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Alright, so yesterday was pretty dang awesome. The park was a bit slow to wake up with a bunch of coasters being closed until 10:30/11am or so, but once things were in the groove it was smooth sailing. Crowd levels had waits at 15-30 minutes for most everything. Operations could use a little work as I noticed every single coaster stacking trains, though. Still, every coaster that had the capability to run three trains WAS running three trains. Stacking or not, that's appreciated. Hate to see that go-get-em attitude disappear once the Six Flags merger completes and we're down to one train being half-loaded. Coasters - Orion - Hoo buddy, this one surprised me. This bad boy RIPS through the layout and has some damn good airtime to boot! Definitely a front seat ride, though the back ain't bad at all, either. The wind in front, though, is the cherry on top. Diamondback - The airtime on this ride is legitimately scary. This isn't standard B&M floater air but instead it's "bucking bronco trying to send you into Kentucky" air. Back seat is best. Mystic Timbers - Fast and wicked ride through the woods with a phenomenal first drop. Tons of laterals and some nice air pops. The shed is a complete waste of time, effort, and money, though. Back row is intense, especially getting ripped down the first drop. Banshee - Holy hot dicks from hell! I had absolutely NO IDEA how great this ride is. I'd heard the good reviews and I've seen the POVs but lawd almighty this monster is completely different than I was expecting. It rides like a mid-90s Beemer! Forces out the yin-yang on every element, especially the batwing and second vertical loop. Back row is is my fave, if for no other reason than that first drop. Best ride in the park alongside... The Beast - It's The Beast. It's one of the greatest rides on the planet. It also has some truly awful trims in the first bit (first drop, second hill, and the long shed) but after the long shed it returns to the incredibly wild run through the woods we all know and love. The trim before the helix has mercifully been moved to the top of the hill, so now you hit the tunnel full-bore and go screaming around that bitch like a bat out of hell. All hail the king, especially in the front row. The Bat - I love this ride, even if it does have a horrible location compared to the rest of the park. IIRC, back in 2003 it was much more visible and accessible with SoB in the area. Instead it's now a relic hiding behind a 5-mile hike with an entrance hardly seen at Banshee's exit. Damn shame, because this is a very fun and fast suspended coaster. Racer - Third row has some great airtime on this classic. Fun stuff! Backlot Stunt Coaster - Great launch and helix, boring everything else. Slowest line in the park. Flight Of Fear - Closed most of the day, broke down when I was entering the UFO. Didn't ride. Adventure Express - Packs a punch! I love me a good mine train and this one didn't disappoint. Ride it in the back to get the real janked-out experience, ya jabronis. This ride is great. Invertigo - Pass. I rode Two-Face when it was at SFA. I'm good. Other Rides - Boo Blasters - Yeah, this has seen better days. Cute enough and an easy way to escape the sun, but the guns hardly work and there's a large amount of broken effects. Delirium - Fun ride but after riding a larger version it didn't feel as wacky. Windseeker - This was my first Windseeker after riding many Star Flyers. Let's just say there's a reason these haven't been built in a while. Star Flyers are a much simpler mechanical ride and much more reliable. This was also pretty uncomfortable, for some reason. Good view, though. Blue Ice Cream - Yummy yummy in my tummy.

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!

You really don't need to.

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.

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

Grab Your Hard Hats for a Tour of The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge Busch Gardens gave us a sneak peak at all the construction going on near the Festhaus and on the other side of the railroad tracks with a hard-hat tour of the Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge. This new Bollinger & Mabillard (B&M) Family Inverted Coaster continues the story of the original Big Bad Wolf, which thrilled riders in Oktoberfest for 25 years. The original Big Bad Wolf was the first coaster for many local park guests--not to mention for their children and grandchildren. BGW wanted to bring back the spirit of the old ride, but with a fresh approach. Here's the back story of the Wolf's Revenge from the park's website: Kevin Lembke, park president, and Suzy Cheely, vice president, design and engineering, provided some background on the ride and answered questions from the group. Here's a little infographic to kick things off. The ride is longer than the Tampa park's Phoenix Rising (another B&M Family Inverted) and sports a 65-foot initial drop and two lift hills. The Wolf's Revenge tears through a Bavarian village, as the original ride did. The original Big Bad Wolf "means a lot to our guests," said Suzy Cheely, so they wanted to capture the feeling of the old ride and upgrade the storytelling. Even Drachen Fire, the previous coaster in this space, is contributing to the new ride. The old Arrow coaster's station and maintenance barn now belong to the Wolf's Revenge, so they've come full circle from being used as Howl-o-Scream mazes and storage buildings. A few other points before we brave the muddy path to the Bavarian village: There's no official opening date yet--just "spring 2025." The inverted trains will not "swing" as the old ride's trains once did. Wolf's Revenge might be open during Christmas Town this year, but that hasn't been decided yet. OK, watch your step as we explore The Big Bad Wolf: The Wolf's Revenge. Those who get mired in the muck be warned--there's a wolf in the vicinity! This, is, indeed, a hard-hat area--and we better not see anyone out here in sandals, either! Here's a less obstructed view of the station. It's been the home of numerous Howl-o-Scream mazes over the years since Drachen Fire was removed. The building was sound structurally, said Suzy Cheely, but they did put on a new roof and remove a lot of extra nails and bits from the old HOS mazes. The Wolf's Revenge's entrance will be what used to be Drachen Fire's exit. The first lift hill before the wolf howls and you plunge. A look at the original Big Bad Wolf's replacement: Verbolten. The ride crosses over the maintenance barn and the railroad tracks. Hmm--I wonder if the Witch of the Woods was upset when she was evicted. Perhaps she's sharing a place with Scarlett, one of the park's other HOS witches. The ride is actually bigger than I expected. Kevin Lembke answers questions. Another look at where the ride crosses over the barn and the railroad tracks. As you can see, it's a bit "twisty," but there are no inversions. The wolf charges through the village gates here--nice touch. Suzy Cheely talks about the ride's theming elements and construction. Here's an unobstructed view of some of the village. Those who rode the original Big Bad Wolf will, no doubt, find some the architecture familiar. Suzy Cheely said that they've been very careful about the ride's clearance near the church steeple. This is a "foot chopper" heavy ride. I was rather taken by this stable. I imagine the farm animals were taken from it--and eaten! Time to head back for lunch at the Festhaus. They treated us to some spicy Mardi Gras food, beads, and some lemonade spiked with vodka. Let the good times roll, indeed! Thanks for reading.

Really wish Rockin would get a modern Vekoma looper refresh as well. With all of the lengthy refurbishments and downtime issues, it would do wonders to have new trains and track, smoother ride with a much better coaster experience.

Day 2 (1st official day of trip) - night-time at Oktoberfest Fair a quick stop at the hotel to relax and take off my shoes, and then a group of us on the trip met down in the lobby around 5:30 to head over to the fair. it had started to get colder, but I thought I'd be ok - something I really regretted by the time I got to the fair gates. so first stop was to buy a T-shirt that I put on over the shirt I had been wearing. this was Saturday evening, and Elissa had warned us that it would be the most crowded we'd see at the fair. and yes, she was correct! this time we went in thru the main entrance, and went all the way to the back down the main corridor: lot of people headed out. . but TONS more coming in as night fell, and the weather report cleared up the giant buildings are the big Beer Tents that line the main corridor. Each one brews a special beer just for Oktoberfest sales. this corn freaky thing is apparently a famous sight at Oktoberfest. not gonna lie, the corn smelled fantastic but he (it?) freaked me the hell out. the Enterprise was running a good cycle with a great lighting pkg. but of course, we headed over direct to Olympia Looping. . which had many trains operating at once tonight. this was the crappy Ghost Train. . . tho the outside was pretty dang tempting. the group I headed out to the fair with. . and a couple of photo bombers for dinner we found one of the many wurst stands that looked (and smelled) amazing. but this one had an area off to the side where one could stand relatively uncrowded and eat. so this won out. I have no idea what I ordered, I just pointed to one and said "that one" it was good, and at least had a normal size bun, even if it was a HUGE sausage. (and a nice view of the shirt I bought to help stay warm, and made a fantastic souvenir) the clouds really helped the lights reflect. . it was so lovely tonight. . tho very very busy peeking into one of the beer tents thru a window, as we walked down one of the many alleys to a restroom. all of them have live music too. we ended up at one of the oldest rides in the Oktoberfest Fair - Hexen Schaukel - which is a classic Madhouse, the type you would have gone to in the early 1900s. I loved the design of the tickets: but what really sold me was the gesturing finger (in the center of the pic) that drew customers in with a "come hither" movement. lots of signs up about the history of the attraction, but all were in German (of course) wonderful design work on the outside, tho the inside of the Haunted Swing only sat about 12 people, and the "room" that rotated around us was more like a giant paper bag. The artwork was charming tho - done as if by a child. . so it really did come across as a ride that had come thru time to appear at the fair. This attraction also had my favorite moment of this night at the fair: when they closed the door to start the ride, there were 4 of us from TPR, two girls, and across from us, these two guys in Lederhosen. the moment the lights went out, the guys started shaking out powder onto their hand and snorting it. they made a big production, offering to everyone on the ride - the girls strongly (but firmly and politely) declined, and all of us said no too. . even muttering - I'm not snorting some random stuff off some stranger's hand in Germany. But the guys thought it was hysterical. . and were laughing and giggling. when the lights came on at ride end, the offered me again, and I again said "no thank you". .but asked if I could take a picture of them. which resulted in one of my favorite pictures that I took: we kinda shook our heads, and laughed at the picture and then made our way over to Alpina Bahn for rides. this is a picture Erik took from the Ferris wheel, just of the main corridor of the fair. gives you an idea of just how crowded the place was around 9pm! there were so many amazing smells from the booths, so several of us decided to try Chimney Cakes. . that were rather unique looking. they make them fresh by putting the raw dough onto the spokes, then baking them and deep frying in oil, before dipping in toppings. served warm, the Cinnamon I think was the best (and we were told most popular), but I personally also tried the Raspberry sugar rolled, and that one was excellent too. about the consistency of a funnel cake, but tasted more like a sweet bread. headed over to the biggest of the Ghost Trains, and the one I liked the best - even loved the cars on this one. and then back to Olympia Looping for another ride right next to it (on the left) is the Carousel Bar. . which was much more crowded than the night before. But we spotted Hans in there, so headed in to join them for a drink. no luck getting on the Carousel tho ... it was pretty packed. so we hung out in a spot near the mug return, at the front of the bar entrance PROST!!! while chatting, Ryan and I made some new friends. we told them about the guys in the Hexen Madhouse and they laughed and showed us what they guys had been snorting. it's a Cinnamon & Sugar mix that gets sold exclusively at fairs (can't recall if they said it was only Oktoberfest or fairs in general in Germany). they said "it burns but gives you a boost of energy". . which made me laugh, as that could be a description for a different white powder one snorts. when they showed us the bottle, it matched what the guys on Hexen had. . . . so at least I was relieved it was nothing illegal. I still didn't want any tho. didn't stop them from posting for a pic for me, with a rolled up Euro tho. . . .LOL (and yes, I asked Ryan if he had an issue with me including this in the Trip report) best thing about our spot at the Carousel Bar? able to get some really nice pics of Olympia Looping from where we were standing. the mouse was still racing. . . and we HAD to go back, as Andrew and I had to ride the left side whee! and of course there was a kiddie coaster at the Oktoberfest I didn't want to ride it, but was able to document it for those who did. look at these proud faces and we then bumped into a very happy Jonathan! who hung with us for the next hour or so until we all headed back to the hotel. not sure where we are here, but I THINK it's the bar across from the Toboggan (the Garden bar?) wandering towards the main entrance / exit. . . we stumbled across what became my favorite flat at the fair: Voodoo Jumper. fire effects, long ass cycle, and just a ton of fun! Even Barry who doesn't like spinning rides, rode it twice the next night with us. So good. . I don't' video, but I'm sure someone recorded a cycle and posted online. of course we were gonna stop and ride it! whee! most of this fog here? is coming from a Bumper Cars ! Seriously, they loaded so much fog into that, it was like a 70s disco. and after convincing some that it was time to head back to the hotel, as we had another full day tomorrow. . . we did stop and watch the Tagada for a bit. people kept staring at me, and someone said they thought it was because with my shiny jacket, and standing next to Jon, I looked like a famous person with his bodyguard (ha!!!).. so they were trying to work out who I was. loved this Church just outside the main gates of the festival. and then it was a short walk back to the hotel. . where I promptly crashed. tomorrow was another full day!

Day 1 part 2: Oktoberfest at night. . after the rain has come. the downpour for a couple of hours while we were eating, really cleared out the crowds. side benefit is that it really made for some beautiful pics, with the lights from all the rides reflecting up off the wet ground. we entered not thru the main entrance (that would be tomorrow), but the group I was with, including Jon, Nick and Christopher), went in on the side closest to the restaurante we were at, on the right. near what they call: "Vomit Hill" I would have renamed it "Vomit and Piss Hill" as there were so many people doing both. . . which was a bit shocking since it's on the side of a beautiful building (a Museum?) with this incredible statue out front. but as noted. . it's on the far right side of the Oktoberfest fair - which is about as big as 3 football fields, I'd say - so I guess it really IS "off the beaten path" even tho we came in on this side tonight (for the only time) looking across. . the main corridor is up ahead and if we turned left, would see many of the HUGE beer tents that line the main corridor. the rides are all on the outlying corridors and the outside of the fair. with the "big" rides separated to help out with crowds, I'd assume. this, tho it looks like a ride, is a game booth. the rides are all independently operated, and there are multiple versions of some rides (I counted at least 4 breakdance type rides) - and they all run insane cycles to help draw crowds to them. The incredible lighting, fog, and fire effects help do that too. the giant Ferris wheel at the back of the main corridor of the fair (if you come in under the Oktoberfest sign and walk straight back, eventually you get to it). interestingly, my favorite area of the entire fair was back here BEHIND the Ferris wheel on the right - it was an "Oktoberfest Museum" of sorts, that had classic artwork, posters, haunt figures, information, food, drink, and a bunch of classic (like ancient) rides, that also ran crazy cycles - including a waltzer that the operator hand cranked to get it to go faster, and you had to fight for an open carriage when the ride stopped! NEVER in America LOL. and the rides in this section were all 1.50 Euro (much cheaper than anywhere in the fair, tho you did have to pay 4 euro to get into this section). I visited back there on day 3, so will be pics forthcoming of that. Christopher and I in front of one of the official welcome signs. pretty sure this is a different BreakDance again, this is relatively empty ! because it had rained. . can you imagine what a Friday night would have been if it had been nice? (we'd see that the next night when could barely move in the place!) tho there were several drop towers in the fair, this is actually a pic of a drop tower and a Catwoman's Whip style ride. but really, I think I was trying to get the pic of the Alpina Bahn sign along side the huge Lowenbrau tent - where we would be on Monday. this is one of the beer halls. made to look like Gingerbread and candies. Incredible that they build this up just for ~3 weeks. this amazing thing is called the Predator. imagine an Enterprise that's on a Gyroscope. and yes, I did ride it on one of the days - before eating of course - and LOVED it. but look at this crazy thing! multiple Himalayas and Music Expresses too ' more looks at what Predator does.. it really is mesmerizing. and a really long cycle too. but enough foreplay . it was time to head to the very back of the fair, for what many of us had wanted to come on this trip for: Olympia Looping. and it's jaw dropping in person snapping pics as we walked up to Olympia Looping. a variation on a Breakdance, called Parkour, and another Drop Tower this was a ghost train, but they had added VR to it. I did ride it one day, and it kinda made me nauseous. . but when it's over? you're not done. . . they make you go thru a fun house to get out! including stepping on mushrooms to find your path, and if you miss? water below it. but yeah, they really want you to get your $$ worth out of it. oh, and not everyone is seeing the same VR thing. . so you'd have to ride multiple times to make sure you get all options. (once was enough for me) the outside is very cool tho. and now a bunch of pics of Olympia Looping. . . i mean, are you really looking at Olympia Looping if you don't get pics of all 5 loops? time to ride! waited one train for front row (I discovered quickly it's much more forceful in the back, but for my 1st ride? I wanted to ride in the front) they were running 2 trains this 1st night due to the rain, but some days we were there they had 4 running. proof! as it got later the fair got a bit quieter. . but it didn't stop all the friendly (ie: drunk) folks from making our acquaintance. a pic of me in front of Looping turned into this wonderful pic with drunk revelers. and even Christopher - who had been taking the picture - got into it with a selfie. tho I did get this cute photo op they set up out front of it. other nights were so crowded, no way to get a decent pic, so I'm really happy we went and rode this 1st night. Right next to Olympia Looping is the Carousel Bar - where the center of it is actually a Carousel that spins while you drink. even on a relatively quiet night it was packed, tho I did spend quite a bit of time there during our visits to the fair. Um. . . ok? you GO, "Jumbo Flug" the famous Toboggan slide, with the Conveyor Belt lift hill. no, I didn't do it - I'm a klutz and would have broken my neck. But it was a ton of fun watching people try it, and several from TPR did really well on it. (the guys standing along the wall are to help pick up the people that fall on the conveyor belt and get them to the top) equally as well known from the fair is this. . aka: the Devil's Wheel - the spinning ride where you pay to go in and watch, and run down when they call groups to try and be the last one on the wheel. Adam from TPR won a round on this trip. probably due to the weather (it's covered inside) it was PACKED in there tonight even, so didn't go in, and just got this pic outside of it. one of three ghost trains at the fair. This one was the middle one (there's one much better and one much worse) but in this one? you ride in cages. so, of course, Jon and I wanted to ride the outside does a fantastic job making you want to go in and ride. it was just a lot of props in front of black drapes tho. meh. . .C- the Wild Mouse was fantastic. not only was it all lit up, AND they were racing it the whole time. . but I've never been on a Wild Mouse with so much airtime. it was so good. . . both sides. and I'm sure the wild mouse on ride photo was officially licensed too (didn't get one, because it was more than the one at Olympia Looping). incredibly well lit, and flashy Rotor. with a waterfall, and what looked like a funhouse prior to getting on the ride. classic looping ride. and it made me laugh that they have the Olympic rings on the front Bannister. how drunk must one be to think this is Olympia Looping? one of two massive Claw rides. . this one was Konga, and had giant fire effects too. finally made it over to my other "must do tonight" ride: Alpina Bahn the trains were lit up, and the tracks were wet from the rain, and this sucker was FLYING. I absolutely loved this, and think I may have ridden it more than Olympia Looping during my visits to the fair (tho I rode both of them 5-6 times) the bears up top are Animatronic, tho since they were speaking German, I have no idea what they were going on about even on the 1st night, I got to see the "true meaning of Oktoberfest" turns out that unless you pass out in a walkway? Security leaves you alone. . this guy was just fine on a bench, and saw many folks laying on the grass on the sides that were left undisturbed. as we were headed back to the hotel - it had been a really long day, and I had ridden all 3 of the coasters (only one side of Mouse), I was ready to sleep - we passed by the biggest of the ghost trains, and had to stop by to take a look at it. wouldn't ride it until the next day. . but ended up riding it several times, it was that good. Geister Palast (Ghost Palace) still headed towards the exit (the fair is really big!). . here's a shooting dark ride, that was Nintendo - adjacent. I think Elissa had the high score on this one for a bit (posted outside the ride) one of multiple FunHouses thruout the fair - this one with the whole lower level as a mirror maze and yet another infamous ride spotted, the Tagada. this one with a metal floor. this one was pretty violent, and was shooting people off the seats and into the center during some of the spins. very fun to watch. . . and with that, we made our way back to the hotel, and I crashed. tomorrow was the official start of the trip and we were starting out the day with Skyline Park. and a ride I was terrified of, but had promised I'd ride it (and made the statement publicly) after I chickened out and didn't ride it in Finland. but for now? sleep. . .

the only good news I can report on today. Six Flags Fiesta Texas, has quietly dropped the height restriction on Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger. . . . after Park President Jeffery Siebert started teasing the other day that the Doctor was expanding her practice. the Dive coaster was minimum height 52" not anymore!

Lol, some gp on FB actually complained about it going up too fast and she's worried it won't be safe. She wants them to slow down! Was talking about how when rides go up too fast there are dead bodies

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.

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.

So we recently came back from two days at Hong Kong Disneyland. It was our son's first Disneyland trip and I think Hong Kong is one of the best ones to use as a beginner park, a park which opens later, you don't need to line-up hours before to get in and reserve passes, overall a pretty relaxed two days. The first visit (tier 1) was actually far busier than our second day (tier 2) but even at the busiest ride times maxed out at around 30-40 minute lines and would drop throughout the day. I want to give a big shout-out to TPR's Facebook stories, it's a shame such information disappears because Robb's comments on Momentous and the water-screen made us realize we didn't need to be super close and spend on a VIP package or grab a space hours early. The lines were walk-on so the fast track would have been wasted and with a picky eater son (and not many good reviews) so would have been the Momentous buffet deal and we (accidentally) ended up with an amazing Momentous experience due to this. A couple of points that aren't negative but to be aware of: Meet and Greets/App: Not sure if this is Disney-wide or Hong Kong-specific but we constantly saw disappointment on people's faces around this. I'll give some examples in my TR but a prime example: Moana. With Moana 2 coming out, and Moana having a stage show and segments in the Momentous show she was extremely popular. The app listed the time as 3:35-4:45 which seems good but the Moana stage show was just after 4 p.m. and you can't have two Moanas out. So Moana actually had to be gone by 3:55 so the line was cut super-early. We were the very last group let in (I'd say about 10-15 groups total) and so many frustrated people were waving the app screens in cast members faces who were turning them away. Perhaps if the app updated when lines were closed or said who was around better it wouldn't happen, the app led us often to places that turned out to be closed but as the weather in Hong Kong gets hotter I think this park in particular needs an overhaul on this with more indoor areas so characters aren't having to disappear due to clashes of also being in parades/shows or weather. People obviously don't mind lining up for them, even on the quietest days Fantasy Gardens had 40-minute lines, Iron Man 40-50, and Duffy Playhouse was 90-120 all day, but the few other characters on the app only saw a very small amount of groups for the whole day and that seemed to give people frustration. Also shade: As I said meet and greets were hugely popular. If the character meet and greet areas are all now fixed areas, hopefully, Disney can find a way to put some shade where their queue lines were set up. If you go you need to pack a parasol. For example, even when there weren't issues, Chip and Dale were always at 60 minutes waiting to meet them but the line was completely exposed to the sun, I think for timed meetings only the Marvel meet had shade. Our son is a big train fan, so of course we had to ride the Mickey Train to get to the park. Our last visit to this park was Autopia's final year so we were excited to see what had changed. Halloween was in full swing but I didn't have time to get a picture. Our son's main visit was he had been super excited to get some Disney autographs in his book and from our previous visits we knew HK could have some very quick cut offs..... we just didn't know how quick. So the park had a scheduled opening at 10:30 and we had arrived early and arrived at the first meet and greet which was Minnie by 10:33. Unfortunately that line had already been cut off. Apparently, it's easier in the summer when Pixar is the parade but on the days we visited Minnie had to be gone before the shows at the castle or Halloween parades so the windows were always too small. This one is my fault though, I foolishly thought we didn't need to buy the early entry pass since ride lines were so short but turns out people use the first 30 minutes to do rides, then they rope-drop Minnie/Chip n Dale on Main Street or the Duffy playhouse to avoid the lines. We were advised that Chip n Dale would be available at the other end of the street and the line was open! However, after 15 minutes of no-show, the staff were advising that 'They'd eaten too much Halloween candy' and would be another 20 minutes at least. With an advertised hours worth of people and no shade we had to bail. Our son wasn't happy but we couldn't risk 90 minutes under the midday sun. Lesson learned, you need to pack a parasol but I'm not sure we'd have survived that line even with one in that heat. We were advised to try Fantasy Gardens but found them empty and with the app reading no show times today, shop staff told us to try after lunch time. With frustration setting in and since he's big on super heroes, we headed off to meet Iron-Man. Even on the quiet days this line was 30-50 minutes but he did it twice, so it became our rope-drop on the 2nd day. Unfortunately, unlike some of the other parks, non-signing characters don't have any stamps to put in the books instead so he was a little sad he couldn't get Iron Man's signature Wasp suddenly passed through the area surrounded by Shield Agents. The walkthrough lasted only a few minutes and you could only take selfies. We also learnt that roaming characters don't sign books either so we decided to get some rides done to try and cool-off. I don't get the hate the rides here get, especially Ant-Man. We did the Iron Man ride twice and then headed over to Ant Man. Our son rode this 3-4 times a row and only had good things to say. Esepcially enjoying the shrinking down effect. I feel like Buzz Lightyear had to be updated, I don't think it would have worked so well in this Marvel heavy area, even Hyperspace Mountain and orbiter felt a little out of place. I'm surprised Orbiter didn't get a Guardians make over. Our son was lapping Ant-Man but he was still desperate to get some signatures. However we noticed some barriers being erected at the stage. Could a superhero rescue my son's day? An unlikely hero was about to appear.... IMG_8465.mov Finally a signature in the book. There was a heavy price to pay however, Loki announced that a signature was signing a contract to join his army of the damned. Loki repeated on both our visits due to Halloween but our son didn't care and was the only villain we managed to get (more on that later). Did we give up our son's soul to Loki's army of the damned? Yes. But signature #1 was gained. Our son is really not into roller-coasters but he tried this. He wasn't a huge fan. It was also my first time with the Star Wars overlay but I gotta say with the area so Marvel heavy (and Spider-Man ride coming soon), and so little Star Wars things in the park, I wonder if another overlay will come eventually. I love the new castle over the old one. The princess meet and greet was here with a sign who was currently there, but princesses rotated so often inside, despite cast members warning people in the line, we heard a lot of complaints from people who would line up for Rapunzel or Belle but ended up meeting Tiana or Merida. Fantasy Gardens has been downsized due to Frozen land but during the day they had one booth for Winnie the Pooh and one for a Disney friend. Since characters could rotate nearby out of sight, it was one of the only lines we didn't see being cut during the trip. These characters repeated on our visit, and meet and greets were so popular that lines were 60 minutes even on a dead day but it was two more signatures in the book. And we didn't have to sacrifice any more souls to get them. Most people rush Frozen Land in the morning so we waited for the crowds to clear before heading over after midday. Elsa and Anna roamed quite often and were a huge hit but so many people wanted photo-ops that they just couldn't get. People seemed to be grabbing standby passes for Playhouse in the Woods thinking it was a meet and greet and seemed disappointed in the show that it wasn't. Hopefully at some point in the future an indoor meeting hall could be expanded here. Another ride that gets hate but I do think the park needed a beginner roller-coaster for the very young ones to get to experience. RC Racer/Hyperspace Mountain and Grizzly all don't really fill that 'Child's first coaster' slot that this one does very nicely. With the line now walk-on we headed in, although we did stop since Anna was in the queue line greeting some guests. We haven't been on the Epcot or Japan versions to compare but on it's own, it was a very fun and enjoyable ride. The drop was steeper than I expected and it's nice that the park finally has some kind of water ride. We ate a lot of food here.... Bumped into Anna again. Sadly no signatures from a wandering character, but a nice conversation and a high five was gained. IMG_8740.MOV Back to Fantasyland since a show was starting. I did not miss the Golden Mickey's it replaced at all. The Tiana singer was fantastic. Most of the crowd spilled out here but we had to ride since my son had never experienced it and wanted to. Toy Story Land was next door but since our main purpose for visiting was signatures, we skipped over to Mystic Manor. What can I say? This ride is still one of my favorite Disney rides all these years later, and we definitely lapped it multiple times while we had time. I'm jumping ahead a little, but we rode Grizzly on our second visit. It was having some hiccups on the first day and the line was 30-40 minutes. As I said, our son's not huge on roller-coasters so I figured I'd grab my one ride on the next day. You know a roller-coaster is done right when someone who hates most of them demands re-rides. He lapped it 6 times in a row, and then went back throughout the day and is still complaining now that we didn't introduce him to the ride on the 1st day. Jungle Cruise no longer divides the queues and boats into separate languages. To be honest, I didn't miss it at all. The skippers seemed to struggle before and the line seemed slower with boats divided. With one line, it moved much faster and the skippers seemed much more at ease. Finally heading over to Toy Story Land due to a meet and greet time, RC Racer was down for scheduled maintenance at the time of our visit. So if I have one negative about the park, it would be the app. We were constantly chasing ghosts or areas that actually weren't open meet-or-greets. We figured a two-hour window would be pretty safe if we showed up a little after the time but we showed up to find an empty area and no line or cast members to ask. The shop members just told us that it was 'when a magical moment' could happen. I just wonder then instead of these 2 long posted times, having an updating app that tells people when characters are actually out. Disney has some of the best imagineers in the world, an app that can update would be nice. Since this is one of the only places to get Dole Whip, we decided to buy some slushies and hang around in case Jessie came out. Thankfully she showed up around 5:15, so perhaps 2 showings were made in that total time period. As was the standard the line hit capacity pretty quickly. Woody was around on the second day but since his window was only 45 minutes, we didn't dare attempt it when we got off a ride and realised we'd missed my alarm and was already 10 minutes into his time. Anyway signature #4 gained. So I mentioned this at the start of the TR but Moana is hugely popular. She had one viewing slot of 70 minutes. However... there was a Moana stage show at 4:10. She was great with our son but even arriving as soon as we could we were the very last in the line around 3:45 with the cast member behind us I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit uncomfortable as frustrated families were trying to argue and showing the app screens. If Moana came back somehow at the very end of that timeslot the CM definitely didn't say anything to anyone. But after 2 days we finally gained a 5th and final signature in the book. This was our first visit to Disney post-pandemic, so not sure if it's all parks but on our last visit we had over 20 photo meetings with characters around the park without even trying. Now we have a child into those things and even chasing the app only managed about 5. And she was gone by 3:55. The app told us that the marketplace would have Up/Stitch/Lion King/Aladdin characters rotating but it was completely abandoned during the Halloween season. It's not a huge thing but this area and the Marvel expo area don't do greets but are listed on the app as open, and I really wish they could just update when areas aren't actually in use like they do restaurants/rides. Further down, there was a villain fashion show, and a villain musical had replaced Lion King but they were packed and people were buying premier passes to both to jump the lines. The speaking characters like Evil Queen or Malificent were over here but cast members would only count in 10 groups before cutting the line so we had no luck there. Coupled with the huge lines for the villain shows in Adventure Land, people buying premier passes for those, and Halloween merchandise already being sold out (like the Nightmare Before Christmas popcorn bucket) early October, I really hope this park gets their own version of Not so Scary Party sometime in the future. Anyway that's the negative part done, back to positive. We headed back to Fantasy Gardens since according to the app suited villains would be out here.We found one pagoda had become a trick-or treat station and only one to meet a non-speaking villain. However, since villains were Halloween exclusive people were going crazy for them. We would show up to an empty pagoda before the start time and no character out yet to find the cast-members already turning people away already due to capacity, even though no-one knew which villain was coming out yet. Maybe I'm the minority but I preferred getting Disney-wrapped/Mickey-shaped jellies over brands like the other parks do. I think chocolate would never survive the climate though. Time to wrap up this TR. I'm so grateful that we saw TPR's Facebook stories about Momentous. We'd been trying to work out the best time/place to view it but the review from Robb about the water screen made us reconsider our plans. Even two hours before the performance people were getting their spaces in. We knew we'd have to pick up our son and hold him (there were a few kids on shoulders but we aren't that kind of people) but the bigger issue was the Insta360 cameras. They are really popular on the Chinese market and are way longer than any selfie stick and we saw a few people checking their angles even at this time so we knew our view would be compromised.... And then a happy accident..... We figured going off the TPR socials that we should just view the castle from the side so we decided to eat first and grab any standing space when we were done. However, the restaurant was packed inside with the air-con so we were directed outside to sit. And this was the view of the castle. We debated a compromised view since the tree to the right would block some fireworks but from memory of TPR's socials (Again why does Insta/Facebook remove these after 24 hours) we knew fireworks on the left and right were identical. The best view tables had been grabbed pretty early but we decided instead of having the best view we'd settle for a good experience. Instead of being crowded in standing for an hour and holding up a child for half of that, we'd watch the fireworks sitting down with our own space so we ordered a lot of food, beer, and dessert. We lucked out even more that a group holding one of the best tables decided they didn't actually want to watch with a blocked view and left so we quickly grabbed their seat by the railing. It's a nice touch that in the 30 minute lead up they run a bunch of short pre-shows to get the crowd ready and in the mood. With the decision made we ordered a lot of food and more beer, and settled in for the show. Watching a Disney night show comfortably with dinner was something I didn't think I'd get to experience especially when 1 hour earlier i'd been dreading having to stand around and hold my son up so thank-you TPR socials. An incredible show. Really glad we watched it. I remember seeing Robb's posts about the screen and figured that it was just blurry because it needed to be that big for people far away to also see. I was wrong. Although looking through my photos this is the only time we could see it from our view-point for almost the whole show. IMG_7882 (5).MOV This was our view from the restaurant seats. Was it perfect? No. But I think standing among the Insta360 cameras and kids on shoulders holding up a heavy child in my arms, would have been a worse end to the day than relaxing eating alright-ish burgers and delicious waffles while having beers with my wife. Goodbye Hong Kong Disney. Thanks for the memories. P.S. I know people crap on Wish a lot. The park gives away excess merchandise as free gifts with your tickets. On one day we lucked out and got the slippers, but on the other days, the park was unloading Wish merchandise for free just to get rid of it. I almost watched it on the plane to see if it was as bad as everyone says. But with a 3 hour plane journey I couldn't resist having an Inside Out marathon.

After an incredible week in and around Munich, it was time to move on to the theme park-focused portion of trip. Our travel day from Munich to Europa Park was spent mostly on the bus (with a brief rest stop visit along the way), but the payoff would come in the form of an early evening arrival at Europa Park. Robb and Elissa along with the team at Europa Park surprised us with a few hours of access to the park followed by an hour of exclusive ride time on the park's newest addition, Voltron Neverra. With two full days in the park ahead of us, it was a great first taste of just why Europa Park has earned world-class praise. Local soda flavors continue to be a travel passion of mine and Germany continued to impress. What happened to Germany's original Milky Way if they're already on Milky Way 2? On the way to Hotel Colosseo we got our first look at Rulantica, Europa's water park which we'd be visiting on the next day. In terms of themed hotel environments, this is one of the nicest I've experienced. Inside of the park for our few hours of access before our Voltron Neverra exclusive ride time, we enjoyed the sights of Europa Park. In a lot of ways, it feels like the park has found ways to utilize their land creatively, embedding multiple attractions in unique, intertwining spaces that look excellent. My jaw nearly hit the floor when we made it to this section of the park. Alpenexpress Enzian re-opened in 2024 after a fire in 2023 destroyed much of its layout along with several other parts of the Austrian section of the park. Europa Park goes out of its way to celebrate Halloween with a unique parade and a Halloween overlay to an existing attraction (we'll get back to that later). Hi Snorri! There's so much happening in this photo. It's almost too much to process as a theme park fan. Something I especially admire about Europa Park is its willingness to invest in animatronics for queues, scenic spaces and themed areas simply meant to pass by. I don't know that there's a wild mouse I've ever anticipated riding more than Matterhorn Blitz. The double-train elevator at the start of the ride is a neat touch. Matterhorn Blitz was a really fun coaster. Nothing earth-shattering but the layout was literal leaps-and-bounds ahead of standard wild mouse coasters. Familiar yet different. It was finally time to visit the park's new Croatia-themed area and its signature attraction... Long had I waited for this moment and even longer had I doubted that I'd ever have the chance for it to happen. This coaster is relentlessly intense and much longer than you'd expect. Each element of the coaster flows seamlessly from the previous and the train's unique seating allows you to be whipped around through inversions while being held in purely by a lap bar. Such a unique element and a great way to kick off the coaster's outside layout. Such a picturesque coaster. ERT was such a great surprise and Voltron more than lived up to the hype. This is quite easily one of the best rollercoasters I've ever been on, and having an hour to ride it repeatedly only solidified that notion. I could have kept going for hours more! Familiar yet different. Grand Prix of Europe is a new interactive dark ride that will open at the park in 2025. We passed through the grounds of the Hotel El Andaluz on our way back to the Hotel Colosseo... Absolutely beautiful. Dinner at Antica Roma kicked off with a wide selection of cheeses... Are you even in Germany if you're not having a beer each day? Antipasti for dinner! A new Cornetto Cone flavor for the books! After dinner we assembled for TPR's first ever competitive puzzling challenge. Joey and I participated. It was also the trip's designated time for the snack exchange and many treats were had. Here's a photo of a trophy I didn't come close to getting. After an evening of fun, it was time to get some rest, because tomorrow would be our first of two full days at Europa Park.

Are we incapable of putting more than one sentence within a single post?

Day 3 - Night-time back at Oktoberfest Faire - with a lot of time spent in the "Old Oktoberfest Museum" area after a break for foot resting, and a shower, some of us met down in the lobby to head back to Oktoberfest for some Sunday evening fun. i was determined that I wanted to go to the section I had seen the prior days - a sectioned off area, that SEEMED to be an Oktoberfest museum of some type - or "old Oktoberfest". It cost 4 Euro to enter that area, but it seemed large, with a covered bandstand, a beer tent, and a large outdoors section. looking it up online, showed that my assumptions above were pretty spot on, so I really wanted to do that, and a group of folks who were also interested joined me on this quest tonight. since it was way in the back (behind the ferris wheel) on the main "street". . we once again came thru the main gate. not nearly as busy as it had been, since we were here on a Sunday night now. but still not empty. and it was cold - so had put on a few layers. this is where we'd be tomorrow, as we had reserved tables in the Lowenbrau tent. (and yes, the lion is animatronic, and takes drinks of beer ) Andrew giving "Andrew face". . . LOL . . . standing at the entrance to the "Old Oktoberfest" area (I'm just calling it that. . no idea if that's what it's officially called). Looking back towards the main entrance - we're seeing the back side of the Ferris wheel. Tickets bought, we enter into this section (again, it's only 4 Euro. . .but turned out it was WAY worth it. not only was it much less crowded back here, but once in this sectioned off area? all rides (fair classics) were only 1.50 . . .a hell of a deal, and they were running great cycles). right away, I knew I was gonna love this place, just from the outside display of old tractors/carts. scattered food stands around too.. not much business tho, as there turned out to be food available with sit down service inside the main building (with music and a bit warmer, so most did that). the entrance into the main building in this area. . .where the Museum portion is, the food service, the bandstand. . and a classic, CLASSIC carousel. I was in heaven. from in front of the Carousel, getting a layout of this building. on the left is the bandstand, in the middle is the restaurant, straight ahead is an enclosed area where one could rent and ride old bikes in the ring. on the other side of the carousel is a large section with old props from classic attractions at the faire - and there was history all along the outside walls. Some went to get beer and grab a sit down right away. . my ass was going directly to the Carousel. but there wasn't anyone in the operating booth at the moment, so I went around the back of it to take a look at the classic props. many of them from old "Ghost Train" attractions. sexy! I wish I could read German. . . but I was able to get the gist of most of the signs. by the time I got back around to the Carousel, the guy was in the booth, and sold me a ticket. and then ran if just for me I rode a horse. then got off, bought another ticket and rode again, this time in a carriage - which did actually rock! (I was afraid to rock the horse, as the carousel is so old, and i"m not exactly "light" happy as hell on a classic carousel. . . after my two rides, I joined the rest of the gang I was hanging with, at the table, and ordered beer and food along with them. Pic courtesy of the waiter when he came back to take food order. Lunch had been big, and I wanted to snack in the fair as well.. .so wasn't too hungry. they also were out of several things on the large menu (hadn't restocked for the coming week yet, and it was on Sunday evening, remember), but of what was avail. everything was good. the band was quite loud in the enclosed space, but they were good. and it was a lot of fun. I think we hung out in here for a good hour plus, and I posted to the group about the food and atmosphere available back here in this section in case anyone wanted to check it out on a fairly quiet night. after eating, I took a walk around the front part of the building to check out some of the displays - while the others had another beer. the sign by the Bicycle rink. these were a big draw back in the day! the history of the Oktoberfest posters. many of them were available for purchase (but I have neither the wall space, nor the $$ to get em). Some were great tho, and I got magnet versions. classic ride vehicles. hey. .some more TPR folks came out to this section. hiya Christopher, Erik and Chuck! enough time hanging out in the main building, we ventured outside to check out what else was on offer. this is the back of the Beer tent. . which according to the information I could read, was supposed to be full of folks in traditional Oktoberfest garb, and music/atmosphere. as we had just experienced basically that in the main building, we walked around this one rather than go thru, to see the lined avenue back here. (don't think we really missed much, as they seemed to be shutting it down due to lack of big crowd on Sunday night, and if folks wanted beer they could get it in the main building). several smaller flat rides were out here lining the avenue. classic older rides. and carnival type games and attractions. this made me giggle so hard. . I think it's the look on the dummy's faces. another classic carousel. . tho this one seemed to be a kiddie, so didn't even try. it was lovely tho. . . I adore that "Elephant" can get an old timey photo too. all done with cardboard cut outs. not creepy at ALL. ok. . now THIS is what I'm talking about. a Calypso.. running a fantastic and long cycle. for 1.50. many of us got a ride. even had that cheesy 70's artwork that has nothing to do with the ride (other than the name is kinda tropical) really is a beautiful ride tho: this cabinet of classic prizes was just for display. . which is a shame, as I would have tried to knock over those stupid cans to try to win some of these. these looked to be hitting HARD. not sure if Knoebels level, but probably pretty close! this Waltzer had the biggest crowd, and after watching for a bit, we saw why. they sold tickets and you had to hover around and hope that a car stopped near you, and the folks riding got out (some bought multiple tickets and stayed put). .and then it was a mad dash to get your ass into an empty seat. the music was BLASTING loud, classics - we rode to Hot Chocolate "Every one's a Winner" plus another song. . and the annoyance on the operators face when the fair came on the loudspeakers to make an announcement was hysterical. the operator, was speeding up and slowing down based on a hand crank. . that he would crank based on the riders reactions. Oh, all while chugging beers. it was so freaking awesome. .and just might be my best memory of the whole trip. (if not, it's really really close) in fact, I just pulled up Hot Chocolate on Youtube while typing this up, and it brought me RIGHT back to this ride. awesome. just for show, as noted they were blasting 70's classics thru the speakers inside the ride. straight back, you can see the operator by his crank (long coat and hat) . . watching the crowd. after hanging out back here for probably 2 hours total, we finally exited and made our way back into the fair proper. a last look back. . this area was so worth it to me. where should we go in the fair? why of course! and some snacks. . . but not these. I was worried they'd be the same consistency I hadn't cared for from the meal the other night. but . . c'mon. . balls! gotta take a pic hey, got a different face out of Andrew! and walking by my favorite place - the Carousel Bar - spotted a big TPR group on the Carousel. with room, so we joined them for some fun hangout time PROST!! a princess balloon in the center of the Carousel bar ceiling. . . going around and around for several pints. . . if I wasn't just loving being on the actual carousel? I totally would have gotten off it to grab this seat once the lady left. it looked a little awkward. . but c'mon.. you sit on the horse AT the table. . . that's so freaking awesome. ok. .enough drinking.. time to get a few more rides in. I think we headed to Alpen Bahn and Voodoo Jumper again. but no, wasn't drunk enough to want to pose like Marilyn (but I wish I had been.. that would have been such a great pic) getting to be late, and things were starting to shut down. . so we headed towards the exits going out the main gate tho, I noticed that the memorial I had seen yesterday lights up, and truly is worth a look at night. and then it was time to head back to the hotel. . . as it had been a long day, was slightly buzzed, and tomorrow was our BIG day at Oktoberfest - reservations in the tent, a meal, and all the fun and excitement.

I was about to congratulate Great Adventure on making it through an entire weekend without crashing or derailing a coaster. They ALMOST made it, but now...

A Holiday Stroll Around Christmas Town Ah, it 's that magical time of year again. The smell of fresh pine trees is in the air, the laughter of happy children is everywhere, and adults are downing copious amounts of holiday grog. Yes, Christmas Town has returned to Williamsburg. Care to take a stroll with me around the park to takes in the sights of the season? We start with the walk from the parking lot to the park entrance. Preferred parking, which is included with my membership, was full by the time I got there on Sunday, December 9, around 4:30 pm. I had to park in the outer reaches of the Ireland lot, which offers both tram service and a new path for those who care to hoof it. The tram line was huge, so I took the path. The walk took about ten minutes, and it gave me another view of this version of Santa. This used to be in Festa Italia (aka Holiday Hills), but it greets drivers as they enter the parking lots this year. Looks like Santa misplaced his reins and harness--or perhaps he's using invisible magic reins to keep his reindeer in line. The Enchanted Tree with the Big Balls greets you at the entrance to England. It wouldn't be Christmas Town without it. I've always liked England's traditional wreaths and garlands. On the left is the Globe Theatre, where you can take in BGW's musical version of Dickens's A Christmas Carol--Scrooge No More. It's probably the best of their holiday shows. How can you really go wrong with this Dickens classic? Some of the cast appear as carolers between shows and perform in front of the theatre. And keep an eye open for Father Christmas. It's always a "Blue Christmas" in the Scottish Highlands. Ireland, of course, stresses the green and gold. The Abbeystone Theatre is the home of Gloria, a show about the birth of Christ using traditional and contemporary music. Ireland is also where you can partake of Santa's Fireside Feast. This building has hosted a few other attractions over the years. The scrambler (aka Le Catapult) used to be in this building. It's also the former home of the Enchanted Laboratory and Castle O'Sullivan shows. Now it's Santa's buffet away from the North Pole, and Mrs. Claus always makes sure there are plenty of cookies. I like the path between Ireland and France. The luminaria are a nice touch, it always smell like freshly cut pine trees, and the gypsy wagon looks nice with its festive green lights. France is also looking very festive. The Palace Theatre hosts Twas the Night, a figure-skating show, if that's your thing. The Merry Misfits vocal group also performs on a stage next to the ice-cream parlor. Griffon was closed, as were Apollo's Chariot, Pantheon, and Tempesto. All the park's other coasters were operating. Fort New France (aka Canada) is where you board the Christmas Town Express for a grand circle tour of Busch Gardens and, if you're unlucky, a bunch of people singing off-key carols in your ear for 20 minutes. (This is just one of the hazards of the holiday season.) Still, it's a nice ride and on Quick Queue (seriously, the line for this can get very long on busy days during Christmas Town). They were running two trains last night, so the wait wasn't bad. I didn't get any decent photos of the trip, but I like these wreaths in the New Caribou Station. Here's Santa's Workshop in Germany--a nice meet-and-greet spot. The Burgermeister's Hideway speakeasy is running a Christmas-themed program with appropriate Christmas cocktails, but it fills up fast. Let's head to the Festhaus for a brew. During Howl-o-Scream, the Festhaus is full of fiends, but during Christmas Town it's home of O' Tannenbaum. a synchronized music-and-light show held on the Christmas tree above, and Up on the Haustop, with modern Christmas songs. It also has this cool chandelier and some magical theme-park snow. Hmm--looks like this Porsche might have crashed in the snow. The tow truck can't get here until spring, so we may as well decorate it. The view from the bridge between Germany and Italy. This is my favorite of the park's many Christmas trees. It also provides a nice backdrop to the freakishly large Santa heads of Holiday Hills (aka Festa Italia). The large Santa heads and candy canes remind of bit of the Christmas decorations of my hometown in California when I was a kid. Of course, we didn't have a spinning teacup ride, which is probably for the best. That about says it all. Let's move on to the the Polar Pathway. There's another synchronized music-and-light show here. They use some 1950s style Christmas music, including some rockabilly stuff. Never before has a natural disaster looked so festive. The Sesame Street Forest of Fun celebrates trees of all colors. Time to head home via blue Scotland . . . . . . and Merrie Olde England. Be sure to wish Father Christmas a "Happy Christmas" on your way out. "Ho, ho, ho! The president of the Claus Organization thanks you for visiting Christmas Town. Go home and continue to make merry!" Thanks for joining me on this stroll through Christmas Town.

Day 5: Travel day, but with a stop at another surprise on this trip - Barry Island (a seaside resort town in Wales) - where we'd stop along the way to Drayton Manor. I thought the scenery in Wales was quite lovely, even if a bit industrial. so I snapped pics from the bus as we passed areas on the morning drive: as we got closer to the seaside town of Barry, there was some nice architecture that we passed too: and off in the distance? our destination for a "quick" stop (I think we were there about 4 hours?) on the drive - Barry Island. the Ferris Wheel was a giveaway, as was what they advertised as the tallest ride in the UK, AeroSpace (a Booster carnival ride) Barry Island is a seaside resort area, that reminded me a bit of Seaside Heights area, but without the boardwalk stalls. lots of homes in this area headed down to the beach. . tho not sure if folks live here year round, or rent them out for vacationers. pulling up into the "Amusement" area of Barry Island. this made me giggle, as it's giving off some "Amityville" vibes the area around here seemed very "touristy" and perhaps a bit "well loved". . but I was liking the atmosphere we had made good time, and the main Amusement area hadn't really opened yet (Robb & Elissa were meeting with the park owner at opening - he was quite the character, and was very excited that TPR was visiting his amusement park. so we passed a bunch of non-cycling (for the moment) rides. that tall one there is AeroSpace. pulling into the parking lot, the beach area is quite lovely - even tho it was a bit overcast, and maybe a little chilly for me. but I had a jacket and was ready to go! a bit windy, and as noted, a bit chilly. but ready to have some fun. bumped into Santa Biker on the path from the lot to the rides areas - as we decided to walk along the beach in search of a public restroom. Very nice guy, as was pretty much everyone I met today at Barry Island. and one of the 1st things I saw was a rainbow bench. I felt very welcome, in my big, gay, sunglasses (which I kept getting compliments on. . LOL. . I brought them on the trip as I didn't care if I lose them) a map of Barry Island, including the rides, and attractions. again, a bit run down / "well loved". . but I really did enjoy the atmosphere, and the design. there is another cluster of amusement rides at the far end of the beach area (near the public restroom) and this one actually was open early. so many on the trip flocked here first, to get the kiddie credit. personally, I don't tend to ride many kiddie things - I don't judge, but just cause it's a coaster doesn't mean I'm gonna ride it - so I took pics while others rode. Hi Albert! the ONLY reason I didn't hop into this chair, is because I was worried my fat ass wouldn't be able to get out of it creepy clown bouncy play area not quite the same as the Legoland fire academy we'd seen a couple of days prior. . . but I loved that it's called "Fire Blasta" Andrew, Stacy, Nick (I think David behind him) and Ryan enjoying the caterpillar coaster. one of several smaller carousels available to ride at Barry Island. the "fun bus" looks like a tight squeeze for fun. across the way looked like a casino? but it wasn't open yet, and we didn't' really have a lot of time to spend on things that weren't all that interesting to most of us. so we skipped it. the big park was about to open, so we headed in to meet up with the TPR group. on the main Carousel, one could ride in a carriage with the Queen! lots and lots of flat rides here. . mostly running decent cycles. it's a pretty good carnival set up. ohhhh. .a ghost train! featuring Boney M music??? sadly no, but still I enjoyed it when we rode it later. I just hummed "ra-ra-Rasputin, lover of the Russian Queen" in my head while we rode didn't "ride" this as was afraid of breaking it! but I did want a pic on it what IS it with scary clowns in European countries? still some remnants of Covid Protocols in place, tho no one was really following them at this point. it was time to head over to meet up in front of AeroSpace, and get our tokens to ride stuff. and TPR was gonna get rides on this "UK's tallest ride" here's the group with the owner of the Barry Island amusement area. I am NOT a fan of heights. . but I was willing to ride this. I ended up regretting it, as I hung on for dear life once I realized if the restraint releases while you're at the top, there's absolutely nothing that will keep you from falling out of that seat. I was terrified - worried something would release. and was also in pain - as this was the place on THIS trip where I got injured. Something I seem to do on every trip, cause I'm a klutz. But at least this wasn't my fault - on this ride, they had a very gung ho operator (a short little fireplug of a lady) who jumped up and slammed her full weight into the restraint to get it secure. It took the breath out of me the 1st time she did it as I wasn't expecting it. but then they had to undo the restraints to walk someone off who they deemed too large to ride (which is what created my fear of them undoing while at the top), and when she came back and closed my restraint the same way? I actually felt my rib snap when her full weight came down on it. luckily I always bring really good painkillers with me on trips, so was able to make thru the rest of the trip relatively ok. . tho it took almost 8 weeks to heal enough that I could sleep on that side. but I digress. . I rode it and it was fun. smiling. . but more of a grimace thru the pain in my ribs. it *was* fun. . .don't get me wrong. . but terrifying too. the pics are courtesy of Elissa and Andy, I believe. (Daniel is filming for Robb if you're wondering what's on his arm in some of the pics) after the rides, we were cut loose for a couple of hours to do what we wanted before meeting back up at the bus later. it was suggested we eat, but I really needed to pee by this point. . and over on this side of the park, the only restrooms were in the pubs (and for patrons only). so Stacy and I went to get a drink. . and met this lovely bar owner. she was so nice, and we had a good chat with her while sipping our cider & Lager. PROST! (no wait.. that's the other TPR Trip report I'm doing) SOMEBODY noticed that the dragon coaster over here had started running, and wanted to get a ride. so I hung out and took pictures while they got that credit. she wasn't the only one tho. . saw lots of TPR folks on it when I took pics of the ride before hers . this was about my speed for a ride at the moment. . . LOL actually saw someone puking after this. . so I guess that means good cycle? these bears were in front of the Cyclone - a Galaxi coaster. not sure why, but sure, I'll pose with bears! a mini Waltzer! it was so cute! this guy was running an insane cycle, with loud music and lots of smoke, so we headed over to it next. whee! I watched this Top Scan, and saw that TPR was gonna ride it and decided those restraints with my hurting rib was NOT a good idea. so I passed, and glad I did, as they gave the TPR folks a very long (something like 15 minute) nutso cycle. I still think Robb paid them off to run it like that for TPR another one more my speed at the moment - inside one of the arcades. not gonna lie, I was tempted! but passed up a chance to have a Princess Party. . . we happened upon the big Waltzer right as a bunch of TPR folks were also gonna ride. so we hopped on sharing a car with Andy. . and got an absolutely bonkers ride, with the ride ops coming up behind the cars - while the ride was in motion!!! - and pushing the cars into more intense spins. it was so amazingly great. see? hanging on and laughing the whole way. back to the Cyclone for Stacy's ride (sorry.. pics got out of order somehow) I, again, passed. This one isn't a kiddie, but I just wasn't in the mood to ride it. Ride Nelly the Elephant! and John Wayne's Horse! (made out of plastic) kiddie rides scattered all over the place here. . most of them quite odd. back to the carousel. . you not only could ride with the Queen, but you could also ride with Mr. Bean! and this guy. . who NO ONE knew who he was! not even the Carousel operator. I asked several people and no one had any idea who this guy was! he must be someone, as he's in good company (the Queen and Mr. Bean) two Queens after using up our tokens, and checking time, we decided to do some shopping and go eat something. I had snapped a pic of this as we passed from the bus, but now could get up close with the horse. and a very odd "Lady and the Tramp" kiddie ride in one of the stores. good idea.. I hadn't yet really had Fish and Chips in the UK. . and on the shore seemed to be a good place to try. it was so good, y'all. tho I found the smashed peas a bit. . . unpleasant and bland. but here's the place we went. the Fish was really great, so no wonder it's "famous" while eating, Stacy allowed me to use her shoulder to model the souvenir shirts I had gotten. turns out the show "Gavin and Stacey" was set here. . and we found a store selling merch. so of course I grabbed some (love that show) a quick stroll down the beach on the way back to the bus showed that as the clouds had cleared out, the beach had gotten a bit more crowded. it was still way too chilly for me to even consider going into the water, but here in Wales, I guess they are used to it? and then back onto the bus, and we continued on towards Drayton Manor. we were staying in a hotel nearby, and that was to be our full day park tomorrow. lovely. once checked in, we had a few hours before having to go to bed, so some headed off to check out the nearby castle ruins. Some went into town to check out the night life. and some of us went to the restaurant at the hotel to grab a snack. awww.. the moo-moo has a "tasty bottom" I wasn't all that hungry, as still was full from the Fish & Chips. . so I went with lemonade and a desert. I'd also yet to have "Sticky toffee pudding" since being in the UK, and thought I should try it. there were lots of ways to order it, but I asked for the most traditional. it wasn't bad. . although my stomach did not quite agree with it, and I ended up with a rough night of sleep. (but that also could be due to the pain meds I was taking by this point for my ribs). before going back into the room, wandered out into the parking lot to snap a pic of the castle ruins nearby: poison ivy? I dunno. . but the thorns (and gnats in the area) kept me from wandering over to check it out in person, so instead I went back to the room for a nice long, hot shower. tomorrow? Drayton Manor.

Getting coaster nerd corrected on a name technicality on a website forum in 2024. What a time to be alive. Thank you very much.

Day 4: a visit to Oakwood. . . home of some interesting rides, areas, and the classic: Megafobia! on the bus early, and headed to the home of a classic coaster (and some other rides), I had only read about in books. it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by greenery & hills. . . but also a huge housing/apartment complex building up behind the far side. It was hard to tell exactly how "big" the park is from the lot, but it seemed to stretch on for quite a bit. . . and they DO have an awful lot of space to expand if they so choose to. . tho not sure the location means they ever get HUGE crowds. (we were there on a day where there were several school groups, but it never really felt too crowded) a pic of the park map. . . it looks like there is a lot to do, and there are a ton of things if you're interested in a "THEME Park" rather than a "thrill park". . as there are only a handful of "thrill" rides. but I quite enjoyed the day here, even with a couple of the rides not operating. the map also makes it look way more compact than it is. . .the park is pretty spread out, so did a LOT of walking. the first thing you see when entering the park from the parking lot is the looming "Drenched" (aka: Hydro) - which is known really for two things - it being the last "Mega Splash" model from Intamin still operating, and from an accident where someone fell out on the drop ~20 years ago. sadly this was not open today. . although it did look like Maintenance was working on it. And as we were heading out, the water was flowing in the flume (it had not been when we came in and I snapped this pic). . so it probably did open shortly after our visit. oh well.. . a reason to go back (as if Megafobia isn't enough reason ) there is a train that can bring folks from the parking lot to the main entrance, but as we were there before park open for some ERT, it wasn't operating when we passed it. I'm not sure if it ever did operate, but I didn't ride it if it did. Vertigo (a Skycoaster) looms over the front entrance. . . and many in the TPR group did ride it - including Robb who got Jack Crouse to finally ride with him for his 1st Skycoaster experience. walking thru the park to get to Speed, you can get a sense just how big (and hilly) it is here. this whole area is a kids/family area called "Neverland". . .it's JUST Peter-Pan-y enough to get the idea across, while not *reaaaaaly* violating any copyrights from other companies, I'd say. there are at least 6-7 rides back here, but only a couple are true "kiddie only" rides. the entrance gate to this section. across the great lawn, I get my first glimpse of Megafobia thru the trees a water slide, that several folks on this trip rode - you ride on a little "tray" - and most of them got wet. that's Speed - where we're headed - in the back on the left over there. also further down hill is Bounce (a shot/drop combo tower), a complex of slides, a swinging ship (which I don't think was open today), and a lake with paddleboats. here's where we were headed first: it's a Gerstlauer Euro Fighter, and I believe was the 1st one in Europe? yeah. . I'm not a big fan of Eurofighters, but I did ride it at least once. and then went and took pictures. from the station (Pic courtesy of Elissa I believe). . thumbs up before we leave. . . but the onride photo gives away my true feelings. . . LOL after our ERT, we were cut loose for the day in the park and several of us headed back over to something we passed while walking back to Speed: the Bobsleigh - a toboggan slide that opened with the park and is the last original attraction remaining from when it first opened. it was a sorta TPR takover, that many of us ended up in the line. NOTED (no tracks, no rails.. .just a toboggan and a chute to navigate down) and you ride the think up as it pulls you. . .think "Mountain coaster' but with no track. . . it was actually quite fun. and yeah. . NEVER in America. LOL but it was really fun. I think I rode this a few times. checking out the Megafobia gift shop, I was quite amused that the park sells old ride parts, and even ride signs! ("Plane Crazy" is what they used to call the flying scooters before retheming it for Neverland area) I think we didn't go to Megafobia right away because it was full of some of the schoolgroups (and besides, we had ERT on it later this afternoon). . so instead we headed over to "Spooky Street" sheesh. .can someone buy a vowel - no wonder I can't understand anyone in Wales! I was told this used to be a tracked dark ride, but they had removed the interior and had just been using it as a Haunt during the spooky season. seemed to be a waste. . but there were some other things over here in this area (not much tho) this is a Pinfari coaster, called "the Creepy Crawler" sadly this one too was not operating today . . . but the theming on it is great. you can see why it's not operating. . LOL they were waiting for some replacement track, and that's why it was shut down, but I was told that it WAS going to be opening back up once they repair it.. . so the park should have another operating coaster in 2025. the worker i chatted with told me that this area used to be based on Roald Dahl, and hence the giant pumkin walkthru that I loved to enter the ride? Used to be a giant Peach. really nice job by the park to retheme and reuse, as it fits the "spooky" area theme very well now. the two ladies back there were the operators on the only real "ride" that was operating over here in this section, hence them looking a bit bored. they were thrilled to talk to me tho and to have someone come to this section. the only other thing over here - which actually was open, but I didn't want to take my boots off - was this self play, trampoline area. here's the ride the ladies were operating. . a. kiddie teacups but we were invited to ride, so we did. TPR takeover! it actually spun a LOT, and was more intense than it looked like it would be. and the ops were happy to pose for a pic after our ride cycle. if you headed out of the Spooky Street area towards the parking lot, you pass by the Skycoaster, and the entrance line to Drenched. that they had a maintenance guy heading back there was a good sign that the ride *might* open today - so I snapped this pic to send to Daniel, who loves flumes and really wanted to ride this Mega Splash. still no water at this time tho you can see how steep that drop is! awwwww. . something over here just randomly to sit on/hump? don't mind if I do! Stacy and I split off to go explore the "Neverland" section this was really the only ride that was truly a "kiddie" ride - a miniature version of the boat. . .but I think there was a space that looked like it SHOULD have had a carousel on it (and the park clearly needs one). . so maybe there was that as well, but not at the moment. but we DID find a T.A.R.D.I.S.. . . . so of course, I immediately loved this area. one of two tracked rides over in this area. . . "the Sights of London" was a fun little thing where you just sit in a taxi, and a kid can "drive" you, or it just drives itself for you. having started the trip in London, of course I wanted to do it. we had a nice chat with the gentleman operating it, and he was surprised when I knew that the big building in the middle of the ride was the Tower of London. He said I'd be shocked how many people think it's the Taj Mahal (on a ride called "the sights of London" ????? LOL) whee! there's also a roller coaster back here - the Crocodile Coaster - a powered Kiddie. I usually don't bother with kiddie coasters, but this one was adorable, so when Stacy wanted the credit I went ahead and joined her. we had the whole train to ourselves. there's also a log flume, with a small indoor section (that was all kinds of weird). . . the best part of this? they only had 3 logs. So when several TPR folks showed up back here, we created a line but it was fun. . .whee! the flying scooters that have been renamed to "Tink's Flying School". . . with Tinkerbell on the flyers, and a figure in the middle. well.. .. SORTA Tinkerbell. More maintenance guys over here doing some planting/fixing as well. you can see how much space the park has here. Neverland Chase is the other tracked ride over here. . .this one clearly was a retheme from something prior, but no idea what. Maybe a Flinstones ride? but I'm always up for a tracked ride.. . my motto usually is: "the sillier and slower moving it is, the more I'll love it" even got Stacy on it. tho we did our own "trucks" rather than squeeze in together hmmm. . . I don't remember Neverland being this phallic? but hey, they tried to get some theming in the station, but having (what I think) are quotes from the Peter Pan book. . . still in the Neverland section, there's a little park/walkthru play area outside (there's also a really large indoor play area with soft pads/monkeybar climbthru over by the flume) but this outdoor one has things to climb on, and to slide down. D'awwwwwww you can't climb on this tho! but for some reason, you can sit in these. . .LOL and that's the skycoaster way back there on the left. yeah, as noted, the park is bigger than it appears. very spread out. oh my. . multiple sizes to choose from! headed back towards the Neverland entrance to go back out into the main park. (we still had one coaster to hit) sadly, tho I totally would have bought some stuff in this section? everything in this area was kiddie sized only it worked out ok, as I got a nice Megafobia shirt later. the design on the giftshop door in the Neverland area is very well done tho. we hadn't eaten lunch yet, so we stopped to grab a burger (the lunch rush from the school kids was dying down, so it was a good time to eat) and the Seagulls knew it too. Speed from our table while eating lunch. we went the long way around (down and then back up) for the final coaster. . . stopping to ride "Bounce" first it was a fun, and exciting ride, with a long cycle first shoot up. . then slow lift and drop. . then repeat in reverse. luckily we got on it, as there was some sort of incident a few days after our visit, and the ride was shut down for a long while. so I'm glad we got to ride it. and then to the only other coaster (besides Megafobia) we hadn't ridden yet: the Treetops Coaster it's just a Zierer that's got a wonderful location buried among the trees. . .lots of Helixes. but it was a nice, Family, coaster. I think I recall this had tire lift, rather than it being a powered coaster. with a really long train, that was themed to Logs! i felt very much reminded of being back in Japan riding "log" coasters. many of the school kids were headed out, so we went back over to the Bobsleigh, and rode that, and then finally after so much waiting/teasing, we got in the short line for Megafobia. another dream coaster I never thought I'd ever get a chance to ride. I'm not sure why it has the 2023 on the front - we were there in 2024 and it wasn't any kind of anniversary the year before - so it was odd. . . but I liked the looks of the trains (PTC?) it was great in the front. . and so good, we went back around and immediately got back in line for a back row ride freaking FANTASTIC. after our ride, it was close enough to ERT time, that while several TPR folks went over to Vertigo to ride the Skycoaster, I snapped some pics in the area, rode the Bobsleigh, and got some very good icecream, even tho I recall it being a little bit chilly. Megafobia from the entrance line. eventually it was time for our ERT after park close, and you can easily tell how much I loved this coaster in that I believe I did every ride during ERT.. here's just some proof (and thanks to Elissa & Robb for snagging these pics while we were riding. . and for arranging this wonderful treat. such a fantastic coaster) Group shot in front of the coaster before we head out (pic courtesy of Robb) and then just to break Daniel's heart? Drenched had water running in the flume now. no boats were testing, but it looked like it could open up any minute - tho it never did - and so we headed back to the bus and continued the drive. hope you enjoyed this update. I really liked Oakwood. . . sure, it woudn't be a full day park for someone who just wants thrill rides. But for those that enjoy walking around and the atmosphere? I recommend it. and Megafobia is worth the trip alone!

A new head of maintenance at Six Flags Magic Mountain can significantly impact the park's goal of operating all coasters with two roller coaster train operations within two years in several ways. Firstly, the head of maintenance brings in fresh perspectives and potentially new strategies for optimizing coaster operations. They might implement more efficient maintenance schedules, ensuring that downtime for repairs and inspections is minimized. This could involve predictive maintenance techniques that anticipate issues before they occur, thereby reducing unexpected closures. Secondly, the new leader can focus on improving staff training and development. By ensuring that maintenance teams are well-trained and knowledgeable about the specific requirements of each coaster, they can enhance operational readiness and responsiveness to issues. This might include cross-training staff to handle different aspects of coaster maintenance, thereby increasing flexibility and reducing dependency on a limited number of specialists. Additionally, the head of maintenance can oversee upgrades to existing coaster systems and infrastructure. This could involve modernizing control systems, enhancing safety features, or even collaborating with ride manufacturers to optimize performance. Moreover, effective leadership can foster a culture of accountability and excellence within the maintenance team. Setting clear goals, measuring performance metrics, and incentivizing achievements can motivate staff to meet and exceed operational targets. Ultimately, the new head of maintenance plays a crucial role in coordinating efforts across departments to achieve the goal of consistently operating all coasters with two train operations. Their strategic oversight and management can streamline processes, improve reliability, and ensure a positive guest experience by minimizing downtime and maximizing coaster availability.

I am amused and intrigued by the idea of an Invisible Man walk-around character.

Official Park Website: https://www.rasti-land.de (German only) Backstory to this post: About a decade ago I discovered both the TPR Website and this fairly small park in Germany: Rasti-Land in Salzhemmendorf, Lower Saxony. It is a family-owned park, opened in 1973 and has been steadily expanded since. When I visited the park, I did take pictures and thought about posting them here, but never actually got around to actually doing that. Since that park still doesn't exist in this forum, here are pictures from my 2015 visit. To start with, the park is a little out of the way, I passed a village and my satnav led me along a road which didn't look like it would lead to an amusement park until it told me to turn right. Yeah... right. Well, at least I was pretty unquestionably in the right place. After this short tunnel, you have free parking and depending where you found a spot a bit of a walk to the entrance. Now that looks a bit more park-y. Pretty much right after the entrance, you find the first example of nice and possibly DIY landscaping. Also one of the first rides you see is this, which seems lifted pretty much straight out of RCT: Monorail! It is partially elevated, so you have a good view through parts of the park and a short "dark" ride section, I think in this building. One of the things you see from there is this kiddy-sized merry-go-round... ... accompanied by similar fun-sized flat rides. like this ferris wheel (mini version) and another merry-go-round, this one probably with seats swinging out as it spins (didn't see it in action). Also on the way, you see more things which could come out of RCT like those tracks (the park wasn't particularily full, so there wasn't much happening on those tracks) Continuing further into the park, there is a nice and quiet boat ride with fairy-tale themed animatronics (no pics of those though) The current moving those boats is generated by a paddle wheel right next to the station, also the boats are lifted out of the water by a conveyor belt to allow easy boarding and leaving. There is also an old tracked car ride which has been modernised into a photo safari. All nice and quiet, maybe a little too quiet but eventually you enter... ...the realm of T-Rex. That's more like it. This is a rafting ride with dino-themed landscaping Gives a bit of a Jurassic Park vibe ...a breakthrough of genetics... But it's not all just landscaping, at the bottom end of this helix ramp, there was quite a bit of Skloosh! action. And if you aren't wet enough... ...this water battle ride is right next door. Of course, not all big attractions are water-themed. For example, there is this nice and nicely pink Vekoma Junior Coaster (apparently their first one) It was pretty hot that day, so even a little mental cooling was welcome. This is the station to a powered bobsled ride. Also quite fun as you get to control your own speed (within limits). Some more DIY landscaping. At some point it was rainnig a little, just enough to drive up humidity but not enough (yet) to drive down temperatures. Here you can do a bit of climbing while attached to a safety harness. This was briefly closed due to the drizzle, but I either got up and back down before or it reopened when I got there. Continuing with somewhat smaller attractions again... ...there is a small drop tower... ...Bumper Boats... ...and a small "steam" railway (smelled and sounded like powered by a two-stroke engine). Of course, grilling and two-stroke exhaust from that go-kart track go wonderfully together. Going a bit back towards water, we find the classical combination of... ...a swinging pirate ship... ....and a pirate-themed dark ride. The Park also has a nice assortment of slides. Dry and enclosed as part of a playground. Dry, open and standalone and a few moist slides the slide boats run on water, but the tracks are confined enough that you shouldn't get really wet. This does however not appply to... Skloosh! 2, an unfortunately not terribly photogenic log flume. Finishing with the water is this spinny thing The boats don't just spin around the pirate, they also go up and down on a track (and they can also spin backwards). This was one of the last rides I rode that day and I hope these pictures gave you an indea about this small but nice park. Even back then there were more rides I didn't take pictures of and since my visit they built several more, including three rollercoasters (Holta di Polta, Strohnado and Verrücktwärts). In summary, this is a really nice small park with rides for all ages and almost all types of riders (except hardcore thrillseekers) where you can easily spend half a day to a day, so maybe think about a visit when you are in the general area of Brunswick/Hannover. If you come from further away, you should combine your visit to the park with other places as the park on its own isn't so much of a reason for extended travel (unless you are REALLY desperate for coaster credits). EDIT: BTW, Strohnado seems to be same model as the hamster wheel coaster from this TPR IAAPA 2021 video, although from on-ride videos the spin cycle of Strohnado seems a lot tamer. German Wikipedia calls this a Mixed Coaster by SBF Visa, they also produced the other two new coasters.

So, we decided on a bit of a whim to spend the day at the park yesterday. About a 3 hr 15 min drive for us each way, so we just did a day trip. We did not go to the water park this time since it had just opened and I suspected they wouldn't have everything going yet (that turned out to be accurate) and I also assumed the water would be fairly cold especially after the storms and hail of the night before (not sure if that was correct but based on the frigid temps of the log flume, probably) Although from observations there did look to be plenty of people that gave it a go. Good Gravy is a very basic layout, as expected with a Vekoma family boomerang, but the theming and the queue are absolutely fabulous. Grandma's house is still decorated in all of it 60's mid century kitsch, including dark brown cabinets and orange countertops in the kitchen. If you're old enough you know what I'm talking about, lol. Even if you don't want to ride it, go through the queue. Ops were still brushing the rust off. Really slow at Voyage but we saw a whole group being trained so I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt that they just need to get a little more practice in. Although the Legend crew was rocking it. All major rides going, no downtimes that I am aware of. In fact the only rides I saw not open were some of the slides in the water park as mentioned. Crowds were manageable. It was a good day. Already had a couple shows running, the high dive show and a magic show that seemed to be geared toward kids. Thanks to HW for having the EV chargers! Nice to get some free juice along with the parking, drinks, and sunscreen.

Yes, it's a crap situation. Not knowing what their contracts said, though, this is perfectly legal for Disney to do. That being said, Unions are a great way to ensure stable employment, especially in the entertainment industry. Ask me how I know (20+ years of doing this stuff as a technician and an IATSE member). THAT being said, Unions aren't perfect and Actors Equity most certainly plays favorites on what contracts they give a crap about. AFAIK, Disney works with AEA and non-union for performers and their contracts demand only a certain percentage of performers be AEA members. Really what this boils down to is, if you ain't in the club, you ain't gettin' respect. I feel for the performers, but after decades of navigating this business I can only sit back and think about how this is a wonderful learning opportunity for those involved.

Breaking news: Cedar Point is the devil.

After our great day at Holiday Park. we arrived in the late evening at the Hotel Charles Lindbergh, our final hotel of the trip. We were surprised by the hotel's generous welcome wagon, setting us up with a dinner at the hotel's exclusive 1919 restaurant. We were told to drop our bags at our "cabins" and then meet for dinner... From the moment you arrive at the Hotel Charles Lindberg, you feel like you're in an entirely different realm. The hotel's signature "Aeronaut Cabins" are part of the incredible experience of staying at this particular property, onsite at Phantasialand. The interiors aren't spacious, but that's kind of the point--but the room design is wholly unique and unlike anything I've experienced, anywhere. They're meant for transient travelers who are flying between destinations, at least as far as the story is concerned. Why would I share a photo of the cabin's bathroom? Because this window actually doubles as a door to a secondary verandah that looks out into Rookburgh... And the view from this side is incredible. Even with F.L.Y. not in operation, it is hard not to stare at the coaster. As much as I wanted to stay and roam, I wasn't going to pass up the chance to have my first meal at 1919 and it was well worth it! After our late dinner, I took advantage of another benefit of staying onsite at the Hotel Charles Lindbergh... Guests staying at this property have the exclusive access to freely roam the land of Rookburgh outside of park hours. And I took advantage of this benefit for each of the three nights we were here. The layering of levels, detail and track found within the land is astounding. I probably should have warned you at the start of this update that there would be a lot of photos of F.L.Y. But the honest truth is, there are a lot of photos of F.L.Y. to be found in my remaining updates. It goes without saying that I was utterly enchanted by this land, and by extension, our hotel. It wouldn't even matter if the coaster wasn't good (which it is--it is VERY good), because it is so visually impressive that that is an achievement of its own. The way this coaster weaves in and around the hotel is incredible. There's an entire lower section of the land that has tunnels and water as well. So few words can be used to express how taken aback by this place I was. I didn't want to stop roaming, but I needed to get a few hours of sleep before our full day ahead. Morning came and it was time to finally explore the rest of the park. That didn't stop me from grabbing a few photos from the verandah outside of our bathroom. If we had had more time, I was tempted to experience Pirates 4-D one more time, in German. But sadly, it was not meant to be. Early access for resort guests allowed us to enjoy a few rides before lines kicked in. Double decker carousels are fun. Black Mamba isn't something that is talked about nearly as often now that F.L.Y. and Taron exist in this park, but it is a really great B&M invert not unlike Montu. The station is very neat! I love just how much this coaster weaves in and out of the Deep in Africa realm of the park. I'd come back to experience the Colorado Adventure coaster, but I was impressed to see just how expansive it is. We rushed over to Klugheim, but probably not for the reason you'd think. With Raik being a one-train coaster, we figured it was best to get it out of the way sooner rather than later. Also, it is very difficult to get Taron and Raik in operation in the same photo. The Raik tower for both lift hills is nicely themed. Not unlike F.L.Y. this update has a lot of Taron photos. I love this fly-through structure! I love the design of this coaster. So photogenic! Chiapas wasn't running for the day, but I couldn't help but stare. For whatever reason, this was one of my most anticipated attractions of the trip, and I'm not even a big fan of log flumes. Wuze Town was far weirder and more grand than I had possibly imagined. I'd been hearing raves about Winjas - Fear and Force for a very long time. Watching Winjas in motion is almost as fun as riding them... Almost. Back for more Taron envy... Airtime! Twisty bits! Taron has some great overbanked turns as well. Rutmor's Tavern was our stop for lunch on day one and it started with a hearty charcuterie selection... Spinatspätzle was the dish of choice for our entree and it was fantastic. Have I mentioned yet that I really like Taron? Mystery Quest was something we planned to ride the next day, in the hopes of doing all of the park's water rides at the same general time. Mystery Castle on the other hand was high on our priority list. My first time riding an Intamin drop tower like this and it was great! Longing for Chiapas to open... You get these little beauties when staying at the Hotel Charles Lindbergh,, which grant you access to an exclusive priority line to the ride just for guests staying at that resort. What have we here? This looks oddly familiar... Similar yet different. The (Michael Jackson-less) Colorado Adventure was a fun mine train with an expansive layout... But it definitely gets a little rough at times. Geister Rikscha falls into the category of "derivative of Haunted Mansion" while also oddly unique... Some of it is very much its own thing. Some of it, not so much. It even has a section that's vaguely derivative of Pirates of the Caribbean! Similar but different. I have no clue. Back to Taron. Those curves. Rare are photos of Raik in action. But I was determined to get a few. With some more Taron thrown in the mix. What a great coaster! As dusk fell upon Klugheim it was time for something especially fun... Extra ride time on Taron after the park closed! What an awesome way to close out our day in the park! I might have gotten my own train (by happenstance) multiple times during the ERT... I might have. But I was willing to share a train with my good friend Chuck. Seriously. Phantasialand had shown us in multiple ways within the last 24 hours just how welcome we were. And we still had one full day left! Dinner at 1919 once again did not disappoint. Dessert was great there too! I took one more moment out the bathroom verandah to enjoy the view before getting some rest. Tomorrow would be the last day of the trip...

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...

Day 11 - a 2nd full day at Blackpool Pleasure Beach! it had stayed windy thru the night, and I heard the wind blowing against the window (helped me sleep) but a large metallic clang woke me up. Peeking out the window? The Big One was testing! Grabbed my phone to snap some pics of proof, and excitedly got dressed and headed down to grab something light to eat, as testing was a great sign we'd get our ERT on this coaster today. LOVE this view. . . we met up in the lobby and headed into the park, and were informed that they were indeed testing, and hoped to have it open for us. but no guarantees. TPR group hung out with our Park Guides by the gates, while they kept running trains - to ensure it wasn't too windy for it to operate. and then they opened it up for us and ushered us into the station. it was such a last minute decision, that the 2nd train still had all the sandbags in it for the morning test runs. very cool to see that this is how they test it out on mornings they are concerned it might valley due to weather. all maintenance hands were called on deck to remove the sandbags, and we were ready for our ERT. these pics, I believe, are courtesy of Elissa. what did I think of "the Big One" ? well. . it's an Arrow Hypercoaster (that opened in 1994) - and as such, it's got a couple of janky / not so smooth transitions. In particular, there is one transition right in front of the Big Blue Hotel that will *really* mess up your back if you aren't braced for it. . . .but my oh my, does that first drop make up for it. a Diving steep turn to the right, and it truly does feel like the coaster has come off the track and you are hurtling towards the beachfront. so yeah, I rode it a bunch during ERT, even with that one painful spot that reminded us it's an Arrow coaster. after our ERT, we were set free in the park as it was about to open. Directly across from the Big One entrance is the park's classic carousel. it wasn't open just yet, so I made a note to come back to it later. but since we were right across the park path from SteepleChase, Jonathan and I headed over there to get a few rides. as I mentioned yesterday, the ride staffers remembered us from the prior day (and what big fans we were of the ride) and let us stay on to bypass the line a few times. they even took this wonderful picture of us - look how damn happy Jonathan and I are ! (and no, the third track wasn't operating today, and they told me it rarely does.. so I felt even more blessed that had gotten the opportunity to ride all three rails the prior day). much love and thanks to Robb, Elissa, and Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort for that lifetime top 10 memory. Jonathan and I decided to hang together for a bit, and headed towards the dark rides portion of the park - since they tend to be all gathered together in one area. passing thru Nickelodeon land, the same "handler" who had been out yesterday with the Avatar character (and had taken a pic of himself instead of just me and the character) was out.. so I called him on it - in a playful way - and embarrassed the heck out of him in front of his coworkers (who laughed hysterically). all was good. . he even posed with me for this selfie when I handed him to phone - to prove I really was just teasing him. and he took this great pic of Jonathan and I with Spongebob. I do remember that Wallace and Gromit were out too, but for them, there was an additional fee, so we didn't do that. . .but I'm guessing this is the car (shoe?) from the ride, as we did ride the dark ride that morning. before heading back to Alice in Wonderland for more rides on that today. here's that sign in the queue that talks about when the ride opened at the park. from the Alice line, you get a nice view of the Flying Machines, and the final stretch of Grand National's track as it races back into the station. that's the front gates of the park on the left, under the Noah's Arc on top. we got lucky on our 1st ride with Jonathan scoring the back seat with the White Rabbit. whee! Valhalla wasn't quite open yet for the day *was open from 1-5 only), but in the TPR chat thread, there was talk about meeting up later to ride as a group. so instead we headed over to the Flying Machines, a classic ride near the front of the park. some lovely views from the load stations up here too. the Big One's lift hill from across the park. and the turnaround near the front of the park. hey. . there's Nick! a few other TPR folks had come upstairs while we waited for our cycle. so we climbed into one rocket together. under the Flying Machines sits a restaurant and a gift shop. and in a very neat touch, there are windows that allow one to look into the workings of the ride - that's been operating since 1904 ! I was headed back to Derby Racer for more rides (I love these things), and so the guys came with to ride. and tho I was wary about how rough this might be, the only coaster I was missing was Grand National. we had ERT on it later that night, but I wanted to try it early so I could see how much "wooden coaster trembling" was on this classic coaster (built in 1935). Great view of the lift hill from the station area. short answer? it's pretty rough. not terrible, especially for it's age, but rough enough that I was concerned about multiple rides with my rib injury from earlier in the trip at Barrie Island. needless to say, I never rode the right side (from station entry), only riding the Red Train from the left side. so 1 and done for me (or is that 1/2 and done, since it's a racing coaster and only did one side)? splitting off to do things that only I was interested in, this caught my eye across from the Grand National exit. I wasn't sure what exactly it was, but it turned out to be a Museum of Illusion. and was really rather fun. and next door was a play area fountain for the kids (tho it was a bit chilly still) and a bunch of food kiosks. So I decided to grab a quick bite. of note, and the reason I took this pic, those string lights behind the Picture Center? I was told that is where the classic (and crazy) wooden Wild Mouse had been located. It had been removed before the 2018 season, and the space was now being used as bar seating, and special event venue. reminders that we're right off the beach: folks were chatting about riding Valhalla, so I finished up lunch and headed over there to meet up. a happy (and dry) group of TPR folks ready to take on Valhalla! (pic courtesy of Jonathan) that same boat, not quite so dry, coming back into the station after our ride. . .LOL I think this might be courtesy of Brad? I needed to dry off a bit - Valhalla will *absolutely* soak you. like getting dipped into a bathtub soak. - so I headed over to Racing Derby to spin dry (hey, it helped) the River Caves ride was down, and was told it was getting refurbished (this was recently announced as getting a major overhaul, so perhaps tearing out the classic "tunnel of love" theming?). looks like an indoor raft/log flume ride but a reason to go back as this was one of a few rides down on the days we were there - tho this was likely the "biggest" of the rides that were down, as most were for kids that weren't operating. it did seem to have a bit of a splashdown to end the ride ... despite the wind, the park kept the Big One open the whole day. going towards the Asian Mandala walking garden I had spotted yesterday underneath Nickelodeon Streak, I discovered near the bumper cars (also not running today), a small section of celebrity handprints hey.. I even recognized one of em the Asian walking maze was lovely. tho small, it was still nice to discover something like that tucked away in a corner of the park. and best part? since I was over here, I remembered that I needed to ride the classic Carousel. I had missed it yesterday since it closed before the rest of the park. there was only one other rider, but the operator wished me a "wild ride" and I had a blast. I rode "Miles" there's also a nice viewing are over here, where you can watch the Steeple Chase horses go up the mid course lift hill. and the "handprint" of the horse made me giggle. gift shop near the front of the park (where I bought my "I rode the Big One" boxer shorts) in the front of the park, just past the entry gates but before you enter the park proper, is Pasaje del Terror. there had been some "characters" wandering around near the front of the park handing out coupons. and upon checking with a few employees, they all said it was decent and worth checking out. I messaged in the group chat that I wanted to do this, since I had these 1lb off coupons (I had asked for a handful and was given them) and multiple TPR folks said they were interested and so I sat down by the main entrance to wait and see who would show up. it turned out to be about 15 of us, and they split us into two groups to go thru. here's Stacy and I with one of the folks that had been handing out the coupons. the entrance to it looked very promising! and this lady - who gave us the rules spiel was hysterical. and creepy as hell. no pictures were allowed in the actual attraction. but I can say it's highly recommended. the entire thing is underground, so it's way bigger than you think it's going to be. And filled with movie level quality set pieces and special effects. I think this might be the best looking haunt that I've ever been to. It didn't "terrify" me, but I was blown away at how good all the set pieces were. tons of detail, and some brilliantly made up scare actors. oh. . and it ends in a bar. yup. pics were allowed in here: I don't recall if there was actually a drink minimum. . . but we did drink while hanging out and waiting for the other group to come thru behind us. the snack area wasn't' open (the blue grate). . but the figures here show the level of quality of this place. our group. . relaxing while waiting for the others. ah. .here they are! turns out one CAN visit the "Horror Bar" without going thru the attraction (just enter thru the exit steps), but I'm still glad I did it. very recommended, even with the separate charge. did I mention there are tons of photo ops here at Blackpool Pleasure Beach? why in the world would I come to the UK and want the "sweet taste of the USA" ? but I was curious what they thought it would be. . lots of tootsie rolls and gummy candies. the Park's Grand Prix motor car ride, had closed a month or so before our visit. . so they still had much of the station still untouched and looking like it could operate with just a quick sweep (I took the pics over the fence they had up in front). it's a really large ride, and with this gone, as well as the three smaller rides they announced are going, the park has a lot of space to put in something rather large for 2026 - as they have announced. I was still hanging with Stacy after the Haunt, and she was interested in getting a reading from this "Spiritual Advisor to the Stars" that had a storefront set up in the park, near the closed Grand Prix. I wasn't interested, but was happy to wait (and I did briefly meet the spiritualist, and she was a lovely woman). and hey, she read for Johnny Marr! the inside of her storefront was very cute. . .and very "traveling carnival"... I mean that in a GOOD way. she took Stacy back thru those double doors, and I waited for her out in this area. she was very satisfied with the reading. it was time to meet up for our Grand National ERT. . so we quickly made our way thru the now closed park, over to the Grand National station. I grabbed this pic of the Wallace and Gromit ride, as we passed by, since I had forgotten to take one earlier. as noted earlier, I was worried about my rib injury, so I chose not to ride during ERT - instead just taking pictures. Green won! and Barry looks very pumped about it. racing back into the station. this is what I rode for the rest of the ERT. . I did love the "devil tail / snake" designs on the benches. just hanging out (and it had gotten cooler, so put my hat on), as we were headed as a group into the fancy Blackpool restaurant for dinner to end our day. you can tell that this is a fancy place. . it was quiet (I guess we were visiting sorta off season?) as we were really the majority of whom were in the restaurant, tho there were other customers there. (I'm guessing that's why I didn't take any pics of the food or the restaurant itself). I do remember the food being pretty good tho. decoration in the cloak room after dinner we headed outside and Robb gathered us all for a group picture under one of the (closed gates) to Pleasure Beach entrance. pic courtesy of Robb then we realized that the face was hungrily eyeing us. . so we took another pic reacting as such: and with that, our days at Blackpool were over. again, I'm pretty sure I swung by the casino for some slots before heading back to the room. tomorrow was a travel day back towards London, the trip was almost over . . . . so had to pack things up and be ready to head out in the morning. but as the sun set, I knew that it had been so worth it to come. . . met every dream I'd ever had about it. and with that? off to bed.

^ 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.

I never thought I'd have a chance to go to Malaysia but when life throws you an opportunity that is so unexpected, you lean into it and live in the moment. I knew virtually nothing about Kuala Lumpur before I found out I would be traveling there, but once I dug in, I found a variety of unique and personally appealing experiences... I even had the chance to visit two theme parks that I was always interested in, but had long resigned myself to the notion of never being able to see firsthand. The Kuala Lumpur International Airport was large and airy, which was welcoming after being in transit for a full day. In transit to my hotel I found a nice looking water park that I unfortunately wouldn't have time to visit on this trip. This looks familiar, rail style and all. First stop, Din Tai Fung! It was my first time eating at a location in person and it was well worth the hype! Fortunately enough, this one was in a shopping mall connected to my hotel so I'd end up visiting multiple times during this trip. Sadly, the Nando's in the same mall had closed for refurbishment just days before my arrival... But hope on that front was not all lost. Don Don Donki looked and felt familiar... It was only once I was back home in the States that I realized that it was a part of the Don Quixote company in Japan. We rode the Don Quixote ferris wheel at their store location in Dotonbori, Osaka back in 2019 so it was neat to find an outlet from the company here. They also have an infectious theme song playing on loop in the store... So excited to be here! I passed out early on my arrival day and it took me several days for the jet lag to wear off. My hotel had an awesome buffet restaurant included in our stay which included a variety of Malaysian and Southeast Asia options (along with some more traditional Western offerings). When in Kuala Lumpur, curry laksa for breakfast was my entree of choice. The restaurant also had an incredible "prawn bisque omelette" that they claimed was their speciality. I'd have several throughout the trip. Some of the freshest fruits I've had anywhere were consumed on this trip. Our hosts brought us to Restoran Siu Siu Sungai Besi, a local chinese restaurant known for indulgent meals, a variety of choices and a lazy Susan turntable for ease of sharing. Some of the best pork belly I've ever consumed. Coca Cola Rasa Asli (Original Taste) was, as expected, both delicious and refreshing. I could have eaten here every meal for the rest of the trip and been in heaven. The next morning on my way to work I found Spider-Man serenading the travelers at KL Sentral station. Dolly Dim Sum nearby offered some different flavors compared to Din Tai Fung, though I'd still choose the latter as my favorite of the two. Entirely coincidental, my interest in all things "tiki" was stoked when I discovered that the hotel I was staying at had an entire bar dedicated to the Jungle Bird drink, which I had no idea was first developed at its predecessor property nearby. Subtle in its vibes, it matched the decor of the hotel... But the drink was pure tiki bliss in a cup. On one of my few days off, I ventured around Kuala Lumpur to see some famous sights, check off a bucket list experience and more, starting with a visit to the famous Batu Caves. The artistry is distinctly unique to this region and feels very different than what I've seen in Japan or China. Most people have seen the rainbow steps of Batu Caves before (I had) but never realized where it was or what it led to... The level of detail on these shrines is incredible. What an incredible setting! Up we climb! Almost there! Batu Caves is home to several shrines built within the cavernous mountains of the area. It astounds me that someone found this place centuries ago and had the vision to leverage it as a place of worship. There's something incredible about the natural architecture that makes this space seem so much more sacred. I made some friends during my visit. Just don't feed them. "Sponsored by Pepsi." And I was having such a good time too... Time to move on to our next adventure... We took a Grab (the Uber/Lyft equivalent in Malaysia) to the Awana Skyway station at Genting Highlands... It's like Sprite... Plus lemon! Why take the cable car you ask? Because not only would we be treated to a picturesque journey into the foggy mountains of Genting Highlands but... It would give us our first look into our next destination, Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park. Just a few months prior to our visit, the park's Central Park-themed area experienced a fire that tore through the facade and impacted at least one restaurant and several backstage facilities. The adjacent Night at the Museum interactive dark ride was not damaged (aside from the facade), but given the extent of the damage to the land, this section of the park has remained closed for reconstruction. I was a little disappointed we wouldn't have a chance to ride this attraction as I do like the franchise, but considering how I never thought I'd have a chance to visit this park at all, it was a loss I was willing to accept. The cable car drops you off directly into the Resorts World Genting complex, a massive combination of casinos, a shopping mall, dining, entertainment, the Skytropolis Indoor Theme Park, Genting SkyWorlds, a Ripley's attraction and much more. In addition to Night at the Museum being down, Rivet Town Roller (a unicoaster) and Independence Day: Defiance (a flying theater attraction) would both be closed during our visit. In our next update, we head into the park!

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...

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!

Our final day in Munich was reserved for "on your own time" to explore the city and spend more time at Oktoberfest. For this reason, we used our day to accomplish both. Revisiting Marienplatz was the first activity of the day... Absolutely beautiful. We even had a chance to see and hear the Rathaus-Glockenspiel play. Reinheitsgebot München Viktualienmarkt was a short walk away and worth a stop for one reason in particular... Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog! Despite having been to Las Vegas, New York and several other cities that have an Eataly location, this was my first time actually visiting one. It's like a theme park for Italian foods. I could have done some serious damage here. This was one of the most indulgent meals I consumed on the entire trip. Back at Oktoberfest for our final evening, we spent some time watching Jack enjoy his favorite ride in all of Germany. As the sun sets, many of the rides begin to come to life in new and colorful ways... Out of the fire and into the frying pan? Hupferl was another "never in America" kind of experience and it was awesome. The size of some of these (traveling) flat rides is astounding. One more visit to the Devil's Wheel. We weren't on a log flume... We weren't on a log flume. We grabbed as many extra rides on Olympia Looping as we could on this evening... Just such an incredible experience! While it wasn't my favorite coaster to ride, Alpina Bahn looks great at night. Our last few hours at Oktoberfest were spent roaming the beer tents, each of which has unique entertainment, decor and more. Each tent felt totally different... The Paulaner tent is one of the bigger tents. And the interior is quite vibrant! I was grateful that I had the chance to visit Hofbräuhaus München at the start of my trip, because I wouldn't end up having a chance to drink at the Hofbrau tent. The Hacker tent may be smaller than some of the neighboring tents... But it has one of the most charming interiors of them all. Braurosl was quite busy on this night... Such a neat space! Spatenbrau was too busy to allow walk-in guests to jump in for a drink. We revisited the Lowenbrau tent to see if the atmosphere changed when compared to our daytime visit in the prior afternoon. The vibe was definitely more lively and party-like at this hour. It looks bigger from the outside. But a rock band on the inside was keeping everyone entertained. This looks familiar! Remember how I said I wasn't above riding both sides? I'm not. And somehow this ended up being the last coaster I rode at Oktoberfest...

Disney has just announced that Animation Courtyard will be completely taken over by the new Monsters Inc land, with MuppetVision 3D closinng! In addition, the Aerosmith theme of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster will be retired, with the Muppets' Electric Mayhem band coming in to replace it! https://disneyparksblog.com/wdw/monsters-inc-the-muppets-hollywood-studios/ Get ready to open the door because Mike and Sulley are coming to town! That’s right, humans will be able to enter the world of Monsters, Inc. when it is added to the south side of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Building off the exciting announcements from last summer’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the new land will include the coaster we’ve all dreamed of – a suspended ride recreating the door vault scene – plus dining and shopping and a whole new theater show. To make way for the monsters, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and more of their friends will be moving right along to Sunset Boulevard! But there’s more to the story: The Muppets will be taking over Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, teaming up with some of music’s biggest stars for a rockin’ music festival! We know so many of you share our love for The Muppets and know their energy will be a perfect fit for this coaster. Plus, as the first Disney ride ever to feature The Muppets, there’s sure to be laughter, screams and new tunes for this attraction for fans to enjoy throughout the adventure and plenty of Muppets-themed merchandise on Sunset Boulevard! In the meantime, there’s still enough time to catch a super-stretch limo to the Forum to enjoy Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith and catch Muppet*Vision 3D again before their final curtain calls. As we move forward with these changes, we are having creative conversations and exploring ways to preserve the film and other parts of the experience for fans to enjoy in the future.

I mean look at the face on this thing. High as a kite! Kills me every time

Thank God. We were getting spoiled.

Day 3, LegoLand Mini-Land pictures: these figures partied too hard with the sheep, and passed out after

Last time I went to Thorpe Pak was in 2010 and it was a hot summers day and everything was a walk on. It's a long drive for us, (200+ miles) so it takes a bit of planning and co-ordination with others so we don't get to go as often as we'd like, Towers is much closer and is usually easier to sync up with others since it's you only need a day and don't have to mess around with accommodations etc.. This time it wasn't as sunny but as a consolation price there were two new credits to collect, Swarm (actually my first wing coaster, too!) and Hyperia. Gutted that the Slammer is no more, I really enjoyed that as a flat ride it was probably my favourite flat there, I'd say my new favourite is probably Rush and it was operating on a better cycle than last time, I believe last time it was 3 full swings and this time it was 5 (I counted). I heard that they are removing the remnants of Slammer in the closed season and it's intriguing thinking what will replace it with it being close to Hyperia and if it will be tied in to the Find Your Fearless [loose] theme. We did Swarm first as Hyperia and a few others were not open till around 11.30am. This was a new credit for me and my first wing coaster. I gotta say, I really enjoyed it. Always thought the wing over drop looked crazy on and off ride when I've watched POV's and was excited to try it out and see how it would feel and I loved it, it offers a great moment of hangtime and is a great build up of anticipation for the start of the ride, kind of like Oblivion but with an actual layout after it and not just a brake run after the drop (Don't get me wrong though, I still love Blivvy) Then onto Stealth, my previous TP #1. It still rides great considering its age (only 4y between it and Colossus), some people say it has a wobble/rattle now but idk, I didn't really feel it. Brilliant, punchy, intense hydraulic launch and airtime over the top hat and then ejector at the end since you slam into that airtime hill before the brakes. If that cup of coffee you just had didn't wake you up, Stealth certainly does the trick. Onto Rush since it's there anyway, barely a 5 minute queue we were on the next one and when we were just about to board noticed the app said Hyperia had opened so after our nice ride on Rush we headed over to Fearless Valley. The area looks great, I know people have said there is a lack of theming or whatever but IMO it doesn't take away from the area and the atmosphere was great. The ride is imposing and very fun to watch dispatching and going around the layout. The app was showing 60 minutes but we queued for single rider (just the two of us but we didn't mind riding separately) but the queue moved very slowly, I'm not sure if there was just a lot of groups of 2's/4's riding or it was how it was being batched etc but it took around 60 minutes anyways idk if it might have actually been quicker to just join the main queue with never having ridden it before didn't have any way to gauge the main queue to know how long it would take from any given point. There was only one member of staff at the merge point and I heard that could make it slower since they can get overwhelmed since 4 queues merge at that point, idk though. First ride on Hyperia I ended up in row 7 on the inside and my sister was in row 5 on the outside. The ride was amazing, I didn't even know what to expect but whatever I was expecting it exceeded it. Wow, what a machine. After just one ride the whole thing was just a blur, like some of the elements you don't even remember taking them you're trying to think how it felt but it's just all so fast and all you know is that it felt awesome. Since we're talking about Hyperia I'll just add my thoughts on our second ride here too. We rode again at around 3.45pm, the queue was showing as 45 minutes so we just decided to get in the main queue since it would probs be our last ride of the day and didn't know if the single rider line would be moving slow again so we just decided we'd do it together this time. We got row 3, I sat on the outside this time which makes the outer bank after dispatch way more fun! Wanted to try and concentrate here for all the elements to try and recall afterwards lol, hands up for the first drop and absolutely ejected out of your seat all the way down, it's SUCH a good first drop. Probably the best, for me. The outer bank element that rolls over into an inverted drop as well, between that and the first drop are my 2 favourite elements. Loved the Stall too, sooo much hangtime. New UK #1 right there. (Sorry, Nemmy) In between those two rides on Hyperia we did SAW and Colossus - I had read about people saying these two (particularly SAW) were very rough and since when I went in 2010 SAW was only 1 year old so I couldn't relate, it wasn't rough then lol, I thought people were overreacting about Colossus too I never thought it was that bad in 2010 but I gotta say, I totally get that now, it's not aged well; let's put it that way. It could do with some new trains, the ones that SIK uses would be great. I heard it might be getting some track work done, idk about that though. After those two we jumped on Nemesis Inferno, which was great (as B&M inverts usually are!) Was an amazing day, and even a blowout on the Motorway on the way home the next day it was still totally worth it. Already wanting to go back again and lap Hyperia. It definitely won't be 10+ years till my next visit and thinking of staying on site next time and doing 2 days.

Day 2 (part 2): Thorpe Park! We also went and did the "Ghost Train" - which I knew nothing about, but had been recommended by several park employees I had talked to. It's not really a "ride" but rather an experience - an interactive show, with some brilliant special effects and a set that "moves". . so it feels like you trapped on a train that's moving as crazy things happen. It was very cool and I loved it so much I bought multiple Magnets from it. . and was looking to buy a shirt for it (but they didn't have anything I really loved). for some strange reason, I don't have ANY pictures of this ride - I'm shocked myself. I know I was incredibly distracted (or as my friends call it "dickstracted") by a cute bear couple that was in the queue with us - which would explain why I have no pics of the outside of the ride. And you couldn't take pics during the experience. but still. . I'm truly surprised I don't have any pics. . LOL I think it was around this time, that (*I think) we got a message from Robb asking who wanted to ride the Tidal Wave as a group, and if so, meet by the ride. So a whole bunch of TPR folks got together, and our park guild got them to set aside a boat for TPR (plus one family who were added to the back row not realizing a completely full TPR boat was gonna be heavy and get a bigger splash) and off we went. COMPLETELY soaked. . like being dipped into a bathtub. . and I loved it. the following pics are all from either Robb or Andy, I believe: the aftermath. . posing in front of the next boat's splash. with time in the day running out, several of us headed to the last section of the park - seemed to be themed to a lost Jungle/ruins, to ride the flats over there: a giant swing, an Enterprise, a Flying Carpet, and a "claw" the swing was ok, but kind of underwhelming to me because a) the cycle was so short, and b) I've been on the tallest one at SWSA here in Texas. it was fun, but not exciting, if that makes sense. loved the theming over here tho. . .very, very green and "overgrown" looking, but with rides just popping up in the center of it. Zodiac is the Enterprise. the Flying Carpet went down while we were in queue for the Enterprise (had to wait for next cycle), so didn't get to ride that - think it was just too close to end of day for Maintenance to mess with it today . . but it framed Swarm very nicely for a picture I thought and the claw was also over here. see? I LOVE Enterprises (Robb just asked about who loves them on the TPR Facebook page) . . . this one didn't run a great cycle. . and it was really quick considering how long it took the one operator to get it loaded. . but any Enterprise is a fun Enterprise. it was so close to the end of night, that Stacey and I hit a store for shopping before heading back to the Pavilion to meet up with the group. no, I didn't buy this. . but I was VERY tempted. LOL.. if it hadn't been at the start of the trip and I was already worrying about suitcase space, prolly would have grabbed it. as we waited for the park to clear (and more importantly the Hyperia line to clear thru), we headed over to Swarm for our 1st ERT. apparently the theming is an alien invasion. . tho Thorpe park does seem to have a thing for wrecked planes (there were several of them thruout the park as theming. . LOL). but I loved this. and I was actually sorry I hadn't gone over here during the daytime, as I absolutely LOVED this B&M Flyer. my favorite ride in the park, and I think I rode every cycle of our ERT. glass smooth with an amazing diving first drop, and an inversion over/thru the station - which is themed to a bombed out Church. the inversion I mentioned, from inside the station the design of the trains is SO good. . this is the back of the row in front of us! Pic courtesy of Elissa, I believe (or possibly Robb) following pics courtesy of Elissa, Robb, or Andy: whee. . . front row! after 25 minutes or so at Swarm (and I think 9 rides), we headed as a group over to Hyperia. HAHAHAHAHA. . and I actually *did* get a pic of the front of Ghost Train as we walked past it. so good on me. . tho all closed up, doesn't look too exciting. and here is the main course. . ERT on Hyperia. after it had warmed up and was running amazing. Edit: D'oh!!! that's Kristen with her Dad (Robb) in the seats behind me in this pic! She looks so much like her Mom! So this pic must be courtesy of Elissa. I couldn't ride Hyperia over and over, as by the end of the day, it was a wee bit too intense for me (I kept having to tuck my shirt back in after riding)! . . . so I didn't do every cycle, but I did ride 2, then rest, then 2 then rest, then 2 - including last ride. so I THINK I got six rides on it at end of night during our ERT? but some in the group ride every dispatch. . . more power to em! and they look like they are having a blast! end of night pic with our park guides, and the crew. . thank you to Thorpe Park for an amazing day! Pic by Robb and then it was time to head back to the bus for the ride back to the hotel. I *believe* this stunning pic of Stealth during sunset is from Brad. and back on the bus. .everyone is happy. . . except for Robb's plushie. getting back to the hotel, several of us headed back over to WagaMama for dinner. . . not really recalling what this is, but I think Firecracker chicken & pasta? and Gyoza. . so good. and after filling up on Wagamama? back to the room to shower, and crash. we had another busy day tomorrow - checking out of Hotel and off to the next hotel. but along the way? Suprise Park! we were gonna visit LegoLand Windsor for a few hours, and ride their brand new "mini figure speedway" dueling coaster. hopefully won't take me a month for that next update!

Hey I actually remembered my password to log in! I think there's less 'buzz' because a lot of fans had pre set expectations about Five Nights at Freddy's or bust, Quiet Place confused people, and Insidious is a very hot/cold franchise. How is it this year? Another great HHN! The tribute store has a post apocalyptical NY vibe and lots of hints about Batricia - maybe she will get her own house next year. Food and bev - Lots of fun tasty snacks. The Eggs In The Further, Red Door savory hand pie, rocks from hell (cheesy jalapeno dough bites), and the stay puft smores are all great. Some lines are just too long to tolerate so I haven't eaten there too much. Mixed drinks are prevalent and made to order for the most part. I think Ghoul Juice is still pre mixed. There's a great Oktoberfest on draft. Nightmare Fuel is one again an elite show. The Dead Coco Club in city walk has awesome 80s vibes. Go on Fri/Sat to see talent and actors in the crowd! Sinister and Surreal are interesting characters - The Blumhouse scare zone is pretty weak. I'm shocked there's not a dance stage for Megan. It's mostly all a fun photo op. The medieval zone has the most going on with the stage and many 'vendors'. Quiet Place - Absolutely loved it and I'm not a big fan of the movies. The monsters are massive and the sets are elaborate as you'd expect. The use of bodies of water in this one freaks me out. One of the best HHN mazes personally. Monstrous - I believe a copy of USH's and it's great. Honestly this one was the goriest/creepiest in my opinion, especially when you take the time to read about what the monsters are. Insidious - Not a fan of the movies, but lives up to the hype as one of the scariest HHN mazes. It's dark. It's long. You get up close to the demons in tight quarters. Soooo good. Triplets - Only have had one run through it and thought it was fine. Kinda like the Strangers. Ghostbusters - Fun, some really cool use of technology, but I only had one run on a preview night when all of the key monsters were missing. Need to go through again to give a proper review. Major Sweets - Excellent, packed with talent, lots of moving parts in scenes and some interactive buttons you can press. Definitely one of the most fun and goofy while also being pretty gross haha. This one seems to have the most downtime, I believe due to lots of moving pieces in the house. Goblins - This is a new tent in the newer cul-de-sac behind MIB next to Bloodlines. This is another fun goofy house and you will see persnickity goblins of all shapes and sizes. I feel like this house really plays with scale up and down. Some really cool set pieces! But not my favorite. Bloodlines - This one reminds me of Exorcist last year in how it relies on attacking guests with 2 or 3 monsters at a time, so it is often you may miss some key scares. It's a very good house when you get to see everything but you also may get unlucky. Slaughterhouse - Ridiculously fun and it feels like it goes on forever despite in the smaller tent. There's stripper mummies in this house and we need more stripper mummies in our life LOL Museum - Nothing too outstanding, but I do think the glowing lava like rock throughout the house is really coool. It's all about the Rotting Stone corrupting every area of a natural museum so you will see historic locations and different monsters correlating with them. We've got a lot of original houses this year and I feel like express lines haven't been as long as they were last year. Wait times haven't been too crazy but we're just getting to the middle of September. Stay and scream is free and the best way to get a big jump on crowds - we did Major Sweets at 5:45pm open, waited 20 minutes for museum, and then hit Goblins/Bloodlines with minimal waits. See you in the fog!

Kings Dominion has officially announced Rapterra, a launched B&M wing coaster for 2025! https://www.kingsdominion.com/blog/media-center/conquer-the-skies-when-rapterra-launches-into-kings-dominion Kings Dominion, central Virginia’s beloved amusement park, is thrilled to announce the arrival of Rapterra as part of the park’s 50th anniversary season in 2025. Standing at 145 feet tall and stretching 3,086 ft long, this incredible new attraction is the world's tallest and longest launched wing coaster, and promises an unforgettable experience filled with heights, speed and exhilarating maneuvers for all park-goers. Rapterra, inspired by the powerful Jungle Hawk, offers riders the sensation of flight. The adventure begins with a powerful launch, accelerating passengers to 65 miles per hour in just four seconds before ascending to its zenith over the Jungle X-Pedition midway. The ride then plummets into a dive loop, and navigates a series of thrilling aerial maneuvers, including an S-turn, a wing slide, a flat spin, an airtime hill, and a 360-degree raptor roll. The 89-second ride totals three inversions before a smooth return to the station. “We are excited to unveil Rapterra, the must-do ride of 2025, at Kings Dominion,” said Bridgette Bywater, vice president and general manager of Kings Dominion. “This extraordinary addition promises new thrills for our guests, making it the perfect centerpiece for our 50th anniversary celebration and reaffirming why Kings Dominion is the ultimate destination for unforgettable memories and exhilarating excitement.” Manufactured by industry leader Bolliger and Mabillard, Rapterra's winged coaster design positions riders on either side of the track, offering an immersive, floorless experience that simulates flying. The basalt grey support columns and patina green track create loops, twists and rolls, ensuring a thrilling adventure from start to finish. Construction of Rapterra is already in progress, with completion expected this fall. The coaster will officially open in 2025, coinciding with Kings Dominion's milestone 50th anniversary celebration. More information on the 50th anniversary celebration will be shared at a later date. In addition, today marks the launch of the 2025 Gold Season Pass at Kings Dominion. Guests who purchase a 2025 Gold Pass will receive unlimited visits and free parking the remainder of the 2024 season, plus the entire 2025 season. That includes visits to the all-new Food and Wine Festival this summer, Halloween Haunt, WinterFest and more.

I would go earlier but either is fine. The tradeoff is crowds vs staffing. Late August is dead, but smaller rides may not open or may open late, Gemini probably won't race if it opens at all, food lines might be extremely long with many places closed, etc.