Category: Travel Vlogger

The Non-Local Content Creator Struggle is Real

On By Brent AbellIn Brent's Crossroads, cruise, Cruising, disney, Disney Adult, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Vlogger, Traveling Writer, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Welcome back to the Crossroads! I hope everyone is having a pleasant and relaxing holiday weekend. In the past few days, the big news has been the official opening of Universal Studios Orlando’s Epic Universe. The third gate at Universal Orlando is hyped, and YouTube has been flooded with videos and reactions from local content creators who scored early preview visits. This has led to much discussion about how non-local content creators can compete with locals. Some have been positive, and others not so positive.

So, here is my take on the situation as a non-local creator.

I live in the Midwest. It’s a five-hour flight to Disneyland in Anaheim and a twelve-hour drive to anything in Orlando. Yes, this does suck. Does it put me at a great disadvantage? Well, of course it does. Life would be much easier if I could whip out an Annual Passholder card and visit the Disney World parks easily and frequently. I don’t currently find myself in that situation at the moment however.

What does this mean for me?

It means I have to view each and every second in a park with a new eye. I have to examine every step, every view, and every choice with both my enjoyment and what I need to do to bank content. Fortunately, I love creating, so I have fun gathering footage while I’m being a kid in a magical theme park again. The situation has taught me to be judicious in how I use my content and how to make it work over long stretches. The various algorithms might not like it, but I do what I must as I keep focusing on growing this Crossroads project.

The biggest piece of advice I can give is to not let being a non-local creator get you down. It can make you feel like you’re lagging behind the local creators, but savor what you have and do. Don’t be jealous of the others. Keep being you in your content and on your videos. Let your natural self shine above all the rest. There is only one you, and let your followers see the attitudes and opinions of the person they follow. I try to grow, but I also stay true to myself. So be it if I take longer to get where I’m going. I’m still going to take advantage of every trip and give each post or video my unique commentary, opinions, and style.

When you follow or subscribe to a content creator, be sure to support them in any way you can. Like, comment, throw a little cash, or help push those creators you love. Believe me, we see each and every one of you, and it means the world to us, small creators.

I have to get going so I can prepare a list of videos before I take a last minute trip in a few weeks. I can’t complain, because I know it means I’ll have a ton of new travel and cruise content to work from and share with you here and on the Brent’s Crossroads YouTube channel.

Take care and don’t put off that dream trip… take it!

Out on the Crossroads,

Brent

Tokyo Disneyland is Like a Disney Time Machine

On By Brent AbellIn Brent's Crossroads, disney, Disney Adult, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Haunted Mansion, Japan, Magic Kingdom, Splash Mountain, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, Tokyo, Tokyo Disneyland, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Vlogger, Traveling Writer, Uncategorized, Walt Disney WorldLeave a comment

Welcome to the Crossroads! Tokyo Disneyland was an interesting trip and experience. The park is beautiful and a throwback to Disney’s bygone era. I think of Tokyo Disneyland as the Ghost of Theme Park Past. So, is Tokyo Disneyland stuck in the past? Not exactly, but the parts that are can be a fun look at what has changed here at the US parks. My first trip to a Disney Park was Disney World in 1987, when I was at the tender age of twelve. I vividly remember the rides, my wonder, and the excitement of being in the Happiest Place on Earth. I carry those memories with me as a full-fledged Disney Adult.

So, what does this have to do with Tokyo Disney? Walt Disney famously said that Disneyland would be an ever-evolving park. Change would be one constant guests could count on in the Disney parks. Yes, Tokyo Disney has new attractions, but it is also home to sights and experiences from the past. Tokyo Disneyland is modeled after the US parks. The Japanese investors at the Oriental Trading Company (OTC) wanted their Tokyo theme park to be a copy of their US counterparts. The Haunted Mansion is a copy of WDW, It’s A Small World mirrors Disneyland, and Pirates of the Caribbean is also modeled on Disneyland. Tokyo Disney has its share of new attractions as well. One of their most popular rides is The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast. OTC has recently demolished Space Mountain and is rebuilding it in an exciting new design. So, it isn’t like everything there is stuck in the past.

Tokyo Disneyland is hardly a relic of the past, but it has many holdovers from parts removed or changed in the US parks. I will list my five biggest holdovers from the US parks in Tokyo Disneyland.

  1. Country Bear Jamboree-Tokyo Disney’s show is the same show WDW had until the program and animatronic upgrades in the past few years. Yes, it’s in Japanese, but it’s still fun to hear the original music and watch the bears perform. I will post a video of the Tokyo Disney show on the YouTube channel in the next few weeks, so be looking out for it if you want to see the old version of the show, but in Japanese.
  2. The Jungle Cruise—This one is a little controversial (not as much as one on this list, but close). When the skipper tells us the best Japanese dad jokes on the cruise, you will notice some people in the jungle who are not present in any other version. Tokyo Disney still maintains the dancing tribesmen and the headhunters. The end of the boat tour will take you by the original Trader Sam with his strands of shrunken heads.
Souvenir?

3. Pirates of the Caribbean- This one is an interesting mix of old and new. The Tokyo attraction did add Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa, but where the US parks altered the auction scene and the pirates chasing the women, Tokyo did not make the same change. Riding Pirates of the Caribbean in Tokyo allows you to experience the old-school auction and chase scenes with the women for sale and being chased. It is easy to understand why the change was made in the States. Disneyland Paris followed the US lead and changed the auction and chase scenes.

4. The Haunted Mansion- I loved this version. I rode the Orlando version dozens of times on my first Disney World trip. During the Electric Light Parade (also something else old in states that’s still in Tokyo), we rode the Haunted Mansion in a continuous loop for almost an hour because there was no line and the cast members let us stay in the Doom Buggies for repeated trips through the mansion. The Tokyo Haunted Mansion features the spiders and webs, where the staircase room is now, and the OG Beating Heart Bride. Props to OTC for not making her into the Constance Hatchaway attic bride we know and dislike.

5. Splash Mountain- This is the mother of all differences between the Tokyo and US parks. The ride in the States drew criticism because it is based on Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear from the troubled Song of the South film. In the US, Disneyland and Disney World changed Splash Mountain to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, based on the animated Walt Disney Pictures film The Princess and the Frog. Tokyo has fought off all attempts by the Walt Disney Corporation to force OTC to change Splash Mountain. This is one of the most popular attractions in Tokyo Disney, and they aren’t in a hurry to make a change. They see the reaction and issues the US versions have had, and I don’t think they want any part of that action. Riding Splash Mountain again after having the opportunity to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was nice. It allowed me to make a better comparison between the two. I still prefer Splash Mountain, mainly because the story fits the ride better than it does with Tiana. I like Tiana, though; it is the right ride for the US. The Japanese don’t have the same cultural issues with Song of the South, which alters their views on the subject matter of the ride. They see it for the rabbit, fox, and other animals apart from the connotations we have with the film and characters in the US.

That wraps up this trip down memory lane to Disney’s past. We can still visit parts of the past in Tokyo Disneyland like we were time travelers. I’ve visited Disneyland, Disney World, Paris Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland. Only two parks are left, and I hope to get to them in the next couple of years.

Thanks for meeting me here at the Crossroads, and I hope to see you out on the road or in a Disney park!

Later,

Brent

Why I Would Never Do Tokyo Disney Without the Vacation Package!

On By Brent AbellIn Brent's Crossroads, disney, Disney Adult, Disneyland, Fantasy Springs, Fantasy Springs Resort, Japan, Tokyo Disney Vacation Package, Tokyo Disneyland, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Vlogger, Traveling Writer, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Welcome back to the Crossroads! I’ve visited Disneyland and Disney World in the US many times over the years, but nothing could prepare me for the planning it takes to visit Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea.

Tokyo Disney is a different experience. To make the most of your trip to the Tokyo version of the Most Magical Place on Earth, you need some forethought and planning. I’m considering a live stream on the YouTube channel to answer questions, discuss the park’s ins and outs, and explain what kind of planning you need to do. In this article, I want to give you the five main reasons why I wouldn’t visit the Tokyo parks without the vacation package.

Our vacation package was the three-day and two-night package. This included one-day tickets to Disneyland and two days for DisneySea. The hotel we stayed in was the Fantasy Springs resort in DisneySea. We visited Disneyland on the first day, and the other two were DisneySea. The two nights we stayed in Fantasy Springs, we had Happy Entry. Happy Entry allows you into the parks fifteen minutes before regular ticket holders. This is a huge advantage because you can’t start booking Premier Access, 40th Anniversary Priority Passes, or try for the standby show passes until after you scan your ticket and enter the park. While the regular ticket holders are waiting to get in the gates, you can get the jump on booking passes for the day. This is a huge advantage in making your day easier.

One perk with the vacation package is the ability to pre-book two rides per day. So, on our day focusing on Fantasy Springs, we pre-booked Frozen Ever After and Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival. Having these booked in advance allowed us to rope-drop Peter Pan’s Neverland Adventure and Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies. In the first hour, we rode all four Fantasy Springs attractions. Without the passes or being able to rope-drop Fantasy Springs, it could’ve taken hours to get on all four if you had the chance to ride them all. Staying in the Fantasy Springs hotel allowed our Happy Entry to be straight into Fantasy Springs instead of entering DisneySea from the main entrance, since Fantasy Springs is in the back of the park, far away from the main gate.

Worth. Every. Penny.

The vacation package also includes meals that you can book in advance. This is purely up to you as to which restaurants and times you want to book. We tried to plot our path through the park to end up close to a restaurant at our reserved dining time. We wish we would’ve tried some different places, but there’s always next time…

Each vacation package also includes a drink package. I found that how packages are accepted varies from place to place. Disneyland was very strict about what you could get with your drink package, and we did not use it much on the first day. Trying to figure out what drinks we could and couldn’t get was becoming a pain. DisneySea was much easier to navigate with the package. The DisneySea Food and Wine Festival was happening, and we were surprised to find out they allowed us to use the drink package for the specialty drinks for the festival. This made up for how tight they were with it in Disneyland.

Some of the other perks of the vacation package were a gift you picked out, a popcorn bucket (one per package, not per person), and tickets for a character meeting. The popcorn lines are crazy, so you may want to pick your flavor and bucket based on the line. We caught the cool new light-up castle with the soy and butter flavor popcorn. Some lines were an hour or more for various flavors or specific buckets. The ability to use the vacation package ticket to bypass the lines at a character greeting helped get more accomplished, too. I chose Mickey, and instead of waiting for an hour and a half, I waited fifteen minutes. Again, things like this make the package’s cost worth it. I only have a small window of time in the Japanese parks, and my time to experience as much as possible is worth the money. People may not feel the same, but I’m only here on the planet for a short time, and I aim to experience everything as much as possible.

To close, I will throw out some advice that most people and ‘Disney travel’ experts don’t realize. Happy entry does not count on the first day of your ticket. The two days following the nights in the hotel of your package do, but not the first day. You can pick up your package the day of or the day before, but you can only get the Happy Entry if you stayed in a participating Disney hotel the night before your package starts. Getting a room for one night on property before your package begins is difficult. We didn’t get a room like this until a few weeks before. The Fantasy Springs resort was booked solid, so we stayed two nights in the Disney Celebration Wish hotel before our package started. The resort moved our luggage to Fantasy Springs, and we enjoyed Happy Entry on our first day because we stayed in a Disney resort the night before. It is difficult, but if you watch closely, you can snag a room for the night before your package begins. This also allowed us to take the bus to Disneyland and line up early for the Happy Entry. I plan on discussing this process and experience more in the livestream. I’ll drop the time and date for that later.

I will take off now, but if you have any comments, drop them below, and I’ll answer them based on my experiences. Thanks for stopping in, and I’ll see you at the Crossroads!

Brent

I’m Ranking Disney’s Haunted Mansions…Where Do The Four Finish?

On By Brent AbellIn Brent's Crossroads, disney, Disney Adult, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Haunted Mansion, Tokyo Disneyland, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Vlogger, Traveling Writer, Walt Disney WorldLeave a comment

Welcome, foolish mortals, to Brent’s Crossroads! I have visited Disneyland, Disney World, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland. One thing about me is that I love the Haunted Mansion. In all of Disney, it is my favorite attraction in every park. Now that I have experienced all four versions of the Haunted Mansion, I sat back and thought about how to rank them. I’m not counting Mystic Manor because it is an entirely different ride compared to the classic Haunted Mansions.

So, let’s look alive, and don’t forget to bring your death certificates. I will start at the bottom and count up to the number one Haunted Mansion version in the Disney parks.

4. Tokyo Disneyland—It pains me to put it on the bottom, but sacrifices must be made. Riding the Tokyo version was like stepping back in time. This attraction doesn’t have the staircase room but still rocks the spiders and webs. The room is dark, and you can barely see the spiders, but it was a blast from the past. The spiders were still in Disney World when I rode it for the first time as a kid. The other big difference is the Beating Heart Bride. It did my heart good to see her in the attic and hear her heart beating. However, this is not enough to overtake the other Mansions. The outside queue is different with a ruined mausoleum, but the sightlines aren’t as good either. The Mansion here is beyond Splash Mountain and lacks the same uneasy feeling as Orlando (which it mirrors).

3. Disneyland—Putting the OG Haunted Mansion at number three is painful, too. It has been a few years since I’ve been to Anaheim, but things have changed a ton since my last ride on the Mansion. The new queue area looks fantastic, and I should be walking it this year. The other significant change is from an axe-wielding Constance Hatchaway to an updated version of the Beating Heart Bride. The updated spirit looks better, but I need to see it in person before passing final judgement. I need to move on before I rethink my ranking of the Disneyland ride.

2. Disneyland Paris– I struggled with putting Phantom Manor at number two instead of number one. It was almost a coin flip. Phantom Manor is what a haunted house should look like. Walt Disney said the mansion should look nice on the outside, and the ghosts keep the inside how they like it, but the Manor is all creepy from the gates to the doors. The storyline for Paris is also better than the other versions. In the first room, the narration is by Vincent Price, which is perfect for the feel of this ride. I love Vincent as well, so I may be a little biased. Overall, the attraction is similar to the other mansions, but it has different effects and scenes to better incorporate the storyline and the Phantom. The graveyard and broken open coffins in the transition area between the Manor and the Old West town are the scariest and most visceral. The skeletons are real-looking, and there isn’t the usual Disney-style camp in the scenes. The last portion of the ride is why I ended up not ranking it at number one. The Old West town is goofy. This is where we get a solid dose of Disney camp, and it detracts from everything else in the ride. It is so close to being perfect…

1. Disney World—You never forget your first, right? It has the same DNA as the original, and Tokyo is a mirror image of this majestic ride. On the first trip to Disney World as a kid, I rode the Mansion multiple times. During the Electric Light Parade, we were allowed to stay on the ride and keep riding because nobody was in line to ride. It pays to skip the parades and shows sometimes. The Haunted Mansion left an impression on me that continues to this day. It spoke to the way I felt and viewed the world. I like my world on the darker side, and this ride gave that darkness to me. Yes, it’s been updated. I hope they take Constance out of the attic, because the effect hasn’t aged well, and it’s time for her to go. The Hat Box Ghost in the hallway scene makes absolutely no sense. He shouldn’t be before Madame Leota’s seance. The spirits manifest after the seance; unless there is more to his story than we know, he should be in the attic. Okay, now I’m splitting hairs.

There it is, my Haunted Mansion rankings. How do you rank them? Do you think I’m insane, or do you agree with where the rides fell on the list? I plan on doing more of these to compare Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s A Small World, Peter Pan’s Flight, and others. Be sure to sound off in the comments below.

Well, I must get back to work on the next video for the YouTube channel (go here to subscribe for even more Disney, cruise, and travel content). Thanks for stopping in to chat, and I hope to see you at the Crossroads!

Brent

It’s About to Get Crazy- Star Wars, Disney, and Japan

On By Brent AbellIn Brent's Crossroads, cruise, Cruising, disney, Disney Adult, Disneyland, Japan, Star Wars, Star Wars Celebration, Tokyo, Tokyo Disneyland, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Vlogger, Traveling Writer, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Welcome to the Crossroads! I’ve said recently that there are many roads one can take here at the Crossroads. I am a horror fan and writer, Disney Adult, Universal Studios guy, traveler, cruise enthusiast, and Star Wars nerd. All of these different roads converge at a central point, and that central location is what I refer to as Brent’s Crossroads. At various times, each of these passions of mine meet here as I travel around the world. I will share my thoughts, ideas, and experiences with everyone in a no BS manner. Everything I post is my honest opinion and not influenced by any outside forces. If I tell you I liked something I did. Likewise, if I say something wasn’t great, I didn’t think it was great. I wanted to say this because things are growing, and I want everyone to know where I stand at the Crossroads.

So, what’s going on? I haven’t posted here as much as I wanted recently, but that is about to change. I will be embarking on a trip soon to Tokyo, Japan, and there will be plenty of new content related to the trip. Tokyo Disneyland will have multiple posts. The park is an entirely different entity from how US parks or those in Paris operate. There will be information about the differences and tips on how to navigate the Tokyo Disney experience. I will also cover my other travels in Japan, including the food and snacks, as well as Star Wars Celebration Japan.

During the trip, I will be posting short videos and pictures on the Crossroads Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube channel, and Facebook pages. Once I return, the full YouTube videos will be released, and the posts here will chronicle the tips, tricks, and experiences I had in Japan. If you haven’t followed the Crossroads on our other social media platforms, please do! You’re support goes a long way in helping keep the lights on here on the Crossroads and allows the whole venture to grow. In the coming weeks, I will be showcasing the new logo and releasing some branded merch to help support the various sites and YouTube channel.

That is what is happening, my friends. I have a lot of irons in the fire, but the desire and love I have for creating and for my hobbies drive me to continue. Trying to grow the Brent’s Crossroads project is exhausting, but I’ve loved every minute of it. Thank you for being here and for your support. It means a lot to this guy; you have no idea how much it does.

On that note, I have miles to go before I sleep and camera equipment to prep for the trip. Let’s take a ride together, shall we?

I’ll meet you all out at the Crossroads,

Brent

Why Do This Crossroads Travel Thing?

On By Brent AbellIn Brent's Crossroads, Disney Adult, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Vlogger, Traveling WriterLeave a comment

That is a good question.

I’ve written dark fiction and horror for thirteen years. In that span, I have written or co-written over thirteen novels, and I’ve had more than thirty stories featured in different anthologies and eZines. I wear metal band shirts and horror gear constantly. If you came to my office, you’d see how much I love the horror genre (and Star Wars).

But, I’m more than that.

This may seem strange to most people, but I am also a huge Disney fan. I proudly wear my Disney Adult membership on my sleeve. I also like to travel and cruise. I want nothing more than to be on a ship in the middle of the ocean or docked in a foreign port. I may like the dark and scary things, but I’ll visit a Disney park or a beach anytime.

So why have I started this extremely time-consuming venture along with a full-time job and trying to write the next novel?

Honestly, I love to create. My mind is constantly in motion with new ideas and new plans for things. The fiction has gotten me so far, but my creative spirit wanted the space to spread its wings. This is where the Crossroads comes in. The Crossroads is where I can let my creative spirit fly without the constraints and trappings of genre fiction writing. I get to flex my creative muscles in the non-fiction arena while sharing my experiences and thoughts about where I’ve been and where I’m going.

And about what’s up in my Disney lifestyle.

Bringing the Crossroads to life is a massive undertaking, and I’ve struggled with the project. I knew that, going in, I’d have to spread myself thin between my job, home life, writing, new YouTube channel, Crossroads, and all the social media accounts I hadn’t paid attention to before. Now, I have TikTok, Instagram, and Threads. Instead of one Facebook page, there are two. I have to plan in advance what I’m working on for which site every day. Some get posts daily, and others only once or twice a week. I still have to plot how everything drops and spaces out. I feel like I have two full-time jobs!

But that’s okay because I’m doing what I love. Maybe I can do this as my only job, along with fiction writing. One can dream, can’t they?

I want to thank you for stopping by the Crossroads for this little chat. Today, I felt like taking a short break from the Disney news and travel reports to speak with you about the why. I imagine some folks wondered what the fresh Hell had gotten into me, so I wanted to let you in on the thought process. This wasn’t some mid-life crisis move but instead an expansion of the hobbies I love mixed with my desire to always be creating.

If you should feel like supporting any of the socials, YouTube channel, or fiction, thank you. I’ll post links below. I create these projects to share my love of the world and the fantastic things we have in it and take it for granted. Look outside the window, and instead of watching the world go by, go out and experience all our planet and cultures have to offer. That, my friends, is the best advice I can give you.

As always, thanks for stopping by and meeting me here on the Crossroads,

Brent

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