A.J.

Do you have any stats on it? We have certain size guidelines that determine which coasters qualify for the poll. Something the size of a Wildcat (which is what that looks like) is too small to qualify.

If I'm not mistaken, that kind of experience (though obviously not as huge) will be in Hong Kong Disneyland's Frozen expansion.

Perhaps all of the marketing material was drawn up in the way early stages, and sometime between concept and construction, there were budget cuts, just like pretty much every attraction to come out of Disney and Universal in however many years. I'd be willing to bet that the initial design(s) were a lot more ambitious than what currently sits there. But again, that's just kind of what happens in this business, they do the best they can! Honestly, what's curious to me is how much of the ride's story appears to be telegraphed by narration - Hagrid giving you a play-by-play as you go along. It probably helps with the "blink and you'll miss 'em" show elements, but I'm curious about possible language barriers for international guests.

The Intamin Cable strikes again! Even when the coaster doesn't use cables at all!

From my own understanding, I also believe Joey is spot-on. If a roller coaster is culturally significant to an amusement park, they'll do what they can to keep it. The Knoebels Phoenix is a coaster from 1948 that wasn't actually designed for a mid-Atlantic climate. Every season we see fresh new wood somewhere along the circuit because stuff just... wears out. I sometimes wonder how little of the Phoenix is truly "original". Even Twister, a coaster from 1999, received a new support piece in the center of the turn before the drop, in an attempt to increase its longevity. Python at Efteling is a curious case. It didn't just get new track, it got new supports too - but it used the old ride's foundations. So the company that redid the layout had to get creative to ensure that the supports connected at the correct locations. It's why when you look at new photos of Python, the supports look so unusual. The Incredible Hulk coaster is also curious. There was some speculation around the time the "new Hulk" was announced. People have speculated the track and supports for new Hulk were already ordered (and possibly manufactured) for the cancelled Universal Studios Dubailand, which was apparently building its own Hulk clone much like Universal Studios Beijing is doing now. Again, this is pure speculation and I don't believe that it has been truly corroborated anywhere, but it may be a plausible explanation if it were true.

Personally, I see an obsession with the Harry Potter I.P. in that wait time, rather than a passion for coasters.

The team at New Braunfels developed the master blaster slide as a concept, but in 2006, the rights to the design were sold to WhiteWater. Obviously Crush n' Gusher was designed under close supervision.

Another thing to note - In 2018, Schlitterbahn New Braunfels was beaten out only by the Orlando water parks in terms of attendance in North America. I think that Cedar Fair made a good decision.

Wiegand has debuted a new wacky water slide concept at IAAPA Expo Asia this year - how about a launched water slide?

Expedition Everest was reportedly $100 million in 2006, or approximately $127 million adjusted for 2018 inflation. Universal's $300 million number might also include necessary demolition work for Dragon Challenge.

The reverse spike is justified with a (narrated) loss of power to the motorcycle causing you to roll back, and the drop track is based around the Devil's Snare, a plant within the Harry Potter stories that becomes restrictive if you struggle but lets you drop right through if you relax.

Even after Hagrid's, I still consider Big Grizzly Mountain and Taron to be better themed outdoor roller coasters. That being said, the Harry Potter I.P. will keep that coaster busy for a very long time.

I don't care who you are - if you're waiting ten hours (!!) for a roller coaster, you need to reconsider your life choices. That being said, obviously, congratulations to Universal on a successful opening!

You answered your own question. If they really did have to repair four vehicles (that you probably rode in) because of those insane cycles, then the ride was definitely not operating as designed. It's super-awesome that Knoebels operators know that people like to ride that way, but think about all the disappointed guests that might not have been able to ride Wednesday if they weren't able to complete their repairs.

Tigris is (rightfully) suffering from new hotness syndrome, and will always have longer waits earlier in the day, but will generally cool down by the evening. Cheetah Hunt, on the other hand, pretty much always has long waits, so it might be worth it to make your "opening run" to Cheetah Hunt first. SheiKra and Cobra's Curse are other coasters that get longer-than-typical waits. Montu is pretty typical. Scorpion is typical but moves slowly because there's only one train. Kumba is lighter than typical because it's all the way in the back. A good breather during the day is a complete loop of the train, which takes a little over a half hour. Falcon's Fury and the Skyride will not operate during windier days.

Anyone playing Enter the Gungeon? I hate that I adore this game because it's infuriatingly difficult.

There are different theme park expectations between Europe and the United States.

If you're going on your own, Impulse offers a single rider line, you just have to ask the team member at the entrance to use it.

I didn't experience it myself, but Tumbling Timbers looked like one of the craziest and most deceptive "children's" rides I had ever seen.

Forgive me for playing the good guy here, but I'm honestly not sure I'd be comfortable with that, especially if it meant separating a group. I've never been the kind of person to flaunt their passholder status (unlike those silly people that actually wear their Six Flags Diamond Elite Member lanyards).

I'm sure there are also plenty of developers on the starting line, ready to pounce on bulldozing it to turn it into some high-end mixed-use district.

Cue the you-know-what speculation! I'm ready for round two!

That's what I was looking for, thank you very much! Be mindful that you'll need to get the 4-park option (after selecting a pass level) as they no longer sell the SWO/BGT only combo any longer. The only way you could keep that combo is if you have had it on EZpay before Oct 2018 and keep it as is (passes paid using EZPay don't expire unless you cancel or upgrade). The cost is about the same (at least right now) for the four-park Silver pass as it was for the previous setup's two-park pass, or about $240-ish. Being a local and not caring about preferred parking, the Silver pass is the one I'll be getting when I renew here in a few months.

And this looks even better! The first on-ride video!

I don't usually get really hyped about new coasters anymore, but, well, you know...