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Where to even start with this incoherent word salad post. It DOES affect everyone. I am one of its employees, and for the past 23 YEARS I have been paid more to work there than if I decided to work anywhere else. I also live in Orange County, and I cannot afford a $2000-4000 tax bill JUST because #DeathSantis hates gay people. That's what this all boils down to. He wants to grab as much power as possible and does not care who he hurts in the process. I am hoping that Disney with its massive wealth and power does not blink and instead supports whoever runs against this lunatic. This meme sums it up perfectly:

This is frustrating because this topic actually is relevant and it would be interesting to be be able to discuss the logistics of it and predictions on how it will play out but it's 2022. It's now absolutely impossible for grown adults to have this conversation without aggressively injecting their own political views into it to the point where it turns into a flame war within like 3 posts.

THIS.

I just ignored it, John . . . since the poster clearly has not idea what they are talking about.

Bro. It's April. The give-a-fux are blooming with the beautiful Spring freshness. They'll all be gone by late June. Obnoxious guests and butt sweat season will wipe away the charm, here and everywhere.

Spent a beautiful day at the park today. Fortunately, I was indeed able to ride Pantheon as I was not height checked after all. Nor did they check the equally tall (if not taller) dude in front of me... So yay! As far as Pantheon goes, its a fun ride but not in the same league as Velocicoaster. The first half just feels like a quirky RMC pre lift a bit, with the roll being fun but otherwise not much going on here. The launch sequence kind of makes the pacing weird with the pulsing launch and whatnot, but that back spike is great along with the backward airtime pop. View at the top of the tophat was nice, great air in the backseat on the way down. Outward bank was fun, but quite tame overall. Stall was good, but didn't seem nearly as whippy as the one on VC on entry/exit, or feel as crazy for some reason. Final wave turn was a lot better than anticipated. Really solid ride overall, I just think the odd start and launch sequence kind of break up the pacing a bit much and it just feels all a bit quirky. Glad I was able to grab 2 laps on it today though, maybe another ride or two when we go back this weekend. We got into the park at about 1145 today (7pm closure) and ended up with 2x Apollo, 1x Tempesto, 3x Griffon, 4x Alpengiest, 1x Loch, 2x Pantheon, 1x Invader and 1x Verbolten... Along with a few beer stops here and there and some people watching. Really wonderful day, the park looked amazing and it is crazy to think I have not been here since 2004! Madness!

Tonight, we head to our fave French Restaurant, located just a few blocks away. It's actually the day before our Real Anny Date. But that's okay. This weekend is really a celebration of not just me and David but for us, individually. i.e Birthdays! Mine was three weeks ago (turned 69) - March 30 - David's (75th) was two weeks ago - April 7 - and now we are here, for tomorrow on Earth Day. Stay tuned, stay healthy, stay safe everybody! More to follow..... 0 Us, nearly a decade ago, at the annual OUT ON SCREEN queer film fest. 2013.

Don’t miss your chance to pick up a signed copy of Kings Island: A Ride Through Time on April 29 at the Kings Island Collections gift shop. From 1-3 p.m., you can get it signed by yours truly, PLUS two amusement park industry leaders: Dennis Speigel, CEO of International Theme Park Services, and Mike Koontz, Vice President and General Manager of Kings Island!

Last night's dinner at Absinthe Bistro was wonderful. We had the three course meal, and shared plates, too. http://www.bistroabsinthe.com/ Before we left for dinner, David coordinated our light up pendants. He makes them, himself. Still funny to see full sized palm trees around here. On the way to the restaurant. Inside Bistro Absinthe. Ooooo, I found butter w/apricots and chive in it. The two of us, 'clinking' our 50th together. Dinner is served! David had the poached salmon. And I had the rib eye steak, with a Caesar Salad along side. Delicious! For dessert, we shared the restaurant's creme brulee'. With an Anniversary Candle! And a nice cheese plate, and my fave absinthe cocktail: The Black Fairy. Tonight, we head downtown to see Cirque du Soleil's Alegria. And HAPPY EARTH DAY, every one!

"And just like that ... " They just posted all the info. on this season of Playland! And Melissa kindly sent me the LINK to all of the info. Here it is: https://www.pne.ca/playland/ Advance dated tickets are bought through TicketLeader. And as for any Season Passes, they are quoted as saying they will not be offering them this season. So it's a "Pay for each day you go", kind of set up. Which means, although I already have a VIP ticket for the HAPPYLAND Pride Event, on Sunday, July 31st .... which includes Playland .... but before or after that ....... hmmmph. $43.50 + taxes (Cdn) a day - and no rate for seniors. <sighs> P.S. There ya go, John! But note, they list Coaster as "under maintenance", now. Hopefully, that changes by mid-June, when Playland opens.

I know Freeze has been sending trains halfway up the top hat, I saw it once in person and I've seen other videos. More life there than Xcalibur. Something I noticed at my visit was that the park seemed more friendly than in years past. Anyone else notice that? It has been my only visit with the new CEO so maybe it was a big emphasis going into this season. Not that they were rude in the past but they really seemed to go out of their way to say "enjoy the rest of your day", things like that. Park looked nice and the day couldn't have gone much better besides the closed rides.

I predict Xcalibur will open June 28th. and Freeze on November 13th. These guesses are just as valid as any other guesses you'll hear, because the park has announced nothing.

^The small drop tower really is the hidden gem of that park!

So this past Sunday, I made it back to SeaWorld San Antonio to help celebrate the 25th Birthday of the Great White roller coaster - and to try out the Seven Seas Food Festival booths I missed out on the last time. Ray Gonzales (who's a member right here on the TPR forums, in addition to being one of the Marketing Guys for SWSA), Chuck and all the SW folks did a *fantastic* job, turning this into an event by inviting anyone with ACE or Thrill Seekers United (a Texas based group on FB) to sign up for the "party" and it included early entry into the park with ERT on both Tidal Surge and Texas Stingray for an hour before heading up to Great White for the Birthday Party as well as some ERT for 30 minutes as the park opened to the General Public. here I am with some friends from TSU & ACE arriving at SeaWorld and sending a pic home to my Spouse to let him know I arrived. to explain the pic - the day before I had sent home a picture of myself on the Carousel at SFFT, and had caught my friend Paige on the horse next to me in the pic. my Spouse replied almost immediately, "LOL that woman next to you looks like she's having an orgasm" of course, I showed the text to Paige, and to several friends and we laughed hysterically at it. (hey, give him a break, he's an older gay man - he has no idea what a woman's orgasm looks like!). So when I sent home the below pic, of COURSE the text said: "Just here at SWSA having Orgasms" (ain't I a stinker ? :P) Soon enough we were in the gates, and being walked back to Tidal Surge & Texas Stingray for morning ERT. ooo. . Tidal Surge now has a *gorgeous* sign up out front. and it's running brilliantly. I highly recommend the seats facing outwards towards the lagoon for your 1st ride. after a couple of rides, I made my way over to Texas Stingray - stopping to admire the Turtles 1st. TSU members "the Quirky Coaster Couple" had made Birthday Hats fro Great White, and several of us wore them. here's Erica, Ray G. and Myself, in our party hats, after a ride on Texas Stingray. after ERT was done, we headed over to Great White as a group, and Ray gave a short speech about the Birthday. I did not know that Great White was the FIRST Rollercoaster ever built at a SeaWorld park! So not only was it 25 years old on Sunday, but it's the Granddaddy of all the SW coasters! Unlike a regular Birthday party, the attendees got gifts today! cookies, and a nice "Tidal Surge" shoulder bag! and they announced the 1/2 hour ERT on the coaster for those attending. . . so that was a lovely surprise! the front entrance of this coaster is so impressive. here's Ray G posing with some of the party attendees. once our morning Birthday Party was over, attendees all split up and headed into the park. We headed over to Wave Breaker to grab a walk on ride (before the crowds made it back to this side of the park), while Amy from TSU killed time waiting until the Seven Seas Food Festival started selling alcohol (since it's Texas on Sunday). here's Me, Erika, Juan, and Amy and then it hit the "magic" hour of 11:30 am, and the Seven Seas Food Booths started serving. . . and so with my 12 remaining punches, we started off to hit the booths I had missed the other week. 1st up? Japan: the Tuna Tataki not only looked very similar to the picture advertising it? but was really fantastic! Absolutely a must get, at the festival. the Gyoza were crisp, with a refreshingly tangy Ginger dipping sauce. either they were out of the slaw, or the just got made incorrectly, but everyone at our table who got the Gyoza got the little salad, instead of the advertised slaw. while they weren't the "best Gyoza I've ever had" (those would be in Japan), they were very good. these are the sticky ribs a friend got, and tho she said the meat was tender, they didn't have a whole lot of flavor. So not a bad choice at the Japan booth, but I think there are better options. the Green Tea Ice Cream, with Pocky sticks, was really good too. So another suggestion to try here. This time, we had timed it well and got to watch the Taiko Drummers. what a fun, and entertaining, performance. after finishing up at Japan, we headed towards Greece & Italy. . stopping along the way for a photo op I hadn't noticed the other day: hey, what can I say. . mentally, I've a 14 year old ! and can't pass up a chance to "pose with/ touch the balls" at Korea either! and then we were at Greece, and my tummy was screaming "feed me!!!" the Gyro (without the tomato at my request) - had a fantastic Tzatziki sauce, and some super tender and flavorful lamb and beef. . . with the only letdown being a very gummy and undercooked pita (which I left, but ate all the rest of it) the Lamb Slider is the home run at this booth! Incredibly flavorful with just the perfect amount of spice in the Feta spread. And a super soft roll. Amazing, and highly recommended. the Shawarma looked really good, but any part of it that didn't have that fantastic sauce on it ate very dry, unfortunately. It's good, but I'd suggest asking for more of the sauce, as that's what makes this eat much better. but pleasantly the Naan bread was fantastic on this, and I loved every bite of that. the Greek Yogurt Ice Cream is interesting. the flavor is a very pleasant Honey. . but the consistency is a little odd - it was kinda like eating taffy? But I liked it. Right next door to Greece is Italy. the Flatbreads here are very popular, and because they make them fresh? the line is very slow moving. Even a short line can take up to 25 minutes. .and the kids / teenagers all seemed to flock to this booth. Just a warning, this might have the longest line at the Festival. this is the Chicken Margherita flatbread with a Blood Peach Bellini on the left & and Frozen Espresso Martini on the right. was told the Flatbread was delicious, and between the two drinks? everyone preferred the Bellini, but said the Expresso was ok. this is the Chocolate Chip Cannoli. . . which had *just* the right amount of tartness, and exactly as much sweetness as I wanted. this one might be my favorite "desert" I tried. .or perhaps 2nd to the incredible Rum Raisin Ice Cream at Jamaica or the Black Sesame Ice Cream in Korea - tho folks also raved about the Apple Strudel in Germany & the Pina Colada Ice cream in Hawaii) ooo.. another photo op back here? with Tidal Surge in the background? yes please! We then headed over to Mexico so some of my friends could try out the Margarita there. . . and planned to loop back around to go see the Penguins (a must do!). but we passed Ray Gonzales walking around the park with some of the ACE group (that had helped organize the ERT earlier), and we thanked him/them for such a great day! they asked if we had ridden all the coasters (and we actually had, other than Steel Eel - which I was gonna pass on today, as my back was a bit sore from so much riding yesterday at SFFT, and I didn't want the airtime drops to mess it up). .and he was surprised that we hadn't ridden Grover's Soapbox coaster. now. . I don't do Kiddie coasters. Like ever - tho I did ride Wilderness Run one year at Coastermania, strictly because it's the 1st Intamin. But Ray insisted I should give it a ride, because SWSA is one of the few parks where they don't discourage adults from riding it (and to be fair, there are a few rides in Sesame Street Bay of Play that are perfectly suitable for adults too). So I agreed - at his perseverance - to at least give it a look. Once i saw this car was available tho? yeah..I gave in and credit whored for the kiddie coaster! LOL ^as to those restraints? OH MY !!! and I thought "the green meanie" over on Tidal Surge made it so one had to be really careful getting into the seats! we also rode the Carousel while over here - but after all that food? yeah, the seatbelt wouldn't click for me today! HA!. . so I stood up to ride the carousel today Juan & Erica wanted to ride this "spin and puke" ride. . I rode "bench" while they rode this - again, this is in the Sesame Street Area! but just look at that face on the young lady behind them! BWAAAA-HAAAA-HAAAAAA (and the best part is how oblivious to her Juan & Erika are to her!) and because I like being proven correct? Juan got off this feeling a bit nauseous - but at least we got him on Tidal Surge once he'd had some liquid courage. He REALLY didnt' want to do it, and I thought he'd leave the line a couple of times while we waited for the prior cycle to finish. but he rode it and loved it! as we were headed to Brazil to finish off the day with 4 clicks - I had a tupperware in my bag, so I could take Empanadas home (!). . we saw that Big Bird and Tally Monster were out! you bet I got in line for that . . . tho Big Bird was acting very strange, doing an odd "stare" thing at me. . so yeah, a bit awkward in the pics, but makes me love them even more! and then it was just after 4pm, and it had been a very long weekend (and a great day at SWSA). . so I packed up my Empanadas, and hit the road. Seven Seas is a GREAT food festival, and well worth a visit to SWSA just for that. . . but so is Tidal Surge, Texas Stingray, Great White, and Penguins! more reasons to visit the park. And yes, the Empanadas were fantastic for lunch on Monday with an incredible chimichurri sauce!

Disney can leave if they dont like it and can sell all their parks to CF SixFlags SeaWorld Parque Reunidos - all who would die to have the Magic Kingdom et al maybe not epcot lol Disney isnt going anywhere and I doubt DeSantis cares that the most liberal counties in Florida will be forced to pay more in taxes. Its similar to what Trump did with I think healthcare? which ended up making blue states pay more. That is skillfull manouvering. I know that my taxes in New Jersey went up while my taxes in Louisiana were cut in half. AFAIK disney doesnt even pay its employees well so its not like the jobs lost will be valuable ones. I think most people were stunned that disney had the ability to not report rapes and murders in the improvement district. Im sure conspiracy theorists are losing their minds over that. My sister and Brother in law have season passes to disney world and own a home in Orlando specifically so they can spend weeks at Disney. they havent even mentioned this because they do not care. My BIL is the disney customer, he loves spending on experiences for his kids. Again, they havent even mentioned this nobody has a problem with what happened. Only corporate bootlickers could really be mad. Corporations are getting too powerful and finally someone is stopping the madness. Me to Disney;

I've been to Dollywood three times already this season and the issues plaguing the park for the last two seasons are still happening. Lightning Rod is still having down time and long waits when it is running because they are mostly running it with only 1 train. Wait times have been over two hours when I have gone, so I use the single-rider line to get on much faster or I use the first hour for gold and diamond pass holders to use the Timesaver line. Lines for food and drinks are LONG and many of the food outlets are closed. Strangely, other rides are also experiencing down time. Mystery Mine has been down several times and broke once while I was on the ride. They had to manually lift the restraints and we had to walk along the side of the track to get out. I guess Dollywood's offer to pay for college tuition for staff hasn't helped with staff shortages.