Rumoured Test Track Refurbishment

Test Track ride at Disney’s Epcot look like updating their excellent ride. They are planning it will be closed from April 15 to September 21, 2012 for a complete rework.

As part of the refurbishment, the pavilion will be sponsored by Chevrolet rather than General Motors as a whole and the existing Test Track vehicles will be replaced by Chevrolet inspired models. Back in August 2011 a few new sleeker cars were spotted on the tracks wearing Chevrolet badges and Tron inspired graphics. Our Grandchildren love this ride or should we say the experience, so any changes can only make it even more awesome.

Mary

Having just returned last week from Florida, some Good News. Epcot has started testing a new entry ticket scanning system. Unlike the current entry systems, the new systems does not have any turnstiles or require the ticket to actually be inserted into a machine which should make it easier for families with strollers and guests in wheelchairs.

The new system only works with tickets that have a barcode on the back, basically new multi-day tickets and annual passholder tickets. Instead of putting the ticket in a machine, you just scan the barcode. In addition, you still have to scan your finger in the hand scanner to check that you are the valid owner of the ticket.

Each scanning “station” has three scanners on each side, making six in total. The idea is that the new scanners will speed up entry to the park. Note however that guests still have to have their bags checked

We are constantly asked by our future guests, which site gives the best deal for Park Tickets. It can be such a mine field with all of the different packages available, length of pass, which Parks etc. The best answer we can give is, search around the reputable sites and do a comparrison package price for each Park, as their needs are different from others.

Our main advice is DO NOT buy your tickets at the booths along the 192 & International Drive, as  again there have been a lot of tourists ripped off in the recent months.

Several people have been arrested in the latest operation to crack down on the illegal sale of part-used multi-day theme park tickets. Some 860 tickets for Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld, worth over $100,000, were seized from shops operating along Highway 192. & International Drive.

A few Tips, Be aware, Multi-day passes are non-transferable and their resale in Florida is illegal. If you buy a partially used theme park ticket you could well be refused admission and there is no way to tell how many days are still remaining on the ticket.

Be very suspicious if you are offered tickets for considerably less than their normal face value; remember when it comes to theme park tickets, heavily discounted prices are usually too good to be true.

Unless you specially pay for the non-expiry option on Walt Disney World multi-day tickets, they typically expire after 14 days from date of first use. Therefore there is a temptation for some holiday makers to sell part-used tickets to unscrupulous dealers.

It is not worth the risk of spoiling your holiday and hitting your pocket heavily. Always use a reputable site for your tickests.

Happy Holidays,

Mary & Larry

While you are taking your vacation in one of the many Disney villas, Florida villas, Orlando villas, Florida vacation rentals and villas near Disney that are available to rent, why not visit the theme parks and have a great time on the following wildest rides around.  We can guarantee some spectacular fun !!!

Universal Islands of Adventure - The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.  On this 3D simulation ride you are taken into the world of the comic book hero Spider Man.  The ride has quite a few twists and turns and a fantastic virtual 400 foot freefall experience. As Spider Man swings high above the city, riders will see, hear, and feel the action unfolding around them.

Universal Islands of Adventure – The Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster – on this ride you loop the loop several times.  You need to be at least 54 inches tall to take this hair raising and thrilling ride.  After you have been on it you will see why you need to be able to fit into the seat and harness comfortably.  At take off, you are launched from 0 to 40 mph in two seconds flat. The Incredible Hulk ride has a total of seven inversions and two subterranean trenches during the 2 minute, 15-second ride.   This is one that our children just adore.

Universal Islands of Adventure - Dueling Dragons – this is another ride (in fact there are two rides), where you have to be 54 inches tall to ride.  Dueling Dragons are the world’s first inverted, dueling roller-coasters. Locked in mortal combat (and coming as close as 18″ of each other) each dragon’s 2 minute and 25 second ride includes several inversions, including a zero-g roll, a Cobra roll, two corkscrews, and two vertical loops.  My wife went on Fire and then Ice immediately after and came off feeling rather sick.  The boys loved it and wanted to do it again.

Walt Disney world Epcot - Mission Space – is definitely not for the faint hearted.  The ride was designed with help from NASA to simulate what astronauts experience during a launch and spaceflight. Riders can choose between the heavy-duty g-forces of the original Mission: Space or a slightly milder version of this ride.  You are very close to the screen and it can become quite claustrophobic.  To be truthful, I came off feeling quite ill.  However, once again our boys loved it.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom - Expedition Everest – is a roller coaster that takes riders speeding towards the top of Mount Everest.  If the forward motion of the ride is not enough for you, it also goes backwards as well.  There are also a few surprises, including the fearsome Yeti, which lurks in the Himalayan mountain range.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios - Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – is for both roller coaster lovers and fans of Aerosmith.  This fantastic ride takes you from 0 to 60 mph with the force of a supersonic F-14.  There are high speed loops and turns as you travel along the Los Angeles freeway.  The entire ride is all synchronized to a specially recorded Aerosmith soundtrack.  Another ride we all love.

Sea World – Kraken – is always ranked as one of the top ten rides by coaster enthusiasts.  You can see Kraken from all over Sea world as it is so large and high.  It is the tallest, fastest, and only floorless steel roller coaster in the whole of Orlando.

Walt Disney world Epcot - Test Track.  In this ride you can see what it takes to be a crash test dummy.  You enter the car and then go through a series of exercises on the track where you test the brakes, swerve around hair pin bends, test the ABS (Antilock Braking System), and also experience extreme weather conditions from freezing cold to very, very hot, just like the desert.  Toward the end of the ride you career on to a 50 degree banked curves at around 60 miles an hour.

Universal Studios - Men in Black Alien Attack – is based on the smash hit movies “Men in Black”.  The ride provides you with laser guns with which you hunt down deadly aliens through the streets of New York City. If you score enough points you can earn the title of “MIB agent”.  Even if you don’t, its great fun playing against friends and family.

Universal Studios - Revenge of the Mummy – is an indoor rollercoaster that goes both backwards and forwards (mainly forwards).  This frightening ride is set and goes inside a very dark Mummy’s tomb.  There are fireballs, scarab beetles, and even an army of warrior mummies.  A really great ride and very, very fast so hold on to your hats – I lost mine once !!

The countries the park has are:

Mexico

Norway

China

Germany

Italy

American adventure

Japan

Morocco

France

United Kingdom

Canada

In these little outlet’s children and adults can learn about different foods and cultures that other countries have to offer.

There also something for the kids to do….they can collect stamps while they are walking around the different countries (the world) once they have collected them they can then exchange these for a free poster making it more likely that the will remember more about EPCOT.

Every ride and attraction helps to teach the audience visitors and guest’s something, whether it is about energy and the “pros” and “cons” of all energy sources as seen in Ellen Degenrees “Universe of Energy” ride, or a historical summary of Man’s achievements on Earth as depicted on the “Spaceship Earth” ride, otherwise known as the giant golf ball ride. This ride is customized for the passenger, allowing you to choose your home country via a computer onboard the ride along with an opportunity to select answers from a series of questions and then creating a future world for the passenger based on your responses.

Overall EPCOT is an educational theme park that goes about furthering this objective in entertaining ways. Many rides are supportive on respectable goals such as conservation, respect for our environment and cultural understanding.

The only ride which I can say I did not like very much was, “The Mission Space simulator” that was only because afterwards I felt quite sick and fuzzy headed.

EPCOT is a great theme park, which I thought was quite a bit larger than Magic Kingdom, and one which offers their guests a truly unique experience; you might even come away learning something new about our world that we live in!