CoasterFanatic

Day 3 - Park 1 Busch Gardens Saturday morning found us at Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL. I used to live a couple blocks from this park, but have not visited it since Sheikra first opened. Originally, we were a little worried about the crowds and our decision to sleep in, but the weather kept the crowds at bay and all rides were walkons. SheiKra, you bad thing, haven't had the opportunity to ride you for a couple of years. Seasoned riders and first timers all enjoyed their rides on the first US Dive machine. Justin told me that he prefers to live "on the edge". I still think that it might be a good idea to put the good old wriststrap on. Apparently in Canada it is proper to have your shorts and shirt match. I did not get any pictures of Kumba, because i was saving the camera's memory for more important things. Like this wonderful picture of the Cheetah Chase sign? Our last coaster of the day would be Montu. Personally, it is one of my favorites and we took a ride in both the front and the back. Obligatory goofy picture credit for Justin. More pictures soon.

^ Glad that you found it helpful. Not always sure if it is the right route to go when you have 405434 credits.

I would also consider the Villian crap. Many well say that in it's earlier seasons, it was a good coaster. Well, i rode it in it's earlier seasons and I still thought it was crap. Now, with that said, I do think their is hope for the ride. If they would move it, retrack the entire course and add "real" coaster trains, it would probably be a good ride. Lot of potential there.

Myth. When something is privately owned they can do anything they wish. Hotel Breakers is a perfect example.

Credits are everything. Without them you are nothing. You cannot consider yourself a true enthusiast until you have ridden at least 3 Fiesta Express coasters. // Still doesn't have the two coasters at Idlewild Park and it is almost close enough to be my home park. // Did you know you can track your credits at CoasterFanatics.Com

Day 2 - Park 2 Magic Kingdom - MNSSHP After leaving Sea World, we headed over to the Magic Kingdom where we would be meeting everyone for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. This would be Catrina and I's first Halloween event at the Magic Kingdom and while it was a far cry from Horror Nights, it was cool in it's own way. Upon arriving at the Ticket and Transportation Center, I informed Eric that I had never had the opportunity of riding in the front car of the monorail. He immediately suggested that we talk to the operator and after a short wait, we were on our way. This is way too cool! The obligatory monorail shot for BeemerBoy. Another rare angle. We arrived right at 4 o'clock and the wristband patrol was just getting started. The reason we are at the Kingdom on this particular night. The lengths that Disney went to for the event were much more than I could have imagined. The detail in each decoration was amazing. We arrived at the park a little bit ahead of the rest of the group. The gang took this opportunity to catch a little nap during Mickey's Philharmagic. 7 o'clock rolled around and it was time to begin the trick or treating. I understand that the Walrus is a rare sight, but some seemed a little too excited to meet him. Dee and Dumb posing with the newest addition to the Alvey household. Never mind the stroller, it is only a ploy to get MORE CANDY! Another highlight of MNSSHP is the special fireworks show. During which, the castle is used as a canvas for special lighting and projections. I took a lot of pictures during the fireworks show, but this one seemed to sum up the theme better than any other. More fireworks. Another big part of the Halloween event is the "Boo to you Halloween Parade" The star of the show. All of the floats had either a Halloween or Autumn theme. Remember, the theme is "Not so Scary", so there was nothing too frightening. One of the highlights of the parade for me was the dog from the Haunted Mansion. Don't ask me why, but I thought this was really cool. The infamous grave diggers that march in perfect synchronization. They occasionally stop in one place and circle while dragging their shovels. Thus creating a cool spark shooting effect. On our way out, we saw this gang hitch a ride on the tram. I found this oddly disturbing. Oh ... and one more thing ... More photos soon ...

Sad thing is ... that is starting to get really hard. I just went to Dave and Busters last weekend and they used to have both Pinball 2000 machines, but now nothing. Hundreds of games and no pinball! // next project is a pinball locater database

Is it just me, or does all this over-analyzing only encourage people to manipulate the ballots? // Be patient. No need to keep ballot-by-ballot tallies.

Ahhh ... the spirit of 88. Glad to see the DiY mentality is still alive and kicking.

Day 2 - Park 1 Sea World While the rest of the group got up early to head over to Epcot, we relaxed a little before heading over to Sea World. The only real goal of the visit was to get the Shamu Coaster credit, so we knew we had plenty of time. At the front gate, we paused while Eric took this picture of us in front of the Halloween display. A nice little bonus of our visit was the Halloween Spooktacular. Since we were there on the weekend, they had all the people in costume and even better ... candy! Sea World's "happy-go-lucky" approach to the holiday is a far cry from the insanity that is HHN. But, it is great for the kiddies. Like Eric, who is seen here filling his bag. The costumes are the furthest thing from scary, but they are fun. "Ooh Yay! A big kid!" Today's visit also gave me my first look at the new carousel. It isn't very grandeur by any stretch, but nice to see they are expanding the kiddie area. Before leaving the park, it is a requirement to fulfill my free beer quota. These micro taps should make the experience a little bit easier. More photos coming soon ....

This is a most excellent report! The gumball machine was very clever and it would have been a pleasure to play (if I only went ) Sheat's basement looks to be a blast! // World Cup will be my first pinball machine if I ever buy one. I love that game.

Interesting. I am glad to see them keep the attraction up to date. Shame that good ol "From my dead hands" Charlton is most likely on his way out. // wait ... that is probably the reason they are changing it in the first place

Looks like I have to settle for ... // Joe would be proud

Each year, Catrina and I head to Orlando in October but have yet to check out any of the Halloween stuff. Primarily, this is because Catrina isn't much of a Halloween fan and I prefer not to go through themed mazes alone. So ... this year, we met up with some of the fine people over at Theme Park Review and did some of the events. Over the course of five days, we took in IOA, Universal Studios, Halloween Horror Nights, Sea World, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Busch Gardens, Cypress Gardens, Animal Kingdom and Epcot. Not too bad for a short trip, eh? Tuesday night, we made it down to the Carowinds exit outside Charlotte. From here, it would be another 8-9 hours before reaching our final destination. Once in Orlando, we checked into our room. Not at a hotel, but instead in a house full of blood thirsty coaster enthusiasts. The king bed was most excellent and was a nice departure from the hotels we typically stay in. As you can see, the toilet was even "sanitized for our protection" Thursday morning brought us to Islands of Adventure where we would begin a 15 hour day at Universal. In the train (from front to back) are Paul (Toronto), Dave (London), Eric (Gainesville) and Matt (Chicago). Looking back on the lift hill of the Flying Unicorn. Joe was in this position for much of the weekend. I seriously think that the boy could sleep just about anywhere. For the coaster dorks reading: You can see the new/lame lapbars on Ripsaw Falls. The weather wasn't exactly hot, but a select few of us braved the elements to ride this excellent log flume. This was the first time that I had been on this ride in nearly 6 years. New socks are a must when you plan on walking about 6-7 more miles before the day is over. The group as we make our way over to Seuss Landing for a couple of rides. Chuck waves hello from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. The challenge of this ride is not so much to stay bone-dry, but to get not too wet. Larry doesn't look so confident that I will be able to pilot our fish through the water successfully. Dave and Robb already rode Popeye, so there is no hope for them. No comment needed. Over at Universal Studios, the seasoned vets wait while all the newbies "whore up" Woody's Nuthouse Coaster. Wow ... I managed to get one of our group in the photo. My photo skills are improving. Outside the park, people were beginning to gather for Halloween Horror Nights. I blinked my eyes for one second and this huge group appeared. Thankfully, our group had their own "special" entrance. Looks like Big Mike is excited to meet up with Jack and the gang. Jack's transportation for the night. Now inside, we were invited into the Freddy Kreuger Dreamwalkers maze for a little preview. Originally, the lights were supposed to be on, but I am sure that Catrina could tell you ... they were not. Enter Dreamwalkers. Once the sun went down, the park took on a whole new persona. Chainsaw wielders, clowns and freaks welcomed you around every corner and $9 drinks were available to all. Apart from the mazes, HHN also offers a selection of shows. Rocky Horror, Jack's Show and the Freak Show were just a couple, but the one everyone loves is ... Bill and Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure (for obvious reasons) Our priority seating arrangement would put us right in front of the action. Though the photos is blurry, you can see that the show is not appropriate for those younger guests. Weird Al made an appearance. As did the Geico Caveman and a Transformer. The Grande Finale. Many of the elements around the park are slightly modified to give a more Halloween feeling. This one is just way too easy to pass up. This was one of the few "scare zones" in the entire park. Catrina was a little hesitant to walk through at first, but found a stroller to tag behind. Little did she know that even a stroller can't escape the clowns in this one. Robb leads us to Jack's Funhouse. Out of all the mazes, this is the one that was the lease impressive to me. It just felt like something at any other park. The entrance. Inside, you wore these prismatic glasses that amplified the effect of the colors inside the maze. In Universal land, it is called "Clown-O-Vision". No more picture for Universal, but it was a great night. Only made better by the wonderful planning of Robb over at Theme Park Review. My ranking for the mazes are as follows. 1. Psychoscarapy: Home for the Holidays What is not to love about this theme. The crazies have escaped the loony bin and crash a retirement community on Christmas Eve. Bonus points for the little people. 2. The Thing: Assimilation I thought that this one and Dead Silence had the most "movie-like qualities". The sets were perfect and the audio breathtaking. 3. Dead Silence: The Curse of Mary Shaw Excellent use of lighting and sound. The gags weren't huge, but they didn't need to be. This one was just eerie. 4. Friday the 13th: Camp Blood Of all the "New Line" mazes, this one felt truest to the movie. The sets were great and Jason is the perfect shock scare when he pops from around the corner. 5. Nightmare on Elm Street: Dreamwalkers The entry facade was amazing and elements of the house stayed very true to the movie. This one probably would have ranked higher for me if i got to walk through it later. I don't think they were quite warmed up yet. 6. Vampyr: Blood Bath A mediocre maze saved by vampire strippers pole dancing. 7. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Flesh Wounds The maze was good, but the character almost made too many appearances. That couple with the sounds of multiple chainsaw going at once, made it a little surreal. 8. Jack's Funhouse: In Clown-O-Vision Standard funhouse fare. Nothing that really stuck out at me. More picture coming soon.

Excellent Report Steve. // Now when does that whole Florida leapfrogging WVU take place again?

^ Welfare?

^ If you want to resubmit, just email Mitch. He will let you correct any mistake.

Not that I know of. Yes, that is supposed to read "ridden in 2007". I just fixed it.

^ I hope that is a new Larson Scooter. If not, they got ripped.

^^ That type of ranking will only hurt the poll results and make the voter look like he has no credibility at all. // Like Wes, has not rode El Toro so our votes are pretty much thrown away anyway. It's all about the head-to-head baby.

^ There are some truly scary place right across from Knotts. You can't tell which ones are open or not half the time. I pay the little extra and stay either in Anaheim or at the Knott's Hotel (which is pretty much a ripoff).

It is hard to go wrong with Holiday Inn Express. Sure, it will run you around $100 but you can be pretty sure that it will be up to par. Catrina and I stayed in one (Orangesburg, SC) a couple days ago and it was great. Plus, you get a groovy breakfast. This year, we have stayed in: Lemon Tree Inn - Near Disneyland 7/10 Good hotel built around extended stays. Not exactly brand new, but reasonably kept. Free Internet. I would stay again, but Catrina would not. Holiday Inn Express - Near SFMM 9/10 What you would expect from HIE. Free Internet and Breakfast. Clean rooms. If you have a "Priority" card, you will get a paper and some free candy and water. Disney Coronado Springs - WDW 10/10 My favorite of all Disney hotels. Great for couples. Quiet and excellent service. Has it's own bus for the parks and they are typically not that crowded (hotel does mostly convention guests). Granted it was also $200 a night Breakers Express - Cedar Point 8/10 A lot of people post negative reviews of this hotel, but I have found it to be average or better. You get what you pay for and their are a lot of local hotels in that area that are much worse. Red Roof Inn - Louisville KY (Near SFKK) 9/10 Catrina and I usually stay away from the budget motels, but after reading the reviews on this place, I was intrigued. If you can find a Red Roof that has been renovated in the last two years, it is a steal at $50/night. Springfield Suites - Williamsburg VA (Near Outlet Mall) 10/10 Got this for $45 from Priceline. Absolutely awesome 3 room suite. Shame we only stayed there for a night. Courtyard Inn - Two exits from CA Wonderland (Near Dave and Busters) 9/10 Got this one from Priceline for $45. Great location and an excellent staff. Clean rooms and free internet. Lately, I have been doing the Priceline thing. If you research biddingfortravel.com, you can get some great deals at some great hotels. // Days Inn I-Drive is a hell hole

Finally used the "tool" to get mine again. Top Ten The Voyage Raven Thunderhead Cornball Express Viper The Legend Phoenix Cyclops Silver Comet GhostRider

Up and ready! http://www.coasterfanatics.com/sec_poll/

I don't understand the "butter smooth" and "run as good as it did at Geauga Lake" comments. I remember Dominator as the roughest B&M floorless with the most potential. If you did not sit in the first row or two it woudl shake your fillings out. Hopefully reconstruction treats this one kindly as it does have GREAT potential.