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I'd be cool with anything Rocketeer as well. Agreed--Rocketeer was a lot of fun and deserved to do much better at the box office.

Universal Japan is great--the best of the two stateside Studios parks and IOA in one place. Too bad about Jaws being closed, as it's particularly cool in Japanese. Thanks for the look at the new ride.

^Rick is not only the Discovery King, but also Baron von Penny Machine--a royal lineage, indeed.

Nice to meet you yesterday, too. My niece Lindsay and I were on our way out (she wasn't feeling well) when we bumped into each other--but I did manage to snag the elusive Taxi Jam credit. (Not something to be proud of, but merely a fact.) Lindsay's favorite ride was Dominator, and she liked Flight of Fear , but she wasn't a big fan of Intimidator (too "intense").

We're going to the Candy Mountain! Thanks for the all the pictures, Erik. I'm looking forward to checking this place out--and sampling some of that awesome-looking food.

^I think Jeff (pdkcoaster) mentioned these earlier on the thread, but this is the first time I've seen them in action.

Speaking as a copyeditor, my response is "nice try."

I spent a few hours at the park today with my 11-year-old niece, and, naturally, we took a spin on Intimidator (and got stuck on the top of Dominator's lifthill for about 15 minutes). While, yes, you can really feel those trims, I don't think they hurt the ride experience all that much. You still "gray out" on the big curve after the initial drop, and the last two bunny hills now have some airtime (thanks to the trims being removed from the first bunny hill, I presume). As for the actual speed, I couldn't say, but I still think I-305 is a great ride. I was rather amused by the "wheel wetters" in the station. Looks like the station is taking a leak on Intimidator.

Probably Fox News.

A brief world from one of your Friendly Neighborhood Site Moderators--If you wish to discuss how much you love/hate superhero movies compared to Harry Potter movies, please do so here: Movies, Movies, Movies. I now return you to the Wizarding World thread, which is already in progress. Hmm--not crazy about cream soda, but I do love butterscotch. Reckon I'll have to try it.

Nope. Never has been announced. http://rcdb.com/4520.htm RCDB is pretty reliable, are you suggesting he just pulled the number out of thin air? Obviously the rides not going as fast as it used to. Only that anyone can make a mistake--even rcdb.

This is very sad news. It's clear that Holiday World is a labor of love for the Koch family. My thoughts are with them.

The ERT session on Thuderbird was, indeed, epic. I really enjoyed Power Park--it was the biggest suprise of the trip for me.

Thanks for the pictures, Hanno--this looks like a great addition to Efteling. This park is absolutely beautiful, and it's great how they're paying so much attention to theming their new woodie.

Sounds like the writers were getting a bit desperate.

Sounds like the writers were getting a bit desperate.

This was something J. K. Rowling required, from what Adam said in his TR. Any bets on how long this policy will last once Wizarding World opens to the public?

Same here, although I like Voyage a lot, too. Rick is the Big Mike of penny machines. Good stuff, Scott. I'm looking forward to ride or two on Wildebeest during the Mid-America Trip. It's also good to know that proper homage is still being paid to the most awesome costume ever designed for a Star Wars flick.

You should make them your sponsor.

I feel dirty for just looking at those pictures. The Mini-Me photo was a nice touch.

^Somebody turned their term paper into a show? Thesis statement: The World is a carousel of color--wonderful, wonderful, color. Body: Show them color. Conculsion: The World is, indeed, a carousel of color. That being said, I'll catch the show the next time I'm in southern California. I did like the "stampede" in the video and how it seemed to come right at the audience.

^Agreed--I love it when parks install or improve "old-school" dark rides. I always liked the old one at SCBB, but based on the video, the new Haunted Castle looks much better. This has been a good time for myself and dark rides--I really enjoyed Monster Mansion at Six Flags Over Georgia over Memorial Day and thought that Cedar Fair did a good job revamping their old Scooby Doo rides at Carowinds and Kings Dominion.

^Not lately--but they have added water cannons to Escape from Pompeii. So much fun for just a quarter. Torture, torture! It pleasures me!

Chuck Takes His Niece and Nephew to Busch Gardens Well, my parents are in town for two weeks with two grandkids in tow--Lindsay (11 years old) and Scottie (14 years old). So, after a few days of stressful (Er, Scottie? I really don't like people looking over my shoulder when I type. Thank you.) historical-type tourism, it was time to hit Busch Gardens. So, I thought I'd share a few pictures from earlier today. Nothin' fancy. We sprang for Unlimited Quick Queue, figuring the park would be really busy; however, aside from the water rides (which were packed), we could've got away without it, although the Loch Ness Monster had a pretty long line earlier in day. Thanks to Quick Queue, we were able to soak ourselves silly on this very hot day with multiple rides on the Roman Rapids, Le Scoot, and Escape from Pompeii (which now sports coin-operated water cannons)--not to mention plenty of rides on all the coasters. The verdict? The kids loved Apollo's Chariot and Griffon (although just looking at Griffon scared Lindsay at first) and liked Nessie and Curse of DarKastle. But Alpengeist, according to Lindsay, "sucks." (I do not share this opinion.) They also felt a bit ill after riding Europe in the Air. Here are some pictures. Yay for Quick Queue! Yep--tall enough for everything. Yes, we got a wee bit damp on Pompeii. This happened to me on the stupid log ride--at the top of the drop! A wave actually soaked me right at the spot where they take the onride photo. Here's a little advertising for Illuminights, which doesn't kickoff until the end of June. "Ow! Loch Ness Monster hurt me!" "But can I ride it again?" "Does this ride go upside down?" "No." Is there a drop?" "Sort of." "Is there a loop?" Using this . . . . . . beats waiting in this. Hmm--these weren't here a few weeks ago. Let's test them! Success! BGW is going to make a mint off these things. No one is safe on Pompeii now! No Quick Queue on the Skyride--but the wait was only about 15 minutes. Beats walkin' to Griffon. I think this was the favorite of the day. (Two trains in one shot! I rule!) My parents were there, too. They really enjoyed Celtic Fyre. Maybe some more pics later.

^It's a little over two hours from Atlanta to Lake Winnie--not a bad drive.