cfc

That would be like counting I305 twice--once before and once after the reprofiling. In the case of Hades, I vote "no"; then again, I do count Knott's Motorcycle Chase and Wacky Soapbox Racers as two credits . . . hmm . . .

^Well, at least this coaster project (if it comes to pass) would involve a group of people who actually know what they're doing when it comes to construction.

I wonder if this is predicted on the Mayan calendar? I like Parc Asterix, but, yes, the operations are not exactly tip top.

Agreed don't see it getting the ax. I hate the ride but the park needs rides for families and this I one of the few coasters at SFGAdv that doesn't intimidate families. Losing Rolling Thunder would leave them with just the mine train and Skull Mountain for "family" coasters, so that makes sense.

I like how they're using the lake for the Christmas tree light show--the SeaWorld nutcrackers are a nice touch, too.

I can see them reassembling a Tumble Bug and getting it going, but I imagine the old coaster would have to be rebuilt from scratch. Maybe they're just buying the plans, as was the case with the Zippin Pippin? At least these guys are skilled craftsmen.

To get back on topic, I wouldn't seeing Rolling Thunder getting the ax, either. It's just kind of boring, at best.

Worms! Twisty, corkscrewy worms! I wouldn't count it as "new" either, but new is in the eye of the beholder.

Maybe Adam stood behind Walter and tickled him.

^Tennessee Tornado was a very pleasant surprise for me, as well. I remember getting a look at the layout as the train was pulled up the lift hill and thinking that this can't possibly be any good. But I came off the ride thinking that this was the best thing Arrow had ever done--smooth, crazy, and a lot of fun (if brief).

The credit-whoring days are a lot of fun, but all those Jungle Mouse and Sliding Dragon coasters tend to run together once the trip is over. Again, my thanks to Larry for his list of Chinese parks and coasters.

I'd forgotten all about the trees with the IV bags. Well, I guess it's better than risking dehydration.

^So, they have this ride in Branson? Captain Redundancy saves the day again!

^It was nice to see the little teaser about programming the ride vehicles--and to see the Busch parks in general stretching themselves a bit (as they already have with Verbolten, DarKastle, and Cheetah Hunt).

I'm a bit surprised that I missed this one when it was originally posted. It's always interesting to see how parks change over the years. I remember reading about Carowinds in a book I got for Christmas many years ago (Funland USA). I'd forgotten that the park used to have a riverboat.

^The Hulk is one attraction that lives up to its namesake. Sometimes, you can get a great ride on it. Other times, Hulk mad! Hulk smash puny humans!

It would be great to see another Tumble Bug in operation. I rather like the one at Kennywood.

Ha! Didn't notice that earlier. I does look like a great replacement for the old walk through.

^The old "Alien" version was much better--and very edgy for the Magic Kingdom.

"Cableius Snapatronis!"

^That looks pretty cool. They have a similar attraction in Branson, MO, too.

^Time will tell. If there isn't a three-way dueling coaster or shooting dark ride themed to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, I will be very annoyed.

^Now, my experience on Georgia Cyclone was the opposite--sort of. I was advised to sit in the second seat from the very back, and while the ride was very "shuffly" in parts, the airtime was absolutely nuts. Then again, everybody else on that train was complaining about how painful it was. Yeah, that ride could use some work--but there may be hope for it yet.

I've been using the term "pleasant surprise" quite a bit lately, mostly in connection with TPR's China Trip. Yes, amid all the Jungle Mouse coasters and knock-off SLCs, which were pretty much what I expected them to be, were some rides that I was downright dreading but actually enjoyed. So, here's the idea behind this thread: 1. What ride (or rides) have you absolutely dreaded riding--what you thought would be "one and dones"--that you ended up liking (the "pleasant surprise")? 2. On the flip side, what rides were you looking forward to that turned out to be not only downright disappointing, but also very bad indeed (the "unpleasant surprise")? You don't have to restrict yourself to coasters here. Any type of ride or attraction is fair game. And, please, post pictures if you can (or link to some in TPR's Park Index). Please provide some reasons, too. I'll start things off here. Hidden Anaconda at Happy Valley Wuhan (Skyloops in general): I'd been dreading this thanks to a bad experience on Drayton's GForce, which has an inverted lift, and the problems they had at Magic Springs. But this ride shocked me a bit. It was surprisingly fun (if a bit unnerving). The one at Joyland was good, too. The Giant Inverted Boomerang at Jin Jiang: I'm not a fan of Vekoma Boomerangs, although I think Invertigos are OK. And, let's face it, GIBs haven't been all that reliable in the U.S. (every time I've had an opportunity to ride one, it's broken down). But my first GIB in China turned out to be a lot of fun--a very solid ride and much better than the standard Boomerangs. Stingray at Giant Wheel Park: This combination of a Skyloop with a Flying Dutchman is one of those "oh, hell no" designs at first glance. But even though the ride itself is fairly intense, the experience is fun and unique--more interesting than the B&M flyers, for the most part. The new Flying Dutchman trains are better than the original ones, and I'd like to see this ride built at other parks. Voyage at Holiday World: This one is both a pleasant and an unpleasant surprise in one. In April 2009, during my first visit to Holiday World, I wasn't exactly looking forward to Voyage due to all the conflicting reports about it. But it turned out to be amazingly smooth and airtime filled that day, and made my top ten. Then a year went by. In August 2010, Voyage was a difficult, painful experience, at best--more of an ordeal. I hope that it can be great again, someday.

Balder AND Raclette??? Can I just send my deposit in now?!? Yep. All TPR trips should include add-on to Liseberg, Europa, or both!