Adventure in the Islands of Adventure

In this week’s blog post I am going to discuss the Islands of Adventure theme park. Opening in May of 1998, Islands of Adventure is the second theme park in the Universal Orlando Resort. This park’s theme is quite different from its counterpart Universal Studios, as it relies on the theme of exploration rather than a movie studio. At the time of opening, the park consisted of six lands, adding a seventh in June of 2010.

Islands of Adventure

• Port of Entry
• Marvel Superhero Island
• Toon Lagoon
• Jurassic Park
• The Lost Continent
• Seuss Landing
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

At the time of opening this new theme park, Universal Studios Florida’s name was changed to Universal Studios Escape. This confusing name change is said to have attributed to poor attendance numbers the first few years of operation. 2001 brought the name change to Universal Studios Orlando and park attendance began to increase. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, Universal Studios Orlando was the only resort in the Orlando area to have an increase in attendance.

I have heard so much about this park and its Harry Potter ‘land’ that I was very interested to see what it was all about. Upon entering, I took note that the park is modeled after a typical Disney ‘hub and spoke’ format. The ‘hub and spoke’ format generally consists of a center circle with themed lands spread out in all directions that are joined by a main entrance road. At a Disney park it is Main Street and at Islands of Adventure it is the Port of Entry.

Universal has seemed to do a great job on developing themes for their ‘islands’. Each different ‘island’ has at least one attraction, restaurant and a handful of gift shops. Jurassic Park seems to be the best themed of the original ‘islands’. It hosts a fairly faithful recreation of the original Jurassic Park Visitor’s Center which houses a restaurant, gift shop and discovery center. The Jurassic Park River Adventure is a water-based ride that pits visitors against escaped dinosaurs and an 85-foot droop below a hungry Tyrannosaurs Rex.

The most popular ‘island’ is currently the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which opened on June 18, 2010. The main attraction here is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which is located inside Hogwart’s Castle. This ride is a fast-paced blend of state-of-the-art video technology and advanced animatronics. I was not ready for all the action in this ride. There were spiders, dragons and many other creatures found in the storybook world of Harry Potter. I feel that this attraction and the wonderfully themed Hogsmeade village are very entertaining.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter holds two other rides; Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff. Dragon Challenge, previously named Dueling Dragons pre-Potter is the world’s first dueling inverted roller coaster. Flight of the Hippogriff, formerly the Flying Unicorn is a smaller roller coaster that is aimed at children. Five shops; Zonko’s, Honeydukes, Dervich and Banges, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods, and Owl Post are all located within the ‘island’ and sell all the items you would need to become a wizard. The Three Broomsticks Inn and The Hog’s Head Pub allow visitors to enjoy food and drinks taken from the Harry Potter stories.

I hope that you have enjoyed my take on the Universal Orlando Resort and all it has to offer. Next week, we return to talking about what is going on a few miles away at the Walt Disney World Resort. Please post any questions or comments you have about the Universal Orlando Resort, and maybe I will continue to post some news stories about this theme park.

Spring Break! Part 1

I'm sorry for not posting a blog last week, but I was busy doing something more important; visiting Walt Disney World! Last week was my Spring Break and I went to Orlando, Florida with my friends. While we were in Orlando, we were able to visit the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Universal Studios and the Islands of Adventure. I was very excited to get my feet back on to Disney property and also enjoyed being able to see what Universal Studios theme park had to offer. Over the next few weeks I am going to be highlighting events from this trip in a series of posts.

When we arrived in Orlando we were greeted with warm and sunny weather with only one day in our forecast calling for rain. Since we hadn't visited the Universal theme parks, we decided that we would visit Universal Studios first. We rushed into the theme park quickly to get on as many rides as possible, but also tried to enjoy this new experience as much as possible. Revenge of the Mummy, Jaws, ET Adventure and the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit were among our favorite attractions at Universal Studios. The majority of the rides at this theme park were thrill rides as opposed to the more relaxing rides at Walt Disney World.

As we all know, Walt Disney World is known for the cleanliness of its parks and I was on a mission to see if Universal theme parks were comparable. I took a survey of the entire park and felt that it was pretty comparable and have to give Universal some credit for being able to keep up with Disney World. I did feel that some of the Universal attractions' queuing lines were similar to those in Disney World in the late 70's and 80's that did not offer much to do or look at while in them.

I hope that you enjoyed this look at Universal Studios theme park and please comment or ask any questions that you may have. Tune in next week for another look at an awesome Spring Break!

The waiting game

If you have visited any theme park, you have experienced a line while waiting for an attraction. For years, the folks at Walt Disney Imagineering have been trying to add some fun to waiting in line or a queue in Disney terminology. Sometimes a queue can be the place where people spend the majority of their vacation. Generally, an attraction lasts only a few minutes, while waiting in the queue for it can last double that amount. I can say that it has never really bothered me to wait in line, because that is my time to enjoy and relax with my family and friends.

My vacations to Walt Disney World and Disneyland in California tend to be a rather "rough vacation" according to others. I don't sleep very much, and I am at the parks virtually the entire time they are open during the day. I just enjoy the rides and atmosphere so much. I know that the resorts and other areas of the Resort offer more things to do, but I feel that the main reason I am there is to take in the theme parks.

Well all that waiting in line I have done is about to get a little more exciting. Walt Disney Imagineers have been toying with a new breed of queue; the Next Generational (Next Gen) queue. These queues incorporate interactive elements to keep people of all ages entertained while waiting. This idea has been toyed around with for years, but has never been pushed forward as much as it has been today.

No place at Walt Disney World has needed more inventive queues than Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom. Fantasyland's original and current theme is that of a Medieval Festival. This fits this area as it is located behind Cinderella Castle. At the time of construction, there was not much time or real estate to put into developing advanced queues for these popular attractions. This ended up giving some of Walt Disney World's most popular attractions a very generic wrap-around queue like many other theme parks across the United States.

This all changed when The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh's queue oddly went under refurbishment in 2010. Many wondered why a queue would close for refurbishment, but everyone was delighted with the outcome. November of 2010 brought a queue that would change the look and feel of Fantasyland for the good. Instead of the old generic queue, a new queue that resembled the 100 Acre Woods of the Winnie the Pooh stories greeted guests.

This fantastic new queue gives children something to play in, and adults to enjoy the detailed artistry. I cannot wait until I make my next trip to Walt Disney World to see this for myself. I feel that this will fit well nicely with the future Fantasyland expansion project. This care and attention to detail in such a trivial place, such as a queue, is what makes me love the Walt Disney Corporation. Currently, the next new queue is being installed at The Haunted Mansion attraction in Liberty Square. I will be excited to see what new ghouls will come alive once that queue is opened. Do you have a favorite queue or memory that you has taken place in one? Feel free to share and discuss.

Planning, Planning, Planning…

When planning a trip to the happiest place on earth, one has many things that they need to think about. Planning a vacation to the Walt Disney World resort is not as easy as it used to be. If it has been a while since you have visited, there might be new resorts, rides and even new theme parks.

Where to Stay

Where you stay when you are visiting Disney World can be crucial. 33 resort and hotels are spread out the 47 square mile property. 24 of these resorts are owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company. These resorts each have a unique theme and vary in price to fit practically everyone's budget. The five categories that these resorts fall into are: Deluxe, Moderate, Value, Cabins and Campgrounds and Disney Vacation Club Resorts.

You should make your hotel decision based on how you like to vacation. I feel that if you like to spend a lot of time at your hotel, you should choose one of the nicer hotels. For me, the hotel is a place to sleep. It really doesn't matter where I stay, as long as it has a bed and running water. The quality of pools and hotel amenities all depend on the amount of money that you are willing to spend. In the end, a hotel should be a place that you can afford, but also allow you to feel comfortable.

Dining

There are at least 217 different restaurant-type locations at Walt Disney World. Most sit-down restaurants require a reservation. Cinderella's Royal Table is the hardest restaurant to get in to. Reservations open up 90 days in advance and most popular times are spoken for within minutes of the reservation line opening. I have had the opportunity to dine in Cinderella Castle a few times, and it is pretty exciting. Who doesn't want to eat lunch in a castle?

My advice is that you should really study a Disney World guidebook, such as Birnbaum's Walt Disney World. This guide has been around since at least the late 1980's. My family has utilized it since its inception and now we don’t even need it. It has the easiest to use interface and finding restaurants is a snap. Once you have found what restaurants you would like to eat at, try and make a reservation, so you are able to enjoy dining there.

I hope that these insights into planning a Walt Disney World vacation have helped you. It has taken me years to figure out just what I know about Disney World, and I hope that some of my knowledge benefits you. If you have any specific questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Wrecking Ball's Fury

I have previously spoken about the highly anticipated Fantasyland expansion located in the Magic Kingdom. This expansion is not only going to affect the current Snow White attraction, but also Mickey's Toontown Fair. For those of you that don't know, Mickey's Toontown Fair is one of the seven lands that make up the Magic Kingdom.

Origin of Mickey's Toontown Fair

Originally opening in June of 1988, Mickey's Birthdayland was built to celebrate the 60th Birthday of Mickey Mouse. Celebrating Mickey's 60th Birthday was a big deal, but not big enough to justify an entire area devoted to it. In May of 1990, Mickey's Birthdayland underwent a name change to become Mickey's Starland. The area stayed relatively the same, except for the name change.

The 25th Anniversary of Walt Disney World brought the third and final name to this area; Mickey's Toontown Fair. Finally, the area was partially renovated to mimic the much more complicated Mickey's Toontown at Disneyland in California. Instead of a total fair theme, the area would now include a home for each of the main characters in the Disney franchise.

Present day

Mickey's Toontown Fair will close permanently on February 12, 2011 for Fantasyland expansion construction. I find myself questioning whether or not this is a good thing. Closing and replacing an aging attraction is one thing, but destroying an entire area is another thing. This reminds me of the destruction of the majority of the Backlot Tour at the Disney-MGM Studios.

They heyday of the Disney-MGM Studios (early 1990's)

The Disney-MGM Studios (MGM) hastily opened in 1989, just before Universal Studios Orlando opened its gates. When MGM opened it only housed handful of attractions and the Backlot Studio Tour was one of those few. The Backlot Studio Tour took theme park guests through the actual sound stages that were used for filming.

Disney made an honest attempt to bring Hollywood to Florida to film, but unfortunately failed. The Backlot Studio Tour eventually lost the soundstage portion of the tour and now only was left with a special effects show, residential street, wardrobe and shop departments and Catastrophe Canyon. These few elements still were able to keep the tour afloat, offering views of popular television homes on residential street and the thrill of an earthquake in Catastrophe Canyon.

Gone, but not forgotten

2003 brought the end of residential street and the majority of the excitement of the Backlot Tour. I understand that the television show homes were a little outdated. The Golden Girls and Empty Nest had long been off the air, but they still held some nostalgic feelings for some. The destruction of these homes made a new home for a new show; Lights, Motors, Action! Having seen this show once was enough for me. I feel that the majority of guests at Walt Disney World have the same feelings that I do about this incident.

Present day…again

In the end, I feel that there is enough real estate on Walt Disney World property that new attractions can be incorporated without knocking down old favorites. I will go ahead and deal with the changes, and just hope it's for the better. Do you have any favorite attractions that have been replaced or removed?

Epcot Center Commercial

The best EPCOT commercial!

Treasures of Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World has much to offer, but few notice the painstaking details that grace its 30,080 acre parcel. I have been to Disney World quite a few times, giving me the opportunity to explore it and find some hidden and not-so hidden treasures.

The first treasure, located in the Magic Kingdom, has probably been seen by every guest since the park's opening in 1971. Five murals grace the breezeway in Cinderella Castle. These murals depict the story of the Castle's "owner", Cinderella. Famed Disney Imagineer, Dorthea Redmond was the brain behind the murals.

Once Redmond completed her drawings, Hanns-Joachim Scharff took them and cut more than one million pieces of glass, silver, gold and jewels to create mosaics. These pieces were then transferred to Walt Disney World to be placed. The whole process took two years to complete, as to make sure that the mosaics could withstand the Florida weather and millions of hands that would touch them.

The fourth mural shows the glass slipper being placed on Cinderella's foot. This mural is probably the most special of the series. It includes the faces of famed Disney employees, Herb Ryman and John Hench. Both men were very influential in the creation of the Walt Disney World Resort. Cinderella's stepsisters, Drizella and Anastasia, are depicted green with envy and red with anger, respectively as well. Simple touches like this are what makes this forty year old mosaic a hidden gem in my book.

My next treasure that I am going to discuss, is not really hidden, but more of an overlooked park icon. Spaceship Earth, opened in 1982 with the ambitious EPCOT Center. Famed science fiction writer, Ray Bradburry consulted Walt Disney Imagineering in developing this 18-story geodesic sphere.

At the time EPCOT Center opened, Spaceship Earth was seen as an amazing feat of architecture. Construction took 40,800 man-hours and 26 months to complete. Spaceship Earth, is not only a park icon, it is also an innovative attraction. Originally, a 13 minute ride took guests through the story of communication. In 2007, Spaceship Earth's sponsorship switched from AT & T to the Siemens Corporation, and the theme of the ride was switched to the development of technology.

Spaceship Earth sits on four blue "legs" to create the illusion that the sphere portion is floating in mid-air. One of EPCOT Center's original taglines was "creating the new world of tomorrow". Walt Disney's original idea for EPCOT was to be a utopian city with everything a citizen would need located within city limits. I feel that Spaceship Earth represents Disney's image of the "City Hall" for his idea of EPCOT.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading about a couple of my favorite Disney treasures. Please feel free to comment and post some of your own. I will try to make this a regular posting, to try and share some interesting facts that I have found.