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I was at the park for the first time in years on June 1st. We stopped the day before to get my son (15 this summer) the three credits at Seabreeze. It was in the 50s and windy, so that place was empty, and we were in and out in less than an hour. The spinner was as I remembered it and the two wood structure coasters were crawling in the cold. Not ideal, but the next day looked better for Darien Lake. We were there at rope drop and headed to the back of the park like we always do. I apprehensively got in line with him to get his Mind Eraser credit first. We grabbed the front row and, with the new vest restraints, it wasn't too bad. It was no Great Nor'Easter, but it was better than the one they did the same thing on at SFA (RIP). Tantrum was closed and remained that way. I guess it has been down for a little while now. And of course it was as Tantrum is the only credit I don't have yet having grown up being taken to the park every summer. Oh well. We'll be back. Viper was next and it was the same old gem I fondly remembered. By modern standards, this old Arrow looper is of course pretty tame. It runs through its course smoothly though with surprisingly little headbanging. I still approve. Viper has always been and remains one of my favorite Arrows. Predator was up next and this was to be my first ride post-Titan track. Given that this was my absolute bottom coaster in any possible ranking with my last experiences with it, I still figured the non steel portions would be so horrible that it couldn't be redeemed. The ride was good though! The upgraded portions were smooth as silk and the layout got to shine, finally. The still wood sections were not as awful as I expected, either, though they were far from smooth too. Superman, er, Ride of Steel followed for my son's 250. We had absolutely awesome rides on the clone down by the capital this summer in 104 degree heat, so this slow running original on a day barely warmer than half that number was pretty disappointing. Still fun, but it hardly had anything left for the bunny hills at the end that always used to be so great. I chalk it up to the cold day. From there we walked over to Boomerang, which was a credit for him and I am not sure why I bothered to ride it to be honest. MotoCoaster capped the first rides. I remembered this one as having a punchy launch and then doing nothing. It indeed had a punchy launch, even stronger than I remembered, and I am happy to report that I remembered wrong. The swinging turns were taken at a good speed and I actually ended up liking this one a lot. From there, we walked back to take another peak on Tantrum, grabbing another good ride on Viper on the way. We ate lunch and then gave not-Superman another go to similar results. Finally, to cap the day, we decided to take a last ride on Predator. This was our best decision. We waited for the front car (which took forever for like six trains -- I am not going to whine any more than this, but operations were horrible all day) and the ride was a rush. I don't know if it sped up a little or if the front is just where the airtime is at, but my old wooden nemesis was hitting almost every hill exactly right. This was a GREAT ride and easily our best of the two park trip. I really look forward to visiting Predator again in the future and a younger me would be very confused by that statement. Final note: Predator was running the purple train that I had read appeared recently. Even though it was a weekend and wait times were growing, they did not ever put a second train on. Nor did Mind Eraser. This park may be viewing having a second train as having a backup in case the main train breaks. There doesn't seem to be much intent of actually putting two trains on the track at once.

Objectively this looks like it will be Premier's best coaster yet. I'm happy to see they modified the side paneling on the train to make it easier to enter/exit, plus no comfort collars or seat belts. The second launch will also hopefully have a pretty good kick since there isn't much length down in that tunnel to bring it up to top speed. And the layout looks SO good! I was nervous about it not being ready in time for my 2-day visit on 7/31 & 8/1, but I have a little more faith now since it started testing. Yay!

Universal Destinations and Experiences has announced that Jason Voorhees will return to Halloween Horror Nights in 2025 with a new house at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Studios Hollywood, Jason Universe. https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonthompson/2025/06/13/jason-voorhees-slays-at-universal-studios-halloween-horror-nights/ Titan of terror Jason Voorhees rises again at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights, and he is going to slay. Jason Universe sees the iconic killer from the infamous Friday the 13th films get his own haunted house at the seasonal event at both Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood for the first time. The all-original immersive nightmare will take brave guests back to the summer camp where the gruesome legend was born. Jason Universe is being described as "a vengeance tour through the summer camp to see where it all began, from the creaking floorboards of Jason's ramshackle cabin to the decaying main lodge and the eerie forest that offers no refuge for his victims." Fans are being promised recreations of classic kills from the multimillion-dollar franchise that launched 45 years ago with the theatrical release of the first film. Expect Jason, decked out in his legendary hockey mask, to "taunt and stalk" his victims who learn too late that everything they heard about him and his reign of terror is true. Described as an "homage to the machete-wielding slasher" who is considered one of the most notorious villains in cinematic history, Jason Universe sounds like a classic execution of an enduring and ever-popular 12-film horror franchise. Jason Voorhees Has A History Of Killing It At Halloween Horror Nights Jason Universe isn’t the first time Jason has appeared at Halloween Horror Nights, a mecca for fans of the genre. Most recently, at Universal Studios Hollywood, he was joined by Freddy Krueger, Leatherface, and Chucky on the Titans of Terror Tram on the Studio Tour Backlot in 2017. It has been nine years since he last featured in a haunted house there. The last one was 2016's Freddy Vs. Jason. In Orlando, his last appearance was in 2015 when he appeared in both a Freddy Vs. Jason attraction and the All Nite Die-In: Double Feature scarezone. Created by Victor Miller, the first Friday the 13th movie, directed by Sean S. Cunningham, arrived in theaters in May 1980. The most recent film was 2009’s identically titled reboot, Friday the 13th, directed by Marcus Nispel and produced by Michael Bay. The most successful film in the franchise was the 2003 A Nightmare on Elm Street crossover, Freddy vs. Jason, which grossed $82.62 million worldwide. Although it has been a while since a new Friday the 13th movie has dropped, Crystal Lake, described as "an origin story for Jason and a prequel to the Friday the 13th franchise," is on the way. It will stream exclusively on Peacock debuting in October 2025. Confirmed cast members include franchise mainstay Adrienne King, Dead to Me’s Linda Cardellini and Abigail's William Catlett. It's not known how or if the Halloween Horror Nights haunted house will integrate the new show. Jason Universe isn’t the first of this year's attractions to be announced. Fallout, inspired by Prime Video's acclaimed smash hit show, was recently confirmed. Similarly to the horror homage, it will also appear at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort. Fallout will place fans in iconic scenes and face-to-face with their characters on a journey from Vault 33 to the Wasteland. Both parks have also recently teased that Blumhouse’s Five Nights at Freddy's, based on another widely popular videogame IP that inspired a hit movie and an upcoming sequel, will be featured in some form at Halloween Horror Nights. The blood red carpet gets rolled out for horror fans at Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday, September 4, 2025. Universal Orlando Resort kicks off the festivities a little earlier on Friday, August 29, 2025. Tickets are now on sale. More news on additional Halloween Horror Nights haunted houses, scarezones, and live shows is expected in the coming weeks.

To end this all, there's one more photo to show. One that was taken at our French dinner @ AbsintheBistro. A nice little gift from Absinthe. Thanks Cory (chef/owner) and your great staff! We'll be back. Didn't plan not looking towards David. Oops. My bad. About to dive into our wonderful meal.