downunder

My travel plans have changed so I might be able to swing this. Question: is the HOS front of Line pass unlimited or is it just one admission per maze? Trying to work out how to get down there early on Saturday because the Busch bus from USO doesn't get there until 10 - 11am which means I'll miss the ERT. Otherwise I'd have to come down Friday morning on the Busch bus and sacrifice a HHN night. I did Alone last year and it was definitely worth it.

Looks like a terrible tour, who'd want to go on that, I'd be so scared of those people... oh, I better take that back. I'm on the North East tour of contrasts, seeing a friend in Soho in the morning and then the Bronx in the afternoon - actually Yankee Stadium was way more expensive than Soho.

Bummer I don't get into LA until October 1, should be a great event.

Very unwise, I've camped at Yosemite 4 times, and there is plenty of caution needed there. When I last did half dome they were saying people have gone outside the chains to get past slower hikers and met unpleasant ends falling off the rock.

^I get the impression that Orlando think their too big to do that, but I have to say TJ and the creative team at Orlando seem really cool. Looking forward to HHN at Hollywood, just love it.

^I was just at the website with no problems. So the previous Thing maze at Orlando was not one of the better ones? What annoys me most is that all the effects will probably be mostly CGI in the new Thing film, in John Carpenter's remake the mechanical special effects were simply amazing. I'm tossing up whether to go to Orlando again, I wasn't impressed with last years effort, but the Rush of Fear with Express looks like a great deal - just waiting to see the price.

First maze: The Thing - in Hollywood and Orlando http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118040099

I did think this might be a good development for the Road to Cedar Point trip, especially if they expand it beyond KI. Lack of fast pass options definitely has turned me off going to CF parks.

Steel: Kingda Ka Wood: Son of Beast (sans loop) Highest Coaster (sort of tallest): High roller at Stratosphere in Vegas

Sounds good, it will be interesting to see how much of a line they get in the Fast Lanes given the queueing is not electronically managed, but this something I'm happy to see come in, and I hope it goes chain wide - especially Cedar Point.

^Don't get me wrong I think Kinzel has done plenty of good things, but he was always resistant to fast passes.

Great: fast passes + Cedar Fair = me more likely to go to a CF park. I knew as soon as Kinzel went, out flash the Fast Passes. Now if only the Knott's rumour comes true.

I went to both last year for the first time (first time at USO and second year of USH), and I can only state my personal opinion and preferences. I found USH way more agressive than USO, the scare actors in the mazes and scare zones at USH go after you like you killed their family. USO felt a lot more low key, they have wonderfully detailed sets (the behind the scenes tour during the day was interesting), but the mazes didn't seem as dramatic as USH, and the scare actors more just pop out rather than go crazy. The impression I got is USO were perhaps going more for spooky rather than terrifying. The crowds are big at USH, but they are monstrous at USO - even on a non-peak night. Even the express pass lines are huge at USO. I did do a guided VIP tour one night at USO but I was disappointed because I like to do the mazes more than once. Everything is very spread out at USO, whereas at USH it's smaller size means that there very few parts of the park that aren't Halloweened out which I found much more immersive. Not only does USH have the Terror Tram but they have the go-go dancers. They're both amazing events, it's a bit like comparing Jessica Alba and Charlize Theron. I personally prefer the more aggressive approach of USH, and it's better VIP options, but I think I hit USO on an off-year last year so while I'll defintely be going to USH this year primarly because it's closer, I haven't ruled out heading over to Orlando.

^All the same rides, except you get 1 ride on NTAG with platinum. The big difference with platinum is that with most of the rides, you get to ride twice. I'm not sure exactly how it works, whether you disembark the train and get back on or you just sit there and go again. Platinum may have even less waiting than gold as well but I'm not sure about that. So every time you book a ride you get a double lap on platinum, as noted before you only get 1 lap with Titan. With Texas Giant you only get 1 ride a day but all other rides you can book them as many times as you want. I'm going to SFOT the weekend after next for the first time, so I'll be investing in a Platinum on my first full park day on the Sunday.

Gold gives you about a quarter of the wait of the Regular, so when you book a ride you get a time to go there. So if the regular gives you a time to get on the ride that's 40 minutes later, then Gold would be something like 10 minutes later.

You can have up to 6 people on the 1 Flash Pass, each additional person costs extra on the single person rate: Regular: each extra person is $24 on top of the single $39 Gold: $41 Platinum: $66 So getting a Platinum for 2 people would be $89 for person 1 and $66 for person 2, total $155.00

^Just to clarify, does platinum get you one ride for the whole day on NTAG, no repeat single rides? For one person (extra for more people): Regular $39.00 Gold $64.00 Platinum $89.00

Nice photos, thanks for posting them. I love some of the lightshows Cedar Point does with their rides like the projections on the lift hill of Millennium Force. Hopefully Knott's will do a similar thing with their Windseeker at night, which I'll get a chance to check out later in the year.

Great work. Aikido looks so bada$$, isn't that what Steven Seagal does? My Shodan grading in Shotokan Karate was behind closed doors (all Dan gradings are), and what will happen in the grading is not disclosed - we did Kumite last, which gets quite nasty (all the Black Belts in attendance try beating the s*** out of you). Post grading I was glad about some things: *I walked out (as opposed to being carried out). *I walked out with my teeth intact (better than me haven't). *My crappy old Gi didn't get torn to pieces (I'm too lazy to sow badges onto a new Gi). *I didn't get kicked in the balls. *Fighting Bruce Lee at the Colliseum in Rome was not required (even Chuck Norris lost that one).

I checked beforehand I couldn't find anything. I must have confused it with some of the specific park threads where there has been a lot of discussion about particular rides being closed - good thread. I've always been impressed by the look of Moonsault Scramble, can't say I was shocked, but I was curious about it. The name intrigues me for some reason as well. While searching RCDB I found there is a park called "Barry Island Pleasure Park", no wonder he's been so quiet, I'm sure we can get Elissa a season pass as a gift.

I think there might be a similar thread, but anyway - Chiller @ GAdv and Eagle's Fortress were great losses. I'm hopeful Everland might come up with something even more amazing in 2012, shame about what GAdv put in Chiller's place. I enjoyed Big Bad Wolf, but hopefully what replaces it will be even better.

Getting a flat tyre in Salem's Lot after dark (detroit or fictional Maine town). What's worse than being the middle person in The Human Centipede?

That Rush of Fear Pass might change my mind about not going to Orlando this year, looks like a good deal.

I've seen rumours the Wolfman may have fallen through, didn't think much of the movie, but the Orlando Wolfman maze sounded awesome. Love the event, I'll definitely be there.

^A TPR member was in the top ten last year as well as being involved in the winner, so make sure you vote. Tyler, I reckon you and a video camera could produce the most horrific film ever "An Alabama Film" perhaps?