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I was thinking about going to Knoebels soon because I've never been there, but now I'm scared of running into her there I mean, I feel sorry for her and everything, but I think that would be pretty awkward to go there and seeing her having another "intimate moment" with her new "husband" in public. As long as they hose off the ride afterward, you should be OK. ^I think it's the "Tommy and Rumble" show.

^The whole thing sounds like an episode of The Addams Family. "Oh, dear, Gomez! It looks like that Magic Carpet has been cheating on your dear Cousin Carny Addams with a Scrambler!" "Always thought she should've married that Ferris Wheel. Those Magic Carpet rides are so unstable."

^Being as this is updated info, I thought it best to merge these two topics. Thanks for finding the original thread, Dave (I was trying to find it myself).

^^Oops! Make that three with Kirnu.

Kingsdominionlvr, you have no idea what was or was not going on when BBW broke down. Give it a rest. This applies to everyone else in this thread, too. The "breakdown issue" has been beaten to death. Rides get old, they break down, sometimes it takes a while to get them going again.

Haven't you found that damn coffee yet? I remember my reaction cruising up the lifthill last year and getting a glimpse of the layout: "This does not bode well." But this ride is great--one of the best Arrows around. Head-sized pastries! Show us head-sized pastries!

^I'd say that they've made at least two good ones--Tornado at Bakken and Insane at Grona Land.

I rather like the setting of Great Bear, myself--the way it interacts with the little lake. Plus, even though I've heard some riders describe it as "forceless," I think it's forceful enough (feel the same way about Talon). That being said, it's not a "top ten" ride for me, either. Different strokes for different folks.

There's already a thread about this song: http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=779720#779720. You had to search for "skipper" to find it, though.

^It only pulled about 3 percent of the vote so far. I like Great Bear, but I know quite a few people who don't care for it. When it comes to U.S. inverts, I'm more of an Afterburn/Montu/Duelling Dragons man, myself.

^I'll check it out at the park on Friday evening. It would be nice if they cut the price to make it a better deal (there's no price posted online). The salad bar was just part of the buffet (no extra charge).

^^When I tried Bistro 205 out earlier this season, I recall that it cost around $19 for the all-you-can-eat buffet and salad bar (and that was with a season-pass discount).

A rather extreme statement to make, considering that you don't know what happened or the extent of the technical problem. Maybe they were trying as hard as they could to get it running again as quickly as possible.

^And KD does have a Chick Fil-A.

It depends on the ride. For example, Backlot Stunt Coaster is a much better ride when all the effects work. Without them, it's rather "blah." Black Mamba at Phantasialand is a good (not great) ride on its own, but the themeing raises it up a notch (at least for me).

They food at Kings Dominion is great (Starbucks, Boardwalk Fries, Cinnabon, etc.), but it is a bit costly. On the other hand, my girlfriend has got food poisoning twice from Busch Gardens food. Overall, I would reccomend you bring lots of cold water (they let you bring 1 bottle into the park), and pack your lunch for a cheap, fun trip. I would recommend Kings Dominion's funnel cakes though with Strawberry's and whipped cream! Boardwalk Fries are the only thing I eat at KD anymore. Speaking of food poisoning, the last time I ate at the fried-chicken joint at KD, I actually had to run to the nearby men's room and puke. (Something just wasn't right.) Haven't eaten there since.

Thank you, Mark. It was tough getting any pictures at all of that ghost train at the speed it was moving. The camera just couldn't focus in time. As for the location of the little boat ride, I want to say near the fun house, but I'm not entirely sure.

^Personally, I think the Smokehouse has slipped a bit over the past couple of seasons (not bad, just not as good as it once was), while the Italian restaurant in San Marco has really improved (especially the cannelloni). The buffet over by Griffon is a bit overpriced, but the mini-corn dogs are great (they should offer these at other locations), as is the pork loin (fried chicken is kind of dry). If you can handle character dining, the Sesame Street buffet is actually pretty good (nice mix of kiddie stuff and adult food). As for KD, well, that's tricky. The burgers and fries at the Juke Box Diner are decent, but overpriced. Outer Hanks Shrimp Shack is probably your best bet for a decent meal.

The next time you see your child eating Dirt in the backyard, just think this: "At least it isn't lead-based paint." One final look at Grona Lund. Here's the park from the other side of the water. Thanks for reading. Well, that's all, Thanks for great evening and day, Grona Lund! This ride made Steve feel headachey and sad. That is one big nymph. I think. If you were an ant or cockroach, the world would look like this. This house is full of hobbits or elves or something, I guess. I dunno. Plenty of time to check out this goofy boat ride. After a nice lunch (very good salmon), we still had a few hours to spend. Personally, I prefer this guy. He has food. The freakiest pair yet. What's wrong, Lou? And now, freaky face characters! "On your knees, peasants! Scratch that! We couldn't see you from up here if you were on your knees!" Many TPR members nearly died in the tilted room. This is probably good for the glutes, or something. You could work off five or six pounds in this place easily. Here's the "never in America" conveyor belt. OK, Ron and Dave--work it! Right, Dave? (Make those mechanical stairs do the work for you. I nearly tumbled off this thing myself.) This is tougher than it looks. And now, the Grona Lund Workout. They actually converted their old observation tower into an Intamin sit-down or "stand-up" drop ride. This sucker is tall. . . . Grona Lund has two towers of their own. Not sure what this tower was across the bay, but . . . Once again, Stockholm is beautiful. You can get to Grona Lund by land or by sea.

Remember this folks: Dirt--it's not just for a toddler's afternoon snack anymore! Ready for some more Grona Lund? It might end up being my favorite Schwartzkopf--we'll see. One more set of pics to come. I like this ride a lot. Speaking of Jetline. Just look at how the mouse interacts with Jetline. How was that, gents? This is one mouse with a fair amount of air. Sheesh! Look at this thing! And welcome to my 400th credit. You even get to crash through the witch's cottage. Excellent job Grona Lund and Vekoma! "How about a little fire, scarecrow?" What? No howls of pain or groans of anguish? "Ready, my pretties?" Yep--the theme is a witch's broomstick ride. Time for a little "Vekoma goodness." (Really--this is a very good Vekoma.) Ta-dah! Now that's what I call a men's toilet! They even have "trick" mirrors. Prepare yourself for the most amazing amusement-park restroom you've ever seen! Insane doesn't look nearly as freaky in broad daylight. Thanks for the look behind the scenes. The presentation was quite interesting. Grona Lund has some ambitious expansion plans involving a parking lot they own across the street. (Here's a hint--the plans don't involve parking.) Hmm--Ryan looks a little irritated in this shot. We heard a bit about the park's history and future plans that morning. Back to Grona Lund. As I said earlier, Stockholm is a beautiful city--even in a slightly cockeyed picture. We stayed here, in case you're curious. It's a very nice hotel and an easy walk to IKEA (where I had some great meatballs for dinner the night before).

Dirt would like you consider, well, dirt. You came from it and you will eventually return to it. Not getting you down, are we? Back to Grona Lund. "Heh, heh, heh! I tend to have that effect on people." More to come from Grona Lund--if you dare! "I admit the deed!--tear up the planks!--here, here!--it is the beating of his hideous heart!" (Hey, we all went "Insane" at Grona Lund and have the t-shirts to prove it.) "Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more!" "Was it possible they heard not?--Almighty God!--no, no! They heard!--They suspected!-- . . . they were making a mockery of my horror!" "My head ached, and I fancied a ringing in my ears. . . . It was low, dull, quick sound--much such a sound a watch makes when enveloped in cotton." "I smiled,--for what had I to fear?" "I heard many things in hell. . . . Hearken! and observe how healthily--how calmly I can tell you the whole story." . . . not destroyed--not dulled them. . . . I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth." "The disease had sharpened my senses-- . . . . . . but why do you say that I am mad?" "True!--nervous--very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; . . . Hmm--there's a lifthill you don't see every day. More on Jetline later. I wonder if they serve a good chicken-fried steak in Jetline's station? We had a bit of Jetline ERT before we went Insane. Once again, this is EXTREME! I wasn't ready to get "extreme," but the Brits are always game. This ride is "extreme"--like some forms of "championship wrestling."

^I don't think the problem was so much the staff itself, as much as the park seemed a bit understaffed, and it was a very busy day. For example, the girl working Spin Spider was doing the best she could, be she needed some more help. But everyone seemed to enjoy themselves at Tusenfryd. What's your job there? Chapter 11: Giving Liseberg a Run for Their Money--Grona Lund When I mull over the whole Scandi Trip, I keep going back and forth about which was my favorite park--Liseberg or Grona Lund? Really, my mind seems to change every day on it, and will probably change again as I post this. Both parks were great, had a lot to offer, and treated us really well. My thanks to them both, as well as to Robb and Elissa for working with the parks to make our time there as good as it could be. Grona Lund is sort of an "urban seaside" park; that is, it's hemmed in by the city of Stockholm on one side and the water on the other. So, the park's owners, past and present, had to be creative. They used their limited space beautifully, especially in how they accomodated their coasters. For example, the park's mouse ride and Schwartzkopf ride wrap around each other, yet the place doesn't seem cluttered. The grounds and buildings, like Liseberg's, are very attractive. And the coaster selection is very good--not a bummer in the bunch: Insane--This is the Intamin "Ball Coaster," and never has a ride been more aptly named. This thing is, indeed, completely insane! I'm not a big fan of flat rides or spinning coasters, but I really liked Insane. Sometimes, depending on the load, the seats will spin pretty freely; other times, you're staring up at the sky or straight down at the ground (pretty damn freaky). This one might make my top ten when the Hawker poll comes around. Jetline--This is an excellent old Schwartzkopf, which packs a lot of punch in a pretty small area. The way this ride wraps around the park's wild mouse, you can hardly tell where one ride ends and the other begins. Lots of fun, and quite forceful. Vilda Musen--This is actually a Gerstlauer Bobsled masquerading as a mouse, and it's a damn good one. The layout lacks the huge series of hairpin turns you see in your average mouse, and throws in a lot of drops and sweeping, banked curves. Why aren't we seeing more Gerstlauer Bobsleds in the States? Kvasten--This is a Vekoma suspended coaster themed to witches and broomsticks, and it's a winner--an excellent family ride that swoops past the park's haunted house. It even has the thing that makes any ride better--fire! There's a ladybug kiddie coaster that I didn't get around to riding, but that's OK (I was probably having too much fun on Jetline or the park's ghost train to worry about it). Grona Lund has two great walkthrough attractions, as well. The haunted house, although it's more cartoony than Liseberg's Hotell Gasten, is great, with plenty of surprises and a good cast of scareactors. The park also had the best funhouse of the trip (it's quite a workout to get through it). One more thing--the city of Stockholm is absolutely beautiful. I'd love to visit it again someday and explore it in a bit more depth. Shall we walk through the tunrstile now? "See? I'm a ghost! And I have a . . . whaddaya mean you've heard it already?" Stay truned for more Grona Lund. This is the fastest ghost train ever. It just hauls ass through the building. I always look like this first thing in the morning. But it gives Dave great joy! Now here's a sign that won't make Scottish Steve very happy. OK, why is the pterodactyl with large hooters giving birth to a baby dragon? "We get it! We get it! Give it a rest!" "See? We're ghosts! And we have a train! Get it?" When Satan hocks a big loogie, it looks like a ghost train! And here's something that makes Chuck very happy--a ghost train! Hearing Erik say "octopoos." You know what else makes Larry happy? This is an index photo. Index photos make Larry happy. Any questions? This is your brain on Spokhuset. Look how high Larry can reach now! He's become a big boy! "I'm gonna scare so many people tonight that the resulting sales of new underwear will revive the world economy!" "Which way Larry?" "Hmm--thataway!" Everybody good and boozed up? OK--let's check out Grona Lund! How many rides can you find in this picture? They even give away free babies! This park is awesome! But don't worry parents--we have unlimited soft drinks for the kiddies, too! Unlimited beer and wine? Even better! But you know what makes any good park better? Unlimited beer! The park actually does a good job of living up to its logo. This chapter is brought to you by Dirt. Yes, that stuff you walk on every day. Dirt has finally gone corporate--and will charge you accodingly for its use.

^^The question becomes not "can we keep this ride running?" but "should we keep this ride running?" While I'll miss the Big Bad Wolf too, I'm sure the park has made this decision for a good reason. BBW has been in service for 25 years--that's a pretty good run.

I ambled over to the park this afternoon for a little lunch and few rides, but thunderstorms put a damper on things. But be sure to step right up for your last chance at Big Bad Wolf merchandise, folks! Here's what the weather was like earlier today. It's calmed down some now. Or maybe a frame for your favorite BBW photo. There's always a mug. Or perhaps you'd prefer this somewhat classier, less "redneckish" hat. Don't forget the shredded camo hat. (Actually, if this came in black and not camo, I might've bought one.) How about a Big Bad Wolf for each member of the family? Here we have Baby Big Bad, Uncle Stoner Big Bad, and Cousin Psycho Red-Eyed Howlin' Big Bad. How about an official 25th Anniversary sign for a mere $19.99 (marked down from $24.99 today)? Yeah, I was a sucker and bought one of these big pieces of laminated cardboard. Noted. And just what sort of stuff, besides t-shirts, are we talking about here?

^SFA is about three hours from Williamsburg, and DC traffic can be a pain in the neck. There is a way to bypass the DC Beltway mess--just take the Carmel Church/Bowling Green exit (one exit north of KD on I-95) to Rt. 301, which will get you to SFA. It's longer as the crow flies, but less stressful and prone to delays. But you're probably better off just sticking to KD and BGE.