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Day 9 - travel day (to Blackpool) with stop at Surprise extra park along the way: Gulliver's World! tho I was already missing Alton Towers, I was excited to be headed to my #1 park on this trip: Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I didn't know much about Gulliver's World, so I daydreamed about Blackpool as we went thru the lovely UK countryside, and quaint small towns. Eventually, we turned down a narrow road into the fields and came upon the front entrance to Gulliver's World. Gulliver's World is a "smaller" park, part of a chain of Gulliver's that are spread thruout the UK (I think there's a total of 3 parks). They have a large outdoor park, and an indoor waterpark. it's not exactly a kiddie park, but it IS intended for younger folks. and I believe typically an adult must be with a child to attend. We had an invite from the park tho, so a whole bunch of adults were descending on a park intended for the younger set. it DID feel a bit odd, and we got a few looks from the school teachers leading their classes thru the park for their fun day. . . .but it was during the week, so not very crowded otherwise. Robb's group photo before heading in. it really was much larger than I thought it was going to be. and at first glance it's quite lovely. as you look closer at things, you do notice some wear and tear, but for the most part, it's a nicely kept park. and they DO have a roller coaster here - a decent sized woodie called "Antelope" as noted. . decent sized coaster but most of the rides were for older kids / younger teens. Adults were permitted to ride (if they fit) tho! very quiet day, but we were visiting on a weekday. lots of indoors "hidden" rides too. . tho most of them were really of the small kiddie variety. the other coasters the park had were basically Wacky Worms type. such as "the Wriggler" tho this one I DID ride Gully's Grand Prix was one of two (or three) - tracks with self driving cars type rides they have here. were we allowed to ride? Yes! interesting color in that pond! but nicely landscaped. and with props. that looked like it was a carousel building behind me - but was actually a restaurant themed to a circus. and despite it being a slow weekday? the park did have characters out and about to meet. so of course I wanted to meet the prince and princess! ooooo a princess ride? and I can get on it?? yes, please! the individual trains are FABULOUS! it's a dark ride, with lots of neon paint and black light. seemed to have been built in house, but was actually pretty fun in an "I found this WTF ride at a creepy old carnival" way. sorry for the blur. .but really wanted to share these pics to show the inside of the ride. LOL. .at least the kid looked like he enjoyed it. the Dad's expression says it all. . . "WTF did I just ride?" next to the restaurant, there was a small carousel. So small they called it a merry go round. I wasn't expecting a yes, but asked if adults were allowed, and the operator shrugged and said "sure" I mean. . it was really small. but he said OK. . look at that smile! my happy place. heading down the path to the back end of the park into the "Western Area" this side seemed to have once housed a boat ride (a lake and queue line remained. . so I'm guessing that's what was there), but the main attractions over here now were a climbing/play area fort, and a raft ride. these figures SEEM to be leftovers from a discarded queue that looked like perhaps it went to paddle boats or rafts? no idea on this one. . no sign, or explanation. . it was just . . there? maybe a petting zoo (that wasnt' open today)? inside the Main Fort tho is the raft ride it was short, but actually was pretty fun. with the perfect amount of wetness (just a spritz) was getting hungry. . so headed back to see what the food offerings were. but OF COURSE, had to pop back in and ride the Princess ride again everyone enjoyed it! the inside of the Circus restaurant.. . it was basically a quick serve burger/fries place. Ok food for the crowd they typically get. and then we headed over to Antelope (as we were passing it for hte other side of the park) and decided to take a ride on it - even tho we were going to have some ERT on it later that afternoon. ummm. . .that's a LOT of padding. never a good sign. I asked why it's called Antelope, and it was explained to me that "the Antelope" is the ship that Gulliver was sailing on when it got attacked by a giant squid and that's how he became shipwrecked in Lilliput. the operator told me there used to be a sign explaining that, but he didn't know why they had taken it down. . . but it explained why a ride themed to ships and Octopus' was called "the Antelope" yah. . wasn't exactly "smooth" in the back car. LOL to be continued. . .

Think that’s great for all involved

Bonus video from Alton Towers, as I finally found where I stashed the video Robb had filmed of us at the Waterpark on night one. VCUE0613.MOV and a couple of pics of the resort at night.

several of us talked about it in the private trip group beforehand and shared where we were purchasing specific things (like the socks, or the specific shoes). but all of us who dressed up for that day, brought the outfits along. (Jonathan had two, a red and a green set). oh, you could have bought there - many, many shops were selling. . . . but way more expensive there.

day 4 continued. . . after a quick nap, and a slight change in outfit (rain was forecast, and it had gotten chilly), several of us met back up in the lobby of the hotel and headed back to the fair. it started to drizzle on the way, and by the time we got to the fair, it was a pretty steady rain. we ducked underneath one of the overhangs, and the chocolate dipped stuff caught my eye. I *really* was curious about that dipped pepper, but was afraid to try it. so instead went for dipped Pineapple which I enjoyed while standing underneath the covering of one of the bumper cars. yum! this I do remember, was so good! on the bumper cars were these guys, who were driving around with a flower clutched in one's mouth. I dunno. . . Oktoberfest!! the rain really started coming down, so we decided to check out if there was any "stand by" room in one of the nearby tents. as you can imagine, it was PACKED. .. tho I was able to charm one of the sales girls via chatting with her to pose for a picture with me. and she was able to find a spot for us to hang out for a little while (and use the restrooms) don't recall which tent this was, but the decor in here was great as well. what a sexy, sexy piggie! it had been a few hours since eating in the Lowenbrau tent, and several of us really wanted to try out this Truffle pasta place that everyone had been talking about. we tracked it down and found Andy there getting some. . . so we joined him in line. this is what Andy got (and I appreciate him letting me snap a pic of it) the rest of us got the truffle pasta that was getting raved about. and yes. . it deserved every rave. damn, this was good. I think I even went back and had it again the next night! while we were chatting and eating our pasta, the chat thread for the trip started to blow up as someone in the group who had been hanging with some folks (and had had quite a bit to drink thruout the day) had given someone his glasses to hold, and then disappeared. no one had any idea where he went, and honestly, several of us were very concerned about him. he's a very happy drunk, but he also managed to lose his wallet, his phone, and his hat too. he did eventually turn up (much later in the night) and insisted he was fine and had been riding things - tho how one could do that with no wallet? LOL. . I suspect someone had a "passout nap" underneath one of the ride trailers and just dreamed about riding things. . .LOL. . . but at the end of day they were fine, and for the final night at the fair, we took turns hanging with them to make sure they didn't disappear again. so all worked out just fine. Andy was still hanging with us when we decided it was time to ride Predator, so I am lucky enough to snag his long exposure pic of it. he takes SUCH good pics. Predator is this crazy gyroscope thing, but I had promised I'd ride it, so it was time. umm. .. . what did I get myself into it actually was REALLY fun. . but damn was that a long cycle! we rode a bunch of other things, including Olympia Looping, Alpina Bahn, a frying pan ride (that almost made me vomit, as the operator kept it going trying to make someone else sick!), and even went back over to that fantastic haunted ghost train attraction "Geister Pasast" these are the "admission tickets" for that ride. would have loved to have kept one, but after paying to ride, I wanted to ride, so just took a pic of it, as found it kinda neat and one of the multiple fun houses at the fair. Andrew and Jon took a ride on the Tagada (I chose to watch) and we bumped into Barry, Andy, and Colin over at my favorite ride at the fair: Voodoo Jumper. turned out that Barry did not care for spinning rides, and had gotten talked into riding it. Colin looks concerned funny thing tho? he LOVED it. .and got right back in line and rode it with me next. . . . so many things going on during this ride. . and animatronics all over the place too. thanks Andy for this wonderful pic! and with that, it was late, and we were semi-officially done with Oktoberfest. the next day was a "free day" to do some sightseeing or go back to the fair if we wanted to. Andrew and I had planned to spend the day at the German Science Museum (and spoiler - we did end up going back to the fair the next night) - but if this turned out to be the end of the Oktoberfest faire portion of the trip? Today had been a brilliant day, and the trip had totally been worth it. (there was SO much more yet to come on this trip tho). so we headed back to the hotel as the fair shut down for the night, took a nice long, hot shower, did a bit of packing (even tho not leaving until the day after, but since I had napped, I was up), read a little bit, and called it a night. tomorrow? Culture at the Munich Science Museum.

after a bit of a break (apologies - travel, illness, and injury got in the way) I'm back to continue the Oktoberfest trip report! on day 4 (a Monday if I'm not mistaken), it was our full day at Oktoberfest! With a 4 hour reservation / tables in the Lowenbrau tent that included multiple drinks and food. to spoil, it was an experience I'll never forget, and will always be one of the highlights of my lifetime. let's get to a crapton of pics, shall we? Our reservation was, I believe, at noon. so not an early morning. Several of us met up in front of the hotel and walked down to the fair together to meet up with everyone at the Lowenbrau tent. this pic at the main gate is courtesy of Doug, I believe. LtR Me, Doug, Andrew, Jon, and Hawk. it was fairly quiet, as things hadn't really kicked off today. . but the booth that sells the grilled fish from an open flame, was already working ahead to get some ready for hungry diners. I decided to dress "traditional" and had even purchased the correct socks several in the TPR group decided to dress the Oktoberfest experience. Our meet up point, and where we'd be hanging out for the next 4-5 hours. most of the tables are reservation only (for 4 hour increments) and TPR had 5 tables reserved. . .but most of the Beer Halls also have a section for walk in just to hang out and drink. the reservations are the way to go tho - you end up in the middle of everything, and it's a wonderful kind of senses overload! Myself and Sarah I decided I needed to eat something before drinking, so grabbed a giant (the only kind, really) pretzel and snapped a pic with Andrew while waiting to go in for our seating, I checked out the souvenir stand that was closeby. . LOL. . loved these socks, but where would I ever wear them??? a postcard I picked up for a friend, which the vendor told me "gives all the Oktoberfest Experience" I think these guys were to bring some kegs to one of the branded beer tents. but not 100% sure. I do know they weren't out and about at night when it was really crowded Myself and Christopher just a glimpse of the types of food that would be offered inside and at the stands surrounding the outer edges of the beerhalle Group photo by Robb, before TPR headed into our reservation first look at the inside of this huge hall. it looked so roomy, but it filled up so fast, and got so raucous and packed! you can see how closely the tables are to each other. . the benches literally touch each other to cram everyone in. the table I got to sit at. . . we only had 6 at our table, most tables had 7 or 8 ! Bob, Jere, Hanno, Chuck, and Erik great table tho. . . right next to one of the "server runs" and just in front of the main stage where the band would be playing Jere and I with our 1st (giant) beers. I believe this pic is courtesy of Robb? he took a video too: IMZP6605.MOV starting to really fill up! the lady on the right was our VERY German waitress, and she was a real hoot. (she's standing in the "server run" I mentioned, and boy did they get annoyed if ANYONE other than a server used that aisle) as the tables next to us filled up, you can see how close everything is. (the table behind me was 8 folks, as was the table next to theirs). sneaking the camera down, you can see we are butt to butt, and using each other as back rests Luckily I had my Covid update and my flu shot, and amazingly did not get sick at all from being crammed in here so closely with folks. I'm not sure anyone on our trip got sick. these were the food and drink "coupons" that we traded in, but could also order and pay for stuff from the menu, or from the folks walking around selling (as at a sports game) I did think to snap a pic of the menu) yes, I had a beer. yes, it was big. . . way big. yes, it got me drunk, and no, I didn't finish it. one of the folks walking around selling stuff that I mentioned. This guy was Pretzels (duh) ] stretching my legs a bit, wandered down to a TPR table where most were in Lederhosen and someone took this pic of our table (maybe Elissa? or perhaps it's Erik taking a selfie of us?) the food came. it was good. I'm not sure if it was good because it really was good? or because I was already a bit buzzed. but this white sausage was soo good, I recall. and the 1/2 chicken was good too. and yes, that one on the left is my Beer, that I drank about 1/2 of - then discovered they had an offering that was 1/2 beer and 1/2 tea, so switched to that (on the right), and ended up drinking about 1/2 of that one too. Music hasn't started playing yet, really, but the band is getting ready. I now have a 1/2 drunk stein of beer, a 1/3rd drunk stein of 1/2 Beer-1/2 Tea, and a new glass of 1/2 beer-1/2 lemonade! LOL and yeah, was starting to feel it a bit. PROST!!! *(this pic might be borrowed from Doug) Yup. . Jere and I were feeling it a bit People were starting to climb up on the benches and attempt chugging a stein of beer. everyone would get into the chanting and encouraging them. . .but most of them failed, ending in a big "awwwwwww" from the whole tent. "Awwwwwwwwwww" another attempt! awwwwwwwwww Table behind me. . success!!! and then they got in trouble for standing on the table and not on the benches. . Security was pretty dang strict. at the entrance to the tent, and drawing everyones attention - the brass came out and kicked off the music with a wonderful performance, and a sing-a-long of the drinking song (which I sang along with - as suggested by William - as "I'm Frozen, I'm Frozen". . . because it fit the tune). attempt again from the table behind me (but this time on the bench) Success! the place erupted in cheers! this was someone's desert (Erik ?). . I believe it was a warm bread pudding with vanilla sauce. I do think I tried a bite, but can't recall if I liked it? our waitress - whom I said was a hoot .. . .just came over and pushed Bob down, and then plopped down and took her lunch break with us. she didn't talk to us or interact. . she just grabbed a seat and started eating her salad. it was great! the photographers came around and sold these pics inside giant fake cookies. . .very touristy. . so of COURSE I bought one. so did Erik a great mix of early 70's American easy listening hits, and drinking songs. . . . with the Prost drinking song getting played about every 20 minutes for the audience participation and everyone drinking. they really seemed to love John Denver too. . every tent I went into I heard John Denver songs. . with lots of folks singing along. Jere "fixed" our picture so I could post it without getting in trouble for being drunk on a Monday really, the band was quite good (and loud) possibly my most *favorite* picture from this day. Johnathan was feeling NO pain. .. neither was the guy who was passed out at the table in front of us and the bandstand. hot German tourists in Lederhosen dancing? sure, I'll take pictures. not sure what everyone is looking at. . .either there is a dance going on, or someone is chugging a stein of beer back to the dancing Germans with their beers. (and I got hit on - a LOT - by the pretty blondes. . not sure what was up with that, but Hans witnessed it, so i have proof it happened ) Jonathan and I both feeling pretty happy a group of TPR folks, dressed for Oktoberfest! 40 minutes later and that guy is still passed out, tho now his friends aren't even checking on him anymore. it was so damn fun! hey, lookie that. . . I almost finished the one that was 1/2 beer- 1/2 tea! Should I have? nope.. but I did. . . LOL look at all these happy TPR faces! Hans, Nick, Eric, Barry, Ryan, and Shane all having a blast PROST! PROST! PROST!!! "I'm frozen, I'm frooooozen. . . ." and with that, our 4 hours were approx, up, and the group started to break up to head out into the fair. it had started to drizzle, and some of us wanted to go back to the hotel for a little bit of rest (not used to drinking this much) or work for a couple of hours. so a handful of us headed back - I can't recall if we walked back or took the train, but I do remember taking a short nap, before meeting back in the lobby ~6pm to head back to the fair for evening fun. to be continued. . .

love that train design. just fantastic!

I noticed in some of the videos, the "splashdown pool" doesn't fill up, so the only water is the fountains? I wonder if that's a Mack design patent, so they can't do that? or if that part of the ride isn't ready to go yet and will eventually have that splashdown area?

I looked it up. . the character who shows off her panties is named "Upsy Daisy" no. . really and apparently that's her bed that follows her around. . . . Bwaaaa-haaaa-haaaaaa

I got to attend the opening of the DCUniverse area the other weekend at Six Flags Fiesta Texas (it also overlapped with the Mardi Gras celebration, so did some of that too). the area looks great, and with this open now, SFFT has the biggest assortment of DC Universe themed rides in North America (even if we don't count Kid Flash, which has been a paperweight for a long time now, and seeing the announcements that it's getting removed? just confirms whatever lawsuit was going on is now concluded). anyways. . here's some pics. my quick takes on the 3 brand new rides? Cyborg (Nebulaz) - it's great, running both forwards and in reverse, with heavy theming (Kilg%re takes over control of the quantum mechanism and makes the ride go crazy) - forwards is slightly more nauseating than the backwards portion. I actually fit in this Nebulaz, tho I saw many people get walks of shame - so if you don't fit in a seat, ask to try another one, as even tho they claim the seats are all the same? some of them have slightly longer seat belt clamps and I had no issue riding - 1st time I've ever fit on a Nebulaz. Shazam (spinning drop tower) - a very gentle ride, it reminded me a LOT of the SFOT parachute drop. really long cycle, and more of an upscale "bounce tower" than a drop tower. looks amazing at night with the lighting package. Metropolis Transit Authority ("Monorail") - the station is a *stunner*.. . subway tile, and a queue that looks like waiting at a train station. the ride itself is a bit short (shorter than I expected it to be, and it actually looks shorter than the original plans showed (where it went around the Gotham City Crime Wave swings) - it now cuts in front of it. There is no onride audio (a shame, as it would be great if it pointed out things you pass), tho there is audio in the station that teases the train arriving and leaving. it's high enough to get some great views, and with even a slight breeze was very comfortable on a warm day. They do only allow 3 adults and one child maximum in each car - so this could cause quite the line on a busy day, as there are only two trains with 4 cars each. I have to assume that is for safety reasons, as out car - with 3 adults - seemed a bit shaky on some of the turns. it adds to the thrill level of this gentle ride tho, I thought. Batgirl (the kiddie coaster) is running great still and the new colors look really nice on it. same with Green Lantern (zoom jets) - the new color scheme is fantastic. Poison Ivy (up up and Away), really works well with the gondolas redone as giant fruit with vines (and shade) in the queue now. I did not ride Penguin (convoy) even tho it had opened with some statues in place, as they still are not quite done with it, and expect a few more dioramas to be added to the track area. anyhow. . here are some pics even the Batmobile at "Batman" (the 1st S&S Freespin built) has been refurbed the new DC Universe area (where the main concentration of rides are) a look at Green Lantern, the Monorail, Cyborg, Shazam, and Batman Poison Ivy (the revamped up, up, and away) the new entry sign from Spassburg (it lights up, and the other side say DC Universe across the top) the Metropolis Transit Authority (Monorail) queue building up high enough you get a nice view towards the front of the park from the station and a great view of the DCU area LTR: Superman Krypton Coaster, Cyborg, Green Lantern, and the base of Supergirl (Skyscreamer) In this pic you can see most of the land, plus Wonder Woman golden lasso coaster on the upper right looking across at the MTA queue building, and on the right some of Penguin. . they are still going to be putting up some dioramas here to drive thru. looking down into Penguin, you can see some of the statues that have been placed, but as of a week ago, there was still some work to be done on it. it IS up and running tho. pulling into the station, you get a great close up of Shazam, and in the distance the top of Gotham City Crimewave, Joker, and Superman Krypton Coaster they have some DCU characters out. for the month of March, they are starting out with Flash and Harley Quinn I may have gotten "confused" meeting "the Flash" during Mardi Gras. . . I didn't get any beads, but the actors all had a good laugh. yeah. . Boomerang. but it sure is picturesque. that's Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger in the right window there. View from the VIP lounge patio. why hello Mr. Jeffery Siebert! got a mini behind the scenes warehouse tour and got to see the maintenance shed where they keep the extra trains for all the coasters. and then found out Harley was out now. . so went back to DCU for a pic. kinda behaved myself this time. also went to see the new for Mardi Gras show, "Voodoo Dolls" it's very, very good. (and indoors with cushioned seats and air conditioning) some of the voodoo queens get special effects for their numbers.. such as bubbles! and to top it off, I got to ride on a parade float for the evening Mardi Gras parade. for once, I got to be a Pirate, instead of being the swiss girl - (for some reason, when I do the parade, they always wanna dress me up as the swiss girl) ready for the parade to start, and to toss out hundreds of beads! the area looks great, the park is fantastic, and the Mardi Gras food is all really good. Highly recommend checking it out while the event is still going on!

Oblivion was really good too (tho very short). honestly, there wasn't really a bad coaster in the park, tho a couple of them were way too intense for me (Smiler and Galactica)

Day 8 concluded: we wandered around for a couple of hours, ,getting re-rides on things we wanted while we prepped to meet up for Wicker Man ERT at park close at 5. over in the Nemesis section, more anti government "protesters" were out demanding fair treatment for the creature. and I happened to notice this sign over on the rapids. I really do wish the US parks would enforce something like this. . . would make it such a nicer experience than riding with rowdy teenagers. eventually it was time to meet up in front of Wicker Man. .so we headed over that way as you can see, was an absolutely gorgeous day. remember that donut stand in front of Oblivion? someone (I think Colin?) had gone over and gotten donuts including the Oblivion themed one. so Robb took a picture of it with us, as he hadn't brought enough to share! are we ready for Wicker Man ERT? YES! one more time. . are we ready?? YES!!! as mentioned, I absolutely LOVED this coaster. I think it's one of very few that I rode every single train available during ERT. and because it was at end of day, and the park had been running two trains? we were able to do "zen rides". . here's Kristen all alone in front row of Wicker Man and I believe I have Elissa to thank for this pic of me on my zen ride! wheee!!!! ' they even kept on the fire and smoke effects for us the whole time. easily my favorite coaster at Alton Towers (tho Nemesis is a very close 2nd, followed by 13, and Spinball) Stacy's got some "hair time" nothing better than getting eaten by the Wicker Man. SO good! once ERT was over, we headed over to the back of the park for our evening reservation at the Rollercoaster Restaurant. ok.. so if you've never been to one? the concept is pretty neat, but the food tends to be pretty mediocre (and expensive). That was the case here too, but if you've never been to one? I'd say it's worth it just to experience once. and if you go with a group of friends? you can have a fantastic time, even with so-so food. which again was the case here before they dim the lights, you can see the mess of "tracks" overhead - that they use to serve the main meals to each table station. you order at the kiosk once seated. . . "Nemesis Reborn" was a burger option. so yeah, theme park pricing. . . part of our table station. . once the lights went down. the other half of our table: people watching the tracks as food starts coming out. in the center of this pic (by the pole) you can see one of the food deliveries coming we're all happy as we think our food is coming but nope.. went to the next table over. that's ok tho, as the waiter brought over our drinks (not delivered via coaster track) ok. .here comes our food! I mean. .it's a burger and it was an OK burger too. . . tho I didn't care for how the purple lighting made all the food look. LOL still. .it's an experience to try out if you've never done one of these RollerCoaster restaurants. and with that, we headed back to the resort thru the back entrance of the park (the prior day, we had left from front gate and had to walk around the park to get back to resort, but this time we were able to use the resort exit since next to the Rollercoaster Restaurant). we had to pack, as tomorrow was check out day, and we were headed towards what really was my main "bucket list" park: Blackpool Pleasure Beach! (and Steeplechase). but we were gonna hit a surprise park along the way first, so had to get everything ready to go, and get rested for the adventure to continue. (I'll try to get next update up fairly soon. . but got to update the Oktoberfest report before another update here ). hope you've enjoyed seeing the park thru my eyes.

day 8 - 2nd full day at Alton Towers, checking out CeBeebes land, the gardens, the Alton Towers Dungeon, WickerMan ERT and the rollercoaster restaurant for dinner! after a good night's sleep (and a brilliant 1st day at Alton towers), was up and ready to go at park open the 2nd day. but first stop? the coffee shop in the Hotel. Not quite a Starbucks, but really the closest I found on our UK trip! the big chair photo op had no line this morning (and Andrew had joined me in getting coffee - so there was someone with to snap a pic). I DO love me a good throne! Andrew does too meeting up with Stacy in the lobby we headed to the Monorail station. today, we got to ride on Strawberry! wheee we had hit every coaster yesterday, so today I was determined to do all the silly, stupid stuff (ie: the stuff I really love to do), and first on my list was that elevated railway, over in CeBeebees land. told ya yesterday I was gonna ride it damn it Stacy was willing, since I had waiting in line with her at the kiddie coaster yesterday, so we stood in the 20 minute line for our ride (it's a fairly long ride, and only seemed to have 5-6 cars). Spinball Whizzer hadn't been running yet, but if I recall, the park did open at 9, and most of the rides don't start until 10. but we got a view of it from the Treetop adventures queue I mean. . look at this silly thing! of COURSE I wanted to ride it. yay!! as noted it's a fairly long track, and high enough you get a decent view of most of the land - which is actually quite large. over the fence was a Bluey show that was going on, and we figured if we timed it correctly, we could catch the end of it. (by the way, it was here that I learned that Bluey is a girl. . I had no idea!). it's a LIFT HILL !!! (well, I'm gonna count it as one) seriously. . WTF are these things? and they were among the LEAST F-ed up things in this land. I'm shocked British kids don't end up way more damaged if this is what they are watching instead of Bozo, Captain Kangaroo, Romper Room, or Sesame Street. noted! the land really is quite large. . with tons of stores, shows, and indoor attractions my brain wanted badly to ride this. . .but even I realized that this one is for the little kids, and I likely couldn't get my fat ass into the seat. . . LOL Take the tunnel !!! look at all these bunny hops! it IS a coaster ! ah. .there we go. . .as we were getting off the ride, Spinball Whizzer started testing over the fence next door. we made our way over to the theater, and had just missed the Bluey and friends show. . . but they were out doing a meet and greet (and the ducks were out too) I had no idea who any of these were other than Bluey, but oh I learned .. . . and this weird little guy was driving around (and managing not to run over any of the little kiddos) he was interactive with the guests too. I discovered this nightmare of a ride by looking at a park map and saying to Stacy . . "is that a ride????" it looked like it was part of a store, but it was actually next to the store (exit thru the store), and was the theme of the other resort hotel - the Night Garden, magical adventure ride. again, HOW can kids sleep with this nightmare fuel all over the hotel room?? turned out it was a boat ride, which got us both excited. silly, and on a boat? complete win!!! the operator looked quite amused that we were so excited about it. ok. . starting off a little bit dark. . but into the woods we go. aww. .how cute. . a little "train". . . I guess? and Peter Rabbit themed frog hoppers next door (that you shouldnt' be able to see from the boat ride, but ok, it's still rather decent theming) Um. . . whut? trolls? with cream puff hair??? WHUT the AKTUAL F are these???? Gahhhhh!!!! a starfish infected with measles??? a gay sun? sheesh. . ok, back to reality (or at least other kiddie rides we can see from the boat ride) this SEEMED to be an interactive experience where one can go pet puppies and cats. . but we never made it back over here to be certain. oh no. . . back into the dark forest for. . . um. . I dunno what these are? it's got a bike. i think? this TERRIFIED me. .and I wish I could remember her name, as apparently she's one of the best known characters from the kiddie shows in Britain. she's known for hiking up her skirt. no, really and the animatronic does it!! I was laughing so hard, that I almost didn't get a pic, and I still managed to catch part of it, if not the full pantie reveal tiny fairie guardsmen? cue Whodini: the fever dream was over :(. . . . I loved every moment of it. . . Stacy was done with the kiddie section tho bumped into the Alton Towers bear again tho. .so my day was fantastic thus far. hadn't noticed this yesterday, but the splash battle has sharks circling we headed towards Wicker Man and grabbed a ride, and then we popped into one of the Taverns in this section to try out the drinks. we had planned to do the Dungeon with a bunch of TPR folks as a group, so we headed that way after the beers. we had a great time! and thanks so much for the photo pass, and sharing this pic with us! we then headed over to 13 for another ride, and saw a bunch of TPR folks on ride just in front of us. hi Colin, Adam, Ryan, Jonathan, Shane, Chris, Barry & Steve (not looking) we debated what to do next and Stacy and I decided to tour the "ruins" in the center of the park. . so we headed over there (I think Andrew joined us too) not sure if this is part of the queue of "Hex" - which was down for refurb - but it certainly looked like these were emergency exit options. or perhaps ride exit. regardless. . it's very cool that these structures, are just in the center of a theme park. they do such a fantastic job "hiding" the rides. . you'd never know there are rollercoasters all around you of course we decided to take the lakeside walk path to get to Haunted Hollow (had to ride Curse of Alton Manor again!). . and so glad we did the pathway is just littered with all kinds of interactive sculpture and atmosphere that trigger when you get close to them. different scare actors out in front of the attraction today, but they too were having a ball. they all really seem to love their jobs. like the Donut shop in the middle of Oblivion, the Curse of Alton Manor has a sweet shop across from the main entrance. with some really delicious looking special treats Stacy got the black ice cream with eyeballs to be continued. .. .

day 7 (full day at Alton Towers) concluded: continuing our way around this side of the park, the next thing we came to was Smiler yeah. .this 14 (!) inversion coaster looked really intense. I was wary of it, but since we had the fast passes, we figured we'd try to ride everything. it broke down while we were in line tho, so denied (for the moment) it really is sensation overload. . even just in the queue - the blasting giggling over the loudspeakers gets into your head! the employees didn't look thrilled with their outfits, but one of them did confide in me that "at least they are warm" what a gigantic mess of track! with Smiler down, we went over to the world's first dive coaster, Oblivion. I'd heard about this one for ages. . but didn't realize it's really just a drop. there isn't much to this coaster, but being the first of it's kind meant that it was a must ride. and ya know what? it gives a hell of a thrill still. I quite enjoyed it. Smiler was still down, so we headed towards the forbidden forest area - the only part of the park we hadn't explored yet, and home to the last two coasters here. cutting thru the ruins at the center of the park along the way it was a shame that Hex was down - as I love madhouses, and I'd heard this was a good one. but hey, a reason to go back at some point! whoops. . we'd taken a wrong turn and totally missed the forbidden forest area, and ended up in the world of David Walliams. as a fan of Little Britain, I knew who he was, even if I wasn't familiar with his kid's books. But the Gangsta Granny ride sounded great - and it was a fun , stupid, dark ride, that I think I rode a 1/2 doezen times. so well worth the stop over in this section. it even had a photo op! why yes, I'm the Queen this was apparently a building they used for a show that was not running at the moment. but next to it was a sizzler . . and a small carousel. on site in the park, there was also an Alton Towers Dungeon - which one of the workers told us was about to shut down, so we made sure to do it the next day. glad we did too, as they seem to have removed it from the park, so I got to experience my first ever "Dungeon" (in talking to others on the trip, the Dungeon experience is very similar in different locations, but typically do include a ride of some sort - in this case, was a boat ride in the middle of it). we finally found our way over to where we had been headed earlier tho: home to Rita and 13 the last two coasters in the park we hadn't seen yet. I did enjoy Rita for what it is. . . but found it to be really rather short. Just when I thought we were gearing up for another launch, we pulled into the station. it was fun tho, and I believe i did ride it a couple of times. 13 (Thirteen) is 100% a family coaster, but I truly don't understand why some are disappointed in it. for what it does? it does very, very well. and I enjoyed it. but my favorite coaster in the park? Wicker Man. we had ERT on it tomorrow night. . but that didn't stop me from riding it several times during the 1st day. I absolutely loved the layout, the fire/smoke effects, and that double down / double up lift/drop. so, so good. even the station was kewl! and the exit thru the gift shop offered lots of great swag! making a face, but seriously, I loved this! and some Rita pics and the mine train. . . Nick had photo pass, and he must have shared them all with us at this point, since all are together in my pics Oh, I was incorrect. . we hadn't been to all the coasters yet. We had come back to this area earlier, but only rode sub-terra. . we hadn't actually gone into the main area, and ridden Nemesis or Galactica. . so we headed back over that way. Nemesis looks amazing. . and that giant eyeball in the center moves to follow the trains! and it blinks. . . really rather creepy. more characters out, patrolling the area (there were also a group of "freaks" out, protesting to protect the creature from government prodding). it's good! Galactica is a B&M flyer. . and yeah. . it knocked the wind out of me. a bit too intense! I liked it. . but yeah, 1 and done for me. way too intense. it was almost time to head back across the park for Smiler ERT. . . but we swung past Nemesis again for a few more pics (and another ride) to get back over to Smiler, we decided to cut thru the "Gardens" section of the park. it's hard to believe we're still in the middle of a theme park (tho to be fair, I think if the skyride had been operating, instead of in refurb mode - now back open I hear - it wouldn't have seemed so "forrest-ry" back at Smiler, which was now back up and running. Group pic before ERT. I'd be danged if I didn't ride it at least once. . even tho I KNEW I wasn't gonna like it. (and I didnt' care for it. . the 14 inversions were just a bit too much for me. . so I was one and done,and then took pics of others riding it). it's a great looking ride, just too much for me, but i know a lot of folks on this trip LOVED it. and they were yelling out inversion counts as it went. the photo must be early on, as I was still enjoying the ride at this point. not sure about how Colin felt tho. . LOL the track is so long, they can operate multiple trains. . . which with the twisted up track, really gives the impression they might hit each other! I did make it to the end of ERT, even tho only rode that one time, and then we headed back to the hotel to grab some food and crash after a long, exciting, and exhausting, day. I wasn't too hungry tho. . perhaps Galactica and Smiler back to back had my stomach in knots. . . so I stuck with a desert. and no, I didn't share and with that, it was off to shower, and bed. Tomorrow was another full day at the park, and there were a ton of things I wanted to ride, and re-ride.

day 7, full day at Alton Towers: the next morning, got up in time for breakfast (they had to split us up into groups, so several of us met in the lobby to head over to the park together after eating something) view from where I sat at breakfast: and then headed out to the monorail station, that would bring us around to the front of the park. we were on our own for most of the day today, meeting up later for some ERT on Smiler. ready for a full day at this park that had also always been on my bucket list. at the front gates, we're met by a monument to a Vekoma Corkscrew that I guess used to be at the park. I was just glad we had so many other coaster options (some of which I had heard of for decades, and always wanted to ride). park map. . this place is HUGE. the Map really doesn't give the full size of the place. our hotel is way up there on the left, and park entrance is way over there on the lower right. So the Monorail brought us thru the park and to the front gates. from the main entrance, you get an amazing view of the castle ruins (which can be toured as part of the Gardens. . but also is home to Hex (sadly closed for refurb during our visit) CBeebies land is the WTF kids area, that has some "never in America" characters. . . looking back at the Monorail we had just gotten off of. interactive squirting frog fountain in the main entrance area better view of the castle / ruins/ gardens from the end of the main street. nothing quite opens with the park, but it's so large, we headed in anyways to get to near what we wanted to hit up first. there are a lot of coasters here, but most are very spread out. Mutiny Bay area has a bunch of rides, including teacups, splash battle, the rapids ride, an electric mine train, and is also home to the sealife aquarium here at the park. lots of interactive stuff all over the park too. I believe this button on the scull activated the parrot - who interacted with guests. not open yet, but we'd be back! possibly my most looked forwards to ride here (tying with 13), the Wicker Man wooden coaster. people were already lining up to get on it when it opened. and this was *before* all the smoke and fire effects that are in use during the ride were turned on! spoiler. . it's an amazing coaster. I loved it. no water in the rapids (yet), but they would be up shortly. that track next to it on the right is the Mine Train it's a really long train, and they send it around a couple of times - in our case, we got the "Australian" 3-peat. . so got to go around 3 times, because Nick was riding with us. and they really love saying "choo-choo" as the train passes under the station. another coaster I was very much looking forwards to! this section had a recently re-imagined dark ride that is total WTF, and was my favorite flat at the park. so fantastic effects, and a truly whacko storyline. the "Curse of Alton Manor" not sure what's up with the "Giant chairs". . but sure, I'll sit in this one too! it's haunted mansion, crossed with a ghost train, and a bit of Tower of Terror mixed in. LOVED it. and the castmembers were having a ball. it's kinda "hidden" in the middle of the park, in it's own section. so it never really had a line. I think I rode it at least 10 times, and ended up with a couple of T-shirts and magnets from it. if you continue on the pathway towards the back of the park, you come to the section that Nemesis is located. and is heavily themed, as an area that the Nemesis lifeform has invaded and the Government is trying to keep under control tons of actors in character back over here.. . and this is a separate ride off by itself, but also themed to the Nemesis creature in the area. won't spoil it, but it has live acting, and a pretty "jumpscare" ride that you won't see coming. apparently it doesn't operate too often - I can see why, it takes a lot of cast members - so I'm really glad I got to experience it. Pretty scary for a non-halloween themed ride! rapids now full and ready for riders! and the aquarium was open now too. . so time to go take a look! oooo. . .pretty! cast members out in this area too. . . love how well they had this park staffed! I even got to meet the Alton Towers mascot bear. . tho never caught his name some of the folks I was hanging around with today wanted to ride EVERY coaster. . and that included the kiddie one over in CBeebies land). . .so we headed over there next I STILL have no idea what the hell these things are. yellow boogers? ahh.. a daisy I recognize! ok.. I'm absolutely coming back to ride this tomorrow (and I did) here's the kiddie. . I believe it was basically a roller skater? tho the theming was adorable. several TPR folks on this train whoops. .I've been seen! lol. . I already saw you, can't hide from me, Doug! Stacy wanted to ride too. I stood in line, but actually didn't ride (just wasn't feeling it). . . but I'm glad she had fun. right next door was Spinball Wizzer tho.. and that I really wanted to ride. it's an extreme spinner, with some great theming. . . very good ride. to be continued. . .

and two random pics that found their way in (out of order) this one is sad to share, as Oakwood just announced it's shutting down. . but here's on the bobsled slide at Oakwood and I THINK this might be the Wave at Drayton Manor? anyone know for sure?

Day 7. . . checking into Alton Towers resort (for 3 night stay!) and ERT in the waterpark this evening. apologies for the long delay (travels, illness, and injuries contributed), but trying to get back on track! upon leaving Drayton Manor, we drove the rest of the way to Alton Towers, and arrived in the evening for check in. We had missed the park for the day, but that was no problem as we had gotten tons of riding in at Drayton earlier. besides, Robb and Elissa had surprised us with an offer for after hours ERT / dinner at the indoor waterpark on site! so here's images from the hotel, the room I had, and the ERT at the Waterpark: after a drive, we pulled into the Alton Towers resort. . a view of the other resort (themed to the kiddie properties) that was across the way from us, but still closeby to the monorail station to get to the park. it's a large, and themed hotel. . tho the themes seemed to be a bit all over the place. still. . they were all in tho. lobby theming. . the restaurant downstairs (and bar) were themed too and the steampunk pirate ship that's in the center atrium also served as a stage for musical performers, and a magic show each night. the rooms heavily leaned into the "steampunk" / "Pirate" theming. . .except when they didn't and parts of it were "steampunk" / "Outer-space" still. . it was an incredibly lovely room. with a big, separated bunk-bed area that could sleep even more the bathroom is where it really went into outerspace but at least you had a robot buddy on the back of the door so one never has to poop alone changing into my swimwear, I headed back down to the lobby area, and snapped some pics as I made my way over to the other hotel - where the waterpark was located a giant chair? sure, I'll attempt a pic the fountain outside the main entrance to the hotel and a look at said main entrance I suppose the British folks knew who these carvings were of. . I had no idea, but thought they were rather cool. most of the walkway between the hotels was covered. . . tho as seen above, we did have to go outside to go to the connecting hotel. lots of oversized props. . . but I guess since this hotel is geared towards the kiddie stuff, it makes sense that things would be giant to the patrons. a peek down at the waterpark from the walk way. the waterpark is in the center of the hotel, and tho it was open for us, it had closed already to the public. so we were surrounded by folks looking out windows and wondering why there were people in the closed waterpark. it felt very "zoo-y". . .LOL the layout of the waterpark (and even tho it was pretty chilly outside, the outdoor stuff was open for us. I felt bad for the lifeguards that had to stand out in the cold, but they were pretty talkative, and fun and seemed to be enjoying our fun) Stacy and I are ready to have a splashing good time! it's not a large waterpark, but as noted, there are some outdoor things too. and what they have offers quite the fun variety. the food was delicious too. . . took way too much (as hadn't eaten much today). . but everything was great. heya Adam & Nick. Group photo, courtesy of Robb, before we got in the water! and this seems to be the aftermath of the giant dunk tank tipping on us. . somewhere I have that pic, but not finding it at the moment. I believe this hot tub was off the lazy river, and was called "Bubbly Wubbly". . so of course, had to soak in it. thanks Elissa for this pic. to be continued. . .

I won't/can't reveal source in the SFOT Mgmt chain. . . but yeah, 100% confirmed. it's a "record breaking Dive Coaster"

headless ghost is still around. . but he appears very infrequently. I would suspect due to budget/cost of the fx . . .

I actually got to meet Chef Rudy on Saturday. . . and the new pizzas looked amazing, as did the new chicken fingers. (didn't get to try the burgers). very nice guy who came over to SFFT from being the chef for the Spurs.

^ apparently it's super limited. I asked the Park Rep that was present at the auction what capacity is for the event, and was pretty surprised by the number (it's way less than you think - but not posting as not sure it's supposed to be shared). so I dunno how there's any way to do it without upsetting folks who don't get to purchase tix. It seems to me they are taking "exclusive" event at it's working, and meaning it.

streaming online too (via Max, I believe). I preferred the husband in the British version at first, but have really grown to like the American version. and I've always loved Rose McIver - so she was a win for me at the start. I *do* think the ghost cast in the British one is a little better, tho the American version has a couple of additions/changes I prefer. American no-pants Trevor ghost is much better, as is Hettie *way* better than her British counterpart. I much prefer the dumb/innocent ghost in the British version over Henrietta, and I think it's a wash for Pete and for General. Thorfin is fantastic, and love it, and think he'd be a great addition to the British version. the scripts for the 1st 2 seasons of the American version burned thru almost all of the British scripts, and the American version really started to hit it's stride after they ran out of British stories and started to do more original things. Love the greater use of the Basement Ghosts. Tho I do miss the reduction of the headless ghost to just one appearance a season a shame. both are great tho.

I'm so excited! I'll be attending my very first Holliwood Nights this year (and my first proper trip to the park, since the only time prior I've gotten to go, the day got rained out and only got on two coasters and two flats). it had sold out in ~30 seconds, but was able to score a pair of tickets at a charity auction raising $$ for the National Roller Coaster Museum. looking forwards to it! edit: and since it was a pair of tix, I immediately invited Teacher Kim to come with. we're gonna have a blast, and I'll (of course) have a trip report up after.

such a great time. . . I hope to have my pics up from this day in the near future (yeah. .I've said THAT before. . BWAAA-HAAAA-HAAAA). my favorite part of the people standing up to chug, is that the whole tent cheers. . .and then if they fail to chug the whole stein? yup, everyone boos! it was so fantastic and a memory that will forever be near the top of my life experiences! great pics, and some nice stuff done after the tent by y'all. . . and congrats on winning. Didn't they give you a prize? no pic of that?

will try it Sat, and see how they stack up.. but I'm hearing they are a great improvement over the burgers Bubbas and the Rockville Cafe used to serve.