robbalvey

I just want to say this is by far the BEST "member created" content I've seen on TPR yet! IMO, this whole project demonstrates exactly what TPR is all about. It's not just about "Robb & Elissa" and our travels or projects, TPR is for everyone to share, create, contribute, etc. I love, *LOVE* all the attention to detail, all the inside jokes, etc. So far I have only watched it once, and I know I'll pick up on a couple more things with multiple viewings. If you haven't watched it yet, remember that this is an "amateur movie" so not everything is going to have that professional polish. But you got to give them much kudos. They did GREAT for what resources they had! Congrats guys! --Robb

It basically was Ramses on crack and Ramses was one of the most f**ked up thinks I've been on!!! And yeah Elissa hated it (rocking type motion makes her sick) which is why she was nearly crying! One thing that doesn't really show on video is the the other spike didn't appear to have any brakes or failsafe at the top. When I rode it was a full train and wet tracks! It looked like we were getting VERY close to the top to where even Elissa was a bit worried! But she needed the credit!

I think I managed to get the Spanish Death Shuttle video posted! I had to make it a bit lower quality, and I can't actually see it, so I hope it looks ok. I'll have photos of this AWESOME Spanish fair up when I get home tomorrow, but for now, I bring you... SPANISH DEATH SHUTTLE!!!! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=spanishdeathshuttle_j159[/coastertube]

Great time was had at Tibidabo today! We actually shot our first HD POV on their new coaster. We'll see how that all turns out in a few days! And if it looks good, then Roller Coasters in the RAW Blu-Ray here we come! Anyway, the internet at the hotel sucks ass so I can't post any new photos or videos. I'm having to do everything from my iPhone (which is working AWESOME BTW) Will have more updates after we get home tomorrow! --Robb

To all of you who have made negative comments so far - Unless your comment starts with something to the tune of "I just rode and here are my thoughts..." I'm basically ignoring everything you all have to say, and I would reccomend others to do the same. You can't pass judgement on a ride until you ride it, and I would dismiss all comments from someone who hasn't. --Robb "Nuff Said..." Alvey

Well this sucks.... Photos are done. Video is done. But the wifi here at the hotel sucks. Everytime I try to upload it times out. . It's 1am now and I gotta get sleep. I'll try again tomorrow. --Robb

FYI - if you want people to click on your thread you may want to put the names of the parks it is about in the title - just a suggestion

Working on it! It is after midnight here and I've been up since 7 am so give me time, man!

Thanks! If anyone has this please let me know!

It ended up being an "ok" day at PortAventura. Baco was awesome and we got on it rather quickly. The drop tower would have been 30-40 min but we jumped in the single rider line which helped. We beat the crowd to Stampida but still waited about 20 min due to one train on each side. Overall though the biggest let down of the day were the overall bad operations and staggered ride openings which created one long line after the other. Baco was the only coaster running two trains, Dragon Khans line never got under 45 min (and I don't think the ride is worth that wait), and other than the Baco crew which was hauling ass, all the ride crews seemed to crawl. Khan was going at Tatsu crew speeds sending a train every 5-7 minutes! There was a ton of stuff for KidTums to do and all with no lines, so that was good. And I still think the park is one of the nicest in the world, but man, if you're gonna be a "world class park" ACT like it!!! It even took me 15 minutes just to get a drink...and there were only two people in front of me! Oh well, there is always next time... --Robb

Been a pretty crappy visit to PortAventura so far. We got on Baco, which was awesome, but the "happy valley" like staggered ride openings, one train operations, and the rather large crowd is making it impossible to get on anything with under an hour plus wait. I like the coasters here but not enough to wait that long or buy the $30 express passes to ride a Kumba-like clone or a bad woodie. We are in line for the drop tower which luckily looks only about 30 minutes but after this it will be mostly KidTums sized rides the rest of the day. What a shame the operations are so poor from such a resort class park. It wasn't like this on our visit two years ago. I will report more later.

Hey everyone! I'm looking for a good pov and some offride shots of Bush Beast from Sydney's Wonderland if anyone has it. Please let me know! --Robb

Sorry we missed you guys! If we had more time we would have love to meet up. Since Kristen didn't come with us to Colombo we didn't want to leave her with Elissa's parents for too long. We just went to the mall, did a lap, grabbed the credit and headed back to the port. Next time...we'll meet up! --Robb

Wow! Great find! I'm sure Larry will add this to the park index. --Robb MOD EDIT by larrygator: already added 3.5 hours ago, I'm on my game today.

Yeah the heart thing is creepy! Anyone know if all the Voyager class ships have it? (there are 5 of them). We did Explorer a couple of years ago and I don't remember it.

We do. But if it comes between a missed credit or going to a waterpark the coaster will always win out. Sorry if I got defensive but I was just responding to the tone of your posts.

^ Right. But I don't really care that much about water parks but I DO care about getting out-of-the-way coaster credits even if it's not very unique. And it's not like this will be the one and only time I'll be here. Next time I'll hit up the water park. Like I said we researched both parks before going and we chose the one that suited OUR interests. If you like the water park, go to the water park and we look forward to reading your trip report. I don't think we can be faulted for choosing the thing more interesting to us! Keep in mind we also had Kristen with us. She loved the animals, the shows, and could ride the coaster. There wasn't much for a two year old to do at Siam Park. --Robb

^ LOL! It was actually a picture of a penguin...it just didn't show up well on the photo! ^^ Not sure when we'll get to Diamonback. It won't be this year for sure and not even sure if it will be next year! I'm not too worried, I have a feeling it will be around for a very long time! --Robb

Well, I actually don't keep an exact count (Elissa does that for me) but I know I'm over 1,000 on my terms (I don't count powered coasters, re-located coasters, or water coasters) but I think I'm at like 1,200 something by coastercounter's definition. Elissa keeps a more accurate count and I'm sure when we get back she can tell you guys the exact number! --Robb

Hey everyone! We finally got to a port that has free Wifi so I can upload a few photos. At 55 cents a minute it's just hard to upload photos while we are on the ship and the iPhone Facebook App works so well that I can upload a photo in under a minute! Anyway, to bring you all up to speed we are a little over 3/4 done with a 14-day "Transatlantic Repositioning Cruise" on Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas. This is the type of cruise they do when the move a ship from one location to another. For the rest of this summer, the ship will be doing Mediterranean based cruises, and then will come back to Florida in the Fall. Many times you can get these re-positioning cruises for DIRT CHEAP (an inside stateroom for this cruise was only $399 per person - which is CRAZY for a two week cruise!) but then you do have to get one-way airfare from Europe back to the USA, which is the expensive part. But even still it's a BARGIN! Anyway, a few photos for you.... Now we are in Lisbon, Portugal! (Check out the Funcenter update on the forums or hte park index!) We still have a few more days on the ship left! I'll keep posting photos to Facebook or to the forums if I get free wifi again! Thanks for reading! Although she prefers to play with the ship's random decorations! They have a CRAP load of toys for KidTums on the ship! Mmm...Rainbow testicles and chocolate cubes! Yummy! ...plain pasta for Elissa! Steak for Robb... Finally, after 9 days we get to see what our ship looks like again! (I'm not complaining, I *love* the sea days!) Our first port was Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands. (Go check out the Loro Parque update on the forums or in the park index!) KidTums has a habit of murdering all our towel animals! Mini-Golf anyone? Another sunset from our stateroom. I'll bet Big Mike wishes he was KidTums right about now! Hmm...between the Cock-A-Leekie and this, the kitchen must have some pent up Phallic issues to get rid of! "This pacifier is TOO BIG!" At dinner, KidTums gets a new "hat" "Cock-A-Leekie!" LMAO! This view is MUCH better than my office at home! (Seriously, I've been doing work! I've edited almost the entire DVD of Roller Coasters in the RAW 3 on the ship!) Another impression of PSYCHO PUSSY!!!! "That's right...I've got two dudes at the same time." KidTums' best impression of PSYCHO PUSSY! Sunset from our balcony. That's right, we are in outer space! "You are here!" I've had some sex that isn't as good as this salad. No, I'm serious, it was AWESOME, and you can get it EVERY DAY. Imagine, a perfectly awesome salad, better than some 'normal sex' EVERY FREAKIN DAY! The view from our Stateroom's balcony. KidTums and Russell just chilling on the balcony having a cigar. I think the newer Royal Caribbean ships with the Promenade are some of my favorites (Freedom & Voyager class have these) and the new Oasis class is even BIGGER! KidTums loves her new "Onion Bracelet!" How very cute. KidTums versus Alligator! KidTums WINS! There is plenty to do on the ship, however I wouldn't recommend a transatlantic for the first time cruiser. Here will be our view for the next 9 days crossing the Atlantic Ocean! KidTums is not a fan either! NOT a fan of the lifeboat drill! We started in Ft. Lauderdale Florida nearly two weeks ago!

Aww, you seriously passed up Siam Park? Was it a bit out of the way for the time you had to stop over being on the other side of the island, or is really credit > amazing water park? It was really credit > water park. Honestly, go look at the line up of slides at Siam Park. Other than the place *looks* great, they really don't have anything that special or unique that you can't find at other water parks. We did look into both places, and Siam Park without a credit just wasn't a draw for us...at least not with the limited time we had. On another visit to Tenerife (which is very likely) we would skip Loro Parque and go to Siam, or had Loro not had the credit we would have gone to Siam. We are not "Water Park Enthusiasts" as much as we are "Roller Coaster Enthusiasts" so therefore the coaster won out. --Robb

Well, they must be ok with it because there were a lot of references to Sea World made in that the whales (and it would appear some of the dolphins) were trained at Sea World and then either sold or on load to Loro Parque. I'm guessing that one of the "services" that Sea World offers is birthing and training the giant fish for other parks around the world because there was footage of the whales being born (which was kind of bloody and disgusting, actually) from Sea World. --Robb

Today our port was Lisbon, Portugal. There is much to do and see in Portugal, but of course, we will choose the country's largest shopping mall. Why? There's a credit there of course! On to some photos.... Here we are at the 'Colombo' shopping center. And no, not with Peter Falk...that would be 'Columbo'...this is totally different! This place is seriously awesome. Why is it that these European malls justseem to crap all over most of the US malls? The Funcenter is where the coaster is, but it doesn't open until 11am so we'll go explore the mall for a bit. The maze of escalators. Cool. A giant ball with tortoise. Also cool. The mall was really cool It was multi-level with giant stores like the Portugese Wal-Mart and a Toys R Us. OMG...I forgot how much I love Europe! Um, yeah, the bread and stuff is nice, but can we please go back to the sex now? All the Imaginariums in the US are closed. (I went in through the little door!) Disney Store had tons of plush that I haven't seen in the US for quite some time! And I remember when the US Disney Store used to do cool collectibles like these. Oooh! I spy something! (Do you see it?) Yes! McDonalds! They had this bizarre "Too Bacon" and "Too Cheese" burgers. I tried the "Too Bacon" one (of course!) Um, it was very strange. It had bacon on it with bacon bits in the bun! Hopefully I will still be alive in 24 hours! Yay! Funcenter is open! Happiness is an operating roller coaster! I 100% endorse the Coca-Cola theming the ride has! "I have my fun card and I'm ready to ride the Coca Cola Coaster." It totally IS the 'Coca-Cola Coaster!' Bryan and Adam would totally approve of this coaster! KidTums is not tall enough to ride. The Coca Cola coaster was very refreshing! While it is custom made for this little park, it's pretty much your average Vekoma Roller Skater. "McDonalds and the Coca-Cola Coaster credit...this has been a GOOD day!" Yay! Coca-Cola Coaster!!! More Coca-Cola Coaster POV!!! I suddenly have the urge to drink a Coke. Awww...sadness is when Coca-Cola Coaster comes to a VERY abrupt stop! It was time to say goodbye to Lisbon and head back to the boat. KidTums was very happy to see us! (we brought her presents!) And then Jesus served us lunch! I mean, could we have had a better day? First we got McDonalds, then rode the Coca-Cola Coaster, then we saw Jesus! Goodbye Lisbon! Back and sea once again.... Thanks for reading! --Robb

Hey everyone! As part of our transatlantic cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Barceola, Spain, one of our ports was Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The island is home to lots of interesting historical stuff (and of course still the worlds most deadliest airline crash) but it is also home to "Loro Paqrue." The park is kind of an odd mix between a zoo and Sea World. In fact all four of their killer whales were born at Sea World in Orlando. And of course the park is also home to a roller coaster, the ONLY coaster in Tenerife! If you're into animals, you'll love the park as it is really nice, if you're not into animals (and honestly, we're not big nature/animal people) it's fine for a short visit. We stayed about 3 hours (although 40 minutes of that was waiting for the coaster to open, which opened late) and we took in a couple of the shows. The shows were the perfect length for both someone who likes this kind of stuff and who isn't that much into it. I think the dolphin show was about 15, maybe 20 minutes long. Just enough to watch some giant fish jump through hoops and do other wacky tricks but not too long to where you'd get bored. The killer whale show was even shorter (probably right at 15 minutes) which was fine because they didn't let those giant guys do too much. Anyway, the coaster was interesting for a kiddie coaster in that it literally was buried deep within the surrounding shrubbery! Seriously, if you stuck your hand out, you'd get bush. Hmmm... Maybe that's not so bad after all! Ok, enough babbling, onto the photos.... See! We are on a cruise ship! The girls are just too cool for our bus to Loro Parque. That giant mountain is actually a volcano. Let's hope it stays put for the day! Oh, goody...not too much farther now. The entrance to the park...yup. That is one pissed off looking bird! "You have to pay 5 Euros to see the rest of this Alligator." Lunch Time! Here was the "Loro Show" aka the Parrot Show. Yes! We found the credit!!! The sign says it opens at 10am, but it actually opened about 10:40. Oh, yeah, and it's an upcharge of 1 Euro. Elissa and KidTums get this random, off-the-beaten-track credit! If you sit anywhere but the front seat, all you see is fin! Note how the coaster is completely surrounded by shubbery! Put your hand out and you get bush! (Ohh, yummy...I love bush...and I'm not talking about the plant-like substance either. I'm also not talking about the ex-president. I'm talking about bush. Plain old "I can smother my face in it for hours" B-U-S-H. Is there any guy where who wouldn't put his hand out for some bush? Ok, so maybe there are *some* guys, but even still, it's quite tempting isn't it?) OMG! OMG! OMG! COASTER TRACK! *JIZZ* *JIZZ* *JIZZ* Yup, the coaster was cute. Cha-ching. Credit conquered! YES! This park gets points for having tortoises! YAY!!! Jumping fish! (Yes, yes, dolphin enthusiasts I know they are mammals, just bear with me here...) KidTums is mesermized by them! "Mommy, they aren't going to kill us like in the Simpsons, are they?" They jump through hoops. Wow, they jump through a LOT of hoops! It's kind of like being at work! "Look, dude. You're a dolphin...not a human. Now get back in that water In the "Never in America" department, they took a kid out of the audience,put him in a boat, totally unsupervised and let a dolphin pull him and jump all around him! And then the kid was allowed to have all sex with the dolphins! Awesome! Yay! More giant fish that can eat you! While we waited for the giant fish to jump around they taunted us with videos from the new water park. Next time we'll go there...had to get the credit first! "Hi, I'm Mr. Whale. I was born in Orlando and now I'm here jumping in the water." Killer Whale or Cruise Ship enthusiast...you decide! Yay! Planet Penguin! These guys are BAD ASS! KidTums says "You guys are cool and all...." ...."but I'd rather be playing on the penguin slide!" This is the ugliest fish I've ever seen! "I'm a sad monkey..." We will close out these park pictures with... "MONKEY BUTT!!!" Yup, there is our ship. Time to say goodbye to the Canary Islands! Bye Bye Tenerife! Good luck with that active volcano and plane crashes! Thanks for reading! --Robb

^ actually it did reopen for about six months in late 07 / early 08.