gus1971

So cool!

This year I was lucky to go back to Tokyo Disney Complex again and also to have my first visit to Alton Towers and Phantasialand. So, top 10 coasters in 2017 (all new): 1) Taron (Phantasialand) 2) Black Mamba (Phantasialand; I found it better than AT's Nemesis) 2) Nemesis (AT) 3) Smiler (AT) 4) Winjas (Phantasialand; both Force and Fear, although I have enjoyed Fear better...) 5) BTMRR (Tokyo Disney) 6) Raik (Phantasialand) 7) Space Mountain (Tokyo Disney) 8) Colorando Adventure (Phantasialand) 9) 13 (AT) 10) Spinball Whizzer (AT) Unfortunately, I have reached AT in a very busy day and was not able to ride Air/Galactica, Rita, Oblivion and their Mine Train)

Amazing report! The pictures are mesmerizing... You're pro!

Thanks a lot, Elissa! So, KD it is.

Hi guys! I will have an unplanned trip to DC area later this week. So I am kinda reserving Oct 15 (Sat) to visit either Kings Dominion or Six Flags America. I haven't been to KD since 1997. So my last coaster at that park was OL:FOF. No Volcano, Intimidator, backlot coaster, or any other newer addition. On the other hand, I have never been to SFA. So I am looking forward to your advice on which park to should go. I am crazy for airtime (more than inversions). Unfortunately, my choice would have been Hershey park if I had the time. But I will need to visit a park closer to DC (2h drive is ok!). Basically, I believe it would be Intimidator vs Superman. Based on your experience, how bad would the crowds be during these last season weekends? Thank you all very much in advance for your hints. Best regards, Gustavo.

Hi guys, awesome to see the report listed in the main page. Thanks! Me too! I rode it in its glorious day and it was a smooth face-paced twisted ride that really got me thrilled. Now, it is a pain machine I want to skip badly. Anyone else has ridden it recently to corroborate (or not) with my opinion? Could not agree more on this. It is a very very fun ride either way. Although I miss a more family-oriented coaster @ SFMM (to me, old Colossus and Revolution filled this blank nicely in the pest), TC is thrilling and the green track is amazing. The odd, twisted, bumpy start also adds a lot to the fun. Now I am looking forward to riding other Rocky Mountain beauties... From all reported here, they seem to be doing magic with old wooden coasters such as Texas Giant, The Rattler, and so on. I am glad you are enjoying the report. Cheers to you all!

As a farewell to 2015, my family and I headed for a road trip in California, starting in LA all the way to San Francisco by the Pacific Coast Highway and then back to LA in 2016 early days. We managed to stop by SFMM and spend a full day at this park to get to know its latest additions such as Full Throttle (YOLO), Green Lantern and Twisted Colossus. Following TPR fellows' advices, we got a Platinum Flash pass that has entitled us to get as much rides as possible that day. The park was full but not overcrowded. Longest waits were for Batman, the ride (about 2h), Superman, Yolo and, as expected, Twisted Colossus. We arrived before gates were open and after getting the FP device, headed straight for TC to queue normally since FP allows only one ride on this coaster. However, I could not refrain from stopping by and queueing Yolo first, once its line was really short in the early day (about 15min). As Yolo was also a single-ride on FP, we decided to get advantage of it. 1) FULL THROTTLE - what an amazing smooth and fun ride. Launch was decent into the very tall vertical loop. Ride was somehow short to me, but again very enjoyable and thrilling. I was hoping more from the backwards launch, speaking the truth. The brake-run on the way down the outside loop hill was cool. Leaving this coaster, we went all the way to Twisted Colossus. Queue was still reasonable that time and we decided to wait to ride it instead of using our Flash Pass credit that early. 2) TWISTED COLOSSUS - we were so looking forward to ridding the new revamped Colossus, an old passion since “National Lapoon`s Vacation” flick. It was the best ride of the day. The coaster was not as intense as other SFMM ones such as X2 and Tatsu. TC delivered a top notch ride: smooth, fun, thrilling, great first drop, fun station-to-lift section, etc. My only criticism on this coaster is not the coaster itself, but, for some reason, trains were not running in perfect sync (second and third rides with no sync at all). I do believe the coaster is to be much more exciting when you do experiment the racing/dueling trains. And that was not delivered that day. The closer we got to that was to share the lift - while in blue track, with a bit advanced train in green track. So I do missed going thru the inversions all along the second train. Other than that, Twisted Colossus rules. After TC, we started to revisit the old coasters. 3) SCREAM - the brand new paint coat makes this coaster pops from the skyline. It was a cold and beautiful blue sky day, and Scream orange and blue supports and tracks were inviting any incoming guests to ride it. Although B&M is my third favorite coaster brand (after Intamin and Schwarzkopf) and that I do enjoy a lot their designs, for one reason I tend to believe that they are somehow getting lazy in terms of the coaster elements. IMHO, turns out that SFMM B&M coaster collection (Scream, Batman, Riddler) delivers very similar layouts and ride experiences: lift, curved down-hill into loop, Dive-loop / heart line flip... mid break run, 2 corkscrews, brake run. So all these 3 rides deliver very little variation in terms of ride experience. Point to the amazing high positive forces that Scream delivers in its helix. 4) APOCALIPSE - nothing good to say about this one. For one reason I tend to believe that SF take poor care of their wooden coasters. Not only at SFMM, but also at other of their venues. Wooden coasters are my favorite. But Apocalypse really stood for its name: it was almost the end of the world (at least it was almost the end of my day!). The coaster was rough and tough, as a mix of old Psyclone and Flashback. It was THE worst ride ever! And I do recall riding this coaster like 4 years ago and having enjoyed it quite a whole lot. The sound boxes were removed from the trains and I could see some nails needing hammering. I would bet trains had square wheels. OMG! It was painful and led my party to a collective migraine. We left the coaster feeling so uncomfortable that we had to stop and rest for a while and do easy rides such as the bumper cars. 5) GREEN LANTERN - amazing, amazing, amazing! 11 out of 10. What an wild and unpredictable ride, packed of intense forces and feelings. It was not totally new to us once we rode INSANE at Grona Lund. But it was so good to ride this crazy Intamin machine once again. 6) SUPERMAN - only one track was running that day, but I had the chance to ride it backwards for the first time. It's fun. Regular fun. 7) NINJA - the coaster was running fabulous. Although I am not very fond of Arrow`s, and giving the age of the coaster, Ninja was in great shape. A wild and twisting ride among the trees. 8) TATSU - needless to say this is one of my favorite B&M coasters. The pretzel loop is still very intense to me and I always feel I will black out when the train dives into this element. Not to mention that this beast flies beautifully along the hillside and top, mingling with other structures like the observation tower and Revolution. I do think it is in need of a new coat of paint. 9) GOLIATH - I love the first half of this coaster. Excellent drop, great airtime hill after the turnaround. But as all rides at SFMM are full of curves and helixes, I wish Goliath could be a air-time coaster packed of crazy hills only. The second half of it is too intense to me, with very high positive G`s and many twists. 10) GOLD RUSHER - painful. Seems to be neglected. As it seems we are aging fast, we did not have the stomach to bear riding X2, Viper and Riddler that day. So we saved these rides to a future visit. Flash Pass saved the day. Nevertheless, I must say day paying extra money per person for X2 and having only a single ride on Yolo, Superman and Twisted Colossus kind of upset me. Thanks to all TPR members who advised us to get it, in previous posts. Hope you all enjoy the pictures. We, for sure, had a blast at the park. Happy 2016 to you and yours! Wish you all a year full of happy thrills and rides. Gus. SFMM welcomes the Holiday Season Superman and Lex Luthor Drop Tasu More Tatsu Tasu sexyness Tatsu's pretzel loop Tatsu Apocalypse the killer ride Twisted Colossus has great trains A rare moment were traiins are almost 'n sync. Twisted Colossus waking up killer instincts in its riders. Scream Scream interlocking corkscrews What a coaster skyline! c More of Green Lanter Goliath Batman the ride Batman and my fave invertion Batman The main plaza Full Throttle is amazing More Yolo The crazy drop into brakes Because You Only Live Once!!!

SFMM collection. Added Green Lantern, Yolo and Twisted Colossus to my collection. Cheers!

Guys, Want to thank you all so so much for the advices and inputs. I've been a couple of times to SFMM. Not as often as I would like. So I am looking forward to riding the new additions such as YoLo, Twisted Colossus, Green Lantern and Lex Luthor Drop. All the best to you all!

Thanks, mate!

Hi TPRs! Looking for advices here: - I am planning to visit SFMM on Dec 27 (Sunday) on my way from Los Angeles to San Francisco for NYE. Any guesses how bad the crowds are going to be? Flash pass seems an option, but since it is bloodly expensive (and dollar exchage rate has skyrocket facing Brazilian Real) I would like to avoid. Main targets at SFMM: Full Throttle (*), Twisted Colossus (*), Green Lantern, X2 (**), Goliath. Checking the options, I would have to spend $250 bucks on top of park tickets to get Platinum pass. However, even the Platinum pass allows only 1 ride on (*) and extra fee for (**). Is that so? Is that worth it? Any inputs are welcome. Cheers to you all from Rio. Anyone coming for the olimpic games? Would love to meet anyone from TPR here. Gus.

I could list so many rides I avoid or dislike. But the top ones are: - Gwazi (BGT; RIP) for being so rough - Flashback (SFMM; RIP) for being so painful - Grizzly (PGA) for being so lame - B&M Flying machines with pretzel-loops for almost making me faint. - Small World (Disney`s MK) - for having a mind-erasing song that you'll keep singing along for 3 encarnations in a row... Event though, If I were invited now, I would ride any of the aforementioned ones now.. LOL Cheers from Rio, Gustavo.

Cedar Point Hershey / Knoebels and Kennywood Europa Park Alton Towers and, for sure, visit Tokyo Disney Complex again. Ah! Meet you guys personally and enjoy a TPR trip along with you.

Thanks a lot, Tea!

Hi everyone! I believe I will have a day off while in London and I am planning a visit to Thorpe Park. Does anyone know how bad the crowds generally are be on regular Tuesdays? Any need to get the "fast pass" kinda tickets? Also, what's the discount for TPR Members? Thanks a lot in advance. Cheers from Rio! Gus.

For sure I do! It was back in 1982, summertime in Rio. I rode Mr. Schwarzkopf LoopingStar at PlayCenter under rain. Got chills, thrills and pneumonia... BEST PNEUMONIA EVER!!!!

If they don't want it anymore, they can send it to me. I will paint it in 24k Gold and store in a jewel case. A wildcat was my 2nd coaster and I am so into any Schwarzkopf coaster. I can understand it may not have the marketing appeal for the general crowd, but CP is a coaster heaven and should keep Wildcat as a historical reference... Sad, sad, sad.

Couldn't agree more with all of you, guys: Mr. Schwarzkopf rules! My very first looping coaster was a portable A.S. Looping Star, here in Rio. PlayCenter, a well established park in Sao Paulo, BR, had this itinerary unit that visited Rio once a year for several months. For each season, something new was add to their ride list: a Pirate Ship, Enterprise, and finally, in 81/82, a looping coasters. It was the second A.S. coaster at the park, once they also carried a wild Wildcat (my all time favorite among galaxy type coasters!). I still can remember rushing all times to catch the TV advertisement. 2 very special cousins of mine took me and my sister to ride it on a rainy day of December. We got all wet, I had pneumonia and I still thank them for getting sick this time. Since then, A.S. never let me down with any of his creations: Scorpion, Lisebergbanan, Colossus, Looping Star, Revolution, Wildcats are unforgettable rides.. Happy 2012 to everyone!

Dio Santo! The park looks amazing! I've never been to an italian park but I am soooo looking forward to visiting this one and Gardaland... Thanks for the report on this brand new park...

Hum... I would not compare the rides. First because Schwarzkopf has designed the first one, and that is the guy I call MASTER! Lisebergbanan is wild. The incline helixes deliver good forces and it is much more of a thrill ride than a family coaster. But I think Muntanya Russa, despite of being a terrain coaster as well, is an easy ride, designed to attract families and young adventurers. If I had to choose between the 2 of them, for sure it would go for Lisebergbanan, which I rode this last July, in a quick visit to Gothenburg.

Hi Gisco! You bet right! The views were amazing...

Hey there! I have just arrived from Spain and I would like to share with you a great afternoon spent at Tibidabo! This is the weirdest park I've ever been to, but don't take it in a negative way, please. Tibidabo is fun, fun, fun and is worth a visit if you are in Barcelona. Although being a family park, the uniqueness of it's rides offers you a great experience, not to mention the magnificent views of Barcelona city. Right beside Tibidabo, there is this incredible catholic temple where you will pray in 3 different instances (the temple, the Gothic Cathedral and the statue of Christ Redeemer) for Heaven to keep you protected while you ride the craziest rides ever. And also for you to thank life for being in such a fun and beautiful place! Enjoy the report, then! Cheers from Rio, Gus. Once upon a time, there was this far away mountain called Tibidabo... ... a place you will get to after riding a plane, a train, this street car (Tramvia Blau)... ... and a funicular ride. A penny for his thoughts! My guess: "I cannot stand the ups and downs of this job anymore" sic sic sic And then, after this long journey you get to the top of the mountain, where a magical (and very weird!) place waits for you. TIBIDABOOOOOOOOO!!!! First, a quick stop to ask for protection and to thank for having the privilege of being there... (ok, this One is nice! But it's not Rio's Christ the Redeemer) Sorry! And then, Avió appears in the sky... This ride is unique, and offers you a mix of a fun museum experience and a great viewpoint of Barcelona! Nice! Really nice! It's Tibidabo version of Soaring over... BCN! It's tiny but very cozy inside the plane. After landing back, it's time to check the other crazy ride... ... TALAIA! The ride is gentle and delivers great views. El Magatzem de les Bruixes i els Bruixots is a fun dark ride with open air suspended parts. And then, Vekoma's custom family coaster: Muntanya Russa This bunny hill does not offer negative Gs at all. The train goes thru it at a very low speed. But it's a good time to look to your right and enjoy the view. It's twisted layout among the trees delivers a very nice ride time. Going down the first hill at night is magical. As it faces the hill side of the mountain, it's like flying over Barcelona. Much better than High Roller in Vegas (IMO) I believe it is the smoothest Vekoma I have ever ridden. The 2 trains - red and blue, are shaped as cars This ride was also cool to watch. Riders have water cannons that wet the audience. Tibidabo takes advantage of every single corner of the park to place its attractions One more look at this great view and it's time to say "hasta luego, Tibidabo!"

Thanks a lot for the B-day wishes, Moose! Yeah, I must agree with you: Furius Baco is heaven and hell depending on which seat you take. And I had the very same impression comparing SesamoAventura to IOA's Dr. Seuss Area. Indeed, both IOA and PA share a similar layout IMO. Both, great parks!

Hi guys! As a 40 year old birthday present, I was given plane tickets to Barcelona. So I took 2 days off of my itinerary to visit both Tibidabo and Port Aventura. This trip report will be about this second park (later, I will add a new TR for Tibidabo; promise!) and its Halloween celebration. My day at Port Aventura was absolutely packed with fun. The park was a very nice surprise, mostly due to the terrific Halloween decoration and to the brand new Sesamo Aventura area. I visited the park on a Wednesday and it was pretty empty, with walk-on queues to ALL of the rides. For the coaster collection, Furius Baco and Dragon Khan are such fantastic coasters. The first one I experienced 4 awesome and smooth rides and 2 others not that smooth. I am not really sure why the difference, but if I have to guess I would say inner vs. outer seats. They were running 2 trains this day. Dragon Khan is a wild version of Kumba. No mid-course brakes were on, whatsoever. So the second half of the ride was really intense. So intense I could not ride it more than twice in a row. From its lift hill, I could see lots of bulldozing and land leveling for the park's 2012 new attraction. I would say it will be a very big attraction or new area. Probably another coaster is coming to the park. But I did not hear any rumor about it. El Diablo mine train was very good. Nice theming, 3 lift hills and a very fun family coaster. Different from Tomahawk – which I hated so much that I did not even bother to take pictures of this small rough coaster. Stampida was fun, but let me down a bit for its total lack of airtime. Neither the double up nor the double dip saved the coaster from being just a nice dueling woody. For this one, the park, due to the lack of passengers, were filling the front of each train with only 6 to 8 people. No rides in the rear cars were being allowed. Tami-Tami was a nice and beautifully placed kid's coaster. And I must say: Sesamo Aventura rocks! It's such a pleasant and fun and colorful kids area that I spent hours there. Despite of not having any thrill ride, I had a lot to entertain myself with. Well, I will let the pictures speak for themselves... Hope you have as much fun as I did! Cheers from Rio, Gus. What is that smile all about? Are you afraid of spiders? How much wood would a woodpecker peck, if a woodpecker could peck wood? yeah, ok! I know my nose looks just like theirs... Pumpkins and more pumpkins... Smile! Guess there is an angry god nearby... Yes! There is an angry god nearby. And I guess he is drunk... He drives like crazy! All thru the vineyard. What a great ride entrance. Flying over the lake... One of the nicest themed trains ever, IMHO! if you open your mouth you can grab some grapes out of the vines, can't you? Let's get back to the station and drink some more wine! Sexy god of wine! Traveling to Polynesia... What about getting soaked to get rid of the heat on Tutuki Splash? Sea Odyssey theming is really nice. Going back 36 years to where I first got to know Sesame Street folks. My all time fave Ernie and Bert (Ênio and Beto, in Portuguese!) Looks fun, doesn't it? One of my favorite rides at Port Aventura... Silly, simple and nice, just like me... So nice even to look at... The giant tree looks amazing! No dragons allowed in the kids area... Big Bird, Elmo and Cookie Monster Coco Piloto is soooo cute, twisting all over Sesamo Aventura Area, even over Tami-Tami coaster. There is Tami-Tami. Simple and nice, standing over a big pound. Are all adults claiming only coaster credits? Something tells me they are also enjoying themselves... More Tami-Tami among lush palm trees All ride stations and signs in this area are awesome! Oscar, be nice to the guests! How many colors did they manage to use in this area? ALL! Let's make the fantasy a bit spooky... Hey! The dragon was awaken! Time to move and defeat it. Dragon Khan was open only at noon that day and was running only the blue train. China theming is really appealing. Very nice area of the park This nice dragon is very unpolite: it spits water on guests. Again, a nice refresh for the hot weather. The contrast of all colors, including the blue sky, is super! I was so looking forward to this moment... The turn around between the interlocking corkscrews Ready to go down? Classy! Classy, classy! The 0g-roll is intense and divine! Cobra rolls are not my fave elements, but this one was damn good! The whole dragon awesomeness! And the Italian Trapeze became the Chinese Trapeze... And from China to Mexico, I left the dragon to the mine coaster: El Diablo El Diablo has a nice start and a great ending (after the 3rd lift hill) Hurakan Condor - Intamin's 2nd gen free fall tower, has a superb theming! How amazing the flat rides look! And then, time to follow the pumpkin car to the spookiest area of the park: the Far West packed with Halloween theming A graveyard for those who were eaten by Dragon Khan... And a lot of people lost their minds... Nice. A Halloween version of a Xmas tree... Hi guys! Am I invited to the party? Hey?! Is it a rave? A pool party? Amazing! This lady wakes up in a really bad mood, I must say... And here it is: the mother spider... WOW! It really catches the eye. Has this guy gone like that after riding Stampida? NO! After riding Tomahawk for sure! Only the front cars were being filled... Again, some very nice theming.

Warner & Hopi Hari The Warner Bros. Consumer Products and the Hopi-Hari Theme park, in Vinhedo, SP, Brazil, announced yesterday an agreement for the park to use all Warner`s characters on its rides and merchandise. This includes Looney Tunes and DC Comics. The park will invest around U$40M in new rides and marketing. Until 2012, the kids area, previously themed after `Sesame St., will welcome Looney Tunes gang, and the Aribabiba* area will welcome DC Comics. *Hopi-hari is themed as a country. The entrance ticket is a passport that welcomes guests in and Aribabiba, one of the 5 themed areas, is the capital. More to come...