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Some quick disjointed thoughts from my family's recent trip two weeks ago, where we got the eff outta Dodge just before Ian touched down... My daughter just recently hit the 51" height requirement and was able to ride both Velocicoaster and Rip Ride Rocket. Unfortunately she didn't really like either coaster all that much; RRR was way too rough for her, and Velocicoaster (in her own words) "was too fast and made my cheeks flap in the wind". Go figure. She ended up loving Hagrid's though, as did my famously non-coaster-fan wife, who has now proclaimed Hagrid's to be her new number one coaster, dethroning Oscar's Wacky Taxi. We also got really lucky when it came to the wait time; both times, the wait was posted at 60 minutes, and it ended up being approximately 25 minutes from entering the queue line. We were able to get a mid-day ride as well as a night ride just before closing on Thursday, and Hagrid's in the dark was a phenomenal experience! We also knocked Pteranodon Flyers off the list, since it's probably my daughter's last and only chance to ride it before she sprouts up even further. Can we get more coasters that use Wave Swinger seats, please? Kinda funny though that she can ride the two most intense coasters in the park, yet an S&S drop tower with a 52" height requirement is just a step too far. They did give her a certificate after measuring up that can be used for a single-use Express pass on that ride once she gets tall enough, so that's a nice touch! Finally got a chance to ride the East Coast version of Revenge of the Mummy now that it's reopened from its refurbishment, and going in only with the West Coast version to compare it to, it's definitely the superior version of the two. I especially loved the fakeout ending! We did Halloween Horror Nights on Wednesday, the 21st with Express passes. We stuck around and grabbed a late lunch/early dinner at Finnegan's while they were closing off the stay and scream areas, and that afforded us the chance to knock out Halloween and Spirits of the Coven before the park officially opened to everyone. It was our first time at HHN and the production value on these houses was insane. Definitely clear though that they go more for repeatability over giving actors the freedom to improvise, since it seemed like a lot of the vocal cues were audio triggers in just about every house. With the express passes, we were able to knock out all ten of the houses in just under 6 hours. Favorite houses of the batch? #1, Dead Man's Pier: Winter's Wake. OMG, the scale of this thing... it took my breath away. #2, The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare. It was certainly unique, nothing quite like it that I've seen at other haunts! #3, Halloween. I love the John Carpenter original and this house was very faithful to the movie, and Michael got me a bunch of times. Least favorite house? Hellblock Horror, which really didn't make much sense thematically at all... I guess, prison escape, but monsters, but then aliens? Sure, I guess. Special consideration to Bugs: Eaten Alive, which was really well done, but ew ew ew ew ewwww ick. And the Blumhouse double feature house was great, but if you haven't seen the movies, you won't have any clue just what the hell's going on there. Having my kids attempt to explain the plot of The Black Phone to me after walking through the houses was hilarious. "Sooo... I think if you touch the phone, you die!" Yup, nailed it. We had lunch at Mythos on Thursday afternoon, and just wow. The octopus... mmmm. So good. Loved the decor, all the food was top notch, would definitely eat here again. Absolutely one of my favorite sit-down restaurants I've been to at any park to date. We used our third day of the 3-day tickets to hang out at Volcano Bay on Saturday for a few hours, but we were pretty wiped out after doing Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom on Friday night. We only ended up spending about 4 hours here before calling it and retiring back to our hotel, where we got some lunch, reserved a lane for bowling at Galaxy Bowl, and just took it easy before heading to Busch Gardens on Sunday. Still one of my favorite outdoor water parks I've been to! Overall, we had an excellent time at Universal, though I really wish we had more time to spend taking it easy. Doing this trip with four people compared to two 100% made things tougher when trying to stay on schedule, and in the future, I'd probably make sure we had at least a full 2 days at each park to really be able to explore, see the shows, and take our time without being locked into a hard and fast schedule. We'll definitely be back in the future, though at this point, probably not until Epic Universe opens.

I'm gonna die laughing if they start taking down the tower next, and destroy every fanboys/fangirls convoluted theory about what's happening.

Probably more than you think, honestly. The majority of the shootings over the summer in the city I used to work for were from kids 15-17 years old, with no one over 18 in their crew. I know that's just one example, but the amount of large crowds of unsupervised kids being involved in violent crime is out of control. I'm not saying I don't get a lot of your points, though.

I'm not against the extra security and police, though it's unfortunate since I'm sure it's both a significant expense for the park and another thing the local police probably didn't plan on having to deal with. But the bag policies and chaperones? Like Amy said earlier, either someone got a weapon through the scanners that already existed or (more likely if even a few of the people who were claiming to have been there on social media actually were) got it through or over the fence. I don't see how banning bags helps if someone can just bypass security entirely like that. Even single bag they see gets checked anyway, so no one is sneaking a weapon in inside one unless they're somehow sneaking the entire bag in anyway. It's just a pain for the 50% of the population whose clothing designers haven't heard of pockets. I'm usually the "group mom" when I do parks with friends and try to remember to bring along things like advil, dramamine, extra sunscreen etc etc to make sure no one's day ends up miserable. It's much nicer when I have a place to put things like that. As far as chaperones..I'm pretty fine with that just to stop the petty trouble kids get up to, but for preventing shootings, how many serious incidents are really caused by people under 17, who don't know anyone over 21 to get them in? I don't know how the park should handle it, since this is a problem going far outside of any one park now, I just don't like seeing them making a big deal about how they're going to make it safer with policies that realistically aren't.

Can confirm, there is indeed a wall built around Falcon's Fury and there's a notice posted on the wall saying (paraphrased) that it's down for refurbishment so it can be enjoyed for many more years to come, but due to the supply chain issues it is taking them longer than expected to get parts. I wouldn't expect it to be open until next year at the earliest. That being said, here's some other thoughts from my family's visit last Sunday, September 25th. This was my second visit to the park, but the rest of my family's first trip. We got there right at opening with the intention of making Iron Gwazi the first ride of the day. When we walked over to it, we were greeted with a line sprawling back the length of a football field and a sign up in front of the gate stating "We are working hard to get this ride up and running today!". So, um, yeah... and that's how Air Grover became our first coaster of the day instead. From there, we followed a circle path around the park. My son and I hit the 54" coasters in succession; Sheikra, Tigris, Kumba. All of them were running well. The lines at this point were still pretty short, so we were able to stay on for a re-ride on Sheikra, and we only had a 5 minute wait for the front row on Tigris. Kumba on the other hand was only running a single train, and although there was one family in front of us, it ended up taking about ten minutes for us to get a front row ride over there. My wife and daughter rejoined us to hit Scorpion and Sand Serpent before grabbing lunch. I pitched Scorpion to my wife as SooperDooperLooper's little cousin, as that was her first looping coaster, and to my surprise she actually enjoyed herself! The ride was running amazing without any rattling or headbanging, and it still had some serious bite to its forces. A heck of a lot of fun. Sand Serpent on the other hand, well, it was definitely a credit. We grabbed lunch at the nearby Dragonfire Grill. They honored the SWSA platinum pass discount and knocked about $15 off the cost of the meal. It was here that we learned about their new policy, which is no straws. At all. "Not even paper straws?" "Nope, we gotta save the animals." (Never mind the fact that their reusable cups came with those thick reusable plastic straws, which is more than Six Flags can say over the past few years.) Is this a chain wide thing now? I swear when we were at SWSD back in April, they still had straws there. Whatever. So I ate an ICEE with a spoon. Don't judge me. As the girls were wrapping up their lunch and my daughter really wanted to get some spooky face paint, my son and I headed off to the last 54" coaster of the batch, Montu. In case you didn't already know, he's a huge fan of inverts. His top three for the longest time were Talon, Banshee, and Alpengeist. This only recently changed when we went to IOA back in June and Velocicoaster took the #2 spot from Banshee. We got to Montu to find it a verifiable walk-on in the middle of the day, hopped in the back row, and headed out from the station. Instantly I saw the smile on his face begin to form, and he was laughing, screaming, and having a ball the entire ride. We got back to the station with his hair sticking straight up and he said "I think I have to take Talon out of my top spot." I asked him if he'd like to ride again but this time in the front row since there was next to no one there. We walked around, got back in line for a two-train wait for the front, and in his words "it was even better up front! Oh my god! There was so much going on!" So a back row ride was good enough for #1 and a front row ride firmly solidified that opinion for him. After Montu, my wife and daughter met up with us again for Cobra's Curse, a short ten minute wait from the room with the video projections. This ended up being my daughter's favorite coaster of the day. She wasn't expecting it to go backwards, much less start spinning! My wife handled the first two parts pretty well, but she isn't really a fan of the spinning parts understandably. The theming is pretty great overall, and it definitely stands out amongst the rest of the park's collection of coasters. Cheetah Hunt was up next, and this was the longest wait of the day for us at nearly one hour. I told my wife it was somewhere in between Hagrid (which she loved) and Velocicoaster (which she passed on riding). This turned out to be her favorite of the day, though there were some spots that caught her off guard. We all agreed it would be better without the overhead restraints, though. By this point in the day, it was about 4:30 PM, and we found ourselves back at the beginning of the park. Checked the wait time on Iron Gwazi which had now opened and it was posting a 45 minute wait. We all hopped in line, but my wife decided to sit this one out as well; she's not great with heights, having had bad experiences on her two hypers so far, and her only other RMC hybrid (Wicked Cyclone) took her about six months of contemplation to decide that no, she didn't like it after all. The wait time was significantly less than posted, with a mostly empty station up top, but it was definitely being hampered by the fact that they were only sending on average one train approximately every 5-7 minutes. Even still, we ended up only waiting 25 minutes after putting our stuff in the locker. The ride itself? My son absolutely loved it and has put it as his #3. My daughter unfortunately had the same issues she tends to have with most of RMC's trains, which is the seatbelt buckle digging directly into her thigh, which means every time there's any bit of airtime she winces in pain. I ended up focusing more on her throughout the ride and wasn't able to give IG my full attention, so I'm probably going to have to give it another ride before I can fully form my own opinion about it, but after that first ride I liked it more than Steel Vengeance but less than Twisted Timbers. I'm weird, I guess. After the ride on Iron Gwazi, we decided we didn't want to hop back in line a second time since our flight out of Florida was early the following morning. Instead, we called it an hour before park close, hopped back in the car, made a stop off the highway to grab some Waffle House for dinner as one does, and said our final goodbyes to this very cool park. We still prefer Williamsburg over Tampa, but I can see an argument to be made either way! And I'm pretty pleased with the fact that we were able to hit all of the park's coasters on a Sunday without having to shell out for any skip-the-line passes. Always a plus.

Life imitates art.

As part of a bunch of announcements across SeaWorld and Busch parks, SeaWorld San Diego has announced their newest roller coaster, Arctic Rescue, to open in 2023! Arctic Rescue will be the longest and fastest straddle coaster on the West Coast New family-friendly ride with 48” height requirement has three exhilarating launches that increase in speed at each launch Ride to bring awareness to threats facing Arctic sea life from climate change and global warming Annual Pass Members will be the first to ride before the official opening https://seaworld.com/san-diego/rides/arctic-rescue/ SeaWorld San Diego is thrilled to announce that the highly anticipated coaster, Arctic Rescue, will open in Spring 2023. Joining other thrill rides at the theme park, Arctic Rescue will be the longest and fastest straddle coaster on the West Coast. This family-friendly multi-launch ride invites guests to hop on a snowmobile and launch at up to 40 mph on a chilly adventure as they race through the unpredictable arctic climate to help animals in danger. With its 48-inch height requirement, adventure seekers of all ages will enjoy the thrills and chills of Arctic Rescue. SeaWorld’s coolest new coaster will feature a unique indoor launch station where passengers will start their journey inside of the Wild Arctic exhibit and launch outside straddling a unique snowmobile style vehicle. Guests will race through the Arctic and experience three exhilarating launches, each faster than the last, at 34, 38 and 40 miles per hour. The straddle snowmobilestyle seats allow for an immersive ride experience for each rider as they lean into banks and turns and glide up heights as tall as 30 feet along the 2,800 feet of track. Manufactured by Intamin Worldwide, each train will hold 16 riders in eight, two-person rows. “We’re continuously looking for ways to add new experiences to the park for our guests and this new coaster is a great addition to our ride line-up and a perfect complement to the Wild Arctic exhibit,” said Jim Lake, SeaWorld San Diego Park President. “The ride is also an educational opportunity for guests to learn more about climate change, how it impacts animals in the Arctic and what they can do to help the issue. I truly feel that seeing these animals upclose at SeaWorld allows guests to build a stronger connection and encouragement to take action to help protect them.” Unpredictable climate fluctuations and global warming is happening in the Arctic three times as fast as the rest of the planet. As a result, the Arctic sea ice that many animals rely on for survival is melting, threatening the survival of many species and forcing them to change the way they hunt, breed, and migrate. The ride is inspired by the heroic efforts of the SeaWorld Rescue Team and their dedication to rescuing animals in distress and in need of care. Riders will race the unpredictable arctic climate to save these animals in danger. Arctic Rescue is incorporated in the Wild Arctic exhibit which is home to a ringed seal, walruses, and belugas, some of the species most impacted by Arctic sea loss. The new ride will bring awareness to the pressures the Arctic is facing and allow guests to visit, see and learn more about each animal whose species call the Arctic their home. Arctic Rescue will be the perfect addition for the Coaster Capital of San Diego and SeaWorld's ever-growing ride portfolio, which includes Journey to Atlantis, Manta, Electric Eel, Tidal Twister and Emperor, voted one of 2022’s top best new attractions in the country by USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice poll. Arctic Rescue will join the park's famed attractions as a must-do experience for coaster enthusiasts everywhere.

We went to the park yesterday for the first time in years. It was a pretty huge shitshow. By park close, "only" Crazanity, Scream, Ninja, Superman, X2 and Drop of Doom (or whatever it's called) and about half of the smaller rides remained closed for the entire day, but every major ride that wasn't up front opened around 2 despite a 6pm close. This included the brand new ride. The only exceptions were Goliath, Riddler and Batman that ran all day for some reason. Also, the rapids and the only indoor air conditioned restaurant were closed for the entire day. It was 102 degrees. As for positive things to say? Uh... the mountains are pretty and Tatsu exists. That's all I've got.

I'd rather ride The Boss completely sober for an hour and a half. Anyone else pretty stoked about snow cone weekend next year? They should have the stand on the remaining portions of the go kart track to get some use out of it. I was debating on renewing our season passes for next year, but this event is very persuasive. Good move taking a year off from attractions and focusing on things like this.

Theme Park Review was invited to Six Flags Magic Mountain Fright Fest! SFMM delayed the media night a week, which would now be the third weekend Fright Fest has been offered. Finally, after some delay, weeks and even hours last night, their new maze, Truth or Dare opened. The night started with Spirits with Spirits, a new food and drink option. "A haunted happy hour with spirits of both natures and devilish treats to die for. Buffet +1 drink included. 6-9pm each Fright Fest night in the West Picnic Pavilion. Additional fee required. Park admission not included." cost is $59.99 and for anyone who have attended West Coast Bash, they use the same picnic area. Couldn't spend too much time eating our first round because we wanted to get over to DC Universe for Unleashed. The monsters come out in smaller waves this year. So, it's not just one big parade. I think I like when they all just come out all at once. CarnivHell is a new scarezone in Bugs Bunny land. Honestly, it was very lacking in scare actors. I think there were 3 when I walked through. Hopefully that changes in the coming weeks. I'm not sure if they are still working on Truth or Dare. I'd have to guess it's not complete? There are a lot of blank walls. But some good scares and it has one of those laser fog rooms. I think those are so cool visually. There's a section with a long area of strobe light that completely got me lost for a moment. I'm still shocked I just didn't walk into a scare actor or the wall. Condamned was my favorite maze this year. It had the most scare actors inside at the time I walked through. Aftermath 2 is always fun too because FIRE! Who doesn't love fire? Anyway, had a Six Flags day! While Fright Fest doesn't have or doesn't spend the budget as some of the other haunts, I still have fun. The scare actors are awesome as usual and it's a fun vibe with GP types staying around since you can still experience a lot without doing the mazes.

Neither a chaperone policy nor a bag prohibition would have prevented this. Either someone brought the firearm through the main gate, in which case the Evolv system (or the persons watching the screens) failed horribly, or the person was passed the firearm through one of the gaps in the single-wall perimeter fence that are directly accessible in the park and Kennywood Boulevard.