Canucks Road Trip 2012
Having completed our main objective of seeing the Canucks games we could get down to business and start having some fun...
"I'm going to Disney World!"
If you aren't familiar with Disney World, it's a little different than Disneyland in California. Disney World consists of 30,000 acres that includes four theme parks, two water parks, 30 on-site themed resort hotels, a campground, two health spas and physical fitness centers, five golf courses, and other recreational venues and entertainment. There is 5 main Disney areas we will target; Disney Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and The Magic Kingdom which is the equivalent to Disneyland.
It's only a little more than an hour from Tampa Bay to Disney World, so our first stop is Disney's Hollywood Studios. Today would be the only day of our trip that had a bit of rain, but we didn't let that put a damper on our fun. One of the most valuable lessons we have learned about the Disney style theme parks... always take a picture of where you parked, or you'll never remember when you leave...
or you'll be walking the parking lot, trying to use your remote to find your car. I speak from experience.
Instantly you are bombarded with giant landmarks, Mickey's sorcerer's hat is the entrance, and the Star Wars Walker guards the entrance to Star Tours. The crazy Muppets fountain is just part of the Muppets area, including a replica of the "Pigs in Space" craft.
From backlot sets and tours that would make Universal Studios blush, we wind our way through different rides and shows to our destination. The only place that had a lineup here was the Toy Story Midway shooting ride, we did that lineup in California, so skipped the 1 hour wait.
The highlight of this park for us is 2 main rides, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and the Aerosmith Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.
Having conquered Star Tours, The Muppet Show, ToT and RnR... all that was left was a rainy day parade.
The Incredibles
Bug's Life and Ratatouille
Monster's Inc.
Toy Story
Why I hate Auto-Focus cameras... always 1/2 second too slow. Time to go!
After spending a chunk of the day at Hollywood Studios, we drive over (yes it's that big) to The Magic Kingdom for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Once you arrive and park, you actually have to take a Monorail or Ferry to get to the main gate of the Magic Kingdom.
Remember, take a picture of where you park...
We arrive at the front gates, and head down Main Street USA where a marching band appears to greet us... lovin' the Disney World!
We arrive just in time for a fully fledged character packed song and dance show.
It's time to go exploring, having been to the Magic Kingdom a few times, we have our favourites, and head straight into Adventureland.
Adventureland represents the mystery of exploring foreign lands. It is themed to resemble the remote jungles in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America and the South Pacific. It contains classic rides such as Pirates of the Caribbean and the corny Jungle Cruise.
Frontierland is based on the Old West - from cowboys and Indians, to exploring the mysteries of the Rivers of America. Frontierland contains classic attractions such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, and the Country Bear Jamboree. Since Thunder Mountain was closed, and it was raining, we left this area fairly quickly.
The Magic Kingdom's Rivers of America hosts the Liberty Belle riverboat, and is based on an American Revolutionary colonial town.
Liberty Square is also home to The Haunted Mansion. One of the unique elements of Disney World's version is the interactive graveyard you can wander through on your way into the ride. A fun addition to explore... especially when there is no lineups for anything like today!
In the words of Walt Disney, "Fantasyland is dedicated to the young at heart and to those who believe that when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true."... In the words of Dave Warfield, "Fantasyland is crammed pack full of kids, RUN!!!!"
Tomorrowland is themed to be an intergalactic city; a concept of the future as seen from around the 1950's: rockets, UFOs and robots, etc. Classic attractions include Space Mountain, one of our favourite indoor dark roller coasters.
A day at Disney is never complete without a Fireworks and Light Show... their "Memories" nightime spectacular did not dissapoint. It was a mix of projections onto the castle; paint, lights, videos and snapshots taken in the park earlier that day... followed by fireworks.
Worn out from a busy day capped off with fireworks, we head to our hotel to check-in and rest up for another busy day.