A.J.

The log flume (Coal Cracker) is a lot of fun and is usually a short wait. It has a bump at the bottom, so you get a nice pop of airtime. Do NOT under ANY circumstances pack the boat in Coal Cracker with more than four people. If you do, the person jammed in the front is in for a nasty surprise when the boat hits that bump.

This is absolutely a safety / standards thing, I would bet that they're legally required to completely empty the train and clear the platform of guests before letting new guests in. I would also bet that Twister will be getting gates as well very soon, if it hasn't already. I'm sure someone who gets bored over the next few days will find it in writing. Also, in fairness, during double train operation, people are usually waiting at least ten seconds or so after the crew has made their rounds for the second train to climb over the double-up anyway.

Is it? I see plenty of stuff that I couldn't care less about on the ticker. In fact, that's the first time I've ever seen a theme park thing show up there. I don't even follow Dollywood! In-ter-est-ing. Well, keep an eye out, it may show up there.

I forgot to screenshot it, but the part recall in regards to Lightning Rod is currently a trending topic on Facebook's ticker.

At first glance it seems like Takeshi's Castle but from the video it just looks like a little zipline.

How are Outlaw Run and Goliath doing? Maybe it's just the topper installations.

The Intamin Cab... I mean the Rocky Mountain Rest... I mean the B&M Vest... I mean... Every new system is going to have its teething problems. I wouldn't read too much into it unless it's six months down the road and the coaster is down every day for whatever reason.

You're among friends, fellow weirdo.

I've come to believe the majority of the people in the theme park world will tell you that everything is created in service to a story. Story comes first! As such, in pursuing my master's degree (you could probably guess where), that's basically what I'm being taught. Now, granted, there's certainly nothing wrong with that, but it's something I've personally struggled with as I've developed as I've moved through the program and developed as a "themed entertainment industry professional" (I guess). I've always preferred to look at what kind of experience I want to give to the guests and what kind of place I can make for them, and wrap the resulting "bare bones" into a cohesive, meaningful, yet simple story. So much this! I don't believe that there is such thing as a "themed entertainment designer". There's no one person that does everything, regardless of who the "face" of a company like Walt Disney Imagineering is. The industry is made of teams of people from all different disciplines. It's why, when you talk to a "designer" at the IAAPA Expo, SATE conference, TEA Summit, etc, they'll likely tell you that they found their way into the industry after having a specific job, such as being an architect, engineer, etc, previously. Myself? I'm interning for an architectural firm here in Orlando, doing that "one thing" that sets me apart, 3D visualization. I've done a lot of research and theory myself, especially in regards to play spaces, public spaces and theme parks in urban environments, that I hope will eventually come to fruition someday. I can use my 3D visualizations as a communication tool to understand how these theories can be put into practice as great new guest experiences (like what I said up top) - and how they can be great places!

The Disney parks have -plenty- of imperfections.

I find your lack of more Bobkart photos / videos disturbing. Everyone needs more Bobkart in their lives. Actually, thinking about it, I feel like a Bobkart would totally work in the US even though it's not that "appealing" to developers. Wiegand sells plenty of Alpine coasters, and people seem to control those just fine.

Smartphone beacons. One at the queue entrance, one at the loading platform. Start time / end time triggered when a person's phone gets so close to the beacon.

What a substantial ride. Looks great! I mean, I'll be honest, if I caught that video halfway through instead of watching from the beginning I would initially have that thought as well.

Looks pretty freaking great, as expected. Hopefully I'll have an excuse to make the drive later in the season, but my schedule is pretty much booked seven days a week!

What's a blitz coaster?!?

Left field, but what about the Gravity Group? They've been doing a lot of installations lately and the "leaked" layout doesn't seem as twisted as we expect a Great Coasters layout to be.

Intamin hasn't built a coaster with a side-by-side double station since Kingda Ka, and the coasters that have inline double stations use short trains (Maverick with three cars, Cheetah Hunt with four). Also, using an inline double station takes up a lot of extra space as you have to have a separate block ahead of the station before the lift / launch for the second train to sit on, and then two blocks instead of one at the end of the ride before re-entering the station. Though, thinking about it, it's probably still comparable to a single-station setup with a longer train... Inline double stations really only work when you're running four short trains, and side-by-sides only work when you're cycling enough trains to make them useful. The setup works for Storm Runner because it's a short ride that only uses two trains. It works for California Screamin' because it's a people-eater by design. How often do you see Kingda Ka run its side-by-side stations anymore, let alone it's inline setups on either side? I've never seen either, it's always just been one side, load and unload in the front, while the next train waits behind the first. If anything, the Gerstlauer design is smarter because the single-row cars allow for shorter station platforms and block sections.

If you have to learn how to ride a coaster, I'm pretty sure it's not a good coaster.

Yes, apologies, I forgot to report on it, it opened several weeks ago.

What's a blitz coaster?

Go the whole way. Residencies in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Iceland for good measure. You never know.

Plans change all the time. You can't blame Lance for reporting rumors on a website partially dedicated to rumors. With that in mind, I feel like Mean Streak is a better candidate for a Rocky Mountain installation considering the success of New Texas Giant, another Dinn. Every individual park, regardless of their chain, has different intentions for their rides. I could see why they wanted to keep GhostRider a wooden coaster, as it fits the area more and it was once one of the best wooden coasters in the world. From what I understand, Mean Streak just wasn't that good...ever. I feel like the fact that it may end up as a steel coaster doesn't really matter.

I mean, even my Volvo and its comfortable seats becomes a bit of a drag after a few hours. I generally do not make day trips out of amusement parks unless the park is two hours or less away. Any more than two hours and you basically spend more time in the car than you do at the actual park!

The mid-Atlantic region is oversaturated with amusement parks. Any new park built in the region would have to be dramatically different compared to the others.

No. I'd be willing to bet that this design was in the works before they started brokering Rocky Mountain Construction's ride systems. They've had a new looping coaster design (similar to this one) on their site / displays for a while now.