The West Side of the Kingdom
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“GET EVEN… GIVE FRUITCAKE”
My most sincere apologies to our readers for getting this month’s column up late to LaughingPlace.com; that wedding thing kind of took up my time recently!
Speaking of the wedding, my new wife and I want to thank all of our readers and friends out there for all of the awesome e-mail we received; it all was terrific and meant the world to us. Thank you ever so much!
Many of you know that we spent almost two weeks at Walt Disney World. Our resort of choice for our honeymoon was Disney’s Dixie Landings, which is a personal favorite of mine. It was the first resort I ever stayed at - so it was important for me to stay there for the first time with Venus, as she’d never been to Florida before. The staff at Dixie Landings was nothing but professional and very kind - not a single complaint from the Wests!
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Both of us feel that the most spectacular part of our trip was the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which simply defies words. Kudos to the Imagineers and staff that had absolutely anything to do with the Tree or anything else at Animal Kingdom, for that matter. You done good, and the whole park is a masterpiece. I can’t tell you how many people (including some that we spoke with in the Orlando airport terminal) told us that Animal Kingdom was terrible and boring, etc. All I can say when reflecting on how beautiful and special the park really is, is that some people clearly do not know how to stop and smell the roses, you know? Animal Kingdom is a thematic and environmental triumph. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Growing up with both the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park in my backyard, I can honestly say that Animal Kingdom even betters those two parks, which says a lot, considering how nice the parks in San Diego are.
The Tree of Life is home to a great 3-D show - “It’s Tough to be a Bug” - which is also amazing, although disappointingly short. It is my understanding that the show is going to be perhaps lengthened before Disney brings it to California Adventure. Knowing that it’s coming to California Adventure, I can say with certainty that it will be one of the new theme park’s highlights.
I would say that we were only truly disappointed with one
attraction at Animal Kingdom. Countdown to Extinction, which is the exact same ride
technology and hardware as Indiana Jones at Disneyland, is terrible from start to finish.
I had heard that Disney was having trouble with show lighting. It showed, and then some.
It was so dark throughout the ride that we were completely disoriented, and the fantastic
animation of the dinosaurs was all but lost in this mess of a dark ride. I will go into
this more in our THEME PARK FLORIDIAN ADVENTURE III on our Web site (www.themeparkadventure.com
Another great treat at Walt Disney World was dining at the Brown Derby at the Disney-MGM Studios. Absolutely the home of the best steak on Disney property in Florida! According to my wife, it’s the best steak she’s ever had! Our waiter the first time around was a wonderful Cast Member by the name of Todd. He was fantastic, and we hope he’ll keep in touch! By the way - if you’re on your honeymoon at Walt Disney World, let EVERYONE know; there are some fantastic surprises waiting for you such as complimentary champagne and dessert at the Brown Derby!
As a devout Twilight Zone Tower of Terror enthusiast, I must say that the new drop sequence in the attraction is less than spectacular. Not only is it too “bouncy,” the sheer terror of the 13-story drop is never enjoyed in full, due to the new erratic movement of the elevator in the main drop shaft. The last sequence - billed as “Twice the Terror” - was much better. Oh well; it’s still an amazing attraction and remains my favorite of the mega-attractions found at any Disney theme park.