robbalvey

Six Flags Over Texas Announces Major Expansion with 3 New Rides DC Universe Villains Help Boost Theme Park’s Coaster Resume Six Flags Over Texas, the Thrill Capital of Texas, in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment, today announced plans for an impressive expansion to the GOTHAM CITY section of the park that will include three new rides in 2016. The area will become the ultimate battle of BATMAN versus the Rogue’s Gallery of Super-Villains with the opening of The Riddler Revenge, Catwoman Whip, and Harley Quinn Spinsanity. These exhilarating rides will stand alongside MR. FREEZE: Reverse Blast giving guests an epic dose of villainous coasters after enjoying BATMAN™ The Ride in this portion of the park. “We are excited to offer our guests these premium attractions, thanks to our partnership with the popular DC Comics brand,” said Steve Martindale, Six Flags Over Texas park president. “These rides are an excellent addition to our already impressive line-up and the expansion of Gotham City will offer a uniquely villainous experience.” The Riddler Revenge, Catwoman Whip, and Harely Quinn Spinsanity will taunt and beckon guests as they make their way through Gotham City. Characteristic of The Riddler’s flamboyant and unpredictable style, the intriguing and oversized pendulum shaped ride — The Riddler Revenge — will send guests on a dizzying journey by swinging them back and forth while rotating counterclockwise. The ride will propel 40 riders at speeds of nearly 70 miles per hour higher and higher until they experience a feeling of weightlessness at 147 feet in the air. On Catwoman Whip, 48 riders, sitting in rows of two, will spin and tilt in a circular motion, building up speed as the ride whips around, mimicking its namesake. Harley Quinn Spinsanity will have riders spinning, twisting and swirling around and around in a thrilling and classic ride experience for the entire family. - See more at: https://www.sixflags.com/overtexas/attractions/new-2016/news-release#sthash.vQaQaY3n.dpuf

Both Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Mexico, in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment, will bring the next generation of interactive thrills to their parks with the debut of JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis. This immersive, 4D virtual reality-like ride was named by USA TODAY readers as one of the Top Ten New Amusement Park Attractions in 2015 and was most recently awarded Best New Attraction by Theme Park Insider. Guests become members of the JUSTICE LEAGUE Reserve Team and engage in a full-sensory journey as they battle alongside BATMAN™, SUPERMAN™, WONDER WOMAN and GREEN LANTERN against Lex Luthor, The Joker and his henchmen. Traveling in six-passenger vehicles, riders must outsmart the villains to save the city of Metropolis.

Calling All Members of the JUSTICE LEAGUE Reserve Team Six Flags Great America announces new thrill ride to save the city of Metropolis Six Flags Great America — in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment — today announced the next generation of interactive thrills with the debut of an all-new 4D interactive thrill ride, JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis. This amazing thrill ride was named by USA Today readers as one of the Top Ten New Amusement Park Attractions of the year and was most recently awarded Best New Attraction by Theme Park Insider. Slated to open at Six Flags Great America in 2016, guests will become members of the JUSTICE LEAGUE Reserve Team, and engage in a full-sensory journey as they battle alongside BATMAN™, SUPERMAN™, WONDER WOMAN and GREEN LANTERN against Lex Luthor, The Joker and his henchmen. Traveling in six-passenger vehicles, riders must outsmart Lex Luthor and The Joker and save the city of Metropolis. "Introducing an attraction that combines this level of technology and the iconic DC Comics characters will bring an unmatched, interactive experience to our guests in 2016," stated Hank Salemi, park president. "The addition of JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis is another example of our park’s commitment to delivering new and innovative thrills every year." JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis will feature: A 22,000 square foot HALL OF JUSTICE to house this full-sensory thrill ride; A 4D ride experience with wind, fire, mist and fog effects, plus life-like animatronic characters; A dramatic fight as the JUSTICE LEAGUE Reserve Team travels through laughing gas and flames in 10 high-intensity scenes; One of the first-ever virtual loops, giving riders the feeling of going head over heels; High definition 3D animation that fully immerses riders into the city of Metropolis; State-of-the-art gaming elements; 6-passenger vehicles with multi-degrees-of-freedom to transport riders through all the exciting twists and turns without limitations. JUSTICE LEAGUE: Battle for Metropolis is scheduled to open to the public at Six Flags Great America in the spring of 2016. For more information about upcoming 2016 Six Flags rides and attractions, including a video highlighting the new rides, visit http://www.sixflags.com/2016news. - See more at: https://www.sixflags.com/greatamerica/attractions/new-2016/news-release#sthash.coVXy57Z.dpuf

The World’s First Looping Coaster Is Getting Newly Designed Trains In 2016, Six Flags Magic Mountain will debut an all-new ride experience, The New Revolution. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the world's first looping coaster, we're refurbishing the coaster with new trains, special ride effects, and a new look. The New Revolution train will feature red, white, and blue colors with a silver eagle hood adornment on the cars. Newly designed trains will be fitted with lap and calf bars. The elimination of shoulder harnesses will give you a faster, smoother, sleeker ride with more airtime than you've ever experienced before. The New Revolution, the beloved steel roller coaster that has thrilled over 45 million guests in its 40-year reign at the park, will be repainted a brilliant white and blue color, while newly designed trains will be fitted with lap and calf bars, and feature Americana red, white and blue colors with a silver eagle hood adornment. For coaster fans, the elimination of shoulder harnesses will provide a smoother, sleeker ride experience with more airtime. With its new trains and makeover, The New Revolution will also feature: - The world’s first giant loop – 90 feet high and 45 feet in diameter - Fast and furious dips and dives, built into the park’s lush hillsides - Speeds of 55 mph - Two minutes of thrills on 3,457 feet of track. The original Revolution steel coaster opened on May 8, 1976 as the Great American Revolution, in honor of the country’s bicentennial celebration. Its farewell run will occur on September 7, 2015 after which the transformation will begin. - See more at: https://www.sixflags.com/magicmountain/attractions/new-2016/facts#sthash.9QqQKlUJ.dpuf

Wood Meets Steel in New Joker Ride Coming to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Thrilling New Hybrid Coaster, The Joker, Coming to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in 2016 VALLEJO, Calif. — September 3, 2015 — In Spring 2016, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom will open the most-anticipated new roller coaster in Northern California in over 10 years, The Joker. This state-of-the-art extreme coaster will be the “must ride” coaster of the season, adding to the park’s status as Northern California’s most thrilling theme park. “The Joker will be the most talked about new coaster in 2016,” said Don McCoy, park president. “We are excited to introduce this innovative technology that marries the best of both classic and modern coaster designs to offer our guests an unparalleled and unique experience.” The Joker ride is the second DC Comics-themed attraction at the park after SUPERMAN™ Ultimate Flight opened in 2012 and the villainous character’s personality is evident in the coaster’s chaotic twists and turns, including a first ever “step-up under-flip inverted roll” that takes riders horizontal. The Joker ride also features the ultimate “fake-out” with a unique breaking wave turn, the only one of its kind on the West Coast. Additional highlights of The Joker ride include: · 3,200 feet of dual-colored purple and green track; · A wild Zero G barrel roll; · 3 inversions; · 15 extreme airtime moments; and · Maximum speeds of 53 mph. The Joker ride is being transformed from what was the park’s iconic and traditional wooden coaster, Roar, which closed on August 16, 2015. The Joker ride is scheduled to open in Spring 2016. For more information about upcoming 2016 Six Flags rides and attractions, including a video highlighting the new rides, visit http://www.sixflags.com/2016news. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom is also announcing the start of 2016 Season Pass sales with its special Flash Sale through Labor Day weekend featuring the best deal of the year – savings up to 65% off on 2016 Passes! September 3 through 7, guests will receive a free upgrade to a Gold Season Pass with every Pass purchased. Gold Season Passes include admission to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and any other Six Flags theme park, as well as free parking and special admission offers for friends. 2016 Season Passes provide unlimited visits any operating day for the rest of 2015, including park admission to Fright Fest®, Holiday in the Park® and all of 2016. Passholders may also purchase a Gold Season Dining Pass, which includes a lunch, dinner and snack during every park visit, plus they will receive a 2016 All Season Sport Bottle for unlimited drink refills. Gold Season Dining Passes may be used at any Six Flags theme park. Follow Six Flags Discovery Kingdom on Facebook and Twitter @sixflagsdk.

^ This.

Total Mayhem Will Ensue in 2016 Six Flags Great Adventure to Debut the Most Insane Coaster in Its History JACKSON, N.J. ─ September 3, 2015 ─ Six Flags Great Adventure will dominate as the king of chaos in 2016 when the world’s largest theme park debuts the 14th and most unique scream machine in its history, Total Mayhem. After being lifted straight up a 12-story, 90-degree hill, this 4-D, free-fly coaster will wreak havoc as riders flip head-over-heels at least six times along the weightless journey. Thrill seekers will experience exhilarating leaps and dives along a horizontal plane, along with unexpected drops as they tumble from one level to the next. The wing seats amp up the pandemonium since riders will experience all of this chaos with no track above or below – just the sky, ground and adjacent Great Lake churning around them. "We are thrilled to unveil one of the newest concepts in roller coaster engineering with Total Mayhem,” said Park President John Fitzgerald. “Six Flags Great Adventure’s world-renowned coaster collection will expand into the realm of insanity – or spinsanity – with this new, vertical coaster that delivers gravity-defying somersaults with utter unpredictability. It is the perfect addition to our dynamic line-up of award-winning roller coasters because this ride delivers next generation, cutting-edge thrills.” The unique design of Total Mayhem features: Massive, imposing, floating and twisting I-box track frame in a unique two-tone design One-of-a-kind onboard magnetic technology featuring smooth head-over-heels free-fly flips providing guests the feeling of weightlessness as they soar outside the confines of a traditional track 4-D wing vehicles that seat up to 8 per vehicle with a total of 5 vehicles Face-off seats that allow riders to face each other as they tumble head over heels A 120-foot-tall, 90-degree hill that is ascended by an elevator-style, chain link lift Two beyond 90-degree “raven” drops giving the sensation of free-falling Total Mayhem is expected to ensue spring 2016, and joins the ranks of legendary roller coasters like El Toro, Kingda Ka, Nitro and 2015’s El Diablo. For more information about upcoming 2016 Six Flags rides and attractions, including a video highlighting the new rides and attractions, visit http://www.sixflags.com/2016news.

Let's be honest, at a park like Great Adventure, does "theming" really come into play? Enough to really make someone "disappointed?" Really??? I mean, what is El Toro themed to? What is Kingda Ka themed to? What is Zumanjaro themed to? What is Nitro themed to? And most importantly... WHO CARES?!?!? Even the Batman, Green Lantern, Bizarro, etc, rides, you're looking at minimal theming that is mostly cut-outs and a few statues. Does the theming really affect those rides...AT ALL!!?!?!

What's so insanely stupid about this is it's just history repeating itself. Example: remember how much everyone bitched about Tempesto for MONTHS....seriously, that BGW thread was nothing but complaints about the ride, the size of the ride, the capacity, the lines, the color, the theming, etc, etc, for MONTHS and then it opened and guess what? People loved it and you don't hear any complaining about it anymore. FFS people. Shut the hell up. Wait until the official announcement, and like, you don't have to be "happy" about it if you really feel that strongly about it, but at least go out and ride the damn thing and give it a chance before you waste pages and pages and pages of internet space making pointless comments. There, I've said it... ps. And as obnoxious and poorly worded as I found chickenbowl's comments to be, at least he's ridden the damn ride. The rest of you? You're just being annoying.

OMG, did someone just make a sensible post amongst all this CRAP? How is that possible??? I didn't get to ride the SFFT version this year, but I will be making it out to Great Adventure this year, I'm really psyched about the possibility of one of these coming to the east coast.

Dumbest post of the night!

Agreed. If this does turn out to be real, seriously WTF is wrong with all of you?!?!? Nothing but GOOD THINGS.... no... AWESOME THINGS have been said about the SFFT version. Maybe you guys need a few more spins on your super loop to knock some sense into all of you.

I can tell you that I am on the embargo list and we have not received the materials yet. So we will just have to wait and see if this is real or not.

Interesting that they chose a hotel so far away from the park...

Woah, check out this really screwed up story... http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2015/09/01/north-texas-man-sentenced-to-17-years-in-prison-for-fictional-disney-scheme/ North Texas Man Sentenced To 17+ Years For Fictional Disney Scheme SHERMAN (CBSDFW.COM) – A 35-year-old Plano man has been sentenced to federal prison for defrauding investors. Thomas W. Lucas, Jr., was convicted on Feb. 13, 2015, of seven counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to the FBI and was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison Tuesday. According to information presented in court, from 2006 to 2010, Lucas devised and executed an elaborate scheme to defraud approximately 280 investors out of approximately $20 million by telling them he had insider information regarding a Walt Disney resort and theme parks planned for the North Texas area. Lucas’s scheme to defraud solicited two types of investors – those that invested in options to purchase land supposedly near the Walt Disney property and those that actually purchased land supposedly near the Walt Disney property. While information presented in Court showed tens of millions of dollars more were raised based on Lucas’s fraudulent Disney information, the value of the land purchased was subtracted to determine the overall loss amount of approximately $20 million. The 65 investors that invested in options to purchase land lost all of their money invested, which was slightly over $8 million, and received no interest in land. According to Lucas, the Disney Resort and Theme Park was originally set to be called, “The King Ranch Project,” but that changed in 2007 to “Frontier Disney DFW,” both of which were fabricated. Disney witnesses, including Disney’s then Chairman of Parks and Resorts and executive assistants, testified at the trial that the information presented to investors by Lucas was not authentic and that Disney never had any intentions of opening a Disney resort and theme park in north Texas at any time. Lucas pocketed approximately $450,000 from fees and commissions gleaned from the various land deals closed on his fraudulent Disney information. When confronted by the FBI about the scheme, Lucas falsely blamed the Disney information on a man he had previously met at a methadone rehabilitation clinic, who is now deceased. Lucas was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sep. 11, 2013. Lucas was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $8,456,360.00 to the investors who invested in options to purchase land, and was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Another article: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/crime/headlines/20150901-plano-man-gets-stiff-sentence-in-disney-fraud-land-scheme.ece SHERMAN — A Plano man who swindled investors with a fake story about a Disney theme park coming to North Texas was sentenced Tuesday to 171/2 years in federal prison. Thomas W. Lucas Jr., 35, was convicted by a jury in February of seven federal counts of wire fraud and one count of lying to the FBI. Lucas claimed a Disney source tipped him off about the theme park, and he used the hoax to get people to invest in land — which garnered him large commissions. U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant said Lucas’ actions “caused a lot of damage to a lot of people,” and the judge doled out a punishment that was at the very top of the sentencing guideline range. He also ordered Lucas to pay $8.4 million in restitution. “I see no remorse whatsoever,” Mazzant said Tuesday. Lucas read a brief statement in which he said he was “heartbroken and ashamed” about how his actions hurt those he loves. His defense attorney, Marlo Cadeddu, sought a new trial Monday, saying newly discovered evidence appeared to implicate her client’s recently deceased uncle. Other evidence cast doubts on the credibility of one of the government’s witnesses, she said. Mazzant will rule on that motion later. Federal prosecutors said Lucas profited from his lie about a “Frontier Disney DFW” theme park that was to be built near Celina. He forged official-looking Disney letters and altered maps and photographs that he claimed were given to him by his secret Disney source. The material, which he used in presentations, was intended to trick investors into buying land in rural Collin and Denton counties that they hoped to flip to developers for a profit after the Disney announcement. Lucas’ scheme defrauded about 280 investors out of about $20 million from 2006 to 2010, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Texas. Investors included former SMU basketball star Jon Koncak. Lucas earned more than $448,000 in sales commissions and fees on the land deals, prosecutors said. He spent some of that money on a lavish 2007 London vacation during which he was chauffeured around town, dined at celebrity hangouts, shopped at high-end stores and went nightclubbing with VIP treatment. The trip cost more than $37,000. Much of the money lost was due to risky option contracts. Under those agreements, investors controlled the land for a fee, but for only a short time period, such as 60 to 90 days. If they didn’t close on the due date or pay for an extension, they lost the money. The 65 investors who purchased options lost all of their money, which came to slightly more than $8 million, the U.S. attorney’s office said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Eason said the defense tried to make it seem like the investments were geared toward the future extension of the Dallas North Tollway in that area. But the draw all along, he said, was Disney. He said one of the duped investors had hoped to establish a trust fund for his autistic son. His money is all gone, Eason said. Cadeddu said in court and in filings that some investors not only didn’t lose money but stand to profit eventually when their land is sold, based on current sales prices in the area. One investor, John Lucas, who is no relation to the family, said he saw a big change in Thomas Lucas during the time he was attending Bible study behind bars. He said Thomas Lucas can contribute to society in many ways. “This young man’s heart is pure,” he said. But another investor, James Dean, told the judge that Lucas is arrogant and had only contempt for those who raised questions about the Disney investment. “Thomas Lucas is a pathological liar,” Dean said. “He has no remorse.” Dean said he lost a lot of money and friends due to Lucas, whom he vouched for many times. “You lose faith in your fellow man,” Dean said.

I have just sent an email out to everyone who is on our list for the event after yet ANOTHER email was just sent to us asking questions that are already answered. If you didn't get the email, check your spam folder. Please only email me if you checked all your various email addresses that you could have registered with, spam folders, and such and you still do not find an email with the subject "A quick note about West Coast Bash..." We only have FOUR PEOPLE who did not pay for their tickets and they received the "your tickets are cancelled" email. So if you didn't get the "your tickets are cancelled" email, assume your tickets are just fine and will be waiting for you at check in next weekend. Sorry if it sounds like my patience is running thin this year, but I just don't know what has happened to humanity. We have received by far more emails asking questions that are answered or people who cannot do simple things like "Use PayPal" or "Mail a check" than ever before. I'm sorry guys, as much as I wish I had the time to walk you through where to put a stamp on an envelope (seriously this was asked) we are very busy doing things that will hopefully in turn benefit all of you and everyone on the site. Thanks for your understanding! --Robb ps. We also have had two email bounces from people who looked like they spelled their email address wrong TWICE in both the email and confirm email boxes. *sigh*

Please note - It is not necessary to email us asking about your tickets. If you purchased tickets via PayPal, you should have a receipt from PayPal. If you paid with Check you should have gotten an email from us if we DID NOT receive your check. Also, please READ... Again PLEASE READ our event FAQ page! So many of the questions we are getting have already been answered on the FAQ page. Which is the reason why it's posted. Every time someone sends me an email asking a question that is already answered is less time I get to spend on the actual event itself and I'm sure we all want the event to be awesome, which means being able to spend as much time as possible NOT answering questions that are already answered is going to be very helpful. Thank you! http://www.themeparkreview.com/store/index.php?productID=211 FAQs - Q: What do I need to do to attend this event? A: Simply register online and your event packets, tickets, and other information will be available the morning of the event. Nothing will be mailed to you. You must pick up your tickets at the event. - Q: Will you have onsite event registration? A: Sorry, but no tickets will be available during morning check in. TICKETS WILL BE LIMITED so register NOW. - Q: How do I buy more than one ticket? There is no place for "Quantity" in the store? A: Click add to cart twice. - Q: Do you have to be a member of TPR to buy a ticket? A: Yes. You need to either be a member of Club TPR (Paid membership) or a member of the TPR Forum (Free Membership). - Q: I cannot make it to the park before check-in ends or I need to leave before evening ERT, can I still attend the event if I cannot make the entire day? A: Yes, you may arrive after check-in ends. Your event packet will be left at will call or guest relations under the name of the person who registered. If you need to leave before evening ERT, you may do so, but we hope you can stay because it will be amazing! Please note there are NO REFUNDS given if you cannot make the event. - Q: How old do you have to be to attend this event? A: There is no age limit for this event. We will have members as young as KidTums and as old as Jeff Johnson! - Q: When will the final event schedule be released? A: I'll try to get something posted a couple of weeks before the event, but I will also email you all the details a few days prior. Expect the event to start about 90 minutes to two hours prior to park opening, and last about an hour to and hour to two hours after park closing. (Check the parks website for their schedule) - Q: What does "ERT" or "Exclusive Ride Time" mean? A: ERT means that the rides and attractions listed during those times on the schedule are open ONLY to attendees of this event. - Q: Can I apply the cost of my event ticket towards a season pass? A: In the past, our host parks have allowed members to do this. I would imagine it would be the same this year, although we have not heard anything officially. - Q: What is your refund policy? A: Once you have paid for an event ticket, there are NO REFUNDS. You are welcome to try to sell your ticket to another member, but it would not be possible to refund tickets. - Q: If I am mailing in a check, when do you need the payment by? A: AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! Until your ticket is "paid", you technically do not have tickets to this event. If the event sells out due to other members who have paid up for their tickets, we cannot guarantee you a spot. The best advice we can give you is pay via PayPal, or drop your check in the mail immediately. - Q: Does this event price include admission to the park? A: If you are a season pass holder, your season pass serves as your park admission. If you are a non-season passholder, you will be given a park admission ticket for the event day. - Q: Is the parking fee included? A: Expect to pay for parking on the day of the event. On occasion, a host park has not charged the parking fee for our members and should be considered a "bonus" if this happens during the event. Please note that if you are allowed to park for free in the morning, you may be required to pay for parking if you leave the park and come back later in the day. - Q: Does this event price include airfare, transportation, or hotel lodging? A: No. - Q: What if I'm an employee of the park, do I have to pay for admission? A: If you work for the park and you get admission included as part of your employment benefits, then choose the season pass price and use your employee ID to enter the park. - If you have any questions about registration you may email robbalvey@themeparkreview.com

Roller coasters also don't explode into a ball of fire, but they did in the original RCT games!

We have a few cancelled tickets that we just put back in the system. About 5 tickets left for the SFMM day ONLY! http://www.themeparkreview.com/store/index.php?categoryID=22

Classic, legendary, and historical rides coming to the TPR YouTube Channel & Facebook page! Now that school is back in and summer is almost officially over, TPR is going to take a look at some of the rides that changed amusement park history, created landmark attractions for parks, and broke new records! Starting this Saturday and throughout the month of September we'll have new videos showcasing some classic rides from Arrow Dynamics & Schwarzkopf, and some of the most popular modern day rides from Intamin & B&M! We'll start this Saturday, September 5th with a look at Loch Ness Monster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg! One of the most classic & legendary Arrow Dynamics rides and we'll even feature a little bit of the history of this landmark attraction! Be sure to check out our YouTube channel this weekend! Thank you to everyone for your support!

Suggestion: No one knows what #TCT2015 is and there wasn't any description in your title about what this is or what parks it even includes. If you want people to read your trip reports, you really should say what it is.

West Coast Bash tickets have SOLD OUT! Thank you everyone for your support! See you at the event!

Just stared playing Story of Seasons. Been years since I played a "Harvest Moon" game and I love it! I will be playing this for a very long time I can tell...

Vomiting multiple times. What's worse than not being able to find your penis?

^ We expect a full trip report!