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There's a Movie Tavern in Williamsburg, but I've never had a full meal there--just beer and nachos (which are of average quality). You order your food before you go in, and they give you a stand with a number on it, then bring the stuff out. Service tends to be pretty slow, but if you tell them at the counter, they'll bring you a second beer in about 30 minutes.

I think the Sesame Street characters are owned by the Children's Television Workshop, while Disney owns the rest of the Muppets (Kermit works both sides). Busch has the license for the Sesame Street characters in the U.S., so I imagine there's a separate license for other countries (but that's just my guess).

That is too bad about Musical Circus--the weirdest ride ever with a pretty cool ride system. Is the "Nutcracker dolls" ride an improvement over the old "Sparkling Carnival Ride" that used to be there? A ride themed to a ballet by a Russian composer in a Japanese park themed to the culture and history of Spain--well, why not?

I spent about a half-hour in the Jaws shop back in 2007--looks like their merch is even better now. (Mike Roddy needs visit this shop! ) And you haven't experienced Jaws: The Ride until you've experienced it in Japanese!

The proof is in the riding, not in the talking. I expected to dislike Insane at Grona Lund and ended up thinking it was great. We shall see. Okay Chuck. I highly respect your opinion so I will wait for first ride to comment. You made alot of sense to me Thank you. I think a lot will depend on how the park decides to operate Green Lantern. If the car is unbalanced, you can, indeed, get an "Insane" ride.

Thank you for helping me relive the life-altering experience that is Nio. Is this still the only SLC in Japan? If so, it needs some sort of plaque to ensure that it is preserved forever.

The proof is in the riding, not in the talking. I expected to dislike Insane at Grona Lund and ended up thinking it was great. We shall see.

I'm glad everyone had a great time--it was good meeting you all, too.

Shaddup and have another beef taco box.

I remember that back in 2007, we thought you were supposed to shake the candles in the walkthrough. Mitsui Greenland is a great park--absolutely loved that place.

"Beef Taco Box"--yet another great name for a band. "Thank you, Poughkeepsie! Beef Taco Box says GOOD NIGHT!"

The "Big Man" is gone? I hadn't heard--that is sad.

Happy to clear it up. And Shout Video's next MST3K set is going to be all old Gamera flicks.

TPR Day at Busch Gardens Williamsburg Yes, Robb and Elissa may be cavorting about Japan, showing people a great time, but before they headed east, they set up an excellent day for TPR members at Busch Gardens on Sunday, June 19--a very nice way to round out a park-and-coaster weekend in Virginia (Kings Dominion held its annual Hurlfest the day before). So, a nice, exclusive group of TPR members showed up bright and early in the park's England parking lot for a morning ERT session on Griffon and Alpengeist, followed by a great backstage tour of DarKastle, Alpengeist, and Europe in the Air tailored especially for us. Yes, we got to walk the entire track of DarKastle and be the first riders that day, check out Alpengeist's maintenance bay and fondle some coaster parts, and watch people being bounced around Europe from the safety of the ride's control room (and get bounced around ourselves). Participants received a meal voucher and an option to purchase a second, along with Quick Queue, and were free to enjoy their day--until 9:00 that night, when we had an awesome hour on Apollo's Chariot all to ourselves! (Well, if you don't count the ride crew, that is.) Everyone had a great time--especially on the tour. Thank you Busch Gardens for being such excellent hosts! Here's a look at TPR Day. Having trouble waking up? Well, BGW has a cure for that! (Sorry that the pictures are a bit dark--it was quite overcast that morning.) Make that two cures. Here's a peek at what goes on before the park opens to the public. I see you TPR people! Even in those dark clouds you can't hide from me! Exclusive Splash Time! Exclusive Save-Me-Jeebus Time! Now this is what I call an ERT session. Yep--no waiting! Pick your seat and hang on! ERT ended at 10:00, and the tour started at 10:10. First stop: Curse of DarKastle's maintenance bay. Meet Josh and Brandon--two excellent guides! Beware King Ludwig's Open Pit of Bloody Terror! We learned all the secrets of DarKastle. Did you know that King Ludwig may have been insane, but he was a terrific dancer? "Look into my eyes . . ." Uh oh! Looks like two Golden Sleighs are going to face off in a Bavarian Death Match! This little board monitors where each sleigh is located when the ride is in operation. Here's a more "low-tech" device--each sleigh has its own board to keep track of what work had been done on it. Aghh! More scary hypnotic eyes in Ludwig's library! TPR members believe that reading is FUNdamental. The books bear the names of people who have worked on DarKastle--or maybe they're just Ludwig's victims. Even when you're walking through DarKastle, it's hard to tell which way is up. Look out! That building is falling on you! These evil-looking trees were actually sculpted at BGW--not made elsewhere and installed. They look freaky even without the show lighting. This is a rear-projection screen, . . . . . . which would make these, well, rear projectors, I guess. The backside of air cannons. The frontside of air cannons. The brain of DarKastle. It's interesting how this prop railing blends seamlessly with the projected railing that breaks and nearly "falls" on you during the ride. More scary trees! The DarKastle crew--they do Ludwig's bidding! "Must . . . do . . . what . . . Ludwig . . . says . . ." Here's the control room between the loading and unloading stations. Next stop, Alpengeist. This is the head of the well that supplies the water for all the park's water rides. The coaster maintenance bay had to be built to accomodate it. It's low bridge in the Alpengeist maintenance bay. "What am I bid for this lovely coaster wheel?" "Oh god! It's so heavy!" After a rousing game of "Pass the Coaster Wheel," we headed off to Europe in the Air, the park's flight simulator. Look at those people bouncing around, being relieved of all their change! "Heh, heh! Bouncing people are funny!" Did you know that Europe in the Air was programmed using a joystick? They also programmed the sleighs in DarKastle that way. And people used to say that playing Nintendo was a waste of time. "Hmm--if I had that joystick, I'd give those people a ride they'd never forget!" It's dark, and the park's closed--but our time isn't over yet! Everybody ready for some nighttime ERT on Apollo's Chariot? My god! Where did everybody go? Apollo must've eaten them! (Actually, the park has a "ride twice, then wait one train" policy during ERT.) Even the amazing ride crew got ERT! This was definitely a great way to end a great day! Thank you, Busch Gardens!

After working many years now with liars I have become pretty good at reading peoples faces whether they are lying or not. Our tour guide sure didn't look like he was making it up to us. He answered Steve's question without any hesitation. "Verbolten" is what Josh said. We shall see.

Rt. 60 takes a number of twists and turns around and in Willismburg. The Outback is actually in James City County about a mile out of town.

^ & ^^Bacon-wrapped asparagus on sticks! Beef on sticks! Bacon-wrapped cheese on sticks! Agreed.

Putting Angus McNasty in the cat room could prove to be "interesting." I imagine it would quickly turn into a "Tokyo Feline Extreme Death Match."

Good stuff, Erik! I'm glad that birds have their own outhouse on the island--keeps them from crapping on your head.

^Please ask your doctor--not a forum on a coaster Web site. No one here is qualified to provide medical advice on what to ride after surgery. I'm locking this thread.

Neither can I . . . wait, I won't be there. Damn!

^My personal belief is that a coaster that requires special techniques (other than just hanging on) for riding is not a good coaster, but I'm glad you've found a way to survive Iron Wolf (not the worst thing I've ever ridden, but very far from the best).

^Yep--might want to wait and see before passing any judgment. Concept art isn't always specific on the details.

Looks like you got a section of a coaster wheel--probably from SFMM's long-defunct Flashback. Very nice.

I, too, have received some crap. Behold! "Is this something that I can kill, eat, or both? Please answer "both"! My, that's quite a lot of crap! (No, it did not include the pillows, brown pants, or copy of "True Grit.") Angus particularly likes the official Adventureland (Iowa) milk coupon.