KBrylczyk

I sincerely hope Six Flags installs a bunch of these. Pulsar was WAY more fun than it has any right to be!

Great Adventure tends to go through flats like mormons go through wives, haha. Remember back in like 1999 when they added 20+ rides only to have like 75% of them removed over the next few years? With the super loop being ripped out so soon and Cyborg being a lawn ornament, history may repeat itself.

^ Considering Disneyland's Splash Mountain is now for some (awful) reason wetter than a rapids ride, I don't think they mind.

I dunno, Osaka isn't exactly around the corner from Tokyo. If a bunch of nerds like us were planning a Japan trip for the World EXPO I mean, yeah, duh, of course we'd jump on the Shinkansen for a couple hours. Mostly, though, it'll be the city of Osaka reaping the benefits of this.

Universal's go-to for the past 15 years. Put guests in a box, add screen, splash water, repeat. I called this "upgrade" the day it was announced. Verbatim, "Watch, this Jurassic World project is going to enclose the entire ride with screens and splash you a little more than they already did." Boom, eat me, Universal. If I wanted to watch videos all day I'd sit at home for free and watch YouTube.

No, but you get a discount on single day and the scary farm season pass.

Hi everybody! (Hi, Dr. Nick!) Well, it's December and you know what that means. The same 3 Christmas songs on repeat in every single public location you visit! Yayyyyyyyyyyy. But I bring good news which is way better than frankincense and myrrh, whatever that crap was. Man, Jesus had a screwy childhood. But I digress... This year, for the first time, Cowabunga Bay Las Vegas premiered Christmas Town! No, the slides aren't open you masochist weirdos, but the park is full of lights, food, and a bunch of activities and attractions for everyone! Yes, there's even warm alcoholic holiday beverages, something I'm sure we can all appreciate. My wife and I were treated to the event by TPR's own Shane (of Amusement Attic fame, among other things like being king of the castle at Cowabunga Bay) and boy, did we have a blast! Upon parking the car we are greeted with an absolutely decked out entrance plaza with Christmas lights everywhere. It was gorgeous and really gives an idea of what to expect beyond the gates. Once inside you are face to face with a massive Christmas tree, Santa's sleigh, and reindeer. Will you go left, right, or straight? Doesn't matter since there are lights EVERYWHERE! Heading left will lead you to the tubing hill. Heading right will lead you to a peaceful walking area surrounded by lights, and heading straight will lead you to food, booze, and a bunch of family activities. I'm going to let the photos do the talking for all of the lights. 3 million (plus?) in total and when I say they're everywhere, I mean it. There were a few LED video walls scattered around, as well, each playing their own cute 8-bit animation videos synced to select Christmas songs. Remember those 3 songs on repeat I mentioned earlier? Not here! There's way more than 3 and 99% of them are different than you're used to hearing. Such a welcome change! If I had to head "Last Christmas" one more time after shopping earlier I'd have bitten a man's ear off. The attractions were all family friendly and clearly chosen to attract young families. Kids 12 and under will have the time of their lives at Christmas Town! There are so many bounce houses to choose from! There's also an inflatable Laser Tag arena, faux-ice skating, a rock climbing wall, two (yes, two) trains, an obstacle course, and the big tubing hill! And here's the best part, THEY'RE ALL FREE WITH ADMISSION! Whaaaaaaaaat? That's right, Las Vegas, the undisputed champion of highway robbery, is now home to a park that refuses to play ball and actually let families have fun without draining their bank account! I cannot stress enough how much of a difference this makes for families. There is one upcharge, and that is the Paintball gallery, but that's understandable since paintballs can't be reused. If you can figure out the technology, though, I'm sure someone at MIT would be interested. Food. Let's talk about the food. Taking a cue from other food and wine events, Cowabunga Bay's Christmas Town offers a tasting menu from five countries. You can buy a wristband for 3, 4, or 5 tastings and can even go to a country more than once. Your choices are France (charcuterie), Canada (poutine and the winner of the night), Japan (teriyaki chicken), Germany (sauerkraut and brats), and Ireland (stew or potato and cheese soup). Did I mention each tasting includes a hot holiday beverage? Five different cider or hot chocolate flavors round out the menu and they're all delicious. Speaking of warm beverages, there are two bars in the tasting area selling full size spiked warm honey cider and warm mulled spice wine. We got one of each. I preferred the cider while my wife went for the wine. There are also cold adult options but since it was 43 degrees and breezy, we stuck to staying warm. We also ended up grabbing a souvenir mug full of hot chocolate because, I mean, duh. Let's get to the pretty pretty pictures! Fire!!! The surfboards were gift wrapped. Blitzen's Bounce House Bonanza! Laser tag area. Faux-snowball pit. Faux-ice rink. I love that they replaced all signage with Christmas-themed ones. German chalet. Irish pub. Japanese...thing. Canadian Mounty Lodge. Gotta love Santa hats. Christmas themed merch. A bunch of ornaments. My favorite ornament.

Not gonna lie, that looks pretty darn sexy.

I would like to know how that's possible? BDSM is a hobby for many people.

Wow. That's an impressive wall.

Let's get back on track. Ratdogg screwed everything up.

^ I think he's high as balls.

If they waste all that money on a Beemer instead of giving Comet a much-needed refurb then they're just being silly. I'm not saying RMC-ify Comet, but that thing really needs some TLC. Last time I rode it I was surprised it held together.

How on earth have you ever managed to get from Buena Park to Santa Clarita in an hour? Driving at 3am?

Buh bye, Illuminations, hello brand new completely bonkers insane show. I can't wait to see what the Imagineers have up their sleeve.

I'm so confused right now...

It is absolutely incredible to me just how different Orlando and Hollywood's HHNs are. Orlando always seems to be at the top of their game, throwing a ton of money into the event and really getting into it. Hollywood just seems like a pure cash grab with a ton of empty space in the haunts. Such a shame.

Hooooooooly crap, HHN is bad this year. Are you a fan of black, unthemed hall corridors? Then have I got the halloween event for you! Seriously, more than half of the length of the haunts combined is black hallways with the occasional actor. I thought Universal was supposed to have a large budget for these things. Meanwhile non-park events are whoopin' their butt with the themeing and scares. The only thing HHN California has going for it at this point is name recognition. The actual event is a pure cash grab that is devoid of scares and themeing. Save your money and visit one of the MANY other SoCal haunts that put effort into their attractions. Dark Harbor, Knott's Scary Farm, Into The Black, Reign Of Terror, LA Haunted Hayride, literally any other LA haunt is more worth your time.

What in the hell happened in this thread? All I wanted was to know how bad the construction is and now people are debating the pros and cons of drug use at the park.

If you get there right as they begin entry and head straight to the backlot then yes, you can pull it off without an express pass. But I'm talking get in the gate, walk as fast as you can through the park, get to the backlot, do those haunts, immediately pull a 180 and head towards the lower lot, do those haunts, then head to the upper lot and do those haunts. If you start up top you're gonna run into 90+ minute waits for anything in the lower lot and backlot.

I thought we were past blacklights and cutouts. Oh, well...

Yeah, spend the money for Fright Lane. I'd suggest getting that All Inclusive ticket they're offering that has parking and the Boo-fet early entry. Crowds aren't HHN-level insane but if you'd rather enjoy your night than spend a good chunk of it in line just spend the money. You'll be glad you did, especially since it's unlimited entry. HHN charges an arm and a leg for one-time use.

OMG, that's awesome. Disney, hire this guy to name your cocktails. In other news, I'm gonna be in the area next week for Scary Farm's opening night. I hear that things are chaotic with all the construction around Disneyland right now. Can I still park for a few hours free to wander Downtown Disney or is that all screwy, too? I'm not going to visit the parks but I love posting up at Starbucks and doing some people watching.