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^Agreed: If you must have a Boomerang, at least make it look pretty and use the new Vekoma trains and restraints.

Winter has been tricky in Williamsburg this year. January was mostly frigid, but we've had some February days that felt more like spring (sunny skies and temps in the 70s). Sorry about your friend's back issues. The bridge between Italy and Germany has been closed since January (they're doing a lot of work on it), which makes it even tougher for people in wheelchairs and ECVs. Back row is the best spot to ride Apollo's Chariot--lots of nice, if floaty, airtime.

The coaster and dinosaur ride look cute.

Kraken--Steel Force Monster Mako--Blue Steel Vengeance Ice Breaker--Launched Breaker Zone Journey to Atlantis--Big Splash Tower Super Grover's Box Car Derby--Woodstock Express (What else would it be?)

I'm glad that they're re-theming Avalanche. It never made any sense to have a Euro bobsled coaster in the "jungle."

Not a . . . petition? To be fair, I do find Spookslot entertaining, if dated. But I'm also in favor of a new, better attraction in its place. I agree with DBru about the queue and the setting.

The good people of Williamsburg second your motion.

I'm OK with the new color scheme, too (took a look at it today).

And, my god, all the BLOOD! Bur, seriously, it's a great coaster (made my top ten).

I rode Montezooma's Revenge back when it first opened. I've always liked these Schwarzkopf shuttles, and I'm curious to see what Knott's planned renovations are.

^Happy to be of service.

Wise choice.

Rookburgh looks very impressive, and Vekoma has really upped their game in the last few years.

During the construction tour, they mentioned that the transfer track takes just a few seconds to get into position.

Good report. Kings Dominion is also renowned for its skunk population.

Media Night at WinterFest When last we left Kings Dominion, evil boogie-boogie eyes glared at guests from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and the forces of Darkness held sway. But on Friday, December 3, the tower sported brightly colored, ever-changing lights, and the air was filled with the sounds of Christmas music and the smell of gingerbread. Yes, it’s time for WinterFest, the park’s annual holiday celebration. Kings Dominion invited Theme Park Review to experience WinterFest Media Night last Friday. The center piece, of course, was the Eiffel Tower, which was lit up like an enormous Christmas tree. The pool in front of the tower became a skating rink named Snowflake Lake, and all of International Street offered all sorts of holiday cheer, drinks, shows, and food. In fact, the entire park, with the exception of Safari Village, was open and decked out for the holidays. There were quite a few rides running, as well, including Dominator and Twisted Timbers. What was new for 2021 was the WinterFest Wonderland Parade, which starts in Candy Apple Grove and swings by the front of the Eiffel Tower. The parade features all the characters wandering around the park that evening, including Scrooge and Company from Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” and the big man himself, Santa Claus. It’s a nice way to finish your evening at WinterFest. Prepare to be jolly! Or maybe merry. Possibly tickled. Santa and his sleigh welcome all to WinterFest. Busch Gardens isn’t the only park that has a tree with big balls. Scrooge, Marley, and the Ghosts of Christmas Present and Yet to Come wandered all over that park that night. They even chatted with guests in the restaurant where I had dinner, telling everyone who would listen that Scrooge needed to learn a thing or two about Christmas. Boy, they leaned him good, I'll tell you what! I imagine this would be Robb’s first stop if he were here. Jack Frost, the coolest guy in town, and two of his buddies hanging out at Starbucks. I think they all had iced coffee. What else? You do not want to be the reindeer behind Blitzen if he’s been eating burritos. Snoopy is here to get this party started. He's even more important than Santa. One flick of this giant switch . . . . . . and WinterFest begins in a flurry of snow. The Eiffel Tower really dominates the park during WinterFest. I wandered through Old Virginia in search of dinner. Hmm--this looks promising. They serve a pretty good turkey dinner here. You can get Virginia ham, too. There are plenty of other food options, such as a donut bacon cheese burger and crepes. What’s happening in nearby Tinseltown? “I really can’t stay . . .” “But baby it’s cold outside . . .” Yeah, typical dude making Christmas time. Coca Cola Santa--this one’s for Elissa. I took two rides on Twisted Timbers that night. The second one was kind of chilly. Candy Apple Grove featured music and synchronized lights. If you miss the Nativity show . . . . . . you can feed an honest-to-god camel instead. My favorite decorations are in Planet Snoopy. I like the gumdrops in the trees and all the lights on the topiary Peanuts characters. Of course, the best laid plans of mice and beagles oft go astray. If you still need to fill some time before the parade . . . . . . you can always go skating on Snowflake Lake. Or you could do some shopping. Tumbili is all set to brighten up your Christmas tree. Or this ornament could put your yule log in a twist. Who’s up for some hot chocolate and a bit of ritual Christmas cannibalism? A band of reindeer warm up the crowd for the parade. These guys were all over the park that night, too. And here it comes. Jollity on the move! One of Jack Frost’s buddies waves while a KD employee watches warily in the background (her eyes are on you, people). Hey, less cavorting and more baking! Them cookies ain’t gonna make themselves! Mrs. Claus is happy to finally get outside after decorating cookies all evening. “OK, it’s sing-a-long time! How about ‘Simply Having Wonderful Christmas Time’? Wait--where’s everybody going?” The safest way to ski. “That’s right. I am the coolest guy in town. I bestow my coolness on you by pointing.” I failed at getting a good picture of Santa. He’s going to leave this in my stocking for taking such a bad photo. The crowd follows the parade out. Thanks for the fun evening at WinterFest, Kings Dominion. Merry Christmas!

"Our revels now are ended . . ." Thanks for this hilarious look at things to do in Denver. Warren Zevon had some thoughts on Denver, as well.

Mine should be pretty easy this year, as I only have two new rides to add: VelociCoaster (probably in the top ten somewhere) and Hagrid's.

Great trip report, Jimmy! When I was there with my brother and Mom a few weeks earlier, it was pretty odd seeing Halloween being taken down and Christmas being put in. Mom also loved Rise of the Resistance.

Thanks for the shout-out, Andy--and these excellent photos of Busch Gardens Tampa.

I'm not a flat-ride fan, but I like the Kangaroo. Glad to hear it's coming back.

On to Disney California Adventure! There were some firsts here for me, too: Avengers Campus and Incredicoaster. First stop: Elissa’s favorite parking level. It’s a long walk from Chip ‘n’ Dale to DCA. The not-so-virtual queue for Webslingers. The virtual queue is longer than you might expect. You’d think Hank Pym could shrink this line a bit. The food has been shrunk to the subatomic level, so you can’t see it. Yay! We made it! Yeah, you gotta be careful with those potato guns. I hear Tony Stark disrupted an alternate universe with one when he was a kid. Loki became president, and Scarlet Witch was his First Lady. But Tony fixed it all. The ride broke down for about 15 minutes, . . . . . . and I think I know why. Spider-Mom! Spider-Mom! Does whatever as Spider-Mom can! Spidey shows us proper webslinging technique. So, the ATM that isn’t here is no longer available? Got it. Mom wanted to pet the cutest little tractor ever. Ward and I rode Grizzly River Run later. Mom was smarter than us and stayed dry. Time to Ka-Queue up for Radiator Springs Racers. Here’s where you board if one of your party is in a wheelchair. Mom is a Cars fan and loved this ride. It’s bit more scenic than I-5 through Kern County. The new Captain America (formerly, Falcon) and friend. Mom and Ward liked the ride, but preferred the old Twilight Zone version. I like it that each version of Tower is different now, and I thought Mission Breakout was fun. Well . . . aren’t we special? Never drink the Blue Milk at Galaxy’s Edge. Ultron says, “Hello, ladies.” Rocket fills us in on his insane escape plan that just might work. Harold, old buddy! How ya doin’? It’s been years! Darn. I was so looking forward to this “adventure.” Grizzly River Run: Christmas Breakout. Time to sneak in one coaster ride. I liked the re-theming of Californin Screamin’ to Incredicoaster. Good night, Avengers Campus. Keep the world safe, will ya? Quit building Spiderbots and Ultrons! Good night, Mickey. And good night, DCA. And that’s all from a great visit to the Disneyland Resort. Thanks for reading.

The Campbell Brothers Take Their Mom to Disneyland Back in the magical year of 2019, my siblings and I decided to surpriseour Mom with trip to the Happiest Place on Earth. No, not Las Vegas, but Disneyland. Mom was very excited, as she hadn’t been to the Anaheim park in years. The last time she was there, Galaxy’s Edge wasn’t even a glimmer in Disney’s eye, there were no photo ops with Marvel superheroes, and Disney’s California Adventure still had Superstar Limo and the big hubcap icon. Plans were made to visit the Disneyland Resort in early May of 2020. But we all know what happened then. Then 2021 came along, and we rearranged our plans to visit Disneyland on November 2 and Disney California Adventure on November 3. I flew to Sacramento on October 30, and my brother Ward drove us down to SoCal on November 1. This was not your standard Disneyland visit for us. Mom uses a walker to get around, but that wasn’t going to work well at two theme parks, so we took a wheelchair. Everyone thinks of Disneyland as a “flat” park but it’s surprising how many inclines there are when you’re pushing someone in a wheelchair, not to mention that long haul from the parking garage, as there was no tram service because of the pandemic (I think the trams return later this month). Many attractions, such as Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion, require you to go to the exit, get a return time from a cast member (which connects to your park ticket), and then follow special instructions to ride when you return. This system works pretty well, but it can hold you “hostage” to your return time (usually 30 to 45 minutes after you check in). However, many newer attractions, such as Radiator Springs Racers, have queues that can accommodate chairs and ECVs. Racers even has a separate loading area for the disabled. And how did it go? Everyone had a great time! Mom particularly liked Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers (she’s a Mater fan). There were a few hitches. For example, I blew my first try at the virtual queue for Rise at 7:00 am (forgot to switch off my phone’s WiFi), but made up for it at noon. There were no issues with the virtual queue for Webslingers: A Spider-Man Adventure the next day. They had a special vehicle that could accommodate Mom’s chair. We even got to ride it twice in a row. Care to join us? Let’s start with Disneyland. First, we must traverse the country of my forefathers: the San Joaquin Valley. Yes, that’s a lot of traversing. Boy, we traversed the hell out of that place. That’s more like it. Meet Jungle Mom . . . . . . seeker of adventure, . . . . . . the backside of natural wonders, . . . . . . and bargains. She also seeks beignets. The Backside of the Pirates of the Caribbean--the Ninth Wonder of the World! This a lousy picture, but I think this is a new addition to POTC. New to me, at least. “You people with the small communication devices. Your window for the virtual queue does not open for another 20 minutes by order of Kylo Ren.” Like its Florida counterpart, Galaxy’s Edge makes you feel you’re on another planet. Chewbacca says, as the noon virtual window approaches, “May the Force be with you.” And it was! Well, in another 360 minutes, anyway. Frontier Mom on the Mark Twain. “Hey! Can someone show me how to get down from this rock? Kylo Ren put me up here.” Some moose--or should that be “meece”? “A-w-o-o-o! Hi kids! It’s me, Count Floyd, with another Monster Chiller Horror Theatre!” “It’s going to be real scary!” “Do you dare enter, . . . . . . Dr. Tongue’s 3D House of Christmas?” “A-w-w-o-o-o! Dr. Tongue even scares Jack Skellington!” Here’s something I haven’t seen in years--Disneyland’s band. Hey! You with the mouse! You’re blocking our view of the castle. My only photo of Rise of the Resistance. Sorry. Here’s a nice picture of Galaxy’s Edge after dark to make up for it. Ward and I got to pilot the Millennium Falcon. We banged it up a bit. Good night from Disneyland.

^Speaking of Christmas Town . . . the park has released more information about this year's event--just in time for Halloween! Busch Gardens® Williamsburg’s Christmas Town™ opens next month with one of the largest light displays in North America, new shows, and fan favorites One of North America’s Largest Holiday Displays with More than Ten Million Dazzling Lights First-Ever Christmas Town™ Performance of Celtic Fyre Show, Voted the #1 Theme Park Entertainment by USA Today’s 10 Best New Holiday Scavenger Hunt presented by Coca-Cola© Busch Gardens® Williamsburg is trimming the tree and hanging the lights for the full return of Christmas Town™ beginning on November 12. Voted the World’s Most Beautiful Theme Park every year since 1990, Busch Gardens® Williamsburg will transform into a stunning holiday wonderland with over 10 million twinkling lights, one of the largest light displays in North America. Along with a return of fan favorite shows, bites, and delights, this year’s must-see event will appeal to guests of all ages with new performances and activities including: Celtic Fyre®: A Christmas Celebration – Celtic Fyre returns for the first-time ever during Christmas Town™. Voted USA Today’s #1 Theme Park Entertainment, this iconic fan favorite show celebrates Irish culture with step dancing at Abbey Stone Theatre. The encore performance adds Christmas flair with a new twist on a Killarney classic. Up on the Haus Top – It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Warm up with modern-day Christmas classics in a festive performance in Das Festhaus. Unto Us – A choral celebration of the greatest story ever told. The first Christmas comes alive in this inspiring new show takes place in the open-air Il Teatro di San Marco Theatre. Holiday Scavenger Hunt presented by Coca-Cola© – Spot the special holiday ornaments around the park and you could receive a Coca-Cola prize while supplies last! North Pole Nightcap Bar – Grab your swizzle stick and make a toboggin run to the all-new bar featuring specialty holiday cocktails! Guests can renew holiday traditions by enjoying fan favorite Christmas Town™ classics including Santa’s Workshop, the Christmas Town Express, and Twas that Night ice skating show featuring Champion figure skater Elvis Stojko, who brings the magic of Christmas Eve alive in a spectacular performance. Other popular returning fun includes: Elmo’s Christmas Wish – Join Cookie Monster, Rosita, Grover, and Zoe as they help Elmo find his Christmas wish! Families are sure to be singing and dancing along while watching this fun holiday show. Visit the Sesame Street Forest of Fun outdoor stage to enjoy this show! O’Tannenbaum – Gather in front of Festhaus for a Christmas light show unlike any you’ve ever experienced. Scrooge No More – The ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future will be swept away at the Globe Theatre this season. Holiday Flavors to Savor – Find the tastes of the season throughout the park with the return of fan-favorite beverages, including the decadent Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate and the extra-jolly After Dinner Mint Hot Chocolate, perfect for after the kids nestle snug in their beds. The ever-popular Christmas Turkey Dinner returns to the Festhaus, the perfect meal while guests enjoy the all-new show Up on the Haus Top! Over 20 thrilling rides and coasters, festive treats, and holiday shopping complete the immersive experience with Christmas fun for the whole family. “Christmas Town is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to create unforgettable memories in an incredible park setting and we are thrilled to feature its full, park-wide return this year,” said park President Kevin Lembke. “With more than ten million lights and all new shows, 2021 promises to be our best holiday celebration ever. From the meticulously decorated trees to the beautifully choreographed new shows, this year’s Christmas Town gives us all a reason to celebrate the season again with friends and family. Not even Scrooge himself will be able to resist joining in on the festive holiday cheer.” Christmas Town™ will run on select dates through January 2, 2022.

I hope he's taking blood-pressure and cholesterol medication.