DisneySea, part 2

~Sure, the roller coaster was fun, and the motion-video ride was a blast. But the best that DisneySea had to offer was yet to come. I knew my day would end up great when I spotted this sign in the "Lost River Delta" area:

^ Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull is a theme coaster; your car rocks around a bit and has a fun sharp turns and drops, but not the same as an actual roller coaster. Instead, the ride was filled with strange animatronic creatures and incredible special effects, complete with Indiana Jones speaking Japanese! Yet another one of Indy's many talents.

^ The ride is in many ways a showpiece for the entire DisneySea amusement park. It even made its way into my hotel room, which offered these Indy-style "Orient Expedition" LEGO sets for sale! I was sorely tempted.

^ The exterior of the ride. This temple was huge and impeccably detailed! Of course, the wait for the ride was a considerable 80 minutes, and led through the temple (and about a quarter-mile of pathway crowded with festering masses of humanity). As with the "Raging Spirits" coaster, there were several interesting displays and things to examine while waiting in line.

^ Indy's desk inside the pyramid, complete with mock 1920's paraphernalia. The newspaper on the desk had a headline which read something akin to, "Indiana Jones Seeks Lost Temple".

^ Indy's hat and glasses, on a unique display stand. "To Be or Not To Be..."

^ A closeup of the chalkboard. My favorite text here is "What is this? Another version of plasma coming out of skull." George Lucas, you've outdone yourself on this one. I'd want this to be made into a movie, but the truth is, the ride is fantastic enough on its own.

^ The eponymous Crystal Skull, the legendary artifact hidden in the temple that protects the Fountain of Youth. This wall mural is inside the temple, glaring down at you as you wait in line. Note all the overgrown vines scattered about, adding to the spooky ambiance.

Just before I boarded the ride, I also noticed some crates with "TO: MARCUS BRODY" stenciled on them. I'd be willing to bet that I was one of the only people that day who understood the reference there.

Once I finally got aboard, the ride was fantastic! My favorite part was where your car rolls between rows of stone masks that shoot out jets of air in front of your face. It feels like poisoned blowgun darts are just narrowly missing you, harking back to "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Speaking of "Raiders", here's a list of 25 reasons to watch the movie again!

^ One of the people I was with had been on the ride before, and he told me when the camera would take our picture (it's right before the rolling boulder *almost* runs over you). I was able to capture the moment with an amusing pose. On the other hand, my coworkers in the middle row were genuinely terrified, and it shows.

^ A closeup of the previous picture. You may recognize this person.

Of course, I couldn't take any of my own pictures on the ride, so you'll have to settle for this video:


~Oyasumi!