Disney World adds Avatar Land

“Two great tastes that taste great together.” That was the Reeses’s Peanut Butter Cup’s slogan thirty-plus years ago. And they’re right … who doesn’t enjoy peanut butter and chocolate (unless you’re allergic)?

Courtesy Google Images

When I saw a news report that Disney was going to create an attraction based on James Cameron’s Avatar my first thought was, “Two great tastes that taste great together.”

I love Disney World in Orlando, FL. When we visit the in-laws in Dade City, FL, we make a point to get to Disney World for at least one day. (My bride’s favorite park is EPCOT; mine is Disney Hollywood Studios.)

I really enjoyed Avatar. (I’m looking forward to the three sequels … the first being Avatar 2 in 2016.) I like the world that Cameron created and when the movie ended, I wanted to know more about Pandora and its people and culture.

The expansion of the Avatar lore will be furthered explored in a series of books by Steven Charles Gould (author of the Jumper series). According to avatarmovie.com James Cameron has tapped “… noted science fiction author Steven Charles Gould to write four novels base upon Avatar and its three sequels.”

Courtesy Google Images

And now Disney and Avatar will be joined … just like peanut butter and chocolate. The Avatar attraction will become a part of Animal Kingdom. According to FOX NEWS, it will be the largest expansion in the history of the park.

Of all the Disney World parks in Orlando, Animal Kingdom is my least favorite. I think it’s claustrophobic. The main walks are lined with vegetation and if you happen to be going “upstream” when a show lets out, the mass of humanity coming at you can be overwhelming.

WDWMAGIC.com reports that Avatar Land is expected to open in 2016. The addition of Avatar Land might just be enough to entice me to return to Animal Kingdom.

Anyone interested in planning a trip to Orlando in 2016? Take me with you.

Wild Ride

When I was in grammar school I went to Riverside Park (now a Six Flags Amusement Park).  The adult who organized the trip told the older kids not to force the younger children to partake of any rides they did not want to.  My older brother, Matt, was one of the chaperones and what he heard was, “Make your little brother go on every ride until he’s so sick he throws up.”

That trip to Riverside Park was my introduction to roller coasters.  Matt and one of his high school buddies coerced me into riding the Mickey Mouse, a coaster of dubious origins.  He and his evil crony made certain I knew two little kids had perished on the ride when a car overturned and plummeted to the ground, crushing the children.  In hindsight, I’m fairly certain they were just trying to scare me … they succeeded.

Understandably, as an adult, I avoided roller coasters.  I rationalized my decision by reasoning that roller coasters were dangerous.  And you know what?  Turns out … I was right.  There is evidence that frequent riding of roller coasters causes a host of health issues.  People with heart disease run the risk of having a cardiovascular event.  According to a 2000 article on the Science Daily website, roller coaster rides may trigger blood clots on the brain.  Lastly, in April 2010, Popular Mechanics reported that a rider suffered from barotraumas, major bruising of his ear canal and ear drum as the result of a jaunt on a on roller coaster.

I didn’t ride another roller coaster until 1999 when my family and I vacationed in Orlando and Disney World.  We’ve been back several times and I discovered I like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain®, the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster® Starring Aerosmith, Expedition Everest™ and my favorite, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™.

But, I’m told by my children that those rides are tame.  I need to ride a “real” roller coaster like the Bizarro at Six Flags.  No thanks.  There are two reasons I find the Disney rides appealing.  They are at Disney, which automatically makes them safer (leave me my fantasies), and when you ride them you are enclosed in steel; your legs aren’t flopping in the breeze as you zoom around a track willy nilly.

There’s a coaster on the drawing board that I’m certain my kids would enjoy and I can guarantee you will never get me to ride – the zero gravity roller coaster.  BRC Imagination Arts is developing a zero gravity roller coaster, dubbed by some as a vomit coaster.  The idea is to allow the average person to experience zero gravity for about eight seconds.  Its inspiration is a NASA C-9 aircraft, the Vomit Comet, so named because many first timers lose their lunch on their initial dive.  The Vomit Comet executes steep dives which allow passengers to experience zero gravity for 23 – 30 seconds.  Not gonna happen!

I know where I stand regarding this forthcoming zero gravity coaster.  Is anyone interested in a controlled freefall?  Why?