Mr Stratosphere

Day Zero (Counting days as days on the ship): September 11th, 2009 We didn't want to rush to the ship so we left for Miami a day early. We flew with Continental Airlines, it was nice to have a movie to entertain us during the flight. The only issue we have with them is that they charge for luggage!! I just wish they would include the first checked bag in the ticket price. Hidden fees really suck! We arrived in Miami around 10AM and decided to grab a rental car to check out Miami Beach and catch a Marlins game at Dolphin Stadium er... I mean Land Shark Stadium. The weather was nice except for an evening thunderstorm, but I love thunderstorms! The weather was amazing today, Humidity a huge change from the dry Vegas heat. As you can see the summer crowds are now gone. Land Shark Stadium, AKA Dolphin Stadium. Renamed this year and home of the Miami Dolphins, and The Florida Marlins until their new stadium is completed. I felt that this was sad, 30 minutes to gametime and the Marlins are in second place and the ballpark was empty. Their World Series Trophy on display in the offices. At gametime, there was only about 3,000+ in the crowd. More to come later tonight! John

It was $6 bucks lol

They actually took great photos. If you have even been on a cruise you then know that photographers are everywhere!! By the time we were done with dinner the photos were already up in the ship's gallery. John

I was extremely excited seeing the promotions on the ship. Labadee, Haiti is a great destination in itself. I plan on sailing with Oasis of the Seas sometime next year. A TPR Cruise would be amazing!! More photos to come later tonight! John

We did the same, we had an extra day in Miami so we went and did the Everglades. For the first time we planned on going out and coming back a day early. Was way better than rushing around from the airport to the ship and vise versa! We were incredibly impressed with Labadee and we will make it a destination on a future cruise. They are currently building a pier so you don't have to tender anymore and to accommodate Oasis of the Seas. John

Hey Everyone! This Photo TR will be ongoing but I will get right into the juicy stuff!! I just got back from a week long vacation aboard the Liberty of the Seas, Royal Caribbean's largest ship and the World's Largest ship until they unveil Oasis of the Seas which will bypass Liberty. Are you a citizen of the Nation of Why Not?? Satruday, September 12, 2009 (Day One): Miami, Florida Sunday (Day Two): At Sea Monday (Day Three): At Sea Tuesday (Day Four): St. Marteen Wednesday (Day Five): San Juan, Puerto Rico Thursday (Day Six): Labadee, Haiti Friday (Day Seven): At Sea Saturday (Day Eight): Miami, Florida I will start off with the POV of Dragon's Tail. This alpine coaster is a new coaster that just opened early August of 2009. The only way you can get this credit is to take a trip on board a Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruise Line ship to Labadee, Haiti. Labadee is Royal Caribbean's private secluded beach in Haiti. I will continue this photo TR later on this week. I literally just stepped in the door and wanted to share this! I hope you all enjoy! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=100_6035_x34a[/coastertube] POV of Dragon's Tail - If you look closely you can see the ship anchored in the distance. This POV was taken with permission. This is Labadee Royal Caribbean's private beach. This is Dragon's Flight, the World's longest zip line above water. The lift hill to Dragon's Tail. Zip lines are so worth the price!! This is at the entrance to Dragon's Tail. The safety briefing. Customary Nerd Shot Liberty of the Seas. I will post more from this trip in the very near future. To visit Labadee you must first become a citizen of the Nation of Why Not, I am and you should be too! John

In fact there is. It's $30 dollars at the MGM Grand. Departs every hour starting I believe at 9am going to the mall out there. You can take the free tram from Terrible's casino to Buffalo Bills. Always call 1-800-FUN-STOP to find out if the rides will be open. You can buy the tickets downstairs next to MGM Grands lobby in the star lane shops across from Houdinis Magic Shop. For more info on the shuttle contact MGM Grand at (702) 891-1111. The nominal taxi fee to Primm is $100 each way. Hope this helps. John.

11/20

This is totally awesome!!! I just wish I could understand what it said! Have a great trip everyone!!! John

Well the ride itself isn't bad with headbanging or anything like that. John

I understand the logic, but the original trains were Red, Blue, Orange, and Purple if I am not mistaken. So it seems as if they are keeping the train's color the same, just the new body. John

To compare and contrast, I took photos today of both Orange and Red. These ARE NOT Photoshopped. Through the course of the day they took Orange on and off the rail a couple of times. The new prototype windows on Monorail Red really help air move through the cabin. John

We were at the park today and saw Monorail ORANGE Testing. Here is a couple of photos..

Im posting from my iPhone. It turned out being a fantastic beautiful day. Thanks to everyone who made this great day possible!! John

California Screamin' and DCA was the first coaster of the season. January 6th, 2009!! John

Fantastic update! I'm happy to see that Deja opened up already!! I hate to admit it, but It's one of my favorite rides at the park. John

Haven't seen it posted yet but has anyone seen the movie trailer for Adventureland. At the end of the movie Kennywood and the Phantom's Revenge is in the background. John

Yes it still has the OTSRs. I'll be riding it later this week. John

I just drove past the sahara and Speed had a full train of riders. So it looks like it reopened today!! John

Here is my 2 cents. I think it would be great if Paradise Pier was completely closed off to the public, so the public could not see all the mess. As far as the "show" side of it they could have little peep holes to see the progress. They could desguize the back of the park and for now keep DCA "Another Land" of Disneyland for now until the transformation is complete. They could leave all the unaffected areas open. Just include admission for both DCA and Disneyland Park with one ticket. No need for a park hopper until construction is complete. Again like Robb said I know the park needs to be open due to the economy. But I think they could get so much more done faster if they just completely closed Paradise Pier. John

I uploaded a couple of .mov files and they work completely fine!! John

That makes the most sense, I really miss the roar that Speed: The Ride made. Even with the OTSRs this ride is still amazing! John

Zak sent me a photo of the ride testing today. It is in the process of being recommissioned. I for one is extremely pleased that the ride will be back for another year. It is hands down the best coaster in Vegas. John

I was at DCA today and the Mickey on the loop was just an ear-less circle. I believe the weather had a role in that. We also visited the park on President's Day, but due to the weather the park was empty and they closed both parks 2 hours early due to the weather. Tonight was a great night, Fantasmic! had some technical problems but started 30 minutes late. But overall a great weekend at the DLR! John

I'm really impressed how quickly this ride is going up. It just seems like yesterday that Tatsu was being built. I cannot wait to ride this thing this summer! John