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Strong line-up for early entry this year. Hit it out of the park here. GateKeeper Wild Mouse Atomic Scrambler Matterhorn Calypso Dodgem Kiddy Kingdom (select rides) https://www.cedarpoint.com/early-entry

Day 12, morning: Walt Disney Studios up and out for rope drop, as today was going to be a slamming busy day. It was Saturday, so knew the parks were going to be PACKED. as an alternate plan, I had weeks ago, booked a visit to the top of the Eiffel Tower Saturday afternoon, with the Alvey's to get away from the crowds during the busiest part of the day. James wasn't going to do that (tho a few others on the official trip did join us too), so we planned to go to the Disney Studios park at rope drop, I'd leave for Eiffel Tower around lunch time, and then would meet back up with James at Disneyland later that evening. plan locked, and off we went: Lovely entrance. . thru an indoor section (that I think was mostly shops - we never actually stopped here on any day - tho Brown Derbey looks like a food court) Up ahead the main park, and the Walt & Mickey statue. noted - we'll be back for you this morning. . . but first, we are following the crowd to the right side of the park. Aladdin's flying carpets. . never really had much of a line, but I don't think we ever actually rode it here at Disney Studios.. . . I mean. . it's right next door to where everyone was going. . . Crush's Coaster. and yeah. . . STARTED off the day, at rope drop, with a 30 minute wait. (we had some skip the line passes, and would use them later in the trip. . but we wanted to not waste one right away and joined the flood of folks headed here) a few other TPR folks were in line here too first thing. . . the theming, as expected, was well done. it's a fun spinning coaster. is it great? no, but it IS fun, and if the line is shorter than a 30 minute wait (or you have skip the line), I'd say it's worth it. Capacity seems to be pretty bad tho. . . so never really saw it with a "shortish" line after a fun ride on Crush, we headed out to continue our way around the park. during our trip, lots of construction walls were up - Avengers Campus area opened shortly after we were there. So there really wasn't all that much to do at the time at Disney Studios. But I did have a fun time there, and the rides they DO have, are mostly pretty great. this ride (cloned at several Disney parks) had really no line - I think maybe folks just miss it's there? so James and I hopped in the queue for it. it would have been better if it hadn't been out in the direct sunlight. . . . but with both of us in the back seat, we got some decent "whip/swing" action. Crush's coaster does have this interactive section where the cars zoom by outside, enticing those walking by to come take a ride. is it as Detailed as Car's Land at Disney California Adventure? I dont' think so (tho never have been there since they opened it). . but I thought it was really well done here. outside of Cars land is Toy Story area. . . with a bunch of rides that LOOK way better than the actually ride. but man, do they look good. we passed by tho, as first we wanted to ride Ratatouille. . . I'd only heard raves about this, and couldn't wait to experience it. the Gusteau animation in the sign comes "alive" and chats with the people in the queue. Ready for our 3D adventure! trackless ride, similar to Pooh's Hunny Hunt system and you ride inside a rat! that's scurrying under counters and thru the kitchen during your adventure. I LOVED this..and think we rode it at least 6 times during our visit. thru the windows back there is Remy's. . the sit down restaurant, where you are shrunk down to the size of a rat for the meal. the food there was good, but well worth it for the theming, which was amazing. an ok. .let's head over to Toy Story Land, entering thru the Barrel of Monkeys really well done. . the queue for RC Racer is great. . and the look of the ride is great. peeking across the way at Slinky Dog. . we'd be there next unfortunately, RC Racer looks way more thrilling than it actually is. the restraints weren't my favorite, and the ride is really short and doesn't do much. I think I got more airtime from a giant frisbee than this. I'm glad we rode it, because it looks so neat. . but yeah, this was one and done for us. same with Slinky Dog. . . it LOOKS just amazing. and as a Toy Story fanboy? I loved it and no way would I pass up a ride on it. but it doesn't really DO anything. (another 1 and done). but it looks so great. this is the only ride over here that I did more than once. which is surprising, because it looks like just a standard Parachute Drop ride. but it actually holds in spaces, and goes up as well as down during the cycle. It was quite fun, actually. Pic from Slinky Dog queue too much of a glare. . but "I've been Packaged!" Rex is eating his head!!! ooooooooo I have ZERO memory of what this is. I recall it's from the food truck that was near the Cars Roadtrip tram ride. . but hell if I can recall.. it didn't make much of an impression, I guess. ham and cheese? hell if I know? ah. .the infamous (ly) bad "Cars roadtrip". . the replacement for the Studios tour. we're here, and it's a people eater, so let's ride it. huge queue space, not many folks in line. . . I know that look - "why do you wanna waste time riding THIS???" but we did ride it. and even got a bit excited (tho that might be because we got to sit down after a full day yesterday and already a lot of walking today) hmmm. . THIS looks . . . "familiar" FIRE FIRE!!! sparks! and water! lots of water lots and lots and lots of water yup and once we saw the Eyefull tower , it was over. really? yup. but the toilets over here had car part themed toilet seats. . which were cute. I still had about 40 minutes until I had to head out to the train station, so we decided to hit the only other ride here we hadn't gotten to yet: Tower of Terror. the line wasn't "short". . but it was moving. . . nah. .it was closer to 20. . but the sign was right there and with permission took a pic. spooky. . . and love the uniforms here too. . . we moved pretty well, and made it all the way into the gas pipes room.. . THIS close.. and the ride went down. and stayed down.. . 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 15 minutes. I started to panic, as I still had to leave the park and make it to the train station. . . so at the 20 minute down time - KNOWING it was coming back up shortly - I flagged down a cast member, and told him I had to exit the line, as I had to meet up with folks. and he walked me (and a couple of others - mainly parents with kids who had to pee ) out the back way and thru to the exit. I powerwalked over the train station at DisneySprings. It had been a really fun morning. . but I was pretty psyched for the trip into Paris and to the top of the Eiffel Tower. to be continued. . .

Feel free to link to the official Park POV but not other coaster channels. Thanks!

Yesterday Raglan Road hosted TPR and other outlets for a preview of this weekend's Mighty St. Patrick's Festival. This annual festival has been running at Raglan Road Pub for 17 of the 18 years that the Pub has operated at Disney Springs, and each year the offerings expand with new acts and new food and beverage options, all on top of what already makes Raglan Road a special place to visit year round. The Mighty St. Patrick's Festival takes place this year between March 16th and March 19th! One of my favorite places to eat and drink in Orlando! We had an opportunity to sample some Raglan Road favorites as well as new menu items, starting with the Berry UnIrish (a non-alcoholic drink featuring muddled blackberries, fresh lemon juice, rosemary & honey syrup and sparkling lemon Pellegrino) and the Misty Irish Eyed (a mixture of Irish Mist honey, Grace O'Malley gin, Italicus, lemon sour & prosecco). While a normal visit to Raglan Road is filled with entertaining musical and dancing acts, during the Mighty St. Patrick's Festival, the schedule is filled from end to end authentic Irish entertainment! In what I could best compare to a savory cupcake, the Truly Scrumpet Goat Fig features caramelized (torched!) goat's cheese with a fig & port jam on a chive scrumpet with walnuts, pickled beets & poached figs). This was easily the most unique and standout taste of evening! "That Salad with Seared Beef" was a surprising combination of flavors, textures and perfectly prepared ingredients. I'd happily order a plate of this during my next visit! A staple on the Raglan Road menu for many years, the Dalkey Duo is a perfect Dalkey mustard beer battered Cheshire Heritage pork sausage served with Dalkey mustard mayo and buffalo apple sauce. These battered sausages are heavy and filling but the rich batter and unique sausage make them perfectly addicting bites that you'll definitely want to keep digging into. There's lots to see and hear while dining at Raglan Road! The center of the restaurant gives guests an up-close chance to experience all the fun of the pub. The Seafood Sharing Board offers a selection of sesame crusted tuna, smoked fish cakes, "The Pink Panko" (panko crusted seared salmon) and the "Kiss Before Shrimp" (a garlicky-bathed set of shrimp bites with toast). It is always a pleasure to hear from the owners of Raglan Road Pub. The restaurant along with the attached shop, bars and Cookes of Dublin quick service venue are all owned an operated independently of any larger corporation. The venues operate out of scratch kitchens so you know everything is served at its freshest. Much of the staff and entertainers are Irish and the menus offer authentic tastes of Irish heritage with modern flair. Clare Sands (pictured right) is a 6ht generation fiddler, bilingual singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist who is performing daily along with her sister (pictured left) during the Mighty St. Patrick's Festival before moving on to perform in New York, Washington D.C., the United Kingdom and Europe. We capped off our tasting experience with the Guinness Chocolate Cake, made up of dark chocolate, soda bread ice cream and a whiskey caramel sauce. There is no better place to experience authentic Irish step-dancing than at Raglan Road Pub. Defying gravity. Step-dancing isn't reserved to the main stage, with a center stage to put guests in the center of the action. A truly unique experience! Thanks again to Raglan Road for hosting us for another fantastic evening! Be sure to check out the Mighty St. Patrick's Festival this weekend, or if you can't make it before then, don't hesitate to add the Pub to your future Orlando plans--you won't regret it!

My kid won't stop singing Humpty Dumpty.

On another topic, City Museum aquires Sea Dragon Now wonder if they will stick it up on the roof along with the ferris wheel. I say this is pretty cool, but will it be functional?

Their awesome beer festival returns in September. https://facebook.com/events/s/hops-coaster-drops-2023/633806251140622/

I did half a day at VF and half a day NU. Park is small. When I went High roller, excalibur and Cosmic coaster were closed. With those open I could see it being a full day park

Grow up. It identified as a coaster, so it was my 200th.

We get one small family coaster clone and daydreaming goes rampant.

it's one of the last remaining (if not the last remaining) of that ride type. from what I heard (rumor, but no reason not to believe it) - what broke is not easily , or cheaply, repairable. Hence decision to just throw in the towel after they had just spent so much time & $$ refurbing it. so I say the odds of it going anywhere other than a scrap yard are basically 0%

Sad, I never got the credit.

^Same. We're going to Branson for a week in the Summer, with two days at SDC. We'll take a small trip to HW, and maybe even KK. As much as I want to buy season passes, I'm wondering if we should do the same and just grab one day passes. You daughters will love SDC. Eve was two last year and had a blast. Flooded mine was her favorite, and first ever 'big girl' ride. It was fun for us, regardless of her probably never remembering any of it. lol

Does anyone really think the hyper or retracking Ninja, while disregarding The Boss, would have even a remote possibility of happening? Look deep inside of yourself. Anyone? Like one person? If miracles are going to happen, the prior plan already completed on The Boss will be signed off on. Honorable mention less likely miracle: The carousel will open.

Y'all already know my vote for the Ninja spot. The station for a hyper

This thread is getting mighty cohesive, so I just want to add a few things to spark some real arguments. Sea World tortures animals. The carousel will never be finished. We should get a Chick-Fil-A. Finally: Corporate hates our park. This should counter some of the good news and bring balance back to this thread.

The ride has character and I love how it roars around the park. Honestly, keeping it backwards and SFoT keeping theirs launching facing forward actually makes them a little unique from each other. For the love of God, don't advocate for any additional ride removals, even if it comes with a replacement. It won't be as good or intense. Freeze is one that makes the dudes in RCT say, "Mr. Freeze looks too intense for me."

^ it's not just enthusiasts. SFStL's Mr. Freeze (and Screamin Eagle) make it a destination park for anyone outside the area. when we were in area? it was for Freeze and Superman (because it had been Dungeon Drop at Astroworld and I had ridden it when I lived really close to that park). But my Spouse? not an enthusiast at all. ..and yet, he was most excited to see Freeze. from the parking lot he was excited about it. (and he totally forgot we had the only other version of it ~5 hours away).

Move on everyone. Also, Anyone who thinks ChickFilA isn't in the hate business is wrong. They're just better at hiding it after the backlash. Also, this is the most excitement CP will be getting this season!

I mean, isn't this the same chain that put a location in an NFL Stadium!??!!

All the political stuff aside (which I agree, I am glad to see "Hate Chicken" go) its hard to believe they kept CFA around this long because of them being closed on Sundays. In recent years Sunday crowds have been just as bad as Saturday, so to be down a restaurant no matter the time of year or staffing level is just not good practice.

My friend, it's 2023. Trying to defending bigots is not a good look for anyone.

For a park that needs restaurant capacity badly, I'm never against replacing a restaurant that can't be open on one of the busiest days of the week with one that can.

^ your outdated source is incorrect. Chick-Fil-A - thru it's owner, Dan Cathy, continues to donate millions to anti-LGBTQ groups. so yeah. . .screw their Jesus Chicken. and as Detox sings,

Yay! Get rid of judgmental jesus chicken at all parks please!

Carowinds is opening Intimidator today, a full month earlier than originally posted. Year-round ops must be working out for them.

I hope it does, specifically because of the first half of that statement.

Day 10: Bellewaerde ! we were up and checked out of the hotel and on the bus by 7:30 (but not before having breakfast). I was in Belgium, so about damn time I had some waffles: it was very overcast, and was supposed to be a bit rainy and chilly. . .but we were headed to Bellewaerde today. . a kind of funky park, that I thought reminded me very much of Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Animals, and very "green" pathways, with many of the rides hard to see as they are buried among the trees. starting out not too badly tho. . just slightly overcast, but still clear on the bus ride there: oooo. . this park be kinky!!! apparently there's a waterpark here too. . . tho I can't recall ever seeing the slides. (as noted, a lot of stuff is hidden by greenery) I believe we came in the back gate (we exited later from the front gate). . .but we came in back here, because we were going to get some ERT before the park opened, and Robb was going to film on the parks funky indoor/outdoor/dark ride coaster, "Huracan" - which is close to this entrance. we were greeted by a Boomerang on the left (yay?), but on the right? yeah, that's what I was most excited about - another brand new ride for me, a Topple Tower! I was so excited to see this. I've never been on one, and it was one of my 'must do' at this park - once it opened. oh look, they have an "El Toro" here too but we were headed to Huracan 1st. I really loved this coaster. .it had a fantastic theming thruout, and a really fun dark-ride section with lots of lasers and lights, that hid very well what was just a pretty basic layout (for the inside portion of the coaster). It's a great family coaster with pops of fun on the outdoors section. speaking of theming. . . I mean, look how amazing this station is! I got to sit in the front row with Robb during one of his filming sessions (pic courtesy of Elissa) after riding this a few times, our park guide gathered us up for the trek to the other side of the park for our next ride (we came in by the Mexico Section, and we were next going to ride things (Wakala & Dawson Duel) over in the Canada Section. . so you can see the route we took on the park map below) along the way, he pointed out things of interest - including this ladybug coaster that had a countdown clock on it. what was going on? this classic coaster was going to be closing forever shortly after our visit. He urged us to take a ride on it, for historic purposes, if we got the chance today, as this was a beloved coaster that had been in the park for decades. noted! I snapped pics of ride signs as we passed.. tho often it was hard to get a pic of the actual rides, because of all the greenery. River Splash - the parks flume ride I mean, look how beautiful and green this park is! and lots of animals to look at as you walk the pathways in the park. LEMURS! so cute!!! as I keep saying. . just lovely. tho I don't recall actually riding this teacups ride here. or this Carousel (I know!!!). I may have ridden it and just don't recall, but I don't have a pic on it, so I think I might have just not come back to it, as it was a smaller children's Carousel (not that that ever really stops me). Took a pic of this as we walked by tho lots of flowers and topiary thruout the park too, even in the more "open" areas I believe this is a meet and greet location for the park's mascots. . tho I didn't see any out today. Probably just because it was overcast and did get colder and start to drizzle shortly after park open. we are passing by the main front gate now, and this is the entrance to the gift shop. as we looped around to the Canada section, there was a photo op for the soon to be closed Ladybug coaster. so did I stop to take a pic? I mean. . . of course! Bengal Rapid River - the entrance to the park's River Rapids ride. didn't ride this today, as you'll see in later pics, this sucker got people SOAKED. (and I was already moist enough from the drizzle later) and they aren't kidding with the "rapids" part of the name one of the few pics of Dawson Duel - the first "Mountain Coaster" I'd ever ridden. but wait, you ask. . I don't see any "mountains" at Bellewaerde. and you'd be correct. They built massive towers to support the mountain coaster and hid them in the forest around the park. So the result is a pretty amazing racing Mountain coaster - with a super long climb via ramps/steps to get up to the start. but you truly can't see most of it, or get a good pic, because it's so well hidden. but we walked under it for now, as we were headed to Wakala . . a pretty unique shuttle type launch coaster, with a spike over the big lake near the park. again, some really cool theming here. as it has thruout the whole park. the group coming back from the first ride, surprised by that unexpected "spike" over the lake, and then backwards before switching over to come back into the station. look at those smiles. . we all loved it. pic by Robb or Elissa after a couple of rides on Wakala, we headed across the walkway to Dawson Duel & checked all our bags/cameras/etc, it didn't really matter, as it's so hard to get a decent pic of it - but wow, highly recommended, as the views while climbing up to the start are spectacular and worth the climb up. and of course, had to climb up twice - I mean, it's a dueling mountain coaster - you've GOT to ride both sides Luckily Robb shared a pic on his instagram (which I borrowed to use here), of the empty "carts" making the lift back up to the top so we could load in for the rides. (I wish they let you ride up in them tho. . LOL) from the top of the Dawson Duel tower, we had a clear view of the parking lot, and tho it was mostly empty as the park was just about to open, we did see several school buses full of kids pull into the lot and park by the front gate. after Dawson Duel, we were let loose in the park to enjoy until it was time to head out ~4pm (as we were headed back to Paris after) since we were right over here, some of us decided to hang out and wait for Screaming Eagle, the drop tower to open. there was a shoot the chutes over here too.. tho I can't recall if it opened. I THINK it did, but had no desire to ride it. nice theming tho. it took them a seemingly long time to get this open, as there was one operator, and he was having trouble getting the balance correct between the riders on each side, and it kept throwing a red light. so there were a number of "get on, get restraints on, check them, then everyone off". . . cycle the ride. . and do it again. eventually, tho we got a green light, and we went (against my better judgement, since it was so hard to get the "green light". . but I got on). i have to say, probably the most underwhelming ride I was on in Europe. A drop tower with zero forces? no airtime on the drop down, and no G's going up. it was so weird how forceless this was. I think most of us felt silly we had waited for it to stop operating. passing by, I think we may have hopped back on Wakala for another ride. Managed to not get the trains (sorry), but a some good pics showing how well the ride is integrated in the trees. thru the trees!! this walkway seemed to go out to a dock that appeared to be either a swimming hole, or possibly a paddle boats ride. . . but didn't see anything here, other than the long bridge, and what appeared to be a Tom Sawyer Island-like attraction with cabins to explore over there. we didn't explore it any further than looking at it tho, as I was determined to get on that Topple Tower, so we headed back over towards where we started. we popped into the Lion exhibit - again, really well done. you can climb into the "crashed" vehicle, to get a slightly better view of the animals. and going this way, finally got a good view of the river rapids ride, and made me decide hell no to riding: yeah. .the animatronic elephants made SURE everyone in the rafts got soaked! I believe the Tiger exhibit. . . there's one laying up there on the perch on the left. Some very nice design work in this park. even the food stands are nicely themed to the area they are in (not open, but still nice) ooooo..another madhouse. I believe this one was themed to Houdini ? (it looks like it based on the statues and locks on the outside) and the inside show room before the ride. still headed back to Mexico for the topple tower credit for me. . . . thru the trees! but we were passing thru the Wild West area. . and the Ladybug coaster. I honestly had not planned to ride it. . . . tho everyone else in the group I was with wanted to, so I joined along. glad I did too. . it's another one of those that looks like a kiddie coaster, but is a fun family coaster, that moved pretty fast and pulled some forces. and as you can see. . it had started to drizzle, a bit heavy. this is my kind of ride too.. where's the entrance??? ah. here it is. . . if I'm recalling? that snake was animatronic, and spit water out at people coming into the entrance. . the first group of kids from the buses we'd really bumped into today. . . but they filled the whole boat before us, so we got the next one. lots of animals to look at on the Jungle Cruise. . . oh crap..really? we're gonna get wet on this too???? yep. . . sheesh. . LOL it's a.. . . um. . . hell, I can't remember what these are called. it's a giant rat thing. . . (but without a monkey riding it) and if we weren't already moist and cold, it started to drizzle harder. . . great. .more spitting snakes. . and some "slightly problematic in 2022" Natives. . . but the chief was toking! the pic I have of the smoke POURING out of that window came out blurry. . but funny as hell. and . . .yeah. . MORE water on the boat. a fun, and great family ride. . but anyone in an outside seat is gonna get a little wet. the rain had paused by the time we finally got back over to Mexico. so I went right away to the topple tower, El Volador, even tho I had been getting warned it was going to underwhelm. I mean, it LOOKS amazing. . . was it "thrilling" ? no but did I really like it? heck yes! it was a fun, mid level ride, and when it does the full tilt thing, I really liked the feeling of being about to slip out of the restraints. is it my favorite flat? not at all, but I will ride one if I'm in a park that has it. I enjoyed it that much and was able to get some pics of Huracan's outdoor section from the exit - which meant had to go ride that again after. I kinda wanted to ride this. . but really can't recall if we did? I don't' think we did? but maybe? everyone else wanted to ride the Boomerang. called "Boomerang" here. I took my favorite seat on it - the bench out front - and took pics of them riding. and this singing phallic thing with a unique speaker opening. . . hmmmmm. it made odd noises, so I wanted to get a pic with it . . LOL it had been a fairly light day, so even tho it had gotten a little chilly, we took a spin on the flume ride - and we each got our own log . . whee! I don't recall much of this flume, but I didn't hate it (or would recall I didn't like it). . I guess? we'd waited long enough to eat. . and it had started drizzling again, so we headed up towards the front of the park to the big restaurant to eat a late lunch. I THINK this was a breaded fish and fries? I seem to remember it was fish, and I found it odd there was a brown sauce with fish. I do remember the cake was good. Not very sweet, which I liked. this tho? this just looked gross. . so yeah, didn't try this. while eating lunch, with most of the TPR group in there at the same time, there was discussion on if we should stay until we had planned to at 4, or if we wanted to leave early to get to Paris earlier. I THINK it was at this park? the overall voting was that since it was so chilly and overcast, and since most everyone had ridden everything they wanted, that we'd leave at 2pm instead of 4. (I could be mistaken, but I think that was here). the only thing I still wanted to ride was the train, as it went thru the Lion & Tigers exhibit . . and we knew it had been swamped with kids earlier, and likely still would be busy. So after eating, we headed over to the train. tho there were still a bunch of school kids, we got super lucky and they all crammed into the other train cars, and the TPR folks ended up in a mostly empty car at the back of the train - which let us move from side to side to take pics. so it worked out really well. . . . you get really close to the tigers and lions! Smart cats. . they know to stay just far enough away from the tracks . . .but they are watching. . . oh yes. .they watch the cars full of food slowly go by I'm not sure what everyone else broke off to do after the train. (I think they may have gone back to ride Wakala again?) but I wanted to do some shopping, so headed up to the front entrance to hit the main gift shop. such a pretty park. .a shame it was a little nasty today. but I really enjoyed it. so pretty. cold and wet, yet still some folks were riding the rapids! as you can see from the wait times sign, the weather REALLY kept the crowds away. and as the School Kids had left around 1:30, the park was really very deserted . . I mean. .this is the main entrance area. . a few folks here and there on some rides. LOVED these strollers. If I were small enough, I would love to be pushed around in a Kangaroo all day in the gift shop, they were selling some "questionable in 2022" souvenirs for the kiddos. . . tho I don't have any issue with it. Maybe that's just a thing (the Cultural appropriation stuff) in the USA and not so much in Europe? I was so tempted to buy this . . .LOL but (t) I didn't. (yes, I have a dirty mind) but I did end up getting a Lemur sweatshirt.. which is so cute, and comfortable. I put it on right away. ah. .here, out front of the main entrance, is one of the Park Mascots you can pose with: and then it was back on the bus, and starting the ~4 hour drive back to Paris. look how cute that Sweatshirt is! even tho it was a bit too chilly and drizzly for my preference? I still had a fantastic time at Bellewaerde, and really recommend this park. if you get a chance to visit? it's well worth a stop for the rides, the animals, and the atmosphere. we rested on the bus, and I texted back and forth with Nick a bit (who was up as the nurses kept waking him up) and he told me that he was doing much better and would talk to me that evening on the phone. so I settled in after a full and fun day, and just enjoyed the ride as we headed back to Paris airport and our hotel for the evening.

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. . . .

HAHAHA. . RMC's response! gotta wonder if something is going into the eyesore that is Tidal Wave's Splashwater Falls' spot? a single rail would fit in there wonderfully!

Day 9, continued. Plopsaland De Panne: part 2 this was a pretty neat chair. . . you sat in the spilling coffee/nutrella. . . what's this? a slowly moving spinning boat ride? yes please! it was across from the next coaster we were going to ride, but that was in testing mode and hadn't opened yet. apparently the boat ride is called "Tik Tak Junier" so we hopped on it to see if the coaster would open by the time we finsihed absolutely no clue what it was supposed to be about. . which made it that much better! WHEEE!!! and as we exited the boats? the gates went up and the next coaster opened. apparently this is themed after a TV show, which seems to be about High School Kids? yet it's a very junior family double figure-8 layout. I present: Hashtag: Like Me Coaster empty queue as it had just opened. . . see why I'm assuming the show is about high-school kids? it doesn't do much.. but it IS pretty speedy, and I liked how hidden in the trees it is. it also was in the running for "longest train" for any coaster we rode on the trip! I mean.. look how long this thing is! the Starflyer is themed to another show, this one about a vampire, a warewolf, and a witch (I think?). . .they had a photo op set up across from it. and you could choose which character you wanted to swing under. it wasn't open yet either, so we continued on to come back later. the flowerbeds and greenery in this park are so nice. It would be a pleasant day just walking around. we were there on a Wednesday, so this wasn't open, unfortunately - which I know disappointed some of the group. it's a sit down restaurant that only sells deserts. so we continued on to the other "thrill coaster" in the park, Anubis. train! doesn't the conductor look thrilled? NOT the Eye of Sauron. . but the Eye of Anubis with lots of Egyptian theming out front. which disappears the moment you get into the queue. I was very confused, but upon looking it up on RCDB, it seems this Gerstlaur launch coaster is themed after a Finnish Television show, about teenagers who search for treasure in their spooky boarding school. Sorta harry potter, I guess, but not - since the starflyer is also themed to a sorta harry potter show? anyways, here's the queue: (yes, we waited in this line rather than use our quick pass, as I wanted to see the queue) I believe I have AJ to thank for this pic. it's a great pic. .but man did this coaster rattle, and was really only tolerable to me in the front row. (think I rode 3 times, twice in front, and once in middle row) Swinging ship, and Ride to Happiness across the lagoon as I said a few times: beautiful park. having hit all the open coasters, we looped back to try to get Dragon Coaster, the Dinosaur Flume Ride, and Heidi the Ride (wooden coaster) Lookie lookie! James and I have joined K3 (creepy as hell, so of course I loved this photo op) oooo. . another one of these! I had never seen one prior to the one at Holiday Park's indoor section. Yeah, it's stupid and doesn't do really anything. . but I still had a ball, and stopped to ride it. and I wasn't the only one ' don't I look comfy sitting on a "chicken" [GeorgeTakei] OH MY!!! [/GeorgeTakei] we had ERT on this later, but wanted to ride it early to check it out, as noted, supposedly it's very similar to White Lightning, but with the wood supports really quite smooth, and ends with a little "dark ride" section. was it insanely thrilling? not really, but i liked it . . a lot, and rode every time during ERT later. and of course, you exit thru the gift shop. no idea, but these seem to be the characters the ride is based on. and because I'm 12 years old mentally? sent this pic home to Nick too. Heidi: the Ride is right next to the Dinosaur Flume, which still wasn't operating yet. The park claimed it was opening, but at the moment the flume was still drained. however. . what's that I see zooming towards us? the Dragon Coaster had started running. like the rest of the park, the area over here by Heidi is really cutely themed. with several photo ops. it was after lunchtime, and we were starting to get hungry, so headed to the "mushroom elves" ? section, which seemed to have the most options for food, even if it was mostly "Six Flags" type theme park food. this was right next to it tho. . . ooooooooo they had a test bunny out for photos, and test seat. So hopped on that , but wasn't sure if adults could ride. once the operator confirmed "sure, adults can ride". .did we ride it? you betcha!!! the lines were a bit too long, so since nobody was really *starving* - we'd had a big breakfast - we headed over to the section of the park we hadn't been in yet. there's also a DISC-O over here. . which I don't believe I rode here. I did join the folks I was hanging with at one part to ride it. .but think that might have been Holiday park. otherwise? not really a fan of these. a kiddie firefighter ride. (having done this in Japan, I didn't feel the urge to ride this here) a large building was over here on the left, which looked like it used to be a Carousel - was under construction, which made me a bit sad. I later found out it used to be bumper cars (?) and they were turning it into a theater. but the biggest joy in coming to this section - which was mostly kiddie & teen rides - was up ahead on the right. No, not this. . . This. yes. Plopsaland De Panne has a Dunkin' on property. with LOTS of donut options (and lots and LOTS of bees attracted to the sugar) most importantly tho? THEY HAD A MILKSHAKE ON THE MENU. (and it was described as what an American Milkshake would be). . . so absolutely had to order one, to wash that vile memory from the prior day of what I had and was called a "milkshake" this one was quite satisfying, and good. the donuts were good too and got to eat my snack surrounded by Purple Penis trees. i mean. .what else could they *possibly* be? one ride over here did look interesting. . tho we didnt' ride it either. it's a Tractor ride, similar to what we rode at Europa Parc, but here? it weaves in and out of animals that just roam around the tracks. I guess the animals are smarter than some people, in that they easily moved out of the way if a tractor was coming. we stumbled across this one, and I'm glad we did. it was an indoor dark ride in boats. as with most things here, I had no idea what the storyline was supposed to be (tho I recognize the hat in the ride logo, so its based on one of the park's mascots). . seems to be about gnomes, or elves. . and you enter into thru the Gift Shop. . where I saw these. So gotta wonder if this was once a Smurfs ride? It would fit, and be easy for them to have made the changes (just repaint a few things from Blue). this lift actually resulted in a little bit of a splash that got our boat moist. Tho maybe because it was 5 adults in a small boat? LOL coming around to the front of the park, we peeked into MayaLand, to see what food options were at the restaurant in here. we didnt' stay to ride or eat anything (typical hotdogs/burgers), but a nice small assortment of rides and slides for kids to play on. Cutting back across to the Mushroom food area from earlier, thinking it was later now, there likely wouldn't be a line still (there was, and it took a while to get something to eat. . but we were in realaxed mode at this point having gotten most of what we were hoping to ride today). . . .we found a pathway that passed right next to Anubis for some good pics and must be where AJ got that pic of us on it earlier. but before we got to go eat. . SuperSplash was open (the Shoot the Chutes). . so we rode that and didn't' get any wetter than we already were from the dark boat ride. phones were put away just in case, so only have the entrance sign as a pic. and then we saw that Dino Splash (the dinosaur flume) had opened. . so we went directly there next. The donut / shake snack really helped curb appetite, LOL again, phones put away just in case, so only have entrance, but I do recall it was fun, and I THINK it had a backwards section too? NOW it's time for food. . . but since we're passing right under Ride To Happiness on the walkway there, sure, let's stop and take a few more pics of this amazing ride. the food we waited a bit too long for, and was OK for theme park food. this park more than makes up for it with atmosphere and a world class ride (RtH). . but yeah, if the desert restaurant is not open, I'd just stick to Dunkin to eat here. lots of birds over here too. . so they must get fed a lot of french fries. . they weren't scared of people at all. having eaten something, we treked back over to the starflyer to get a ride. Even the churro stand was themed to the supernatural show over here by the starflyer at this point, I think we had about an hour left before park close, and a few folks wanted to go back to Anubis (I passed) or Ride to Happiness. . but once I found out there was a Carousel here? I split off and went to ride my must do: beautiful, and hidden way back here in the far corner of the park! double decker, so I immediately went uptop, only to be told that I could not ride any horses or cups, that upstairs adults may only ride on the bench. so I rode the bench: (still happy tho) and then I went downstairs and took another ride, this time on a horse. as noted..it's way back in the corner, so not very busy back here. but look how happy! I wanted to buy some magnets or souveniers, so I headed back around to the front plaza. . but stopped to snap a pic of the workmen who were transforming that space I had thought was the carousel. and walked thru the petting zoo area over here too.. that was on the opposite side of that tractor ride. the petting zoo is behind me, but they also had sculptures of animals in the sandbox, so kids could "pet" them without being scared of a live animal. good call on the park's part. ah. .I DID take a pic of the actual petting zoo too. swag purchased I made my way around back to RoH to meet up with the group, and happened across the parks parade. wasn't very long, but it was cute - or creepy - depending on your "person in suit" tolerance. now there were some kids driving in this attraction. I can't recall if we had ERT this evening as we'd had this morning, or if just everyone had saved their skip the line passes (I do seem to remember it had gone down for a few hours, and when it came back up, the line got slammed). . .but I went into the Gift Shop first. a little bit of sticker shock - I totally would have bought a T-shirt, but you can tell this is a "sponsored by Tomorrowland" installation, as the shirts were (I think) all $50 or more. I ended up with a magnet I loved, and that was "only" $20. but so what, I liked it, so I bought it. I rode it two or three more times. . and then stepped out to take a few more pics of it. park was closing, so those of us at RtH headed over to Heidi: the Ride, the coaster that would close out our day at Plopsaland. I wasnt' hungry - at all - but it would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted a bit. I settled for just pictures of what they were offering at this cart on the pathway. and then it was on to Heidi. all these pics are courtesy of Elissa or Robb. and I rode it every time during Evening ERT. as I said, I enjoyed it a lot, as you can tell from the giant smile I have in every pic. . . and then it was time to head out. We'd had a lot of fun in the park, and it seemed to fly, but this really is a one day park. however, if they keep updating with rides like RtH? I can see them drawing tons more people than that ride is already drawing to the park. closing out with pics from Robb that he shared with us on the bus on the way back to the hotel. taken by his coaster camera in the morning. these are incredible, and LOL. my face in that first one. . gravity sliding me into that inversion. and then I got the text back from Nick that changed my mood: "hi Hun, don't worry. I'm in the hospital, my lung collapsed. I'll text you later and update you. 143" yeah

Day 9, Plopsaland De Panne: part 1 (and as one should expect? LOTS of pics of "Ride to Happiness" ) Up bright and early-ish (8:15 am departure) to go eat breakfast - pics in prior post - and be on our way to the close by Plopsaland De Panne! It was looking like it was going to be a beautiful day/ pulling up to the front gates of the park, they appear to have an onsite Hotel, but I loved where we stayed at Hotel Ambassador De Panne, and glad we stayed there. this was a bit of an odd park. it seemed like it had been around a really long time, and had a set of characters (some superhero, some insects, some warriors, etc). . but then they ALSO had quite a few things themed to Television/Film /pop-culture things. I mean, the big new draw was themed to the Tomorrowland Music Festival. of the six roller-coasters, only two of them would be "high thrill", and one was a really good adult woodie, tho not really high thrill. But also 3 junior/kiddie coasters. And most of the flats seemed to be targeted to teen and younger level, but adults could ride, so of course we did. There were a few young adult level thrill flats tho. all that said? It still was a beautiful park, even if it did seem geared more towards the younger set in most all of the attractions. and I LOVED the giant door at the entrance. . entering into your imagination? one of the characters (the superhero one, I think) that has statues in the opening plaza. I have pics of all 10 of them, but didn't want to overdo it with pics of these, since you get the idea Me popping out of a giant closet. (tho can one come out, if one was never "in" ?) looking back at the outside world, and Robb making sure we herded cats posed for a picture. said picture of the TPR group courtesy of Robb: once inside the main plaza, the "fairy tale" type theming continued. dang, it looked lovely. that "Mayaland" in the background is an entire indoor ride/entertainment area based on one of the characters - I think I recall "Maya" was the bee? but we weren't here early for Maya Land. . .we were here for what was peeking out on the left top over there . . . we were led back to the ride, thru the still empty areas, me oogling the attention to detail. one of those rides like they have at Legoland - where the kids drive the trackless cars (tho I wondered with no barrier how do they keep the kiddos from driving out into the walkway?) and would it be a theme park without sponsored cars parked just randomly in the walkways? I say no! adorable statues all thruout the gardens as you walk along. . not sure if these are some of the park's characters or simply some random animals hanging out? that's Heidi. . a ride that's laid out very similar to White Lightning from what I was told. we'd get to that later, for some evening ERT. . . but for now, we were taking a right at this intersection. (which seemed to be headed into an area kind of like "a bugs land" ? I really liked the flower light fixtures tho. yes, we took that right, as headed here: "the Ride to Happiness" - themed and built in cooperation with the Tomorrowland Music Festival. this amazing coaster (which is WAY up on my favorites list, and on the right day might even be my #1 overall) is a multi-launch, *spinning* coaster, with inversions. it's incredible. . . we had to hang out for a little bit while they did the morning test runs before we got to ride it, so I'll just shut up and show the pictures, and let you enjoy the incredible Aura of this ride: getting to be almost ready for us. . so just making sure my big butt fits. GREEN! note the art-deco train station, that has you slowly coming out of a Keyhole, and directly into an inversion. Green light they are ready for us.. let's ride! as I was getting my 1st ride. . pic Courtesy of Elissa I think! whee!! OMG. .this sucker is AMAZING. Lives up to every bit of hype you may have heard. I know I rode it a ton of times in the morning ERT, since I'm sitting next to different folks in all the pics I have of me but after a few rides, I really needed to pee. so I went down to the restrooms, and took my time coming back thru the main queue so could get some pics of it. outside of the main station, from the courtyard. some close encounters with the ride near the entrance! stepping into the main queue - most everything was automated, with moving "steampunk" parts, and color changing. Very well done from the interior queue, the line goes outside, to a nice area where the brake run laps the queueline. this "castle tower" isn't part of Ride to Happiness. . it's the lift for the Park's Chute the Chutes boat ride - that's the track exiting the tower on the left. up these stairs, and then into some more indoors queue. and finally into the station as our morning ERT time was winding down, I needed a little bit of a break, so hung out on the exit steps, and took a pic of the "hobbit-like" gift shop that one exits the ride thru. I would come back here later to purchase some things. a better view of the Chute the Shoots track, from RtH's exit line. the park was opening up to guests, and the first few "runners" had made it to the ride entrance, so this was our last morning ride, and I snapped pics of the TPR folks who stuck it ou for every ride. (I can't 100% recall, but I know it rode it again later, so i think we also got some evening ERT on this one?) Morning rides done, we were let loose in the park, and most of us headed towards the other coasters. Dragon and Heidi didn't seem to be open just yet (and we had evening rides on Heidi anyways). .so we headed to the Vekoma Rollerskater. passing this guy on the way, who I think IS one of the park's mascots. great views of Ride to Happiness if you're anywhere on this side of the park. (It's hard to not take pictures of it) here's the parks RollerSkater.. . which is themed to . . . . K3 (a dutch girl group) who had a tv show called "K3 Roller Disco". . no, really. got really good pics of most of the TPR crew on it, so gonna share all of em LOOK at all those smiles having seen this at Klotten? I had no desire to ride a boat that will swing out and get me wet. but note the superhero theme at the top of the center. . . I think that's the hero that's spotlighted outside the big front door. more Ride to Happiness pics? of course leaving the K3 RollerSkater to head to the other coasters in the park, you enter into this "oversized" (or maybe we're shrunk?) area of the park. I made sure to stop and take this pic to send home to Nick. to be continued. . .

^ Your space bar has become self-aware and is rebelling.

They're gonna Do-Dodonpa this thing. New launch, add a massive loop after the tower.

Day 8: Evening: arriving at our hotel in De Panne, and checking out the beach we pulled into De Panne close to 9:30 pm, if I'm not mistaken, and were quickly in to our hotel - which looked like perhaps it was once an apartment complex that had been converted into a hotel. Hotel Ambassador (thanks Elissa!) was the name of this place, and the husband (Luc) and wife team that own it were charming, and each room had a different layout than the others. The small lobby (with even smaller elevator off to the side) opened up to a large breakfast area on one side, and into a bar/dinner area to the other (which was closed already since we arrived on a Tuesday evening, off season, close to 10pm). since it was off season (a few weeks before the peak holiday), I think our group took over the majority of the rooms in the hotel. . . just a block or so from the beach, and on the main street of the town. the rooms are all different, as noted, and James and I got lucky again (as we did in Phantasialand) and scored a room with a tub (one of only 4 in the hotel - yes, I did take a soak one night we were there). A large room too: view from the bedroom looking towards the beach (behind the condos/buildings there) our gigantic bathroom. . seriously, it was almost half the size of the room itself! and the tub long walk to the toilet. . LOL and the view from the bathroom window. we got settled away, and met a group of folks in the lobby to go explore (even tho it was kind of late) and see if we could find anything that looked good to eat. (another group had also gone out exploring) we headed to the beach boardwalk - I had heard there was a Carousel here (bonus!) if I could find it, and if it would be open prior to the season really starting. quite a few folks out for post 10pm on a Tuesday! (more than I had expected) looking North: Looking South: there seemed to be more options going North, so we headed that way. this is the Atlantic Ocean, as seen from Belgium. Gorgeous. "funland". . . sounds kinky. I had to keep reminding myself it was late, so of course not much would be open. . . even tho it LOOKED pretty early. a picture I sent Nick from the beach. It was morning in Austin and he thought I was sending him something from the prior day, and I was like: nope.. it's still light out here. he was impressed. we peeked into a few of the open restaurants as we passed, but most of them looked a little bit too "fancy" for us - we'd spent the whole day in a theme park, no one had showered, and the idea of a sit down, upscale meal just wasn't that appealing to anyone in the group I was with. so we kept walking looking at options, making note of the Pizza place we passed, and a hot dog place. the architecture on the beachfront buildings impressed (and delighted) me, so I took pics as we walked the boardwalk. it wasn't "cold". . but it was just chilly enough, I had no desire to walk out to the water tonight to dip my feet into the Atlantic. So we stayed on the boardwalk. From the boardwalk, looking towards the street that our hotel is on (way back a couple of miles, since we had walked pretty far) doggo! at the far end of the boardwalk, it dead-ends on this side into an entertainment area. not only a big ferris wheel and some art installations, but also "glamping" areas, and this place that offered these activities: beautiful sun finally starting to set, close to 11pm. nothing had caught our eye, so we took the walk back up to the main street, to head back towards the hotel that way and see if any options there . looking back at the beachfront lots of sculpture and unique installations on the main street walking back too. but not a whole lot of places to eat that were open, or more casual. so we decided we'd head back to the pizza place, and see if they were still open. De Panne is very lovely. a pic I stopped and sent to Nick. he responded telling me he wasn't' feeling all that well, and he thought he was going to lay back down. But I should go eat and have fun, and he'd ping me Austin Evening, tomorrow morning my time. so we exchanged "love you"s and we headed off back to the pizza place on the boardwalk. we got back to the pizza place, I *think* just after 11pm? and tho the sign had been flipped to closed, the door was still unlocked - and we saw the other folks from our group in there eating and drinking. so we popped our heads in and asked if there was any chance we could squeak in and get food. There was only one worker left - who I think was the manager - but he seemed delighted to have a small surge of customers at the tail end of the night. Remember, it's still off season, so I assume business was slow? with a big smile, he waved us in to sit, and then when handing out the menus asked "please, order only from the pizza options, I don't know how to make much of the other things on the menu" Deal! and he was so kind, and happy, that we gladly ordered alcohol and planned to give nice big tips. here's our group, and the other group of TPR folks who had stopped in before us.. TPR takeover of the Pizza Place on De Panne Boardwalk: it was a LOT of food.. but we weren't gonna start asking to split up stuff. . . keeping things as easy as possible for this kind restaurant owner/manager. a few folks shared pizzas, but I wanted to try something (that I can't recall now) that no one else wanted. . so I had my own and ate about 2/3rds of it. was VERY good. I think a calzone? or maybe a shared 1/2 of pizza from James' plate. and heckling from the other table. . LOL full, fat, and happy, we headed back to the hotel to crash after a very long day. the sun had finally set enough that it was actually dark-ish. but before we went up to crash, we stopped at the convenience store up the street, which was open 24 hours. since the only cigarettes i'd seen had been from generic machines, this was the first time I saw the way they do the actual images on the cigarette boxes. i was shocked, kinda grossed out, and very amused. so of course I took a pic. I didn't pick up the weed/crack pipes they had for sale tho. . . just some bottled water and a soda. and with that, we said our goodnights in the hotel lobby, and everyone headed up to the rooms to crash. tomorrow, day 9, was a full day at Plopsaland De Panne - and we had morning ERT on one of the most looked forward to coasters on this entire trip: Ride to Happiness. so I went to bed excited. to be continued. . . .

Was at the park on Saturday for the day before spending the rest of the weekend with my sister who lives in Athens (currently posting from Chicken and Beer at the ATL airport). Was there from a little before noon until a little after 9pm and had a great day. Great weather and super light crowds until 6pm/FF but even then the coaster lines were totally manageable. I rode Cyclone and Goliath at least a dozen times each through the day, both were running impeccably (save for Cyclones trains making weird noises earlier in the day and both trains having rows roped off). I basically spent 7-9pm reriding Cyclone as many times as possible, as the wait was mostly halfway down the station stairs or I was just jumping in empty seats on the same train. Haven’t ridden an RMC besides Jersey Devil since I visited Cedar Point in 2019 and forgot how absurd the airtime can be. Shit! Had a great lunch and drinks at JBs and also managed rides on Mindbender (the new trains are a little tight for me but the ride is still great), Pandemonium, Dar Devil Dive, Blue Hawk and that was basically it. a TL;DR: Had an awesome day Saturday. Got drunk and rode Goliath and Cyclone a million times.

Maybe it will have a disco bear like disco yeti at DW

But Hunter Orange for safety, don't want any accidental shootings.

^That's why they can't find the damn bear, that track gives them away lol.

Yeah, I just really don't like the direction that the park has been going in aesthetically lately. They've cut down tons of trees, they removed the cave thing for a giant path with nothing on it, they never replaced the exposed and ugly Mystery Mine supports and then left the unused track just sitting there, Wildwood Grove is ugly, etc. I'm trying not to judge this thing from a rendering but I feel like this is kind-of more of the same. The ride itself seems fine, I just wish it wasn't a bright orange unthemed coaster sitting in an empty field. I don't expect Disney quality here, just Dollywood-10-years-ago quality.

"Hey, people really like Firechaser Express but it has low capacity. Let's build another one but budget cut the theming." I mean, it's fine. It seems redundant and it's in an open field but it adds capacity and has an ultra-low height requirement so that's never a bad thing.

Since Vekoma shipped a 15500kg ride to them in March I suspect it's Vekoma.

Dollywood has announced Big Bear Mountain, a new multi-launched family roller coaster opening in Wildwood Grove in 2023! https://www.dollywood.com/themepark/rides/big-bear-mountain/?fbclid=IwAR3G-A7ieKX-XO0SBjUFTdgQeBWO1QlSUWBZp5wqXpRN1fzVfopZBoIVFYs Dollywood’s largest ever park expansion, Wildwood Grove, is getting even bigger! Debuting in the spring of 2023, Big Bear Mountain will be the longest coaster at Dollywood, taking guests of all ages on an unforgettable family-friendly expedition in search of the Big Bear. Circling Wildwood Grove for nearly two minutes on 3,990 ft. of track, this gigantic coaster is a first of its kind at Dollywood with onboard audio, including music and announcements from Ned Oakley himself. It’s almost time to venture into the Smokies for an unforgettable adventure aboard Dollywood's largest attraction. Ned Oakley, Wildwood Grove’s resident wilderness explorer, knows a thing or two about this hidden land and is setting up the Adventure Outpost Base Camp, located just a stone’s throw away from the Grove’s Hidden Hollow. Here, you'll join Ned in his specially-outfitted, four-wheel drive SUVs for the ride of your life in search of the Grove’s most storied and elusive inhabitant, Big Bear. Longest coaster at Dollywood at 3,990 ft Ride Duration of 99-104 seconds 20 passengers per train Maximum speed of 48 MPH 66 feet at highest track elevation Minimum height requirement of 39 in

And they're still at it.

Yep, and as usual Universal is coming with the heat