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After doing some additional digging. I found that this part of presentation at NoCoastercon. Pics are on Twitter on the Aceonline feed.

Universal has announced a "one of a kind theme park" geared toward children and families to be built in Frisco, Texas, near Dallas! https://corporate.universalparks.com/universal-parks-resorts-plans-to-bring-new-concept-for-families-with-young-children-to-frisco-texas/ Universal Parks & Resorts announces a one-of-a-kind theme park, unlike any other in the world, specifically designed to inspire fun for families with young children. The new park concept, set in a lush green landscape and featuring immersive themed lands, celebrates Universal’s iconic brand of entertainment, humor and innovation and brings to life its beloved characters and stories in ways that will wow even the youngest theme park goers. The proposed park will be designed to be more intimate and engaging for younger audiences and will be sized for a regional audience. It will be full of family-friendly attractions, interactive and playful shows, character meet and greets, unique merchandise and fun food and beverage venues. Although smaller in size, it will still carry the same quality as Universal’s other larger resort destinations. Part of 97 acres of land recently purchased by the company, the proposed park also has plans for an adjacent themed hotel and room for expansion. The entire area is intended to have a completely different look, feel, and scale than Universal’s existing parks and will appeal to a new audience for the brand. Universal Parks & Resorts selected the city of Frisco, in North Texas, as the area for this new concept given the city’s growing population and ability to attract businesses to the area. The proposed location for the new concept is ideally situated east of the Dallas North Tollway and north of Panther Creek Parkway. “We are excited about the opportunity to partner with the city of Frisco and Mayor Cheney as we work to bring this innovative, new concept to life designed specifically for a younger generation of Universal fans,” said Page Thompson, President, New Ventures, Universal Parks & Resorts. “We think North Texas is the perfect place to launch this unique park for families given its growing popularity within this part of the country.” “Frisco is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. and has been recognized as a great place to plant professional roots and raise a family,” said Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney. “This new Universal concept will continue to enhance our tax base, expand employment opportunities and bring even more fun to Frisco benefiting our residents, businesses, and visitors.” More details about the project will be revealed over time.

Thank you for the very flattering photo of me shoving ice cream into my mouth with the guys ass hanging out nearby!

I worried about Nick the drive back to the hotel, and during the relax period in the room. . . but when folks wanted to go grab food (remember, our meal this afternoon at the park was. . um. . underwhelming) I was up for it. I also wanted to go to the Left on the beach, as we hadn't found the Carousel the night before when going Right, so it should have been on the Left. I was worried, but nothing I could do, so tried to enjoy the boardwalk along the Atlantic Ocean in De Panne, Beligum. we were out earlier than had been the night before, so it was a bit brighter, and there were more folks out and about, as we hit the boardwalk and made a left. looking back towards where we had come from. . really beautiful, and I think it was close to 8pm at this point? this both scared and amused me. . .LOL and what was that up ahead at the end of the boardwalk? Found it!!! and it was closed - boooooo. . . . tho, honestly, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy it as I as so worried about Nick. and besides, we had just spent the full day at Plopsaland, and I had ridden the Carousel there twice. . so I'd had my fill and could live with it. did I take pics of it anyways? you bet. . . at this end of the Boardwalk, there was another big sculpture installation. \ and this AMAZING - *never in America* sand sculpture of an attacking Octopus. why "never in America" ? well. . . it's made of Metal. yes. . metal. Sharp edges and all. and the kiddos were climbing all over it. it looked so incredible. . and so many tripping hazards everywhere. Great place to snag a foot and fall headfirst into another metal part. yup. . "never in America" Even metal birds sculpted hanging out on some of the Tentacles. . It was while I was out on the beach (sand in my shoes and everywhere, but was worth it for the pics) that Nick texted me he was up and could I talk. so I stepped off to the side and I called him and we talked. he told me that his right lung had collapsed (not his left lung again, which is what had happened on his Birthday in March) and that they had been able to get it reinflated, and were monitoring him. And that tho it sounded very concerning, I shouldn't worry, as he was where he needed to be, and they were fixing the issue - although he was still against having the surgery that the specialist had recommended (but then agreed with us that since Nick tends to have after affects from Surgery that we should not do it unless absolutely necessary. . and this didn't seem necessary, yet). so no reason to rush home, or try to change my flight back a week later. . . but I should continue enjoying my trip. I yelled at him when he told me that he had driven himself to the Hospital after he woke up from the nap and he still was having difficulty breathing. I was so angry that he chanced driving himself, instead of calling 911 or reaching out to any of our friends who knew I was gone and would have helped. the stubborn ass actually apologized for that, and said he was sorry for scaring me. and then he had to rest, as the Nurse had come into the room. So I told him I'd talk to him later, before bed, and I was glad he was where he needed to be. Still worried, but feeling much better after talking to him, we continued on for our walk in De Panne, to try and find some food place. . last shot of the closed Carousel, before heading up to the main street in search of food. but I got a smile pic to send to Nick after we hung up. as said, really is quite lovely here. we passed a laundry mat that seemed very busy. with TPR folks doing laundry. Hi guys! More impressive art sculptures as we got back to the main street for the town someone recalled that Ian had told us he had Gyros / Greek food the night before in a place near the hotel. . so we texted him and he pointed out where to go. it was a LOT of food, and it was really good. Tho there was absolutely no English spoken, and the menu appeared to be in Dutch - which left us all at a bit of a disadvantage. luckily there were a lot of pictures, and a large family already seated that was eating. . . so was able to see what they were eating, and find a similar picture that matched it and then order by pointing. as noted, it was all really good. No idea what I got, think it was a mix of Lamb and Chicken strips on a full plate with Fries, pita, hummus and several other things. I think my mind was still very flustered, as I somehow didn't manage to take a pic of the food (really odd for me) on the way back to the hotel to crash after that super filling meal, we bumped into Robb, Elissa and Kristen on the street. i filled Elissa in on what was going on with Nick (as I had told her on the bus that he has been admitted to the hospital). . and that he seemed good and not worried when I talked to him. so at least although I was worried, the day ended on a really good note. and hey, we also got a full moon in De Panne, thanks to the window washer - who was squeegeeing *all the way to the ground* on the windows behind Elissa while we were chatting. it was a little distracting. . so of COURSE i pointed it out - and took a picture enjoy the full moon over Beligum! and with that, we said our goodnights, and headed back to the hotel room to crash. tomorrow was another big day - up, checked out, and on bus by &;30 am, for a day at Bellewaerde to be continued. . . .

Yep, after running 4 day weeks in the winter season they decided to run one 7 day week in the winter for 25th December to 31st December. Which makes sense for most parks across the globe in that's a very busy week... but in Korea the school season starts in March so instead of a Christmas vacation they have an end of year one instead, this year most schools broke up around 4th January-March, only some private kindergartens tend to close Christmas week. I guess the attendance wasn't great since that 7 day week got dropped on the newly released 2023 calendar but it's a shame the park will be closed during the school vacation and during one of the biggest public holidays, 3 days for Lunar New Year when people will travel to visit relatives. The park is also now running a promotion where if you buy 3 gold annual passes you get 1 free hotel stay. But your hotel stay must be on a day when the park is closed. Actually, I shouldn't keep saying the park is closed when the park just announced a surprise reopening of one ride. Source Has there ever been a case of a park opening (outside of a media day/event) with just one ride operating before?

^ the Pirate Dark Ride is called "Pirates of the Deep Sea". .and it's only a Sally Ride in technicality, since they kept the ride system in place. but otherwise, it's completely inhouse built! They gutted the Sally Scooby Doo shooter, and built up everything at the park! It's the first ride the park built with the impressive queue (since way back when the park had a Joker coaster where Pandemonium is now and you went in thru a funhouse). the park went on from there to do the super impressive Fun House in front of Joker, the heavily themed DareDevil Dive queue, the incredible re-do for Poltergeist's queue, and the brand new detailed Dr. Diabolical Queue. So yeah, that's all thanks to Jeffrey Siebert and the in house Fiesta Texas team.

^ Love the pictures! Glad you had fun. My partner and I don’t drink anymore so living vicariously through you with hurricanes. I thought only SeaWorld Orlando and SFOG free poured the hell out of their drinks of all the parks we’ve day drank at over the years. Anyway, we were at SeaWorld San Antonio yesterday and SFFT today. Flights from Orlando were cheap which is rare so we used our miles and took advantage of the long weekend. We visited the park for 2 full days in 2018 and were stoked to be back. I’m not an expert like Bert so I’ll keep it brief, just as an outsiders opinion. Keep in mind in my advanced years I have some weird quirks when it comes to park preferences: - I could sit and people watch at this place all day. It’s so pleasant and the gorgeous weather made it even better. - We both agreed that the whole Dr. Diabolical “experience” was something that a coaster enthusiast would design if they had a chance and the presentation is stunning. Operations were great. It was weird to only have a retractable floor on the front row and the lift was speedy. It pains me to say it, but the ride itself is the 5th in the park, behind IRAT, WW, Superman, and Poltergeist. Even with a full train, the rattling takes a way from the experience a bit. - For some reason, I thought WW was closed. We were pleasantly surprised to see it running. We agreed it wasn’t rough and really enjoyed it. I think I appreciated it more on this visit. Just so unique and powerful. - Random notes: Less busy than expected. We bought Flash Pass because of the RMCs. Loved the Pride merchandise staying around. The merchandise in general was also much better than the other SF parks. The lunch we had at the cafeteria had impressive operations but terrible quality. The Pirate themed Sally Ride (forget the name) and FREE haunted house (“ “) were both spectacular for a regional park and rounded out the experience. Until next time!

^ ok, after your screen cap above. . . I dug some more. and now I've gotten an "I kinda/sorta heard that too" from someone who likely *would be* aware if a Skyline coaster was coming to St. Louis. so hmmm. . . . I'd say odds of SFStL getting one too, are better than 60/40. so I guess I do kinda believe it, but still not 100% convinced until it's announced.

Great news. I am all for more permanent solutions for track maintenance while keeping it a wooden coaster. There are many wooden coasters that should be RMC'd but the Voyage is most definitely NOT one of them. Good for Holiday World, I love their commitment to their wooden coasters. I had a blast visiting for the first time last May and I'll be heading back this year in early August (and have enough time to include Splashin' Safari this time too). Can't wait!

So this is neat. The Voyage is getting Gravity Group's engineered precut track added and well as a less sophisticated horizontal version of a prefab track. I'm optimistic this prefab track may offer more permanent solutions to lower maintenance costs while keeping the rides smoother in the process, especially given the lower positive G profiles on traditional woodies compared to the Intamin prefabs. Here's the video:

If you haven’t heard, We’re getting a new ride for the 2023 season! It will be located in the go cart location and will have a minimum height requirement of 36’. I believe we might finally be getting a coaster, rumor has it Six Flags bought five of the single rail spaghetti bowl coasters. Also our opening date it April 1st! No fooling! We also are sharing a park president with great America.

Yeah I'll be able to get there at opening on Monday. I just saw too that they are including a free meal at the park with admission, so I could take a spin on the coasters and then enjoy some lunch before heading out. Thank you for the input!

^Ugh, sorry to hear that. We ran into a very similar issue with SFFT! I thought we were already past all the schedule cuts but I guess not.

Seems like a great idea to me! Almost like how Legoland builds the smaller Discovery Centers in some markets. This should print money for them!

And right off the heels of the Happily Ever Ever announcement - Tron Lightcycle Run will be opening on April 4th! https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2023/01/tron-lightcycle-run-opens-april-4-at-magic-kingdom-park/?CMP=SOC-DPFY23Q2wo0105230024H From Steven Miller at Disney: Greetings, Programs! I’ve loved “TRON” since first discovering this digital world as a child in the 1980s. Imagine my delight when asked to write about the thrilling new attraction racing into Walt Disney World Resort – TRON Lightcycle / Run presented by Enterprise. If this article was turned into a major motion picture, the opening narration might sound something like this (cue synthesizer): “TRON Lightcycle / Run. A new attraction. I tried to picture Lightcycles as they moved through the Grid in Tomorrowland. What did they look like? Were they fast? I kept dreaming of a world I thought I’d never see. Until April 4, 2023 – the day TRON Lightcycle / Run will officially open in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.” I haven’t felt this excited since I saw a Lightcycle from “TRON: Legacy” on display at the D23 Expo in 2009. When “TRON: Legacy” was released in December 2010, I saw it five times in theaters followed by countless viewings at home on Blu-ray and Disney+. I even named my tuxedo cat Kevin Flynn, a nod to the brilliant computer programmer and original designer of the Grid in the film. The Lightcycle battle was one of the film’s most dazzling visual displays – I wanted to ride one! More than a decade later, that dream is coming true with this attraction’s opening at Walt Disney World. The story of TRON Lightcycle / Run picks up after “TRON: Legacy” where Kevin’s son, Sam Flynn, has opened a second gateway into a digital realm called the Grid. The first of these portals he created is found at Shanghai Disneyland with the original TRON Lightcycle Power Run. When you enter the queue at Magic Kingdom, you’ll feel as if you’re digitized and transported to the Grid for a special Lightcycle race. It’s your Team Blue against the Grid’s menacing Programs, Team Orange. Your goal is to be the first to race through eight Energy Gates and secure victory. The attraction will be one of the fastest coasters at any Disney theme park in the world. Before the attraction officially opens, cast members will be the first to enter the Grid during special previews. And I heard preview opportunities are coming for guests too, including Annual Passholders and eligible Disney Vacation Club Members. All those hours (and quarters) playing the “TRON” arcade game have prepared me for this moment. See you in the Grid. END OF LINE.

I really liked Harmonious a lot so that's kind-of a shame, but we got Happily Ever After back so I can't possibly not be happy about this news.

I think it comes down to being spoiled. The park is fantastic the vast majority of the time, so it stands out more when it falls a little short, compared to lesser parks where you expect a certain amount of disappointment. I hope I hadn't come across as down on the park; very much not the case. The only thing I viewed definitively as the park's fault is the food thing, it really sucks to wait 20+ minutes in line for nothing; they do have Sold Out signs/stickers because I've seen them used but they don't use them enough (and I told guest services as much). One small thing that again speaks to their attention to detail is they fixed the ghost trap! Little things like that just endear the park to me so much.

Just like WT, IF they remove it, I won't lose any sleep over it. While I enjoy just about any launch coaster and enjoyed both of these, there were several visits where I skipped them both to ride what I considered the better coasters at the park. It will be interesting to see what they have up their sleeve, regardless.