Mine Train

Stumbling into Carowinds

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Carowinds

I’ve always wanted to go to Carowinds. When the Buzzed Bars Coaster Club announced their Stumble 325 event, I couldn’t wait to finally go to the park. It was a two-day event with lots of cool activities. There was a Fury 325 backstage tour on the morning of the second day and much more. In general, I always enjoy spending time with Gary, Latifa, Matt and all the others. 

Thunder Road

The Thunder Road theme area is named after the wooden roller coaster Thunder Road, which travelled from one state to another and back again. An identical roller coaster can still be experienced today in the sister parks Kings Island and Kings Dominion.

Intimidator

The Intimidator is the classic hyper coaster here at Carowinds. The layout here consists of several camelbacks, which are travelled through at a decent speed, resulting in wonderful floating airtime, i.e. airtime that allows you to lift out of your seat quite smoothly and harmoniously.

After the first drop, the track leads us directly to a hill where we turn right. This is followed by a classic camelback that leads into the big horseshoe turn. After two more airtime hills, we enter the intermediate brake of the ride. Following a short drop and a subsequent ascent, we enter a steep turn. After another drop, we reach the final brake of the ride.

The Intimidator is a really good hyper coaster from B&M, which unfortunately suffers somewhat from the fact that there is a very similar coaster in another corner of the park. Nevertheless, a ride here is incredibly fun, especially at the back of the train, and should definitely not be missed.

Kiddy Hawk

The layout of the Kiddy Hawk roller coaster is a tried and tested classic from Vekoma, but in this case designed as a suspended family coaster. Accordingly, the ride begins with a short curve out of the station, after which the lift hill is already waiting. The ride immediately takes a left-hand bend with a subsequent upward helix, through a short valley and a wide right-hand bend close to the station. Over a hill, you cross the track you have just travelled on, whereupon you lose some height in another helix. After a left-hand bend, the braking section awaits and the journey ends. Here in Carowinds, the ride is unfortunately anything but pleasant, which is why I would advise against riding it.

Nighthawk

At the centre of the Carowinds theme park is the Nighthawk roller coaster. It is the world’s first flying coaster, which operated as Stealth at California’s Great America from 2000 to 2003. Here at Carowinds, the coaster initially had a Star Trek theme, but this was abandoned when Cedar Fair took over in 2008. Unfortunately, the ride was out of service when I visited.

Camp Snoopy

Camp Snoopy is the large children’s area at Carowinds theme park. There are a variety of rides for the whole family, including two rollercoasters.

Peanuts Pirates

If you have visited well over 100 theme parks, you will notice certain parallels between the parks from which rules can be derived. One of these is that a park with a Mack Rides sea storm ride cannot be a bad park. Peanuts Pirates is one such ride. As always, the ride is in a class of its own and should not be missed.

Wilderness Run

Wilderness Run is the large family roller coaster from E&F Miller Industries. The large layout not only offers the usual wild curves, but also a large airtime hill right at the start of the ride.

Woodstock Express

The Woodstock Express is the smaller of the two wooden roller coasters at Carowinds. The ride through the compact layout of the purple and yellow painted roller coaster begins after a short right-hand bend with the ascent of the lift hill. Once at the top, it’s straight into the first descent. At approx. 35 mph, we ride through the first valley, after which a turning curve at a lofty height awaits us. After another descent, we race over a small speed bump before crossing the wooden structure and taking another turn on the other side of the ride. Now it’s over hill and dale for a while before we dive into the wooden structure below the first turn and follow its course. Back out in the open, we dive into a small dip, after which we are already on the braking section of the roller coaster and the fun wooden roller coaster ride soon comes to an end.

Crossroads

Afterburn

The Afterburn rollercoaster is the theme park’s large B&M Inverted Coaster. The roller coaster adorns the rear entrance to the park.

The ride on Afterburn begins by entering the lift hill of the roller coaster. Once at the top, we immediately enter a steep curve. After a rapid descent, we enter a huge loop. Immediately afterwards, the ride goes through an equally huge Immelmann into a zero-G roll. This is followed by a very unusual element for an inverted coaster, a Batwing, where we stand on our heads twice and ride through a tunnel shrouded in fog. After a short hill past the station, we enter a corkscrew and, after a curve, the ride’s braking section.

Afterburn is a very good inverted coaster that impresses with its sequence of elements. The ride itself is not quite as powerful as other larger inverted coasters, so you can easily complete lap after lap on this ride.

Boo Blasters on Boo Hill

The interactive dark ride Boo Blasters on Boo Hill was originally opened in 2001 under the name Scooby-Doo! and the Haunted Mansion. Back then, the ride in the Mystery Machine took you through two-dimensional scenes with the characters from the well-known Hanna-Barbera series, in which you could trigger your own effects and unmask the villain at the end. Now there are only ghosts. It’s still very cheesy and well done, but unfortunately Boo Blasters on Boo Hill no longer captures the spirit of the original attraction.

Southern Star

Southern Star is the second Looping Starship I have encountered on my Stumbled Runner Tour. In contrast to the ride in Kings Dominion, the Southern Star takes a little longer to complete the loop. As always, the hangtime is in a class of its own.

Plants vs. Zombies

The interactive theatre Plants vs. Zombies is an interesting experience. Here you play against each other in two teams. Unfortunately, it’s quite easy to lose track due to the large number of players. All in all, a very nice attraction based on the famous video game.

Blue Ridge Junction

Wie gut Cedar Fair seine Themenparks inszeniert, zeigt der Themenpark Blue Ridge Junction. Hier steht neben dem Flying Scooters Mountain Gliders die Achterbahn Copperhead Strike.

Copperhead Strike

Copperhead Strike is a very special coaster from Mack Rides as it represents a turning point in the company’s design process. The coaster surprises with many never before seen features.

This starts with the heartline roll out of the station, which you ride through with a decent hangtime. After a turn we enter the first launch area. After a short stop, we immediately accelerate into an almost circular loop. While we experienced this with a lot of hangtime, the following airtime hill almost catapults us out of the car. As soon as we are back in our seats, we immediately enter an intense corkscrew. After a right-hand bend, the Bayernkurve takes us over hill and dale before we enter the second launch area. This takes us over a hill directly into an airtime hill with a subsequent cutback. After a sweeping turn, we enter the second loop, which we take at a good speed. After a hill through the first loop, the track takes us through numerous changes of direction, a helix and another airtime hill before we reach the brake section of the ride.

Copperhead Strike is Mack Rides’ best roller coaster to date. The track is incredibly dynamic with some truly breathtaking elements. The very original track layout also speaks for itself. All in all a very good coaster.

Carolina Harbor Waterpark

The Carowinds theme park offers a water park, Carolina Harbor, which is included in the admission price. Carolina Harbor has a variety of breathtaking water slides. As these are the only water attractions in the theme park, the park is particularly popular in summer.  Unfortunately, the water park was not open when I visited.

Country Fair

The Country Fair themed area is home to numerous rides, most of which have been touring the European fair circuit for several years. In addition to the Zierer Wave Swinger Zephyr, the area features the Mondial Top Scan Electro Spin, the Mack Rides Music Express Rock ‘n’ Roller and the Vekoma Boomerang Flying Cobras.

Flying Cobras

Originally opened as the Carolina Cobra, this rollercoaster comes from the Geauga Lake theme park, which has unfortunately closed. The Flying Cobras roller coaster has been in the park since 2009. Thanks to the new trains, the rather rough roller coaster is still a pleasure to ride.

Carolina Boardwalk

The Carolina Boardwalk takes us to the beaches of the two southern states. This area is home to three of the park’s most family-friendly roller coasters.

Carolina Goldrusher

Carolina Goldrusher is the classic mine train roller coaster at Carowinds. The ride first takes you past the roller coaster’s siding before heading up the first lift hill. Once at the top, the ride begins with a long straight into a right turn. As the speed increases, we enter a long helix. We approach the second lift at a leisurely pace. The track continues into a long straight and then a fast downhill helix. After a short climb, the track drops down into a tunnel. A final climb leads directly into the braking section of the ride, where our fun ride soon comes to an end.

Carolina Cyclone

The Arrow looping roller coaster Carolina Cyclone was the first roller coaster with four inversions. The layout was later built by Vekoma under licence several times in Europe, where it can be experienced in theme parks such as Efteling and Gardaland. Here at Carowinds, the ride is a little faster, but also a little bumpier.

Ricochet

Ricochet is the classic wild mouse rollercoaster from Carowinds. It is not quite as dead-braked as is often the case in America and therefore offers quite a pleasant and fast-paced ride. Due to the low capacity, there may be longer waiting times, which is why a visit in the early morning hours is recommended.

Carousel Park

The Carousel Park gets its name from the Grand Carousel. This area is also home to the Vortex Stand-up Coaster and the classic Scrambler flat ride.

Vortex

The Vortex roller coaster has been at the front of the park since 1992. After its sister ride of the same name at Great America in California, it is the third roller coaster made by B&M.

The ride on Vortex begins with the coaster’s lift hill. Once at the top, a steep turn leads directly into the loop of the ride. After a sweeping hill, we enter an intense helix. This is followed by a descent that takes us into the corkscrew. Finally we pass through two figure of eight turns before reaching the braking section of the ride.

Vortex is a really nice coaster. The stand-up coaster not only offers excellent ride characteristics, but also a very intense but not overcrowded layout. All in all, a great roller coaster.

Thrill Zone

The unfortunately rather generic Thrill Zone themed area contains the theme park’s biggest thrill machines. In addition to the Hurler and Fury 325 roller coasters, you will also find the large Drop Tower and the fantastic Schwarzkopf Enterprise Scream Weaver.

Hurler

The Hurler is one of the most unpopular wooden coasters in the world. After a big drop, the layout leads through a long straight and then into a right turn close to the ground. This is followed by three hills, which are ridden rather gently. Another bend is followed by two more hills. A turning bend leads into another hill. This is followed by the final turn which brings us into the braking section of the coaster.

The ride characteristics of Hurler are good, but the layout is incredibly boring. Almost nothing happens here. Especially when compared to Kings Dominion’s Twisted Timbers, which used to have the same layout, you can see how much potential there is hidden within the raw track layout. While one of the rides is now at the top of the rankings, the other is rotting away in the basement. It would be nice if Cedar Fair would give this ride the RMC treatment as well.

Fury 325

Few roller coasters at Carowinds are as iconic as B&M’s Fury 325 Hyper Coaster, which graces the park’s entrance. The 325-foot-tall coaster has an unusual layout for the manufacturer, relying almost exclusively on fast turns instead of hills.

The ride on Fury 325 begins as soon as you enter the lift hill. After reaching a height of 325 feet, it’s time for the big drop. At 95 mph we pass through the first valley. Shortly afterwards we turn right onto a large hill. After several left and right turns, we reach the big turn, which is very reminiscent of a clef. After a long descent, another hill awaits, which is quickly conquered. The track now takes us over a classic airtime hill and into a very close to the ground helix. After two more hills and turns we reach the final brakes of the ride.

Fury 325 is a fantastic roller coaster. The very fast layout with the great turns speaks for itself. Even though the coaster doesn’t rely on airtime, it still has some really nice airtime moments, which are more memorable than on Intimidator thanks to the consistently high speed. In short, Fury 325 is by far one of the best roller coasters in America.

Pictures Carowinds

Conclusion Carowinds

I really enjoyed my visit to Carowinds. The park has a great atmosphere and a very solid rollercoaster portfolio. Although I could have done everything in one day, I was very happy to have a second day available. The visit was also more than worthwhile for the Stumble 325 event organised by the Buzzed Bars rollercoaster club.

 

What’s your opinion about the theme park Carowinds? Simply write it in the comment field below the report!

Click here for the next report of the Stumbled Runner tour. 

Click here to get to the overview page of Carowinds.

Carowinds / The Stumbled Runner Day 2 and 3

The happiest place on Earth

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Adventureland

Jingle Cruise

Thanks to the recent screen adaptation starring Dwayne Johnson as the skipper, Jungle Cruise was by far the most visited attraction during my visits to the Magic Kingdom. The Jingle Cruise Holiday Overlay certainly helped make even more people want to visit the attraction, yet it is a very nice addition to the overall great attraction. The boat trip through the waters of the world is definitely a highlight of the park, not least thanks to the wacky jokes that are told along the way and the eighth wonder of the world.  

Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the classic Disneyland dark rides that everyone wants to experience, but when the Magic Kingdom opened, it was nowhere to be found. As the Caribbean is so close to Florida, it was thought that a pirate attraction would not be as popular, instead a large Western dark ride was already in the making. It didn’t take long, and plans changed to install Pirates of the Caribbean at the Magic Kingdom as well. A good decision, as the ride is just a splendid experience. All of the scenes are great and the loose story line of Blackbeard’s pirates overrunning a village in search of treasure is overall very well staged. 

Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room

The Enchanted Tiki Room is the archetype of all animatronic based shows worldwide and interestingly one of the only remaining ones. While the attraction did not age well in any other theme park around the globe and even the few remaining shows are cringe pure, the Enchanted Tiki Room is just great. The show has a great humour, a well thought out story arc and the music is just wonderful; especially when the tiki totem poles get into the action. I just love it!

Frontierland

Country Bear Jamboree

While the Enchanted Tiki Room in Adventureland is just an awesome experience, I cannot say the same for the adjacent Country Bear Jamboree. The show is a country music revue and fine for what it is; however, it is nothing special and a bit boring. No surprise, there is a new version of the show already in the making.

Tom Sawyer Island

One of the smaller attractions in Frontierland is Tom Sawyer Island, which can only be reached by rafts. The island itself is lacking a bit of attractions. There is a windmill, a fort, a rarely opened restaurant and plenty of great photo opportunities towards the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, but that’s about it. 

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Sometime in the late 1800s, gold was discovered on Big Thunder Mountain. Overnight, the small mining town of Tumbleweed became thriving under the thumb of the greedy mining company owner Barnabas T. Bullion. Mining was prosperous, and an extensive line of mine trains was set up to transport the ore. The land was sacred and hence the desecration of the mountain by the settlers soon led to a great tragedy. After a flash flood struck the mines and the town, the village was abandoned. Interestingly, the locomotives were found to be racing around the mountain on their own, without engineers or a crew giving us the opportunity to take a ride on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

We start our journey by entering the mine. After a short turn to the left and a turn to the right, we reach the first lift hill. Arrived on top, we quickly get some speed in a descending turn to the left. We then race through a rock formation before a turnaround followed by a very sudden dip leads us into a tight helix. We then pass the village on a very fun and janky track section, before diving a second time into the mine. After a left turn, we then reach the second lift hill. Once again, we gain some speed in fast descending turn. Then we climb up a hill and enter another helix at the top. With speed, we then take some hills with very sharp transitions, throwing us out of our seats, before entering the third and final lift hill. Now on top of the mountain, we first head over dip and dale, before gaining more and more speed. A long curve to the left is followed by one to the right, while we leave Big Thunder Mountain behind us. Passing a dinosaur skeleton, we then take the final turn of the ride leading us directly into the brake section. 

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is the perfect mine train style roller coaster. While aesthetically, the version in Paris is overall more stunning, it is also far gentler, albeit the very similar layout. The Floridian version has far more janky moments which underline the out-of-control sensation, we should expect from a ride on a runaway ghost train. In short, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is the perfect family roller coaster.

Splash Mountain

Initially, Splash Mountain was set to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the movie Song of the South, where for the first time, Disney managed to merge animation with live actors. The movie is famous for its animation, yet very controversial in its portrayal of the time period it is supposed to be set in. After its final theatrical release in 1984, the film never got a home release in America, nor was ever intended to be released on the streaming service Disney+, which to be honest is a shame and an early example of cancel culture. It would be best, if one day, a narrated version will be published.

Now that we have that out of the way, we can focus on Splash Mountain following the adventures of Br’er Rabbit. The ride starts with our log approaching the first lift hill after which we make a scenic tour around the ride’s final chute, before entering the second lift hill. On top, we bob our way through the channel before plunging down the first chute. A bit moist, we now enter a large-scale dark ride section which is accompanied by the song “How Do You Do?”.  After turning a corner, we see that Br’er Bear is caught in a trap, while Br’er Fox says to him: “We gotta catch that Br’er Rabbit!”.

Meanwhile, Br’er Rabbit has left home in search of adventure and is on his way to his Laughin’ Place. Br’er Bear follows him, but the “Laughin’ Place” is just a trick, and Br’er Bear is attacked by bees, while Br’er Rabbit laughs at the sight, which led Br’er Fox to catch him. While taking the third lift hill, we see that Br’er Rabbit in Br’er Fox’s Liar about to be eaten. Fortunately, Br’er Rabbit outsmarts Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear by tricking them into throwing him into the briar patch (where he was born and raised), whereupon we take the ride’s final drop. Soaked, we then approach the ride’s final show scene, celebrating a “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” day and the homecoming of Br’er Rabbit.

Splash Mountain is a fantastic log flume, but it does show its age. While technically, the ride still is top notch, the animatronics were a bit outdated and not all of them were in a good shape. About a year after my visit, extensive renovations started making way for a princess and the frog attractions, which for sure will be a perfect theme for this great water ride.  

Liberty Square

The Haunted Mansion

Passing the Liberty Bell Riverboat, we now enter the queue for the Haunted Mansion. This attraction is the reinvention of the classic ghost train and focuses on a coherent story line throughout the ride, while others focus on cheap scares or an overload of animatronics. The dark ride has so many noticeable characters and is just a very fun one to experience.

Hall of Presidents

Probably the most unique attraction within the Magic Kingdom is the Hall of Presidents. The show that features all past (and present) presidents is quite iconic and even for non-Americans quite interesting to watch.

Fantasyland

It’s a small World

The happiest place on earth is also home to the happiest cruise on Earth: It’s a small World. The cruise takes us on a world tour while portraying the culture of every country through the innocent view of the children. It’s a very nice dark ride, with a distinctive style, cute puppets, and a very catchy tune. It’s one of the must-do rides at the Magic Kingdom.

Peter Pan’s Flight

Peter Pan’s Flight is always one of the most popular dark rides at any of the main Disneyland Parks and therefore usually has a very long queue. It is one of the classic dark rides, yet it is a rather short, and in my opinion quite underwhelming, experience:

After leaving the darling’s children’s room, the ride takes us on a flight above London, before reaching Neverland. Here the kids get kidnapped by Captain Hook. Shortly thereafter, there is a short fight scene between Pan and Hook. After defeating Hook, the kids take over the ship and Hook has to deal with the crocodile. The End.

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Located right next to Peter Pan’s Flight you can find the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. The ride through the Hundred Acre Wood starts with the story of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day, where everyone is having some troubles facing the storm. After finding shelter in Owl’s house, we then meet Tigger, who tells us about Heffalumps and Woozies, which lead to a very wacky dream sequence. The storm got worse and not everyone is safe. Awake by the increased water, Pooh gets gone with the wind, while Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Tigger, and Owl attempt to save Piglet from floating away. Fortunately, Pooh finds himself stuck in a tree with lots of honey and in the final scene, everybody is celebrating that the storm is gone.

Mickey’s PhilharMagic

One of the few attractions at the Magic Kingdom to feature the world-famous Mouse and his friends is Mickey’s PhilharMagic. The attraction takes you on a magical voyage through the famous movie scenes and their tunes, but Mickey is nowhere to be found. The star of the attraction is actually Donald Duck, who curiously took over Mickey’s role of conducting the orchestra and experiences the famous animated scenes himself, which leads to all kind of clumsy situations. The movie itself is well animated and a lot of fun.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Currently, the most popular roller coaster at the Magic Kingdom is the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Based on Snow White and the seven Dwarfs, the ride puts us in a swinging mine cart which the seven Dwarfs use for their work.

After leaving the station, the ride directly starts with a turn to the right, giving the mine carts a first swing. A turn to the left then leads us into the first lift hill. The route now follows an undulating pattern over hill and dale, constantly changing direction, while approaching the mine. Here we see the seven dwarfs, working and chanting. While climbing the ride’s second lift, the dwarfs tune in their famous tune. After a small dip, we then take the ride’s largest drop, which releases us in large helix. After passing a bridge, we then make our way through some tight alternating bends leading us into the brakes.

The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is the most family-friendly roller coaster at the Magic Kingdom. Despite being innovative in its ride system, it barely uses it to its advantage. The dark ride scene is great, and the coaster sections are fun, but the ride is not worth the current wait times.   

The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure

The little Mermaid dark ride gives us the opportunity to voyage under the sea. The ride is home to some of the best animatronics to be found anywhere in the world, especially the one of Ursula is seriously impressive. The ride itself is entertaining and great if you just need some minutes of rest, as the wait times are normally pretty low due to the high capacity of the ride.

Storybook Circus

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

The carousel where you control the flight of your elephant is one of the most popular and most iconic rides at the Magic Kingdom. The first version of this ride opened in 1971 with a capacity of 10 cars. In 1993, a 16-elephant version opened. When creating the Storybook Circus area in 2012, the ride capacity got doubled – now two Dumbo the Flying Elephant carousels exists right next to each other, flying in opposite directions.

The Barnstormer

The Barnstormer is the smallest family coaster of the Magic Kingdom. The ride features a classic junior coaster layout by Vekoma, yet it got varied a bit to feature a second train. Starting with the lift, the train immediately goes into a steep curve leading us to the ground, followed by a curve surrounding the lift hill. After a small dip, a righthand curve then leads us into a helix. Shortly thereafter, we hit the brakes, and the ride comes to an end.

Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland Speedway

One of the least futuristic attractions at Tomorrowland is its old-style car ride Tomorrowland Speedway. The ride is based on Disneyland’s Autopia, yet it does not feature the same premise; instead of a scenic voyage, you are driving along a four-lane racetrack. Overall, the experience is rather short and underwhelming.

Space Mountain

After the success of Matterhorn Bobsleds roller coaster, Walt Disney approached designer John Hench for a new attraction that would be a focal point of Disneyland’s renovated Tomorrowland planned for 1967. Plans changed, but the ride itself got into fruition as the headlight attraction to the Magic Kingdom in 1975. The ride consists of two tracks, which layouts are exactly mirrored. Nowadays, one of the tracks is reserved for Genie+ customers.

The ride on Space Mountain starts slow but feels incredibly fast due to the lighting effect used on the otherwise very straight section. After a short curve, we reach the ride’s lifthill. Once at the top, we start our decent by entering a curve. After passing a block brake, we enter a gentle slope and soon after pick up some speed in a 270° helix. This is followed by a surprisingly steep ascent. After passing another block brake, we then hit a downward helix leading us into a very long curve followed by a jump into the next block brake. Here, we enter a very tight curve after which we take a large drop. We then make our way through a bunch of curves, before hitting another block brake parallel to the ride’s lift hill. The ride now gets progressively faster, as we rage through a series of drops interrupted by some curves. The largest of them then leads us into an upward helix. After another block brake, we continue our way downwards through a helix and some turns before we enter the final brake sections underlined by a visually pleasing light effect.

Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain is a very wild ride, although it only consists of a bunch of tight turns, helices and drops. However, due to the very rapid transitions, this ride fells out-of-control, which is especially underlined by being an indoor coaster mostly travelling through a low light environment. This ride is just insane.

Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

The Carousel of Progress is a nice attraction showing the advancements of technology through time. While some scenes nowadays are a bit dated – especially the fourth act representing the 21st century –, the ride itself has a very nice leitmotiv showcasing a great, big, beautiful tomorrow. Overall, the Carousel of Progress is an entertaining show, which should not be missed.  

Astro Orbiter and The Peoplemover

Sitting above the structure that houses the station of the Peoplemover scenic ride, is the Astro Orbiter. The ride itself is very similar to Dumbo the Flying Elephant, yet with a different seating arrangement, and just as popular. While there are always people waiting in line for the lift leading to the ride, the Peoplemover hardly ever sees a queue.

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

The interactive dark ride Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger is one of the smaller attractions at Tomorrowland, yet it is still a pretty funny one as you can control the rotation of the vehicle by yourself while aiming for the highest score. It is a very solid interactive dark ride, and one you should give a chance when the wait times are low.  

Monster Inc. Laugh Floor

The story of Monster Inc. Laugh Floor takes place after the movie; therefore, laughter is the new form of energy to power the monster’s world and we are invited to laugh at the headquarters of Monster Inc. The show is a fine one for native English speakers, as it is basically just a stand-up comedy show, but if you are not fluent, the show is a waste of time. Overall, most of the jokes are about the visitors to the theater, so if you don’t like that, the show is not at all for you.

Pictures Magic Kingdom

Conclusion Magic Kingdom

Overall, I had a great time visiting the Magic Kingdom. The park has a bunch of truly great attractions and some very cool shows. With the next roller coaster already in the making, I will not hesitate to come back one day. Albeit there is one thing I did not enjoyed at all: The food. Somehow, the offering at the Magic Kingdom differs a lot from the other parks at Walt Disney World and the quality is not that great. 

 

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Magic Kingdom

On Expedition Everest

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Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the park famous for its entrance sign meme, is one of the more visual stunning theme parks in Orlando. Opened in 1998, the park focuses on a limited number of wildlife experiences, an elaborated selection of rides and outstanding shows.

Tree of Life and It’s Tough to be a Bug!

Once you entered the park through the Oasis, you will find yourself in front of the Tree of Life, a large artificial Baobab tree featuring all kinds of animals modelled into its trunk and branches. The Tree of Life is also home to a theatre showing It’s Tough to be a Bug, a 9-minute-long 3D film starring the characters of A Bug’s Life. Interestingly, the attraction premiered first. Like the animated feature film, the attraction nowadays is a bit dated. In its heydays, the attraction was a visual stunning experience featuring top of the notch animatronics and never to be seen animations. The edutainment aspect of the movie makes it interesting, yet partly boring. The big musical finale is nice to see.

In the evening, the Tree of Life awakes. It then becomes an impressive backdrop of a projection mapping show showing various animals, which the guest might have encountered on their day at Disney´s Animal Kingdom. Unlike other evening spectacles, Tree of Life Awakening is not based on a Disney IP.

Pandora – The World of Avatar

Pandora – The World of Avatar might be the most ambitious themed area so far ever created in a theme park. The area features a bunch of floating rocks and a vegetation never to be found in a place before. It’s just astonishing! The overall theme fits in perfectly with the trilogy of movies, where two still needs to be published. It was a weird IP choice back in the days, as the first movie just had an impact due to its 3D effects in a time when 3D movies where actually popular.  

Avatar Flight of Passage

The main attraction of Pandora – The World of Avatar is the flight simulator Avatar Flight of Passage: An attraction unlike anything else. Where most flying theatres just simulate a flight using a machine of some sorts, Avatar Flight of Passage simulates the flight on a living being. Storywise, the guests are experiencing a flight on a banshee – a keystone species for the planet Pandora – using their avatars. The flight sequence itself is fast paced and full of surprises. Additional effects increase the immersion.

During the flight, I was sensory overloaded and just wanted to leave the attraction. The simulated breathing of the banshee is a nice feature for sure, yet a very unpleasant one for me. I understand, why many people love this attraction, as the quality of the attraction is top notch, and the overall experience is great; it was just a little bit too much for me. I might give the ride another chance in the future, but if the waiting time is high, I will for sure give it a miss.     

Na’vi River Journey

The dark ride Na’vi River Journey is the second ride in the realm of Pandora – The World of Avatar. The ride itself is a rather calm, but very impressive one. The boat ride guides us through a series of caves and into a bioluminescent rainforest – which is quite impressive. The main draw of the ride is the Na’vi Shaman of Songs – probably the most interesting animatronic figure by Disney so far. Na’vi River Journey for sure is a dark ride, which you should not miss when visiting Walt Disney World.

Africa

The African themed section of the park is probably the most immersive one. The port village of Harambe serves as the starting point for the Kilimanjaro Safaris and is home to the Festival of the Lion King show.

Festival of the Lion King

One of the biggest attractions in the Africa section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the Festival of the Lion King. The show features a central stage visible from all sides. Here, various actors sing, dance and perform circus acts. During the show, floats featuring puppets of Pumbaa, Simba and other animals are driving into the arena. The meerkat Timon is the only character of the Lion King, who plays along on the main stage.

Festival of the Lion King is a great variety show offering a colourful experience for all park guests. The floats are a great idea to bring Simba and Pumbaa to the action, the singing and dancing is just fine, and the circus acts are an impressive sight. I just expected the show to be a bit closer to the musical and was therefore a bit surprised. It’s a very fine show, don’t get me wrong, yet it could be even better.

Kilimanjaro Safaris

The guided Safari Kilimanjaro Safaris is the highlight at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. During the 18-minute (or longer) expedition, we explore the Harambe Wildlife Reserve, home to 34 species. As we drive through the 110 hectares of picturesque open plains, shady woodlands and rocky wetlands, an expert guide tells us all sorts of fascinating facts about the African wildlife and helps us to identify the animals. Due to the nature of this attraction, it is not easy to spot all animals, which is why the Kilimanjaro Safaris is best to be experiences multiple times.

Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail

Just after you exit Kilimanjaro Safaris, you immediately find yourself on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. This trail is probably one of the highlights at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, as you can take a glimpse on some African animals, e.g., your favourite meerkat and warthog.

Wildness Express Train

I don’t fully understand the reason why the Wildness Express Train is still in operation today. The train ride leads you to Rafiki’s Planet Watch and back. It is the only mode of transport available to this area of the park. Here you can inform yourself a little bit about conservation, learn to draw some characters and/or visit a small-scale petting zoo. For a normal day visit at the park, there is no real reason to visit this corner of the park and therefore no reason to take the train.

Asia

The Asian themed section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is dominated by the artificial Himalayas of the Expedition Everest roller coaster and many temples. The area has a great atmosphere and is home to two of the parks main attractions.

Feathered Friends in Flight!

Feathered Friends in Flight! is probably the most impressive bird show I’ve seen outside of the one at Parc LePal in France. It starts with a very fun running gag before the edutainment part of the show takes over. During the show, you learn a lot about the different birds and their behaviour.

Kali River Rapids

Unfortunately, I could not test the large scale Intamin rapids ride Kali River Rapids during my visit, as the ride was currently scheduled for maintenance. The atmospheric immersion of the ride speaks for itself, and I really wanted to experience the large drop during the ride for myself.

Maharajah Jungle Trek

The trail Maharajah Jungle Trek focuses on the presentation of Asian animals. Next to the graceful Asian tigers, you can find gibbons, Komodo dragons and many more species in a very immersive area of the park.

Expedition Everest

When the roller coaster Expedition Everest was built, it was the most expensive roller coaster ever created – a fact many websites are still stating even after all these years. Truth is, the ride is pretty impressive with its massive mountain structure, its steel bridge lift hill and the large drop going down the mountain.

The ride on Expedition Everests starts with a small lift hill after a right-hand curve directing towards the artificial Himalaya. A wide left-hand bend, we now move over hill and dale before approaching the main lift hill. Once on top of the mountain, we follow the path through a hole till we encounter a dead end at the other side. Without having any other chance, we now travel backwards. After passing a switch track element, we then run through a curve in pitch darkness. After an encounter with the Yeti, our journey continues straight forwards. With momentum, we now take the large drop out of the mountain. Close to the ground we then pass through a left turn before we climb upwards and continue our way through the mountain for another time. On the other side of the mountain, we then race though a tapering helix before entering the mountain once more. Here, we have another encounter with the Yeti. Shortly after, we reach the brakes, and our wild ride soon comes to an end.

Expedition Everest is probably the most impressive of all roller coasters at Walt Disney World. The scale of the coaster itself speaks for itself. The large drop and the tapering helix are my highlight of the ride. You cannot do anything wrong with a ride on Expedition Everest, especially when the waiting times are low.  

Disney KiteTails

I love a good musical and of course the updated version of the Finding Nemo musical should not open before summer 2022. In the meantime, Disney’s Animal Kingdom presented Disney KiteTails, which of course was suspended due to high winds on the day of my visit.  

DinoLand U.S.A.

DinoLand U.S.A. is often criticked as Walt Disney World’s less ambitious themed area. The main areal of the land resembles a typical fun fair with a bunch of gaming booths and seemingly transportable rides. As always in Disney parks, a Telecombat style of ride shall not be missing, which in this case is the Tricera Top Spin. The area used to be home to the two Primeval Whirl roller coasters, which have not yet found a replacement.

DINOSAUR

The main attraction of DinoLand U.S.A. is the dark ride DINOSAUR. This Intamin enhanced motion vehicle ride is one of the best dark rides in existence. To fit the theme with the long-forgotten Disney movie Dinosaur, we are in a time travel rescue mission. Our goal is to bring an Iguanadon to our present time before a fatal meteor will hit earth. On our way, we encounter many other dinosaurs and some aggressive ones as well.

DINOSAUR is a very impressive dark ride. The use of the enhanced motion vehicles makes our ride a rather wild one. In combination with the immersive surroundings and impressive animatronics, DINOSAUR for sure is a ride which should not be missed. 

Pictures Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Conclusion Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is indeed a very immersive theme park. The atmosphere at the different sections of the park is just great. Unfortunately, the park lacks a bit in its number of attractions. During my visit, many of the park’s signature attractions could not be experienced, as they were either currently upgraded, under maintenance or just got suspended. The park could easily benefit by focusing a bit more on the animal exhibits such as similar parks in Europe do. The attractions on their own are a good reason to visit the park, yet currently there is something missing. 

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Disney's Animal Kingdom