Mouse Mountaineers

Watch for the chainsaw-wielding zombie cheerleaders at Halloween Horror Nights! Halloween is here, which means tricks, treats… and horror. With bloodcurdling screams on our minds, Tai and I hit Universal Orlando for our first trip to the park’s famous Halloween Horror Nights event. On this episode, we talk about tips for first-time HHN visitors, as well as what age we think is appropriate for the parks and various haunted mazes/ houses. We’ll also review the mazes and various scare zones in the park. We liked HHN so much, we’re looking at it as an annual tradition. Have you been to HHN? What was your favorite house/maze? Drop us a line at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or hit us up on Twitter @mousemountaineers. The post Episode 33-Universal Orlando’s Halloween Horror Nights Primer & Review appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

The Pokemon Go phenomenon that’s taken over so much of the world has spread to Orlando’s theme parks, too. From Disney World and Universal Orlando to Sea World and Gatorland, the parks offer a treasure trove of pokestops, gyms, pokemon, and promotions that your average neighborhood just can’t compete with. On this episode, we dive into Pokemon Go at the parks. We lead off with a quick and dirty overview of the game before we delve into the advantages and disadvantages of playing in the parks, some good Pokemon Go etiquette and safety tips to keep in mind, and some of the best pokestops and gyms to hit. Finally, we talk a little about ways Universal Orlando and Disney can brand their own augmented reality games to enhance the park-touring experience. What do you think of Pokemon Go at Orlando’s theme parks? Drop us a line at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or say Hi on Twitter @mousemtn. http://www.mousemountaineers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Episode-32-Pokemon-Almost-done.mp3 The post Episode 32 – Pokemon Go in the Parks appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

A typical moment on IOA’s Popeye and Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges. Where did it rank in the pantheon of Orlando water rides? Listen and find out!Photo courtesy of InsidetheMagic’s Ricky Brigante and Creative Commons. Our quick trip down to Universal Orlando last month included a soft opening ride on the new Skull Island: Reign of Kong, as well as an afternoon being soaked at IOA’s Triple Water Whammy of flume and raft rides. On this episode, we review Kong and give our thoughts about how the great ape’s new ride measures up to the classic Kongfrontation. Then, in honor of the dog days of summer ,we rank our favorite flume and raft rides throughout Universal, Disney World, and Sea World. What’s your favorite flume ride at the parks? Drop us a line at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or hit us up on Twitter @mousemtn. The post Episode 31 – Reign of Kong Review and Water Ride Rankings appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

The “Hightower Hotel,” DisneySea’s version of the Tower of Terror. However, this one has a unique story and background. By Mike Liao (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsIn theme parks, ride buildings play some of the most essential roles in getting you to ride the ride and making you feel like you’re actually on, say, Mount Everest or a hotel that has been abandoned for years. This also applies to ride queues and preshows. And, since the Summer Olympics are this year in Brazil, we thought we would have an Olympic-themed podcast where we give our favorite ride building and queue pairings at each park, plus a few honorable mentions at other parks. Did you agree with some of our picks? Did you think that Goliath at Six Flags Over Georgia deserves a mention? Email us at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or connect with us on Twitter @mousemtn. http://www.mousemountaineers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/30-Olympics-Finished.mp3 The post Episode 30 – Ride Building and Queue Olympics appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

Dare Devil Dive, from which “The New Revolution” is virtually born! Photo courtesy of McDoobAu93 and Wikimedia Commons License. Spring is in the air, which means that the Six Flags theme parks are also opening their gates once again for the new season! We had seen on the news that Six Flags over Georgia was getting Samsung Virtual Reality goggles added to its Dare Devil Dive coaster, which meant that we had to go check it out to see how the goggles compared to the old ride. On this episode, we discuss whether the VR headsets added to the thrill of the ride, how we think VR goggles will evolve, rides we think VR would work well on, and some rumors of upcoming changes to a peculiar hotel at Disney’s California Adventure. Give a listen and tell us your opinion on VR and the rumors of the Guardians of the Galaxy update. Do you think virtual reality is a disaster that Six Flags needs to remove? Do you think that Rod Serling should be replaced by Star Lord and his crew? Message us on Twitter @mousemtn or send us an email at mousemountaineers@gmail.com.   http://www.mousemountaineers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/29-Almost-done1.mp3 The post Episode 29: The Reality of Virtual Reality Roller Coasters appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

King Kong wonders if his new home at Universal will look as good as his old one. He also wonders why it took us 4 months to push out this episode. Photo courtesy of Mats Haugen, Flickr, and Creative Commons. We know this episode, about what 2016 holds for Disney World, Universal Orlando, and the like, is a little late… er, well, three months late. We recorded it on time for the new year,  but tech, health, and school stuff combined to delay the post-recording and publication work. The good news is that the cool additions we talk about on this episode are even closer to becoming reality. Among the rides and attractions we preview: Universal’s new King Kong ride and the reopening of the improved Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster. Epcot’s highly anticipated debut of Frozen Ever After, the new ride featuring Anna and Elsa. Makeovers to Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. A couple of heart-stopping coasters at Sea World and Busch Gardens. Hurdles behind us, we’ll be back to our regular recording schedule. Until then, check out what’s coming up at Florida’s theme parks in 2016. What are you most looking forward to? Drop us a line at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or hit us up on Twitter @mousemtn.       The post Episode 28: New to Florida’s Theme Parks in 2016 appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

“Dragon!” He seems pretty angry atop Gringotts Wizarding Bank at Universal Studios. Happy New Year!  Back in October, we visited Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure for the first time. With Universal teaming with Harry Potter to create much of the Orlando-area theme park buzz lately, we wanted to see what the parks were like and what Disney World  fanatics can expect on a first-time visit. On this episode, we dive into a Universal Orlando review. Are the parks more than just Harry Potter magic? Listen and let us know what you think. Have you been to Universal, or are you thinking about going? If so, how much will it cut out of your typical Disney stay? Connect with us on Twitter @mousemtn, or drop us a line at mousemountaineers@gmail.com. This episode was recorded in November 2015. Real life and the holidays pushed a little episode hiatus on us the past several weeks, but we’re looking forward to going back to our regular show schedule with the new year! The post Episode 27: Universal Orlando 101 appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

Stitch’s Great Escape: overrated? Umm… no… it’s just bad, and everyone knows it. Have you ever headed to Disney World, giddy with the anticipation of some new or heavily hyped ride, only to come off disappointed? On the other hand, when was the last time a little, out-of-the-way attraction really charmed you? On today’s episode we talk about the most overrated and underrated rides at WDW (with a little nod to shows as well), and give you our picks in each park. What are your most overrated and underrated attractions at Disney World? Listen to our picks and then tell us your choices. Connect with us on Twitter @mousemtn, or drop us a line at mousemountaineers@gmail.com. And, don’t forget to subscribe to our show on iTunes or Stitcher. The bumper sound bites are from Stitch’s Great Escape. The opening music is “Space Fighter Loop,” by Kevin MacLeod, used courtesy of Creative Commons. The post Episode 26: Disney World Overrated and Underrated appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

Norway’s Maelstrom armada ran aground against the power of the Frozen sisters. Disney recently gave the public a peek at Epcot’s upcoming Frozen Ever After ride, slated to open in the  World Showcase’s Norway pavilion next year. The ride will replace the beloved (well, beloved to me) Maelstrom, which shuttered its doors and floated off to Helheim last fall. But does Disney’s new journey through a pseudo-Scandinavian country signal a broader change in Epcot’s World Showcase? On this episode, we give a long overdue send off to Maelstrom, complete with our favorite quotes from the ride (“Back, back, over the falls!”). Then we’ll discuss the Norway pavilion in general. Finally, we’ll give you all the news we know on Frozen Ever After, share our thoughts on the ride and what it might mean for the World Showcase’s future. What was your favorite Maelstrom line? Is a boat trip through an imaginary country a good or bad move for the World Showcase? Do your kids battle over who gets to be Elsa? Listen to the show, then drop us a line at mousemountaineers@gmail.com, or hit us up in the Twitterlands @mousemtn. The sound byte is from from Epcot’s Maelstrom (RIP). Opening music is “Space Fighter Loop,” by Kevin MacLeod, used courtesy of Creative Commons. The post Episode 25: It’s the End of the World (Showcase) As We Know It appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

Mickey, Minnie and Pluto traveling in style at the Rainy Day Cavalcade. Photo courtesy of Andrew Poole, via Creative Commons license. It’s June, which means you can expect at least a quick afternoon thunderstorm, if not worse, any day you’re at Disney World for the next few months. On this episode, we discuss how rainy days affect the parks, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of touring Disney World in the rain. Somehow that leads us to talk about algae-ridden hotel pools and a new life form we may have discovered growing on a budget hotel’s glass elevator last year. Before all of that craziness, we kick off the show discussing Disney’s recent polls on surge pricing and what it might mean for WDW. Listen to the show and let us know what you think. How do you make the most of Disney World’s rainy days? What do you think about the possibility of surge pricing? Have you ever discovered a new form of fungus in a budget hotel?  Drop us a line at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or hit us up on Twitter @mousemtn. Show music is from Disney’s Rainy Day Character Cavalcade.     The post Episode 24: Rainy Day Disney appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

It’s a bird! it’s a plane! It’s Superman Ultimate Flight at Six Flags Over Georgia! How does the Man of Steel’s ride compare with those of the Mouse House?Photo courtesy of Kristin Nador. Since we moved down to the Atlanta area a little while back, we decided to go to Six Flags over Georgia, which is the ATL’s only theme/amusement park. Even though most Disney snobs frown down on the so-called “roller coaster” parks of the world like Cedar Point and Six Flags, we decided to give it a shot. This episode, we discuss the rides and experiences at Six Flags, compare the restaurants and attractions to those of theme parks like Walt Disney World and Sea World, and debate the park’s prices to those of Disney. Would you ever want to go to Six Flags out of sheer curiosity or go to scoff at the lack of theming? Have you been to a Six Flags park before? What did you think? Send us an email at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or drop us a line on Twitter @mousemtn. The post Episode 23: Six Flags Over Georgia Review appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

Does Mission Space make it to the stratosphere of our Epcot rankings? Listen to “What’s Your Number Epcot?” and find out! We finally finish up our “What’s Your Number?” series at Epcot, where we rank the rides and shows in both the World Showcase and Future World. For those of you who haven’t listened before, the rules are fairly simple: we rate each ride and show on a scale from 1 to 10, talk about why we rated it that, and then list improvements and tell what the ride’s rating would be after the improvements. Did Soarin’ soar to the top of our rankings? Did Test Track’s score crash into the testing barricade? Listen to find out our ratings, and then drop us a line. You can send us an email at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or send us a message on Twitter @mousemtn. The post Episode 22: What’s Your Number, Epcot? appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

We can’t tell you where Pele would rate the Dole Whip in a Disney Snacks ticket book, but we can tell you where we’d rate it! Photo courtesy of Sam Howzit. Remember when Disney used to give out ticket books for attractions, with the headliners rating the E tickets and the… ummm… not-so-headliners getting A tickets? Remember begging your parents for more ticket books just so you could get the coveted E tickets, then going home with a fistful of dog-eared As? If you don’t remember it first-hand, you’ve probably heard enough about it. On this episode, we’ve decided to bring back Disney’s old ticket system, only we’re applying it to Disney snacks and treats. If Disney handed out ticket books for its treats, what would an E ticket net you? What would you be looking to burn your A and B tickets on at the end of the trip? Listen to our ticket ratings, then drop us your own ideas at mousemountaineers@gmail.com, or hit us up @mousemtn on Twitter! The post Episode 21: A-E Ticket Disney World Snack Ratings appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

The Badlands of Big Thunder Mountain. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is an icon in Disney’s magical mountain range, with passengers careening through the “Wildest Ride in the Wilderness” for more than 30 years. On this episode, we’ll talk about Disney’s great ghost train, including its history, its variations, and where we think the ride stands in the Disney World pantheon. Hop aboard, and hold on to your hats and glasses! The post Episode 20: The Legend of Big Thunder Mountain appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

One of our Haunted Mansion pins. Yep, believe it or not, this is a pin. Most don’t come with their own tiny easels. Have you wondered about all the people—guests and cast members alike—walking around  Disney parks carrying lanyards laden with pins? Maybe you’re looking for a good Disney hobby to begin or simply want an inexpensive set of souvenirs to pick up while you’re at WDW. Or maybe you have absolutely no idea what we’re talking about right now.  Fret not… we’ll give you the scoop on Disney Pins, pin collecting, trading etiquette, and why pin collecting and trading at Disney World is so fantastic. Are you a pin trader or collector? What’s your favorite Disney pin? Let us know by dropping us a line at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or hooking up with us on Twitter @mousemtn.     The post Episode 19: Disney Pin Primer appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

Does Expedition Everest ride all the way to the top of our “What’s Your Number?” ratings, or does a broken Yeti smack it back down to Earth? Listen to find out. We continue our “What’s Your Number?” series by rating the rides of Disney’s Animal Kingdom? If you haven’t listened to our “What’s Your Number?” episodes before, the rules are simple: we rate each ride or show on a scale of 1-10 as it now stands, then talk about what we think that ride’s ceiling could be, on a scale of 1-10, with our recommended improvements. Does Expedition Everest reach the summit of our ratings? Does Kali River Rapids come out all wet? Listen to find out our thoughts on Disney’s Animal Kingdom ratings, then drop us a line and let us know what you think. You can email us at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or connect with us in the Twitterverse @mousemtn. The post Episode 18: What’s Your Number, Animal Kingdom? appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

Trolls everywhere bid “Farvel” to Maelstrom in 2014. Happy New Year! The calendar’s change gives us a chance to look back at some of our favorite (“Hooray Seven Dwarfs Mine Train!”) and not-so-favorite (“Boo to Fastpass Plus! R.I.P. Maelstrom!”) changes at Disney World in 2014. We also look ahead to Disney in 2015, which seems more like table-setting for all of the big additions in ’16. Join us. and let us know what you thought about the year now gone and the year to come! Email us at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or connect with us on Twitter @mousemtn. Here’s wishing you a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2015!     The post Episode 17: Out With the Old, In With the New appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

A “Frozen” Cinderella Castle. Happy holidays! With apologies to the incredible Stacey Aswad, we are borrowing her Must-Do Disney theme, adding a dash of holiday cheer, and discussing our own “Disney Holiday Definites.” Our list includes the usual suspects, such as the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (which we discussed in detail in Episode 5), as well as some off-the-beaten-path traditions, such as stopping by the Grand Floridian to see the life-size gingerbread house and getting some fresh-roasted chestnuts. Listen to hear what our favorite Disney holiday magic includes… and learn how we’re half-way to being like Cousin Eddie’s family in Christmas Vacation. What are your holiday favorites? email us at mousemountaineers@gmail.com or connect with us on Twitter @mousemtn. We wish you all the happiest of holiday seasons and a prosperous 2015! The post Episode 16: Holiday Definites at Walt Disney World appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

The flying Rock ‘n’ Roller Caster limo, outside Tai’s favorite ride. A big hello and a happy back-to-podcasting day to us! A move and random life stuff cropped up, causing the Mouse Mountaineers to go dark for awhile. However, we’re back and ready to roll with a slate of new shows and more improvements and surprises in the next several weeks. Our welcome back show features Tai’s favorite ride in the World: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith. We detail the ride itself (in case you haven’t taken the coaster’s express 90-second trip across L.A. yet), discuss its history, give some trivia about the ride, and argue about whether Aerosmith is old-timey music. Check it out and let us know what you think. Where does the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster rank in your Disney ride pantheon? Have you been on Paris’s RnR avec Aerosmith? By the way, Tai accuses me of talking about the Paris ride because he says I just like saying “avec Aerosmith.” He’s right. The post Episode 15: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Rundown appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.

Stitch Selfie: “‘Stitch’s Great Escape?’ I’m just trying to escape from this lousy show! Shows, shows, shows. What’s better than a Magic Kingdom show? How about a soft-opening, 24-hours-of-Disney style ride on a certain highly anticipated coaster featuring seven vertically challenged miners? This episode wraps up the Magic Kingdom’s “What’s Your Number” series, in which we rate the attractions on a scale from 1, being the worst, to 10, being the best. We also discuss ways that each attraction can improve, and what it would be rated after the improvement. In our last “What’s Your Number” episode, we rated the rides in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland and Adventureland. In this episode, we look at the shows throughout the Magic Kingdom, with a special bonus ride: the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Did the Dwarfs mine enough to make a place on our must-sees? Did the Country Bears maul Stitch and his Great Escape? Listen to find out! What would you rate the Mine? Which do you think gets the highest score? Send us an email at mousemountaineers@gmail.com. Let us know in the comments box below, or contact us on twitter @mousemtn.     The post Episode 14: “What’s Your Number Magic Kingdom?” Part 3 appeared first on Mouse Mountaineers.