One Guy's Opinion of the New Test Track

A few things before I begin my actual review.

I loved EPCOT Center. Horizons, Journey Into Imagination (the original, with Dreamfinder) and World of Motion were my favorite rides. When it was 1st announced that World of Motion would be replaced by something called Test Track, I was not thrilled. But I wound up loving Test Track!
Part of the reason was the "pre-show" film. Some of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World have a fun "pre-show."

Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom has a brief film that sets up the ride, with "Dr. Seeker" getting over on his superior, "Dr. Marsh" and sending us back into the past. Seeker's voice pops up throughout the ride to guide us through.

Soarin' at Epcot has Captain Patrick, giving us safety instructions before our flight, telling us that we need to put all items, including "these little beauties," or Mickey ear hats, under the seat.

And my favorite ride in all Walt Disney World, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, at Disney's Hollywood Studios, has Rod Serling, from the Great Beyond, making us stars of our very own episode of the Twilight Zone.

Test Track had a very funny briefing video, which always elicited laughter from audience members paying attention to the banter between the "test facility employees." Like Seeker in Dinosaur, they would be with you throughout the ride.

All of the examples above set up a believable story. You ARE going back in time. You ARE in a test vehicle. Disney to me is all about story.

The examples above also have (had) heart. A character all their own. I sometimes quote the lines from these rides to my wife, and vice versa, and it brings a smile to our faces.

The new Test Track lacks story, heart and character.

As you enter the new ride area, via the Standby entrance, the fun music, auto parts, and crash test dummies are gone. You see prototype vehicles from Cheverolet instead. Very sleek.

You then enter a waiting area and are given a plain plastic card with a rubber band around it. I realize the the cards are without graphics, because otherwise, people would keep them as souvenirs. But I found the plain white cards a foreshadowing of what was ahead.

 

You then enter the Design Studio, a bank of monitors where you build your dream car.

 

Sounds like fun, right? Maybe if you get the hang of it. And maybe if, when almost complete, your monitor doesn't crash, wiping out what you'd worked on for a few minutes already. I told a very friendly Cast Member our design disappeared, and he came over, and quickly made us a new one based on our original design. 

My friend John actually got into this part of the attraction, enjoying designing his vehicle, noting how the different choices he made would change the overall performance ratings. What he didn't like was the actual ride experience itself. More on that in a bit.

Then you enter to board your sim car. You need to swipe your card to upload your design.

Our vehicle didn't upload. And friends that were with us didn't realize they needed to do this step at all, as this information wasn't very clearly presented to us.

You then load into your Sim Car, which looks very similar to the old Test Track vehicle, except blue.

  

 

Then it's time to see how the car you designed performs against other member in your car. If anyone actually uploaded the info. Or cares.

You go through a course very similar to the old course, minus the humor or warmth, that resembles something out of Tron, which is what I couldn't help comparing this to...Except I really like Tron.

 

After each test area, which I could barely discern from the last test area, you are given the results as to how your car performed. 

Afterwards, you can see your overall results against other cars from that day. I think. Again, this wasn't made very clear.

 

Maybe I just needed to do this again? Maybe I was missing something. My wife refused to go back on what had once been her favorite ride in Epcot, so I went to the Single Rider Line.

Here, you don't even get to create your own vehicle, you just pick one from predetermined templates. The best thing I can say about this option is, at least I didn't need to wait in any line. At the end I was actually able to see my results. Very exciting.

Some people may love this ride, maybe because they are really into cars and car design. New riders won't know what came before, and have nothing to compare it to. Maybe people thought the old ride boring. I didn't. It had a coherent story, and warmth.

Now, it probably seems like I hated this ride. I didn't. My wife did. I am simply indifferent to it.

If I'm with friends, and they want to go on, I'll go on with them. Otherwise, it's a pass.

Portions of this article were originally published on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.

The Best Reasons to Go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) is being held on select evenings September 10 thru November 1st this year at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.

We usually go every other year, and it's worth a return visit for various reasons.

Trick or Treating!

 In my neighborhood, at Halloween each year, parents walk their young children up and down the streets, and hang back on the sidewalk while their children come to the door.
Here, you get to join the fun!
Upon entering the party, you'll be given a treat bag, and throughout the park, you'll find Trick or Treat Stations.

Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade!
This parade features some of your favorite Disney characters and terrific themed floats, and can only be seen at the MNSSHP.

It is my absolute favorite parade in all the World.
My wife is not a big parade fan, yet she loves this one. In fact, we attend both the early and late parades.

Many people prefer to see it on Main Street, with the Cinderella's Castle as a backdrop, but Frontierland and Liberty Square are great alternatives, and tend to be much less crowded.
And the song will stay with you for weeks, or even months.
It's more catchy than "It's a Small World"!

Happy HalloWishes!
This fireworks show is like Wishes on steroids. It is easily our favorite fireworks display, and is only shown during MNSSHP.

For this, I confess, I really do prefer to deal with the crowds and watch it from Main Street. I've watched it from different lands, and it isn't the same, especially because there are many effects that utilize the Castle.

Character Dance Parties

I confess, I've never participated in one of these, but they look adorable, offering children and adults the opportunity to dance with characters!

Exclusive Merchandise
Every year I go in saying I'm not going to buy one more t-shirt, and they get me every time with their fun and imaginative designs!

Items exclusive to the party can be found in many of the shops throughout the park.

Exclusive/Special Disney Characters
I love character photos, and this is the place to find many that are extremely rare, such as Tarzan and Jane, Prince Philip (with Aurora the Sleeping Beauty), and Snow White and ALL SEVEN Dwarfs! You'll also see many of the characters you normally encounter dressed in Halloween costumes, which you will not find anywhere else outside of the MNSSHP.

Characters appear throughout the evening. Please consult your party map for locations.

The lines for some of these meet and greets can be extremely long, especially for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, so please plan accordingly.

A couple personal notes on eating and time management:

There is a lot to see and do, so I like to have a plan of attack. Know going in what is most important and not to miss.

The party can be very crowded, depending if it is a weekend, and the crowds grow regardless of the day the closer it gets to Halloween.

There are a lot of restaurants that are not open during party hours. I suggest eating before hand, and then snacking through the evening. You'll get plenty of candy to do just that!

Have fun!

Portions of this article originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Nick is a contributing writer.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox D23 Vinylmations

When I was a kid in the 1970's my favorite show was, not surprisingly, The Wonderful World of Disney. I have distinct memories of seeing certain cartoons, such as "In the Bag", featuring Humphrey the Bear, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" from "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad", "Casey at the Bat", from "Make Mine Music", and "Paul Bunyan" an animated short released in 1958.
I have a few Humphrey the Bear items in my collection, but had nothing from the other 3 cartoons listed above, until just recently.
I won this 2013 D23 Expo Paul Bunyan Vinylmation set on Ebay.

It's a limited edition of 1000. It originally sold for $29.99, so I was pretty happy to get it for $33, including shipping!

Paul Bunyan is discovered washed ashore a small Maine town after a storm. Paul is adopted and raised by the town. It takes a village to raise the boy because he is a giant. Paul grows, and discovers his true calling as a lumberjack. As he grows, the town grows with him, and he decides to move west to wide open spaces. Wide open spaces that he himself clears with his prodigious strength and ax.

 The only complaint I have about this figure is that Paul should have a double-blade axe, 

which is a prominent plot point.

On his travels he encounters and saves the life of a Big Blue Ox, and Paul names him Babe.

As they cross the country, they create many of the topographical features we enjoy today, such as the Grand Teton Mountain Range and Pikes Peak.
Things are going wonderfully, with Paul the king of lumberjacks, until he comes upon a slick salesman and his steam saw and steam locomotive.
I won't give away the ending, but Paul and Babe stick together through thick and thin, eventually winding up in Alaska.

It is a terrific cartoon, with a wonderful song that narrates and drives the story, and very stylized animation. Paul is voiced by Thurl Ravencroft, who is most well known as the voice of Tony the Tiger. Thurl did many voices for Disney throughout his long carrier, for both animated productions and theme park attractions.
 Paul Bunyan can be found on Disney's American Legends DVD set, the Walt Disney Treasures, Disney Rarities DVD set, and on YouTube.

The Excitement of Planning Your Disney Trips!

There's a certain excitement about a Disney trip. So much thinking, devising plans, conspiring with friends and family. There are so many details to be reviewed. There are so many things that one could forget, things that we could miss out on! Where do you start?

Let's start on the home front.  Do you plan for the care of your home while you're away? Do you have someone come and check your place once in a while? How about your pets? We do a lot of planning around their care, even so far as finding an "In-home" veterinarian who comes to the house instead of us having to go to their office. It has made leaving for vacation with elderly pets at home much more bearable. Our in home pet sitter has enough to deal with!

 

Does anyone reading this blog have gardens that go rogue while they are on vacation? Do you do anything about that? I still haven't come up with a good plan for the  gardens while we are away. 

So, do you get excited about planning your vacation, or does it fill you with dread? Do you completely wing it, not a single dining reservation, not a care in the world, knowing you'll find something to eat and do; or do you have each minute of the day planned out, each day of the trip accounted for?

I'm thankful that Nick loves the planning process and sets up our vacations like a paid professional. It should be his career, he's that good. Me? Not so much. I'm terrible at planning vacations, don't even ask me what we're doing each day. I won't know the itinerary. I prefer to be surprised. It works out great for us that way!

Mickey and Jiminy Cricket Mickey Mouse Club Big Figs

On a trip to Walt Disney World in 2011, my wife and I fell in love with, and bought, these 2 big figs from the Animation Gallery at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

 

They were released to celebrate the 55th Anniversary of the Mickey Mouse Club, and are limited to 1955 pieces each.

Mickey is 14" tall.

Jiminy Cricket is 10 1/4 inches tall.

Each day of the original Mickey Mouse  Club featured a different theme.
Monday - Fun with Music
Tuesday - Guest Star
Wednesday - Anything Can Happen
Thursday - Circus
Friday - Talent Round-up

There was an educational series of cartoons on the show as well, one featuring Jiminy Cricket, teaching, and yes, maybe preaching, the proper way to do certain activities. I got this list of the shorts from Wikipedia:

I'm No Fool With A Bicycle (10/06/55)
I'm No Fool With Fire (12/01/55)
I'm No Fool As A Pedestrian (10/08/56)
I'm No Fool with Water (11/15/56)
I'm No Fool Having Fun (12/15/56)
I'm No Fool in a Car (1957)
I'm No Fool in an Emergency (1957)
I'm No Fool in Unsafe Places (1957)
I'm No Fool in Unsafe Places II (1957)
I'm No Fool on Wheels (1957)
I'm No Fool with Safety at School (1957)
I'm No Fool with Electricity (1957)

You'll note the M in I'm and the N in No are chipped. For whatever reason, neither my wife or I really took note if this when we bought them, and, indeed, didn't even notice this until she took these pictures, and they have been sitting in a very prominent spot in our living room for over a year!

Doh! We agreed, we were just too blinded by Jiminy's charm to notice.

They say they were created especially for Disneyland, and we got them at Walt Disney World.
These were the only 2 figures they had left in stock, and were the only 2 we saw throughout our trip, and actually, I've never seen them since, so maybe it was just good fortune we came upon them to begin with?

Both figures were designed by artists Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily.
Please click here and here to see a set of collectible plates designed by this same duo!

Avoiding the Multi Camera Shoot Trap on Your Disney Vacation

You're with family or friends. You are lined up to get a photo with your favorite character while members of your group are off on the sideline waiting to photograph the moment.
One person is standing over here with a camera phone, the other over there with a DSLR. Throw in the Disney PhotoPass photographer into the mix, and you have a multi-photoshoot mess!
This happened to us on a trip back in November of 2011 when were getting our pictures taken with Beauty and the Beast at Epcot.

My wife, Barbie, handed her Nikon to our friend, and proceeded to look in that direction. The rest of us didn't get the memo.

Sadly, this is NOT the only time this has happened on a vacation.
How to avoid this?
Make sure everyone in your group with a camera is in one spot, ideally, around the PhotoPass photographer.
Or have Belle point out to your wife which way to look.

Finally you may come up with a picture where everyone is looking in one direction.
Of course, if you don't buy the PhotoPass photo, you may not get the shot you are happy with at all!

Soooo, having your party stand around the PhotoPass photographer is a good bet.
You can also ask the photographer or accompanying Cast Member to use your camera.
Because sometimes there is no way to wrangle a Beast into looking the right way!

Flea Market Find: Plastic Pinocchio Bank

I found this large plastic Pinocchio bank at the Flea Market a few weeks back.

When I asked a price, I was quoted $10. I picked it up, and flipped it over to find out when it was produced and discovered its stopper was missing.

As I set it back down, the seller said she'd forgotten there was no stopper, and I could have it for $5!
Sold.

Still, I had no idea when this was produced, so I went to eBay. I discovered there were several up for auction, and I got a very good deal! I also discovered this is from 1971, produced by Play Pal Plastics for Walt Disney Productions. Apparently this information can be found on the back of the neck, and indeed, it appears there is some writing, but it is so shallow, it's illegible.

Barbie cleaned it up, and it came out pretty nicely. There are only a couple of permanent marks and the paint is very vibrant.

Another great find at the flea market!