GwaziBSRider1

Love your description of Nighthawk - "big clunky mess" is quite accurate! Although, it's a bit of a shame that you didn't ride Carolina Cyclone, as it was running very well when I was there a few weeks ago.

Thanks! Yas Waterworld was an amazing park, and we definitely underestimated how much time we wanted to spend there. I'll definitely give it a full day on my next visit. Ferrari World is across the street from Yas Waterworld, but it's not within walking distance since the entrance is inside of Yas Mall. I'm so glad to see the new coasters for the park, and I really hope business picks up for the park. I 100% recommend the VIP experience. It's well worth the extra $50. The mall with Ski Dubai is Mall of the Emirates, which is another of the UAE's many large malls. Our visit of that mall is in an upcoming part of the TR!

^ You've got Batwing nearby, but it's not hard to compete with that rattling death trap!

^ I was just thinking the same thing. I'm very curious to see how well it will ride.

S: Shaolin Grandma

I'm not a fan of Europe in the Air, either. I do like that it has transitions between the "destinations," unlike Soarin' that randomly jumps from place to place.

Part 6: Dubai Mall, Sega Republic, and Burj Khalifa: At the Top This part of the trip was probably my favorite. As a structural engineer, the Burj Khalifa is simply amazing to me. It was so awe-inspiring to be at the foot of it - let alone go to the 140th floor! More on that shortly. After our brief visit to Wonderland, we took the Dubai Metro to Dubai Mall - the world's largest mall. The Metro station is connected to the mall by a sky bridge that seemed to go on forever! It had to be at least a fifteen minute walk, but at least it was fully air-conditioned. Once you (finally) make it to the mall, it's unbelievable how large it is! They bill themselves as "The Mall of Everything," and they're not lying! You can find almost anything here. Amusement park, ice rink, aquarium, world's tallest building, shops of all shapes and sizes, movie theaters, almost every chain restaurant you can think of, and much, much more are here at Dubai Mall. It's definitely a place you could spend an entire day visiting. They're even adding an expansion to this place due to high demand! Oh, and there's a Five Guys opening soon. In the enthusiast spirit, Sega Republic was the first place to check out here. It wasn't difficult to find, but it was a bit hidden. The park is another one of the VERY nice FEC's that are found all over the UAE. This one is even two stories! The first floor wasn't very interesting other than the strangely fun drop tower. The second floor is home to Spin Gear, the park's Gerstlauer spinner, and an assortment of other rides and games. Spin Gear was a surprise hit! It has a tight, compact layout with most of it being in complete darkness. The theming is light, but it compliments the ride well (It's themed to Dr. Robotnik from the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, if you didn't know). I ended up riding it by myself at one point, and the ride spun so much that I staggered off! It was incredible! This coaster is one to go out of the way to ride! Our time for the At the Top tour of the Burj Khalifa wasn't until 5:00, so we still had plenty of time to kill at this point. We explored various areas of the mall, went outside to take pictures of the Burj Khalifa, and enjoyed some food. My only regret is that we didn't have time to go through the aquarium. We had opted for the VIP experience of the At the Top tour. Our initial assumption was that the only difference between the regular and VIP tickets was the ability to go to the higher viewing area at floor 140, whereas the regular tickets only allowed access to floor 124. Boy, were we wrong - and for the better! We arrived for the tour early, and we were allowed to wait in a lounge for the VIP ticket holders. Free coffee and pastries were served while our tickets were redeemed and "loose articles" were placed in a secured locker area. Once our time had come, we were escorted to the front of the security line (there's airport style security to get in) and then to our exclusive use elevator. On our way up to the top, a short film played about the history of the world's tallest buildings. On the 140th floor, we were greeted by a beautiful lounge with more free coffee and pastries, as well as a GORGEOUS view of Dubai! We had as much time as we pleased to enjoy all of the view. We met Keith's friend Dan for dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant at the Souqs next door. In addition to a delicious meal, we had poolside seats for the fantastic water fountain show! I've never seen the show in Vegas, but this one was spectacular (I'm told it's also 150% larger than its American cousin, too)! Dan told us lots of interesting things about the UAE and explored the mall with us for a bit. It was an absolutely fantastic visit to this wonderful mall and I highly recommend a visit! On to the pics! I hope you all enjoy! Please excuse the glare on some of the Burj Khalifa pictures. The sun was setting while we were up there. Welcome to the world's largest mall - the Dubai Mall! We're off to Sega Republic! Dubai 360 (some sort of film) wasn't open yet for the day. This is one of the more bizarre fountains in this country. What's a mall without an ice rink? One of the many themed areas of the mall. Here we are! Sonic the Hedgehog gladly welcomes everyone willing to pay! These are apparently the largest indoor slides in the Middle East. (KK) But more importantly, there's a Gerstlauer here! The entrance. At first glance, this ride is pretty much the same as the others, but the dark sections felt quite different. Dr. Robotnik - the evil genius from Sonic the Hedgehog - stares you down while you wait in line. This drop tower was surprisingly fun! I'm not sure what this was all about. This ride/game simulated a snowboard halfpipe. As the ride rocked back and forth, you had to push the buttons on the floor with your feet to make it spin. I got the high score for the day! There are a few simulator rides here. This one was the most bizarre looking of them. Back to the mall! There's even Chocolate World here. I told you they had everything! Another view of the mall. Only in Dubai can you find a gold Lamborghini inside of a clothing store. At the base of the fountain shown earlier. Are these guys cousins of the Silver Surfer? And here's the STAR of the Dubai skyline - the Burj Khalifa! It's the world's tallest building, and quite a beauty! Let's head outside for some more pictures. Here's one of the many entrances to this gigantic mall. There were plenty of expensive cars being picked up/dropped off at valet. (KK) Back inside, we find ourselves at the only free part of the aquarium. Forgive the reflections. If you can see past the awful glare of the storefront, you might see a snorkeler feeding the fish. Apparently, King Croc is the star inside, but you must pay to see him. I love the starry sky over the aquarium. On our way to the At the Top check-in desk, we passed through the Fashion District. There are thousands of butterflies hanging from the ceiling in this part of the mall. Another of the many themed shopping areas. (KK) Passing through a corridor to the elevators to head to floor 140! (KK) A beautiful view of Dubai from 140 stories up! The Persian Gulf and part of Dubai. This is apparently a picture of the Dubai Emir's residence. I didn't know that when I took it. Looking straight down - OMG! Along with a reflection of my hand and camera, these are the World Islands. More of Dubai. In this reflection, we see a selfie stick in its natural habitat. Ah, the Burj al-Arab. How I'd love to spend the night inside of you! Alas, you're too expensive. One of the buildings to the right is the infamous Torch building that caught fire a few days before our trip. The Burj al-Arab and Palm Jumeirah, home of Atlantis Aquaventure. Here we've moved to the outdoor viewing deck. Dubai Mall and another five-star hotel that I can't remember the name of. The Dubai Creek area. More of Dubai Creek. I thought this would be a neat shot. Here's Wonderland! A lovely view of the Dubai Fountains. We were still at the observation deck when the first show started - they piped the music up! (KK) Gorgeous sunset over the World Islands. After dinner, it was time to see this old gal - Dubai Dino! A few brief facts. (KK) We were treated to a few shows during dinner. They were incredible! (KK) And I'll finish off this part of the trip report with this gorgeous shot of the Burj Khalifa. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for Part 7: Heritage Village, Old Souqs, and Sparky's Dubai!

^ If the Beast wasn't trimmed as much, it would easily be the #1 wooden coaster in the chain. Shivering Timbers delivers an out-of-control ride that the Beast no longer does.

Wildcat - Hersheypark

NASCAR Speedpark - Pigeon Forge, TN

Maybe that's why I didn't enjoy it. I also rode it that same August. I probably would have ridden it again, but it had an incredibly long line and it was a very hot day.

I'll vote for Voyage to be RMC'd. I share Robb's opinion on it. Last time I rode it (2010), it beat me up worse than Son of Beast EVER did. I'm hoping for a better ride at HoliWood Nights this year.

Love the new website design! The old one was very outdated.

Thanks for the great report! Can't wait to ride Impulse in June!

Usually club discounts are good for at least one (non-club member) guest in your group.

There's a bright side to all of those comments...less people in line for Fury!

I've never seen that happen on any other Windseekers. I've been the "smaller" rider on the outside plenty of times. Also, did anybody get pictures of the Timber Wolf retracking?

Just to catch up on a few things: 1. Love the name Valravn! I guess Cedar Point thinks we can all handle scary things now. 2. I like the new location for Tiki Twirl (or whatever its called). That was a terrible dead space.

Great news for Ferrari World! These rides will fit in extremely well to their lineup. Hopefully, this will mean people will stick around for more than Formula Rossa.

Thanks for the lovely comments! Next part should be up this evening!

Leap the Dips - Lakemont Park

I have never seen a park sell out of Flash Passes before, even on the most crowded days of the season. I would wait until you get to the park to judge the crowds before you spend the money. Although you'll have the security KNOWING you have the passes, sometimes you'll only end up wasting your money (I've done this a few times).

^ I 100% agree! We had a half-inch of snow yesterday. What happened to Spring???

^^ Ah, my mistake. I was thinking New South China Mall and Great Mall of China were two different names for the same place.