Monday, December 31, 2012

WTA Winter Break

Hello, folks! SurferClock here with a quick update. I hope you all had an excellent peak season at the parks and will be ringing in the New Year safe and sound.

TAP-G and I are taking the aforementioned winter break and enjoying the time with cherished folks, but (as Reese would say) ol' Tappers just can't stop laboring even when faced with the prospect of a break. To that point, TAP-G has posted a list of 2012's biggest events that happened at the Big Three in an interesting post that can only be seen on our Facebook page. Not a fan yet? We'd love to have ya!

What's the Attraction? on Facebook


Have a safe and happy New Year, everyone, and we'll be back next week with an all new episode!

SurferClock

Monday, December 24, 2012

Episode 27.5 - A Very Special and Important Holiday Message

Season's Greetings, folks! SurferClock here along with TAP-G to bring you the latest episode of What's the Attraction? ...well, sort of.

Even though today's upload is not a full episode with a review and humor and our typical WTA flair, it's still going to be bringing an important note to parkgoers...we're aiming today at those parkgoers (and there are MANY of you) who are planning to make an excursion out to at least one or more of the Big Three in our area (Disney, SeaWorld, and Universal), or if you're planning to be around, well, pretty much any theme park, even semi-major ones like Warner Bros. Movie World in Australia or any of the myriad of other Big-Three-esque parks around the world.

But we're not only reaching out to parkgoers... there's a little something for all of our friends and family who will be tackling the post-holiday rush, those intrepid folks in EVERY department of the theme park industry, so we have the sincere hope that many, many folks will get the chance to hear this before they embark on their post-holiday adventures.

Episode 27.5 - A Very Special and Important Holiday Message on YouTube

READ THIS BEFORE DOWNLOADING! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!: MAKE SURE YOU SCROLL DOWN! Do not click the graphics that you see at the top (it spawns a pop-up of sorts, or worse yet, an infected mplayer.exe virus! DO NOT CLICK OTHER GRAPHICS! FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS HERE!) After you SCROLL DOWN, you should see a rainbow-colored bar below the correct download button. The button itself says "SLOW Download" not "Regular Download" or other variations. Make sure you click that button, then wait the required seconds. That graphic will pop up again, but this time you need to SCROLL DOWN and click the "Click here to download" button, the small button near the bottom with the check next to it.

Episode 27.5 - A Very Special and Important Holiday Message MP3 Download via SlingFile

Before we shut the studio down for our winter break, WTeamA would like to offer our sincerest thanks to each and every one of you who listens with dedication each week or, if you're just joining us, hopefully catching up on pretty much all the other WTA episodes. Through the good times and the bad, though the short episodes and the ungodly long ones, it's ultimately both our passion for the parks and your interest in our work that keeps us going. As always, if you like what we do and you want to help us get bigger and better, tell a friend and send us any suggestions you might have. If you're a fan on Facebook or YouTube, comment us there. We're constantly checking our inboxes and are thrilled to get any feedback you may have for us. And if you have suggestions for future episodes or anything you'd like to hear us talk about, you can also send an e-mail our way to the following address: askwtapodcast[at]gmail.com

To give you an idea of what's coming up for 2013, I'll just leave a short list of the stuff we're developing:
  • Reviews for most than just attractions...we're talking shops, restaurants, and shows, too!
  • SEAWORLD FLORIDA! Yes, it's sort of become the elephant in the room, the one park in the Big Three we haven't delved into just yet. We will start reviewing SeaWorld attractions, shows, and exhibits in 2013, including (hopefully) the Antarctica expansion. No word on Aquatica or Discovery Cove yet.
  • Also in the realm of possibility: Legoland Florida and the Holy Land Experience. No guarantees on those yet, however.
  • Reaching outside the theme park realm to cover the Orlando/Kissimmee area, being that this is where a good chunk of Florida tourists stay. No specifics on this yet, but this is one TAP-G and I have been discussing fervently.
I hope you folks are looking forward to WTA's future as much as we are. We want to continue to bring you not just a quality podcast, but a quality brand of entertainment...an exciting, informative, and enchanting journey we can all take together each week.

There will be no new episode next week, and we will return on January 7th, 2013 with an all-new episode! From all of us here at WTeamA to all of you, Happy Holidays, and may your post-holiday journeys and celebrations leading into 2013 be joyous and safe!

SurferClock

Monday, December 17, 2012

Episode 27 - The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror

Hello out there, listeners! SurferClock here along with TAP-G to bring you the latest episode of "What's the Attraction?"

This week, we're rising to the occasion, then falling...then rising again, falling, rising, AAAAHHH!

Wait, just what -are- we doing this week, anyway? Yes, it's Disney's most famous (read: only) drop tower attraction, "The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror" at Disney's Hollywood Studios! Yes folks, this is one of those rides that we got a ton of requests for...TAP-G tells me his e-mail inbox is pretty much full right now from Tower of Terror requests, in fact...so we finally decided to bring it to you in a way only What's the Attraction can...what does that even mean? Guess you're gonna have to listen now, aren't ya?

Episode 27 - The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror on YouTube

READ THIS BEFORE DOWNLOADING! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!: MAKE SURE YOU SCROLL DOWN! Do not click the graphics that you see at the top (it spawns a pop-up of sorts, or worse yet, an infected mplayer.exe virus! DO NOT CLICK OTHER GRAPHICS! FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS HERE!) After you SCROLL DOWN, you should see a rainbow-colored bar below the correct download button. The button itself says "SLOW Download" not "Regular Download" or other variations. Make sure you click that button, then wait the required seconds. That graphic will pop up again, but this time you need to SCROLL DOWN and click the "Click here to download" button, the small button near the bottom with the check next to it.

Episode 27 - The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror MP3 Download via SlingFile

As always, thank you all so much for supporting What's the Attraction? and helping us grow! It's great to be able to share our love of the parks with everyone out there. If you enjoyed it, please like our page on Facebook (it's "What's the Attraction?"), subscribe to us on YouTube, and tell a friend! Next week, we begin a WTA winter break from standard episodes. Next week, there will be a short mini-episode with a holiday message...if you're planning a trip to one of the Big Three (Disney, SeaWorld, Universal Orlando) after Christmas, you won't want to miss our holiday message! Check it out next week!

SurferClock 

Monday, December 10, 2012

Episode 26 - DINOSAUR

Greetings and salutations, listeners! SurferClock here along with TAP-G to bring you the latest episode of "What's the Attraction?"

Dinosaurs...the word alone conjures visions of great, pebbly-skinned beasts bent on roaring, eating (sometimes each other), and tromping about with their mighty feet, shaping their world...until an asteroid blew it all up some 65 million years ago. Children have been fascinated with dinosaurs for decades, and is often the first type of creature they learn more about than themselves. For some, it remains an obsession and leads to palentology and teaching careers centered around these great beasts. For others, it fuels the imagination and leads to the creation of wonderful things...like the ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom that we plan on reviewing today...DINOSAUR!

This one opened with Disney's Animal Kingdom in 1998, though under a different moniker..."Countdown to Extinction," as it was called then, provided all the thrills one could handle until a certain yeti took up residence in 2006. As Animal Kingdom's earliest thrill ride, it delivered on the promise of a good time to thousands of park visitors every day. It continues to thrill folks to this day, albeit under the more generic title of "DINOSAUR," the change coming after Disney's movie of the same name came out in 2000.

So, is this prehistoric adventure all it's cracked up to be, or does it have all the charm of a pile of coprolite? Find out with our review right here, right now!

Episode 26 - DINOSAUR on YouTube

READ THIS BEFORE DOWNLOADING! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!: MAKE SURE YOU SCROLL DOWN! Do not click the graphics that you see at the top (it spawns a pop-up of sorts, or worse yet, an infected mplayer.exe virus! DO NOT CLICK OTHER GRAPHICS! FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS HERE!) After you SCROLL DOWN, you should see a rainbow-colored bar below the correct download button. The button itself says "SLOW Download" not "Regular Download" or other variations. Make sure you click that button, then wait the required seconds. That graphic will pop up again, but this time you need to SCROLL DOWN and click the "Click here to download" button, the small button near the bottom with the check next to it.

Episode 26 - DINOSAUR MP3 Download via Slingfile

As always, thank you all so much for supporting What's the Attraction? and helping us grow! It's great to be able to share our love of the parks with everyone out there. If you enjoyed it, please like our page on Facebook (it's "What's the Attraction?"), subscribe to us on YouTube, and tell a friend! Join us next week, where you'll be sure we're in the "zone." See ya then!

SurferClock 

Monday, December 3, 2012

Episode 25 - Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

Hello again, listeners! SurferClock here along with TAP-G to bring you the latest episode of "What's the Attraction?"

Whether you love or hate the franchise, there's no doubt as to the cultural significance of the sci-fi smash-hit series, "Star Wars." Filmmaker George Lucas could never have known that his little space fantasy film would go on to have such an immense impact of kids from generation to generation and gross a kajillion and a half dollars (note: actual amount not verified, but is said to be very close to that). The original trilogy and prequels alike remain some of the best known films in the industry, whether for greatness or infamy.

Shock and awe rolled through much of the world when, on October 30th, 2012, the entertainment mega-giant Disney would end up buying the rights to the Star Wars franchise for $4.05 billion dollars. George Lucas handed reign of the Star Wars empire down to one Kathleen Kennedy, and the rest is history just waiting to be made.

TAP-G and I, of course, have our own opinions regarding all this, but a little over a year before this acquisition, a brand new incarnation of 1989's (Walt Disney World's, anyway) Star Tours rolled out. It boasts more trips to take than just to get to Endor, 3D technology, and state-of-the-art ride simulator functions.

What's the Attraction? is proud to present (not too far from a galaxy far, far away) our review on Star Tours: The Adventures Continue! Take a listen now!

Episode 25 - Star Tours: The Adventures Continue on YouTube

READ THIS BEFORE DOWNLOADING! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!: MAKE SURE YOU SCROLL DOWN! Do not click the graphics that you see at the top (it spawns a pop-up of sorts, or worse yet, an infected mplayer.exe virus! DO NOT CLICK OTHER GRAPHICS! FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS HERE!) After you SCROLL DOWN, you should see a rainbow-colored bar below the correct download button. The button itself says "SLOW Download" not "Regular Download" or other variations. Make sure you click that button, then wait the required seconds. That graphic will pop up again, but this time you need to SCROLL DOWN and click the "Click here to download" button, the small button near the bottom with the check next to it.

Episode 25 - Star Tours: The Adventures Continue MP3 Download via Slingfile

As always, thank you all so much for supporting What's the Attraction? and helping us grow! It's great to be able to share our love of the parks with everyone out there. If you enjoyed it, please like our page on Facebook (it's "What's the Attraction?"), subscribe to us on YouTube, and tell a friend! Join us next week, where we'll Certainly Try Xtra hard to bring you a great episode! See you then!

SurferClock