Originally Posted By TDLFAN Summer is in full swing at TDR this year and the codeword on the street is "--->Water Please<---". TDR is celebrating it's wettest summer season yet with the highly popular "Summer Splash" event in both TDL and TDS parks. At TDL, not only is it a wet and wild summer with 4 different "Cool the heat" castle shows, but also a fabulous brand new nightime production "Wet and Wild Pirate Night" and the re-opening of POTC, now taken over by Jack Sparrow, in a similar refurbishing to those found at DL and the MK's POTC. Over at TDS, those silly Chipmunks Chip and Dale, are out to cool off the guests around TDS with their aptly named "Cool Service" barge. Plus, a brand new and quite spectacular show is now being presented in the Arabian Coast courtyard, "Bonfire Nights", with Aladdin & Jasmin, Mickey & Minnie, presiding over a very energetic performance of popular japanese festival folk songs, performed here in english?, with lavish costuming and elavorate lighting and other fire effects. The show has a rocking soundtrack not yet available on CD for purchase..(bad OLC bad OLC), and this is one for keeps. I want that music on CD!!! and I want it NOW!! The show includes a summer...snowfall? All in all... this is TDS' new Rhythms of the World, japanese style, and I give this show 4 stars. As for the TDL shows... they are WET, they are VERY WET! Seems to me they have added more water power to those presentations, and the guests seem to enjoy getting SOAKED to the bone, in the heat of the daytime AS WELL AS in the cool of the nightime air... If this is not enough water for you.. Goofy comes out with his water machine parading thru the park and getting the guests wet as well. To add insult to injury, quite a few new "WET ZONES" have been set up around the park, giving guests of all ages even more chances to get wet and be soggy all day long. New merchandise for the summer event has appeared as well... and my favorite item is the long & skinny towel that reads "WATER PLEASE!" with a bullseye in the middle of it, which many guests have bought and euphorically wave in the air (as if they don't care) as the water shows dump mass quantities of H2O over them. It's Crazy!!! But then again, it's a level of "having fun" not seen in any other Disney park on Earth. The japanese guests just LOVE IT! Once believed to be affraid of water or impolite to get others wet in this culture... the fact is... that's a myth, based on what I have seen at TDR this summer. Check out the photos to see how wet guests get and how badly the water accumulates in the forecourt area. But fear NOT! The Custodial Cms are there to wipe up the area and move the water off the street restoring the walkways and hub area safe integrity for all guests. Many wonder why a show like this would not be performed at WDW's MK, well.. I think the answer is simple: Money. It takes a lot of money it seems to retrofit the castle with an elaborate water pumping system, create a custom-made stage with water pumps and fountains, and then a custodial cast of dozens to clean up after each show... and do this 4 times a day for a month and a half!! (6 times daily if you count the evening water shows as well) But it sure would be neat if the powers at WDW were up to this challenge. Finally, the big crowd pleaser is the newly reopened POTC, feat. Jack Sparrow. Folks! be advise.. this is the ride everyone runs to in the morning when the park opens.. Of course, as the day progresses, the lines go from 90 mins, down to 40 mins at the end of the day and be advised, there is NO Fastpass here... reason why everyone loves it even more since there is no waiting 3 hrs to see this. Thank God for that and I applaude OLC and WDC's decision to keep FP out of this ride. I could only hope they will do so for future refurbishings/additions, or eliminate FP altogether for good. The overlay inside POTC is similar to the one at WDW and DL. The one item I found interesting was the (spoiler ahead!) treasure chest and beating heart after the waterfall drop, which was part of the storyline in the 2nd POTC movie. I don't think that particular prop is found at DL, and certainly not in the WDW ride. I like how much closer yoou are to Jack's AA at the end of the ride, as opposed to the final scene at WDW. A CD is on sale featuring a 10 minute ride-thru mix, including those sound effects, dialogue and music from the newly revamped version of the ride... a pity because the US parks have not released this soundtrack yet. The CD also includes other POTC songs and the entire Pirate nightime castle show soundtrack as well. A great buy for any Disney music collector. I have posted this "little" pictorial to support this report... in it you will see updated photos from the TDL Hotel construction, new summer merchandise on sale at TDL, new shows, a few pics from the Hotel Miracosta, a MAJOR maintenance infraction at TDL (bad OLC bad OLC), updated shot of the Cirque theater under construction...and the lovely lines for POTC, as well as a few shots from inside the ride and also several other shots from around both parks. Best of all... you don't need to wear a poncho to enjoy these photos so go there without worries... SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!! If only I could get that frenetic song off my head... Enjoy! <a href="http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4334673&a=32567645&f=" target="_blank">http://albums.photo.epson.com/ j/AlbumIndex?u=4334673&a=32567645&f=</a>
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 Wow, great pictures, and great description. What you wrote could be used as a press release or something. It definately makes me excited and want to see this stuff in person. Especially since it's freakin' hot here and humid! I'd love to get drenched by the Castle show! Water Please!
Originally Posted By Waistcoated Rabbit I love all of your pictures! Especially the ones of all the great merch. I wish DL would carry some of those cute cell phone charms.. or maybe the ID holders. I've seen pictures of the Cheshire Cat one from TDL.. and I would die if I could get my hands on one. They look so perfect for APs and FPs! P.S. I have no idea what Thumpers girlfriend's name is either! lol.. does she even have a name?
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I think it may be Ms Bunny. As for passport holders, with straps... there are like 50 different types and designs.
Originally Posted By Mr X Cool review, TDLFAN. **Once believed to be affraid of water or impolite to get others wet in this culture... the fact is... that's a myth, based on what I have seen at TDR this summer.** Yup, total myth. It's amazing that so many people stated that here on LP as "fact" and the reason why Splash Mountain is "less splashy" or whatever!
Originally Posted By gurgitoy2 Yeah, I was never really sure I bought that "afraid to get wet" thing either. I always thought that Splash's "splash" was turned down in the winter, and because it used to be that people would come dressed to the nines in the parks. Heck, they used to dress in their "Sunday best" in the US parks too, but that's WAY out the window now!
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Well.. the myth might have been fueled by the way some things are done.. For example... several years ago, the first time I went to Expoland in Osaka, the Tidal Wave flume ride vehicles/boats, were completely covered with a clear plastic top, to avoid riders getting soaked. With situations like that, what would make you believe getting wet is acceptable?
Originally Posted By ChampDisney TDLFAN, you are correct. Thumper's girlfriend name is Miss Bunny. Great pics, loving the new shows.
Originally Posted By beamerdog Love the pix, TDLFAN. That fireball at the end was incredible. How close to it do people stand?
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>Love the pix, TDLFAN. That fireball at the end was incredible. How close to it do people stand?<< Thank you. I will be posting some new photos from my most recent visit to TDR (yesterday and you get to see from afar what the flames look like. They are shot from the top of both lighting towers on both sides of the stage. Which means.. the flames are about 30 feet above either side of the castle stage. Guests are at safe distance..
