Dream Park Diaries: Hypothetical Adventures

Hello friends! Join me as I share some Insights on Theme Parks and what changes I would make. Asks are open! Theme park centered questions only please.

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Asks are open!

Have a certain theme park question you want to ask? Don't be shy. My ask box is wide open, and eager to answer any theme park related question you have for me. I do have the right to decline an ask if the question doesn't fit with theme parks or deemed inappropriate. Other than that, have fun and ask away!

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Foodie Friday: Butterbeer

Welcome back to another edition of Foodie Friday where we will show case some delicious offerings that can be found in the theme parks. Today we are going to be travel to Universal Studio Resorts and take a look at the sweet drink known to wizards and witches a like as butterbeer. Butterbeer can be found in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter sections of Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal Studios Orlando, Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe, Universal Studios Japan, and Universal Studios Beijing. They can also be found in the Butterbeer Bar at the Harry Potter stores in Chicago and New York.

Depending on the time of year, you can order a regular, frozen, or hot butterbeer. All three varieties include the foam on the top that give it a hint more sweetness. If I were to describe the differences between these drinks, the frozen butterbeer has more of a slushie/icee type of drink that I would personally get as more of a snack than with your meal. From what I have seen, the hot butterbeer seems like the type of drink I would pair with a bakery item like a cookie or croissant. The regular butterbeer may seem like an odd choice to have with a regular meal, but I would see it as a slightly sweet cream soda, and it was my overall favorite the last time I had one.

If guests would like, they have the option to order a butterbeer in a collectors glass. One looks almost like a beer stein while the other has a more classy approach. Either glass features the butterbeer logo on the front. The logos seen in the parks are based off the rectangle design where the cups with the oval design can be found at the butterbeer bars at their flag ship stores in Chicago and New York.

Along with the classic drink, guests can also treat themselves to a few other butterbeer flavored treats for fans to choose from. These range from butterbeer flavored candies that can be found both in parks and certain grocery stores to pastries even butterbeer flavored ice cream to name a few. If you are in the parks and trying to look for candy to bring back home, why not try the butterbeer jelly beans and gummies found in Honeydukes, Sugarplum Sweets Shop, and K. Ramelle. Be sure to also check out the butterbeer themed merchandise at K. Ramelle in the Ministry of Magic at Epic Universe.

If you are looking for a more sweet treat to savor in the parks, a butterbeer potted cream might be more your type. It's a delicious almost pudding like consistency in an adorable mason jar. It pastries are more your thing, you can find butterbeer cream puffs depending on the time of year. Just recently at Epic Universe, a butterbeer crepe was introduced as a dessert option at Café L’air De La Sirène. During a hot day in the wizarding world, a nice butterbeer ice lolly or ice cream would be sure to hit the spot. Whether you're a die hard Harry Potter fan or just want to try something new, you can not go wrong with having a nice refreshing butterbeer.

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Water ride Showcase: Splash Mountain/ Tiana's Bayou Adventure

On this episode of Water Ride Showcase, we will be taking a step back from Universal and will be heading over to the Disney Parks to take a look at Tiana's Bayou Adventure and it's predecessor Splash Mountain.

Now you might be wondering, why would I be looking at both of these rides. Shouldn't they deserve their own post? I agree with you that they should, but in order to understand how we got to Tiana's Bayou Adventure, we need to take a look at how Splash Mountain came to be. It all started with Imagineer Tony Baxter and his idea of a water ride for Bear (now Critter) County in Disneyland.

Baxter realized that not a lot of people were going to see the Country Bears and America Sings attractions, and wanted to create a log flume ride that would act as a sort of thrill ride to attract more guests to the area. When looking for a story for this new attraction, he took a look at the story of Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Bear, and Br'er Fox that was feature in the Disney film Song of the South. (It is worth mentioning that Song of the South is banned in the states due to some racist depictions found in the film. I don't believe those depictions were in the animated portion of the film that was referenced in the ride however I have not seen the film in question, and I can't say for certain. Either way, I do not tolerate that sort of behavior, and want others to know that this page is a safe environment. This would also be one of the reasons for the ride change later on.)

The ride in question would reuse the animatronics from the now defunct America Sings attraction for most of the animals featured in the ride with special ones being made for the main cast of Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Bear, and Br'er Fox. The logs used in Disneyland's version would be the standard log flume vehicle that would fit about seven passengers per log sitting one in front of the other. It would feature a few drops with the final drop leading to the briar patch at the end. Splash Mountain would open in Disneyland on July 17th 1989 with others opening in Magic Kingdom on October, 2nd 1992, and in Tokyo Disneyland on October 1st, 1992. The ones opening in Florida and Tokyo would be a carbon copy with bench seating for their logs as well as making all the animatronics for their parks.

These rides would later close in both Disneyland on May 31st, 2023 and in Magic Kingdom on January 23rd, 2023 to make room for a new log ride, Tiana's Bayou Adventure. The ride can still be seen in it's original form in Tokyo Disneyland. Personally, I thought the original story for Splash Mountain was cute, but the animal animatronics needed a lot of TLC. For those that have never been on the ride or miss the classic, you can still enjoy the ride through video below thanks to TPM vids on Youtube.

Now moving on from Splash Mountain, Tiana's Bayou Adventure finally opened in Magic Kingdom on June 28th 2024, and opened in Disneyland on November 15th 2024. The ride features new more articulated animatronics of Tiana, Louis, and Mama Odie as well as splitting some of the scenes up with screens instead of the animatronics. The story takes place during last minute preparations for a Mardi Gras party, and your job is to go with Louis to help Tiana find a band to play at the party. Along the way, you'll come across a few drops as well as finding both new and familiar faces. And just like last time, you will go down a big drop to reach the party. Now I can't say my personal feelings about the ride since I haven't been on it yet, but that should be fixed in September. (Yay! Vacation!) If you would like to see a ride through of this attraction, you can enjoy this video by TPM vids as well.

Tips for this ride:

Just like other water rides, try to go on this ride first thing that day. You will get soaked and at least by the end of the day you'll get dried off.

This is a regular log flume vehicle in Disneyland. If you have long legs and are worried about how comfortable you'll be in the ride, please ask cast members as well as observe the ride as you travel through the queue.

When preparing an outfit, I would still say no to jean shorts or any other material that will make you chaff after getting wet. My personal go to are bike shorts, but you can wear whatever works for you.

I still stand by my Crocs over regular sandals. They will still get dry by the end of the day, and actually stay on your feet. I would say Hey Dudes would be okay too, but I haven't tried those shoes in the theme parks yet.

If you truly need to have your phone with you on the ride, please get one of those water proof cases. They have cheap ones at Five Below that will work just fine.

I would also not recommend this ride if the high for the day doesn't reach past at least 85°F let alone start off the day at 81°F or so. You will be cold and miserable for the rest of the day, and if you are of the plus size group it will be difficult to find dry clothes to change into in the park. I know because I've tried.

In the end, this ride is a great way to cool off in the Disney Parks, and I'm glad Tiana finally got a ride of her own. Now if we could only get a sit down version of her restaurant.

[dreamparkdiaries]

Foodie Friday: Popcorn

It's that time of the week again! Welcome to another edition of Foodie Friday. A little post to tell you how to snag some interesting food while in theme parks around the globe. This week we will be talking about popcorn!

Popcorn has been around for ages, but it wasn't really seen in carnivals and circuses until the 1800's with the invention of the Cretor's popcorn machine featured at the Chicago World's Fair. It was seen as a cheap snack that would later be added to movie theaters as a primary snack choice. Walt Disney made sure popcorn would be a snack staple across all of his parks. Originally, popcorn would be sold in boxes that guests could carry around the parks. It wouldn't be until the 90's that would start the trend of the souvenir popcorn buckets would begin.

These buckets started out as an oversized thermos sort of bucket with a themed wrap depending on the place and time of year. The one seen up above was recently created for the 25th Anniversary of the Disney Cruise Line. Most buckets would try to keep it simple with the logo of the theme park on the front and back of the bucket similar to this one for Universal Studios seen below.

It wouldn't be long before these simple buckets would turn into popular collectors items. As time went on, these simple buckets would start to take the shape of popular characters and icons around both theme parks and movies. Most notably would be the Figment popcorn bucket craze of 2022 during Epcot's Festival of the Arts. *cue war flash backs for the brave souls that waited in line for hours on end*

Now back to the topic of the actual snack itself, popcorn can be found in a variety of flavors across many theme parks around the world. The one that is seen as the standard flavor is the classic buttery popcorn that is usually found at different stands across the parks made constantly at these stands. In some of the other shops and locations, you may come across prepackaged bags of the classic buttery popcorn along with caramel and cheese. Occasionally, a gourmet flavor may appear in these prepackaged bags like cinnamon toast or confetti. Disney has recently included flavors like churro, maple bacon, and caramel with cashews and almonds just to name a few. Other times their might be special shops that sell only a certain kind of popcorn like the maple popcorn in the Canada pavilion and the fresh caramel corn in the Germany pavilion at Epcot.

In some of the theme parks located in China and Japan, you may come across a variety of flavors you never thought possible. In Universal Studios Japan, a honey plum flavored popcorn was released with a Nezuko popcorn bucket when they were featuring a Demon Slayer ride overlay. They also release peach and mushroom flavored popcorn for Super Nintendo World as well with a super star and Bob-omb popcorn bucket. Over at the Tokyo Disney Resort, guests can find honey, milk chocolate, curry, and even roast beef flavored popcorn just to name a few. Hong Kong Disneyland has a few new flavors they are releasing for their 20th Anniversary such as Caramel and Banana as well as a Caramel and Pineapple one being released in January of 2026.

No matter what flavor of popcorn you're into, theme parks will always have a stand of popcorn nearby. Hope you liked it. I might do a few separate posts about the various kinds of popcorn buckets over the years at a later date. Stay tuned!

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Happy 4th of July!

In honor of the 4th I wanted to share a few videos showcasing a few theme park fireworks displays. But first, a message from Sam Eagle this weeks Muppet of the week.

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A post shared by Disney Parks (@disneyparks)

Speaking of the Disney Parks, our first video is Magic Kingdom’s 4th of July fireworks show. They usually show it on the 3rd and 4th to give people a chance to see it. This video is brought to us by the people who run WDW News Today on their YouTube channel.

Next we are going to head on over to California for the Disneyland 4th of July display. This video is again brought to you by WDW News Today

While staying in California, you can also check out both the Knotts Berry Farm as well as Universal Hollywoods display. Knotts Berry Farm is from theFUNnelCakeBlog while the Universal Hollywood display is from Universal Parks News Today

Knott’s Berry:

Universal Studios Hollywood:

As more videos are posted, I’ll be sure to update the post. Thank you for reading and have a happy and safe 4th of July.

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Foodie Friday: Dole Whip

Starting a new idea showcasing different foods that can be found in theme parks across the world. Let's start Foodie Friday with a Disney staple, the Dole Whip and Dole Whip float.

Dole Whip was first created in 1983 by food scientist Kathy Westphal in the Dole Technical Center in San Jose, California. Kathy and her team were put to the task when Dole took over the sponsor ship for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki room at Disneyland in 1976, and later sponsoring the Walt Disney World version in 1983 called Tropical Serenade. When they started to sponsor the attraction in Disneyland, guests would be able to get pineapple spears as well as juice. However, Walt Disney World would allow guests to receive a cup of vanilla soft serve with diced pineapples on top. It was then Kathy was tasked to come up with a dry mix in that would help create this non-dairy treat that could with stand those hot Florida summers. Thus the dole whip we know and love was born! After a soft opening in 1983, Dole Pineapple Whip officially debuted in 1984 in the Magic Kingdom with three flavors to choose from: pineapple, orange, and strawberry. Disneyland would later receive the pineapple Dole whip in 1986.

Over the years, Disney has expanded both the flavors and locations in which people can purchase these sweet treats with the most popular still being the the classic Pineapple Dole Whip. As of 2023, fans of this pineapple treat can even it at their local grocery stores. Below will be a small list of where you can find them through out different Disney Parks with some of their offerings.

Please note: Some locations and flavor availability is subject to change in a moments notice.

Walt Disney World Resort:

Magic Kingdom:

Aloha Isle: Pineapple Dole Whip Cup, Pineapple Float, Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, Coconut Cup, Raspberry Swirl Cup

Sunshine Tree Terrace: Orange Bird Sipper, Dole Whip Orange Cup, Dole Whip Strawberry cup, Orange Cream Soft-serve Cup (Orange and Vanilla Swirl) Seasonal Dole Whips

Storybook Treats: Rapunzel Sundae (short cake with Wild Berry and Dole Whip Lemon soft serve) Aurora Cone (Dole whip Strawberry and blue soft serve)

Epcot:

Refreshment Outpost: Dole Whip Raspberry

Animal Kingdom:

Tamu Tamu Refreshments: Dole Whip Pineapple Cup (with and without Parrot Bay Coconut Rum), Dole Whip Pineapple Float (Pineapplejuice, Orange Soda, Hard Cider using ACE Pineapple Craft Cider, Pineapple Juice Float with Parrot Bay Coconut Rum)

Disney Springs:

Swirls on the Water: Have both Classic and seasonal flavors depending on the time of year which include, but aren't limited to Dole Whip Watermelon, Dole Whip Lemon, Dole Whip Orange, Pineapple Dole Whip, Cherry Dole Whip, A Sampler that features three flavors with toppings, Dole Whip Float (with or with out Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Hard Cider, and topped with rum that includes pineapple juice pineapple Dole Whip and either Captain Morgan Spiced Rum or Malibu Coconut Rum)

Wine Bar George: Frozen old fashioned with Dole Whip Orange and George Dickel 8-year-old Tennessee Whiskey, Frozcato made with Dole Whip Pineapple Moscato (a sweet white wine) and vodka

Disney Resorts:

Disney's Boardwalk: Joe's Marvelous Margaritas (Dole Whip Smoothie, Captain's Seaside Sensation contains Captain Morgan Rum)

Disney's Polynesian Village Resort: Trader Sam's Grog Grotto (Spikey Pineapple with Cruzan Mango Rum blend with Dole Whip Pineapple) Barefoot Pool Bar (Frozen Margarita with Dole Whip Lime, Frosty Pineapple, The Voyager), Oasis Bar & Grill (Frozen Margarita with Dole Whip Lime, Frosty Pineapple, The Voyager), Pineapple Lanai (Dole Whip Soft-serve, Dole Whip with Rum Floater favorite Pineapple Float)

Old Key West Resort: Good's Food to Go (Seasonal Dole Whip)

Saratoga Springs Resort: Backstretch Pool Bar (Seasonal Dole Whip)

Contemporary Resort: Contempo Cafe (Dole Whip Cupcake)

Blizzard Beach:

Warming Hut: Dole Whip Orange Cup (with or without vanilla swirl), Dole Whip Orange Waffle Cone (with or without vanilla swirl)

Typhoon Lagoon:

Happy Landings: Pineapple Upside-down Cone

Snack Shack: Kungaloosh Kooler (alcoholic), Dole Whip Soft Serve (pineapple, lime, mango, and raspberry and with or without Plantation Original Dark Rum, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, or El Silver Tequila), Hei Hei Cone (Pineapple and Raspberry Dole Whip swirl) Habanero Lime Galley Shack Swirl (Dolw Whip Mango with El Jimador Silver Tequila)

Disneyland Resort:

Disneyland Park:

Tiki Juice Bar: Dole Whip Pineapple Soft Serve, Dole Whip Float

The Tropical Hideaway: Chile-Mango Whip, Sweet Lumpia with Dole Whip Dipping Sauce

Disneyland Hotel:

Tangaroa Terrace: Dole Whip Pineapple Soft Serve, Dole Whip Float, Dole Whip Float with a Splash of Rum

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Theme Park Friends: Duffy the Disney Bear and his friends

Hello everybody! I wanted to try something a little different. Let's take a closer look at one of my favorite theme friends that needs to come back to the US Parks, Duffy the Disney Bear and his friends!

Duffy first appeared at Downtown Disney's (now Disney Springs) Once Upon a Toy Store. He was first called "The Disney Bear," and was used to promote the grand opening. They called him the Disney bear due to his Mickey shaped paw pads and birthmark as well as the Mickey imprint on his face. The first version of his story had Tinker Bell share a little of her Pixie Dust to bring Mickey's bear to life. The little story was cute, and they originally sold the bear in a variety of colors. However, our little friend didn't get as popular as the Disney company would have hoped leaving the first version of the bears to sort of fade from view in 2004.

All is not lost for this little guy. In 2001, the Tokyo Disney Resort launched The Disney Bears on December 1st to go along with their Christmas event. He soon became a big hit with the Oriental Land Company wanting to rebrand the Disney Bears into Duffy and give him the story we are familiar with today.

The story we all know and love starts with Mickey starting his journey around the world. Before he leaves, Minnie gives Mickey a teddy bear to remind him of home during his travels. During a particularly busy day at sea, Mickey brings out Duff and gives him a big hug missing his friends back home. As he fell asleep, Duffy starts to come alive filled with the magic and love poured into Minnie's hard work and care. They continue to travel the globe making new friends and trying new things along the way. Mickey had so much fun with Duffy that Minnie decided to make ones for all of their friends. This is where Duffy would then receive outfits based on different characters as well as places from around the world that could be bought around the Disney Parks (especially Epcot).

Duffy's story would be played for children to see during the Bedtime Story Block on one of the resort channels. You can follow along with the cute video below:

Now of course Duffy didn't just have Disney characters as his friends. Over the years Duffy would find 6 new friends through his travels around the world. His first friend turned girlfriend is the adorable ShellieMay. One day when Duffy and Mickey were back home from another long journey, Minnie noticed how lonely Duffy was. She took the time to create a new teddy bear friend for him to be with. As Duffy was showing the sweet bear the beach, he came across a heart shaped shell and gave her the name ShellieMay. Just like Mickey and Minnie are a couple, it is generally assumed that Duffy and ShellieMay are a couple as well. A featured outfit for ShellieMay is an adorable sailor dress that slightly mimics Duffy's sailor outfit.

After becoming friends with ShellieMay, Duffy found a new friend in the form of Gelatoni. Gelatoni is an adorable kitty who loves to paint with his tail. He met Duffy one day while he was eating ice cream. When some of Duffy's ice cream fell on the ground, Gelatoni was able to cheer him up by showing him how he could paint using the ice cream. They later created pictures for each other showcasing their new friendship. Duffy made a promise that he try to find the beauty in everything just like Gelatoni.

Duffy's next friend is a sweet purple bunny named Stella Lou. She meets Duffy one day as she was practicing her dancing. She showed Duffy that dreams are more than just the visions we have when we sleep. They can be our future goals and hope for the future. She also encourages Duffy to keep trying to find his dream and make it come true.

While searching the islands for a gift for ShellieMay, Duffy met a relaxing turtle named 'Olu Mel. He was playing his ukelele along the beach as Duffy and Mickey were trying to find the perfect gift. When Duffy heard 'Olu Mel singing, he asked him to join them for ShellieMay's birthday. He was more than happy to share his music with new friends, and can't wait to sing with them again.

Duffy found his next friend while eating some cotton candy at a near by cafe. Cookie Ann was walking towards Duffy with a large stack of waffles blocking her view. As she ran into him, some of the waffles squished Duffy's cotton candy. When Cookie Ann saw what happened, she encouraged Duffy to try the new creation. He took a big bite of his new cotton candy waffle sandwich. With Cookie Ann's help, Duffy decided to keep an open mind and try new things.

Duffy's most recent friend is a pink fox named Lina Bell. He met Lina Bell while walking through the park with Mickey. He got distracted by a little butterfly flying away from the trail. When he turned around, Duffy got scared when he didn't recognize where he was. Lina Bell saw how worried Duffy was and used her sleuthing skills to help reunite Duffy and Mickey. She might be Duffy's latest friend, but there could be more on the horizon.

Most of Duffy's friends can currently be found at the Toyko Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disney Resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, and Duffy, ShellieMay, and 'Olu Mel can be found at Aulani Resort in Hawaii. These will friends can be seen on various bags and accessories as well as plushies with them in themed outfits depending on the time of year. For example, they each have a special outfit for their 20th Anniversary in the Hong Kong Disney Resort. In recent months, Duffy and ShellieMay have made a few appearances during Disneyland's 70th Anniversary cavalcade along with a few ticketed events in both the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resort. Hopefully we will see the return of Duffy and his friends to the parks very soon.

If you would like to see more of Duffy and his Friends, there are a series of videos on YouTube featuring these adorable friends.

YouTube links:

Welcome Lina Bell!

Lunchbox Mystery:

Christmas Special:

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Water ride Showcase: Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls

Staying in Universal's Islands of Adventure, Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls is a log flume water ride based on the Dudley Do-Right cartoons. Located right before the exit to Toon Lagoon, Ripsaw Falls invites guests to hop in and join Dudley as he goes across the Canadian wilderness to rescue Nell from the dreaded Snidely Whiplash. Along the way, you'll see little punny jokes and cartoon humor along both the inside and outside portion of the tracks.

The ride starts off in the queue as you start to pass through Snidely's hideout, a theater showing poster of movie parodies like Jaws, E.T., Three men and a baby, and silence of the lambs, and a room show casing a talking bear and beaver head. If you listen closely, you can hear the bear making fun of Disney referencing the Country Bears as well as It's a Small World. During the trip through the backstage of the theater, you'll see Nell being taken from her dressing room by Snidely Whiplash setting up the plot of our ride. As you enter the main screening room, you and your party will boarding the logs as old clips from the Dudley Do-Right are shown on the screen a head. On the right side of the log, a short loading video is played to help guests get situated in the log.

As you start your journey through the ride, you will come across many scenes featuring our brave hero's journey to find and save Nell from the evil Snidely. Be on the look out for several references to rides from the Disney parks. Some of the jokes make fun of such rides as Splash Mountain as well as the famous fake out scene from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride which leads to our first drop. (If you're not familiar, right before the final scene of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride you are about to drive right into a train.) After going down the final drop, you see a scene with Snidely trying to trick a beaver into giving him the jail key similar to the final scene of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Tips for this ride:

Just like Popeye, try to go on this ride first thing that day. You will get soaked and at least by the end of the day you'll get dried off.

This is a regular log flume vehicle. If you have long legs and are worried about how comfortable you'll be in the ride, please take advantage of the tester seat located near the entrance. This rule is true for most rides throughout many theme parks.

When preparing an outfit, I would still say no to jean shorts or any other material that will make you chaff after getting wet. My personal go to are bike shorts, but you can wear whatever works for you.

I still stand by my Crocs over regular sandals. They will still get dry by the end of the day, and actually stay on your feet. I would say Hey Dudes would be okay too, but I haven't tried those shoes in the theme parks yet.

If you truly need to have your phone with you on the ride, please get one of those water proof cases. They have cheap ones at Five Below that will work just fine.

If you are trying to get dry quickly, they do have large personal dryers that you can share with your group.

I would also not recommend this ride if the high for the day doesn't reach past at least 85°F let alone start off the day at 81°F or so. You will be cold and miserable for the rest of the day, and if you are of the plus size group it will be difficult to find dry clothes to change into in the park. I know because I've tried.

Dudley Do-Right Ripsaw Falls is another favorite for those who love classic cartoons and the classic feel of a log flume ride. If you are ever worried about getting too wet, it is always okay to bring a poncho, and test seats are your friend.

With one more water ride off the list, who should be next?

[dreamparkdiaries]

Water Ride Showcase: Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges

It's summer time! Time to relax, and have some fun in the sun. What better way to cool down on a hot day than go on a water ride. Today we will be taking a look at Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges located in Toon Lagoon at Universal Islands of Adventure.

This ride takes you on a journey to help Popeye rescue Olive Oyl from the hands of Bluto. Along the way, guests will encounter silly classic cartoon gags as well as an 18 foot tall octopus that will try and succeed in getting you wet.

Fair warning: You will not just get wet on this ride. You will get soaked down to the bone. There are plenty of geysers and fountains just waiting to surprise guests along every turn. At certain points in the ride, some of the guests are the ones trying to get you soaked with buttons that will trigger different effects.

This classic ride was originally only feature Bluto during the planning stages of Island of Adventure with a dark ride style boat ride featuring Popeye as part of a Popeye centered area back when the project was called Cartoon World. However, due to the cancelation of the Popeye land, the titled character would be added to Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges in the Toon Lagoon Area of the park.

Tips for this ride:

Try to go on this ride first thing that day. Really any water ride at Universal first thing. You will get soaked and at least by the end of the day you'll get dried off.

When preparing an outfit, do not wear jean shorts or any other material that will make you chaff after getting it wet. I usually wear bike shorts or like the shorts from torrid that are the same material as my leggings, but that is just my personal preference.

Crocs over regular sandals. It wasn't this ride, but I still went on a water ride with sandals from Sketchers. Those sandals sucked and I had to take them off in order to make it to the bus terminal during a typical Florida rain storm. I've been using Crocs ever since.

If you desperately need to have your phone with you and not in either a locker or your designated bag person that is staying off the ride, please get one of those water proof cases. They have cheap ones at Five Below that will work just fine, and you won't have to worry about water damage to your phone. Although newer phones may say they are water proof, it does not mean it's true.

If you are trying to get dry quickly, they do have large personal dryers that you can share with your group.

I would also not recommend this ride if the high for the day doesn't reach past at least 85°F let alone start off the day at 81°F or so. You will be cold and miserable for the rest of the day, and if you are of the plus size group it will be difficult to find dry clothes to change into in the park. I know because I've tried.

All in all, Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges is a great raft ride for all ages. If you are a fan of this classic cartoon, be sure to be on the look out for all of the easter eggs and jokes hidden throughout the ride. If you'd like to see ride take a peak before going on the ride, please enjoy this ride through video curtesy of Undercover Tourist on Youtube.

What water rides should I look at next?

[dreamparkdiaries]

Feelings towards Muppet Vision 3-D's closure

Hello everyone! I know I said in my anniversary post that I would explain my feelings about Muppet Vision 3D closing. However, trying to type it has been really hard for me to do. I finally decided to do a video explaining my feelings, and what I would have done. The video is about 18 or so minutes long, and I hope you enjoy it. It may not have a lot of visuals, but I still feel it is important to share.

You can look at the previous post here.

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Happy 70th Anniversary Muppets!!!

It's time to play the music! It's time to light the lights! It's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight!

Today, May 9th, marks the 70th Anniversary of the lovable Muppets first appearing on tv. Muppet Studio is still celebrating all year long with special events and highlighting different Muppets every week, but I thought it would be nice to focus on an attraction close to my heart, Muppet Vision 3-D!

Muppet Vision 3-D first opened at Disney's MGM Studios, now Hollywood Studios, on May 16th 1991 in what is now called Grand Ave. This show featured Kermit, Fozzie, Ms. Piggy, Gonzo, and a few other fan favorite Muppets in a 15 minute video that was suppose to showcase their "new" 3-D Muppet technology. During the show, Kermit would lead the guests through the studio with the help of the Swedish Chef running the projector. Throughout the tour, you get an inside look at Muppet Labs where they create the first "3-D Muppet," Waldo. Of course this causes a little chaos leading to the lab being sucked up by a large vacuum. We later see Ms. Piggy singing a lovely number with brief interruptions by Bean Bunny. Feeling like no body wants his help, Bean decides to run away with Waldo. This sparks a search party with Sweetums the Monster going out into the audience to look for him with the others still on screen. Once Bean is found, Sam Eagle uses Bean and Waldo to help with his finale "A Salute to All Nations, but mostly America." Of course the finale gets a little out of hand with fireworks landing in the penguin orchestra. This causes them to fire a "cannon" at the Swedish Chef. Thinking it was Waldo, Swedish Chef tries to fire a warning shots at the creature. When those didn't work, he decides to use a cannon causeing the theatre to "explode" into chunks. Kermit checks on everyone for a final good bye wishing for guests to come and see them again next time. As the curtain closes, Waldo makes a final appearance changing into Mickey Mouse telling the audience no one will recognize him now. It was going well until the vacuum came and sucked him away.

This amazing show was later opened in Disney's California Adventure on February, 8th 2001 with it's final showing on November 1st, 2014. The old building is currently being used California's version of Mickey's Philharmagic. A big reason a lot of people love Muppet Vision 3-D is because it was the last project Jim Henson completed right before his passing, and it was the last time Jim Henson voiced Kermit the Frog. During it's time at Hollywood Studios, Muppet Vison 3-D would also receive a dedicated store as well as Pizzeria Rizzo quick service restaurant opening across the courtyard featuring many gags and easter eggs hidden through out. They have also recently added a Muppet themed gondola to their sky liner system.

Unfortunately, Muppet Vision will be having it's final show on June, 7th 2025. So far, there are plans to record a show to preserve it digitally, and the Muppets will be taking over Rocking Rollercoaster in the near future. However, there currently isn't a set opening date, and I will be talking about my feeling on this in a later post.

For now: enjoy the show in person while you can, and if you can't make it out there, please enjoy this ride through video.

I also love hearing the area music too. Hope you enjoy it.

I also have a tour of the Muppet Store as well.

[dreamparkdiaries]

A PSA for those who love dragons. Even though they are adorable and look pettable, you can not pet them all. However, there is a chance to at least pet Toothless and Stormfly.

Video is from the awesome amberartz1 on TikTok.

Her TikTok:

TikTok - Make Your Day

[dreamparkdiaries]

Happy Harry Potter Day!!!

In the spirit of Harry Potter Day, I thought I'd share some of the amazing creatures you can find from the franchise in various Universal Studio Parks around the world.

First up is the Niffler! This little guy can be found at both Universal Studios Japan and Epic Universe in Orlando Florida on a regular basis with limit times during Fan Fest Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Along with Niffler, you can see a cute Pygmy Puff, baby dragon, and Hippogriff at Universal Japan. These adorable creatures act as both walk around characters as well as part of a small stage show as well.

The baby dragon is also currently meet Hogwarts students during Fan Fest Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood. This little dragon is not alone. The Occamy is also making it's first appearance to the public during Fan Fest Nights as well.

Hopefully they will be added as a more permanent creature in the future. The detail is amazing!!!

If you are planning a trip to Epic Universe in the near future, be on the look out for more magical creatures on the loose. These amazing creatures were featured in the Fantastic Beast and Where to find them movies. Ones like this sneaky Bowtruckle will be hiding in some of the shop windows for you to find.

Don't forget to say hello to this adorable Moon Calf. She is patiently waiting for her owner to return unaware of their grim fate.

I hope to update this post as I find more photos of these wonderful creatures. Which one are you excited for?

Disclaimer: I do not support JK Rowling's view in anyway shape or form. I just like the world she set in motion even if her story line had plenty of plots holes in it.

[dreamparkdiaries]

Let the entries begin! Hello theme park fans! Join me as we take a look at theme parks past and present to see what possible futures lie ahead.