Birt Family Focus

EPCOT - Mission Space
Magic Kingdom - Philarmagic -- 03/16/04

Howdy everyone!

I haven't written a Focus in a long time, but Binnie asked me to revive the feature for our upcoming birthday anniversary and I was only too glad to oblige.

Today we will talk about two of the newest attractions at Walt Disney World, Mission Space and Mickey's Philharmagic.

Mission Space occupies the space the old Horizons Pavillion was in at Epcot. I would have loved if they had included a slight scent of oranges when you enter the queue, but alas, it is barren of any. Still, this is an amazing attraction, and well worth waiting in line. You don't have to, though, they have a quite fast moving singles option. The Birts often take advantage of this as it is easy to find your whole party (as long as there are only 4 of you) in the same capsule even so. My husband calls this Mission Spew- and it is an apt nickname. There are all kinds of warnings about what to do to avoid nausea, none of them work for me. I get nauseated EVERY time. Notice I said "every". That is because a little queasiness is not going to keep me off this GREAT ride. It is the epitome of cool. If you ever had a daydream about what it would be like to be an astronaut- this is about as close to that feeling as you can get (without weightlessness). You are in a small, enclosed space, so claustrophobic beware.The seats have plenty of room for even the fluffiest of guests, though, and is wheelchair accessible as long as the individual can leave the chair to get in the seat. There are lots of cool buttons, lights, and switches that you are free to push to your heart's content. The screen is just inches from your face (there is cold air blowing on your face as well, to help prevent claustrophobia and nausea), so if you wear reading glasses, do so. I do and found that if I didn't wear them, the picture was just a bit fuzzy and my nausea worse. Though they warn against closing your eyes, I found that if I did so during the "rough landing", I avoided much of my nausea, since it is mostly of the motion sickness type. Be aware, I DO NOT get sick on any other ride and never have. My family never gets sick, only me. It is weird, but true. So if you are someone who thinks "I have a cast iron stomach, I can take it"- don't count on it. On the other hand, if you get sick all the time, you might not on this, so give it a hurl..er whirl. A couple of things struck me as funny on this "trip"- one, you never leave Mars. That's right- you take off, land and stay there. Two- watch the sky on takeoff. There is a great piece of "realism" there. I won't give you a blow-by-blow of the ride, because I want you to experience it for yourself. Rest assured, you sit in a cubicle, nothing goes up or down, and all the special effects are contained in the g-force generated by the spinning ride or the movie screen. It spins so fast that you will NOT notice the spin, but some do get nauseated from the incredible G pull. If you close your eyes, you are more likely to feel the spin, which is why they tell you not to do it. One thing bothers me- with all the dire warnings and tips to avoid nausea, you would think they would have a facility near by for just such an emergency, but they don't. The nearest bathroom is all the way outside and next to the Mouse Gears shop. I kid you not!!! The first time I rode this, I came out pale, sweating, and ready to blow chunks (thus the moniker Mission Spew). I had to sit on a bench with my head between my legs and pray. There isn't even a water fountain in this place. There is one of the neatest play areas in the post ride area, though. Here you can play all sorts of video games with space themes, be part of a team race game, and send video messages to anyone on the internet. Still, it badly needs a bathroom and water fountain, so the Birt Family gives Mission Space an A-. Bring a barf bag and have a good trip!!!

After losing your lunch at the launch, hike over to the Magic Kingdom for a hilarious 3-d rest. In Fantasyland, check out Mickey's Philharmagic. This is in the area where the Lion King was year before last. This 3-d show is absolutely fantastic. For you duck lovers out there, it features Donald- a rare pleasure. He is his silly, klutzy, ornery self and wreaks havoc on Mickey's Fantasia Philharmonic orchestra. The sorcerer hat plays a big role here, Mickey only a small one, Donald is the star. The 3-d effects are some of the best yet, though I can truthfully say the Birt family has seen more than enough of a certain ducktail and I'm not talking coiffure here. Will somebody please buy that boy some pants?! The queue area is very daunting, but the theater seats about three hundred, so there is never a long wait. The inside queue has some hilarious posters- take the time to read them, and look for the hidden mickey in the mural on the right. Also, a very cool hidden mickey is to be found on the stage frame decor. I will stop hinting now, and let you have the fun of finding them yourselves. This show is so good, I have seen it 4 times and not once been bothered by babies crying in the dark, it seems they start crying when you are seated, and stop when the action begins. They love Donald's shenanigans, too. Everyone leaves with a big smile on their faces, I haven't heard any whining of any sort. Of course, it empties into a shop, but again, Duck Lovers, there is plenty of Donald stuff here. This is a grade A+, don't miss attraction.

That's all folks. I have to go and do some non-computery things now, but the Birt family is still here, and still goes to our favorite place regularly, so when something new opens up, or Binnie asks me to so sweetly (no, really, she was terribly sweet while she was cruelly twisting my arm through the computer screen ), look for another Focus to turn up.

In the words of the governor of California...I'LL BE BACK.

Sla`inte~