Dragon Khan

I'm going to the park tomorrow. Any chance to see / meet up with any TPR reader out there ?

TESTING VIDEO ! Straight from the park's Facebook. I literally cannot wait to testride the new version of this classic. Notice the train is really going HIGH on the front spike ! (compare with other shuttle loop videos on youtube to see what I mean) Also, this is probably one of the rare videos you'll see of the train outside since the coaster is being totally enclosed for june !

I'll just post what I consider the most important pic of the batch, but feel free to have a look at the others, showing footers for the coming tubular structure (they're enclosing the spikes) and other things... but in a nutshell: TURBINE IS BACK TO LIFE !!! Opening planned in June (so expect July ) Source: Ameworld and it's NOT a pull through

Bad breath is the absolute worst, because it lasts forever !!!

Yeah ! one more familiar face from my previous trips ! had a good time at CP with you last time we met !

Great to see you again, Bas, after randomly seeing you aboard almighty Khan this summer ! It was a nice surprise and I'm glad we get to ride some more coastes together !

Khan...who would have thought...

Reopening day for Turbine, then my 3rd TPR trip (Texas / Midwest) with an add on to Waldameer and Canada's Wonderland to visit my friend jason

^I eye witnessed that. I think it was on the bus after Indidana Beach, maybe it was the day you grabbed my "snack"

Very good point !!! I know AT LEAST 2 members who used to do that on TPR trips that, and it can be seriously annoying, to the point you're scared when they sit next to you lol. I remember joking with a friend about that. Laura, do you remember who I'm talking about ? lol

I'd say Texas Midwest ...

It's not bad, I agree... but it's not a repeat ride... I doubt a one hour long ERT would make sense since after some rides, the "line" would be empty...

I'd say Prowler / Rengade / Troy

As far as I know (since you asked to be "corrected" in your post lol) the first one commissioned by Vekoma was one in Mexico, in 1982, but the first to really open to the public was Bellewaerde's in Belgium... and I WAS THERE WHEN IT OPENED ! It happened to be my first coaster EVER and even if most of us hate them these days, it was responsible for my later coaster madness... And surprisignly, it is smoother than most Bommerangs I've been on.

^200% agreed. Matter of taste but imho, Voyage is probably less exciting than say Legend. If you really go to HW to knock Toro off its top place in your chart, you're probably in for a big letdown. Something I would like to add is, most of the time, when you go on a trip, it's a ride you hadn't even thought about that will surprise you the most, whereas the most anticipated coasters sometimes feel like "overrated". This happened to me on EC2008 with Boulderdash which changed my life, whereas SROS was just not what I had expected it to be... Same in 2010 with Voyage (letdown) but on the positive side, many Premier rides (Powder Keg...) or GCI's like Renegade...

Awesome contrast between nature and pieces of engineering. It looks like a forest on acid trip ! The proximity to the trees must give a crazy feeling of speed on the booster ! I had missed this thread last year but I'm glad you revived it. Fantastic pictures

I was so glad we managed to meet up after my stay at the hospital in July... But Jason... why didn't you post the video of us as protagonist of the polynesian dance show ? I'm sure some of our common friends would enjoy that part almost as much as the pictures (J/K ... unless someone insists ) It was awesome to ride and re ride my favourite steelie with you and I'm so happy it lived up to the hype... BTW, for those interested in stayong on property, I'll just rectify something about the All In option, which is offered at Hotel El Paso only. But it's worth every penny, as all kinds of alcohol beverages are included too Interesting too: when staying at that hotel (my case with the family), even if you spend whole days at the park, food is included at selected places in all thematic zones of Port Aventura (choice of starters, main courses, dessert and soft drink) It's a CERTAINTY that if I go to Salou again (and I will...) I'll stay at El Paso again. Oh, and my kids miss you, Jason !

I tend to post very little these days, but this update makes it impossible not to comment with the hugest WAOW in ages... Those pics are stunning... I'm keeping my fingers crossed so the friend with whom I'm supposed to travel to the US again in 2013 can have his time off at the TPR trip dates. I want to do that trip soooo baaad !!!

Perfect. Thanks for the fast answer. I'm sure I get the time off, being a teacher. Now just one "detail" to adjust: my friend's time off, but it seems feasible, so far. Fingers crossed for those Rocky Mountain creations...

Elissa, I have been planning on doing a US coaster tour with a friend of mine who lives in the UK. He's not a member (yet) and with the great experience of my two trips with you in the past (EC2008 and MA2010), I have been able to convince him to do our trip with TPR if spots are available, of course. However, how would it work for 2 people who want to travel together in case there's a wait-list like on previous trips ? Would we be "paired" on the wait list ? My concern would be if I'm "accepted" on the trip and my friend isn't, that could be problematic. hope you get the idea, as I dunno how to express it better in English

Wonders happen: Turbine in Walibi (Belgium) has been dormant for 4 years, yet they're ACTUALLY refurbishing it for next season... so anything is possible, even for Eagle's Fortress... cross your fingers strong enough and it MIGHT happen...

Wow !!! I didn't even expect the newride to be a coaster... and WHAT A COASTER ! Blue fire might not be the most extreme coaster out there, but it is PURE FUN and this was just the prototype. I'm sure we can expect Projekt Helix to be a fantastic addition and if it's half as fun as BlueFire, we're in for a superb ride expecrience. It's no secret I'm normally a B&M fanboy, but for some reason, I'm happy to see a new contender in the looping coaster war. And as far as the restraints are concerned, I really cannot understand how one cannot like (or even LOVE) them, because they must be among the moist comfortable ever. The trains literally let you hang on the sides or even look backwards. Grips, uncomfortable ? Well, then, ride with your arms up in the air. It's that simple ! Definitely one of the most exciting projects right now...

Beside all the biggies which look great but unfortunately ride bad, (MS, Boss, ...) I'd love to see this treatment applied to Stampida, which really needs to be smoothed out. The state which it is in is just intolerable, and even if the awful kumbak trains are hugely responsible for it, the track is in desperate need of some work too. While on the subject of Spanish woodies, the one in Warner Park Madrid would be a good contender for transformation too: it has a very nice structure (meaning large) but is just a piece of crµap as it is now. Same for anaconda at Walygator, but I have a feeling the park will be closed sooner than we think. It's also too bad Hercules disappeared too soon because I'm sure RMC would have transformed this beast into a real thrill machine... Oh, and Movie Park Germany should definitely consider improving their bonebreaker too

The one in Madrid without a doubt.

i'm going to surprise everyone here... simply unrivalled since 1995