Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Discuss theme parks, roller coasters, and donkeys!
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Posts
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A Holiday Stroll Around Christmas Town Ah, it 's that magical time of year again. The smell of fresh pine trees is in the air, the laughter of happy children is everywhere, and adults are downing copious amounts of holiday grog. Yes, Christmas Town has returned to Williamsburg. Care to take a stroll with me around the park to takes in the sights of the season? We start with the walk from the parking lot to the park entrance. Preferred parking, which is included with my membership, was full by the time I got there on Sunday, December 9, around 4:30 pm. I had to park in the outer reaches of the Ireland lot, which offers both tram service and a new path for those who care to hoof it. The tram line was huge, so I took the path. The walk took about ten minutes, and it gave me another view of this version of Santa. This used to be in Festa Italia (aka Holiday Hills), but it greets drivers as they enter the parking lots this year. Looks like Santa misplaced his reins and harness--or perhaps he's using invisible magic reins to keep his reindeer in line. The Enchanted Tree with the Big Balls greets you at the entrance to England. It wouldn't be Christmas Town without it. I've always liked England's traditional wreaths and garlands. On the left is the Globe Theatre, where you can take in BGW's musical version of Dickens's A Christmas Carol--Scrooge No More. It's probably the best of their holiday shows. How can you really go wrong with this Dickens classic? Some of the cast appear as carolers between shows and perform in front of the theatre. And keep an eye open for Father Christmas. It's always a "Blue Christmas" in the Scottish Highlands. Ireland, of course, stresses the green and gold. The Abbeystone Theatre is the home of Gloria, a show about the birth of Christ using traditional and contemporary music. Ireland is also where you can partake of Santa's Fireside Feast. This building has hosted a few other attractions over the years. The scrambler (aka Le Catapult) used to be in this building. It's also the former home of the Enchanted Laboratory and Castle O'Sullivan shows. Now it's Santa's buffet away from the North Pole, and Mrs. Claus always makes sure there are plenty of cookies. I like the path between Ireland and France. The luminaria are a nice touch, it always smell like freshly cut pine trees, and the gypsy wagon looks nice with its festive green lights. France is also looking very festive. The Palace Theatre hosts Twas the Night, a figure-skating show, if that's your thing. The Merry Misfits vocal group also performs on a stage next to the ice-cream parlor. Griffon was closed, as were Apollo's Chariot, Pantheon, and Tempesto. All the park's other coasters were operating. Fort New France (aka Canada) is where you board the Christmas Town Express for a grand circle tour of Busch Gardens and, if you're unlucky, a bunch of people singing off-key carols in your ear for 20 minutes. (This is just one of the hazards of the holiday season.) Still, it's a nice ride and on Quick Queue (seriously, the line for this can get very long on busy days during Christmas Town). They were running two trains last night, so the wait wasn't bad. I didn't get any decent photos of the trip, but I like these wreaths in the New Caribou Station. Here's Santa's Workshop in Germany--a nice meet-and-greet spot. The Burgermeister's Hideway speakeasy is running a Christmas-themed program with appropriate Christmas cocktails, but it fills up fast. Let's head to the Festhaus for a brew. During Howl-o-Scream, the Festhaus is full of fiends, but during Christmas Town it's home of O' Tannenbaum. a synchronized music-and-light show held on the Christmas tree above, and Up on the Haustop, with modern Christmas songs. It also has this cool chandelier and some magical theme-park snow. Hmm--looks like this Porsche might have crashed in the snow. The tow truck can't get here until spring, so we may as well decorate it. The view from the bridge between Germany and Italy. This is my favorite of the park's many Christmas trees. It also provides a nice backdrop to the freakishly large Santa heads of Holiday Hills (aka Festa Italia). The large Santa heads and candy canes remind of bit of the Christmas decorations of my hometown in California when I was a kid. Of course, we didn't have a spinning teacup ride, which is probably for the best. That about says it all. Let's move on to the the Polar Pathway. There's another synchronized music-and-light show here. They use some 1950s style Christmas music, including some rockabilly stuff. Never before has a natural disaster looked so festive. The Sesame Street Forest of Fun celebrates trees of all colors. Time to head home via blue Scotland . . . . . . and Merrie Olde England. Be sure to wish Father Christmas a "Happy Christmas" on your way out. "Ho, ho, ho! The president of the Claus Organization thanks you for visiting Christmas Town. Go home and continue to make merry!" Thanks for joining me on this stroll through Christmas Town. -
By PKI Jizzman · Posted
bert those boots and glasses slay! another awesome trip report. keep it up! thanks for sharing the experience! -
By TheRattler_87 · Posted
https://x.com/sf_fiestatexas/status/1866178605958447312?s=46 -
By Sportsdude360 · Posted
I fully understand what you're getting at. It would be great if Cedar Fair would give us some hint at what their plans are with regards to SFSTL. -
^ Very cool TDL "souvenir", heh. I have seen several re-creations of Tokyo Disneyland rides by different brand names ..... very tempting to buy.... Then I see what you're getting, and I start thinking ..... hmmm.... cool buy if you get it, Bert. 🤠 P.S. Have any of our Tokyo members (and/or TPR members recently visiting there) been to TDL and seen any of the new construction on the new Space Mountain? Just curious how the construction is going. What new Space Mountain (in 2027) is supposed to look like, when it's ready to open. And they gain a neat plaza, too! -
Oops how did this happen. This park seems cursed. The original owner of the land didn’t want an amusement park put there, but they did anyway. -
By prozach626 · Posted
Said no one from Six Flags St. Louis leadership. -
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yeah.. Jeffrey was super coy about it. . but said all will be revealed on Friday. however, based on his comments about Goliath not fitting into the area since it was brought over from Six Flags New Orleans, and that the repaint really helps it to fit in more? I'd put money on a Goliath rename. and based on the teaser? probably something along the lines of "Chupacabra" that wasn't the "big" news tho. . . in answer to a question about things coming in 2025. . he brought up how "the Doctor has decided to go into Pediatrics, and talked about the reduction in the height requirement that the park recently did - he then also mentioned that she's been pretty cranky lately and is cooking up something "special" as a nasty gift next year. nothing really to get excited about, but then he mentioned that it was the 1st "beyond vertical drop" on a dive coaster, and that the Doctor had called a meeting with Park Management and B&M early next year. so that perked up my ears. . . B&M is coming to the park to have a meeting about Cliffhanger? I STRONGLY suspect we might get a "hold" on the 2nd drop. . otherwise why bring in the Coaster Manufacturer? I can't imagine they are going to reprofile the drop. . . so the only thing that makes sense to me is a 2nd hold, since many dive coasters DO hold before the 2nd drop and Cliffhanger does not. it was a very cold day yesterday, and a bit drizzly, but we all had a wonderful time. and the shows are FANTASTIC once again, with almost the entire cast of Scrooge doing double duty and also performing in "Majesty of Christmas". . so the voices are there and really great. -
By BobloLives · Posted
Storm Runner is a better ride than Ka or Dragster anyway. At least more interesting, in my opinion. -
By Sportsdude360 · Posted
I'm not so concerned with quantity as I am quality of the ride selection at the park. And while we don't know the specs of the new B&M Dive Coaster coming in, possibly Giga, we do know that it is part of th $1 billion investment that Cedar Fair, is making into the parks. This means they care about SFOT and want to add new rides and attractions that will bring guests in. A shiny new coaster with great rider capacity might just fill the bill. -
By DannySixFlags · Posted
Some guy on the SLC at SFA yelled, "I WANT MY MOMMY!!" right before the brake run. Also, at SFGAdv today, my seatmate on Houdini was freaking living it up. He was screaming "WE'RE UPSIDE DOWN!!" and he even went, "Hi down there!" when the walls were sideways. -
By DannySixFlags · Posted
Both Kingda Ka and Splash Mountain were rides I didn't do because I was scared, and now they're gone. Splash is understandable because I was 13 and still got the stomach drop, but Ka?? After I rode Storm Runner?? Probably because of the forces on your face... and of course... Storm Runner's voice (and the fact it wasn't that big or fast.) -
By teacherkim · Posted
I wouldn't be against it if they outsourced it to someone qualified like PTC but you're implying to just send it to the quickest source which isn't necessarily the best. Yes, carpenters are very talented and craftsmen/women in their own right but this project also needs actual artists for the final step and those are a lot harder to find and employ. Again I don't know if that is the problem just doing some speculating of my own which the park could end by simply being clear and honest on what the issue is. I wasn't specifically talking about the zoo, mentioned somewhere else entirely but it's not bullshit; YOU have previously stated that the park does not owe anyone anything, it's a business and if you don't like what it offers don't go there and I was pointing out there are other places to ride a carousel. I really don't think the extended closure is hurting the bottom line and claiming it is embarrassing and carrying on like it's the end of the world is the epitome of first world entitlement, entirely different from criticism. That's what I meant and you know it. I know kids that cannot go to the park, through no fault of their own, and would be thrilled to go whether the carousel was operational or not. And there will be thousands more in the long run by restoring it properly and having it last longer. You are speculating as well, I don't think your crystal ball is a guarantee of the future. What I cannot understand is why if you claim that our park sucks, and you just aren't into this hobby that much anymore, and there are other carousels closer to where you live available for your family, you continue to spend so much time posting on this and other threads about this particular carousel. What the hell are you hoping to accomplish? -
By TheRattler_87 · Posted
I don’t think this is Krampus stuff, I think this is a Goliath retheme announcement
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