Erik Johnson Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Leanne and I finally got out to California to ride some coasters and visit some of those "touristy" California places. As always I like to share our adventures in the form of pictures and captions. It will probably take me some time to post all of them, but I will start with: Part 1 - Legoland Part 2 - Castle Park & Scandia Part 3 - Six Flags Magic Mountain - First Visit! Part 4 - Disneyland Resort Part 1 Part 5 - Disneyland Resort Part 2 Part 6 - Disneyland Resort Part 3 Part 7 - Disneyland Resort Part 4 Part 8 - Sightseeing Hollywood & the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Part 9 - Las Vegas Baby! Part 10 - Las Vegas Baby! Part 2 Part 11 - Hoover Dam! Part 12 - Knott's Berry Farm Part 13 - Back to Six Flags Magic Mountain - West Coast Bash! Also a video of Legoland has been posted for you TPR members: Legoland California Video Legoland California Jump! Jump! Jump! Evil birds taking out Legoland. I now have my Disney/MGM and Legoland credits of the Chinese Theatre. Though they had a Leogland version of the Gatornationals. Poor Florida area.... They still have a ways to go. Legoland Vegas, coming soon. Oh yeah, they had cities made out of Legos here. Some of them had some extra bits to them as well. Everyone got to have a Lego plastic ball. We got the Legoland factory backstage tour. Ummmm....yeah. Chuck was having way too much fun at Legoland. Every rider on the boats also has a water cannon. Wes just soaked a boat load of little kids. Good one Wes! Time to take out a boat of people with the water cannon. We found a bunch of Rodent Pirates. Its the new Pirate themed area. Then Guy danced a Jig. We took over this place. Soren loves Harry Potter. We found a Lego version of our cat. Plus they are really, really, messy. They were pretty good, but I think they are overpriced. We were told we had to try these. Yeah, I know who is queen in my household. Hee hee hee. If not, Soren made sure you did. Having fun yet Casey? The insane robocoaster. People like to teach the dragon such sayings as, "Give me some Beer!" Everyone loves the mouse coaster. How awesome is it? It was a special credit for Wes. The second coaster of the day. Wes's favorite animal.... Yeah, more Lego theming. Scary Dino Kids. Blah blah blah blah It has all kinds of cool theming for a kiddie coaster, Hooray for Coastersaurus! The first credit of the day, as well as the trip. Our first park of the trip, Legoland California. This was Leanne's first trip to California. Warioware rules the airplane ride. They did reopen it, so we could see that it was on fire. The freaking Turnpike was closed. This can not be good. On our way to the airport, we encountered a nasty traffic jam on the Turnpike. And another one of our lawn. I am glad its not mowing season. Its always tradtion to start off these things with our cat Libby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrasher Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Nice pics. As obssesed as I was with Legos while I was growing up, Ive never once been to one of their parks. Ill have to make it a point to go soon. Looking forward to more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillMontu Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Looking good so far. The Windsor version of Legoland still had a Space Shuttle when we visited on the UK trip, though I've heard rumors of them adding a second park in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrock23 Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Great pics so far. Can't wait to see the rest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Johnson Posted March 13, 2007 Author Share Posted March 13, 2007 OK, here is: Castle Park Scandia Right Guy? This coaster actually was a bit scary to ride. The Scandia Screamer does have a few rules you must follow. Yeah, it was a lot of fun. First things first. I got my tickets, we were ready to ride. Its the Scandia Screamer! We then went over to the Scandia that has 2 coasters. The Castle Park map. Oh, these are the Caslte Park tickets. You need to buy these to ride. Hee hee hee Right Casey? Oh yeah, the back rows get soaked on this ride. Ready to ride a new credit? But we were there for the credit. Everyone loves these rides, especially when they are indoors. It's a Girl! Actually it was a nice little park. Welcome to Castle Park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefitness Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Nice Pictures! I'm pretty sure I saw you guys at WCB.Anyways,LegoLand looks nice.Castle Park and Scandia look a little on the rougher side.(correct me if I'm wrong) Can't wait for the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost007jas Posted March 13, 2007 Share Posted March 13, 2007 Ah! Scandia is 15 minutes from my house! lol Anyway nice pictures looks like you've had a good time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebl Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 "I've heard rumors of them adding a second park in the US." (WillMontu) I've heard that they're looking at Kansas City of all places. Nice TR, Erik. Hope you and Leanne had a nice visit to California. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrowfanman Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Great pictures Erik! Scanda Screamer was so freakin crazy! Cant wait to see the next installment! -Jahan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Johnson Posted March 14, 2007 Author Share Posted March 14, 2007 Ok. onto our first visit to Six Flags California/Magic Mountain. These things were insane. I think that the plastic melted. I did not get to see The Demon fight Space Monkeys around Colossus today. What are they waiting for? There was hardly anoyone in the park. Its a nice group photo with some animals. It only took us 5 minutes to get these processed. We walked over to this place. SFMM's crowds were very light. All newly restored. Yeah, we always try to ride these things. Its the only point that Tatsu's track touches the ground. Sure beats the stairs back down the mountain. Best transportation ride ever. SuperSoren. At least Leanne got to get another photo with Superman. I totally blame these people. Though this was as close as we got to the ride that day. Leanne loves Superman coasters. So we walked over to Superman. No Ninja credit that day. Soren was happy to be back on the ground. Two missed credits in one picture. Same with Viper and X. We waited until the following week to ride Tatsu. Up the tower we go. No smoking food or drinks. The elevator had some problems that day. Its really tall. After a million stairs, we made it to the top. We must go to the sky tower. We did not mind missing out on this credit. I wonder if it will be the next one to go. Still two for two. Crazy queue antics. Yeah, another credit for us. Bathroom sign theming is always cool. I hate standup coasters, but I actually enjoyed this one. I wonder if it is wise to wear a tie on this ride. I think everyone already knows that this is the very first Intamin drop tower. Freefall was open, so I had to ride. More TPR people in front of Scream! Soren and Alessandra's very first Batman: The Ride credit. Operations were quite good at SFMM that day. Hey wait, we know these people. Yeah, everyone needs to have a Goliath picture taken. I think it was Soren's favorite coaster on the trip. Oh yeah, we got this credit. Maybe it is the new Batcave. Ok, what was the purpose of this tree? I really wished I had the opportunity to ride the original version. Ok, why not. I wonder where we should start. Never seen this picture before. Yes, we will not be riding these today. See, here is the proof. We finally made it out to SFMM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Johnson Posted March 14, 2007 Author Share Posted March 14, 2007 Onto the Disneyland Resort. We ended up staying at the resort for three days, so there will be several installments of photos. Disney's Grand Californian Hotel I thought this was kinda cool. After riding Pirates, Mansion, and Big Thunder we walked back to the hotel. We thought Downtown Disney was quite nice. Its a bit different than the Orlando version. L is for Leanne. You can throw a rock at the entrance to California Adventure from Disneyland. Yeah, we had to experience the good version of Pirates. Ok, we walked over to Disneyland. We had a couple hours to spare so we escaped our hotel room. As well as a Disney version of this thing. Disney themed candy. There even was a toliet as well. Sink area. Hotel information. I do not think this page is found at Walt Disney World in Orlando. All you need to know about the hotel can be found here. As well as our park maps. Our room keys. Snow White's house on the wall. As well as Disney Cartoons on the TV. We had a nice sized bed. Look at all that stuff. Everyone receives one of these folders filled with all kinds of stuff. We finally made it to the Disneyland Resort. After a full day at SFMM, we arrived at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Yeah, we had to experience the good version of Pirates. Yes! Pirates almost makes the trip and jet lag worth it all by itself. We did the real Pirates in January, following by the crappy Magic Kingdom Pirates in February. The Magic Kingdom version was a real "WTF" moment for us. "Where's the drop? Where's the rest of the ride?" That's just one reason why I think Disneyland park is better than Magic Kingdom. Fantasyland at DL is much nicer, detailed with those cobbled stone buildings as opposed to the cheap painted wood tents at MK. Space Mountain is better at DL. I could go on... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 ^ Space Mountain is better. Rockin' Space Mountain sucks. As per usual Erik, a great PTR. Looking forward to more pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 ^ Space Mountain is better. Rockin' Space Mountain sucks. Yeah, but isn't Rockin' just a temporary overlay? The ride system on the Disneyland version is a lot better than the Magic Kingdom version. Not that I dislike MK Space Mountain. I really like it. Though I think rumor has it Magic Kingdom's version is slated to get modernized as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 The more I hear about this weekend, the more I wish I'd just blown off work and gone. Well, here's to living vicariously--nice work, Erik and Leanne! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CK Media Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 We did the real Pirates in January, following by the crappy Magic Kingdom Pirates in February. The Magic Kingdom version was a real "WTF" moment for us. "Where's the drop? Where's the rest of the ride?" Magic Kingdoms PotC does have a drop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 ^Halfway through--as does the Pirate Adventure at Drayton Manor. Figures that they'd rip off the lesser version of POTC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 We did the real Pirates in January, following by the crappy Magic Kingdom Pirates in February. The Magic Kingdom version was a real "WTF" moment for us. "Where's the drop? Where's the rest of the ride?" Magic Kingdoms PotC does have a drop. I know, but it's weak compared to the Anaheim version. Remember that Pirates was never part of the plan for MK. It was shoehorned in due to complaints about the lack of Pirates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Johnson Posted March 14, 2007 Author Share Posted March 14, 2007 Disney's California Adventure. We all liked DCA. It certianly was a great first visit. This one has two good sized drops. OK, back to this area so we can finish with the rapids ride. Disney really needs to buy a full set of these things. Best skooters in the world. I am glad we got fast passes earlier in the day. Its certainly one of the best coasters in California. Yeah, we had to ride this again. Yummy! We skipped this one since its the same as the Florida one. Its a LOT better than Florida's Monster INC attraction. This was better than expected. Looks like the MGM sound stages. Though there isn't a Vekoma in a box here. While its still a good ride. I am now allowed to call the Florida version, "The Good Tower". Soren and his new robe. Why did it always stop on the 3rd floor before reaching the basement? There was a little extra theming in the queue area. Anyone ever seen the Little Girl Lost episode? Did DCA's version ever have the cool message that Florida's used to have? The original Tower is my all time favorite Disney attraction. Ok its time to visit DCA's version of Tower of Terror. The show was much better than any of us expected it to be. This show proved to be really popular. I think Soren liked his cotton candy. Yeah, the Aladdin show is in this area. Time to go into DCA's version of Disney/MGM studios. While the ride was the same, the queue area was really different. We now have done both of them. Yeah, we had to ride Soren's ride. You can actually buy ice cream in the train. After this picture was taken, Alessandra flew away forever. As well as the Golden Gate Bridge The sunwheel. Ok, here is a better view. Though I think it still looks more like a wolf. The BEAR mountain thingy through the trees. We never did walk into this land. Sorry Bug's Life fans. The history of California on a wall. We learned all there is to know about California from this movie. Yeah, we rode this as well. Though we did not get to ride in the cop car. Yes, they have 2 credits at DCA. The maliboomer scream shields really do work. You do get a nice view of the park from there. We all got a little bit motion sickness from this ride. This thing was insane. We did not mind the the new music, since we have never ridden the other version. Yeah, we really enjoyed California Screamin'. OK, we have a coaster to ride. It certainly is one of the nicer areas of the park. This is the giant waterwheel by the rapids ride. You can find Brother Bear at DCA. Looks like fun. It also has really good theming. Yeah it drops you right next to the Grizzly rapids ride, which we rode later. We walked right into DCA from our hotel. Good to see that California also has stray cats. Food = Park Energy Yeah, the hotel even looks better in the daytime. Good morning Hotel, as well as the Indy building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillMontu Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 So did that rapids ride have the camera-killing wetness that Kali had? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik Johnson Posted March 14, 2007 Author Share Posted March 14, 2007 So did that rapids ride have the camera-killing wetness that Kali had? We did not get very wet, but some people did. This rapids does not have the item storage area in the middle of the boat like the Kali ones do. At least there are free lockers (just like at Universal) for this ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Disneyland has a Panera Bread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefitness Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 I've heard Florida's Disney property is nicer than California's, but by the looks of these pictures DisneyLand looks right on par with DisneyWorld. Anyways,nice pictures.I think it's so cool that your hotel is connected to the park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 Why did it always stop on the 3rd floor before reaching the basement? It "stops" on the 3rd floor because that is when the elevator is unloading the previous guests. Then the hand moves down to B, and you load. Also, the mountain is a grizzly bear, not a wolf. That's why it's called Grizzly Peak, dumbass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted March 14, 2007 Share Posted March 14, 2007 At least there are free lockers (just like at Universal) for this ride. @#$@ those "free" lockers at Universal. I wound up having to pay at both Hulk and DD when I went last October, because they screwed up the time necessary for me to get through the queues. This annoyance prompted me to buy a pocket-sized camera case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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