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indiejones33
06-26-2018, 08:48 AM
Just wanted to give my two cents on the opening weekend of Pixar Pier and give a bit of a review of everything. I’d love to hear everyone else’s thoughts/comments as well if you’ve been able to experience it.

First off, I went to the Premier on Friday night and went both on Saturday and Sunday. I was able to experience most everything!

Highs-

1) Incredicoaster - love the new overlay! I took a fun coaster and elevated it with the new story! Love the look of the queue and all the Art Deco art work around the exit of the ride!! Someone mentioned that they though they should have used different features inside the tubes instead of static characters but I didn’t feel like they short changed the ride in any way. The sound quality was fantastic as well, it felt like they improved the ride in that way tremendously! Oh and I highly suggest riding the ride at night! The colors are so much more vibrant!

2) Lamplight Lounge - WOW! It blows Ariel’s Grotto/Cove Bar out of the water! We ate there both Sat and Sunday (had reservations) sat inside once and outside the second time. Food was amazing! We had the Salmon PLT, Potato Skins, Ratatouille, and donuts! Service was friendly and fast. Loved the new Infinity Fizz drink that uses dry ice and boba pearls! Highly recommend LL!

3) Jack Jack Cookie Num Nums - loved the chocolate chip cookie, warm and gooey. I just wished that it was more of a kiosk than just a cart.

4) New Art Work - love the new art and theming throughout the Pier. Especially the billboards as you walk down the ramp!

Lows -

1) Not Complete - the Pier is far from complete. I know they needed to open up what they did to absorb the summer crowds but I wish they would have closed it for a longer period of time and have everything completed before opening it up.

2) Poultry Palace - I had the 3 drumstick chicken box with cole slaw and was disappointed. Chicken was too salty and the the breading seemed soggy. Cole slaw was bland.

3) Games of the Boardwalk - although I liked the new theming of the games, they really didn’t change and the prizes weren’t anything to write home about. They cost $4 per play and you are not guaranteed to win anything except on La Luna.

4) Lack of Shopping - Knicks Knacks and the Small Shop at Toy Story Midway Mania were the only shopping opportunities available. Most items found in those stores could be found elsewhere in the park.

All in all I had a good time at the Premier. I was able to ride all 3 rides without any wait (it was generally about a 2 hour wait over the weekend). You received a nice swag bag, able to try all the new foods, meet characters never seen before in the parks, cool photo ops, first dips at new merch, play the games of the boardwalk for free, etc. I don’t know if I could justify the $300 price tag. I think it should have been discounted for AP’s at maybe $150-$200 and have been $299 for everyone else.

Sorry for the ramble but hope it helps for some! Let me know your thoughts about Pixar Pier!

Moedad
06-26-2018, 11:57 AM
Thanks, Indie! I'm looking forward to checking it some time soon, maybe during the later evening this week.

cstephens
06-27-2018, 11:58 AM
I think Pixar Pier looks gorgeous at night with the new coloring. This is one of my favorite views. (https://twitter.com/cstephens2/status/1010926939631054849)

I liked the Incredicoaster - it was fun, but I don't expect to be riding it very often. I hadn't been on Screamin' in probably 5 years.

I love all the details in the area - I'm fond of this picture of one of the snowglobes at Knick's Knacks. (https://twitter.com/cstephens2/status/1010927739094757376) Love all the detailing of character silhouettes. (https://twitter.com/cstephens2/status/1011400345212207104)

Absolutely LOVE the Pixarmonica Orchestra that plays at the band shell. They're a lot of fun.

I'm really disappointed that the Angry Dog is advertised as coming with "fries", which are really just hot Cheetos. Seems pretty boring overall.

We had dinner at the Lamplight Lounge Monday night. I was really looking forward to it. It was definitely not what I expected, and I was pretty disappointed overall. I'll write a full review when I get a chance. I like the decor, but I think the restaurant itself (downstairs) is poorly designed as a restaurant with the remodel, and I thought the food was just ok. I'm not sure if I would have expected something different had I known they were advertising it as a gastropub. I'd be willing to go again, reluctantly, to accompany friends, but I don't think I'd choose to go again.

cstephens
08-16-2018, 03:20 PM
Finally finished my review of dinner at Lamplight Lounge from June. (https://colddeadfish.blogspot.com/2018/08/lamplight-lounge-dinner-june-25-2018.html)