TBpony414

Super report! I always get drenched on Pompeii as well, it never fails. I've ridden it in a poncho all balled up and still managed to get absolutely soaked. Seeing the pics with Brit and Bill bundled up in hoodies with jackets over top... and then you in a shirt and windbreaker... is pretty hilarious. I managed to get my first ride ever on Mach Tower last August and had a similar experience as you where it worked for a few cycles and went down again not long after. It's a shame they can't get it working consistently even after several years because it's got a fantastic view! Any plans for heading back to CP in the next year or so? What about trying out Dollywood or Carowinds? Your trip reports are some of my favorite ones to read on here. Bill's are great too but having to wait 14 years for each installment knocks him off the Awesome TR award podium. Sorry Bill, get your sh*t together!

NICE!! 7 weeks from today exactly I'll be there to ride it, can't wait. Super excited to hear from others how they like it in the meantime. We won't have to wait too much longer for reviews since preview night is just around the corner!

Hi Kristen! I have some vacation questions for you: 1. You have to travel to a country for vacation that you haven't been to before. Where do you choose to visit and why, specifically? 2. Where is one place you never want to visit and how come? 3. Do you ever get homesick? 4. How do you pass the time on the looooong plane flights? I get so antsy and bored and cannot fall asleep no matter how hard I try, please give me some tips! Thanks Hamilton related comment: I have not had the opportunity to see Hamilton but am hoping to see it this summer when it's in DC. Tickets are very expensive though, but if you love it so much then it must be worth it. I hope you have a wonderful day! -Liz

^Oh, that’s pretty easy and makes sense. Thanks!

But we waited, and finally we got the chance to ride it... and it - was - amazing! I don’t know how to quote a reply to include the posted pic (help, anyone?) but the photo on the last page always makes me laugh! That’s when Bert wowed me with the wonders of sunscreen in wipe on balm/chapstick form LOL. I love that Steel Vengeance is in the background mid-build, too. Great memories with 2 fun guys and my kick-A mom! That SV media box is really cool and I love the playing cards. Thanks for sharing with us, Robb!

Seconding that you can activate it at any of the CF parks. However, if you already have a platinum pass then once you buy a 2018 one it automatically activates the old pass. In the checkout for 2018 platinum passes it tells you to NOT throw away your old pass. I tested it and my pass said invalid on the app prior to purchasing... then I checked my Carowinds app 60 seconds after I hit "buy" and my old pass reactivated immediately, no need to stand in any lines. I went to KD the next morning and had no issues. Pretty snazzy!

I tabbed this TR a couple weeks ago and finally just now got a chance to sit down and look at it. Really nice pictures and video from media day and opening day! I'm not a big mac and cheese fan but that hamburger looks pretty good. Usually we end up getting the chicken fingers from a place by Anaconda but I may have to track down where you got that burger and try that next time! I was able to get on TT the second weekend it was open and thought the same as you - super fun, lots of airtime, and it has interesting maneuvers. For me it's a very close second behind Volcano which still remains my favorite ride in the park. I'm looking forward to getting more rides on Timbers this year. RMC is a really creative bunch and what they did with Hurler is a truly remarkable transformation!

Sorry I didn't bump into you guys and that you didn't get on Twisted Timbers! Maybe next time. Per Bert's excellent secretarial skills demonstrated a few pages back, I was indeed able to snag a ride on Twisted Timbers when it opened later in the evening. I messaged "Voyage" about it but didn't have time to post here since I quickly threw my stuff in a bunny bin and got in line, which they promptly closed not long after for a short while for unknown reasons and then reopened it again for the remainder of the night. Really enjoyed it, super smooth, and that barrel roll drop was wild. Volcano is still my favorite ride at the park because I'm a sucker for launch coasters but Timbers is a close 2nd. Someone asked about loose articles on TT: Glasses with tightened straps are allowed. I was told I could not enter the queue with my small black fanny pack or my visor so I went and put it in a bunny bin. However, the lady behind me in line as well as at least 10 other people in line not far back from me entered with various items including hats they were wearing, large messenger bags, fanny packs, and brightly colored draw string bags packed to the brim. The ops would then take the item from them and put it on the unload platform while they rode. So, who knows. Operations are slow enough with those restraints so I'm happy to put my things in a bunny to try to speed things up! After processing my mom's Platinum Pass we finally entered the park at 12:15pm. We rode: Rebel Yell x2 (blue side was extra awesome), Drop Zone, Apple Zapple, I-305, Stunt Coaster, Volcano, I-305 again, Boo Blasters, Scooby Doo Coaster, Twisted Timbers back row, and a front seat ride on Volcano to end the night - where we were the only ones on the train! It was awesome.

Voyage - I will send you a PM if TT comes back up. We won’t be over that way again for another hour probably. It took us 2 hrs 5 mins to get on Volcano. Unbelievably, they WERE running 2 trains! The dispatches were just so outrageously slow that it seemed like 1 train. They were holding people back so the station didn’t get crowded which I appreciate. Same at I305, which has had virtually no line all day.

It’s slow going to say the least with a LOT of people bailing half way through the Volcano queue. It’s been exactly 1 hr and I should be on the ride in another 45 mins. Not a high ride lap count day by any means but the weather is beautiful so I’ll take what I can get!

I’m in line for Volcano now inching along... 1 train running with row 8 blocked off. I wondered if TT was seeing any action yet. Spent a while over on that side this AM and since it’s so tiny I haven’t been able to see if it’s running yet or not since I left the area - guess not!

Finally had some time to finish your TR and read the last installment. Making Disney happen despite the extraordinary costs is truly a magical experience! My parents took my brother and I when we were younger (I was actually 4) and I still remember many parts of the trip. I didn't go again for another decade but even then I really had a great time, again. My neighbors used to go every year over xmas and it ended up losing some of the magic for them, so making it a very infrequent vacation is the way to go IMO. We did not take many pictures back then so your kids will be able to more easily remember everything with all the pics and videos, plus your TR! That's really special. Thanks for taking the time to write up this long report and sharing it with all of us.

Looks like you guys had a really good visit to the park! I'm impressed with how much was running, albeit slow dispatches, this early in the season. I'm really interested to hear how Wonder Woman is once it opens. They clearly have a lot more work to do on it but boy is it a neat looking coaster!

I'm super late to this thread and catching up on comments. Anyone know how big that area with the scary little ferris wheel and the disk-o is? Knoxville is the closest airport. Nashville, Chattanooga, Lexington are all 2-3 hours. Not sure of your airline preference but Nashville, is the cheapest of the three. I live in Chattanooga and know there is a direct flight to DFW from there. Shoot, depending on the timing, I could give you a ride. Bert - I would highly recommend getting a rental car because there is a ton to do in Pigeon Forge and nearby downtown Gatlinburg is a trip! You'd be missing out on part of the experience. Pigeon Forge has a massive strip kind of like Myrtle Beach, SC (if you've been there) with all kinds of things to see and do. The drive alone to Gatlinburg is only 15 mins from Dollywood and is very pretty. Too bad our trips won't overlap! Keeny - Such a nice offer to pick Bert and Nick up! I can vouch that Bert isn't a serial killer and a really great guy. You'd be making a friend for sure. TPR people are the best!

Similar issue on my end, I am at the mercy of a non-internet-savvy family member to be on the lookout and get tickets for me since we have no idea what time they'll go on sale. Fingers crossed for both of us! Is anyone else here planning to attend?

Ahem! Bumping this for an update... you slacker! Wouldn't expect anything else from you though lol

That's a crazy good deal! I wish they had some FLP deals for Platinum pass holders. Haven't seen anything myself although if I was planning to go on a weekend, even with my PP it'd be cheaper to do the Admission/FLP sale deal!

CJ1990 I'd love to read a TR from your visit to WDW, especially Animal Kingdom! Hope you have a great rest of the trip!

I agree with Prospekt, Animal Kingdom is my favorite of the Disney parks. I am admittedly an animal fanatic and that certainly helps. The last time I was at Disney was 9 years ago so they've added and changed a lot since then, however I was able to spend 1.5 days at AK without being bored. I'm one of the few who really enjoyed Primevil Whirl so rode that multiple times, as well as Kali River Rapids which if you wear a poncho keeps you quite dry. Finding Nemo is my favorite animated film so seeing the musical is a no-brainer and done extremely well IMO. I also like the Lion King production there. Hearing your daughter's reaction to the A Bug's Life show made me chuckle because I felt similarly about it. Never again! Interesting to hear you lost your glasses on Dinosaur because I also lost something when I rode it. Due to the jerking insane motion of the car and having dry eyes later in the day, the second we got off the car at the unloading platform one of my contacts popped out. I can't see without them and my glasses were back in our on property hotel room. I alerted one of the cast members but they rushed me off the platform saying I couldn't be there and need to exit immediately or they have to stop the ride, etc. I tried to explain what happened to no avail. I eventually found somebody else not far outside the exit and they must have been a higher-up because suddenly there was a team of people on the unload platform with flashlights and within 60 seconds the missing contact had been located on the ground next to where the ride vehicles unload! I couldn't believe it and could have kissed them all for their help. A bizarre occurrance with a magical ending. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip! It's been an enjoyable TR to read so far. Your kids are just the cutest and remind me very, very much of a close friend's 2 kids.

I was at the park over xmas week and do not remember seeing this butterfly you speak of. We hung out with Larrygator for 2 days and he's more familiar with the park than I am so maybe he can chime in on if it was there and I simply walked right past it.

I'm about a week late to this thread but had no idea it was 1 mile from the front gate to the back of the park! I knew it was a hike but dang. Now that I have an Apple Watch I'll be able to map my steps this year and see how much walking I do at CP and other parks. That also means I can get more chocolate shakes from Johnny Rockets since I'll see how awesome at walking I am, right? Hmm... I'm dying at the Cedar Downs crotch shot of me and Bert - those were some good times, thanks for posting those!! And I vividly remember getting your late night text saying a drunk dude told Bill he was older the Blue Streak

That food looks delicious!! I will take one of everything, please!

I hope to get a boosted ride some day! After so many laps on Toro you'd think I'd have one by now haha. Maybe the stars will align and Ryan can help grant me a special wish next year Forgot to chime in on Bill's frozen TR. I got a good laugh out of the multiple layers helping with head banging on Green Lantern and barely being able to identify Brit in half the photos!

Ryan that video was awesome! I loved the various shots under the station or beneath the track. The part towards the end with the dummies and the split screen of how it's supposed to look vs. slow AF is hilarious. Thanks for taking the time to make it and share with us!

Yay, you made the email list with your TR!! Now that you’re famous just don’t forget about your fans who have cheered you on from the very beginning when you were basically unknown. LOL! Great report as always. Those Xmas trees are super creepy and IR looks awesome. Do you (or someone else) know if that Superman is the same thing as Medusa/Bizarro at SFGAdv? I thought the same thing! An interesting looking coaster for sure. If it rides half as cool as it looks it’ll be a heck of a ride.