halltd

Parts of the new hub opened today. The fountain is amazing, but I'm not sold on the artificial grass yet. I'm hoping it looks better in person than it does in pictures. Photos from @TheSnitchSeeker on Twitter.

I'm so loving the fact that the BAH is finally gone. It should have never been installed...at least for more than a year. Let's hope they bulldoze the tombstones in front of Epcot next!

Awesome pictures! Loved the wheel and torque spec pictures the best! I so want one of those wheels eventually.

This is the best coaster news I've seen for 2015! So excited!

That's the location of the rumored 5th gate? Edit: I found the 2020 master plan and the land out there is mostly "marginally" suitable for development, so I don't really see a 5th gate going all the way out there...especially since they're developing a lot of the land already for 3rd party hotels, etc... If they were to put a theme park, they'd want their own hotels nearby. My two cents at least.

I went to see Newsies last night and loved the show AND the center. I'll have to take a look at one of these tours because I'd love to know more about the technical aspects of the facility. I wish they would charge for the tours though, since they need money really bad. I want this place to succeed and see the whole project complete. But, at this rate, phase 2 isn't going to happen.

I know it was inevitably going to happen, but it'll be sad to see all those trees go. I've always enjoyed the marina entrance because it was like going back in time with the old sidewalk lamps, the naked statue, forest of trees, and only a spattering of guests walking back and forth to the gate. I'm not against development at CP by any means, but I do love those big 'ol shade trees.

Gringotts isn't a coaster? Booooooooo. Is Revenge of the Mummy a coaster? Even though they're manufactured by different companies, the ride vehicles and track are very similar. So, why one and not the other? If that's the case, put me down for Incredible Hulk as my last credit.

I like the hat itself, but HATE where they put it. It just messed too much with the overall scale of the street. As such, I'm ecstatic they're finally tearing it down! With TCM as the new sponsor for The Great Movie Ride, I doubt the theater is coming down anytime soon...or anything going back up in front of it. But, I could be wrong. I hope whatever plans they have cooked up just add to the Hollywood theme like what they did out at DCA.

Your third pic is glorious!

Careful in the fact they don't want to damage someone or something (besides the actual hat) in the deconstruction process. But, if you look at the pictures closely, it's quite clear they're saw cutting this thing apart with no regard to putting it back together. Just look at the cut around the moon. It's thankfully going to the scrap heap, not being relocated.

This is what I liked most about Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. NO ONE during our visit ever put their camera/cell phone/iPad above their head during any performance. We were stunned that people listened to the announcements before each show. Just goes to show how respectful their culture is compared to ours.

If there's still availability for the particular attraction you want, you can book FP+'s up to (and including) the same day as your visit. I routinely do this with an AP...although availability often prevents me from doing so on the more popular attractions.

I was watching Property Brothers At Home tonight and the oldest Scott brother JD said he was doing a new theme park show. It appears to start on Dec 18th on Great American Country and is called All-American Amusement Parks. Here's a link to the shows website. http://www.gactv.com/gac/shows_gcaba/

Not many to pick from in '76 that I've actually ridden. But, I can pick three, only one of which I actually like! 1. Whizzer - Six Flags Great America (LOVE this coaster!) TIE 2. Demon - Six Flags Great America (Just because I had to pick three) TIE 3. Corkscrew - Cedar Point (First "big" coaster I ever rode, but still don't like it!)

I don't think they ruined Christmas by any means, but I do prefer the garland over the new look. I think that's also due to the fact that I've been visiting WDW every year since I was born. So, it's more of a "memories of Main Street at Christmas" thing to me. I also like the fact that they bring down the scale of Main Street to a more intimate level by creating kind of a false ceiling as illustrated in those last few pictures. Finally, the views of the castle being "obstructed" is also why I like the garland better. It's great to have different photos of the castle over the years. It always encouraged us to visit at different times of the year growing up. Get some Halloween pictures, some Christmas pictures, Easter pictures, big-a$$ pink birthday cake castle pictures, ice-covered castle pictures, plain castle pictures, etc... Besides, if you want a full-on unobstructed view of the castle, just take the picture by Casey's. The garland to me created a "different feel" to Main Street and that's what made it feel so unique over the Christmas season. So, that's why I think a lot of people miss them so much. I don't think the new ones are hideous or anything, and I know they can't keep everything the same forever. But, it's also good to understand why the old ones were so popular. I'm sure many years in the future they'll bring them back for a limited time thing or whatever as "retro" decorations. Kind of like the Orange Bird, EPCOT Center logos, etc...

Did anyone notice in the Blade article about painting that it said if there was a small gust of wind, any paint being sprayed onto the coaster could end up on Gatekeeper? That's gotta be a pretty strong wind to blow paint from Mantis all the way to Gatekeeper! They also mentioned the same firm painted Gatekeeper in 2012. Uh...at the factory maybe? So confused!

Wait, wait, wait! Colossus is next to the parking lot? I thought it was on the ocean?

Wow. Thanks, Robb. Sorry for having an opinion.

You mean lean forward and enjoy, right?

I do those things already. But I still have to hold on to the restraints right by my shoulders and apply a lot of pressure. I want to put my hands up!

True coaster nerds learn this, and also realize that if you want parks to build an intense ride, it might come with a little bit of discomfort and take some time to learn how to do it right. I know you've ridden FAR more coasters than I have, but as a designer, I have to take issue with your statement. We know that it is possible to have intense rides without unnecessary pain, so when they add stupid OTSR's just to make the ride feel safer it is just that, stupid. I can defensively ride Maverick without head banging now that I've ridden it enough. But, I'd rather ride it like MF and TTD and throw my arms up and just go with the ride. You can't do that while "defensively riding" a coaster. Like most things, I know this is a personal preference, but I'd rather ride i305 (even before the reprofiling) over and over again than Maverick any day because I can just ride and enjoy. Since it's my job to find problems with things and come up with ways on fixing/improving them, this is why I hate those restraints...I know it could be better without them.

ha ha ha. I'll admit they're better than B&M restraints (the old-school ones), but they're still painful for short people like myself. Seeing that they're completely useless makes me hate them even more. I'm thankful we have the t-bars on MF and TTD, but Maverick's just annoy me. I love the ride too, just can't ride it more than once (or rather justify the wait more than once).

Why would anyone suggest enclosing the second half and having special effects?? We all know CP cannot maintain effects. How soon ye forget Magnum's tunnels, Maverick's tunnel, and Disaster Transport! I'm holding out for something amazing, but I'm starting to question the whole "Roller Coaster Capital of the World" moniker now since they seem to be removing coasters faster than they put them in lately (even though I don't really think Mantis is leaving). I love Cedar Point since I grew up in Ohio and go back religiously every summer regardless of where in the world I live. But, on my visit this summer, my friend and I only re-rode Millennium and Dragster over and over again - the rest we just rode once or skipped. So, we either go too much, or there's better coasters elsewhere. If they're really "overhaulin" Mantis, they should replace Maverick's restraints with the i305 straps so I can actually re-ride that one as well!

BGT did a great job on these videos. So well made, funny, AND informative. The "selfie" bit cracked me up!