pianojohn

I just got back from a weekend trip to Chicago. I played piano for a show at the Chicago Improv Festival. But since this is Theme Park Review and not Improv Festival Review, I will try to stick to the coasters! After an hour delay, I arrived in Milwaukee to begin my mini Midwest Coaster adventure. However.... The weather did not look good. But I got into my rented KIA and headed up to the Dells. According to my GPS, I would not arrive until after 2pm. And the parks close at 5pm. However, I realized that the GPS was still on Eastern Standard Time and not Central. Woo hoo! An extra hour! But first, a little snack! I love Frozen Custard, although my favorite is still East Coast Custard in Cleveland, OH. You know you are close to the Dells when you start to see mega indoor water park resorts. And slides.... Tacky tourist shops A Ripley's museum... And an ode to the Magic Kingdom!! I rounded the corner to Mt. O and saw the most horrifying site known to coaster enthusiasts everywhere.... Buses. Rows and rows of yellow school buses. I only needed 4 credits, but this may prove harder than I thought. Luckily, most of the kids were at the water park which meant the lines were short, save for Hades. And speaking of Hades, I was able to capture the ride ops at what they do best: sitting on the track between trains, ignoring the guests, and texting their friends back home in Greece! My first ride was Zeus. I was not impressed. The face of disappointment. Next was Cyclops. I promised to keep an eye out for it! Hmm...why is there no one in the back seat? Since I was one of about 10 people over 18 that day, I opted to ride the ejector seat from hell. It wasn't too bad, but very rough. 2 down....2 to go. Ah....Pegasus. This was actually a good little coaster and not your typical mini coaster clone. And the ride would have been fun if the two girls behind me were not SCREAMING at the top of their lungs from start to finish. It's fun to ride a coaster while plugging your ears...not. Pegasus through the trees. Finally I headed inside to ride the park's newest coaster: OPA! I guess they didn't want to commit to the coaster long term, so they never bolted it to the ground. That makes me feel safe! And there has to be a safer way to load trains instead of standing in front of them! Oh...but wait....I had one more elusive credit to score! Yes....Dive to Atlantis!! But where is it? I mean....there's the sign.... And there's the....picnic pavillion. Oh....remove the ride but leave the sign as an homage? Sort of like the Euclid Beach Park entrance sign, right?? I cried. I shed a single tear. Well, since I was able to get all four credits in about an hour, I headed down to Timber Falls. I had heard great things about the Avalanche, and I was not disappointed! This way to fun! I was the only one in the park. And on the coaster!! Great first drop! Nice laterals. And a fun log ride, too! I decided to take a little break and head to my luxurious accomodations for the night: The BlackHawk Motel!! Ah, yes! Step back in time and relive the 70's by staying at the BlackHawk! A front porch for entertaining Bedding from your grandma's attic The always classy fridge, microwave, TV combo with in wall AC unit. You have been warned. The next morning, I was back to Mt. O to ride Hades before the crowds arrived and then on my way to Little Amerricka. More water parks Farms A barn The town of Marshall, Wisconsin. Main street USA. I made it to the park in time for their noon opening and was one of about 5 people there! Fun but SO rough on the final few bunny hops. I think I need a new spine. Adorable! Such a cute little coaster, and kudos to the park for using the traditional hand brakes and rounded loading platform. P.O.V from the back seat! I even rode the Kiddie Coaster though the ride op was nice and did not subject me to a 2nd ride! Ah, the Toboggan. Now, I am not one for tight spaces, and I had heard that this one was pretty small. But I wanted to get the credit, so I approached the station, palms sweating. I sat down in the car and asked the ride op to let me see if I could handle the confinement. As he closed the top, my head was hitting it. And my back was being squished. And I could feel the life leaving my body. Um....no thanks. I think I will pass. So call me a wuss, but I just couldn't do it. Plus, I still had a 2 hour drive to Chicago. Oh well, c'est la vie. I did ride the park's powered monorail. A front seat view. Anyway, I was off to Six Flags Great America. I only needed two credits: Ragin' Cajun and Dark Knight. However, I was not prepared for the following sight when I drove up to the park: ARE YOUR SERIOUS?? I paid my $15, parked my car in the back lot, and walked right to Guest Relations to complain. And if you think $25 is too much to pay to park a car, feel free to let Six Flags know as well! http://www.sixflags.com/greatAmerica/footernav/contact.aspx And just to prove my point, I did a little research and came up with the following: Discovery Kingdom Parking is $15 Magic Mountain $15.00, Valet $30.00, Buses 20.00, RV's $25.00. Over Georgia Regular $15.00 and Premier parking for $20.00 Kentucky $5.00 per vehicle for parking America $15 per vehicle. Preferred Parking is $20 New England Valet $30, Preferred $25, General $15 St. Louis Daily parking is $15 Great Adventure Daily parking is $15, Preferred Parking is $25 SFOT General $15.00, Preferred $20.00 Valet $30.00 OK...off my soap box and on to the rides. It spun. I did not barf. I got my credit and will never have to ride it again! How is it that Viper is an amazing coaster while similar clones (Georgia Cyclone and SFMM's Psyclone) suck?? The Bull was Raging. Get it?? Dark Knight. Ok theming, ok ride, WAY too long to wait. I spent about 1 1/4 hours in line, and the park was pretty dead. Now, the front of the park has all these posters advertising the various themed lands. They may want to check these out since this one STILL advertises ShockWave! Then again, on the Sky Tower, the pre-recorded Spiel touts Deja Vu!! Saturday I was off to downtown Chicago to perform my show. Here are some pics. Outside the theatre Backstage with Mark, the star of the show. The stage. The audience. The show. Sunday morning. My flight back to Orlando was not until 6:30pm, so I decided to head back to Six Flags for more fun. More Flags. More price gouging. Ah....have a Coke...for $3.50 Or a Powerade for $4.50!! More expensive than a gallon of gas! You go girl!! Me with Tweety and....Whore Bird?? From the sky tower I got some great shots. The Bull had no line all day! My favorite coaster in the park! Fast, smooth, and a great location. Front lot: suckers who paid $25 Back lot: suckers who paid $15 Hey, what's that empty lot?? Ahhh, no more Deja Vu. Fine by me!! I headed to the park's IMAX when the skies turned very dark grey. This can't be good. The rain which lasted about 2 hours. After it stopped, I gave the Demon a spin and got my butt soaked. Good times!! They never did run The American Eagle when I was there. I left the park about 2pm and went across the street to Gurnee Mills for lunch that would not cost me an arm and a leg! I then made it to the Milwaukee Airport at about 4:30pm for my 6:30pm flight. But the earlier storm had pushed my flight back two hours. Or so I thought... I ended up FINALLY leaving Milwaukee at 1am, 7 hours after my initial flight time and arrived in Orlando at 4:15am. Zzzzzzzzzzz Thanks for reading!

Thanks for all the great advice. If anyone is around Mt Olympus on Thursday and Little Amerricka on Friday, look me up! Later!

If you would like some constructive criticism, the paragraphs you wrote were too long. Think about breaking them up into 3-4 sentence ones to make them easier to read. And I didn't get through your video since it seemed to be a 12 minute slide show of the pictures you took. Most people do not have 12 minutes just to watch some pictures scroll by. I would suggest uploading the best pics so people can read your TR and check out the pics all in about 1-2 minutes. I am jealous of your 17 rides on the Voyage though!

I will be doing all of those parks in 2 weeks! Woo hoo! Hopefully they will get the 2nd train on Ravine Flyer II by then!

I hope that they also rebuild the smokehouse restaurant there and make it a large venue like the ones at Busch Gardens Tampa and Williamsburg. They really do need another large sit down restaurant, and though I love the food at Sharks, I also love the BBQ from the other parks! Looks like Orlando will be the place to be in 2009! Good thing I live here!

PICTURES! Seriously, thanks for the photo TR. I will be heading out that way in late July and needed to see what I would be up against as far as the parks go. Planning to hit SFDK and GA on a Thursday and Friday.

Now that's how a TR should be! Fun to read, entertaining, yet slightly educational! Keep 'em coming!!

I work there, and the only times I have seen horrendous lines is during Hallowscream. Usually if you plan your day right, you can get on everything. Of course, Rhino Rally's line is always bad no matter how small the crowd. Just my two cents!

I will be in San Francisco from July 24-26th for the San Francisco Improv Festival. Details: Mark Baratelli's Improv Cabaret (Orlando FL) Mark Baratelli improvises a 45-minute cabaret act with no audience suggestions or planning. It's 45 minutes of original storytelling and song supported by accompanist John B. deHaas. Anyway, I am planning to visit Six Flags Discovery World and Great America on Thursday and Friday July 24th and 25th. I basically have all day until about 6pm to do the parks. I am mainly looking to get all the coaster credits in. Any advice as to which park would be less crowded on which days? I figured that weekdays would not be too bad as opposed to visiting on Saturday. The theatre where I am doing the shows is about 45 minutes from each park. Thanks! And if any San Fran TPR people are out there, check out the show. It is very funny!! More info here: http://sfimprovfestival.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=100&Itemid=51

Just got reviewed in the Orlando Sentinel for THESCREW YOU REVUE: DEJA VU! Fringe review: 'The Screw You Revue: Déjà Vu' By Matthew J. Palm SENTINEL STAFF WRITER It is a time-honored Fringe convention for comics to insult the audience members, but entertainment legend (at least in his own mind) Wayburn Sassy takes insults to a new level. A ‘70s talk-show host (played brilliantly by comedian Dewey Chaffee), Sassy is now a senior-citizen curmudgeon, gratuitously railing against blacks, gays, Jews and little people, to use the politically correct term. Being the antithesis of PC, Sassy calls them midgets, usually preceded by an adjective not uttered in polite company. Robyn Pedretti nearly walks away with the show as Sassy’s private nurse, Gracie. A dim bulb with a uniform cut up to there, she’s Three’s Company’s Chrissy, Will & Grace’s Karen, Marilyn Monroe and Olive Oyl rolled into one blinding ball of ditzy energy. As in any improv (the show is part scripted, part audience-driven), not every joke lands. But Sassy and Gracie are such sharp comedic creations, you won’t mind. Just check your sensibilities at the door. Remaining performances: 10:45 p.m. 5/20, 7:40 p.m. 5/22, 11:35 a.m. 5/24. Brown venue.

Anyone in Orlando or heading down here over the next ten days! I am involved with two different shows at the Fringe Festival. Here are the details: What is The Fringe? A 12-day-festival that is founded on the concept of offering 100% unjuried, 100% uncensored, 100% accessible theatre, music, dance, art and madness to all types and ages where 100% of the box office ticket sales go directly back to the artists within The Fringe. The Orlando Fringe is the longest running US Fringe festival. Where does the festival take place? Within Loch Haven Park (MAP) at The Orlando Shakespeare Theater (812 E Rollins St.). The venues are located within these two entities and are coded by color. KIDS FRINGE activities and shows take place at The Orlando REP and in Loch Haven Park. Visual Fringe is located within the lobby and Patrons Rooms of the Orlando Shakespeare Theatre. The Beer Tent, food vendors, non-food vendors and the Outdoor Stage are located in Loch Haven Park, in between The Orlando REP and Orlando Shakespeare Theatre. What show am I doing? WHEN PIGS FLY An exceptionally cheerful, militantly gay musical extravaganza. Phantasmagorical costumes. Lavish production numbers. Irreverent comedy. Starring David Lee, Frank McClain, Sam Singhaus, David Dorman, & Wanzie. This year’s The Lion Queen! Orlando Sentinel Metromix.com Fringe Best Bets List: "Musicals are always the best sellers of the Fringe, of course, and Wanzie’s opulent production When Pigs Fly is guaranteed to put butts in seats, no pun intended. This upbeat, militantly homosexual show features five actors, including Orlando favorites David Lee and Michael Wanzie, performing rousing musical numbers and 52 costume changes." 5/18 SUN 1:15PM 5/20 TUE 8:30PM 5/21 WED 11:30PM 5/24 SAT 2:10PM 5/25 SUN 2:40PM Get tickets here: https://tix.extremetix.com/tix/SilverSt ... iteID=1421 Both shows are $10 each with a $6 Fringe button that must be purchased to get into any show. A Fringe button is required to enter ANY Fringe show within ANY venue. The button costs $6 and is a one time purchase. Button proceeds go to the Fringe. Patrons MUST have Fringe buttons on to enter the venues. A Fringe button is NOT required for Visual Fringe, Kids Fringe or to hang out in the beer tent! If you forget to bring your button, you will have to purchase another. Fringe buttons cannot be purchased online, ONLY in person at the Fringe Box Office at Lowndes Shakespeare Center during the operating hours of the festival. There are over 70 different shows, concerts, dance recitals, stand up, etc. Check it out! More details can be found here: www.orlandofringe.org And here is a review for WHEN PIGS FLY: There’s no tearjerker like the hit Broadway show where the author dies just before opening night. That seems to be the back story to this brilliant, over the top extravaganza of song, dance and the gayest costumes I’ve ever seen. There’s the thumbnail of a story - Howard Crabtree (Frank McClain) has run in with an evil guidance counselor (Michael Wanzie) who rejects his desire to put on splashy shows and instead recommends following a career of watch repair, gardening, plumbing or chicken farming. That’s more than enough motivation to put David Lee in a topless Bette Midler-style mermaid costume, David Dorman into a purple Elvis beehive, and Sam Singhouse in a two man pantomime horse outfit. Mr. Wanzie sparkels as a larger-than-life Little Orphan Annie. There’s even a convolutes preshow announcement explaining why everyone on stage uses their own name except Mr. McClain, who by contractual agreement MUST be referred to as Howard Crabtree, even if you meet him in the beer tent. The costumes are brilliant. The songs are brilliant. The finale is brilliant. The story is irrelevant. And it’s the best splash of Broadway to visit the Fringe stage ever. It’s the must see show of the year! This show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://www. orlandofringe. com/ The cast of WHEN PIGS FLY The poster for WHEN PIGS FLY

Since Erik Johnson already did an extensive report on the ride with great pics, I will focus on the actual event today at the park! Of course, there will be more pics! Checked in at 9am in front of the main gate then waited until about 9:30am to be walked back to the ride. They let us ride it once (and it was awesome again!) and then walked us into the throngs of people waiting for the ceremony to begin at 10:30am. There was a sea of blue Marge hair (see pics below). There was a huge scaffolding set up for video media, but I managed to snag a spot about half way up to get some pictures. There was a big band set up to the left of the ride and a Krusty look alike in a tux ready to conduct. An MC came out to welcome the crowd and introduced the president and CEO of Universal Orlando resort, Bill Davis. He came out, also in a blue Marge wig, and welcomed some other dignitaries in the audience: Mark Woodbury from Universal Creative, Mike West, executive producer, Tom Williams from Universal, Mayor Buddy Dyer of Orlando, Derrick Harvey the #1 pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Joey Fatone of *NSYNC. Whoo!! A bunch of kid came out, also in blue Marge hair, and then Bill Davis came forward to cut the ribbon. Yellow streamers filled the air, fireworks exploded, and the Simpsons themselves came out of the ride to welcome everyone. We then moved inside to Lombard's and the 2nd floor for interviews with Mike West. They took us in groups of six, so we all got to ask him a few questions. I taped the whole interview, but here are the highlights: Q: How did the development of the ride take place and what were some of the challenges? A: Going into this, you have a worldwide icon, phenomenon that you know going right into it has to be funny, story driven, about the characters, so that was our challenge. Every word in the film was written by Gracie films writers. Matt Groenig, Al Brooks were all intimately involved in the project. So the expectation was a challenge, but I think in the short time we have been opened that we have exceeded it. Q: Where did the idea come from? A: We had been talking about the Simpsons for awhile and it was trying to find the right venue. We like how the whole experience is immersive with the Simpsons in line with you on the monitors, in the pre-show, and then riding with you in the cars. Q: Are there any plans to translate it into Japanese for the park in Osaka? (that was my question!!) A: I honestly don't know. I have not heard of anything yet. Q: Why did you decide on 3D animation for the actual ride portion? Was it easier than traditional hand drawn? A: Actually, it was much more difficult. By the time we got to the dome, we wanted to make it an immersive experience. During the pre-show, it was 2D to make it feel like the family (the Simpsons) were waiting with you. Once you got on the ride, we wanted a more immersive experience. The Gracie people wanted the attraction to have an identity all its own different from what you would see on the television show. Something I did not know! The original Back to the Future was an IMAX film experience whereas the Simpsons is video. They are running 8GB's per second. There are only 4 video servers in the world that handle this: 2 at Universal Orlando and 2 at Universal Hollywood! They also use 4 SONY projectors. It is an all digital system. The domes are also all metal instead of your typical film screen. You have to make sure the gain is correct and do lighting tests. The image is also about 50 feet away at the farthest point. I then asked him if they ever thought of doing the film in 3D, but it is difficult to make it so the guests don't become sick. The problem usually occurs when guests do not wear the glasses correctly which makes you nauseous. We asked him about his future plans, but he said in his future is a long deserved vacation! He also mentioned that Matt Groenig rode it the other day in Hollywood and loved it. Enjoy the pics!! And my credentials The back cover My press pack cover Mike West The view from Lombard's Oh..some other little show was filming there earlier in the day! And the Simpsons arrive Let the confetti begin! Cutting the ribbon Bill Davis The MC (the gold line is a reflection of the sun off the podium lamp!) Krusty and his big band Joey Fatone The band The press scaffolding. I went about half way up. And the fun continues... Hmm....makes me want a blueberry squishy. Uh oh...this can't be good. Trying to act my age Check in here simpsonsopening.wmv

My first photoshop attempt! Official Entry #1

I am pretty sure the Mr. Potato head "quips" are pre-corded. First, I think it is really Don Rickle's voice, so unless they got someone to sound exactly like him, it is him. Second, he said some pretty generic things like "hey, you in the blue shirt." Usually there will be someone wearing some shade of blue, and they assume that the potato is really talking to them.

I have a piece of wood from The Riverside Cyclone the first year it opened. They cut up the extra wood and put a metal placque on it. I also have a wheel from the Idora Wildcat, but that came when I bought the whole car at an auction back in 1984. The car has since been sold.

My best friend was there today, and the highlight was when I clicked on the webcam. I then called him (from Orlando) and told him where to stand. See pic below!! He told me the park was VERY crowded and there was even a 45 minute wait for The Blue Streak. Of course, they were only running one train on it! My friend in the black square chatting with me 1000 miles away!

Hate to say it, but I bet the wheel gets modified (ie replaced) with a traditional lift hill once they realize they cannot get it to work consistently or at all. Just my two cents....

Exactly. I guess video cameras are ok but hats and mittens are not. Oh well...I got the credit and never need to go back there again!

Thanks for the info! Found a room for $40! Such a deal! Any more advice regarding coasters? Like I said....I just need the Mt. Olympus credits and am hoping the coasters are all running when I get there! And does my admission include the water park there? Last time I went was in late September so nothing was open. Thanks again!

I am heading up to Chiacago for a gig the first weekend of June. I arrive in Milwaukee on Thursday morning June 5th and was planning to hit Mt. Olympus and Timber Falls that day. I was going to spend the night and then hit Little Amerricka on Friday since they are only open noon-6pm that day and end the day at Six Flags to get my Dark Knight credit. Question: can you recommend any hotels in the Dells? I heard that some give you a free admission to Mt. Olympus with your stay. Or I could stay at one of the mega indoor water park ones. The only reason I am heading up there is to get my credits on all of the coasters which were closed save for Hades the last time I visited. Also, any other parks in the area worth checking out? I don't need any more kiddie coaster credits, so no Dragon Wagons for me! Thanks!

Interesting. They would have to be launched on a clear day otherwise they disappear in front of real clouds. Also, unless they make the Mickey heads really big, it is hard to see them at any considerable distance.

Hmm....I really didn't care for either one. Luckily, I only waited about 10 minutes for Hypersonic. We ran right to it as soon as the park opened a few years back and got the credit. The launch section was way too short, but thankfully not too rough. Dodonpa was brutal. I rode it in December so it was about 40 degrees out. The ride ops would not let us wear hats or gloves (since they could fall off and hurt someone with all that heavy....fleece?) so it was really cold too. Add to that an 1 1/2 hour wait with EVERYONE in line smoking (this is Japan after all) and I was over it before it began. The launch was ok but the negative g's over the hill were just wrong! Give me TTD or Kingda Ka any day.

As someone who actually rode this twice on Friday, I was impressed. Sure, it is not going to change the world or be the end-all-be-all of theme park rides, but for what it was, it was fun. Basically, the Pirates attraction from DisneyQuest with moving cars. Very interactive, kind of tiring after hitting all of the targets, and a few surprises thrown in. A vast improvement over Buzz Lightyear. And the queue line is very detailed with lots of huge replicas of children's games. AND they have a single rider line!! Note: while riding and waiting in the line, we were told many times "no pictures of video taping allowed." I am surprised Disney has not taken down the video like Universal did for The Simpsons. Oh well....

The first (and LAST) time I went to Lake Winnie, I was harassed by a security guard for taking pictures of the roller coaster since (in his own words) "there were not any of my family members in the picture." Well, seeing as I was at the park alone and merely taking pics for my own collection, I was very put off by his insinuation. I wrote a letter to the park who basically claimed it was for security. Regardless, I will never go back there again. Or I will take an instamatic or 35mm camera!

Those pics are awesome! I remember riding Shoot the Rapids every year we went with the family. I also loved the double ferris wheel at the front of the park. Does anyone know if there are any of these left in the USA? I have seen pics of some at State Fairs but not any permanent parks. Thanks!