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I honestly found Valleyfair the most shocking park in the announcement. It's an original Cedar FAIR park!!! I realize SFStL is also, but that park has felt on the way out for years already!

Same. We are entering an incredibly interesting time in the park's history, which is more than could be said if things kept on as normal with the previous (horrendous) owners/management. The deal for all 7 parks was for $342 million according to Screamscape. One would sure assume that the new ownership group did not make this purchase unless they thought there was money to be made, so I think that bodes well for at least the immediate future. Probably not the long term future if things sputter, but yeah, I'd much rather roll the dice and MAYBE have chance of legit seeing improvement. I'm hoping they do not continue with any sort of agreement for the DC/WB licensing and instead do what they can to rebrand/rename and hopefully have some sort of semblance of actual theming in the park, even if it's somewhat rudimentary. I hope this park is successful. I think the opportunity is very much there if these folks come at with an actual solid plan and the budget to see it through, whatever that may be. If they can present a solid vision for what it will be, I'll happily buy passes for my entire family again and be ready to spend time and money there. If it eventually goes the way of another McBride homes subdivision, well I hope the next few years are fun, at least!

Batman becomes "Black Inverted Coaster" Freeze becomes "Blue Launched Boomerang Coaster" Joker becomes "Spinning Fling Machine" Justice League = "The Empty Bldg" (SF parted it out to other parks)

Highly doubtful, expect name changes to all Comic Related attractions.

Alright lets get this party started! First up is our cruise on Grandeur of the Seas. This was my first ever cruise and it absolutely won't be my last. Everything was exceptional. Grandeur of the Seas is Royal Caribbean's smallest and oldest ship which meant that no, we didn't have a full water park on board or multiple show venues or any of that crazy stuff you see on the newer ships. But along with that came a lack of huge families with many little kids overrunning the ship. It never felt too busy at any time even though I believe the ship was full. Where it lacked in amenities, Grandeur made up in charm. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking but overall so very happy with this cruise! Our itinerary was as follows: Day Zero: Arrive in Ft. Lauderdale Day One: Embarkation Day Day Two: Day at Sea Day Three: Port Day in Labadee, Haiti Day Four: Port Day in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic Day Five: Day at Sea Day Six: Disembarkation Day To avoid updates being too long I'll break them up, so in this update will be Day Zero, Day 1, and Day 2! We decided on this cruise for two reasons, it was cheap, and it was during my girlfriend's birthday. Her birthday falls in the middle of February, so while that is perfect cruising season (warm but no fear of hurricanes) it also is usually the worst part of the winter here in Northeast Ohio. I spent much of the week leading up to our flight to Fort Lauderdale with a layover in DC watching the weather, and sure enough a major snowstorm was in the forecast for the morning of our flight. I was quite stressed keeping an eye on that plus preparing for my first ever cruise. Thankfully my stress was all for not and the snowstorm ended up being less than they thought and we got to Fort Lauderdale without any issue. Shoutout to United for a great experience! We landed in Fort Lauderdale in the late afternoon and made our way to our Airbnb on Hollywood Beach. We had grand plans of spending the evening checking out various things on the beach but we ended up only getting dinner and heading back to the Airbnb. A mixture of travel exhaustion and Hollywood Beach being a bit more "trashy" and "spring break-y" than we would've expected for the middle of February. Stepping out on the patio of the Airbnb we could see the ocean through the buildings. As we were looking for dinner somewhere we passed by one of my favorite dessert places ever, Rita's Frozen Custard. A stop at Rita's is mandatory when I am parks like Dorney Park, Hersheypark, and Busch Gardens Williamsburg. I'm sure other parks have a Rita's location but those are the ones that stick out in my mind. We have a couple in the Cleveland area but they're a bit of a drive away from home. We'd be sure to stop by after dinner. Right next door to Rita's was an italian place called "IT Trattoria" that had great reviews on google so we decided to give it a go. The place was empty which probably explains why it appears they have closed this location, although they seem to have a couple locations in Miami. I don't remember exactly what it was that I ate but it was absolutely fabulous. And the authentic Italian Coca-Cola to pair with it was great as well. And then it was time for Rita's. I'm a gelato fan. I believe I got raspberry ice, and chocolate custard At this point we were full and exhausted so it was back to the Airbnb and to bed we went. We were on the earliest boarding group for the ship the next day, and we were so excited we didn't mind calling it a night a bit early. The next day (Sunday as I recall), we got up, called an uber, and off we went to Port Everglades. There was a good bit of traffic getting in as it was a very busy day in port. I remember seeing 5 or 6 different ships ending one journey and preparing for its next one. Once we got to our terminal everything was incredibly seamless. We were dropped off, got our bags taken by the porters, and onto the ship in about 15 minutes. There she is! As I said earlier "The Lady G" is Royal's smallest and oldest ship. However, since I had no frame of reference I was absolutely shocked by the sheer size of the boat. I can't even imagine a ship like Icon of the Seas. It was finally our turn to board the boat and if first impressions are your thing, Grandeur of the Seas delivers with its beautiful "centrum" area. Our room wasn't quite ready yet, so we took some time to explore the ship. The main highlights of the ship were what other ships would call "the bare necessities". First, a large theater that hosted various Broadway style shows, comedy acts, and even a magician by the name of Ed Alonzo who toured some of the Cedar Fair (er, Six Flags) parks in recent memory. Then of course we have the typical pool deck and large main dining room. Other things I did not grab pictures of were the all day buffet, and the adults only "Solarium" indoor pool and hot tub area. We had our first of main dining room meals for dinner that night. A fantastic New York Strip steak for me. On this ship, which I assume is standard practice across the cruising world, dinner was included each night in the main dining room, as was breakfast each day, and lunch on sea days. I believe the buffet was open for all three meals every day. We didn't eat much in the buffet as we found that the food in there was similar in variety to the main dining room, just not as good. The following day was a day at sea which we spent eating, drinking, eating some more, and drinking some more. All between swimming, playing bingo, attending various presentations, and checking out the shops on board the ship. These birds were following us most of journey from Fort Lauderdale to Labadee. I couldn't make out exactly what they were. Some sort of seagull I suppose. It was fun to enjoy the ocean breeze and watch these guys fly around. It's the little things in life. Some more photos. Not a ton to take pictures of as we were in the middle of the ocean. In the first picture you can see the coast of Cuba in the distance as we passed by. For dinner that night we did a specialty dining experience at Chops Steakhouse. It was "okay". I sort of wish we would have just eaten in the main dining room for free but we wanted to do something special since it was my girlfriend's birthday that day. That being said the service was superb and they even brought an extra special dessert not on the menu when they found out it was her birthday. Service across the entire ship was beyond outstanding. They truly make you feel like royalty, no pun intended. Hah! I believe we spent that night watching a Broadway show, and then it was off to bed with our first port day tomorrow in Labadee Haiti, which features the main reason I am including this trip on this thread, a roller coaster! Thanks for reading!

Six Flags has officially announced the sale of seven properties to real estate investment firm EPR Properties: https://www.sixflags.com/blog/looking-forward-a-new-chapter-for-six-flags At Six Flags, creating unforgettable moments has always been at the heart of everything we do. Every twist, turn, splash, and scream-worthy drop is driven by one mission: bringing joy to millions of guests and families year after year. Sometimes, staying true to that mission means making thoughtful decisions about where we focus our energy so we can keep delivering the thrills and experiences our guests expect. Today, we’re sharing an important update about the future of Six Flags—one that strengthens our foundation, sharpens our focus, and supports long-term growth across our parks. Streamlining Our Portfolio to Focus on What Matters Most As part of our ongoing strategy to optimize and strengthen our park portfolio, Six Flags has entered into definitive agreements to sell seven parks to EPR Properties. These parks include: Michigan’s Adventure (Grand Rapids, MI) Schlitterbahn Waterpark Galveston (Galveston, TX) Six Flags Great Escape (Queensbury, NY) Six Flags La Ronde (Montreal, QC) Six Flags St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) Valleyfair (Minneapolis, MN) Worlds of Fun (Kansas City, MO) This step allows us to concentrate on the Six Flags parks with the greatest potential for innovation, expansion, and elevated guest experiences. That means by focusing today, we’re building the foundation for a stronger, more exciting future. What This Means for Our Guests First and foremost: guest experience remains a top priority. EPR Properties will partner with experienced operators—Enchanted Parks for the six U.S. parks and La Ronde Operations, Inc. for La Ronde—to ensure a smooth and seamless transition. Here’s what you can expect: All seven parks will continue normal operations through the 2026 season. All 2026 season passes and active memberships will be honored throughout 2026, including multi‑park access. EPR retains the right to use the Six Flags brand through 2026, which means you will continue to see the same names, signage, and experiences during this transition period. In short, that means uninterrupted fun. Learn more in our FAQs at the end of this blog. A Thoughtful Decision We understand how meaningful these parks are to the communities they serve and to the guests who have grown up visiting them. Our teams at these locations have created countless memories, and they are an important part of the Six Flags family. We are confident in the future of these parks under the care of EPR and its operating partners, who have strong experience managing parks of this scale. At the same time, this decision allows Six Flags to invest more deeply in the parks with the greatest opportunity for growth and innovation.