cfc

^I'm always a bit annoyed when Knoebels wins the "Best Food" Golden Ticket over parks like Epcot and Europa. I do think Knoebels food is very good and reasonably priced (the perfect example of "amusement park" food), but it can't really top the restaurants at Epcot and Europa. Maybe they need two categories: "snack" food and "restaurant" food. Then again, the Golden Tickets are dominated by American enthusiasts, many of whom haven't been to Europa. Broader horizons are a good thing.

^Agreed. I thought Bakken was great, too, and was happy that everyone on that train survived Robb's stint as the brakeman! The haunted-house ride (with its extra surprise) was also great, as was the restaurant. To me, it seemed like the "Knoebels of Denmark."

^I agree that it's a bit too early to say that this not-even-half-finished ride shows that Intamin is "losing its touch." Best to just wait and see (I recall similar moaning about I305 when it was being built--hell about nearly every ride when it was being built ). But I do agree with Sean that it's good to see companies like Zamperla and Zirer starting to make "big" coasters. Healthy competition is a good thing.

^Darn--and I was gonna give someone this old comb I found in the parking lot at work.

The spinach, mushroom, and gorgonzola pie sounds great to me.

^Perhaps you are now too well prepared to answer them.

^Looks like Harry and Ron Weasley were out behind Hogswarts playin' with their wands, again.

This is the first "terrain" Wacky Worm I've ever seen.

So do I.... As a young and stupid man, I still had my earrings in- small and gold, they blended in well with my skintones- and being young and stupid, I didn't remove them... I bled for an HOUR afterwards. For those who think these new OTSRs from Premier aren't that bad... Just wait till you've had the pleasure(?) of riding with one of them... and beg for mercy with the pain afterwards. Despite my comment, based on the concept art, it does look like Premier has made some modifications to their OTSRs ala Vekoma. The ones on FoF were as hard as cinder blocks.

I haven't stayed at that many Disney hotels, but I did spend a few days at the Animal Kingdom Lodge--beautiful building and grounds and great restaurants. The Boardwalk is very nice, too (and you can walk to Epcot).

I remember when they tried adding extra padding to the OTSRs on Flight of Fear--it didn't help.

I don't think you'll encounter any hideous lines at BGW on a Thursday (Verbolten, the ride opening next year, might be an exception), but at least you have the option of Quick Queue. KD shouldn't be too bad on a Friday, either--but ride Volcano first. You might want to look at our park guides in the index for some tips (Verbolten might change things a bit though).

Screw, Potter, bring on the mini-golf! I second this! Looks like Norman Bates is building a vacation home in Florida.

Seasoned character actor Harry Morgan is dead. He was 96: http://www.aoltv.com/2011/12/07/harry-morgan-mash-dead/. He was best known as Colonel Sherman Potter on M*A*S*H, but he appeared in scores of movies and TV shows. This guy was such a familiar face on the tube when I was growing up, it's almost like losing a grandfather.

I would say "asset (for lack of a better term)," but I understand what you're saying.

^Agreed. It's good to see more parks holding events after the Halloween. Kennywood looks great. I particularly like the idea of a "light show" on the lake. BGW should try that with the Rhine River during Christmas Town.

I enjoy insane, over-the-top Christmas displays like this--especially where they're not in my neighborhood.

I'm more puzzled by Otown's comment that Rowling ended the Potter franchise prematurely. Harry grows up, kills the evil wizard who murdered his parents, and finally settles down to a normal life. Sounds like a logical place for an ending to me.

Love it or hate it, the Harry Potter series has broader appeal than Twilight. Universal is banking on the idea that Potter will have the same staying power as LOTR. Then again, they did squeeze a lot of years out of Jaws, a series that produced only one good movie.

Ed Wood would fit in well on SyFy; of course, his scripts make more sense than those on SyFy.

Hmm--forgot about the nicely themed Port of Pirates at Aqua Stadium in Tokyo.

Fresh, hot snickerdoodles are the COOKIES OF THE GODS! Yeah, I definitely have to have the Florida Christmas experience some day--maybe in 2012.

^I heartily endorse Jeff's proposal. If they can also work in Mega Python and Gatoroid, and the Deborah Gibson/Tiffany catfight, this could be the greatest attraction ever created (next to Dinosaur, of course).

^Festa Italia, Forest of Fun, and Land of the Dragons are closed, and the only coaster open is Alpengeist. So, I imagine it's an issue of reduced staffing and the desire to keep the park from getting slammed over the holidays (the line for the freakin' penguins can get ridiculous on busy nights).

Had a nice time at Christmas Town last night. People used to joke about the penguin exhibit, but little kids love those freakin' birds. One of my office buddies (Carola) was babysitting a two-and-a-half-year-old boy for a friend who's at a conference in DC, so we took took him with us. He loved two things to death: the carousel and the penguins ("More penguins! More penguins!"). The roast beef dinner and egg nog cheesecake at the Squires Grille were pretty good, too, but I would rank the holiday cheesecake offerings in this order: pumpkin, gingerbread, egg nog. Fortunately, there was a really light crowd (although the skyride drew a huge line later in the evening). I think the Grand Illumination in Colonial Williamsburg siphoned off a lot of people.