Archive - Park Journey

Published on

April 15, 2015

Star Wars Celebration - Live Updates

Over the next 4 days we'll be at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim and we'll be updating and posting fun stuff on all of our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages throughout the convention.

We're also going to try and do updates here for you all to get caught up on all of the days activities. Below is our general schedule but if there is anything specific you'd like us to check out be sure to check out the Star Wars Celebration website and let us know.

If you will be at Celebration, feel free to join us at any of these events. Just send us a message or email.

Live Stream

Beginning Thursday Morning, there will be a live-stream of Star Wars Celebration beginning with the opening panel with J.J. Abrams and Producer Kathleen Kennedy.

Be sure to check out the live-stream here, and we've learned that any information or trailers will NOT be blacked out for those online.

Below is our tentative schedule for the 4 days of the Convention. If you see us around, please feel free to say hi and join us for some Star Wars fun. This is obviously in addition to all of the great stuff on the show floor.

Keep in mind, this schedule is only tentative, things are obviously subject to change due to other factors.

Thursday:

Writer/Director/Producer J.J. Abrams and Producer Kathleen Kennedy
Thu. April 16| 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Celebration Stage – Sponsored By Toys "R" Us
Don’t miss the big kickoff for Star Wars Celebration Anaheim. Star Wars: The Force AwakensWriter/Director/Producer J.J. Abrams and Producer Kathleen Kennedy will be on the Celebration Stage, joined by special guests.

Restored Music from The Empire Strikes Back with David Collins
Thu. April 16| 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM | Digital Stage – Sponsored By RealD
Take a deeper look at the iconic music of Star Wars as David Collins reveals story connections and hidden musical secrets within John Williams' iconic film scores. And for the first time ever, watch scenes from The Empire Strikes Back with the original music restored!

Disney Parks & Star Wars Merchandise – This is Where the Magic Begins
Thu. April 16| 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM | Behind–The–Scenes Stage
Be among the first to get a sneak peek into what new exclusives will be coming from the Disney Parks in 2015 & 2016. You will also take an inside look behind the magic at how Disney Parks creates exclusive Star Wars merchandise, with insights from Disney's creative development team. With Brad Schoenberg, Cody Hampton, and Quynh Kimball.

Feud of the Force Celebrity Game Show
Thu. April 16| 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Celebration Stage – Sponsored By Toys "R" Us
Who will win in the battle of Light Side vs. Dark Side? Live game show with some of your favorite Star Wars and pop culture personalities.

Friday:

Star Wars Battlefront – An Intergalactic Debut
Fri. April 17| 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM | Digital Stage – Sponsored By RealD
Join the talented team from DICE as they give fans their first look at Star Wars Battlefront and debut the official reveal trailer for this highly anticipated game. Learn how unprecedented access to the Lucasfilm archives and the award-winning Frostbite technology is helping to create an immersive experience that is truly “most impressive”. DICE will also show fans how Star Wars Battlefront will give them the chance to live out their epic Star Wars battle fantasies.

PodCRASH with That Chris Gore Fri. April 17
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Star Wars Podcast Stage – 208A

Date With The Princess: Carrie Fisher
Fri. April 17| 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Celebration Stage – Sponsored By Toys "R" Us
Fresh from the set of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Carrie Fisher talks about her life in the entertainment industry, her history in the Star Wars saga, and just about everything else that comes to mind.

Skywalking Through Neverland
Fri. April 17| 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Star Wars Podcast Stage – 208A

Anthony Daniels: Inside the Heart & Chaos of C-3PO
Fri. April 17| 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Celebration Stage – Sponsored By Toys "R" Us
Anthony Daniels, the one actor to appear in all seven movies thus far, will be on stage to present a unique hour of entertainment. Expect the unexpected when the man behind C-3PO takes the stage.

Saturday:

40 Years of ILM Innovation with John Knoll
Sat. April 18| 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Digital Stage – Sponsored By RealD
Lucasfilm’s visual effects division, Industrial Light & Magic, is celebrating an anniversary this year. John Knoll, Chief Creative Officer and Sr. Visual Effect Supervisor, as well as Visual Effects Supervisor for the Star Wars prequels, presents.

Smuggler's Bounty – Original Star Wars Audio Drama by Kyle Newman
Sat. April 18| 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM | Celebration Stage – Sponsored By Toys "R" Us
Smuggler’s Bounty reteams the creatives behind the Celebration VI hit Star Wars: Smuggler's Gambit. Directed by Kyle Newman and co-written by Newman and F.J. DeSanto, Smuggler's Bounty stars Han Solo and is set during the events of the original trilogy. This one-time-only live performance will be presented with music and live sound effects. Smuggler's Bounty will feature hosts from all three Celebration stages, as well as a star-studded crew of performers to bring this great Celebration exclusive to life!

Double Feature! “Talking to Myself” Starring James Arnold Taylor & Mark Hamill: The Return of the Jedi
Sat. April 18| 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Celebration Stage – Sponsored By Toys "R" Us
James Arnold Taylor’s kicks off the evening with his critically-acclaimed one-man show, that takes the audience on a fast-paced, multimedia ride through the life of a voice actor. In the production Taylor performs more than 200 different voices live. The Main Event of this unforgettable evening, spend an hour with Mark Hamill. An actor with a rich acting and voice acting career, Hamill is known best to Star Wars fans for bringing the iconic character of Luke Skywalker to life in the Star Wars saga. There will be one seating for the two shows, and a 15-minute intermission in between. If additional seating is available for Mark Hamill, those seats will be filled in during intermission.

Sunday:

Conversations with Gareth Edwards and Josh Trank
Sun. April 19| 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Celebration Stage – Sponsored By Toys "R" Us
Kathleen Kennedy, Kiri Hart and Pablo Hidalgo will be joined by directors Gareth Edwards and Josh Trank, who will share their experiences as the newest members of the Lucasfilm creative family. Learn how the teams came together and are collaborating to conceive and create the upcoming stand-alone films in the galaxy far, far away.

Billy Dee Williams: Baron of Smooth
Sun. April 19| 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Celebration Stage – Sponsored By Toys "R" Us
Our favorite Star Wars baron administrator takes to the stage for an hour of talk about his life in and out of Cloud City.

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Published on

April 13, 2015

WDW Downtown Disney and Disney Springs Tweet Round-Up

Disney Parks Disney Springs Downtown Disney DVC Walt Disney World

This week Renée did a couple of live tweet sessions at Downtown Disney and Disney Springs with a look at all the great new stuff going on.

Below you'll see some great pics of the Disney Springs construction and the brand new Boathouse restaurant.

Enjoy. And if you enjoyed the live tweets let us know, we'll be sure to do more of them.

Friday April 10

Live tweeting from WDW's Downtown Disney! More pieces coming into place for the "high line" on the West Side.

The former United World Soccer store moved to a truck to make room for Super Hero Headquarters.

New shirts at D Street feature some cool, kinda trippy artwork.

DTD West Side Starbucks has an "evening" menu with a wine bar.

Disney Springs is coming together nicely, and some old favorites still remain open with surrounding walls.

The Boathouse restaurant is nearing completion, with the Amphicars ready to go.

Amphicars are being tested, and the bar and outdoor seating at The Boathouse will offer some great views.

Erin McKenna's bakery has some delicious baked goods. They are all vegan, but give it a chance, they're yummy!

This new bridge is a welcome shortcut to Rainforest Cafe.

Bonus points go to Ghiradelli for giving out large samples of milk chocolate mocha!

Want to design your own smart phone case with your favorite Disney character? You can at D Tech on Demand!

The Sign Shop in the Co-Op Marketplace is Disney nerd heaven!

Wonderground Gallery has a unique take on artwork of classic Disney attractions.

Check out Centerpiece to have a complete Disney themed kitchen!

Wall of Disney Tsum Tsums at Once Upon a Toy.

While not brand new, the West Side DTD Starbucks is still one of the most original in design that I've encountered.

Disney food truck park has some different foods to sample from the various theme parks.

The waterfront along Disney Springs should be beautiful once it is complete.

A taste of Epcot at the World Showcase of Flavors truck.

One of the last remaining buildings from DTD's Pleasure Island days.

Do you want to eat a snowman? You can at Disney's Candy Cauldron. He's worth melting for.

Thanks for following along for a random stroll through Downtown Disney. Disney Springs is looking great so far!

Tuesday April 14

The Boathouse restaurant opened to the public this week. Tonight we took a look at Downtown Disney's new addition.

We didn't get to dine there yet, there was still tons to see. But if it's steak you want, this is the place to go.

And more importantly, the drinks!

And more importantly, the drinks!

Still in the testing phase but already a crowd pleaser are the one-of-a-kind Amphicars.

There are 8 Amphicars that start and finish on a launch with a turntable next to the Boathouse entrance.

Once it is ready, guests can take a 20 minute guided adventure around Lake Buena Vista in an Amphicars.

Behind the bar, along the lake is a collection of unique boats, most owned by Boathouse creator Steven Schussler.

It's worth taking a stroll along the docks just to see all of the boats

You might even find a hidden Mickey.

Also on the docks is a seating area, which I'm sure will be a popular place to grab a drink and watch the sunset.

Above the docks is an outdoor bar, again with great views of the lake and Downtown Disney.

If it's too hot outside, there's another full service bar inside to cool off and watch a game on one of the TVs.

We loved the design of the dining room, some of which included tables within a boat.

We weren't expecting there to be so much detail in everything both inside and outside The Boathouse.

Hopefully next time we will actually dine there. It looks like it should be a hit for steak and seafood lovers!

Don't forget to check out the gift shop on your way out.

Overall, we were extremely impressed with The Boathouse and can't wait to go back to actually eat there!

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Published on

April 12, 2015

Twisted Colossus Update #20

2015 Attractions Colossus Goliath Six Flags Six Flags Magic Mountain Twisted Colossus

It's time for another Twisted Colossus update. Today we had kind of a last minute trip to the park but we figured we'd better do an update this week since it might be awhile until our next one (more on that below).
We'll also take a look around the park and at a great new program that aims to recognize great employees at the park.

* Pictures and Words by Gregg Condon

The Top Gun Stall on the green track has been completed as well as the airtime hill on the blue, which almost could be another kind of high-five moment, just from a totally different perspective. =)

They've wasted absolutely no time on moving into the next set of elements on the ride.

This is where the blue track will come out of it's zero-g roll.

The start of the zero-g roll.

Just like with the top-gun stall, the side of track on the bottom (in this case green) is being installed first.

Where the green track currently ends.

Under the zero-g

The lowest part of the ride

A rare piece of straight track. =)

They were working on the final turnaround today. I think it's safe to say the ride is about 80%-85% completed. But this is only the track work, there's still a lot of support work going on.

Looks like they'll be completing the circuit somewhere around the end of the zero-g roll as they are working from both sides now.

An overview of the work that's been done in the last month or so.

Our first look at the twisty final turnaround.

Inside the park, REALLY liking the look of the theater.

Elsewhere, the park has introduced a nice new program for employee recognition. From what we were told, random guests will be given these when they enter the park and they can give them directly to an employee who has gone above and beyond to offer great service.
The employee will then give them to their manager so they can keep track of their performance.

It's a nice "instant recognition" thing that employees and HR love. =)

Goliath is closed while they replace the lift chain. Unsure of how long it will be down.

Noticed that the gates have some kind of extender on Full Throttle now, anybody know how long these have been there? Were they having issues with people sticking their hands through the gap?

I know this has been here for awhile, but this was the first time I'd seen it. Maybe I need to do a loop around the opposite direction next time I'm at the park. Who knows what else I've been missing. =)

As more schools are opting to have their Grad Nights at Magic Mountain instead of Disneyland due to increasing costs/decreasing value, the park looks like they are stepping it up a bit. Nice to see.

Work is still being done on Lost Temple Rapids in advance of Hurricane Harbor opening next month

Speaking of Hurricane harbor, they did a nice power wash on Tornado. Looks like it was just freshly painted. Glad to see SFHH getting some more offseason love.

Alright, that's going to wrap it up for this update.

We will NOT have a park update next week as we'll be at Star Wars Celebration all weekend (Thursday through Sunday) but be sure to follow along all weekend for that fun. We'll have more details on where you can find that coverage on Wednesday.

Have a great week everybody!!

If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter and Instagram. Also, be sure to join our new Mailing List to receive our newsletter (will be sent out about every two weeks)

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Published on

April 10, 2015

Universal Studios Hollywood Update - 4-10-2015

2015 Attractions 2016 Attractions Fast And Furious: Supercharged Harry Potter Harry Potter And The Forbidden Journey Hogwarts Simpsons Springfield Studio Tour Universal Citywalk Universal Studios Hollywood Wizarding World

We were up at Universal Studios Hollywood yesterday for a closer look at Springfield, which we'll be sharing for you at a later date, but if you missed any of the pictures we posted be sure to check out our Facebook page.
Today we'll mostly be looking at Wizarding World, which is starting to get more landscaping done in advance of it's opening next year.

Trees have been added to the hill down towards the Studio Tour. This is going to be a nice natural barrier between Hogsmead/Hogwarts and the Studio Tour.

These will fill in quite nicely over the next few years.

More framing for Hogwarts has gone up since our last update. Should start seeing details very soon.

Flying Hippogriff and Hagrids Hut will be in there somewhere.

This really is going to be a nice view.

Moving over to Hogsmeade, the buildings on this side look to be pretty much done, at least from the outside.

But just to the left, more scaffolding and details being added.

Not sure I'll ever get used to seeing a Springfield light post and Hogsmeade building in the same picture.

Our look at the arch for this update.

From outside the park, doesn't look much different. =)

Lots of stuff ready to be moved over to Hogsmeade/Hogwarts.

Moving on from Wizarding World, Fast and Furious Supercharged continues to get ready for it's June debut. Rumors are that Disaster at Universal Studios Orlando will be getting a Fast and Furious attraction, which makes sense. I'd imagine they'll use the same "tram" set-up although it'd be nice to see them get something unique.

Shipping Containers have been added to the exit of the attraction. I've only seen the first two movies, is this related to one of them?

Some great new merchandise has been added for the celebration of the Studio Tour's 50th.

This has to be one of my favorite things ever.

As a hat guy, I totally love this.

Moving out side the park, the new parking structures are continuing to grow.

Tommy's will now be a Smashburger

They've FINALLY moved the crosswalk from the Red Line station which should make it easier for both cars and pedestrians until the bridge is completed. You now only have to cross one side of the street to get to the shuttle up the hill.

They were moving some dirt around for the new hotel as well.

Alright, that's going to wrap it up for this update, we won't have another USH update for a couple of weeks due to Star Wars Celebration next week. But we'll be running the Springfield stuff as soon as we get the ok to do so.

Thanks for reading and for all the great support.

If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter and Instagram. Also, be sure to join our new Mailing List to receive our newsletter (will be sent out about every two weeks)

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Published on

April 8, 2015

Throwback Thursday - Six Flags Great Adventure 2005

Fright Fest Six Flags Six Flags Great Adventure

Imagine a time, way back in 2005. Six Flags Great Adventure actually had 3 Batman themed coasters, there was no El Toro and instead of a B&M Stand-Up, you had a rough Arrow Multi-Looper.
Kingda Ka had just opened, Medusa wasn't very Bizarre and you could still drive your car through the safari.
Today's Throwback Thursday takes us to September of 2005 and our first visit to this great park.

* Pictures and Words by Gregg Condon

In 2005 my wife and I were actually thinking of moving to Virginia ... from Southern California. Obviously, that never happened. But seeing as we'd already had a trip booked to the East Coast we figured we'd visit some parks we'd always wanted to visit.

Our first shot of Kinga Ka ... woah.

The parks entrance was totally decked out for Fright Fest

Look Ma, No Lines!!!

Yes, I'm wearing a Knott's Shirt, Disneyland 50th hat AND a fanny pack. I wasn't always this awesome cool guy you all know and love. =)

Feel free to let me have it, I TOTALLY deserve it.

Oh, and here's a fountain.

I like Turtles ...

♪ We like to party ... we like to party ♪

Superman: Ultimate Flight ... now in less resolution than you could get on your cell phone. =)

Great American Scream Machine

How about some POV of this classic Arrow coaster.

Games and stuff

I really do think Kinga Ka was the first coaster that also had a total area re-theme go along with it. A strategy that has pretty much continued to this day at many of Six Flags parks.

Frontier Adventures

Something is missing from this picture. I can't really put my finger on what it is. What a bunch of Bull. =)

Aww, Rolling Thunder. =(

Medusa ... Pre-Bizarro

Oh yeah, Kingda Ka was all new and shiny.

Nitro was my first B&M Hyper ... and is probably still my favorite one.

One of the best Premiere coasters ever, Batman and Robin: The Chiller.

It was truly an amazing ride, it's sad that it couldn't stay or be relocated. It's currently in storage in Brazil, hopefully one day it will once again thrill us all.

Alright, that's it for today's Throwback Thursday. Hope you enjoyed the article.

We're also now going to have an email list going out approximately every two weeks, just news on the site, and maybe some other really exciting things coming up. So if you are busy and can't check social media or the site every day, be sure to sign up here.

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Published on

April 7, 2015

Renée reviews the inaugural Star Wars Half Marathon

Avengers Disney California Adventure Disney Parks RunDisney Star Wars Star Wars Half Marathon

Renée ran the inaugural Rebel Challenge/Star Wars Half Marathon back in January and was nice enough to send us the following pictures and a review.

As a reminder, if you'd like to run the Avengers Half Marathon or any of the races that weekend, registration opens TODAY. So that means, register TODAY!!! =)

First, a few shots from the Expo, which is pretty much a typical RunDisney Expo but with some cool Star Wars signage.

We;ll start off with the 10k.

One of the best things about the race was the creative Star Wars themed costumes that people came up with.

There was a lack of characters along both the 10k and half courses, and when there were any, the lines were quite long. I didn't stop for anyone during the 10k.

They did have several Jedi cheering us on in some areas.

After the 10k

Moving on to the next morning and the Half Marathon.

Character lines were a little shorter since I was in an earlier corral for the half, so I stopped at a few.

Luke and Leia were appearing where Chewbacca was the previous day.

The lines for Chewbacca and Darth Vader were still too long for me to justify waiting.

Aren't these guys a little short to be Stormtroopers?

Running for 13.1 miles in some of these costumes is impressive.

Besides the disney parks, the best part of the course was a stretch of road where Star Wars fans appeared in some awesome costumes.

Finish line and of course the medals.

Thanks again to Renée for sending us these amazing pictures. It's nice to see Disney switching up the courses a bit and hopefully they'll have more characters out for the next race. Maybe even some from the new Star Wars movie!!

As a reminder, if you'd like to run any of the RunDisney races or other Theme Park Races, be sure to check out our article "Please Run Through the Theme Park at All Times". It's a great resource for upcoming races and all of our race reviews are added there as well. We are always adding new races to the article.

If you enjoyed this update please share with your friends and make sure you "like" us on Facebook and "follow" us on Twitter and Instagram.

If you have any comments, please share them below.

Star Wars Celebration - Live Updates

WDW Downtown Disney and Disney Springs Tweet Round-Up

Twisted Colossus Update #20

Universal Studios Hollywood Update - 4-10-2015

Throwback Thursday - Six Flags Great Adventure 2005

Renée reviews the inaugural Star Wars Half Marathon