Leaderboard

We're not water park people. I mean, we've been to a small handful, but it really needs to be something special to get us to deal with all the inherent inconvenience of the general water park experience. (And also, many water slides are terrifying.) However, Denver is home to a place with something that, to my knowledge, no other water park really has: "dark ride" water slides. So, we decided to check it out: Water World Their slogan is, "America's Largest Water Park." Is it actually true? Who the hell knows? It is pretty big, though. Okay, so, as I mentioned at the top, we haven't been to a whole lot of water parks. But none of the ones we had been to had the system that Water World largely employs. Basically, there's a line at the bottom of the slide, where you wait to get a tube form someone getting off of the ride. You then carry that tube up the hill to the top of the slide, where you wait in another line to actually go down the slide--but in this line, you're constantly having to wait longer as people who paid for "tube valet" cut in front of you. I say "you" because that wasn't me. We paid for tube valet. We also sprung for a little bungalow thing because I wanted to make our water park experience as pleasant as possible. I did see one complaint. But it was from a guest with tube valet who was upset that some regular guests had been allowed to go in front of her. Have I mentioned that that Denverites are very confrontational? The park is very relaxed about what guests can bring in. I mean, okay, they won't let you bring glass jars and the like, but you want to bring some chairs and a tent and a cooler the size of small car? Sure, just camp anywhere! What I'd heard (or maybe just assumed?) was that these "dark rides" were lazy rivers. But not so much. There are calm sections (where most of the scenery is), but there are also some pretty wild sections. This is a good photo. Relatively. At this point, I was using a cheap waterproof camera that, you guessed it, doesn't do so well in low-lighting conditions. It seems like the whole "theming" thing is doing well for them, so they're trying to incorporate more and more. Glacier Run. Did we ride it, or did we just take photos of it? You decide! Best ride in the park. Safety is for grownups. Also, Water World has a sky ride! This sky ride consists of two "trains" worth of gondolas that run in opposite directions. No turning in the station, though, they just reverse. Sort of like a funicular. From our vantage point high in the sky, we can see some peasants carrying their own inner tubes. I'm actually really against "fast pass" systems. All the more so because opting out just gets you screwed over. Still, having said all that, I was quite happy to not have to carry my own inner tubes up long winding uphill pathways. But, I now realize having typed all that, that it misses the real issue entirely. Put in some conveyor belts, you d*ickhe@d water park! I don't get this one. They just go along the outside. What's the point of the swirly bit? Well, it's not available, it's ours. Or, it was. I guess it could be available now. Anyway, here's lunch. Pretty standard stuff, but not horrible. Colorado is super-into its flag. Like, more than Texas. (To be fair, it's a nice flag. Who wants to cornhole Colorado's flag?) Schlubs carrying their own tubes up to The Storm. Actually, even people *with* tube valet have to carry their own tubes for this last bit. (Tube valet tubes are red.) The Storm's exit theming. Voyage to the Center of the Earth Again, this one is fairly wild in parts. Which I don't mind. What I was less fond of is that we kept getting stuck on, like, ridges on the bottom? We weren't the only ones, I don't think. And we sort of had to shimmy our way off of them to continue. Maybe weight was a factor, though we certainly didn't exceed any posted weight limits. At one one point, there was a backup that resulted in the tube behind ours slipping under the back end of our tube in a way that I would describe as alarmingly-about-to-capsize-we're-all-going-to-die. Still, we didn't. And I don't know if these "stalls" are a purposeful part of the design or not. We're not water park people. I mean, it didn't *feel* entirely safe. But what do I know? I can only apologize for the quality of this photo. Is it worse than no photo? If so, well, just don't look at it. STOP LOOKING AT IT! I'M SORRY! A lazy river. Of the type I would've preferred the "dark rides" to be. Still, they're unique and (mostly) pretty fun. But I'm still going to label them as a... *takes off sunglasses* ...disappointment. I believe this is called a Butt Bouncer. Or possibly an Aqua Scoot. Butt Scoot? Aqua Bounce? All of those are fine. They also have a couple of water coasters. So, certainly, they have a lot of stuff. And it takes up a lot of room. Of course, a quick internet search reveals that Noah's Ark in the Wisconsin Dells also claims to be the largest water park in the US. Neither of them have Commerson's Dolphins though, so whatever. On the other hand. What does Smisty have to say? So there you have it. Two people who have no business at a water park judging it as okay-ish. Stay tuned for more hot smoky Denver fun!

I couldn't agree more, every park should have a Screaming Swing and a Giant Pendulum.

Hopefully

It's been like 20 years since we went to this water park but I remember thinking it was fine, nothing super special other than the random water slide dark rides which I kind of wish were everywhere! Also, we're super spoiled when it comes to water parks now as when we include them on trips we always get cabanas and/or ERT for our people and now it's hard for me to go to a water park without some goodies. It's good to see they're still doing well and seem to be adding slides.

The dumbest feuds are Twitter feuds. I'm simply tired of the attitude, but I guess many people find it entertaining.

I will pay whatever it cost to NOT wait in line at any park. Ever.

just got Biopsy results. NEGATIVE for Malignancy/cancer. oh, there's still what looks to be an infection in his vertebrae. . but that's treatable! (Bone Cancer is not). Holy fuck. .this has been a stressful 5 weeks now onto the ENT Doctors to see if they can fight off the infection (which has been running rampant for weeks more than it should have been due to us being dicked around by Insurance/Scan Place/Doctors for over 5 weeks just to get the damn biopsy done!).

Necromancer here. I looked and couldn't find an official thread yet, but things are ramping up in a big way at this park. Friends and family previews are going on right now and they open next month. I came across the POV of their Jurassic World attraction and I just had to heap praise on the team at the park because hooooooooooooly moley it's incredible. Spidey tech with mostly live sets and massive, in-your-face animatronics while only having a few screens peppered throughout. Honestly this ride alone might be the reason I finally bite the bullet and make a trip to China.

Louisiana and then the whole Redneck Riviera and Texas border regions then the rest of Florida and now the South. But yes, the first spot that lit up like Rudolph's nose was the Table Rock/Bull Shoals/Norfork Lake regions of the Ozarks and it has spread out from there. There is a clear correlation to vacationing hot spots likely spread by asymptomatic breakthrough cases living life normally. It just happens it was to areas where folks are resistant to vaccines.

That was the most frightening moment of airtime ever.

I have a number of issues with them, personally, but all of that aside, just from a practical standpoint, it boils down to this for me as well. With 5 of us every time we go to a park, there is no world where it's practical, or economical to do.

As a family of 4, no. Its not worth it to me at $400+.

While this has become a bit off topic, I am currently working the Springdale Northern Bypass (SNB - Hwy 612) section between Hwy 112 and Hwy 412 at my job. Progress in the civil engineering world is slow, especially with a poor funding source. Think of the completed SNB as the hyper SFStL will get... someday.

Well, okay, but, um...no sex with animals, please.

I am *absolutely* not a WaterPark person (tho for me, I have to take my contacts out, then I'm blind, so they aren't fun to me). We do seem to have very similar tastes and I'll bet a trip together would make for a hell of a good time! but. . . I'd TOTALLY go to a waterpark, just so I could take a picture of my rented "Cowabungalow" that's so awesome, there's simply not enough awesomesauce in the world to cover it!

With the openings for IG and Ice Breaker announced, it would make sense that Pantheon and Emperor will be announced soon. But then again, nothing Busch has done with these coasters has made much sense, so who knows!

I'm one of the few who enjoys Twitter corporate crossovers and snark, e.g. John Oliver/Cheerios or parks temporarily changing coaster names after sports matches, especially because these tend to also lean towards charity donations but it has to be something that both sides seem OK with to make it even remotely enjoyable or something like Wendy's where it's aimed at a majority of different places and not just one. Maybe I've missed some tweets but it seems like this is very one-sided, and only aimed at Sea World which just just almost makes it seem like bullying which I know is a weird way to describe something between 2 giant companies...

Ik what you mean, but couldnt you just make sure to not attack the bigger and famous rides prime time and do the high capacity rides that time frame ? Like, right when the park opens, you could rush to all the big main attractions and ride them one by one if youre fast enough. After that, let the prime time come in and go to the big capacity rides with not so high queue time. Somewhere to the ending times of the park, go to the bigger rides you have missed out in the morning again, this is the best way feel like to attack this.

^They can mean only one thing, your "New For 2022" Tilt-O-Whirl is going in that spot.

Wow. That is definitely not a park I thought would pop up in this thread. Crazy talk.

Although I'm looking forward to VelociCoaster, Universal has no right to be snarky about anything after opening so many lame screen-based rides over the last few years. I'm glad the the SeaWorld parks are finally in a position to start opening their new stuff. Now if we could just get Pantheon open in Virginia . . .

SeaWorld San Antonio has announced Tidal Surge, the largest installation of an S&S Screamin' Swing! SeaWorld San Antonio Welcomes World's Tallest and Fastest Screaming Swing https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/seaworld-san-antonio-welcomes-worlds-tallest-and-fastest-screaming-swing-301360640.html SeaWorld San Antonio is proud to announce the all-new, world record breaking, high-thrill attraction – Tidal Surge. Opening in Spring 2022, Tidal Surge will be the World's Tallest and Fastest Screaming Swing and will take riders on a journey above the clouds to feel the sensation of flying high above the park. Tidal Surge will seat 40 riders and feature two pendulum-like arms that will soar progressively higher to a staggering height of 135 feet at its peak. The dueling arms will alternate sides and sway back-and-forth at 68 mph, creating multiple airtime moments that levitate guests out of their seats with each heart stopping swing. Riders' legs will dangle and hang as they soar over the waterski lake and take in the beautiful views of the park, while reaching multiple negative G moments before plunging back towards the earth. The colossal Tidal Surge will mark a major addition to SeaWorld San Antonio's thrill ride portfolio, which currently includes four thrilling rollercoasters, a high swing, two animal rescue adventure experiences and a fun-filled family coaster perfect for families with younger children. With this new addition, SeaWorld San Antonio will feature even more adrenaline-pumping experiences, spanning a range of ages and thrills.

Absolute savagery

Yeah, I can't think of a place I wouldn't really go back to. I mean, even some of the worst parks I've been to I would give a second chance for one reason or another.

One of the weird things about this hobby is how very difficult it is to get the same experience as someone else. If we were all super-into movies, for example, even if maybe I saw it in a better theater than you did, we still basically saw the same movie. Of course we might have different reactions to it, but we wouldn't have to figure out which day the other person saw it on, what year, where they started, where they ate, what row they sat in, which employees they encountered, how the projector was running that day, their weight, height, and age, and a million other variables. We could just say, "Oh, you like different movies than I do." (And then we could have a knife fight about it.) But I've had vastly different enjoyment levels myself at the same park on different visits, and I'm sure most of you all have too. So how do you know the next one won't be better? Of course, I'm not advocating repeated visits to a park you hate. But I've personally never been to a park that was so bad that it couldn't possibly improve.

I don't think there is any park that I will refuse to visit again. Some parks are very far down my priority list to visit again until something major and significant comes along (such as Six Flags America), but that doesn't mean I would *refuse* a visit if presented the opportunity. Parks are constantly changing and evolving and always deserve another chance in my opinion.

Had my first visit here today. We had a great day. Loved the park. Museum and folks in there were great. Cornball front row is so much fun. Rode back once, front several times. Lost Coaster is a trainwreck but super interesting and unique. Steel Hawg was better than I thought it would be. Fascination was a ton of fun. My first Jetstar was awesome. I've been dying to ride a Jetstar model of some sort. Loved it. Hope to be back in a year to ride eveything again along with the triple looper. Still more than half the pieces seem to still need paint. It's still just the one loop and part of another erected so far.

I heard that someone at Cedar Point had looked into a crystal ball and knew that the CP TTD accident was going to happen. They told Tony and he thought it would make sense to close down Wicked Twister because they could use the existing hardware to launch Top Thrill Dragster, save some money, and to please coaster enthusiasts which want the change for no apparent reason. PROBLEM SOLVED

Lines, yeah..

Never. I hate them with a passion hotter than the sun. (The only possible exception would be for a foreign park that I may only go to once in a lifetime.)

This came up in my Facebook memories today. 5 years ago, my son (4 at the time) was standing in line for the kiddie swings and dancing around like he had to pee. He insisted he didnt have to. I took his word for it and sat down on a bench. A minute later, I hear him crying on the ride, and this is what I found when I got up to check on him.

Oh, there will be complaining! But not much in this update, as this place was quite good. Denver Zoo Yes, it's another hot and smoky Denver day and we're ready to walk around outside! I don't think I've ever seen or heard a lion roar at a zoo, but that's exactly what we were greeted with at what Smisty has now declared to be her second favorite zoo. This zoo has an Animal Hospital in it, and you can watch live surgeries! Wait, that's kind of weird actually. I just found out that I don't know how to spell "Rhinoceros." I can spell "flowers" though, so have a look at these flowers. No animals in this photo (I don't think?) but it is a good example of how nice this zoo can be. Of course, in my experience, most zoos are a mix of really nice new areas and older crappier-looking ones. That's just how it is. This one is mostly pretty nice. Toucan Sam is the cartoon toucan mascot for Froot Loops breakfast cereal. The character has been featured in advertising since 1963. He exhibits the ability to smell Froot Loops from great distances and invariably locates a concealed bowl of the cereal while intoning, "Follow your nose! The Denver Zoo claims to be doing away with maps due to Covid, but this is clearly a map. In other news, it's interesting how places in Denver only do things "because of Covid" that result in monetary savings. Most decent zoos have a carousel... ...and quite a few have train rides. Their website says that the train is open from 10:00am to 6:00pm daily, but does not mention anything about it shutting down from 1:30pm to 3:30pm "for lunch" as it did during our visit. This, combined with our lack of psychic powers, resulted in our not being able to ride it. So that's a shame. But, also, it's a train ride. We'll get over it. (Still qualifies as a "Denver Disappointment" though!) On the other hand, Dole Whip! The Denver Zoo features many exotic animals, such as this squirrel. Only one aviary, and it was small, but good. Actually, there's a building labeled "World of Birds" that is currently under construction/refurbishment, so maybe there's normally more...? No wonder they're endangered. Snaked-headed Crap Turtles I want the job of naming new animal species. What do I bring to the table? I don't despise animals. Whoever is doing it now is just clearly burnt out. "YOU'RE A STUPID SH*T BIRD!" Light-Green Weakass Snake Rather than show you a photo of actual sea lions, I've opted to show you this statue, with the underwater sea lion viewing area way in the background. Because I'm in charge here and you get what I give you. I've seen tiger bridges. Heck, this zoo even has one. But I've never before seen an elephant bridge. Hey man, what would it take to get you to walk over that bridge so that I can take a photo of it? Do you want a fish or something? I have been informed that elephants do not eat fish. And that also that this is probably a lady elephant. But is gender really that important? And maybe they would like fish if they tried it. In other news, I am no longer allowed at the zoo. I can still take a photo of the gift shop, though, because technically it's outside of the zoo--which I thought was interesting. No? Just me? Fine. How many zoos have we been to now? I think this makes 14 (not counting things like BGT or DAK). (Spoiler: By the end of this TR, it will be 15. Pretend to be excited!)

I love the report, and thanks for sharing. . . but I must *tsk tsk* about: No time for Cedar Downs, yet Rougarou TWICE ???

I bought a car with a 72 month lease in October 2019. Due to COVID, my federal student loans were placed in forbearance. I used the money that would have gone into my student loans towards my car payments. I submitted the last payment today. On my birthday.

I hate to be that person, but, yeah, you missed out and messed up! Steel Eel in the back car is AMAZING!!!!!