love to see a parade ANYWHERE better than this one. I just dont think it exsists.
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After Spectro Magic we made our way to the front gates to watch the fireworks from there. We wanted to make sure not to get caught up in the mass exodist after the fireworks. We rode the Lynx Bus from our offsite hotle and the last bus was shortly after the firework show so we couldnt miss that bus.
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WISHES FIREWORK SPECTACULAR
Though I had many surprises throughout the day and was rarely disapointed I must say that the wishes firework spectaclur really disapointed me. Now dont get me wrong, seeing fireworks at the end of a magical disney day only adds to the magic adn for somone who hasnt seen lots of fireworks would love it. Also the castle sets a beutiful stage for the fireworks. However the firework show itself was mediocre compared to some of the fourth of july show I have seen. In fact some other theme parks I have been to has had way better fireworks. It was fun to watch but nothing new and excited to say the least. I have to give Wishes a bare 3 out of 10 stars because I KNOW Disney could do better! I would suggest that if you have seen alot of fireworks in your life to skip this but if you havnt maybe it would be more magical for you! I dont think its worth getting trapped in the crowd. Now a small chlid may love it but thats about the extenet of it.
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After the firworks we ran out of the park as fast as we could and could feel the breath of thousands of people tickling the backs of our necks. Needless to say we cought our bus and sleep very well! The next day was a more slower paced one as we planned to go to Epcot's World Showcase!

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WHAT WE MISSED
THE TIKI BIRD SHOW
It was just never opened when we checked about 4 or 5 times.

COUNTRY BEARS JAMBOREE
No interest to us. We have seen shows like this before but we will save this one for next time.

TOMORROW LAND SPEEDWAY
Looked to slow and boring for us. Maybe good for kids but we were on vacation and didnt want to drive our real car, let alone a slow fake one.

STITCHES GREAT ESCAPE
We were to afraid, the lines were very short but were told many times that it was the worst ride there. Noone has ever told us other wise. Maybe next time.

THE SPINNING RIDES
We can ride rides like these at our home park. Theres even a dumbo ride there! Nothing special for us. Young kids under 5 may love em but there only carnival rides to us.

CHARACTER GREETINGS
Not our thing. I just cant see waiting 2 hours for one autograph of somone in a suit. now a real famous person I would wait 10 minutes maybe for if I like them! Looks like just a waste of time to me adn we had better fish to fry.

SPACE MOUNTAIN AND HALL OF PRESIDENTS WERE CLOSED FOR REHAB!
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PARK OVERVIEW
Magic Kingdom is the best of the Disney Parks and will probably always be due to its vintage disney feel and current disney appeal. You really do feel the magic here. The Employees are excellent and though to some its the best theme park in the world I dont conider it THE best but it definitly is in the top 2! You dont have to be a kid to enjoy this park, as a matter of fact I saw more adults laughing and having fun than the children there. Be prepared for meltdowns. There were so many drying children that my wife and I made a game out of it rating them from meltdown level 1 through 10. Its all part of it and you really have to be open minded and accepting of everything in order to enjoy yourself. By the way we saw just as many adult meltdowns adn kid meltdowns. We did however meet LOTS of nice people there and we really did feel the magic of disney here. Some of the best food of any theme park ever. Magic Kingddom doesnt really have any thrill rides but they really dont need them, They have magic there adn thats enough to make Magic kingdom one of the best places on earth! 10 out of 10 stars as I cant wait to return one day! VIVA MAGIC KINGDOM!

TO BE CONITUED..........

Tommorrow - Epcots World Showcase!

MAGIC KINGDOM Part ONE of TWO

2009-06-14T17:18:00.014-04:00

- ORLANDO TRIP 2009 PART ONE -
READ PART ONE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-one-of-two.html
READ PART TWO HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/magic-kingdom-part-two-of-two.html
READ PART THREE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-world-showcase.html
READ PART FOUR HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/epcot-future-world.html
READ PART FIVE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/sea-world-orlando.html
READ PART SIX HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/disneys-hollywood-studios.html
READ PART SEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-seven-read-part.html
READ PART EIGHT HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-eight-read-part.html
READ PART NINE HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/universal-islands-of-adventure.html
READ PART TEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/orlando-trip-2009-part-ten-read-part.html
READ PART ELEVEN HERE
http://ultimateparkreview.blogspot.com/2009/06/reed-bingham.html

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STATS
THEME PARK: Magic Kingdom
RATING: 10 out of 10
Address: Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830 USA
Phone numbers:(407)-824-4321
Official website: http://www.rcdb.com/redirect68.htm
Status:Operating since 1971
________________________________

First I want to say keep an eye out all week as I will be posted reviews from our trip for the next two weeks. At the end of reviewing all the parks I will give an overview of our trip including our hotel, transportation, rating the CM's, how we did it for 40 bucks a day and more.

Secondly I want to apologise for the lack of pictures. My wife and I was so caught up in the magic we didn't want to waste time taking them.

We arrived at TTC on 6-01-09 and caught the monorail arriving at the front gates to the Magic Kingdom at around 8:15 am. We were right up front at the gates about 5 people back. It was tough standing there so long but when the gates opened and we made our dash through a nearly empty main street, it was worth it. It was below 90 all day long and quite comfortable really. The Lines today were very manageable if you had a plan. I stress you MUST have a plan at this park or you'll be one of those people leaving at 4pm because your exhausted. We stayed from open til close and did everything we wanted to do without EVER feeling worn out until we hit the bed back at our hotel.

Our first stop was Splash Mountain. The waits here when we arrived was 0! The lines for the fast pass were longer than the walk on time to ride.

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SPLASH MOUNTAIN
This is a nice ride. Though NOT the best water ride in Orlando (I will release our favourite in upcoming blogs) it was full of Disney magic and excitement. The animatronics here were amazing and plentifull. From the time we got onto this ride until the time we got off it felt like we were definitely in a Disney dreamworld. The ride was a very good reflection of the film SONG OF THE SOUTH. My only complaint would be the lack of Uncle Remus.If the ride had some of Remus in it I would have felt the ride was complete but without Remus something was missing. The splash down was much to be desired as well, although the drop was exhilarating. I give Splash Mountain 8 out of 10 stars due to the fact that there are better water rides of its type in Orlando and the missing Remus character which would add so much more to the ride.
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Next we ran over to Big thunder Mountain where again there was no lines. In fact we rode Splash Mountain and Big thunder Mountain in the first 25 minutes of park opening! We just walked right on and rode the classic coaster like it was nobodies business!

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BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD
My wife and I have ridden much bigger coasters than this one. We have also ridden more intricately themed ones as well but something about this one just feels magical and for me to give a smaller coaster of this type such a high rating is unheard of. There were no real G's on this one or no inversions in fact we only felt a little air time in the back seat. We didn't care about those things on this ride. What we did care for was the fact you felt like you were on a runaway train in the dessert and we smiled the whole time. There's just a sweet retro Disney appeal to this ride and we both enjoyed it to its fullest! I give Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 9 out of 10 stars because it was so fun for what it was and it was so retro Disney. You'll NEVER see me give a coaster of this type that high of a rating again! My wife and I LOVE it.
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It was about 9:30 and we were already heading to fantasy land to start riding the slow loading dark rides. As we passed Peter Pans Flight I noticed a 20 minute wait so I grabbed a fast pass and we headed over to Winnie The Pooh!
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WINNIE THE POOH
The line looked long but here's a tip, All the lines in fantasy land LOOK long but that doesn't mean they are. We waited a whole five minutes to board our honey pot! The whole time waiting I told my wife she was MY honey pot! This little dark ride is quite a surprise and very fun! The animatronics are NOT the best at Disney but the ride is still enjoyable. I really liked the part where your honey pot jumps with Tigger. I can see why little ones would love this ride and I also can see why us 30 somethings love it too! Though not the best Dark Ride in Orlando or even Magic Kingdom it is a fun little experience. I give the Winnie The Pooh Ride a honest 6 out of 10 stars. Better than other parks but not Disney's best.
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We made our way to the next ride and again the line looked long but we got onto Snow Whites Scary Adventures in less than 5 minutes!

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SNOW WHITES SCARY ADVENTURES
This was just a beautiful ride. Being a surrealist artist myself I found the ride exactly how the the emagineers intended, Through the eyes of Snow White. Also I thought the ride to be very intriguing. I can see how a small child would be frightened but compared to other dark rides of this sort I felt it not scary enough. I love the ride and felt Disney's hand all over it but as an adult I needed more. I give Snow Whites Scary Adventures a good solid 7 out of 10 but if I was a 10 year old boy I am sure it would be more of an 8! Still it is a must ride unless you have small children under the age of 10 or so.
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While waiting on the time to come for our Peter Pans Flight fast passes (they were for an hour after we got them) we headed on to Its a small world. The lines for this ride were also large looking but moving fast. After another 5 minute or less wait we were on our boat!
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ITS A SMALL WORLD
This is the one ride I KNEW I would be giving a bad rating. The chatter about this ride is very bad. "what were they thinking?" "Were they on drugs when they made this?" "The ride showcases stereotypes" "You'll get the song stuck in your head all day" etc. etc etc. Well, now that I have ridden it I disagree with all that. The song did not get stuck in my head as bad as some of the rides songs like Pirates of the Caribbean. The Ride does NOT exploit stereotypes but instead educates on cultures around the world. I don't think the designers of the ride were on drugs but were highly educated and I feel in order to appreciate this ride to its fullest you should be at least somewhat educated. This was a beautiful ride and almost a sensory overload. I say this ride should be enjoyable for anyone with an OPEN MIND! I loved this ride and thought it was very thoughtful of other cultures. In fact it celebrates the cultures of the world and in a very honorable way! I give Its A Small World a 8 out of 10 because its a relaxing escape from some of few mind dumbing rides in the park.
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Our fast pass for Peter Pans Flight at this point was still 10 minutes away from being valid. so we jumped ahead to the Haunted Mansion where we were sure there would be a long line. We were about an hour ahead of schedule at this point so it didn't matter if we had to wait for something and we expected it. Alas there was NO WAIT AT ALL! Haunted Mansion was another Complete Walk on. We have completed tons of rides already and it wasn't even 11:00 yet!

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Haunted Mansion
We watched the more than lame preshow and I was getting worried that the hype of this ride would not live up to my expectations. I was not disappointed though. As soon as we boarded our doom buggies I realised this wasn't the normal dark ride. I was in for a real treat! This is the best, THE BEST haunted attraction /dark ride ever created period! The effects are great! Since this was the first time I have ever ridden it I of course couldn't compare the new things to the classic things so the entire ride felt like a classic to me! 10 out of 10 stars, enough said! This is the best ride at the Magic Kingdom!
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After Haunted Mansion we headed back to Peter Pans flight and realised we probably didn't HAVE to use the fast pass in the first place! Of course we walked right on with our fast pass but we saw the line was actually about a 5 minute wait at that point anyway. We got into our flying ships and we were off to never land.
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Peter Pans Flight
This is the best of fantasy lands small dark rides. I can see why people would say this one gets crowded, its worth a wait but we didn't wait! The details inside this ride are awesome. the streets below your ship have cars that actually drive to what looks like a random pattern. This is also classic Disney! For a minute you feel like YOU are Peter Pan! What a great little ride that lives up to the hype! I give this one 9 out of 10 stars! I hope they never remove this little gem! My wife and I both loved this one!
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After Peter pans flight we headed to Frontier Land to catch the Jungle Cruise but by the time we arrived the lines were a 30 minute wait. We discussed the wait time and since we hadn't had to wait more than 5 minutes for anything else why should we wait on this one? We grabbed a fast pass and headed for the Tiki Bird show but it was closed and was closed every time we checked back during the rest of the day. We then headed to the next choice, Pirates of the Caribbean. We both loved the movies so the ride would have to live up to some pretty big expectations for the both of us.
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Pirates of the Caribbean
WOW! This one word pretty much sums it up for the both of us. This was classic Disney AND modern movie! What a nice ride. Even the background paintings in the ride were awesome! I don't have much to say except it deserves more than the 10 out of 10 stars I am giving it! This is only second to the Haunted Mansion in my opinion! If you visit Magic Kingdom and don't ride this your missing something spacial! The theme song for this ride was stuck in my head for the entire rest of the trip adn beleave it or not is still in my head now! "Yo ho! Yo ho! a pirates life for me!"
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We still had a little while for our Jungle Cruise fast Passes to become valid and since we did more than half the parks rides before noon we decided it was time for an early lunch. We headed to the Columbia Harbour House for our early 11:30 am lunch and was amazed that were was no line!
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COLUMBIA HARBOUR HOUSE
Sure this is a counter service place but it doesn't feel like it. The best place to eat is upstairs by a window so you can watch the crowds roll by below you as you eat! My wife ate a tuna sandwich which was huge and she claims it to be the best tuna fish she had ever had! I ate the fried fish platter and was disappointed at the portions but not in the taste! It was better than most fast food fried fish! The fries are awesome here as well! In fact I went back down to get more fries but mostly because the platter didn't feel me up! I am a southern man so I eat a lot! The food here was better than most theme parks though not the best. Busch Gardens Williamsburg can give magic Kingdom and all Disney Parks a run for their money, its still a close call though! I give our fast food meal at the Columbia harbour house a 8 out of 10 stars and would eat there again if we ever return!
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TO BE CONTINUED...
If you want to see what we did after our lunch come back tomorrow!

When hiking, wear protection

2009-04-28T17:48:00.006-04:00

ARTICLE
WHEN HIKING, WEAR PROTECTION
4-28-09

It never ceases to amaze me to see people hiking trails in the smokies or anywhere else with not even a bottle of water. Even on short trials coming unprepared is not very wise.

I was a boyscout when I was a child and the "always be prepared" mantra has stuck with me. I feel that walking down even the shortest trail without certain gear is asking for trouble. I am not saying carry the same amount you would if trekking the Appalachian trail for 4 weeks but everyone should be equipped at least a little. Below are what I feel are the essentials for day hiking no matter the length of trail.

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WALKING STICK
I have seen tons of the aluminum folding sticks lately and though they are useful in some situations they are not near as versatile as a good hardwood walking stick. Surprisingly the prices for both are around the same give or take a couple bucks so if I were to choose one I would pick the hardwood variety. You could find a good one in the woods and strip it yourself if you like.

Walking sticks should be used no matter your capability. They are useful for taking steep grades and reduce stress on your lower body BUT the other uses are just as important. If a wild animal approaches you your walking stick will already be in your hand and can quickly be used to shoo the creature or to show larger animals that you are a threat. In most cases your walking stick is your protection. Your stick can also be used to knock down spider webs that are across trails, used to push on logs before you cross to make sure no snakes or other creatures are underneath. There are many hikers I know that use their sticks for other things as well. Your stick is your friend GET ONE!

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BACKPACK

For shorter hikes you don't need a framed pack the size of your house but you do need something to keep lunch, insect repellent and other things in. A small school type pack works best and are less heavy even when fully loaded.

Within your pack make sure you have the following.
-Snacks
-First Aid Kit (you never know when you'll need it, the more stuff inside the better, the best ones have thermal blankets etc and are about $40)
-Snake bite kit (you can get simple ones at Wal-Mart for under $3.00
-Insect Repellent (you can find some natural non-poison types)
- Pocket Knife (this is you most useful tool)
- Compass (its easy to get lost even in small areas with only a few acres)
- Flashlight (it is easy for beginners to loose light while on trails)
- WATER (even a hike that is less than a mile call for water)

I know it sounds like a bunch to carry but what happens if you get lost? Cell phones don't always work and not everyone has a GPS. If you do get lost, you'll have food and water and may last a little longer than those who don't. What happens if you get a snake bite or twist you ankle. Its hard to walk out of the shortest trail with a twisted ankle or a snake bite so be prepared just in case.
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SHOES

Most people use tennis shoes but for the best traction hiking boots are the best choice. Also Hiking sandals are good but be careful of walking in fire ant mounds and such. It is best when using hiking sandals to keep an eye on your feet and where you are stepping.Hiking sandals are treading great and are very comfortable BUT your bare feet are vulnerable BE CAREFUL.

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CLOTHES
Dress for the weather, common sense with this one. You may want to pack a change of clothes in case it rains or you fall into a creek during colder months. In the Summer dress light.

I hope this list helps those who hike on the weekends and are just getting into this fun hobby. Now go get prepared and enjoy nature.Don't feel ashamed to carry things while you hike even on short trips. Those that are prepared are those that wont be on the six O'clock news.

My wife and I were hiking a 3 mile trial in the smokies when we saw a timber rattler so we watched it crawl around about 20 feet from us. Others passing by saw it as well and started getting too close. We were the only ones on the trail with a pack and since we had a snake bite kit we stayed nearby until the snake left. No one was hurt but what if someone got too close? We were 2 miles into the trail and no one there but us had a snakebite kit.

If anyone wants to add something to this article please do by leaving a comment below.

ROCK CITY

2009-04-26T16:38:00.001-04:00

STATS
PARK : ROCK CITY GARDENS
RATING: 10 out of 10
Address: 1400 Patten Road Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
PHONE NUMBERS:(800)-854-0675
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.seerockcity.com/
STATUS:Operating since pre-civil war
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If you are not interested in the rich history of Rock City please skip down the page to the section entitled REVIEW.

THE ORIGINS OF ROCK CITY
Before it was a tourist attraction Rock city was a tourist Attraction. This is not a misprint. During the 1800’s People would ride their mules through the natural streets and avenues seeking the bizarre Rock formations and seeing for themselves the stories people had spread about the place. This part of the mountain was Nicknamed “Rock City” by its visitors.During the Civil war it was written in the diaries of confederate and union soldiers about being able to see seven states from atop the look off at Rock city.

INTRODUCING THE CARTERS
Garnet Carter Lived on Lookout Mountain and had his hand in many money making schemes to try to promote the area in which he lived. Garnet’s wife Frieda was fascinated in European folklore and fairy tales so Garnet got the idea to build a residential community based on these fairy tales on top of the mountain and he would name it in honor of Frieda, “Fairyland”. During the Construction of the community folks already moving into Fairyland were getting any about the Golf Course that was planned there and it was taking a very long time to finish the course. Garnett found a way to keep the new residents happy until the course was completed by building a small scale golf course and naming it Tom Thumb Golf. His idea caught on and he found Tom Thumb Golf a bigger success than the community itself. He later franchised the miniature Golf Course and before long these miniature golf courses were all over America. While garnet was preoccupied with Tom Thumb golf Frieda took it upon herself to turn the area known as rock city into o the biggest best rock garden in the country. Garner supported his wife in her dream for Rock City. Frieda took a roll of twine and roped off trails, placed imported gnomes and fairytale characters around the walkways and in 1932 Rock city opened and Frieda’s dream was realized. The only problem now was getting people to come to her rock garden. Attendance was very low and garner pondered for a while on how to get people to come see his wife’s unique garden. Garnet got the idea to hire a friend to travel the country and offer farmers to paint their barns for free in exchange for painting three words on the roof of each barn “SEE ROCK CITY” The idea worked, the painter was rarely turned down by farmers who wanted their barns painted for free and the attendance for rock city boomed! Rock city was on the map and quickly became not only a tale of local and regional lore but also a legendary place to visit.

REVIEW
A walk through the Rock City Gardens can feel like a walk through another world at times. With strange pathways and rock formations such as balanced rock and fat man squeeze its easy to see why Frieda was so intrigued with the gardens. There is so much here to see, like the fairyland caverns where nursery rhymes are displayed in black lit sculptures and the lovers leap where two Indian lovers jumped to their deaths to be together forever. with swinging bridges and bird shows you’ll want to come early and enjoy it all.

Throughout the year Rock City hosts some very large family events such as the Rock City Garden of lights where the park is decorated for Christmas with millions of lights and winter sculpted scenes. During October take the family to Rock City Corn Maize. The Corn Maize is more than a maze. Not being located actually in the park but below the mountain from the park you can clearly see from the see seven states lookout the hidden pictures in the maze. The Maze event is more like a fall festival with kettle corn, haunted houses and forests, hayrides, kid rides and games and even live music on certain dates and times. This Corn Maize Festival gets bigger every year.

The Landscapers here do a wonderful job. Though its called Rock City the Gardens are as beautiful as the rest of the park. There is not a best time to see the park as it is different with each season and every visit is a little different.

The white deer habitat is neat and the deer are amusing for children of all ages but if your with a date and want to see them in a more romantic light wait until Rock City closes, Walk down the side of the wall out front until you find yourself on the outside of the wall where the Deer are. When the sunsets you can peek over the fence here to see the deer standing on their rear legs reaching for leaves from the trees, playing and being more active than during the daytime park hours. The setting feels and looks like
something out of a fairy tale.

Rock city is well cared for and upkeep seems on target for the most part although I would love to see Fairyland Caverns updated with animatronics or at least fresh paint. The prices are about normal at the gift shops but if you want a better deal walk across the street from the park to the Rock City Fire Station Gift Shop. Here is where all the merchandise that doesn't sell well goes for a heavy discount. Don't forget to try the fudge at the fudge shop as it is very good also. I give Rock City a 10 out of 10 as they maintain the place very well and anything else they add in the future only makes the experience better. This is a NOT TO MISS ATTRACTION and in fact I would plan an entire trip around this attraction alone.

BARCELONA AQUARIUM

2009-04-24T18:26:00.000-04:00

STATS
AQUARIUM: Barcelona Aquarium
RATING: 2 out of 10
Address: Moll d’Espanya del Port Vell, s/n 08039 - Barcelona
Phone numbers: 93 221 74 74
Official website: http://www.aquariumbcn.com/AQUARIUM/index.php
Status: Operating since ????
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This place was PRICEY! The most expensive tourist attraction I think in the city and its the single worst aquarium I have ever been to. Its small, the exhibits are not interactive and the habitats are bland. If your not familiar with aquariums you may enjoy it but to us, being to many before we just thought it was boring and not worth the price at all!

There were many areas that just didn't make since such as the LONG walk through bamboo where there were no animals, no exhibits and nothing to see but a big slanted walkway through bamboo. This was a few hundred foot walk. Not a long walk but too long to see nothing.

On top of that its layout is very confusing and we almost missed a whole section. We stared at the end and didn't really realise it until we almost left that we had miss so much by starting backward.

If you like animals go to the Barcelona Zoo and skip this waste of money!

I give only 2 star out of 10 to the aquarium because the entire trip we wished we Had not spent the money on it. I am only giving it 2 stars for the penguins and that's it!!! for two people it was about 40E, just a little less than an all day pass to Port Aventura.

PARK GUELL

2009-04-22T17:14:00.000-04:00

STATS
PARK :PARK GUELL
RATING: 10 out of 10
Address: Carrer Olot Barcelona Spain
Phone numbers: N/A
Official website: N/A
Status: Operating since 1914
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(stick with me here, its important to the review)We were in Barcelona 6 days at this point of our journey and our time was coming to an end. The signs were evident. We finally got the front door to our apartment to open with one turn of the key instead of several yanks. We finally got our trash tossed out into the street BEFORE the city came to pick it up. We were starting to find our way around easier and now all we had to do was get used to the subway system.

The Metro in Barcelona reminds me and my wife of the matrix. These trains intimidate us for some reason. I mean I can in vision people fighting on these things and dodging them for their life. As we saw before the doors to these trains act like giant mouths ready to gobble you up.

The night before I planned our route and looked at the subway map several times to try to get a bearing on which train goes to where. This is NOTHING to try to memorize in day. Though I studied and studied the metro map I still found myself asking for which train goes where and I still had to pull the map out several times for a fast glance.

I would give complete instruction to what trains we took and to where but I barely could figure it out when we were on them let alone remember now.
The metro stations are kind of cool once you stop fearing for your life. It seems every time we had to walk from one train to another within a station there were musicians playing music in echoing hallways and of course cheap trinket shops (I have no clue what these were doing there because no one seemed to stop to look at the 4 euro imports there.) and little places to get doughnuts or coca cola. We got a coca cola a few times in the metro because the stations are so hot for some reason.

Anyway, the more we rode the metro the safer we felt and the faster we got on the trains. After about 5 trains we were getting so fast about getting on we were actually getting seats instead of standing up the whole way to our next train or destination.

Beware the trains with hospital lines though. You may find yourself sitting across someone coughing their lungs out or puking into bags. I found myself holding my breath on these trains trying not to catch a flu or cold on our honeymoon.

Before we even got on the metro today we found a great bakery near the Juame 1 station. It was very busy, so busy in fact you had to take a number just to get a sandwich or a pastry. I never have seen a bakery with such a following. I knew we had to get our breakfast here. I am glad we did. This was awesome sandwiches and well worth the wait.

After our first metro adventure of the day we found ourselves getting off the metro station and walking up a hill toward our first destination of the day, Parc Guell.

We left the station the attendant sent us to and it occurred to me that this was not the station everyone online had suggested to Parc Guell. There were a few people heading there along side us and the signs read we were going the correct way so we continued. We climbed up hills, up escalators, through neighborhoods. We were out of breath when we found ourselves at a entrance to the park. We entered through the rear of the park. No signs of Gaudi’s excellent architecture here on our entrance. Just trees, cactus and trails. I loved the fact we entered through the rear because it gave us an escape from the urbanism we had been subject to for days and it also built up anticipation for lay ahead of us.
We walked past people sitting on blankets selling flamenco fans with bulls on them and fake leather purses. Not sure what flamenco has to do with Parc Guell but no one seemed to care. We walked around a bit and took pictures of some of the most beautiful cactus we ever seen. Then we found the first sign of Gaudi, the natural looking rock tower on a hill with crosses adorning the peak. It was an awesome sight but there was no way we were going to climb it as others were doing. We were just now catching our breath and still had a full day ahead of us.
The view from next to the tower was good enough for us and for pictures so we enjoyed the musicians performing next to the tower and sat down for a bit to finish getting our breathe back.

After our little break we head back through more trees and past a neat little kids playground type area. We kept walking through more wooded areas just enjoying the sound of birds other than pigeons and the shade. For a minute it felt like we were back home hiking through the Appalachians.

Along our trek we found a pay toilet and we both needed to go pretty bad. Someone was in it so we had to wait for a minute and then when they left I put in the coins for my wife to go first. I was getting anxious about this time to relieve myself. When she came out I put my coins for me to enter into the slot and nothing happened. I waited a few minutes and put more coins into the slot but nothing. I put even more coins in, the last coins I had and nothing. I really had to go pretty bad but the toilet wasn’t letting me in.

Usually at this point in the smokies when we go hiking I will find a less traveled trail where no one seems to be around and go relieve myself there. After a few feet I see just a trail. It was a very small trail an it looked empty so I ran up it a bit in hopes to find sweet release. I found a good spot where no one would see me. There was only one problem. There was a homeless man laying on a blanket next to a thick patch of bushes. He looked at me as I stared at him and put his finger over his mouth saying “ssshhh”. There was an instant understanding. I gave him “The everything is OK” sign and turned around continuing to relieve myself. After I zipped back up I turned back to him and returned his “ssshhh” and continued back down the trial and to my wife who was awaiting my return.

My wife and I continued through the woods for some time just enjoying the scenery and taking in the air. All of a sudden a little connecting trail revealed and opening, a huge opening. We were finally at the part of the park that is mostly visited and the part of the park that was most touch by the magic of Gaudi. We were on the top part of the columns. Its very beautiful up here. We did the whole tourist thing for a while, walking around taking pictures and standing still with our mouths open at every change of scenery. There lots of musicians up here and also lots of kids dancing to the music. We sat on the famous tiled benches and despite the look of complete discomfort they are very comfortable, so comfortable we didn’t want to get up from them, Gaudi was a genius for sure.

We walked all through the structures and like everyone else fought to get pictures made at the famous tile dragon fountain.

We walked by the museum but it didn’t appear to be open. We did however find a couple of Americans that wanted us to take their pictures, in exchange they took our picture together as well. We also met a local elderly lady with two dogs. She spoke plain Spanish so my wife was excited to carry on a conversation with someone so easily since Catalan was hard for her and even harder for me since I only know English. The lady told her about her dogs and how one was sweet and the other was mean and would run off and through the streets. She was a sweet lady.

Over all I could not give Parc Guell less than 10 stars and not just because of the Guadi artwork in the structure, and not just because of the beautiful wooded areas that give you a great escape from the city and not just because of the great feeling you get here but all of these things and the fact this park really brings people together, all cultures and everyone seems to be enjoying themselves while they are here. That is except the poor girl we saw crying at the backside entrance, but even that seemed to add to what the park was all about, and that is to be yourself and enjoy one other. What a great place be for a half of day. 10 out of 10 stars deservedly!!!!!

FIRST LANDING

2009-04-21T13:32:00.001-04:00

STATS
STATE PARK : First Landing State Park
RATING: 9 out of 10
Address: 2500 Shore Drive Virginia Beach, VA 23451-1415
PHONE NUMBERS:(757) 412-2300
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.first-landing-state-park.org/
STATUS:Operating since 1936
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Forget the commercialised main beach at Virginia beach with its car fumes, crowds and city like shoreline. Instead take it easy just a couple of Miles away at a place that celebrates the beach naturally, First Landing State Park.

Here is the history of the park copied from the official page. "The name First Landing commemorates the 1607 landing of the Virginia Company on Cape Henry. The group of settlers that made landfall here eventually moved west and formed Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America. The park name was changed from Seashore State Park to reflect the historical significance of Cape Henry. The cape was originally named by the settlers to commemorate the Prince of Wales, Henry Frederick, who was the eldest son of King James."
The parks beach is pleasant and not too crowded. From the beach you can see the famous bay tunnel bridge and at sunset dolphins playing in the distance. The dunes here are well protected with boardwalks that provide a picturesque walk to the beach from the campgrounds or the main parking area.

The campgrounds are nice with the spots by the beach where you can wake up in the nice shade of the wooded area and hear the waves of the beach at night. However some of the camp sites are further away from the beach near the main road. I would ask for a site near the beach for the best place to pop up your tent.

The wildlife is abundant with jackrabbits and birds of all species as well as fox, turtles and the time we went we spotted a bobcat starring us down at our campsite. Later we told a ranger at the trail center and he showed us a news clipping of how the Bobcat was area lore and only a few have seen it. We were very lucky to have spotted the mysterious cat. On the beach at night we saw a wonderful sight. Ghost crabs everywhere, hundreds if not thousands of them and down by the water they were fighting sometimes to the death.

The Ranger led programs here are abundant and among the best we have ever experienced. We tried our hand at crabbing and the ranger provided us with books on how to catch and prepare the crabs as well as the equipment to use to catch them. We also took the night hike to look for owls and though only semi successful we thoroughly enjoyed this one.

The park has different environments for you to enjoy. The main section of course is the beach, the dune area and the campground. Beyond The main road through the park is the trail center where you can hike through a swampy bald cypress swamp. This is the perfect place to escape the hot beach during the midday sun.

The trails here are well maintained and easily hiked. Over the wetlands in spots are wooden walkways to keep your feet dry and you look for birds, frogs, turtles and even snakes. This area is the favourite of mine in the entire park.

At the main visitor center in the park located at the front of the parking lot you will find a small museum showcasing the history of the park as well as marine life through aquarium displays. This is a nice museum.

We stayed here for 14days and would come back again anytime. The only problem with this park is the front campsite that are pretty undesirable. I cannot stress enough that if your staying in a tent you should ask for a site near the beach if not near a beach walkway for the best convenience. First Landing is well maintained and offer great programs as well as the property itself is a great place no matter your interests. 9 out of 10 stars! expect updates on this park in the future as I cannot wait to go back!

OLD STONE FORT

2009-04-19T18:53:00.000-04:00

STATS
STATE PARK : Old Stone Fort State Park
RATING: 9 out of 10
Address: 732 Stone Fort Drive Manchester, TN 37355
Phone numbers:(931)-723-5073
Official website: http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/OldStoneFort/
Status:Operating since
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The Old Stone Fort State Park doesn't really feature a fort as we would think o fit. Instead it holds the mounds and walls of a Archaeological site where a 2000 year old ceremonial fort was once the center of community for ancient Indian tribes of the area. The walls now resemble cliffs and in the center a huge Field!

A trail surrounds the walls of the fort and along this trial you will find wooded forests and mountain streams that feature several waterfalls and the old remains of a mill.

At the Visitor center you will find historical artifacts related to the history of the area and its ancient inhabitants. The display area is small but more informative than most larger museums. The walk through interpretation room is educational and just plain fun. There are very friendly rangers there who will answer any questions about the site that you may have. They offer interpretive programs and if your lucky you may arrive on a day that you can witness an actual archaeological dig at the site.

This is a very pretty park and nature is the star here more so than the Indian history. You'll find yourself wanting to spend more time on the trail as there are rocks to climb, water to play in and waterfalls to watch as well as a few wildlife friends.

The park offers a full service campground, golfing in the area, fishing and very nice shaded picnic areas.

This little known place tucked away from the main roads is well worth a visit! The Museum is small but free and the hike around the grounds takes a little more than an hour at a snails pace and is mostly flat and easy. 9 out of 10 stars. Only missing one star due to the fact they really should get their name out there more so more people could know of the marvellous place.

CAROWINDS

2009-04-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

STATS

PARK : CAROWINDS
RATING: 8 out of 10
Address: 14523 Carowinds Blvd.Charlotte, North Carolina 28273 USA
Phone numbers: (800)-888-4FUN Toll Free (704)-588-2600 Local
Official website: http://www.carowinds.com
Status: Operating since 1973
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Often underrated or even not talked about is a gem of a park Carowinds. It really bothers me that most people have never heard of this one. Carowinds is a very nice, clean park suitable for families of all ages and really has allot to offer in most areas. I feel like any park lover should visit at least once and experience this wonderful place.

With 12 Roller coasters Carowinds offers a variety of thrills from the few intense experiences like Nighthawk and Afterburn to a more tame ride with offerings like the mine train style coaster Carolina Goldrusher and Fairly Odd coaster. Even if your not a fan of huge screamers you'll find yourself having fun on some of the Roller Coasters there.

Besides the coasters there are plenty of other rides the family can enjoy together including the nostalgic tower where you can map out the entire park from cloud level.

The park is clean and the staff though not the best I have seen in the business are friendly enough for you to enjoy yourself. There may be a few rude employees here but they are nowhere near the amount that some parks such as most Six Flags parks or smaller parks like Holiday World have.

I was surprised to see wildlife inside the park. Deer and rabbits in the walkways! The themeing is not the best but in certain areas, I am assuming older areas it is very pleasant. I feel like allot of work should be done for themeing here but for some reason it is easy to get lost in the excitement here you really don't miss it too much.

Also something I couldn't figure out too much about was shows. I didn't see any when I was here but heard that have a few. Obviously that need to promote these more from within the park so people who are interested in shows can relax and enjoy themselves. I am not sure if they should add more shows or just promote what they have because as I stated already I wasn't aware of any while I was there.

The water park closes awful early here and though it is very colorful and appealing there is so much to do here I wouldn't even attempt to visit it unless you have more than one day.

It took most of the day to ride all the roller coasters and a few flat rides and this was with almost walk on crowds. I hear the crowds rarely get out of control here. They have a lot of stuff to keep you busy for the entire day and is well worth the money. As a matter of fact I left the park wishing I had another day to explore more!

The Major rides and most entertaining ones are rated below.

AFTERBURN
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This is one smooth crazy ride and if you can handle six feet dangling inversions I wouldn't miss this one for the world. You will see lots of sky, drop at strange angles, run through a gully and enter a foggy tunnel and while traveling at sixty miles an hour! This one is a rush and by far the parks best ride! 10 out of 10 stars!

CAROLINA CYCLONE
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This is one of those classic loopers where there may not be allot of track or excessive speeds but a couple of corkscrews and a loop. The ride is still fun after all these years and due to it being not so intense, I feel that this is a good one for most of the family.

NIGHTHAWK
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This Roller Coaster is a lot like most flying coasters but the seating arrangement is quite odd. You find yourself riding up the lift hill on your back and then the insanity begins. definitely one of those rides where you become disoriented very quickly. This one is not for the entire family but the thrill seekers in your group will love it. I myself felt somewhat dizzy after this one, I assume it is because the way you sit on the train. 8 out of 10 stars.

The following are shorter descriptions and ratings of the other rides in the park.
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CAROLINA GOLD RUSHER - Fun for the younger set 7 out of 10 stars

HURLER - Rough in spots but not the worst not the best wooden coaster either. 7 out of 10 stars

FAIRLY ODD COASTER - Small wooden coaster big fun 7 out of 10 stars

RICOCHET - Surprisingly not so painful wild mouse 7 out of 10 stars

RUNAWAY REPTAR - Kiddy Suspended coaster with not so much a punch 5 out of 10 stars

VORTEX - Underrated stand up coaster with nice forces. Very fun and deserves more respect from the theme park world. 8 out of 10 stars

THUNDER ROAD - Rough Rough Rough woody 5 out of 10 stars

CAROLINA COBRA
the name doesn't make sense. There are no cobras in Carolina. This is just a lame boomerang. Rides like this are so common and outdated I cannot believe this is the parks 2009 addition. 4 out of 10 stars.
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This is a very fun park and very well designed. When I was there it seemed to be a very clean park and the employees were standard and did their jobs well. The price is right and the attractions are grand. I would like more shows here or at least more publicised ones. I think even though they have a pretty good selections of flat rides they really need more. Walking around Carowinds you'll see coaster, coaster, coaster, flat ride. I also feel like the themeing really needs to be more part of the park itself. I give Carowinds an 8 out of 10 with a potential of a ten in the future. If you have never heard of this Charlotte park then its about time for a visit!

MONTJUIC

2009-04-17T13:32:00.000-04:00

STATS
PARK : MONTJUIC
RATING: 10 out of 10
Address: Parc De Montjuic, Barcelona Spain
Phone numbers:NONE
Official website:NONE
Status: Operating since ????
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Montjuic is an entire mountain as a park located in Barcelona Spain. Montjuic is home to several museums, parks with a park, botanical gardens and much much more. Montjuic is basically a mountain dedicated to leisure time for the people of Barcelona. Montjuic tells a thorough of history throughout its parks and museums from the oppressive Franco days to the world Expo in the twenties, From the Moorish artwork in gardens there to Olympic park also located there.

It was around 830 in the morning when we left the apartment and the streets in the Bari Gotic were barren. The mornings in Barcelona are beautiful and the fact the streets are empty make it even more enjoyable. A light mist covered the sky and the air was motivating.

Our first stop along the way was at a convenient store where we loaded my backpack with water, and fruit. At this store the lady asked if we were hiking. We told her we were going to Montjuic and with the lack of stores and places to eat on the mountain we were day packing it. She told us to be careful and to hold on to our valuables and watch out for the young people on Montjuic who tend to steal. We didn’t have a problem so far with the camera so we took caution as she said but never had any incident that day or any other of anyone trying to steal from us.

After the convenient store we stopped at a random bar and got 4 sandwiches and 4 bags of chips for the backpack. We had the sandwiches wrapped in aluminum foil so they were fresh all day long. Once we left here we were off looking for the funicular. The Funicular is sort of an incline railway to the top of Montjuic. We decided it would be cheaper and faster than the cable car or any other way, after all the main attractions we wanted to see were on top of the mountain, not on the way up.

The walk from the Gotic to the Funicular had us in a neighborhood that looked like a boring part of town. Probably where normal people live and work everyday.

We arrived at the funicular and we should have gotten a t10 subway ticket right then and there but we had only planned on going up and walking down. We would find out later the t10(which allows 10 travels on the metro system) would have been better from the start of it.

We got onto the funicular and rode up. The trip was faster than expected and not crowded at all. Once at the top we started walking, without a map at first, and found our first destination, The Joan Miro Foundation.
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Joan Miro Foundation
Being an artist myself and my wife being an art lover we were impressed from the time we entered the museum til the time we left. I have heard about Joan Miro before and seen some of his works. I however became a true Miro fan after this visit.

I refuse to call his work Abstract and it is not really surrealism either. Miro is Miro and should be appreciated as such. An abstract artist paints abstractions from his or her daily world, Surrealism is a reflection of a dream world, Miro created his own world. If you really pay attention to his style you will quickly be able to recognize certain things such as when he paints the sun (which is on 90 percent of his work), when he paints a female or a male and you should also be able to recognize birds and other objects as well. They are not as we see them but they are painted in a certain and specific way each time, As Miro saw them each time.

My favorite was the men and women standing on a pile of excrement. Sounds horrible but its absolutely beautiful. Some people recommend The Miro Museum to art lovers only but I would recommend it to anyone with a OPEN mind. If you try, really try to understand his work you will and you will also enjoy it.

I have to give The Miro Foundation 10 out of 10 stars because the name Joan Miro went from an artist I have heard of to one of my top 5 artists of all time. Make sure to not just look at his work but to also read the history of this man as written on the museums walls for better understanding about where he was coming from. Also we got into this museum using the artticket. An invaluable ticket that costs about 20.00E and allows you to enter about 10 museums in Barcelona.
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After The Miro Foundation we headed to Poble Espanyo on foot. We were going there next due to time constraints with various places hours of operations. It was quite a walk but a very enjoyable and recommended one.

On our way we past a horse riding school and stopped at the road to watch the students ride horses. We stayed behind the bushes by the road as not to disturb anyone or the horses for that matter. My wife use to ride so it was fun for her to take a break from walking and admire the riders and their beautiful animals.
After about ten minutes of rest we were back on our trek toward Poble Espanyol. After a very long walk and a lot of beautiful scenery we had arrived.
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Poble Espanyol
This is not the easiest place to find but if your determined you will eventually get there, Just keep asking locals and you will find it.

In our guidebook (Rick Steve’s) Poble Espanyol is called a tacky tourist trap. I had also heard a lot of people online say the same thing. I have to say this place may be a sort of tourist trap but it is anything but tacky. This place is gorgeous and if you come early in the morning you will see many craftsmen working. We did arrive in time to see many people doing their craft. Instead of a park I would rather this place be considered an arts and crafts community. I bought a necklace for my wife from a jewelry maker there and we strolled around taking excellent pictures of the architectural representations.
We stayed here a couple of hours and even stopped for a beer here, not very cheap to eat or drink here, thank goodness we brought a backpack. Don’t get me wrong on this though, The art and the crafts that the craftsmen create are all very reasonable priced. The Necklace I bought for my wife costs 18 euros and if it was made at the arts and crafts community in Gatlinburg in the smokies near our home it would have at least cost a hefty $50 U.S. dollars if not more (probably more like $80).
I am going to give Poble Espanyol 5 out of 10 stars only for the fact that they should not charge admission for this. Instead they should operate this place like an art and crafts community in the states where the craftsmen support the park and fees can be paid from sales etc. If this place was free it would have gotten 10 out of 10 stars from me. Despite what many locals have said online about this place it is worth a visit.
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After we left the park we headed over to the largest museum I have ever seen in my life. The Museu National d' Art Catalunya (MNAC). There are various parts of the mountain where the building overtakes the skyline.
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The Museu National d' Art Catalunya (MNAC).
Upon entry to this museum ( using our artticket card of course) You are instantly stopped by security and our backpack was x-rayed then put into holding until we were ready to leave. Inside the museum the security is not near as annoying as with the Picasso museum but then again the Picasso did not x-ray our belongings either. We didn’t mind having our backpack in storage, after all we only had food in there and unlike the Picasso Museum you can actually take pictures inside the museum!

We visited the roman art and the religious art exhibits. Both exhibits were extremely overwhelming and some of the collection will stay in my memories for the rest of my life. We probably should have seen the other exhibits but I was starting to feel art burnout so we only visited the two that would be harder to compare to anything we could see in Tennessee.
Huge is an understatement when it comes to there building, the exhibits, and the long stairway in front of the building.

I give this museum 10 out of 10 stars simply because you do get your moneys worth and if your using your articket its even better. The exhibits are amazing and you’ll see things you have read in textbooks in high school and college. AMAZING EXPERIENCE.
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After the museum we decided to stop of at one of the many park benches outside the museum and eat a sandwich each. Of course there was a musician there, musicians are everywhere in Barcelona and one of the reasons we love it so much there.

After our lunch it was off to use our free admission to the Barcelona botanic gardens. If you remember from our visit to the rock museum at park ciutadella we got a three for one ticket to the gardens, the zoological museum and the geologic museum.

We had to stop at a museum we did not visit and ask if they had a map for Montjuic because it was hard to find our way around without one. They had a map that worked just fine for us.

We were walking to the gardens past the Olympic stadium when my wife and I both noticed someone standing in a group of others that looked familiar to us. I told her that he looked like Jon Bon Jovi. We laugh it off and then we saw signs for his tour busses to park. OH MY GOODNESS! We saw John Bon Jovi and didn’t even know it. We didn’t want to interfere so we kept on walking and after a while we got to the gardens.
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Barcelona Botanic Gardens
The gardens was beautiful and even though we had a little bit of a sprinkle of rain we enjoyed it. The most interesting part though was not in the gardens but what you could see from there.

We noticed the Montjuic Cemetery and it looked huge and scary. We wanted to go after we were done but was afraid that if we walked that far we probably couldn’t get in, maybe it wasn’t open to the public. I sure would like to know if anyone can go into it so next time we come to Barcelona we could visit. My wife and I love walking around cemeteries and this one looked like it was right out of a gothic tale.
The gardens were well maintained and was a nice place for us to eat our second sandwiches and chips. The only problem I have with the gardens is that it is only plants. There are no sculptures, no learning centers or anything like that. Just plants and signs telling you what they are. Very nice for free with the three way pass but I would have been disappointed if I would had to pay for it.
For the above reasons I give the Botanic gardens 6 out of 10 stars.
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After the Botanic Gardens we were looking for things to do to waste a few hours so we could go see the Magic Fountain.

We found ourselves looking for a cactus garden I had read about but we could never find it. Instead we found what looked like roman ruins directly across from the Miro museum. Whether or not they are Roman we don’t know for sure but they looked like it. I sat down (big mistake read on) on a stone bench while my wife took pictures of the stairs and the rock wall where a neat old non-working fountain sits. On our way down someone told us of a sculpture garden and a park behind the Miro Foundation we should check into.
We made our way to the park behind the Miro Museum and it was beautiful. However while I was taking a picture of my wife a few people walked past snickering. My wife discovered what they were laughing at. Apparently when I sat on the ruins before I ripped my pants from the rear all the way to my crotch and she said I was exposing EVERYTHING! OH NO!! I knew then why not wearing underwear has its disadvantages.
What could we do? I DID NOT want to miss the magic fountain and I certainly did not want to walk around with everything hanging out either. We made our way back down the funicular buying yet another ticket and walked all the way back to the apartment to change my pants.
We then went all the way back to the funicular and that is when I bought a t10 being tired of wasting money on the funicular.
We walked from the funicular down to the park where we left off and then we could enjoy it now that I don’t have a gapping hole in my pants.
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Park Behind Joan Miro Foundation
This park is very nice and the sculpture garden behind the Miro Museum was my favorite. This park was full of fountains (none of them operating for some reason) and the landscaping was superb!

I recommend walking through here as it was free!
I give this garden 9 out of 10 stars because it was absolutely stunning and the landscaping was elegant. The best part is that its free. I enjoyed this one much more than the Botanic Garden.

We made our way from the park to the Magic Fountain.
The place was covered with people and we struggled in finding a place to sit. When we finally found a place we waited about 30 minutes after the time the show was suppose to start. Does this fountain usually start late?
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THE MAGIC FOUNTAIN
This is a MUST see. This fountain has been in tons of movies and such and has been copied all over in cheap tourist areas all over the world. There is only one magic fountain and this is it. The dancing waters and lights going with the classical music sometimes looked like fire and sometimes like a painting and even a couple of times like ice cream, maybe I was hungry.
10 out of 10 stars because if you miss this one you miss Barcelona.
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We were told instead of walking we should take the subway home. So we tried.
We went to the station and waited on a train. We have never ridden a subway before so this was trouble waiting to happen. When the train arrived, we being form the south we were being polite letting everyone off first then letting others ahead of us to get on then when we go to get on the doors shut bruising our arms and everything. I thought the doors would come back open like in an elevator but NO, they shut and try to cut you in half! Needless to say we missed our train and go on another one thinking we were on the right train but ending up at the arc triumph! It was just as long of a walk form there then where we were to begin with. Later we would find out to use the Juame 1 station as its very close to our apartment.

When we got home our feet hurt really bad and we were so tired we didn’t even go out for tapas or any kind of food. Just went home and went to sleep! We both thanked god for sparing our lives on the subway and hoped that tomorrow would be better since we would have to ride on the evil contraptions yet again.

BARCELONA ZOO

2009-04-15T19:59:00.003-04:00

STATS
PARK : BARCELONA ZOO
RATING: 9 out of 10
Address: Parc de la Ciutadella s/n 08003 Barcelona
Phone numbers:(902) 457-545
Official website: http://www.zoobarcelona.com/
Status: Operating since 1892
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In the oasis of Parc De Ciutadella in Barcelona sits on of the oldest zoos in the world. A true gem for animal lovers and the Catalan people of Barcelona, Spain.

We entered the zoo in thinking it would probably just be mediocre due to the star albino gorilla no longer being there. Snowflake, the world renowned Albino Gorilla died a few years back and he was responsible for the worldwide acclaim of the zoo and gorilla studies worldwide.

Since the Gorilla was no longer here we toured the zoo normally. We walked in and went straight to the bird sanctuary. Our very first animal viewing at the zoo was impressive to us as the animals all seem very happy in their habitats and very well cared for. Every animal we saw that day seemed happy in their exhibits minus the buffalo who seemed a little cramped considering buffalo need 100’s of acres to run.

We love good zoos and we love animals and we hate poor zoo’s, The Barcelona zoo was one of the best we had ever visited. I have been to big zoo’s before in Atlanta, Cincinnati, etc. but this one was HUGE and the nicest of them all. One of my favorite exhibits was the big mountain with mountain goats. You can climb the mountain to see other animals as well. It was totally Indiana Jones kind of stuff.

The best exhibits are the enclosed ones. The animals were all very active and we were told early evening was the reason they were so active. The primates were acting silly, especially the orangutans who basically preformed a comedy act on their own. They tried to cover themselves in burlap bags and walk around tripping and acting silly.

The farm animal section was the craziest, the horses all acting like they wanted to attack and the goats were absolutely nuts. They would stand up on their hind legs hitting each other with their horns and doing dirty things to each other all over the place. Obviously the goats weren't the only ones as there were baby animals in more than 80 percent of the exhibits. Keep in mind that most animals will not reproduce in unhappy conditions.

We met a nice local college student doing studies on the animals preparing to become a veterinarian. She talked to us for about 5 or 10 minutes about the zoo and other things we should do in town. It seems almost every local we talked to were very friendly to us.

It started raining a little bit, slight sprinkle and everyone was acting like it was a downpour and ran quickly out of the zoo. We stayed and about 30 minutes later it cleared up and the zoo was so empty it felt like we were the only ones there for the rest of our stay.

We expected to spend an hour here before we went in and it ended up more like 5 hours total. Completely worth the admission fee.

I give the Barcelona zoo 9 out of 10 stars. I have yet seen a 10 out of 10 star zoo but this one comes very close. I know some people just don’t like zoo’s but to us good ones serve two good purposes, #1 to educate the public and #2 to conserve and give habitat to animals unreleasable to the wild. Considering 80 percent of the animals here had babies and were easily reproducing in their habitats and were playing and interacting with guests, it seemed to us they felt happy here.

LINCOLN STATE PARK

2009-04-15T19:53:00.000-04:00

STATS
STATE PARK: Lincoln State Park
RATING: 2 out of 10
Address: Lincoln State ParkBox 216Lincoln City, IN 47552
Phone numbers: (812) 937-4710
Official web site: http://www.lspfriends.org/index.html
Status: Operating since 1932 (and nothings changed since then)
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On the outside the Lincoln State Park looks great, On the inside it is trashy! The Campground has so many campsites and they are all shoved together you'll feel like you are camping on top your neighbors. The people are loud throughout the night and the rangers will not enforce the quite hours rules. I was yelled at by a ranger when I tried to move (notice I didn't say kill) a black widow spider that was in a tree inches from our tent.

The bathhouse is dirty throughout the day. At first I thought I just came in at the wrong time but shortly after the cleaning people left the next morning I went back in and it looked the same as the day before. What did they clean? The water was always cold in all the showers. The building was falling apart it seems as well.

The beach area is dirty and the snack bar and gift shop are so expensive you start wondering if your in a theme park, not a state park! The beach area is also crowded. I found myself dodging people and dirty diapers left in the sand as well as other trash!

The trails are all grown up with weeds and it seems no one else ever uses them so what should the Rangers maintain them? I was so afraid of getting snake bit I passed on hiking that trip.

The ranger led Program for the night was a nighttime hike to look for stars. What it really ended up being was a small group of us sitting with an overweight and lazy ranger on benches talking about astrology! Nothing scientific and definitely NO HIKE!

The people who come here are one step from living there and the people who work there are nice and pleasant but it stops there.

There was wildlife, Raccoons is about it though. Hundreds of them almost attacking us at our fire at night. In the morning all you have to do is look into the parks dumpsters and you will see raccoons sleeping. I told some rangers there about this and they said "we know, they sleep during the day." That was all they said about the raccoons even after I told them fourteen of them invaded aggressively our campsite that night.

Also, there is nothing of real significance to Lincoln here either. If you want to learn more about Lincoln go across the street to the National Lincoln Boyhood Memorial. The NLBM is a much better park. (review coming soon)

2 out of 10 stars, enough said, don't go here!