Port Orleans Riverside Map and Review

My wife and I visited the Walt Disney World resort for a long weekend.  Although I’d been to the Magic Kingdom many times, this was only my second time staying overnight on Disney property. Disney ranks their hotel resorts by different categories from cheapest to most expensive: value, moderate, deluxe, deluxe villas. The first time we stayed at one of the All-Star hotels, a value resort not directly connected to anything. This time we opted for a moderate resort, Port Orleans Riverside, connected to Downtown Disney via a half hour boat ride down a winding river (relaxing but feels like it takes forever).

I thought the moderate hotel was a huge step up from the value resort. The interior of the room was wonderfully themed. The pool and lobby areas were also well done. I recommend staying in a Disney resort, especially if you have kids, for all the little things they do that you don’t expect that add up to make your stay more memorable, such as arranging the towels in the shapes of Mickey or other animals, giving you pins to wear that say “Happy Birthday” or “Happy Anniversary”, and so on.

The biggest complaint about staying on property is the buses. It’s really hit or miss - sometimes you get right on and go and other times you may wait up to a half an hour only to have to stand the entire trip next to some sweaty, over-weight tourist who keeps bumping into you. I guess it does beat having to drive a car around yourself though. Oh, and they should have more or larger hot tubs!

Next time I think I would much prefer to stay at the Yacht or Beach Club resort, not because it is a deluxe resort, but mostly because of its superb location: Epcot is walking distance, you can take a short boat ride to the Studios, a monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom, and you’ve got Boardwalk and Fantasia golf in walking distance for nighttime entertainment (meaning you only would have to take a bus to get to Animal Kingdom or Downtown Disney).

We also did the dining plan for the first time. Price wise it was probably a wash but it was really awesome not to have to take out my credit card once during the trip (everything was paid for before we left) we just used our hotel room keys to use the meal plan. You also get a refillable mug to get unlimited free drinks in the food court at the hotel.

Pictured below is the Port Orleans Riverside map.

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Hershey Chocolate Factory Tour Review

The Wonderful World of Chocolate and the Sweetest Place on Earth

After riding Skyrush at HersheyPark and visiting ZooAmerica, the other highlight of our visit to Hershey world was creating our very own candy bars at Hershey’s Chocolate World. There are several different attractions inside Chocolate World and the first one we did was the Hershey make your own candy bar experience. 

When you purchase your ticket they enter your name into the computer. At each station you scan your ticket and it displays your name so you know where your candy bar is at all times. We donned the white hair nets and aprons we were given and proceeded inside to the candy bar design studio. Using touch screens, I selected my base to be white chocolate and added butterscotch and milk chocolate chips and opted for no sprinkles. Scan our tickets at the start of the assembly line and pull the lever to begin. A suction cup contraption picks up the chocolate base you picked out and sets it gently onto the assembly line conveyor belt. The bar slowly moves down the line stopping at each respective station to receive its proper fillings. A layer of chocolate is applied on top (the same for everybody regardless your base flavor) and your fledgling bar is whisked away into the inferno of the oven. While it cools you get to design your packaging.

Next up, we did the free Hershey chocolate tour. Please note, this ride is a replacement for the original Hershey factory tour, as the original Hershey chocolate factory tour was so popular, and drawing so many guests it was impossible to please them all without disrupting operations of the chocolate factory. So an omni-mover type ride systems was created to move thousands of people a day through the sets of animatronics and video screens, a sort of virtual Hershey plant tour explaining how chocolate is made. Fun fact: Milton Hershey chose the location in Pennsylvania due to the abundance of nearby cows for his milk chocolate (I guess it’s cheaper to transport cocoa versus milk). At the end of the ride you are given a free chocolate bar before being dumped out in a giant Hersheys store.

I can’t wait to visit Hershey park Hershey park again! Pictured below is the 2012 Chocolate World map of attractions. Click here for the Chocolate World hours of operation.

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Knoebels Flying Turns Update and Trip Report

On Sunday, May 27^th 2012 I visited Knoebels amusement park in Elysburg, PA. Knoebels grove is an old fashioned amusement park with a very relaxed atmosphere and some of the most classic rides around. This was the second stop on out tour of Pennsylvania after riding Skyrush at HersheyPark. Some of Knoebels rides and park favorites include the carousel where you can collect rings (one of only a few left in the country). 

 

Knoebels Haunted House is also a must ride on your visit. The Haunted House is consistently ranked as one of the best of its type in the world. As with all the Knoebels attractions, it’s a classic, old school ride full of great gags that made me jump despite riding it before. Warning: it is a very loud ride.

The million dollar question all theme park fans are dying to know the answer to is what’s the status on Knoebels Flying Turns? Construction started in 2006 and the ride has never opened to the general public (anyone know if park officials have ever taken a quick ride down the chute?). It appears they are waiting on a new car chassis to arrive to continue testing. The brake run and transfer track has actually been completely removed. Lift hill number has been modified too. I hope the Flying Turns Knoebels opens in my life time.

 I also had a chance to ride Knoebels Black Diamond, a new/old ride relocated from New Jersey (then called the Golden Nugget I believe) and given an updated control system. Black Diamond is technically a roller coaster as it relies solely on gravity after being pulled to the top of the third floor by multiple chain lifts. I have to admit I was very surprised at the number and quality of the show scenes inside the building. Bravo Knoebels – a job well done!

Pictured below is the 2012 Knoebels park map.

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Dollywood Vacations "Ladybug" Cabin Review

I enjoyed a short weekend vacation by heading to Tennesseeto check out America’s first wing coaster, Wild Eagle, at Dollywood. My full review of the new ride, with photo and video, will be posted on 101. Friday and Saturday night we stayed in one of Dollywood Vacation Cabins. Last year we stayed in One More Night which is in the Star Resort area. This time we were in Ladybug, a two story cabin with a nice view but a pain in the butt to get to.

Pictured below is a scan of the Dollywood Vacations resort map. The cabins Dollywood operates are mixed in with other cabins own by other resorts or individuals. The map is pretty deceiving because a lot of smaller roads are missing. Dollywood’s cabins look closer on the map then they actually are.

If you’re looking for cabins in the Gatlinburg vicinity, I highly recommend Dollywood Vacations. Cabin prices range from affordable to luxuriously expensive – but oh so worth it. Ladybug goes from $99 to $399 depending on the time of year. The Dollywood vacation package can include length of stay tickets to the theme park, including free parking in Lot B! Guests can take home free lanyards and plastic souvenir cups. Easily one of the best Pigeon Forge attractions!

One of my favorite features of the cabins, which you can see in the pictures and video I've added, is the hot tub on the back deck. This cabin also happened to have a Jacuzzi inside on the second story along with a pool table! Ladybug has two full baths and can sleep up to 6 people. We watched a thunderstorm roll in Friday night from the comfort of the hot tub.

Where is Dollywood you ask? Dollywood’s location is in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, land of the blue smoke, and the cabins for rent are located on the mountains behind the park. The main road to get to the park and the cabins is the second to last stoplight from the Smoky Mountainparkway leading to nearby Gatlinburg (a beautiful road to drive on). Once again, I highly recommend staying in these cabins, though I much prefer staying in the cabins closer to the park and the main roads. But trust me, you'll be able to hear the train whistle from any cabin in the area - it's loud!


FYI The address of the Dollywood Vacations Cabin "Ladybug" is: 2321 Foxberry Way.

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Wild Eagle Video

I visited Dollywood briefly over the weekend (due to rain and time crunch) but was able to take a few quick shots of Wild Eagle in flight. I compiled the off-ride footage into a short video montage. Enjoy!

You'll have to head over to Coaster101.com for my full review. Shortly I'll be posting some pictures and a review of my second stay at Dollywood Vacations cabins.

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Nike's Chinese New Year Book Giveaway

First, I want to apologize. This will be my third post in a row now about books. Sorry! Also, it's time for some shameless self-promotion. I recently published my first book, Coasters 101. Well, I am now announcing the release of my second book and first work of fiction entitled Nike's Chinese New Year. It's a funny coming of age story about an engineer's adventures in China taking place over the Chinese New Year holiday.

Now, since this book doesn't really have anything to do with theme parks (though I did manage to through in a couple of references including Hong Kong Disneyland) I've decided to give away a copy for free! How do you enter the giveaway contest? Simply comment below leaving your name, email address, and preference if you'd like the paperback or Kindle eBook edition will give you one entry into the contest. But that's not all! Each time you share this page via Tweet, Facebook, blog post, etc. will grant an additional entry per each share (just make sure you tell me what you did via the comments). The winner will be announced during the Superbowl! Catch a quick preview of the novel here.

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Most Popular Amusement Posts of 2011

Everyone is doing it so I might as well too. We're taking a minute to review some of the highlights in the amusement industry from 2011 by linking to our most popular posts from 2011:

1. S&S Worldwide's new thrill ride
2. Roller Coaster Tycoon 4 Under Development 
3. Fun Facts: Disney Hollywood Studios Tower of Terror 
4. What are the mechanics of Mission: Space at EPCOT? 
5. EPCOT's Spaceship Earth Layout Ride Diagram 

Now let's look at some of my amusement park related videos I put together, including my winning K'nex Demon Drop model (in no particular order):

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Check out our sister site: Zoo Tails!

Not only am I a fan of amusement parks, I also really enjoying visiting different zoos across the country. I have created another blog called Zoo Tails to post all of my zoo related news, stories, pictures, and trip reports. As an engineer, I am think I am drawn to zoos because I love to see how the exhibits are designed. I especially like exhibits with creative, innovative, or interactive features, such as the "Sniff Ports" in the Polar Bear exhibit at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (my "home zoo").

Embedded below is a quick video I put together from my visit to the Cleveland Zoo in June. Check it out!

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Vintage Park Pictures: Universal Studios Hollywood 1985

Time for a new series of posts titled "Vintage Theme Park Pictures." I discovered a treasure trove of pictures in some of my parents old photo albums. First up is a set of photos taken at Universal Studios Hollywood taken in 1985. The first picture is actually of the house used in Leave it to Beaver and Marcas Welby. These were all taken from the studios tram tour. I'll be bring many more of these vintage pictures to you soon so be sure to follow me on Twitter and subscribe to my YouTube for the latest updates.

 

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Dollywood Slideshow

I visited Dollywood back in May and had a great time. We stayed in one of the Dollywood Vacations cabins and I think it just might be better than any other place I've stayed (including onsite at Disney and Universal). Way to go Dollywood!

Enjoy the slideshow (which also includes pictures from the national park and Gatlinburg area). Song is Thunderhead (acoustic) by the Elms.

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Why Disney's Customer Service is Better than Universal

On our recent vacation at Universal Orlando Resort, we waited over an hour in line for Rip Ride Rocket and they closed the ride right before we were about to get on. At that point, the park was closed and we didn't get to do anything else and had essentially wasted the last hour or two of our time in the park. There was no compensation for us or any others waiting in line. We left the park very disappointed and frustrated, along with countless other guests- not a good lasting impression for first time visitors. I understand there are mechanical problems, no big deal, especially if they are early in the day. My issue is that it was the end of the day and there was no attempt at correcting the feeling that our time and money had just been wasted- the two most important issues for me as a park guest. At Disney, they give you fast passes good at any park for x number of days. Thus their customer service will always be better in my eyes. Read More...