Flippero95

Um... is that a giant inflatable woman on the sky ride? I think that's scarier than the shirtless dude!

They have "animated pirates". What more could you ask for?

I've loved following along with you guys on your road trip. I haven't been to Kemah since the built the Bullet, I can't wait to get down there and ride it one day. It is a very nice "tourist trap" as you put it. Of course, any place you can drink a margarita right by the ocean is good in my book, coaster or not.

1. What do you find most useful about the front page? The index on the right hand side, showing new topics in the forums. (surprise!) 2. What do you find least useful about the front page? Nothing 3. Is anything on the front page confusing? No 4. How far do you scroll down the front page looking for updates? I don't usually scroll. 5. How often do you look at the front page? Every time I log on. 6. How often do you click on the "whatsnew" link? Never, until today. 7. What would you like to see added to the front page to make your visits to TPR better? Nothing! 8. Anything else you would like to mention? Like any thing else you would like to see us add/change/leave alone/etc? Nothing. I like the special updates section, it makes for good rainy day reading. : )

Thank you Elissa, for moving the thread. I will suggest looking elsewhere in Orlando as well as on property. Keep the good ideas coming, everyone.

Hello! We're making plans for our Disney trip in June. I have my reservations (Port Orleans Riverside) and my ADRs. My husband is a golfer and would like to play one or two mornings while we are there. We are at the point in the timeline where we need to book tee times. Does anyone have any advice/recomendation as far as the courses are concerned? Thank you!

I would expect it to be quite crowded. Not only is it spring break, but we've had a ton of rain this week that finally cleared up today. My husband works in Arlington and called over his lunch break to say "Guess what is the one place you do *not* want to be today?" So just be prepared! I haven't been this season, but at Holiday in the Park it was crazy crowded and we only stood in one long line. That was for La Vibora, and it was mainly due to the fact that they were dispatching the cars/bobsleds with empty spaces. Then they had a shift change and the new ride op started filling the cars full. Much better! Anyway, it's a bummer you'll miss Shockwave, but I think you'll love everything else. Texas Giant is slightly evil, so if you only ride one woodie, make it Judge Roy Scream.

Really great photos so far! I love the out the window shot of the mountains, and of course, the dino eating the slide.

For sure.... WDW (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, AK) SFOT NRH2O (our awesome local water park) SFFT We'll see what else as the year progresses.

Or did he know it in the future because Desmond had told him the numbers in the past? That's been making my brain hurt for 12 hours now. I think this was the best episode of LOST yet.

Very cool. I love the Shamu shaped island. Edited to add that sometime in the last year Nat'l Geographic ran a cover story on Dubai covering both the vision that lead to such plans, and also the plight of the workers involved. It's a very interesting situation, to have the poorest of poor building a playground for the wealthiest in the world.

Good. I really hated SB4D. It was painful! I'm sure the next movie will be as well, but it will be easier to talk the kids into skipping the new one.

We seem to be following the "Lou's parent's plan". We usually eat breakfast at the hotel, have a late lunch at the park and dinner elsewhere. I have kids, so a lot of times saving money is all about planning ahead. They usually get a set amount for souvenirs, they way they can spend their $ on whatever crap they want and they aren't allowed to whine all day about buying stuff. We usually buy refillable drink bottles and also drink water. We look for discounts, and yes, I have stood in the parking lot of a waterpark pouring Dr. Pepper into the grass so I could turn in the cans for a discount. Also I double/triple check to see if I have my sunscreen, water bottles, camera etc... since those things will be 3x the price in the park. But finally, going to a theme park is an expense, so we set aside $ for it. We are planning our Disney summer vacation and part of that is setting aside $ now so we can have fun later, y'know?

Awwww.. how cute. I want a baby Shamu!

We used to vacation in Hot Springs every summer when I was growing up. I vividly remember passing the signs and picking up the brochures for Dog Patch USA, but our parents never took us there. We were deprived!

^^^ Thank you for that info. How long does it take to drive from LAX to Valencia? I looked up the mileage, but I'm wondering about actual driving time with traffic etc... And yes, I'm contemplating abandoning my family for the weekend and flying out there.

That was a cool TR. It's funny that my main thought was "Wow. I can't believe you've never been to Sonic." I love Sonic.

Except for that new Cowboys staduim they are building in Arlington. You know, the one right down the street from our MLB stadium? Neither of those are in Dallas!

I'm sure you'll love Frisco, it's a big up and coming suburb. There is a huge mall with tons of restaurants, a Dave and Busters, and ice skating rink, and a movie theater. Frisco has its own AAA baseball team with a really nice baseball park, an IKEA (!) and all kinds of other stuff. People have mentioned "right wing republicans" and "Yes Ma'am/Yes Sir", I'm sure you won't find more of that here than in North Carolina. SFOT is a great park. It may not have all the unique charm of Dollywood, but it's still a great place. You will be 5 hours from the San Antonio parks and from Kemah, but those make good weekend trips. Of course, I grew up in North Dallas and now live in the suburbs myself, so I'm biased, but I think you'll learn to love it.

Go ride all the rides during the evening Shamu show. The whole park is like a ghost town then. I'm sure their waterpark section will be closed, but that's OK, it's so not worth it. Also, all last summer they ran a coupon for 2 days for the price of 1. That way, if crowds are a concern, you can take your time. Have fun visiting our great state!

I don't have trouble believing it at all! In June of 2002, we were stuck in 1940 for about 4 cycles in a row. Finally the carousel started to progress again, we lived to see granny in her virtual reality glasses. I was 5 months pregnant at the time and more than happy to sit there in the dark for a while.

Thanks for the Six Flags update! I just took my kids to SFOT on Saturday. One reason I love the park is because I have so many memories there as a kid. Anyway, I think Six Flags is doing a good job of being "family friendly", we spent a whole day there and the scariest thing we rode was the Judge Roy Scream, but we still had a blast.

Nintendo Wii (OK, that's what my kids got, but y'know.) Lost season 3 DVD Bourne Ulitmatum DVD Various Gift cards and cash (yay, parents!) A Waffle Maker A new piece for my Christmas village Some wine

This is sort of non-theme park related, but in the 11th picture down, the girl in the green and white gymshorts/spaghetti strap one piece? I totally had that outfit back in '81. I probably would have worn it to Hanna Barbara Happyland if given the chance. Thanks for this post. I love the retro theme park report. : )

The last time we visited Kemah was before the Boardwalk Bullet was built. But I did happen to sit on the boardwalk and enjoy my margarita while waiting for the Friday night fireworks. I don't have a problem with SFOT (and Hurricane Harbor) selling beer. I'm sure the price point will make it difficult for people to get drunk, and I'm at just as much risk of having a kid who just ate a funnel cake puke on me, as I am some dude with a beer.