Zero One

TTD ...everyone forgets TTD (Wicked Twister could be a close 2nd) Already on my list...

5 coasters with first drops of 90* or more? Steel Vengeance Valravn Maverick Dragster And then they are counting either Wicked Twister or Gatekeeper? Either seems like a stretch. Gatekeeper is dive loop more than a "drop" or Twister being... Twisted and not being a traditional "first drop" type of coaster.

I am not a fan. It's just too rough for me to be enjoyable.

Thanks all for the kind words about my photos. I don't know when brakes were added but I do remember hearing about them (maybe in this thread) a few months ago. It may be to reduce G-forces on the first drop. I wont publish these photos but I also took a few shots at the bottom of the drop as the train went by and almost every single one had a kid or two who had passed out and was slumped over. But I do like rider photos. I've got more on my Flickr. Here is a fun one from Everest last month: Faces of Everest by Colin Chardavoyne, on Flickr

A trip report from this weekend including quite of few pictures of the Dragons. Welcome First stop, the Studios! Advertising for DM3 is still up Easily overlooked but this mural over the store is pretty cool These folks were brave enough to Rip Ride Rockit but I'm not. Let's move on. Ahhh... a nice family attraction. Fun for all ages! How long is the wait? Ah. Not even posted because they've long since run out of return times. We can't ride at all. The Mummy still rocks, though. Do you think they are still planning on a re-theme to the recent box office flop Mummy film? Work continues on their next ride. Looks like the entrance will be here at the old Monster show area. duunnn dunnn... duuuunnnn duun... duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn A quick stop in London for some supplies... Sporting goods... check. Jokes and gags... check. One of... whatever this is. Check. No thanks, don't need one of those. I've already got two others to visit later. Stop by the bank. Pickup some groceries. Intermission for a show. Finally I just need to swing by the post office for some owl stamps. Time to head home. Figures the bus driver is taking a break. I can never keep track of this bus schedule anyway Let's take the good old reliable train. There it is! It's an express too! Perfect. Now for the reason we came... DRAGON! CHALLENGE. Or as I prefer to call it... DUELING DRAGONS! Ok well those last two were edited just a little bit. But It's nice to imagine how they used to be as we have only a few weeks until they are gone forever. When I first heard about Islands of Adventure, the Dueling Dragons were the coasters I wanted to ride most, even more than Hulk. On my first visit (way back in 2001) I got there early and ran right to them. I must have rode 10 or 12 times that morning before trying out anything else in this brand new theme park. The loss of the amazing queue was bad but the loss of the dueling was even worse. Even so they both still hold a special place in my heart. This view will be gone soon too. I wonder if they will move this? It was still quite busy until the final hour of the day. The posted wait was 30 minutes but they were also only running 2 trains on each side. By the end I rode each side twice (once in front and once in back) but I don't think this is the end. I'm already planning another visit to get my final rides. A quick ride on Forbidden Journey before heading home. Goodnight Universal! See a full size version of that last one on my Flickr:

Yes they two circles (which will eventually be four) is the MF attraction. But it won't be like Mission Space. There will be several MF cabins rotating around the circles but it will be slow and you don't feel it. It's more like a omnimover system combined with a motion simulator base. They'll load one cabin while the rest move slowly around the circle doing their show.

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Yep. It's hard to get a sense from those pictures but trust me... flying above it and seeing it in person it struck me how big both the coaster and the two lands are going to be.

It's a shame. When I first went to IOA it was my first stop and I think I rode it 20 times. It stayed a favorite until HP ruined it. Maybe Disney can buy it and finally build Beastly Kingdom?

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Kraken will have virtual queue: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-blog/os-seaworld-kraken-spot-saver-20170615-story.html#nt=oft12aH-3la1

Passholder preview was today. I've never done a VR coaster before (or any VR really) so I wasn't sure what to expect. The entry area has been rethemed to the tentacle style and the queue has a more modern "science-y" paint job but very little else was changed. There are now monitors throughout the queue instructing on how to do the VR. As for the ride itself I thought the VR was well done. It flowed with the ride pretty well and there were no issues with syncing that I could tell. On the other hand it all went by very quick while there was too much to see. You are bombarded by encounters with 5 or 6 different sea monsters but you only really catch a few glimpses of them before you hit the loop or cobra roll. For the finale you meet the Kraken but he too is only seen for a little bit as you whip around. Overall I think it was a well produced VR experience but doesn't make Kraken a better ride (it was already great as a normal floorless). The main problem is operations. They were only running one train for the preview but I don't see how they could ever get up to 3. It took about 10 minutes to unload and load. They had one team member for each row. When the train came in they would keep the restraints locked and the team member would make sure everyone's headset was off, then clean it with wipes, then put it back in the box attached to the harness. Only when that was finished would your row be released so you could leave. Then they would get the next riders on and help get the harnesses down, seatbelts fastened and then headsets adjusted. I don't see how they can really speed this up without really rushing the guests. My rating: 5/10... wouldn't wait more than 30 minutes for it... and that's just 3 cycles now. New sign New TV New paint Plaza VR instructions (don't ride with open head wounds... ewwww) More new paint and TVs The setup No more eel

Mako at Sea World Orlando also has the same screen so I imagine it is a new feature available on B&Ms

Pandora closed to all guests before 8pm so that they can clear it for EMH at 11.

Flight of Passage was amazing. Lines are now huge... Even for the land itself. If you have a Fastpass you can get into Pandora without waiting.

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The Sentinel is live blogging the VB opening. Sounds like issues with parking, the TapuTapu and ride downtime. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/universal-orlando/volcano-bay/os-universal-volcano-bay-opening-day-live-0525-story.html#nt=oft12aH-3la1

Would rather have The Simpsons version: The Shinning. Actually now I'm surprised that they've never done a Treehouse of Horror house.

HBO is paying for it now anyway. I imagine that this will be a replacement for the current kids area?

I did eventually cancel for a few years until I got a new pass to check out Mako. My new pass I just paid upfront.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-cfb-tourism-seaworld-lawsuit-20170514-story.html On one hand I think that Sea World was giving passholders a good deal. If you kept auto pay the monthly fee would be the same and you didn't need to worry about increased prices every year. On the other hand it was NOT well advertised that the passes would automatically renew. It took me a few months to realize that my pass was still active not because I had forgotten when I originally picked it up the previous year but because it was renewing each month. I consider myself pretty savvy about theme park things and even I got caught by this. Plus if the claims about the wording of the contract is true (no renewal if paid in less than 12 months and everyone pays in 11 months) then it is a pretty clear contract case against the park. Probably why the judge granted summary judgement so easily. In other news the Kraken is getting tentacles added... New paint on the old eel body makes it a tentacle!

Dragster has a "multi move" function that allows multiple trains to move through the station at the same time. Think of them as micro block sections. They allow the ride to know exactly where the trains are so they don't need to wait for the full block in front of them to be clear.

I drove by LucasFilm but didn't go in to see that statue. It is pretty cool though.

Yeah I only knew a little bit about it going in but it was very impressive. If you've been to Hollywood Studios imagine a larger and more in-depth version of "One Man's Dream".

Earlier this month I had a business trip to San Francisco and with a free day I decided to check out the Walt Disney Family Museum. It is a non-profit museum founded by Walt's family to tell his story separate from that of the company. Anyone who knows his life story (like readers of this website) might find themselves skipping past some of the displays which go into great detail but the real star here is the artifacts. You'll see original sketches, props, models, equipment, and property that defined Walt's life. Welcome to San Francisco! Why is the Walt Disney Family Museum here? Diane Disney Miller's family lives in Northern California so it was a good location for them. They also wanted to separate their museum from the association the company has with LA. The museum is located in the Presidio, a former US military base and now a National Park located right at the Golden Gate. The museum itself is housed inside a refurbished army barracks originally built in 1897. The lobby features some of Walt's Oscars including the famous Seven Dwarfs Oscar! The museum is the story of Walt's life and the first room includes his childhood days and his service in World War I. This is a truck similar to the one he drove in France. An original sketch! The oldest known drawing of Mickey Mouse. Although they are not sure exactly who drew this, it was most likely Ub Iwerks with possible help from Walt. A Steamboat Willie drawing. Animators only drew the moving parts of the scene which were then overlapped on the unchanging image of the boat's body. Steamboat Willie production guide There are several rooms full of original art as the museum walks us through the story of Walt's journey from Alice and Oswald to Mickey and Snow White. Bambi concept art Dumbo concept art A post from the studio showing how the feature production flowed through all the departments. It all starts with Walt! The War films are covered too... even the more controversial ones. The museum was created by his family so of course it goes soft on him in some places but it doesn't avoid the difficult times. The studio strike has it's own exhibit and Walt's involvement with the House Un-American Activities Committee is also covered. Next is a large room with digital displays that cover most of Disney's movies post-WWII. This display of 20k Leagues artifacts is a included. The center of the museum is all about Disneyland! And it starts with Walt's love of trains and the real Lilly Belle! It is in great condition! So detailed! Look at the little controls in the cab! Caboose. Lilly Belle ran around and through Walt's home but eventually he wanted something bigger... A model of the castle. Circlevision camera. The real star here is the Disneyland model. It is huge! and very detailed But it isn't quite realistic. It isn't a model of Disneyland at any specific time but more of an idea of Walt's Disneyland as he wanted it. The major attractions also feature little characters. And the indoor ones have their roofs missing so you can see inside. Probably the most unrealistic attraction featured is Space Mountain which didn't appear in Disneyland until 1977! You could spend hours looking at this Original Fantasyland New Orleans Square Another model... this time of the Mark Twain. More displays talk about the development of the park Golden Horseshoe A B C D and E tickets We take a break from Disneyland to showcase Mary Poppins including these original storyboard drawings. An autographed copy of the book from PL Travers to Walt. One of the last exhibits showcases the 1964 World's Fair and some of the developments resulting from Walt's involvement. Here a Tiki bird (who you are allowed to control) explains audio-animatronics. Original Small World sketch Carousel of Progress model Some of Walt's personal artifacts including his hat, glasses, and travel case. The next room is a hall filled with newspaper headlines announcing Walt's death. It is also essentially the end of the museum (in true Disney style you will exit into the gift shop). What of Disney World, EPCOT, and everything else? Well remember this is a museum about Walt's life. Not one about his Company. The museum's story ends here with the world's tributes to the man who brought so much joy to the world. Is it worth a visit? Absolutely! You probably won't spend a full day here but you can easily spend a few hours to a half day looking at everything. They also have temporary exhibits and an evening film (it was 101 Dalmatians on the day I was there). It also has a great location that makes it easy to get to and plan a day around. After you check out the museum it's just a quick hike, bike, bus, or Uber to the Golden Gate Bridge. http://waltdisney.com/