Welcome to the official Vacation: Unlimited Travel Journal! Throughout the year, new entries will be added, so check back often! Also here is a collection of pictures from our 6-week vacation from 2009! Click on any photo to make it larger.
Last year, Universal Studios Hollywood proved that they have what it takes to create a blockbuster "E-ticket" attraction with Transformers: The Ride - 3-D, boosting the park's attendance. Even on moderately - crowded days, the attraction still commands hour-long wait times, the longest in the whole park. So, how do they follow up this success? They build jumping fountains highlighted by a tower that mysteriously looks like an art-deco version of Disney California Adventure's Carthay Circle Theater.
Okay, maybe it doesn't look a lot like California Adventure's iconic structure, but it does serve some of the same purposes. For one, it serves as an inviting beacon for the guests who have just entered the park. It also features some eateries, which we'll get to in a little bit. But, judging from this photo, you can also see some differences. For one, the main tower has several slots for movie posters, possibly planned as a way to advertise upcoming Universal films (for now, they just have some random movie posters in place, such as those for Mamma Mia! and The Bourne Legacy). This tower also serves as the park's annual pass processing center.
Another striking difference is that most of the plaza is the jumping fountains area, which might cause some park goers to regard the plaza as wasted space. However, this actually makes the plaza more versatile, allowing it to serve multiple purposes (maybe it'll serve as the space for the tree lighting this December, like the arena that was here before). In the photo above, this area was closed off, as workers were preparing for that night's Halloween Horror Nights event.
Like I mentioned before, the plaza also features a place to eat. At the back of the plaza is a Pink's Hot Dogs counter-service eatery, facing the Animal Actors theater and the former site of the Rock Vegas midway games. I haven't tried the food, but may do so next time.
So, what are my thoughts on this new attraction? Well...uh...it's a plaza where you can get your annual pass processed and buy hot dogs. What can you really say? Actually, it looks much nicer than the arena that was here, which was mainly just a bunch of walls. Also, unlike the old arena, Universal Plaza makes this area of the park feel more open, something that it was notably lacking in the past. Yes, it's not a new and explosive E-Ticket attraction, but you must remember that their next attraction, Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem opens this spring. Until then, Universal Plaza is a nice place to relax in some nice benches, under new scenery with greater variety (sorry. Had to quote Mr. Bimble from the LEGOLAND PC game there).
Universal Plaza is just the start of Project: Evolution, which will radically change the park, including the addition of a massive Harry Potter Land. The Adventures of Curious George, Terminator 2: 3-D, Rock Vegas, the Gibson Amphitheater, and more are now gone as part of this project.
Yesterday, my brother and I visited Sea World San Diego again, over one year after our last visit (meaning that it's been one year since the Vacation: Unlimited Animation Contest ended! Man, time flies!). I don't have a lot of pictures, but here are a few notes to point out from this trip.
I don't have any pictures of it, but the original entrance is currently behind construction walls as it is transformed into Explorer's Reef. Here's to hoping that this entrance re-imagining is to the same caliber that changed Sunshine Plaza into Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure. Currently, you enter the park through a temporary entrance, located near the Animal Connections exhibit.
When it's meal time, piranhas can certainly make quick work of their food. We happened to visit the piranha exhibit during feeding time (the exhibit is located in the Aquatica Aquarium located near Shipwreck Rapids) and caught sight of the wildest feeding frenzy we saw all day. The piranhas in the photo are blurred simply because of the sheer speed they moved at.
Animals are animals, and this macaw caused Manta to shut down for an hour. You see, this parrot usually stays at the Blue Horizons stadium, but it somehow broke loose and ended up here, standing behind the very spikes that are supposed to prevent this very thing from happening. Some of the smaller walkways were closed during the downtime, so the trainers could entice the macaw to come down.
Since the last time I was here, Journey to Atlantis was changed, with a new safety video and with new paint. The confusing narration was also removed, which improves the ride. Still not thrilled with it, though.
Over at Rocky Point, the sea lions were very hungry, with lots of guests throwing sea lion food into the tank, conveniently available for sale right next to the exhibit.
A new attraction, Madagascar Live! Operation: Vacation, has been added to the park, replacing Lights! Camera! Imagination! 4-D. Because of the crowds, though, I was not able to see it. However, my ticket gives me a second visit for free, so I'll be able to see it during my second visit. After I've seen it, I'll then review it here in a new edition of "What's New to Do."
However, the best experience of the day were the hilarious antics of Clyde, Seamore, and OP in the show Sea Lions Tonite, where the aforementioned animal stars join human actors on-stage in parodying the park's other attractions, including One Ocean, Wild Arctic, Pets Rule!, Manta (pictured), Cirque de la Mer, Blue Horizons, and Club Atlantis. It only plays in the summer, but makes braving the summer crowds worth it.
There wasn't a lot of animal activity at Wild Arctic, whose ride portion is looking dated these days. There were a few animals out, including this walrus. A baby beluga whale was also on exhibit.
It's been just over a year since I've ridden on (and reviewed)Manta, and the ride is still just as enjoyable now as it was then. It's especially really cool after dark. As for the landscaping issues I mentioned in my review, those issues have now been addressed. While the plain grass planted around the back half of the attraction is a little boring, it is better than looking at dirt mounds.
Of course, no visit to Sea World would be complete without seeing the Shamu show. For the summer, the show featured in Shamu Stadium is Shamu Rocks!. While there is not a lot of the killer whales, with the focus directed more toward the digital screens, it is still a cool show that combines signature Shamu tricks with rock and roll. After the show was a short, but nice, fireworks show.
And with that, I have finished this trip report. Despite the crowds, we were able to "sea" a lot (*GROAN*, and I pulled this joke in the last Sea World trip report!). I will be visiting again soon, and I'll provide a review for Madagascar Live! Operation: Vacation afterwards. Until then, happy travels!
After several long months, I am finally finishing up this vacation report! Let's finish this up!
For dinner that night after visiting the Maritime Museum, we took some public transportation down the waterfront to Kansas City Barbecue, famous for being one of the filming locations for the movie Top Gun.
The restaurant serves up casual favorites, including burgers, ribs, fries, mixed vegetables, and more, as well as the actual piano used in the film. While the food was nothing to write home about, it is still cool to see one of the filming locations for a blockbuster movie. The restaurant is a lot smaller than it appears in the movie, though.
On the way back to the car, we passed by the USS Midway, which is now a museum. We did not go inside during this trip (it's a museum that needs an entire day devoted to it; I'll get to that vacation at a future date), but we did take a few nice evening pictures of the ship, including this one. From there, we headed back to the hotel and settled down for the night.
The next day, we packed up and headed back home. But on the way there, we stopped in the historic old town district of Temecula for some exercise.
Now this is something that I was originally going to assign to its own part, but since I need to finish this up, I've grouped this into this part. Old town Temecula is actually, for me, a little surprise. I didn't know what to expect at first, but I found this side trip to be a nice one. We were not able to visit the museum (pictured above), but the antique shopping and the environment made it well worth it. The food was decent too.
Later that day, we got home, ready to begin writing this account. Who knew it would take this long to finish!
That's it. I got this account done! I'll admit that I should have fleshed out the Old Town Temecula portion better, but other than that, this account was pretty thorough. Now I'll be able to move on to other vacation accounts, including the one we'll be going on later this summer. What is it? Well, you'll have to find out when the time comes. It is the Summer of Surprises, is it not!?!
We only have three more parts to finish up this account of our San Diego vacation! Let's get started!
By the time we had left the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Command Museum, the heat had reached sweltering conditions. But we weren't worried, because our next stop was the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
An overview of the Maritime Museum, as seen from the deck of the Star of India.
The one thing about this museum that makes it different from others is that it is entirely free-floating; only anchors hold it in place. The museum acts as a collage of several sailing vessels from different time periods and countries. To get a general idea of the variety of ships and submarines on exhibit, here is a run-down of the ships on display.
Berkeley Ferryboat: Serving as the entrance to the museum, the Berkeley impresses with its Victorian-era furnishings and stained glass windows. The first steel-hulled, double-ended, propeller-driven ferryboat in San Francisco Bay, it served as a means of evacuating the city during the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. It also ferried travelers between the Oakland transcontinental railroad terminus and San Francisco. This vessel also houses the museum's gift shop and restaurant, along with exhibits on San Diego's maritime history. It proves to be a strong start to the museum visit.
HMS Surprise: Known for its appearances in films such as Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, the HMS Surprise is a replica of the British sailing vessel HMS Rose, built as a sail training tall ship. It contains entirely authentic and accurate details, including sleeping quarters, helm, storage, captain's quarters, and cannons (as if we hadn't seen enough of those back in '09, but I digress). It is a really authentic experience that gives you the idea of what it feels like to live on such a vessel.
B-39: This entirely authentic Soviet submarine puts you in the middle of Cold War naval combat, keeping an eye on the enemy. Well...it's not actually a simulator or anything like that, but it does give you an idea of what it was like to live on a combat submarine. Then you have to remember: people lived in this for months at a time. I don't know about you, but staying on a submarine like this that isn't as well-built as other submarines (like the USS Dolphin, which I'll get to in a little bit) for that long really gives me a sinking feeling (*GROAN*). Be warned, though. This experience is not for everyone. If you cannot fit through the test porthole (an actual porthole on the sub can be partially seen in the second picture) or have problems with small spaces, this experience is not recommended for you. Otherwise, this is a must.
Star of India: Widely considered the main attraction of the maritime museum, the Star of India is the oldest active merchant ship in the world. Built in 1863, the ship served as a cargo ship to transport cotton from India to England, hence its name. At the museum, the ship takes guests back in time to the age of the sail with exhibits on the ship's history and artifacts. It also serves as the special exhibit hall (the exhibit on display was a collection of photographs from Jack London's travels) and special event hall. Just as its name suggests, this vessel truly is a star. Make it part of your visit.
However, it is in the last function for events where I must say is the museum's only shortcoming. You see, when the museum hosts birthday parties, they are done inside the hull of the star of India. However, possibly as a way to make the prospect of parties more appealing to 10-year-old boys, an extremely tacky mini pirate ship has been set up for kids to play in (pictured in the second photo). I know boys love pirates, but was this really necessary? It just garishly contrasts with the rest of the ship. Oh, well. I guess this also explains the abundance of pirate merchandise in the gift shop, despite the lack of an actual pirate ship at the museum.
Abracadabra, America, and Stars & Stripes: At the rear of the museum is a floating dock, where several smaller ships are on display. Three of these ships are the Abracadabra, America, and Stars & Stripes. They are called "America's cup boats," according to the museum map, and line either side of the floating dock. They do not play any major role at the museum (except for the Stars & Stripes, which can be rented by calling the number on the map), but they are nonetheless a nice touch.
A whole slew of cannons is parked next to the Californian.
Californian: This is California's official tall ship. Modeled after revenue cutters of the late 1840's, known for patrolling the coast of California in the gold rush days, the ship features four six-pound deck guns and exhibits to explore the role the ship played during the California Gold Rush.
Medea: Built as a gentleman's hunting yacht in 1904, the Medea impresses with its Victorian-era design, complete with lounge and other luxurious details. The details are amazing, even if guest access is pretty restricted. This is probably because, despite its age, the ship is still active.
Pilot: Hosting $3 harbor tours daily, the Pilot is the oldest wooden pilot boat in the country. Until the 1980's, the Pilot was San Diego's main pilot boat and, according to the map, occasionally still transports pilots to and from historic ships. Because it is used for the harbor tours, only tour groups may board this vessel.
USS Dolphin: Holding the operating submarine depth record, the USS Dolphin is a US naval research submarine also holds the record for deepest torpedo launch and sent and received the first underwater email. Far more spacious and better built than the B-39, the USS Dolphin is a good alternative for those who were unable to experience the B-39.
And with that, the Maritime Museum of San Diego is finished. Granted, its admission price of $15 a person seems a little steep, but the experience is worth it. It is unlike anything else I've experienced. After leaving the museum, we headed downtown for dinner at a very unique restaurant.
Next Time: San Diego Waterfront and Kansas City Barbecue.
This month is officially the last month for "Vacation: Unlimited." While we are currently underway with working on our next big promotion, The Film School Challenge, I decided to take a look back at the past year with some special awards to hand out! So without further ado, here are the Vacation: Unlimited Awards!
Best New Attraction: Radiator Springs Racers Yes, we certainly did have plenty of great attractions this year, including Transformers: the Ride - 3-D and Manta, but if I were to pick the very best attraction of 2012 (and this even counts YouTube videos I've seen of other attractions that I've yet to go on), the clear winner is Radiator Springs Racers. It's an attraction that is so great, it's not only the best attraction of 2012 but the best attraction in Disney California Adventure and among the best attractions that I've ever been on! Will the Imagineers be able to top this with their next hyped-up E-ticket attraction, The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train? It'll take a lot to beat this attraction!
Best Special Exhibition: Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology To be fair, the winner for this award was a tough choice between this exhibit and the Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Both had amazing exhibits that were organized in a cohesive manner, making it easy to see the progression through the story being told. However, I had to pick Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology for one primary reason: the hand-held audio companion. If this exhibit stops in your hometown and you want to check it out, here is how the device works.
The actual golden idol prop from Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of many items on display. At the bottom of this picture is the audio companion device.
Every exhibit features a numbered code, which you type into the touch screen on your device. Once you press the enter button, a relevant video plays on the device, describing the item that you are looking at. Other exhibits only have audio. The device also assists in a treasure hunt throughout the exhibit.
The reason that I say that this device is what puts this exhibition above the rest is that it makes the exhibit more than just display cases; it allows you to explore the history and facts of each and every item on display. The treasure hunt also adds an extra level of understanding to the world of archaeology and allows to see the exhibit in a new light. Well done, National Geographic! You have a winner here!
Animation Contest Winner: Johnny Thunder's Big Vacation We had a few entries in our animation contest last spring, but HollywoodLego's Johnny Thunder's Big Vacation shone above the rest. With its unique and imaginative mix of animation and live action, a nice mix of jokes into a fun story line, and even a humorous ending, it provided the second-best thing to an actual trip to the National Zoo!
Scrapbook Contest Winner: Northern Illinois While it was the only entry into this "forgotten" contest, this video still provided a short and sweet virtual visit to some of the sites of northern Illinois. Some of the unique sights, like the giant paper clip, added a little extra humor.
Most Popular Journal Entry: What's New to Do: Manta at Sea World San Diego To be fair, I was taken aback by the numbers for the viewership of this article, especially since it got more views than the review for Cars Land and Buena Vista Street. Then again, that review was from a cast preview and thus lacked photos, and people are always drawn to photos. Anyway, the exact number of views for the Manta review is currently 65, which is almost as many views as the number of views for all of the other articles in this journal combined! I'm sure Sea World management is happy for the extra publicity.
That wraps up these awards, but we aren't done yet! While these entries, rides, exhibits, etc. ultimately won the awards, there are still many honorable mentions to announce! Here they are!
Honorable Mention: Transformers: the Ride - 3-D Universal has proven once again that it can still be a contender against Disney when it comes to heavily-themed attractions, great storytelling, and state-of-the-art technology. In the case of Transformers: the Ride - 3-D, Universal has out-done the source material (which, in this case, isn't hard to do) by placing the guests in the middle of the action and making them heroes. The attraction works so well, construction is well underway for a version in Florida, set to open this summer.
Honorable Mention: Manta Even though this attraction was mentioned earlier in the most popular journal entry prize, it's a great addition to Sea World San Diego, so it's worth mentioning again. Granted, I'm not a fan of roller coasters, but this attraction really takes the concept of a roller coaster and brings it into the realm of themed attractions. Some speculated that this ride would change Sea World's character, but I say that it reinforces the existing character.
Honorable Mention: Atlantis Submarine Voyage Granted, I've never been on this ride, as it's all the way in LEGOLAND Windsor, but it's not everyday that a more...ahem...value-minded theme park gets a Disney-quality attraction. Therefore, this had to go in the honorable mentions section. Now if they only built this attraction here in the US...
Honorable Mention: Thank You Mustache Maniacs Though not a contest entry, we had to share this hilarious thank you video from HollywoodLego for sending him his prize. It provided the perfect bookend to conclude the Vacation: Unlimited Animation Contest.
Honorable Mention: Heron Miles and the Vacation of Boredom Though it did not win, it is still best to mention this film and the great work they did! Good job!
Honorable Mention: The Holiday Though it did not win, it is still best to mention this film and the great work they did! Good job!
Well, that wraps up our Vacation: Unlimited promotion. As for all of you that participated in our activities, thank you for being so dedicated and for showing your support for Mustache Maniacs Film Co. and this promotion. We hope you will join us for The Film School Challenge later this year, and Ten Years of Going Crazy in 2014. Until then, happy travels!
P.S.: I'm still going to write in here, especially since small vacations and outings are always around the corner, and I still need to finish that San Diego vacation report! Darn procrastination!
Hello! Since my mom isn't able to finish up this series, I've taken it upon myself to "take up the reins" and finish this story up. This is certainly several months overdue!
The next morning, we woke up and, to our dismay, the weather had already reached sweltering conditions. Oh, well, we figured. At least we were planning to spend the day down at the waterfront. However, we didn't need to go that far to get to a body of water. In fact, we could see a body of water outside our hotel window.
Located right next to the hotel is this park that, in the middle, features a lake. To "warm up" for the day (as if the sun hadn't done that already), we took a hike through this small park before packing up and heading to our first stop for the day: The Marine Corps Recruit Depot Command Museum.
The museum features several exhibits about the United States Marine Corps, from the Mexican-American War, to World War II and The Vietnam War, and beyond. The museum is also located on an active military base, so checking in with security was needed. However, it was worth it, as the museum really caught my attention. Granted, it wasn't flashy like, say...the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, but that really worked in this museum's favor. Being low-key allowed the museum to emphasize what we're all here to see: the artifacts! And artifacts they had! Rare World War II Japanese weapons, a weapons vault, a gallery of medals, artillery, and more are just some of the items this museum houses. Don't believe me? Take a look at the pictures below.
After checking out the artillery pieces in the courtyard and discovering that the gift shop doesn't sell any pins (I'm an avid pin collector), we headed out to the waterfront area of San Diego. But that will be saved for another day, when I'll detail the Maritime Museum and Kansas City Barbecue, which is, well...you'll find out next time. Until then, happy travels!
Currently, I'm on location in Great Zimbabwe, waiting for the next scene in Johnny Thunder and the Wisdom of the Ancients to be shot. However, due to our strict closed set policy, I cannot provide any photos.
However, I did find photos from an old family vacation from several years ago, when we went to Cape Canaveral, Florida. We also went to Walt Disney World, but the photos we have from there didn't turn out that well. Anyway, we got to see a lot, including the museum, the space center tour, and more. Here is a selection of some of the better photos.
Dad enjoyed this photo op in the museum.
Each day, we took a bus to Cape Canaveral from our hotel. We even got souvenir guest passes!
A display showing the inside of a space station.
The museum cafe went along with the design of the rest of the facility.
Dad had to pay $30 for this photo of me, but it was totally worth it! You should have seen the harness they used to hold me in place.
While we were on the bus tour, we got to see a rocket launch into space! We were quite a ways away from it, but it was a sight to behold.
Mom poses in front of the lunar lander display.
If I remember correctly, we went on this vacation back in 2006, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. If I could, I would do it all over again.
In the meantime, though, Andrew plans on completing the San Diego vacation overview. Why he hasn't finished it yet, I don't know. He's probably been busy, so I should give him some slack. Well, I'm off to work on another scene, so happy travels!
