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I looked it up. . the character who shows off her panties is named "Upsy Daisy" no. . really and apparently that's her bed that follows her around. . . . Bwaaaa-haaaa-haaaaaa

Looks like a nice balance of kid stuff and thrills. Great area for families - prefer seeing things like this where kid stuff just isn't segregated to one section but instead integrated around larger stuff (Hersheypark does a great job at this). This park routinely shows how it somehow is always a step above the rest of the company's lineup.

I got to attend the opening of the DCUniverse area the other weekend at Six Flags Fiesta Texas (it also overlapped with the Mardi Gras celebration, so did some of that too). the area looks great, and with this open now, SFFT has the biggest assortment of DC Universe themed rides in North America (even if we don't count Kid Flash, which has been a paperweight for a long time now, and seeing the announcements that it's getting removed? just confirms whatever lawsuit was going on is now concluded). anyways. . here's some pics. my quick takes on the 3 brand new rides? Cyborg (Nebulaz) - it's great, running both forwards and in reverse, with heavy theming (Kilg%re takes over control of the quantum mechanism and makes the ride go crazy) - forwards is slightly more nauseating than the backwards portion. I actually fit in this Nebulaz, tho I saw many people get walks of shame - so if you don't fit in a seat, ask to try another one, as even tho they claim the seats are all the same? some of them have slightly longer seat belt clamps and I had no issue riding - 1st time I've ever fit on a Nebulaz. Shazam (spinning drop tower) - a very gentle ride, it reminded me a LOT of the SFOT parachute drop. really long cycle, and more of an upscale "bounce tower" than a drop tower. looks amazing at night with the lighting package. Metropolis Transit Authority ("Monorail") - the station is a *stunner*.. . subway tile, and a queue that looks like waiting at a train station. the ride itself is a bit short (shorter than I expected it to be, and it actually looks shorter than the original plans showed (where it went around the Gotham City Crime Wave swings) - it now cuts in front of it. There is no onride audio (a shame, as it would be great if it pointed out things you pass), tho there is audio in the station that teases the train arriving and leaving. it's high enough to get some great views, and with even a slight breeze was very comfortable on a warm day. They do only allow 3 adults and one child maximum in each car - so this could cause quite the line on a busy day, as there are only two trains with 4 cars each. I have to assume that is for safety reasons, as out car - with 3 adults - seemed a bit shaky on some of the turns. it adds to the thrill level of this gentle ride tho, I thought. Batgirl (the kiddie coaster) is running great still and the new colors look really nice on it. same with Green Lantern (zoom jets) - the new color scheme is fantastic. Poison Ivy (up up and Away), really works well with the gondolas redone as giant fruit with vines (and shade) in the queue now. I did not ride Penguin (convoy) even tho it had opened with some statues in place, as they still are not quite done with it, and expect a few more dioramas to be added to the track area. anyhow. . here are some pics even the Batmobile at "Batman" (the 1st S&S Freespin built) has been refurbed the new DC Universe area (where the main concentration of rides are) a look at Green Lantern, the Monorail, Cyborg, Shazam, and Batman Poison Ivy (the revamped up, up, and away) the new entry sign from Spassburg (it lights up, and the other side say DC Universe across the top) the Metropolis Transit Authority (Monorail) queue building up high enough you get a nice view towards the front of the park from the station and a great view of the DCU area LTR: Superman Krypton Coaster, Cyborg, Green Lantern, and the base of Supergirl (Skyscreamer) In this pic you can see most of the land, plus Wonder Woman golden lasso coaster on the upper right looking across at the MTA queue building, and on the right some of Penguin. . they are still going to be putting up some dioramas here to drive thru. looking down into Penguin, you can see some of the statues that have been placed, but as of a week ago, there was still some work to be done on it. it IS up and running tho. pulling into the station, you get a great close up of Shazam, and in the distance the top of Gotham City Crimewave, Joker, and Superman Krypton Coaster they have some DCU characters out. for the month of March, they are starting out with Flash and Harley Quinn I may have gotten "confused" meeting "the Flash" during Mardi Gras. . . I didn't get any beads, but the actors all had a good laugh. yeah. . Boomerang. but it sure is picturesque. that's Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger in the right window there. View from the VIP lounge patio. why hello Mr. Jeffery Siebert! got a mini behind the scenes warehouse tour and got to see the maintenance shed where they keep the extra trains for all the coasters. and then found out Harley was out now. . so went back to DCU for a pic. kinda behaved myself this time. also went to see the new for Mardi Gras show, "Voodoo Dolls" it's very, very good. (and indoors with cushioned seats and air conditioning) some of the voodoo queens get special effects for their numbers.. such as bubbles! and to top it off, I got to ride on a parade float for the evening Mardi Gras parade. for once, I got to be a Pirate, instead of being the swiss girl - (for some reason, when I do the parade, they always wanna dress me up as the swiss girl) ready for the parade to start, and to toss out hundreds of beads! the area looks great, the park is fantastic, and the Mardi Gras food is all really good. Highly recommend checking it out while the event is still going on!

When was it open? As the train passed the coaster today, the person at the microphone didn't say anything about Kumba (it was closed) compared to rides like Sheikra and the rapids where they stated they should be reopening again in the next few days. I hope it is open again but thought it hasn't reopened since being closed in November. In addition to removing the closed rides web page, the park also removed the closed rides board at the entrance. They say to check the app but it's not accurate at all. Iron Gwazi has been running 1 train and Cheetah Hunt has been closed on and off since Thursday or Friday. The Sky Ride also re-opened last week but was closed today due to wind. The parking lot wasn't that full but Cobra's Curse, Cheetah Hunt (when open) and Iron Gwazi all had long lines with the closures and other breakdowns. They at least were running 2 trains on Montu so that was a 5 minute wait most of the day.

A few weekends ago I had a chance to stop into Busch Gardens Tampa Bay to activate my son's preschool pass. It had been a little bit of time since my last visit, so I used the day as a chance not only to entertain my son, but to get caught up on a few notable changes at the park. Lazy morning for the cheetahs... Cheetah Run is seriously one of the best animal-focused elements of the entire park. Yes, they have giraffes and zebras here too. Shortly after Phoenix Rising opened it was announced that Scorpion would close. The park's second roller coaster (and oldest standing coaster in the park after Python was removed to make way for Jungala) had an abrupt closure, which had led to believe that its removal (whether disassembly or scrapping) would be swift. As you'll see here, that's not the case. The queue entrance has simply lost its ride signage and the path has been boarded off. If I didn't know the ride was permanently closed, I'd think it was simply down for refurbishment. With the exception of the there being no trains in the station or on the transfer track, this looks exactly like it did when it was still in operation. Here's hoping someone is planning to buy Scorpion for more than just scrap metal. Out with the old, in with the new, I guess. I will admit, I was surprised at just how sprawling the layout for Phoenix Rising is... Building a one-train-operating coaster at one of the most popular, year-round parks in the country was certainly a choice. To their credit, the ride ops did seem to strive for quick dispatches, but with one only train in operation, the hourly throughput is quite dismal. There are four screens within the station that animate with stylized designs as the phoenix rises into the lift hill. The track weaves in and around itself multiple times throughout the layout. A significant portion of the coaster sits backstage in the plot previous occupied by the Sand Serpent (previously Cheetah Chase) roller coaster. Because of its sheer size and location, it is pretty much impossible to capture all of Phoenix Rising's layout in a single frame. It does have some interesting twisty bits... Over in Jungala there are some familiar sights... Construction on the new Wild Oasis section of Jungala continues. Some significant additions are being built in the back section of Jungala's new Wild Oasis. Just monkeying around. SheiKra is among several attractions at the park currently closed for refurbishment. The last time I saw the the splashdown fully drained was when the coaster was first under construction in 2005. Also going on during our visit was the park's take on Mardi Gras. Yes, they have food and wine booths, not unlike other Central Florida theme parks... After the Mardi Gras parade, several of the performers offer photo ops near Iron Gwazi. Yep. Beads! Is it even Mardi Gras if you can't get your hands on a hurricane? More performers incoming! Overall it was a pretty solid day at the park!