andybarnes84

Did a similar trip from the UK last summer (mid June), as Elissa mentioned, parks revert to weekends rapidly after summer and even in May many are weekend only. June worked out perfect as most were open every day and it really wasn't that busy at all. Did consider having one or two bases but ended up staying in about 7 different hotels, just worked out much better that way. It was a bit nuts but by no means unmanageable and i'd do it all over again this June if I could afford it. If you're interested I posted a trip report about the whole thing: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=62989 Have fun planning!

From urban dictionary: YOLO-Coaster 1. The array of positive emotions experienced while one is performing acts only justifiable by the lifestyle choice described by the phrase "You Only Live Once (YOLO)". 2. A constant chain of YOLO-style acts. Normally results in legal punishment of some kind. (After getting arrested) "Dude, we just got off the YOLO-Coaster. Damnit." And when are we getting that official theme song by some random band from Oz? Can't wait

Everything I've heard and read suggests the same thing, that Shambala is a bit of an exception to the rule for new B&M Hypers. Looking forward to trying it out next month to make up my own mind.

I always thought SFA stood for Six Flags Apocalypse, and then when I arrived to find their "new" floorless coaster wasn't called "America", dissapointment and confusion prevailed. The new sign at Thorpe looks great, exactly what the ride needed as I always felt the near miss with the church wasn't particularly effective.

This is exactly what I was thinking as this coaster type isn't exactly the smoothest out there, and without the correct maintenance this could turn out to be the ultimate migrane inducer after the first couple of years (crossing my fingers for the lap-bar rumor to be true). I do however think that the vertical lift half way through somehow breaks the nausea cycle, albeit for just a few seconds.

I don't think that POV video is completely accurate but it gives you a good idea. Doesn't seem the washing machine element will exist but they are still claiming a worlds first to be revealed in May (which isn't the inversion count) so goodness knows what it'll be.

This might help you figure out the layout:

Fantasy Island, Skegness. More because of the people that frequent the place and the flea market with it's dodgy with pirated dvds, air rifles, fake branded clothing and implements for taking various substances.

Even though i'm not ecstatic about the actual coaster at the moment, the marketing is nothing short of incredible. Projecting the symbol on Big Ben, how the heck did they get permission to do this? Even the imagery on the website is pretty intriguing (within the circle on the right side of the home page), can't wait to see how they theme this ride and continue the build up through the media. Definitely a few notches above the norm when it comes to ride concepts even if the coaster design seems reasonably unremarkable even if it does having a spinning "washing machine" secret element.

Millennium Force was pumping out some good tunes in the queue which caused a mass conga type thing which was very cool and made the wait bearable, wish more big coasters featured this.

Would strongly recommend missing out Six Flags America but all other parks are must do's really, the KD and Busch loop is the way to go. Great Adventure is probably the best park overall for coasters, but if you can find a way to get to Hershey and do Storm Runner and Skyrush you won't regret it.

The half loop lift hill on g-force at Drayton Manor has some interesting hang time, the lift hills on the bigger B&M flyers can be interesting, then you've got the initial drop on the Wing Riders which in the front leaves you feeling quite vulnerable for a few seconds. Does the final barrel roll on Blue Fire count as hang time or upside down ejector? Stunt Fall really made me think of all the nasty things that could happen if the restraints failed, and I couldn't quite get over this when riding Deja Vu. You really could go on and on, but yes I enjoy hang time

Hi all, Bringing you a look at 2012 Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park in London. Thought I'd stop by on my way through the area and take some photos for ya'll to enjoy. Winter Wonderland is open everyday from 10am to 10pm (won't find that any normal theme park in the UK) and opens late November through to January. Free entry. It's worth checking out if you're ever here over the festive period, but it is a bit expensive to say the least. The main rides are 6 tokens (no wristbands here sorry) which equal £6 or $9, so you can see how quickly the costs can spiral. A few small coasters, a starflyer, a superb drop tower (the tallest mobile drop tower in the World they'll have you believe!), numerous flats, a zip line, big wheel, ice rink, circus, the list goes on and on. Not to mention the huge selection of eateries and drink(eries?), in some ways it's actually more of a food festival with some rides dotted around. I was really hoping in this *Olympic* year that Olympia Looping would make an appearance but that was very wishful thinking indeed. It should really be called Winter Oktoberfest as it's very German, or so my naive little brain believes, and has a really good mix of attractions for a pop-up park in the center of one of the World's biggest cities. It's been running for a few years now so seems to be a very established attraction, the staff even have official Winter Wonderland jackets so it's all very legit. Long may it prosper, and if you visit on a weekend, you'll certainly get to experience how popular it can be. To be able to get photos of the rides without a thousand faces spoiling the shot, I visited at around 11am. http://www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/ Anyways, enough yapping, here's a short tour of what you'll find: "Welcome all!" bellows the crude animatronic Santa Park map! Mix of tat and more tat, such as... WOODEN TIES! Poor Norwegians... Beer windmill number 3 Take your pick Oktoberfest hall Better theming than BGW? This cafe looked nice enough... ...and then I saw the prices Llama in a bun? Is this China??? Trippy! Onto the attractions, this is the first you'll encounter complete with one of these hysterical laughing zombies... and a camp Lion of course! Straight out of RCT Next, Pirates Adventure, probably one of the most impressively themed and animated "mobile" attractions ever Mr Pirate The exterior, complete with many moving thaaangs Choo choo baby! The Alpen Hotel is one filthy place Drunk dude running the place for a start And then there's the 'entertainment' BIG WHEEL! Euro, sorry, Christmas Coaster Staff member trying to have fun, why not when it's this quiet? I say 'trying' as let's face it, this ain't too great Wakey wakey! So this is China after all! Nice detail, albeit very familiar Looks fantabulous at night, honest When will we get 6D? Answers on a postcard to: The Future, Beijing Wild Mouse x 1.5 Seriously, this is one big Wild Mouse Looks like the Super 8 I stayed in near Philly Same receptionist! Cute detail, but another £6/ attraction (per ride) so I'd bloody well expect it, and real penguins operating the ride! And a penguin to take home afterwards. Don't cope too well on these Or these I don't know why but I find this kinda depressing and melancholic Yet another flippin walk through attraction fun house thing, if you want to get fit this is certainly the place Sorry for the lifeless pictures but it had only been open for an hour, this place takes on a whole other vibe after dark but due to having a crappy camera on the phone thought it best to visit during daylight This looks very cool and don't remember seeing one of these anywhere else, maybe at Hershey? I got excited when I heard this was an "Ice Age 4" Ice Rink, when in fact it was just the same as last year but with ads for the DVD plastered everywhere Still haven't tried one of these, too "washing machine nightmare" for me VERY Piers friendly, and industrial size bins/trash cans to expell your multicolored yawn into! PART-AY! Adios newly poor peoples!

If those are indeed the trains, which look soooooper, what do we think of the secret element concept discussed so far and how it will work with these relatively long trains?

^ As much as I love Skyrush, the station design is disastrous (as has been discussed to death on here so I'll leave it there).

Agreed, for a non-launch coaster, I can't think of another occasion when I've heard so many screams when a train is dispatched Evidence (skip to 00:24):

I'll just let you know that gas in the UK is currently around $11 per gallon (US), which is why I and many others are forced into driving very, very small cars. I can't believe just how much gas prices vary from state to state, the most difference you'll get in the UK is 10 cents or so unless you are somewhere very remote.

^Come to think of it, the one thing Tussauds/Merlin *can* do is a cool ride station. In addition to Thirteen, I would say Oblivion, Nemesis, Nemesis Inferno, Swarm and Saw, all feature very immersive stations.

I have almost pooped myself on Tatsu due to the forces some of the turns exert on your body pushing you outward, combined with the height. Phoenix is a little bit interesting, I had to hold onto my g/f as she isn't that big and was convinced she was going to fly out at some points, but I wouldn't want them to change a thing. As for insufficient, if there were any then the coaster would have probably been closed by now (unless it's east of Italy), but this freaked me out a bit with just a lap bar and challenged my trust in restraints:

Hi there, I'd like to ask if this is a "Fantasia" project, a "Koulu" project, or actually a real idea? I'm guessing from your previous posts that you are from Finland, can I ask which area? As I understand it, parks in Finland struggle enough as it is, and they haven't seen a huge amount of growth due to a very limited number of international visitors, mainly from Sweden. If you're looking at Turku, this could be a good place to build a park, otherwise competition is quite fierce in Helsinki/Tampere. I can't think of many other cities that are big enough to support a new Theme Park. Look forward to seeing more specific details about your plans, onnea projektin kanssa!

^ nice choices Joey Mine in reverse order: 10. Mafia 9. Grand Theft Auto 4 8. Mass Effect 2 7. Sonic The Hedgehog 6. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 5. Half Life 2 4. Grand Theft Auto Vice City 3. Goldeneye 2. Roller Coaster Tycoon 1. Zelda Ocarina of Time

Every time I go to our local IKEA in South London, I think of Phantasialand. Mystery Castle sponsored by IKEA

Agreed, brilliant compact layout and pacing.

Definitely more Coaster Expedition, the first ones really sparked my interest in coasters. The Raw DVDs/Blu Rays, although great quality, are a collection of what I watch on my phone when I have a few minutes to spare, and don't convey what makes TPR so unique. I suppose the Raw series is much more marketable to a wider audience though.

A few years ago I would have voted B&M but thinking about what coasters have genuinely thrilled me, if not made me poop my pants a little bit, it would be Intamin. I like the comfort of B&M but there's a predictability that ruins the thrill factor for me and I'm sure for many other more experienced enthusiasts. Intamin come up with crazy maneuvers that make me question their sanity, Storm Runner is a good example of this. If B&M can continue their bravery as demonstrated by that crazy new Flyer in China (Starry Sky Ripper?), then maybe they'll win back my appreciation.