WHY WASN'T I ATTENDING MORE OF THESE THINGS?
Fast forward to February 16-20 2012: Or as I'd like to call it....
QueerRudie DOES WCB
So let's start off with the voyage and days leading UP to WCB 2012. After some conversations with some of my friends around TPR, we decided that we'd like to visit as much as possible- and as little time as possible- a daunting task for a smaller area such as Atlanta or Dallas- but one of epic proportions for something like LA. I'd not been to most of these parks in over a decade, so grabbing credits was a key issue here- and I will say that I was for the most part successful in my endeavours.
Day 1 begins with a mid-day departure from my current home of Phoenix to the crater of blight... LAX. Mind you, I hate LAX. I REALLY hate LAX. We're talking with a gun to my head I go there. But for a total airfare of 5.00, I'll go... reluctantly. Domo and I packed our suitcases, and headed to the airport... as always, Domo had a better boarding number than I did- as he's just cool like that!
- DOMO!
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- Domo is a good Southwest Airlines passenger- and always keeps his seatbelt fastened when seated...
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A brief hour flight and I'm in the City of Angels, but somehow, it's LAX, and it's hell on Earth. Whomever designed LAX terminal 1 was obviously born with no arms, no brain and missing a foot, as it is readily apparent that humans were NOT part of the design process. It is a long way from anywhere at LAX to get to anywhere at LAX. Did I mention that LAX sucks? Really. LAX SUCKS.
So leaving on the Super Shuttle for Knotts, LA decided to give me it's finest welcome it could ever give!
- OK: WTF?
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At least the driver had a good humor about him, and the trip took about 50 minutes overall. My roomate/partner in crime for most of this voyage wasn't due in till a bit later than I was- so after dropping my luggage at Knotts, it was time for some BEE-R-T.
- Red Trolley Lager... NUMMY!
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So while Chad and others ventured forth to see other things in the LA area, I chilled out, had a nice dinner at Mrs. Knott's and then started my ritual of being in a hotel. In my case, this means unpacking, ironing, refolding the towels, and cleaning. (Yes, I do have OCD. Get over it. The towels must be folded right- and that's not a request.). As I finished up the ironing, I had a most unpleasant surprise... The iron committed suicide. Really- that's no joke. I killed the iron. And I still had four towels left, too.
- NOOOO!!!!
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- R.I.P. Hotel Iron. You died valiantly in the battle of the misfolded towels.
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Mourning the Iron, I slept preparing for Disney the next morning- something that I was looking foward to in every way...
DAY 2: Disney or DEATH!
Morning comes early, and it's time to conquer Disney. With the most generous help of a friend, I had the two parks in Anaheim for free- and I am so very grateful to her for that! So this would be a rather interesting trip, as I had several things to visit to gain the ever-elusive and growing list of credits to my name. I'd yet to visit DCA, so for me this would be a new park- and a whole other experience.
Meeting up with Jo at her hotel, it was time to go to the Happiest place on Earth! (No, it ISN'T Muensterhausen, Germany...) DL was starting the Mardi Gras stage and performances in New Orleans Square... and with it being President's Day weekend, it was, well, a wee bit crowded... however I do get one advantage: The LineBuster 3000! For the most part, it came in handy with DisneyLand- and we were able to access some of the more crowded attractions easily.
- Jo, First thing in the morning...
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- Chad first thing in the morning...
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(Don't they just look SOOOO happy that I'm taking first thing in the morning pics???)
First up for the day was StarPort 77... AKA Space Mountain. Meeting up with two MORE TPR people- Gregg and his son Josh, we formed a perfect group of six for a voyage into the dark recesses of Anaheim. SP77 is a great ride, and while I prefer the original SP75 in Orlando, it still packs a decent punch and is a fun ride for all. Heading out of there, a Jedi Mind Trick was used to load us onto StarTours II- which was for me a great experience- even with C3P0 being a lousy pilot. I sort of regret having eaten this before boarding, though:
- Tasty!
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Following StarTours, I saw a very interesting character patrolling the galaxy close close to here...
- Storm troopers invaded StarPort 77... NICE!
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For me, some of the fun of DL was spending time with people I truly care about- and that made it that much better for me. It helps that they have similar personalities all around- and I do enjoy having them around. Seeing a park like Disney with them will be a highlight of my life- and as much as they might not realize it, that is a very special thing to me- and something I cherish deeply.
Onto my curse: For 21 years now, I have had a curse around my neck: Every Vekoma Roller Skater ride I've ever tried to ride has, in one form or another, broken down or was closed for repairs at EVERY SINGLE PARK I'VE BEEN TO. That's not a a joke. So, since DL wasn't an announced stopover for me, I figured I would sneak up on one, and try to score it when it wasn't looking. We migrated to ToonTown... and there it was waiting for me: Gadget's Go Coaster.
- The elusive Vekoma Rollerskater...
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Fortunately- there was success this time- and five of us piled into the small train and logged in this credit for me- finally. I guess it really WAS a Magic Kingdom for me that day!
A quick trip around the park via the WD RR, and a few of us were off to the wonderful world of Disney's Construction Adventure, opposite the Magic Kingdom. This was a new park for me, and while the park was full of construction walls, it was still a nifty place to visit. Walking in, I got a preview of an attraction that was forthcoming for me: Soarin'.
- OOOH! Plane credit!
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- Hotel in the trees...
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A short walk around towards the back of the park, and we meet up with the fun that is California Screamin. This was a new credit for me, and one that I was looking foward to, considering my, um, 'feelings' towards fine Swiss-German quality. CS did not disappoint at all- and was a very interesting ride from all perspectives. The loading/unloading of it was amazing to see- and extremely efficient in every way.
- MMMmmm... Intamin Looper goodness!
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- Launch Track goodness
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- READY... SET...
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- GO!
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- Switch track porn for those who like that sort of thing (You know who you are...)
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- More switch track Porn...
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- Platform porn...
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- I found this interesting... trains are coloured AND numbered!
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I found Mickey's Wheel to be the most creative use of theming yet- and it fit so nicely into the Boardwalk area. Mind you, I don't generally do ferris wheels- and this was no exception- but it sure did look awful pretty!
- A good use of theming- and a nifty looking ride overall.
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- Mickey has a HUUUUGEE wheel for a mouse.
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While I also missed out on the flying swings, they too looked amazing to see in person.
- OOH! Silver swingy thingies!
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One of the things I found interesting about DCA was that you could get alcohol there... Some of us partook in said libations- which would be needed for my next conquest du jour.
- Jo and the pink lemonade thingy...
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- Jo and a blue thingy...
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After letting liquid strength set in, it was time to conquer a major fear of mine: I don't do freefalls/Drop towers. At all. As in: I've been on ONE up to this point- and I -hated- it. I am not a freefall type, never have been, never will be. And Hollywood Tower Of Terror is PROOF of that for me. I will give them redit, the theming was over the top in every way, and I was thoroughly impressed with how they handle the masses in this key attraction for DCA.
- Tower's Lobby
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- Even the dust was themed well.
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- Theming- CHECK.
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- I had the urge to find a shampooing machine and clean this... I really did.
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- Details everywhere- and yet no dusting rags!
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- Even the pipes are perfectly broken...
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- Perfectly built junk...
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- I had to resist the urge to reach over and sweep the dust off.
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- At this point, I knew that things were going to get hairy. I was right.
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I won't bore y'all with details from this point forth. Suffice to say, I was scared S#@!less on ToT, and was justifiably paid back in spades on it. I think I bent the steel pipe in front of me grabbing on for dear life above. NOT FUN. What's weird: I turned as white as the ghosts in the attraction in terror on it- and I'm very happy to say I won't be returning to Tower Of Terror again. Ever. I mean that. NEVER.
This poster was just plain cool:
- COOL POSTER!
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Heading back to the Magic Kingdom, I wanted to log in a few of the 'standard' credits- including Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain ("Don't worry- you won't get wet on this ride!" Best lie I'd heard in a while...) and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Timing the return for the parade, it was a bit crowded, but we were able to knock out most of the Dark rides in Fantasyland- as well as dinner and the aformentioned above rides.
- New Orleans Square
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- Big Thunder Mountain: Still fun after all these years!
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- And around it goes!
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- This ride is beyond photogenic!
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- TRAIN CROSSING!
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- This was a 'lost' portal that belonged to the first 'mine train' at Disneyland- and I loved seeing a little bit of history while wandering around there!
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As darkness fell across Anaheim, I found myself by myself and decided to take some time to revisit one of my favorite rides...
- STARPORT 77!
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I've always had a fondess for Space Mountain, and all it's siblings- so it is fitting that this would close out this segment of my TR- with a few geekshots of details in the entry queue!
- SP77 logo- nifty!
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- Cool touch to the theming!
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An interesting bit of trivia: StarPort 77's 'track' is known as Gamma... while StarPort 75's tracks are Alpha and Beta. Disney thinks of everything...
Coming soon: Part II: Whoring out at SFMM...
R.D.
