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Wait, wait, wait, weren't you the one praising Nautic Jet at Schlossbeck? The insane attraction that quite literally throws you into "Malaria Lake?" Here's a vid for those who don't know what I'm talking about. Those at least are usually in some sort of "man-made" gross lake. And I've actually only ridden those one or two times for the novelty factor. if it was any other "nomal" water ride, no way in hell I'd be doing it.

I'm so glad you know exactly what Cedar Point wants to do. I had NO idea we had a member of the Cedar Point development team on the boards. There is absolutely NO REASON for you to be that rude to someone else on our forum. Banned for one week for being an asshole.

For me personally, I cannot stand things like "lake water" and the gross, disgusting things that live in lakes. So I would love to see a "theme park" version of this built with treated water knowing that whatever water will hit me in the face would be nice and filtered and not contain whatever horrible things are living in lake water.

That Dragster ride at Old Town is still one of the craziest things I've ever ridden! The launch was like Dondonpa where it felt like you were getting hit by a truck from behind. I believe it's failure wasn't because of the ride but because of a few factors: - It was at Old Town where nobody really went. - I never saw a single advertisement for it, anywhere... ever. - The price was insane. - It opened, if I recall correctly, shortly after or right around 9/11 which the entire Orlando market was doing poorly. - Fun Spot purchased that land (I believe) and built their park on that spot. I'm sure the ride was also not well taken care of so by the time Fun Spot came in, I'm sure it wasn't worth salvaging.

But you have to remember - Parks want more rides than just coasters. And not everyone will ride a coaster, but might ride this. If parks were filled with ONLY coaster rides, that's would be really a shame, IMO. But perhaps a really big-budget non-coaster ride that is also VERY thrilling, has a great crowd interaction as well might just be what some parks are looking for.

Hmm... So my thoughts on this means it looks like a very extensive re-tracking project, probably by someone like GCI, which is good... BUT... what I want to know is what measures are they taking into place to make sure the ride doesn't wind up like it has in another 15 years? It's also interesting to me that they are totally pulling up track in some places and only replacing top layers in others? Crossing fingers that whatever they are doing will make Ghostrider "rideable" again for many years to come, not just be great again for a few years and then fall back into being rough as hell.

I don't know about how many engineers are here, but I do see we have a non contributing to anything smart A$$ in the house I'll take the compliment, thank you. And I did contribute to the thread early on before all the nay-sayers came aboard questioning RMCs decision to use t-rex track type. I think RMC knows what they're doing at this point, they have proved know-it-all enthusiasts wrong before. He's right.

You can also view this report on the TPR Park Index: http://www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=50&linkid=14929 So today was the Epcot Food & Wine Media event and OMG what an absolutely FANTASTIC time! I cannot recommend enough coming out and spending as many days as you can at this event. So much to see, eat, and drink, one day is NOT enough! And if you only have one day, here's our little Pro tip! First off, don't eat for a good 2-3 days before hand! (Ok, not really, but sort of half-joking!) The booths open at 11am - start your "lunch" lap from one side of World Showcase, let's say clockwise first, do a full lap, eat and drink as much as you can! Spend a few hours exploring the ride of the park, and then, when you do your "dinner lap" go the opposite way around, so counter-clockwise this time. There is so much to do eat and drink that it's hard to finish the lap without getting full, and inevitably, you'll miss stuff. So this is a good way to hit everything! But don't limit yourself to one day! This year's Food & Wine Festival runs September 25 - November 16, 2015. More details here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/epcot-international-food-and-wine-festival/ Anyway, onto the photos... This morning we are at the media event for WDW's Epcot Food & Wine festival! So happy to be here at my favorite event at the Orlando parks all year long! Let's take a look at the Festival Center! Chef's Showcase in the Festival Center features many different presentations. This one is where you can learn all about beer & cheese! Yum! The chocolate Frozen display at Ghirardelli is amazing!!! Love it! I want to eat Olaf! Let's start eating!!! At Food & Wine you can liquid nitrogen it up this year with some amazing drinks & desserts! You know what goes awesome with all this food? Beer! The "Frozen Chew-tini" wins the most delicious new drink of Food & Wine so far! Just a couple of fun-loving Disney fanboys that found their way into the media event! ADAM!!! ATTACK FOOD!!! OMNOMNOM... Love the look of all the graphics package that is on the merchandise and park brochures this year! So cool! Jens & Gregg are responsible for most of what gets chosen to serve at the festival. So these guys are responsible for the return of the cheese fondue? For that we thank you! Some of the T-Shirts available this year! So awesome to have the Ocean Spray Cranberry Bog back! Get your Craisins! The food booths in World Showcase are always a beautiful site to see! New for 2015 Chew Lab & Sustainable Chew home to liquid nitrogen awesomeness & Chew-tini! 2015 marks the triumphant return of the Cheese Fondue to the Food & Wine Festival! It is delicious! Are you a beer fan? Check out these "beer soaps" right when you enter World Showcase. The Yuca Souffle from Dominican Republic... Wow! Soooo good! Adam seems pretty happy with the food and wine at Food & Wine! The Epcot die-hards will recognize the homage to ex-attractions in these signs. What were they? Beef Bourguignon & Martini Slush from France. Not the "recommended pairing" but we don't care! Still so full of Yum! "Stumbling Around the World" is a fan-favorite Food & Wine pastime! I think I'm doing that right now! And what do you get in Belgium? Why...waffles, of course! Love how line for Japan is a somewhat organized single-file line. Just like it would be in Japan! TPR fan Chris celebrating his 30th b-day at Food & Wine today! It is certainly an Epcot kind of day today! The Hawaiian Pork Slider! Still my all-time favorite item! Sooooo good! You HAVE to try one of these. Gonna have two of the three awesome menu items Canada has this year! I'm not a "fish person" so I always like the years when they replace the salmon with the sausage. Sliders and beer! Always a great combo! Kielbasa Pierogi? Oh, yes please! Delicious! The Chase Lounge features complimentary Coke Freestyle and a great place to hang out! You just have to present your Chase card to get in. Enjoying some delicious Baklava from Morocco. Time for the David Cook concert! He won the seventh season of American Idol. Jack & Andy are ready to dive into the Ocean Spray Cranberry Bog! We are in the Ocean Spray Cranberry Bog! Awesome!!! [twitter] [/twitter][twitter] [/twitter] Epcot should offer this as an upcharge tour! I'd sign up for a photo op in the bog! Ocean Spray threw a great party! Cranberry glowy drinks, VR fun, kids book signing! Awesome! We are continuing to eat our way around the world into the evening! It's 9:00pm and we are still going strong! Kristen had a great time finding Remy today! Straight Outta Food & Wine! Yes!!! Love these shirts by Walt Disney World fans Alex & Terri! What a great GREAT day at Food & Wine! Hands down my favorite fall Orlando park event! I plan on having many, many return visits while the festival is going on. And we think you should, too!

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Took a quick lap around the opening day of Epcot Food & Wine today! We'll have more to post tomorrow as we'll be at the official media day (so follow the Twitter tomorrow!) Here's what we got today... This morning we are at Walt Disney World Epcot for the opening day of the 2015 Food & Wine Festival! Picked up the Food & Wine Ratatouille map for when Kristen comes with us around the world! Let's go check out the Epcot 2015 Festival Center! Who remembers what attraction this used to be? Some 2015 Food & Wine merch and the limited edition pass holder pin. Chocolate displays by Ghirardelli includes StarWars, Frozen and Marvel this year at Epcot Food & Wine. Looks like Elissa is excited about Cheese returning! Ahh, yes! My favorite event of the year has opened! It's the most wonderful time of year! China will be our first Food & Wine stop for dumplings & a beef slider! Yum! China dumplings are so good Elissa went for round two! Germany is a place for great beer! Oh, and they have food here too! Kielbasa Pierogi? Oh, yes please! Delicious! Sliders and beer! Always a great combo! Wow! The France booth got a nice new upgrade this year. Gonna have two of the three awesome menu items Canada has this year! The Hawaiian Pork Slider! Still my all-time favorite item! After a 3 year hiatus, the cheese fondue is BACK!!! Rejoice!!! The "chew booths" are new this year and have some interesting looking items! WDW annual passholders! Don't forget your stamp to get a free wine glass! Had an awesome first day at Epcot Food & Wine! We will be back soon! Like REALLY soon! (TOMORROW!)

They basically did the same thing when Fantasmc! was being installed. I want to say everything in that area was closed for at least 8-10 months. The entire Bear Country area was also closed during most of the construction of Splash Mountain. While at the time that was only one attraction and two food locations, still, you couldn't even get past Haunted Mansion at the time. And does anyone remember when most of Fantastyland was closed down for almost a year in the 80s when they did that re-do? Basically what I'm saying is that longer-term closures to build new rides/areas are not uncommon at the park. Remember, it's a REALLY SMALL park so construction can sometimes take up a lot of room. I'm sure it will be worth the wait...

RMC has sent us the updated and and official renders of their new roller coaster type! “Train design by Coaster-Lab”.

According to RCDB, the U-Shaped Coaster is now SBNO. Anyone know what happened?

I really wish people would stop saying "drought" because it makes us all look ignorant to the fact that Intamin builds more than just roller coasters. I fail to see it being a "drought" when some HUGE rides like Gringotts, Falcon's Fury, and The Orlando Eye have all opened in the last 18 months. And yes, you're right, buying habits HAVE changed. For Six Flags, let's not forget the financial mess they were in a few short years ago, and are still in today. Since 2012 Six Flags has only built the following "new" coasters: 2012 - Superman Ultimate Flight 2012 - X-Flight 2013 - YOLOCoaster 2014 - Goliath 2015 - Batman The Ride 2016 - Total Mayhem That's not a lot of business to give to ride manufacturers over the past few years. I also know that there was a mandate at Six Flags to go with US companies as often as they could due to the exchange rate so that would also explain why fewer European companies have been used and more US companies: Premier Rides, S&S, RMC, Sally Corp, Larson etc.... And how many "new" big coasters has Cedar Fair built in that time? 2012 - Leviathan 2013 - Gatekeeper 2013 - Coast Rider 2013 - Gold Striker 2014 - Wonder Mountain Guardian (which is a stretch) 2014 - Banshee 2015 - Fury 325 2016 - Valravn So more new construction than Six Flags, although a few pretty large ticket items. But nothing "risky" either. In fact, I'd call most of those fairly conservative and smart big investments. At the moment, Intamin is busy building crazy looking stuff in Germany, Turkey, China, UAE and working on record breaking rides in Spain and Abu Dhabi. Those are the kinds of rides that Intmain should be working on and that's just not what the US parks are buying right now. But I'm sure that will change...everything is cyclical.

Things... yes. Cheaper? Probably not. That's really all I can say.

Just because the restaurants are still open doesn't mean they haven't already purchased the land. The Polercoaster / Skyscraper / Mango's developers likely purchased all the land well before the project was even announced to get everything for the best price possible... if they were to announce the project and then attempt to purchase the land, the land owners would have demanded a higher premium on their land in order to get bought out. It's real estate development 101. The time it takes to go from open restaurant to completely demolished building and cleared land is less than 2 weeks. They are likely allowing the previous land owners to continue their operations up until construction is slated to begin. Also, from what has been released through various media outlets, all the funding for the project is in place, so it's not a matter of whether or not they have the money, just a matter of when they will officially begin construction. The delays to the project haven't been from a lack of funding, but rather them continuing to add to the scope of the project. Finally, just because S&S/Sansei were originally involved in the project doesn't mean they were funding it; it simply means they were contracted out to do the manufacturing. What likely happened is the Skyscaper/US Thrill Rides people sent out an RFP to several manufacturers and inevitably found a more attractive bidder (i.e. Intamin) and gave the contract to them. I will address this since I've been working with the builders directly. First off - they do have the money. They have more money than you can imagine. Money is NOT the issue. Secondly - Businesses have already been closed and the land has been purchased. The 7-11 on the corner was the first to go. The bowling alley, Galaxy Fun, the old Fun & Wheels site, etc, all those have been purchased and those businesses are now closed. They bought ALL THE PERKIN'S IN ORLANDO just so they could have that one on the corner. That's the kind of crazy money that's being thrown around here. All of those other restaurants on the land they need they now own and are getting lease payments from them. Lastly - They have said since the beginning that nothing would be done on the Skyplex site until Mango's across the street opens, and it's getting VERY close. Do I think that this project has a chance of being cancelled? Sure. Just like any other project. But I actually feel it has a much better chance of moving forward!

Ok, a few things to add here, mainly because I cannot stand threads like this where people who know very little about the industry are speculating on such huge things like "what ride manufacturers parks will and won't work with" which in almost every single case of one of these threads, everyone is wrong. Just going to put that out there! I cannot tell you how many times over the years I've heard "Six Flags will never work with Intamin again...", "Cedar Fair will never work with Intamin again..." only to, guess what? Have that same company people make these erroneous claims about open a series of new Intamin rides just a few years later. Anyone who makes this claim is 100%, absolutely WRONG! As far as an Intamin drought in the US? Um... 2012 - Lex Luthor Drop of Doom 2014 - Zumanjaro Drop of Doom 2014 - Harry Potter & the Escape from Gringotts 2014 - Falcon's Fury 2015 - The Orlando Eye Last time I checked, every one of those projects opened in the last few years and they are all VERY huge projects. Either being "world's tallest" or an "area's tallest" or a giant prototype, or a landmark, signature ride. So explain to me again how we have an "Intamin drought" in this country, which IMO every one of those attractions is a much higher profile item that almost anything that any other ride manufacturer has built in the US in the past couple of years. People seem to forget that companies like Intamin build projects OTHER than roller coasters, and "the amount of roller coasters that a company is building" is not, I repeat is NOT synonymous with that company's success! On another note about reliability and other "Intamin Issues" that people keep bringing up. Ugh...this is such an instantly STUPID argument!!! Let's not forget one thing... Intamin builds RISKY rides! That's just what they do. They build rides that other companies won't even touch. And when a park wants something that is different, unique, needs to really stand out, breaks records, and makes people go "wait...they are building...WHAT?!?!?" they go to Intamin! (Hello Falcon's Fury!) You want to play it a bit more "safe" with your project, you don't go to Intamin. And anyone who thinks that "Cedar Fair" or "Six Flags" is never going to work with them again is just ignorant on how this industry works. When you have 11 of the top 20 roller coasters in the world, and have broken most of the marketable records in the world say whatever you want about Intamin, they are the ones pushing the envelope more than anyone else at the moment. The only other company I see even giving them a run for their money is RMC. It's a shame it seems that Mitch isn't doing this poll anymore because it would be interesting to see how newer rides would stack up.

This is what we do also (about the parade.) We almost never watch the first parade, and usually our night ends up being: - Do some rides and candy and stuff during the first parade. - Castle Show - Fireworks - 2nd Parade - More rides and candy and stuff until we are kicked out! The worst part of the day is that 4-6pm time frame where MNSSHP ticket holders are allowed in early, but the day guests are still filtering out. That can be a mess sometimes. What we usually do is get there about 5pm and head straight to the back of the park where it tends to be a bit quieter, and then once all the candy locations and stuff open up, start to hit those ASAP!

Halloween is hands down my favorite season of the year! But I have to be honest, as much as I appreciate and like the traditional "scary" Halloween events like Horror Nights, Scary Farm, and Howl-O-Scream, I've always been a bit partial to the "family friendly" event at Magic Kingdom (please don't tell Universal!) There is something about the atmosphere that, for a totally non-scary, family environment, that just has a really fun, cool vibe to it. Maybe it's because it's one of the only times per year that adults can also dress up and be silly at the park, maybe it's the free candy, maybe it's the awesome fireworks & shows, I dunno...but I really REALLY like this event and it's probably tied with Food & Wine as my favorite seasonal event at Walt Disney World. We are planning on going multiple times this season, but here are the photos & video from the first week of the event! For more info and to buy tickets click: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/magic-kingdom/mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party/ Highlights from the shows and fireworks at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! Tonight we are Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! We have checked into the event and are ready to get to the park! Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is one of the few times a year kids & adults can dress up at Magic Kingdom! Waiting for the new Hocus Pocus show. The new Hocus Pocus castle show was amazing! Retro and cool! Fans of Hocus Pocus will be super impressed with the show! Characters and effects are AWESOME! Main Street looks amazing during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! The moment you hear the song you'll be singing it all night! Every year, the Haunted Mansion gravediggers always steal the show! The pirates are pretty cool, too! The “Boo To You” Parade is filled with awesome characters! Best parade! Hands down! I LOVE how they dress up Haunted Mansion during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party! Happy HalloWishes with it's "Fireworks all around you" is still one of the best fireworks shows I've ever seen! (Watch the video above!) Best part of Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party? FREE CANDY!!! Something else awesome about these special ticket events? No long lines for rides!!! The "treat trail" that goes from New Fantasyland to Tomorrowland is the best place for getting lots of candy! So much candy! Yes, of COURSE I had to get the new 2015 Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party limited edition MagicBand! Don't forget your Mickey's Not-So-Scary exclusive Sorcerer's card! The Halloween decorations around Magic Kingdom look fantastic at night! Great night at Not So Scary Halloween Party! We highly recommend & love this event!

Hey everyone! Here's some exciting news! Rocky Mountain has just sent us some renderings of a totally new roller coaster type they are producing. Here is what they told me about this prototype: I don't know about you, but this looks AWESOME!!! I love how innovative this company is being! Totally turning the industry on it's side!

Nope, sorry... I'm sure you'll have a great time though!

Last Friday night TPR attended the opening night and media event for Universal Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights 25! Take a look at some of the photos & video we tweeted and posted from the opening day! We plan to be back several times during the season so be sure to check our Twitter for more updates! Ready to experience HHN 25 with us at Universal Orlando? The crowds are building and ready for opening night! How cool is this Jack the Clown USB drive? What is your favorite HHN 25 icon? The Director is waiting for you! At HHN 25 you get creepy babies with your cotton candy! Time for questions and answers with John Landis and folks from The Walking Dead at Universal Orlando for HHN 25. The classic Halloween spookiness of the scare zones at HHN 25 Universal Orlando are amazing! The Bill & Ted stage this year at HHN 25 is very different! What pop culture icons will it have? Time to experience Insidious at HHN 25! I have a feeling we are going to be terrified! VIDEO! Insidious maze! Who is ready to join The Purge at HHN 25 with our New Founding Fathers? VIDEO! The Purge maze! Careful... You WILL get stabbed! The Purge was amazing at HHN 25. Best house of the night so far! Can anyone guess what movie this creature is from? RUN at HHN 25 is an awesome throwback to a "killer" 80s game show and this beauty is in it! Asylum in Wonderland 3-D really took the concept of 3-D houses to a new level. Amazing! Anytime you have Jason & Freddy in a maze, you know that's a huge win! VIDEO! Freddy Vs. Jason Maze! 25 Years of Monsters & Mayhem is amazing! Many references to years past and tons of scares. Some of you might recognize this guy! VIDEO! 25 Years of Monsters & Mayhem Maze! American Werewolf in London is back and looks creepier than ever! Don't let them get you! Body Collectors: Recollections wins the award for most scares of HHN 25 Universal Orlando Holy Crap! We close our our amazing night at HHN 25 at Universal Orlando with the iconic Mel's DIE-IN. What an amazing event! We also went back the next day for a bit more HHN 25! We are back at HHN 25 at Universal Orlando tonight! Which one of these houses should we do first? Who wants to take this bloody lady to the prom? Low wait times are a bonus of HHN 25 - Escape from Gringotts is a walk on! Asylum in Wonderland 3-D is quite possibly the most impressive 3-D maze ever! Loved the Jack USB drive that Universal Orlando gave us for HHN 25: An important part of HHN 25 is glowy drinks! This year is the Jack'd Up Carnage. Tastes like cinnamon! Should we journey into The Further with Insidious one more time? Thanks Universal Orlando for another great night of HHN 25. 1am or later close time every night rocks!

I have always found Magnum's airtime to be extremely painful and unpleasant. That being said, I actually don't find Skyrush's airtime painful at all.

I've had to spread out some of these videos due to a lot of Halloween stuff starting up this month, but here's our next one focusing on Magnum at Cedar Point:

Awesome! Thanks for the update!