Electerik

During my four years in Orlando, SeaWorld was the one park I always felt I never spent enough time at. So on our most recent visit to that part of the world, I was determined to spend at least a full day there--and maybe even, you know, see some shows. Since Kraken is visible throughout much of the park, and since Misty and I both had cameras (and are both total dorks), a sort of contest quickly sprung up. The idea was to try to capture a Kraken train in the background of interesting photos of non-static things (say, a show or animal exhibit). Sounds easy, right? So who was victorious? Read on.... One last shot of the entrance as we depart. But now I offer you, gentle reader, the same challenge: Does anyone out there in TPR-land have a better "Kraken Challenge" photo? And it's a big fat WIN for Misty! Let's give her a round of applause! Remember the Kraken Challenge? Nice picture of the whale and trainer, but no train for Erik. There's a souvenir for a lucky fan. I recall that the SeaWorld used to emphasize how undeserved the name "killer whale" was. Now they're all about how it's the "top predator of the sea." Hmmm.... This is, though. Shamu! Shamu! These are not real killer whales. The Sky Tower from across the lake. AND a big statue out front! Dude, wake up! :OP See? Here are some likenesses of him in the gift shop. I wonder if this polar bear realizes what a big deal he's supposed to be...? It's got awesome SeaWorld Orlando exit theming, though. Wild Arctic. It's a Star Tours style motion simulator with a pilot even worse than Pee Wee Herman. Misty getting jazzy with it. Jazzy Jellies Ocean Commotion This one was much better than San Antonio's version. ...like the Shamu Express. Now it's full of awesome family rides. Shamu's Happy Harbor has changed a lot though, since I was last here. Apart from the beer no longer being free, this area doesn't seem very different. We didn't ride the paddle boats. Sure are purty, though. My favorite fish: the Leafy Sea Dragon. See it? It's right there! Underwater tunnel thingy at Shark Encounter. Who wants to feed some sand sharks? I forget what this was called, but it was awesome. [Edit: "Heavenly Delight Sun & Moon"] And now to satisfy my urge to eat someplace expensive, Shark's Underwater Grill. Lady, you're not a penguin. Penguins rule. Ever wondered what stingrays feel like? Well...they're furry. They seem nice enough down here. Misty doesn't like dolphins. Why? Because they're cocky. (Yeah, I don't get it, either.) Do not disturb the Kraken's eggs, as they have little eels in them. Close up shot! (With JTA in the background.) Weeee! I would call Kraken above average, for a B&M multi-looper. I prefer the Steel Eel, though. :O) Wait...what? Kraken has nice entrance and exit theming. That's not funny, Misty: Octopi are TERRIFYING. ...with cool stuff like this in it. The best gift shop ever. It has an aquarium in it. Mom leads the way to the gift shop. Secret coaster-part splash down. "Leaving so soon? I think not." The storyline isn't really apparent anymore, but it's still a fun ride. Maybe you have to have been a ride op at a Disney or Universal type park to really appreciate it, but JTA's loading dock is the greatest thing ever. There used to be a preshow video in the queue that kind of explained things. Misty had never been on JTA, so I busted out the sepia. My official entry in the Kraken Challenge! More sea lions at the Pacific Point Preserve. Note to self: Don't volunteer for shows at SeaWorld. "Clyde & Seymour Take Pirate Island" (And Kraken Challenge fail.) Let's go check out the Otter & Sea Lion Show! Nothing going on in Bayside Stadium today. Shamu Stadium Kraken doing its thing. Journey to Atlantis How do we get on that??? Let's see what this park has to offer.... Technically, it's an upcharge ($3.00 or so), but it was free with our BGE platinum passes. I was really excited to finally get to ride the Sky Tower. It had always been down on my previous visits. Pearl divers. It's really just an elaborate scheme to get you to buy pearls, but it's an artful one. An artistic shot of an art gallery type gift shop (by Misty). The Waterfront section is comprised mostly of shops and restaurants. Manta is shaping up nicely. Not quite ready for this visit, though. SeaWorld Orlando has my favorite entrance of any park, ever. Hooray, we're here!

^^ Yeah, aquariums are really tough: darkness, glass, water, and movement. It was more my SFOG photos that I was unhappy with. But not the ones I posted. I would have liked to have posted more, but most just weren't up to snuff. So perhaps instead of saying that my next one would be better, I should have said it will be longer. Anyway, thanks for all the kind words, everyone. I stick with small cameras that I can keep in my pocket. I know a lot of people that leave their cameras in the car, then go back and get them for a "photo taking tour," but I prefer spontaneity and the ability to keep my camera with me at all times. So I'll probably never upgrade to a DSLR. And no, I didn't get the slide credit. I'm too old, apparently.

How on Earth did you know that?? Anyway, yes. It's an Olympus Tough 6000. But some of the photos are from Misty's camera, which is a Pentax Optio W10. This was actually my first park with my new camera, and I honestly wasn't very happy with the results. By the end of the trip, though, I had the camera pretty much figured out, and now I'm very happy with it. I'm sure I'll have more trip reports up in the next couple weeks--and those will be better.

While in Atlanta, we checked out the Georgia Aquarium. I never used to be much interested in aquariums, but Misty really likes them. As a result, I've been visiting a lot more of them, and they're really starting to grow on me. I'm including these photos for anyone who might be interested. But be warned: the closet thing to a credit here is a slide. The exit gift shop. So far, this is the best aquarium I've been to. Thanks for anyone out there who's still with me. :O) I have no idea what these are. I mean, beyond fish. Hello...? Anybody out there? Here be the tropical fish. Jellyfish are from Mars. No fish served in the restaurant, but there was an impressive selection of desserts. The Georgia Aquarium actually has four whalesharks. See? I told you it was big. The world's largest fish, the whaleshark. Underwater tunnel fun. The entrance to the world's largest aquarium tank thingy (at the world's largest aquarium complex). Beluga Whales The alligators really seemed to like this little girl. Isn't that sweet? How many seahorses do you see? Kind of a boring fish, but I like the photo. The aquarium is arranged somewhat like a shopping mall. You are in your house (presumably). The entrance lobby. It's strikingly cool/elegant in person. Ticket booths. They also had a (temporary) Titanic exhibit and a 3-D show, both upcharges. An interesting challenge...I guess I could have just taken the stairs. :OP World's Largest Aquarium

Oh dear! What was I thinking?? Enjoy!

Actually, no. There were one or two, but mostly it was kids--they were just really friendly kids. I should also have mentioned that the park was spotlessly clean (in terms of trash). Never out of the station. Goliath ran two trains all day, which was nice. (The only other coaster that was running two trains was the Dahlonega Mine Train.) Sorry. Great American Scream Machine was open. It was just the only thing open in the area, and it was only running one train. So the line was ridiculous.

Let's cut to the chase: Today I went to SFOG (for the first time in over five years) and encountered the most consistently friendly employees of any park I've ever been to. I know, right? No, seriously. Nearly every employee in every department went out of their way to greet as we entered their area, and were helpful and good-natured at every turn. It was like I'd somehow slipped into the mirror universe, except without the short skirts. I have no idea how Six Flags Over Georgia managed to get all these folks to buy into this bizarre new concept--but whatever they're doing, it's working. [Edit: The next day, we went to the Georgia Aquarium. Those photos can be found on page 4.] Goodbye Six Flags Over Georgia...I might even come back this year! Scorcher is pretty good for a stand-up, I guess. I, on the other hand, am a serious documentarian. Misty taking a picture of the Wheelie. (What a nerd!) Whereas the back is awesome and unridable. The front is rough, but great. Georgia Cyclone is the same as I remember it: awesome and horrifying. A floorless drop tower? Um...pass. I do have an operational complaint, though: Superman and Ninja were down all day, and GASM only ran one train--making the wait prohibitive, and turning the whole area into one big old-school Six Flags of suck. Misty has still never been on a Flyer. (I like how Brandon Routh gets to be Captain Buzzkill here, though.) Misty had never been on a Flyer. There are boobs on this thing--but I don't wish to offend, so let's keep our distance. Cool, now let's have some ice cream! And I finally got to ride it! Hooray! On every one of my previous visits (and they were several), the Sky Buckets were closed. Maybe Six Flags really is improving. Yes, a whole little Toro display! Because 'Bully For Bugs' is the best cartoon ever! It's hard to explain, but they really went ALMOST all out. A weird kiddie coaster in a weird area. But I love Looney Tunes, so it's all good. Now here's a real hero! (Coincidentally enough, I actually share Aquaman's ability to speak to fish.) You know, really, Batman just has a bunch of bat-shaped crap. My mom collects turtle figurines, but that doesn't make her a superhero. And Mindbender's second loop is in this picture (even according to SFOG). Mindbender's first loop. Gotham changed a bit since last time I was here. I like it. Goliath is clearly the best ride in the park. However, I don't think it's better than, say, Apollo's Chariot. The helix looks somewhat awesomer than it really is. Kind of a funky picture, but I like it anyway. To get to Goliath, you have to run a gauntlet of games. I thought this whole "more characters out in the park" thing sounded pretty lame, but it was actually really cool. The main thing that brought this Six Flags hater back? Goliath.

Thanks for the pics! The Sky Ride is still there--which is just one reason why Busch Gardens Williamsburg remains awesome. The car ride was "Le Mans Raceway," and was really good. Unfortunately* it was removed for Griffon. *Only "unfortunate" in the sense that I'd prefer to have both.

I looked for you in those pictures, Wes, but I could not spot you. Were you the little girl holding the PIZZA CONE??

1. Stained Glass 2. Spellbook 3. Corridor of Candles Um...a bunch of others. 14. Dungeon 15. Choose Thy Fate /Crap.

I actually kind of feel that way about people putting their arms up in general. I know it's very popular among enthusiasts, and I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but trying to keep my arms up just kind of distracts me from the actual ride. /Other people doing it is not really a peeve, though--just for clarification.

When will science learn?!? There's a "sprinting burrito" joke in here somewhere.

That probably wouldn't be so great for the park. /A friend of mine once sketched out an idea for handrails whose tops rested on springs and had little holes in them, while the lower section contained spikes that would stick up through the holes as the upper section was forced down by the weight of people sitting on them. //Yeah, he was a ride op.

Eh, that was okay. It needed more RAPE. /Why is the Japanese park the only one with a JAWS sign (in English)?

Holiday World and Indiana Beach refer to them as "Walking Tacos." Behold!

Hooray! A rare Wes TR! I would wish for more of these, but that would be like having Christmas every day. Also, I assume that Wes is needed elsewhere.

Thanks! /There's nothing like a frog-themed euro-fighter.

That was awesome. I'm sure it's just because I grew up with it, but Disneyland is still the standard by which I measure all others--while Magic Kingdom is a sort of weird doppleganger that never gets it quite right. Anyway, thanks for posting this. I'm going to make my girlfriend watch it so she'll know how much better Disneyland is.

^ Sounds fun. "Fighting Dragons" is a pretty terrible name, though. I hope they come up with something better than that (or just keep it "Dueling Dragons.")

I hate to say it, but I'd never heard of the Flyer before this thread. It looks really elegant. Thanks for posting this stuff!

^ Yes, and Big Thunder just got a whole lot cooler in my book. /Liked it anyway. //When it rains, it snows.

Nope, can't think of any. /Pretty pointless post, actually. //Okay, okay...my first flying coaster (SUF @ SFOG) was enjoyable for the novelty, I guess. But I was bored by the third or fourth time. Does that count?

FYI, Six Flags Over Georgia's website now lists them as closed tomorrow (Sunday), as well. So opening day is now March 7.

^ It never ceases to amaze me how many groups will stop right at the entrance to a ride to discuss whether or not they actually want to ride it. And I think I can safely sum up the majority of this thread with one quote: "Hell is other people." -Jean-Paul Sartre

Deep Fried Pepsi? Um...how does that work?? Thanks for the TR. Fairs aren't really my thing, but that looked like a good one.