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Ultra Twister--Nagashima Spaland

When I was at WDW in October, Galaxy's Edge was booming, but it handles crowds well.

Raptor--Cedar Point

I'm very curious about how this all works, as I'll be trying to ride Rise on my birthday (Feb. 16).

I hope there's a Mr. Potato head French Fry Stand and a shooting dark ride based on "Clue."

The Jurassic World stuff was the best part of the parade (I particularly liked the raptors "escaping" into the street).

Pink needs to sponsor this ride. I passed on it because they were having issues with cars getting stuck on the final brake run (I was pressed for time).

But will the new boat ride feature the "backside of water"? If not, this would be a glaring omission! All kidding aside, I'm glad to see CP trying something other than a new coaster for it's 150th anniversary.

Agreed! It's exciting to see all the improvements coming to Walt Disney World.

Thanks for the in-dept look at Ride of the Resistance, Elissa. If it impressed a "non-Star Wars person," I know it's got to be good. It does look like a ride that belongs at Tokyo Disney.

After watching the video, my only response is "holy crap"! I'm really looking forward to riding this now. The way Disney has integrated hi-def video with physical effects, sets, and animatronics is outstanding,

Loopen--Tusenfryd

Hmm--link to a video that's not available. Yeah, not seeing much point to this--thread locked.

I liked Operation Enterprise quite a bit, and Van Helsing's Factory is fun. I didn't bother with Bandit the last time I was there (that ride nearly beat me to death years ago).

Wacky Soap Box Racers--Knott's Berry Farm

Diavalo--Central Park (Japan)

The cookie was rather tasty, too. Kings Dominion does a good job dressing up the park for Winterfest.

Winterfest Preview at Kings Dominion Lights, crazy characters, Snoopy dressed as Santa . . . looks like it's time for Winterfest at Kings Dominion. TPR was invited to a preview of this year's event last night. This was essentially a "dress rehearsal" for the opening lighting ceremony by the Eiffel Tower, so it involved food, music, and, of course, lots of lights. The event officially begins tonight (Saturday, November 23), so this amounts to just a "taste" of Winterfest. But there was plenty of of food, ugly sweaters, ice skating, and other such holiday fun to be had--and the rest of the park (except for Safari Village) will be open and lit up tonight. Here's a look at the preview. You just might see Santa lurking about, so be on your best behavior. NOTE: Well, just noticed on Facebook that the park is closed today because of inclement weather. It's supposed to pour rain there later today. Twas the night before Winterfest . . . . . . and all through the park . . . . . . the sun hadn't quite set, so the Tower was still dark. So, this is that place that no other place is like. Nice hat. Oh, the Hallmark Channel is on. I wonder which archetypal character is going to find his or her true love in a small New England town this time. "We're gonna get Dickensian on your a**." The dinner included cannelloni, carved ham, and (of course) turkey and stuffing. It was good. Anyone for a donut bacon-burger slider? Almost time to light up the tower. And, yes, you can buy the official Winterfest sweater like Maggie Sellars, the park's PR director, is wearing Let the merriment begin! Of course, Snoopy has to be in on this. After a countdown, the Eiffel Tower was lit up! I like how the colors change all night. It's pretty underneath the Tower, too. The show featured a medley of Christmas hits, but included Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" (interesting choice). "Am I not festive?" "I'm even more festive!" Old Virginia wasn't open, but it was lit up. The car ride is themed to the "Twelve Days of Christmas." Looking down the path behind the Eiffel Tower--this is the quickest was to get to Twisted Timbers. Yep--I'm making a snow angel. Nothing says "Christmas" like Snoopy on a Zamboni. I like the huge "old-fashioned" lights in Planet Snoopy. The Claus: Accept no substitute. Who wants to decorate Christmas cookies? Here are our creations (my friend Brenda's on the left, mine on the right). I like how they rethemed the shop to Mrs. Claus's Kitchen. Merry Christmas! Thanks for the look at Winterfest, Kings Dominion!

Starr Hill Snow Blind--it's a seasonal doppelbock from a brewery in Charlottesville, Va.

True, but do those rides have "golden" track? BGW usually doesn't do that much more with the trains with the exception of Verbolten and InvadR.

I like the color scheme on the Pantheon train.

Zeus at Mt. Olympus.

I don't think there's any such thing as a bad view at Tokyo DisneySea--such a beautiful, photogenic park. Dang--now I have to go back and try one of those pork rolls.

Ready for a bit more merriment? Welcome to Canada, . . . . . . where even the grizzly bears celebrate Christmas by not eating you. I like the how they light the way into Germany. Simple, but very pretty. Whoa! Germany is jumping tonight. The Festhaus at its most festive. (This is where you can catch the O'Tannenbaum light-and-music show.) Local choirs often perform here during Christmas Town. I caught some of Deck the Halls as I was eating my turkey dinner. Watch out! It's raining Christmas trees! There's little danger of getting lost in this maze. I admit to being a bit confused by this attraction. It seems a bit plain compared to other Christmas Town offerings. It was kind of a "crafts" thing. Well, nearly time to head home . . . . . . under the watchful eyes of the Klaus Organization. The Polar Pathway is one of my favorite spots at Christmas Town . . . . . . even if the wind is messing with it a bit. Elmo and his friends celebrate the joys of hot chocolate. Merry Christmas from Busch Gardens Williamsburg! Thanks for reading.

Christmas Town Opens at Busch Gardens Howl-o-Scream is over, and with all the ghouls safely tucked back into their respective tombs, graves, and isolated cabins and castles, it's time for Christmas Town! The park kicked off its annual yuletide extravaganza on Saturday, November 16, and other than "Merry Christmas" and "ho, ho ho," the word of the day was wind. A coastal storm was lashing the East Coast, and while BGW didn't see any rain, the park definitely felt the cold winds that were gusting between 20 and 30 miles per hour. This played a little havoc with some of the decorations (and closed the skyride), but the opening came off pretty well. Not much has changed this year for Christmas Town. You can still visit Santa's Workshop in Germany and chow down at his Fireside Feast in Ireland; catch a performance of Deck the Halls (Festhaus), Gloria (Abbeystone Theatre), Scrooge No More (Globe Theatre), Elmo's Christmas Wish (Sesame Street Forest of Fun), and Twas the Night (ice show in France); score a turkey dinner or sirloin sandwich at the Festhaus; ride the Christmas Town Express; and, of course, take in the 10 million or so lights shining throughout the park. Flat rides were running, as were Verbolten and InvadR. One new attraction was the Traditions Tree Maze. It's a maze of fir trees leading to various kiosks where you can learn about holiday traditions in other cultures. Better bundle up, as it's pretty chilly tonight. I threw in some photos of Pantheon, too. We can always warm with a cocktail at Grogan's Pub later. Christmas Town runs on select days through January 5. No, I did not count them. Welcome to Christmas Town--until January 6. It wouldn't be Christmas Town without some big balls. I like England's traditional decor. These fire pits were very welcome on that cold night. Do you know "Christmas at Ground Zero"? What? They're builiding a new ride? The heck you say! Yep--the gusty winds were causing a few issues that night. This is the first time I've seen this golden tree in Italy with red fall leaves. It looks pretty cool. Let's see what can see of Pantheon from Holiday Hills (AKA, Festa Italia). Santa points the way toward Pantheon. We all know about the spike, . . . . . . and they've added some more track to this section, but . . .. . . . I didn't know that they were building a noninverting loop. (I think the reindeer makes it look rather festive.) Who's ready for some spikin' and loopin'? One last look at Pantheon. I was hoping to get some photos from the train, but it opened an hour late, and it was too dark out. Shall we explore Christmas Town a bit? Only 38 days as I write this--better get shopping! Green is the main color of Ireland, naturally. The path to France is always pleasant. France prefers purple and silver. The train ride uses the log-flume queue. The train runs a complete circuit with no stops. You board in New France. Even InvadR is looking pretty festive. You will believe a penguin can jump over an igloo! Christmas town is rather fond of glowing balls . . . . . . of various sizes. InvadR wishes you a "Merry Christmas." More to come.