The thing that I noticed first about New Orleans Square was how crowded it was. That was my first impression on a day that wasn't the “I can't believe how many people are in this park” day. It must've been a combination of the layout of this part of the park, or all the people trying to squeeze around the lagoon between Frontierland and Critter Country, where the newest, most popular attraction, Splash Mountain, is located. My first thought was that it was jam packed because NOS is where my favorite ride, Pirates of the Caribbean, is located. However, the line for PoC wasn't very long. Even on the “bad day” the wait was only 25 minutes. (The other days it was 15.)
One of the best parts of this ride is that it is cool. And I mean temperature-wise. So on these really hot days, it was nice to be able to climb into a boat, and meander through the pirate's lair. The only changes to the ride that I noticed was at the beginning where there is a creepy, disembodied voice intoning “Dead men tell no tales” over and over again. I don't know if that is new, or if I just noticed it as I was trying to look at things as the kids would.
The other new thing was the inclusion of Capt. Jack Sparrow. Now, maybe he was in it before, but this time the story being told was based around him, and there was a new animatronic character, that looked just like Johnny Depp. Creepily life-like. As a matter of fact, it was interesting to see how lifelike it looked compared to the other pirates, who had the old-fashioned jerky movements, and mechanical feel. I had to look a couple of times to see that it wasn't an actor playing the part.
One interesting thing is that as you embark on the ride, you pass through the “old bayou” on the left (with working fireflies, which was cool), but on the right was a restaurant. A real restaurant, where you could actually go eat. I so want to do that! Eating lunch INSIDE the Pirates of the Caribbean ride – how cool would that be!
The other big attraction in New Orleans Square is the Haunted House. That's always a hoot! The little ones didn't get as freaked out as I thought they would, which was good. Munchkin said that she didn't want to go on it again, but she did a good job on the way through. We packed her, Beenie, and me in one eggshell car, so there wasn't a lot of room for the “hitchhiking” spectre at the end of the ride, but it was still a lot of fun. (And the ghosts pretty much squeeze themselves in whether there's enough room or not!)
I almost lost my sunglasses in the Haunted House. In the first room, where the walls extend up (or we go down, whichever), I was looking up at the paintings getting longer while holding Munchkin. My glasses were perched on the top of my head. Near the end, all the lights go off and I felt my glasses start sliding backward. Then, pop, they were gone. Now, I'm standing in a room filled with other guests, in the dark, and my sunglasses are somewhere on the floor behind me. I can't bend over and start feeling for them, as I'm holding my daughter. I just had to hold my breath and wait for the lights to come on. Fortunately no one stepped on them. That would have been bad.
One of the best parts of this ride is that it is cool. And I mean temperature-wise. So on these really hot days, it was nice to be able to climb into a boat, and meander through the pirate's lair. The only changes to the ride that I noticed was at the beginning where there is a creepy, disembodied voice intoning “Dead men tell no tales” over and over again. I don't know if that is new, or if I just noticed it as I was trying to look at things as the kids would.
The other new thing was the inclusion of Capt. Jack Sparrow. Now, maybe he was in it before, but this time the story being told was based around him, and there was a new animatronic character, that looked just like Johnny Depp. Creepily life-like. As a matter of fact, it was interesting to see how lifelike it looked compared to the other pirates, who had the old-fashioned jerky movements, and mechanical feel. I had to look a couple of times to see that it wasn't an actor playing the part.
One interesting thing is that as you embark on the ride, you pass through the “old bayou” on the left (with working fireflies, which was cool), but on the right was a restaurant. A real restaurant, where you could actually go eat. I so want to do that! Eating lunch INSIDE the Pirates of the Caribbean ride – how cool would that be!
The other big attraction in New Orleans Square is the Haunted House. That's always a hoot! The little ones didn't get as freaked out as I thought they would, which was good. Munchkin said that she didn't want to go on it again, but she did a good job on the way through. We packed her, Beenie, and me in one eggshell car, so there wasn't a lot of room for the “hitchhiking” spectre at the end of the ride, but it was still a lot of fun. (And the ghosts pretty much squeeze themselves in whether there's enough room or not!)
I almost lost my sunglasses in the Haunted House. In the first room, where the walls extend up (or we go down, whichever), I was looking up at the paintings getting longer while holding Munchkin. My glasses were perched on the top of my head. Near the end, all the lights go off and I felt my glasses start sliding backward. Then, pop, they were gone. Now, I'm standing in a room filled with other guests, in the dark, and my sunglasses are somewhere on the floor behind me. I can't bend over and start feeling for them, as I'm holding my daughter. I just had to hold my breath and wait for the lights to come on. Fortunately no one stepped on them. That would have been bad.
