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I don't think anyone can judge a ride's speed by looking at off ride footage or POVs, especially when it's testing. Everytime we see a new coaster test it seems half the comments are about how fast it looks, while the other are about how slow it looks. Besides the fact there are so many factors at play here (empty trains, different wheel composites, trying different launch speeds etc), it's just difficult to tell how a coaster will feel by just sitting and watching it on a computer screen. For example, I always think Skyrush looks pretty average, but my shattered thigh bones beg to differ - not saying this will be anything like Skyrush, by the way, it's an example of expectation vs reality.

Promise I have a 1994 POV of Mr. Rodgers on a VHS tape at my parents home. Will get that up over the next few weeks. Losing that was a tragedy, I have no idea what the new version looks like.

Steel Pier I had tried going to Steel Pier once before in 2017, but the park closed shortly before I arrived. This is one of those parks that has a rolling closure depending on attendance. So this time, I made sure to arrive midday. I parked across the street at the Hard Rock Casino and made my way to Steel Pier. Like many of the Jersey Boardwalk parks, social distancing and mask compliance was an afterthought to most guests. However, the park was reasonably dead in the afternoon on a weekday, so it wasn't an issue for me. I was in and out of the park in less than an hour. The park is home to two coasters, most notably a historic Reverchon spinning coaster. This was the prototype that was relocated from the defunct Dinosaur Beach. And I have to say, it's one of the best compact spinners. This one has a great location alongside the Atlantic Ocean and this one spun a lot...if you got the right vehicle. There was one vehicle that consistently wouldn't spin, so I made sure to avoid that one. 5 out of 10 Just a warning for any enthusiast going to Steel Pier by themselves, Crazy Mouse doesn't allow single riders, a restriction you won't find anywhere on their website. It's also laughably sketchy. You have these sun-faded, ragtag signs alongside the station. The vehicles collide into each other in the station. And best of all, there was an employee atop the station manually taking the on-ride photos since the automatic one was down. That's something you'll never see at a corporate park! The other coaster is Loco Motion, a SBF non-spinning coaster. This coaster was surprisingly shaky for a kids coaster and it kept sending me around and around much to my chagrin. I definitely earned this credit! 1 out of 10 The only other ride I experienced was their giant observation wheel which is creatively named the Wheel. It was pricey, but the views of the park, the ocean, and Atlantic City were spectacular. 9 out of 10 Unless Steel Pier adds a new coaster, I probably won't be back here. It's fine for what it is, but it's a pricey pit stop for some off-the-shelf rides I can experience elsewhere. I'd prefer to spend my time at the other Jersey boardwalk parks. And that's especially true since Atlantic City isn't really appealing to me as a whole.

Universal Orlando has announced the grand opening date of Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites, as well as the reopening of Loews Portofino Bay Hotel! Dockside Inn and Suites will open to guests on December 15th and Portofino Bay will reopen on December 1st! Universal’s Endless Summer Resort – Dockside Inn and Suites, the newest hotel at Universal Orlando Resort, will open to guests for the first time on December 15, 2020 with an impressively low starting rate of $79 per night. Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando will also resume operations on December 1, 2020. Safety and well-being protocols will be in place throughout both hotels, as they are across all of Universal Orlando’s hotels and theme parks. Loews Portofino Bay Hotel will welcome back guests with newly-renovated rooms and suites throughout the hotel. Guests can relax in surroundings inspired by the beauty, romance and charm of the picturesque seaside village of Portofino, Italy. A stay at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel includes free Universal Express Unlimited benefits to skip the regular lines at participating rides and attractions at the theme parks. To book a stay, visit https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/places-to-stay/loews-portofino-bay-hotel. Dockside Inn and Suites will be the second hotel in the destination’s Value category, joining sister property Surfside Inn and Suites. The extra-affordable resort will add 2,050 guest rooms, featuring standard rooms and spacious 2-Bedroom Suites. And with the low $79 per night rate, the all-new hotel creates a value experience that is unmatched in the Orlando area. Brought to life by the award-winning Universal Creative team, Dockside Inn and Suites will make guests feel like they have escaped to the perfect sunset with the cool, calm feeling of a beach retreat. It’s the destination’s eighth property in partnership with Loews Hotels & Co, providing Universal Orlando guests with a variety of hotel options for every style and budget, complete with exclusive theme park benefits and a seamless vacation experience. At Dockside Inn and Suites, guests can experience all that the hotel and Universal Orlando have to offer, including: 2-Bedroom Suites – These suites, which make up more than half the rooms at both Dockside Inn and Suites & Surfside Inn and Suites, sleep up to six and offer guests an unrivaled value. With two separate rooms, families no longer need two connecting rooms for extra space. There is also a kitchenette area, a picnic table for meals and hanging out, and a bathroom with separate bath and vanity areas so multiple people can get ready at once. The 2-Bedroom Suites begin as low as $120 per night based on a four-night stay. Exclusive Theme Park Benefits – Hotel guests receive exclusive benefits including Early Park Admission to the theme parks, complimentary and convenient shuttle bus transportation, charging privileges with their room key and more. Pier 8 Market – The all-American Pier 8 Market offers casual dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu will feature extra-affordable options with most dishes under $12, ranging from themed comfort foods to convenient on-the-go options. Awesome Amenities – The lobby bar, Sunset Lounge, serves specialty cocktails and is the perfect place to unwind after a day at the theme parks. The hotel will feature two pools and two pool bars as well as a Universal Orlando Vacation Planning Center, Universal Studios Store and more. To learn more about this brand new hotel or to make a reservation, call 1-888-464-3617 or visit http://www.universalorlando.com/dockside. Universal Orlando continues to implement its enhanced health and safety procedures and guidelines focused on “screening, spacing and sanitization” across its entire destination, including its hotels. Key measures include requiring face coverings, requiring temperature checks for guests and team members, enhanced cleaning of guest rooms and public areas, managing capacity at food and beverage outlets, offering several contactless experiences and more. For more details on our safety measures, please visit: https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/us/plan-your-visit/safety-faqs.

Just came back from a visit here. I chose this day specifically because it was a weekday during the magic time between fright fest and HITP where the whole park is open but there are no special holiday events to drive up crowds. It turns out, today absolutely was the perfect day to visit. The weather was beautiful, everything I cared about was running, and the crowds were super light - I rarely waited much more than 20 min for a ride, and many rides were station waits! Arrived around 12:30 and left at 7 (park close). Mask wearing was decent enough (maybe 75%ish wearing it correctly) though distancing was often somewhat challenging, as I expected from other's reports. No pics, sorry! Rides we rode along with relevant notes/observations Justice League, x1, 5 min wait or less, got a score of >70k I think Batman, back row, x1, line was down the stairs, the stair tunnel thing was infested with ladybugs, but I'm not complaining since I find them cute. Forgot how awesome this thing is, intense and super snappy without much headbanging! I might like this a bit more than Nitro! Nitro, x2, line was down the stairs but the ops lived up to their reputation, dispatching trains right as the one behind it hits the brake most of the time. Great floater as usual, and somewhat intense helix, though the midcourse did slow us down quite a bit. SkyScreamer, x1, 10-15 min wait El Toro, x2, one in row 17 (op granted request), one in row 1 (got lucky with placement, and decided I'd give it a shot despite knowing row 17 is better). It's running really well, and with the warm weather the ejector was insane, and the turns after the RT hill were actually pretty fun. Front row only has 3 ejector moments, but while they aren't as strong as the back, they might be a bit more sustained. If you've already ridden Toro and get the chance at a front row ride, I'd recommend trying it at least once, but back is definitely better. Kingda Ka, x3, very front, very back, and middle-back. Holy crap, this was a station wait! Not sure when's the next time I'll see that, so we took advantage of the opportunity and rode 3 times. KK ran reasonably consistent, with no extended downtime beyond maybe some 10 min or so spurts. Front row KK is every bit as awesome as people said, and back row KK wasn't as brutal as people made it out to be. Shaky and rattly, yes, but certainly not unbearably so. IMO any row in KK is a blast, but that front row ride, with that 100mph wind and the view, is something else! Zumenjaro, x1, nothing particularly different from my previous rides. Fun and (if you're afraid of heights) scary climb to the top, seconds of intense anticipation, then a drop which after the initial kick, just feels like you're kinda moving downward really fast as opposed to falling to your doom. Beware of the brakes, I had my head stuck out a bit forward, and the brake caused my torso to bend over forwards uncomfortably as we decelerated Green Lantern, x1, Snappy and very intense, it does hurt your legs especially in the latter half, and it can be described as an endurance test in some regards. If you're OK with the super strong G forces on your legs it can be fun. Probably the most positive G heavy ride in the park IMO Superman, x1, running both trains with impressive dispatch times by Superman standards. Awesome pretzel loop, followed by just plain fun. Twister (the Twix ride), x1, very short cycle, but what they did have was pretty fun, I think we got like 4-5 flips. Bizzaro, x1, front, almost a walk-on, two trains and dispatches before the other train hit the brakes. Fire was working, misters were off probably because of the time of year. Fun snappy ride, but there is some unfortunate headbanging. Mine Train, x1, 2nd row (front was roped off) run, old school ride. Janky arrow profiling of course, but it actually tracked pretty smooth, just prepare for the wild Arrow transitions especially towards the end lest you slam into the person next to you or into something else! Also holy crap the front gives legit ejector on that last hill before the mandatory photo-op turn (you know which one). Sorry Skull mountain, you're first drop is great, but the mine train has you beat. Sky ride, x1 (Mine train --> skull mountain). Excellent skyride, especially at night. For some reason they were using the left hand queue to load the right-hand gondolas, not sure why. Skull Mountain, x1, stopped by under an hour before park close, walked right on to back row. First drop is still awesome as usual, with the rest being typical family coaster twistiness with disco-skull in the middle and no other theming. Don't they usually play music inside this ride? It felt weirdly quiet Wonder Woman, x1, finished the night with this one, by far the longest wait at over 30 min. First ride on a giant pendulum (the closest thing I'd done before is HP's Claw) and yeah, it's awesome! The swings are super high, you get turned a little upsidedown, and the bottoms of the large swings pull some great G's. Add to that a reasonably long ride cycle and you have a great way to end off the night! Worth noting: all coasters I rode ran two (but not 3) trains, except the mine train which ran only 1. All rides had groupers, some of which granted requests, and some on which didn't. At KK, the grouper allowed me to let some parties ahead of us so that we could nab front row, but when I tried it again later he wouldn't let me, perhaps because I had already done it once (it was the same guy). Overall, I had an excellent day here, probably my favorite of my 4 visits so far! I hope to visit again soon, thanks for reading!

Zach Riddley from Walt Disney Imagineering has shared this new sneak peek at the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind coaster trains! https://www.instagram.com/p/CHN7LPLB_5C/ Here is an exclusive sneak peek of two of our ride engineers as they prep some of EPCOT’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind vehicles at our warehouse in Florida. If you look closely at the colorful paint design on the vehicles (called coaches in roller coaster engineering parlance), each one is unique with different wear patterns and impact marks. Imagineers were inspired by markings that appear on NASA Space Shuttles and other spacecraft upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. We can’t wait to share more on this truly out-of-this-world, awesome attraction as we make progress on construction and put these coaches on the track!

Did they happen to mention how heavy that train is?

Looks like they are setting up for Holiday in the Park according to this video show by Santa Clarita Drone. 0:00 - Holiday in the Parking coming? Decorations say possibly. 1:42 - Raptor area, no visible construction 3:03 - Construction in front of ticket booths. Temperature check area? 3:35 - Random park shots

Please reopen California’s amusement parks! Done, thanks for the help on this. I don't think it'll do much good, but I did my part! I really miss Magic Mountain!

The new coaster