Photo TR: Scarin' and Crusin' with TPR in Orlando

Grimm House. Some day I shall conquer you.

Damn you, Grimm House! Damn you all to Hell!

I keep saying I'm going to check out Nightmare Mansion in Virginia Beach, too--but no one I'm with ever wants to go.

I have never been to Old Town. Last time I was in Florida I came in at night and saw some lights not far from my hotel. Never had a chance to check them out and didn't know what it was until I was leaving and the taxi drove right by it. I could have walked there and picked up a credit and did the Grimm House! I need to do better research on whats around when I travel on business.

I still say the best part of Old Town was leaving....

Halloween at Old Town... yeah.. did not miss much..

^You're just saying that because the intense terror that is Old Town is too much for you, Hanno!

That is, if you find the concept of going to Walmart terrifying--some people do.

Awesome report so far! I really thought they had allowed way too many people into the early dinner and entry at Busch Gardens, but it ended up working out very well. It was really empty during the first hour that we almost got everything in the first go around. Great report and pictures!

Awesome stuff so far Chuck! Have you experienced a Haunted House that was as epic and amazing as the one in Australia? I would have thought the one in Old Town might have given it a run for it's money.

Love the captions and can't wait to see " crusin' " pics!

Jimmy "Chuck Rocks!" Bo

I really need to do howl o scream on my trip next year. Did anyone try the alone house? I am wondering if it is worth the extra upcharge.

I did Alone, it was a lot of fun, I do not think it is worth $40 but if you take three friends with you the price is just about justifiable.

Thanks for your continued use of wit to deliver your trip reports, Chuck. No one does it like you.

Every day is a scary, scary day at Old Town...

dt

Now that Halloween has come and gone (everywhere but Old Town, which, as Dave has pointed out, is scary 365 days a year), let's turn our attention to some random Disney stuff, such as animals, food and wine, and The Park Fomerly Known as Disney MGM Studios. Here are a few random thoughts:

1. Disney's Animal Kingdom would be the company's most beautiful park, if they replaced Chester and Hester's Dinorama with, say, a vacant lot full of old plastic bags.

2. If you can't find something that suits your taste at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, maybe you should subsist on a steady diet of gruel and barley water for the rest of your life.

3. Disney needs to rip the tram tour out of the Studios park and replace it with something good. I suggest some sort of attraction based on The Rocketeer, but we know that will never happen.

Off we go!

Where are we now?

a. Disney's Minimal Kingdom

b. Disney's Animal Kingdom

c. Disney's In Your Face, Busch Gardens Tampa Land

d. All of the above

Contrary to popular belief, these items were not damaged by the yeti.

It was all the work of the DEMON WERE-DEER!

Oh, boy! Nothing beats rolling and bouncing around a huge, dark warehouse while some idiot keeps saying "Not our dino!"

Pulsating ions are so hot.

Pulsating ions can even get sleepy fruit bats to move--a bit.

"Er, little privacy, please. Do ya mind? Stupid pulsating ions make my groin itch."

These lazy monkeys missed all the pulsating-ion action.

So, if you're a cow on an ECV, you're doubly screwed.

Welcome to Spot that Crotch! Today's special guest crotch spotter is Lou!

"Hmm--I think I just spotted a crotch!"

"Oh, that's a crotch, alright. I know a crotch when I see one."

All kidding aside, Animal Kingdom is a beautiful park (well, except for that Dinorama thing).

This artsy photo certified 100% Dinorama Free.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year"--at Epcot.

Yes, for more than a month, Epcot supplants the Magic Kingdom as the "Happiest Place on Earth."

The Food and Wine Festival is one of the best theme-park events ever.

Mmm--smoked beer.

Looks like they're bringing out the boring, er, deeply moving part of Illuminations.

Let's soak up a little Japanese culture, eh?

"Japan's culture is very good! You will like it very much, I'm sure!"

Who could look upon this shirt and not be moved?

Never before has the pervasive influence of nerd culture been so movingly displayed. More to come. You have been warned.

More Epcot--and some Disney's Hollywood Studios! Can your heart stand it?

"Enough culture! We got waffles to eat!"

"I have all the culture you need, sweetheart."

I have a hunch that they may all be together.

"So, I'm just supposed to stand in hip-deep water shuffling cranberries around all day? Er, OK.

To touch the sand is to invite death!

Epcot's version of a "haunt."

There's an ominous silence over World Showcase Lagoon.

"I AM THE GOD OF HELLFIRE! AND I BRING YOU . . .

. . . FIRE!"

Goodnight, Epcot. May your giant ball be forever blessed.

Welcome to Not Disney California Adventure.

You know, I think they might be all together, too. Just another hunch.

Aerosmith always has the best drugs.

In the future, Walt's head will rule us all.

I now interrupt this TR to show you the best thing I've ever had at Mama Melrose's: wild-mushroom-and-arrigula flatbread with goat cheese and a glass of Morelli draft beer. That's good eatin'.

Ginny, Shawn, Brad, Lou, and Divv are just way too excited here.

Then again, they are about to take "A SPECTACULAR JOURNEY INTO THE MOVIES."

One of the tram tour's best features: Watching some hapless volunteers nearly drown.

This little shack was used in the Hannah Montana movie. Piers is planning to move in.

Sigh! I really wish this movie had been a hit.

My god! Lou's head is on fire!

Help is on the way!

Sam Eagle: The original tea bagger, er, partier.

I'll leave you with this shot of "Good Tower." Legoland will be next.

Sigh! I really wish this movie had been a hit.

I feel the same about this, as well as Dick Tracy. Such a shame.

So sad I missed out on Epcot this year.

^I feel the same about Dick Tracy. My nephew Luke absolutely loved that flick and had to have every Tracy toy he could get his hands on--which became a bit of a challenge due to the movie's disappointing box-office receipts.

I approve of this picture for multiple reasons. Guess why?!

^ Big fan of flowers and trees, eh?

^Especially if they're edible.

Marigold seeds are edible.

Just not too yummy.

I remember hitting the Cypress Gardens Adventure Park with TPR a few years back. The place was underwhelming then, to say the least. Building an amusement park that was one step above Old Town in quality and depending on the drawing power of the name Cypress Gardens (a tourist destination that had been passe for years) was a questionable enterprise, at best. Yes, building a glorified carnival and hoping that the tourists would make the trek from Orlando to Winter Haven was a failure, and I left the place wondering if there was any hope for Cypress Gradens at all.

Then along came Merlin and Legoland. The Gardens now have a fighting chance.

I was quite impressed with how Legoland put its stamp on the old park, not only by bringing in new, classic attractions (such as Aqua Zone Wave Racers and the Lost Kingdom Adventure dark ride), but also by adapting some of the old park's rides (such as turning the generic Rollerskater into The Dragon). Plus, the Gardens are still there--a nice link to the past.

I barely recognized the park when we visited, and based on my first visit to the old Adventure Park, that's a good thing. The big question still remains, though: Will Legoland be enough to entice guests to leave the tourist epicenter of Orlando? Well, they're off to a good start--and the announced opening of a Lego water park next year is a smart move. I wish Legoland Florida well.

Come and join us at the preview day.

Welcome to the, we hope, future of Cypress Gardens.

The Lego Wench entices you to come in.

Noted and logged--thank you. There were some glitches here and there, but overall the day went smoothly.

It was also Media Day--the park would "officially" open the following day.

Looks like the reporter had a late night.

Steve's son, Logan, got to be on TV somewhere, just by driving around in this little car.

A wee bit of hoopla, and Legoland is "unofficially" open for business.

OK, who needs to work off a Waffle House breakfast?

Get ready to pump yourselves to death, folks!

The is the only Legoland attraction that's "licensed to kill."

Mike, you're supposed to use the other nozzle to put out the fire, not your . . . oh, never mind. (Looks like the Legoland CM is impressed, though.)

Pump, ladies, pump like the wind! (OK, that really sucks as a metaphor.)

Uh oh! Looks like one team is having bit of a problem.

The losers pump themselves back to the finish line in disgrace.

Here's one of the refurbished old attractions.

Enjoy yourselves on the "Ride Formerly Known as Swamp Thing."

"You know, mit out Legos, mein Theory of Relativity would've been kaput! True story!"

The boats are another classic attraction you find at (I think) all the Lego parks.

I see that Lou has found her favorite attraction.

Hmm--this donkey and his swarthy companion smack of exotic intrigue!

At last, we know how the Pyramids were built.

This is the type of picture you get when your camera is slow to reset and you miss everybody's pose.

I think I know where to find Garbels.

Victory! And I think it only cost him $100 or so.

If all they did was put up this castle and nothing else, Merlin would've improved the old CG Adventure Park by 100%.

"D'yer, me big and dumb! Got hammer! Smash you good!"

"Sir! Please put the hammer on the ground and back away slowly!"

Legoland did a good job adding a dark-ride section on to the existing Rollerskater. A once "meh" ride is now fun. More to come from Legoland.

Here's a bit more of Legoland Florida, a park that deserves to make it.

There's a "Lego Factory Tour," but not an actual factory.

Renate, a member of the Legoland California staff who knows TPR very well, was there to help open the new park.

I'm sure the real Lego factories are just like this.

"Oompa Loompa, doobity-doo!"

We received official limited-edition bricks for Legoland Florida--thanks!

The flying island is another old attraction that's been "Lego-ized."

The snake is not, I repeat, not made of Legos.

See any gators out there?

The grandstand on the left is for the water-skiing show--another Cypress Gradens attraction that's received the Lego treatment.

Here's a better look at The Dragon--and the Bealls and Super K Mart across the street (like the snake, they are not made of Legos).

The lake is quite pretty. I think the buildings in the foreground used to be a petting zoo.

Maybe I should've borrowed this guy's binoculars.

Time for another "Lego-ized" old attraction--the former Triple Hurricane.

Not our dino.

This was a good family ride back in the Adventure Park days, too.

But now it's even better because it has dinosaurs.

Now here's a refreshing ride for a hot day.

Dan, you do realize this is a water ride, right?

I think Dan is in serious trouble.

Bombs away! Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!

It's time to get in touch with some southern gentility in the old gardens.

Careful, Robb! That southern belle is likely to get the vapors and fall into a swoon!

I remember old postcards with this picture on them.

I don't remember giant mutant snails, though.

"The power to creat giant mutant snails is insignificant next to the power of the Schwartz!"

"Ain't no mystical energy field fixin' this toilet."

The sequel to "Hobo with a Shotgun": "Bunny with a Chainsaw."

The giftshop is very conveniently located near the entrance/exit. Now there's a shock.

"Why, thank y'all for visiting. Just tickled us half to death!"

Awesome stuff again Chuck! Legoland Florida looks like a great park and I really hope it turns into a park that will be around for years. Having Legoland California be my home park for so long I hope that this one in Florida has as much success as the one in Cali.

Jimmy "Chucks captions are always the best" Bo

Once again this is epic! By the way that is my donkey and thats me next to him!

Awesome report. They did a great job of re-making the mess that was Cypress Gardens. Though I do think that junior SLC deathtrap should have been sent into the sun for the safety of us all...

dt