Vigil

So I went today, and besides being really hot, it was really fun. Unfortunately, Mach Tower was still not open. However, I will say that it was testing (it only tested when the crowds came for Illuminights, though, as if it were saying "oooh look at me...I am so enticing...don't you wish I was open...you will have to come back when I am open), and that the testing video is deceptive. I think its the upward angle from which that testing video was taken but I watched it from the side and it drops very quickly, and from what I could tell farther. They seem to have tweaked it to not slow down as early and have a longer drop. So that's good. As for other new developments, the area that was Big Bad Wolf's swoop through the town is now a crater. I don't know why they scooped out so much but the hole in the ground is ENORMOUS. I thought they were just going to build the event building on top of the ground...guess not. Anyway, all the other rides were running good. Alpengeist was running the fastest I have ever seen. Apollo's Chariot was also fun (duh). I was waiting with my friends for the very back row on AC (best place to ride), and as the train was loading the next train rolls up to wait outside the station. My friend looks at the front row and goes, "That girl looks a lot like Miranda Cosgrove." Then she looks again and is like, "That is Miranda Cosgrove!" (She was there for the concert series.) I waved and she smiled and waved back. Good day.

Well it looks long enough and as long as it drop as fast as they said I'm fine with it...the only thing is after being slowed down it moves at a constant speed for about 10 seconds before coming to a stop. Comparatively, KDs Drop Zone moves at a constant speed for about 3-4 seconds before stopping (according to ). It would seem that they could have made the drop slightly longer. Why would they not? Anyone care to elaborate?

Which is why he clearly said "for those of you not on the mailing list."

^^I forgot to say again that I pulled the seats off a suspended coaster concept in the 3D warehouse. What you mention would obviously have to be fixed, but it is just a concept ride. I have another one that is basically a vertical scrambler. invertedscrambler1.bmp Here is an overview. Credit to whoever did the seats. invertedscrambler2.bmp Like I said, it is basically a vertical scrambler ride. invertedscrambler3.bmp However, the seats do have the ability to rotate around their axis in a manner similar to X2, leading to a Zipper-type ride.

Here is a new ride. I imagined this one as being inside a geodesic sphere or something with strobes and such. armride1.bmp Here is an overview of the ride. The entire mechanism spins and the cars get pulled up the curved track both by centrifugal force and mechanically (obviously that's not depicted). armride2.bmp You would load on the center platform, and the seats would tip back and then the ride would start. armride3.bmp The cars are pulled to the top where they could suddenly flip down adding an element of surprise. armride4.bmp Another overview. Again, these are concepts and (not being an engineer, though I am going studying to be one) I have no idea if it could be done. There would probably need to be a ring around the upper part of the arms but it would have blocked the visual if I put it in. The entire ride could also be on a track and tilt slightly or something like that.

^Absolutely! If it works, be sure to post pictures.

So I randomly like to create ride concepts, and I decided to draw them in Google Sketchup so I wouldn't forget them (for when I become a ride engineer ya know ). Anyway here's the first. I needed some colors and decided on red/black/yellow with a radioactive theme; I call it Fallout. droptowerconcept.bmp I can't take credit for the seats. Those were pulled from a suspended coaster concept in the 3D warehouse. Thanks to you if you are on TPR!

Did the park say when the ride is supposed to open? Is it just an "as soon as possible" type deal. I am planning on going sometime in the next few weeks, but I don't want to go until after it opens.

^^^There's a Putt-Putt here in Charlottesville, VA, the only mini-golf course around really. Simple, but fun...

This is amazing. Just looking at the pictures, I forget that all of this is on a ship. How do the Disney cruises fit into your critique of the cruise ships? I laughed at the Phantom of the Opera/chandelier picture. My high school is doing Phantom this year and I just finished auditioning for it.

Innnnteresting...verrrry interesting

Robb, why wouldn't you expect it to come from Mack? Just because they are getting the Intamin at BGT?

I feel like they need to figure out what they want in the ride's theme. They say it is based off the autobahn...so where does the Black Forest come in at all? Verbolten is the best name, but "forbidden" seems a bit dark for the autobahn theme. I would think if they were doing some thing with the autobahn they would make it more bright, flashy, and racecar-ish. Black Forest or autobahn...pick one.

Nice video! I like how at 0:23 and 1:41 Maverick's water cannons sync up with the music.

When making a park for fun, what scenario do people use? Do you just make a custom scenario? If so, which objective is the best to work with (i.e. unlimited money, no ratings to worry about)?

^^I agree. I was at Disney world a year ago and my entire family noticed that. While waiting in line for Soarin' (which was like a 70 minute wait), at least 40 people came by with a wheelchair person. Half the time it would be one person in a wheelchair and 7 other people. It's not like the actual line isn't big enough to handle the wheelchair either. They should have to wait in line too. On the same trip in the Magic Kingdom, I was walking behind a women in one of those electric scooters and her husband. She says that she has to go to the bathroom, stops the scooter, stands up and walks away without a problem. Her husband sits down in the thing and keeps going. Do they just give those things out? I stood there like, "I bet you do that to cut the line."

My school is doing The Phantom of the Opera in the spring and I definitely want to do something for it (be in it, play in the pit, etc.).

I actually really liked the Gwyneth Paltrow episode. I though she did a really good job (I liked "Forget a Lot"). Admittedly the Singing in the Rain/Umbrella combination would have been better without Singing in the Rain. The main thing I dislike about the show this season is that they don't sing nearly as much as they did before. One episode had like three songs in it. Apparently Rachel is going to sing O Holy Night which I am really looking forward to. And they need to get some Phantom on the show stat!

I had a dream a few nights ago in which I was on a TPR trip. Elissa was leading my group and our ERT consisted of running the course of some sort of GCI wooden wild mouse in a big line. An then we were stuck in a huge cave that had a door into a haunted house, so Elissa, several other random people, some of my friends, and I walked through trying to escape. It was a little odd...

^^^The only thing is that didn't the park say that it was going to be a multi-launch roller coaster and the only wingwalker now has one hydraulic launch. It kinda leads me to believe that it will be similar to Cheetah Hunt, though I hope not. Has anybody ridden Furius Baco? How is it?

So has anybody heard anything regarding construction? Have they done anything for the new stuff in 2011 yet or are they going to wait until after Christmas Town to start. On a completely different note, I hope the new coaster is a wingwalker (chances of that happening slim to none, but still.)

^I agree with everything you just said. Rome is awesome. Especially the ATMs at the Vatican; they are in Latin. My other favorite places are Niagara Falls (touristy but I could stare at the falls all day), Disney World (yes...I know), Charleston, SC, and Monterrey, VA.

So honestly...I'm not too enthralled with this ride. I don't really like the layout. I love launches so I'm sure it will be fun, but it seems like a bunch of random turns and straight sections...and that's about it (save for the random figure-eight thing). I'm more interested in what this means for BGE. Hmmmmm...? On a different note, does anyone else think this would have made a good Vekoma motorbike coaster? Not in a chee(tah)sy way (like the trains would be cheetahs and you would ride them; TPR would have fun with that, I'm sure), but more like the layout. I think it would have been cool.

Hmmm... That drop tower I must admit I am a little disappointed in by looking at the pictures. It did not look like a Intamin and looked like it had a very low capacity. I know pictures can be wrong but not that wrong. Also I was expecting a little more theming too. But I won't knock it til I've tried it. However, I am looking forward to the new coaster. This is going to be fun. Oh and the name..."Mach Tower" what are we Cedar Fair now?

Praise the Lord, finally an announcement! Now what are the going to announce (and for the next two years, too)?