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Showing content with the highest reputation since 07/01/2025 in Posts

  1. Soo after years of saying I wanted to, and my work blessing me with two days off in a row, I finally booked a very last-minute trip and made my way up here on the 17th. With that, the downside to this was that I only had a day in this park but I feel like I made the most of it. I did spend the extra $20 to get the drink pass and upon getting there decided also to buy the express - it looked like it was going to be a busier day in the park, and again I only had a day and wanted to ensure I was able to do everything. I did still miss some stuff, mostly the flatrides and I chose to skip Corkscrew. Steel Vengeance and Maverick are the hidden gems in the back of the park. SV is insane. I went into Maverick blind so I was also pleasantly surprised by it. Both coasters really pack some punches. I did find Maverick to be uncomfortable but that was kinda my own fault - accidentally stapled myself into the restraints. Rougarou exists. Ops were fun though. I kept track of my coaster credits because I wanted #50 (I know, I know... baby numbers) to be one of the crazy ones. After finally seeing TT2 with my own eyes it was kinda intimidating and it took me like all day to psyche myself up to do it. Made Siren's Curse my 50th credit. They put me and another single rider in the front. Terrifying. I'm gonna need that ride audio on Spotify or something though. I love the theming even if it is minimal, though I know its nitpicky, I do wish the track was green or teal instead of red. I just think it'd be more aesthetically pleasing. Iron Dragon is a fun family coaster. Happy I can cross a coaster like that off my list. Took a food break (all the food is great btw!) then did Gemini. Only one train on this day idk if that's a common occurance or not. Had more fun than I thought I would, though I was sat behind a kid who kept flailing his arms backwards and hitting me though, that was a little annoying. Got in line for Millennium Force three separate times (it was soft down the first two, then I had to unload on the third time.) Apparently the gates to get on the ride are suuuuper finnicky, and if people push or pull on them or whatever it can cause the trains to e-stop. Op explained this to everyone in line because I guess that caused a train to e-stop right before the unload. The more you know! Besides that, the actual coaster is very fun. I know it's a mixed bag on here but I found Valravn was very fun. I go back and forth between that and SV being my third favorite coaster here. Also my first experience with a dive coaster so that may be part of it. I survived Blue Streak I liked Raptor. I did not have high expectations because I don't love coasters of that style (please understand my home park is SFDL so my only other experience is Mind Eraser.) Magnum was alright. I fortunately didn't end up with bruises but it was a pretty rough ride. GateKeeper is fun. Literally just felt like I was flying, also adored it being in the front of the park and the 'theming' if you will with that. TT2 ended up being my last ride though not totally by choice. It went down four separate times while I was in line for it. Literally would run a few cycles with people, then would see it was just testing. By #3 I almost cut my losses and was about to just reride some favorites but I was already waiting for that long, I may as well see it through. I did not regret it, I literally don't have words. What an insane coaster. It's just... an experience you need to have if you're an enthusiast. By the time I got off it was a little past 9, so barely an hour left of park open. I wanted to try to still get some rerides in, but Iron Dragon went down around 8 and never reopened, and when I got off TT2 it went down again, and Siren's and MF were also down. So I decided that was my sign and headed out. My overall thoughts, now that I've actually experienced it CP very much deserves the hype it gets. It definitely makes the top 10 on my favorite parks list, probably even in the top 3. It probably will be a long while before I get to come back, but when I do I definitely will plan it better and make a longer trip out of it - so I can have a few days in the park and don't have to speedrun everything and can even take a day to the water park. I'm sure there's some stuff I missed but this is already a very long trip recap, sorry lol. I literally have dreams about some of these coasters I cannot wait to be back one day. That's all.
    6 points
  2. As some of you may know I am the guy who put off his vacation when Dragster had its accident and I decided I didn’t want to come unless it was replaced or “remastered”. Then when it did come back reimagined I once again stopped my plans when it went down early in the season. And boy am I glad I did wait(more on that later). I stayed at hotel breakers with my mother from July 14-July 19. So I got 4 full park days and a half a day when we arrived because we got to the park at like 2pm. I’ve never done a trip report before so if this is a little rough bear with me. I have tons of thoughts, hot takes and opinions I’d really like to share. Let me start with the good. Immediately upon arriving they were able to accommodate our early check in request and had the room ready. Room was tidy, had no bad smells and had a perfect view of TT2(as I had requested lol). Immediately the hotel staff made us feel very welcome and had no issues answering our questions or taking our trash away. They were very very quick to respond to all requests such as extra blankets or coming by to pick up the trash(we were told to leave it outside the door). This kindness extended to the ride ops and all park staff we encountered. Everyone was super nice! The rides! After hearing on Facebook so many awful accounts of rides being closed that simply wasn’t my experience at all. Yeah Millie and Maverick went down twice at two inconvenient times but other than that I barely ever saw a ride closed. Let’s start with B&M’s. First thing I did was ride gatekeeper in the front row on the left. Starting the ride off with an inversion that flips you over the tracks was an awesome sensation! I really enjoyed it and the gate elements added a lot of fun to the ride experience. Rougaru was meh in terms of layout and honestly I didn’t enjoy it enough to ride more than once. Ironically I think my opinion of it would be far better if it was still a standup ride. But it was by no means bad and I didn’t find that my head banged around too hard. Raptor was awesome! My favorite B&M in the park by a good margin. It had a great layout with wippy inversions and a final helix that seems to go on forever(my favorite part). Unfortunately I do agree with the people who find Valraven very dull. It felt completely forceless to me and honestly I only have two good things to say about it. The smoothness and that last inversion gives you a little bit of hang time. I’m simply not much of a fan of Dive coasters Speaking of Forceless, let’s get to Millie. I have heard this ride called Millennium forcless for as long as I knew it existed. I got a front row seat for the first ride and was immediately struck by the view, the videos don’t do it justice. The first drop was awesome but I immediately greyed out in the helix and went on to grey out twice more in the layout. The ride was smooth and fun but I absolutely did not find it forcless at all! I do prefer Fury but this ride has aged VERY WELL IMO. I greyed out on that first Helix every single time. Magnum. Honestly respect the ride for its history but I hated it. Just too painful and I have massive bruises from it. Corkscrew, Gemini and Blue streak were also not very pleasant to be on and frankly I rode them just to say I tried them lol. The only two coasters I did not ride was Iron Dragon and Cedar creek mine ride. Wild mouse by Zamperla was fun! The only thing wrong with it was its very short layout. Great family ride. Let’s move on to the other Zamperla creation and my new number one coaster. TT2 was worth the wait and then some. Being thrown back at 100mph at like 350 feet was simply incredible. Both in view and strong floater airtime. Going up that top hat was really quite intense and being jerked over it into the downward spiral was nuts(especially back row). It bordered on uncomfortable but man I absolutely loved it guys. I have a TT2 blanket on me as I type this Sirens curse was very fun and while Cedar Point isn’t lacking in great coasters this was more than a solid addition. My only gripe with the ride is that I wish it had a bigger drop. The layout after the drop was really good and had no down time(great pacing). And man it was potentially the smoothest coaster I’ve ever ridden. The Vekoma at my home park is night and day difference in smoothness. Also that light package for nighttime is absolutely gorgeous and the on ride audio was super neat. Not to mention the very good theming around the queue. It’s not Disney, but they clearly cared and it shows. Next up we have two absolute gems! Maverick and Steel Vengeance. Both of these rides lived up to my high expectations. Mavericks low to the ground layout and snappy elements remind you that size isn’t everything. The launch under the station is a genius way to keep the layout compact. And boy at night you feel like you’re getting launched into the wall. Both Maverick and Vengeance are better at night. Steel Vengeance was completely insane. Like to the point I’m still not sure if it’s a great ride just because of the sheer intensity. The layout and ejector airtime simply can’t be appreciated by a forum post or a YouTube video. I would argue that as great as the first half is that the second half is even better. Visually just going through all that wood was so disorienting in the best way possible. And you really feel out of control. It’s probably the most intense ride I’ve ever ridden. I think I do prefer Maverick simply because I found it more comfortable as Steve was hard on my legs. I also loved how the rides very much feel like rivals and that the park embraced that fully with a backstory. The flat rides were good! Max air and skyhawk were standouts. I found power tower to be disappointing. You simply don’t drop far enough imo I really don’t have many negatives but they do exist. I think the employees being forced to ask every single time if you want a souvenir cup even if you’re holding one got old fast. I was very polite to them as I was informed beforehand they get into trouble if they don’t ask. It made me feel sad for them because you always have A Holes who you know treat them badly over it. The breakers wasn’t disgusting or anything but it certainly didn’t feel its price. I understand they’re getting away with that though because it’s simply a 5 star location and the convenience is ridiculously nice. I feel spoiled staying on site. The all season drink plan was so sooooo worth it. Getting to fill your body with power aide came in extremely clutch in the hot weather where it’s a struggle just to stay hydrated. I also really liked the food. Cheese on a stick didn’t disappoint me and the portion of fries with my meal was very large! The macaroni and cheese was to die for as well. We ended up eating outside the park one night at a place that was called Brick oven bistro or something like that. We loved our food and the price was very reasonable. Anyway guys my trip was everything I hoped for and more. The only bad part was my mom didn’t want to ride much. None of my guy friends or coaster buddies were available this summer (work, kids etc etc). But my mom did surprise me. She rode Sirens curse, gatekeeper, Valraven(the GP seem to adore this one) and I somehow talked her into riding Maverick even though she had read how intense it was. She walked away with Maverick being her favorite by far! If you know my mom this was a BIG plot twist lol. Unfortunately on our last night at the park we were in the queue and it broke and never reopened, so she never got her night ride in. Cedar point simply can’t be missed and I’m already hoping to return in a few years. 10/10 trip. I am so jealous some people get this as their home park. And with Kings Island not being too far it’s an embarrassment of riches for Ohio.
    6 points
  3. He has expressed disdain for enthusiasts and this hobby repeatedly and yet he spends a lot of time on here communicating with said enthusiasts; a classic bully. Don't waste the time, he isn't worth it. Instead lets celebrate you! Congrats on doing what makes you happy and achieving a goal, doesn't matter a wink what others think. As a parent and teacher I want to congratulate you personally for advocating for yourself! I know from first hand experience that is often a difficult thing for someone on the spectrum to do. So, live the life that makes you happy, be kind, be accepting, and focus on the things and people that make you feel happy and fulfilled. Good luck!!
    4 points
  4. I'm sorry that another member of the community is treating you this way. For one, I appreciate your enthusiasm for the hobby, so please keep posting your updates.
    4 points
  5. Holiday in the Park canned AND 2026 coaster will not be happening for at least one more year. Thank you Cedar Fair for officially destroying everything good about this park.
    4 points
  6. Day 1: Waldameer Basically more of a pit stop than anything, but it was my first time here. Arrived shortly before 5 and was pleased to see they offered an after 5pm wristband for $29 (I was prepared to buy $40-50 in tickets) so my day was already off to a good start. Started off with a front row ride on Ravine Flyer II as it was only running 1 train, but ops were decently quick with loading. Front row was pretty good, a few pops of air but nothing to really write home about. But I would return later... Stopped by Pirates Cove which was a walk on and certainly an interesting walk through fun house. Lots of cool gas and a couple dizzying crooked sections. You don't find these too often anymore so it was really awesome checking this out. Intended on riding the Flume next but it was down and drained with maintenance milling about in various areas. So I continued back to get by Steel Dragon credit. Pretty much a walk on, not the greatest spinner but a couple briefly intense sections. Didn't spin a whole lot. Right next door was the awesome Larson drop tower XScream. I would be perfectly happy lapping one of these for hours on end. I was on limited time, or I would've done the same here. I love these things. Wish there were more of them. Noted the Flume was starting to fill back up with water, I quickly detoured over to Comet to get my final credit of the day (with only two hours I wasn't wasting my time with the kiddie coaster and the Visa). This was running 2 trains and was a really fun, perfectly smooth family woodie. Even had a couple quick moments of floater. Too bad these junior woodies are as rare as they are, they almost all run good. Headed back over towards the empty Log Flume which was cycling empty logs. As fate would have it, maintenance shouted down to the greeter to open the ride right when I walked up and I would be the first one in. This is a really awesome Flume. Neat tunnel section at the beginning and two good drops. Nice splash but not totally soaking. Two thumbs up for this flume, which is very popular as the line filled right up behind me so I'm glad I got to it when I did. Unlike Great Adventure, Waldameer knows how to quickly get a Fluke fixed and back running! Was 6:15 by this point and I rode everything I wanted except Whacky Shack which had a long slow line, so I headed back to Ravine Flyer for a 20 minute wait and back row ride. This is absolutely a back row coaster, the first drop is insane back there and the intensity throughout is turned up to 10. While the front felt kind of controlled and graceful, the back felt like a rampage through most of the ride. I thought this coaster felt similar to Excalibur at Funtown, maybe slightly more intense. Hope to get back to it someday. Walking back through the park I noticed the line for Whacky Shack was a lot shorter so I hopped on. Another very fun dark ride. Really enjoyed this just as much as its neighbor. Finished up with one more quick ride on XScream. Had to hit the road to Michigan and was sad to have to leave the park so quick. This is a great little park with a world class woodie, a couple fun support coasters, a great flume, 2 fun dark rides, a Larson Tower, and what looked like a very good package of flats. Not to mention it has a lot of charm and is very family friendly. Felt like a better Canobie. Off to Michigan's Adventure tomorrow and FINALLY riding Shivering Timbers for the first time. Can't wait!
    4 points
  7. Quick little report from our visit on Saturday. As I said earlier in the thread this was my first every visit. We got SUPER lucky and the park announced on Thursday that Alpenfury would actually be open on Saturday. We had planned on visiting Friday to avoid such huge Saturday crowds but decided to change so we could get on Alpenfury, and that we did! We got to the park around 3pm after visiting some family in the Toronto area. By this point obviously Alpenfury had a huuuuuuge line. Heard reports of around 5 hours? My girlfriend has a disability pass so we waited in the ADA line and got on in about 30 minutes. WOW what a ride! I haven't been left speechless by many rides but Alpenfury did it. Absolutely bonkers crazy from start to finish. Even the first launch and airtime hill hit before all hell breaks loose. Top 10 potentially? Only rode it once so I'll have a better idea after I ride it some more next weekend. Some other thoughts: -Minebuster retrack is great. Can't wait for them to do the whole thing -Wilde Beast was my 100th wooden coaster credit. It sucked. -Behemoth... meh. -Leviathian is fantastic! Reminded me more of Millennium than it does the other B&M gigas. Great ride. -Yukon Striker is also GREAT. Way smoother than Valravn. Great pacing. First drop seems to go forever. -Lots of tweens and teens causing a ruckus. Is there no chaperone policy at this park? Saw multiple brutal bloody fights. There was also an incident at Leviathan at the end of the night where a weapon was allegedly seen and caused a panic. I will say though that Wonderland security was FANTASTIC and always very quick to the scene when there was an issue, and in large number. -Last thought, wow this park is PRETTY. The vibe and look of the park is fantastic and every employee we encountered was very nice. Not quite Dollywood level but better than almost all regional parks. Easily one of my top parks now. Here's some pictures for y'all:
    4 points
  8. Um, what? CF has historically had NO issues relocating coasters. Off the top of my head: Stealth (CGA)->Nighthawk (CW) X-Flight (GL)->Firehawk (KI) Invertigo (CGA)->Stinger(DP) Dominator (GL)->Dominator(KD) Head Spin (GL)->Flying Cobras (CW) Steel Venom (GL)->Possessed (DP) Thunderhawk (GL)->Thunderhawk (MI) Most of those were relocations from a park they owned and closed (Geauga Lake) to other parks in the chain. There is no reason to think that moving a coaster from SFA to any other park is off the table for that reason. If anything, I'd say it's substantially cheaper to relocate an existing ride, especially given the current tariff situation going on.
    3 points
  9. I made a quick visit to the park last Wednesday, not just for riding a few rides, but also buying some popcorn and seeing how much can go into my Playland Popcorn Bucket. Turns out the Large is twice what my little plastic "pail" can hold. Next time, I'll get the smaller size and see how that works out. On my usual way to the park. Once inside, I turn left and see this. The log flume ("we're riding in a ....") is at the front of the park. Pretty basic layout. Still gives a good WET thrill. Now THIS is landscaping, lol! Too bad there's not more of this around the park. My popcorn destination: The Snack Shack. I can already see that it won't all go into my bucket. It's twice as much popcorn. So next time, I'll get the smaller bag. Work on the Amphitheatre is looking good there. This was a quickie TR, so I end this one with the usual WHEEEEEE!
    3 points
  10. Look, what is up with your hatred for me?? I'm autistic, and I'm doing what makes me happy. You have no right to troll me about my life. You hardly even know me. I only go to Dorney about once or twice a year, and most of the time, Lucy isn't there. It's usually Pig-Pen and Sally, and sometimes Peppermint. Lucy met as part of a show, that's why I was able to meet her. You are being unnecessarily ableist for an active member of this community. Getting your pants in a bunch over someone who isn't jaded and hating on them for being a "22-year-old who talks to theme park characters" is proof. ISTG, even now, everyone "accepts" autistics, but something about me just turns them off.
    3 points
  11. So we decided to surprise our son, who is in love with Minions and Nintendo with a trip to Universal Studios Japan for his 9th birthday. Flying Dinosaur has been on my bucket list for ages, and I do love Nintendo so we started planning. As we sat about budgeting, we were really unsure about the fast-pass situation. They'd been expensive before but with mine-cart now open, the new prices had just gone through the roof. Then 2 things happened. First Flying Dinosaur announced maintenance for when we would go, and my son suddenly found a third interest: Transformers....well mostly Bumblebee. When we looked at the cost of flying over for four days in Osaka with hotel and including USJ tickets and fast passes, which bear in mind is only a 90-minute flight from us, we actually found that same money could be streched enough to get us 7 days in Singapore (6 hour flight) in a nice hotel on the beach. As much as I love USJ I think the income bracket we are on is not the target market anymore, and it was just a no-brainer for us to use the money to take a long vacation and do Minions Land in Singapore with Transformers even if it meant missing out on my chance for Flying Dinosaur and Nintendo again. So here we are at Universal Singapore... So controversial opinion: This was my second trip to Universal Singapore. It's a nice park, but.... my opinion hasn't changed in that it still feels like a 'casino/resort permission park.' You see a lot of places in Asia, even in Korea, where companies want to set up a casino/hotel or resort/shopping area and to get permission, they include a park to make sure to get the rights, but you can tell the park is just there to get other things through. For example in Korea some parks list even playgrounds, talking trees, or gift shops on the attractions page just to try and make the list look bigger than it is. Universal is much nicer than any others but it still felt a little bit that way on my 2nd visit. The selfie game has been raised in Singapore. I didn't see too many selfies sticks but saw families with small drones that would hover in front of them instead to take the family photos. The park opening had this lady hold a cheering contest on both sides. Winners were given fast passes, but they seemed to only pick from the front row, so if you want a chance, arrive early. My son and some other children were a little off center, but it seemed the policy is only front row people in the actual entry lines. Don't be fooled that the park is still very quiet. We let the opening rush in first so we could enjoy the stroll but the park is quite busy in the mornings. Lines dropped near the end of the day but every ride averaged 30-60 minutes until the evening. The covers over the New York area were a welcome respite from the heat. Again, most people were running to rides. Sesame Street was already 40 minutes when we passed it, but we'd heard from others that ride would drop significantly later. So our first stop was Lights, Camera, Action! It's a shame these types of rides are disappearing. It's easy to forget that there are lots of children who have no idea how movie magic is made. Yes, it's very manufactured to an adult but for my 9 year old, this ended up being his favorite thing. Seeing 'Behind the scenes' blew his mind and was his favorite of the day despite his love of Minions and Bumblebee. It was at this point I realised my choice of where to stand was a huge mistake. 10.MOV Transformers was a 60-minute queue but was another ride we'd been advised to go back to in the afternoon. My son wanted to meet Bumblebee but also really wanted a talking encounter with Megatron. Hong Kong Disneyland had trained it into my son that if you weren't in line for a character before they arrived, you weren't getting that meeting, so we were made to line up since the staff told us Bumblebee was coming. The announcements however had been taken over by Megatron.... 12.MOV ...Who seemed to be having a bit of an identity crisis. Oh well, my son still got to meet a Transformer. So we rode this since we heard Bumblebee would be coming soon and there were no people in line at all... and yet as we went to board we saw people still using their fast-passes despite there being less than 8 people in line. It just seems a waste to not save it in case the lines get longer later. Last time I was here, this ride duelled, had 4 across trains (and ran 2 of them), and had a single-rider line. It's a shame that for the star attraction it's capacity and duelling has been cut. While we waited for Bumblebee, we got a birthday popcorn (Thanks Universal) and the Bumblebee soda cup as a birthday present. Success! And a happy 9 year old. Treasure Hunters is not on the fast-pass system and its line never dropped below 50 minutes when we visited so run there or canopy flyers when you visit. My son really wanted to try Battlestar but having never ridden a roller-coaster that inverts or an inverted coaster, he was pretty nervous. He wasn't sure about Humans launch either so we opted to try Mummy to prepare him with it's smaller launch. Sadly the ride broke down and after a while everyone was kicked out the line. So we headed over to Enchanted Airways instead. A fun roller-coaster but with only one train and fast-pass people made for slow operations. Line stated 25 minutes but we waited maybe 35-40. Having a quick explore around Far Far Away Land. Shrek 4D used to be everywhere, but is Singapore now the only park that shows it regularly? Japan's is still around but always seems to be replaced by some other even film. And a ride I'd forgotten existed at the exit. Low capacity and loading and unloading means it can take a while to get on. Onto the main reason for our trip. Our son loves Minions and so we spent a lot of time here. Even though these rides are only on Fast Lane plus they seemed to have the shortest lines of the whole park, walk on for the merry go round, 15 minutes for the other flat ride and Minion Mayhem was 25-30 minutes all day. The area is full of photo opportunities. A lot of people were instagramming but be warned that you could wait a while to take photos. Whereas kids and families would snap apicture together and move on, we saw a lot of solo adults or couple who would take their picture run back to camera, check, adjust, change some things and do quite a few times until they got the picture they wanted. The only photo opportunity we missed were the girls. They were leaving when we arrived. They aren't listed on the app outside of Gru family time, but they set up for photo oppurtunities at the end of Minion Minute. This Minion Mayhem was built from the ground up and not taking over an existing ride. However it is the Hanna-Barabara set -up, not BTTF/Simpson's style and it's also the 2D version. We finally got to encounter a Minion as we got off the ride. I'm not the biggest fan of Minions but my son loves them and made me photograph a lot so enjoy the photo dump of Minions Land. Part of his birthday treat was getting to eart at the Minions restaurant so we ordered a lot of food off the menu for him to try. A very lucky bathroom break. Since there was no bathroom in the restaurant, we stepped outside and Gru and Lucy showed up just as we were heading back. We rode this and broke down on it for a good 10-15 minutes before they could get it going again. Not sure if it was having a bad day but it was getting stuck quite often throughout the day and when eating. A huge thanks to Dejiki who recommended using the Minion Minute to get photo ops with the Minions. We headed over as they were dancing to where we knew they'd taken pictures and were first in line. After the VIPs had been through hr got a 'birthday hug' from the Minions. This stilt walker was also amazing, dancing and singing happy birthday in the Singapore heat takes more skills than I'll ever have. And we just managed to get the second Minion photo op as well at the other end of the street, Sesame Street had dropped to a 5 minute line and was the only new ride except Minions I hadn't experienced. I still have no idea what this ride was about. Transformers had gone from a 60 minute line to walk-on and I really love the Spider-Man ride system (fingers crossed the rumors about the Godzilla vs Kong ride coming to Lotte World are true) so we grabbed a few rides. And Megatron finally made an appearance. To a 9-year old he said: A birthday boy! Good! Then you can recognize yet another insignificant day in your meaningless life! He was very happy to have finally gotten roasted by Megatron. Mummy was still down but my son worked up the courage to ride the Human side. It was running two trains, so the wait was about 40 minutes. Surprisingly, he then decided to brave Cylon. However, that only had one train so the wait was over 60 minutes since here too there were a lot of fast pass riders. If it's not duelling, I really wish they could figure out some system for loose items. They wanded you at the start of the line but then also at the end anyway. The cattle pens really crawled when there's nothing to do or look at. The Battlestar theme doesn't seem to have aged that well because nobody at all was watching the screens or characters. Speaking of crawling lines. Mummy finally reopened with a 30 minute wait but.... for whatever reason they were only running one station and despite five trains only allowing one onto the track and double stacking them behind the unload. Since it'd been down all day, there was also a lot of fast pass people to get through so we ended up with a much, much longer wait. Since the Waterworld show wasn't operating we'd planned to spend the last two hours at the Jurassic section (60 minute lines) and then grab Puss in Boots last (90 minute line). However, we'd lost some time broken down on the Minion ride and both in the Mummy line when it broke down and reduced operations so we gave the kid a choice: Puss in Boots or Jurassic roller-coaster and rapids. He chose Jurassic. Rapid was down from 60 minutes to a 20-minute line so we jumped in line. It broke down and as we waited in the line the clock ticked closer and closer to closing time. After a good 30-40 minutes we bailed so he could choose a birthday gift from the Minion Store. He was quite bummed he'd made the wrong choice and missed out, and it seemed a shame to end his birthday trip on a downer so I took a chance.... ... we went to guest services and I was honest. 'We broke down in the Jurassic line and he missed out. It's my fault but we'll probably never be back in Singapore and we're staying on the island. Is there anyway if I bring him tomorrow he can get the ride he missed?' I honestly expected a 99% chance of them saying sorry for the break-down but things just happen but at least wanted to show my son we tried. They asked if that was our only break-down so again I was honest and said we got stuck on the balloon ride and the Mummy line. They asked for times which thankfully we had from photos or messages and they then checked on the computer to verify the rides had gone down at those times. We were told to come back an hour after opening the next day (Opening being too busy for guest services) and we'd be allowed two rides of our choice. He asked for Jurassic rapids and coaster but since Canopy Flyers doesn't have an express line it was changed to Puss in Boots. A really lovely worker met us and was so amazing. She could have easily rushed us through for our rides and gotten out as quick as possible but she took so much time. As she escorted us to Jurassic she took us on a path through Minion Land and Far Far Away with photo spots stopping and taking pictures. When we arrived at Jurassic since the rain had just passed through, Canopy Flyers had only a 10 minute line. She couldn't escort us but trusted my son not to run off and let him grab that extra credit he missed so he was really over the moon. We then finally got the rapids ride done. And escorted onto Puss in Boots.... .. and in a really lovely gesture let him have a birthday meet and greet with Po and Tigress on the way out of the park as well as gifting him a birthday popcorn when she could of easily just made us leave. After which we really had to leave. If you made it this far, thank you for reading.
    3 points
  12. Where are the Mules !!?? ugh! SFSTL dissed again!
    3 points
  13. Grand Ole' Carousel reopens Tomorrow July 26th. https://www.facebook.com/share/19ciRZP38V/
    3 points
  14. The wait is over! AlpenFury will be opening this Saturday, July 12th! Season pass holders can also get exclusive ride time on AlpenFury from 9am to 10am on select dates! Who's ready to ride?
    3 points
  15. Went to the park on the evening of the 4th. We arrived about 5, spent the next 3 and a half hours leisurely riding and eating our way around the park. It was moderately crowded but we really didn't have an agenda other than hanging around until close for the fireworks so we really just did things we wanted to do. Most things were up and running. Log flume had water going on both sides but only the right open.....maybe they will have the left open over the weekend, I know it takes a lot of staff. Coasters that we rode all had two train ops. Supergirl down when we walked by but no idea if that was all day or what. Boomerang AND Fireball both operating which was not the case on either of my two previous visits this year. Tried to catch the new "show" on the train, I saw some of the actors while on MT but we rode it late in the day and it was no longer going, keep that in mind if that is important to you or someone in your party. Landscaping: This has filled in nicely since I was there in May and they really have done a great job on the flowers and other seasonal plants this year. Palace gardens and area by JB's/JL in particular looked really good. Justice League: It was no longer in old lady mode like it was 5 weeks ago but also not running exactly well. Screens all on and car stopping where it should, but no fire effects, no Joker effect and the guns were not firing accurately at all. Spinsanity/Tsunami Soaker: This area was a bit dead. TS is of course not looking like it is coming back at all and Spinsanity was not fully assembled and looks to be down for an extended period. Fireworks: A bit of a goof here. They started right on time but seemed to only last 5 minutes and then nothing so we started heading for the exit thinking wtf? Then just as we were going through the entrance plaza they started up again. About a 5 minute or so lapse. We then, with most of the other guests, watched from the area right in front of preferred parking and just outside the security checkpoint. The rest of the show was a good 15 minutes with a fabulous traditional grand finale. So, there must have been some sort of choreography or technical glitch. Would have been very nice if they had made an announcement to stay where you are the show will continue momentarily but I of course have no idea what caused the problem so maybe that wasn't possible. Carousel: I swear I am just reporting the facts here Carousel has the inner 2 segments of horses installed and couple on the the 3rd segment. I cannot imagine it will take them more than a couple more weeks to get the rest installed. Now I have no idea if there are any mechanical/technical issues to address after installation but they are clearly getting close. They do have a corridor blocked off from the Old Glory to the carousel; I am sure that is to enable a secure pathway for the movement of said horses. So you are not currently able to go from there under Pandemonium to Bugs. The horses that I could see looked fabulous.
    3 points
  16. They're assembling the carousel now.
    3 points
  17. I would argue that point. A new Hyper would be in the 20 million range... Moving a Hyper, much much cheaper.
    2 points
  18. Day 7: Mall of America Doing this on a very hot Saturday was kind of a terrible idea so this report will be rather brief. The park and mall were absolutely packed. Started off with a few kids rides with my friend's 4 year old, including getting the Hayride credit (still no idea how I got the lapbar to come down far enough to click, but that was a painful ride ) and a couple other tight squeezes. Afterwards I started my own lap of the park but unfortunately by then the influx was on. First thing I came to was Orange Streak which was on two trains and was only a 5-10 minute wait. This was a neat ride, almost more of a sightseeing monorail than a real coaster layout but it had a nice long layout. Next was Rock Bottom Plunge which was a 25 minute wait. Rode in front and got a rather shaky ride with a few jostles thrown in for good measure. Definitely one of the worst Eurofighters I've ridden. Contained on to Avatar next which was a pretty quick 15 minute wait. This was my 2nd halfpipe coaster and I actually really enjoy these. I got a lot of spinning on my ride and the floater is a lot of fun on the spikes. Last coaster was Fairly Oddparents which had a 30 minute wait. Fun ride with a lot of spinning in the 2nd half. Cool to see one of these in the landscape the coaster was designed for. With the credits acquired I next went to Log Chute which has a line out the entrance. This took an hour but was a really good Flume. Got much better than expected and it was weird walking around the mall soaked for the next hour. Also WTF is up with the unload procedure? Instead of getting out on the right side, you get out on the left, go up and over the platform, then come down the right side right next to where you could just hop out of the log in the first place. WTF? After that long, hot wait (the sun was brutal through the glass and the A/C couldn't keep up) I finished with a ride on the drop tower which, while small, give you 5 or 6 drops with a nice pop of air on each one. I thought it was fun. I was getting tired of the heat and crowds so called it a day at that point even though there were a few more flats I wanted to hit. I had a nice day but not going there on a Saturday after again. Tomorrow is mostly a rest day but I will be going to Valleyfair midday to give Excalibur one more try and get a couple more Renegade rides. Awesome view from the living room window!
    2 points
  19. Day 6: Valleyfair Staying with friends for the weekend that live right in Shakopee. They came out for a couple hours this morning. Did a lap of the park, the bad news is Excalibur was down when I was back in that area after seeing it running early (my most anticipated coaster here) and now I decided to come back tonight and it's closed for the night. Will try to stop by real quick on Sunday! Otherwise... Started with Corkscrew which was a walk on and actually a nice smooth ride and very fun. No headbanging in the corkscrews, no neck crushing G's in the loop, just a rare enjoyable ride on an arrow. How did they pull this off?!? Next we came to High Roller and ended up in the middle of the train. This thing is trimmed to death but it's smooth and there's some modest floater on some of the hills. Can't complain too much. Next was Mad Mouse, my second Arrow Mouse this week. This was trimmed way harder than the one at Michigan's Adventure so not nearly as fun of a ride. The ops were slightly less atrocious, but only slightly. Headed back to Renegade next and got a back seat ride. This was a really good ride. I'm not usually huge on GCI's other than Mystic Timbers, but this has a lot of good airtime moments and good turns. Thumbs up for this. Tough to photograph so here's an awkwardly zoomed in photo from the Ferris Wheel. After a failed attempt at Excalibur, headed next to Wild Thing which featured one of the typical terrible Cedar Fair groupers who couldn't figure out how to fill the train despite a 25 minute line. Anyway, rode in row 3. This thing is lame. No airtime to speak of. Kind of bumpy in the turnaround. And then the return run has absolutely no airtime because the midcourse hits so hard. Steel Force blows this to hell. Ended up leaving after that ride, then came back to the park at 8pm. Got a ride on the world's jankiest looking Ferris Wheel and currently in line for Steel Venom which broke down earlier as well. Holding brake on the spike is still going strong! That's all for today. MOA tomorrow!
    2 points
  20. A few weeks ago I had a chance to visit Universal Studios Florida and it gave me a chance to see a bit of the construction progress on the successor to Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit as well as checking out the park's offerings celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws. Construction on the new coaster is happening all around Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, despite that coaster still being in operation. Over in the San Francisco section of the park, a mini version of Amity had sprung up in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jaws. It was nice to see this iconic sign back up in the park. Featuring food booths inspired by the food locations that used to be found in the former Amity section of the park. Chez Alcatraz continues to serve up Jaws-inspired alcoholic beverages. There's a neat Amity Boat Tours photo ops featuring imagery from the former Jaws ride and at times, former Jaws skippers come out to perform the ride's spiels live for guests. The San Francisco Candy Company has received a temporary overlay to match the outside Jaws theme. Some former props from the film and former ride queue can be found in this display case. Eagle-eyed fans will notice this lanyard which was given out to riders on the final night of operation for Jaws at Universal Studios Florida. Theme Park Review was there on the final day of operation, filming two different POVs before the ride's closure. Props inspired by the former park land can be found throughout the shop. I love this poster! Fans of the ride will surely recommend these boathouse doors. There is even a neat 3-D map of the ride's layout and show scenes. The candy shop even has a few Jaws-inspired treats. Just totally normal theming... Totally normal. Amity Fried Chicken certainly brings back memories... Time to take the plunge... Geronimo. This trip report being posted two weeks later confirmed one thing... I lived. This was actually quite good. Another Amity throwback. But I passed on this menu. Shifting from one extinct attraction to a soon-to-be one... This view will be very different soon. I wonder if the firehouse will be restored once Rockit is removed. Artsy. A new resident from The Secret Life of Pets can now be found in the New York section of the park. Not long for this world. Going down... The non-inverting loop does have a neat silhouette. This fly-by turn has always been one of the coaster's better elements. Oh those ringy-ding-ding-a-lings. Only a few more weeks to Rockit. Outside the park, the path between Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure has become a city of walls while preparation is under way for the new coaster. On my way out I noticed that the Hemisphere Dancer, the famous plane once belonging to Jimmy Buffett had been restored and placed back at its home at the Lone Palm Airport bar. Apparently this was the bar's grand reopening. A little bit of backstory to close out this report...
    2 points
  21. I hope they have extra security for the large crowds.
    2 points
  22. Day 5: Little Amerricka and Mt Olympus Spent about an hour at Little Amerricka which was more than enough time to ride everything I wanted. It's a really cute roadside park and a blast from the past. Worth stopping in for if you're driving from Chicago to Wisconsin Dells. Upon walking in you come to Mad Mouse, a Herschell mouse from the 1950s. It definitely runs like it was from the 50s as there's some good jolts, but the unique layout (with some very high speed hairpin turns that you won't find on a more modern mouse) was a lot of fun. Right next door is Meteor and I got 3 laps in the back seat as they kept sending it around. Another nice classic junior woodie, a couple of the drops had a slight pop of air. Reasonably smooth. Fun classic! Also grabbed a ride on the Chance Toboggan. You're already ending this paragraph in your head. But it's the last one in operation I believe so I tortured myself one last time. Rode the monorail, Ferris Wheel, and Carousel. Monorail is a nice long ride all the way around the park. Ferris Wheel is one of the old school types that you don't see very often anymore. Also did the Haunted House which looks like it's just a tiny trailer sized house (and it is) but it makes up for it by having the world's narrowest pitch black passageways with the occasional funhouse gag. The entire haunted house! Continued through Wisconsin and finally arrived at Mt Olympus, a park I was simultaneously excited and terrified to finally visit! And it was every bit as much of a shitshow as can be expected! You first come to Zeus so I started there. I walked up and got in line for the front row as the previous train was being checked. The lapbar in row 3 wouldn't stay locked so the ride op (every coaster except Hades only has 1 ride attendant here...strange!) moved that rider to row 5, then shouted over to the Hades station that one of the lapbars wouldn't lock and the attendant at Hades shouted back "Row 3???" So clearly everyone knows this is an issue that works there. So the maintenance guy shows up, sends the train around fully loaded with the loose lapbar being held down by the seatbelt, and then when it came back they locked it down and sent it empty. When it comes back again they locked and unlocked a few times and it worked fine, so they deemed it good for operation! A very warm welcome to Mt Olympus indeed! Anyway, the ride in the front row had a lot of airtime and was decently smooth other than a couple shaky turns. The speed at which this thing hits the brakes and then stops on a dime is crazy. The whole structure shakes a ton and I'm surprised this doesn't cause more problems. Next up was Hades, a bucket list coaster for sure but it wasn't without trepidation as I knew it would be aggressive. Sat in row 2 and after waiting 5 or 6 minutes for them to fill the train (they insist on doing this with every coaster here and will hold up the entire line to get 1 or 2 people to come forward, super annoying) we were off. The prelift section is surprisingly forceful with a couple spots of ejector and some fun and tight but rough turns. The first drop is great and then the tunnel section is just bonkers. There's airtime and turns in there that you don't expect and it lasts way longer than you expect it to. It shuffles like crazy in a couple of the turns and it's super loud, the whole experience is just totally surreal and it literally feels like the ride is taking you to hell. Finally you pop up into the corkscrew and a couple more airtime moments before diving back under, this trip a little quicker and less eventful than the first tunnel. The rest of the ride features some more good air and fast turns with lots of shuffling. I hopped into an empty seat in the back for a 2nd ride and somehow this was even more insane. It does get borderline painful but the intensity and craziness is just something I can't believe exists on a wooden coaster. This lived up to the hype for sure. As I was walking down to Cyclops I noticed a fully loaded train completing its cycle, but also 3 maintenance guys milling around on the ride. Once the train unloaded one of them came into the station and said they had to close the ride. So once again they sent a train knowing there was an issue, so on point for this park! Anyway I headed over and rode Pegasus and got to experience the neck snapping goodness in back. Every turn on this thing is in a ridiculous spot taken at a ridiculous angle. It's like building a coaster on RCT with the tightest turn radius and not banking anything. I was cackling the whole time. Luckily not too fast to really hurt, but just very ridiculous and somehow fun. I sat on a fence and watched a maintenance guy screw around with a drill in the Cyclops station for a while and my patience paid off as I got a back row zen ride. This ride is full of punchy airtime and the big drop has nice ejector. Reride a 2nd time, very fun and underrated coaster. I had to get back on the road so that was it for me. But I survived Mt Olympus even though everything was exactly as advertised! What a shitshow of a park, but a super fun afternoon at the same time. Valleyfair tomorrow!
    2 points
  23. Day 2: Michigan's Adventure and some other Michigan adventures Arrived at the park around 1 and there was no doubt where I was heading first. Shivering Timbers has been on my bucket list for 25+ years and it was finally time. Was glad to see it running 2 trains and was seated in the front row in about 10 minutes. Front row ride was a bit benign but also seemed pretty smooth. Went around for a ride in the back and this is where it's at...airtime out the wazoo but also quite brutal in spots. I would later return for one more backseat ride and after a little warming up this thing just yeets you out of your seat time after time. The first couple hills were titan tracked (or something like that) and were nice and smooth, airtime like a hyper. But after that it was so bouncy that you would get several jolts of ejector over each hill and then you'd slam down in the valley. A great ride but very tough to reride. Moved on to the Mad Mouse, my first Arrow Mouse. These seem to have better pacing and airtime than other manufacturers mice, but the ops were atrocious here. I started timing dispatches because I was bored and the average was about 1:15 or so, for a 4 person car. And they run 7 cars so you get to sit on the brake run for another 5 minutes when you're done. There couldn't have been more than 40 people in line and it took me 28 minutes from getting in line to getting off the ride. Next door I found the Ferris Wheel to be a walk on so I got a quick ride on that. Nice views of a very pretty park. Next on the credit tour was Corkscrew which had more awful ops. Dispatches were 5+ minutes and there were multiple cases where the whole train disembarked and everyone was all the way down the stairs and halfway to Shivering Timbers before they bothered to open the gates. Ended up being a 35 minute wait for a line that was halfway down the ramp. The ride was typical boring Arrow Corkscrew, but one of the less brutal ones I've ever ridden. Hit up Zach's Zoomer which was fun enough. Not as smooth as Comet yesterday, but still a good family woodie. Walk on which was a nice change. Made my way around the lake to find the SLC closed and the train also closed for some reason, rendering this part of the day a 10 minute walk into a dead end. Very nice looking walk around the lake though. Walked all the way back around to Wolverine Wildcat which I can agree with the general assessment that this does a shitty Phoenix impression. A couple small floater areas but otherwise just kind of meanders. Smooth enough to enjoy though. Credit #300 acquired. That's all I did, was only in the park for about 3 hours. This place kind of sucks on paper and in reality it's even smaller than you expect. Shivering Timbers is worth the drive but at the same time you'd love to ride it 20 times since there's not much else to do in this park, but for me anyway it was tough to ride it more than twice in a row. The park feels like it just kind of exists otherwise. After leaving the park we drive to Silver Lake to check out Mac Wood's Dune Rides. This was a ton of fun and I would highly recommend the 30 minute drive to check this place out. The views are stunning and the ride is a lot of fun. They fly through the hills and you even get a couple airtime pops! The whole area is really nice. I would love to get back to northern Michigan to really explore the area for a whole week. Staying in New Buffalo MI tonight and I didn't expect to suddenly get transported to the Jersey Shore but that's what it felt like. Stopped at the beach to watch the gorgeous sunset at 9:15 and then had dinner at a rooftop bar and no matter how many times I tried to tell myself, I couldn't believe I was in Michigan, much less mere miles from the Indiana suburbs of Chicago. It was a great day exploring Michigan! Tomorrow is Indiana Beach, which might be my most anticipated park on the trip.
    2 points
  24. Three Visits ~ And (sniff) No HOT DOG Day! Here are a bundle of photos taken from a few visits to the park. There are repeats here and there, but I'll do my best to see that it doesn't get toooo boring, lol. 06/22 This was around 10 am - one hour before the park opened. Testing. History board. Noted. But I didn't have to wait that long, thankfully. Progress on the new amphitheatre. Have no idea what that 'hole' is for. Will eventually fine out, next year. Lookin' good, there. Future landscaping? ThunderVOLT in action. I get headaches from Enterprise, so it's a No-Ride for me, now. Kettle Creek Mine coaster. One I can still ride, enjoy, and not get banged about. Oooo... Got my fave beer to end this short visit. The onride photo. What IS that woman doing??? 06/27 This was another short visit, and I got to try and the new special milkshake at Triple O's ( a/k/a the White Spot restaurant). The lineup was HUGE for this day. Thankfully I was there around 10 am, 1 hour before the park opened, so I missed all this. Near opening time. And allll the way down the block! Viewed from ThunderVOLT. Ongoing construction of the new amphitheatre. Sad, empty-looking little train. There's an adult up front, so I suspect a child is there, too. The Cotton Candy milkshake. With a bit of the real stuff on top. And it's Canadian-made, too! And it was good. Might order it again soon, if still available. Last shot before leaving the park. 07/02 Today was another brief visit. The only thing new here, was the ongoing construction of the new amphitheatre. But that's okay. I enjoy just walking around and taking in the 'atmosphere' of Playland. On the way to the park. A good place for hot dogs! The menu. Not too crowded right now, for Coaster. Well, hi there! Fancy running into you today. It's pretty plain looking, but still an important part of Playland. This looks somewhat completed Cloudy day over the mountains nearby. I am guessing this is to become the entryway into the amphitheatre. Getting better. But still, a not-too-great attempt of a 'selfie' on the Carousel. By the way, FYI - a Carousel goes counter clockwise, like this one. Merry-Go- Rounds go clockwise. Easy! And that was it for this visit. 07/16 Today was supposed to be "Hot Dog Day" as advertised by the email I received from Playland (I'm on their mailing list). But it turns out Coaster Dogs wasn't offering their One Dollar Hot Dogs till the 19th, Saturday. And Beaver Tails, which was also offering a special hot dog, had no clue what I was asking about. Then, I tried to order something off their regular menu ...... and "that wasn't available" I was told ...WTF? A Fail for Beaver Tails. Anyway.... Back we go... Wheee. Dead Unicorn. Yeah. Hot Dog Day. Not here I found out. From the West Coast Wheel. Big ass hole still there. Nice shot of Coaster from The Wheel. Damn, I love this coaster! Not really that busy, this visit. Up and over it goes! Clear sky, with a great mountainous view. I still enjoy riding Gladiator. This is a sweet little family ride I enjoy riding, sometimes. Touching the sun? And with that, the visit was at an end. Playland did send another email out, with the 19th as Hot Dog Day, with both Coaster Dogs and Beavertails offering their special dogs. But I didn't go. Not on a Saturday there. So I passed. I have no idea how these three shots got in, here. Nonetheless... a shot from ThunderVOLT's queue. An early shot of construction.
    2 points
  25. I got to ride Wrath a few days ago and it's easily my favorite dive coaster. Starts like a standard dive with large elements, then quickly turns into a twisted mess of flips and sudden changes of direction. Everything from the third inversion until the brakes is bonkers and it had me laughing like a hyena. Also, the beyond-vertical drop is ass-out-of-the-seat the entire time. I rode in the back on the left edge, hardly any rattle but the pansies are making noise about the ride being rough. They're idiots and can't take a stiff breeze without bruising. This ride is nuckin futs, best ride at Great America. Fight me.
    2 points
  26. I did go! We leave tomorrow morning. Best vacation I’ve ever had. I legitimately couldn’t believe TT2 and Steel V are actual rides. I’m not scared of big boy rides but man both those rides had me nervous each time I went on. I might write a trip report if anyone cares to see it!
    2 points
  27. We had a fantastic time. Thanks for asking. I took a ton of photos for a TR. I just haven't gotten around to it, yet.
    2 points
  28. Hell yeah! Now stay open until I can ride on the 22nd/23rd.
    2 points
  29. I would say that 2027 is a strong possibility for SFSTL to finally receive a major investment from the new owners. So, what type of new attraction might be coming? Let's look at the possibilities. First off.... Any type of Giga coaster would be highly unlikely. Gigas are rarely built anymore. The fact that Over Texas is getting one still seems like a dream, even though construction crews are hard at work building it as I type this. What's more, I don't see SFSTL recieving anything close to the $30 million plus investment needed to build such a coaster. A hyper coaster? This would be a long shot for similar reasons, but WOULD be in the realm of possibility. RMC Boss? I consider this a stronger possibility than the first two. A smaller Dive Coaster such as Dr Diabolical or Iron Menace could easily fit into this park. It would also be budget friendly. Something from Vekoma, Premier or S&S could also find its way into the park. It largely depends on how much money CF is willing to invest. Telltale signs to look for going into next year are as follows...... Permanent ride closures. Some buildings and or restaurants could also be closed and removed. Construction fences would soon follow. These would be accompanied by signs reading "We're Building Excitement For 2027" or some such. This is all based on what happened at Six Flags Over Texas when we found out we were getting a new "Record Breaking Dive Coaster". Anyway, the next couple of years should be pretty exciting for SFSTL.
    2 points
  30. That's so bizarre to me because every time I've ridden it this season I thought it's been running really well. I do almost always sit in a non-wheel seat, usually front row or second to last row. I know some people will poo poo that as nonsense but you can tell a difference. Just ask Bert about front row Voyage versus second row Voyage, lol. I do agree that they need to do some work on it for the 50th, at least a good paint job for God's sake, and maybe some special merch?
    2 points
  31. Here at Six Flags Over Texas the closure of La Vibora and El Diablo was announced rather abruptly. Not long after it was announced that a "Record Breaking Dive Coaster" was coming. Since the merger SF doesn't seem to beat around the bush much. My guess would be that if SF is planning something in this area it would be pretty obvious.
    2 points
  32. Thanks for posting this! I saw it a couple days ago but thought if I was the one to post it, I would be accused of ulterior motives and WW3 might erupt Seriously though, I wonder if they are trying to have it ready to go for National Carousel Day on July 25th?
    2 points
  33. After having sailed on the Disney Dream across Europe over the Summer, we were excited to have the chance to experience something entirely new... The Disney Treasure launched late in 2024, taking alternating seven night sailings to the Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral, Florida. Along our sailing, we would have the chance to visit our favorite Disney's Castaway Cay as well as the new Disney's Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point in Eleuthera, Bahamas. As big fans of the Disney Wish (I've got another report to share from our somewhat-recent sailing there soon), we excited to see how the Disney Treasure would be similar and different from her sister ship... This is never a bad sight to start off your day! Given that our sailing was at the tail end of the year, the port (and several of our ports of call) were decorated for the holidays. The Grand Hall on the Disney Treasure is inspired by Disney's Aladdin. I spent a lot of time staring across this space. We love exploring the ship during the embarkation day "open house" period, as it allows you to visit spaces that are primary closed off to adults and non-paying guests (depending on the venue) before the ship has left the port. The it's a small world nursery is an adorable example of this. Presented in the classic Mary Blair style, there is a lot of character to take in... This moving train that circles the ceiling of the venue is one of my favorite details. Mickey & Minnie's Captain's Deck is a nice play space that can be annexed into either the Disney's Oceaneer's Club or the it's a small world nursery throughout the cruise, enabling children from either age group to have a chance to enjoy all that is found within. The Walt Disney Imagineering Lab in Disney's Oceaneer's Club is one of my favorite youth spaces in the fleet, and of course they have those amazing handwashing stations here as well. The Imagineering Lab has an interactive simulator which allows younger guests to ride virtual versions of classic Disney attractions. The space is filled with detail and authentic props from the parks... The costume from the former Rivers of Light nighttime spectacular at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park is one of my favorites. A model of the very ship we were sailing on, found on the very ship we were sailing on. Three of my favorite posters for three of my favorite attractions. A scale copy of the Grand Hall bronze statue found in the Walt Disney Imagineering Lab... Figment has found his way onboard! There are lots of themed spaces for kids to enjoy within Disney's Oceaneer's Club. Also a collection of some of the most adorable restrooms you'll find out of anywhere made by Disney. As my username implies, I kind of like Star Wars. Ok, I like it a lot. Enough to get really excited when I see a dianoga in the water... Especially excited to see an adorable lothcat twitching in its sleep. Marvel Superhero Academy is another impressive space within Disney's Oceaneer's Club, featuring interactive experiences and games... I was able to try my hand at being a certain web-slinging superhero in a battle against Ultron's army of bots. The space directly ties into the Worlds of Marvel dinner show, particularly the Avengers: Quantum Encounter show. Back in the Grand Hall we found Peter Pan guiding guests on a treasure hunt. And a friendly Genie overhead to welcome guests aboard. One of my most important stops on embarkation lunch is to Marceline Market where I indulge in delicious seafood... But maybe I'm just shellfish. Our home for the next seven nights! Complete with a very comfortable verandah! Sarabi is the ship's two-story flex venue which hosted shows, trivia, bingo and more throughout the cruise. A close-up look at the magic lamp found in the Grand Hall of the Disney Treasure. I'm not kidding when I say that "Let's Set Sail" is one of my favorite entertainment offerings across the Disney Cruise Line fleet. It's a high energy kick-off to your cruise featuring all of your favorite characters, great upbeat and emotional music (gets me every time) and tons of fun! The magic is so strong, the cast float on air! We've got royalty in the house! Make that double! How about triple? Simply the best! Not long after the ship sailed away from Port Canaveral it was time for our first dinner at Plaza de Coco! Located in the same space as Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure on the Disney Wish, this venue features in-story entertainment as well as authentic, fantastic Mexican food. These Chorizo Street Croquettes were among my favorite things I consumed throughout the cruise. Abuelita Elena's Shrimp Diabla did not disappoint! The show also features an authentic mariachi band to entertain guests and to set the evening mood. The Butternut Squash Enchilada was a fantastic meatless meal option. The Margarita Lime Cheesecake was a delicious way to cap off our meal. The level of detail in bringing Coco to life onboard is excellent. Miguel's family tree... I love the feel of this space! Like other Disney Cruise Line ships, the hallways and stairwells contain unique art that pays tribute to Disney content of all types and ages. Now for something I had been eagerly anticipating for some time... Welcome foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion Parlor! The Haunted Mansion Parlor is an extension of the Haunted Mansion attraction, with its own unique story, elements and lots of tie-ins to the original experience. This fish tank is one of the most notable elements within the space... But you won't find regular fish in here. Not unlike the attraction that inspired it, the Haunted Mansion Parlor features portraits that aren't quite as they appear... There's something more ghoulish that reveals itself in each of these, given time. The characters are similar to those you find in the Haunted Mansion, right down to the poses, but their stories and forms are not carbon copies of what you'd find on land. It was very appropriate that Captain Culpepper Clyne, also known to fans of the Disney lore as The Mariner, found his way into the Haunted Mansion Parlor. This character is based on one of the earliest Marc Davis sketches for Disney's version of what would become The Haunted Mansion. He at one point was represented in the attractions as a portrait whose staring eyes followed you. He also has a tomb in the Walt Dsieny World Magic Kingdom version of the attraction's queue. The Mariner also has his own themed drink and accompanying collectible mug available for purchase... Which I did. The Siren (previously pictured in portrait form) also has her own drink and mug available for purchase... Which I did. The mantle clock is similar but different to the grandfather clock found in the Haunted Mansion attraction. The Hitchhiking Ghosts make appearances in the bar mirror throughout the evening... A look at the venue's drink menu... There is a hidden drink option if you can solve a "chilling challenge" from within the digital menu... And here is what that option is. I love this tribute to former Imagineer Rolly Crump! Notice how these sconces look very similar to the "The Spirits Have Been Released" hidden menu item? The Haunted Mansion Parlor is filled to the brim with details including this candelabra which features a candle that is a nod to the Candle Man character that was once conceptualized for the attraction. There are blink-and-you-miss-it details throughout the Haunted Mansion Parlor... Like this portrait... It doesn't quite stay the same throughout the experience. Jumbeaux's Sweets is the ship's ice cream parlor and sweets shop. The space is incredibly cute! And there are lots of great ice cream flavors to enjoy! For all of you Taittinger enthusiasts, yes they have plenty onboard. The Jade Cricket Cafe is one of several coffee bars onboard. This one is inspired by the lucky cricket, Cri-Kee from the animated Disney film Mulan. Our night ended with an early rest knowing that our next day would be our first full sea day with lots to do throughout.
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  34. The next day at sea was a relaxing one with time spent in the ship's pools, and enjoying activities onboard. But the day was less important than the night because it was the always-anticipated Pirates Night onboard! Pirates in the Caribbean is a staple Disney Cruise Line offering across the fleet, and there's plenty to enjoy about it when experienced on the Disney Treasure... Some of my favorite art on the ship can be found along the side of Disney's Oceaneer Club. On the Disney Treasure (and the Disney Wish), guests can access the Disney On Demand content normally found on the stateroom TVs from their phones while connected to the ship's WIFI. Even better, this service is absolutely free! Watching a Muppets film during a Disney Cruise is kind of a tradition of ours at this point. Pirates Dinner is hosted in every rotational dining venue on Pirates Night. The samosa is one of my favorite items! The seafood pasta is my go-to entree during Pirates Dinner. Tia Dalma's Jerk Chicken is a great option for the less adventurous eaters. Can't forget dessert! What a delicious and refreshing ofrenda! Mickey & Minnie's Pirates in the Caribbean is the first of two entertainment experiences offered during Pirates Night! Mickey and the gang come out to teach guests how to serve as a proper pirate crew. The show is exceptionally cute! The show is interrupted by Captain Hook who arrives to put Mickey's new pirate crew to the test. A must visit! Another great towel animal! The second of the entertainment offerings during Pirates Night is the Pirate's Rockin' Parlay Party. Captain Redd and her pirate crew come out to sing and dance to rock and roll tunes. The show is a great time! And there's ;yro! Action shot! One of the highlights of a Disney Cruise for sure. But wait, there's more! Of course Captain Jack Sparrow arrives to kick off the fireworks. And it is quite a show, especially for one being performed live at sea. After Pirates Night activities ramped down, I snuck away to Hook's Barbery, a barbershop by day and a speakeasy bar at night... On this night I did the Premium Whiskey Reserve tasting experience. The five pours are well worth more than the $100 price of admission! Just outside the lounge is this awesome art piece inspired by Luca. And it is filled with lots of hidden details if you look closely enough! The night came to a close after this experience but there were still a few more nights ahead of us.
    1 point
  35. Ahh, okay ... that's when the Mules make their debut. Good deal!
    1 point
  36. What I usually end up doing is do the TR as comments in my planning thread, then go back and edit the tile of the original post and link to the new comment. Otherwise, starting a new thread should be fine, or posting it in the CP thread.
    1 point
  37. Unfortunately (or is it fortunately) the City of DC has no say over anything that happens outside of its city limits, which SFA is by like eight and a half miles.
    1 point
  38. Yesterday was my first visit to the park. Ride of Steel is great. Bookended my day by riding back, then front. Weird seeing Batman and Wonder Woman merch in its gift shop with no S-shield in sight. Rode Predator front row and the retracked sections are bizarrely smooth. Boomerang crew didn't realize a couple restraints didn't unlock and left the riders there for a couple minutes. Saw Mind Eraser test, but don't know if it ever opened or not. The park has an interesting layout and an identity crisis. Be interesting to see how the merged company takes it going forward. Also, the slice of pizza I got next to Predator was better than I thought it would be. Cost was still outrageous, though. It was also my first time using my Valleyfair branded pass at a Six Flags branded park.
    1 point
  39. SFTL could use Flying Scooters would work in the Excalibur slot too. Or an Air Race. But CGA's Flying Scooters will soon be available. Please don't make them un-snappable though.
    1 point
  40. Honestly they've poured decent money into the park the last few years. So, who knows. I think good things will happen between now and 2030.
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  41. yes, it is a smaller park, and to be fair it's my home park and I know it well, but half a day tops for all the coasters and a couple flats. In that 2 1/2 hours, without hurry, I rode ROS X2, Predator X3, and once each , boomerang, Motocoaster, Sky screamer, Viper, tantrum and mind eraser. No need to rush to get it all done quick. Have fun.
    1 point
  42. QA officially delayed to 2026. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15tqYXHgHZ/
    1 point
  43. Disneyland Paris has shared updates on two of their iconic "mountains" as they enhance and refurbish these classic coasters. https://news.disneylandparis.com/en/new-light-display-for-star-warstm-hyperspace-mountain-exterior/ In celebration of the 30th anniversary of this iconic Discoveryland attraction in 2025, the Walt Disney Imagineering Paris and Design & Delivery teams are currently developing a brand- new light concept for the exterior of Star WarsTM Hyperspace Mountain. The project, which began nearly 2 years ago, is taking shape a little more each evening with the gradual replacement of over 640 luminaires – requiring over 17 kilometres of cabling – the modernisation of technical equipment, the repainting of the roof and the creation of new technical access points to facilitate maintenance operations. Once completed, this upgrade will deliver a breathtaking experience – not only for passengers aboard Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, but also for all Discoveryland guests, who will be able to enjoy the stunning light eHects generated each time a vehicle launches. To successfully complete this project, the teams also had the opportunity to work with the lighting designer who worked on the original 1995 attraction! As well as restoring the attraction’s majestic roof to its original splendour, the new lighting will feature all-new eHects to enhance this iconic Discoveryland landmark. See you later this summer to discover the results of this interstellar transformation – and to continue exploring galaxies far, far away… https://news.disneylandparis.com/en/a-day-at-star-wars-hyperspace-mountain/ To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Parisian version of the beloved attraction Space Mountain, Disneyland Paris’ teams have recorded an exclusive behind-the-scenes video revealing how the magic of this ride – which first opened on June 1, 1995 – comes to life. From its breathtaking opening ceremony to its recent transformation into Star Wars Hyperspace Mountain, the history of this iconic dome-shaped attraction has been marked by many unforgettable moments. That same history continues to be written by the resort’s Operations and Maintenance teams, who help “transport guests to a galaxy far, far away” each day, while ensuring their journey is both smooth and safe. And there’s still more to come: new collectible items dreamed up by Disneyland Paris’ Merchandising teams will soon arrive in shops, and the attraction’s outdoor lighting setup is currently being redesigned! Stay tuned for more updates! https://news.disneylandparis.com/en/big-thunder-mountain-the-wildest-ride-in-the-west-to-reopen-on-21-june/ On 21 June 2025, the iconic Big Thunder Mountain attraction will once again welcome visitors to Frontierland®, following several months of renovation led by the Walt Disney Imagineering Paris, Design & Delivery, Maintenance and Central Workshops teams. Over the last few months, a wide range of specialists with a variety of skills have been taking great care of Big Thunder Mountain, one of the most popular attractions at Disneyland® Paris. Their objective: to ensure the attraction is meticulously maintained, preserving the quality of the experience while honouring the original creative vision and safeguarding its story, which remains deeply intertwined with that of Frontierland®. In addition to the in-depth maintenance of the tunnels and rails, with certain stretches being completely replaced, parts of the mountain were repainted, and the arch was cleaned using drones – a first for the Walt Disney Imagineering Paris teams. Some of the attraction’s water, visual and sound effects have also been reworked or restored. The highly detailed scenery of Big Thunder Mountain was not left out – certain wooden elements like Mill Camp Tower were dismantled for restoration before being reinstalled on the mountain. Hundreds of accessories, visible both throughout the attraction and its queue line, have been carefully cleaned, repainted, and given a patina in the Disneyland® Paris Central Workshops to preserve the authentic, timeworn look of this gold-rush-era mine. For larger pieces, such as the Lavinia steam engine visible from the queue area, the work was carried out directly on site. The attraction’s animal figures, such as the mules, opossums and bats, were restored and repainted in the Central Workshops, and some were even given a brand-new coat, like the emblematic the goat. This ambitious project, necessary for the smooth running of the attraction that is open all year round and mainly outdoors, required collaboration between teams from Walt Disney Imagineering Paris, Design & Delivery, Maintenance and Central Workshops, who worked tirelessly to renovate the wildest ride in the wilderness in the West!
    1 point
  44. Hades is top tier. It's amazing. Stopped here 2 summers ago. Stayed in their hotel. It's nothing great but there's also a ton of buildings you could end up in. Some look much better than others. Lines can very slow here with all coasters on 1 train and very slow workers. Line jumping often adds to it as well. Grateful Shed is a good restaurant in town. Modeled to be a bunch of food trucks with a bar in the middle and a big patio.
    1 point
  45. I finally rode IMenace AND finally met Lucy yesterday. My PFP has been changed to reflect this.
    1 point
  46. I figured I might as well share the pictures and videos from my trip before other parts of the park are closed and they becomes less applicable haha. Presented without commentary: VID_20250510_135432010.mp4 VID_20250510_174646873.mp4
    1 point
  47. I have a craving for one right now. Or a couple. These will be fine, for now. (o;
    1 point
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