Jay20016

I love taking trips with TPR and being able to write them off as business expenses. There is something to learn from every park I go to. Can I be you? Like, for a week?

Awesome report, but gotta remember to throw in a NSFW when you're doing such a blatant crotch shot.

I'm not quite sure which is more disturbing... the Brony stuff for Star Wars Weekends in the Hollywood Studios thread, or reading the Trader Sam's blog post with some words replaced via the TPR filter. I do not want to think of any goo from Davy Jones.

Carsland is looking like a huge win for Disney. Wasn't too thrilled with the idea at first, but these shots show how well they can still execute an idea. IIRC, the fast pass for the WoC show does not count as your "ride" one.

It is lines like those that just make you cringe when you see an hour wait for what should be half, if not less, of that... And the Youtube comments on the video make me laugh because it is sad that people cannot fathom that a PoV of this ride would kill a lot of the fun of it. That and you'd need 3 to actually get the full effect...

One might argue that the supply is running low from the designers ingesting it all...

Drachen Fire? It was a B&M "design" implemented by Arrow IIRC... B&M was just a small company then and didn't have the means to do multiple installs. Around that time they were also unveiling Batman and some stand ups. Busch wanted two sister coasters and BGT got Kumba, while BGW got Drachen Fire from Arrow based upon a design from B&M.

That picture is crazy! My dad's family is from the Tri-City area, and when visiting I've always wonder who there were not more incidents of roadways collapsing seeing how many are just perched precariously on huge cliffs and valleys.

I do find it rather funny that whenever a ride is scheduled to go under the bulldozer on this forum, how many people come out of the woodwork to support it when they really never gave two thoughts about the coaster in the first place. In my own back yard, a lot of people were "shocked and dismayed" at the removal of the Python coaster at BGT... but.... it was always a walk-on, with most trains having you and your party being the only people on it... Big Bad Wolf, much the same. Scream Machine? I think we see where this is going... You don't know what you have until its gone I guess.

Are you sure? They've had the Express Pass and the Express Plus the last time I was there and I thought that while you could only do the 1 visit per attraction with the "regular" pass, the Plus version offered an Unlimited number on any attraction that accepted it... /Scurries off to Universal's site to double check....

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the coaster and the new "area" they've put in with it. Though apart from the cheetah statue and a bit of wall dressings here and there; the station and queue are very much from when the old hanging monorail was in there... Everything about this (Verbolten) ride just screams character and imagination... I'm just a sucker for rides that try and "do" something other than what they typically are. My favorite coaster is the Mummy here at USF despite its size and "limitations." It just provides a great experience with some neat effects and good coaster action. I could wait in a 3 hour line for TTD or Kingda Ka for 10 seconds of thrill, or ride The Mummy many times over in that time and thoroughly enjoy each of them... I'm probably being presumptuous , but I'd venture to say that Verbolten will do the same and I'm jealous that it will be years before I get back up that way to experience it.

Short answer: The haters are just jelly. Long Answer: Find any of Robb's excellent posts about why they work, and how people are bitter simply because they're not willing to pony up the extra cash for them. I can't believe people are still trying to demonize queue skipping measures nearly twelve years after they were introduced. Don't people know how to get over it? By the way, I'm *thrilled* that Universal is moving to Q-Bots. I love the system and look forward to using it on a future trip. I'm not against an up-charge queue measure, but I do think that it should be fair for those in the stand by entrance as well. Disney's Fast Pass has had some problems (mostly minor) here and there but generally seems to work for what it is intended. Bush Gardens and SeaWorld seem to work pretty well with their Quick Queue with little headache, though that could be do to their being a little "less busy" than the other parks. Yet, there have been a lot of times when I was at either the Studios park or IOA that the express line just raped the stand-by entrance due to their employees mismanagement of it. On multiple occasions, I've waited behind a chain in the boarding room of Ripsaw Falls, while the employee slowly scanned everyone's card before passing them through. Standby was posted at about 30 minutes, but really was only a few minutes (5 to 10 max) up until that chain... The Express queue was empty, save for whatever family was at the scanning "post" before boarding. Once the employee was done with them, another would come down the hall and the process would repeat. Every time they got the express line to no one for at least 30 seconds, they would then chain it, come over to the Stand-By and proceed to let us through only as long as no one stood in the express line. The second anyone came to the Express chain, the Stand-By entrance was blocked, and the situation repeated. It was probably 15 minutes plus with only about 10 people in front of us at that gate. I understand that people are paying extra (or choosing to stay at your resort) for the perk of limited waiting, but this doesn't seem to be a great way to do the queue... I've had something very similar with Men In Black. In the dispatch room, while they usually keep one side for stand-by and the other for express pass, or so it seems; I've seen the greeter take all 4 (2? been a bit, and going off memory) load zones from the express pass line if it was getting up the stairs at all. Effectively cutting off the stand by entrance for minutes at a time. I've even seen people try to leave the queue thinking it broke... To counter this, I usually do Universal through single rider lines with my party, but it is not always possible when you have your young cousins and nephews with you. I get why companies are doing them. I don't hate them for the up-charge; more revenue = more profits = bigger, better expansion opportunities. But, at a certain point, you have to agree that you cannot forget those who paid for the entrance ticket, but not the queue jumping one; especially as ticket prices soar higher and higher. With that said, if I was at a park that I will not have the opportunity to visit regularly, you better believe I will be investing in a Q-Bot if it is offered. From what I've read about them, and seen on these forums, it seems like a great, fair way for the park to implement these kind of privileges.... As for the talk about having to place them in the locker after they've been "activated"... could the problem not be solved by a plastic card or lanyard similar to what you see at the Disney queue lines for measuring waits? They're a RFID card... Activate the card when you bring in your Q-Bot, it will stamp the time issued. Have the guests take care of their loose articles, return with the lanyard/card and scan it again to give the "end time." It shouldn't take too long to stow your gear, and checking the issue/receive times would help dampen the misuse or "illegal" use... Thoughts?

The official video does shed a lot of light on the coaster, and I'd venture a guess that those detracting the drop section already are forgetting that when you're in the show building, under show lights, you probably won't be able to tell how fast or far you've actually fallen. The GP will call it a ten story plunge, when it could (for all intents and purposes) only be 10 actual feet. The more they show of this, the more Cheetah Hunt seems lacking. Yes, I'm being over critically of BGT and I understand that a lot of other things went into BGT with Cheetah Hunt... or maybe I'm just jealous.

So a folding map with the park taking up a large section horizontally with all of the nuts and bolts of a normal park map ((1) = Ride Blah Blah Blah (2) = Food Blah Blah Blah) in the center is not possible?

The problem with the map is that it breaks the cardinal rule of any graphical design; use your blank space effectively. By area, the large concrete sections that look like a parking lot or stadium (looked it up on Google maps... or at least I guess that is what it is...) take up more space than the actual park sections. Zooming in and limiting how much 'empty' space there is would allow for a bit more detail on the coasters and other attractions/locations. I've never been to Hershey Park, so maybe someone else can explain why that middle section of nothingness is so important to show it prominently where 99.99999% of people will look first when unfolding the map.

An elaborate centrifuge.

He's under 21 and thus cannot enjoy the park to its full measure.

Actually, every one of those examples loads from two separate rows. Not to mention, that the V style seating on the B&M's offer a bit of a different experience, but not an entirely new one. The floor less sides of Skyrush offer a completely different feel and I don't that will be lost on the GP.

Does ANYONE use the search function anymore? Come on guys! You know, I've heard that they're going to give everyone on the far-right seats jet packs so they can fly over the station, through the transfer area, and into their seats. Then, they're going to make the people who want to sit in the inside seats participate in a curling game to determine who sits on the left and who sits on the right. The far-left seat will then be reserved for the person in the group who is too much of a chicken to don a jet pack and they will be forced to wear a chicken helmet for the entire ride. Why the attitude, high horse, and mocking? What you're quoting and what I said still basically applies; having people "fight it out" is going to cause more drama than it is probably worth. Groups are not always large enough to fill a 4 across row, and I can almost guarantee you that you will see groups of two bickering and slowing up the line because they all want the edge seats. You needn't post the "disclaimer" as I've seen it and understand it. What I do not get is why there seems to be an increase in "hostility," for lack of a better term, when everyone here is just trying to discuss a hobby/passion of theirs. I am very sorry that I am unable to commit 380+ pages of posts on this topic to memory that things may become cyclical...

This is sort of one of those things that cannot be unseen, unheard, or unlearned... Like listening for a laugh track on a prime time sitcom... Orange and Blue are great colors in contrast. Most advertising uses it in some way... Here are a few movie posters: As for the coaster, will be interesting to see how they split the lines for the seats.The concept of two types of trains in one seems great on paper, but I can't help but think it will be an operational nightmare. Think of a theatre of some sort at a theme park and how everyone plops down right in the middle despite pleas to move to the ends of the rows x 1,000,000,000

The more I see of this, the more it seems to rock. Though, if there was one complaint, I'm a bit disappointed on the bridge with the old BBW dive to the river as it would look infinitely cooler (at least IMO) if the bridge facade extended a few more sections out and made it look as if you're falling through a hole in it. Throw in some debris on the ground from where it collapsed and what not, and you've got some pretty easy theme elements + potential to up the intensity with head choppers and close calls.

Could one not argue that anything out there will be lightly sand blasted daily?

This is my biggest issue at universal! I recently walked out of rockit's single riders line since it was virtually the same wait as the regular line!!! It can be annoying if say, a Brazilian Tour Group got in front of you, but I see nothing wrong with a group of more than 2 hitting up the single line as long as they understand that they are not going to be seated together. After all, isn't that the purpose of the single line, to fill what would've been otherwise vacant seats had it not been there? Furthermore, some single rider lines are longer regardless by the nature of the seating style. You mention Rip, Ride, Rockit but even Cheetah Hunt suffers from the delays as the two across seating has always been disastrous for me when trying to go Single Rider on them.... God forbid that Single Rider line is not your free Universal express pass.

I think you've got a pretty solid idea for a game plan, but my main questions are: Why Great Movie Ride or the Studio Tour? Neither are all that great and the stunt show for either Indy or Lights, Motor, Action would be roughly the same time but more enjoyable (at least for me anyway) The shows could prove problematic since they do have set times, but... really Great Movie ride is pretty lame, even by "Its 100F outside and I want to be in the AC and away from the FL sun" standards.... Star Tours doesn't typically get too long of waits either and can be a nice distraction if you've not seen it already. The new version is a definite step up from what it used to be. Not something "mandatory" but definitely a good thing if you've got a bit of time. For Animal Kingdom, do not pass up the safari. The whole point of the park is that tour... Another one that I've always liked and isn't too long of a wait/show is "It's Tough to Be a Bug" inside of the Tree of Life. The queue will give some great views of the main focal point of the park, and its got some good effects for your typical "3D Movie" Also, Primeval Whirl is hit or miss; it isn't an exceptionally good coaster, and if you've been on a spinning one before, its pretty basic. Sure there are some "elements" added around about the comets/what not... but its still a spinning coaster at heart with a cookie-cutter layout. You also run the risk of getting a 1-side operation day which pretty much guarantees a crappy wait... I've always liked the other Dinosaur ride more TBH... For MK: Peter Pan will be a long wait, and FP aren't always available depending on what time you're getting to MK. In the summer, it barely gets below 60 minutes... Buzz Lightyear is another one that is a must-see in my book, especially if you didn't get to do Toy Story Mania. They're similiar in terms of being a 'game' but it is still one that doesn't typically have crazy wait times and can be fun. The parade will provide a good opportunity to get in a quick ride at some spots, though I cannot help but mention the fireworks. If you're truly after the "Disney Experience" for your girlfriend... punctuating the day with Wishes is just that, the full Disney Experience; not many parks put something like that on every night and there is something special about the whole thing coming together at the castle for a great show.

Is it bad that this sky bar had me more intrigued than the beauty of a coaster?