robbalvey

Welcome to the forum! You should probably read this thread before doing anything else: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=31454 --Robb

Patience please!!!! There will be more updates soon! If someone would be so kind to post Mogan's video. Thank you! --Robb

Today's Dollywood installment features the new "SkyZip" attraction which is VERY similar to some of those "Canopy Tours" or "Zip Line" tours we've done on the cruise ship. Dollywood's version has four zip lines, all of which looks VERY high and very long. The price for this zip line attraction is a $40 upcharge (which is actually a good deal compared to the $80 - $100 cruise ship versions). While operations were a bit slower then the cruise ship versions (remember, this isn't Mexico where they can just throw you down the wires as quickly as possible), the thrill factor is still the same and quite high! Once you get over how tall the zip lines are (unless you are deathly scared of heights) you quickly realize this is far more "fun" than it is "scary." Anyway, onto some photos... The 2009 TPR Dollywood SkyZip Team!!!! SHOW OFF!!!! "Oh, do NOT take a picture with MY camera!!! NOT COOL! NOT COOL!!!!" "Is it just me or is a giant cloud about to attack me?" MAN DOWN!!!! MAN DOWN!!!! "Oh, COME ON! Stop looking at my JUNK!!!" Yes, this IS the face of someone who "crapping their pants!" "I think I can see my dad..." "How far do we gotta walk?" Wow, from up here you get some amazing shots of Tennessee Tornado! "Hi Adam! How's it going?" "And our next event...BOCCE!!!" Martin seems to have some issues trying to land. It's ok. We still love him! That tag reads "Do not TOUCH. Don't even THINK about touching. Just walk away...go...keep walking...very good..." "I was told I had the perfect butt for fitting in the harness...so check it out world...the Ass of Perfection!" "C-Can you please not post this to the internet? I don't want Cheryl to see how I'm being suited up. Wait, you're going to post this aren't you? C'mon, man! What can I do for you to make you not post this? Huh? What was that? Wait...Really? You want me to do THAT? Um, yeah, go ahead and post this picture...I'm not doing THAT...even if I had a midget...I'm not doing THAT! Check out how big my "equipment" is! "Eat Hot Death Evil Wipeout Twin!!!" This actually gives you an idea of how tall the zip line really is. Yeah... Why does everyone look the same with their helment and harness? "Hello world. Don't judge me by my helmet!" "I am totally soiling my plaid shorts right now!" "Wheeee! This is nothing!" Here is one of the platforms where they attach you to the zip line and throw you off! Elissa's a pro having done this many times before! The SkyZip registration center is located just past River Battle.

I am going to try to make event packets available at Will Call, but I don't have that sorted out. So if you want to come for just part of the day, you would be able to. It would still be the same price, though. --Robb

Just wait until the newbies on the Texas Trip hear it for the first time tomorrow! The Snack Song really is the epitome of "perfect." The people who are tortured by it are equally as entertaining as the ones who love it and clap along. It will forever be a part of TPR Trips! --Robb

GOOD NEWS EVERYONE!!! I have just got word from Lo-Q (the company that supplies Flash Pass) that the Flash Pass system will be 50% of during Bay Area Bash! So if you want to get a Flash Pass (Q-Bot) all you need to do is go to the Flash Pass office and show your Bay Area Bash Credentials (You'll have either a wristband or lanyard) and you will receive 50% off your Flash Pass purchase! If you haven't used this fantastic virtual queue system yet, now is your chance to try it out! And if you haven't registered for the event yet, you can do so here: http://www.themeparkreview.com/store/index.php?productID=45 --Robb

I'm not sure I understand the anti-skillet comments. I mean, I had from the skillets a Philly Cheesesteak sandwhich and the chicken fajitas. Ok, sure, these are not the OMFG BEST of the two types of food I have ever had...but at a THEME PARK...absolutely! And trust me, I've eaten food at hundreds of parks all over the world, and I'm not sure many parks can compare to the overall quality of Dollywood. I would really challenge someone to find me BETTER quick-service, walk-up food stand options at another park. --Robb "I can only think of Epcot's Food & Wine Festival..." Alvey

He's probably just jealous he's not going! He doesn't realize that TPR knows what it's doing and gets Gold Qbots and ERT.

Next up - DOLLYWOOD! These Dollywood updates will have to be done in several parts because there is just so much to tell about our visit! Overall, it was freaking AMAZING! Let's see - ERT on four coasters (Mystery Mine, Thunderhead, Tennessee Tornado, Blazin' Fury), backstage tour of Blazin' Fury and Mystery Mine, VIP seating for Sha-Kon-O-Hey with a Q&A session with the show's writer, a FANTASTIC meal at Ogle's Ham & Beans, Q-Bots, and more!!! Words cannot describe how amazing our visit to Dollywood was so hopefully these pictures will be a sufficient job... And now it's time to queue up our Q-Bot and head to the next attraction! (So easy to use even KidTums reserves our rides for us!) More Dollywood coming very soon!!! And KidTums even drew this one herself! This is the TPR "Happy Chainsaw!" There is so many random little things to do at Dollywood. We dipped candles, make sand bottles, and even...yes...baked Shrinky Dinks!!! I won't give away too much of what happens here, but things really start flying at this part of the show! Jumpy, Jump. Jump. Jump.... Jump. Sha-Kon-O-Hey was filled with axe-throwing, house jumping, crazy acrobatics and a story about the great smokey mountains and the people who live there. The songs were actually written by Dolly Parton herself! Just in case you forgot the name of the show, there is a sign for it. Chop up your onion, add some pepper sauce, and you are good to eat! "You can't get a more traditional smokey mountains meal than this!" And then, you guessed it...a plate of ham and beans! First up was warm, fresh cornbread... Our lunch was at this awesome place - Granny Ogle's Ham & Beans. Cinnamon Bread...ATTACK!!!! Here is where the Cinnamon bread is born. Go here. Buy three loaves and eat them all! This is the Cinnamon bread found at the Grist Mill. If you visit Dollywood, you MUST get one of these! Not getting one is NOT an option!!!! Elissa's tongue likes the cheese! "I'll have 6,000 chicken fajitas, please." Dollywood food rule #1 - "If it's cooked in a giant skillet, it's going to be AMAZING!" Did we mention that Dollywood has some of the best park food in the world? "I don't care about Dan...River Battle was awesome!" River Battle is NOT a "Dan Friendly Attraction." Who would have ever thought that this little attraction where you move the discs from one part of the stream to the other would be the BEST KIDS ATTRACTION ever!!! If you want to come and hang out, or in this case rock out, Dollywood is the place to do it. Dolly fans approve of her big loops! GIANT LOOPS!!! Next up - a little bit of ERT on Tennessee Tornado! Snoring...for the win! TPR and track. So very nerdy...so totally awesome! Mine shaft #1 - Side view! Pete Owens takes us through Mystery Mine and tells us everything we'd want to know about the ride. Up the first shaft! It's like a giant meat tenderizer. Expect with people. What exactly is "Dolly Fog Juice???" Noooo! Do not send the train!!! Ice Bat fully approves of Mystery Mine backstage tour! *Something* happens up there...but we aren't going to tell you what! The Byra...I mean the Adam and Bryan show check out the inner workings of Mystery Mine! For lunch...COASTER WHEELS!!! (with a side of grease) NERD SHOT!!! Here is the transfer track area where they store the cars that aren't currently being used in operation. Here is TPR in the maintenance bay checking out how they do repairs on the ride vehicles. We start our Dollywood visit going behind the scenes at Mystery Mine.

Rampage ERT tonight was one of the most OMFG intense TPR Trip ERTs ever!!!!

I noticed that also, the pole has clearly been replaced, as that ornamental ball that Elissa was rubbing against is not part of this pole. The base of the pole had stuff added to it. --Robb

EDIT! This just in! I had been told that Brook (dcody) took a Carowinds picture with an ass cheeck in each state, but I never saw the photo in all the memory cards we collected. I checked again tonight and I found the pic!!! So now you have to add #10 to the decision process and re-vote! Go back and check out the other photos: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=779182#779182 And tell us what picture you vote for! --Robb Brook's ass cheecks - one in each state!

I'm working on another update now, but just sooo many photos to sort through! We ended up having a backstage tour of both Mystery Mine and Blazin' Fury; ERT on Tennesse Tornado, Mystery Mine, and Thunderhead; VIP seating at Sho-Kan-Oh-Hey with a Q&A session featuring the writer of the show, and FANTASTIC ham and beans lunch (yes you read that right) so I have litterally THOUSANDS of photos to sort through from Dollywood! Update will come soon I swear! --Robb

Ready for another Deep South Trip update? That's right! It's time for CAROWINDS!!! The text version of this update will be short because it's late and I need to get to bed, but I just wanted to send a huge THANK YOU out to the crew at Carowinds for hosting a great day for us! We started out with some ERT on Afterburn (Thanks Pufferfish for dispatching us), and then onto Nighthawk, Carolina Cobra, Vortex, and the Carolina Goldrusher. That's right *FIVE* coaster for ERT!!! And on top of that we did the Scooby Doo dark ride challenge (to which Martin proved to be the sharpshooter of the group!) Anyway, we had a great day. Onto the photos... #9 - And finally TPR points to their favorite Carolina. VOTE NOW! Thank you again to Carowinds for a GREAT DAY! #8 - Robb recreates the "Classic Elissa Photo!" #7 - Stefanie and Wagner across two states. #6 - Nay recreates the "Classic Elissa Photo!" #5 - The...um...Adam and Bryan show? (Adam is standing on the left!) #4 - A Threesome across two states. #3 - Nick and KerryB in ACTION!!! #2 - Chick cut in half by the stateline pole. #1 - Random group of sad people. And now...Ice Bat presents the "Most Insane NC/SC Photo" contest. Simply respond with the photo you like the best and the winner will receive something random from Dave's office! Yup, Mr. Bee Mouth Jaw Guy won the challenge! (Thanks Dani for setting that up!) RANDOM GROUP PHOTO #2!!! Drop Tower...yup! But it sure looks purdy! Yeah, it lost the giant orb thing... Borg ASSimilator got the "Nighthawk" treatment during the off-season. RANDOM GROUP PHOTO #1 Woah...what's this with Adam in the front seat...WITH A GIRL (oh, sorry, that's his wife) and Bryan takes the BACK SEAT to Adam? hmm... The man in this picture who is trying to catch bees in his mouth may be the winner of this challenge. Or he could just have a serious problem with his jaw. Who knows. Elissa says "I have a green gun and I don't like beans!" And now...for SCOOBY DOO CHALLENGE!!!!! (No bee keepers or their bees were harmed during the Scooby Doo Challenge) You can only ride this coaster if you are at least 36 inches tall, but less than 40", or have an adult, or have ridden a pogo stick in the last 27 minutes, and are holding two monkeys and a flamingo, and the flamingo's name must be "Harold", and a bee keeper had recently attacked you with a multi-purpose spoon. KidTums credit!!!! My "sources" tell me this is a 4-across, prototype looping Vekoma woodie. Anyone hear something different? I have always wanted to know who invented liquid soap, and why. Hmm...there seems to be a lot of dirt here. Oh, yeah, don't let me forget to give a shout out to our favorite Carowinds ride op, Pufferfish! That's right! Now you can ride a Boomerang without having to worry about bashing your head into small peices of floating goo. Yeah, but have you see one with trains like this? Noooooo! So you might be thinking "Yeah, I've seen Boomerangs before, what's the big deal?" That's right! Caroline Cobra! The best named Boomerang EVAR!!! (no, really, we actually think it's great and has a kick ass logo too!) "Ok TPR! Are you ready for the most awesome coaster in the Carolinas?" Oh! Its from FIGHTER JETS! I get it now... TPR agrees. We like B&M inverts whose name comes eating too many Buffalo Wild Wings! After Burn is actually one of the better B&M inverts. Our day started out with some ERT on Top Gu....err...Flight Dec....Err...After Burn. Yeah, that's it! A few years ago we went to Carowinds and this photo of Elissa's boobs, one in each state, was created. It is STILL to this day the BEST PHOTO EVER POSTED TO TPR! EDIT!!! #10 - Brooke's (dcody) ass cheecks - one in each state.

Yes it does! This little coaster reminds me a lot of Hi Miler. Got that same wicked tight turns and come-out-of-nowhere ejector airtime. And yeah I've been wearing Sketchers for about 10 years now. Not a Nike fan at all. Totally over rated and very over priced for basically a Payless shoestore shoe. We are at Dollywiod today. Has a backstage tour of mystery mine which totally rocked!

Our official Day One - DIXIELAND!!! Ok, so Dixieland isn't a big park by any means, but this place is a TON 'O FUN! It's like "perfect family entertainment center." There's a great indoor area for birthday parties, games, kids play area and a great arcade. Outside you've got a pretty insane Miler medium-sized coaster, an AWESOME zipline attraction (and yes it's included), an S&S Screaming Swing (also included!), and lots of other flats. It's one of those parks where you can either go grab the credit and be done in 20 minutes or you can go with a good group and have an awesome time! Photos and stuff... We love it! (I didn't know Shane was on this trip!) Are you ready for that double dip? FIRST CREDIT OF THE TRIP! YAY!!! "Raise your hands....if you're SURE!" These men are BRAVE!!! This little Miler coaster will bounce you out of your seat more than you think it will! Don't be fooled by it's cute, tiny little size. We are Dixieland. You can tell because of the sign. If you don't believe me...go to the website! We end the night with the BIG SHABOOZIE IN THE SKY!!! Here it Tyler! THE BIG SHABOOZIE!!! Hey, what's with this little stuff? We need BIG ASS EXPLOSIONS!!! Oh, good...fireworks are still open...gee...I wonder if we should blow some stuff up? Our first trip to McDonalds included some bonus Taco Bell! Um, this park really needs to do something about their plastic spider problem. "Mommy! When can I get my NRA card?" KidTums! NO DEAL!!! NO DEAL!!! TPR Grand Prix! Part Deux! Look Ma! We swapped shoes! It's like we're married! PIZZA!!!! I like pizza...nom, nom, nom... DDR Stage! YES!!! Best restrooms sign ever! Bonus points for classic video games! "I BELIEVE I CAN FLY!!!" Did we mention they have a full sized zip line INCLUDED at the park? Approved by the Rays! No, it really IS the Scream "N" Swing! Scream'n Swing anyone? TAKE YOUR RAP BATTLE TO ALABAMA WHERE IT BELONGS!!! Looks like Tyler is getting REAMED! FRESNONIAN RAP BATTLE!!! IN GEORGIA!!! Wait, what is this? Adam on the left side? Is this a change to the "Adam and Bryan Show???" Pee Stream = LOSER!!! Super Soaker vs. Weak Pee Stream DIE!!! DIE!!! DIE!!! Wait...am I seeing this correctly? They have given Robb a SUPER SOAKER!!! "Please target everyone ELSE!" "UNACCEPTABLE AMOUNT OF WETNESS!!!" Dave goes in for the kill. It is now time for the TPR Bumper Boats take over!

Yes, that was actually the joke.

Hey everyone! We made it to Atlanta!!!! Today was our "Arrival Day" which meant many of us were dealing with Redeye flights and jet lag. We took it easy and just hung out at some of the Atlanta touristy attractions - World of Coke, Georgia Aquarium, and then a Waffle House take over. Photos? You bet! Day Zero - Georgia Aquarium & World of Coke Day One - Dixieland and FIREWORKS!!! Day Two - Carowinds & A Photo Contest! Day Three - Dollywood Part 1 Day Three - Dollywood Part 2 - SkyZip! Day Three - Dollywood Part 3 - Blazin' Fury Tour! Day Four - Time in Pigeon Forge! Day Five - Lake Winnie Photos & Cannonball Video! Day 5, Part 2 - Alabama Adventure & Rampage Video! Day 6 - Six Flags Over Georgia - Photos and FIVE videos!!! And yes, this update has been brought to you by amazing, heart stopping, Rich Friendly, delicious, refreshing Coca-Cola! "...about halfway up the shaft there was a horrific bang!" WAFFLE HOUSE TAKE OVER!!! Waffle House and McDonald's together! The only better combo would be an Intamin woodie and a porn shop! Next stop...Alton Brown's house! Well, not really...but we wish! "Smell Me!!!" In the Coke store you can buy lots of delicious, refreshing Coke stuff. OMG!!! THE LIPS FURRIES ARE ATTACKING! Kinky in England! Oh, yeah! "Even though this stuff tastes like the inside of a rectal thermometer, and Robb made me drink it, I still love him!" "Did I just drink stomach bile?" "I'm just going to vomit..." "I'm not sure if I should laugh or vomit!" Eli takes the drink... Now the time has come...BEVERLY!!! Wait, never mind, this is like hot wild sex with hot barely legal teenage girls! This was like liquid sex. "Delaware Punch???" In HONDURAS?!?!? Fanta Apple...YUM! This is the heart of World of Coke. Samples of random Coke products from all over the world. And yes, you all know what is coming! "Hi there I'm slightly creepy, but totally awesome!" This was one of the most awesome costume character we ever saw! Eyes open and closed, mouth moved, head moved, etc, etc. Yes, the entire Deep South Trip is brought to you by refreshing, delicious Coca-Cola. It's even refreshing in Pakistan. And now...the world of refreshing Coca-Cola. We shared some very special moments in the "fondle pond!" "Hi, Rich, how's it going?" OMG! It's a multi-purpose spoon! You can do SO MANY things with this spoon! Apparently the fork only had one purpose though. Why didn't it called the Shark Whale? This really was a seriously kick a$$ aquarium too. Some of the nicest exhibits of fish and random ocean stuff we've ever seen. No, really, it's a **BIG** EFFING FISH!!! This is the world's biggest fish. It's called a "Whale Shark." Because the gene splicing fish scientists couldn't agree on what it is, so they called it a Whale Shark. Next they will make a Cat Pig! That's right REAL BIG FISH! (pun intended) The Georgia Aquarium was amazing! And guess what we saw here? "Hey Big Mike...where are you?" **BANG!!!** (too soon?) The TPR bus was here to pick up the group! Well, maybe just Robb. It was easy to get around because we all had the Marta map tattooed on our stomach. Next stop...The Marta Station! OMG! They finally make a sequel to The Parking Spot! Towely? "Hi, I'm Michael J. Fox and I am PISSED OFF!!!" This is creepy. Yes...yes it is. Welcome to Atlanta! Shirley Franklin says so.

^ I actually think the ride ran exactly the same as it did when we rode it with the old trains. Having said that though, it really was/is one of the best Jet Stars out there! --Robb

Hey everyone! With Cedar Point being one of the most popular amusement park destinations in the world, I realized we never had an official overall CP discussion thread! So let's turn the old Maverick thread into that discussion! If you have photo TR's of Cedar Point. You can post them here! Have questions about Cedar Point? Post them here! Heard any current news or seen changes to the park? Post them here! I've noticed we've had a lot of either current or past employees of Cedar Point on this forum. So if you feel like fessing up to your employment at the park (or have any great stories to tell from working there) post them now! --Robb

In a lesson on "how to start a thread" I just want to put this out there - Most of the rest "park discussion threads" were all started with a specific disucssion topic. This actually gets the "discussion" part of the thread going. If you're going to make a "discussion" thread, but don't give anyone anything to discuss other than "Hey, let's discuss this park" perhaps you should wait to start the thread until you actually have a topic of discussion. While I don't mind that this thread was started, a bit of focus would have been nice. Just look at the recent Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom thread if you need a good example. --Robb

Our next park was Sarkanniemi. An urban park SMACK in the middle of Tampere, Finland. While it might not have the biggest coasters in the world this park has a fantastic selection of rides and I've always found this park to be great fun! Tornado is by far the "star attraction" of the coaster line-up and it includes probably the "most unique" element on any steel coaster - and underground zero-G roll! Yup, you read that correctly. Anyway, Sarkanniemi is a great place, everyone should go here. Here are photos... The group has a "plan" in mind. And yes we are waiting for the Half-Pipe to open. Big fish must jump through hoops. If you know how many hoops there are, EMAIL DAN! mrt0ad13@aol.com "I can't believe the big fish must jump." Big fish must jump. TOMMI!!! NO MISCHIEF!!! Ok everyone, NO MISCHIEF!!!! You can see the park. It's very pretty. From the top of the tower you can see stuff. The park allowed us to come up to the super secret "open air" section of the Tower. My hammer is bigger than your Schwartz. "These damn frogs gave me a rash in an area I'm not allowed to talk about without the FCC coming to my house and beating me with a chainsaw. I hate these frogs and will beat them with a mallet until they give me my box of tools back!" Craig, what did those frogs ever do to you? This is how KidTums communicates with her home planet. Craig likes to eat Pizza. This is a roller coaster. It goes BOOM! There was another roller coaster that used to look like this one. If you know the name of that coaster - EMAIL DAN! mrt0ad13@aol.com TP Dave expresses his love and devotion for Scottish Steve. "Steve...I love you. I want to be with you forever. Let's go ride this ghost train and make out like rabbits." "I didn't mind the Volare, but I perfer the SCAD tower." If you think you know why Big Mike is happy in this picture... EMAIL DAN!!! mrt0ad13@aol.com A spike goes up in the air. People go "wheeeee." They spin and fall and then down they come and you can beat your fact against the wall. "OMG! I just found my penis!" There are two things in this photo. One of them is not Hanno. If you know what the other thing is...EMAIL DAN! mrt0ad13@aol.com We at TPR want to say "We love you Sarkenniemi!!! THANK YOU!!!!" Day Glow Orange Train. F**K YEAH!!! What is the name of this coaster again? I think it's called Water Splash Mountain. Not sure. Can't seen to find the name of it anywhere. Hmmm..... Would anyone like some slightly used Intamin wheels as a paper weight? STAY ON TARGET! Day Glo Orange Train = BEST COASTER TRAIN IN THE FREAKING WORLD!!!! I am totally hot. Check me out. World. Love me. Spinny, spinny, spinny. Hey Martin! This could have been yours had you been on the Scandi trip! All the bathrooms had KidTums sized potties. We liked this. Jet Star had new weird trains. We're not sure why, but they were very yellow. Big Tower. Chewy Beans. Nom. Nom. Nom. This catastrophic looking accident is actually one of the best damn pizza's I've ever had! "I've always wanted to ride a coaster where my head is in a vice." Um, what exactly is going on here??? Many big fish must jump.

^^ Yeah, if Knott's was located in the middle of Downtown Los Angeles, it would be an Urban park, but Knott's is actually a suburban park! --Robb "Thinking people don't know the difference between cities and suburbs!" Alvey EDIT: Gah! Did we just go from talking about awesome Scandinavian parks to...KNOTT'S?!??! I need to do the next update..QUICK!

We have just gotten some Flow Rider ERT added to our Schlitterban Day! Schlitterbahn - Tuesday, July 21st $35 Per Person Includes: - Park Admission - ERT on Master Blaster - ERT on Boogie Bahn - Catered Lunch - Walk Back of the "Conger River Expedition" Must arrive at the park by 8:15am If you can make this event, EMAIL ME NOW! robbalvey@aol.com

Well, everyone at the park seemed to refer to it as a Schwarzkopf, so no offense, but I'm going to take the word of the people who OWN the ride over some internet hearsay. --Robb