Bob Sehlinger's Blog, page 1287

October 11, 2013

Chef Remy to Leave Les Chefs de France

• Facebook • Twitter • Google Plus • Pinterest

©Disney

Little Chef, otherwise known as Chef Remy from the movie Ratatouille, is leaving Les Chefs de France in Epcot. The tiny audio-animatronic who stands 6 inches tall and performs on a cheese tray will entertain his last diners on Thursday, October 24, 2013.

Guests love this little guy, who comes out and visits with them at their tables. The character, which is a part of Disney’s living character initiative, can squeak, dance, sneeze, and pose for photos (alongside a maître d’ friend, who joins in on the fun).

Chef Remy continues his restaurant appearances Monday through Saturday his last day. His showtimes are at 12:30 p.m., 1:40 p.m., 2:50 p.m., and 5:20 p.m. Reservations are recommended if you want to dine at Chefs de France to see Remy.

If you can, make sure to stop by and give Remy a little goodbye love.

Share on Facebook

Retweet this

Chef Remy to Leave Les Chefs de France is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

View more on Bob Sehlinger's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 11, 2013 12:35

This Week On TouringPlans YouTube Channel: Test Track, Shepherd’s Pie, and More!

By Guy Selga Jr.

• Facebook • Twitter • Google Plus • Pinterest

Every Friday on the TouringPlans Blog we bring you the week’s newest videos from our YouTube channel. Let’s get started!

Our first video this week is a full HD ride through of Test Track. Why fly to Orlando and wait in that long line when you can watch it in the comfort of your own home?!

It wouldn’t be a proper week on our channel without food reviews. Here’s the Shepherd’s Pie and Garden Salad from Three Broomsticks in Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure.

Limited Time Magic For October 14 – 20

By Rikki Niblett

• Facebook • Twitter • Google Plus • Pinterest

©Disney

There are a few offerings taking place for this week’s Limited Time Magic events, and I’m ready to tell you about them.

First, to continue with the tours that have been happening at Walt Disney World, there will be a new version taking place from October 14 – 18. This tour will include visits to all three castles at the Magic Kingdom, with an Imagineer sharing wonderful details about these beautiful locations. On this tour, guests will explore the Cinderella Castle Suite and see all the ornate details that have been painstakingly included to make this area feel as though Cinderella could pop in at any minute. From there, the tour will then make its way to New Fantasyland, where guests will discover more detail about Beast’s Castle. The tour will then take guests inside for a look at Be Our Guest Restaurant.

One tour will take place each morning at 8:00 a.m., with 25 guests participating daily. If you are interested in attending, you need to sign up on the Disney Parks Blog by 2:59 p.m. Eastern Time today (October 11, 2013).

©Disney

Of course, details include that winners will not be able to bring guests, park admission will be provided as part of the event, participants can pick a date but are not guaranteed that date and if chosen will be assigned a tour date and time, a valid photo ID is required, and tours are subject to change.

Another offering this week at the Magic Kingdom is a new Jack Skellington cupcake, which is in tribute of the 20th anniversary of the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. Guests can pick up this spooktacular treat featuring the Pumpkin King’s face at Sleepy Hollow Refreshments in Liberty Square.

©Disney

At Disneyland a special treat featuring Jack will also be available – this time in cookie form, with Jack’s face smiling at you. Guests can pick up this treat in New Orleans Square at Disneyland.

In addition, Disney California Adventure will celebrate Oktoberfest at Bayside Brews for two weeks, from October 14 – 31. A special menu will be available, including delicacies like a bratwurst sausage served in a Boursin-garlic brioche with hickory-smoked bacon and sauerkraut, accompanied by potato chips or apple slices; a Bavarian Pretzel with your choice of mustard; and a gingerbread bundt cake. In addition, two beers celebrating the occasion will be served: a Karl Strauss Oktoberfest Beer and a Hofbrau Munchen Beer.

Share on Facebook

Retweet this

Limited Time Magic For October 14 – 20 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

View more on Bob Sehlinger's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 11, 2013 09:20

Viva Navidad Holiday Celebration Starts Nov 15 at Disney California Adventure

By Seth Kubersky

• Facebook • Twitter • Google Plus • Pinterest

In an effort to appeal to Southern California’s sizeable Hispanic population, Disneyland Resort announced yesterday that it is expanding its popular Holiday offerings with a new “Viva Navidad” celebration at Disney California Adventure’s Paradise Gardens.

The festivities, which will occur several times daily beginning on November 15, will feature the Three Caballeros (Panchito Pistoles, Jose Carioca, and Donald Duck) along with Mickey and Minnie. Also keep am eye out for Mr. and Mrs. Claus, plus some 12-foot-tall “mojiganga” puppets. In addition to the entertainment and kids activities, which are included with admission, ethnic food will be available for purchase.

Viva Navidad will continue daily through January 6, 2014, and will be joined by a Three Kings Day observance at Disneyland Park on January 3-6. Feliz Navidad!

Share on Facebook

Retweet this

Viva Navidad Holiday Celebration Starts Nov 15 at Disney California Adventure is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

View more on Bob Sehlinger's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 11, 2013 08:39

“We Might Need Racing Boats” – Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise

By Sam Gennawey

• Facebook • Twitter • Google Plus • Pinterest

The Disneyland Story

From the publisher of The Unofficial Guide books comes The Disneyland Story: The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney’s Dream by Sam Gennawey, the story of how Walt Disney’s greatest creation was conceived, nurtured, and how it grew into a source of joy and inspiration for generations of visitors. Here is a brief excerpt:

According to Disney historian David Mumford, one of Walt’s early ride concepts was the River of Romance, “a tribute to Americana and the original had guests gliding through the Everglades and down the Suwannee. By 1953, the boat ride design had become a jungle excursion.” The initial site plan had a big lake with an island in the middle filled with tropical trees and foliage. Motorboats would leave a dock and circumnavigate the island. Harper Goff decided that the concept would not work. He told Walt, “What you’ve got is everybody on that boat, if you go counterclockwise around the island, having to look to the left. The boat isn’t going to go sideways, so half the people will have to look over the shoulders of people beside them.”

Goff’s next suggestion was to have the boats enter a river on the island, with sights for people to look at from both sides. Walt agreed. As the plan continued to evolve, Goff also learned that Walt wanted the attraction to last a certain length of time. So Goff drafted a plan with a lake with an island at the center. The boats would cross the lake and then could enter the river on the island. Walt looked at the plan and asked how long it would take to get across the lake and how fast would the boats get back to pick up another load. Goff had no idea. He did not know how fast the boats could go. Walt was becoming increasingly frustrated and kept asking about the time estimates. Goff then suggested that they could build a smaller ride but Walt would have none of that. This was going to be a marquee attraction.

Goff suggested they purchase racing boats so the boats could speed back to the dock Walt said no. He wanted them out there a certain length of time and he did not want them to go fast. Goff brought in architects to help but they could not get it to work either. They made cutouts of the boats and then began to argue with one another. Finally, Goff decided the lake and island concept did not work. Stymied, Goff took out a fresh piece of paper and started over. Goff proposed a compromise. He began with a river ride where the boats would return to the same place they started. The ride would evolve into the Tropical Rivers of the World; by the time Disneyland opened in 1955, it had become the Jungle Cruise.

Share on Facebook

Retweet this

“We Might Need Racing Boats” – Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

View more on Bob Sehlinger's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 11, 2013 03:00

October 10, 2013

Your Hotel Room Views at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort

By Len Testa

• Facebook • Twitter • Google Plus • Pinterest

Last week we launched Hotel Room Views, showing you the view you get from every Walt Disney World hotel room. We started with pictures from every room at All-Star Sports and followed that up with Disney’s Polynesian Resort.

Saratoga Springs Resort View

Earlier today we launched hotel room views for Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, our first Disney Vacation Club (DVC) property. Just like at All-Star Sport and the Poly, the first page shows you a map of the entire Saratoga Springs resort. On the left side is a set of filter options you can use to find exactly the room you want:

Room Type Includes Disney’s description of the view, and the bed type in the room (if we know it). For Saratoga, we’re able to show you Studio, 1-Bedroom, 2-Bedroom, and 3-Bedroom Grand Villa options. And for the 2-Bedroom villas, we’re able to show you which are dedicated 2-bedroom units and which are “lock-off” combinations of a 1-Bedroom and Studio room.
Walking Distance to Lobby Useful for cutting down on walking time.
Walking Distance to Transportation Saratoga has 5 bus stops; use this option to find rooms closest to the buses.
Floors If you prefer ground or upper-floor rooms, you can specify that here
Sound Level Helps find the quiet rooms at the resort
Accessibility Identifies ADA-accessible rooms by feature, including roll-in showers and more
Our Picks Shows only the rooms which the Unofficial Guide has determined to be the best at the resort.
Prices You can also filter by price by entering the date you’re checking in.

Set any of these options and click “Show Matching Rooms.” The map will highlight in red all of the buildings which have rooms matching your options.

Click on one of the buildings and you’ll see a map of all of the rooms in that building. Rooms which match your filter options will be highlighted in red:

Click on one of the villas and you’ll see the view from that room:

Once you’re looking at a room’s view, you can do a comparison of nearby views by going left or right one room, or up or down one floor.

Another really great feature on this page is shown in the green text just below the photo:

Bldg 6,Flr 1,NW-facing Room.Exmple: 3545,3543,3547,3541,3527,3525,3523,3521,3507

This is the exact wording to give Disney (or your travel agent) to request that specific room, and rooms like it if this room isn’t available. During this project we learned that Disney’s reservation system may only have 80 characters of text to make room requests, and we’ve ensured that this text fits in 80 characters or less. While there’s no guarantee that you’ll get the room, by telling Disney the room you want and its alternatives, you increase your chances.

You’re also able to leave public reviews and private notes about a room, rate a room, and mark a room as a “favorite.” When you mark two or more rooms as favorites, you’re able to do a side-by-side comparison of each room’s view by clicking the Compare Favorites link on the left side of the page.

We expect to have every Disney-owned resort in Orlando available by the end of this year. That includes DVC resorts, suites, and more. Here’s the approximate rollout schedule:

Week Ending
Resort

October 11
Polynesian Done!

Saratoga Springs Resort Done!

Wilderness Lodge

October 18
Port Orleans French Quarter

Port Orleans Riverside

Caribbean Beach

All-Star Movies

Pop Century

October 25
Coronado Springs

Fort Wilderness (campsites and cabins)

November 1
All-Star Music

Art of Animation

November 8
Animal Kingdom Lodge

Beach Club

Yacht Club

November 15
Contemporary Resort

BoardWalk Inn

Grand Floridian

November 22
Bay Lake Tower

Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas

December 6
Wilderness Lodge Villas

Old Key West

Saratoga Springs Treehouses

We had a lot of cooperation from Disney executives and resort staff to help collect these photos. For the deluxe and DVC resorts, we’ve got pictures of most of the first-floor rooms at every resort. For upper-floor rooms, we’ve got sample photos from different parts of each wing or building, showing the approximate view you’ll get at each room. And we’ve built into the site the ability for you to upload photos from these rooms, to help out other TouringPlans folks plan their trips. Whether you’re taking a honeymoon or taking the kids on their first trip to Walt Disney World, we’ll help you find the perfect hotel room.

Share on Facebook

Retweet this

Your Hotel Room Views at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

View more on Bob Sehlinger's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 10, 2013 19:08

10 Ways to Save Money Onboard Your Disney Cruise

By Tammy Whiting

• Facebook • Twitter • Google Plus • Pinterest

Woo hoo! Everyone’s favorite topic – saving money! Last week I talked about how to save money when booking a Disney cruise, so today let’s talk about saving money once you board one of DCL’s amazing ships! 10 ways to save money onboard.

1. Don’t Buy Food Onboard – After 11 cruises, I have never spent a dime for food onboard. Oh wait! I lied. I did spend money on the adult restaurants. Totally by choice, totally worth it. Other than that, never a dime. Disney sells some packaged snacks outside the theaters and from room service, but those are so easy to avoid! There’s free food everywhere! You can do without M&M’s for a few days! Substitute free ice cream or room service in their place! Or veggies! Yes. I meant veggies. Similarly, if you get a soda from a bar or room service, they’re going to charge you. Don’t. Go up to the pool deck to get a soda to drink with your room service. Take a soda from up there into the theater. It’s that easy. You can also buy specialty coffees and smoothies, but again, free coffee is always available and free drinks are occasionally available (see #3 below)! If you do feel a need to buy a nice coffee, make sure you get a coffee card! You’ll get the sixth one free, even if it’s on your next cruise!

2. Don’t Buy Food Off the Ship – There’s food everywhere on that ship, so don’t pay for it somewhere else! I am rarely known to miss a meal, but even I hate to pay for food in ports. When possible, we eat a big breakfast before getting off the ship and then wait until we get back on the ship for our next meal. There’s so much food that you’ve already paid for onboard! We don’t want to waste it!

3. BYOB or Look for Opportunities to Get Free Adult Beverages – As a teetotaler myself, my advice to save money would normally be not to drink, but I realize this isn’t the preferred option for everyone. So, take advantage of reducing your costs or even snagging free drinks while on your vacation. First, Disney is one of the only cruise lines that allows you to BYOB onboard. I don’t know much about alcohol, but I’m pretty sure bringing it with you costs less than buying it onboard! The only restrictions are that it must go in your carryon, which must fit through the x-ray machine. No coolers are allowed. FYI, if you bring a bottle to the dining rooms to enjoy with your meal, you will be charged a corking fee. If you bring a glass that’s already poured, you will not. Second, there are also some opportunities for free drinks onboard. The Captain’s Reception offers free drinks, plus you get to meet the Captain and his officers. Additionally, if you’re a Disney Vacation Club member or a Gold or Platinum Castaway Club member (meaning you’ve sailed Disney more than 5 times), the respective receptions serve mimosas. Finally, if you’re staying concierge you will also have a reception with free drinks on boarding day, and in the lounge in the evenings if you are on the Dream or Fantasy.

4. Bring Bottled Water – Bottled water is great to have for times like getting off the ship for a shore excursion, but it’s expensive onboard (and Disney will try to sell you some the first day). No problem, bring your own! Similar to alcohol, you can’t pack it in your suitcase, but you can bring it in your carry on. Hopefully, a rolling carry on considering how much a few bottles of water can weigh. If you can’t do that, then bring some refillable bottles (or use the ones Disney gives their repeat guests if you are, indeed, a repeat guest) and fill them with ice and water from the drink stations.

5. Do Your Own Excursions – Disney has some wonderful excursions, and if you can swing them I wouldn’t discourage it! If you book an excursion with Disney, you will likely have a first-rate experience and you will have the confidence to know that Disney is taking care of all the details (and the ship won’t leave without you!). But, there are cheaper ways to have fun in port than paying Disney’s high excursion costs. First, there are less expensive transportation options you can get on your own: cabs, busses, trains, or walking. You’ll have to do some research in advance, but you can get to most of the same places Disney will take you on an excursion for much, much less money. Second, you can often do the same excursions Disney is offering by booking them yourself (and, of course, finding your own transportation). In Nassau, for example, you can often save a lot of money on a day at Atlantis by booking a night at the Comfort Suites next door which gives you access to all of Atlantis. Sometimes you can even find a room at Atlantis for less than the cost of the official excursion. You won’t spend the night, of course, but you will check into the Comfort Suites and then enjoy Atlantis, all while saving potentially big bucks. Understand, however, that doing excursions on your own means you are willing to take certain risks. You don’t want to be late, because the ship will not wait for you (unless you are on a Disney excursion)! Also, if you pre-pay for a port activity yourself that doesn’t allow refunds, you will be out the money if the ship can’t dock or has to change its itinerary. But, with all that said, I’ve done excursions on my own in multiple different countries and have never run into a significant problem.

6. Get Cheap Stateroom Upgrades – Possibly! No guarantees on this one, but it’s worth a try. Once you arrive at the port and are checked in, go right to the supervisor’s desk to see if there are any upgrades available. If there are, they are a fraction of the price you would have paid if you’d upgraded beforehand. Don’t book a category you won’t ultimately be happy with, but if you get to the port early and you’re sailing during a time where the ship isn’t as full, try your luck.

7. Take Your Own Pictures – There are Kodak moments happening all over the ship all day long! And Disney will happily take pictures of your family and charge you a small fortune to buy one. Sometimes your pictures can be just as good though. The Disney photographers aren’t allowed to use your camera, but the character handlers and servers are, and the family behind you in line won’t charge you anything if you ask nicely! Well, they shouldn’t anyway! If they do, there may be something very wrong there. So, get your camera set up the way you want and hand it off! Compare pictures, and if yours is just as good or will serve your purpose, then save some money. There are times, of course, when it’s worth it to spend some money on Disney’s pictures! Disney has giant soft boxes, multiple flashes going, they’re set up and they know what they’re doing. I recently cruised with 27 ladies, and there was no way I could get a good picture of all 27 of us on a dark-ish stairway with one flash and no ladder. I happily paid that $19.95 for a memory I wasn’t able to capture myself.

8. Get Pins/Souvenirs Beforehand – This is a money saving tip that’s often passed around for Disney World and Disneyland. The same principle applies on a cruise. Souvenirs onboard can be expensive ($200 for a gorgeous red pillow, anyone? Dear husband of mine?). If you know your kids are going to want to go crazy in the stores, find some good deals before you leave and bring them with you. Have something waiting for the kids when you get back to the room at night. Or when they wake up in the morning! Get some pins on ebay (make sure they’re real Disney pins) and bring those to trade onboard. You can spend a fortune in those little stores, but you don’t have to!

9. Wait to See Movies Onboard – Did you know Disney shows first run movies onboard? Call 1-888-325-2500 and find out what’s playing on your cruise. If Disney has a move premiering in North America while you’re onboard, it will PremEAR (see what they did there?) the same day onboard as well. When a big movie release happens, it will show for weeks or even months onboard. We saw UP the night it premiered, Pirates of the Caribbean 3 a couple of weeks after it premiered, Monsters University when it premiered, and we’re planning on seeing Frozen onboard in November. For a family of four, that’s a big savings!

10. Find Free Wi-Fi – If you really must stay in touch, try to avoid the very expensive internet onboard. Wait until you’re in port. We became experts at finding free Wi-Fi this summer on our Mediterranean cruise. Check out Wi-Fi options in the ports you’re visiting. Yes, there’s an app for that! Take a few seconds to log in and check in back home. Okay, and yes, to post on social media to make your friends jealous. Don’t take too long though! It’s a vacation!

Oh, and as I mentioned last week – don’t forget to rebook onboard! So, do you have any other good tips for saving money onboard?

Share on Facebook

Retweet this

10 Ways to Save Money Onboard Your Disney Cruise is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

View more on Bob Sehlinger's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 10, 2013 03:00

October 9, 2013

New Minnie Mouse Meet and Greet Location at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

By Rikki Niblett

• Facebook • Twitter • Google Plus • Pinterest

A brand new meet and greet area quietly popped up at the Magic of Disney Animation building at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Here, guests have the ability to meet with Minnie Mouse, herself. While I was in Walt Disney World this past weekend, I decided I needed to spend some quality time with Minnie, so I went to check the area out.

Guests will find this new, sort of unassuming (probably for now) area next to the Wreck-It Ralph meet and greet. Next to Game Central Station, you’ll find an overhead sign that just says “Drawing Room.” One thing to note is that there are FastPass+ readers outside this meet and greet, meaning that this attraction will likely support FastPass+ reservations at some point in the future.

Guests enter the line and are escorted into a very small waiting space that is filled with fantastically themed movie posters, as well as some wonderful artwork. Be sure to read the posters, as many of them include nods to famous Imagineers, as well as other Disney characters.

View more on Bob Sehlinger's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 09, 2013 14:09

Observations from Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 23: October 4, 2013

By Seth Kubersky

• Facebook • Twitter • Google Plus • Pinterest

Okay, I admit it: I’m spoiled.

Usually when people talk about Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida the first thing they mention (after the gore and booze) is the huge lines. But this year, I lucked out. So far, I’ve been on an “RIP” guided tour, attended during exclusive annual passholder hours and “Stay & Scream” early entry periods, and made full use of my “Rush of Fear” and “Frequent Fear” unlimited Express passes. As a result, I’ve been able to experience all eight of the event’s haunted houses at least five times each so far this season, with an average wait time of under 15 minutes.

All photos by Seth Kubersky

But last Friday (10/4/2013), I wanted to experience how “the other half” lives and see the event from the perspective of an ordinary guest. Is it possible to arrive at the front gate on a moderately crowded night without any special line-cutting passes and still have a good time at HHN? Let’s find out!

In my Halloween Horror Nights touring plans, I strongly suggest arriving at the park at least an hour before the event starts. But for the sake of this experiment, I decided to ignore my own advice and see what would happen. I parked my car in Universal’s ginormous garage shortly after 5:30 p.m. (remember, Passholder discounts on valet parking are not valid during event nights, but you can still park in the Preferred section for free if you have a Premier pass) and arrived at Universal Studios Florida’s entrance arches around 5:45.

If you are staying in one of UOR’s onsite hotels, follow this sign to the right of the main gates for a private entryway.

Did you remember to leave all bags and bulky belongings at home?

Great!…

Then you can use this far-more-efficient no bags security check to the left of the main gate, instead of waiting to walk through the metal detector

While the event does not officially begin until 6:30 PM each evening, you can expect the front gates to open by 6. There was already a sizable crowd in front of the turnstiles when I arrived, but I was able to make my way towards the front with relative ease.

Shortly before the gates open each evening, a female “survivor” appears on the balcony above the ticket booths to warn guests of the approaching “walkers” in a brief “opening moment” to kick off the evening.

The crowd really seemed to enjoy this brief added attraction, cheering loudly as the actress bludgeoned a zombie with a baseball bat. But it isn’t essential, so don’t fret if you miss it, especially if you are already inside the park for Stay & Scream.

The crowd surged through the gates, immediately heading straight towards the Cabin in the Woods maze, which instantly amassed a 30 minute queue.

Instead, I headed right towards the Walking Dead maze in Kidzone, knowing that most Stay and Scream guests would have already made it through there by now.

I walked into the Walking Dead shortly after 6 PM with virtually no wait, and almost had the whole maze to myself. You can decide for yourself if that’s a good thing or not….

Next up was La Lorona, which also had a non-existent wait, along with the most frightening façade of any queue at Halloween Horror Nights:

I love you, you love me,… Aaahhhhh!!!!!

By 6:15 PM I had experienced two of the park’s mazes. I made a quick loop around the lake on my way back to the front, snapping some Diagon Alley construction photos along the way:

There, I found the American Werewolf in London maze with only a 10 minute posted standby wait (the actual wait was under 7).

On the way into the maze you can spot the Hogwarts Express trains, which I’m told should be loaded on the track for testing in just a few short weeks

The locomotive and track peek out above the top of the green fence in this photo.

My trip through AWIL was made much more amusing by these terrified tweens shrieking the whole time right ahead of me. I’m not even sure their parents were born when the film was made…

By 6:45, queues for houses near the front of the park were becoming serious…

So I headed to the back of the park to hit Afterlife.

…with a quick detour through Herschell’s barn…

…to visit a friend along the way…

By the way, the entire Simpsons area is open during HHN, including the new Kang & Kodos spinner ride, though it had few takers.

Unfortunately, my slight scenic detour meant that by the time I arrived Afterlife it already had a 15 minute posted standby wait, which turned out to be closer to 20.

The first queue of any significance I saw that night.

Afterlife is slowly growing on me, but I’m not the biggest fan of 3-D blacklight mazes, and I was much more impressed by what Bush Gardens did with the technique this year at their event.

I didn’t emerge from Afterlife until 7:30 which meant I was too late to catch the first showing of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure. If the show is a priority for you, make sure you see the first or final performances of the evening (unless you feel like lining up 45 minutes to an hour ahead of time).

Instead, I headed over to San Francisco to catch the evening’s first Rocky Horror Picture Show tribute performance with a rather lackluster half-empty crowd.

The cast this year is solid, and some of the vocal arrangements improved since the last time this show appeared at HHN. But as a long-time RHPS fan I’m still disappointed by clumsy editing and half-hearted audience participation.

Since I’ve seen how the show ends approximately 300+ times, I slipped out long before the final “Science Fiction Double Feature Reprise.”

Exiting the show, I stepped into line for Havoc: Derailed and finally got to watch the clever video preshow (featuring a few familiar faces from Orlando’s theater scene) while waiting approximately 17 minutes to enter.

Havoc is still my most disappointing maze of this year (the cast is aggressive, but the environment is repetitive and unimaginative) but it did help me work up an appetite. So after a quick lap around the park to check posted wait times — Evil Dead and Cabin in the Woods were both over 70 minutes by 8:30 — I stopped into Monsters Cafe for dinner.

Quarter rotisserie chicken with mashed potatoes and broccoli. The chicken is well-seasoned with a mildly smoky flavor, but slightly dry. Potatoes are likely instant, but the broccoli tastes fresh and the gravy is extremely rich. Makes a nice break from burgers and pizza, but not quite Boston Market quality.

I was disappointed to note that the restaurant has replaced its appropriately-themed video clips from classic monster movies with random film excerpts (including Apollo 13 and Smokey & the Bandit) dubbed into different languages. Perhaps recycled from the extinct International Food & Film eatery?

Exiting the restaurant, I took a look at the former Amity Island carnival games that have been temporarily installed along Music Plaza. I’m far from a fan of these upcharge carnie hustles, but at least Universal made a minimal effort to create themed signage for them.

By 9 p.m., wait times for the top mazes ranged from 75 to 90 minutes, but I had already experienced 5 houses and one show without waiting over 20 minutes for anything. At this point, I’d advise non-Express visitors to check out the open-air scarezones or rides (which usually have short waits), or even leave the park and hang out in CityWalk until the queues start to recede.

Was that an old R.E.M. song?

Venison anyone?

This is why I don’t go camping anymore…

The Chainsaw drill team terrifies guests along the London waterfront with gas-powered tools…

And bullhorn-powered insults…

This photo is notable for 2 reasons: the gorgeous nighttime illumination on Optimus Prime; and the 45 minute wait, which is about the longest ride queue I’ve seen during HHN.

I decided to take this time to test the utility of my Express pass. In a word, it proved invaluable. On peak nights, you can expect the Express wait to be approximately 25% to 33% of the posted standby wait. I hit the jackpot, however, and made it through the queues for both Cabin in the Woods (75 min posted standby) and Resident Evil (45 min posted standby) in under 5 minutes each.

In line for Resident Evil.

I also spent an hour collecting RFID scans for Legendary Truth, the free “alternate reality” game for Frequent Fear Passholders. Players activate hidden sensors around the park to earn points and badges for their team; visit hhn23experience.com to get started.

A legion marker hidden in a store window near Fisherman’s Wharf.

It’s past 10pm and the party is just getting started, judging by the thirsty guests around Duff Brewery and Moe’s Tavern.

There’s always time for tacos!

Why a photo of empty concrete? Because last week there was a mysterious shack-like structure here that I never saw in operation. Maybe a bar or food stand that wasn’t needed? Either way, it’s gone now. Odd…

Another photo of nothing, because the scareactor who portrays the legless bicycle walker here apparently had the night off.

At this point it was 10:45pm, and I had visited 7 of the 8 mazes. I used my Express pass to experience Evil Dead, whose posted wait had alread dropped from 70 minutes to 50. If I had stuck around later, I could have easily experienced the last 3 mazes without my Express pass, as wait times tend to diminish rapidly after midnight.

Unfortunately, I was exhausted, and had an early morning the next day, so I decided to cut my experiment slightly short, shortly after 11 p.m.. But I feel confident I’ve demonstrated that it is possible to see the entire event without Express in one evening (excepting peak Saturdays) as long as you arrive early and tour efficiently.

One final observation: on the way back to my car, I noticed that the Endangered Species store in CityWalk is now under demolition.

Expect it to reemerge as a Starbucks (eventually replacing the one upstairs) in the coming months.

Say sayonara to this stone animals.

Have you visited HHN 23 yet? Leave your observations in the comments below!

Share on Facebook

Retweet this

Observations from Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights 23: October 4, 2013 is a post from the TouringPlans.com Blog. Signup for a premium subscription today! Or get news via Email, Twitter, & Facebook.

View more on Bob Sehlinger's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 09, 2013 09:00

Observations from the Universal Orlando Resort: October 6, 2013

By Derek Burgan

• Facebook • Twitter • Google Plus • Pinterest

For this edition of “Observations” I’m going to take a page out of the format that blogger Guy Selga uses instead of the one I have used for previous observations pieces on Disney’s Night of Joy or an August weekend at Universal. They say a picture says a thousand words, but I counter that with “a review of a Transformers action figure can also be 1,000 words.” However, let’s see where conventional wisdom gets us. (Remember that you can click on any picture to view it full size)

While walking through CityWalk on our way to the parks, the first thing we noticed was that the Endangered Species store has already become extinct. Construction walls are set up outside and the place has been gutted. This area now joins the old Pastamore Market counter service location and Latin Quarter as locations being completely remodeled. Word is the Endangered Species space will be used for Starbucks (which would move from the second level of CityWalk), the Pastamore location will become a new Red Oven brick oven pizza place, and Latin Quarter is rumored to be a new Mexican-themed dining restaurant.

You can see in this picture that new Red Oven dining location will have a much needed covered outdoor seating area.

Our journey begins in Islands of Adventure, and over in Jurassic Park it looks like the new Midway Games are getting ready to go live.

Here’s a better view of the individual games. There are a lot of detractors for midway games in the theme parks, but these definitely look to be on the higher end like the well themed ones in Springfield USA. Not only does the Springfield area have games tied into the Simpsons universe, it offers many prizes that you can’t buy anywhere, such as a Spider-Pig or a large Sideshow Bob character plush. If these Jurassic Park games offer similar overall theming and cool prizes, expect them to popular. Regardless, this area already a major improvement over the similar games in Toon Lagoon and the Lost Continent.

In another area of Jurassic Park, a new sign has appeared where it used to say “Triceratops Encounter.”

Before we left Jurassic Park, we’d figure we would have a little fun with The Unofficial Guide 2014.

Made a quick stop into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and seeing these rows of shops reminded me of the article Adam Roth wrote titled - Details are Universal: Window Shopping in Hogsmeade. Check that one out when you get a chance.

We walked over to Universal Studios Florida and noticed there is a new Duffman glass available in Springfield USA. It’s $14.95 and while it doesn’t say specifically that it is not dishwasher safe, I can’t imagine it is. I’m a big a fan of Duffman as anyone but I’m not saying, “Oh yeah!” to this one. It’s actually kind of weird.

Haven’t noticed this Duff beanies before. Big fan.

While in Springfield we decided to check out the new Photo Connect area that allows you to do your own Couch Gag from the Simpsons television show. This area is located directly across from The Simpsons Ride. The couch you sit on is actually pretty hard.

The camera operator tells you to pose for a certain type of picture, and adds in the special effects when you are all done. Special thanks to Universal NOW’s Brandon Glover as well as semi-pro basketball player Zeus Navarro for being willing models for this new photo-op. The first picture is the standard couch shot.

The second shot simulates the Simpsons Tapped Out video game. The only instructions they were given was “to make a funny face.”

The last picture pays tribute to a long lost Universal attraction…

Speaking of sharks, we then went to Chez Alcatraz to get something to eat and found out this place was a true hidden gem. It’s located directly next to the Jaws photo op and has a full bar and limited menu (it’s great for lunch). We got the Bucket of Chips, which for $3.99 was an INCREDIBLE deal. The chipotle ketchup it came with was also tasty. A touch of Tabasco really adds a lot.

Margherita Flatbread also got a big thumbs up. $6.99 for this, and the crust was fantastic.

The Shrimp Cocktail was the only disappointment in the sense it was just okay. Nothing to write home about, unless you happen to call the Fantastic Four Cafe your home. This was $5.99

Since we were in the area, we couldn’t resist taking this picture..

However, we needed a dessert, so we headed over to the Loews Royal Pacific Resort as we heard about some new snack options they had available during Halloween Horror Nights.

The Haunted Berries come as a group of three strawberries covered in white chocolate. This might be my favorite fruit of all time.

Meanwhile the cupcakes also come in as a three pack called The Cupcake Slaughter. These include the Cannibal Cupcake, the Graveyard Cupcake, and the Shattered Cupcake. Pretty much the coolest desserts I have ever had.