I’m not sure if it’s the Mummy’s Curse or the intensity of the ride, but this is one of those great photos where Zaira actually looks scared. Of course, her brother and mother have their eyes closed, so I’m guessing it was the threat of mummy attack that had them on edge. There seems to be much debate in the amusement park community over whether Revenge of the Mummy is a roller coaster or a dark ride, so I have listed it here as both.

She did manage to gather a bit more composure on her second ride, though, where she is back to looking like she’s enjoying herself. She ended up rating Revenge of the Mummy an 8 out of 10 on her coaster list at CoasteFanatics.com, so I’m guessing she did enjoy the ride. Notice how casual Gavin looks on his second time through while CJ (who was watching the baby on the first ride) is the one to look scared this time.

I really love the digital frame that Universal Studios applies to these ride photos. However, I can’t say I’m very happyabout the whole car coverage. While this could be great if everyone’s really into the ride, I still prefer the close-up of a more traditional on-ride picture.

Photos #058 & #059

The Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters dark ride at Disneyland is a tough one to explain, so I’m going to let some kind editor at Wikipedia do the explaining for me-

“Astro Blasters” and “Space Ranger Spin” are equal parts shooting gallery and dark ride. Visitors board an Omnimover space vehicle featuring two laser pistols and a joystick. The pistols are used to shoot laser beams at targets of varying point values. Targets that are hit while lit up will produce much higher scores. A digital readout on the dashboard shows the player’s score. The joystick allows full 360-degree rotation of the vehicle to assist in aiming. During the ride, if the ride slows down or completely stops (this is a result of either a handicapped guest or a ride breakdown) during the ride, this allows for “bonus points” as the pistols and targets do not turn off. There are 4 different shaped targets. Round, square, triangle, and diamond shaped. The triangle and diamond shaped targets are worth the most points. At one point in the attraction, each visitor is photographed during game play and, at “Astro Blasters”, has the option of sending an electronic postcard via e-mail at the exit queue. “Astro Blaster’s” photos include the player’s score. If the score is in the top 100 highest of the day, the player’s ranking is also included in the photo. The Top 10 players’ scores are shown on the scoreboard at the exit queue, along with 3 letters that the person chooses to identify themselves. The top person gets their face posted on the screen. The new Disneyland attraction features at-home play tied directly to the attraction itself via the Internet. The home game enables players to help Disneyland visitors by lighting up special targets that allow both sides to win more points.

So, the photo above wasn’t actually purchased in the park. Rather, it was sent to me by Zaira as a digital postcard. All i really have to add is that is, by far, the creepiest picture of Zaira I’ve ever seen!

Photo #043