pianojohn

That Shuttle Loop is identical to one I rode at Mt. Ikoma Skyland Park. It was weird there, too! They also had an Ultra Twister!

Awesome TR! I remember when I was in Osaka in 2001 that the electronics were about 2-3 years ahead of the US. I wonder how much longer until we have HD camcorders! Have fun!!!

Wow, I am getting jet lag just THINKING about all your traveling! And I remember Pocari Sweat, too! It was actually pretty tasty. I also liked the hot cocoa in the vending machine. It came in a can, so it warmed your hands as well! How they got it to a temperature that didn't burn your hands I will never know! Enjoy the parks! That last one had a Dolphin mascot on the coaster. I think they had the same dolphin at Portopialand in Kobe. I went there in 2001.

Yeah! Maybe it's just me, but I love living vicariously through your awesome TR's! Have a great time, take lots of pics and videos, and eat at every single McDonald's you can find! When I was there a few years ago, they served a Salmon-type burger thing. I did NOT try it! Merry Christmas! (Or Happy Holidays or whatever the hell is PC nowadays!)

Well, I rode the one at Wild Adventures and absolutely loved it! It was like being on a swing set that went REALLY HIGH! I loved how smooth it was, too. Looking forward to swingin' in '06!

I did the IMAX thing back in 1995 and was mildly impressed, but that was 10 years ago! Thanks for the pics and TR!

Thanks for the review! I was lucky enough to visit Australia in 2000 and got to visit Dreamworld and Wonderland (Sydney). I will definately have to come back ASAP to visit WB Movie World! I also was there in September of 2000 and got to go to the LIVID Festival in Brisbane and see No Doubt, Green Day, The Living End, and The Cure!! AWESOME!

Those pictures are just beautiful! I cannot wait to get back home to Orlando to see it in person and ride it (soon!!) Still no luck with the 2nd video file. The first one works fine for me. Thanks again for all the updates.

I cannot believe I am the first to say this: VEKOMA BOOMERANGS. In my opinion, the WORST, lowest capacity, lamest, and most hated coaster out there......and yet, they are everywhere! Why couldn't every park buy a GOOD clone instead of this waste of steel? OK, I am done!

Rockin' the Boat was GREAT! I even bought the CD soundtrack I loved it so much. And the show they had the seasons before that (I can't remember the name, but it was a show of TV music through the years, and hosted by Dick Van Dyke on TV's all around the theatre, which became the portholes for Rockin' The Boat). BGW's shows are usually pretty awesome. Imaginique was great. Their Halloween shows are really great, especially considering they only run for a few weeks every year. Monster Stomp is the best of the Halloween shows. You have to love any show where the performers are in bondage gear... That show was "Totally Television" which ran from 1993-1996. I worked on it 1994-96, and I have a ton of pics and videos from each and every cast (3 per year). Some of the famous alumni of that shows include Matt Cavenaugh(1997) who went on to star in URBAN COWBOY on Broadway and Taye Diggs (1993) who was in RENT and has been in dozens of movies and TV shows. Just thought you'd like to know!

Well, I vocal coached Moroccan Roll, and I played organ for Candlelight Processional at EPCOT from 1999-2003. I have yet to work with the Katonga cast, and when I was at BGW, I worked on "Totally Television" and "Rockin' the Boat." As far as my favorites go, I am partial to LIVE singing and music, and since I play Hoop-Dee-Doo, I will go with that! LOVED Hunchback, Pocahontas, and Doug Live at MGM Studios. I really enjoy Tarzan Rocks, but it will be closing soon. Wishes never fails to impress me with the pyro and the seamless integration of music. I am also partial to Illuminations circa 1989 when they used to light up each country and play corresponding music. USA got "Rhapsody in Blue." Oh, I almost forgot. The parades at Tokyo Disneyland and their Christmas Show in front of the castle. I was blown away by the sheer number of performers. The Christmas Show had to have about 100-150 dancers and characters on that stage, and the parades were equally impressive. I also loved the shows at Opryland which used live singing and music. Anyone else remember "Country Music USA" or "And the Winner Is?" They don't write them like that anymore (mainly 'cuz they would cost so much to mount and maintain!"

First Coaster: Space Mountain WDW on my 40th Birthday! Jan 14th Last Coaster: Loch Ness Monster BGW October 23rd (unless I can hit a Disney park during Christmas week....arrgghhh!) UPDATED!! Just rode Mummy at USF December 27th...woo hoo! The crowds were insane, but with single rider line, I got on in 10 minutes. Also did Doom 2X (also single rider). And off to Cypress Gardens tomorrow! Wish me luck! Other 2005 highlights: NEW parks!! Dollywood (which I loved), Holiday World (ditto), Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom (which I went to for the credits and will probably never go back), Lake Winnie (where I was accosted by an over zealous security guard aka Rent-a-Cop about taking pictures of.....COASTERS!) Favorite new rides: Sheikra (love love LOVE it!) Thunderhead (can't wait to go back this summer) Hades (although it was the ONLY coaster operating the day I went) Kingda Ka (not really impressed with it, but more impressed with the fact that a) I got to ride it in its inaugural season and b) I only waited about 10 minutes after doing the sprint of death at the opening of the park!) Italian Job: Stunt Track. 2nd half is much better than the first, but the ride has such horrible capacity issues. Don't know if it will be any better at PKD in 2006. But the biggest coaster related highlight: FINALLY meeting Tommy and James in person and being immortalized in their BGW segment. Here's to more fun in 2006!!

Great TR and pics! Anyone know how long the 50th Anniversary will drag on? I am hoping for a trip out to LA in the Spring, and I imagine Disney will milk this thing for as long as possible. Thanks!

Shuttle Loops by FAR! Faster, smoother, MUCH higher capacity, and no OTSR'S!

Actually, it is Curse of DarKastle and The Beast is not at PKD but Paramount's Kings Island! Since I worked at BGW for 4 years in Entertainment, I am partial to the shows, so I would suggest taking in one or more once you get your fill of the coasters. Plus, if you are going in the middle of summer, it can get pretty hot in Virginia. I would also suggest doing Hypersonic first since it seems to have the lowest capacity. When I went this summer, we did Hypersonic, then Richochet, and Hurler since they are all very near each other. Volcano's line also moved rather quickly, and we were able to get 2 rides on it.

Great TR! If anyone is going to be at PI on New Year's Eve, I will be playing the piano at Comedy Warehouse! Thanks for all the pics of the Ad Club. Hopefully it will be around for many more years to come!

I rode it many times from 1992 (the first year it opened) through 1998 (the last year it ran). I liked the cars, especially at night when they would turn on the red LED lights that ran alongside them. I found it to be rough as well, but I also felt it was a bit too slow, and so you were forced to hang in some of the loops, especially the first one off the lift hill. Now if it were shot up that hill (Hulk) I could see that element working better. I am hoping that BGW builds SOMETHING back there since it is a nice piece of land. As much as I would love to see a woodie (aka Thunderhead), I wouldn't mind having a Sheikra like drop coaster either. But just build something!

I vote for USF, but I would get there EARLY especially if you are going Christmas week. The crowds will be insane everywhere. Get there early, do the stuff you want, get an Express Pass or two, then take your time strolling and sightseeing while the hordes descend on the rest of the park.

Those pics are sweet! Thanks for the heads up!

Great pics and report. Did you happen to catch the Tarzan Rocks show? It is closing soon as is American Vybe at EPCOT. Too bad as these were some of the last places you could see live music and singing.

I'm going to say Gemini since it was my first BIG coaster and to this day, I can still ride it over and over and still get a big kick out of it!

Shivering Timbers for sure. It looks great, but after awhile it was like "are you done yet?" The hills seemed just too high to give you any air time, and it just became a series of drop and climb. The Raven: it looked great, it ran good, but it just didn't do it for me. I was much more impressed with The Legend. Texas Giant: URGH! Not as bad as Mean Streak, but pretty close. It seems that the bigger coasters get (these two, SOB, The Beast, etc) the less likely they will break in and give good rides for years to come. They just seem to get rougher and rougher, and the only solution seems to be trim brakes EVERYWHERE. Montu: sorry, I prefer Alpengeist! I also prefer Top Gun at Carowinds. And the fact that it basically sits in a field does nothing for the theming. At least Kumba has some tall trees around and some nice tunnels (or maybe it's just one tunnel).

Great points you guys are making. I pay for my coaster habit in a variety of ways: -I work for Disney so that covers those parks -I bought the 2 year Universal pass so that covers that -I bought my first Six Flags pass last year and went to 6 different parks -I use my ACE discount whenever possible (Paramount, Holiday World) -When I am out of town for work or a wedding, I ALWAYS manage to hit a park or two! Unfortunately (or fortunately in my case), I just bought a new house, so that tends to curb me wanting to jet off anywhere. I do, however, have some frequent flyer miles which are BEGGING to be used for a trip to L.A.! As for Japan, I was able to work for Universal there in 2001 and hit a bunch of parks, and I went to Tokyo in 2003 to visit my partner and was able to do the Disney parks as well as La Qua and Fuji Q. That's all folks! At Tokyo DisneySeas in 2003 during Christmas!

Now if we heard this news from the Dippin Dots guy, I would believe it. They know EVERYTHING!

Best of luck to you! When I was in Tokyo in 2003, it was during the holidays, and the Disney parks were PACKED. Not to mention it was friggin cold! But I am sure you will have a blast.