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I would argue Six Flags Fiesta Texas has this one beat, but at this point, I don't even think you can consider it a true Six Flags park. It's like the unusually smart child in the family, which was secretly made on a business trip instead of at home.

Silver Dollar City looked great last weekend during our short Branson trip to celebrate my daughter's fifth birthday. At the park, we started off with Fire In the Hole. The ride feels like modernized a copy of the old ride, which I consider a good thing. It was received with, "I'm never ever riding that ride again until I die." wtf ok I rode Outlaw Run by myself. It still kicks ass as my favorite RMC. It's borderline getting rough, but not to the level of real discomfort. I also grabbed a ride on Wild Fire near the end of the day, because it was walk-on. I'm always surprised by the airtime on the first drop. It's very smooth for its age. The observation deck was great for the family. When given the choice between "log flume" or "the bumpy kid's coaster" in exchange for a neurotoxin Dip-N-Dots reward, the "bumpy kids coaster" surprisingly won out. Earlier in the day it had the random walk-by rating of "That Holiday World roller coaster is TRASH!" (where does she get this from?) All in all, the Grand Exposition Coaster was much more suited for my daughter now than it was when she was three. At that time it received the rating of "I'm never ever ever riding that ride again." I think she actually had fun, which made me optimistic for the future. It's hard to tell. The Marvel Cave tour was a nice challenge for the kid. Caves make me uncomfortable. In my opinion, the tour guide took way too long incorporating the cave's history with story telling. We weren't the only ones in the crowd who looked bored with the five minute explanation of the original explorers throwing rocks into the deeper part of the cave that led to a bat shit filled pit. Like legit, dude went over the "He threw a rock and heard no response" reenactment about five times. I have a feeling the drawn out stories were to give the growingly restless crowd a break from the 600, but I don't remember the guides taking that long. I wish the extended story lengths would have instead just contained additional history, since the younger kids didn't seem to give a shit about the dramatization, anyway. Thankfully, the tram back to the top worked, because the lady gasping for air and breathing on my neck behind me was about to die. The train was great. The experience near the back half was a lot different with the Fire In the Hole area added. The robbery show was good. I feel like it got longer. Again, at one point I was wondering when it was going to wrap up, but the actors took extra time to interact with every row, which was worth it for all the kids. Staff did a great job of filling the train to make sure almost everyone in line got on. Flooded Mine is a great ride for kids. A lot of the effects weren't working, but the scoring was spot on and it's still a lot of fun. The gun accuracy is better than most considering this ride is old school. There were three animals out in the petting zoo. lol We originally made the mistake of getting in line for the BBQ place near the raft ride. (As I have gotten older, I really don't give two shits about most ride names anymore if you can't tell.) We got out of line when it seriously didn't move for the five minutes we were in it. I didn't understand the mistake of trying to grab lunch during prime time until I had a kid. Avoiding excessive hunger is a big part of preventing a meltdown, so the urgency of getting lunch increases. The quick-serve food stand pretzel nearby was decent and they had a fruit cup, which was nice. We later made it to the BBQ place when it had almost no line. The pulled turkey was ok, and the slaw was surprisingly not loaded with sugar. The pulled pork my wife had didn't taste like typical wanna-be barbeque crockpot meat. It's nice to have a healthy(er) choices for meat and vegetables. I'm not going to elaborate further on the kid and family rides we went on. Our experiences on all of them were great. The park was clean and the staff was friendly. I love how shaded the park is. It's a nice place to take it slow and enjoy the atmosphere. Does anyone know what they're building near the north side of the park? There was a lot of land clearing. It may be just the deconstruction of Fire In the Hole version 1. As far as Branson in general, we did the Runaway Mountain Coaster a few times. Two of the three times I went at a slower pace with my daughter and let her tell me when to slow down and speed up. If your kid is still afraid of roller coasters, this is a nice way to break them in at the pace you choose. I went by myself on one of the rides. There are a lot of small double down airtime hops in the layout and it cooks through the helix sections. Some of the areas seem to jut out at least fifty feet or so from the hill, with the optics of overlooking the valley making it seem much higher than that. For those interested in hiking, there's a nice waterfall hike nearby. Hiking is my daughter's jam, and this one doesn't have a lot of steep climbs. It's good for young kids. It takes a couple 2-3 hours if you stop to explore. If you go without kids, you can probably knock it out in a little over an hour. We chose to stay at a one room suite with a pullout, kitchenette, and porch at Hyatt's Timber Ridge. If you're looking for a well maintained property, I recommend it. There are activities at night for families. The resort has an indoor/outdoor pool that was unfortunately unavailable due to storm damage repair. The fitness center is really nice, but I chose to go the grueling route of steep elevation changing laps around the property, which was well worth it for being scenic and quiet in the early morning. Constants in Branson/SDC are that the gyms and running trails are rarely occupied... (Honorable mention to Holiday World area.) If you're in the area, I HIGHLY recommend Mr. Gilbertis pizza across the dam in Hollister. The cast iron Chicago style pizza seriously rivals Lou Malnati's. Cheers.

Yes, it's a crap situation. Not knowing what their contracts said, though, this is perfectly legal for Disney to do. That being said, Unions are a great way to ensure stable employment, especially in the entertainment industry. Ask me how I know (20+ years of doing this stuff as a technician and an IATSE member). THAT being said, Unions aren't perfect and Actors Equity most certainly plays favorites on what contracts they give a crap about. AFAIK, Disney works with AEA and non-union for performers and their contracts demand only a certain percentage of performers be AEA members. Really what this boils down to is, if you ain't in the club, you ain't gettin' respect. I feel for the performers, but after decades of navigating this business I can only sit back and think about how this is a wonderful learning opportunity for those involved.

Someone else will have to answer about the express pass end of things. As for question #2 obviously the crowds could be much different when the park is officially open compared to preview, but I pretty comfortably got on everything except HP in about 7 hours when I was there last month. My 2 cents... 1. If you don't have early entry, save Nintendo World and Harry Potter for later. These two are your early entry lands and the lines will be massive by park opening. I would recommend going to Berk first and then Dark Universe. 2. If Nintendo and Potter haven't died down yet, usually a good time to ride Stardust Racers. When both sides are open that thing chews through people. Seems like the line never gets much longer than 30-40 minutes. 3. I think 2:00 is roughly the time that the lines get more bearable in Nintendo and Potter. The last couple days I've watched Ministry drop from a 4 hour line to a 2 hour line by mid afternoon. If you don't care that much about riding it I would recommend saving it for last because you never know how much of your day it is going to ruin if it keeps breaking down. 4. I got lucky on Minecart Madness by catching the singles line shortly after it reopened. Like Velocicoaster and Hagrid it moves very slowly and closes often. The regular line is often insane too. But if you catch the singles line right when it opens it can save you over an hour, and unlike Velocicoaster you can actually see the line once you're in it to judge for yourself. Ultimately the park has 11 rides. Dragon Racer's Rally is a ride you can do elsewhere if the line looks long (and it usually is because the capacity isn't great). Fyre Drill is usually pretty short. Wing Gliders is usually 45-60 minutes which is why I recommend going there early. Monsters Unchained rarely has a huge line and moves fast. If you check the app a few times you should be able to hit it when the line is 20 minutes or less. Werewolf is hit or miss, again if you check the app you can probably grab a 15 minute line, or sometimes it can be an hour. Carousel never has a huge line. Mario Kart is insane early but usually under 45 minutes later in the day. Yoshi never has much of a line. Minecart you need to play the singles game or be prepared to wait a while. Stardust usually under 45 minutes. Realistically you can do all of the above in 6-7 hours unless they really pump people into the park after opening day. Then there's the wild card of Ministry if it's a must ride for you.

I think we would have a better understand how everything will work by next week. Your question is valid and I would also like to know. Its harder to leave my family and stand in a 30-45 min line why they might be doing something way more fun with out me. I looked at VIP tour pricing and that might be in your budget but not for me.

More pics of the track and supports! These are from the official Six Flags Over Texas FB page. The track and supports are massive!

Isla Magica has announced that they are adding a new attraction called "Wooden Coaster" to the park's lineup, in addition to two new swimming pools. The expansion will cost €2.7 million and is planned to open in 2026. Sevilla's Isla Magica theme park will get a 25-metre-high rollercoaster over its lake plus two new swimming pools. The ride will reach a top speed of 68 km/h and building licences have been granted for the expansion. The rollercoaster will cost €2.7 million and will be called Wooden Coaster. It will join the park’s other coaster ride- Jaguar. The new ride will occupy an area of around 6,000 m2 and is expected to open in 2026. It will be a three-dimensional wooden structure supporting a track of steel rails with bends, ascents and descents coming in at 595 metres in length. Each train carriage will have capacity for up to 16 people with a journey time of 93 seconds. The park capacity will rise by 500 to 15,500 people but car park spaces will be cut by 213 to accommodate the new features. The Aqua Magica section of the park will be expanded by 5,665 m2 currently used for car parking. The two swimming pools will be developed into two aquatic areas with attractions, rest areas and auxiliary buildings. Surrounding the water attractions will be 600 sunbeds distributed in different locations separated by flowerbeds with vegetation and artificial grass. The cost of this extension will be €1 million.

the refurbished Sangerfest Halle is now officially open. not only looks great, but the new layout VASTLY improved wait times - with the line splitting at the front for two sides with same options, and then 4 cashiers on each side. The Beverage station is also now on the same side (looks like what was the beverage station across the dining room area is going to be refurbed - if I had to guess, it will be a beer/alcohol stand, but at the moment it's all blocked off). the new food options are excellent, and this is NOT "theme park food" - other than the pizza and chicken fingers option that I guess they must offer for the picky eaters and kiddos. I DO wish some of the options that went away - such as my beloved Chicken Schnitzel Sandwich - will come back, as I feel they could use a few more options. opening options are: (all are Meal options on dining plan, and both deserts are Snack options) Salad (good size comes with grilled chicken chunks) Pizza plate - one large slize (cheese or Peperoni) with a pretzel bread stick Chicken Tenders - with a pretzel breadstick Sangerfest Platter - I entree, 1 side (+6.99 for additional sides) Entree Options: Traditional Braised Beef with Spaetzle, Grilled Brats, German Pork Loin, Chicken Tenders Side Options: Macaroni & Cheese, Fried Brussel Sprouts, Steak Fries, Fried Apples Deserts: Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, Parfaits Everything we tried was excellent, and the serving size for the pork loin was big enough that could easily be shared. I always bring along baggies, and took home leftover pork and Brussells that made a great lunch today.

Storyland Studios has been selected to redesign Ghost Town in the Sky in the latest attempt to revive the park. https://www.themountaineer.com/news/storyland-studios-to-design-shuttered-ghost-town-resurrection/article_fcb0c3de-3609-11ec-bf84-53645f9cc306.html Storyland Studios, a company run by Disney Imagineers with a successful 20-year history in the themed entertainment industry, has been selected to redesign the long-closed Ghost Town in The Sky. The firm specializes in theme park master planning, strategy and feasibility studies, concept design, architecture and integrated marketing. “We selected Storyland because of their experience on so many theme parks around the world. They have a team that can help us get our brand story right, redesign the park and help us bring it to life and make it successful,” said Frankie Wood, managing member of Ghost Town in the Sky LLC. Wood has been meeting with part-time Maggie Valley resident Matt Ferguson, chief innovation officer for Storyland Studios on the project for about a year. “We want to bring back everything people remembered and loved about Ghost Town,” said Ferguson. “We still plan to have the Old West town. We expect to have stunt showdowns, can-can shows, music and entertainment. But we also plan to update the attractions to compete with the best storytelling experiences in the world and have stronger connections with the park’s location in the Great Smoky Mountains.” The Storyland team’s resume includes work on projects such as the LEGOLAND® Water Park, Universal Orlando’s Hogwarts Express, the new FAO Schwarz store in New York City, to name a few. Early plans call for on-property lodging, including a mountain lodge, boutique hotel and spa, cabins and cottages. Ghost Town in the Sky opened in 1961 at the height of Western film and television’s popularity. In addition to an authentic-looking Old West main street, Ghost Town in the Sky had an iron roller coaster on the side of the mountain, as well as a selection of rides and attractions. Ghost Town’s existing buildings will be rehabbed so that the refreshed main street looks almost identical to the original construction, a press release indicated. This spring, the park hosted gunflight shows for a closed audience to celebrate the coming redesign. “The excitement was palpable,” said Ferguson. “Our team is thrilled to be a part of bringing this special park back to life.” In a Monday interview, Ferguson said his family has been coming to Maggie for 30-plus years, and that he’s had a home in the community for a decade. “My back deck overlooks Buck Mountain, so I have a vested interest in making sure this thing is well done,” he said. “It’s my understanding we’ve overcome the hurdles of approval, so the project is very doable at this point. The money is there. I had the opportunity to meet with a number of the investors. They are on board and excited.” Ferguson said many don’t understand what it takes to lay prepare for a project like this. “Frankie is experienced and very good at making sure the groundwork is laid so we can get this done on time and on budget,” Ferguson said. “His due diligence has been top notch and that’s what’s taking a couple years.” Ferguson said a timeline isn’t in place yet, but the project is close to moving ahead. “I feel like many of the objectors might not have lived here when Ghost Town was thriving,” he said. “There was only two-lane back then.” With a four-lane divided highway in place, traffic issues shouldn’t be a concern, he said. “I feel confident this group of investors and developers is the one to push the ball over the goal line. These guys are really smart about putting these things together as far as grant funds and investors go,” Ferguson said. “I’ve heard concerns that Maggie Valley could become another Myrtle Beach or Gatlinburg, but everything we do will be in keeping with mountain charm and a tasteful mountain town.”