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Everything posted by Squid
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While I am excited to see this, I can't see this project getting off the ground. The numbers they are forecasting are huge and the space they are building at lacks things like freeway access. I drove through Emerson on a regular basis and I know where the proposed site is. They're going to have to bulldoze part of the town to get access from 75, and US 41 is just as bad. (They take the same route.) Perhaps up the freeway, on the massive plot of land Busch owned to build a third park... that might have worked, but where they're building it? I just don't see it.
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The BEST roller coaster view EVER???
Squid replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Personally, "Wooden Coaster" at Happy Valley also looks like a remarkable view, but yes, Ocean Park, imho, has the best views by far. One day, one day... Squid -
Walt Disney World Aerial Photos
Squid replied to SharkTums's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
The Utilidoors don't quite reach there... the farthest north they run is just behind Pinnochio. There is a loading dock just behind P and it will be just to the west of the Beauty and Beast construction. B&B shares a wall with it, in fact. The road you're seeing is the foundation work for the 7 Dwarfs coaster. There is also a water element being added in that will run from in front of B&B, past LM and the Dwarfs coaster, and disappear somewhere over near Mad Hatter. -
IAAPA 2011 Trade Show - TPR's Official Report!
Squid replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I've always enjoyed your coverage of IAAPA. Thanks, and the Fishpipe looks amazing. -
What is your next park?
Squid replied to onewheeled999's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Forgot about the Deep South Bash event. I may hit that one before the 40th anniversary event for WDW. -
What is your next park?
Squid replied to onewheeled999's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Epcot, I believe. -
TPR's Ever Evolving Park Index
Squid replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Worked fine on Opera. However, on the SFoG page, you need to list Shake Rattle and Roll as closed, as it was removed for Dare Devil Dive. -
Theme Park Review in JAPAN! 2011
Squid replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
What can I say? Robb, I think you've outdone yourself with this update... just glorious. Thank you for all the hard work you've done this year for us theme park fans. -
Planned but Cancelled
Squid replied to Rollercoaster Rider's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
No, Goliath at SFoG was planned for years. At one point it was thought that we would get a Tony Hawk coaster where Dare Devil Dive now is. But, other than that... there's very few rides that never made it into SFoG that I'm aware of. Sally desperately wants to add one of their dark rides there. There was a theme park proposed for Israel, Neverland by Michael Jackson (Goddard did the designs... fantastic work) and then, of course... DUBAILAND. Probably the biggest failure in all theme park history. USDubai had started construction when the project fell through... right now it is a big, shaped hole in the desert with some abandoned offices. -
Must... post... reply... Gimbals are used frequently in movies. For example, the hotel dream sequence and elevator sequence in Inception used them, tmk. They allow the scenery to be tilted at any angle the director wishes while the actors are in set. Dancing or climbing up walls and across ceilings use this trick. Titanic used a giant one to tilt the ship during the sinking scenes. These blueprints look amazing. We'll see if we have a worthy successor to Big Bad Wolf when the ride opens. Squid
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Gröna Lund Discussion Thread
Squid replied to Tobias94's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Yes - whale semen. They use 12 gallons of whale semen to secure you in place. I guess I just don't understand your question. How is it not clear how the rider is secured? Did you look at any of the pictures? Are you confused about the grab bar versus the lap bar? Or are you questioning if Gravity Group actually didn't do their homework and made a train that wasn't safe? Whale Sperm? I don't know... wouldn't that get sticky? Your pic above cleared up the problem... I was confusing the grab bar with the lap bar. I couldn't make out the lap bar in the previous shots... oh, there's my glasses! I certainly wasn't saying GG didn't do their homework. They're too awesome for that. I knew there had to be something holding the riders in... I just couldn't see it. Thanks for the great pics and video, Robb and Hanno. -
Gröna Lund Discussion Thread
Squid replied to Tobias94's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I count four coasters and five layers. That is an amazing coaster. I am confused about one thing... how much room do you have from the lapbars on the Timberliners? From the pictures, they don't come close to your waist or legs. Is there a lot of padding or something not visible in the pics that secures you in place? -
Deep South Bash 2011 - Six Flags Over Georgia
Squid replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I would be very interested. I would probably have my wife and I, plus some friends. -
Kings Dominion (KD) Discussion Thread
Squid replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Coming in late to the thread... exactly what changes were made to the ride profile, besides the removal of the trims? -
The Santa CLAW! Live Claw Machine - Crane Game!
Squid replied to Skramp's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Who cares whether it's an hour or twenty minutes... it's close enough that a side trip is mandatory. I'm glad to hear that they're a class act, Rob. Do you know if they're making any money out of this? I was worried for awhile that they were data miners or email collectors. -
Exactly. And it's the regular people who WERE NOT giving BBW much ridership all those years and it's the enthusiasts who WERE NOT ranking the coaster very highly. So where is the argument here? --Robb "A park looks at both of these things when they consider which rides to retire." Alvey Robb, in most of the times I visited the park, I saw 45 minute wait times for the coaster. There were a handful of times that I saw short lines. (Once, they shut the park down completely due to torrential rains... as in "tell everyone to go home" shut down, not "the rides will be back up in thirty minutes to an hour." BBW's line that day was nonexistent, and the ride ops called it "Big Bad Sea Wolf!") So I don't know about these short lines... it always was busy for me. Most trips were in early June for me, when KD and BGW went to daily operations. I love terrain coasters, and for me, BBW was unique in my experience. For me, it was a high point of the trips I took. Alpengeist was very uncomfortable for me, and I only managed to ride Griffon once. So, for someone of my tastes, losing it is bad. Agreed, maintenance would have eventually forced it to close. It all boils down to personal taste, I guess. I loved BBW for what it was... I even loved the part before the 1st lift hill. But I love terrain coasters and speeding in the treetops. Was it in everyone's top 100? Nope, or just barely. But it was in my top 5, always. Does my opinion matter? It does to me. Does your opinion matter? Definitely, especially to yourself and the community at large. Which counts more? Depends on who's counting. What you see as flaws may be benefits to me... I liked the strong brake run in the middle. It gave me a chance to catch my breath and get ready for the plunge ahead. I don't hate BGW, and I WILL be back. It may take awhile, but I will return to my favorite park. I will be sad to see BBW gone, but I have faith that whatever takes that spot will be well worth it. And as a note... BBW was blocking them from using a huge chunk of land for expansion. Now, BGW will become much larger in the years ahead. One last thing... I have heard of a wedding that took place on BBW. The train was stopped at the MCBR for the ceremony and then they "took the plunge." May or may not be true, but my source was upper level employees at BGW.
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5 hours for BBW? Try 10. I drove up every year from 2001 till 2007 to visit BGW. It is my favorite park, even over Disney, Universal, etc. I did not visit in 2008 because of finances and haven't visited since. For the past two years, I haven't made a major effort to get up there, partially because BBW was gone. BBW was in my personal top ten and is the only suspended swinging Arrow I've ridden. For me, it is sorely missed. Mind you, I'm not boycotting them or anything like that, but a ten hour drive is daunting when they take out one of the major reasons you visit. Due to my physical problems, I find it difficult to fit in coasters with OTSRs, but BBW was one I could comfortably ride. I am planning a trip in 2012 to ride the replacement coaster. Eagle's Fortress? I would love to have ridden that coaster, but seeing as it was on the other side of the planet, I was unlikely to ever see it in person. Being unemployed for two years kills your traveling prospects. Robb, you are one of the most well traveled people I've ever heard of. You're an expert on coasters and parks, and rightly so. Most people on this site are enthusiasts of varying degrees. But we are a tiny, insignificant fraction of the people who attend theme parks. To the average BGW park goer, who may only ride a handful of coasters in their lifetime, the loss of BBW was horrible. How would these people even know of Eagle's Fortress, much less ride it? They're not enthusiasts, just regular people. Why is this coaster's loss felt so much? Because so many people loved it... plain and simple. For me, it was in my top ten favorite coasters. Yes, I haven't ridden as many coasters as most of you, but I will feel the loss of BBW for years to come. Squid
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Where in the World is Robb & Elissa???
Squid replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Well, if you're not in Arrakis, you're in the United Arab Emirates in Sharjah. The buildings in the background with the ball on top is one of their signature new office buildings, I believe. I couldn't tell you where that mystery red coaster is... but the interior coaster, the cool looking one, is Quantum Leap, Adventureland, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.