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Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Remembering Test Track (Presented by GM)
Hello Disney fans, Collins here. If you've been on this site in the past, you know that this summer I visited Walt Disney World in July. One of the things I was most anticipating on the trip was riding the new Test Track "2.0", a refurb of the original Test Track which operated from 1999-early 2012. Aside from the track layout, which hasn't changed from the original attraction, the new Test Track is a totally different ride. Instead of testing a test car in real test scenarios, you now test your custom-made "SimCar" in a virtual "SimTrack" (which is actually physical), putting it to the test of "simulated" scenarios including slippery road surfaces, responsiveness, off-road handling, and of course the high-speed loop. While the new incarnation of Test Track is obviously cool and very futuristic, I can't help but miss the old ride which was my favorite in WDW. So today I wanted to give you a side-by-side look comparing the old to the new, so you can see what the old World of Motion has undergone in it's most recent update. Below is a video by Inside The Magic comparing the two rides side-by-side. You'll see a lot has changed!
-Collins
Monday, September 16, 2013
Rumor: Truth, or just your Imagination?
I think all of us who have been to Epcot, or even Walt Disney World in general, have either heard of or seen the lovable, purple dragon, Figment. Recently, he's been appearing on lots of Walt Disney World merchandise including scrapbooks, snow globes, and even has his own line of merchandise that you can find throughout the resort. And if you were at the 2013 D23 Expo in August (which I couldn't attend :( ), you even saw Figment and Dreamfinder at a meet and greet in the Journey into Imagineering exhibit. All of this buzz about Figment is really rather sudden, as Figment hasn't been incredibly popular since the late 90's.
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| Dreamfinder introducing the guests to Figment and himself in the first scene of the ride. (Property of JWL Media) |
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| Dreamfinder painting with a giant brush in the Art section of the ride. (Property of JWL Media) |
First the obvious. If the pavilion does close, we can more than likely expect to see the Captain EO 3D show gone when it returns. No one knows or can guess what will replace it, but many are pointing to a 3D show including Dreamfinder and Figment. Which leads me to the elephant in the room. What will happen to Journey into Imagination with Figment? Well, currently there two very likely rumors.
One rumor (which I REALLY hope doesn't happen) is of a Phineas and Ferb, the currently popular Disney Channel/Disney XD show, ride. Like I said, I really don't like this idea. EPCOT in its prime was unique in that everything in the park was original. The only characters not original to the park were of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse, along with some other members of the fab five. However, the originality of EPCOT and it's ideas confused children, and as a result the park's attendance declined in the mid 1990's. To change this, Disney has taken out or changed many of Epcot's rides to appeal to a wider and younger audience. Epcot has lost its luster! And taking away Figment for a ride about a show that probably won't be popular in a year or two infuriates me. Sure, the kids in the show use their imagination in everyday life, but the idea just isn't Epcot. Luckily, though, this is just one of two rumors. Here's the rumor I'm most excited about.
The second rumor is of a return of Dreamfinder and the classic Figment in a restore to the original Journey into Imagination, and a reopening of the upstairs ImageWorks. The ride would be brought back with its original story, along with new technology which was non-existent in the 80's, including a possible trackless ride system which Disney has implemented in Tokyo Disneyland's "Pooh's Hunny Hunt" and the newly opened "Mystic Manor". Talk about imaginative! There is so much potential for a return of the classic ride, and this is the rumor I'm rooting for.
But what do you all think? What would you all like to see happen if the pavilion closes? Or do you think it will even close at all? Leave a comment and tell me your thoughts. Thanks for reading, and have a magical day!
-Collins
PS: Here is a tribute and ride through of the original Journey Into Imagination (1983-1997) done by the amazing Martin Smith. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyUNTuvH6I8
One rumor (which I REALLY hope doesn't happen) is of a Phineas and Ferb, the currently popular Disney Channel/Disney XD show, ride. Like I said, I really don't like this idea. EPCOT in its prime was unique in that everything in the park was original. The only characters not original to the park were of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse, along with some other members of the fab five. However, the originality of EPCOT and it's ideas confused children, and as a result the park's attendance declined in the mid 1990's. To change this, Disney has taken out or changed many of Epcot's rides to appeal to a wider and younger audience. Epcot has lost its luster! And taking away Figment for a ride about a show that probably won't be popular in a year or two infuriates me. Sure, the kids in the show use their imagination in everyday life, but the idea just isn't Epcot. Luckily, though, this is just one of two rumors. Here's the rumor I'm most excited about.
The second rumor is of a return of Dreamfinder and the classic Figment in a restore to the original Journey into Imagination, and a reopening of the upstairs ImageWorks. The ride would be brought back with its original story, along with new technology which was non-existent in the 80's, including a possible trackless ride system which Disney has implemented in Tokyo Disneyland's "Pooh's Hunny Hunt" and the newly opened "Mystic Manor". Talk about imaginative! There is so much potential for a return of the classic ride, and this is the rumor I'm rooting for.
But what do you all think? What would you all like to see happen if the pavilion closes? Or do you think it will even close at all? Leave a comment and tell me your thoughts. Thanks for reading, and have a magical day!
-Collins
PS: Here is a tribute and ride through of the original Journey Into Imagination (1983-1997) done by the amazing Martin Smith. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyUNTuvH6I8
Friday, June 14, 2013
A Worthy Trade
NEW FANTASYLAND, WALT DISNEY WORLD
As many of you know, most of New Fantasy has opened to the public including places and attractions about Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Dumbo, Tangled, and many other Disney movies about princesses and fantasy worlds. This new section of Magic Kingdom of course replaced Mickey's Toontown Fair. There are mixed thoughts, some people saying they'd rather have left Toontown as-is, and some saying they think New Fantasyland was a great replacement to Toontown which only had one attraction (which now is in Fantasyland). However, there is a phase, the final one, of New Fantasyland that hasn't been unveiled, and won't be for about another year. That is the Seven Dwaf's Mine Train roller coaster, which will replaced the former Snow Whites Scary Adventure, a ride known for it's frightening scenes to young children and short ride time. Of course many tourists are glad to see it go, as many kids hated it and would like to see a more exciting ride such as the mine train in Fantasyland and Magic Kingdom itself. But then you have the Disney fans like me who look at Disney Parks from many views, one of them being their rich history. Snow White was one of the few opening day attractions left at a Magic Kingdom, and now that it's gone, we don't have too many rides from 1971 left in the park, which made me sad about the closing of Snow White's Scary Adventure, even though I wasn't too big of a fan of the attraction myself. But then yesterday I had a revelation when I saw a video on YouTube from Attractions Magazine. It was a virtual ride through of the mine train, and after watching it over and over again, I was amazed. This ride is going to be great, and it taught me something. If we love Disney, we love Disney for who they are. Not for what they were, not for what they will be, but what they are; a company which captivates ams transports us to worlds beyond imagination through all sorts of entertainment. And this mine train does just that. Back in 1971 Snow White's Scary Adventures did this for audiences at the time, but it's time to move on. We need to appreciate Disney for not how they tell the story, but how the story affects us. Check out the ride video, and you'll see what I mean. Comment your thoughts, and as always have a magical day!
-Collins
Mine Train virtual ride through: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7V8FZg0S-MM
As many of you know, most of New Fantasy has opened to the public including places and attractions about Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Dumbo, Tangled, and many other Disney movies about princesses and fantasy worlds. This new section of Magic Kingdom of course replaced Mickey's Toontown Fair. There are mixed thoughts, some people saying they'd rather have left Toontown as-is, and some saying they think New Fantasyland was a great replacement to Toontown which only had one attraction (which now is in Fantasyland). However, there is a phase, the final one, of New Fantasyland that hasn't been unveiled, and won't be for about another year. That is the Seven Dwaf's Mine Train roller coaster, which will replaced the former Snow Whites Scary Adventure, a ride known for it's frightening scenes to young children and short ride time. Of course many tourists are glad to see it go, as many kids hated it and would like to see a more exciting ride such as the mine train in Fantasyland and Magic Kingdom itself. But then you have the Disney fans like me who look at Disney Parks from many views, one of them being their rich history. Snow White was one of the few opening day attractions left at a Magic Kingdom, and now that it's gone, we don't have too many rides from 1971 left in the park, which made me sad about the closing of Snow White's Scary Adventure, even though I wasn't too big of a fan of the attraction myself. But then yesterday I had a revelation when I saw a video on YouTube from Attractions Magazine. It was a virtual ride through of the mine train, and after watching it over and over again, I was amazed. This ride is going to be great, and it taught me something. If we love Disney, we love Disney for who they are. Not for what they were, not for what they will be, but what they are; a company which captivates ams transports us to worlds beyond imagination through all sorts of entertainment. And this mine train does just that. Back in 1971 Snow White's Scary Adventures did this for audiences at the time, but it's time to move on. We need to appreciate Disney for not how they tell the story, but how the story affects us. Check out the ride video, and you'll see what I mean. Comment your thoughts, and as always have a magical day!
-Collins
Mine Train virtual ride through: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7V8FZg0S-MM
Monday, May 20, 2013
1/2 of "Phase One" is Complete!
Hello Disney fans! If you've read my last post, I told you about some major and not-so major changes that will be happening on this blog. Today, one of those changes happened: a new logo. I made this on PhotoShop in an attempt for it to really show what this blog is about. While the background of the logo is landmarks from the Walt Disney World resort, the point of it wasn't to keep this blog exclusive to WDW. The point was to show that this blog is about the WORLD of Disney, that is, the wonderful world of Disney :)
Stay tuned for more news and changes on this blog, and until next time, have a magical day!
-Collins
Stay tuned for more news and changes on this blog, and until next time, have a magical day!
-Collins
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Where is this blog going?
Hello Disney fans, it's Collins! First, I really want to apologize for not posting on this blog in over 5 MONTHS! Life has been crazzzyyyyy so far in 2013, but luckily that beautiful, 3-month long period of freedom called summer is ahead. 72 days (Phineas and Ferb get 104 days. Lucky) of no homework or school for that matter are ahead, which leaves me lots of time to take on a huge project - revamp this website and bring it back to life? Yes, yes, I know you're all oozing with excitement, but calm down; I'm just getting started.
The first project I plan to tackle, hopefully soon, is to TOTALLY transform the look of this blog. You can easily tell that the logo was made with Paint and the backgorunds are low res and from Google. With graphuc software such as Photoshop, I am going to totally freshen up the look of this blog to add more Disney magic to it! (sorry for overusing the word 'totally' in this paragraph)
On the note of technology, the second project I'm going to tackle is to revive my YouTube account (www.youtube.com/thedisneydude99) and possibly create a Disney talk-show type shabang. This will hopefully begin to take place around early June-ish, so be on the lookout! I'll let you know once I've put up my first video.
And lastly, I have very exciting news, atleast for my self. About a month ago I got a huge surprise. I'm going to the place where lots of my blog articles originate, and not only that, but the place where dreams come true, Walt Disney World!!! Gahhh I'm so excited! I leave in July and hope and atleast plan to give you coverage from the resort. If you don't see any live on this blog, check on my Instagram or Vine, both of which's usernames for me is @the_disney_dude.
The first project I plan to tackle, hopefully soon, is to TOTALLY transform the look of this blog. You can easily tell that the logo was made with Paint and the backgorunds are low res and from Google. With graphuc software such as Photoshop, I am going to totally freshen up the look of this blog to add more Disney magic to it! (sorry for overusing the word 'totally' in this paragraph)
On the note of technology, the second project I'm going to tackle is to revive my YouTube account (www.youtube.com/thedisneydude99) and possibly create a Disney talk-show type shabang. This will hopefully begin to take place around early June-ish, so be on the lookout! I'll let you know once I've put up my first video.
This blog is obviously about Disney (hence the name), but I feel like there's something missing. By looking at earlier posts, you can tell I basically just shared news about Disney, mainly Disney Parks and Cruise Line, which kinda bored me. I had to remember that this is my blog, so with future posts I'm going to add more personality and opinion to my posts, so you can not only see my opinion on certain topics (as if you care), you'll hopefully get to know this 13 year-old Disney lover better :)
And lastly, I have very exciting news, atleast for my self. About a month ago I got a huge surprise. I'm going to the place where lots of my blog articles originate, and not only that, but the place where dreams come true, Walt Disney World!!! Gahhh I'm so excited! I leave in July and hope and atleast plan to give you coverage from the resort. If you don't see any live on this blog, check on my Instagram or Vine, both of which's usernames for me is @the_disney_dude.
So, yep, that's pretty mucgh where this blog is going! If you have anything you'd like to see or not to see on the site, let me know in the comments below! And as always, have a magical day!
-Collins
Saturday, January 5, 2013
My MAGICAL voyage aboard the Disney Fantasy
DISNEY FANTASY
Hello again! Sorry it's been nearly 23 months since I've posted anything, as summer had a hectic end and school had a hectic start, but now that I'm back in the routine of things, I'm back. And now I'd like to tell you about the unforgetable vacation that is the Disney Cruise.
From July 21-28, I sailed the high seas aboard the 14 deck tall, 1,015 foot long Disney Fantasy, the newest member of the Disney Cruise Line fleet, as i was on only her 16th voyage! It was truly an amazing experience, from the moment you arrive at Disney's private terminal in Port Canaveral, Florida to the moment you debark. The crew of 1700 is amazing. They are there to cater to your needs and comfort 24/7, and added that touch of Disney magic to service everytime. The entertainment was breathtaking, with broadway quality shows daily, such as "A Fantasy Come True", "Disney's Aladdin", Magic Mike the magician, Ricky Kalmon, the AMAZING hypnotist, "Disney's Wishes", "Disney's Believe", and "Our Unforgettanble Journey". Plus, they had first run movies, some in Disney Digital 3D playing in the Buena Vista movie theatre.
Dining was amazing too. There were 3 restaraunts for dinner; Animator's Palate, Royal Court, and Enchanted Garden. Each of them had oodles of Disney magic, and were a treat to dine at. Animator's Palate was a dining experience unlike any I have expirience. You will visit it twice during your magical voyage. The first time you visit, the theme is "Undersea Magic", where you are set in an animator's studio that magically turns into the "great big blue", surrounded by windows in which your favorite charecters from Disney Pixar's Finding Nemo swim by in. Then, when your main course come out, Crush, the sea turtle from Finding Nemo swims up and interacts in corversation and even dancing with the guests. The crush interaction is nearly a carbon copy of the attraction Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot in Florida, with some extra magic. On your second visit to Animator's Palate, the theme is "Animation Magic", where you walk in with classic Walt Disney cartoons and sketches being played and being displayed on the many screens. As you eat your appitizer, your waiter or waitress will give you a specuial piece of paper on which you draw your own charecter, which he/she will later give to the big cheese himself, Mickey Mouse. A while later as you enjoy your sumptous dinner, Mickey will take the stage and magically make your drawings come alive! They dance, walk, ice-skate and play with Mickey, then become a character in well known scenes from classic Walt Disney films such as Fantasia, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Aladdin and many more! It is a dining experience you can only get aboard the Fantasy, and in the end exit the restaraunt as an offical Disney Animator! Another one of 3 three main restaraunts aboard the ship is The Enchanted Garden, with a theme of a garden from films like Marry Poppins and Alice in Wonderland. It is a more relaxing place to dine, with little touches of Disney magic everywhere! The 3rd main restaraunt aboard the ship is the Royal Court, located right off of the atrium. This regal enviroment takes you into what the dining room of Cinderella's Castle may have been like, with gloriuous chanderliers and other fancy touches that tie the restaraunt together. If you have a little princess in your party, they'll definetely enjoy this restaraunt! All of the main restaraunts aboard the Disney Fantasy are amazing, and each one is it's own different experience.
Now about what most cruisers look forward to - deck 11 and 12, where the open air fun is! on the top decks are two pools, both with great views of the Funnel Vision megatron sceen on the facade smokestack, a small waterslide for little tikes, and the state-of-the-art Aquaduck, the first "watercoaster" at sea! This fast and waterslide with a clear tube offering views of the decks below and the big blue sea 150 feet below takes you up, down, around and even off of the ship for an incredible view of the ocean. This attraction is a must do for kids and adults alike! Also on deck 12 is Goofy's Sports deck, a sport complex almost taking up half of a deck that includes basketball courts, fuseball tables, ping-pong challenges and even an 18 hole mini - golf course! And if that's not enough fun for one deck, there's also an "Arrr-cade", an aqua-lab set up by Donald Duck's nephews Huey, Duey and Luey, a hot tub with a glass floor that hangs above the ocean, and a buffet called Cabanas that serves breakfast, luch, and snacks throughout the day.
Another great feature about the Disney Fantasy was the child programs that open early in the morning and close around the same time, too! If you have an infant or toddler, you can send them to "it's a small world" nursery, a fun and colorful enviroment themed after the classic "it's a small world" attraction, located at every Disney park worldwide. If you have a kid, they can go play and have fun in either the Oceaneer's Club or Oceaneer's lab, where they can explore the latest in technology, play in rooms themed off classic Disney and Disney Pixar films such as "Toy Story", "Monsters Inc" and more . For pre- teens there is Edge, a private club for guests ages 12-14 located on the secret 13th deck which is in a facade smoke stack where they can dance, surf the web, play games, take a spin on an XBox 360, Wii, or just hang out . There's a club similar to this for teens ages 14 and up where they can do all of the above plus listen to music in a cool lounge, take place in special activities or relax in a pool chair or swim in a private outdoor pool just for club members!As you see there are many options for guests who want to get away for youngsters oonly fun!!!
I could go on and on about activities and amenities aboard the amazing ship . But I can't . To find out more go to www.disneycruise.com and search "Fantasy". If you have any additional questions, leave them in the comments . until next time, have a MAGICAL DAY!!!
Hello again! Sorry it's been nearly 23 months since I've posted anything, as summer had a hectic end and school had a hectic start, but now that I'm back in the routine of things, I'm back. And now I'd like to tell you about the unforgetable vacation that is the Disney Cruise.
From July 21-28, I sailed the high seas aboard the 14 deck tall, 1,015 foot long Disney Fantasy, the newest member of the Disney Cruise Line fleet, as i was on only her 16th voyage! It was truly an amazing experience, from the moment you arrive at Disney's private terminal in Port Canaveral, Florida to the moment you debark. The crew of 1700 is amazing. They are there to cater to your needs and comfort 24/7, and added that touch of Disney magic to service everytime. The entertainment was breathtaking, with broadway quality shows daily, such as "A Fantasy Come True", "Disney's Aladdin", Magic Mike the magician, Ricky Kalmon, the AMAZING hypnotist, "Disney's Wishes", "Disney's Believe", and "Our Unforgettanble Journey". Plus, they had first run movies, some in Disney Digital 3D playing in the Buena Vista movie theatre.
Dining was amazing too. There were 3 restaraunts for dinner; Animator's Palate, Royal Court, and Enchanted Garden. Each of them had oodles of Disney magic, and were a treat to dine at. Animator's Palate was a dining experience unlike any I have expirience. You will visit it twice during your magical voyage. The first time you visit, the theme is "Undersea Magic", where you are set in an animator's studio that magically turns into the "great big blue", surrounded by windows in which your favorite charecters from Disney Pixar's Finding Nemo swim by in. Then, when your main course come out, Crush, the sea turtle from Finding Nemo swims up and interacts in corversation and even dancing with the guests. The crush interaction is nearly a carbon copy of the attraction Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot in Florida, with some extra magic. On your second visit to Animator's Palate, the theme is "Animation Magic", where you walk in with classic Walt Disney cartoons and sketches being played and being displayed on the many screens. As you eat your appitizer, your waiter or waitress will give you a specuial piece of paper on which you draw your own charecter, which he/she will later give to the big cheese himself, Mickey Mouse. A while later as you enjoy your sumptous dinner, Mickey will take the stage and magically make your drawings come alive! They dance, walk, ice-skate and play with Mickey, then become a character in well known scenes from classic Walt Disney films such as Fantasia, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Aladdin and many more! It is a dining experience you can only get aboard the Fantasy, and in the end exit the restaraunt as an offical Disney Animator! Another one of 3 three main restaraunts aboard the ship is The Enchanted Garden, with a theme of a garden from films like Marry Poppins and Alice in Wonderland. It is a more relaxing place to dine, with little touches of Disney magic everywhere! The 3rd main restaraunt aboard the ship is the Royal Court, located right off of the atrium. This regal enviroment takes you into what the dining room of Cinderella's Castle may have been like, with gloriuous chanderliers and other fancy touches that tie the restaraunt together. If you have a little princess in your party, they'll definetely enjoy this restaraunt! All of the main restaraunts aboard the Disney Fantasy are amazing, and each one is it's own different experience.
Now about what most cruisers look forward to - deck 11 and 12, where the open air fun is! on the top decks are two pools, both with great views of the Funnel Vision megatron sceen on the facade smokestack, a small waterslide for little tikes, and the state-of-the-art Aquaduck, the first "watercoaster" at sea! This fast and waterslide with a clear tube offering views of the decks below and the big blue sea 150 feet below takes you up, down, around and even off of the ship for an incredible view of the ocean. This attraction is a must do for kids and adults alike! Also on deck 12 is Goofy's Sports deck, a sport complex almost taking up half of a deck that includes basketball courts, fuseball tables, ping-pong challenges and even an 18 hole mini - golf course! And if that's not enough fun for one deck, there's also an "Arrr-cade", an aqua-lab set up by Donald Duck's nephews Huey, Duey and Luey, a hot tub with a glass floor that hangs above the ocean, and a buffet called Cabanas that serves breakfast, luch, and snacks throughout the day.
Another great feature about the Disney Fantasy was the child programs that open early in the morning and close around the same time, too! If you have an infant or toddler, you can send them to "it's a small world" nursery, a fun and colorful enviroment themed after the classic "it's a small world" attraction, located at every Disney park worldwide. If you have a kid, they can go play and have fun in either the Oceaneer's Club or Oceaneer's lab, where they can explore the latest in technology, play in rooms themed off classic Disney and Disney Pixar films such as "Toy Story", "Monsters Inc" and more . For pre- teens there is Edge, a private club for guests ages 12-14 located on the secret 13th deck which is in a facade smoke stack where they can dance, surf the web, play games, take a spin on an XBox 360, Wii, or just hang out . There's a club similar to this for teens ages 14 and up where they can do all of the above plus listen to music in a cool lounge, take place in special activities or relax in a pool chair or swim in a private outdoor pool just for club members!As you see there are many options for guests who want to get away for youngsters oonly fun!!!
I could go on and on about activities and amenities aboard the amazing ship . But I can't . To find out more go to www.disneycruise.com and search "Fantasy". If you have any additional questions, leave them in the comments . until next time, have a MAGICAL DAY!!!
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