The SuperHeroes are busy discussing the merits of Splash Mountain and what was called the Runaway Train but now called Thunder Mountain. Everest comes into the conversation for a short time but is soon dismissed as the littlest SuperHero wasn’t that particular ride’s biggest admirer. In fact, to take him back on may have been considered SuperHero abuse; however, he has asked to go back on since!
We’re partway to the park and get a text that the WonderWomen SuperLottie and SuperHanna are already in the park, they’ve taken their parents as a bit of a treat and had insisted on them having an ice cream on Main Street, USA. If you go to the Disney Parks, this is indeed a must but a word of warning, the moment the ice creams are acquired the process of consumption should begin, there isn’t a moment to lose. It’s the high 80’s (about 30 C.) and the speed at which ice cream can melt is astonishing. Many people get the Micky chocolate ice and the chocolate encasement can become detached in seconds SuperZak has this mastered of course and can both respond to the melt and utilise the resultant slab of chocolate by applying it like a face mask to the skin around his mouth and, on a good day, he can get it in his hair, ears and up his nose, such is his inherent SuperHero ice-cream dexterity.
SuperLottie and SuperHanna have heard of trouble with Pirates not far from here so off to the Caribbean we go and the two SuperBoys are recruited to trawl the area with a view to keelhauling the pirates and drive them out. Our fast-passes make short work of the formalities and within a few minutes we’re on a boat with both sets of Superheroes “keeping their eyes peeled” obviously delivered in a Bristol accent, for those of us of an age; Captain Long John Silver and Jack Hawkins would have it no other way.
We zig zag our way through caves of ‘booty’ and the superheroes take no truck with the villains seeing them off in a heartbeat and even threatening the haughty but naughty Jack Sparrow leaving him in no doubt who is in charge. We did find him secreted in some remarkable places though; he turns up in old rum barrels and even hiding in women’s clothes behind a washing line. He has very questionable tendencies has Captain Jack Sparrow!
All four SuperHeroes are now flushed with success and ready to take on all-comers. They demonstrate their abilities with ‘cavalier’ like thrusts with imaginary swords and SuperHanna keeps us all in check with a squirting windmill thingy that her dad has bought in a fit of extravagance when he was allowed out by himself to go on Space Mountain.
We’ve a little bit of time before checking out Thunder Mountain so we queue, incognito of course, for the Magic Carpet ride; when you’re cleaning up the west it makes eminent sense to do the east as well! It’s a rather more sedate means of travel although as there are controls to make minor adjustments to attitude and major adjustments to height both of which are manipulated by the SuperHeroes to maximum effect. No pirates were discovered in the east but SuperLottie had spotted an ice-cream vendor that could be requisitioned as we vacate our carpets.
After a brief but messy stop to wrestle with ice-creams, lollies and drinks we’re on our way again this time to search the treasure strewn caves of Thunder Mountain. The SuperHeroes have annexed a train and by happy coincidence, it has tracks that run through the cave that SuperZak has identified as potential for buried treasure. We’re undercover so boarding the train is done with many other heroes but none of them highly trained or with super-powers like ours. It’s a little disconcerting as we see the previous occupants vacate their seats looking decidedly wet. The SuperHeroes have spent some time assessing the project immediately before boarding the carriage and the evidence suggests that a Caribbean Squall has blown up as the previous train made its return to base. The passengers vacate their seats in various states of wet, some only saturated and the others looking like they’d spent time in Guantanamo Bay with a serial water-boarder. SuperHanna and SuperLottie smile at SuperHarry and SuperZak in anticipation, this is no damp ride, this is inclemency in the extreme. The adults are looking uncomfortable and giggle nervously.
So we board the train like adults and the SuperHeroes board it like Indiana Jones then we’re strapped in and off. It has to be said that there’s a lot of zigging and zagging coupled with some serious ‘ups’ and one or two even more serious downs. Within twenty yards we hit a wall of water and it’s not man-made. The heavens have opened, it’s entirely the result of our SuperHeroes combining their various superpowers and creating this natural diluvian downpour of biblical proportions. We haven’t been in the open more than a few seconds and the train has now accelerated to an unnerving speed as it whisks us around the first bend and onto the first drop which generates terrified screams from the other passengers. We, of course, are stoic and maintain our stiff upper lip (well most of the time anyway) and the clandestine agents carefully analyse every scenario for the bad guys. i’m not sure that the really bad guys would be stupid enough to be out here anyway unless they were pirates such is the weather; however, it could be argued that the presence of both SuperBoys AND SuperGirls is enough to scare off even the most powerful of evil anti-heroes. At the end of the journey, we’re sodden but the heroes and heroines are bouncing and SuperHanna and SuperLottie, in particular, are wanting to go back on for a second sweep to confirm the mountain is, in actual fact, clear.
We’re on the final leg of the training day and discover that the Racing Cars have a relatively short wait before the final assignment on Splash Mountain.
All four Superheroes are now stretched to capacity and have no issues joining a queue that is rather longer than we thought. There’s a lot of talking though so the time passes quickly and before we know we’re being encouraged onto our vehicle ready for the high speed assignment. The vehicles are fitted with an accelerator that is full throttle when you press it and full brake when you don’t, there is no in-between. This suits our heroes who’re paired up with an adult so that they all get to steer the vehicle. The smaller ones need help to push the accelerator but provided it is held to the floor boards there are no issues. It only take one circuit of the long track to ensure it is clear of anti-heroes and we’re off with lots of excited chat about who got run into whom and the near misses that took place. They’re still bouncing with excitement when we reach Splash Mountain.
Now, if ever there is a place where bad guys might lurk, it’s here. Jack Sparrow makes an appearance again but he’s kind of bad in a quirky good way. The boat that the SuperHeroes have requisitioned is a large log beastie with room for both families and we place ourselves strategically around it to spread the weight evenly and confuse the bandits.
The log takes us through a labyrinth of caves and chambers, going up into the light, then outside zigging and zagging all the way, then it drops like a brick in the darkness and the SuperHeroes adjust their night vision so they can scour the chambers that the adults cannot see – there are some terrified adult screams near but I’m sure that’s from another boat. We travel through a number of fairy tale lands and sweep the caverns clean then we’re on the final leg. We’re already at quite a height but the log, which is clearly being controlled by unknown forces is now on it’s way even further up and heading towards a waterfall of water at the end of a dark tunnel. We reach the summit and pass through the curtain of water as we all try (and fail) to avoid getting wet. As we reach the top and exit the tunnel we can see across the whole of the park but that is very fleeting as we tilt forward and shoot down the near-vertical drop into the pool 90 feet below. The SuperHeroes are delighted, the adults a little nervous but at least the caves are now clear and the people in the park can thank our secret agents for their meticulously thorough combing of the hide-outs as they declare them ‘bad-guy free’.
At the bottom, the log gets stuck for several minutes near a waterfall (not the best place to be stuck) and there are thoughts that, perhaps, they’ve missed one; however, a disembodied voice asks us to remain seated whilst they sort it and a little while later, following a couple of nudging sounds from underneath, we’re on our way then finished.
A good job done so we celebrate with a meal and fireworks and this time Vicky gets to see Tinkerbell.
Enjoy the snaps…G..x