CoasterFEV

^ While it's great to see these pics and the progress on-site, I hate to be the one asking - but are you authorized to be distributing these photos on the Internet? I assume, if you're on that site, that you or your company signed a NDA.

.....or you can go on a TPR Trip and Robb & Elissa can RENT an ENTIRE park ONLY to ride an Austrilian Wacky Worm (and eat a whole bunch of free cotton candy!) Never ashamed of a little credit whoring! It's part of why we all do this!!!

I would hereby like to submit my vote for "Top 10 Creepiest Haunted Houses 2013" to Rusutsu Resort What topped it is that there was absolutely no one working the attraction whatsoever. Ken - great idea to explore and figure the haunt out (and it totally topped our "Murder Lodge" experience that morning!) We just kind of walked up to it, wondering what it was and whether it was open, no one was around outside, but what we found inside was....well...here's a few pics from the experience:

Chose Option 2 because of the (slightly) cleaner look The trend, it seems, of many corporate (and other) web site front pages is to change to a cleaner, neater, and an almost "minimalist" look. The page still provides access to information, but does so by keeping the visuals simple. Even look at the evolution of the WDW and UO front pages - they've been simplified quite a bit in the past 5 years. The challenge for me is that the addition of the Twitter feed, I feel, pushes the "busy-ness" of the front page over the edge. There is just too much going on - you're trying to put just SO much material and links on the main page that the result is a cluttered and ineffective page. I do agree with some of the folks in previous comments who have made some great suggestions to take the two options and clean them up a bit to make it easier to view Change is GOOD - glad to see the evolution of TPR!

Here ya go!

Great seeing you while you were here, Ledgy! While I still prefer the two water parks in Dubai....probably because I can keep my lazy self in my comfy raft all day...I think Yas Waterworld is an exceptional park. The children's and family area of Yas Waterworld is the best I've ever seen - blowing away anything that Disney or any other big chains have ever produced for the youngsters. ...and the "bonus water park coaster credit" is tons of fun too! Thanks for posting the pics!

Speaking of trims.... Stopped by Ferrari World this morning for a few hours and to grab a another ride on Formula Rossa. The trims on that thing continue to annoy me. I understand why they did it - but it's just disappointing that a coaster marketed as the "world's fastest" launches the train directly into a long series of magnetic trims.

Sorry - I'm going to have to disagree. I just don't see the Oriental Land Company building a Disney-branded hotel on this site. For one, it's not very big. Total size of the land purchase is only 23,382 square meters. That's only 5.75 acres. No where near big enough for a Disney-branded resort. Think parking, pool(s), an entry statement, a sufficient number of rooms, restaurants, etc. I believe a building in this area would also be limited on height. If I remember correctly, all the hotels along that back stretch were all about the same height. Secondly, it's far too removed from the Tokyo Disney "hub" - meaning the entrances of the theme parks and/or Ikspiari. Why would they suddenly build an "on-site" hotel so far away from their own restaurants, shopping, and theme parks? Honestly, this land is perfect for a Team Disney-style office building Now, if the Oriental Land Company DID want to build another on-site hotel (and they should), I would begin looking VERY closely at the land currently occupied by the old Cirque du Soleil theatre and its associated parking lot (which just happens to be about the same size as the Ambassador Hotel).

^ I was looking at the exact same thing Jon I don't believe that there isn't any land directly adjacent to either of the theme parks that Oriental Land Company doesn't already own. The only potential benefit of acquiring more land - like this plot that appears to be between the Hilton Tokyo Bay and Hotel Okura Tokyo Bay would be to either acquire better control over the land use on the peninsula or to potentially move some ancillary services and support out to this site in order to free up current backstage space for the existing theme parks

Speaking of this - does Europa still change the soundtrack to Jingle-MIR during the Christmas holidays?

This is an entirely accurate statement. I don't think I can EVER get this terrifying image out of my brain:

^ fixed

^ I've always used their on-line booking portal for my trips to HKDL. Very simple and reliable to use. I rarely make reservations via the telephone - especially in foreign countries where language issues can result in screwed-up reservations. Plus, there are very frequently specials available on their site if you click here: http://park.hongkongdisneyland.com/hkdl/en_US/special/listing?name=SpecialOffersOverviewPage It's not surprising that they have not opened up reservations yet for 2014. Travel patterns in Asia are a little different - and they may be waiting until their 2014 budget is finalized before opening up the rates. Especially important since the busiest time of the year for the resort, Chinese New Year, will be at the end of January next year. Just have a little patience.

I'm in this category. I gave up watching the video after 3 minutes. Although I agree with Jon, the Vine videos inserted did help. Agree that it's a potential new way to reach out to people who follow TPR on YouTube and not any of the other channels (Facebook, Twitter, and the site) - although how many people fit into this category vs. your time commitment in making these slideshows?

^ The 3 things I miss about TV in Orlando? Commercials for Appliance Direct, Family Auto Mart, and Fun Spot! (note....if, after 5 years living away from O-Town, I still remember these commercials, know the great slogans, and - most important - know the businesses? That means these types of "down-home" commercials can and do WORK!)

Although I'm biased....Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios Singapore is much-improved from the Orlando version of the attraction. Better effects, better story, an even smoother ride, and - most important - absolutely NO Brendan Frasier! Just usually doesn't show up on many of the lists because...well....there is that 16+ hour flight to get there....

^ I know another coaster (or two) that should be on that list !!!!!!!!

I would expect that the catwalks along a good number of coaster tracks in Japan may have to do with specific municipality requirements for track inspection and, more important, emergency evacuation of riders if a train valleys due to weather and or mechanical failure

Donated $50 There is no need to send me a Bag-o-Crap nor any DVDs. After all, this is a charity event. Robb: Please use any funds you were going to use to send crap across the ocean to me and send it, instead, to our friends at Give Kids the World Thanks and have a great time!

Quick question if anyone knows the answer - because I was trying to figure this out when we were all in Japan this Summer and no one seemed to know the answer: I'm familiar with the age-old legal requirements in Japan that had (forced?) Disney to design the railroad with only one station and to charge for the monorail. But.... If the "any train/transport with more than 1 station must be charged/taxed" rule is applicable - then why does the Tokyo DisneySea Electric Railway have 2 stations and why is it free? It's an honest question that I really don't know the answer to and hoping that someone here can assist with. Thanks!

A few more pics from this evening at La Qua 30 minute wait for Thunder Dolphin. VERY strict with loose articles (even watches had to be removed). Running smooth.

Just got this photo sent to me from Tokyo. Confirmed. Thunder Dolphin is definitely open. Looks like a full train of riders on a big Intamin coaster in downtown Tokyo! (...and...more good news...apparently it's "Lady's Day" today at La Qua!!!)

Lift motors for large coasters like this are pretty unique due to the amount of torque needed to get a train up the lift hill quickly. Buying one new could be upwards of $150,000. The other challenge is that these things usually have a really long lead time of 20 to 30 weeks once you place an order. For marquee rides, it's really not all that unusual for a park to keep a spare one in inventory.

^ Did you check Ocean Park's calendar page too? Because they do provide very good updates on upcoming attraction annuals. Look right underneath the calendar for "Facilities under Maintenance" http://www.oceanpark.com.hk/html/en/plan-your-visit/calendar/