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Part 14 The Park with a Monster in a Subway: Grona Lund It’s been awhile since I updated this trip report, but before I get started about TPR’s latest visit to Grona Lund, I’d like to express my condolences to the families of the victims and to the park over the tragic accident on Jetline, which happened just a few days after our group had departed Stockholm. To the best of my knowledge, there hasn’t been a final report about what happened, and the ride remains closed. Like Kolmarden, I’ve written a lot about Grona Lund over the years. I’ve visited this park a few times with TPR, and I like the place quite a bit. Even so, there has been a big change at the park since my last visit: Monster, the park’s B&M inverted coaster. When I was there with TPR a few years ago, they gave us a construction tour when the ride station was just a concrete-lined, partly flooded hole in the ground. I’m happy to say that Monster is even better than I’d expected. I love how it swoops over the park, just barely missing the roofs of buildings. There’s even a surprising pop of airtime at one point (not something you expect in a B&M invert) and this cool little “carousel” bit it does at the park boundary. The concrete-lined hole from a few years ago now resembles an old-time subway platform. Monster was definitely worth a solo “Zen ride.” I took one during an ERT session. It was quite a nice experience with just the B&M “roar” for company and some great views of the Stockholm waterfront. Let’s move on to the photos of TPR’s day at Grona Lund. You may see guys in wet t shirts--you have been warned. Morning ERT is serious business, as you can tell from Steve and Big Mike’s expressions. In case you hadn’t heard, this park kind of likes towers. So, you have to walk upstairs to get into the subway to ride Monster? Makes perfect sense. This station needs a barbershop quartet, if they have such things in Sweden. Everyone can now claim that they have truly ridden a Monster. I can’t vouch for how much “stump thumping” occurred or who the “stump thumpers” were. All I know is that "stumps" were, indeed, "thumped." "Why don’t we call it ‘Soarin’ Over Grona Lund’”? “What the hell? A letter from Disney’s lawyers?” “Let’s stick with ‘Monster.’” This drop into the brakes before entering the station is pretty cool. Best final brake run anywhere. Intense, yes, but old geezers like me like it too. (Photo by Elissa, I think.) I don’t want any of you to be too nervous about Insane, but notice I’m not riding it. I think they kind of like it. “My god, what is happening?” Last known photo before they were spun into a different dimension. It appears we have a dissenting vote in the “Do you like Insane?” poll. “Really? We vote both vote ‘yes.’” How’s the Vilde Maus water challenge going, guys? Watch out for that hill! Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened to me, too. What? No water cups? Get the buckets ready. Welcome to one Insane workshop. Intamin in all its naked glory. “YOU THINK I AM INSANE? NO, IT IS YOU WHO ARE INSANE!” “OK, before you Insane guys start carving yourselves up with chainsaws, get your tickets and wristbands.” Er, lady? I don’t think you’re properly dressed for this particular fun-house obstacle. Good luck, men! I see you’re wearing appropriate attire. Eric nearly blends in. Soon he will be one with the FUN DIMENSION! This crazy slide/conveyor belt practically throws you over the side. Eric enters the Multiverse of Madness. When the Swedes build a “Tunnel of Love,” they build a real “Tunnel of Love.” I’ve always been impressed with how well they use space at Grona Lund. The harbor is pretty busy today. I’m glad the giraffe crane is still here . . . . . . as are the Swedish tacos. This Angry Bird went a bit off course. Twister is down for retracking, but I love the old-school sign and entrance. Look--it’s Sarah’s favorite attraction! Just knock on the door, Sarah. Your host will be with you shortly. The “troll tree” is still here, but I guess it doesn’t shoot out flames anymore. I love how Monster just flies over its entrance. Joey has two balls. He is very proud. Elissa was not victorious in this challenge. Another beautiful, old-school ride entrance. Watch the ground rise up to meet you on Ikaros. The sun sets on another beautiful day in Stockholm. We'll be heading to Finland soon.

I just hope Cedar Fair and Six Flags have been paying attention to this thread. Otherwise, they probably never even considered how the FTC will view this merger. Six Flags Saint Louis clientele have been neglected repeatedly over that mindset.

It's cute that you still have any faith in the FTC to enforce antitrust laws.

^ It's actually going to be a new stunt show arena where the cast just rides T3 over and over for twenty minutes seven or eight times a day. Real dangerous stuff, I'm surprised OSHA is allowing it.

Something to add, about Space Mountain. I totally forgot that besides there being a new design look for it, the whole 'mountain' itself was being rebuilt and moved farther back from it's current location! And where the Mountain once stood, a new Plaza is being created. It makes me wonder, if in rebuilding SM, will it be a clone of the original one, or a track re-design and build, etc? Time will tell. Artist Concept art of the new Space Mountain and Plaza at night.

Sorry that was brutal, but it felt good to get it off my chest because the whole thing has been bothering me for months AND I thought the story was pertinent to much of what is happening at the park right now!

Awesome! We're planning to (hopefully) visit* Japan and TDR in <gulp> 2029, when the newly designed (outer) Space Mountain is also open, by then. *If by then, we can still afford it, too. This looks nice, too. Closing in 2024. Re-Opening in 2027.

Tokyo Disney Resort has announced that Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea will be opening on June 6th, 2024! https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/special/fantasysprings/ Oriental Land Co., Ltd. announced that Fantasy Springs, the eighth themed port at Tokyo DisneySea® Park, will open on June 6, 2024. To enter Fantasy Springs and experience the new areas and their attractions, a Standby Pass (available free of charge) or Disney Premier Access (available for a fee) will be required. Fantasy Springs consists of three areas inspired by Walt Disney Animation Studios films: Frozen Kingdom (the Frozen-themed area), Rapunzel’s Forest (the Tangled-themed area) and Peter Pan’s Never Land (the Peter Pan-themed area), as well as the Disney hotel, Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel. Themed to magical springs that lead to a world of Disney fantasy, this new themed port will be the only one of its kind in the world. At the entrance to Fantasy Springs, nestled between Lost River Delta and Arabian Coast, guests will first be welcomed to this world of Disney fantasy by an entry archway adorned with magical springs representing Disney characters such as Anna, Elsa, Rapunzel and Peter Pan. At Frozen Kingdom, with its beautiful views of the kingdom of Arendelle, guests can experience the Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey attraction and enjoy a heartwarming tale of two sisters that discover only true love can thaw a frozen heart, together with some of the well-known songs from the Disney Animation film Frozen. In Rapunzel’s Forest stands a tower where the long-haired princess, Rapunzel, has lived since she was a child. Here, guests can experience the Rapunzel's Lantern Festival attraction and take a romantic boat ride to the annual Lantern Festival. All photos are concept images. © Disney Peter Pan’s Never Land offers spectacular scenery, which includes Captain Hook’s pirate ship and the iconic Skull Rock that guests may recall from the Disney Animation film Peter Pan. At the Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure attraction, guests join Peter Pan and his friends as they encounter Captain Hook and fly over Never Land. The Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies attraction in Pixie Hollow, the fairy valley where Tinker Bell lives, welcomes guests at fairy size to enjoy the changing seasons. Additionally, guests can stop by new restaurants, a merchandise shop and more, each with their own unique charms that bring to life the worlds from the films. Furthermore, guests can enjoy a stay at Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel, which will be the sixth Disney hotel in Japan. This Park-integrated hotel comprises two buildings: the “deluxetype” Fantasy Chateau and the “luxury-type” Grand Chateau. With the addition of this new “luxury-type” option to the current lineup of “value-type,” “moderate-type” and “deluxe-type” hotels, guests can experience an even more personalized resort stay immersed in a Disney dream. To enter Fantasy Springs and enjoy the new locations and attractions, a Standby Pass (available free of charge) or Disney Premier Access (available for a fee) for eligible attractions in Fantasy Springs will be required, in addition to a valid Park ticket for Tokyo DisneySea. With a Standby Pass or Disney Premier Access for an attraction in Fantasy Springs, guests will be able to enter Fantasy Springs at a specified time to enjoy both the new area and the attraction. Standby Pass is available on the Tokyo Disney Resort App, and guests can obtain a Standby Pass free of charge after entering the Park. Guests will be able to experience any of the four attractions at Fantasy Springs with a Standby Pass. Once guests obtain a Standby Pass, they will be able to enter Fantasy Springs to explore the new area and experience the selected attraction at a designated time. Disney Premier Access is available for a fee, and guests can purchase Disney Premier Access using the Tokyo Disney Resort App after entering the Park. Guests will be able to experience three attractions at Fantasy Springs with Disney Premier Access. With Disney Premier Access for an attraction at Fantasy Springs, guests will be able to enter Fantasy Springs at a specified time to explore the new area and experience the selected attraction with a reduced wait time, offering convenience and added flexibility for those who wish to maximize their visit to this new area. Since opening in 2001, Tokyo DisneySea has been transformed after undergoing the largest development in its history, spanning an area of approximately 140,000 m2 . Taking just over five years from the start of construction in May 2019, there has been a total investment of approximately 320 billion yen in this project. The addition of the new themed port, Fantasy Springs, to the world’s only Disney Park themed to the sea promises to deliver even more moments filled with adventure and imagination to guests in Japan and from around the world. Guests can delight in the beginning of a new story at Tokyo DisneySea.

OK, my 2 cents and a story about the boy that used to work at the park as a cautionary tale about lack of management, sorry this is long so read at your own discretion: First I have said before and say again that staffing is one of the biggest improvements needed; across the board, to improve a lot of what you all are complaining about. Now I 100% know that this is easier said than done and agree with whomever stated up thread that the park's location is a great hindrance to this. In addition our park is VERY seasonal and has very few full time jobs so they rely almost entirely on students, retirees, and teachers looking for brief summer work. However, they also shoot themselves in the foot. For example when they reopened after the initial Pandemic shutdown ride op pay was increased, which was nice since after all they were all being required to wear masks outside in the summer heat AND were taking a lot of extra crap from guests over all the policies. Fast forward to the 2023 season and all the ride op pay was reduced back to pre-Pandemic levels. Seriously. Essentially demote those that stuck with you through a couple years of crap? I mean I could maybe see new hires starting out at the old pay. But reduce employees that had been faithful to the park? Second they have to get a proper park President. This whole "sharing" one with the Chicago park is bull. I also think the slashing of middle management that happened a couple years ago is taking a toll. I'll give you a real world example of the effects of this. My son started working at the park as a ride op just before his 16th birthday. He was thrilled. Stayed working there through the Pandemic and all it entailed. Stuck out the summer he was mostly on kid's rides which he did not like. Kept it up through a couple years of Community College (his choice, he just wasn't into a big 4 year school), planned on staying this season even after the pay cut. Even stuck it out when he was inexplicably moved from AT/Log Flume which he really liked to Batman which he was not happy about because he knew the ride crew was not great. No one asked for this move and the leads and supers had no idea why it happened. He was a good ride op. Knew more about how the rides operated than a lot of the supervisors. Worked a majority of the rides in the park. Cleaned up his share of barf without complaining. Never called in and worked every shift he was scheduled, did day off requests way ahead of time and as prescribed by policy. Had more than one incident where he noticed restraints had not been checked by someone else or there was a problem and kept an unsafe train from going out. Etc, etc, you get the picture. Well the policy had always been 3 safeties and then a ride op lost their ride badge, essentially a 3 strikes and you are out rule. Safeties are issued anytime a ride op basically does something unsafe, like cross in front of a train without permission for example. He had never received a safety after 4 full seasons. Early this summer he gets a safety for not looking long enough at the boats on the log flume at the bottom of the first lift hill before launching a new boat. For those that are unaware if they are allowed to stack at the first hill they fill up with water and sink. Yeah. He wasn't written up for not checking, the super just didn't think he looked long enough. Ok. You do get to write out your side of the story, which he did but basically laughed it off as the super having a bad day instead of fighting it. Fine. Then after he is moved to Batman they are loading a train, he is at the panel, ALL ride ops give their thumbs up that restraints are checked and they are in the safe zone and the way is clear. He launches the train, then one of the ops moves out of the safety box and he has to e-stop the train for the ops safety. Safety issued to each member of the crew. Reports written out. Super tells him standard procedure, don't worry it won't stand, only the op that moved where they shouldn't have will get the safety. Nope. Entire crew gets safety and oh yeah we reduced it from 3 to 2 so they pull his ride badge. Now it is what it is. Shit happens and we all get screwed sometimes and have to pay our dues. Hard lesson learned, he probably could have and should have gotten the first safety reversed. And to be totally fair he knew it was his last season. At this point there are 3 weeks of daily operations left. He cannot go on rides again until next season, which he knows he won't be coming back because he will need to move on and get a real full time adult job since he is finishing up school. But they tell him they need people to do fastpass and he can do that. He says fine, he had planned on the income for those weeks and will just stick it out. Ok, fast pass will call you. Several days go by and no call. After 3 weeks, several phone calls on his part and a physical visit to human resources...............they apologize with a so sorry Person A thought Person B had called and Person B thought Person A had called and no one seemed to notice you weren't being scheduled............! Why the long tale? This caused him to lose 3 weeks of expected pay, the park to be short in two departments while an employee was available and wanting to work, an unnecessary blow to a young man's self esteem, and an abrupt end to what had been a proud employee. IF there had been better management in place all of this could have been avoided. Without a dedicated park president and a team that is beholden to him or her on a daily basis things and people are falling through the cracks. I believe better management could have provided training to get him his ride badge back (I am NOT advocating that they skimp on safety issues but clearly there should be some nuance here by a higher up that can evaluate the situation, the whole ride crew did not deserve a safety) or at least get him moved over within a day to the other department, not just "oh didn't you get called, we had no idea" Clearly no one was checking their voicemail or email or getting messages from HR. Meanwhile, he was still getting emails asking him to take shifts on Batman despite his badge being pulled and they were advertising for employees needed at fastpass. And why is fastpass a whole separate crew? Ride ops can do it instead of paying someone to just stand at the fastpass entrance and do nothing else but scan people in. He wasn't fired, he wasn't scheduled, he was in a void for 3 weeks. I could go on but you get the idea. Management seems to be a total mess right now and that has got to get fixed in order to improve all the things that make a park a great park. I have no idea if they couldn't find a qualified park pres or if they just decided to do it on the cheap; but it is not working to share. We can go back and forth with whether or not the landscaping is up to par. Something I tend to notice. If the ride lineup is good. If the special events are done well. Yada, yada, yada.......but until they properly manage the park and employees none of that will show huge improvement. I agree that RR and the new flat for next year are positive improvements but they have to get the management situation fixed. I am VERY curious to see how this plays out with the new CF merger! As well as what it means for season passes. We have kept our DE VIP memberships not so much just for our park but because we travel to multiple parks every year. Currently this is one of the more active threads, not sure if it's because we are a bitchy bunch, passionate about our park, a little of both? In the end good or bad this park holds a lot of memories for me and I really really do want to see it succeed. So moving forward and fingers crossed. And just in case anyone is wondering. Joel is fine. He did work about a month's worth of weekends dong fastpass, after they realized oh yeah we should schedule you, just because it was convenient money while job hunting during the week. He finished some school, got some IT certifications and is now working, at age 20, his first full time adult job as a field technician for a big and well established tech company.