GwaziBSRider1

That's absolutely gorgeous! Can't wait to see it in person on 4/4!

Y: Yellow Submarine

Ride announcement at 5 AM? That's a pretty weird time for one.

I stayed at one of the on-site value hotels, as well (specifically All-Star Music). Considering it was only about $80/night with all of the perks (EMH, transportation, etc.), you can't go wrong. Other than being extensively themed, there aren't a ton of extra amenities like the more expensive resorts.

The operations were bad in 2013 also. Remember, they only ran one train during most of that day too, and remember how long we waited for the crazy mouse? I remember the one train on the racer, but I had forgotten about the crazy mouse. Thinking back, I had forgotten how bad the operations were there, and there were several rides closed, too. It's a shame that Infinitum/Triple Loop was closed for you guys. It's such a great ride.

^ I completely disagree about Boyhood. Although being filmed over twelve years was cool, that was the only thing really going for it. I wasn't a fan of the plot for the most part, especially the ending. I know it's supposed to be about the kid's life, but I really don't like it when I can predict most of the plot. Maybe I just had different expectations going into it. I will say that Patricia Arquette deserved her Oscar for her work. Even if her character wasn't the greatest, she pulled it off perfectly.

I always wondered where those things came from. I bought one for myself on eBay for $10! I love it!

I didn't think Thunderbolt was that rough, honestly. It's one of the few Zamperla coasters that I actually enjoy riding.

Great update, Chris! Medusa Steel looks simply amazing! Although it's a shame they converted the crooked house (or whatever it was called) into the queue, I'm so glad you don't have to walk through that damn gift shop to get to the queue. Does it still exit through the gift shop?

It's a shame that the operations are so poor at La Feria, as I really enjoyed that park on the 2013 tour. It's cool that the Loop-O-Plane was open this time around, though! Great pic, Robb! Can't wait to see more!

Gotcha. That was our idea, too. It was absolutely empty during our visit! We went on a Sunday, which is the equivalent of a Monday in the West. We were only there for three hours, and we were able to do everything we wanted at least once. The only downfall was that we had Premium passes, their skip-the-line pass. We bought our tickets as a combo with Ferrari World, both having the Premium pass. Operations weren't an issue that day, considering there were probably less than fifty people in the entire park. Even at slides that had a short wait, they moved people through as fast as they could. Thanks! I highly recommend it!

Yes, the slides are as good (if not better) than they look! The victim comment came more from the terror I experienced than the pain. I didn't find Liwa Loop uncomfortable, but some people did have large friction burns from it. Honestly, there didn't seem to be many people who were dying to ride it again. Considering it was over $60 for admission, it would have been stupid for us to skip it. Honestly, I had such a good time that Bandit Bomber didn't matter in the end. I'd go back regardless if it were open or not!

"Hi, Hi, Hi" by Paul McCartney and Wings The Live version from the album "Wings over America"

PART 3: Yas Waterworld Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love a water park Cheesy Dr. Strangelove reference aside, I'm not a water park person. At least, I thought I wasn't until I visited Yas Waterworld. Our primary reason to visit the park was for Bandit Bomber, but on arrival we found it CLOSED FOR UPGRADES! It was the first credit of the trip to be closed, and we were so bummed. If we hadn't bought our tickets already, we probably wouldn't have entered, but we decided to go in and make the most of it. The collection of tube slides here was fantastic! My favorite was Dawwarma, the world's largest launched slide. I had never ridden one of the launched slides before, and I was shocked by how fast it went, especially since it's a six-person slide! The best part is the final drop before the funnel; the airtime is great and you go CRAZY high up that funnel!! Dawwarma shares its loading platform with Falcon's Falaj, another launched slide, but even though it had some amazing airtime, I didn't like it nearly as much as Dawwarma. Also in the tube department are the six snake slides, each one delivering a unique ride! All of them were fun, but I wasn't very impressed with the purple/teal one and the red/purple one. The purple/teal slide was strange with its rooms that were wider with higher walls. I'm not sure what the purpose of these are, but all I did was "rock" a little more. The red/purple one had an enclosed "toilet bowl" that traveled very slow. Keith actually stopped moving inside of it, and I had to push myself to prevent me from stopping. Next door, the mat slide racer Sebag, was a great one! It started with an enclosed helix that ended with an incredibly fast run! I have great memories of riding the one at Idlewild, and Sebag blew all of those away! We also enjoyed the nearby Yadi Yas, which can best be described as a "not-so-lazy" lazy river. I've never seen one travel so fast before! I was shocked by how quickly we went around the loop, and sometimes it seemed more like a raft ride than a lazy river! But then....there was THE slide of the park, Liwa Loop. This was the slide that I was most terrified to ride. It's one of the trap-door slides, and it has a loop! Not an inverting loop, but still...a loop. I had no idea what to expect from it. There was a small group in front of us, and I made Keith go before me. After hearing all of those screams from my fellow riders, I was petrified. I contemplated chickening out, but I knew I was better than that. I was wearing a swim shirt, which they made me remove as well as my glasses. I clutched them with a death grip as I stood in the capsule...waiting for the floor to drop. Then came the sudden freefall; I screamed like I hadn't screamed in years! Once I hit the bottom of the drop, I was overcome with water shooting up my nose and the rest of the ride is a blank to me. It was easily the most TERRIFYING ride I've ever ridden in my life, and I'd NEVER do it again!!! That being said, I definitely don't regret doing it, and I recommend everyone ride it at least once! And onto the pictures! Again, some of the pictures were taken by Keith, and they're marked (KK). I hope you all enjoy! On the way to Yas Waterworld, we had to pass by Ferrari World. This place is MASSIVE! I couldn't believe how HUGE this building is in person! Ferrari World construction shot from the road! Don't worry, I'll have more of these! Here it comes! I see a Vekoma! Welcome to Yas Waterworld! I love how they built the main entry in a traditional architecture style. (KK) The entrance area of this park is GORGEOUS. (KK) Noooooooooo! Our first closed coaster of the trip. (KK) One of the first things you're greeted with is a park map! Such a beautiful centerpiece! One of the first looks at all of the intertwining track that encompasses most of the park. Here's the loop in the terrifying Liwa Loop slide. Another victim, er, rider splashes down after their ride on Liwa Loop. (KK) Looking up Bandit Bomber's skirt. I love how Bandit Bomber interacts with the central mountain and the other slides! Is that an Aquatrax??? Sebag's curves and the Gerstlauer-esque slide. Such care went into the design of this park! Nerd shot! Trying to get a good shot of the construction. I'll have much better pictures in my Ferrari World update! Here are the snake slides! You can go down them by yourself or with a friend on a double-tube! The green/tan one is the fastest of them all! This was the strange one. You can see the enlarged "WTF?" rooms, as I call them. The toilet bowl that tries to trap you inside! Do you feel lucky? The attention to detail is amazing. Here's where they were working on Bandit Bomber. Well, they were below here. Yep, this sucker's not opening today. Nerd shot! The Bandit Bomber plaza is quite nice. Across from the Premium entrance for Bandit Bomber, you can dive for your own pearls! It's such a nice nod to how UAE's economy first started years ago. More Bandit Bomber! The entrance to Bandit Bomber with a lady telling you its closed. Bye, Bandit Bomber! Hopefully, you're open on my next visit! The kid's play area is very nice! We waited 15 minutes for that bucket to empty, and it never did. You can even have your birthday party here! I hope you get to pet the camel! These glass beads were such a nice touch to the paths. Here's Dawwarma and its crazy high funnel! Next door to Yas Waterworld, there's a big construction site! Only earthwork is being done on the other side of these walls right now (we could see it from the slide platforms; sorry, no pics). We suspect that this is the site of the proposed Warner Bros. park. Here's the lazier of the two lazy rivers. The not-so-lazy river was difficult to photograph. (KK) More of the gorgeous landscaping! (KK) Goodbye, Yas Waterworld! You've opened my eyes to water parks, and I'll definitely be back!! (KK) Stay tuned for Part 4: Ferrari World!! Will we get to ride Formula Rossa, or is Bandit Bomber's closure an omen? FIND OUT SOON!

Roller Coaster - Various Parks

You're welcome! I recommend doing the mosque before Ferrari World. If you can get one, you don't want to miss a night ride on Formula Rossa!!

I absolutely count fair coasters, but I'm not actively pursing them right now. I've ridden a handful of fair credits, with about half of them being surprise credits. As everyone else has said, I seek out the operator before I count it.

Thanks! I'm excited to share it! Thanks! There's still plenty of culture and coasters coming, so stay tuned!

Thanks, Bill! Many of the mosques were absolutely beautiful, especially GSZMC! The only downside to lots of beautiful mosques near your hotel is the prayer calls. When you've got 14 (yes, 14) of them in sight of your hotel, and all of them are calling for sunrise prayer, it can be a little loud in the morning!

^ Thanks! And a BIG thanks for the front page feature! I can't wait to share the rest of my (and Keith's) incredible trip to such a wonderful country! Yas Waterworld will be posted tomorrow! To keep you all occupied until then, I've linked the TPR video of Roller Coaster at Sparky's FEC in Khalidiyah Mall. Luckily for us, we didn't break it like TPR did! [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

I'm pretty surprised that they're starting over, but I'm glad to hear it! If waiting an extra year means a better end product, I'm all for it.

For these name generators, I'm "The Great Bullet" at BGW, and "Mega Woodie" on SFMM. Is SFMM trying to suggest a porn name for me???

Thanks, Elissa! Your input is extremely helpful! I have a few more questions, though. 1. In regards to a Shijingshan and Sun Park day, which park would you recommend doing first? I'll be taking the subway between the two parks, how long would it take to get from one to the other? 2. Sun Park and Beijing World Park are both 0.5-1.5 miles away from the nearest subway station. I don't have a problem walking, but is it safe to walk? If I decide to take a taxi from the park back to the station to save walking, will it be difficult to find one? 3. Since my flight back doesn't leave until 4:00 PM or so, I thought I'd use the morning to do a half-day tour of the Great Wall. The tour company says I'll get back to my hotel around noon. When I get my bags and get to the airport (my guess would be about 1:00), will I have enough time to go through check-in, security, customs, etc., before my flight? Again, thanks for your help!

I recently received an offer for a great airfare deal to Beijing for mid-September, and I'm currently trying to determine how much I can fit into a trip. It also looks like I'll be going solo. With this flight, I'm scheduled to land in Beijing on a Saturday at around 3:30 PM and then depart for the US the following Friday at 4:00 PM, just to give you an idea of how much time I'll have to spend. So, for my questions... 1. By the time I arrive at the airport, go through customs and immigration, and check in to my hotel, will I have time to do anything else that evening, or will everything be closed? 2. My current plan is only to visit Happy Valley, Beijing Shijingshan, Beijing World Park, and Sun Park while in Beijing. I'll be visiting these on weekdays, so how much time would I need for each park? Would I be able to do more than one in a day? 3. I would like to visit Happy Valley and Victory Kingdom in Tianjin as well, since they're so close to Beijing. Would I have enough time to do both in the same day while taking the train to and from Beijing? 4. Are there any other parks in the area that are worth visiting? I want to include a few smaller parks in case I have some spare time. If you have any other helpful information, I'd greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance!

Kept my Thunderbird vote, but changed Baron to Fury, simply because I know I'm going to ride Fury and Europe is very much in the air right now.