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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.

I went to the park yesterday & used the Ride Forces app to record forces on The Boss, you can clearly see how much smoother the Titan track is. The first graph is from 2024 recorded by StormSurge9099, & the second graph is the one I recorded yesterday.

Rapterra Takes Flight at Kings Dominion Kings Dominion’s old “safari” section has undergone many changes in the last few years. For example, the park introduced more sci-fi/fantasy elements by retheming it as Jungle X-pedition, where guests can explore the ruins and artifacts of an ancient civilization. Their latest “find” is the lost temple of Rapterra. This shrine was built to honor a legendary gigantic bird of prey that once ruled the skies over the jungle. Those who entered the temple were said to be possessed by the power and will of this ancient predator. A volcanic eruption buried the temple, but it has since been unearthed by archaeologists. But does the giant bird of prey still exist? What better way to tell this story this than with a B&M Launched Wingrider Coaster? Rapterra blasts people out of the station and through a series a twists, inversions, and dives over the caldera of the ancient volcano, which is a nice homage to the ride that once stood on this spot--Volcano: The Blast Coaster. The new ride also reuses Volcano's old gift shop. Kings Dominion invited TPR to ride Rapterra on March 20. It’s a good addition to the park, and the whole entrance plaza, queue, and theming for the ride look great. Let’s take a ride, shall we? You’d better finish any snacks you have on hand, as they could attract unwelcome attention from above. TPR thanks Kings Dominion for the chance to preview Rapterra! The ride officially opens to the public on March 29. The queue is huge. But it will give you time and the proper setting to meditate and prepare yourself to be possessed by Rapterra. Here's the caldera, which serves as a bit of a tribute to Volcano. Much of the rubble here is from the structure of the old ride's mountain. Oh, it's just an ancient archway built in tribute to dangerous god. What could possibly go wrong? "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Yes, the queue is nice, but it's time we got to the ride. They've been swept away by Rapterra! Yep--never walk through an ancient archway dedicated to a dangerous god. Looks like a drone has been dispatched to stop Rapterra! (Just kidding--it was part of a video shoot.) Fly, Rapterra, fly! I rather liked this part. But I appreciate big coasters with bunny hills, too. Eventually, Rapterra brings you back to the archaeological dig. I like the what they did with the control-room window--nice theming. Not everything has changed here--for example, this waterfall. Here's a peek at Pantherian (the ride formerly known as Intimidator 305 and one other name that escapes me for the moment). Flight of Fear is being incorporated into the Jungle X-pedition theme somehow, too. It'll be nice for the attractions to fit together better. They gave us some samples of what I presume was the cuisine of the ancient civilization that once existed here. Looks like they were really into smothering cheeseburgers with chicken tenders and bacon. They were, indeed, ahead of their time. I didn't get a sample of the local brew, but it was the CENTER OF THEIR UNIVERSE. How about a few last looks at Rapterra? I like how it flies not only over the caldera but also over the entrance plaza. One last dive and flip before you return to the station. Rapterra soars over the gift shop as I exit. Thanks for reading!

We got to see a preview of this last night at Disney Springs complete with a Q&A with director Leslie Iwerks! It was incredible what they were able to put together with all of this lost footage! The documentary covers the construction of Disneyland leading up to the park’s opening date. For a documentary style film, the pacing was great, the historic footage was a lot of fun to watch, and this is going to be a “must see” for anyone interested in the history of Disney theme parks! We heard from film director Leslie Iwerks on the making of the documentary and the film received a standing ovation at the conclusion! Was a great night of Disney history and hanging out with friends! Our post on Instagram covers a little more from the event last night: https://www.instagram.com/p/DTfnq_Rjf3w/

Well, I FINALLY made my first visit to Holiday World. WOW. I will join the chorus of people singing its praises. What a charming, well-kept, well-run park. As I entered the park, I was greeted by all the team members in a super friendly way. And as I made my around the park, its cleanliness, fun themes, and overall operations were stunning for a such a small, family-run park. I was stunned they were running 2 trains on Voyage and Legend, despite minimal lines. AND the Voyage had like 6 team members checking the train -- although they still somehow managed to stack trains frequently, the operations were mostly smooth. I focused on the coasters. Sure wish I could have done night rides! The Voyage. I actually wasn't terribly impressed on my first ride. I was in the very front of the very first train and although I was impressed by relatively smooth it was, I just wasn't blown away: not a lot of air. Definitely partly the product of sky-high expectations. AND THEN I rode the back and THEN the coaster warmed up. Holy crap! To me, this is more a backseat ride (although there is no "bad" seat that I can find in 8 rides.). The spaghetti bowl turnaround at the back is one of the most out-of-control feelings I have ever experienced in a coaster. It's up there with the quadruple down on Lightning run and the end turns on El Toro, as great mayhem. Each ride I appreciated The Voyage more, focusing more on its unrelenting speed, floater (and pops) of air, and its incredible length and design. It's a top 5 for me now. And kudos for the loving care Holiday World shows this ride -- they spend a ton of time taking care of it, and it shows. Legend. As a sign of my old age, the back seat was just a little too uncomfortable for me, but I loved how raw and rough this coaster is (in the good way, as designed vs. rough b/c of crappy maintenance.). Enjoyed it much more in the front seat, especially the second half. But I didn't love it. My bias is more towards airtime machines than laterals and I still found myself having to ride a little more defensively than I'd like. Still, a very good ride. Love the backstory and the bell ringing. Raven. Man, I had waited for this coaster for a while, given its legendary status. Again, my expectations sorta messed with me, and having ridden it third, it was a hard comparison to the mighty Voyage. I imagine it is stunning at night. I loved the layout, especially the third drop into the woods (massive air in the back, but sadly I kept thinking about the enthusiast who fell). I see they have retracked big sections, but they didn't quite yet reach that final right hand turn before the final turn -- that thing is BRUTAL: literally flying into and out of a pothole. I only did 2 rides on Raven because the pothole was nearly a chiropractic spinal cracking everytime. Loved the station and it's a fun, excellent ride. Thunderbird. This was the surprise hit! Yes, the value of low expectations-- AND it's a great design! yes, I was one of the idiots on here complaining when this ride was announced 10 years ago, saying it was not a great fit for the park: too much money for a gimmicky ride. Happily I was wrong: the theming is great, the launch packs a bunch, and the layout is superb. Probably the best wing coaster I have been on, possibly except for Gatekeeper ( I have also done Wild Eagle and X Flight). Love the use of the valley and the woods. Really super fun and re-rideable. Overall, just loved the park and how it's run. I know Paula is long-gone and they went through some family drama, but I still found everything excellent

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.

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

Hesrchend and Parques Reunidos have announced a new agreement for Herschend to acquire all of Palace Entertainment's U.S. entertainment properties currently owned by Parques Reunidos. This will bring more than 20 new venues into the Herschend family of properties including Kennywood, Lake Compounce, Dutch Wonderland and more. https://www.hfecorp.com/whats-new/herschend-to-acquire-palace-entertainments-us-attractions-from-parques-reunidos/ Herschend and Parques Reunidos have signed a definitive agreement under which Herschend will acquire all of Palace Entertainment’s U.S. entertainment properties from Parques Reunidos. This agreement represents a significant milestone for both organizations—supporting Herschend’s strategic expansion in family entertainment and hospitality while allowing Parques Reunidos to reinforce its strategic focus on its core European market. “This year, we’re celebrating 75 years of bringing families closer together—and looking ahead to the next 75,” said Andrew Wexler, CEO of Herschend. “Today’s announcement marks a natural expansion and continuation of that vision. By growing wisely and staying true to our purpose, we are building a future where we can continue creating memories worth repeating for generations to come.” Palace Entertainment’s over 20 historic and beloved entertainment venues across 10 U.S. states will join Herschend’s growing family of world-class destinations. Palace’s diverse portfolio of amusement parks, water parks, family entertainment centers, campgrounds, and hotels includes notable properties like Kennywood in Pa., Pittsburgh’s thrill and entertainment destination known for its classic wooden coasters and modern thrill rides; Dutch Wonderland in Lancaster, Pa., the world’s best family park and kingdom for kids; and Lake Compounce in Conn., which holds the title of America’s First Amusement Park and features the renowned Boulder Dash wooden roller coaster. With this acquisition, Herschend will strengthen its position as the world’s largest family-held themed entertainment company, with a broad portfolio of brands spanning theme parks, aquariums, resorts, and immersive attractions that collectively entertain more than 20 million annual guests. “We look forward to building upon the strong foundation that Palace Entertainment has created and welcoming these properties and hosts into the Herschend family of brands,” added Wexler. “The teams at these parks have done an incredible job building beloved destinations in their communities, and we look forward to learning from them, growing together, and building on their success. This is an exciting opportunity for all of us to continue creating exceptional experiences for guests and meaningful opportunities for our teams.” “Herschend is the ideal organization to lead Palace Entertainment’s unique properties,” said John Reilly, Palace Entertainment Chief Executive Officer. “Herschend is best in class in providing a high-quality guest experience within its parks. Palace Entertainment's team members and its parks are in great hands as we make this transition.” "Being a family business for 75 years has given us a deep understanding of what makes properties like these special—not just the rides and attractions, but the people who pour their hearts into them every day,” said Herschend’s Board Chair, Chris Herschend. “These historic and beloved properties have been family traditions for generations, and we are honored to help carry that legacy forward.” Herschend is committed to ensuring a smooth transition for employees (hosts), guests, and communities. No immediate changes are planned for daily operations as the company thoughtfully integrates these properties into its portfolio. In the coming months, Herschend will prioritize: Supporting its new employees with training, resources, and opportunities aligned with Herschend’s people-first culture. Maintaining continuity in guest experiences while exploring enhancements that align with Herschend’s commitment to high-quality entertainment. Proactively communicating with employees, guests, and local communities as the transition progresses. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close thereafter. BDT & MSD Partners is acting as Herschend’s exclusive financial and debt advisor and Goldman Sachs was the exclusive committed financing provider for the acquisition. Akerman, LLP is serving as legal advisor to Herschend on the acquisition, with Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP providing legal advice for the debt financing. J.P. Morgan is acting as the exclusive financial advisor for Parques Reunidos Group. A&O Shearman is serving as legal advisor to Parques Reunidos Group on the transaction.

I know it's nothing to do with the jungle theme but KD should retheme BSC to I-95 in Virginia and have it stop for 25 minutes when it gets to the helicopter scene for added effect, and then add a Sheetz to the end of the ride with someone getting arrested in the parking lot.

^Honestly, the AI has better responses at this point to most humans so let Bert have it!

^ I always thought that maybe they should hire a 'street artist' or some painting company, to create a 3-D painting, underneath that coaster. It could be quite something. And be able to be refreshed when needed.

Took a trip up to COTA last night, to check out the Peppermint Parkway Christmas Event - which thanks to the Director of Park Operations (Matt Hughey), and the local SW chapter of American Coaster Enthusiasts included free admission and rides on Circuit Breaker. lots of pics below, but will get the burning question out of the way up front. Circuit Breaker is amazing. Very smooth, has multiple inversions- including my favorite element - a short stall at the 1/2 way point on the ride, and wll be 100% worth the trip to Texas to ride. they have two trains running: Red and Yellow, both with onboard audio. Very loud onboard audio, I'll note. I mentioned that to Matt and he said they have brought that up to Vekoma, but apparently it's a program that cycles and they don't really have any control over whether the audio will be BLASTING loud, or not. for what it's worth? I thought the Audio was much better/quieter on the Red train. oh..they also lowered the price. at least during Peppermint Parkway, it's now $15 to get into the event, but once in? only $15 (3 tickets) to ride it. almost every other ride is only 1 ticket. (Circuit Breaker was prior $25 for one ride). Or you could do the Gold Band that is $50 and offers unlimited rides on everything, and includes Circuit Breaker. the only thing not included in the Gold Band are the Go Kart racing, and the upcharge "lap around the track" also even tho it's the weekend before Christmas? it looks like they are expanding the ride options - adding in a new section that has another kiddie coaster (Orient Express), an Octopus, a kiddie motorcycle carousel, and a ferris wheel - tho this section was not quite ready to open. As you'll see tho, they did have the lights on some of the new rides going tho. ok. .on to pictures. .it really is a good event, and we had a great time. more info scattered thruout the pics at the moment, the Entrance to what will be COTALand is via Peppermint Parkway. So it's just to the left of the main Grandstands, and the parking is mainly in lot A behind us is the startingline/main granstands and the Minigolf. to the right is the Karting for adults (and under that white shade back there is the kids Karting) bright and sunny, as they just changed the hours of Peppermint Parkway so it starts at 4 instead of 5:30. . but they haven't really gotten that memo out to folks, so it was actually pretty quiet (and almost ERT like) until about 5:30, which had been the starting time. entrance is not free - it's $15 per ticket to enjoy the carnival grounds, and the lights. then you can either purchase individual tickets for rides/attractions (each ticket is $5) or buy one of multiple wristbands that include different levels of activities (ie: all the 1 ticket rides, the mini-golf, the activities such as paint a dreidel or ornament, cookie decorating, smores, etc. . .) They did a really nice job. . tho I must admit the COTALand area looks much better at night, once the darkness hides the dirt/construction. the exit of the entry tunnel. . again, this will look incredible at night. I absolutely adore that they put up "wacky Santa inflatables". .. immediately put a smile on our faces the only thing actually open during Peppermint Parkway in COTALand "proper" is Circuit Breaker. . so it's off by itself after a bit of a walk on the left. but they actually DO have quite a bit done already. it was impressive to see. the Schwarzkopf Wildcat is not moved and pieced back together, but was not quite ready to go yet. and the S&S Screaming Swing has been topped off, and Matt said they will be back next week to complete work on it. as you might note, there are LOTS of ride pads, and pillars poured. so there will be things everywhere. . . I believe what's going right next to Circuit Breaker is the Starflyer. there will be no dedicated "kiddie area", but instead the kids rides will be scattered thruout the park so there will things for families to do in each area. this is the base of what will be a 250' drop tower! and off in the distance (beyond the final curve of the F1 track - there will be a path that connects the park to that side along the track), is Palindrome, the Gerstlaur infinity coaster. it also is not open yet, but WAS testing during our visit, to the delight of many. hard to see in this pic, but the lift hill/final drop of the log flume is up and done too. but here's what most came for. and as noted above, Circuit Breaker is amazing. Wildcat seen from the Circuit Breaker gift shop exit. these trains are covered in LEDs. . and really do look incredible at night. tho I rode several times in a couple of places (on both trains). . I really do prefer the back row. to be fair tho, the front really does have a ton of airtime. walkways are designed well over here, with tons of spots to get great pics. we pulled Matt over for a pic in the sleigh that's for use by a Santa later in the evening to pose for a pic. this coaster is a great success, in terms of rideability, smoothness, and thrill. walking back over to the main Peppermint Parkway after rides on Circuit Breaker, another pic of just how far out COTALand will extend (tho please note the big area in the center is the F1 track, so mainly along that path connecting the two sides of the park will be nothing but path). Matt did confirm for me there are still plans for the "most thrilling ride that will be in the park" - the multi seated "skycoaster" type ride, that will be rising over on the Palindrome side. but this pic gives a good idea of how many ride pads / supports have been done already, and a better view of the flume and Palindrome. looking back at Circuit Breaker a final time before leaving this section to head over to the main Peppermint Parkway area. tons and tons of lights, and things to do / photo ops over here. they did a Menorah Lighting at 5:45, which I appreciated, as last night was night 7 of Hanukkah. one of my favorite things is that they have the grandstands open (mainly for use of the Concession stands and bathrooms), but you can sit and watch the folks that did the "take a lap on the track".. so very loud and fun to see the cars zoom by at 100+ MPH. some of the stuff they had up was a bit "scary" for kids I thought. . but most of the adults loved it. and they had a screen set up playing movies (we saw the end of Grinch, and most of Elf playing during our visit) the smaller rides that used to be over by the Concert Venue entrance have been moved over to the front of the Grandstands to be included in Peppermint Parkway. Matt told me these are only here temporarily, and I'd say the vast majority of them will end up placed in COTALand - as many of the smaller kiddie rides are COTA branded already in the paintjobs and ride vehicles. but over here is also the Wacky Worm. . and since Jim wouldn't ride Circuit Breaker (it's too big a coaster for him still, so he freaks himself out), he WAS willing to ride the Wacky Worm with me. from the temporary placement, one does get a lovely view of the F1 track starting line from the lift hill. lots of other temporary rides have been set up over here, and tons and tons of lights. and would it be a "carnival atmosphere" without food carts? including the Donut place that is operated by Matt's wife. . yummmmm. . .a giant bucket of fried donuts! (and hot apple cider too). just a sampling of the lights over here. . which would look so much better as it got darker. back here is the new section, which as noted, didn't open last night as it wasn't fully ready. but they are assembling an Octopus there, the Orient Express looked ready to go (and was lit up!), but I guess it's not safe to operate while they are building a ride next to it. of course they have a kissing booth too. (and yes, we did kiss, but not sharing that pic here ) the only "permanent" things over here are the Zipline, the Mini Golf and the two karting tracks (Kids/Adults). but as noted, I would say most of these rides will make it over to COTALand proper eventually. it was time for the tree lighting ceremony, and it got PACKED over here. Princess Peppermint came out and did a little skit to light the tree. it really is pretty cool looking once the tree lighting happened, the crowd spread out, and since the place is so large? it never did feel crowded. tho I would estimate the line of cars to get in, as we were leaving, was at least a mile long. would it BE an event at COTA without some race cars? How about RaceCar driver Santa? (the line for him was at least 40 minutes, so I just waited outside the queue and snapped them between visitors) you could also queue to meet Mrs Claus (she had a much shorter line at about 15 minutes) THIS nightmare fuel: as well as Rudolf, and the "Ice Queen and Snow Princess" (aka: NOT FROZEN, but kinda, but we don't wanna get sued). . LOL the line for those two was easily the longest of the night other than Santa tho. so we kept walking and stopping for pics. we did bump into Princess Peppermint as she was making her way back towards the main entrance for her photo-op spot. she was kind enough to pose for a pic with us. the entrance gate at night. stunning. and the tunnel at night is pretty impressive too but our feet were hurting, so it was time to go. heading back to the car, a few final pics of Circuit Breaker - with the LEDs on the cars .. they start off the color of the train, then switch to Red/White/Blue, as the train runs the course. here's that Stall I love. well worth a visit if you're in the Austin Area this holiday season. . . .

The power of Claus compels you! The power of Clause compels you! Merry Christmas Town 2025! It's time for our annual stroll through Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. There's every thing you'd expect: "millions" of Christmas lights, lots of festive decorations and music, different types of holiday grog and goodies, and, of course, Santa's Workshop. In fact, this event is much the same as last year, only with some minor changes in decorations and two new holiday shows: Christmas Town Live in the Festhaus and the Merry Misfits trio in France. Returning for this season are Scrooge No More, the park's popular version of A Christmas Carol, in England's Globe Theatre; Gloria, a retelling of the Christ story, in Ireland; Wiseman, a singing trio in Italy (I think their stage got an upgrade for this season, though); O'Tannenbaum, a synchronized music-and-light show outside the Festhaus in Germany; the Polar Pathway Spectacle of Lights in the Escape from Pompeii area; Elmo's Christmas Wish in the Sesame Street Forest of Fun; and 'Twas that Night, an ice-skating show in France's Palace Theatre. The park is running a few coasters, weather permitting, during Christmas Town: Pantheon, Verbolten, Invadr, and DarKoaster (not affected by weather, of course). Most of the flat rides are running, along with the Christmas Town Express (round trips only starting at Caribou Station) and the Skyride. Let's take it in, shall we? Bundle up--it's a chilly winter's night. The Giant Snowman bids you welcome to Christmas Town--unless you use VIP parking, which means you won't lay eyes on him. The Tree with the Big Balls is back! Carolers greet you in England with traditional Christmas songs, but don't expect to hear "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" or "Christmas at Ground Zero." In Ireland, you can pray for the immortal souls of those who decided to stop at Grogan's Pub for a pint of Christmas Town Stout. You can see Gloria in the Abbeystone Theatre, too. You can also partake of Santa's Fireside Feast, where you will be under the protection of the Great Stone Fist of the Elves. Oh, you also get cookies from Mrs. Claus. The path between Ireland and France is very peaceful--one of my favorite spots during Christmas Town. This peaceful setting brought to you by Coca Cola. In France, all will make merry, or they will taunt you with hearty laughter. "You are impressed by our enormous Christmas lights, n'est-ce pas?" They're a bit more laid back in Canada. But you do have to watch out for frolicking caribou. In Germany, gingerbread men and gum drops reach unnatural sizes. I found this in one of Oktoberfest's gift shops. Nothing says "German Christmas" more than a Scottish Highland Cow on a t-shirt. Santa's Workshop is in Germany, so suck it North Pole! Why is the very tall wooden soldier trying to choke herself? The Festhaus looks even more festive than usual during Christmas Town. The O'Tannenbaum show is always a crowd pleaser. Christmas Town Live harkens back to the Christmas TV specials of the past. The timing was wrong for me to catch the show that night. The stage is decorated like an old-time TV studio. Peace out on the bridge between Germany and Italy. It looks like the Wiseman show was upgraded a bit from last year's version. This year's version looks a lot like one of those Hallmark movies. This is my single favorite tree at Christmas Town--beautiful in its dignity and simplicity. Meanwhile, across the bridge from that same tree, Christmas is going completely nuts at Holiday Hills (aka Festa Italia). I like the Polar Pathway by Escape from Pompei, too. They have another synchronized music-and-light extravaganza on the Pompei show building. "Hmm--Cookie Monster wish for more bourbon in his hot chocolate." It's getting pretty cold. In fact, it's snowing in Williamsburg as I write this today. Time to head out via Scotland. A Merry Christmas Town to all, and to all, a good night!

pics from yesterday's visit for "Feliz Fiesta" during Holiday in the Park. (and yes, they got TONS of lights from SFA - I asked and was confirmed that the Texas parks got things from several other parks as well that were no longer doing Holiday in the Park) the park is looking amazing, and the shows remain top notch! Majesty of Christmas, and the Dickens shows alone are worth price of admission, tho all the other shows are great as well. because of Texas Department of Transportation sending out a crapload of warnings about how I10 & Loop 1604 (ie: right were the park is) being closed all weekend for construction, we allowed just over 2 hours for the trip to the park from Austin today. so of course, we were so early that even tho the cones were up, they hadn't started any work yet, and traffic flowed - resulting in us being the first ones at the park, and stopped at the entrance gate. so we took advantage to get out of the car, and snap this pic which typically you only can get while driving by. but after about 15 minutes, the parking gates opened and we headed in (with all the other folks that had backed up behind us). of COURSE, this was right when the Six Flags app decided to update, and that made getting thru the toll booths a nightmare - how nice Six Flags stopped handing out physical (hard card) passes JUST before they updated the app and made it a huge mess to access your digital stuff. note: we did chat with mgmt about this during the day as lots of folks had issues, so it came up. they are aware of issues, and are working on solutions, so "please stand by" anyways, the park looks great. the Day ended up being PERFECT (low 70s after a week of temps in the 40s and 50s), and the construction kept many away from the area, resulting in a very crowd comfortable day. lots and lots of photo ops thru the park. as mentioned, I'm guessing some of them came from other parks no longer doing HitP and no trip to SFFT is complete without a stop in to say hi to "miss Connie" in Sangerfest halle. she's a celebrity, and my friends all know I tend to go there first to get a pic. after 1st rides of the day on Chubacabra, those of us attending Feliz Fiesta got to go backstage for a tour of the construction site that I posted yesterday. as part of that tour, we also got to go down into the Gully Washer reservoir (drained during the off season upkeep) for some fantastic shots of Iron Rattler's drops. and then it was time to eat something for lunch (as our dinner wasn't until almost 5). we headed into Blues BBQ, where here at Fiesta Texas, the Turkey Leg with stuffing is still included on the meal plan. and as it's Holiday in the Park? Santa was out all day, so we had to pop in and say hello. naughty bert! (and how fantastic that Santa played along) one of the shows in the main square. . I believe this was the Tinker-Belles and the wooden soldiers one of 3 large trees SFFT has on display. this one is at the end of the main avenue into the park (and the tinkerbelles stage is at the bottom) many, many characters were available today for Meet and Greets. not just the Looney Tunes in Holiday garb, but also multiple DC Heroes, and tons of Holiday themed characters. and the "handlers" are happy to take your phone to snap pics for you. this makes me laugh - this is what happens when they start snapping before you're ready for the picture. . . LOL durrrrrrrr. . . . . but we did get some great pics regardless another throne. .and I do love my thrones more characters. . a bit horrifying, I thought, but happy to take pics after this great meet and greet in DCU, I asked them how about an "action pose". .and that's the 2nd pic. they understood the assignment - particularly Flash walking back to the front for dinner in the picnic grove, caught the end of a Tinkerbelles & soldiers performance, and they were hanging around for pictures. and yet, ANOTHER throne. they must have gotten these from other parks. a night time shot of the tree at the end of the main corridor. here's the MAIN tree in the park, in Rockville, during the Tree Lighting ceremony (that includes fireworks, Looney Tunes characters, dancers, and Santa on the stage in front of it) .. oh, and "snow" Jim and I in front of the main tree, before heading into the Rockville High Theater to see the Dicken's show - one of the parks two signature HitP shows didnt' take any pics of the 1st part of the show, but it's a full on production with sets, dancing, and very good singing. the camera came out during Ghost of Christmas Future, as I love the design of it. ltr: Scrooge, Ghost of Christmas Present, Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Marley, and Ghost of Christmas future. Scrooge seeing the error of his ways before he gets tossed into his own grave by Marley (oh. . "spoilers". . . LOL) after the show (and a few rides) we made our way up to the "big" theater in the park, for the amazing "Majesty of Christmas" - which, yes, includes live animals on stage in a wonderful production. after this show, the park was about to shut down, but attendees of Feliz Fiesta get some ERT on the CrackAxle coasters (Iron Rattler, Roadrunner Express, and Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger). . so we took the "Holiday Express" which is what they transform the train into, for a full loop around the park complete with Holiday songs and tons and tons of lights. including new this year, lights representing the 12 days of Christmas. . . that you pass on the train, AS the song is playing synched to what you are passing. so simple, but so effective and impressive. another photo op in front of Hurricane Harbor area and the 3rd and final tree, in Crackaxle, which I was told came from another park that is no longer doing HitP. it's a great event, and well worth going to.

Europa Park, Day one, concluded. Atlantica Supersplash (with the mini monorail behind it) wet TPR folks, giving the thumbs down. . .LOL while we hadn't done the whole park - there were still quite a bit of attractions we hadn't made it to - Austria was back over by Spain (and resort entrance/exit), so we made a point of stopping by there to take a look. Alpine Express and the Log Flume - which had been in one big adventure mountain area, had been lost in a massive fire in 2023, and they had rebuilt it, and opened it back up in 2024. we we really wanted to get a look at it. the coaster is now called Alpenexpress Enzian, and seems to have a VR option (don't recall seeing that when there, so maybe it's new? or an upcharge?). anyways, the line was a bit too long to make it before park close (and it was too cool to ride the flume, so I'd ride that tomorrow). So instead we checked out the rebuilt area via the new adventure trails, that replaced the caves that had burnt down. it's a powered coaster, but it's a good one. theming! and when walking the "trail" it interacts with both the coaster, and the log flume. which has squirt guns rigged along the trail, so you can squirt the folks riding the flume. there's a bunch of interactive stuff along the way too. . .like this "fireplace" that changes color based on touch. a great example of the coaster track and flume, and trail, interaction I asked about this, and was told that they kept the lead car from the prior ride (that had burned down) and put it on display as a memorial. very cool of them to do this, I think. I really liked the redone versions.. great job by the park rebuilding! and when we left the trail, we noticed that tho the park was only open for another 10 minutes, the line for the Alpenexpress Enzian had dropped to 5 minutes. so we ended up hopping on to end our first day in the park on this coaster! even tho Nick is blinking, we look so happy goodnight Europa Park! will see you again tomorrow for a full day 2. including Traumatica!

I am hoping to be very wrong about the relocations for the coasters. I really think the spinning mouse and the kiddie coaster are the only ones moved within the chain and maybe the only one moved period. I could see Firebird or the SLC going to somewhere random like Brazil, I guess, but I wouldn't bet on it. The woodies are done. Superman is too big both in terms of cost to move and trying to fit the footprint anywhere. Nothing with an LIM launch is getting moved in 2025, nor is a Vekoma Flying Dutchman. Sad days ahead as these all get scrapped.

Kings Island has announced the replacement for Boo Blasters on Boo Hill, "Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare," to open in 2026! https://www.visitkingsisland.com/blog/2025/august/phantom-theater-opening-nightmare-coming-in-2026 The stage is set for guests to be ushered into a new but familiar chapter in Kings Island’s history as Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare will make its debut next spring. Located at the site of the park’s original Phantom Theater dark ride, the quirky characters and chaos from the original return, along with modern technology, enhanced scenic elements and expanded storytelling. The comedic and fast-paced family adventure begins with a dark and stormy night, setting the tone for the grand (and ghostly) re-opening of the haunted Phantom Theater. Inside, a long-awaited performance by Maestro, the theater’s resident organist, is set to begin. During the storm, a lightning strike unleashes the ghost notes – mischievous musical spirits that wreak havoc across the theater – from Maestro’s mighty pipe organ. With the help of head usher No Legs Larry, guests will take the role as a member of his team and ride in “enchanted opera boxes,” utilizing special spellbound flashlights to capture and return the ghost notes to the organ so the performance can begin on time. Along the way, the enchanted opera boxes travel through fully built dimensional scenes, including backstage areas, haunted hallways, dressing rooms and a fiery boiler room as they meet other performers who are ready to take the stage. From animatronic forms of Houdelini and The Great Garbanzo to Hilda Bovine and Lionel Burymore, the Phantom Theater’s beloved crew returns, getting caught in the chaos while guests simultaneously search for the ghost notes. New surprises await guests around every corner, including the introduction of Arpeggio, Maestro’s furry feline friend. In total, 26 interactive scenes feature added multi-sensory effects like wind and sound, hidden Easter eggs throughout and a grand on-stage musical finale with all cast members. Manufactured by Sally Dark Rides, the leader in indoor family dark ride experiences, Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare is a true nod to the original that made its home at Kings Island from 1992 – 2002. “Families who have visited Kings Island will remember how special the original Phantom Theater was, and they’ve always wanted it to return,” said Tony Carovillano, park manager of Kings Island. “While paying homage to the original ride, Phantom Theater: Opening Nightmare’s modern and advanced features will help create new memories and stories for all who take their seat inside this amazing experience.”

The adventure isn't so great anymore.

They're assembling the carousel now.

Here are some photos of AlpenFury I captured today while at the park. It isn't quite complete yet, but very close! AlpenFury looks to be a great coaster once it does open!

After our brief but wonderful taste of Europa Park the prior evening, it was hard to sleep knowing that we'd have two full days to enjoy the resort ahead of us. I managed to grab what rest I could, eagerly awaiting the morning's exclusive ride time. We started with Blue Fire, another of the park's coasters that I had long anticipated getting the chance to ride. This is one sleek train! ERT earned many thumbs up! As soon as ERT was over, Robb and I rushed over to The Can-Can Coaster (Eurosat), not for the traditional ride experience, but for the newly-opened The Phantom of the Opera Coastiality VR experience. Replacing the previous Valerian VR experience that debuted with the rebuilt Eurosat, this new experience leans heavily into the fandom surrounding Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical. The queue is filled with props from the show... The queue also serves as pre-show experience before the VR elements begin, setting the stage for your visit to L'Opera Populaire in Paris. Fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber can find in-universe nods to some of his other works. I'll be absolutely honest. I'm not a huge fan of VR experiences on coasters. But I am a huge fan of Phantom of the Opera--I've seen the show seven times in my life, the movie countless times and I've listened to the soundtrack far too many times to count. For this reason, I wasn't going to be to visit Europa Park without seeing how such a beloved (albeit likely incompatible) IP could translate to a theme park ride experience. Unlike other VR experiences I've been on, this one had you put on the headset while standing in a room away from the loading platform. From here the pre-show experience begins in Box 5 of the Paris Opera House, the Phantom's preferred booth. Surprisingly, the booth lowers from the theater down into the catacombs below to reveal the Phantom's lair. Standing alongside others who are also wearing the VR headsets (you and others around you are represented as period-appropriate avatars, mine an older woman in a purple dress and Robb's a man with a monocle, a black top hat and a grey mustache) you are guided by another avatar through the catacombs to a convenient train of gondolas. What you don't realize is that from behind the VR helmets, you are walking to the Eurosat trains. And through the VR experience you are actually expected to walk to and get into your seats. If the VR isn't spot on (whether because of the headset placement or how it has sync'd up), then your results on getting in safely may vary... But I absolutely give them credit for such a ballsy approach. Once seated, your gondolas take off and begin on a journey that summarizes the key points of the musical's story in a compressed format. Logic, science and physics cease to matter as, once you ascend Eurosat's lift hill, your point of view shifts from the turning gondolas to a glowing orb that floats and flies through the story's scenes. The ride kicks off strong with the Phantom bringing down the chandelier to the famous tones of the show's main overture, and as the chandelier collides with the stage, you go crashing through it, down and into the catacombs. Flying through the layout of the physical coaster, you inexplicably weave in and out of the Paris Opera as it crumbles and burns, pausing near the end for Raoul and Christine to kiss in front of its burning remains, before returning inside to revisit the Phantom's lair, where he appears briefly and disappears in a gag that mirrors a final moment from the show, All in all, it was an interesting way to translate the show to a ride. The VR graphics aren't quite there yet and the syncing with the coaster's movement never really felt perfectly aligned--both reasons why I was in love with the end result, but as a Phantom fan, I'm grateful that Europa Park was gutsy enough to choose such a property for this experience. Now time for another hotly anticipated experience! Due to our visit taking place near Halloween, the coaster's signature music had been replaced with a special track for the season. "It's Halloween" plays on repeat throughout the queue and inside of the ride itself during this overlay. And I guess it is because I didn't know what I was missing--I thought it worked really well. Euro-Mir was a really fun ride (with a somewhat wild finale) and the randomized rotations made it very re-rideable. You know we had to come back for more Voltron! I love that the Croatia section of the park features three animatronics of Nikola Tesla (one in the queue, one at the start of the coaster and one in an outdoor area in the land). I strongly considered buying this Coaster Dynamix Nanocoaster but I haven't finished assembling several of the ones I already own. Silver Star stands in the foggy distance... Madame Freudenreich Curiosités was a very cute way to repurpose the "Universe of Energy" dinosaurs for a more unique (and less knock-off-ish) experience. The ride has a cute story. Familiar but different. There are lots of dinosaurs to be found in the ride. Not our dino, TPR has a bobsled team! Long had I waited for this moment! And Schweizer Bobbahn did not disappoint! The Swiss section of the park is charming and narrow... But most importantly... It is home to raclette! TPR takeover of the raclette hut! The park has so many beautiful areas to enjoy. I love the faux bateaux mouche so much! Europa Park had already been a delicious and refreshing experience so far! Time for more cute dark rides! Adorable. How does one follow up such cuteness? With coasters, of course! It was nice to just hang out for a bit. Of all of the rides inspired by Disney's Haunted Mansion that we experience on this trip, Castello dei Medici was certainly one of them. There's definitely key differences here. But there are also far more blatantly derivative sections. Familiar but different. There's even a hitchhiking ghost-equivalent finale. Though I have no affinity for the IP, "ARTHUR - In the Minimoys Kingdom" is a pretty neat mini land. The power suspended coaster was fun and unique. I love the architecture in the Iceland section of the park. And Wodan was a solid wooden coaster that has been well maintained. The station fly-through is such a fun element. Whale Adventures – Northern Lights is easily one of the cutest splash battles I've ever seen. Animatronics and flammable buildings out and about to enhance the lands' theming. I LOVE IT. I wish I had more time to spend in the Scandinavian section of the park. Snorri Touren is a gem of an attraction that no amount of research had prepared me for. Snorri is simply the best. This dark ride is not without value for adults. The gist of where the story takes you while onboard... Our carriage awaits! Our journey begins... Some great set design for this attraction. You can't go wrong with singing trolls. Snorri plays the mushroom drums. You can bet I brought a plush Snorri home to my son. Familiar but different. Some neat elements in the queue... Lots of exposition but I couldn't understand what it was. While he isn't Snorri, Jopie is great too. Piraten in Batavia feels similar but different to Pirates of the Caribbean. Some scenes are more recognizable than others. Jopie is helping to escape! Very pretty sets. I spy with my little eye, someone that is Mack. The ride's finale ends with an impressing series of projection mapping effects. Familiar but different. Equally familiar but different. Where have I seen one of these before? It was too cold for my tastes to ride Fjord-Rafting during our visit. Atlantica Supersplash looking good. This place is a theme park fan's dream. So cool to see in person! Such a fun and pictureseque coaster! Our time in Europa Park came to a close for the day... But our adventure was just beginning. As we had an evening set aside to experience Rulantica! Due to our limited time I have virtually no photos from inside, but I can't rave enough about the water park. This is the first indoor water park I've been to, but the bar was set so much higher than I anticipated. Rulantica is packed with themed areas, great water slides and some excellent spaces. Vildstrøm is the star of the show--a wild outdoor body slide that doesn't require you to go one at a time. Hilarity and chaos ensue. Robb has some fantastic video from our experience... The park was kind enough to let us try the Snorri Snorkling VR experience which was unlike anything I'd done before. It followed a similar story to Snorri Touren from in the park, but this time, experiencing it while gliding through the water. Super unique--mildly bizarre. I'm glad I had the chance to do it. After a wonderful evening at Rulantica, it was time to head back to the hotel for some rest. Tomorrow would bring even more adventures.

day 7 (full day at Alton Towers) concluded: continuing our way around this side of the park, the next thing we came to was Smiler yeah. .this 14 (!) inversion coaster looked really intense. I was wary of it, but since we had the fast passes, we figured we'd try to ride everything. it broke down while we were in line tho, so denied (for the moment) it really is sensation overload. . even just in the queue - the blasting giggling over the loudspeakers gets into your head! the employees didn't look thrilled with their outfits, but one of them did confide in me that "at least they are warm" what a gigantic mess of track! with Smiler down, we went over to the world's first dive coaster, Oblivion. I'd heard about this one for ages. . but didn't realize it's really just a drop. there isn't much to this coaster, but being the first of it's kind meant that it was a must ride. and ya know what? it gives a hell of a thrill still. I quite enjoyed it. Smiler was still down, so we headed towards the forbidden forest area - the only part of the park we hadn't explored yet, and home to the last two coasters here. cutting thru the ruins at the center of the park along the way it was a shame that Hex was down - as I love madhouses, and I'd heard this was a good one. but hey, a reason to go back at some point! whoops. . we'd taken a wrong turn and totally missed the forbidden forest area, and ended up in the world of David Walliams. as a fan of Little Britain, I knew who he was, even if I wasn't familiar with his kid's books. But the Gangsta Granny ride sounded great - and it was a fun , stupid, dark ride, that I think I rode a 1/2 doezen times. so well worth the stop over in this section. it even had a photo op! why yes, I'm the Queen this was apparently a building they used for a show that was not running at the moment. but next to it was a sizzler . . and a small carousel. on site in the park, there was also an Alton Towers Dungeon - which one of the workers told us was about to shut down, so we made sure to do it the next day. glad we did too, as they seem to have removed it from the park, so I got to experience my first ever "Dungeon" (in talking to others on the trip, the Dungeon experience is very similar in different locations, but typically do include a ride of some sort - in this case, was a boat ride in the middle of it). we finally found our way over to where we had been headed earlier tho: home to Rita and 13 the last two coasters in the park we hadn't seen yet. I did enjoy Rita for what it is. . . but found it to be really rather short. Just when I thought we were gearing up for another launch, we pulled into the station. it was fun tho, and I believe i did ride it a couple of times. 13 (Thirteen) is 100% a family coaster, but I truly don't understand why some are disappointed in it. for what it does? it does very, very well. and I enjoyed it. but my favorite coaster in the park? Wicker Man. we had ERT on it tomorrow night. . but that didn't stop me from riding it several times during the 1st day. I absolutely loved the layout, the fire/smoke effects, and that double down / double up lift/drop. so, so good. even the station was kewl! and the exit thru the gift shop offered lots of great swag! making a face, but seriously, I loved this! and some Rita pics and the mine train. . . Nick had photo pass, and he must have shared them all with us at this point, since all are together in my pics Oh, I was incorrect. . we hadn't been to all the coasters yet. We had come back to this area earlier, but only rode sub-terra. . we hadn't actually gone into the main area, and ridden Nemesis or Galactica. . so we headed back over that way. Nemesis looks amazing. . and that giant eyeball in the center moves to follow the trains! and it blinks. . . really rather creepy. more characters out, patrolling the area (there were also a group of "freaks" out, protesting to protect the creature from government prodding). it's good! Galactica is a B&M flyer. . and yeah. . it knocked the wind out of me. a bit too intense! I liked it. . but yeah, 1 and done for me. way too intense. it was almost time to head back across the park for Smiler ERT. . . but we swung past Nemesis again for a few more pics (and another ride) to get back over to Smiler, we decided to cut thru the "Gardens" section of the park. it's hard to believe we're still in the middle of a theme park (tho to be fair, I think if the skyride had been operating, instead of in refurb mode - now back open I hear - it wouldn't have seemed so "forrest-ry" back at Smiler, which was now back up and running. Group pic before ERT. I'd be danged if I didn't ride it at least once. . even tho I KNEW I wasn't gonna like it. (and I didnt' care for it. . the 14 inversions were just a bit too much for me. . so I was one and done,and then took pics of others riding it). it's a great looking ride, just too much for me, but i know a lot of folks on this trip LOVED it. and they were yelling out inversion counts as it went. the photo must be early on, as I was still enjoying the ride at this point. not sure about how Colin felt tho. . LOL the track is so long, they can operate multiple trains. . . which with the twisted up track, really gives the impression they might hit each other! I did make it to the end of ERT, even tho only rode that one time, and then we headed back to the hotel to grab some food and crash after a long, exciting, and exhausting, day. I wasn't too hungry tho. . perhaps Galactica and Smiler back to back had my stomach in knots. . . so I stuck with a desert. and no, I didn't share and with that, it was off to shower, and bed. Tomorrow was another full day at the park, and there were a ton of things I wanted to ride, and re-ride.

Kumba is now running again.

I really appreciate the inclusion of a Clench-O-Meter, Underwear Evacuation Rate, and Soul Exit Probability. This is proper hype.

got lucky at ACE Winterfest (well. . maybe not lucky, but smart, and opened with a face value bid), and scored the last two tix available to Holliwood Nights ! The presenter said it sold out in SEVEN seconds this year. so yup, doing HN two years in a row. yay!!! seems the "theme" this year is "Mean Girls". . . guess I'd better watch that movie (and it's a mini Coasterstock reunion, as I again invited Teacher Kim to join me, and we're meeting up with friends from Coasterstock 2022 Danielle and Jan (who scored tix via the on sale time lottery).

Seriously, I do not see anything changing for the worse at any of these parks if they are sold to another operator. Status quo? Maybe. But they will certainly not get less investment than SFEC was going to put in to them. Also, seriously, the first time SFStL has real news in how long, and we've got nothing from @prozach626 ? I'm disappointed haha.

Day 9: Holiday Park (now, Plopsaland Deutschland) this one ended up being a long, but fantastic day. we got up in the morning at Europa Park and after breakfast met in the lobby to check out and hop on the bus. before leaving tho, I made sure to get some daytime pics of Hotel Colosseo. . our amazing resort hotel. after loading up the bus, and after a drive, we ended up in Haßloch Germany, home to what was called "Holiday Park" but has now been renamed as of mid 2025 "Plopsaland Deutschland" so this was my last visit to "Holiday Park" ever. . it's a medium sized park, with some nice thrills, a lot of wasted space/closed attractions, and a killer top coaster in Expedition GeForce. we were also there during the Halloween event, called "Halloween Fright Nights". . tho not certain if they are still doing that now that it's a Plopsa park. there were certainly signs it was transitioning more towards a "tweens" park tho. . . as you'll see below in comments. Front gates Front Gates with TPR, pic courtesy of Robb. loved the light fixture additions. they were cutsey, but fit this front area of the park. I believe this is/was the park's mascot. . tho never saw him really anywhere other than near the front and by one ride at the back of the park. this was the main reason for our stop tho. . the excellent Expedition GeForce - this amazing Intamin Mega coaster, with tons of airtime pops, and that fantastic curving first drop. TPR on GeForce. Hawk seems to imply it was a bit chilly this day. Happy TPR train on Expedition GeForce the Starflyer, which ran a so-so program in an area that was almost completely shut down/abandoned. it LOOKED like they were getting ready to do some construction over here tho, so hopefully Plopsa has put some $$ into adding a bunch of stuff. the other "big" ride at this park: Skyscream (a Premier Skyrocket). i pass on riding, as I've been on several (including this one) before. the queue is really well done tho, and they leaned into the Halloween Season for this area, as the queue already was in the realm of "spooky" I rode this, tho I wasn't as good as getting the planes to flip as others on the TPR trip were. but, yup, it's "Plane on Stick!" the only other place I saw this mascot in the park. This was back over by the Starflyer. . not opening until this year (so yeah, they've been working on it for a while), but per RCDB, it's a Gerstlauer Family coaster with a booster lift, a chain lift, and a roll back. the flume that's over by the "animated" section that was a big "tweens" area already in the park. it has a nice double dip drop. . tho doesn't get one super wet TPR on the flume! and they DIDN'T make us all cram into one log. this was my face upon discovering that my *favorite* ride in the park, is no longer there. oh, Expedition GeForce is my favorite coaster, but my favorite ride in Holiday Park was the Castle Frankenstein dark ride. It was kinda / sorta Haunted Mansion, but done just different enough it wasn't a direct rip off. even tho the ride system is the same. last time I was here? I rode this, easily, a dozen times. this time ? closed down. and why? they are turning it into a Smurfs ride !! SMURFS !!!! bahhhhhh! oh well, I'd drown my sorrow in food, as our day included a meal voucher (along with skip the line passes). not sure what the heck this was, but suitably freaky for the time of year. lunch was pretty good tho. . I had the Schnitzel and a ride on the Carousel will always cheer me up. since I had last been here, a new section of the park had opened up near the front. so we went to check it out. and yeah, it seemed targeting children as well.. so signs were there that the park was gonna get a name change. the scenery looked pretty tho and the rides were all "tween type" rides. mini drop tower, dumbo type ride, and a galloping horse type ride tho instead of horses, one would ride Grasshoppers. I thought it was adorable, but didn't want to try riding in case there was a weight limit. the indoor section is still there, and looks pretty much the same - with the same family rides, including the classic wood carved roundabout, the kiddie roller coaster, and the fairy flight ride. even Jon was willing to pose for a pic on the St. Bernard that's a WHOLE LOTTA SAUSAGE for a teeny tiny bun! tho we had planned to leave after a few hours, the park offered us admittance to the Haunts if we wanted. so a vote was taken, and tho we had been planning to get to Phantasialand earlier in the day, overwhelmingly we all voted to stay at Holiday Park for a few more hours. which meant we got to hang out and drink coffee, and enjoy the Parade. oh look.. there IS the Mascot! so I was incorrect. tho Andrew doesn't look too impressed hmm. this parade has a lot of little kids in it (tried my best to take pics around them), but it's pretty spooky. maybe this is gonna be really fun? Spoiler - it was! I've always found the scariest thing about the Grimm Reaper to be his Nike's really cool parade. . and as the sun started to set, the park was getting ready for the monsters to come out, and to open up the houses. this was the entrance to the first house we'd be going thru: Freak Circus but much like Six Flags has "the Arrival". . .Holiday Park has a show, that brings out all the haunt actors for the houses. TPR anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Monsters Sponsored by a local radio station. . . the "show" was about what you'd expect, but I loved that they leave the stage and weave thru the audience as they head towards their houses they have arrived and Bob looks amused. she was great! and ended up in the "Disco Ball Room" of the first haunt. so many flashing lights. in the Freak Circus house, they send you thru in small groups. (actually all the houses did that - groups of 6-8), and in one room the "ringmaster" yells to all get together and smile for a picture that they take, and then hand to you upon exiting. for all the posing and direction the ringmaster gives you, the pictures are hysterically awful - blurry/out of focus - and they got worse as the groups went. she even missed half the group. hysterical! snapping a pic of the drop tower that is a park icon as we passed by it. (it's more of a "floating drop" than a sharp drop. . but it's ok, and it looks great) yes. they have a "Titty Twister" house. and yes! staffed by Vampires, including a door guy who says absolutely FILTHY things to people as they wait to go thru (a'la Cheech Marin in the movie" what I found absolutely the most hysterical thing about this? most of the scare actors - and the park guide who was walking us thru - had NO IDEA this was based on a movie! they were just working off scripts and getting into character that way. HAHAHAHAHA and don't even ask about "Ms Mona". . . poor Jon. no pics allowed inside the houses, but it's an experience we'll never forget (and I bet Jon won't either). this is also brilliant - right next to Titty Twister. This is an actual park restaurant. They closed it down for the Halloween Season, and turned it into a cannibal restaurant house. so you really ARE walking thru a restaurant. lots of random scare actors hanging about outside the main houses. . but that was really the only areas. if you weren't nearby a house, you were "safe" the fourth "house" is an outdoor maze, that seemed to be themed to Rats mutated by toxic sludge, and out front in the queue were protestors arguing for rat's rights. funny. (not really "scary" tho) a peek into the animated Norse land I mentioned earlier that has been the central area in the park (and is also at Plopsa). . with a Disc-o, a splash battle, the flume and a couple of other family rides. of course, it was never a trip to Holiday Park if you didn't stop into the "pipi station" bathroom next to Expedition GeForce. I really hope they kept this! as we finished up with the last TPR group thru the outdoor house, we headed towards the front of the park. as we passed between two "houses". . there was a scare zone here. so some scare actors to interact with. and crossing across the main square by the front entrance, they had turned off the fountains, and had a DJ on stage getting a dance party going. a final shot as we headed to the parking lot to get on the bus. and a pic from either Robb or Andy (since my camera lightened up the above, and theirs captures the beautiful sky) and then back on the bus and continuing on to Phantasialand. . where we were staying at the Hotel Charles Lindbergh on property. I don't think I took any pics of the room this time, as I have stayed in this hotel on prior trips. But snagged some areas I probably didn't get before. like the steampunk registration desk: and the park entrance to the hotel (yup, that's F.L.Y. track on the right. it goes thru the hotel). a sunset shot from the rooftop of the hotel, with F.L.Y. track underneath. could be mine, but I suspect I have to thank Andy for this. time for dinner (included with our hotel stay), the place looks really great at night. hungry TPR ready to chow down. and the food here is so dang good! best part of staying in this hotel? the ride may shut down with the park, but the area (Rooksville) stays open for hotel guests to wander around in if they so please. so able to get some wonderful pics. and then it was off to bed. tomorrow was the 1st of two full days at Phantasialand to end the trip

Interesting video. Tormenta looks incredible!

Part 3: Europa Park day 2 Continued: with less of a crowd up here, as it wasn't opening time now, I was able to get closer to the Berlin Wall pieces and read the history of the display and snap a couple more pics of Silver Star doing it's thing although I didn't go out the main gate completely, I believe that's the Monorail station there on the left. I absolutely adore this statue. . . Viewed from the front: but if you look at it the other direction? I need to find a small model of this, as I'd love to have it. headed back towards the gardens/restaurant, as we had to meet in about 20 minutes, I stumbled across this behind a "storefront" on the main street. the Mack museum! with all kinds of history of the park, awards they've won, patents, and design concepts for the park. very, very interesting, and I was the only one in there! (as I had been in the mask museum too) as I was about to head out, I heard some commotion from outside. so stepped out and was treated to: the clock going off, and doing a presentation, that I hadn't even realized was an option here back inside for a couple more pics then on my way back over to the restaurant here's the full menu I ended up having the "Baden" set menu, and it was all excellent (tho the service was kind of a mess. (I think we confused them since we all ordered separately) cream of pumpkin soup (so good) pork shoulder and potatoes and apple bread pudding with black forest cherries. after our meal, I took a quick look around the rest of the restaurant, as it really was in theme as a Medieval home after finishing up eating, it was getting pretty late in the day, and we decided to head back to the hotel to change for Traumatica - which happened starting at 7pm since we hadn't yet taken the "big" monrail, we headed up to that station near Germany and hopped on to head back to Colosseo to change clothes for something warmer pretty cool station. map showing where the Monorail went from and to, that gives a good overview of just how large this park is. changed and back into the park, this was outfit for Traumatica the lady in Spain seemed to like it. we had some skip the lines for Wodan from earlier in the day, so we had all decided to meet up at that entrance, but first I decided to climb this lookout tower section that overlooked the splash battle ride really nice views from up here too. . . and even slightly higher than that other monorail we had ridden earlier in the day even tho it had gotten cooler? tonight, the splash battle WAS running, and had takers. great view of Blue Fire from here too and of course, Wodan. and even lots of theming up here - on a lookout that wasn't gonna get many folks bothering to go up to. I love this park. met up and rode Wodan (it was fantastic as always, and yes, my headgear stayed on as it has a chin strap) this is the skip the line entrance for virtual queue and then we headed over to the main Wodan entrance, as we wanted to check out that free haunt they had over here it was mainly just lots of smoke and a few scare actors. . but for a free house? it was ok. it wasn't quite time for Traumatica yet, so we decided to head over to the Arthur area to grab some single rider rides. passing thru Fairy Tale land stopping to use the restroom over here, I just about pissed myself laughing. there was a gnome urinal in these toilets over here. and yes, it actually "peed". . . hysterical. using single rider is the way to go on Arthur, we were on it in moments. and then started heading towards the direction of the Traumatica entrance. we knew it was over near Croatia (by Voltron), so we went over that way. and once it starts to get dark? it comes quickly. this was when we started walking. and this is when we got to Voltron. and the temps started to drop too. I caught part of this "Animatronic" show, it was about Nikola Tesla. to be concluded in part 4: Traumatica !!!

Rain nothing! Tormenta progress ramps up as more track pieces arrive! Pic courtesy of Six Flags Over Texas!

That would be a tragedy. Freeze is an icon. You can hear the roar throughout half of the park.

So......we just returned from an Orlando trip. Had a date specific ticket to Epic on 10/1 and then went on our 1 day included with the package on 10/3 with plane tickets home on Sunday. As Friday morning dawned we had just accepted that we weren't going to make it on Stardust this time and had resolved to just enjoy everything else about the park; and it is a magnificent park. I mean they nailed the theming, lighting, soundtrack of each land. Never before was my son content to just walk around and appreciate the aesthetics in a park before like this one. THEN, as we are eating dinner on Friday (some of the best theme park food I have ever had btw) we hear the reopening news. Go look, sure enough trains in the station for the first time. What to do? Well we spend another $350 for two more tickets, concierge told us it was already sold out but we were able to purchase on line, blew off already paid for Howl O Scream tickets at SW, blew off a Vivo reservation (only significant because it was the only sit down restaurant at Citywalk I hadn't been to) AND went back on Sat 10/4, our last full day in town. Expensive ridiculous gamble? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. Something wrong with us? Probably. So from the get go some upper management types were at the ride entrance telling everyone late afternoon to early evening would be when they opened, IF the weather cooperated. We spent until about 4 casually doing other things while keeping our eye on the proceedings. Around 1 or 2 there were maintenance personnel riding, after that other park employees were getting a turn, then the ride crew got their turn. About 4 we grabbed something to eat at the pub and started hanging out near the entrance. Rain coming off and on just to torture us and make it not a 100% thing. More bigwigs show up at the entrance in a vain attempt to keep people from hanging around. News copter overhead most of the time starting about 5. Finally just after 6 they very quietly and calmly opened the barricade and an unbelievably obedient crowd surged at a walking pace in and was walked backed to an extended queue. I think everyone knew how badly the park needed this to go well and no one wanted to risk getting kicked out...................JUST as we approached the actual entrance the fire alarm in the station starts going off. Yep it was accidentally set off and all of the ride crew, easily 20 or more employees had to evacuate. Now we are all being held: ride crew at attraction entrance, the initial 100 or so riders in the temp queue, everyone else where the barricades at the plaza entrance. Swell . About 15 minutes for maintenance to take care of the alarm. We ended up being on the 2nd train out. Got back in line and used our one time express for the other side. Two front row rides on each track. Then waited a good 2 hours for a third ride as by that time the entire park was aware. So three rides, one with an abnormally long line that doesn't usually happen due to capacity. The park did not close the line one second early and actually added a 3rd train on each side to increase capacity. The atmosphere was as raucous as any ert session I've ever experienced. You could tell the ride ops needed this and the crowd gave it to them. Lots of cheering, clapping, and high fiving. The ride itself? What a magnificent beast of a coaster. An instant top 3 and maybe higher once we have time to digest it. The interaction of the trains is amazing. The only thing I can conjecture as to how someone could get blunt force trauma is getting slammed backward into the headrest if you were flopped forward when unconscious, the torque of the two double boosts is unbelievable. I of course have no idea if that is what happened but after riding it I can not think of what else it could be. Not possible to hit the lap restraint or anything in front of you unless you were maybe 8 feet tall. Of course we don't know what we don't know but I can't figure this as anything other than a freak accident for someone not completely able bodied. What an experience the whole thing turned out to be though! Any questions that I didn't answer ( I was trying not to write a novel here) ask away.

I have made it to Oktoberfest this year . My friend mike is meeting me tomorrow to start an achterbahn und bier trip. i started a week earlier and went to the drinktec convention and we will spend some time in munich before heading out to freiburg for europa park, mannheim for holiday park, home of expedition geforce, stuttgart for tripsdrill and the cannstatter wasen fest before returning to munich to finish off. I saw part of the opening parade lots of horse drawn bierwagons and brass bands. I have confirmed that olympia looping is still one of the most awesome things on the planet i got on the third train and it was great You must stay hydrated and the paulaner hefeweizen booth nearby offers a nice view. alpina bahn was running well too. It is my first time trying the new trains. I got a middle seat for some mild airtime. There are no headrests and at the bottom of the first drop there is a janky little curve that will keep chiropractors in business. Anybody else here, feel free to reach out. It is hot today at 30C but an awesome time. Maybe some night rides would be good. i was last here in 2014 and rode olympia looping 15 times. My goal itls to do 20 this year. Tickets are 14 euro bit still less than the airfare and more legroom than lufthansa.

Today was the last day of our trip. We have seen a lot, rode a lot of coasters, drank a lot of beer and ate a lot of good food. Pretty much what we set out to do. We started the day right with a proper Bavarian weißwurst frühstück (breakfast) at the Schneider brauerei restaurant near Marienpmatz. it is white veal sausage with sweet mustard and a pretzel, washed down with a weizenbier. In this case they had a special festbier version which was really good. As we were finishing up we noticed that it started to get very busy in the restaurant. I mentioned to the waitress that we picked a good time to get there early before it got busy and she told us that octoberfest was shut down for the day because of a bomb threat. They said they would try to have it open at 5:00 pm at the earliest. Oops…The shame is, it was the nicest sunniest day all week to be closed on. We had planned to spend the day walking around town anyway but hoped it would open again as promised. We took a tram tour around and ended up at the lowenbrau keller. It was a beautiful building from the outside but we didn't see the inside because it was full of people who would have otherwise been in the tents at the Wiesen. While taking a break at the hotel we heard it confirmed that the fest was reopening at 5:30pm so we came back for a final visit. We took the u bahn to Poccistraße and came in the south end by the oide wiesen. We caught a nice view of olympia looping from behind with the sun setting. We took some last rides on Alpina bahn, and the double wild mouse. When offered the chance to have a 1/2 meter sausage we couldn’t possibly refuse. Took a ride on the beer carrousel because it looked like fun and it not the kind of thing you see back home. From there we went to the riesenrad where they didn’t offer us a beer. We got some nice nightime views of the park all lit up. Really cool up there. We went back to olympia looping and took 4 final rides. Buying the tickets i was thinking I was maybe being a bit obsessive. As i took my last rides I thought it was exactly the right way to finish this journey. I finished off in my favourite seat in the middle of the train, thinking, damn i love this coaster. Thanks for everyone who followed along and reacted to and commented.

my Late Husband, Nick, passed at 63 (~3 years ago) and he LOVED coasters, but stopped riding them at about 55 due to medical issues (that would not have stopped most other people, but he tended to overreact. . so he just waited for me to ride anything more intense than the train or carousel, that he still felt comfortable riding). I'm 58, and my Boyfriend/partner, Jim (whom I met about 15 months ago) is 65. and he's just started riding coasters after we met. LOL. .his first coaster ever was Poltergeist (LIM launch spaghetti bowl coaster), and he does at least one "big" ride at each park. usually the last ride of the day, because he wants to participate in the "big" stuff with me. in regards to COASTERS: he's been rather limited (thus far), but his favorite is Texas Stingray at SWSA. He also really loved Steel Eel (SWSA), Judge Roy Scream (SFOT), Runaway Mountain (SFOT), Road Runner (SFFT), Aquaman Power Surge, and Mine Train (SFOT). he will TOLERATE a few other coasters at SFFT, and SFOT, but refuses to ride Iron Rattler (SFFT) again, as it terrified him. and I'd say he will absolutely not (anytime soon at least) ride Titan (SFOT), Great White (SWSA), Dr Diabolical, Chubacabra, or Superman at SFFT. but he loves flat rides, and we do all of those together.

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!!

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.

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:

It's new. All of the flats in the front corner of the park around Lightning Run were either removed (so long Cyclos) or moved to Discovery Meadow in the back. That whole area is lined with fences and there's a bit of development happening in there. Snuck a day away to go check out Discovery Meadow, and honestly? It's actually super nice. Felt like a move Herschend money could definitely pull off. One of the biggest things I've noted before was how alone Storm Chaser felt. Now the entire path between Roller Skater (Hollyhock & Roll) all the way to Wind Chaser is lined with rides, and a ton of shady sitting spots under existing trees. My biggest surprise was seeing the pirate ship put in a perfect spot next to Mile High, so close to the splash but angled perfectly to avoid the wave. Speaking of waves, this heat wave has been pretty intense lately so I didn't stick around too long. I mainly wanted to get my steps in then cool off, so I only did Wind Chaser and Treetop Drop. From what I could see, they reprofiled Woodland Run's first drop and I'm seeing a ton of crazy hairtime from riders in the back seat, so take note of that for anyone else who goes.

^I can’t imagine the owner of a high performance race car being satisfied with said vehicle not being able to complete more than a few laps per race.

I can tell from those track pieces that the coaster is forceless and shaky.

We were there once for a day and a half in 2018. For some weird reason my strongest memory is watching a guy get a hamburger at a stand, pulling the tomatoes out and just throwing them on the ground next to the food stand. Those tomatoes lay there all day, every time we walked by, getting increasingly more gross. I guess that kind of sums up the park. Not sure if they will relocate Wild One, maybe its historic nature will save it. Superman probably has a chance since several parks could use a hyper but are not likely to get the investment of a new one. Not sure much else is worth saving.

After an amazing two and a half days at Europa Park, we made the road trip via bus towards Phantasialand (our final stop of the trip). Conveniently enough, Holiday Park is close enough along the path that Robb & Elissa arranged a half day itinerary that gave us a chance to experience all of the park's main attractions and to get a taste of their Halloween Fright Nights event. It is probably worth noting that in the time since our visit, Holiday Park has begun the process to be officially renamed as Plopsaland Deutschland. Quite a view to walk into... Their entry plaza is quite nice for a relatively humble-sized park like this. Faux-stained glass. I genuinely appreciate how the park has built out a decently-sized indoor attraction space. Holiday Park is part of the Plopsa family of parks, and as such, they took their use of the House of Anubis IP rights and applied the franchise to their drop tower. We were hooked up with some Express Passes for the day... You could use this punch card up to nine times for any combination of attractions. Fortunately enough the lines for most of the other attractions besides Sky Scream and Expedition GeForce were short, which allowed us to use the express passes for those. And they certainly came in handy. Through the trees! Over the trees! Sky Scream is only the third Premier Rides Sky Rocket II but it was one probably the best one I've been on. Going down! A look at the full look at the coaster's layout. I'll never complain about a park keeping parts of their former coasters as theming. Super Wirbel lives on here. Wickieland is the park's viking-themed area and matches the cartoony styles of the other Plopsa parks. I love how much Expedition GeForce towers over and wraps Wickieland. Wickie Splash is a really fun log flume with some interesting tricks up its sleeve. The Big Wave is a large Zamperla Disk'O with a nicely themed base. I enjoyed seeing Expedition GeForce fly by as I waited for my ride on The Big Wave to begin. It was quite a good time! Without a doubt the best thing in the entire park. Magical things happen in this section of Wickie Splash. Die Schlumpfe. But in all seriousness, the park's Burg Falkenstein dark ride closed a few years earlier as it has been updated to be new Smurfs-themed attraction. I couldn't complain about this hearty Jägerschnitzel lunch at Restaurant Pfalzgraf. It was a little too cold for my liking to ride Dino Splash, but I greatly appreciated the theme. Quite photogenic. Anubis was quite a fun ride. Time to explore the Heidi-themed Holiday indoor section of the park. It's essentially a studio/warehouse building with play areas, a few small rides and a small food & beverage counter. But the variety inside is nice and the vibe is quite whimsical. Some pretty neat theming found within, though I'm not familiar with the IP myself. A unique little carousel inside... And they even fit a kiddie coaster in here (with a decently sized section hidden behind the rock wall. Back outside for more staring at Expedition GeForce. Can't stop. Won't stop. If you've been a part of TPR as long as I have, you're already familiar with this sign. Silhouettes in the sun. Over the Pipi Station! Through the curve! "It's like Coca-Cola but frozen!" Seriously incredible design. If you're a fan of grilled sausage, well then have I got the park for you! The park has a very cute Maya the Bee-themed kiddie area that is kind of off of the beaten path from the rest of the park. But we didn't have a lot of time to explore because we needed to get back to the front of the park for something else... While we had to be on the road within a few hours of the event start, the park treated us to a VIP tour with priority access to four of the event houses... I appreciate the fact that the park actually ranks the fear factor of each house and scare zone for guests to choose what they're able to handle and what to avoid. \ A look at how much of the park is involved in the Halloween Fright Nights event. If there is one thing that Halloween Fright Nights has going for it, it is the fact that the scare actors are super in character and super vulgar in the process! All kinds of sass was experienced before we even entered the house! I've never experienced a house that took your photo within and gave it to you. Sadly the camera was out of focus but still a neat souvenir and concept. Mad Rat was the next house we experienced. Actors were unafraid to curse, use suggestive language and more. Words to live by: "Make Love, Not Rats." Absolutely insane (in a good way) to me was the fact that the park's Schnitzel Haus restaurant actually becomes a haunted house for the event, where you actually walk through (and briefly sit in) the dining room, the kitchen, and even the restroom... It was wild. The final house of our tour was the most anticipated and most bizarre. Titty Twister is an adults-only house themed around a haunted strip club. And that description is the tamest way to explain it. Unlike any other haunted house I've ever been in and entirely over the top in the most memorable of ways. We had a great time at Holiday park for sure! As the sun set it was time to head back to the bus for our final destination of the trip...

I enjoy the long, well written TRs loaded with pics that many used to post and a select few still post. But I don't have the time and patience to do all that myself lol. I do take pics sometimes!

^ I saw that, too. Great Adventure is talking a big game about 2026, but for all we know it could be breaking the record for longest wacky worm. The thing that gives me pause about that article is that there are no facts, no evidence, just "i know a guy who said this thing." Also it states that they're in contact with various amusement companies and waiting on the right bidder, so that means it's a concept that's about to become as real as Orlando's Polercoaster.

After the incredible day and a half we'd had at Europa Park so far, it was both reassuring and incredibly sad to know that we had only one day left. This park had lived up to the hype and then some, and I wished (as I still do) that more time could have been squeezed in to enjoy more of the vast property's many offerings. That said, we still had a full day ahead of us, capped off with an evening at Traumatica, a Halloween event hailed as Europe's most sophisticated Halloween event. Our morning started off with some exclusive ride time on the Can Can Coaster... I love that Eurosat had such name recognition, that the new version still retains its branding, even subtly. Not unlike the queue for the attached Phantom of the Opera Coastiality experience, the queue for the Eurosat - Can Can Coaster features lots of related props and decor to set the stage for the attraction. I love how the queue embraces different parts of the lore and history of Moulin Rouge. A few props from the former version of Eurosat have found a home in the new queue. I absolutely adore this station design. And to be honest, I appreciated the Can Can Coaster far more than I expected. What feels like it was originally built as Europa Park's answer to Space Mountain has become a really fun tribute to the iconic sounds and sights of the Moulin Rouge, right down to the famous Can Can song. Next up for morning ERT was a ride of Silver Star. Now, I will admit that I almost definitely set myself up for a let down with this one. For years, I watched Robb & Elissa's earliest Europa Park videos and this B&M hyper looked to deliver a really fantastic experience. One such video that would always hype me up: In the years that followed, I'd have a chance to ride some of the biggest B&M hyper coasters back home, even getting one in Orlando. None of this to say that Silver Star isn't a good, if not great, hyper coaster--because it is. It is just that, hyper coasters don't have the same effect on me that they did when they weren't such a commodity. I enjoyed this one, but nowhere near the levels of awe I had somehow built myself up to expect before riding. The moral of the story here? Sometimes it is best to just enjoy a thing for what it is, and be surprised with how it ends up being when you actually get to ride it. I absolutely adore this section of the park. It didn't hurt that the Euro-Tower was nearby to give us a chance to view the park from above. One section of the park that I had less time than I would have liked, was the Ireland area. So many great things in one view. Swiss Bob Run looks great from above! No, this isn't a Spaceship Earth knockoff... Nor is it the only park with a geodesic sphere in it. We got a sneak peek at Traumatica from up here... Such a neat place to watch Voltron Neverra in operation... Speaking of which. We simply couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop. This might be one of my favorite ride photos ever... The insane variety of facial expressions sums up just how wild this experience can be in every sense. Nearby we rode the Snowflake Sleigh Ride which... Exists. This could probably be replaced with something more modern. This on the other hand, I hope they never change. "Dubi dam dam, da dubi daba dibi dam..." I love that they have a replica of The Globe Theatre and I regret that I didn't have a chance to go inside. Similar but different. I know many poke fun at how Pirates of Batavia feels like a knock off of Pirates of the Caribbean, but there is a lot to the experience that is unique. It had moments that reminded me less of Pirates and more of Sinbad's Storybook Voyages at Tokyo DisneySea. I think they really did a great job recovering and revamping this attraction in the wake of the fire. Did you even go to Europe if you didn't get poffertjes along the way? Had to go back to ride Snorri Touren again! I'll admit I had a degree of FOMO about not getting the chance to dine at FoodLoop but gimmick seemed just fine to observe from afar without eating there. Still blown away by this section of the park. I couldn't help but to stare at the Stave Church in the park. The Scandinavian section of the park (and its similar-themed hotels) was among my favorite areas of the park. Blue Fire is a great coaster that lived up to the hype. There aren't many swing rides that look as good as Vindjammer. We spotted a bit of Traumatica history while waiting for the Voltron 4-D film. Taverna Mykonos had an awesome platter for lunch that was a fantastic value. Pegasus packs a punch despite it being a family coaster. Tesla gave me a bit of side-eye as I walked back up for more time to watch Voltron up close. But it was worth it. I mean, look at this thing! Less side-eye given, now that I was going back in to ride. The maneuver from the brake run into this corkscrew is practically a launch. The first and only time I was able to capture a shot of the inverted stall... What a masterclass in coaster design! Old meets new. Action shots in motion... I just love it. Still delicious. Still refreshing. Time to start making our way out of the park... But the day was far from over. Silver Star looking great from afar. Europa Park takes on a gorgeously different tone at night. I wish I had more time to explore the rest of the park in the evening. But it was time to be traumatized. Welcome to Traumatica! The park's houses/mazes are definitely lower-tech than you'd find in some of the stateside parks, but if anything, that challenges the park to be more imaginative and creative with their effects and scares. The event features a main stage with a rotation of themed acts including musicians, dancers and freak-show acts. The Hill is quite literally a maze built upon a hill on the edge of the property. It was one of the most basic experiences of the event, but I give them credit for leaning into the theme simply and effectively. Something that surprised me about Traumatica was the sheer amount of fire found throughout. These fire pits were found throughout the event grounds... Never in America could guests be trusted to openly access such fire, for a variety of sad ("this is why we can't have nice things") reasons. Roaming scare actors were some of the best parts of the event and some of them even carried sparklers and fire sticks as they moved through the crowds. How about an action shot? POP! The houses each had a unique way of approaching the theme--and to the park's credit, none of them really went the way you'd expect. The entrance experience in this house alone, sold me on the entire experience. My favorite house of the entire event! The event also featured a variety of food trucks and booths in case you needed a bite or some liquid courage. I highly recommend experiencing Traumatica if you have the time to experience Europa Park during the season! What an absolutely gorgeous sight upon which to end our final evening at Europa Park...

Oh I am so excited to visit! We will be there the at the very beginning of Oct. Figured that was the best compromise between kids back in school, a little past hurricane peak, and a little before the worst of the Halloween crowds; plus we'll get to do the HHN stuff as well. I bought the 3 day package that includes one day at Epic and then went back in and bought a single day Epic ticket. So, figured we would have 6 days counting check in and check out day with tickets for 4 of them and be able to go to Epic twice. Then thought we will just buy HHN tickets for a day and go to the park late and that we would probably pop over to SW one day. Not sure why you can't add on single day Epic tickets as an extra when getting a vacation package, that seems like an oversight, but you do have to do a separate booking on that. Then I realized I had made a mistake on line while booking (my fault) and had to call customer service right away to correct it. I had an excellent customer service experience and then icing on the cake she offered me entry into IOA and US for the entirety of the stay (so the two days I previously had not purchased tickets for) for a grand total of $48. Not per person but for the entire party. Icing on the cake for sure! However, for the first time we are not staying at RP but at Aventura. The prices really have popped up on RP which is 100% not surprising, plus I needed two rooms, so since the included express doesn't include Epic which will be our main focus for the trip and we can spend our IOA and US time on our favorites and that we are hoping crowds aren't too bad that time of year.......I'm opting to spend the savings on extras like HHN and/or express at Epic only.

This is the best thing that could possibly happen to Lake Compounce. I'd been seriously starting to wonder how much longer it was going to be around with the way it's decayed over the last decade. As someone who had a season pass every year from 2004 to 2019, but hasn't been since then, I'm excited to see what the next few years look like there now. Kennywood definitely needs the help too.

I got to attend the opening of the DCUniverse area the other weekend at Six Flags Fiesta Texas (it also overlapped with the Mardi Gras celebration, so did some of that too). the area looks great, and with this open now, SFFT has the biggest assortment of DC Universe themed rides in North America (even if we don't count Kid Flash, which has been a paperweight for a long time now, and seeing the announcements that it's getting removed? just confirms whatever lawsuit was going on is now concluded). anyways. . here's some pics. my quick takes on the 3 brand new rides? Cyborg (Nebulaz) - it's great, running both forwards and in reverse, with heavy theming (Kilg%re takes over control of the quantum mechanism and makes the ride go crazy) - forwards is slightly more nauseating than the backwards portion. I actually fit in this Nebulaz, tho I saw many people get walks of shame - so if you don't fit in a seat, ask to try another one, as even tho they claim the seats are all the same? some of them have slightly longer seat belt clamps and I had no issue riding - 1st time I've ever fit on a Nebulaz. Shazam (spinning drop tower) - a very gentle ride, it reminded me a LOT of the SFOT parachute drop. really long cycle, and more of an upscale "bounce tower" than a drop tower. looks amazing at night with the lighting package. Metropolis Transit Authority ("Monorail") - the station is a *stunner*.. . subway tile, and a queue that looks like waiting at a train station. the ride itself is a bit short (shorter than I expected it to be, and it actually looks shorter than the original plans showed (where it went around the Gotham City Crime Wave swings) - it now cuts in front of it. There is no onride audio (a shame, as it would be great if it pointed out things you pass), tho there is audio in the station that teases the train arriving and leaving. it's high enough to get some great views, and with even a slight breeze was very comfortable on a warm day. They do only allow 3 adults and one child maximum in each car - so this could cause quite the line on a busy day, as there are only two trains with 4 cars each. I have to assume that is for safety reasons, as out car - with 3 adults - seemed a bit shaky on some of the turns. it adds to the thrill level of this gentle ride tho, I thought. Batgirl (the kiddie coaster) is running great still and the new colors look really nice on it. same with Green Lantern (zoom jets) - the new color scheme is fantastic. Poison Ivy (up up and Away), really works well with the gondolas redone as giant fruit with vines (and shade) in the queue now. I did not ride Penguin (convoy) even tho it had opened with some statues in place, as they still are not quite done with it, and expect a few more dioramas to be added to the track area. anyhow. . here are some pics even the Batmobile at "Batman" (the 1st S&S Freespin built) has been refurbed the new DC Universe area (where the main concentration of rides are) a look at Green Lantern, the Monorail, Cyborg, Shazam, and Batman Poison Ivy (the revamped up, up, and away) the new entry sign from Spassburg (it lights up, and the other side say DC Universe across the top) the Metropolis Transit Authority (Monorail) queue building up high enough you get a nice view towards the front of the park from the station and a great view of the DCU area LTR: Superman Krypton Coaster, Cyborg, Green Lantern, and the base of Supergirl (Skyscreamer) In this pic you can see most of the land, plus Wonder Woman golden lasso coaster on the upper right looking across at the MTA queue building, and on the right some of Penguin. . they are still going to be putting up some dioramas here to drive thru. looking down into Penguin, you can see some of the statues that have been placed, but as of a week ago, there was still some work to be done on it. it IS up and running tho. pulling into the station, you get a great close up of Shazam, and in the distance the top of Gotham City Crimewave, Joker, and Superman Krypton Coaster they have some DCU characters out. for the month of March, they are starting out with Flash and Harley Quinn I may have gotten "confused" meeting "the Flash" during Mardi Gras. . . I didn't get any beads, but the actors all had a good laugh. yeah. . Boomerang. but it sure is picturesque. that's Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger in the right window there. View from the VIP lounge patio. why hello Mr. Jeffery Siebert! got a mini behind the scenes warehouse tour and got to see the maintenance shed where they keep the extra trains for all the coasters. and then found out Harley was out now. . so went back to DCU for a pic. kinda behaved myself this time. also went to see the new for Mardi Gras show, "Voodoo Dolls" it's very, very good. (and indoors with cushioned seats and air conditioning) some of the voodoo queens get special effects for their numbers.. such as bubbles! and to top it off, I got to ride on a parade float for the evening Mardi Gras parade. for once, I got to be a Pirate, instead of being the swiss girl - (for some reason, when I do the parade, they always wanna dress me up as the swiss girl) ready for the parade to start, and to toss out hundreds of beads! the area looks great, the park is fantastic, and the Mardi Gras food is all really good. Highly recommend checking it out while the event is still going on!