Author: Theme Park Wizard

MATTERHORN BOBSLEDS

On this day sixty years ago three iconic Disneyland attractions opened as part of the theme park’s first major expansion. Those attractions were the Matterhorn, Monorail, and Submarine Voyage.

The Matterhorn was the first mountain to be built in Disneyland. It has also earned its place on the National Register of Roller Coasters due to it being the first tubular steel roller coaster ever built. It has gone through various changes and renovations throughout its sixty years such as getting new trains and new fresh coats of paint every few years on the mountain. The ride has become very rough over the years and there have been continuous efforts to try and improve the ride experience, but unfortunately they do not seem to be working.

DISNEYLAND MONORAIL

Just like the Matterhorn, the Disneyland Monorail has gone through some significant changes in its past sixty years. For starters it opened as a sight seeing attraction with only one station. A few years into operation, it got a station at the Disneyland Hotel, thereby making it a full transportation system. The Disneyland Monorail was the first operating monorail system in the United States and continues to be one of just a very few systems operating in the country. The Monorail uses Mark trains and ever couple of decades the trains get updated to the next generation.

FINDING NEMO SUBMARINE VOYAGE

Lastly, another transportation attraction opened on this date sixty years ago and that is the Submarine Voyage. Located in the lagoon in Tomorrowland, this attraction provides a picturesque view of the Matterhorn and Monorail stop. This attraction was the first out of the three to stop operating. After a few decades it came back for the 50th anniversary and was re-branded as Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. The attraction got a new paint job and a new story and screens and continues to operate as of today.

There are non stop rumors that two of these three attractions will be significantly altered or removed as part of a Fantasyland or Tomorrowland expansion. There are rumors the subs will be going away completely and the Monorail track will be significantly altered for the Disneyland expansions as well as the Eastern Gateway and DCA expansion.

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The day has finally come! The most anticipated addition to Universal Orlando since the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is here and it attracted a 600 minute (10 hour) wait time by park opening.

Hagrid’s replaced Dragon Challenge and is a PERFECT addition to Hogsmeade and it is themed beautifully. Universal planted 1,200 trees to create a man made forest for the coaster trains to travel through. The Forbidden Forest is super picturesque with Hogwarts Castle fitting perfectly behind it to create a stunning background picture.

The queue is also beautifully themed to the ruins of Hogwarts and has a pre-show with Hagrid showing everyone how to ride the motorbike.

Throughout the ride itself you get to experience multiple launches, several animatronics and show scenes, and a trip through Devil’s Snare which includes a drop track that drops you several feet.

The ride also includes a pretty steep Spike element where the train will climb the Spike and then freefall backwards along the next section of the coaster.

Here is a full POV of the ride so you can see it for yourself!

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Well that’s it for today’s update, comment below on what you think about Universal’s new coaster and would you want to ride it?

A couple months ago Black Tap finally opened in Downtown Disney despite months of constant setbacks. It has been massively popular with guests though as ever since opening day there have been constant lines for both the To Go window and the sit down restaurant.

You can only get the shakes at the To Go windows, which is a great option and frees up space inside the restaurant for people who want other menu items. They are famous for their CrazyShakes which they do insane things do such as add pieces of cake on top. Other types of shakes have M&M’s and chocolate chip cookies and lollipops.

Other menu items include craft burgers and different types of beers.

So if these items look good to you, then I suggest you come on out to Downtown Disney and give these food and drinks items a try. Comment below what do you think about these items and have you try them? If so, then did you like them or dislike them? Thoughts?

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Last month Yukon Striker opened at Canada’s Wonderland as the longest and fastest Dive Coaster in the world. It has a track length of over 3,600 feet and has a drop of 245 feet. It replaced the park’s former coaster, SkyRider, which has been sent over to another park and renamed Freestyle.

So if you like Dive Coasters, get on over to Canada’s Wonderland this summer to try this monster out! Comment below have you been on it? Do you like it? Thoughts?

So yesterday Disney had their dedication ceremony of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and all the stars were there to celebrate. Watching various live streams and videos I was thoroughly amazed by the amount of attention to detail and effort Walt Disney Imagineering put into this land.

I cannot wait until I get to see it for myself this Sunday and expect a photo update from the Disneyland Resort this weekend as well on this blog. What do you guys think of Galaxy’s Edge? What do you think of this series The Battu Series? Should I do more like it on this blog? Any and all feedback is welcome in the comments below!

Hello and welcome back to The Battu Series where today I will talk all about the Smuggler’s Run attraction. Wow, this day is what people such as my mom and others have been waiting for, the day they can finally take a picture in front of and pilot the Millennium Falcon. While I see this ride as a Star Tours 2.0, major Star Wars fans are going to absolutely love this thing and want to keep going on it over and over again.

This ride has a couple of advantages over Star Tours though. One of them is that it is a brand new ride with bran new technology. Another advantage is that is is more personal and intimate than Star Tours because this vehicle only has six seats compared to the twenty-five or so of Star Tours. Lastly, each seat will have a role to play in the ride. There will be two pilot, two engineers, and two gunners. Each seat will be randomly assigned as to avoid long lines for any one position.

The backstory to this attraction is that you are helping Hondo (who will be an animontronic in the pre-show) do missions using the Falcon for rewards. This attraction is extremely interactive, if you fly the ship and wreck it then you will not get a reward and Hondo will be very upset with you. If you an amazing job you will get a reward (credits) to use throughout Battu. Watch out though, after you have done the missions the First Order troops could be looking for you to arrest you.

The queue will be very interactive and immersive as well. You will get to walk through the halls of the ship and hang out in the chess room while your party is waiting to be called to pilot the Falcon.

So what do you guys think of this attraction? Does it interest you? Will you be riding it when you visit Battu? Are you waiting until Rise of the Resistance opens? Comment your thoughts below!

Happy Memorial Day! As of this article we are just FOUR DAYS away from the opening of Galaxy’s Edge. On May 29th, Disney will host on official dedication ceremony via the Disney Parks Blog Live-stream so stay tuned for that. In this next chapter of The Battu Series I will be talking about the Droid and Light-saber building experiences and the price of each activity.

So let’s start off with the light-sabers. Once inside Galaxy’s Edge you will need to find Savi’s Workshop. It will not be in plain sight and you will have to do some exploring in the village to be able to find it. Once you have found it, you must give the secret password to be allowed to go inside.

Once inside the experience begins and you start building your light-saber. Not much yet is known about the experience or what it entails, but I do know there are four different types of light-saber hilt themes you can choose from. They include peace and justice, power and control, elemental nature, and protection and defense.

In your light-saber box you will be provided with one hilt, four sleeves, two emitters, two pommel caps, and two sets of activation plates and switches. Only the builder and one guest can enter the experience at a time. Passholder discounts do not apply for this attraction and the most important piece of information is that the price is $199.99.

Next up is the Droid Depot where you will get to customize and build your own droid. This experience is only $99.99, but that price can go way up if you buy all the accessories that come with the droid. You have the option to get a BB series droid or a R2 series droid. No matter which one you get they still only come with four basic parts.

Next you will go to the Build Station where a monitor will show you how to assemble your droid. There will also be pre-built droids available for purchase such as Captain Rex from Star Tours and a full size R2-D2 for $25,000. Each droid will come with a bluetooth chip to interact with each other as well as with other elements throughout Galaxy’s Edge. What do you think of these two attractions and will you be experiencing them? Comment below your thoughts and follow this blog for continuous theme park and Galaxy’s Edge updates. The Battu Series continues tomorrow with a description and my predictions for the Smuggler’s Run attraction.

Welcome back to The Battu Series! In this segment I am going to tell you exactly how you can get into Battu if you have not secured a reservation already, so let’s get right into it!

If you plan on going to Battu between May 31st and June 23rd you need a reservation to get into the land. There are two ways to do that. The easiest way was if you got in the virtual queue on Disneyland.com and made your reservation that way. Since those are all gone, there is now only one way to get into Battu during this period and it is to book a room at any one of the three Disneyland Resort hotels. Once you book your room you will automatically get an email with your reservation day and time. I just booked my hotel room at the Disneyland Hotel for June 1st- June 2nd and the cheapest room was $561. The next cheapest after that was $895, so if you plan to stay at one of the hotels then book it soon before prices rise.

Starting from June 24th guests WILL NOT need a reservation, but WILL be put into a virtual queue system if the land fills up to capacity. My best advice to you would be to get to the parks at opening so you can enjoy Battu as long as possible and when it is not as crowded as later in the day. If you do get placed in the virtual queue system, then I will explain how that works.

Guests will first have to have the Disneyland app and have a Disney account to be able to log into the app. (Note: Having the app is great tool to have anyway for the interactivity of Galaxy’s Edge) Once you log into the app there will be a status bar over Galaxy’s Edge stating if its not at capacity (Good to go) or it is at capacity (Virtual Queue).

Once in the Virtual Queue you will receive a boarding group that you are put into. A notification will pop up on the app alerting you when you will be able to access Galaxy’s Edge. You are able to enjoy the rest of the resort and ride other attractions until your notification pops up. When your notification pops up you will have TWO HOURS to check in to Galaxy’s Edge before your are kicked out of the Virtual Queue.

Lastly, I am going to talk about the check in process for reservations and the Virtual Queue. If you have a reservation (hotel or app) you must check on at Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland and a cast member will give you further instructions.

If you are entering via Virtual Queue, then there will be cast members stationed at the Galaxy’s Edge entrance to assist you.

So there you have it guys and gals, every possible way to get into Battu. Coming up tomorrow I will be talking about the droid building experience, and light-saber experience including the prices and the different types of droids and sabers you can build and purchase, so stay tuned as we continue our Battu Series on Galaxy’s Edge opening week!

Comment below your thoughts and further questions on the check in process and I will be very happy to answer them for you!

Hello guys and gals we are under one week away until Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opens at Disneyland Park in Anaheim. This week I will be posting daily articles on my new Battu Series on what you need to know to be fully prepared for your visit to Galaxy’s Edge.

I am lucky enough to visit Battu on opening weekend June 2nd, so if your are in the resort and see me feel free to say hello! I will be staying at the Disneyland Hotel for the very first time so I am extremely excited about that. So starting tomorrow I am going to piece by piece give you all the in’s and out’s of Galaxy’s Edge starting with how to get in if you haven’t figured it out already, so stay tuned for that! Also, if you are planning on going to Galaxy’s Edge and would like to do an interview with me about your experience in the land please feel free to leave a comment below with your social media and I will be sure to contact you!

A couple of weeks ago Rinse Bath and Body Co. opened their first West Coast location in Downtown Disney. If the name sounds familiar to you, it is most likely because there is a location in Disney Springs in Florida and they have a booth set up at the Festival of Holidays every year at Disney California Adventure.

This new store is located in the former Alamo Rent A Car office located near the monorail beam. In the store they sell loads of bath and body soaps, beard bars, shower bombs, and much more! What do you think of this brand new addition to Downtown Disney? Comment your thoughts below!