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^Speaking of that . . . Howl-o-Scream: What's New for 2017 Yes, it's my favorite time of the year at Busch Gardens. Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of London, vampires terrorize Germany, and demons get down with their bad selves (and their chain saws) in France. Those are the constants of Howl-o-Scream in Williamsburg (at least over the last few years). So, what's different this year? If you were hoping to fight traditional vampires in tuxes, opera capes, and evening gowns, I regret to inform you that the park's oldest maze, Bitten, is no more. Perhaps too much sunlight leaked in during the earlier part of the season, thus reducing the bloodsuckers to dust and bones (or perhaps there was a garlic epidemic). It was about time. The maze was getting a bit long in the tooth (yes, pun intended), and it was time to dump some holy water on it. I will miss the pounding James Bernard/Hammer Films Dracula music that reverberated from the old Drachen Fire station. But there is a new maze to replace it: Frostbite (in the DarKastle building). One thing I like about Howl-o-Scream is that it can't depend on existing IPs for mazes; they have to be "original" concepts. The backstory of Frostbite concerns the death of a dragon that once lived within a cavern and provided heat and light for the people in the castle above it. But now some sort of "frost demon" has taken over and turned the once warm dwelling into an icy palace of doom. BGW used the DarKastle space (and some of its projection equipment) pretty well, and they cranked up the AC to make it appropriately chilly. It's a fun walk-through, but I thought the "ice king" in the pre-show looked a bit silly. It drew a big crowd, but the wait was only about 30 minutes, even with a full queue. The Wendigo Woods Terror-tory is gone, although the Wendigo is still around. Now you have to survive Axe Alley, where you're harassed by the ghosts of the Vikings who invaded New France. It's doesn't have the elaborate back story of the old Terror-tory, but it fits in well with Invadr, and the Vikings are pretty active at banging their axes and chasing unwary guests. So, what else is new at Howl-o-Scream this year? They've decreased the amount of gore in the Ripper Row Terror-tory in England. The random bloody body parts are gone. They reconfigured the Lumberhacks outdoor maze (behind Verbolten). You now enter through what used to be the exit, and I thought it was an improvement--the scares are better hidden now. Cornered, the other outdoor maze, has changed, too--the mirror-maze section has been replaced with rather close rows of corn, making it more claustrophobic. They made some tweaks to Deadline (Escape from Pompeii building. There's a new No Escape room, too: Jack the Ripper has bee replaced with the Case of the Haunted Hotel (this is an upcharge). Let's have a look around. Just in case you’re forgotten where we are. Nothing creepy here. Nothing at all. Right? Ripper Row is a low on gore compared to previous years. Where are all the body parts? At least the Headless Hearse Driver is still here--and you don't have to tip him, because he's dead. Hmm . . . where to go first? Let’s consult this handy map . . . . . . or ask this crazy ghoul woman. I like this gimmick with the maps, and there are a few other video-screen surprises in the park. Being as the ghoul woman wasn’t much help, let’s just follow this sign to the new Terror-tory: Axe Alley. First, we must cross the Valley of the Spiders. (Not an official Terror-tory, but my pet name for the path from Ireland to France.) Just follow the ghosts. They'll never lead you astray . . . if you're looking for Hell, that is. Ghouls will try to distract you with booze and ice cream. And later this evening, they will succeed with me. Do not fall for the tasty deceptions of the Children of the Night (even in broad daylight). Focus on your objective. Demons will be out in a out another 15 minutes. Welcome to the Terror-tory formerly known as Wendigo Woods. Now it’s been taken over by murderous Viking “Invadrs.” But the Wendigo is still around. Hmm--looks like a good spot to scare people. We’ll find out later. Bitten is now officially “dead,” but the undead still roam Vampire Point in Germany. “I sparkle. I also bite and suck!” Sheesh! That security guard just let two vampires walk by without as much as a “who goes there.” At least the trash can is safe. The Mr. Karver No Escape Room us back, but Jack the Ripper has been replaced by the “Case of the Haunted Hotel.” If I were Jack, I’d be a bit miffed. More to come.

That all looks amazing! I was drooling while checking out the TPR Twitter feed last night, too.

Olympia Looping definitely lived up to its reputation--and then some! The Drifting Coaster was completely insane (never ridden anything quite like it before).

Spinning wheel of death. I guessed that would be high on the list.

Count Von Count is at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, too--that vampire gets around. Looks like a nice alternative to the scarier stuff at Universal.

As long as we're being serious, the Florida Disney parks are wall-to-wall packed almost year round these days. I think they're doing just fine without pennies from the "coasterheads". Yeah, "coasterheads" are (at best) very small part of Disney's audience.

I think BGT often gives Universal a run for its money with Howl-o-Scream. They're not as dependent on IPs and have to be a bit more creative.

What did you like best about Oktoberfest?

It's been a long tome since I visited Disneyland Paris (2008). I enjoyed myself there, as I do at other Disney parks. It's beautiful, and its versions of some classic Disney attractions (such as Pirates) are great. Then again, it also has the two worst coasters ever built at a Disney park (Space Mountain and Indiana Jones), and service left a bit to be desired. Still, I need to get back there someday.

I think you sort of like Harley Quinn. Just a hunch.

A separate boarding station for those who want to ride with VR sounds like a good idea.

It's actually just the location in the show where Ash retires to. It's like his "dream location." It's sort of being made fun of, but it's also very funny! "Jacksonvillle, Florida! It's everything I ever dreamed of!"

As usual, the parks look great. I particularly like what they did with Cars Land.

Thanks for the report. I've never been on the West Coast at the right time for this event, but it looks like fun. I think Hollywood's "Jack Nicholson" looks more like Jack than the one in Florida (based on the photos and videos, anyway).

Wow! Thanks for the report. Mack has been on quite a roll lately, and I'm looking forward to riding this. It has changed the park's skyline for the better.

^I like their Rulantica story better than the Moana ripoff Universal used for Volcano Bay.

The concept art for the new water park looks intriguing--as does the "museum" hotel. As if anyone needed another reason to visit Europa.

Euro Mir...and now I have the song stuck in my head, thanks! Then my work is done here.

^I saw what you did there.

You can see deer grazing near the tracks of the Busch Gardens railroad all the time.

Historically speaking, it would make sense for that be a shooting dark ride, correct KT? You get to be either Hamilton or Aaron Burr.

^I've never seen any point to Snapchat.

I use Facebook and Twitter and don't bother with the others. Most of the what people post on the other platforms are often available of FB and Twitter, anyway.

I used to vote for these awards. One year, they didn't invite me, and I discovered I didn't really care.

^Somebody asked me about this last weekend, but I wasn't sure--thanks for the update.