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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.

mainly about how post merger the park got permission to hire a full time main chef, and they've already started improving the food. Launching 4 new options (a new burger, 2 new pizzas, and hand breaded Chicken fingers). and that the merger also gave them the ok to rename and update unique experiences (Chubacabra stuff), as well as getting unique merch for certain coasters/events. So all in all, he believes the merger is good for SFFT in particular (as "they gave us everything we wanted!") he also talked about improvements thruout the park with painting/updating things. (including the new - and now open - Daily Planet that serves as the entrance/exit to Superman & the exit for Supergirl. there was a good focus on DCUniverse, and how the Monorail is now testing, and they expect to have the whole area open by Spring Break - which would be early March (I THINK that's the timeframe he gave), and apologized about Kid Flash. He had no updates on it, but said that they continue to work with the Manufacturer, and that it's still considered SBNO. Sangerfest Hall is finally getting finished with it's update, and that wall will be coming down, which will not only add more seating, but also bring back a single service line, where you won't have to go to separate queues for different dishes to make a meal. he also said that tho it won't be ready for 2025, they are working on a drink pkg option for 2026 that will tie to the pass holder, and give the option of using a paper cup or a refillable cup for drinks. but again, that won't be in 2025. he talked about Dr. Diabolical again, reminding how they had lowered the height requirement, so 'she could enter into Pediatrics now". . .and once again teased that she was not satisfied, and demanded a meeting with the Ride Manufacturers and park mgmt. so SOMETHING is coming in regards to that in 2025. . either a small flat added in the area, or some tweak to the ride? No idea what it could be. . it's already themed to death, so it can't really be more theming. But we'll find out more "later this year" other than that, and the schedule of 2025 events, that was pretty much it.

Talked to Jeffery today there are no plans at this time to integrate the peanuts gang into any Six Flags parks (also confirmed with Jeff Filicio the same is true of SFOT) that was an insert shot of the parade from a CF legacy park that just got inserted to show off the float

tho it's cutting off a large section of CrackAxle at the lower left. . so the pic is missing Iron Rattler, Daredevil Dive, the Train, and Gully Washer.

yay, Texas gets to participate in this thread! I mean. .it's as much "snow" as we're gonna see. Six Flags Fiesta Texas posted this to their socials:

yup, we got some snow here in Texas. SFFT just posted this on their socials - giving credit to the shops at La Cantera credit for the pic

Day 6: Drayton Manor it was pretty overcast, and a bit chilly, and there was a chance of drizzle in the forecast. But everyone was still excited to continue on the trip and to check out Drayton Manor - even tho we had been told that most of the big thrill rides had been taken out over the years and they had targeted more towards families, with a large Thomas Town section, and lots of family rides. so after eating breakfast and checking out of our 1 night hotel, we climbed onto the bus, and after a shortish drive, we pulled up to the signs for the next park on the itinerary. it really looks like it's in the middle of a nice neighborhood. . . LOL. .you just come upon the sign noting it's there. this is apparently the "new" entrance, which feeds you into the Viking section of the park - which is apparently also fairly new. not super packed prior to opening, but a few dozen folks out and about on this day (I believe it was a weekday, and with the forecast, it surprised me to see as many people there as there were - even tho it wasn't that many) I don't recall us having any kind of early admission or fast passes for this park (not that we'd have needed them), so most of the group followed Robb/Elissa's lead, and headed to the newest coaster in the park - a Vekoma family boomerang, called Accellerator - to get that out of the way as it was probably the lowest capacity coaster in the park. (of course, I had to stop and snap pictures along the way) the theming and LOOK of Accelerator are really well done, even if the ride is really not too exciting. the indoors queue is kinda cool too Noted! happy, and a little chilly, TPR folks mixed in with GP I see Jack and Jackie, and Andrew and April on this train. and further back, Nick, Doug, Hawk, David, John, Chris, and Ryan and here's Andrew, Stacy, me, Nick, Doug, Brad, Jere, and Eric (and his son) I think this pic is thanks to Elissa? Hi Dad, I'm in Jail! this wasn't quite ready to open, so we'd have to come back in a bit. . . it was a walk thru haunt experience, tho I can't recall if there was an actual "ride" or if it was just a guided tour kind of thing. next door, this indoor shooter was open tho. so we took a spin on this. That's Larry & his Niece there. this wasn't open today, tho I do love these kinds of rides. . . . so snapped a couple of pics we missed this one by only a few weeks - this is the park's new for 2024 coaster, that is called Gold Rush. it's an Intamin tire launch family coaster with multiple switch track. they had it mostly ready to go, and a lot of the theming was in place. but it hadn't started testing yet, and they hadn't yet announced the name yet when we were there. so the big walls were still up around it. heading back into the main park.. you can see how non-busy it really was today. tho to be fair, it seemed a lot of the folks who were here, were in Thomas Land . . which is where we were gonna head next. Troublesome Trucks is a Gerstlauer Junior coaster (with a creepy ass face on it) over in Thomas Land. I mean. . LOOK at that face on the front of the train. LOL. . .but it was a fun coaster and actually had some speed and pops of air. what I found most interesting is how the queue for the coaster runs right along side the back of the Thomas the Tank Engine Train ride. so you get a really great view of how the engine detaches from the front of the train when it returns to the station, spins around, then comes back around and attaches to the back of the train, making that the front. so they don't need a big "turn around" track for the whole train. and yes, the Thomas Engine has creepy ass eyes that move around as it chugs along. almost our turn on the coaster tho. I do think this one might have been the longest line of the day for us at this park. but I think most of the TPR folks did ride it. is this something to do with Harry Potter? Hand to G-d, I swear this man introduced himself to me as Mister Top or Bottom. I thought it was hysterical and posted about it. i was corrected by several friends online who told me that his name is Mr. Toppan Hat. but he used to be called something more offensive. and sure enough, when I went to upload this trip report? I actually DO have a picture of a statue of him that says Sir Toppan Hatt. I think "Mister Top or Bottom" is way more amusing of a name tho nothing else in Thomas Land was anything else I was interested in, so I wandered out to check out the remaining areas of the park. we had passed this cute Carousel so did I stop and ride it now? You Betcha! a Map of the park - the entrance we came in is at the top over the lake. you can tell it's not a HUGE park, and a big chunk of it is dedicated to the Zoo and Thomas Land (basically everything on the left). despite the low crowds, they did have a show running, with a few participating Mr Sequins there did try to get me to participate, so I shook my butt for a few moments to make him happy and then we went back to the Haunting. I say again, I REALLY don't remember much about this experience. . I *think* it was mostly acting and set pieces they walked us by. but the theming was well done in the queue area. it was getting ready to rain, and a light drizzle had started - so we headed over to the only other coaster that was open today (the "thrill" coaster, the Wave, hadn't opened yet today). Jormungandr is Zamperla powered coaster. and from it's queue line location, we were able to get some more looks at the new coaster that hadn't opened yet. So that was an extra benefit for riding on this - and we bumped into a bunch of TPR folks while in this queue, so it was a mini-TPR-takeover ohhhh. . a pony express ride next door? yes please! some different views of the new Gold Rush coaster Happy TPR riders! the pony express type ride next to it was called Sleipnir. . and Adults were allowed to ride (yay!) close enough to a Carousel horse that these always excite me and I try to ride them if they allow adults. in the Viking section, the park also has a Nebulaz. I didn't even attempt to ride, as I know the seats are very snug. . and this one seemed to be taking forever to load/unload. it's looks great in this section tho with that design Stacey wanted to ride the Disk-O (a ride type I generally don't care for) so I sat and waited for her - which was a good call, as the chilly rain started during her ride. can you spot her all bundled up and freezing her butt off ? at least she enjoyed herself. meanwhile, I found a nice throne to wait on. I love me a good throne. while waiting for the Disk-O to finish, an announcement came out via the group messenger that the Wave had opened. the Wave was at one point (up till 2023) called "Shockwave" and was the only Intamin Stand up coaster with a zero G roll. in 2024, they swapped out the stand up trains for sit down trains, and renamed the coaster "the Wave" it's still pretty intense, at least to me, and so was a 1 and done. but it's the big thrill ride in the the park. there's a nice flume/chute the chutes ride too, but it was already pretty moist so I didn't go on that. Those that rode it said it was fun tho. it offers a nice photo op. oh, and a backwards big drop. Besides the Thomas train ride, there's also another train here at the park, that brings you around the perimeter. Stacey and I took a ride on that. it really is a lovely park in places. it's odd to have so much unused space in the middle of the park tho. Wonder if they sometimes have paddle boats out here? the big loop on "the wave" there's also a pretty moist Rapids ride here at Drayton Manor and an Air Race. . . for those looking for the more "adult rides" it was getting close to time for the bus (we didn't spend more than 5 hours here, if I recall correctly), so it was time to get some shopping done, and I wanted to check out some of the zoo. but first? another photo op. No idea who this character is. . but he's a Daddy, so needed a pic with him. it's a fairly large zoo, but I didn't want to chance getting stuck way near the back and then having to run to the bus. So I just checked out a few animals towards the front of the Zoo. a few birds and some monkeys and whatever these are. . . otters? merkats? and with that it was time to meet back at the bus. . we still had a bit of a drive ahead of us. we were off to yet another bucketlist park for me. . . a multi day stay (on property!) at Alton Towers. to be continued. . .

that pasta place was amaze-balls. . I think most everyone tried it once y'all posted that pic and how good it looked! as for Skyloop. nope. . total terror, never again. (you can even see the terror in my face in that pic, tho you certainly look like you're enjoying it!). great pics

great pics. . . and so happy to see the castles I didn't have time to visit (so a trip back must happen). looking forwards to following along with you! (and will die of embarrassment when you catch up to mine and pass me. . I'm so damn slow). LOL

Day 3 - Night-time back at Oktoberfest Faire - with a lot of time spent in the "Old Oktoberfest Museum" area after a break for foot resting, and a shower, some of us met down in the lobby to head back to Oktoberfest for some Sunday evening fun. i was determined that I wanted to go to the section I had seen the prior days - a sectioned off area, that SEEMED to be an Oktoberfest museum of some type - or "old Oktoberfest". It cost 4 Euro to enter that area, but it seemed large, with a covered bandstand, a beer tent, and a large outdoors section. looking it up online, showed that my assumptions above were pretty spot on, so I really wanted to do that, and a group of folks who were also interested joined me on this quest tonight. since it was way in the back (behind the ferris wheel) on the main "street". . we once again came thru the main gate. not nearly as busy as it had been, since we were here on a Sunday night now. but still not empty. and it was cold - so had put on a few layers. this is where we'd be tomorrow, as we had reserved tables in the Lowenbrau tent. (and yes, the lion is animatronic, and takes drinks of beer ) Andrew giving "Andrew face". . . LOL . . . standing at the entrance to the "Old Oktoberfest" area (I'm just calling it that. . no idea if that's what it's officially called). Looking back towards the main entrance - we're seeing the back side of the Ferris wheel. Tickets bought, we enter into this section (again, it's only 4 Euro. . .but turned out it was WAY worth it. not only was it much less crowded back here, but once in this sectioned off area? all rides (fair classics) were only 1.50 . . .a hell of a deal, and they were running great cycles). right away, I knew I was gonna love this place, just from the outside display of old tractors/carts. scattered food stands around too.. not much business tho, as there turned out to be food available with sit down service inside the main building (with music and a bit warmer, so most did that). the entrance into the main building in this area. . .where the Museum portion is, the food service, the bandstand. . and a classic, CLASSIC carousel. I was in heaven. from in front of the Carousel, getting a layout of this building. on the left is the bandstand, in the middle is the restaurant, straight ahead is an enclosed area where one could rent and ride old bikes in the ring. on the other side of the carousel is a large section with old props from classic attractions at the faire - and there was history all along the outside walls. Some went to get beer and grab a sit down right away. . my ass was going directly to the Carousel. but there wasn't anyone in the operating booth at the moment, so I went around the back of it to take a look at the classic props. many of them from old "Ghost Train" attractions. sexy! I wish I could read German. . . but I was able to get the gist of most of the signs. by the time I got back around to the Carousel, the guy was in the booth, and sold me a ticket. and then ran if just for me I rode a horse. then got off, bought another ticket and rode again, this time in a carriage - which did actually rock! (I was afraid to rock the horse, as the carousel is so old, and i"m not exactly "light" happy as hell on a classic carousel. . . after my two rides, I joined the rest of the gang I was hanging with, at the table, and ordered beer and food along with them. Pic courtesy of the waiter when he came back to take food order. Lunch had been big, and I wanted to snack in the fair as well.. .so wasn't too hungry. they also were out of several things on the large menu (hadn't restocked for the coming week yet, and it was on Sunday evening, remember), but of what was avail. everything was good. the band was quite loud in the enclosed space, but they were good. and it was a lot of fun. I think we hung out in here for a good hour plus, and I posted to the group about the food and atmosphere available back here in this section in case anyone wanted to check it out on a fairly quiet night. after eating, I took a walk around the front part of the building to check out some of the displays - while the others had another beer. the sign by the Bicycle rink. these were a big draw back in the day! the history of the Oktoberfest posters. many of them were available for purchase (but I have neither the wall space, nor the $$ to get em). Some were great tho, and I got magnet versions. classic ride vehicles. hey. .some more TPR folks came out to this section. hiya Christopher, Erik and Chuck! enough time hanging out in the main building, we ventured outside to check out what else was on offer. this is the back of the Beer tent. . which according to the information I could read, was supposed to be full of folks in traditional Oktoberfest garb, and music/atmosphere. as we had just experienced basically that in the main building, we walked around this one rather than go thru, to see the lined avenue back here. (don't think we really missed much, as they seemed to be shutting it down due to lack of big crowd on Sunday night, and if folks wanted beer they could get it in the main building). several smaller flat rides were out here lining the avenue. classic older rides. and carnival type games and attractions. this made me giggle so hard. . I think it's the look on the dummy's faces. another classic carousel. . tho this one seemed to be a kiddie, so didn't even try. it was lovely tho. . . I adore that "Elephant" can get an old timey photo too. all done with cardboard cut outs. not creepy at ALL. ok. . now THIS is what I'm talking about. a Calypso.. running a fantastic and long cycle. for 1.50. many of us got a ride. even had that cheesy 70's artwork that has nothing to do with the ride (other than the name is kinda tropical) really is a beautiful ride tho: this cabinet of classic prizes was just for display. . which is a shame, as I would have tried to knock over those stupid cans to try to win some of these. these looked to be hitting HARD. not sure if Knoebels level, but probably pretty close! this Waltzer had the biggest crowd, and after watching for a bit, we saw why. they sold tickets and you had to hover around and hope that a car stopped near you, and the folks riding got out (some bought multiple tickets and stayed put). .and then it was a mad dash to get your ass into an empty seat. the music was BLASTING loud, classics - we rode to Hot Chocolate "Every one's a Winner" plus another song. . and the annoyance on the operators face when the fair came on the loudspeakers to make an announcement was hysterical. the operator, was speeding up and slowing down based on a hand crank. . that he would crank based on the riders reactions. Oh, all while chugging beers. it was so freaking awesome. .and just might be my best memory of the whole trip. (if not, it's really really close) in fact, I just pulled up Hot Chocolate on Youtube while typing this up, and it brought me RIGHT back to this ride. awesome. just for show, as noted they were blasting 70's classics thru the speakers inside the ride. straight back, you can see the operator by his crank (long coat and hat) . . watching the crowd. after hanging out back here for probably 2 hours total, we finally exited and made our way back into the fair proper. a last look back. . this area was so worth it to me. where should we go in the fair? why of course! and some snacks. . . but not these. I was worried they'd be the same consistency I hadn't cared for from the meal the other night. but . . c'mon. . balls! gotta take a pic hey, got a different face out of Andrew! and walking by my favorite place - the Carousel Bar - spotted a big TPR group on the Carousel. with room, so we joined them for some fun hangout time PROST!! a princess balloon in the center of the Carousel bar ceiling. . . going around and around for several pints. . . if I wasn't just loving being on the actual carousel? I totally would have gotten off it to grab this seat once the lady left. it looked a little awkward. . but c'mon.. you sit on the horse AT the table. . . that's so freaking awesome. ok. .enough drinking.. time to get a few more rides in. I think we headed to Alpen Bahn and Voodoo Jumper again. but no, wasn't drunk enough to want to pose like Marilyn (but I wish I had been.. that would have been such a great pic) getting to be late, and things were starting to shut down. . so we headed towards the exits going out the main gate tho, I noticed that the memorial I had seen yesterday lights up, and truly is worth a look at night. and then it was time to head back to the hotel. . . as it had been a long day, was slightly buzzed, and tomorrow was our BIG day at Oktoberfest - reservations in the tent, a meal, and all the fun and excitement.

Legoland Deutschland Miniland:

Day 3 - Daytime at Peppa Pig Park & Legoland Deutschland ! today was a two-fer sorta. . . we hopped on the bus early and headed out to Legoland Deutschland. . .but a bonus park had recently opened in the parking lot there - Peppa Pig Park! it's literally across the parking lot. after taking a quick pic of the main gates of Legoland, we headed across the lot to go to Peppa Pig Park, as that opened 1/2 hour earlier than Legoland. Having never seen or heard of Peppa Pig. . this was a WHOLE new experience for me. But was told that it's "cute" and they have a coaster credit (not really my thing to count, but why not?). I was amused by the murals on the side of the park walking over. the entrance to Peppa Pig Park is on the left. . as you can see, the Legoland entrance is back there behind it up on the hill. TPR group shot. . . we were excited to be there. no, really I was informed this was "Pig Daddy" (or Daddy Pig), so of COURSE I wanted a pic with him. the park, tho fairly small, was beautifully landscaped and looked brand new (probably because it is, as it opened in late May 2024). most "grass" surfaces were Astroturf, and they actually did cram in quite a bit into the space they had. including this Zamperla family coaster, which I believe was called Pig Daddy's ride (Papa Wutz´ Achterbahn) LOL. . .I got very amused reactions when I posted on facebook that I had ridden Pig Daddy in Germany from the coaster queue, I took a look around and snapped some pics. a covered show area / playground area a short Balloon ride, a single rail "horse" ride, tho what one rode was dinosaurs, a "fair" area with some games a large waterplay interactive area (was not on, as it was cold, and the park wasn't really open just yet, it opened as we queued up for the coaster) there was another area on the left back there, called the mud pits (or something like that). . I got the idea it was an area with small trampolines in the ground). but here's the Pig Daddy coaster, with some happy TPR riders. it actually has two "launches" - you can see the 2nd set of wheel launch in this pic. and had a nice little pop of air. oh, by no means anything much more than a junior (possibly a kiddie), but a fun one. whee! ADORABLE front car. as noted, it was chilly, so I had on my gold jacket. . LOL. . makes me easier to spot in pics, I guess. after getting the coaster rides, and some quick looking around (I wanted to ride the dinosaur ride, but was afraid to ask, as I feared it was not for adults), the group headed over the Legoland gates for the official park open. and posing for Robb's TPR pic. Not quite ready to open just yet, so we chatted and visited. Johnathan and I did, while Hans just stood and made a "Hans face" before too long, there were costumed characters and cast members doing a dance / presentation to open up the park for the day and we were off - but not before stopping to grab some quick pics before we left the area (while the rest of the group was scanning tickets to enter) we were headed to the back far corner of the park - straight for the newest ride: a B&M family Wing coaster called : "Maximus: flight of the Guardian" that opened in 2023 of course, as we powerwalked back over that way, I snapped pics as we went we passed right by (for now): Das Große LEGO Rennen - the park's Mack Wilde Maus along with assorted other rides. this is now the 3rd Legoland I've been to and while it's not the largest park, all of them seem to be pretty spread out and have a lot of walking. so certainly got my steps in. we're headed way back here. . to the newest "land" called, I believe "Mythica" but to get thru it, we have to go thru the Land of the Pharaohs section of the park. the shooting dark ride the entrance to Mythica is this giant Lego sculpture - one of several in the area and here's the newest coaster - strangely considered a "family" B&M Flyer - but it has two inversions. the Lego sculpture that welcomes you into the ride queue is impressive as hell. and they load both sides from one line, by sending some folks over this bridge to get to the other side of the tracks. the train is sorta adorable, sorta funky. it's weird to me they went so "lack of detail" for Maximus' head on the train. here's a train full of TPR riders. some of them are smiling. it's a VERY strange coaster. on paper? it's not a family coaster - it's a B&M wing with inversions. but it's also completely force-less. It's kinda hard to explain. . but it LOOKS like it's gonna be somewhat intense, and instead it does. . nothing. you feel the inversion of course, but it's nothing intense or "fun". let's put it this way. . I never made it back to this part of the park again during our visit to ride it again. I'm glad I got to ride it, but it wasn't anything I'd personally seek out. Especially since there are much better rides (in my opinion) in Legoland here. but I DID ride it. . whee? think these pics are courtesy of Andy or possibly Jack Crouse we were then cut loose for 5-6 hours in the park, and I ended up falling in with the group of guys my age and we spent most of the visit together. first we headed back thru land of the Pharaohs. so of course stopped to ride the dark shooter. I had permission from the ride ops, to take pictures on the ride. so I did. I find these more fun looking at the targets react, than shooting anyways at the exit was this Lego Alligator. ooo. . a skytower. that's right up my alley, and most of the folks I was hanging with wanted to go to, so we headed there next for an overview of the park. that's "FireDragon" - the classic Castle/Dragon Coaster that the Legoland parks have straight ahead coming out of the castle. and on the lower right - hidden in the trees - is Dragon Hunt, a smaller mine train type coaster. better angle to get a view of both coasters mentioned above. here's Maximus - the B&M flyer we had just ridden - and I believe that's the Legoland Hotel back there (as there was a hotel guest entrance in the Mythica area) lower right is one of TPRs favorite rides - the Lego Fire Academy. (where you can work up a sweat while beating other teams) after getting the lay of the land, we headed to the Dragon Hunt mine train as was seen from the observation tower, it's really right next to the dragon/castle coaster we'd been cut loose in the park, but we still kept bumping into other TPR groups roaming here's Chuck, Johnathan, Barry and Ryan on the ride while we were in queue. and this is a pic of us, taken by (I think) Chuck, as they were a row ahead of us in the ramps. I returned the favor a few moments later when saw another group of TPR folks behind us in the queue and they even took pics of us on ride. Since Chuck has a camera in the above pic, gonna assume this pic is courtesy of him and then right over to Feuerdrache (Fire Dragon) I just love these Halloween decorations they have up! no phones allowed on this ride. . so only got a queue pic. . . and a pic of the adorable train (tho I think all Legolands use the same train design) leaving Fire Dragon, the mascot was milling around outside. should I get a pic? damn right! I don't know what these rides are called - they're kinda like a caterpillar crossed with a Bayurn Kurve, and just go faster and faster, forwards and back - but I LOVE em. this one was built to look like Legos (of course). and had a Bear in the center it was walk on if we split up the group across the open seats - so we did. howdy Nick! Jon paying attention, Andrew just . . . being Andrew and mulling clouds and me and the bear! it was a very gay and happy Bear. . of course I wanted to ride. and it was a great ride too! Waving to the folks that don't like spinning rides, and waited for us. ah yes, they have "plane on a stick" here too I didn't ride this one, just snapped pics (but I've ridden these before) and then we headed over to Ice Pilot training. shockingly, it was not at all busy, and they weren't even using one side of the ride set up! another thing that surprised me, was the only prior version of this that I've ridden? the rider programs it and then hands it to the operator. this version, you just told the operator what level you wanted (think it was light, heavy, extreme) and he just pushed the button to start your cycle. it was still fun, and I loved it, but it was a short cycle. and then after that extreme ride? was time to pee. I do adore the way the toilet signs are in Germany. we decided to stop for lunch and we ended up in a place that does Totchos (tho they don't call it that. . just options to put stuff on top of potato crisps). I "Texaned" mine up a bit and asked for some changes so my chicken one got jalepenos and spicy jelly on it. and I treated myself to this strawberry tart with a graham cracker crust. sit on a bench with a punk? sure! after the food settled a bit we went for the Wild Mouse. . that was actually a lot of fun. whee! we headed back to the NinjaGo section. . so I could suck (once again) at that shooting ride they have. But also back here was this more adult "spinner" ride, that had buttons to control the flipping forwards or backwards as the ride rotates. I passed on the Splash battle, as was still a bit too cool to be wet - tho it was warming up. lovely park, and so spread out it never really felt too busy. was gonna pass on the flume, but it was recommended and was told not too wet (true) - so we took a spin on it. I can't recall if this Legoland has a flying theatre - I really don't think they did, as can't find a mention of it anywhere online. . . .so after I took a quick detour thru the "Police Station". . which in theory was supposed to be hunting clues, and catching criminals (never did figure that out) - but was so crowded, I just enjoyed the hall of mirrors and funhouse type stuff in there. I believe that Andrew did that with me. we then met up with some folks again for the only remaining ride I was interested in getting on before the time I had set aside for Miniland and shopping. the Jungle Expedition Safari. I just love these things at Legolands Hans & Andrew Nick crammed in together (there was a line, so we shared instead of taking a car each) such attention to detail! and next to the Safari, was a single rail Joust ride. this one was clearly noted "no adults". . . .which made me sad, but I still got a pic of it! to be continued in next post with pics of miniland in Legoland Deutschland

we just watched "Black Christmas" as well

yup. .they officially just announced it tho give Rattler credit too - they said they thought it was a renaming. here are more details from the park's official site: https://www.sixflags.com/fiestatexas/welcome-the-fearsome-chupacabra?fbclid=IwY2xjawHJWX9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHTKre58EwF4KH4Ii25QLE1DMMXygb0QGKuBLRPZnBpIlBokAtg1Qcrexzg_aem_DAUSHjIeXWDmxk9SUdP47Q including new ride logo: