Category: Traveling Writer

Reflecting on 2025: My Creative Journey at the Crossroads

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

Welcome to the Crossroads! I’m sitting in the new studio and workspace, thinking about how pivotal 2025 was for me. Today is the last day before we wake to a new year and the opportunities it will bring. When I went to sleep on New Year’s Eve 2024, I never imagined how much would change for me in 2025. Now, when I sit back and think about this past year, I wouldn’t change anything (except starting the Crossroads sooner).

The Crossroads is my creative outlet for my love of Disney, cruising, and travel. All of these things, individually, are roads that intersect with me at the center. The only downside has been shelving my fiction writing. The fiction is an unfortunate casualty of beginning this journey. Once things settle down, I will pick back up again, so if you read my fiction, be prepared to enter the darkness in the future. Next year should see the release of one or two new novels, so get ready!

I started 2025 with the Brent’s Crossroads YouTube channel (check it out and subscribe here), TikTok, Instagram, Threads, and a Facebook page for the Crossroads. I became burned out with the social media accounts by October. I will return to them in 2026, but on a reduced posting schedule. I’ve added a Substack for this page, and I plan to phase this page out in 2026 to use the Substack exclusively. I went big on the Crossroads, but I admit to biting off more than I could chew to start this project. In 2026, I will scale things up more slowly and be better equipped to keep up with the accounts.

The most significant change in 2025 was leaving my job. I needed to save my sanity and take care of family things. Right now, those family responsibilities take up a significant amount of time and are a full-time job. 2026 is the year I balance out my life and the Crossroads. It will be a challenge, but one I look ahead to conquering.

My goals for 2026 are to keep the Crossroads moving ahead. I want to be monetized on YouTube by the end of 2026. I plan to release a new novel. I will smooth out articles here and on Our Darkest Fears (my horror-related site and YouTube channel). I intend to stick with a release schedule/strategy for the social media channels. I also want to take the trips that make this venture possible. Will there be merch? I hope so! Will I take the Patreon plunge? Maybe, because I do need to pay the bills among all my irons in the fire.

So, if you like Disney, Universal Studios, cruising, or travel in general, you have a home here at the Crossroads. I want you to come by anytime for news, travel tips, reviews, and other shenanigans- you are welcome here! Please share your experiences. If you have a different opinion or disagree with me, let’s discuss it! If you want to support any of my other Crossroads adventures, please do. It means a lot to me. Your support helps grow the Crossroads channel.

2025 was a wild ride, and I promise 2026 will kick it up a notch. Thanks for stopping by the Crossroads, and I hope everyone has a super 2026. Enjoy life, and be sure to take that trip you’ve put off!

Happy New Year,

Brent

Carnival Cruise Lines Announces New VIFP 2x Points Deal and New Program Changes

On By Brent AbellIn Carnival Cruise, cruise, Cruising, Travel, Travel Blogger, Traveling Writer, Uncategorized, VIFP RewardsLeave a comment

Welcome back to the Crossroads! This has been a busy week for Carnival Cruise Lines news concerning the upcoming VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) rewards program changes. When initially released, the changes were met with some hostility. The vitriol became so bad that Brand Ambassador John Heald received death threats. I will not rehash the new program here, but if you want to catch up on the program changes, click over to this article from me and read up.

This brings us to this week in the Carnival VIFP program change saga. Carnival sent out an email to members highlighting changes to the changes in an attempt to appease the anger and betrayal many cruisers felt. Many thought Carnival was throwing their earned brand loyalty overboard, making it impossible to reach new benefit levels. Here is the email Carnival sent out (the bullet point comments are mine and do not reflect Carnival):

Dear Brent:

In June, we announced our plans to transition the existing Carnival® VIFP Club® loyalty program to a new program in June 2026 — Carnival Rewards™. Carnival Rewards was designed to model other successful and popular travel loyalty programs that more closely align activity and spending to rewards and status. While we explained our rationale for the change and provided a year’s notice to give everyone time to learn about how Carnival Rewards will operate, we also provided an extended period of time to maintain or achieve higher status levels before implementation.

Unfortunately, the announcement left some of our most loyal guests with the impression that their loyalty was being overlooked. We spent the summer listening closely to the feedback we received. As a result, we are pleased to share some modifications that address the concerns expressed:

•  Diamond will also be losing benefits according to the Carnival Rewards website.Diamond Status: As originally proposed, we were providing our Diamond guests with an additional six years of Diamond status once Carnival Rewards launches — through May 2032. Reflecting upon what it takes to achieve Diamond status, we are permanently extending Diamond level status to all guests who have earned it by May 31, 2026.
•  This will impact the number of people chasing this level to be granted Gold status when the 10k points are put in a member’s account.Platinum Status: In our original announcement, we advised that Platinum guests as of May 31, 2026, would enter the new program with Platinum status recognition through May 31, 2028. Given the number of existing Platinum members, we are unable to extend Platinum status permanently due to all of the operational challenges we’ve previously explained. However, we want to do more to recognize their loyalty. Accordingly, for all guests who are Platinum level as of May 31, 2026, along with extending Platinum status through May 31, 2028, 10,000 Status Qualifying Stars will also be deposited into Platinum guests’ new Carnival Rewards account when the program launches next year. That provides a minimum of Gold status in the subsequent June 2028 to May 2030 cycle and provides a boost towards maintaining Platinum status or earning Diamond status. Furthermore, we’re pleased to advise that this 10,000 Status Qualifying Stars deposit will be gifted at the start of each new two-year earning cycle, providing Gold status and a nice head start each period towards Platinum and Diamond status. This deposit is limited to existing Platinum VIFP guests as of May 31, 2026.
•  I will be interested to see how this goes.Guests Under Age 18: U.S. privacy laws restrict children under 18 from being enrolled in programs like Carnival Rewards, but we’re pleased to confirm that children will be able to enjoy the same status as their parent or adult that is designated as their responsible party on the booking for that sailing. Their cruise fare and spending will also contribute to the responsible party’s Carnival Rewards account. Furthermore, for our young cruisers who have achieved Diamond or Platinum status by May 31, 2026, their status will be kept on file and they’ll be invited to opt in to Carnival Rewards with their May 31, 2026, earned status once they turn 18. At that time, they will also be provided with the same Diamond permanent status or perpetual status boost offered to our Platinum guests as outlined above.
•  I thought rewards were based on nights cruised and not number of cruises anyway.Recognizing Your Milestones: We truly value your past cruising achievements and will continue to honor them with Carnival Rewards. All existing VIFP Milestone awards earned through May 2026 will be fully honored through May 2030, giving us the honor of celebrating those special achievements with you. In addition, we are so excited that Carnival Rewards will include an enhanced Carnival Rewards Milestones recognition program that will be based on days sailed (rather than number of cruises taken), and offering more benefits and rewards for each milestone achieved. More details will be shared in the upcoming months through email and our microsite on this recognition program.
•  Go get that credit card!For Our Australia and Canada Guests: We’re actively exploring options for our guests in Canada and Australia so we can offer residents of those countries enhanced earning and rewards opportunities similar to those provided to U.S. residents through the Carnival Rewards Mastercard®.

The passion and loyalty of our guests is something that motivates our team every day to deliver the best cruise experience at sea. We appreciate the support of our guests as we move forward with a new loyalty program that has been designed to create more rewards and recognition for our guests. Please look for updates via email and as posted to carnivalrewards.com, including more details later this year about the new credit card program. With the opening of Celebration Key™, our enhancements at RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay and Isla Tropicale, our expanded presence in Australia, exciting new itineraries and more new ships on order, there is much we look forward to, and many more reasons to sail Carnival.

Sincerely,

Christine Duffy
President, Carnival Cruise Line

The new changes will benefit the Diamond-level members, who will be granted permanent status on June 1, 2026. The proposed changes didn’t sit well with everyone at the Platinum level and below. The amount needed to keep my Platinum level didn’t justify staying loyal to Carnival any longer. So Carnival thought they’d throw those close to either Diamond or Platinum a bone.

Today, Carnival sent out a second update in the form of a 2x points special.

I made a follow-up video on the YouTube channel, discussing this offer and what it does. It’s limited, but it will help those close to either Diamond or Platinum reach that next tier before the May 31, 2026, cut-off date. The response for bookings has been high enough that the Carnival site crashed. If you’re close to that next level, take advantage quickly before the sailings get booked. After making a mock booking, I found that many cheaper rooms have already been taken.

The thing that caught my eye about this deal was that all guests in the cabin will get the 2x points. This has been a topic of discussion and hand-wringing since the rewards program redux was announced, and the topic is about the booking guest getting the points, but not everyone else in the cabin. So, if a wife books a cabin for her and her husband, she would get the points, and he wouldn’t get anything. I’m not sure who in the Carnival chain thought that was a good idea, but here we are…

There are details about the offer and how it can help bump some guests to the next reward level before the new program takes effect. Does it change what cruises you’re looking at between now and next year? It changed my mind to look at more NCL or MSC cruises, so I will expand my knowledge and experience base with those cruise lines. Drop a comment below about how this news may change your cruising plans.

Thanks for stopping by the Crossroads, and I’ll see out in the world,

Brent

My Final Review of My NCL Bliss Alaskan Cruise

On By Brent AbellIn Brent's Crossroads, Cagney's Steakhouse, content creators, cruise, Cruising, NCL, NCL Bliss, Norwegian Cruise Lines, The Local, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Review, Travel Vlogger, Traveling Writer, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Welcome to the Crossroads! The last couple of videos about my Alaskan adventure aboard the NCL Bliss are in the can for the YouTube channel, and I’m beginning preparations for Dragon Con in Atlanta over Labor Day weekend, a trip out west for Oogie Boogie Nights at Disneyland (as well as the 70th anniversary), and my first trip to Universal Studios Hollywood for Halloween Horror Nights. Now is the time for me to honestly review my first cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines, the Alaskan ports I visited, and Pier 66 in Seattle.

Let’s head out to the Crossroads, and talk about my latest adventure.

This was my first sailing on an NCL ship, and my first impressions were very positive. We booked this cruise using our casino points from online games, and the process was pretty smooth and easy. If you are interested in me delving deeper into the process and if it was worth it, drop a comment below and let me know. Because we booked through our points, we each had to book individually, which worked out because it allowed us to explore and compare an interior cabin versus a balcony cabin (balcony was fantastic for the beautiful views of the Alaskan mountains and glaciers). Our booking also had the “More at Sea” package added, so I will take a broader look at whether the package is worth the money later as well.

Pier 66 in Seattle is easy to reach from the airport by train. Purchasing an Orca Pass and navigating to the port from the airport is simple. The trip is a straight shot, and you don’t have to change lines. The stop is a few blocks from the pier, and it is an easy walk if you don’t have twenty suitcases. If you packed that much, you’ll want to Uber or take a cab to Pier 66. We arrived too late before the train shut down for the night, so we stayed at an airport hotel and took the train in the morning. This allowed us to explore the Pike Place Market a little. It did suck with our suitcases, but it was not impossible. The impossible thing was locating a restroom to use. If you take time to see Pike Place, the pier is only a five-minute walk from there.

My first view of the Bliss on the walk to Pier 66.

The pier is easy to navigate and to get through security. If you aren’t carrying on, you drop your luggage at an outside kiosk and proceed through the regular port security. The crowds didn’t seem large, and we cleared security quickly. I expected long lines at the port to check in since the sailing was at capacity, but it was never crowded, and we boarded easily.

My first impressions of the Bliss were positive. The atrium area was small, only a couple of floors high. The atrium’s second level is The Local Pub’s open center. The Bliss’s lack of a huge atrium four to six floors high was different, but it worked with the layout. Norwegian also had passengers complete their muster drill as soon as they boarded. This was a great way to ensure that all passengers completed it without having to track stragglers down.

The ship is excellent for the Alaskan itineraries due to the large observation lounge, mounted binoculars outside in multiple locations, and outdoor seating areas with great views. The drawback is the pools. There are plenty of hot tubs, but where some ships that do Alaskan itineraries have a retractable roof over the pool deck, the Bliss is wide open the entire time. If you want to swim, you’d better do it on embarkation day or the last day heading back to Seattle, because if not, it’s too cold to swim unless you hit the hot tubs.

Now, what did I think of the food? The food in the main dining room (MDR) was average. Some of it was very good, and some not so much. The breakfast and lunch menus in the MDR were better than most of the dinners. The free included restaurants like The Local and the American Diner were great. The Local is open 24 hours and has the best food on the ship between the MDR, buffet, and included restaurants. The only pay restaurant we dined at was Cagney’s Steakhouse. It was the best steakhouse I’d experienced on the four cruise lines I’ve sailed. You can dine at the pay restaurants with your More at Sea package. The number of times depends on which package you purchase. Ours only covered one meal, so we chose Cagney’s after hearing many positive reviews online. The Garden Cafe (buffet) was also excellent. It rotated dishes based on theme, had a hot dog/burger section, and served various Indian food daily. The buffet is my second favorite behind MSC. MSC’s buffet brought it at every meal.

Onboard entertainment was average. They did have a Broadway production of Jersey Boys for a couple of nights, but the other nights were your average singing oldies that older cruisers like. At least the entertainment wasn’t jugglers and magicians like on Royal Caribbean. I think I’d see the shows I’ve attended on Royal Caribbean ships at a retirement home. Carnival still has the best shows, in my opinion. Let me know in the comments what your favorite cruise line entertainment is. The Bliss also featured a Beatles tribute band, the best and most accurate-looking and sounding tribute band I’ve ever heard. I could close my eyes and believe I was listening to the Beatles in Liverpool.

The port stops were great, and I covered all of them in my video series on the YouTube channel (check them out here). My only real gripe is that the Bliss was always the odd ship out and had to dock the furthest away from the towns. The docking assignments left Bliss passengers with shuttle buses to get to and from the downtown areas of the port stops. The other ships sailed up to the front door and dropped off in the thick of the action. We lost time due to the travel requirements of being bused back and forth.

A quiet and reflective moment in Icy Straight Point.

To close, I would rank Norwegian Cruise Lines as my second-favorite cruise line. NCL is close to the top, but one other takes the top spot. I promise I’ll count them down for you soon. Where will the four rank? Tune in by subscribing to be notified when new content drops at the Crossroads! Thank you for stopping in, and I hope to see you out in the world!

Safe travels,

Brent

Bigfoot does exist, and he works in a gift shop.

What Did I Think of the American Diner on the NCL Bliss? Review and Menu!

On By Brent AbellIn American Diner, Brent's Crossroads, cruise, Cruising, NCL, NCL Bliss, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Review, Travel Vlogger, Traveling Writer, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Welcome to the Crossroads! This is the place for my experiences and reviews on the road, on cruises, or in or about Disney/Universal Studios. I’m eating at and reviewing another restaurant on the Norwegian Bliss, the American Diner. Located on deck 17, the American Diner is included with your cruise fare. It is only open for lunch, from 12 pm to 5 pm. The only thing that isn’t included is the milkshakes, which are $7 each. The milkshakes also do not count for the More At Sea beverage package. If you want a milkshake, you’re paying for it.

Now, what about the menu, and how was my meal? Let’s find out!

We chose to eat at the American Diner on embarkation day. Because most people head straight to the buffet on cruises, we hoped the American Diner wouldn’t be crowded. Luckily, we arrived right as it opened and didn’t have to wait. It never was crowded during our lunch, and there was ample seating. A portion of the menu is available at other restaurants on board, like at The Local, so we wanted to focus on items only served at the American Diner.

We ordered the smoked fish dip and the white bean chicken chili for our starters.

The chili was warm and very flavorful. It wasn’t too spicy or bland, hitting somewhere in the middle. The chili tasted good, and I enjoyed it as my starter. The smoked fish dip tasted delicious. The dip didn’t have an overpowering fish taste, and the smoke flavor showed through. If the fish had been overpowering, it would’ve drowned out the smoke. The chips served with it were stale, however. We joked that they were left over from the previous cruise and needed to get rid of them. Apparently, hungry folks boarding a ship is a good place to unload stale chips.

Now, for our main dishes, we decided to pick the pulled pork sliders and the homemade meatloaf. The meatloaf sounded like it could be good—or it could be bad, but I was willing to take the risk.

The sliders were average. They needed more sauce, and the slaw was bland. The Hawaiian rolls were good, and the fries were of the nice, thin, and crispy variety. Overall, the sliders were okay, but not something I’d beat the door down to order again. The meatloaf was surprisingly good. It was served with grilled corn and mashed potatoes. I wasn’t a big fan of the gravy, but it didn’t detract from the meatloaf’s flavor. I would’ve ordered it again if I had dined at the American Diner a few more times. The corn was good, and the potatoes were bland, but it was passable when you put the meatloaf gravy on it. I’d place the main dishes as above average.

When ordering dessert, we paid for the chocolate shake and added the chocolate mousse and bread pudding.

The shake was good, but I’m not sure it was $7 good (it was actually $9.17 after taxes and added gratuity). The other two desserts weren’t anything to write home about. The mousse was a basic chocolate mousse with a tiny dab of the strawberry coulis and a few graham cracker crumbs. The bread pudding was tasteless unless you covered your bite in the caramel whiskey sauce. The problem was that you ran out of the sauce after a few bites. Overall, I give the desserts a below-average rating.

How did the American Diner fare? I’d give it an average rating. It’s okay, but not a place I’d rush to eat again or go out of my way to dine at another time. I would still recommend it if you are on an NCL ship and have never tried it. Don’t take anyone else’s word about a restaurant until you try it yourself. I only give these opinions and reviews to pass on restaurant information and my experiences. Have you dined at the American Diner? If so, comment with your experiences below.

I hope you enjoyed this review, and I hope you take that trip you’ve been wanting to take!

See you at the Crossroads,

Brent

Carnival is Leaving Its Rewards Members Out at Sea

On By Brent AbellIn Brent's Crossroads, Carnival Cruise, cruise, Cruising, Travel, Travel Blogger, Travel Vlogger, Traveling Writer1 Comment

Time for some big cruise news in the travel world. Carnival Cruise Lines has announced a massive change to their VIFP Club that is making members feel like jumping ship. I picture Royal Caribbean and MSC hanging out around the corner like Spirit Halloween hanging around a newly closed retail location, waiting to pounce on dissatisfied members.

Carnival announced changes were coming to their loyalty reward program, but I don’t think anyone knew how big a shift they would make to the program. If you aren’t familiar with the Carnival VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) program, it was a tiered system that provided members with increased benefits as they progressed through the program. Each night counted toward your total. For example, if you had x number of nights on the ships, you would be at x level. With x level, you received certain rewards and perks. These perks included priority check-in, complimentary laundry, complimentary drinks, and priority access to the water shuttle at tender ports. Once you achieved a level, you were that level until you earned the next higher one.

But things are changing, and people aren’t happy. The Facebook groups have the torches and pitchforks out.

The loyalty system is being thrown overboard for a point-based system. Now, instead of earning your level based on nights cruising, you earn it by spending money for the points (cruise fare, spa treatments, excursions, and spending in the casino will earn you points, to name a few). For example, suppose you are a platinum-level VIFP member. In that case, you will need to earn 50,000 points within the two-year window to maintain your status. Using the calculator on their website, it says I would need to sail on 3-4 times a year during the two year window to maintain my status, and unless I go all out in the window, I’d never reach Diamond no matter how many sailings I go on. The next level will be unobtainable for most cruisers, and many feel they will lose two or three levels and be stuck at the first tier forever. The jump from platinum to diamond is another 50,000 points. Diamond level would require 100,000 points (stars) to achieve that status. The perks do not appear to be changing, but I don’t think people care…they are pissed.

The new program doesn’t begin until June 1, 2026. To view their new requirements for the rewards program, please visit https://carnivalrewards.com/. To say it has gone well with cruisers since the announcement would be a lie. Since the program change is still a year away, I wonder if things will change. I know we’ve been sailing on various other cruise lines more and more lately, and this isn’t making me want to continue supporting a company that has decided my years of loyalty are meaningless. One of the lines from the announcement email stated that they didn’t think all the elite-level guests on sailings made anyone feel special. Guess what? I don’t sail to feel special. I sail to experience new places or to relax in the ocean and soak up the sun. I sailed to build my brand loyalty, but I guess I should’ve jumped ship long ago, because our loyalty meant nothing to Carnival in the end. I don’t envy John Heald when he starts getting the heat on Facebook.

I will leave you with a link to the email Carnival sent out to announce their program changes. Click here if you feel the need to throw up a little in your mouth. They pretty much gaslight us into believing it’s our fault for advancing through the system that they need to change it. No, their policies since COVID-19 are mostly to blame, but that is an argument for another time.

Well, I need to get ready for the next trip, so thanks for stopping by the Crossroads!

Brent

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