What's New To Do: Explorer's Reef at SeaWorld San Diego

By: Andrew Bermudez

     To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the SeaWorld Parks, the entrance plaza and front gate to the original SeaWorld, the one in San Diego, was entirely re-vamped with new decor, a new entry, and all-new touch pools. So, how did this new entrance pan out? Let's take a "dive" and find out.

     After passing through the wood-thatched security check point, you now enter the park underneath a massive wave, suggesting that you are travelling to the bottom of the ocean to experience the world of marine life up-close. The wave even has light and sound effects to further convey the wave concept.

     Once inside the park, the first attraction that you will encounter is Explorer's Reef, a series of touch pools covered by coral-shaped coverings. There are several touch pools, each of which is dedicated to a specific species of animal. There are only three different species that can be touched, which are cleaner fish, bamboo sharks, and horseshoe crabs. There are other animals on display, but you are not allowed to touch them. Near the back of the exhibit are sinks to wash your hands and shark eggs. From there, you can head out to explore the rest of the park.

     While I do not have photos of them, both guest services and the main gift shop have been revamped and expanded to match the new theme. However, the main building utilities remain the same.

     So, what are my thoughts? Well, in order to properly judge it, I'll look at Explorer's Reef from two perspectives: as a park entrance and as an attraction (you'll see why in a little bit).

     As an entrance to the park, I think it works very well. Yes, it may not be as immersive as Buena Vista Street at Disney California Adventure, but it does a very good job setting up the concept of the park as a whole: as a tribute and celebration of the ocean and all that inhabit it. There is even a sign above the exit that reads, "Thank you for celebrating the sea with us!" Overall, this new addition works well as an introduction to what the park is all about.

     But, what about the touch pools themselves? To be perfectly honest, I was kind of underwhelmed by the variety of animals, especially since there are only three species of animals you can touch. Even then, the cleaner fish were too small to make worth while, and the horseshoe crabs were too algae-covered to tempt me to touch them. So, overall, not the best touch pools around, especially since better touch pools can be found elsewhere in the park.

     So, overall, it's not the best touch pool around. However, it functions very well as an entrance to the park. It's worth checking out the visuals, even if the animals you can touch aren't that interesting.

     P.S. As SeaWorld's 50'th Celebration continues, keep an eye out for signs throughout the park that pay tribute to the park's dearly departed attractions, including a Shamu ride, Haunted Lighthouse 4-D, and something I saw in my childhood, J.J. the gray whale.

What's New to Do: Rainforest of the Americas at the Los Angeles Zoo

By: Andrew Bermudez

     This upcoming Tuesday, April 29, the newest addition to the Los Angeles Zoo, Rainforest of the Americas, officially opens to the public. However, as my family and myself are annual passholders to the zoo, we were given this first look at the new exhibit before anyone else. Ready for an exclusive sneak peek? Then read on!

     The new show occupies the space that used to be a series of long-condemned terrace exhibits that had been closed as far back as I can remember. Unlike those old exhibits, this one is firmly placed on the ground with a more conscious attention to setting the place. With that said, let's give a tour of the new exhibit, starting at the entrance next to the Cambodian viewing area for Elephants of Asia.

     The entrance to the exhibit is designed to look like a series of lily pads, with water running underneath. One series of lily pads is interconnected, creating a solid walkway across the water. More adventurous guests can try their hand at the disconnected walkway, jumping from pad to pad. In the back ground of the above photo is the handicapped access for the next part of our virtual tour.

     The naturalistic walkway leads to a two-story hut that looks over the main exhibit in this new expansion: the giant river otter exhibit. These otters can be so much fun to watch, especially when they're frolicking in their exhibit, treating the river in the exhibit as a water slide, or chewing up a map that one of the guests accidentally dropped. On the first floor of the hut are exhibits for several aquatic Amazon animals, including piranhas, the mata-mata turtle, and others. However, the animals down there aren't on display yet. What's the mata-mata with that? (*GROAN*).

     Next to this hut is an enclosure for the harpy eagle, truly a spectacle to behold, especially in flight. It not only adds more flavor to this already-interesting opening act of the new area, it also allows this new expansion to blend in with the adjacent aviary. Well done, indeed.

     Continuing around the corner and along a path that overlooks the Safari Shuttle route are more windows looking into the giant river otter exhibit. Have I mentioned that this is the main part of the new addition? Both of these windows feature underwater viewing, which revealed to us that the otters hadn't yet consumed their meal of fish that day.

     Directly next to the otter exhibit is a dual species exhibit for both the Baird's taper and the cotton-top tamarin. This one is equally spacious, but to be fair, isn't as nice as the previous exhibit. But it does still serve the needs of the animals in a realistically-recreated environment, so it does have that. Perhaps it's because this exhibit doesn't have as much shade, which brings me to another point: as this exhibit is new, the plants are not much more than small seedlings, particularly unrealistic for the Amazon Rainforest. However, given a few years, this problem should solve itself.

     Next up are a series of huts with exhibits, including the spotted pacca, which was hard to find but was eventually spotted (*GROAN*). It's nice to have an area dedicated to smaller animals, but this particular area just didn't meet up in comparison to the rest of the expansion.

     Go through a tree and past a giant log, and you're at the next part of our tour. This part features such animals as the pygmy caiman and the Goliath bird-eating spider (which was hiding that day). While the visuals in this area look very nice, this is also the new exhibit's biggest fault: as there are no plants, rocks or pretty much anything across the path from the glass enclosures, the sun's light in the afternoon creates bright reflections on the glass, creating a glare that makes it very difficult to see into the exhibits. If you are able to get to the zoo early in the morning, make this your first stop for that reason.

     Just beyond the fallen tree in the previous photo is the last exhibit: the toucan. The exhibit seems a little large for just one toucan, but it is a very beautiful bird, making the zoo's other toucan look plain in comparison (no offense to whoever that other toucan is, but seriously). After that is a series of winding paths that lead down to an informational center comprised of shade structures that look like they were ripped off from Zoo Tycoon 2, ending the tour.

     So, what are my thoughts? To start off with, the layout of the exhibit has a very strong start, but does have its setbacks after the village of exhibits, especially with the glare issue. However, the toucan makes for a good ending. As for the variety of animals, not all of the animals were out on exhibit yet, but the ones that were made for a nice variety. The design also really gave a sense of place. Granted, it may not look as good as, say, Cars Land, but what is there does an effective job of establishing the look of the Amazon Rainforest. I highly recommend making this your first stop when you next visit the Los Angeles Zoo, as it may get crowded during the summer. Rainforest of the Americas officially opens April 29, 2014.

     Note: The opening of this exhibit will also mark the return of the World of Birds show, which recently underwent a multi-year refurbishment. We haven't seen it yet, but when we do, you can expect to see a review for it here!

What's New to Do: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 2.0 at Disneyland

By: Andrew Bermudez

     After 14 months of re-imagining, maintaining, and replacing the track and other functional elements, Disneyland's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has finally returned! So, how did this refurbishment fare? Read on and find out.

     First off, I would like to point out that, because we went on late at night, I wasn't able to get any good photos. Therefore, I won't be able to add any photos of what the new experience looks like. However, with enough data mining, I'm sure you'll find photos elsewhere.

     We weren't able to attend the opening ceremony, but we were able to ride the day of re-opening, which, in the evening, had a posted wait time of...90 minutes. With all of the Fastpasses distributed for the day, we had no choice but to wait in that 90 minute stand-by line. Actually, to be fair, because the attraction is a fast loader, the line actually moved at a decent pace. In the end, the wait was well worth it.

     For those of you who are familiar with the original version of this attraction, here are the changes that were made.

• All of the track has been replaced, making for a smoother ride, even though the track follows the same path that it did before.
• All of the trains are new, mainly so that they can attach to the new track. However, the cars have a new paint design to make them look like wood. The engines have new aging as well.
• The entire mountain was re-painted with new texturing, giving a more realistic rock look.
• The entire town of Rainbow Ridge was re-built from the ground up, with new designs for the facades and a stronger sense of forced perspective to give a sense of the town being bigger than it really is.
• The loading area has been rebuilt with a new handicapped loading area in order to increase efficiency.
• Rainbow Caverns and the surfaces surrounding the first uplift have been expanded with more cave space, new effects for the ripples in the water pools, and new animated bats.
• The caves right before the second uplift have been enhanced with new lighting.
• Billy the Goat (at the top of uplift 2) has been enhanced with new, more animal-like, animation and has a new fur coat. Across from Billy is a new sign that warns of a blasting area ahead.
• Because of the new track and the train's smoother motion, the nets that would have caught loose articles in the spiral helix, which are no longer needed, have been removed.
• The canopy leading to the third uplift has been rebuilt, extending it out further.
• The cave that contains uplift 3 has been completely re-worked. Gone are the shaking rocks and the rock slide projections. In its place is an entire set of explosives, ready to be detonated. As you enter the cave, a broken lantern sets a wick on fire, which sets other wicks on fire that lead straight to the dynamite! Your train races up the uplift as you try to outrun the wicks running along the cavern walls. Your train manages to escape the cave as the main stash of dynamite explodes.
• The dialogue that is heard as the train passes Rainbow Ridge is new compared to before.
• Last, but not least, a portrait of Tony Baxter (the Disney Legend who originally worked on the attraction and oversaw this refurbishment) is hidden in the attraction. I'm not going to say where so you can have the fun of looking for it!

     As for my thoughts? If nothing else, the attraction is better than it was before. Many of the dated effects were either removed or we-worked, making this familiar attraction feel new all over again. While not everything is 100% perfect (to be fair, the bats look better, but they still aren't 100% convincing), it still gives the 35-year-old attraction a newer feel. It's well worth the wait the next time you're at Disneyland...assuming that you meet the 40 inch height requirement, of course.

What's New To Do: Universal Plaza at Universal Studios Hollywood

By: Andrew Bermudez

     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.

Visiting Sea World San Diego One Year Later

By: Andrew Bermudez

      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!

San Diego Vacation Part 5: Kansas City Barbecue and Old Town Temecula

By: Andrew Bermudez

     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!?!





San Diego Vacation Part 4: The Maritime Museum of San Diego

By: Andrew Bermudez

     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.