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PSA: It's going to be 81 degrees and sunny tomorrow and they have 3 coasters open to the public plus Pantheon one time for certain guests and a bunch of understaffed food booths. It's going to be an apocalyptic shitshow of epic proportions and I want to let everyone know right now that if you show up on here Sunday night or Monday complaining that you went and had a miserable time I'm going to laugh at you... hard.

4 days at Carowinds? Can't imagine what you'd do on day 2-4.

If I'm already spending the money, and driving seven hours (or anything more than 50 minutes to SFSTL) I'll be damned if I'm not getting a skip-the-line pass. Although, you may be hard pressed to afford it with gas $4.00. Right up there with the FL+ and lodging increases. Try not to eat, or you'll be spending more there, too. Things are going swimmingly. But, Cedar Point raised their gate prices $10, so the world is ending and f*** all that other stuff.

Because believe it or not, the park doesn’t want FL guests to go round and round and ride MF 15 times in an hour while everyone else waits 90 min.

Park doesn't care. It's not stopping FL sales.

Over the last few weeks I've had a chance to experience several of Central Florida's newest coasters while also taking in some artsy experiences along the way. The first of these three was a visit to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for a passholder preview of Iron Gwazi, the park's RMC conversion of the former Gwazi dueling wooden coaster. Let's start by stating the obvious... This is a much better experience than the previous version of Gwazi in every sense. Iron Gwazi is smooth, fast, intense experience. Gwazi, especially in its latter years was rough, aggressive and meandering at times. The new coaster leverages approximately a third of the former coasters' wooden structure and while the geek in me wishes we could have gotten an updated dueling or moebius style coaster (akin to Twisted Colossus), I'm grateful for what we got. The only other Rocky Mountain Construction coaster I've experienced to date is Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point, so I expected to really like this one purely for its similar style. I wouldn't consider this better than Steel Vengeance, considering the Cedar Point attraction has a longer ride time, more airtime, more inversions--there's just more to it. But I do find there to be some elements that are better on Iron Gwazi, such as the transitions between elements. There are some really jarring transitions on the Ohio-based coaster where Iron Gwazi really flows smoothly (with no abrupt changes) from maneuver to maneuver. There's much to love about each coaster, but having Iron Gwazi so much closer to home makes my sense of urgency to return to Sandusky that much less. Almost all of the former Gwazi queue is intact and in use for Iron Gwazi. One side of the queue, dedicated formerly to one side of the coaster is now used exclusively as the Quick Queue/Platinum Pass re-ride line where the other serves as the standby queue. Once in the main station building, it is hard not to recognize the former second track's loading section and dispatch opening from the building (if you know what you're looking for), both covered up but noticeable. It should be noted that from the front side of Iron Gwazi as well as inside of the queue and station, there are few good vantage points to see the majority of the coaster's biggest maneuvers. Your best views when not on the coaster will be from when Gwazi Park is open for special events or from the Sky Ride when it reopens later this year. Gwazi was themed to a mythical creature with the head of a tiger and the body of a lion--each of the two coaster tracks was themed to one of the two actual creatures. The color scheme of light blues, yellows, oranges, purples and greens has been replaced with a more streamlined (and pronounced) purple and green to match the new alligator-themed Iron Gwazi. Since my visit Montu has reopened with a bright new color scheme. Iron Gwazi has definitely changed the park's skyline. As I'd imagine will be the case once the ride officially opens, the line for the passholder previews ran down near the park entrance. The ride was still testing as of park opening. This was my first time seeing the overbanked curve behind the entrance. The station has been repainted with bold colors that really pop against the replenished thatch roofing. This will look familiar for those that previous experienced Gwazi. One section of the queue takes place in the lower pit area where the two Gwazi tracks would cross before heading towards their respective lift hills. Now guests pass directly underneath the track as it turns towards a dip that leads to the coaster's lift hill. It was neat walking in this space without any wooden track around it. Iron Gwazi facts. Picturesque. More Iron Gwazi facts. They aren't kidding with "The Death Roll." It is definitely the wildest element of the coaster besides the initial drop. One of the few areas where you can see track semi-clearly from the queue. The majority of coaster is hidden behind the queue and station. Wooden structure from the former Gwazi coasters is bolstered by new steel supports in high-stress sections of the new coaster. Peaking through the supports you can see a portion of The Death Roll. Going down! The coaster zips through this portion of the layout. Like most new coasters at SeaWorld and Busch parks, there is a monitor in the station showing which seats are locked in and how long the train has been parked in the station. Iron Gwazi operates with two trains and due to its quick layout, it works out pretty well that a train is dispatched right around the time the other train hits the block section. The former spot where one of two Gwazi tracks would exit the station. Notice the lighter-colored flooring on the left... That is the filled in portion of the station where the load section used to be for one of the two Gwazi tracks. A neat pattern found when you look up in the station... With a fun nod to the old coasters found by the loading side of the last row. In the block section/transfer track you will find the former lead car decorations from the Gwazi Lion and Gwazi Tiger trains hung on the wall. I couldn't get a picture since my phone was secured for the ride. The front of the train looks great! And the side panel detailing is neat too. There is a Ride Photo location at the exit and it is powered by the park's PhotoKey service. Definitely a different view compared to a few years ago. Such a fun element! Zooming past the ride photo location. The ride's gift shop is currently selling a series of classic Gwazi-inspired merchandise. These neon shirts were available to purchase in years surrounding the original coasters' debut. Pin collectors will be happy with these new options. And of course there is Iron Gwazi merchandise. I love that they have CoasterDynamix Nanocoasters for both Iron Gwazi and Gwazi. The Gwazi model is super detailed and I was very tempted to buy it on the spot if not for the $50 price tag. There's less metal to the Iron Gwazi model and the price is $40. I love the side by side comparison of the stats... I definitely didn't realize that despite two coasters becoming one, Iron Gwazi manages to have more track than its predecessors combined. Commemorate concept art prints are available in a limited edition size of 2022. I wish there was a better angle to watch the drop... The Death Roll is experienced with such speed, I was flying out of my seat, held in only by the snug lapbars of the train. And yet, this was exceptionally comfortable with no collars or over the shoulder restraints. Flying through a mess of track. Fly by! I love this element! It was neat to see that the park has defined two walking trail layouts that can be experienced while in the park. Cheetah Hunt has a new neighbor on the horizon. Over in the Serengeti Overlook (the former Crown Colony House) the Giraffe Bar opened to offers guests drinks with a view. A new restaurant, Treetop Kitchen will open on the third floor in the place of the former Crown Colony House Restaurant. Cheetah Hunt also reopened recently after receiving a fresh coat of paint. The Skyride is set to reopen this summer. Can't get over The Death Roll. Another fun maneuver! Sorry but I can't help but admire. I'll be back to ride this again soon! A fun momento guests received for attending Iron Gwazi's passholder previews...

All that stuff about the park is nice. But the real big deal here is that Rock N Roll Over mask! Love it.

Want to take a ride on all the roller coasters at Hersheypark? Right NOW and all at once? Now you can!

My mom and I are almost done watching Picard season 1; she'd already watched it, but I hadn't gotten around to it yet. We've made it through ep 8. We'll probably do eps 9 and 10 on Monday and the season 2 first ep then, too. I am LOVING the show so far. All the little nods from previous shows and familiar faces popping up. EDIT: Also, it's hard to believe Guinan was only in 28 eps total out of the 170+ eps of TNG. Really says a lot about just how impactful and memorable her character is!

Fury 325, Copperhead Strike, Intimidator over and over. and then watch every show in the festhaus hall (or whatever they call that large eatery with the stage at the front under Intimidator) oh, and many rides on the Carousel (which hopefully is in better shape now than it was when I rode it in 2018, tho it did have a pink pony)

I see we have a member of the Department of Redundancy Department here.

$80 for Timesaver Unlimited is still a great price. Their skip-the-line pass has always been under-priced. It seems like even on summer weekends and Holidays, the highest it gets is $85.

Thanks for the report! Swinging out over the lake seems pretty awesome. Two questions from someone who’s only ever ridden SkyHawk: Am I seeing correctly that there aren’t seatbelts? What are those things embedded in the ground under each arm?

I'm considering getting FL+ for one day of my visit on a sunday in later June, though I don't know if its worth it. I'm considering it though, as I'm making a 7 hour drive and my plat pass gets Fl+ for the price of regular.

^ I tried to get into, it. But it didn't 'work' for me. David, however, loved it! And he's equally hopeful as you, that a 3rd Season will be done! For myself, "Star Trek: Picard" restarted tonight, with re-visits from Guinan (!) and Q (!). Can't wait to see the episode in question,

Stepping back a little to the tail end of our afternoon in the parks (before visiting the Grand Californian), we were able to spend some time in the new Avengers Campus. While we had experienced Marvel characters and Marvel shows in Shanghai, Paris and California before, this was the first time seeing a fully dedicated Marvel-themed land. Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout! has been a favorite of ours for years and the hype train for the land had been built up thanks to us seeing all of the newest MCU characters finding their way into the land as new movies and shows would be released. A very different look at feel compared to the previous "a bug's land" that was here. The land's main merchandise location. The story of Web Slingers continues throughout the land where Spider-Bots are strung up in webs. And of course you can bring your own, customizable Spider-Bot home for more fun. I love this. You have no idea how excited I was to try Pingo Doce while I was here. Over at the main Avengers Campus building you can see different MCU characters roaming around and sometimes engaging in fights against villainous foes. In this moment we say Sam Wilson's Captain America interacting with Black Panther. I intentionally avoided all spoilers before experiencing this one. I love that they got Tom Holland to reprise his role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man for the ride. Marvel fans will notice some neat easter eggs like Lucky Dog's Pizza. That suit looks kind of familiar... If you've been on other attractions where your hands are the virtual controllers, I will say that this feels more advanced and intuitive. You're not just whipping your arms wildly to "shoot" but you're pulling and pushing to trigger different behaviors. It definitely made the experience feel more interactive and less "not knowing if you're actually doing anything." I love that the current Avengers Campus was a former SSR base. The queue leads to a neat station. The vehicles are pretty large and feature seating forwards and backwards. Obviously not super clear but it gives you an idea of kind of what you're seeing and experiencing as you move through Web Slingers. I also liked the variety of different types of Spider-Bots having different powers/reactions to being attacked. Having the individual Spider-Bots tracked along with the total score made this feel even more repeatable. During the day the ancient sanctum can be used for a variety of experiences... A familiar face out and about. Iron Man would be the last character we would see before we had to rush over to the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa... Months earlier I had put us on a waitlist for the Chef's Counter at Napa Rose, my favorite restaurant/dining experience on property at the Disneyland Resort. At the time it was already fully booked during our stay... But as it was clearly meant to be, we got the call, rushed back to our hotel to get cleaned up and then sped over to the Grand Californian for our culinary journey to begin. The Chef's Counter at Napa Rose is a super exclusive experience with approximately eight seats (four on either side of the main expediting counter). There is a dessert counter experience (seen in the top left of this photo) as well, but if you're here, going for the full deal is the best way to go. You get to watch the team behind this prestigious restaurant at work, all while being treated to a personalized menu prepared just for you based on your likes/dislikes as well as the freshest and most unique ingredients the kitchen has on hand. Chef Andrew Sutton, seen at left presides over the restaurant and if you're lucky like we've been both times we've been at the Chef's Counter, he gets to have a hand in designing and preparing portions of your menu, plus getting a chance to speak with you during the meal. I won't post every food photo I took from the meal... Just the highlights of highlights. Our meal started out with a Parsnip Espuma and Lace Tuile, mine topped with Golden Osetra Caviar and my wife's topped with Crimson Beets since caviar is not her thing. Neither of us could believe just how good this tasted. The Chef's Counter offers a wine pairing option but as I did during my last visit, I opted for cocktail pairings to come out with every few courses. The first was this unreal Provence Sour made with Hayman's Old Tom Gin, Rose Wine, Lemon Juice and Egg Whites. It was like drinking a cloud from heaven. My wife was surprised with these amazing Artichoke Parmesan Fritters. My next dish was a plate of House Cured Ahi Tuna with Braised Lentils, Lobster Tian and Lemon Gelees. My wife's favorite dish of the night was this Holiday Goose served with a Butternut Squash Ravioli and Cranberry Relish. This was the holidays on a plate and it was bliss. This unreal Diver Scallop was perfectly cooked and paired brilliantly with the Braised Kobe Beef Cheek, Chanterelle Mushrooms and Pumpkin Seeds. My next drink was the Summer Kiss, a combination of Hendricks Gin, Combier, Lemon Juice, St. Germain and an Absinthe Rinse. SMOOTH. This Smoked Pork Loin with a Butternut Mole and Red Rice was this bacon-lover's unkosher dream! An absolute standout of the evening, and a surprising favorite of my wife's, the Wild Boar Meatloaf with Pickled Persimmons. This felt homey but also super elevated. My next course was a Stuffed Lam Saddle with a Chestnut Puree and Autumn Greens. That puree was the star of the dish. Tender Braised Beef Pot Roast with Green Garlic, Portobello Mushrooms, Romanesco and Cheddar Whipped Potatoes was tear-inducing perfection. There wasn't a drop left on the plate when we were done. The Main Course, a drink composed of Fernet Branca, Campari, Bulleit Rys Whiskey, Falernum Syrup and Mole Bitters. We were in a GOOD place by this point. It isn't often that you get a cheese course that is served warm (our sous chef for the night shared this as she brought out this bowl of joy). This Baked Robiola Bosina Cheese with Carmelized Onions and a Quince Relish was unreal. I could've eaten a full entree serving. Probably the most "simple" thing we tasted and yet still it was several cuts above, was this Eclair with a Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Mousse. My dessert for the evening was Napa Rose's Signature Hot Chocolate with a chewy ginger cookie, a brown butter toffee cookie, a sugar crisp, and a marshmallow creme. My wife received the Harvest Pear Turnover with a Holiday Egg Nog Ice Cream Float. I still dream of this dessert. I was surprised with an extra surprise dessert, a Peppermint White Chocolate Creme Brulee. I nearly fell out of my chair after one bite. One more amazing bite to round out our amazing meal--Salted Caramel Peppermint Truffles! After our incredible meal we pushed ourselves back into the parks to enjoy the evening lights. This was a sight to behold. It was a bummer that we didn't get to experience the attraction this trip, but seeing the lighting was still a treat. I couldn't help but marvel at it all. I love this so much. A late night run on the Jungle Cruise is always worth it! We made it back to Main Street in time to catch the holiday fireworks! I love how the Main Street projections are used in the show. SNOW!!! The Magic Eye Theater isn't in use right now, so the sign has been replaced with a wonderfully retro piece of Mary Blair art. I love Tomorrowland at night. The Matterhorn at night will forever be one of my favorite experiences at the Disneyland Resort.

I don't think anyone in this conversation disagrees with getting Fastlane. Let me be clear: Yay Fastlane. We love Fastlane. Fastlane at this park is great. We all think you should be ready to buy it, Boldy and I have just gone to this park a lot in March and know that there's at least a 50% chance that the park will be so dead that every single ride will be a walk-on AND there's no benefit whatsoever to buying it before you get there at Kings Dominion. Actually it's better to buy it at the park anyway since you don't pay a processing fee and you get the added benefit of checking to see if anything is actually beyond the merge points before you buy it. It's not likes he's going in October. It's late March. If it's 44 degrees and cloudy there will be six people in the park. If it’s 70 and sunny, sure… buy it when you get to the park. The park agrees with us that it might be a ghost town that day which is why Fastlane starts at $65 and it’s selling for the absolute bare minimum price for all of March. This is an argument between a bunch of people who agree with eachother. Lol

Go ahead and say it. It's ugly as shit lol.

Hey barber, give me a Thanos Chin cut

For anyone looking for the Jersiest thing to ever exist: lol

My biggest disappointment with Maverick and Steel Vengeance being pulled off early entry is that more people will probably head to Millennium Force. That has always been my go-to ride during early entry because the line for the front is easily the shortest.

Take a ride on the classic Thunderbolt roller coaster at Kennywood!

they're planning on actually operating MaxAir in 2022 ? this should be bigger news!

When they see it, they won't believe it. ™

That's a cool perk for hotel guests. They can beat the mad rush of people to Magnum XL 200.

The Magnum XL-200 Gate and WindSeeker Gate are reserved for Hotel Breakers and Lighthouse Point guests only from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Looks like if you are not staying onsite, you will have to use the main gate. :shrugs: I'll just be heading to MF with that lineup anyway.

Thoosies are already having absolute meltdowns over the exclusion of Maverick and Vengeance and I'm totally here for it.

No. It was a restaurant. The “my people” show is in the old action theatre ride building. The museum originally opened as a restaurant that they envisioned being open year round even when the park was closed. The first iteration was Silver Screen cafe themed to different movies. The entire area was supposed to be a tribute to the movies (hence the original name “Dollywood blvd”. The restaurant only lasted one year and was returned to DJPlatters in 1997. And yes. Sorry. I was referring to the entrance of the museum.

you only get 4 seats because "Management hates your park"

Had an odd “entrance experience” as well. Just sort of walk down a concrete block hallway and up some steps. I feel like it was because it was reusing an old restaurant space and they had to figure out a way to “route” traffic. Would be cool if it even started with something like “Heart Song” and return that theatre to more of a performance show, or I’ve always felt make a permanent “Imagination Library” show either live like they do in the summer, or Dolly taped in the slow season. Maybe “holoDolly” reads stories to the kids as the “library come to life” with hidden screens or projection mapping to bring the characters she is reading about to life.

Thought I do like the new ending, I just don't want this parade. I want Paint the Night. I want a new float for that parade! Hopefully, with this being the 50th anniversary of the MSEP, it will go into a museum when it's done!!!! Or a dumpster, that's also acceptable, lol.

Is that the giant bacon strip float? Because that's honestly the most accurate way to honor America.

https://www.hersheypark.com/explore-the-park/rides/jolly-rancher-remix/ this flat ride would be awesome in the entry plaza of a new spinning coaster someplace -maybe even theme the coaster and flat ride to gears or something like at a clock factory that causes time to travel backwards (hmm where has THAT been done before) but maybe actually do something cool with the ring and affects in tunnels where the launches are.

Today the Disneyland Resort shared more details about the return of nighttime spectaculars at both parks, including some exciting news about the Main Street Electrical Parade! https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2022/02/disneyland-resort-unveils-return-dates-for-nighttime-spectaculars-and-new-finale-coming-to-the-main-street-electrical-parade/ As announced in November during Destination D23, the Disneyland Resort is thrilled to bring back its nighttime spectaculars this spring. So many fan-favorite entertainment offerings have continued to return – from Jambalaya Jazz in New Orleans Square at Disneyland park to “Disney Junior Dance Party!” in Disney California Adventure park. Plus, we’ve recently introduced experiences like encountering Raya in Redwood Creek Challenge Trail to the Celebrate Soulfully entertainment throughout the month of February. Each of these offerings highlights the incredible momentum at the Disneyland Resort as part of our phased reopening. Today, we’re excited to share even more on the entertainment front, with additional details around the return of our nighttime spectaculars! On April 22, 2022, the “Main Street Electrical Parade” and “Disneyland Forever” fireworks spectacular will return to Disneyland park, and “World of Color” will return to Disney California Adventure park. “Fantasmic!” is preparing for its return to Disneyland park on May 28, 2022. But that’s not all the exciting news we have to share with you today! Upon its return to Disneyland park, the “Main Street Electrical Parade” will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. In honor of this milestone, the Disney Live Entertainment team will introduce exciting new elements to the “Main Street Electrical Parade” that will continue to evolve this beloved spectacular. Over the past five decades, the “Main Street Electrical Parade” has brought families together to delight in its many whimsical stories and featured characters. And soon, that will continue for a whole new generation of dreamers. In honor of the parade’s 50th anniversary, this nighttime spectacular will return with an all-new, enchanted grand finale that celebrates the theme of togetherness. This universal theme is reflected in the creative concept of the grand finale sequence. Inspired by both the original design of classic “Main Street Electrical Parade” floats and Disney Legend Mary Blair’s iconic art style on “it’s a small world,” the new grand finale brings to life more than a dozen Disney Animation and Pixar stories. These stories will be interpreted in thousands of sparkling lights and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sound, with unique representations of beloved characters as animated dolls. As the new grand finale passes by, guests along each side of the parade route will see a different set of stylized scenes from classic and contemporary favorite stories such as “Encanto,” “The Jungle Book,” “Raya and the Last Dragon,” “Aladdin,” “Coco,” “Mulan,” “Brave,” “The Princess and the Frog” and more. Check out one of the early pieces of concept art, featuring Mirabel and Antonio from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award-nominated film, “Encanto.” From the Blue Fairy to a colorful, unique representation of Sleeping Beauty Castle, the grand finale of the “Main Street Electrical Parade” comprises seven segments stretching 118 feet in length, making it one of the longest and grandest units in the parade’s 50-year history. “Main Street Electrical Parade” and “Disneyland Forever” will be available for a limited time at Disneyland park. When “Disneyland Forever” fireworks spectacular comes back on April 22, it will run weekends only (Friday through Sunday). “Mickey’s Mix Magic” will present its high-energy, projections-only show during the week (Monday through Thursday) until late spring. At that time, “Disneyland Forever” fireworks will then run nightly in the summer. “World of Color” and “Fantasmic!” will return to their regular schedule upon reopening. We cannot wait to “ignite the night” once again! With the return of fan-favorite offerings, and new experiences on the way, the Disneyland Resort is buzzing with energy and excitement. It’s a great time to plan a visit, and we’re so excited to continue welcoming back our guests! We look forward to sharing more details about our entertainment offerings as the return of the “Main Street Electrical Parade,” “World of Color,” “Disneyland Forever” fireworks spectacular and “Fantasmic!” draw nearer in the coming weeks. As always, stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog! Check the latest entertainment details and schedules at Disneyland.com or the Disneyland mobile app. Entertainment, experiences, and offerings may be modified, limited in availability or unavailable, and are subject to restrictions, and change or cancellation without notice. Theme Park reservations and valid admission for the same Park on the same day are required for Park entry. Park reservations are limited, subject to availability and not guaranteed. Park admission and offerings are not guaranteed. Visit Disneyland.com/Updates for important information to know before your visit, including the latest information on required face coverings.

The Canadian truckers' blockades are stupid and useless, for what they've done already. Which includes hasseling a Food Bank for free food, something they should have never done. One of them quoted, said this was a Big Deal and not a minority that is unhappy with the vaccine mandates. Fuck them. It IS a minority of truckers, not to mention people there who aren't truckers, causing additional hassels. Get your shots for C's sake. Your life is not being totally taken over by The Government. Idiots.

"Daughter of charter school investor." Ugh.

If you haven't noticed, pretty much everything under the sun is more expensive right now.