better_by_design
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Posts posted by better_by_design
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After being beaten to a bloody pulp on Facebook, I come over here and ... oh, my ! Supportive, positive comments.
Thank you!
6. For those who like the name "Giraffica," you have excellent taste.
Thanks, Paula
No, thank YOU Paula! Holiday World is a great, GREAT park and I hope to make another HWN next year!
What we really want to know is though: fire breathing giraffe head on Giraffica: When? And where's the Kickstarter for it?
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If they put a big giraffe head up on top of the former PP, that would be pretty damned awesome.
I'd chip in on a Kickstarter to put a giant fire-breathing giraffe head on top of PP!
You have to admit THAT would make it onto the news.
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If you've been to Holiday World in the summer, you'd have to agree with my wife (which is always a good idea, she's really smart) who LOVES their watercoasters, but HATES the crazy, insane lines the whole waterpark gets - and put in a bunch more "normal slides".
Apparently the Koch's are also smart and are doing just that! Not every ride needs to be a record setter, and RhinoBlaster will add something new, but also add a bunch more capacity for the most popular part of Holiday World.
And as others have said, I'm sure part of Pilgrim's Plunge being renamed is being able to more easily match hours with Splashin' Safari rather than having to have an exception to the Holiday World sides hours. And hopefully add some fire breathing giraffes!
It will be interesting to see what the new entrance area consists of, and exactly WHERE it is - the current waterpark entrance complex is much too small for the crowds that huddle around it at opening - it wasn't designed for the numbers of guests they are getting now!
Nice solid addition after Mammoth this year! Fingers crossed for a new (non-water) coaster soon!
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Second best park in the world (only Tokyo Disney Resort beats it). It's absolutely beautiful and full of great attractions. Thanks for posting all the great pictures!
dt
Exactly! I was very happy to make my first visit to Europa Park this summer, and it's the real deal of theme parks - beautiful & fun!
I also stayed at the Castillo and had exactly the same view as you! The hotel complex is incredibly impressive - as are the bars!
OK, so how do I get back there next summer...
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Question for those who have ridden Blue Fire and Manta (SWSD) - does the launch kick on Blue Fire like it does on Manta? If it does and that sort of kick is on this one too, that makes me even more excited!
I have not done Manta yet, but Blue Fire is extremely gentle and I wouldn't say the launch has any real kick to it.
Agreed. In fact, bluefire's focus is not the launch, really, but the whole ride itself. What makes those rides so special is that they are smooth, exciting, very rerideable, have great capacity, have comfortable trains and are very versatile... Oh yeah, and the final kick-ass inline twist
I am really excited about this addition. I loved bluefire and I am sure I wil enjoy this even more! So looking forward to visiting Liseberg in 2014!
Ditto on every sentiment above! BlueFire was easily the best balance of thrill/comfort (which leads to ridiculous rerideablilty) that I can think of. You get off smiling and get right back in line! Not the most intense coaster by any means, but that isn't the ONLY thing that matters - there's a market for more of these. And most importantly - "not the most intense" does NOT mean boring. At Europa Park, Silver Star is a great example of a boring hypercoaster (how does that happen?) whereas BlueFire is exciting, but just not "I'm probably getting brain damage from this" intense.
Where do we send deposits for the Scandinavia trip?
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Observations:
1) the small number of new coasters being built is a little sad
2) the proportion of wood coasters (or Iron Horse anyways) in the US is very pleasing!
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Great trip report and LOVE the Hair Raiser pics!
(Also, BoC please!)
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I cannot believe that shuttle loop is still standing. The noises it made in 2008 were unbelievable. Still the scariest ride I've ever been on!
dt
Preach it! I rode it last year and am still waiting for news reports that it has killed people.
Again, my prayers go out to the brave explorers of TPR for their safe returns!
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I have to tell you the truth, for the most part the pork had similar taste and texture, it was the BBQ sauce that separated the field.
This is definitely the truth behind it all. For the most part, meat is meat no matter where you go, but it's the BBQ sauce and the bread that make it stand out. For me though, it's also the selection and "uniqueness" of the side dishes as well - that can really help distinguish one joint from another. The smoked potato salad I had at the last place we ate at was easily some of the best ever.
Nice work, Larry.
It's a well known (though in my mind troubling) trend, especially in BBQ Competitions that the sauce drives winning. Especially in competitions, where judges have (relatively) small amounts of a bunch of different BBQ. This has driven not only a sauce-focused mindset, but more particularly a SWEET mindset - getting noticed more easily, but not necessarily something I actually want to eat a bunch of for dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast. Or on my nachos. In my opinion, great meat is harder to make (especially consistently) than great sauce.
Larry, you definitely hit up a good list, although missing out on Cozy Corner & the Commissary are (in my mind) 2 major misses... but given the amount of time you were in Memphis, that is an impressive list of places to visit!
If there's a follow up at some point, I'd challenge you to try non-traditional offerings at each place - the BBQ'ed Cornish hens at Cozy Corner, BBQ nachos at Central, BBQ baloney sandwich at Double J, BBQ spaghetti at Neely's as examples.
Personally I love the chopped pork sandwich on Taxes toast at BBQ Shop... and Central's mustard-based sauce is a unique and killer topping for their sandwich. RIbs at Commissary are potentially my favorite restaurant ribs, as they're dry rubbed, then basted - once - to add some moisture/stickiness - and avoid being either too dry or too goopy because of it.
Finally, if anyone comes out for BBQ Fest (World Championship BBQ Cooking Contest) in May, let me know as I usually either judge or support a team. It's a grand and crazy event!
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I LOVED the trains on Dare Devil Dive, glad that these are on the same level.
TRUTH! DDD & Blue Fire are my high-water marks for coaster trains - comfy, spacious, and no OTSR's!
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I assume that this will be the location of the Mack launched coaster (ala Blue Fire) which was reportedly sold to IMG in Dubai? I could be wrong but sounds like it could fit?
I have begun planning tributes & sacrifices to the coaster gods that this is true.
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Looks a lot like an 'upper class' version of Ober Gatlinburg!
This is dead-on.....and somewhat depressing to see what Ober could (should?) be like.
Precisely! Never underestimate the importance of ride placement, and the guts of management to execute on it!
Amazing how a (relatively) small amount of money in the right place can create a real gem.
Thanks for the report on somewhere I probably would have never heard of, and now I want to visit the next time I'm in Colorado!
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This is very cool - the NYTimes and Chad were at Holiday World during Holiwood Nights weekend - we rode a couple times in the same train as Chad & the reporter & photographer/videographer.
Great article!
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^That's pretty much exactly it!
So excited for my TPR China Peeps to get this and the HKDL special Halloween event!!!
I hate you all!
YES, this!
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^I've been curious about this one. Looks like a launched Rollerskater on steroids.
Definitely a family ride, but a unique one. Multi-launch, but never very powerful ones, and it slows down a lot going into some of the turns. In some ways, think of it as using a coaster to emulate Test Track... without the theming or final sprint loop.
They definitely needed something accessible to compliment Formula Rossa, and this delivers. Notably, the most luxurious coaster cars ever!
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Great update! Carsland looks amazing!
Thanks to you & Brittney for all the work on the update, and for keeping us all updated via Twitter over the past couple days! For those of us unable to be there in person, it's the next best thing and is hugely appreciated!!!
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The Raven in the dark @ Holiday World at Holiwood Nights! Great night rides, and a great event!
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As mentioned in my previous update (from several months ago!) I had business in Kenya, with some meetings in my companies regional office in Dubai... which was exciting as I had never been to Dubai before.
As my prior post shows, I took some time to enjoy Wild Wadi & Ferrari World before heading to Kenya. In Kenya, it was almost all work... though we did take a Saturday morning to do some touristic stuff, including visiting baby elephants.
If you've been to your local science center lately, one of the popular nature documentaries out right now is "Born to be Wild", narrated (like everything) by Morgan Freeman. The movie focuses on people who are taking care of orphan animals and raising them to be released back into the wild.
In Nairobi, Kenya, one of these organizations is the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which (among it's many worthy conservation programs) famously takes in orphan elephants and rhinos. These are babies whose parents have typically been killed by poachers... in other words, this is where "Little Red" would be going if he wasn't bolted to the floor of that truck in Orlando!
Here's some cute pictures before heading back to Dubai:
Out for a jog.
Putting on sunscreen
Breakfast time!
Just pour 'er in
Say hi Maxwell!
After our Kenya visit, we went back to Dubai for a couple days. Our hotel was The Address (a local Dubai hotel company... swanky! And a decent price) at the Dubai Mall. I arrived late, the hotel was overbooked, so to honor my reservation, they upgraded me to a 3 bedroom apartment with this view:
Sort of gets you going early in the morning, I suppose
Right over there is the World's Largest Mall, alongside World's Largest Fountain Show, yadda, yadda...
Since I had a hotel attached to the world's largest mall, it was time to go exploring!
Fancy waterfall at the Dubai Mall
In case you forgot we were still in the middle of the desert - camel burger for lunch? Anyone?
Maybe this is more your speed
Because the Dubai Mall is so ridiculously big, they smartly chunked it out into different zones... some looking like a (nice) normal mall, a section that is all high fashion brands, a zone with restaurants overlooking the lagoon, and a section with family entertainment stuff... a movie theater, ice skating rink, food court, and, of course, Sega Republic.
I had only ever seen "arcades" like this in Japan... and honestly, this was on the same scale as the big ones I had seen in Tokyo. BIG! Like puts Sega World in Las Vegas to shame big. Also, nice and open (high ceilings), and unique attractions.
I went as soon as they opened for a couple hours, but an unlimited wristband, and went back after dinner with some coworkers.
The major attraction is, or course, Sonic, which does NOT suck... in fact, for what it is (an indoor coaster at a fancy FEC) is actually quite good! Decent theming, comfy cars, smooth ride, and, if you're lucky enough to unbalance the car enough, a fun ride!
Onwards to Sega Republic & SpinGear!
I'm pretty sure "dark" is part of the theming.
Obligatory car shot.
They also have two simulator attractions - one "air tour" and one "jeep tour" which, again, for what they are, do NOT suck! That said, not re-rideable, like most simulators.
Other attractions included in the wristband are:
- Crazy bobsled game/ride; lapbar & harness required, because when you drive it into powerups, your ride vehicle rolls 360 or 720!
- "Real" car simulators... you hop in an actual car body on a motion base with a screen in front of you and drive
- Sonic mini-drop tower - cute for kids (and impressive they fit this indoors) but cable driven, no real air time
- Shooting "simulator" where you pull out guns, shoot screens covered in bugs, with the twist that your seats spin 180 to face another screen at times
- The crazy skateboarding halfpipe simulator! I did this at least a dozen times - without a doubt the most interesting and FUN attraction - airtime, under your control (sort of) and just a great whooshing feeling. If you put this in the right places, people would line up to pay for this.. and the fact that you & a partner (if you have one) are competing against another team makes it even better
Of course, they have other attractions in Sega Republic
Some are interesting...
Some are disturbing...
Some are really fun!
Overall, totally worth visiting if you're in Dubai!
The rest of Dubai Mall also includes the Dubai Aquarium, and of course, crazy views of the Burj Dubai - not to mention the entrance for "The Top" world's highest observation deck.
The Dubai Mall also contains other wonders/records
SHARK!! SHARK!! SHARK!!
You can walk on water! The Dubai Mall is amazing!
Countdown to Extinction debunked: It wasn't asteroids, it was penguins that ended the dinosaurs! All hail the penguin emperor!
I'm pretty sure this restaurant has a different name in America. I guess "sensitivity" knows no borders
I didn't take the opportunity to stock up on gold.
Finally, some water/tower side dining!
And, of course, the super amazing Dubai Fountain show!
After finishing up a couple days of meetings, it was time to head back to the US... but I traveled eastwards instead of west.
Why? Two reasons:
First: To try out Korean's new A380 (my first flight on the superjumbo)
My ride home!
Second: Because I was stopping in LA for my first West Coast Bash!
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- It does get really hot in that land, and there's not a lot of shade as of yet. So just be prepared for that.
But the heat is part of the immersive theming of Radiator Springs being a desert town, right?
I broke down and watched the POV - big kudos to the night version of it, it looks fantastic! Like anyone not an under-10 year old boy, I'm not a huge fan of the movies, but was astonished at how amazing looking the AA characters look in the ride.
Happy DCA finally got an original, major, E-ticket worth talking about since it opened and more importantly that the much-needed fixes to the park seem to be worthwhile. Disneyland deserved a better neighbor, and now it's finally looking like it has one... Will hopefully get out west for the holiday season this year and see for myself.
As far as the crazy synchronized mouse ears go, I've been waiting for someone to implement this idea for years! Can't wait for the detailed official trip report!
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Looks like they are trying to respond to the upcoming Dollywood/Gaylord project across town.
I think they have to be concerned - although they've been putting money into the park pretty consistently since they bought it a few years ago.
It's interesting that the new attraction is being billed as separate, so presumably a different admission ticket plus combo season pass possibilities.
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Is it just me, or does the bear sign primarily exist to refute complaints:
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"The bear isn't lonely, it's antisocial"
"It isn't losing it's marbles in captivity, it's expecting a delicious meal any minute now!"
"We aren't ignoring grooming the bear, it's a natural, seasonal process found in nature"
"This bear may not look like much, but it's the subject of a famous Disney character! Well, a Disney character anyways. For reals!"
"The bear habitat looks sketchy, but it really lives in a condo! Just as nice as yours! So shut up about it!"
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2. YES! The waterpark can very busy even through the week. Go to Mammoth first and then over to Wildebeest. Zoombabwe, Zinga, and Bukali will also get lines pretty quickly after opening.
3. As stated above, Legend has a lot of laterals but I wouldn't call it rough at all. Ride Raven in the back.
4. If you get there at opening I would go to Voyage first and ride a few times before the waterpark opens. Then go to the waterpark at opening. The lines for the dry side really start to thin out after lunch. All three coasters are usually less than a 15-20 min wait (Raven and Legend are often much shorter) by 1:30 or 2:00.
8. Enjoy your trip, it is an awesome park with great rides, a world class waterpark, and one of (if not the) the nicest staffs in the business.
Repeat on all of these - the only major tip necessary (besides enjoying yourself!) is hitting the major water rides immediately after opening of the waterpark; late in the afternoon the coaster lines thin out tremendously, so no worries there, whereas the major slides & Wildebeest/Mammoth will be busy all day.
And re-read #8, so true!
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Very nuts & bolts question - I'm assuming Phantasialand has lockers - does anyone have any idea if they have storage for a large backpack or roll-aboard suitcase?
The website warns against "larger pieces of luggage".
My scenario is that I'm going to Dusseldorf for work, but hope to visit Phantasialand the Sunday before starting, and am debating heading directly to the park from the Cologne airport (do not pass go, do not check into hotel until later) in order to maximize time for my first visit to this amazing looking park.
It looks pretty easy to get to the park from the airport, but not sure what to do with my bags.
Any advice is deeply appreciated!
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Ok, now it is time for the Voyage pictures. While walking back, my wife talked with one of the mechanics and he said that the last 1/4th of the track will be re-tracked this winter. That is great because that is the only part that hurts right now. Hopefully what they did last winter won't be torn up too much and the whole ride will be awesome.
To this I say THANK GOD. Voyage is a completely awesome/insane ride, and with the great reconstruction work done on it, you can absolutely tell when the rework ends... the last 1/4 of the ride is definitely past intense and into painful, and if they can get it back into "intense/insane", it'll be HUGE in terms of my ability to enjoy it even more.
My wife & I were part of the crazies lining up for morning ERT on the water coasters, although we cheated and wore rain jackets, which helped with the cold morning.
It was our first time back to Holiday World since Wildebeest opened, so ERT on it & Mammoth side by side was a huge treat, even with the temperatures.
As others here have said, the two rides really are very different - though several of the GP in the park said "Oh, they're EXACTLY the same". Sigh.
Wildebeest comes across very much as an attempt to simulate a rollercoaster with a waterslide... it plays with speed and airtime, and with the ERT and only 2 people in our raft, we got a lot of air, and a lot of slamming back down, and completely loved it, riding at least 6 times.
Mammoth is... well, MAMMOTH. The pictures do not represent how BIG it is... I'm pretty sure you could set up 3 tennis courts on the lifthill conveyor belt. As far as a ride, it isn't really coaster-like, but is much more like a traditional waterslide/family raft ride after being given massive doses of Hulk-style gamma radiation - everything is BIGGER, FASTER, STEEPER, and more powerful, but the feel is that of a waterslide. This is at least true with the current 6 person round rafts... the non-spinning rafts may change this up a bit.
I will also say that if you're going straight backwards down the big hills (45 degree or the double hill) you have to white knuckle hold on to the handles or you would absolutely get dumped out of the boat... which is AWESOME! We got some good spins on some of our 5 or 6 Mammoth runs, though it definitely pays to have a full (empty seats squish against the channel walls and don't cause spins) & unbalanced raft.
Mammoth also gets you much, much wetter than Wildebeest... during the ride, but especially in the u-turn right before unloading, which with the frigid water Saturday morning (as an earlier poster mentioned) induced Titanic-style near-hypothermia, especially since waves of water are needed to push around the bend! During the summer months, I'm sure this will be a different story.
Mammoth apparently valleyed a raft later on the course during one of our rides up the lifthill and caused a few minute delay; the ride ops seemed to be getting much more particular about getting rafts in the sweet spot as far as weight (not too heavy or too light) after that.
Another big point on both rides I hadn't thought too much about is how awesome having the conveyor lifthills are - it makes ERT a heck of a lot less of a cardio workout than traditional waterslides! It also makes it possible for folks unable to climb stairs to ride easily, something I hadn't thought about until we had a chance to ride Mammoth with a fellow who needs a wheelchair and normally didn't get to ride most waterslides. A huge benefit in terms of accessibility of thrills to more people!
Overall, a great event, with a wonderful effort put forth by Holiday World and their incredibly friendly staff!
Photo TR: Hanno goes to China with TPR
in Photo Trip Report Archive
Posted
Imagine what Orlando would look like if they stopped stocking the bathrooms with toilet paper.
On another note, this was easily the most messed up theme park I've been to... but I haven't been to most of the Chinese ones that were covered on this years tours, so that may not be saying much.