robbalvey

Thanks for the update. I wasn't all that excited about Mako until I drove by it a couple of weeks ago. Glad to hear that your review was positive. You like rides like Helix so I expect this to be in your top ten!

Correct. and I am excited about Joker and it's up there on the list. But if I had to narrow it down to three. That's them.

Hmm... - Lightning Rod - Wildfire - Taron I'd say it's "one of the" biggest coasters of the year, not sure I'd call it *THE* biggest coaster of the years. I'm pretty psyched about all three of these equally, tbh.

Sounds like Mako's soft opening has now closed.

You have to get the tickets at the park and there is no guarantee they will continue doing soft openings from day to day. Ok, thanks! Fingers crossed I'll get lucky. Where would I check to see if I can get tickets or not once I'm there? At the entrance to the ride. That's the ONLY place to get them.

You have to get the tickets at the park and there is no guarantee they will continue doing soft openings from day to day.

My skydiving instructor and I are cracking up over this. Do you have a strap that you can cinch tight? I can see why just a strap is insufficient, but with the strap tight around your head...really??? Yes, it's a strap that tightens around my head. I've been on over 1,500 roller coasters in the world and I've encountered *MAYBE* 50 rides that they wouldn't allow glasses on, even with a strap. In fact, you can wear glasses with a strap on the other two B&Ms at SeaWorld so why not this one? Like I said, I hope that rule changes because it seems sort of silly.

Just took two rides on Mako. Here are my thoughts.... - Very similar to other B&M hypers. - Lots of floaty airtime - Keeps it speed pretty well throughout the entire ride. - Except for the trim, it honestly hits that pretty hard. - All three trains were running. - Rode once in the very back and once in the very front - Front seat had a *little* stronger floater over some hills, back had better airtime coming down the drop. - Not "big person friendly." Saw a few people get rejected. - My first ride I rode glasses with straps (Pivothead camera) and then the second ride I was told "no glasses even with straps." A ride op supervisor told me after the second ride "We just changed the rules on the fly because someone lost a pair of prescription glasses [without a strap.]" He said they are evaluating this rule, but I really hope they do allow glasses with straps because that's kind of lame if they don't, IMO. Overall, if you like B&M hypers with lots of floaty airtime, you'll love Mako! It's a great addition to the park and everyone came off very excited about the ride so I think it will do amazing things for the park which they really need right now!

Yeah, sorry, I've been forgetting to post the new videos in this thread. I'll be honest, when I get like THOUSANDS of comments on YouTube & Facebook (while, yes most of them make your brain melt) it's sort of hard to remember to post them in this thread too when you get like 0 to maybe 5 responses per video. You gotta cater to your audience and unfortunately lately that's been growing more and more on social media.

Gotta disagree with you on this one, Robb, at least from my personal experience! I don't find the crowds to be too obnoxious usually, and I love the vibe, and ambiance that goes with a "first showing" of a movie! I definitely prefer those viewing experiences to the "normal" ones, from the perspective of being a part of something big and exciting! See, I just happen to really hate people, being around lots of people, and having to interact with people. Which is strange considering the job I've found myself in over the past few years! But, when it comes to parks, this is why I don't go on crowded days, always get front of the line passes so I don't have to wait in long lines, and why I don't show up to openings when I know the wait for a new ride could be hours long. Or, if I have to do any of those, I usually just stand back, away from the crowd, and laugh my ass off. No other movie quote can describe me better!

You automatically get 42 of them by 72 virgins by being first... Yup, I totally forgot! lol Seriously though guys - I'm not saying don't go ride something. I'm just saying that when something isn't quite working, why go out of your way??? I mean, if I hear Mako is running reliably, damn right I'll drive the 4 miles down the road early in the morning on the first weekday after it opens and go ride it. Will I go if I hear it's on again/off again? No. Will I go on a busy Saturday and wait 2 1/2 hours or more? No. But I'll gladly go down on the Monday or Tuesday following it's opening, get there right as the park opens and try to be one of the first in line so I can ride with little to no wait. Like Mark Cuban always says: Work smart, don't work hard.

I don't understand why you NEED to rush out and try to ride it ASAP. You live a few hours away by car so you can go anytime, why not just go down and ride it when you hear it's up and running and reliable rather than waste that time to go when it might not be open? We are waiting until late July! I don't need to ride it, but I do want to ride it for the same reason comic book fans want to see new superhero movies at midnight, Apple fans want to wait in line for hours to get the newest iPhone, etc., etc. That's part of the fun of being a fan of anything that has a debut, opening or release -- to be one of the first to experience it. See, this is where I guess I just disagree and shake my head at some of those things... Why would you.... 1. Drive out to a roller coaster that might be closed? 2. Stand in line for a new phone that might sell out? 3. Go see a movie at midnight with an obnoxious crowd where it's hard to enjoy the movie? I personally choose to: 1. Wait until I know a ride is open and running reliably to plan a visit. 2. Order my phone online and wait for it to arrive at my door. 3. Go see the movie on a Tuesday morning while school is in and people are working so I can be one of 6 other people in the theater. So if that makes me less of a fan because i like to enjoy my fandom of certain things with less annoyance and frustration, I'm more than happy to be not as big of a fan as the person who chooses to make poor decisions to do the exact same thing I'm going to do, just a few days later. Last time I checked there was no bonus points awarded for riding a roller coaster "first" - No sexual favors paid by any hot girls - No money being thrown at you, and certainly no f**ks given by most people. So what is the point of rushing out to *maybe* operating ride just to say you did it first? Insecurities maybe? I dunno. But hey, if that's what you choose to do, knock yourself out. DISCLAIMER: I'm not saying not to go out and try to ride something early, like for example if a ride opens and it's reliably operating, like Valravn. But would I go there when it may or may not be running when I can plan a visit on another day? No of course not. That's stupid, IMO.

I don't understand why you NEED to rush out and try to ride it ASAP. You live a few hours away by car so you can go anytime, why not just go down and ride it when you hear it's up and running and reliable rather than waste that time to go when it might not be open? We are waiting until late July!

Also, we still have some of Jack's prints in the store left and the money is going to help his recovery: http://www.themeparkreview.com/store/index.php?categoryID=4

https://www.gofundme.com/jackcrouse

Guys - There comes a point when a joke is funny, then not funny, then funny again... But this has now gotten to the point where it hasn't been funny for a while and it's making this thread impossible to read. I realize this is just my opinion, but it's also my forum. I really would like to see this thread get back to actually discussing the park instead of becoming a parody of itself. If there is no news or anything to report, that's fine, let's wait until there is something to talk about. You guys had your fun, but let's turn things around back to being on topic again. Thank you.

If you've been following TPR for any time at all, you probably know that we are huge pizza snobs (yes, I said it!) Elissa being from NYC and me just loving pizza means we've had some pretty kick-ass pizza all over the world in some places you'd expect it (NYC, Italy, etc) and even places you wouldn't (Japan! Yes, Japan!) But here in Orlando, there really is only one pizza that tops them all... Via Napoli at Epcot! It should also be no surprise that even with all the amazing offerings around the park, it's our favorite place to dine when visit. What can we say? We are simple people and we like an AWESOME pizza! Via Napoli only opened a few years ago as part of an expansion of the Italy Pavilion when the Patina Group took over the restaurants in that area. They are ALL fantastic! When we aren't at Via Napoli scarfing down pizza, you'll probably find us next door at the Tutto Gusto wine bar getting our fill of cheese, pasta, and other amazing offerings they have. We were invited out to share in the celebration of Via Napoli's "Millionth Pizza" last week (to which we admit to eating about six thousand four hundred and thirty seven of them) and it was quite the amazing display of awesome food... Today we are at Epcot to eat at our favorite restaurant in the park... Via Napoli is located right in the back of Italy... It looks like Italy... It feels like Italy... And yes...it TASTES like Italy... There is is! The "Pizza Margherita" which is about as perfection as you can get! FUN FACT! Did you know that the Margherita pizza was created for Queen Margherita and the three basic ingredients: Cheese, Tomatoes, and Basil represent the colors of the Italian Flag? Yeah! Bet you didn't think you'd actually LEARN something while reading TPR did you? We are now going to show you pictures of more pizza, because we hope you are hungry, will get in your car, drive to Walt Disney World (even if you're currently in Montana) and head to Via Napoli... You're welcome. Fun Fact #2! Do you know what the name of the tool the chef is using to pull the pizza out of the oven? For those of you who DIDN'T go look it up on Google (or for those who just didn't care enough) it's called a "Peel." Yes, it's true. Pizza flavors come in all different styles at Via Napoili... From your traditional pies to even this one... Yes, that is prosciutto and melon! Don't knock it till you try it! These bad boys are the ovens that have baked 1 MILLLLLLLION pizzas over the years. They aren't tired at all and are ready go to a million more! Wait! STOP! Did I mention that Via Napoli isn't *JUST* about pizza (but how dare you come here without getting a pie or three) they also have delicious pasta and other Italian apps & entrees. Veal meatballs, eggplant parmesan.... all sooooo good! STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!! We are about to tell you something VERY important! If you leave Via Napoli without getting the Zeppole's for dessert...you're doing it wrong! These bad boys are Ricotta cheese fritters which taste EXACTLY like sexy little dough balls served with whipped cream and chocolate. Simple? Yes! To die for? HELL YEAH! Seriously, though, in short Via Napoli is just an amazing place to have lunch or dinner. Just look at this... That right there is just perfection! And I could eat it every day. Make sure to check out Via Napoli on your next visit to Epcot! Oh, and I almost forgot.... CONGRATS ON ONE MILLION PIZZAS!!!! Calico System.nltrack

I'm not sure we need this thread. First of all, you link to a poll that's not on TPR, when TPR's forum HAS A POLLING OPTION!!! Secondly who cares about Vekoma Boomerangs enough to rank or poll them?!?!?! Thread closed.

I think the place is a lot of fun for all ages. Yes it can be a bit "sexy" but at no point is it "trashy" and if you've been to the miami location you'll know what to expect. I'd take them and have fun!

Yes and no. The reality is this - people just aren't consuming content as much on physical media anymore. So we've been focusing more on our YouTube channel and uploading those videos in as high of quality as we can. I've been toying around with the idea of releasing a free "monthly" digital download to Club TPR members that basically just packages up all the videos we've posted to YouTube in one file, sort of as a replacement for the RAW series, but I did that with a couple of tests last year and it really didn't get downloaded that much, I assume because most people had already seen the videos on YouTube or Facebook. There are so many really great video downloaders (I use this one: https://www.4kdownload.com/products/product-videodownloader) so it's easy to rip our videos off YouTube and make your own compilation. Honestly, that's what I recommend most people do. Hope that answers your question!

Do we have anyone interested in going to the Superman Media Day on June 9th for TPR? Please email robbalvey@themeparkreview.com with the following info: Full Name Contact info (Email & Phone number) Links to your social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc) What kind of camera or mobile device you have Your age I need to find someone ASAP for this. Thank you!

Some new Joker footage....

I almost think you've answered your own question!

Some pics we've posted already from today.... We just got to @sixflagsDK to ride The Joker! Follow along! More coming soon! New themed area around The Joker! Looks cool! And of course where there is the Joker, there are PENGUINS!!! Win!!! We are ready for our "Extreme Wood Meets Steel" experience! The ribbon is cut! Who is ready to ride The Joker @sixflagsDK? The Joker saw Amy try to ride and he stopped her! She may never get her chance! [twitter] [/twitter] Trains are rolling! Joker is screaming & laughing through the course! Who wants to ride?

Here's the video from Catwoman Whip. Honestly, this looks super fun! I hope more of these floorless enterprise rides get built!