ILoveRides

I would be shocked if Disney doesn't buy the property. It's such a perfect opportunity for them.

The Matterhorn was my first roller coaster, so I'll be honest, I'm going to miss these bobsleds. I have lots of fond memories riding in them with people I care about! But regardless, I'm still excited to experience the new bobsleds, and hope the ride gets some much needed TLC in the coming months. Here's a final look at the old Matterhorn bobsleds from their last operating day (with special guests Gertrude and Spears!): Our adventure starts somewhere in Orange County where Gertrude tied a balloon to herself and took to the skies! What is going on here??? It would appear that Gertrude is sneaking into Disneyland! Why would she want to visit Disneyland tonight? Gertrude is at Disneyland for the last day of the old Matterhorn bobsled cars. Don't worry Gertrude... These cars hold 2 people per seat, so Spears will ride with you and keep you safe! But first, pasta break! Gertrude and Spears are in line. Some shots of the bobsleds from the line... Little known fact: Gertrude has never ridden the Matterhorn before. Another shot, head on. Light speed to Endor!!! The current seating arrangement is great for lots of activities, such as putting your friend's hood on. One last shot from the line. Those in-the-know choose the Fantasyland side! I assume these signs will be coming down soon. Gertrude and Spears are almost there! "There isn't a Yeti in there, right?" asks Gertrude. Spears doesn't know what to say. Gertrude and Spears are going up the lift hill! Ahhhhhh!!! A Yeti!!!! AHHHHHH!!!!! Gertrude survived! But only thanks to Spears keeping her safe. Yay for 2-per-seat seating! Bye bye old and busted! Way to go Gertrude! You rock! Congrats Gertrude! Thanks Spears! Bye bye old Matterhorn bobsleds, we'll miss you! We can't wait to see the new bobsleds and whatever other changes are in store for the Matterhorn! Thanks for checking out this trip report!

I'm going to go with 6 duckies! But to be honest there was at least one white spot that I have no idea if it's a ducky or not... but it looks suspicious.

^^ & ^ Thanks Robb and Crazy4Coasters!

I got the email stating that I was accepted and explaining the location change at 3:30. I responded at 4:03 that the new location was ok. I would think that's fast enough, but maybe not. I guess I'll send an email to Ashley to see if it was a mistake or if I actually didn't make it.

Normally with these kind of events we get an email with various details (when to arrive, where to park, what to wear, etc). I didn't receive anything after the email saying that I was selected and the event was changed to Knott's. Did anyone else hear anything more?

Dudeeeee... there are SO TOTALLY 5 duckies at Liseberg! Cha!

Last night was New Year's Eve at Knott's Merry Farm, and Spears and David were there! Here are some pics from the event: Knott's was all decked out for the holidays! Xcelerator was sporting its Christmas red and green paint. Well, ok, it's more like salmon and turquoise, but who's checking? We headed straight for "It's Christmas, Snoopy!" Snoopy was sporting his finest holiday threads. The show has a train in it. Anything with a train is good. "Dear Santa, for Christmas I want a copy of 'The Sixth Key' by Jeff Tucker. It's available at Amazon." Snoopy was having an awesome time. So was Mr. Snowman. There are some exciting and dangerous tricks in the show. That the skaters pull off flawlessly. Snoopy got a girl! But she is NOT going to kiss Snoopy! Or is she? Go Snoopy! You lucky dog you! The costuming for the show is great. And the skaters are all very talented. There's also fog... snow... and birds! Like most Knott's entertainment, this show is much, much better than your average amusement park show. If you've never seen a Knott's ice show, see one! They rock. In another bit of good news, the observation tower re-opened! But unfortunately it was so foggy that there wasn't much to observe. That blue blob is all you could see of the Knott's logo on Supreme Scream. The fog got very thick this night. Xcelerator in the fog. Despite the foggy night, kudos to Knott's for re-opening the tower and keeping a piece of Knott's history standing and operating. Tiny people in the fog. Ok, enough fog photos... We saw people walking around with tiaras, hats, and noise makers, and thought they must be selling them for a couple bucks. But it turned out they were giving them out for free! Woo hoo! Spears says "Thanks Knott's for the free festive stuff!" The log ride had its holiday overlay set up which is always fun. Over in Calico Square there was a concert all night by The Clueless Remix featuring DJ Reeso. Calico Square was filled with people from 8 til midnight. Spears did some dancing. We wandered around the park a bit to check out some of the holiday merch... Caught a show or two... Hung out with Snoops! Did some dancing... Hung out with Snoops some more... Rode some rides... That bunny is totally feeling the New Year's Eve spirit! Ate some candy... Drove some boats... (The Aquafina boat is the best boat!) Took some pictures... Took some more pictures... Ok, I took a lot of pictures... Pictures, Pictures, And more pictures... Spears says "Stop taking pictures or we're going to miss the countdown." So we headed back to Calico Square... Where things were getting lively... and crowded... and festive. It's 2011, but not for long! Operation "Silly String Your Friend's Hat Without Them Noticing"... SUCCESS!!! As midnight grew closer, the energy started growing. Almost 2012! Snoops came out to ring in the new year with everyone. Kids were using their newfangled technology devices to record the festivities. 55 seconds left! If there's anything you needed to do before 2011 is over, QUICK, do it now! 22 seconds left! 1 second left! HAPPY NEW YEAR! (And the crowd goes wild!) "Spray silly string on your friends and strangers" wild "Spill your coffee, break your noise maker, and throw it in your spilled coffee" wild "Get up on stage and go crazy" wild. WAIT A MINUTE! Is that Spears getting on stage??? It IS Spears on stage! Spears started singing, and the whole crowd quickly realized why Piers told Spears to "never sing again!" Happy 2012! Have a great year everyone! And hats off to Knott's for a fabulous event! Entertaining shows, great rides, wonderful performances, and FREE NYE SWAG! Spears and I are definitely happy we rang in the new year at Knott's!

Welcome back Big Mike!!!

Excellent TR Chuck! Verbolten is looking great.

Thanks for the surprise Club TPR discount!

I'm all for having fewer mazes if they're higher quality, but the log and mine ride overlays are two of the biggest selling points of Knott's Scary Farm for me. Those two rides, along with the shows (The Hanging, Ed Alonzo, etc), are what make Knott's stand out from the competition IMO. If they don't theme the rides I think they'll lose a big part of what makes Knott's Scary Farm unique.

^^^ For every 1% increase in profits, they add 1% more rocks. Go spend your money people, we need more rocks!

Here's another DCA and Disneyland construction update. The pictures are from Sunday November 6 and Monday November 7: Construction is coming along on Buena Vista street. This is your first sight when entering the park. The entrance walkway... ... now with 100% more holiday wreaths. Good! There are 3 things of interest in this photo: 1. Carthay Circle Theater construction 2. Spot the Spears 3. Random guy with weird expression on his face. This looks about the same. As does this. Now over to Cars Land. It really looks amazing. But even better than Cars Land... Chili in a bread bowl! This leaf says "LEAF ME ALONE!" Here's the infamous wall that everyone was asking about last time. It's finally getting covered with rock work. Spears and I braved the fun wheel on one of So Cal's coldest days in recent memory to get you Cars Land overview shots. It was windy too. Consider yourselves lucky! Overview shot #1. Ooooooh! Overview shot #2. Ahhhhh! Spot the Spears! Mermaid is still new, and still awesome! Sha-la-la-la-la-la My, oh, my Look at the boy too shy He ain’t gonna kiss the girl Exclusive!!! Cars Land at night with lights! This was the first night I've seen it with lights on. It's very impressive at night. This clearly wasn't the finalized lighting (it was very spot-light-ish), but it was still neat seeing the entire land lit up. Over to Disneyland... Stephen is very excited to be at Disneyland! Ash bought gloves because his hands were cold. SEE! I told you it was cold! Ghost Galaxy is no more, and regular Space Mountain is already up and running again. Haunted Mansion Holiday is amazing as always. Hello Jack! Oogie's Holiday Tricks and Treats. Gertrude pooped some treats of her own. We decided to watch Fantasmic! Still one of the best amusement park shows ever made. Fantasmic! Indiana Jones is better with Kettle Corn. Spears is very serious about this. Shane got sick on the teacups. Can you fit 6 people in one Snow White car? YES! Can you fit 6 people in one Pinocchio car? YES! Can you fit 6 people in one Casey Jr. car? YES! (Barely) Can you fit 6 people in 2 rows on Big Thunder Mountain? YES! The holiday season hasn't officially started at Disneyland yet, but you wouldn't know it walking around the park. Even the giant Christmas tree is already up in all its glory. But what is that on top of the tree? It's Gertrude! Thanks for checking out the construction update everyone!

Thanks for posting this! That fair looks really unique.

That lifeguard photo is an amazing shot. Nice work!

This is VERY appreciated! I was busy taking pics for TPR when I was at Haunt, and wouldn't have gotten any rides in without this policy. I walked right past the "This attraction will close at" sign after the time on the sign and got on the ride. I had no idea it was because of the new GM. I thought they just messed up and forgot to close or something haha. But yeah, rides closing with the park is how it should be, and is appreciated by the customers!

^ I love it! As leader of the free world, maybe there is hope that Desmond can save The Big Dipper...

I'll see your homage, and raise you one Mujadesmond:

Desmond should be Shirley for Halloween...

Awesome TR! I was a member of the Magic Castle Junior Program, so this brings back tons of fond memories of wandering those halls.

We were there on Sunday. It was really crowded.

^^ Hahaha I was going to do that, you beat me to it!

It's obvious... Prince Desmond should dress up as The Big Dipper!

BTW Prince Desmond, the Big Dipper has been saved! It's at Kennywood! Spears jumped for joy when she saw that The Big Dipper was saved!