robbalvey

You mean ARE jokes, right? Honestly, I'd like to believe that, too, because it might restore about .00001% amount of my faith in humanity, but I didn't quote the ones that were obvious trolling. These I think were almost all legit stupid people making honest stupid comments that in their stupid brains actually believed their own stupidity.

Hey, you can at least still go in before 10:00pm!

Some of the BEST YouTube comments we get are from our Jaws Ride video. These make me laugh, cry, but mostly weep for humanity...

Even though it's one of the warmest Christmas seasons in most of the US right now, we can still dream about roller coasters in the snow, right? Here's a video we shot in 2005 at Nasu Highland that I realized we never released! Enjoy!

Most if not all rides that don't have bins to store your stuff have lockers just outside the entrance for like $1 while you ride. If you have 5 cups, look at it as a 20 cents per cup convenience charge to store them while you ride. The other option to avoid the extra charge is to have someone in your party not ride and hang on to them until you guys are done riding.

I was gonna say.... isn't this SECOND TIME they've actually bought that same plot of land???

One day that jacket may be in the National Roller Coaster Museum I threw it in a bon fire many years ago!

What does that even mean???

Please tell me you at least bought the photo! lol

Tonight was the media preview for Mango's Tropical Cafe which is now open on I-Drive in Orlando. Walking distance from The Orlando Eye and many other of the local attractions, this place was just absolutely OFF THE RAILS!!! What exactly is Mango's? It's like having an entire entertainment district under one roof! There's one of the best variety shows I've ever seen, fantastic drinks, amazing lighting, detail and design all around you, great food, dancing, and some of the hottest boys & girls I've seen working at any club here in Orlando! But this is not just "any club" here in Orlando. This is not like anything Orlando has ever had before. While Orlando has had places like Bahama Breeze & Senor Frogs for years, those places basically are imitating what Mango's is. This is everything you'd expect from a high-end Las Vegas style club or at a resort in Ibiza or Cancun, but it's open and accessible to everyone here in Central Florida! If you want a seat on the main floor for the dinner & show, it's going to cost between $60 - $75 per person, but you can also spend that money on food & alcohol during the 2 hour show. And with the high quality of their offerings, you'll easily go through it! If you want to just come in, have a drink, dance, hang out in one of the many bars or lounges, you can do that, too! There will be a small cover charge depending on how busy it is, but man, this place is just CRAZY! It's worth it! I'm so glad we have something like this here in Orlando, and it makes me look even more forward to the Skyplex project because that's done by the same people and Mango's shows they know how to throw a party, do it classy, and are very professional! On to some photos & video! Entrance to Mango's Tropical Cafe! Located near the corner of Sand Lake & I-Drive walking distance from The Orlando Eye! And upon walking into Mango's you are greeted by some very pretty ladies. This is gonna be a GREAT night! The lighting inside is just insane! Very impressive! Bartenders of both sexes are very nice to look at! But what's also impressive is the lightning and attention to detail all over the location. I love that there are bars everywhere and each one of them has a very different look! The entire place just has such a cool feel to it. The bar has screens with sharks that swim by! Awesome! And the eye candy is everywhere! Also what is impressive are the drinks! And yes, they are Pitbull approved! Everything we had at Magno's was just delicious. Some of the best drinks in town! In my mind, this is what Santa's elves look like! Center stage is the "dinner & a show" part of Mango's and the show is impressive as hell! Dancers & singers are all top notch! Kept us entertained for a very long time! I now know a lot more about "dirty dancing" than I did before! And trust me, I am paying VERY close attention! Honestly, I could easily watch these dancers all day long... And the shows are as interactive as you want them to be! It's a variety show made up of many different acts. These guys reminded me of the "Jabawockees" I've seen on America's Got Talent. The dancers doing a little Niki Minaj was just fine by me! They even came around to the tables to hang out! Didn't mind this one bit! Yes!!! Michael Jackson impersonator! And he was GREAT!!! And nothing says Michael Jackson like a little bit of Thriller! Thriller signature move!!! The costumes were just amazing! And so many of them! Did I mention how I could easily do this all night long? Let's go check out some of the other bars and lounges around the place... Some of the bars upstairs you don't have to be the "Dinner & A Show" price, but you still get an awesome view! The "Vodou Room" is a private lounge that can be rented out, or they can have other entertainment like a DJ and dancing. So many options at Mango's! Yes, I would like two of those, please! This space was incredible! We snuck in before anyone else was here to get a few pictures, but it filled up nicely about 20 minutes later! This has plenty of space for dancing, chilling, just hanging out, etc... Now this is MY kind of "character meet & greet!" The outside patios were also amazing. Here's another heavily themed bar with plenty of room for dancing. I felt like everywhere I turned there was yet ANOTHER lounge area! LOVE IT!!! And all over the club you can get some amazing views of the show! Yes, another lounge. Comfy and very inviting. The artwork in Mango's was wonderful! Very sexy but classy. Some really amazing stuff in here! Yet another just awesome looking bar! I couldn't get a straight answer on just how many different bars there were in this HUGE place, but I think "A HELL OF A LOT" is probably a correct answer! Another view of the stage from the second floor. Oh! The live band is an AWESOME touch! It really makes this place come alive! Need to give those guys props. They were really good! We found an awesome bar just behind the stage. Give me a few drinks and I could stare at this behind view all night long! I would be smiling, too! Wait... I AM! "Would you like some alcohol?" "YES, PLEASE!!!!" Seriously, though, this "behind the stage bar" kicked ass! Might have been my favorite place to just "hang out" in the whole club! Let's take a look at the menu.... We didn't get a chance to eat tonight, but we WILL be coming back to try everything! The menu is HUGE and having toured the back of the house previously, the kitchen is equally as impressive! So many options! This is a good thing! I'm all about Chicken Parmesan! That's on the "must try" list! And most important...the drinks menu! The "407" Cosmo was GREAT!!! (and nice nod to our local area, too!) Classic & Sexy...just like all of Mango's! The lemonade Mojitos were FANTASTIC! Had the Peach & Raspberry... WOW! Watermelon Vodka Lemonade was also high on my recommendation list! We did not have any alcohol we wouldn't recommend. They were all great! Another look at more bars in this place! It's almost like a cruise ship under one roof where you have so many different locations to go and check out! The artwork is all different and the vibe varies from one bar to the other. Multiple patios as well. Seriously, this place is HUGE!!!! It's just insane! Places like Señor Frogs & Bahama Breeze try to pull off this same vibe, but really they are just imitations of what Mango's is. Mango's is legit! This place is the REAL DEAL! And of course there's a shop! No place in Orlando is complete without a shop! Yup, official merchandise! Gotta hand it to Joshua Wallack. I am just so impressed with this place. Joshua is all kinds of crazy in the BEST way possible! Any guy who builds a place like this AND is going to give Orlando the world's tallest roller coaster with Skyplex gets huge respect from me! Congrats, dude! We will be here a LOT! Expect to see lots of reports from Mango's on our socials and make sure you put it on your MUST DO list when coming to Orlando!

This right here... I was once a patch jacket wearing, excel sheet roller coaster counting, kiddie coaster riding, total nerd ACE member boasting about how many "credits" I've gotten. Then I realized how incredibly stupid that all was as no one *REALLY CARES* exactly how many roller coasters you've ridden because this entire hobby should just be about having fun. IMO, if you're more concerned about how many coasters you ride versus which coasters you ride, you're doing it wrong. Stop counting and starting riding! No one gives two shits if you've been on 50 coasters, 500 coasters, or 1,500. I wish I would have figured this out sooner and preached this from day one.

Valravn has been topped off! Here's the photos & video that Cedar Point sent us...

And that is the type of selfish attitude of people that Robb is trying to avoid. Instead of you thinking about what is best for Robb and Elissa you complain about "your" wasted opportunity. That was a similar attitude that many of the total "d^cks" shared. Well said, Larry. Well said...

Fury 325? Baron 1898? Oblivion the Black Hole? Family Invert in China? Parrot Coaster? Shambhala? Yup, those are all on the list of ones I still need to get to, and some of them we'll hit next year. And honestly, I don't really have a "list" as I'm not that dorky. I just know that I haven't been on a lot of newer B&Ms because I no longer feel the need to seek them out. When I get to a part of the world that has one, I'll ride it, but I haven't gone out of my way for a new B&M since maybe SheiKra. I still haven't been on Swarm either! EDIT: I've been on every B&M on pages 2-5 except for Swarm and Lightning. http://rcdb.com/r.htm?order=-8&ot=2&co=6831&page=2 From page 1 I still need to get to (eventually...) Shambhala Parrot Coaster Flug der Dämonen Family Inverted Coaster Fury 325 Oblivion - The Black Hole Baron 1898 Acrobat Harpy To be honest, most of those, while I'm sure they are fun rides, aren't rides I'm going to make a special trip for, but I'll probably get to them eventually. --Robb "There, I am now dorky enough to have a list!" Alvey

I'm totally fine with them not rushing things.

Seeing that the first Miracle Strip closed, and then the second one, I'd have to say it's pretty clear the area doesn't seem to be able to support a park like this (which is sort of weird), so either the parks were just very poorly managed, or Panama City, which is quite a popular vacation destination for locals, simply just don't want a park like this. I'd say the odds are not good.

The Cannonball is a GREAT ride! Starliner was not. I've ridden both. They do not ride similar at all. One of them was smooth, fast, fun with little pops of airtime here and there. The other was a rough, shaky, meandering, jolting transitions and no airtime to speak of at all.

This is the only thing I disagree with. While I totally understand where you are coming from about not buying them until you get to the park to see how bad the crowds are, what happens when you get to a park and the crowds are insane and the front of the line pass has sold out? I have seen this happen to a number of people and that's the worst case scenario. IMO, the BEST case scenario is when you have spent the money on the front of the line pass you and you end up not using it. Is that a waste of money? Perhaps. But I also look at front of the line passes as "insurance policies." Something that you might not need, but dammit, you'll be VERY happy you have it when you do. That being said, there has never been a time when I have pre-purchased a front of the line pass and didn't end up using it to some capacity. Even when lines are only 20 minutes at a park, those pockets of 20 minutes add up when your front of the line pass turns 20 minutes into 0-5 minutes. If you do 10 rides that day, you've just saved yourself a good couple of hours. That time could be used to have a more relaxing, less stressful day. Get in more rides. Or perhaps leave earlier if you're on a road trip to get to a hotel to get a better nights sleep. I place value on every one of those things and if the front of the line pass allows me to do those things, then it's well worth it. When someone is coming from a far away place like England, there is NO WAY I would say "not recommended to buy these until after entering the park and seeing how bad the crowds are" because I have watched people get to Kings Island, for example, only to have the Fast Lane Plus sold out and then they stood in line two hours for rides like Banshee & Nighthawk. Complete waste of time, IMO, when their wait could have been close to zero. Just my thoughts on the matter...

Agreed. IMO those were the stand-out attractions at the park.

I never understood what was so great about the original Starliner. I've ridden it at both the original Miracle Strip and at Cypress Gardens and I thought both versions were a mediocre coaster at best. I have zero sentimental attachment to the ride so I can only base my opinion on how the coaster rode, but quite frankly, I thought it sucked and had no real redeeming value whatsoever. It was your average, run-of-the-mill 1960s designed out and back woodie with no element that stood out. The ride was, for those who were not from the area, completely forgettable. I'm not one bit sad about this project vanishing.

I did 65 rides in a row on media day. I wouldn't have a problem marathoning that ride at all.

I don't find any of the rides you just mentioned uncomfortable at all. I think it all has to do with each individual's level of tolerance (translation: how much of a pussy they are). There. I said it! I find B&M hypers to be fun, but underwhelming. Intamin hypers, RMC coasters, etc, now THAT is my kind of ride. But my level of tolerance for intense rides and airtime is also very high. I'm also not a pussy when it comes to intense rides, either!

^ $200 a day is a very good estimate when doing a trip with someone else. Although, if you're doing Europe in July, just make sure you are budgeting for virtual queue systems as each park. European schools usually break the first week in July and they can be PACKED beyond comfortable levels of enjoyment. We always try to do our Europe traveling coming home by around July 4th to avoid that. I can remember one year we did a trip that someone else organized that had us in Europe most of mid-July and it was hell. Would never want to do that again...

^ I'll move this into the main forum so other people can help answer. Keep in mind, though, the costs are up to what you want to get out of the trip and how much you want to pay. For example, sone of our later trips are much higher priced because we started to stay in much nicer hotels. If a park had an "on property" hotel, we opted to say there instead of a cheaper, off-site alternative. Parks like Europa, Heide Park, Phantasialand, Elfteling, etc, all offer some fantastic on-site hotels that are a lot more expensive than a brand name chain hotel off-property, but if you want the entire "resort experience" and don't mind the extra cost, you stay on site. But if you're being more budget conscious, you stay in cheaper hotels. Either way, though, people would complain. One person would complain that the hotels were too expensive when we stayed on property while the next person would complain that hotels weren't nice enough when we didn't. Complain, complain, complain. And after ten years of hearing people bitch and moan about the most trivial mundane stuff instead of just enjoying themselves on a vacation being happy they aren't at work, these are all reasons why we stopped doing tours. We got sick of putting up with people's crap and we went back to just doing trips on our own with a small group of friends like we used to in the days before "TPR Tours." Quite simply, it wasn't worth the small amount of money we would make to put up with such a high level of annoyance.

First of all, because B&Ms used to be the go-to company for OMFG HOLY CRAP rides...and then they transitioned into "well, that was fun" rides. Imagine if all of a sudden RMC started to make coasters with gentle floaty transition and floater airtime instead of what they make now. That's exactly what has happened with B&M. IMO, B&M has never made a "bad" ride, but all their latest offerings from the last ten years are so much more conservative than the ten years before that. Secondly, if you're tired of those conversations, why are you responding to them? Clearly some people aren't tired of discussing this topic because it keeps coming up. Feel free to not read or respond to the things you aren't interested in. I've heard from friends that BM is as forceful as nemesis. Yeah, no. Not even close. I'm not sure how anyone could have ridden Nemesis and then rode Black Mamba and not laughed in it's face. It might be one of the more forceful rides to come out of B&M post 2004, but compared to the old school rides they did? Doesn't touch them at all. It's all perspective. There are only about 10 B&Ms that I haven't ridden, and comparing the inverts, Silver Bullet IS probably one of the more forceless ones out there. The entire layout up until the helix is completely floaty and graceful. There isn't anything intense about it at all. The helix just starts to get good and then BAM, the ride ends. What a shame. I think the bad rap it gets is completely justified.