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Part 3: Exotic Belgium The third part of our story begins in at Walibi Belgium, with this vaguely W-shaped flower display. But actually that's a lie, because our story really begins with Smisty eating escargot from a vendor at a random Belgium street fair down the road from our hotel and then riding a couple of questionably maintained and operated spinning rides with Bert and Goldballs. Summoning all of my courage, I bravely stood by and watched. Loup-Garou, like Anaconda at Walygator, was a wooden coaster with a bad reputation that was actually pretty good. This one wasn't quite as smooth, but did have a bit of airtime--a trade off that was well worth it, in my opinion. Tiki-Waka was a very pretty Gerstlauer Bobsled that interacts quite nicely with the surrounding Polynesian-themed area. Smooth and fun, if not particularly forceful. Just a really nice family coaster. Smisty likes two things: octopuses and spinning. Whereas if I encountered either of those things in a dark alley, I would curl into a ball and pray for a quick death. No, I'm just kidding. I would try to run a bit first. In addition to some nicely themed areas, Walibi Belgium features two shooting dark rides, both of which were really good. This one is Challenge of Tutankhamon, a Sally Dark Ride that really shows what Sally is capable of with a decent budget. Easily the best Sally Dark Ride I've been on, with very complete theming and some really cool effects. Calamity Mine is a Vekoma Mine Train Coaster that was...okay. The most interesting thing about this one is the side by side lift hills. It's worth mentioning the park was absolutely jammed with school kids, resulting in very long queues for the thrill rides. But we had the highest level paid fastpass at every park that offered it, and that absolutely saved us here. A gift shop in the park's old west section. What, you don't want to know what the gift shop looks like? Then go read someone else's report! Oh...I'm the only one doing one this time. Well, then, learn to like gift shop photos, I guess. For a (former) Six Flags, it's quite pleasant-looking here. The building left of center is the park's mad house. We went on a lot of these this trip. Which is cool, because they're fun. This one was themed to a djinn or something...I think. It's kind of hard to keep them straight at this point. I don't know much, but I do know one thing: If your Karma World has a Boomerang in it, you were a very bad person in a previous life. By Grabthar's hammer, what a savings. Apparently the highlight of the park. Isn't this supposed to be a whole checklist worth of rides? No? Just the rapids ride? Okay. Welp, I didn't ride it, so I guess I've still never been to Walibi Belgium. The park's other shooting dark ride, the weirdly/awesomely themed Popcorn Revenge. This one was built by, um...Alterface. Alterface? That's the name of the company? Alterface. On their website, 'Alterface' describe this as an "erratic ride." *looks around* Is this a prank? There are like 500 spoof movie posters in this rides queue and along the exit path and they are all exactly this good. The vehicles enter and exit the station facing backwards, for no discernible reason. The ride itself is quite enjoyable, and seems like it doesn't take up much space (since you're just moving from screen to screen to shoot at different genres of popcorn creature). I'll take "What do Belgians think Mexican food is?" for $500, Alex. Well, I guess not Alex. Ken or Mayim now. Unless you're reading this far enough into the future that there's a different host now. I'll take "What do Belgians think Mexican food is?" for $500, Undead Cyborg Alex. The best thing about Pulsar, operationally-speaking, is that it can run two boats via a turntable. As demonstrated here on the busiest day in the history of visiting-children-who-enjoy-thrilling-water-rides ever by its running of one boat. Such a weirdly cool ride. I could watch this splashdown area empty into and then refill with water from the lake all day. Just a fun car ride not themed to speed dating, much like its counterpart at Walibi Holland which is also not themed to speed dating. Smisty says I just can't let that go. And she's right. I don't even want to. It's called Vampire because it'll make your neck bleed! It's called Vampire because... Nope, I just had that one. I was trying to take a selfie with this cool ladybug that landed on me but instead I got a weird twilight zone photo of what I'll look like when I need to carry around an oxygen tank with me everywhere I go. Did I mention that the park was busy? This log flume is themed to...uh...tunnels with Christmas tree lights? Steam punk but without steam or punk? Like, colorful retro-future farming? Boxes? It's called "Flash Back" if that helps. It's a European log flume. Enjoyable enough, but...I wonder if people in Europe just think log flumes are all the same everywhere else in the world too? Like, they come to America and they see a log flume but they skip it because they've been on log flumes before? That makes me sad. The bright new star of the park, Kondaa. Did I like it? Yes, I did. The restraints weren't great for me, but they were good enough. As for the layout, well, I liked the first three hills a lot. The "non-inverting cobra roll" kind of seemed like a waste of track, though. It doesn't even really work as a turnaround because it's not at the end of an out-and-back section but kind of off to the side. But, it's fine. Really, the whole middle third feels kind of like they didn't really know what to do here. They had a clear idea for the magic carpet "this is what RMC does, right?" finale, though. And it's...interesting? Man, it sounds like I hate this ride. But I actually really enjoyed it. The nearest analog, that I've been on, would probably be Hyperion (though the seating arrangement is quite different). And I prefer Hyperion. Um...anyway, Kondaa is good! This is the best photo I took of Kondaa and now I feel like I need to do a whole explanation of why there was only one person riding it. But I don't feel like it, so just make something up that works for you. Next park: Plopsaland De Panne! Not really a great sounding name to a native English speaker, but I guess that's my problem, not theirs. So, like, if you live in Belgium, and you have a baby, do you need to cross reference whatever name you're thinking about giving it with every surrounding language? Like, this sounds great in French, but does it mean something bad in Flemish? How about German? English? Danish? Oh, it means "bumpy ears" in Polish? That's unfortunate. Seems like a real burden. In America, we'd just name it Dylan or whatever and never care that it means "bad at sex" in Norwegian. From Kondaa to Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland! I enjoyed this more than I thought I might. It was fun! The slow roll out of the station is a gimmick I could do without, though. Especially as I suspect that it's the reason they won't let you wear glasses on the ride even with a strap. Which brings up a bigger issue for me. Like, I kind of don't like that they keep making more and more extreme rides but then you can't really enjoy them because the safety features need to be equally extreme. Like, I'd rather just ride Wodan, you know? I guess this is really just my RMC complaint put in a broader context, isn't it? Smisty was disappointed that it didn't spin more! Heidi The Ride is a lot like White Lightning at Fun Spot in Orlando. Except that I remember that having airtime...? It's been a few years, so maybe I'm wrong. This one has the benefit of a small scene at the end. (Calling it a dark ride section would be too much, but I'll take it regardless.) Not a fan of staggered openings. They just really punish the planners. And then it had technical problems and still didn't open at it's "posted at the ride" opening time. So we gave up. The dinosaur theming looks cool, though. Pretty sure Plopsaland and Holiday Park are are part of the same company. Because both parks have nearly identical cartoon Viking areas (as well as very similar indoor kids ride sections). An all-dessert restaurant? Best park ever. Oh. It's closed all day. Worst park ever. Anubis has a cool station building. And a queue you could live in! Smisty's description of the ride: "Average." Okay, so you know how Knott's started as a berry stand? Well, Plopsaland started as a honey stand. (In case it's not clear, that's not a dumb Erik joke. It is factual.) What's the best ride at Plopsaland? Het Bos van Plop! Or, you know, Ride to Happiness. But this indoor boat ride dark ride through a weird puppet village is pretty great. Is Plopsaland boring you, Ma'am? While I'll never forgive them for that dessert restaurant thing being closed, these are the best Dunkin' Donuts flavors I've ever seen or eaten or stuck parts of my body into. My fingers, you freaks. Maybe a little tongue. I am not the problem. Indoor kids rides. And a bee character. Because honey. Or it's a coincidence. I think this bee character was at Holiday Park also. This food item had a name. I like when I don't have to write jokes. Plopsaland De Panne was okay. We had fun. In the grand scheme of things, though, it was probably one of the less good parks we visited. I mean, that's how it works, right? There has to be a best park of the trip (*cough* Europa) and there has to be a least best park of the trip (spoilers!) It's like that song, "Walking in Belgium." That's a real song, right? No, I don't know what she's doing. Belgian stuff. Our lovely homey hotel in De Panne. Fun fact, this part of Belgium mostly speaks Flemish (which is really just Dutch). Whereas Wavre (where Walibi is) mostly speaks French. But, of course, most people speak multiple languages because Europe is better than America. This was supposed to be our hotel, but none of the men could find it. I insist that this is the best caption I've ever written. De Panne is a seaside resort town. I probably should've started with that information. Well, too late now. We're moving on. I will never spell the name of this park correctly. We start with two of their most interesting rides: Hurican (a mostly indoor dark ride/family coaster) and El Volador (one of the last remaining Huss Topple Towers). Hurican was fun. Again, a family coaster, but a nice dark ride section full of Aztec temple stuff and big stone faces (like the one above) followed by a short outdoor section (you can see all of it in the previous photo) and finally a dark-ish "coaster in a box" section. In general, Bellwardeeee's coaster lineup is very family-friendly, with a Boomerang being the only real "thrill coaster." The log flume wasn't earth-shattering, but it least is was a different layout than most of the other European ones. No reverser section! Woo! (How on earth did hating reverse sections on log flumes become my thing? I'm the "RMCs are bad actually" guy!) The French may or may not hate "American culture," but they sure do love the American Old West. Wait, what part of Belgium are we in? The Dutch-speaking part? Okay. Well...the Belgians apparently like the Old West also. You got a problem with that? Hey, it's that ladybug coaster from RollerCoaster Tycoon! Beleweraerd is also kind of a zoo! This is an ass. Sorry, wait. This is an ass of a oxen. He was a jerk is what I'm saying. He wouldn't even face me. This is not the best caption I've ever written. This was supposed to be our hotel, but none of the men could find it. The park's themed "tow boat" ride, with animals. Known by various names over the years, including Jungle Mission, Jungle Adventure, Het Zoemende Ei, Voodoo River, The Ride to Happiness by Tomorrowland, and Steve and Rebecca Marry a Big Snake. Dude. Put down the pipe. My something something brings all the goats to the fence. I think I'm having a stroke. I don't know, guys. It's a rapids ride. I'm all out of caption juice. A mad house! This one was themed to Harry Houdini, but he was evil for some reason? It didn't really make sense. But also it was in Dutch I think, and we went on like 8 of these and they're all starting to blend together now. Okay, this was cool. A train ride through animal enclosures, featuring lions and tigers. A lion. I think you'll find that it is. I'm almost 100% sure. Wakala is a Gerstlauer family coaster with switch track and reversing sections that they stole from the log flume. Just a little rainy today. Good for (not having) crowds, not normally great for photos, but I like how this one turned out. Ice Cream Burger Their words, not mine. Big Chute, with Dawson Duel in the background. Dawson Duel are a pair of dueling alpine coasters. Except instead of being built on a mountainside like sensible alpine coasters, they're just built up in the air with tall supports. So that's different, Not sure why we have to walk up to the top though. The thing has a perfectly serviceable-looking lift. I'm going to be honest. I only rode one side because I didn't want to walk up there again. Bellaweirdy was funky and interesting and unique. Not exactly a thrill park, but I enjoyed it. And it had animals too! Well, that's it for Belgium. Next up, the thrilling French conclusion! As always, thanks for reading.

I don't really do trip reports anymore (does anyone?) but we finally visited this wonderful park again for the first time since pre-Covid to (finally!!) check out Pantheon as well as the parks now-happening (thru Sept 12th) Bier Fest, and as expected we had a great time. Can you go wrong with beers and new Intamin hotness? The threat of rain all week kept crowds super light and we managed to stay in the park open to almost close on Saturday and again from open on Sunday til about 4pm. During that time it only rained once for about 20 minutes. The longest we waited for anything all weekend was maybe 20-25 minutes for the front row of Pantheon. In short, Bier Fest was magnificent and Pantheon is insane. For the event, you can buy a $40 lanyard that gets you ten 6oz samples of beer, and while the weather was mostly sunny/partly cloudy it was humid AF so we found ourselves dipping into both the Festhaus and Grogans Pub to soak up the air conditioning and fill up on samples. At both spots we found random locals brewers were popping in to talk about their breweries and give out more samples so of course we were trying all of those too. Lots and lots of beer samples. Soooo how about a few photos of the world's most beautiful theme park? Or uhhhh... the place we always go before Virginian theme parks... Yippee! Feels good to be back at one of my favorite parks anywhere. Grogans Grill and their dollar hot dogs were the real MVP of our weekend. Shout out to the cashiers for not enforcing the 2-per-transaction rule. It's like 11am and I'm already double-fisting! Was great to finally meet Chuck/ @cfc after all these years and share some rides and brews! We always start the weekend at Griffon. This ride is so good. At some point we made our way to the craft hall in the Festhaus. Because you need something to soak up all the beer. You can use your Bier Fest lanyard to sample ANY of these 30 taps or anything on tap at Grogans. @coasterbillstill got a flight PSA: Alpengeist is the best invert. Some of these are just screenshots from videos I took for an Instagram reel. At least Lochness Monster looks good... Alright enough f*cking around, time for this absolute insanity. Pantheon is excellent and shot right into my favorite coasters. Great pacing, unique forces, not a moment wasted. I only ever rode in the front (or close to the front) but there is air all over this thing. The backwards launch is downright absurd. The operations left a little to be desired after experiencing the well oiled crew at VelociCoaster late last year but they were cranking trains pretty quickly. The trains are comfy, and as a larger dude I had no issues and didn't really have to be stapled on any of my rides. There is so much to like about this ride. The zero-G after the first launch is loaded with hang time and the outward bunny hops are good fun and a great way to get things started. The stall feels like it goes on forever, and in the front of the train we were getting some intense ejector at the top of the outward banked hill over the Rhine River. The missus, who we thought might not even ride this, not only rode multiple times but also declared it as one of her all times favorites by the weekends end and is still talking about it three days later. Thumbs up from row 1. I know you're dying to ask - How did it compare to VelociCoaster? Beyond the fact that they're both new Intamins with multiple launches, top hats and stalls? They're pretty different rides. I do prefer VC overall. I like Tempesto, but we never made it on. I didn't get any photos of Apollo, but that we did ride a bunch and it was phenomenal as usual. We did ride this fabulous contraption a few times as well thanks to the low crowds and non-existent wait. At some point on Sunday we finally made a stop at the black forest and for the first time ever I was treated to a walk-on for this ride. Still one of my favorites here but after some beers the indoor section actually gave me a little vertigo and a skipped a re-ride with the group. Shout out to @PKI Jizzman Thanks for reading. Sorry if some of the photos are small. Go check out Bier Fest if you can!

We were at Holiday Park yesterday. It should have been mostly a kids only trip, so don't expect a trip report. But there were some things, I want to share with you. Mostly, because I'm usually a bit critical with the operations there. The park was open until 8 pm, so after 6 pm and the kids were done, we planned on going for Sky Scream, GeForce and end our day there. Sky Scream had, on a hot summer holiday day, no line at all, so we were done with it in no more then ten minutes. On GeForce, the line emptied out the entrance because of a breakdown. As the kids were happily locked at the playgrund, the four of us went to the station anyway. As most people went home, we got a ride, two of us in the front row, two in the very back, with a four train wait. The ride itself was awesome as the sun downed behind the mountains. But the best thing for us occured after the ride: Our compaignons agreed to sit the kids for another while, as Sarah wanted to do a front row ride with me. So we waited another three trains when 8 pm passed and the line was closed. We were the second to last couple to board the front row and were already restrained when again a system error occured. We already thought, that this would be the end of our day, but the OPs pleased us to wait it out. After five minutes three technicians arrived and fixed the sensor that made the train stop a couple auf centimeters late in the station. So at 8:15 pm, we boarded our train again and had another sundown lap. And when we arrived at the staion, there were five more people to board the train and so the OPs allowed everyone to reride, as long as the waiting people got their reserved seats. So Sarah and me got out the front row and found two seats in the middle row and had the luck to be an the two last trains of the day! SO SHOUTOUT TO HOLIDAY PARK AND THE GEFORCE CREW FOR AWESOME CUSTOMER SERVICE AND A VERY FUNNY END OF OUR DAY YESTERDAY!

Looks like SeaWorld Orlando released the map for Howl-O-Screams. Similar to last year except that it looks like the bridge over the lake and the waterfront area will be open this year with a Scare zone in the water front which should be nice. Also looks like the Lurking in the Depths show will be near that area with the tank and the pearl divers, maybe utilizing that tank? Could be interesting. Good to see the Flamecraft bar area will be used this year for the Longshoreman Tavern. I love that bar and that whole thing was awesome last year so should be a lot of fun in that space. Also the specialty bar Lost Souls Hideaway near the sky tower is intersting. I knoe the sky tower has recently started operating again, and it's been years but there used to be a really nice little bar down on the water behind the Sky Tower, so that could be a fun spot to grab a drink. I'm curious to see where the Blood Reckoning house will end up being, on the map it looks like it's over near Seaport Pizza next to Manta's pretzel look, but there's not really a building over there or empty space for a tent or anything? Maybe it's inside of the Seaport Theatre and the entrance is just on that path? I might take my oldest and run down on Sunday for some birthday weekend coasters so might have to see if there's any progress.

Clearly you've never done any wood working. This is a one-of-a-kind middle finger, and it takes time. I have a friend who doesn't even like theme parks, but she asked me about it and said she was going to come see it. They have one of the knuckles on display, and concept art of the finished product. It's behind the shitters next to the Chinese joint.

I would bring a backpack, it's easier to dump the candy in there than carry it in the bags provided. Second parade is less busy like you said. Get candy whenever there is no line, don't even try the first hour it's always busy then and by the end of the night you can just walk around and around and get a ton with no wait. We waited less than 5min for Halloween Mickey at town square, the lines for the other more 'rare' characters were longer than I was willing to wait. Elvis Stitch, Pooh, etc. You'll see alice and mad hatter a lot but I think they're the same as during the day. I didn't see any amazing stand out food items, but people seem to be talking about the weird corn thing. Don't forget to do some of the fun PhotoPass offerings. The lantern near Haunted Mansion is my favorite.

Awesome pics of a great weekend. Jesus that last picture of me... I was feeling the beers for sure.

Not trying to cause any issues. Just what I, personally, felt and observed. I'm just hoping it's more consistently up....that's all that matters.

I thought I told everyone they were replacing it with the middle finger statue, my bad. Like I said 28% they’re almost done.

I like the road. It's quirky and part of the charm.

Early report: Breakfast at Pink Cadillac was excellent as always, our traditional opening of Capt'n Jack's at 11 went off without a hitch, rode the world's greatest Boomerang which was great, and now sitting at Capt'n Jacks drinking Pina Coladas again watching them test Zoom Phloom so I won't be getting burned by a closed Flume today. Surfside opens in 10 mins. PigDog in a couple hours. Great White and Screamin Swing laps tonight. I sure wish I lived here!

What in the world was the voyage and how is my head still on?

I am pretty sure no one considers mid to late September summer. Summer usually ends when schools begin. Yes, technically it goes until Sept 22, but for all intents and purposes, summer is over by Labor Day. At least according to every single amusement park in the country.

For those of you who have been wondering what's been going on with the old candy shop in Germany . . . Sip in Secret at an ALL-NEW Theme Park Speakeasy, Opening this Month at Busch Gardens Williamsburg For a Limited-time, Guests Can Save 20 Percent on Reservations for this Exclusive Experience Something new is brewing at the all-new Bürgermeister’s Hideaway This immersive, one-of-a-kind experience debuts on July 20 Guests 21+ can enjoy handcrafted cocktail flights customized to each season For a limited-time, all reservations receive a 20 percent grand opening discount Save up to 55 percent on tickets, Fun Cards and Memberships during the Summer Sale A one-of-a-kind, immersive bar experience is debuting this summer at Busch Gardens Williamsburg with the addition of an all-new speakeasy. Bürgermeister’s Hideaway will open on July 20 and offers guests an opportunity to partake in a spirited experience with festive drink and fantastic ambiance. Behind a sweet façade visitors will explore an exclusive hideaway bar that houses mystery and marvel for all to enjoy. The tale of Bürgermeister’s Hideaway dates back to a centuries-old mystery bar that offers a different type of counter service with a drink that is contrary to its country. This hidden den, run by Busch Gardens’ iconic Bürgermeister, offers signature cocktail, mocktail, wine, and beer flights that will leave guests craving more. Beverage flights are chef curated and seasonally inspired, debuting with the vibrant flavors of summer. Guests who select the cocktail flight can sip on the perfect blend of sweet and spice with the refreshing Watermelon Jalapeno Margarita and the Banana Nutella Martini, a smooth and savory concoction with a hint of hazelnut. Prost to sweet surprises with this ALL-NEW adventure at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Visitors must prebook their speakeasy visit here. Each reservation includes a timed entry to Bürgermeister’s Hideaway and one drink flight. For a limited-time, guests can save 20 percent on reservations purchased before July 22. Throughout the year, Members receive a discount on this all-new experience.