robbalvey

Two comments: 1. I just did a search for "camera on rides" and I found the thread very easily. 2. Most parks these days are NOT letting people on board with cameras. Those days are pretty much gone. You'll need to contact the park. That being said, they don't let just anyone film. You need to have some credentials. For us to film on Powder Keg, for example, we contacted the PR department, and they walked us onto the ride and around the structure. This footage may end up being used by both the park and S&S. If you are doing this for an established website or other news medium that's one thing, but if you're just doing this for your own personal enjoyment, you will only be wasting the park's time. Keep in mind that when I say 'established,' Theme Park Review has been around for nearly 10 years, and last year for example, we saw nearly 17 million page views. Those are the kind of credentials you will need when contacting a park for them to take the time out to allow you to film. I don't mean to sound cocky, but it's taken us a LONG time to build up relationships with parks where we can call up and get filming access. It's not something you can just request out of the blue. --Robb

Great TR and photos! I totally expected Hydra to be another "tame, but good for the park" B&M. Sounds like you need to visit IOA, Alton Towers, or a number of Batmen to get some real kick ass B&M rides in! After riding Bullet and hearing the reports on Hydra, I'm not expecting much out of Shakira. But who knows, maybe that will be the surprise B&M ride of the year? We'll get to ride Hydra in October, but I can say that I'm not in any hurry to ride or won't be dissapointed if we end up missing it for whatever reason. --Robb "I'm totally disturbed by Mark's 'sex pose'" Alvey :shock:

^ That's why we liked your Solace weekend video....there was very little Knott's in it! --Robb

Great TR and photos! This makes us look even more forward to our trip there in a few weeks. Was Lethal...er..."Cop Car Chase" running both sides? And is there anything still closed from the WBMW conversion process? --Robb

^ It really doesn't feel like anything I've been on. I'd have to say that a lot of the ride seemed like how an Intamin 'breaks in' after a while or kind of like a Premiere coaster. Where it's mostly smooth, but there are a few sections where you get that 'rattle.' It's not "rough" but it's also not butter smooth. That being said most of the 'rattle' was also during the old Premiere sections of the coaster. I'm sure that was probably a tough thing to do, using someone else's track and structure. The drops ARE good. And they feel like good 'ol Arrow drops. Decent airtime all over the place. "Alan" has done some good work here! --Robb

^ Oops! Thanks for letting me know. They all work now! --Robb "Have you watched 4th Dimension yet?" Alvey

Soren! These Photo TR's are GREAT! Keep 'em coming! Do your friends know they are getting their pictures posted for the world to see? --Robb

I have just uploaded 5 more videos: http://www.themeparkreview.com/contest2005/contest2005.htm Again, some REALLY good ones in there. I'm most curious to hear what people think of "It Came From The 4th Dimension!" --Robb "Most bizarre coaster video I've ever seen!!!" Alvey

Hey everyone! I had to be at SFMM briefly these past two days to test out some new camera equipment. I just wanted to pass along a couple of things I noticed: Saturday - PACKED!!!!! - OMG I got there about 10 minutes before opening and the 1st parking section was already full! - They opened the gates and had rides running about 5 minutes before the scheduled park opening. - Scream was running *THREE* trains!!! :shock: - Even with a busy park, nobody rides Batman first thing in the morning. :? Sunday - Mothers Day - NOBODY HERE! In less than three hours, I got: - Scream - 4 rides, 3 in the front seat - 2 train operation - Colossus - 2 rides, both front seat - 2 train operation - Batman - 2 rides, both in the front seat - 2 train operation - Riddler's Revenge - 1 ride, front seat - 2 train operation - Deja Vu - 1 ride, back row - 2 train wait using single riders line. So yeah, I got in 10 rides and I was there about 2 1/2 hours! It was interesting that Scream was running three trains on Saturday. Has anyone else noticed 3 train operations lately??? Anyway, that's a wrap! --Robb

^ It transfers VERY fast, and with the awesome fast crews at Silver Dollar City there wasn't a problem at all. Keep in mind that while one train is out doing it's transfer shuffle, another train is in the station doing load/unload. --Robb

Hey everyone! Elissa has finished editing the Powder Keg POV video from our recent trip and we have just uploaded it. Check out the main page for the link: http://www.themeparkreview.com/ I hope you all like it. I think it does a good job of showing off how awesome the ride is. Please post your comments here! --Robb

Have you ever worked at an Amusement/Theme Park? Post about your experiences here!

http://corpsebridemovie.warnerbros.com/ Interesting to see that Caroline Thompson is back to writing again. She wrote Nightmare Before XMAS so this movie could have some potiential. I just hope it turns out better than James and the Giant Peach! --Robb

^ DLR = Disneyland Resort

When were they ever the best? Seriously, aside from Cedar Point, I think ALL of the CF parks are lacking big time. --Robb

^ Really?!?! I never noticed that!!! --Robb

http://crainscleveland.com/news.cms?newsId=3340 They are no better than Six Flags lately, IMO. If anything, possibly worse. At least Six Flags can say they are spread thin throughout something like 30 parks whereas Cedar Fair operates about 10. Like I said before, while Cedar Point seems to be the exception, I haven't been to a Cedar Fair park lately that I've found to be better than your average Six Flags park. Oh, yeah, and I found this entertaining: Well maybe if they wouldn't close the park when it starts to sprinkle outside, this wouldn't have been a problem! --Robb "According to the Cedar Fair annual report, Silver Bullet is a 'new type of experience' for Southern California." Alvey

You can get information about ECC's First Drop magazine here: http://www.coasterclub.org/fd/index.php I highly reccomend joining the club if just for the publication. --Robb "And you'll get to read my Powder Keg article next issue too!" Alvey

^ "Hello, and welcome to the dollhouse!" Just kidding...I didn't actually see that movie! Ok, now maybe someone else would like to quote from that movie? --Robb

^ It wasn't a gradual one, it was a cut, then we sped up the next clip. Pretty much as you described above. Some clips look really good sped up, then slowed down, then sped back up again, but then others for whatever reason just look ass. It's nothing you're doing wrong, it just sometimes is the personality of the video. --Robb

See, the thing about Powder Keg vesus Buzzsaw Falls is that it's a completely different ride experience. No one is going to mistake a launching coaster for a water coaster. Same thing with Steel Phantom to Phantoms Revenge. No one is going to mistake bashing your head apart to not getting a concussion! With Space Mountain, unless they are doing some DRASTIC changes, it's going to be pretty much the same ride, but (and I'm assuming) re-themed. I mean, it was re-themed about 10 years ago when they added the sattelite and all that glowie stuff and no one seemed to notice. Even Matterhorn got a complete make-over and that didn't change the "feel" of the ride that much. So unless DLR's Space Mountain suddenly has a track layout of, oh, let's say Disneyland Paris' version, IMO, it's the same ride. Here's another thought....would anyone have really noticed or mentioned it had the re-hab been done during the off season at any other park? Although here is an argument in favor for the people who would count Space Mountain again. Let's say Cedar Point decided they wanted to replace the "Wildcat", but instead they decided to buy a slightly less used one from another park. They dismantle the current Wildcat ride, and build the other one EXACTLY like the one they took down. Would you count that again? It *IS* a different coaster, but it's exactly the same. --Robb "Ponder that coaster geeks!" Alvey

Using that failed logic I get to count pretty much every wooden coaster I've been on as three maybe four!!! ---Robb "Awesome! Thanks!" Alvey

Yes, I'm sure that Lisa has me beat! She's been able to get to some pretty bizarro places! And like Elissa said I'm sure that Pauly Ruben has us all beat! And they are all his #1 too! This Europe trip should come fairly close to pushing me over 800. Not sure if I'll quite make it, but it will be close! I actually think anything over 200 is very respectable. It means you at least had to do some decent traveling and have good experience visiting parks. You'd be amazed at how many of my 800 are Boomerangs, SLC's, and kiddie coasters! So even though my number might be high, I'm almost ashamed to have all those damn kiddie credits and clones on the list...but it is what it is! And just for the record, I do count fair coasters, but only once, I do not count re-located or powered coasters, and I only count 'double' coasters as two if there is something significantly different about them (Dragons & Gwazi = 2, S:TE & Colossus = 1). --Robb "I think my fair coasters add up to about only 10 anyway..." Alvey

^^ Yeah, I agree. See a doctor. --Robb

And the other question is will people REALLY notice that much of a difference? I mean, people still think that Riptide over at Knott's is the old Hammerhead! --Robb "Again another reason why I can't justify counting the rehabbed Space Mountain as another credit." Alvey