Pre IAAPA 2008: Mr Potato Head in Charge 11/14/08

Arrived at Port Orleans French Quarter. Great place along the 'river'.Nice pool, hot tubs, water slide, and a very functional food court.

Off to Disney Studios, and a single rider 5 min wait for Rock N Rollcoaster. Craklin speakers do not deter this decent Vekoma. 7/10. Then aride on the Backlot for my first time. Much better then the poor excuseMovie Ride I did last year, but nothing to write home about. 5/10.While in line, I made reservations for the Sci-Fi Dine In. Expensive,but large protions, great servoce, and a/c. 8/10.

Off to Tower of Terror. Walk-on. 8/10. Then to q-up for the new ToyStory Mania. Probably the most 'happy q-line I have ever been in. Gianttinker toys, lincoln logs, candy land and chutes and ladders games witharmy men and monkeys. This ride has individual cars like Men in Black,but spins sissily-like the Buzz Lightyear. Great for all familymembers, without the motion issues. 8.5/10.

Then to Animal Kingdom for final hour. 15 min wait for Everest. Gotgreat POV. 8/10. Then a walk on for the Kali Rapids. Got wet, but notdrenched. 7/10. Still short, but it fits the bill. This park needs somemore punch. Do I hear a woodie?

Then to EPCOT. Soarin was a 20 min wait. This ride is great! Thesurprise ending swooping over Disneyland is touching. 9/10. Finally didMission Space Orange. Still a poor attraction. Nothing scary, northrilling. 5/10. Had take out at the Chinese pavillion. 6/10.

Watched the Illuminations, then the rain hit. I was in line for TestTrack, then managed to work my way to being the next in line for a car.They came by and gave out fast passes since several cars weredeveloping issues. We call it a day.

I love the Port Orleans resort. Agree with Animal Kingdom as well, I was underwhelmed with the park during my visit. I think I was expecting it to be more like BGA.

There's a great woodie for sale, only about 40 minutes away. Actually, "heard" (source NOT verifiable) on Sunday that Disney may have picked up the Vekoma junior invert from Cypress - no idea which park might be the recipient. While I'd love for DAK to get the junior woodie Triple Hurricane and for either Magic Kingdom or the Studio park to get Starliner....I just have a hard time believing wood and Disney as a reliable rumor.

I agree with the Animal Kingdom comments. My feeling was there was just too much dead space between attractions. There were long walks between attractions with little to see or do on the way. It kind of reminds me of California Adventure in that respect, in that it does not feel like a finished park.

I know I'm in the minority here, but I really enjoy Animal Kingdom. The park is beautiful and I could easily spend a few hours just walking around and enjoying the atmosphere and animals. I agree that the park could use some more attractions (a D- and E-ticket attraction would probably do the trick) but right now it's still a nice park, and we usually get there every year so it's not like WDW is a special treat like Disneyland.

I'm with you, Rob. We love AK. True, it's a bit thin on attractions, but we really enjoy Everest and the Safari, I think Nemo is the best stateside Disney production (beating Aladdin by a nose), and the environment is beautiful.

I think Epcot might be my favorite of the Florida Disneys, but AK is a close 2nd.

I go back and forth between MK and Epcot, so I consider them tied for first with AK second. As much as I love ToT and RnRC, Disney Studios doesn't seem to have enough to keep me occupied. I could easily spend hours walking around AK and the way the park is arranged makes it feel more like exploration than following a guided trail. Still, it doesn't beat Sea World as my second-favorite Orlando park, right behind MK/Epcot.

Next time we go we'll have to check out Nemo, as we missed it last time around.