GwaziBSRider1

If you're going the Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day Weekend, the place is going to be slammed. I'd definitely get FastLane.

Thanks! Abu Dhabi is a beautiful city (I actually like it more than Dubai); I'll post some more pictures of the city in my next update! I'm sure the updates have been slow considering how little progress has been made. The site didn't look much different from the pictures I had seen that were taken in the fall. Another reason is how difficult it is to see what's going on at the site. The construction walls are high, the building is fairly far from any road, and there's security around. Getting good pictures without trespassing is difficult. As far as the rides, I haven't seen anything new. I believe the spinner was built inside, but I couldn't see it when we were there.

Bill, this is movies, not coasters! W: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Last time I visited, I stayed at the Econo Lodge across the highway from Six Flags. It was a pretty decent hotel for the price, and walking to the park from the there is about the same distance as walking from Six Flags' parking lot.

I've made my plans to visit the park with a local friend on April 4, the Saturday after opening.

As far as I know, yes. The exterior is mostly complete (there's a large, gaping hole on one side of the building). From what I could see on the inside (which isn't much), I don't think much of anything is done inside. I'll have some pictures in one of my later updates.

I decided to go ahead and buy one of these today! I may end up buying the Turtle/Tumble Bug model at some point, too.

I really enjoy the iced donuts with sprinkles on top: either chocolate or vanilla iced. My all-time favorite may just be the Sour Cream Glazed Donuts from Tim Horton's!

Cedar Creek Mine Ride - Cedar Point

I heard this rumor, but I don't think it specified Motiongate. I believe it just said a major park in the UAE, and there are several of those under construction right now.

Very true! The entire time I was in the UAE, I truly felt like I was still in the West. It's still a fairly conservative country, but it's nothing like its neighbors. From what I understand, many Saudis travel to Dubai for long vacations of drinking and partying!

Thanks, Elissa! I agree; Adventureland is one of the best FECs I've visited. I'd love to see a park like it here in the US, especially with a clone of Rocket Cycles! Yes, but not the same ones as before the bust. Dubailand itself is now mostly a residential area, but some of the projects have been reworked and will be built in a different place. I'll be sharing some detail on some of these projects in later updates.

Tie between Maverick and Voyage. Maverick: Holy crap was I excited for this ride when it opened, but boy was I let down! All this ride has managed to give me over the years is headaches from bashing into the restraints. I WANT to like this ride, but I just can't. Voyage: I was shocked by how rough this ride was when I rode it in 2010. It has a great layout, but it was almost as rough as Son of Beast. I only had the chance to ride it once, but I'll give it another whirl this year at Holiwood Nights.

Hey everyone! My friend Keith Kelly (chip422) and I recently returned from a fantastic adventure to the United Arab Emirates for some amazing parks and culture (and a break from the nasty winter!). Our primary goal was to ride Formula Rossa, but we experienced so much more during our week in the country. In this Trip Report, I hope to capture all of the wonderful things we saw and amazing things we experienced. I hope you all enjoy! Part 1: Festival City Mall and Funfair, Adventureland Sharjah, and Emirates Palace Hotel We flew into Dubai International on 2/26 and arrived after dark. The only thing we had planned for the evening was to visit the Hard Rock Cafe at Festival City Mall, but on the way, I spotted a coaster behind the mall! It took quite a bit of exploring to get to the Funfair, but we rode a surprisingly good Looping Star. I love surprise credits! In the morning, we made the drive to Sharjah to visit our first official park, Adventureland! First off, the drive from Dubai to Sharjah is awful. If you're driving to this park, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get here (or anywhere else in Sharjah, for that matter). The park may not look like much from the outside, but this park is great! It's themed amazingly, considering that it's just some tiny mall park, and the coasters are fantastic! Kukulcan and Rocket Cycles are (in my opinion) easily the best coasters in the country behind Formula Rossa! If you ever visit the UAE, I definitely recommend visiting Adventureland! After our visit, we made the drive down to Abu Dhabi. The first thing on our to-do list was to visit the Emirates Palace Hotel. This hotel is simply GORGEOUS and should not be missed! The detail on the inside is simply stunning. Don't forget to check out the Gold ATM machine! First off, the Hard Rock Cafe! We didn't eat here, but we did get souvenirs. The Festival City Mall looks great from the outside. I was shocked by how much nicer this mall was compared to American malls. But there were still plenty of other malls to visit this week! Surprise credit! The Funfair was pretty challenging to find. With the lack of signs and heavy construction going on, it ended up being quite a hike to get back here! We were surprised by how well this ride ran compared to others. It wasn't very rough and was a pretty good coaster. We first assumed this traveler originated in Europe, but its home base is here in Dubai. For being in a parking lot, this Funfair is pretty nice. I've heard good things about Tagadas on TPR. Too bad this one was closed. Wandering around, we came across this Wacky Worm, but it was only for kids. Oh, well. Good morning, Dubai Creek! All of the boats are getting ready for the day's work. After breakfast, we ventured to the rooftop pool to take pictures of the city. Dubai has such an interesting skyline! It's hard to comprehend how tall the Burj Khalifa really is until you see it in person. I hear Dubai is starting to become a growing cruise port. The Persian Gulf off in the distance. Fast forward to Adventureland! The rides here are really crammed into small spaces. It's remarkable that they were able to fit so many rides in here. Adventureland was one of the smaller indoor parks we visited. The supports for Rocket Cycles are definitely unique. But don't forget Kukulcan and Forest Train! These coasters are easily the best powered coasters I've ever ridden. Nerd shot! The stations for these two coasters are right on top of each other. That helix is insane. I'm not sure I want to know his plan for that vine. The attention to detail here was amazing. I honestly didn't notice the decorative paint on these supports until I was going through my pictures! Take this guy's advice: skydiving into the mall is easier than driving here! I thought this little ride was adorable. Goodbye, Adventureland! I'll definitely be back next time I'm in the UAE! The Rotundra is beautiful. If only I had the money to stay here! Oddly enough, I believe it's actually more expensive here than the Burj al-Arab. Just like in Adventureland, the attention to detail is simply amazing. This was a common theme in this country. A Gold ATM! The cheapest thing in here was approx. $120. You can find these in the Burj al-Arab and the Dubai Mall as well. This is (part of) the bar in the lobby. Here in the UAE, alcohol can only be served in bars attached to hotels (with some exceptions). I think it's the same for pork products, too. Remember, we're in an Islamic country. No expense was spared when they built this hotel. In case you forgot what country we're visiting. The stairs walking up to the hotel. In America, these fountains would be filled with people trying to cool off. That's definitely not going to happen here! After a moderate drive, we arrived in Abu Dhabi. The Emirates Palace Hotel is simply gorgeous! A special thanks to the van who photo-bombed me. This is the fancy gate for the hotel. Unless you're the Emir, you're not coming through this gate! But you do get a beautiful view of the hotel. That's it for Part 1! Stay tuned for my next update: Marina Mall, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and ALL THREE Sparky's FEC's in Abu Dhabi!

I'm sorry for having a differing opinion.

What a silly statement. This is a forum where you compare all sorts of things. People have been on Dive Coasters, they have been on GateKeeper, and they know the specs of this 'proposed coaster'. It's not a huge leap to make a potential comparison. All we know are some stats; that's it. These stats will probably change multiple times before the coaster is even officially announced. You can't compare GateKeeper to something that we only vaguely know about. If we knew more about this ride, I wouldn't have said anything, but this dive machine is still very much in the dark. Hell, it's not even definite that this ride will even be built. I'm not against speculation by any means, but it's just too early to start this up. My previous post should have been worded better.

Yeah, the panels are subsidized, but not as much as they were recently. Most of the big tax breaks for installing them have been expired for a few years now. Why complain about the government investing in clean, renewable energy, especially since the technology is cheaper, more reliable, and more efficient? Amusement parks use a lot of energy, and this is definitely going to make an impact on the environment and the local electrical grid. Although, this project could be better with the construction of the covers versus cutting down all of those trees, it's still a positive addition to the industry. What would you rather see? An oil refinery in the parking lot?

That's not the fault of the FastPass, that's the fault of poor training for employees. Sure, it happens, we've all seen it, but there are plenty of parks who properly balance the number of FastPass holders to the number of stand-by guests.

It's not fair to compare GateKeeper to a coaster that doesn't exist yet.

I'm definitely going to make a trip or two up there this year. It's amazing how long this park has lasted in its current situation.

^ Definitely! If this one is as good as Knott's, it's definitely going to be a hit! Glad to have a Mack spinner closer to home!

I don't know anything about the UK version, but looking back at the US version, there was no way they would've done a second season. The celebrities on the show were mainly minor and "has-beens." Then, they had two idiotic reality show twerps (Heidi and Spencer from "The Hills") that added a bunch of drama that you really didn't want to watch. I think pretty much everyone who watched it here predicted who won (Lou Diamond Phillips). They also used it to push a lot of personal hygiene products ("If it good enough for celebrities 'trapped' in the jungle, it's good enough for you!") As for the attraction, I still think the concept is interesting, regardless of it being themed to this show or a similar one (I don't know anything about British reality TV, but the US has enough of these shows as it is).

I had an improved experience in 2014 compared to previous years. I don't want to say that it's significantly better because most of my visits to Six Flags parks were in 2014. That being said, I had some exceptionally great visits (SFMM, SFNE), some mediocre visits (SFGAdv, TGE), and one crappy visit (SFA). Even with my crappy visit to SFA, I've had much worse experiences at Six Flags parks (SFA in 2005 and SFOT in 2013). From my viewpoint, it improved compared to previous years. Hopefully, we'll see even more improvements.

^ I was actually wondering if I had just gotten so much better as well! Even though I've played the game a few times through, I'm not nearly as familiar with the dungeons in Majora's Mask as much as I am with the Ocarina of Time dungeons. Admittedly, the original WAS difficult enough to have you wandering aimlessly trying to figure out what's next. Fortunately, they did change a few things around to confuse people who have played several times through (i.e. changing the time of the Blast Mask event and moving a few of the Bombers around in the hide-and-seek game). One of the first things I did to make sure this was still a quality game was check to see if this guy was still here, and he is! Gotta love the guy stuck in the toilet!

This looks great! I'd love to see a close-up of the logo on the top, though.