[slightly OT...] Things Gamers Dig in Disneyworld...

[Djeta Thernadier]

MojoGM and I are going to Disneyworld!!!

Okay...so , this is probably, like, the weirdest post ever and I hope it's not too OT (I didn't think it was).

This is still a *ways* (early '04) off but I am starting the early stages of planning some cool things to do there, since we will be hitting all of the Disney theme parks, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure and SeaWorld. Plus, I'm very excited and it's fun to think about it.

So here is my question for you. I'm looking for things that are fantasy , gaming, and almost role playing related to do while we are there. I know about rides like Pirates of the Carribean and Alien. I also think it will touch upon the role players in us to walk through the different countries at Epcot. And I know there is a fantasy/mythology "land" at Islands of Adventure.

But can anyone suggest anything else two *gamers* might really love in these places? (granted...we'll love it all, as we are both big 8 year olds at heart, but I wanted to know what our fellow gamers really liked.)

Any suggestions?

 

[diaglo]

get a pic with the wizard's apprentice...Mickey Mouse.

 

[DaveStebbins]

I went about three years ago. The first things that came to my mind were the Tree of Life in the Animal Kingdom and, from the Magic Kingdom, Pirate of the C, the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House and the Jungle cruise. All very touristy and kid-oriented (naturally), but I also thought they were pretty cool from a gaming perspective. Good immersive background flavor.

-Dave

 

[Desdichado]

Universal Studios was my favorite part of my last trip there, but it doesn't really inspire from a gaming perspective, unless you're doing d20 E.T. or Back to the Future or Jaws.

Epcot was inspirational in terms of what you can borrow in architecture and culture; just enough to give you a twist, as a rule. The Swiss Family Robinson treehouse is just tons of fun, no matter how you look at it. For some odd reason, it reminded me of what I thought some kind of slightly feral elf village might have looked like. Because my current homebrew setting is steampunk on a Mars-like world, Big Thunder Railroad gave me a lot of visual inspiration, but that's a bit of a stretch for most, I bet.

 

[MEG Hal]

Medieval Times in Orlando
BooYah!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Seaver]

My wife and I are going do Disney World again this fall.

She had never been before, but she's a huge Disney fanatic so that's where we went for our honeymoon a couple years ago.


The one major piece of advice I have is if you go to the 50's Prime Time Café do NOT put your elbows on the table. The food is incedible though. Good, hearty 50's style food. The pot roast was tender and oh so tasty. The kind of stuff our parents and grandparents ate. Well I ate it too, but my mom loves to cook.

Almost as soon as we walked in I caught on to the theme, but my wife was still so high on being at Disney World that she was pretty much oblivious.

We sat, we ordered, my wife put her elbows on the table, I leaned back and placed my hands on my lap.

Then I just watched.

Sure enough as soon as the waiter came back out with our chocolate shakes (they were huge!) he took one look at my wife's elbows and proceeded to chastize her in front of everyone.

"What are you doing young lady?"
"Huh? Me?"
"Yes, what are you doing?"
"Um I don't know."
"Can anyone here tell me what she's doing wrong"
*My wife looks at me for help and only gets a big grin in response*
"Are your elbows supposed to be on the table?"
"OH!"
*she bows her head, yanks her elbows off the table and turns all red*
"I'm sorry."
"Now look at your husband here, he has good manners. "

She's so cute when she gets flustered.

Then she got in trouble for kicking me under the table.

I really liked that place.

Just remember, mind your manners.


As far as Medieval Times it is fun. I had a good laugh when the waitress introduced herself with, "Hello, tonight I'll be your serving wench." The food was great there too.

My wife loves Orlando because of Disney World. I love the food.

 

[smetzger]

I'll 3rd on the Medieval Times

 

[emergent]

It has been awhile since I have been, but I always thought the ride portiion of the Scandanavia corner of EPCOT was pretty cool. You get in this Viking-style longboat thing and go on a historical boat ride of the Fjordlands. It starts with Vikings and ends with oil rigs in the North Sea. Plus there is this cool talking tree.

My faves are still Pirates and the Haunted Mansion.

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

Thanks. I don't think we'll make it to Medieval Times though, as we have something pretty similiar nearby in Boston (Medieval Manor) that my future sister in law is now working at. I think I'll probably get to that a few times over the next few years

But thank you all for the suggestions. Keep em' comin'!

 

[andrew]

All the Disney parks, the Universal Parks and SeaWorld? How long do you plan to be in Orlando? While some of the parks can be "done" in less than a day, most take several days to really enjoy.

Plus, there are plenty of activities outside the parks: water parks, boating, golfing, horseback riding, hiking, nightclubs, etc. For instance, there's Downtown Disney which has shops, restaraunts, etc.

There's also something called DisneyQuest. It's a giant arcade similar to GameWorks in that it has arcade games. But it's so much more. It has a lot of theme games, like the Pirates of the Carribean. You and your scurvy crew board a small pirate ship and man one of the canons or the wheel as you search out booty on the high seas. There's a giant human pinball game, a couple VR helmet games and a booth where you build and ride your own roller coaster. Best of all, there's no tokens or cards, just pay the entry fee and play all you want.

In the parks themselves, you can amuse yourself searching for "hidden Mickeys". It's usually a bit daunting for first-time visitors, but it's loads of fun. Hidden in every ride and attraction is at least one picture of Mickey Mouse. It could just be his shadow or the outline of his ears, but something has been hidden in the architecture or the decoration by the Disney imagineers. There are plenty of websites that will give you more details, but I think you're better off searching for them on your own. You can also ask cast members if there are any hidden mickeys nearby.

I could really go on and on. My wife and I used tp have annual passes and went pretty often. I just returned from a year in England and I can't wait to go back. The most important thing is to take your time at the parks and don't rush through because you feel you absolutely must hit X number of rides.