topaz119 | Daily December #6

What is my favorite ride at Disney World and why? (for

theladyscribe)

ooooooohhhhh, Disney World. As longtime flisters/circlers know, I love me some Disney World. But what they might not know is that I was 32 before I went the first time (and I was 3 weeks post-partum with #2Son & despite this, we (the baby included) had a fabulous time.) So, it's not that I grew up going to WDW. It's more like it's an indulgence adult me has gifted to herself. (It's also within driving distance (so I don't have to buy airfare for 5) and infinitely hackable (so there's always one more thing to try to get the most bang for your buck (and then they go and completely revamp admissions and the ride lines and you get to start all over again.) so it's something do-able with the HoB.)

The thing about WDW is that they don't have the super-crazy 'coasters and rides (that's what Universal is for.) They have a couple mid-level roller coasters and rides, and then lots of rides 'flat' rides, where you're not going superfast or turning upside down. So, if you're looking for rides where you're flirting with death, you'll be all 'eh, I don't see what the big deal is.'

The things that Disney *does* do well, better than anyone almost (Diagon Alley at Universal is *stunning*, IJS & Disney appears to be taking them seriously and upping their projected game) are theming and customer service, which, on rides translate to queues that set the scene for the ride (because it's never just a ride, it's the climax to a story) and cast members who don't just get you onto the ride but play right along with that story.

The cast members at the Haunted Mansion are famous for how they play with the guests -- they glower and growl and generally have fun freaking out select guests (I should also add they're super-good at backing off if necessary.) The queue at Expedition Everest is so full of stuff to look at that we generally try to go through it once every trip (and then run through the single-rider line to get to the roller coaster part, which is one of the bigger 'coasters so of course we're hitting it multiple times.) The atrium at Dinosaur is gorgeous, full of faux sedimentary layers and fossils and the set up is fun (but ow, my ears by the time we're through. Every single on-ride picture of me shows me with my fingers in my ears, even when I remember to bring ear plugs.) For Star Wars fans (of which there are more than a few here at the HoB), the queue for Star Tours is one easter egg after another and you generally get cast members who send you on your way by saying "May the Force be with you, because you're going to need it with this pilot."

So, if you put all that together, my favorite ride is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The line winds through the creepy, falling-apart grounds and lobby of the abandoned hotel that forms the basis of the ride. Rod Serling himself welcomes you to the episode that you're about to take part in. The boiler room that's the loading zone is dank and dark and eerie and the cast members are even more into the atmosphere than the ones at Haunted Mansion. (I swear part of their audition is the Evil Laugh of Doom.) So there's all that, and then the drop sequence on the ride is randomized, so even if you can recite the entire pre-show loading sequence by heart, like my kids can, you still have no idea how they're going to drop you or when they're going to catch you. You can drop-drop-drop and then DROP, or hang suspended in front of the doors that open to the park (so everyone can hear the screaming) before they pull you down and zoom you back up or any combination in between. We spent one night going right back through as soon as we got off (Fantasmic was running by that point, so all the crowds were there, watching the show and the rides were walk-ons) and never had the same sequence twice. I stopped after 6 times but the boys made 11 and they said it was all different. The only thing is that at some point, you'll come out of your seat because the car is accelerating faster than you are, and that's generally when they snap your picture.

It's pretty awesome.

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re: the Expedition Everest line, we did a walkthrough of it once when we were taking the "take you through AK and point out all the tiny little details" tour! Next time you're in the Yeti museum, look over to the side, and look at the staircase that goes up into the loft. The Imagineers were scouting on location in Nepal and Tibet, around the regions at the foot of Sagarmatha, and they were invited into the house of an old lady (widowed, with several adult children who worked on the Mountain) and were like, yes, this room! This is perfect, this is what we want that room of the line to look like, the loft above with the staircase going up to it, can we sit here and sketch everything? And she said, yes, but if you're going to do that, you must take my staircase with you, so it can be part of the exhibit. And they said, no, no, we won't take your staircase! You need that staircase! And she said, no, my staircase is going to Florida, so everyone who comes to your theme park can see it and admire it, and something that was mine can go home with you; my sons will build me another one.

(Her sons built her another one. The one in the line queue is hers, shipped from Nepal.)

(Also, the restaurant across the path from the Dinosaur ride, the one with the old-style trailer out front? The trailer was scavenged from one Imagineer's grandmother's yard. That park is full of really fucking awesome stories.)

oh, that's so cool! We keep talking about taking one of the behind the scenes tours, but then we get there and D has his routine and it gets put off one more time. Still on the list, though.

We do them pretty regularly! They are anywhere from "pretty nifty" to "fucking awesome", depending on who you get as a docent.

I have ridden the Tower of Terror only once, and I screamed through the whole drop sequence (I think we had a mid-length drop, followed by a series of short drops, and then a huge one). It was so much fun though!

It's always different, but I think I like the quick, short drops right at the start, because everybody is so on edge and the teases just draw the tension to hysterical heights. :D

I don't remember the details of The Tower of Terror line, just the drop and how it freaked me out. OMG, I ma not made for rides anymore. Ahahaha.

My sister-in-law won't even go through the line, it freaks her out so much.

We spent one night going right back through as soon as we got off (Fantasmic was running by that point, so all the crowds were there, watching the show and the rides were walk-ons) and never had the same sequence twice. I stopped after 6 times but the boys made 11 and they said it was all different.

Ahaha, yes. I did it 13 times in a row here at DCA once. The funny thing was, the adrenaline rush wore off completely after about the 8th time, and it wasn't nearly as fun after that, but I was COMMITTED you see and was not stopping til 13 had come and gone.

Each time I go to the park, I consider it my mission in life to terrify at least one first-time rider (adults only!) into bailing from the queue before they get on the ride. It's not that hard to do. Sometimes the cast members even help me. They can smell blood in the water. I love them. *g*

Oh, the cast members are totally into it! We had one ride (I'm pretty sure it was on the night of Many Rides) where we were in the study with a group of 20ish Asian girls who were completely freaking each other out and the CMs were so happy to help that along.

Also, I'm totally adding your quest to my list of what we'd do if we get to hang out in DL one day!

Sort of a side note but Rod Serling grew up in a house a few blocks from me and the episode with the carousel is from the park near my home. The local museum has a section dedicated to The Twilight Zone... And one of our diners is modeled after one in an episode...he went to the local high school and in later years donated money to build a beautiful theater for the theater club to put on productions.

Okay that actually had nothing to do with Disney ....but a little background info can be fun....

Glad you are able to do something you enjoy..... 🙌

Oh, that's pretty cool! Once I got to the point on the ride where I wasn't freaked out by the thought of the drops, I spent a lot of time trying to watch for how they pieced together footage of RS (from the shows in the 60s) to make this new 'episode'. He's such an iconic figure; it's cool to hear he gave back to the community.

My sister works at the local museum and since it was RS anniversary recently...they had events... A man who is considered the 'expert' on RS gave talk and brought some memrobila. In his younger days this gentleman went to Hollywood parties etc..has some cool auto graphs and the 'phone' used in the episode for when the zombois/ world ended...he posts stuff on the internet these days because he is older and wants people to remember RS. We view several episodes at the theater when have TZ night

I have been to Disneyland about six times(?). I was about 10 the first time, and 48 the last time. I want to go again.

SPACE MOUNTAIN. I could do that all day.

I've only been to DL once, about 25 years ago, and I'm dying to go now and see the changes and all.

I love Space, too! The seating is a little different in FL than in CA but it's still awesome.

Daily December #6 - Disney and Me

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