Day 409: FAF: Peter Pan's Flight

This week we're going to do Featured Attraction Friday a day early, since I've got something planned for tomorrow that I want to have actually on Valentine's Day. So here we are, with our second attraction in the Fairy Tale February theme: Peter Pan's Flight!

I haven't actually read Peter Pan in class yet (gosh I can't wait for that one...I'm going to enjoy it too much), so I can't say much on that sort of topic, but hey, that's ok! 

What's On The Map: 

Fly with Peter Pan aboard a magical ship (Walt Disney World Map)! "Journey to the Darling children's nursery and behold the first meeting of Wendy, Michael, John...and Peter Pan. Sail through the nighttime sky over London, where famous sites like Big Ben and Tower Bridge mingle with a confection of glittering lights. Then, descend into Never Land, home to volcanic peaks and sparkling waterfalls. Once there, glimpse the Lost Boys and Mermaid Lagoon and sail past Skull Rock. Swoop into Pirate's Cove, home to an enormous pirate ship, and behold Peter Pan in a swashbuckling duel with Captain Hook" (WDW Website). 

A Brief History Lesson: 

Today's History comes from the Insights and Sounds Blog! 

"Dark Rides were a staple of amusement piers from Coney Island on the East Coast to various locations dotting much of California. Some were scary, some held promises of love or at least affection, but all of them held a certain mystique to paying customers as they could only guess at the wonders within the building they saw. This medium fit the Disney team perfectly."

"Fantasyland's courtyard would hold these smaller but still innovative adventures. Since the film was one of the most recent Disney hits, Peter Pan was prime for exploitation." 

"The actual attraction, however, was filled with lavish and sometimes expensive little details that others might deem unnecessary. Loving creation of the attraction - including a unique ride system whose cars were ornate pirate ships suspended from a track in the building's ceiling - rightfully enchanted guests from the very first flight." 

"Peter Pan's Flight was so iconic, it had to be duplicated in Florida's Walt Disney World and its Magic Kingdom. Sure, other dark rides unique to Florida's theme park were considered, but nothing past or present has held its own with the undisputed champion."

Fun Facts: 

• Remember to look around before your ship flies out the nursery window. Watch for the building blocks near Wendy's bed and just under the window, which spell out P Pan and Disney.

Just that one this week I guess. =)

My Thoughts: 

I actually haven't been on Peter Pan's Flight for some time. Funny, now, that my favorite character on Once Upon A Time is Hook himself, and I have a complete new appreciation for the story. I guess when I was growing up I really liked Peter Pan Return to Neverland almost more than the original. Not sure why though. I think it may have been the music though (although it's great in both films!) 

Either way, you can bet that I'll be going on Peter Pan's flight on BOTH of my upcoming trips. And yes, I am quite excited that we may go meet Captain Hook...even if this version does have a waxed mustache and perm...and that is most certainly not my thing (are they bad though?) 

Have a magical day!

Day 400: Times Four

Goodness Gracious Me! Four Hundred Days of Blogging here! Granted I'm behind again, but I've got very little class today and plan on working the entire day through on my homework and the blog and everything. I'm determined this time, and I'm going to finish all of this!

But aside from that, 400 days. Honestly I talk about it all the time, but I was surprised when I hit Day 100, and to be here writing about Day 400, that's ridiculous. Absolutely Crazy. I never thought that I would make it this far!

So let's do this in multiples of four, since today is February FOURTH, Twenty FOURteen, and it's day FOUR hundred. That means that today is going to be a bit random, but I have FOUR big things to talk about! The question is, do I start out with the most exciting one, or do I do the least exciting one first? I don't know, they're all pretty exciting.

Number 1: WDWPhotoADayFeb2014

You guys remember how I did Frumpstagram back at the end of last year, right? Well, I think I'm going to try and do these Disney Photo Challenges more often. I've got tons of great new pictures from Florida from my parent's recent trip, and since I'll be headed back in both March AND June, I'm sure I'll have pictures galore.

That means that when I realized it was a new month and other people were beginning to do their own photo challenges for February, I decided that I might as well join it. Boy are there some tough ones this month too! Here's the list, and since it's only Day 4, if you want to join in there's still time! And then down below I have my first four pictures for the month. I won't be posting them every single day like I usually do, but I'll probably do a post at the end of the month. You can always follow me on Instagram to see them all as I post them! =)

Number 2: Featured Attraction Friday

If I ever catch up on the FAF from January, I've got the February posts lined up (and will hopefully be working on writing them out later today so I don't have to get behind again...especially since February is a very busy month for me). Remember how January had a theme of "Starting Out?" Well February is Fairy Tale Month, in honor of the fact that I'm in the middle of my Classic and Contemporary Fairytales Class! 

That means I can also announce which of the wonderful attractions we'll be looking at this month! In just a few days, on February 7, we'll be looking a bit closer at the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (yes that's spelled right according to the WDW Website). It works great because I just read Cinderella in Class! Then we'll check in on one of my current favorites, largely thanks to a certain pirate, Peter Pan's Flight! The week after that I'll be reading Alice in Wonderland in class, so it only makes sense for me to take a look at the Mad Tea Party. And finally, to round out the month with our last post of February we will take a closer look at the Swiss Family Treehouse. Hopefully I'll have Swiss Family Robinson read by then! 

Number 3: A Little Bit of SSE

While this isn't really an announcement, I figure it should really go into today's blog post since I really was just talking about this about an hour ago. 

You know how often I relate things from my classes to Disney, and this is honestly one I've been waiting for for a while. That's right, in Music History we've past the cavemen and the Egyptians and the advancements in Rome and Greece and then the BBQ sauce smell of the burning of Rome. We've hit the Renaissance! 

This time period was a bit one when it comes to music, as things finally branched out from the strict rules that the church imposed on composers. Of course, we talked a little bit about art as well, but honestly I had a bit of a hard time focusing on the entire thing, mostly due to the fact that I had "In 1450, Gutenberg invents the movable type printing press. Now knowledge can travel as fast as these new books, and travel they do. Books make it easier to invent the future in every field, and the result is an incredible explosion of innovation we call the Renaissance." And then I just got Hallelujah stuck in my head. 

There's actually a story behind the Hallelujah part of SSE for me, of the entire Renaissance portion actually. Back when they refurbished SSE to create the new version, I was lucky enough to get on it before it's grand reopening (the terror that I wouldn't be able to ride SSE at all on that vacation was awful...but it was ok, I got on it). Either way, the VERY FIRST TIME I was on the refurbished version, we got stuck. Stopped to load someone or unload or for some other random reason. What ever it was, we got stuck right in the Renaissance portion, just about to head into the next room, but stuck under the scaffolding...and still very much listening to Hallelujah and the Renaissance theme. Goodness it was ridiculous. I mean, it's a wonderful arrangement they have on the attraction, but that song will forever be stuck in my head. 

Number 4: Adam Horowitz

This is probably the most exciting of the four. And as my roommate can attest to, I was literally freaking out when this happened last night. Like I was in my bunk and I was shaking and Shovell (My best friend Megan...it gets confusing because my roommate is also named Megan) texted me and said she was surprised I didn't faint. 

So this is what happened: 

To be honest, I didn't think it was going to work. I tweet the ONCE cast and Adam (one of the creators) all the time, but I generally don't get a response. I mean, I don't blame them. In the case of Jennifer Morrison she has like 300,000+ Followers on Twitter...and if they all tweet her there would be just too many tweets to go through. Someday I'll get a response, but when that happens it may not be in the form of a tweet. More on that later though. 

And then, after this happened I couldn't sleep, of course. It took me a good hour (although that hour was filled with my roommate and I going through our old tweets and wondering why we aren't twitter famous yet) to calm down and actually fall asleep. 

But let's just say that I'm still happy and in a wonderful mood on this fine Tuesday morning because of it. Thanks Adam! 

And that's about it for today (honestly I don't think I could top that last one unless for some reason Harrison Ford walked into this building or I got a tweet from Colin or JMo). I mean, I did say that today was a celebration of four, not five or six (maybe when we hit those days haha!) 

Have a magical day!

Day 382: FAF: The Universe of Energy

It's time for the second Featured Attraction Friday. Last week we looked at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the Magic Kingdom, and to continue our theme of "Starting Out," we're headed to Epcot. And since I have most of the big name attractions (Ahem...Spaceship Earth), waiting for June, we're heading to a different part of Future World: The Universe of Energy!

What's On The Map:

The Epcot Park map say s specifically Ellen's Energy Adventure, since that's what the nae was officially changed to when they redid it years ago. Take a multimedia romp through time and Ellen DeGeneres' subconscious. "The show begins with a film (featuring a few familiar faces). In it, Ellen DeGeneres is watching Jeopardy! One of the contestants is Ellen's annoying college roommate, Judy. Ellen plays along but keeps striking out, particularly in the Energy category. As she watches, her neighbor Bill Nye, the Science Guy pops in and is aghast at Ellen's ignorance. Shortly thereafter, Ellen dozes off. Ellen dreams she is a contestant on the show, competing against Albert Einstein and her former friend Judy. This time, all of the questions are about energy" (Birnbaum Guide).

"Thankfully, her friend and neighbor Bill Nye is on hand to tutor her, and you're along for the ride as they embark on a time-traveling quest for energy knowledge. Then witness the Final Jeopardy! showdown as Ellen is pitted against her college rival, a brainiac doctor she sardonically refers to as "Stupid Judy," and see how much you're learned about energy" (WDW Website).

A Brief History Lesson: 

This week's history comes from Lost Epcot!

The Universe of Energy opened on October 1, 1982, one of the original attractions of Epcot, and became Ellen's Energy Adventure in 1996. Originally, it was sponsored by Exxon from the years 1982 to 2004, and while the story has changed a bit, it's always been all about energy!

The first version of the Universe of Energy also had a preshow, although "the screen was made up of 100 turning sections that almost resembled cubes. They were not technically cubes though because they had three sides: one black and two white for projection. The five projectors and the turning cubes were synced together to create a kaleidoscope-like show." The theme here was that "energy is never destroyed, nor is new energy created, but energy is perceived in different forms."

From there you would board the vehicles that still grace the attraction today, you know...the really big giant ones that if you stand up or put your arm out too far shut off the entire attraction (it's a problem...please don't do this). There you watch an animated film on how fossil fuels were created before heading into the most talked about part of the show: Primeval World.

Finally you'd have a presentation on present-day energy sources before heading back to the original theater for the grand finale. "The song 'Universe of Energy' was played. Among many other laser-like images, was an astronaut girl. At the time, this was the biggest computer-generated film to be projected."

In September of 1996, the Universe of Energy reopened with the subtitle "Ellen's Energy Adventure."

Fun Facts: 

• Look up at the roof. It's covered with 80,000 photo-voltaic cells that provide solar energy, captured and converted into AC, and then used to power the ride. So, as the voice over indicates during your journey, you are literally "riding on sunshine." 
• During the pre-show, when Ellen realizes she is losing badly at Jeopardy! but has control over the outcome because she's the one dreaming about it, she says, "Freeze!" Note, however, her lips do not move! Oops! 
• Fans of the 1940 Disney movie Fantasia might recognize a small tribute to Walt's most ambitious cinematic undertaking as they ravel past a confrontation between the T-Rex and Stegosaurus. The same scene can be found in the movie's "Rite of Spring" composition, depicting the creation of the cosmos through to the dinosaur's extinction. 
• As you exit the dinosaur portion of the ride, you hear a radio broadcast compliments of KNRG News Radio. Do the station's call letters bring anything to mind They are a shortened version of "kinetic energy." 

My Thoughts: 

It's kind of funny actually. I may have told you the story of the first attraction I went on at Walt Disney World: obviously Spaceship Earth. BUT, I don't think I've told you the story of the SECOND attraction I went on! The Universe of Energy was just redone when I made my first trip in 1996, since I went in October and it had just opened in September. That meant that my parents hadn't been on it previous to going on it with me, and had no idea about what was coming. 

Well, if you've been on the Universe of Energy before, you'll know that it's three things other than hilarious and awesome and ELLEN: long, dark and loud. Now, at 15 months old it's kind of hard for me to figure out all of what's going on, and when the Big Bang came along, it's really loud, and I don't remember whether or not I freaked out  (my parents probably do), but I do know that it's the reason I hated loud noises as a kid. I honestly hated fireworks and everything...all because of the Universe of Energy. 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the attraction now (although I DO wish it were a bit shorter...45 minutes is just a really long time, especially when you're trying to get stuff done). I mean, it has Ellen and Bill Nye and those two are just hilarious. Plus it gets that Jeopardy! theme song just super stuck in your head! What's not to love?

Plus...it taught us the answer to the world's most important question! What is the one type of energy that will never run out! 

And that brings us to the end of our second Featured Attraction Friday. I've still got more to catch up on though...so I'd better keep working! 

What do you think of the Universe of Energy? 

Have a magical day!

Day 375: FAF: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Remember my New New Year's Resolution, or Missions rather? Yeah, since one is already off the map, I figured that I might as well REALLY try to get the other one done, right? Seems like a good plan. So here we are, in the very first Featured Attraction Friday! I've got a "Template" basically made up for how each of these are gonna go, and then I suppose I will just go from there.

When I was planning this a year ago, I also came up with a great idea for how to sort out the different weeks and decide which attractions to do when. I mean, while there are TONS of attractions at Walt Disney World (and Disneyland and the rest of the world of course,) there are a bunch that you just HAVE to talk about. So, each month I'll have a theme, and the selected attractions will go along with that theme.

With means that this particular month we'll start the same way I attempted to last year: Starting Out! Here's four of the most well known, classic attractions you can find at Walt Disney World. I picked one from each park, just to make it nice and even. And of course, that means that we're starting out with Magic Kingdom, and specifically Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!

What's On The Map: 

Since this is the first FAF post, I'll explain a little bit about what each section of the post means as well as actually talk about our Featured Attraction! "What's On The Map," is where we go straight to the source, meaning three things: The WDW Website, The Park Map & The Birnbaum Guide (I am using the 2013 edition). I figured it would be a good place to start things out, just for general information. 

Ride through a gold-mining town on a runaway train on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! This 2.5 acre mountain is "chock-full of gold." Unfortunately for the residents of Tumbleweed, the local mining town, a flood has ruined any chance of uncovering the remaining gold. Before they prospectors find drier land, they are having one last party at the saloon to celebrate their riches. Even though in danger of washing away, they don't seem too worried, and guests who decide to take a trip on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad have nothing to worry about either" (Birnbaum 118). 

"Legend has it that a supernatural force dwells within he mountain. When gold was first discovered in the 1850's, a mining company was established. But soon, eerie things began to occur. Miners heard ghostly sounds, cave-ins became frequent and equipment mysteriously failed. Trains would take off and race through the mine and around the mountain driverless! Word got out that the mine was haunted and Big Thunder became another ghost town. Years later, when eyewitness accounts had faded into folklore, new prospectors resurrected the Mining Company and began blasting into the spooky mountain once again. But as the new settlers became aware, some legends turn out to be true" (WDW Website). 

A Brief History Lesson: 

Now that we've gone through the classic, and quite humorous descriptions, it's time for a little bit of history. I mean, the creation of the attraction is often just as important, and as interesting as the attraction itself. I mean, there really are so pretty great stories out there as to how these things came to be (and just wait until you see what I have planned later this year!)

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad probably has one of the more interesting stories behind it. I am a huge fan of the books by Jason Surrell (although I haven't had the chance to read them all yet, sadly). A year ago I actually read most of "The Disney Mountains: Imagineering at Its Peak," but never got to finish it for a couple of reasons. Either way, there's a whole section in the book on Big Thunder, so I felt that I'd use that as my source for this one. 

The road to unforgiving mine train didn't start out perfect for our beloved mountain though. Actually, it started out with Pirates of the Caribbean. Back in 1971, when Walt Disney World opened, guests were astonished to find that the classic attraction, and the last Walt Disney Worked on himself, Pirates of the Caribbean, hadn't made an appearance at WDW, nor was it on the schedule right away. With no E-Ticket attractions ready for the park, the attraction Western River Expedition came into play. Head creator Mark Davis was ready to top himself from the "Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland" attraction at Disneyland, and he had plans for an Audio Anamatronics Extravaganza. 

But they hit a road block: Roy Disney, who had taken over the company after his brother's death and was the main supporter of WRE, died. When Pirates of the Caribbean did open in 1973, the project lost even more interest, as the two shows would be very similar. But they still needed a new thrill ride, a first thrill ride, at Walt Disney World. So work began again, only this time on a split attraction, half mine train, half boat expedition that would be built later. Tony Baxter had been working with Davis on other attractions at Walt Disney World previously, and had grand ideas for what would eventually become Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. 

Still, the long, complicated road continues. When Space Mountain opened as the park's first E-Ticket, Thrill attraction, the project was put on hold yet again, due to the fact that the "Space Race" was still fresh in the minds of Americans. But at Disneyland, there was a need for a new attraction, and so Big Thunder Mountain Railroad changed a bit and moved into the space on the exact opposite side of the Rivers of America at Disneyland as it would have been at Walt Disney World. 

It wasn't until 1980 that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tony Baxter's first hit attraction, came to Walt Disney World, moving in on the banks of the Rivers of America and rising above as the backdrop for Frontierland. 

Fun Facts:

Of course, when we talk about attractions like this, we have to have some awesome fun facts about them too! I have a book, called "The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World" by Susan Veness. It's a great book, and I do suggest reading it...and it's where I'll be getting all of my interesting Disney Facts for these posts (I also used it for the Disney Fact of the Day Earlier this year). 

• Halfway through the attraction, there is a Miner taking a bath, and the bathtub he sits in is one of two full size bathtubs in the entire Magic Kingdom. The other is located in the Carousel of Progress. A third bathtub used to reside in Mickey's Toontown Fair as well. 
• The names of the trains are I.M. Brave, U.R. Courageous, I.B. Hearty, U.B. Bold, I.M. Fearless and U.R. Daring. 
• A second-floor window of the saloon, viable as your train roars past, reveals a party in progress. It's the "wildest party in the wilderness," but you will see it only at night. During the day, the party-goers are probably sleeping it off. 

My Thoughts: 

Of course, this is still my blog, and I couldn't have a post on these different attractions without actually giving my own opinion on them. I have to say that my opinion WILL change from attraction to attraction. I mean, while I love Disney that doesn't mean I have to love all the different attractions. I mean, it would get kind of difficult if they were all my favorite. I can't ride everything over 100 times like I've done with SSE. 

When it comes to Big Thunder, I've been a fan for quite some time, and I always end up on it at least twice during my trip (although that will change come June of course). Of all the attractions in Magic Kingdom, it's most likely in my top five favorites...actually I know it is. Although back when I did my Favorite Attractions I know I said that while my top is Haunted Mansion, and then my second is a tie between Buzz Lightyear and Space Mountain, the honorable mention did go to Big Thunder Mountain. 

I think my honest to god only complaint about it though is how much I miss the earthquake scene. I'm not sure if it's fixed or if they took it out (I really can't remember...it's been 6 months since I was at Disney now), but I remember it worked when I was a kid, and I miss it now. It just doesn't feel right without it. 

On the other hand, I really do love the new additions to the line. I think the entire concept of an attraction while waiting in line is a wonderful idea, and I love it at Haunted Mansion too. It's probably one of my favorite things that Disney has ever done actually, not that their queues were anything to laugh at before. They have some of the best ones in the entire world (Pirates? Space Mountain? Expedition Everest? Need I List more?), and the new interactive additions at Big Thunder are not only hilarious, but also awesome. I can't wait to go back in March and explore the line more than I did this past July. 

And so, there you have it, the very first Featured Attraction Friday (although quite a bit late...sorry about that). I have to say that I think I understand why I didn't do this last year. It's a lot of work. BUT, I don't have Disney History to work on anymore, and without the Disney Facts we need something that happens like weekly around here, and this is just the ticket. I'm gonna make this mission work! 

What are your thoughts on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad? 

Have a magical day!

Day 4 : Featured Attractions

A very very long time ago, when I was originally planning this blog, or really my Disney blog in general, I always envisioned myself doing a series of blog posts all on different attractions from the Disney Parks.

See, I always thought it would be a longer blog post when I have time, featuring a brief history of the attraction, my own personal description of it and a video if there is one. There are just so many attractions in the Disney Parks that this could be done for, but I guess I just got discouraged because it's not unique. It seems every Disney blog has something like that. So I didn't ever do that. 

But now I realize that this blog doesn't have to be as unique as it has to be mine. It can be whatever I want it to be. So I'm going to do that, a weekly featured attraction. I have no idea which attractions I'll do or how I'll do them exactly, but it should be entertaining, and when I do end up going to Disney I'd love to include some of my own pictures and videos in these blog posts.

So, in the future, that's what I'll do. At the beginning of every month I'll share which attractions I hope to feature, and I'll do them periodically throughout the month. Each month will have a theme, and yes, I already know what I'm doing for the entire year. I planned it out yesterday. Here's the attractions I'll be featuring this month, with the simple theme of "Starting Out":

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The Universe of Energy
Tower of Terror
Kilimanjaro Safaris

Have a magical day!