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Waldameer received a ton of snow recently! The park posted some photos of the rides covered in the snow! https://www.facebook.com/share/p/FG1ZZ4y7Q86ZfPPn/

My MCL hurts just thinking about it.

I don't know why you would be against outsourcing the labor to qualified restoration specialists if they can complete the job in an off-season, versus a decade. I'm referring to hiring carpenters that are just as talented and committed to their craftmanship who can do an equal or better job in a much more timely manner. There's absolutely no reason that can be done. Ship the horses off to one or more companies, have them restored, and ship them back. The argument of going somewhere else to ride a carousel is bullshit. People go to Six Flags specifically to ride rides, not the zoo. When a main draw for families is closed for half a decade, that's embarrassing. Our year signifies a timeline of when we will get a new coaster. People have been saying X will be our year to get a new state of the art thrill coaster for years. X year always comes and goes, no matter how reasonably far out it is. I can't say with any confidence that we will get a new thrill coaster by 2027. It's very reasonable to draw the conclusion based on the information we have that we will not get one for 2026. Defaulting to the "first world problems" excuse doesn't work for me when we live in the first world, for now. I refuse to lower my expectations while paying higher prices. There's nothing wrong with criticism. "Morale" would increase significantly if the park added something like one of the recently installed mid-size dive coasters. Criticism would be less if the park either removed or repaired it's SBNO rides. They're eyesores.

It's gloomy as in it confirms the park is going to get shit on once again in terms of any roller coaster investments. For years, naysayers echoed, "next year is our year!" In most recent years, the chant has been modified to, "Next year won't be our year, but probably the year after that!" What do I know, though? I've only been witnessing it since the birth and death of SFSTL.net. It reminds me of the Saint Louis Blues. I heard, "Next year is our year," for 34 years until it finally came time to be our year. Arguably, our last major thrill coaster has been operating since 1998. Maybe we're finally within a ten year range of getting something worthwhile, but it won't be until after 2026. 2027... that's our year.

Really wish Rockin would get a modern Vekoma looper refresh as well. With all of the lengthy refurbishments and downtime issues, it would do wonders to have new trains and track, smoother ride with a much better coaster experience.

Disney has just announced that Animation Courtyard will be completely taken over by the new Monsters Inc land, with MuppetVision 3D closinng! In addition, the Aerosmith theme of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster will be retired, with the Muppets' Electric Mayhem band coming in to replace it! https://disneyparksblog.com/wdw/monsters-inc-the-muppets-hollywood-studios/ Get ready to open the door because Mike and Sulley are coming to town! That’s right, humans will be able to enter the world of Monsters, Inc. when it is added to the south side of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Building off the exciting announcements from last summer’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the new land will include the coaster we’ve all dreamed of – a suspended ride recreating the door vault scene – plus dining and shopping and a whole new theater show. To make way for the monsters, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and more of their friends will be moving right along to Sunset Boulevard! But there’s more to the story: The Muppets will be taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival! We know so many of you share our love for The Muppets and know their energy will be a perfect fit for this coaster. Plus, as the first Disney ride ever to feature The Muppets, there’s sure to be laughter, screams and new tunes for this attraction for fans to enjoy throughout the adventure and plenty of Muppets-themed merchandise on Sunset Boulevard! In the meantime, there’s still enough time to catch a super-stretch limo to the Forum to enjoy Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith and catch Muppet*Vision 3D again before their final curtain calls. As we move forward with these changes, we are having creative conversations and exploring ways to preserve the film and other parts of the experience for fans to enjoy in the future.

Day 2 (1st official day of trip) - daytime at Skyline Park I'd never even heard of this park - which is not surprising, as I'd never been to Munich before. this is a very, very large park. Super spread out, with a LOT of walking between attractions. And while it does have a lot of attractions, the space could hold at least 4 times as many. the park reminded me very much of Marineland in Canada, with how much space there is between things, and open areas. and also important to mention, while there are a bunch of very unique attractions? they are mostly extremely low capacity rides (the Skycoaster only ran one car - so two riders per cycle. Same with the Slingshot - tho this one was included in park entry, so no upcharge. and the Skyrider gyro-suspended only had two operating trains, so total capacity of 8). luckily, we were there on a very overcast day where rain was forecast, and there were not a lot of folks in the park (and we had ERT on two of the lowest capacity rides). so for the most part, the capacity issues did not affect us. I do really like how they incorporate some old coaster track into the entrance. . . but I don't think this is from any coasters they have removed in the past (they used to have a Schwarzkopf wildcat, a Schwarzkopf katapult, and a couple of self operating "butterfly" coasters, but those are all gone. . . some of the pads are still visible where it looks like something used to be - and apparently the Wildcat left in 2022 as the most recent removal. photo ops everywhere. . . but we were headed deep into the park for our ERT, so just snapped this one as passing by. a petting zoo, I believe. . and I think this mountain of candy is over a candy shoppe - tho not sure as there was a candy shop really near to this too. slide complex short water obstacle course among the lilly ponds you can probably see why it reminded me so much of Marineland. . . big areas of greenery. . and then suddenly a ride. such as this suspended Carousel. there were installations (similar to this one) all over the park too. . . I think perhaps they are used to disguise mechanical/electrical boxes? and a giant Ferris Wheel (which I didn't see operating this day. . but as noted, it started off nice, but got very overcast as the day went, and I believe we only stayed until 3pm) paddle boats in a lake. . and some more rides way off in the distance. as we kept walking. . yeah. . BIG park, landwise, it seemed. the Slingshot had a Spiderman statue watching over it. not really sure why, but Spidey had a big ol ba-donk-a-donk. (so of course I took a pic) Sky Spin, the park's Maurer Spinning coaster - and at 4 people per car, and running 3 cars? the highest capacity coaster in the park. that's a starflyer tower there. . and what I had thought was a construction truck was actually a firetruck. and was theming for the Splash Battle boat ride (also not operating today) from the other side , you can see the splash battle boats. and coming into view was the ride I was terrified of - the Mauer Skyloop. I did NOT ride it in Helsinki, but I had promised I'd get on this one. . . luckily we weren't headed to this first thing. passing under the Splash Battle theming. . . I'm only guessing, but I'd assume the fireman on the lift sprays the folks walking by when the ride is operating. as well as the "big", permanent rides, this park also has some "traveling carnival" type rides, in some area. this was a funhouse. I BELIEVE that's a Frisbee (but I don't recall ever getting close enough to it to see), and the one behind it is a "spinning crane" type ride (capacity 8 per cycle) similar to the Catwoman ride at SFStL. you can also see a peek of the blue flume from the spinning rafts ride, and the only pic I have of the newest powered coaster, just to the right of the crane ride speaking of traveling carnival rides? this is a traveling Flume ride. Elissa told us that last year, the park had brought this to the Oktoberfest Fair. eventually we made it back over to what we had ERT on this morning: Sky Dragster. This is a Maurer Dragster coaster - and I believe we were told this is the prototype for the one they added to the Carnival Cruise ship. there were warnings that "if you don't win, you get wet" as there's a button to control a spray at the finish line. But for that there needs to be more than one car in operation, I suppose. .and as you control the speed with the handles in the front seat, I'm not really sure how that would work anyways. it was a fun ride, but not something I felt the need to back and ride again later after our ride on it in the morning. But really cool that we were able to get in the lowest capacity ride in the park before it opened to the public. Yet another reason to love TPR! and hey, look! not only did I get a pic of Hanno (and William in the front seat), but smiling too. Andrew and I rode together. . . whee! (thanks Elissa for this pic) and I believe these are from Andy. and then we headed over to the other morning ERT ride. . the one I had been dreading: yup. .this thing. . a Maurer Skyloop it's similar to the launched looping coasters, but this one slowly goes up the vertical lift via chain, and does not release until well after you are hanging upside down (with only a lap bar restraint). I am not a fan of heights, and terrified of looking down with nothing underneath me (which is why I can have no problems riding a tall coaster, or doing the tower free fall I did in Denmark (I was on my back facing upwards when we fell). yeah. .I was NOT ready. . but I had promised myself I'd ride, so I nervously got in line. I don't' look excited on this train full of TPR folks. (and thanks to Christopher for the pic) and yeah. . I hated - I mean HATED it. . . . I got off the thing shaking for a good 5-10 minutes, and I had gripped the lap bar so tightly I broke some blood vessels in my fingers. oh, and as a nice "fuck you" from the ride? it overshot the station after the two loops, so they had to send it for a 3rd time. Some were jealous that we got the rare 3 loop cycle. . I was gritting my teeth and muttering "get me out get me out get me out" yeah. .hated. done it once, and good for me. never, EVER again. at this point in the pic? it's still on the chain lift. huh. . I lied, I did get another pic of the new coaster. . well, the sign at least. I think I called it a powered coaster, but RCDB says it's a "Family Launch" coaster. I just know that I kept reading that as "Big and Tall" Hans told me that translates to "Hills and Valleys" a nice, family coaster. the spinning raft ride, had some effects that would get one a little moist. . we didn't get too wet when we rode it a bit later in the day. but you can see from the sky it was starting to get very overcast quickly. I was still pretty shaken from the skyloop, so chose to sit out the next coaster, "Kids Spin" - an SBF Spinning coaster. So I did "bench: the ride" while others got on it. it gave me a perfect view/picture opportunity of the train as it passed by. well. . more of a tram that's designed like a train. but I loved the park had it, and it made several stops thruout the park. We rode it later on to get back to the front gate. Rawrrrrrr this is the parks defined "kiddie coaster" - called "Flotter Otto" it's an SBF double helix mine train. not sure who took this, perhaps Christopher? but he sent out a video too GRFZ8400.MOV a beautiful Condor (called "Sky Twister" here) either relatively new, or they just take excellent care of it. as it looked pristine. the places where the park does do theming are quite well done (such as the firetruck splash battle) and this short drop tower, that was themed to farm area after a tornado. the tower itself is themed to a windmill and I get the idea - from the reaction of the operator when the ride just sat at the top for a few moments, then slowly lowered - that this is the type of tower that Tripsdrill and BonBon Land have. where it's supposed to tilt forward like it's collapsing, before dropping. (it certainly looked like the tilt mechanism was there). but it didn't work on the cycle prior to our ride, and then it seemed as if the operator shut it down and went into the maintenance shed to try and figure out what was up. we gave it 5-10 minutes then decided it probably wasn't a good idea to get stuck up on a ride if it was about to pour, and moved on without waiting for it to come back up instead we headed over to: "Sky Rider" a Gyro Flyer (I think it's a Vekoma?). it seemed a bit bumpy, and had a line as they only had two trains operating. . but we discovered from talking to other adults in our group who had ridden that it seemed the heavier the train was, the smoother the ride. we still didn't get a bunch of spinning - tho we got some - but it was a nice ride. and another rare credit to get. these pics might be courtesy of Jere and then we headed over to the final coaster we'd yet to go on today: "Sky Spin" - the Maurer spinner. it was a ride. and it was really rough - I think the roughest coaster here. but at least we knocked out all the coasters before the sky opened up and it started to pour. it was starting to mist, so we figured we'd head over to something indoors, just in case, and ended up at the park's Ghost Train: it has some really nice design work and theming, and I really did love the look of it. and while it does have an outdoor section, there was really no line, so we figured we'd get right on. this big sign is at the loading platform. . and we said to the guy manning the console: we're 4 adults, should we split up and do 2 & 2 ? and he insisted that no, we should all ride together, so we got in, and the ride didnt' seem to like that much LOL. .in fact, we got stuck on the lift hill. For probably a good 10 minutes. the lights came on. .and Jon and I did our best to not burst out in hysterical laughter as two men came up behind us and tried to push the car forward - to shove the car back into the chain to continue us up the lift (the only thing moving was the back seat and Jon and I just kept looking at each other). eventually the lights went off. . and we didn't move. then they came back on again. . the guys again came up and tried to push us. . . .. and then evacced us from the train back to the main entrance. yup. . we got evacced from a GHOST train we stood at the front as we watched on the monitors as the guys pushed the empty car we were in thru the course, and then moved it off the tracks. then sent the next car as if nothing had happened (hey guys!). and then? he put all four of us back into the next car to try again. there were cheers when we made it up the lift hill. the eyes and head move on the main skull. there WAS an actual storyline in the ghost train. . but heck if I can recall what it was. I do remember it had something to do with an expedition to the lost continent. . which puts the stuff outside into perspective. another look at my hated nemesis. . from a side angle as we passed by (deciding it was time to eat something) we ended up in this great restaurant that had some really good currywurst. and the sky just opened up and it POURED for a bit while we were in here, so it filled up as folks rushed to get out of the rain. the park did have a small, self operated, carousel. but there were too many children playing on it for me to bother, and honestly? I found it a tad bit "problematic" the rain stopped, so we rode the train, and continued wandering until it was time to head out. Stopping to watch the Slingshot operate and luckily Robb had told everyone not to miss "Zero Gravity" . . .which I must say, was possibly my favorite ride in the park. it's a SUPER intense Rotor ride. . .with heavy theming, and a funhouse like queue. It really felt like it was liquefying my insides, and I loved every moment of it. the pre-show room. . .but had to put camera away so no pics of the actual ride, that looks like a giant green blender. it reminded me of Riddler's hat from Batman and Robin. I didn't ride the small carousel, but of course I made sure and rode this one. Love these, and wish there were more / any of them in the States. taking a break in the pizza place near the front gate, I found a throne. and if you know me? I'll always take a throne pic. everything was moist, but at least the rain had stopped. this was a kiddie driving area but right next to the bigger oval track for the adults. and then it was time to head back to the bus and back to the hotel to enjoy the rest of the afternoon/evening as we so chose. pic by Robb getting back onto the bus, Shane and I posed for a pic too. and with that we headed back to the hotel to get ready for this evening. . .I was planning on going to the fair with a group.

Oakwood was where my #100 coaster happened (Clown Coaster, lol). And (I believe) SPEED had just opened (2006) and I think I rode it nearly 10 times, only finally stopping because I was getting a small headache. And it double helixed in what I called the "Toilet Bowl"element of it. And HYDRO was a truly wet/scary ride. The water splashing in/on the face/body was drenching the whole boat, before we even went down the drop! Great visit Bert, for an awesome park.

Day 4: a visit to Oakwood. . . home of some interesting rides, areas, and the classic: Megafobia! on the bus early, and headed to the home of a classic coaster (and some other rides), I had only read about in books. it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by greenery & hills. . . but also a huge housing/apartment complex building up behind the far side. It was hard to tell exactly how "big" the park is from the lot, but it seemed to stretch on for quite a bit. . . and they DO have an awful lot of space to expand if they so choose to. . tho not sure the location means they ever get HUGE crowds. (we were there on a day where there were several school groups, but it never really felt too crowded) a pic of the park map. . . it looks like there is a lot to do, and there are a ton of things if you're interested in a "THEME Park" rather than a "thrill park". . as there are only a handful of "thrill" rides. but I quite enjoyed the day here, even with a couple of the rides not operating. the map also makes it look way more compact than it is. . .the park is pretty spread out, so did a LOT of walking. the first thing you see when entering the park from the parking lot is the looming "Drenched" (aka: Hydro) - which is known really for two things - it being the last "Mega Splash" model from Intamin still operating, and from an accident where someone fell out on the drop ~20 years ago. sadly this was not open today. . although it did look like Maintenance was working on it. And as we were heading out, the water was flowing in the flume (it had not been when we came in and I snapped this pic). . so it probably did open shortly after our visit. oh well.. . a reason to go back (as if Megafobia isn't enough reason ) there is a train that can bring folks from the parking lot to the main entrance, but as we were there before park open for some ERT, it wasn't operating when we passed it. I'm not sure if it ever did operate, but I didn't ride it if it did. Vertigo (a Skycoaster) looms over the front entrance. . . and many in the TPR group did ride it - including Robb who got Jack Crouse to finally ride with him for his 1st Skycoaster experience. walking thru the park to get to Speed, you can get a sense just how big (and hilly) it is here. this whole area is a kids/family area called "Neverland". . .it's JUST Peter-Pan-y enough to get the idea across, while not *reaaaaaly* violating any copyrights from other companies, I'd say. there are at least 6-7 rides back here, but only a couple are true "kiddie only" rides. the entrance gate to this section. across the great lawn, I get my first glimpse of Megafobia thru the trees a water slide, that several folks on this trip rode - you ride on a little "tray" - and most of them got wet. that's Speed - where we're headed - in the back on the left over there. also further down hill is Bounce (a shot/drop combo tower), a complex of slides, a swinging ship (which I don't think was open today), and a lake with paddleboats. here's where we were headed first: it's a Gerstlauer Euro Fighter, and I believe was the 1st one in Europe? yeah. . I'm not a big fan of Eurofighters, but I did ride it at least once. and then went and took pictures. from the station (Pic courtesy of Elissa I believe). . thumbs up before we leave. . . but the onride photo gives away my true feelings. . . LOL after our ERT, we were cut loose for the day in the park and several of us headed back over to something we passed while walking back to Speed: the Bobsleigh - a toboggan slide that opened with the park and is the last original attraction remaining from when it first opened. it was a sorta TPR takover, that many of us ended up in the line. NOTED (no tracks, no rails.. .just a toboggan and a chute to navigate down) and you ride the think up as it pulls you. . .think "Mountain coaster' but with no track. . . it was actually quite fun. and yeah. . NEVER in America. LOL but it was really fun. I think I rode this a few times. checking out the Megafobia gift shop, I was quite amused that the park sells old ride parts, and even ride signs! ("Plane Crazy" is what they used to call the flying scooters before retheming it for Neverland area) I think we didn't go to Megafobia right away because it was full of some of the schoolgroups (and besides, we had ERT on it later this afternoon). . so instead we headed over to "Spooky Street" sheesh. .can someone buy a vowel - no wonder I can't understand anyone in Wales! I was told this used to be a tracked dark ride, but they had removed the interior and had just been using it as a Haunt during the spooky season. seemed to be a waste. . but there were some other things over here in this area (not much tho) this is a Pinfari coaster, called "the Creepy Crawler" sadly this one too was not operating today . . . but the theming on it is great. you can see why it's not operating. . LOL they were waiting for some replacement track, and that's why it was shut down, but I was told that it WAS going to be opening back up once they repair it.. . so the park should have another operating coaster in 2025. the worker i chatted with told me that this area used to be based on Roald Dahl, and hence the giant pumkin walkthru that I loved to enter the ride? Used to be a giant Peach. really nice job by the park to retheme and reuse, as it fits the "spooky" area theme very well now. the two ladies back there were the operators on the only real "ride" that was operating over here in this section, hence them looking a bit bored. they were thrilled to talk to me tho and to have someone come to this section. the only other thing over here - which actually was open, but I didn't want to take my boots off - was this self play, trampoline area. here's the ride the ladies were operating. . a. kiddie teacups but we were invited to ride, so we did. TPR takeover! it actually spun a LOT, and was more intense than it looked like it would be. and the ops were happy to pose for a pic after our ride cycle. if you headed out of the Spooky Street area towards the parking lot, you pass by the Skycoaster, and the entrance line to Drenched. that they had a maintenance guy heading back there was a good sign that the ride *might* open today - so I snapped this pic to send to Daniel, who loves flumes and really wanted to ride this Mega Splash. still no water at this time tho you can see how steep that drop is! awwwww. . something over here just randomly to sit on/hump? don't mind if I do! Stacy and I split off to go explore the "Neverland" section this was really the only ride that was truly a "kiddie" ride - a miniature version of the boat. . .but I think there was a space that looked like it SHOULD have had a carousel on it (and the park clearly needs one). . so maybe there was that as well, but not at the moment. but we DID find a T.A.R.D.I.S.. . . . so of course, I immediately loved this area. one of two tracked rides over in this area. . . "the Sights of London" was a fun little thing where you just sit in a taxi, and a kid can "drive" you, or it just drives itself for you. having started the trip in London, of course I wanted to do it. we had a nice chat with the gentleman operating it, and he was surprised when I knew that the big building in the middle of the ride was the Tower of London. He said I'd be shocked how many people think it's the Taj Mahal (on a ride called "the sights of London" ????? LOL) whee! there's also a roller coaster back here - the Crocodile Coaster - a powered Kiddie. I usually don't bother with kiddie coasters, but this one was adorable, so when Stacy wanted the credit I went ahead and joined her. we had the whole train to ourselves. there's also a log flume, with a small indoor section (that was all kinds of weird). . . the best part of this? they only had 3 logs. So when several TPR folks showed up back here, we created a line but it was fun. . .whee! the flying scooters that have been renamed to "Tink's Flying School". . . with Tinkerbell on the flyers, and a figure in the middle. well.. .. SORTA Tinkerbell. More maintenance guys over here doing some planting/fixing as well. you can see how much space the park has here. Neverland Chase is the other tracked ride over here. . .this one clearly was a retheme from something prior, but no idea what. Maybe a Flinstones ride? but I'm always up for a tracked ride.. . my motto usually is: "the sillier and slower moving it is, the more I'll love it" even got Stacy on it. tho we did our own "trucks" rather than squeeze in together hmmm. . . I don't remember Neverland being this phallic? but hey, they tried to get some theming in the station, but having (what I think) are quotes from the Peter Pan book. . . still in the Neverland section, there's a little park/walkthru play area outside (there's also a really large indoor play area with soft pads/monkeybar climbthru over by the flume) but this outdoor one has things to climb on, and to slide down. D'awwwwwww you can't climb on this tho! but for some reason, you can sit in these. . .LOL and that's the skycoaster way back there on the left. yeah, as noted, the park is bigger than it appears. very spread out. oh my. . multiple sizes to choose from! headed back towards the Neverland entrance to go back out into the main park. (we still had one coaster to hit) sadly, tho I totally would have bought some stuff in this section? everything in this area was kiddie sized only it worked out ok, as I got a nice Megafobia shirt later. the design on the giftshop door in the Neverland area is very well done tho. we hadn't eaten lunch yet, so we stopped to grab a burger (the lunch rush from the school kids was dying down, so it was a good time to eat) and the Seagulls knew it too. Speed from our table while eating lunch. we went the long way around (down and then back up) for the final coaster. . . stopping to ride "Bounce" first it was a fun, and exciting ride, with a long cycle first shoot up. . then slow lift and drop. . then repeat in reverse. luckily we got on it, as there was some sort of incident a few days after our visit, and the ride was shut down for a long while. so I'm glad we got to ride it. and then to the only other coaster (besides Megafobia) we hadn't ridden yet: the Treetops Coaster it's just a Zierer that's got a wonderful location buried among the trees. . .lots of Helixes. but it was a nice, Family, coaster. I think I recall this had tire lift, rather than it being a powered coaster. with a really long train, that was themed to Logs! i felt very much reminded of being back in Japan riding "log" coasters. many of the school kids were headed out, so we went back over to the Bobsleigh, and rode that, and then finally after so much waiting/teasing, we got in the short line for Megafobia. another dream coaster I never thought I'd ever get a chance to ride. I'm not sure why it has the 2023 on the front - we were there in 2024 and it wasn't any kind of anniversary the year before - so it was odd. . . but I liked the looks of the trains (PTC?) it was great in the front. . and so good, we went back around and immediately got back in line for a back row ride freaking FANTASTIC. after our ride, it was close enough to ERT time, that while several TPR folks went over to Vertigo to ride the Skycoaster, I snapped some pics in the area, rode the Bobsleigh, and got some very good icecream, even tho I recall it being a little bit chilly. Megafobia from the entrance line. eventually it was time for our ERT after park close, and you can easily tell how much I loved this coaster in that I believe I did every ride during ERT.. here's just some proof (and thanks to Elissa & Robb for snagging these pics while we were riding. . and for arranging this wonderful treat. such a fantastic coaster) Group shot in front of the coaster before we head out (pic courtesy of Robb) and then just to break Daniel's heart? Drenched had water running in the flume now. no boats were testing, but it looked like it could open up any minute - tho it never did - and so we headed back to the bus and continued the drive. hope you enjoyed this update. I really liked Oakwood. . . sure, it woudn't be a full day park for someone who just wants thrill rides. But for those that enjoy walking around and the atmosphere? I recommend it. and Megafobia is worth the trip alone!

I would like to go to America to visit amusement parks. That is a bit difficult because I am in a wheelchair. For example, I would like to go to Disney World but Cedar Point might be too extreme. I mean Cedar Point has some pretty extreme roller coasters and I get dizzy on a starflyer ahahahaha I can stand but that's it. Which are really wheelchair-friendly amusement parks?