Year-end Vote: Best New Experience for 2012

By: Andrew Bermudez

     The year is almost over, and with it comes a lot of new experiences. While the rest of the San Diego Vacation will come early December, with Christmas vacation photos coming mid-December, it's time for you to decide for yourself which new experience was the most successful.

     This year (at least in the Southern California area), we had a very strong year for new attractions, which was, of course, topped by the amazing re-imagined Disney California Adventure. Never before has a theme park that fell short on opening day turn around in the subsequent years in such an amazing way. Out of all of this year's new offerings, this was definitely my favorite, including the amazing Radiator Springs Racers attraction.

     But now, I want to hear from you. From now until the end of the year, I want you to vote on your favorite of all of the new attractions. Even if you haven't experienced it all, check out videos, other people's thoughts, photos, and more to help you decide. For the record, I've only included major new additions. Anything that did not have any real impact will not be counted (which would include attractions like the defunct Habit Heroes at Epcot, which closed after two weeks of operation due to "alleged bullying of people with an excessive waistline"). Here is the shortlist of the world's most prominent new attractions:

Daniel and Andrew Bermudez out in front of Radiator Springs Racers, the
main E-Ticket attraction in Cars Land. Photo by the author.

Cars Land (Disney California Adventure): This 12-acre land takes guests into the town of Radiator Springs from Disney/Pixar's Cars. The land features 3 rides: Radiator Springs Racers, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, and Luigi's Flying Tires.

The Carthay Circle Theater after dark. This structure is the new symbol of Disney
California Adventure and features an upscale restaurant inside. Photo by the author.

Buena Vista Street (Disney California Adventure): The park's new entrance land, which hearkens back to the 1920's, when Walt Disney first arrived in California. The land is complete with lively street entertainment, it's own souvenir newspaper, and a recreation of the red car trolley, which guests can ride to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

The explosive facade for the Hollywood version of Transformers: The Ride - 3-D. Photo by the author.

Transformers: The Ride - 3-D (Universal Studios Hollywood): Based on the popular Transformers films, this 4-D motion base dark ride takes you into the heat of battle as you try to escape the city, keeping the all-spark away from the Decepticons.

Riders get to "Ride the Ray, Feel the Rush" aboard Manta,
Sea World San Diego's newest attraction. Photo by the author.

Manta (Sea World San Diego): Not to be mistaken for Sea World Orlando's flying coaster, this ground-hugging launch coaster takes you through a rocky cove as you sweep and soar over the bat ray touch pool, a small tribal village, and more.

Guests can watch feeding and veterinarian demonstrations inside the LAIR. Photo by the author.

The LAIR (Los Angeles Zoo): The LA Zoo's new reptile house features a wide variety of reptiles in swamp and desert environments, as well as outdoor exhibits for false garials, the American alligator, and more. Also features a viewing area into a zookeeper animal care facility.

A cheetah runs at Cheetah Run! Photo courtesy San Diego Speedboats and More.

Cheetah Run (San Diego Zoo Safari Park): A training demonstration featuring a yard where you get to see the cheetah do what it does best: run!

Guests get soaked both above and below on Pirate Reef. Photo courtesy Adventure Daddy Blog.

Pirate Reef (LEGOLAND California): A soaking shoot-the-chutes pirate-themed boat ride where you don't just get soaked, you get drenched! The only attraction in the park that is also accessible from the adjacent LEGOLAND Water Park.

Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom runs up the side the existing
Superman: Escape from Krypton attraction. Photo courtesy Coasters World.

Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom (Six Flags Magic Mountain): At 400 ft., this drop ride based around Superman's arch nemesis is the tallest of its kind in the world.

The Beast's Castle looms over the entrance to the Be Our Guest Restaurant, one of
the new offerings in the New Fantasyland. Photo courtesy Dateline Disney World.

New Fantasyland (Magic Kingdom): While the debut of The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is still two years away, the rest of the new Fantasyland Forest features a lot to offer, including The Little Mermaid ride from Disney California Adventure and the Be Our Guest restaurant.

Digital mountains are one of the many new things aboard Test Track 2.0. Photo courtesy Kevin Yee.

Test Track 2.0 (Epcot): This re-imagining puts a futuristic twist on the popular Test Track attraction with Tron-esque graphics and the ability to design your own car, which is put to the test on the ride.

TurtleTrek (Sea World Orlando): Taking Circle-Vision 360 to the next level, this 3-D show lets you see the ocean through the eyes of a sea turtle and it's journey across the ocean.

Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem (Universal Studios Florida): Based on the 2010 animated film Despicable Me, guests come to Gru's house to be turned into minions aboard this 3-D simulator attraction, and mayhem ensues.

Toy Story Midway Mania! (Tokyo DisneySea): Also found at Disney California Adventure and Disney's Hollywood Studios, this wild attraction shrinks guests down to the size of toys, where they then play several midway games in 4-D, hosted by characters from Disney/Pixar's Toy Story films.

Grizzly Gultch (Hong Kong Disneyland): This Frontierland-esque land takes guests into a ghost town filled with grizzly bears! In the mountains, guests can hop aboard the Grizzly Mountain Railroad and speed along in this wild roller coaster.

Sesame Street Ride (Universal Studios Singapore): Not yet open, but expected to by the end of the year, this dark ride takes you through Sesame Street, where Super Grover and his sidekick Elmo must battle aliens who want to steal all of the city's pasta.

Guests go speeding along in a snowmobile in Polar X-plorer,
the centerpiece of Polar Land. Photo courtesy respective owner.

Polar Land (LEGOLAND Billund): Based on the classic LEGO Arctic sets, this land takes you into the polar climate with three new attractions, including the Polar X-plorer roller coaster. The land also features a penguin exhibit and Polar Flight School.

Young explorers join the Deep Sea Salvage Crew and go searching
for the lost city of Atlantis. Photo courtesy LEGOLAND Windsor.

Atlantis Submarine Voyage (LEGOLAND Windsor): Reminiscent of Disneyland's classic Submarine Voyage, this ride puts the guests in a submarine, where they help the Deep Sea Salvage Crew look for the lost city of Atlantis.

LEGOLAND Malaysia: The only new theme park for this year, this park features many of the staple attractions seen at many of the other LEGOLAND parks, including The Dragon, Lost Kingdom Adventure, and, of course, Miniland.

     So there we have it: some of this year's more prominent attractions (especially for Southern California). Now it's time to vote. You'll find the voting box on the right column of this page.
     Update: The poll is now up, so you can vote! If you have another favorite attraction that opened this year, but is not listed here, let us know in the comments. Also, I added some pictures, since the visual images make this post look more interesting.

What's New to Do: New Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland

By: Andrew Bermudez

     Sorry about the absence of new posts in here recently. I've been very busy lately and have just found time for this. Anyway, you should all be happy, since this is a new What's New to Do entry. So, let's get started!

     Back on June 15th of this year, Disney unveiled a refreshed version of the classic Matterhorn Bobsleds attraction (Buena Vista Street and Cars Land opened at nearby Disney California Adventure on the same day). It provided Disneyland with something new, even though California Adventure got all the attention.

     O.K. Let's be honest. This attraction is hard to classify as "new," since not that many changes were actually made. The track layout is exactly the same, the line is no different, and the scenery inside the mountain was pretty much left unaltered. So, what's new in this ride? For those of you who have ridden on this attraction in the past, but are not familiar with the new version, here is a run-down of the recent changes.

• The entire mountain has been repainted from top to bottom, which is the first time since the attraction opened in 1959. It looks very fresh and makes the spots of snow really pop out.
• OSHA-mandated safety adjustments were made, including new railing on the bridge facing Tomorrowland, railing next to cast member paths along the track, and other safety adjustments made in the loading area.
• All of the bobsleds have been replaced. Previously, the bobsleds were two joined, with two tandem seats per bobsled, resulting in eight people per vehicle. Now, the bobsleds are two joined, with three individual seats per bobsled, resulting in six people per vehicle. While individual bobsled capacity has decreased, the clarity on who sits where counteracts that, resulting in a balanced hourly capacity.
• The height limit has increased from 38 in. to 42 in., probably OSHA-mandated.
• The abominable snowman (affectionately nicknamed "Harold" by the cast members) has received some updating. He's much smoother in his motions and, while not on the same level as the animatronics for Pirates of the Caribbean or Radiator Springs Racers, looks very nice.
• Lighting effects inside the mountain have been updated. They are especially used effectively during your second encounter with the abominable snowman!

     That's pretty much it for changes. While not a lot was done to the attraction, it is still nice to see such a classic attraction being maintained. My only complaint? OUCH!
     Wait, where did that come from? That actually came from the new bobsleds. While the ride itself is smoother overall, the seating arrangement isn't the...er...most comfortable. While the seat aren't dinky (like what most people are claiming), they don't have any padding. So when your bobsled makes a fast turn, there is nothing stopping your hips from slamming into the side of your seat. Oh, well. At least it's more comfortable (and enjoyable) than the Technic Coaster at LEGOLAND California.
     So, should you check out this new version of a classic ride? Certainly. Even though the seats don't provide for the most pleasant ride, the inside looks great and, quite frankly, it's a fun attraction. If you haven't been on it before, it doesn't hurt to give this ride a try...at least not a lot.

San Diego Vacation Part 2: Ghosts of Old Town

By: Teri Bermudez

     Old Town San Diego encompasses not only the original plaza area, but also the numerous streets surrounding the plaza. On one of these streets is the famous Whaley House. The Whaley House was built in 1857 by Thomas Whaley, great-grandson of Alexander Whaley, a gunsmith who participated in the Boston Tea Party. Since the opening of the house, as a museum, in 1960 weird things have been going on. Many visitors and workers have reported seeing ghosts. These reports have given the house the prestige as being the most haunted house in America. Knowing these legends, we decided, after wandering around Old Town's plaza, to head down the street and see if we could catch one of these residents in action.
     The tour of the Whaley House begins in the gift shop next door. Every imaginable ghost related book and device can be purchased there. Once we purchased our pricey tickets we headed into the house. The downstairs contains, not only living quarters, but a court house and general store. We felt no other worldly presence.

That's me with Andrew in the court house.

     Upstairs are bedrooms and a theater. Again, none of us felt a presence. I felt jipped. It wasn't until I got home and was looking at my photos that I noticed something. Check it out.

Thomas and Anna's Master Bedroom

If you look closely at the seat (right on the wicker) you can see someone sitting there. It is really creepy. But, as I said, it wasn't until much later that this appeared to me, so I was a little bummed and hungry when we exited the house. Hunger won over.

     One thing Old Town San Diego isn't short on is restaurants. We chose Cafe Coyote, a Mexican restaurant with women making authentic tortillas out front. The food was scrumptious. After filling our bellies, we decided to wander around and check out some of the many, many gift shops and curiosities. 

     Due to the lack of ghostly apparitions at the Whaley House, we chose for our final stop of the day: El Campo Santo Cemetery. Many of the tombstones were for the people we had been hearing about all day. While being quite interesting, we again didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

San Diego Vacation Part 1: Old Town San Diego

By: Teri Bermudez

     While most tourists who visit San Diego, California tend to gravitate towards Sea World, the Safari Park, or their world famous zoo, we decided to try a different type of vacation and learn a little about the history of the region. What better place to start our historical adventure than Old Town San Diego State Historical Park. Old Town was first established in 1821 following Mexico's independence from Spain. After gaining control of what was then called Alta California, Mexicans began establishing homesteads at what is today called Old Town. This community of adobes formed a rough street patten around an open plaza. The plaza and two of these original structures remain today, giving the visitor a feel for how life was in the early to mid 1800's. One of these is La Casa de Bandini. Later it was renamed the Cosmopolitan Hotel.

     The Mexican era of San Diego ended in 1848 with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which gave the region to the United States. That same year gold was discovered and Old Town became a stopover for miners headed to the gold fields. Adobes were remodeled and wooden structures were brought by ship from the East Coast. Most of these buildings were destroyed by fire, but have been restored to their mid to late 1800 elegance.

     We begun our tour at the Visitor's Center at the Northern end of the plaza. It is housed in the Robinson Rose House. It contains dioramas, historical information of the various buildings surrounding the plaza and a gift shop. With a park map in hand we headed behind the Visitor's Center to the most elaborate museum in the park; the McCoy House.

                                                

     The McCoy House Museum, originally built by Sheriff James McCoy in 1869, meanders throughout the house beginning with the history of the earliest settlers, the Tipai, then continues on to the sea faring pelt traders and concludes with the overland stagecoach travelers.

A Boston Market Trader

This museum gives the visitor an avid amount of early San Diegan history with very authentic and interesting displays. 

     Next up was the Colorado House (pictured above). It houses the Wells Fargo Museum. Included in this museum is an original Wells Fargo Stage Coach and artifacts. We had a great time on a computer game that determined if we had what it took to be a Pony Express Rider. None of us quite fit the bill. 

     We continued around the plaza stepping into small museums and gift shops. The reconstructed courthouse and jail took me back in time, as did the restored 1865 one room schoolhouse.

     The final structure we visited at the plaza was one of the two original adobes, the La Casa de Estudillo.

It was made famous as "Ramona's Wedding Place", from the novel Ramona by Helen Hunt. Even though it was a book of fiction the adobe brought tourists in the late 1800's from all over to San Diego. There were many rooms to look into that depicted life in the 1800's.

     Our final stop was at the reconstructed Seeley Stable. The stable was used to house the horses for the San Diego-Los Angeles stage line. From 1867 to 1877 stage coaches ran daily until the railroad put the line out of business. The museum that now resides in the stable has quite an extensive collection of stable and stage artifacts. It also houses a replica of an 1800's theater.

     The day that we spent in Old Town was not only educational, but quite entertaining. The locals were very friendly and there were quite a few gift shops. As you explore beyond the plaza, the outlying streets contain numerous more shops and a large selection of restaurants. We had an amazing and busy afternoon. 

Sarah Thunder's World Travels: London

By: Sarah Thunder

     Thanks for the review for Transformers: the Ride - 3-D, Andrew! I can't wait to check it out! Anyway, we're still here in London. Filming has kind of stalled because of two things. First, because of the Olympics, the entire city was packed, which made it hard to enforce our closed set policy (which explains why I'm not allowed to share any photos here). On top of that, assistant director Barry Hollows had to leave the set when he was offered $20 million to direct the follow-up to his smash hit film Zombie: Genesis, which is titled Zombie: Exodus (watch it here). As it is implied at the end, Barry won't back on the set anytime soon, so another assistant director, Mark Winters, was hired temporarily.

     However, we're shooting the first big action scene for the movie today, so I can't write much right now. I've been practicing parkour along with the other actors for this scene for the last few weeks. Usually, we would have stuntmen do this, but Barry said, before he left to direct Zombie: Exodus, that the actors should do their own stunts. His reasoning is that it makes the movie more believable and that it cuts production costs, even though it sends our insurance through the roof. This may be a weird and unsafe idea, but with Barry Hollows, nothing surprises me anymore.

     Hold on. That's the PA speaking. We're having lunch right at noon, then we start filming immediately after. I really hope jumping off of and on to moving vehicles is easier than it looks. Well, I have to go eat now. Until I write again, happy travels!
     Update by Andrew: Because of the ongoing expansion of the Mustache Maniacs Film Co. website, the design for this travel journal has now changed. Details from our San Diego trip are coming soon.

Photographs from Universal Studios Hollywood

By: Andrew Bermudez

     Sorry that I'm a little late on this. We've been very busy with another weekend vacation and have now gotten the chance to put this up. Coverage of our weekend trip to San Diego will be compiled this upcoming weekend and week.

     Besides Transformers: the Ride - 3-D, Universal Studios Hollywood also have several other attractions, mostly shows. Here are some pictures from this relatively small (but not too small) theme park.

A foolish adventurer who dared to defile Imhotep's tomb lies in the line for Revenge of the Mummy

Some street performers play some up-beat ragtime tunes on Baker Street.

The NBC Universal Experience features changing exhibits that showcase props, concept sketches, animation puppets, and more from NBC Universal's movies and television shows.

Alfred Hitchcock's bungalow.

In order to enter King Kong 360 3-D, the Studio Tour tram must make a 180 turn! Get it?  *GROAN*.

The DeLorean from Back to the Future.

Artificial rain makes up for dry days in Southern California.

The Special Effects Stage, in its new location, is a really good show; maybe even better than the original version of this show.

     Though a little hard to get to, Universal Studios Hollywood is certainly worth a day trip. If you want to visit the park (and brave the notorious L.A. traffic to get there), be sure to visit their website to buy tickets, plan your visit, check operating hours, and more. However, you won't find a show schedule on the website; you'll pick that up along with your map at the front gate.

     Well, that's all for today. This weekend, I'll put up the photos and share my thoughts from San Diego, as well as spell check and update the 2009 vacation photo gallery. Until then, happy travels!

What's New to Do: Transformers: the Ride - 3-D at Universal Studios Hollywood

By: Andrew Bermudez

     Prepare to be immersed in the largest battle zone you may ever see aboard the brand-new motion base dark ride, Transformers: the Ride - 3-D! This is what the ads have been saying about Universal Studios Hollywood's latest attraction.

     Now, to be honest, I wasn't anticipating this attraction as much as the other new attractions that opened this year, like Cars Land at Disney California Adventure and the LAIR at the Los Angeles Zoo. True, I do like to see the latest technology, but...uh...let's just say that I'm not the biggest fan of the Transformers movies (I despised the second film in the series, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen). But, as the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover; or, in this case, theme park attraction by its concept. So, let's get started.

     Transformers: The Ride - 3-D rests in the sound stage on the Lower Lot that used to house Backdraft and Special Effects Stage (the latter of the two moved to the Upper Lot). The front of the new attraction is graced with a mural of Optimus Prime and Megatron battling in front of a massive explosion. Below the mural is the entrance to the ride.

     Even if you are not familiar with the Transformers storyline, the story of the attraction is still easy to follow. You, the guests, are the latest recruits for N.E.S.T., or Non-organic Extraterrestrial Species Treaty. Their job is to assist the Autobots, a group of heroic transformers lead by Optimus Prime, in protecting Earth from the evil Decepticons, who want to destroy Earth and the Autobots. As you progress through the line, you find out that N.E.S.T. is housing the All-Spark, which can turn any electronic or mechanical device into a Transformer. You are just about to begin your training, but before you can, the Decepticons unleash an attack on the base, intent on stealing the All-Spark. You are then ordered downstairs, where you'll be evacuated, along with the All-Spark, aboard EVAC.

     In past attractions, the ride vehicle acted solely as a means of moving the guests through the attraction. However, with both this attraction and Disney California Adventure's Radiator Springs Racers, the ride vehicle has now, literally, become a character in the story. In this attraction, EVAC is an Autobot who serves as the ride's vehicle.

     Here, the set-up is done; the ride now begins. Using motion base and 3-D technology, you aim to escape the city, but the Decepticons ambush you at every corner. The Autobots provide enough covering fire to allow you to escape, but soon you're on your own with nowhere to hide. Megatron even tries to lower you're spirits by snarling, "Cowards run. Heroes fight." But EVAC is now done with running. He lunges at Megatron and uses the All-Spark to destroy his body. With Megatron gone, everyone returns to N.E.S.T. as heroes.

     Despite my dislike for the movies, I really enjoyed the attraction. The quality of the line alone is top notch, and the ride itself seamlessly blends storytelling into its action to give the battle plausible context. The 3-D looks great, the sensory effects work really well, and the fact that the attraction is a motion-base dark ride rather than a simple simulator is a great touch. All-in-all, this is what I feel the movies should have been like. I highly recommend it if you plan on visiting Universal Studios Hollywood or Universal Studios Singapore (the Universal Studios Orlando version is currently under construction), even if you don't like or haven't seen the movies. It's a great addition to the park.