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Sunday, June 24, 2012

Snow White's Adventure Layout

 Snow White's Scary Adventures Closing

Snow White's Scary Adventures was an attraction located in Fantasyland at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. The ride was recently closed forever (May 2012) as part of the New Fantasyland expansion and renovation project. Let's take a look back at this classic dark ride as it lives on in our hearts and memories.


Snow White’s Adventure was based on the Walt Disney film classic of 1937. The attraction brought to life the well known fairy tale of Snow White and her adventures with her little friends, the Seven Dwarfs, and the wicked Queen. Guests were transported via a six-passenger vehicle - themed like a mine car - on a three-minute ride along a 617 foot track. During the ride guests passed through scenes depicting the Castle Courtyard, Queen’s Chamber, Dungeon,Threatening Forest, Frightening Forest, Friendly Forest, Dwarfs' Cottage, Chase Begins, Dwarfs' Mine, the Cliff, Loves First Kiss, and finally They Lived Happily Everafter with Snow White and the Prince. The scenes used effects such as animated props, animated figures, projectors and lighting to create the correct illusions.

How it worked - Disney Magic Unveiled

The Snow White’s Adventure ride consisted of 17 six-seat vehicles. The vehicle consisted of a fiberglass body attached to a chassis. The vehicle rode along a steel track which contained a bus bar. The vehicle was connected to the bus bar through contacts located on the front bogie assembly. These contacts collect the electrical power from the bus bar and transfer it to the motor located on the rear bogie assembly.The mine car themed vehicles were electrically operated and traveled along a guide rail with a bus bar. Safety lap bars automatically engaged as the vehicles left the Load Area. The bus bar was supplied by the attraction main electrical feed at 240 VAC. There were two isolated conductors of the bus bar which are parallel and horizontal to the exterior of the track surface. A third isolated conductor was mounted on the opposite of the track and acted as the ground for the system. The bus bar ran the entire length of the ride track.

Audio-Animatronics(AA) figures

The Snow White ride featured a few Audio-Animatronincs figures. The Animated Figures are mechanical actors (person or animal) designed to perform an action or actions in a show scene. A steel skeletal framework, jointed as required, makes up the figure. The figure is covered with a body form and costume for the character that it portrays. The activity of the figure is controlled by electrical signals. These signals are sent from the show control system (SCS). A combination of components are used to control the movement of the figure. These components include and are not limited to pneumatic valves, mechanical feedback actuators, solenoid valves and first stage valves. Each figure will contain a combination of these components. The actuators and electric motors are contained within the AA figure or the base frame under the figure.

Snow White Ride Blueprint and Overhead Layout

Embedded below is the best official looking layout I could find of the Snow White attraction on the internet.


YouTube Video of Snow White

Here's one of the best ride through videos of the ride I could find on YouTube.




I believe the Snow White ride at Disneyland is still operating. Will YOU miss the Walt Disney World ride?

Monday, June 18, 2012

Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier


Looking for things to do in Galveston, Texas?

 
Galveston Pleasure Pier is one of the few spots in the world that has this many rides over the water! Known as “Coney Island of the South”, the pier juts 1130 feet into the Gulf of Mexico and is 120 feet-wide. The Galveston amusement pier now boasts one roller coaster and 15 other thrilling rides. The original Pleasure Pier stood from 1943 until 1961 when it was destroyed by a hurricane. A soft opening event was held on May 25th, 2012. The total cost of the project is estimated at sixty  million dollars but will bring new jobs back to the Galveston area.  Three million guests are expected to visit the pier in its first year of operation. The park is located at Galveston Pier 21. There will also be a retail center called Shops at Pleasure Pier on the north side of Seawall Boulevard and a Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant will be built to go along with the rides and games.
 
The main attraction is the brand new, 100 foot tall steel roller coaster dubbed “Iron Shark.” It’s a Gerstlauer Eurofighter style ride compacted into a tiny footprint.  The Pleasure Pier's Iron Shark roller coaster will attack when least expected with its 100foot vertical lift and beyondvertical drop. Tracking at 52 miles per hour, the vehicles will glide the 1,246foot coaster track.  Check out the video embedded below to see the ride in action:



The pier will feature a number of traditional rides, including a 36-foot double-decker carousel and a 100-foot tall Ferris Wheel. Another highlight of the Galveston boardwalk is the Texas Star Flyer, a 230 foot tall swing ride which swing your dangling feet out over the ocean. Please note, this ride is not yet open as it is still under construction. Rides closed are the Galaxy Wheel, Texas Star Flyer and Revolution.

The Pleasure Pier Galveston theme park is wholly owned by Landry's, Inc.

Additional tags:

pleasure pier galveston
galveston fishing piers
galveston things to do
pleasure pier galveston tx
paradise pier Galveston
paradise pier galveston tx

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Hershey Chocolate Factory Tour Review


The Wonderful World of Chocolate and the Sweetest Place on Earth

After riding Skyrush at HersheyPark and visiting ZooAmerica, the other highlight of our visit to Hershey world was creating our very own candy bars at Hershey’s Chocolate World. There are several different attractions inside Chocolate World and the first one we did was the Hershey make your own candy bar experience. 


When you purchase your ticket they enter your name into the computer. At each station you scan your ticket and it displays your name so you know where your candy bar is at all times. We donned the white hair nets and aprons we were given and proceeded inside to the candy bar design studio. Using touch screens, I selected my base to be white chocolate and added butterscotch and milk chocolate chips and opted for no sprinkles. Scan our tickets at the start of the assembly line and pull the lever to begin. A suction cup contraption picks up the chocolate base you picked out and sets it gently onto the assembly line conveyor belt. The bar slowly moves down the line stopping at each respective station to receive its proper fillings. A layer of chocolate is applied on top (the same for everybody regardless your base flavor) and your fledgling bar is whisked away into the inferno of the oven. While it cools you get to design your packaging.


Next up, we did the free Hershey chocolate tour. Please note, this ride is a replacement for the original Hershey factory tour, as the original Hershey chocolate factory tour was so popular, and drawing so many guests it was impossible to please them all without disrupting operations of the chocolate factory. So an omni-mover type ride systems was created to move thousands of people a day through the sets of animatronics and video screens, a sort of virtual Hershey plant tour explaining how chocolate is made. Fun fact: Milton Hershey chose the location in Pennsylvania due to the abundance of nearby cows for his milk chocolate (I guess it’s cheaper to transport cocoa versus milk). At the end of the ride you are given a free chocolate bar before being dumped out in a giant Hersheys store.


I can’t wait to visit Hershey park Hershey park again! Pictured below is the 2012 Chocolate World map of attractions. Click here for the Chocolate World hours of operation.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Knoebels Flying Turns Update and Trip Report


On Sunday, May 27th 2012 I visited Knoebels amusement park in Elysburg, PA. Knoebels grove is an old fashioned amusement park with a very relaxed atmosphere and some of the most classic rides around. This was the second stop on out tour of Pennsylvania after riding Skyrush at HersheyPark. Some of Knoebels rides and park favorites include the carousel where you can collect rings (one of only a few left in the country). 


Knoebels Haunted House is also a must ride on your visit. The Haunted House is consistently ranked as one of the best of its type in the world. As with all the Knoebels attractions, it’s a classic, old school ride full of great gags that made me jump despite riding it before. Warning: it is a very loud ride.


The million dollar question all theme park fans are dying to know the answer to is what’s the status on Knoebels Flying Turns? Construction started in 2006 and the ride has never opened to the general public (anyone know if park officials have ever taken a quick ride down the chute?). It appears they are waiting on a new car chassis to arrive to continue testing. The brake run and transfer track has actually been completely removed. Lift hill number has been modified too. I hope the Flying Turns Knoebels opens in my life time.



 I also had a chance to ride Knoebels Black Diamond, a new/old ride relocated from New Jersey (then called the Golden Nugget I believe) and given an updated control system. Black Diamond is technically a roller coaster as it relies solely on gravity after being pulled to the top of the third floor by multiple chain lifts. I have to admit I was very surprised at the number and quality of the show scenes inside the building. Bravo Knoebels – a job well done!



Pictured below is the 2012 Knoebels park map.