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Larry's list is dead-on. Sweden and Denmark have a high concentration of great parks. So, maybe Europa Park followed by Scandinavia would be a good trip. One quibble: I think it's Djurs Sommerland that has the Mega-Lite.

^Six Flags parks do sell out of Q-Bots. That's why you can reserve them online in advance if you plan on visiting on a busy day.

Strangely enough, the best espresso I ever had was at one of those fresh squeezed juice stands across from the entrance to Pompeii. For me, it beat out all the famous cafes I tried in Rome and Naples. The best pizza we had in Italy was in some nondescript place in Salerno that used super fresh Buffalo mozzarella. So creamy and amazing. For those who find Naples to be too crazy, I suggest taking the train down to Sorrento and checking out the Amalfi Coast. Very beautiful and absolutely nothing like Naples.

While I feel the locals' pain on the lack of additions/progress at this park, I'm very happy that they're going to get Turbine running again. It's the best coaster in the park by a long shot.

This is great news. I haven't been to Cedar Point for 5 years because I find the waits to be unbearable. This makes a visit much more attractive to me.

Some of the very best food in Italy is served in wine bars. I've had many incredible meals in them. This is a very nice addition to EPCOT.

Yeah, the brother of my mom's coworkers won an 8-figure lottery prize several years back. The fast talking scam artists came out of the woodwork faster than you could ever imagine. He lost several million in some sort of restaurant investment scam. He is not an unsophisticated guy either. It all just happened so quickly that he made a snap decision without talking to anyone else about it. Fortunately, he's still got a fair amount of his winnings left and has been able to put all his nieces and nephews in a large extended family through college. Not bad. Lesson learned: Scam artists are smarter than you. If you ever win, shut up and hire a lawyer.

^Thanks for the info! I drive that way a couple times a year. A 3-hour traffic jam does not sound like fun.

^If you follow normal anti-theft precautions (keep your cash and cards in a money belt under your pants, don't wear a $5000 camera around your neck), Napoli is fine. It's worth a stop for the pizza and coffee alone. Wandering the crazy old town makes for an interesting afternoon. The locals are actually very friendly and helpful.

Hiring a *good* local guide for Pompeii is a great idea. I saw WAY more this way than I did on my previous trip when I was using a guidebook. A good guide is very expensive though. It makes sense to get a few other people to share the cost with. Also, it's a good idea to see the archaeological museum in Naples if times allows since that's where all the art and artifacts from Pompeii were moved to. The ruins were stripped clean by the Frenchie-Spanish kings a few hundred years ago. And watch out in Naples, especially on the trains and subways. The thieves there are legendarily good. Anthony Bourdain's crew got an $8,000 HD camera stolen there last year. It vanished without a trace.

^^&^I agree. Being "off the grid" is the #1 perk of cruising.

^I wonder how much time really would be available for testing when there are 1.2 miles of track to maintain. That daily track walk has to start bright and early.

This story just got even more sad: http://masonbuzz.com/2012/03/21/beach-waterpark-no-refunds-for-season-pass-holders/

Excellent point. I think I'm going to go there opening weekend. May 2012 is probably going to be the best opportunity for good Voyage rides for a long time to come. Even with the new trains coming next year, I doubt they'll be doing this much track work again soon. Especially not with their giant financial commitment to getting that other park up and running.

In the words of Beavis, "That's wayyyy too much Deena."

Well, this is a lot easier than the version of this I've made. Liz likes this dish a lot. Though I've taken to using risotto as a "sauce" for chicken breasts instead of pan sauces these days.

No shoes, no problem on Carnival! I'm still loving the Klassy Kruise. Way to shut down the "Carnival's not that bad" trolls.

It's reassuring that this is all being done on the up and up. Finally, some respectability being brought to this troubled property.

Not enough plates on the floor to be Big Mike. I'm loving the Klassy Kruise updates. To me, this is the best thing TPR has ever done.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120309/BIZ/303090101 This is a bummer. The Beach was probably the best waterpark in this area. It had an unusual collection of slides and raft rides, instead of the same old Proslide installations most everybody else is buying these days.

I never knew Rome was in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Thanks for the geography lesson, Carnival! This ship looks like it's full of amazing random "easter eggs". I almost want to take a Carnival Cruise now, especially if the ship is as empty as this one appears to be.

Erik, you should check out Dragon Con if you haven't already.

Does this mean Guy Fieri is going to redo the menu for 150 Central Park?

Best of luck to the Koch family. I'll certainly be down there next year to see what they've done with the place.

Americans are also complete wimps about food. Andrew Zimmern makes a very nice living eating foods on TV that are completely normal around the world, but seem strange to squeamish Americans.