bert425

Pic's from last Saturday's "Feliz Fiesta" event at the park. it was cold, it was drizzly, but still had an amazing time. . . forgot to take a pic coming in, so instead got one on the way out. the park looks amazing. and as noted, even with the day's conditions, we had a great time doing shows and looking at the lights (tho SOMEHOW, I never made it over to Santa!! - by the time I remembered, he was shut down for the night. oh well, have to go back ) hanging around at the front gates, greeting folks as they arrived? Park President Jeffery Siebert and a version of Abominable over in Spassburg. the new entrance sign for the DC Universe. it truly looks amazing, and it lights up at night! (Kid Flash is over there on the right, and I noticed a Dipping Dots stand has moved over slightly, to kinda block the entrance queue from sight a bit more. . . yeah the ride isn't operating at all. tho Jefferey DID tell us they are still looking at options, and hope to have some plan to get the ride up and going regularly again if they are able to). the new Cyborg Nebulaz looks almost ready to go! both trains are on the tracks, but this is just for looks at the moment, as the station is still in process of being built. But the tracks are complete for the Metropolis Transit Authority. Poison Ivy is also up and running. and it looked like Batgirl was close, but maybe not operating as they are still working on Penguin (who's tracks go underneath the Batgirl coaster) one of the rides that was operating on this really chilly/wet morning? Joker.. so we headed there first. and then over to eat something at Sangerfest Hall. and if you know me? not really a trip to SFFT without a stop to take a pic with Sweet Connie. after food, and looking at the show schedule, Jim and I decided to take in the Looney Tunes Christmas show (the Tin Soldiers were cancelled as the ground was too wet) I mean. . it's a show for kids, but was still adorable. and Taz in his nightgown (and with lots of fart jokes) had the children laughing, and us smiling. we didn't hang around after the show for the meet and greet, but amusingly, when we walked past the meet and greet area in Spassburg - two of the characters were out anyways. so we stopped on our way to ride Pirates (and meet up with friends) to get a photo with them (tho not in their Chistmas show bedclothes costumes) we met up with our friends in Rockville. . .but before meeting up, I noticed the group of Jingle Elves, and the Christmas Cookies bakery were hanging out under the Rockville High School overhang (to stay out of the drizzle). so we headed over there first to get some pics, as most of the Jingle Elves performers are regulars in SFFT shows, and I recognized a bunch of them. the Gingerbread Cookie man was a teeny bit creepy! and the Rudolf Cookie looked a bit angry. . LOL but after meeting up, we noticed we were right by Primos (and their Bar - which had the spiked Hot Chocolate options). so we grabbed a table and sat in there for a while drinking Spiked Hot Chocolate. LOL. . so much they actually ran out and took the sign down offering it (I asked the bartender what happened to the sign and she told me we drank them out of Hot Chocolate). expensive. . but do note, there are TRUE bartenders at Primos bar - and they free-pour. so the drinks are gooooood. it was almost time for dinner, and we had to meet at the picnic area. . so we headed that way. but noticed that poor Sylvester was by himself in the meet & greet with no one.. . so we popped in to grab a picture and make us all feel better. (and you can tell from the smiles, we were feeling the spiked hot chocolate) no pics from dinner. . . not sure why, as that's very unlike me. but from the picnic, we got to go backstage to get to the tree lighting in front of Rockville High. passing the Superman train #3 undergoing renovations. Poltergeist really does look so amazing at night - and from the backstage area. the Tree Lighting Ceremony at Rockville. that's Santa way up there on the roof and the power of Santa Magic (and noise from the crowd) and the tree lights up. (and it starts snowing on the streets of Rockville) oh. .and fireworks too. after the tree lighting (which was not as crowded as it typically is due to the smaller crowd today thanks to the weather) we headed inside Rockville for the Dickens show. it premiered a couple of years ago, and it's VERY good. . with a really great cast (who also are mostly the cast of the Majesty of Chistmas show). Love the Ghost of Christmas Future - he gives such Iron Maiden's "Eddie" vibes and then a group of friends wandered around taking pics - this one is from slightly earlier in the day, and is from my friend Russell. Jim and I stopped to get a pic in front of the "Singing Saps" show. and then we picked up Cinnamon Bread to take home for later. while Jim and Russell went out to the car to put it away, I took some pics in the main plaza while we waited for the Majesty of Christmas show doors to open. the park really does SUCH an amazing job at decorating for every event they do here. it really was only about this crowded today. . . sadly, it was too cold for many of the "big" rides. . .tho they did keep Iron Rattler, and Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger (as well as Boomerang) up and running all day for coasters. theater doors open for the "big" show. oh! Goliath (as it was still called last Saturday. . let's see what it's called after today) was running all day too. . tho not many takers on it. as noted, mostly the same cast of the Dickens show, but damn do they all have fantastic voices. and the show is so good. well worth seeing. with live animals too. and suspended Angels. the 3 Kings come down the center aisle. one of them on a Camel. it really is a highly recommended show. afterwards, the cast stayed on stage for us to take a group pic for the organizers of the Feliz Fiesta Event. (very cool to be on stage with the cast) and then we hopped on the train to go around the park while the train played Christmas Carols. ending up at Crackaxle for end of night rides on Iron Rattler, and Cliffhanger. and by the beautiful Crackaxle tree. and with that it was time to head home. I felt bad the park wasn't busier, but with the weather I get it. and huge kudos to the whole park - that was fully staffed up, even tho the crowd was light today. can't wait to go back in a couple of weeks.. the NYE fireworks show is 360 surrounding the park! and I have to tell Santa what I want

I'm talking about Dorothy specifically. . as to the others? they appear in Act II. . which is the next movie

I'm guessing it will be addressed. the film(s) are based on the musical, and those characters do not appear at all in the Musical. so yeah. . a creation for the movie (even tho some of them do appear in later BOOKs of the series). I'd guess it will be addressed.

yeah.. Jeffrey was super coy about it. . but said all will be revealed on Friday. however, based on his comments about Goliath not fitting into the area since it was brought over from Six Flags New Orleans, and that the repaint really helps it to fit in more? I'd put money on a Goliath rename. and based on the teaser? probably something along the lines of "Chupacabra" that wasn't the "big" news tho. . . in answer to a question about things coming in 2025. . he brought up how "the Doctor has decided to go into Pediatrics, and talked about the reduction in the height requirement that the park recently did - he then also mentioned that she's been pretty cranky lately and is cooking up something "special" as a nasty gift next year. nothing really to get excited about, but then he mentioned that it was the 1st "beyond vertical drop" on a dive coaster, and that the Doctor had called a meeting with Park Management and B&M early next year. so that perked up my ears. . . B&M is coming to the park to have a meeting about Cliffhanger? I STRONGLY suspect we might get a "hold" on the 2nd drop. . otherwise why bring in the Coaster Manufacturer? I can't imagine they are going to reprofile the drop. . . so the only thing that makes sense to me is a 2nd hold, since many dive coasters DO hold before the 2nd drop and Cliffhanger does not. it was a very cold day yesterday, and a bit drizzly, but we all had a wonderful time. and the shows are FANTASTIC once again, with almost the entire cast of Scrooge doing double duty and also performing in "Majesty of Christmas". . so the voices are there and really great.

will be there tomorrow. as it's timed to Friday the 13th? most likely something to do with Krampus. but I'm sure he'll tease it for us.

Day 5: Travel day, but with a stop at another surprise on this trip - Barry Island (a seaside resort town in Wales) - where we'd stop along the way to Drayton Manor. I thought the scenery in Wales was quite lovely, even if a bit industrial. so I snapped pics from the bus as we passed areas on the morning drive: as we got closer to the seaside town of Barry, there was some nice architecture that we passed too: and off in the distance? our destination for a "quick" stop (I think we were there about 4 hours?) on the drive - Barry Island. the Ferris Wheel was a giveaway, as was what they advertised as the tallest ride in the UK, AeroSpace (a Booster carnival ride) Barry Island is a seaside resort area, that reminded me a bit of Seaside Heights area, but without the boardwalk stalls. lots of homes in this area headed down to the beach. . tho not sure if folks live here year round, or rent them out for vacationers. pulling up into the "Amusement" area of Barry Island. this made me giggle, as it's giving off some "Amityville" vibes the area around here seemed very "touristy" and perhaps a bit "well loved". . but I was liking the atmosphere we had made good time, and the main Amusement area hadn't really opened yet (Robb & Elissa were meeting with the park owner at opening - he was quite the character, and was very excited that TPR was visiting his amusement park. so we passed a bunch of non-cycling (for the moment) rides. that tall one there is AeroSpace. pulling into the parking lot, the beach area is quite lovely - even tho it was a bit overcast, and maybe a little chilly for me. but I had a jacket and was ready to go! a bit windy, and as noted, a bit chilly. but ready to have some fun. bumped into Santa Biker on the path from the lot to the rides areas - as we decided to walk along the beach in search of a public restroom. Very nice guy, as was pretty much everyone I met today at Barry Island. and one of the 1st things I saw was a rainbow bench. I felt very welcome, in my big, gay, sunglasses (which I kept getting compliments on. . LOL. . I brought them on the trip as I didn't care if I lose them) a map of Barry Island, including the rides, and attractions. again, a bit run down / "well loved". . but I really did enjoy the atmosphere, and the design. there is another cluster of amusement rides at the far end of the beach area (near the public restroom) and this one actually was open early. so many on the trip flocked here first, to get the kiddie credit. personally, I don't tend to ride many kiddie things - I don't judge, but just cause it's a coaster doesn't mean I'm gonna ride it - so I took pics while others rode. Hi Albert! the ONLY reason I didn't hop into this chair, is because I was worried my fat ass wouldn't be able to get out of it creepy clown bouncy play area not quite the same as the Legoland fire academy we'd seen a couple of days prior. . . but I loved that it's called "Fire Blasta" Andrew, Stacy, Nick (I think David behind him) and Ryan enjoying the caterpillar coaster. one of several smaller carousels available to ride at Barry Island. the "fun bus" looks like a tight squeeze for fun. across the way looked like a casino? but it wasn't open yet, and we didn't' really have a lot of time to spend on things that weren't all that interesting to most of us. so we skipped it. the big park was about to open, so we headed in to meet up with the TPR group. on the main Carousel, one could ride in a carriage with the Queen! lots and lots of flat rides here. . mostly running decent cycles. it's a pretty good carnival set up. ohhhh. .a ghost train! featuring Boney M music??? sadly no, but still I enjoyed it when we rode it later. I just hummed "ra-ra-Rasputin, lover of the Russian Queen" in my head while we rode didn't "ride" this as was afraid of breaking it! but I did want a pic on it what IS it with scary clowns in European countries? still some remnants of Covid Protocols in place, tho no one was really following them at this point. it was time to head over to meet up in front of AeroSpace, and get our tokens to ride stuff. and TPR was gonna get rides on this "UK's tallest ride" here's the group with the owner of the Barry Island amusement area. I am NOT a fan of heights. . but I was willing to ride this. I ended up regretting it, as I hung on for dear life once I realized if the restraint releases while you're at the top, there's absolutely nothing that will keep you from falling out of that seat. I was terrified - worried something would release. and was also in pain - as this was the place on THIS trip where I got injured. Something I seem to do on every trip, cause I'm a klutz. But at least this wasn't my fault - on this ride, they had a very gung ho operator (a short little fireplug of a lady) who jumped up and slammed her full weight into the restraint to get it secure. It took the breath out of me the 1st time she did it as I wasn't expecting it. but then they had to undo the restraints to walk someone off who they deemed too large to ride (which is what created my fear of them undoing while at the top), and when she came back and closed my restraint the same way? I actually felt my rib snap when her full weight came down on it. luckily I always bring really good painkillers with me on trips, so was able to make thru the rest of the trip relatively ok. . tho it took almost 8 weeks to heal enough that I could sleep on that side. but I digress. . I rode it and it was fun. smiling. . but more of a grimace thru the pain in my ribs. it *was* fun. . .don't get me wrong. . but terrifying too. the pics are courtesy of Elissa and Andy, I believe. (Daniel is filming for Robb if you're wondering what's on his arm in some of the pics) after the rides, we were cut loose for a couple of hours to do what we wanted before meeting back up at the bus later. it was suggested we eat, but I really needed to pee by this point. . and over on this side of the park, the only restrooms were in the pubs (and for patrons only). so Stacy and I went to get a drink. . and met this lovely bar owner. she was so nice, and we had a good chat with her while sipping our cider & Lager. PROST! (no wait.. that's the other TPR Trip report I'm doing) SOMEBODY noticed that the dragon coaster over here had started running, and wanted to get a ride. so I hung out and took pictures while they got that credit. she wasn't the only one tho. . saw lots of TPR folks on it when I took pics of the ride before hers . this was about my speed for a ride at the moment. . . LOL actually saw someone puking after this. . so I guess that means good cycle? these bears were in front of the Cyclone - a Galaxi coaster. not sure why, but sure, I'll pose with bears! a mini Waltzer! it was so cute! this guy was running an insane cycle, with loud music and lots of smoke, so we headed over to it next. whee! I watched this Top Scan, and saw that TPR was gonna ride it and decided those restraints with my hurting rib was NOT a good idea. so I passed, and glad I did, as they gave the TPR folks a very long (something like 15 minute) nutso cycle. I still think Robb paid them off to run it like that for TPR another one more my speed at the moment - inside one of the arcades. not gonna lie, I was tempted! but passed up a chance to have a Princess Party. . . we happened upon the big Waltzer right as a bunch of TPR folks were also gonna ride. so we hopped on sharing a car with Andy. . and got an absolutely bonkers ride, with the ride ops coming up behind the cars - while the ride was in motion!!! - and pushing the cars into more intense spins. it was so amazingly great. see? hanging on and laughing the whole way. back to the Cyclone for Stacy's ride (sorry.. pics got out of order somehow) I, again, passed. This one isn't a kiddie, but I just wasn't in the mood to ride it. Ride Nelly the Elephant! and John Wayne's Horse! (made out of plastic) kiddie rides scattered all over the place here. . most of them quite odd. back to the carousel. . you not only could ride with the Queen, but you could also ride with Mr. Bean! and this guy. . who NO ONE knew who he was! not even the Carousel operator. I asked several people and no one had any idea who this guy was! he must be someone, as he's in good company (the Queen and Mr. Bean) two Queens after using up our tokens, and checking time, we decided to do some shopping and go eat something. I had snapped a pic of this as we passed from the bus, but now could get up close with the horse. and a very odd "Lady and the Tramp" kiddie ride in one of the stores. good idea.. I hadn't yet really had Fish and Chips in the UK. . and on the shore seemed to be a good place to try. it was so good, y'all. tho I found the smashed peas a bit. . . unpleasant and bland. but here's the place we went. the Fish was really great, so no wonder it's "famous" while eating, Stacy allowed me to use her shoulder to model the souvenir shirts I had gotten. turns out the show "Gavin and Stacey" was set here. . and we found a store selling merch. so of course I grabbed some (love that show) a quick stroll down the beach on the way back to the bus showed that as the clouds had cleared out, the beach had gotten a bit more crowded. it was still way too chilly for me to even consider going into the water, but here in Wales, I guess they are used to it? and then back onto the bus, and we continued on towards Drayton Manor. we were staying in a hotel nearby, and that was to be our full day park tomorrow. lovely. once checked in, we had a few hours before having to go to bed, so some headed off to check out the nearby castle ruins. Some went into town to check out the night life. and some of us went to the restaurant at the hotel to grab a snack. awww.. the moo-moo has a "tasty bottom" I wasn't all that hungry, as still was full from the Fish & Chips. . so I went with lemonade and a desert. I'd also yet to have "Sticky toffee pudding" since being in the UK, and thought I should try it. there were lots of ways to order it, but I asked for the most traditional. it wasn't bad. . although my stomach did not quite agree with it, and I ended up with a rough night of sleep. (but that also could be due to the pain meds I was taking by this point for my ribs). before going back into the room, wandered out into the parking lot to snap a pic of the castle ruins nearby: poison ivy? I dunno. . but the thorns (and gnats in the area) kept me from wandering over to check it out in person, so instead I went back to the room for a nice long, hot shower. tomorrow? Drayton Manor.

doesn't this indicate they are making over the entire Animation Courtyard into MonstersLand?

while I'm sad MuppetVision 3D is going away, I'm very optimistic about the Muppets having a coaster! and Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem are really a rather good fit for that theming, I think! I know everyone loves Animal but my favorite Muppet has always been Janice, so I'm thrilled to see her on the same level as Ms Piggy and Kermit in the art.

it was not shut down after that "derailment" . . it operated a few times after. but has been sitting dead and dark for at least 3 months at this point. they don't even run the lights any longer and the trains are not on the coaster. read back up a bunch of posts and you'll see that odds are it's not gonna be in the park much longer is my guess.

Day 2 (1st official day of trip) - night-time at Oktoberfest Fair a quick stop at the hotel to relax and take off my shoes, and then a group of us on the trip met down in the lobby around 5:30 to head over to the fair. it had started to get colder, but I thought I'd be ok - something I really regretted by the time I got to the fair gates. so first stop was to buy a T-shirt that I put on over the shirt I had been wearing. this was Saturday evening, and Elissa had warned us that it would be the most crowded we'd see at the fair. and yes, she was correct! this time we went in thru the main entrance, and went all the way to the back down the main corridor: lot of people headed out. . but TONS more coming in as night fell, and the weather report cleared up the giant buildings are the big Beer Tents that line the main corridor. Each one brews a special beer just for Oktoberfest sales. this corn freaky thing is apparently a famous sight at Oktoberfest. not gonna lie, the corn smelled fantastic but he (it?) freaked me the hell out. the Enterprise was running a good cycle with a great lighting pkg. but of course, we headed over direct to Olympia Looping. . which had many trains operating at once tonight. this was the crappy Ghost Train. . . tho the outside was pretty dang tempting. the group I headed out to the fair with. . and a couple of photo bombers for dinner we found one of the many wurst stands that looked (and smelled) amazing. but this one had an area off to the side where one could stand relatively uncrowded and eat. so this won out. I have no idea what I ordered, I just pointed to one and said "that one" it was good, and at least had a normal size bun, even if it was a HUGE sausage. (and a nice view of the shirt I bought to help stay warm, and made a fantastic souvenir) the clouds really helped the lights reflect. . it was so lovely tonight. . tho very very busy peeking into one of the beer tents thru a window, as we walked down one of the many alleys to a restroom. all of them have live music too. we ended up at one of the oldest rides in the Oktoberfest Fair - Hexen Schaukel - which is a classic Madhouse, the type you would have gone to in the early 1900s. I loved the design of the tickets: but what really sold me was the gesturing finger (in the center of the pic) that drew customers in with a "come hither" movement. lots of signs up about the history of the attraction, but all were in German (of course) wonderful design work on the outside, tho the inside of the Haunted Swing only sat about 12 people, and the "room" that rotated around us was more like a giant paper bag. The artwork was charming tho - done as if by a child. . so it really did come across as a ride that had come thru time to appear at the fair. This attraction also had my favorite moment of this night at the fair: when they closed the door to start the ride, there were 4 of us from TPR, two girls, and across from us, these two guys in Lederhosen. the moment the lights went out, the guys started shaking out powder onto their hand and snorting it. they made a big production, offering to everyone on the ride - the girls strongly (but firmly and politely) declined, and all of us said no too. . even muttering - I'm not snorting some random stuff off some stranger's hand in Germany. But the guys thought it was hysterical. . and were laughing and giggling. when the lights came on at ride end, the offered me again, and I again said "no thank you". .but asked if I could take a picture of them. which resulted in one of my favorite pictures that I took: we kinda shook our heads, and laughed at the picture and then made our way over to Alpina Bahn for rides. this is a picture Erik took from the Ferris wheel, just of the main corridor of the fair. gives you an idea of just how crowded the place was around 9pm! there were so many amazing smells from the booths, so several of us decided to try Chimney Cakes. . that were rather unique looking. they make them fresh by putting the raw dough onto the spokes, then baking them and deep frying in oil, before dipping in toppings. served warm, the Cinnamon I think was the best (and we were told most popular), but I personally also tried the Raspberry sugar rolled, and that one was excellent too. about the consistency of a funnel cake, but tasted more like a sweet bread. headed over to the biggest of the Ghost Trains, and the one I liked the best - even loved the cars on this one. and then back to Olympia Looping for another ride right next to it (on the left) is the Carousel Bar. . which was much more crowded than the night before. But we spotted Hans in there, so headed in to join them for a drink. no luck getting on the Carousel tho ... it was pretty packed. so we hung out in a spot near the mug return, at the front of the bar entrance PROST!!! while chatting, Ryan and I made some new friends. we told them about the guys in the Hexen Madhouse and they laughed and showed us what they guys had been snorting. it's a Cinnamon & Sugar mix that gets sold exclusively at fairs (can't recall if they said it was only Oktoberfest or fairs in general in Germany). they said "it burns but gives you a boost of energy". . which made me laugh, as that could be a description for a different white powder one snorts. when they showed us the bottle, it matched what the guys on Hexen had. . . . so at least I was relieved it was nothing illegal. I still didn't want any tho. didn't stop them from posting for a pic for me, with a rolled up Euro tho. . . .LOL (and yes, I asked Ryan if he had an issue with me including this in the Trip report) best thing about our spot at the Carousel Bar? able to get some really nice pics of Olympia Looping from where we were standing. the mouse was still racing. . . and we HAD to go back, as Andrew and I had to ride the left side whee! and of course there was a kiddie coaster at the Oktoberfest I didn't want to ride it, but was able to document it for those who did. look at these proud faces and we then bumped into a very happy Jonathan! who hung with us for the next hour or so until we all headed back to the hotel. not sure where we are here, but I THINK it's the bar across from the Toboggan (the Garden bar?) wandering towards the main entrance / exit. . . we stumbled across what became my favorite flat at the fair: Voodoo Jumper. fire effects, long ass cycle, and just a ton of fun! Even Barry who doesn't like spinning rides, rode it twice the next night with us. So good. . I don't' video, but I'm sure someone recorded a cycle and posted online. of course we were gonna stop and ride it! whee! most of this fog here? is coming from a Bumper Cars ! Seriously, they loaded so much fog into that, it was like a 70s disco. and after convincing some that it was time to head back to the hotel, as we had another full day tomorrow. . . we did stop and watch the Tagada for a bit. people kept staring at me, and someone said they thought it was because with my shiny jacket, and standing next to Jon, I looked like a famous person with his bodyguard (ha!!!).. so they were trying to work out who I was. loved this Church just outside the main gates of the festival. and then it was a short walk back to the hotel. . where I promptly crashed. tomorrow was another full day!

Day 2 (1st official day of trip) - daytime at Skyline Park I'd never even heard of this park - which is not surprising, as I'd never been to Munich before. this is a very, very large park. Super spread out, with a LOT of walking between attractions. And while it does have a lot of attractions, the space could hold at least 4 times as many. the park reminded me very much of Marineland in Canada, with how much space there is between things, and open areas. and also important to mention, while there are a bunch of very unique attractions? they are mostly extremely low capacity rides (the Skycoaster only ran one car - so two riders per cycle. Same with the Slingshot - tho this one was included in park entry, so no upcharge. and the Skyrider gyro-suspended only had two operating trains, so total capacity of 8). luckily, we were there on a very overcast day where rain was forecast, and there were not a lot of folks in the park (and we had ERT on two of the lowest capacity rides). so for the most part, the capacity issues did not affect us. I do really like how they incorporate some old coaster track into the entrance. . . but I don't think this is from any coasters they have removed in the past (they used to have a Schwarzkopf wildcat, a Schwarzkopf katapult, and a couple of self operating "butterfly" coasters, but those are all gone. . . some of the pads are still visible where it looks like something used to be - and apparently the Wildcat left in 2022 as the most recent removal. photo ops everywhere. . . but we were headed deep into the park for our ERT, so just snapped this one as passing by. a petting zoo, I believe. . and I think this mountain of candy is over a candy shoppe - tho not sure as there was a candy shop really near to this too. slide complex short water obstacle course among the lilly ponds you can probably see why it reminded me so much of Marineland. . . big areas of greenery. . and then suddenly a ride. such as this suspended Carousel. there were installations (similar to this one) all over the park too. . . I think perhaps they are used to disguise mechanical/electrical boxes? and a giant Ferris Wheel (which I didn't see operating this day. . but as noted, it started off nice, but got very overcast as the day went, and I believe we only stayed until 3pm) paddle boats in a lake. . and some more rides way off in the distance. as we kept walking. . yeah. . BIG park, landwise, it seemed. the Slingshot had a Spiderman statue watching over it. not really sure why, but Spidey had a big ol ba-donk-a-donk. (so of course I took a pic) Sky Spin, the park's Maurer Spinning coaster - and at 4 people per car, and running 3 cars? the highest capacity coaster in the park. that's a starflyer tower there. . and what I had thought was a construction truck was actually a firetruck. and was theming for the Splash Battle boat ride (also not operating today) from the other side , you can see the splash battle boats. and coming into view was the ride I was terrified of - the Mauer Skyloop. I did NOT ride it in Helsinki, but I had promised I'd get on this one. . . luckily we weren't headed to this first thing. passing under the Splash Battle theming. . . I'm only guessing, but I'd assume the fireman on the lift sprays the folks walking by when the ride is operating. as well as the "big", permanent rides, this park also has some "traveling carnival" type rides, in some area. this was a funhouse. I BELIEVE that's a Frisbee (but I don't recall ever getting close enough to it to see), and the one behind it is a "spinning crane" type ride (capacity 8 per cycle) similar to the Catwoman ride at SFStL. you can also see a peek of the blue flume from the spinning rafts ride, and the only pic I have of the newest powered coaster, just to the right of the crane ride speaking of traveling carnival rides? this is a traveling Flume ride. Elissa told us that last year, the park had brought this to the Oktoberfest Fair. eventually we made it back over to what we had ERT on this morning: Sky Dragster. This is a Maurer Dragster coaster - and I believe we were told this is the prototype for the one they added to the Carnival Cruise ship. there were warnings that "if you don't win, you get wet" as there's a button to control a spray at the finish line. But for that there needs to be more than one car in operation, I suppose. .and as you control the speed with the handles in the front seat, I'm not really sure how that would work anyways. it was a fun ride, but not something I felt the need to back and ride again later after our ride on it in the morning. But really cool that we were able to get in the lowest capacity ride in the park before it opened to the public. Yet another reason to love TPR! and hey, look! not only did I get a pic of Hanno (and William in the front seat), but smiling too. Andrew and I rode together. . . whee! (thanks Elissa for this pic) and I believe these are from Andy. and then we headed over to the other morning ERT ride. . the one I had been dreading: yup. .this thing. . a Maurer Skyloop it's similar to the launched looping coasters, but this one slowly goes up the vertical lift via chain, and does not release until well after you are hanging upside down (with only a lap bar restraint). I am not a fan of heights, and terrified of looking down with nothing underneath me (which is why I can have no problems riding a tall coaster, or doing the tower free fall I did in Denmark (I was on my back facing upwards when we fell). yeah. .I was NOT ready. . but I had promised myself I'd ride, so I nervously got in line. I don't' look excited on this train full of TPR folks. (and thanks to Christopher for the pic) and yeah. . I hated - I mean HATED it. . . . I got off the thing shaking for a good 5-10 minutes, and I had gripped the lap bar so tightly I broke some blood vessels in my fingers. oh, and as a nice "fuck you" from the ride? it overshot the station after the two loops, so they had to send it for a 3rd time. Some were jealous that we got the rare 3 loop cycle. . I was gritting my teeth and muttering "get me out get me out get me out" yeah. .hated. done it once, and good for me. never, EVER again. at this point in the pic? it's still on the chain lift. huh. . I lied, I did get another pic of the new coaster. . well, the sign at least. I think I called it a powered coaster, but RCDB says it's a "Family Launch" coaster. I just know that I kept reading that as "Big and Tall" Hans told me that translates to "Hills and Valleys" a nice, family coaster. the spinning raft ride, had some effects that would get one a little moist. . we didn't get too wet when we rode it a bit later in the day. but you can see from the sky it was starting to get very overcast quickly. I was still pretty shaken from the skyloop, so chose to sit out the next coaster, "Kids Spin" - an SBF Spinning coaster. So I did "bench: the ride" while others got on it. it gave me a perfect view/picture opportunity of the train as it passed by. well. . more of a tram that's designed like a train. but I loved the park had it, and it made several stops thruout the park. We rode it later on to get back to the front gate. Rawrrrrrr this is the parks defined "kiddie coaster" - called "Flotter Otto" it's an SBF double helix mine train. not sure who took this, perhaps Christopher? but he sent out a video too GRFZ8400.MOV a beautiful Condor (called "Sky Twister" here) either relatively new, or they just take excellent care of it. as it looked pristine. the places where the park does do theming are quite well done (such as the firetruck splash battle) and this short drop tower, that was themed to farm area after a tornado. the tower itself is themed to a windmill and I get the idea - from the reaction of the operator when the ride just sat at the top for a few moments, then slowly lowered - that this is the type of tower that Tripsdrill and BonBon Land have. where it's supposed to tilt forward like it's collapsing, before dropping. (it certainly looked like the tilt mechanism was there). but it didn't work on the cycle prior to our ride, and then it seemed as if the operator shut it down and went into the maintenance shed to try and figure out what was up. we gave it 5-10 minutes then decided it probably wasn't a good idea to get stuck up on a ride if it was about to pour, and moved on without waiting for it to come back up instead we headed over to: "Sky Rider" a Gyro Flyer (I think it's a Vekoma?). it seemed a bit bumpy, and had a line as they only had two trains operating. . but we discovered from talking to other adults in our group who had ridden that it seemed the heavier the train was, the smoother the ride. we still didn't get a bunch of spinning - tho we got some - but it was a nice ride. and another rare credit to get. these pics might be courtesy of Jere and then we headed over to the final coaster we'd yet to go on today: "Sky Spin" - the Maurer spinner. it was a ride. and it was really rough - I think the roughest coaster here. but at least we knocked out all the coasters before the sky opened up and it started to pour. it was starting to mist, so we figured we'd head over to something indoors, just in case, and ended up at the park's Ghost Train: it has some really nice design work and theming, and I really did love the look of it. and while it does have an outdoor section, there was really no line, so we figured we'd get right on. this big sign is at the loading platform. . and we said to the guy manning the console: we're 4 adults, should we split up and do 2 & 2 ? and he insisted that no, we should all ride together, so we got in, and the ride didnt' seem to like that much LOL. .in fact, we got stuck on the lift hill. For probably a good 10 minutes. the lights came on. .and Jon and I did our best to not burst out in hysterical laughter as two men came up behind us and tried to push the car forward - to shove the car back into the chain to continue us up the lift (the only thing moving was the back seat and Jon and I just kept looking at each other). eventually the lights went off. . and we didn't move. then they came back on again. . the guys again came up and tried to push us. . . .. and then evacced us from the train back to the main entrance. yup. . we got evacced from a GHOST train we stood at the front as we watched on the monitors as the guys pushed the empty car we were in thru the course, and then moved it off the tracks. then sent the next car as if nothing had happened (hey guys!). and then? he put all four of us back into the next car to try again. there were cheers when we made it up the lift hill. the eyes and head move on the main skull. there WAS an actual storyline in the ghost train. . but heck if I can recall what it was. I do remember it had something to do with an expedition to the lost continent. . which puts the stuff outside into perspective. another look at my hated nemesis. . from a side angle as we passed by (deciding it was time to eat something) we ended up in this great restaurant that had some really good currywurst. and the sky just opened up and it POURED for a bit while we were in here, so it filled up as folks rushed to get out of the rain. the park did have a small, self operated, carousel. but there were too many children playing on it for me to bother, and honestly? I found it a tad bit "problematic" the rain stopped, so we rode the train, and continued wandering until it was time to head out. Stopping to watch the Slingshot operate and luckily Robb had told everyone not to miss "Zero Gravity" . . .which I must say, was possibly my favorite ride in the park. it's a SUPER intense Rotor ride. . .with heavy theming, and a funhouse like queue. It really felt like it was liquefying my insides, and I loved every moment of it. the pre-show room. . .but had to put camera away so no pics of the actual ride, that looks like a giant green blender. it reminded me of Riddler's hat from Batman and Robin. I didn't ride the small carousel, but of course I made sure and rode this one. Love these, and wish there were more / any of them in the States. taking a break in the pizza place near the front gate, I found a throne. and if you know me? I'll always take a throne pic. everything was moist, but at least the rain had stopped. this was a kiddie driving area but right next to the bigger oval track for the adults. and then it was time to head back to the bus and back to the hotel to enjoy the rest of the afternoon/evening as we so chose. pic by Robb getting back onto the bus, Shane and I posed for a pic too. and with that we headed back to the hotel to get ready for this evening. . .I was planning on going to the fair with a group.

the wording is interesting. . .I'm wondering/guessing that the Kingda Ka tower will remain, and become part of the multi launch new coaster.. . thereby keeping the Zumanjaro Drop Ride intact - as that's not mentioned anywhere as leaving, correct?

Day 4: a visit to Oakwood. . . home of some interesting rides, areas, and the classic: Megafobia! on the bus early, and headed to the home of a classic coaster (and some other rides), I had only read about in books. it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by greenery & hills. . . but also a huge housing/apartment complex building up behind the far side. It was hard to tell exactly how "big" the park is from the lot, but it seemed to stretch on for quite a bit. . . and they DO have an awful lot of space to expand if they so choose to. . tho not sure the location means they ever get HUGE crowds. (we were there on a day where there were several school groups, but it never really felt too crowded) a pic of the park map. . . it looks like there is a lot to do, and there are a ton of things if you're interested in a "THEME Park" rather than a "thrill park". . as there are only a handful of "thrill" rides. but I quite enjoyed the day here, even with a couple of the rides not operating. the map also makes it look way more compact than it is. . .the park is pretty spread out, so did a LOT of walking. the first thing you see when entering the park from the parking lot is the looming "Drenched" (aka: Hydro) - which is known really for two things - it being the last "Mega Splash" model from Intamin still operating, and from an accident where someone fell out on the drop ~20 years ago. sadly this was not open today. . although it did look like Maintenance was working on it. And as we were heading out, the water was flowing in the flume (it had not been when we came in and I snapped this pic). . so it probably did open shortly after our visit. oh well.. . a reason to go back (as if Megafobia isn't enough reason ) there is a train that can bring folks from the parking lot to the main entrance, but as we were there before park open for some ERT, it wasn't operating when we passed it. I'm not sure if it ever did operate, but I didn't ride it if it did. Vertigo (a Skycoaster) looms over the front entrance. . . and many in the TPR group did ride it - including Robb who got Jack Crouse to finally ride with him for his 1st Skycoaster experience. walking thru the park to get to Speed, you can get a sense just how big (and hilly) it is here. this whole area is a kids/family area called "Neverland". . .it's JUST Peter-Pan-y enough to get the idea across, while not *reaaaaaly* violating any copyrights from other companies, I'd say. there are at least 6-7 rides back here, but only a couple are true "kiddie only" rides. the entrance gate to this section. across the great lawn, I get my first glimpse of Megafobia thru the trees a water slide, that several folks on this trip rode - you ride on a little "tray" - and most of them got wet. that's Speed - where we're headed - in the back on the left over there. also further down hill is Bounce (a shot/drop combo tower), a complex of slides, a swinging ship (which I don't think was open today), and a lake with paddleboats. here's where we were headed first: it's a Gerstlauer Euro Fighter, and I believe was the 1st one in Europe? yeah. . I'm not a big fan of Eurofighters, but I did ride it at least once. and then went and took pictures. from the station (Pic courtesy of Elissa I believe). . thumbs up before we leave. . . but the onride photo gives away my true feelings. . . LOL after our ERT, we were cut loose for the day in the park and several of us headed back over to something we passed while walking back to Speed: the Bobsleigh - a toboggan slide that opened with the park and is the last original attraction remaining from when it first opened. it was a sorta TPR takover, that many of us ended up in the line. NOTED (no tracks, no rails.. .just a toboggan and a chute to navigate down) and you ride the think up as it pulls you. . .think "Mountain coaster' but with no track. . . it was actually quite fun. and yeah. . NEVER in America. LOL but it was really fun. I think I rode this a few times. checking out the Megafobia gift shop, I was quite amused that the park sells old ride parts, and even ride signs! ("Plane Crazy" is what they used to call the flying scooters before retheming it for Neverland area) I think we didn't go to Megafobia right away because it was full of some of the schoolgroups (and besides, we had ERT on it later this afternoon). . so instead we headed over to "Spooky Street" sheesh. .can someone buy a vowel - no wonder I can't understand anyone in Wales! I was told this used to be a tracked dark ride, but they had removed the interior and had just been using it as a Haunt during the spooky season. seemed to be a waste. . but there were some other things over here in this area (not much tho) this is a Pinfari coaster, called "the Creepy Crawler" sadly this one too was not operating today . . . but the theming on it is great. you can see why it's not operating. . LOL they were waiting for some replacement track, and that's why it was shut down, but I was told that it WAS going to be opening back up once they repair it.. . so the park should have another operating coaster in 2025. the worker i chatted with told me that this area used to be based on Roald Dahl, and hence the giant pumkin walkthru that I loved to enter the ride? Used to be a giant Peach. really nice job by the park to retheme and reuse, as it fits the "spooky" area theme very well now. the two ladies back there were the operators on the only real "ride" that was operating over here in this section, hence them looking a bit bored. they were thrilled to talk to me tho and to have someone come to this section. the only other thing over here - which actually was open, but I didn't want to take my boots off - was this self play, trampoline area. here's the ride the ladies were operating. . a. kiddie teacups but we were invited to ride, so we did. TPR takeover! it actually spun a LOT, and was more intense than it looked like it would be. and the ops were happy to pose for a pic after our ride cycle. if you headed out of the Spooky Street area towards the parking lot, you pass by the Skycoaster, and the entrance line to Drenched. that they had a maintenance guy heading back there was a good sign that the ride *might* open today - so I snapped this pic to send to Daniel, who loves flumes and really wanted to ride this Mega Splash. still no water at this time tho you can see how steep that drop is! awwwww. . something over here just randomly to sit on/hump? don't mind if I do! Stacy and I split off to go explore the "Neverland" section this was really the only ride that was truly a "kiddie" ride - a miniature version of the boat. . .but I think there was a space that looked like it SHOULD have had a carousel on it (and the park clearly needs one). . so maybe there was that as well, but not at the moment. but we DID find a T.A.R.D.I.S.. . . . so of course, I immediately loved this area. one of two tracked rides over in this area. . . "the Sights of London" was a fun little thing where you just sit in a taxi, and a kid can "drive" you, or it just drives itself for you. having started the trip in London, of course I wanted to do it. we had a nice chat with the gentleman operating it, and he was surprised when I knew that the big building in the middle of the ride was the Tower of London. He said I'd be shocked how many people think it's the Taj Mahal (on a ride called "the sights of London" ????? LOL) whee! there's also a roller coaster back here - the Crocodile Coaster - a powered Kiddie. I usually don't bother with kiddie coasters, but this one was adorable, so when Stacy wanted the credit I went ahead and joined her. we had the whole train to ourselves. there's also a log flume, with a small indoor section (that was all kinds of weird). . . the best part of this? they only had 3 logs. So when several TPR folks showed up back here, we created a line but it was fun. . .whee! the flying scooters that have been renamed to "Tink's Flying School". . . with Tinkerbell on the flyers, and a figure in the middle. well.. .. SORTA Tinkerbell. More maintenance guys over here doing some planting/fixing as well. you can see how much space the park has here. Neverland Chase is the other tracked ride over here. . .this one clearly was a retheme from something prior, but no idea what. Maybe a Flinstones ride? but I'm always up for a tracked ride.. . my motto usually is: "the sillier and slower moving it is, the more I'll love it" even got Stacy on it. tho we did our own "trucks" rather than squeeze in together hmmm. . . I don't remember Neverland being this phallic? but hey, they tried to get some theming in the station, but having (what I think) are quotes from the Peter Pan book. . . still in the Neverland section, there's a little park/walkthru play area outside (there's also a really large indoor play area with soft pads/monkeybar climbthru over by the flume) but this outdoor one has things to climb on, and to slide down. D'awwwwwww you can't climb on this tho! but for some reason, you can sit in these. . .LOL and that's the skycoaster way back there on the left. yeah, as noted, the park is bigger than it appears. very spread out. oh my. . multiple sizes to choose from! headed back towards the Neverland entrance to go back out into the main park. (we still had one coaster to hit) sadly, tho I totally would have bought some stuff in this section? everything in this area was kiddie sized only it worked out ok, as I got a nice Megafobia shirt later. the design on the giftshop door in the Neverland area is very well done tho. we hadn't eaten lunch yet, so we stopped to grab a burger (the lunch rush from the school kids was dying down, so it was a good time to eat) and the Seagulls knew it too. Speed from our table while eating lunch. we went the long way around (down and then back up) for the final coaster. . . stopping to ride "Bounce" first it was a fun, and exciting ride, with a long cycle first shoot up. . then slow lift and drop. . then repeat in reverse. luckily we got on it, as there was some sort of incident a few days after our visit, and the ride was shut down for a long while. so I'm glad we got to ride it. and then to the only other coaster (besides Megafobia) we hadn't ridden yet: the Treetops Coaster it's just a Zierer that's got a wonderful location buried among the trees. . .lots of Helixes. but it was a nice, Family, coaster. I think I recall this had tire lift, rather than it being a powered coaster. with a really long train, that was themed to Logs! i felt very much reminded of being back in Japan riding "log" coasters. many of the school kids were headed out, so we went back over to the Bobsleigh, and rode that, and then finally after so much waiting/teasing, we got in the short line for Megafobia. another dream coaster I never thought I'd ever get a chance to ride. I'm not sure why it has the 2023 on the front - we were there in 2024 and it wasn't any kind of anniversary the year before - so it was odd. . . but I liked the looks of the trains (PTC?) it was great in the front. . and so good, we went back around and immediately got back in line for a back row ride freaking FANTASTIC. after our ride, it was close enough to ERT time, that while several TPR folks went over to Vertigo to ride the Skycoaster, I snapped some pics in the area, rode the Bobsleigh, and got some very good icecream, even tho I recall it being a little bit chilly. Megafobia from the entrance line. eventually it was time for our ERT after park close, and you can easily tell how much I loved this coaster in that I believe I did every ride during ERT.. here's just some proof (and thanks to Elissa & Robb for snagging these pics while we were riding. . and for arranging this wonderful treat. such a fantastic coaster) Group shot in front of the coaster before we head out (pic courtesy of Robb) and then just to break Daniel's heart? Drenched had water running in the flume now. no boats were testing, but it looked like it could open up any minute - tho it never did - and so we headed back to the bus and continued the drive. hope you enjoyed this update. I really liked Oakwood. . . sure, it woudn't be a full day park for someone who just wants thrill rides. But for those that enjoy walking around and the atmosphere? I recommend it. and Megafobia is worth the trip alone!

working on the next update (spoiler, next park is Oakwood in Wales - home to the incredible Megafobia, among other things). I hope to have that posted in the next couple of days. but I found a couple more pics from the snack exchange and a fun hotel pic, I thought I'd share int he meantime as Elissa mentioned online, this was a great Snack Exchange with some wonderfully odd things to try (again, Nick brought a Vegemite snack from Australia, which was odd, but not terrible) it's always a lot of fun when everyone gets together to try out snacks and yes, Hotel Door I was very alarmed too! no elevator, and I was on the 2nd floor. . . and I still had that big ass suitcase (I upgraded to a 4 wheel smaller size before Oktoberfest)

know what? editing to remove what I posted, because I really don't care what you think.

on the plus side, Nichole Sherzinger (whom I cannot STAND. . .I dislike her more than Jenny McCarthy, and that says a lot). . . just screwed herself out of a Tony nomination, and likely doomed her run on Sunset Blvd to a lot of open seats. who does she think is behind the scenes of the Tonys? and most of Broadway? and cast of many shows, and the majority of the folks that bought tickets just to see her in this show. oh well https://deadline.com/2024/11/nicole-scherzinger-donald-trump-russell-brand-sunset-blvd-1236171053/

Day 1 part 2: Oktoberfest at night. . after the rain has come. the downpour for a couple of hours while we were eating, really cleared out the crowds. side benefit is that it really made for some beautiful pics, with the lights from all the rides reflecting up off the wet ground. we entered not thru the main entrance (that would be tomorrow), but the group I was with, including Jon, Nick and Christopher), went in on the side closest to the restaurante we were at, on the right. near what they call: "Vomit Hill" I would have renamed it "Vomit and Piss Hill" as there were so many people doing both. . . which was a bit shocking since it's on the side of a beautiful building (a Museum?) with this incredible statue out front. but as noted. . it's on the far right side of the Oktoberfest fair - which is about as big as 3 football fields, I'd say - so I guess it really IS "off the beaten path" even tho we came in on this side tonight (for the only time) looking across. . the main corridor is up ahead and if we turned left, would see many of the HUGE beer tents that line the main corridor. the rides are all on the outlying corridors and the outside of the fair. with the "big" rides separated to help out with crowds, I'd assume. this, tho it looks like a ride, is a game booth. the rides are all independently operated, and there are multiple versions of some rides (I counted at least 4 breakdance type rides) - and they all run insane cycles to help draw crowds to them. The incredible lighting, fog, and fire effects help do that too. the giant Ferris wheel at the back of the main corridor of the fair (if you come in under the Oktoberfest sign and walk straight back, eventually you get to it). interestingly, my favorite area of the entire fair was back here BEHIND the Ferris wheel on the right - it was an "Oktoberfest Museum" of sorts, that had classic artwork, posters, haunt figures, information, food, drink, and a bunch of classic (like ancient) rides, that also ran crazy cycles - including a waltzer that the operator hand cranked to get it to go faster, and you had to fight for an open carriage when the ride stopped! NEVER in America LOL. and the rides in this section were all 1.50 Euro (much cheaper than anywhere in the fair, tho you did have to pay 4 euro to get into this section). I visited back there on day 3, so will be pics forthcoming of that. Christopher and I in front of one of the official welcome signs. pretty sure this is a different BreakDance again, this is relatively empty ! because it had rained. . can you imagine what a Friday night would have been if it had been nice? (we'd see that the next night when could barely move in the place!) tho there were several drop towers in the fair, this is actually a pic of a drop tower and a Catwoman's Whip style ride. but really, I think I was trying to get the pic of the Alpina Bahn sign along side the huge Lowenbrau tent - where we would be on Monday. this is one of the beer halls. made to look like Gingerbread and candies. Incredible that they build this up just for ~3 weeks. this amazing thing is called the Predator. imagine an Enterprise that's on a Gyroscope. and yes, I did ride it on one of the days - before eating of course - and LOVED it. but look at this crazy thing! multiple Himalayas and Music Expresses too ' more looks at what Predator does.. it really is mesmerizing. and a really long cycle too. but enough foreplay . it was time to head to the very back of the fair, for what many of us had wanted to come on this trip for: Olympia Looping. and it's jaw dropping in person snapping pics as we walked up to Olympia Looping. a variation on a Breakdance, called Parkour, and another Drop Tower this was a ghost train, but they had added VR to it. I did ride it one day, and it kinda made me nauseous. . but when it's over? you're not done. . . they make you go thru a fun house to get out! including stepping on mushrooms to find your path, and if you miss? water below it. but yeah, they really want you to get your $$ worth out of it. oh, and not everyone is seeing the same VR thing. . so you'd have to ride multiple times to make sure you get all options. (once was enough for me) the outside is very cool tho. and now a bunch of pics of Olympia Looping. . . i mean, are you really looking at Olympia Looping if you don't get pics of all 5 loops? time to ride! waited one train for front row (I discovered quickly it's much more forceful in the back, but for my 1st ride? I wanted to ride in the front) they were running 2 trains this 1st night due to the rain, but some days we were there they had 4 running. proof! as it got later the fair got a bit quieter. . but it didn't stop all the friendly (ie: drunk) folks from making our acquaintance. a pic of me in front of Looping turned into this wonderful pic with drunk revelers. and even Christopher - who had been taking the picture - got into it with a selfie. tho I did get this cute photo op they set up out front of it. other nights were so crowded, no way to get a decent pic, so I'm really happy we went and rode this 1st night. Right next to Olympia Looping is the Carousel Bar - where the center of it is actually a Carousel that spins while you drink. even on a relatively quiet night it was packed, tho I did spend quite a bit of time there during our visits to the fair. Um. . . ok? you GO, "Jumbo Flug" the famous Toboggan slide, with the Conveyor Belt lift hill. no, I didn't do it - I'm a klutz and would have broken my neck. But it was a ton of fun watching people try it, and several from TPR did really well on it. (the guys standing along the wall are to help pick up the people that fall on the conveyor belt and get them to the top) equally as well known from the fair is this. . aka: the Devil's Wheel - the spinning ride where you pay to go in and watch, and run down when they call groups to try and be the last one on the wheel. Adam from TPR won a round on this trip. probably due to the weather (it's covered inside) it was PACKED in there tonight even, so didn't go in, and just got this pic outside of it. one of three ghost trains at the fair. This one was the middle one (there's one much better and one much worse) but in this one? you ride in cages. so, of course, Jon and I wanted to ride the outside does a fantastic job making you want to go in and ride. it was just a lot of props in front of black drapes tho. meh. . .C- the Wild Mouse was fantastic. not only was it all lit up, AND they were racing it the whole time. . but I've never been on a Wild Mouse with so much airtime. it was so good. . . both sides. and I'm sure the wild mouse on ride photo was officially licensed too (didn't get one, because it was more than the one at Olympia Looping). incredibly well lit, and flashy Rotor. with a waterfall, and what looked like a funhouse prior to getting on the ride. classic looping ride. and it made me laugh that they have the Olympic rings on the front Bannister. how drunk must one be to think this is Olympia Looping? one of two massive Claw rides. . this one was Konga, and had giant fire effects too. finally made it over to my other "must do tonight" ride: Alpina Bahn the trains were lit up, and the tracks were wet from the rain, and this sucker was FLYING. I absolutely loved this, and think I may have ridden it more than Olympia Looping during my visits to the fair (tho I rode both of them 5-6 times) the bears up top are Animatronic, tho since they were speaking German, I have no idea what they were going on about even on the 1st night, I got to see the "true meaning of Oktoberfest" turns out that unless you pass out in a walkway? Security leaves you alone. . this guy was just fine on a bench, and saw many folks laying on the grass on the sides that were left undisturbed. as we were headed back to the hotel - it had been a really long day, and I had ridden all 3 of the coasters (only one side of Mouse), I was ready to sleep - we passed by the biggest of the ghost trains, and had to stop by to take a look at it. wouldn't ride it until the next day. . but ended up riding it several times, it was that good. Geister Palast (Ghost Palace) still headed towards the exit (the fair is really big!). . here's a shooting dark ride, that was Nintendo - adjacent. I think Elissa had the high score on this one for a bit (posted outside the ride) one of multiple FunHouses thruout the fair - this one with the whole lower level as a mirror maze and yet another infamous ride spotted, the Tagada. this one with a metal floor. this one was pretty violent, and was shooting people off the seats and into the center during some of the spins. very fun to watch. . . and with that, we made our way back to the hotel, and I crashed. tomorrow was the official start of the trip and we were starting out the day with Skyline Park. and a ride I was terrified of, but had promised I'd ride it (and made the statement publicly) after I chickened out and didn't ride it in Finland. but for now? sleep. . .

at first, when I heard that TPR was doing an Oktoberfest trip in 2024, I thought there was no way I'd be able to participate - I mean, I'm not a big drinker, and the trips are really limited space wise. but after talking it over with Elissa and being assured I wasn't the only non-drinker that would be on the trip, and besides, imagine getting to experience the Halloween event at Europa Park (180,000 pumpkins! and the Traumatica night time offering), I was all in, and luckily was invited to join along. so yes, I'll have two TPR trip reports running at the same time, since I'm still nowhere near finished on the UK Trip I did in June/July it was an AMAZING trip, with multiple bucket list things checked off (Olympia Looping, Voltron, Alpina Bahn) and even things I didn't know should have been on my bucket list (experiencing a Halloween Haunt in Germany - holy crap were these amazing) . .and hopefully these pics capture that. Starting off, I was flying the day before the trip officially started, and was arriving in Munich the morning of the trip. I would have preferred to have a little more time (especially between flights, since I had to sprint thru the DC airport to make my flight to Germany due to flight delay out of Ausatin), but I knew there was some sightseeing time on this trip, so I did my best to make use of my available vacation and headed to the Austin airport. starting off smiling and perky at the Austin airport. barely made my flight to Munich. . and then we sat on the tarmac for about an hour + as they dealt with one mechanical issue after another. Not exactly what you want to hear before a trans-atlantic flight. but at least I wasnt' alone on this flight, as CFC was also on this flight and we had said hello as I rushed thru boarding. eventually we got on our way, and enjoyed a nice dinner: and breakfast, before landing in Munich. because we arrived so late, there was no gate available for us at the Munich airport, so we parked on the tarmac, took the stairs down, and then took busses to the side Customs entrance - which worked out wonderfully. Customs was a breeze, as it was only OUR plane using this side. Soon enough was down in Baggage claim, where I met up with CFC, and also Nathan. . and we all hopped into a taxi and made our way to the 1st hotel of the trip (a close, 15 minute walk to the Oktoberfest grounds). several folks were around this morning who didn't have enough time to do outside of the city sightseeing, but had a few hours before the welcome dinner. So several of us teamed up, and hopped on the train, and went to the City Center to see the famous clock tower: the Rathaus-Glockenspiel. I was impressed by the train - one long, open train. . . . . it was surprising not to see it separated by subway cars as they do here in the USA. lots of folks on this train headed to Oktoberfest too, even tho it was a Friday, and the skies had been threatening rain. coming off the train and looking at the amazing architecture in the City Central plaza and here's the famous Rathaus-Glockenspiel it goes off at Noon and has several tiers of moving characters that enact a joust (complete with riders falling from horses) and a complex dance recital. we were still a bit early for that, so the square hadn't quite filled up, but it DID get pretty crowded as it got closer to noon. better shot of the tiered levels of the clock. . and you can see we still had about 25 minutes till noon. the group I went with: Myself, Bob, Erik, Nathan, and Chuck (CFC) a photo op? don't mind if I do! the clock in action during it's 10 minute or so performance (interestingly, this clock runs about 4 minutes behind. . so all the other clock towers in the area finish chiming Noon before this one starts up). I angled the pic upwards to go over the crowd, but the square is PACKED now. afterwards, we went into the actual tower (tho didn't pay for the tour. . it's free to just go in tho to look around) Munich has a bunch of sister-cities, and they're represented here in the entrance arch. Cincinnati? really? gorgeous stained glass windows in here. some pics from the interior square of the clock tower building the gargoyles in here were a ton of fun. . and many of them were of the "drainage" variety after wandering around for a bit, and buying some souvenirs (the Oktoberfest fair has a store here in the Central square, so could buy stuff here without the crowd), we stopped for a light snack. we were gonna eat in a few hours, so i stuck with an apple fritter desert only, and it was fantastic. (there are 3 here, and I shared with the table) we made it back to the hotel, and our rooms were now ready, so was able to relax for a bit (and shower) before it was time to head to the lobby and meet up with everyone to walk over to the restaurant for the official welcome dinner. i remembered to snap a pic with Elissa - proof of life to send home - and got to say hello to more friends I hadn't seen in a bit. Nick had been on the UK tour a couple of months prior, but it had been a year or so since I'd gotten to see Jon. it was great to hang out with them again. as well as see folks I hadn't see in years, and meet some folks for the first time whom I've interacted with online for a long time, but had never met in person. we all followed Robb & Elissa to the restaurant for the "welcome dinner", and just outside - for some reason - was this giant snail. so we stopped and posed for a pic! (photo courtesy of Robb) here's the restaurant we went to - a traditional German beerhouse, that was packed (as it was very close by to the Oktoberfest fair) we had 3 full tables in one part of the restaurant. . so it was a mini-TPR takeover. (oh, and it started pouring literally moments after we sat down, so no rush to finish off anything as the food started coming out. . and coming, and coming!) Prost! LtR: Barry, Andy, Colin, Hawk, Doug, and I think John's arm, and Eric's coke? yup. .a Beer as big as Eric's head! these gluttonous masses were . . . . something. I think they were supposed to be the potato dumplings. . but they were a very strange texture, and had a flavor like . . . air. yeah. .they were something. I wasn't really all that hungry, the problem was the food was all HUGE! So even trying to eat small meant taking big pieces. felt guilty for wasting food, but not gonna lie, the chicken was the best I've ever had. I mean ever. the braise on the crispy skin was so damn good.. ate way more than I should have. my plate, with TRYING to eat small.. . tiny scoops of the sides, so i DID try. (that's the smallest pork knuckle that was available on the tray!) the texture of a breast implant, and the shape of a ball. . . yay! tho good for a picture, it was really the only thing (besides the liverwurst - but I don't like liver) that I didn't care for. Everything else was excellent. Official pic of our table from the waitress *or maybe it's Colin doing a selfie? LtR: Hawk, Doug, Eric, Jonathan, Jere, Hanno (hiding behind Jere), Jon, me, Barry, Andy, Colin with the meal winding down, and the rain slowing to a really light drizzle. . . several of us decided to check out the Oktoberfest Fair, figuring (correctly) that the rain probably drove a lot of folks out. and some, like myself and Christopher, really wanted to get rides on Alpina Bahn and Olympia Looping. . . why wait? do it now. it made for some great pictures. that's the next post in part II of day 1

the Safari can take up a lot of time too. . . depending on what time of day you hit it.

the only good news I can report on today. Six Flags Fiesta Texas, has quietly dropped the height restriction on Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger. . . . after Park President Jeffery Siebert started teasing the other day that the Doctor was expanding her practice. the Dive coaster was minimum height 52" not anymore!

back on the bus, we headed towards Swansea. . we were gonna be spending the next day at Oakwood (home of Megafobia!) but for the rest of the day, was gonna be travel, and check into the hotel. Then later tonight was the Snack Exchange - where everyone brings a treat they enjoy to share with everyone else, and we do a lobby takeover to share. some pics from the bus: and then once checked in, any of us hit the closeby Grocery Store to stock up on any needed things, as well as grab some food for dinner. in the store, I noticed this and snapped a picture. a decision was made as to what was most important here, methinks. back at the hotel, some pics of the snack exchange. . . .most everything was very good, or at least "interesting" - yes, I'm talking about your Vegemite, Nick! and seems that I didn't take separate pics of the swag. . so here's some pics of swag that cover most of what I've covered so far anyways. . . including that Lego figure from Legoland! hopefully another update coming not too far off. . . but first, to get started on my Oktoberfest report!

Day 3, LegoLand Mini-Land pictures: these figures partied too hard with the sheep, and passed out after

well, I certainly jinxed myself, didn't I? Tho I guess *technically* it didn't take me a month for the next update..it took me almost 7 weeks (whoops). and that I went to Oktoberfest with TPR earlier this month, means that I'll have two trip reports running concurrently - but gonna TRY to keep things sorta consistent. so onward. . day 3: Legoland Windsor! where we stopped for a visit on our way to Swansea, Wales. our first "Surprise Park" of the trip. we got there before opening, and not only is it a gorgeous setting, but it's up in the hills. . so lots and lots of walking (turns out there is a funicular that we could have used to get back up later but I didn't spot that until we were almost back at the front gates near the top. . . LOL) Group Pic courtesy of Robb this park is just beautiful. . . just look at that view (more on that later). the park is all "hidden" down steep pathways below us. a slow moving monorail type ride. . one of my favorite "stupid" rides that I love doing at parks. and tons of "full size" mini-figs sprinkled all thruout the park as we were walking down. this is what we were headed towards. . the park's brand new Dueling Family Boomerang coaster! we got to watch it testing, and I love the theming on this. . .they even did a "crash thru" of a billboard. . . forwards and backwards. . the heavier train did seem to win most times. . . and out front is the "World's Biggest Mini-fig", Roxie ! Group Pic with Roxie, courtesy of Robb time to ride! I believe they CAN operate just one side, but where's the fun in that?? ya gotta race! and that means, of course, riding both sides. first I rode blue (and our train won) and then I rode Orange, and we won again! (and I'm not taking credit for making the train that much heavier ) but it really is a rather fun family boomerang (by Zierer, not Vekoma). it wasn't "meh" at all, and I think it will be a huge hit for the park. our next stop was walking over to the Castle for DragonCoaster, just before official park open. we passed by Mini-land to cut thru and I snapped some pics while walking, but most of the mini-land pics will be in the next post. the famous Fire Academy at this Legoland hadn't opened for business yet when we passed it. nor had the shooting mummy dark ride, but we'd come back for this once turned loose in the park. and before we knew it (after walking a bit, as it's a larger park than it appears) we were at the Castle for the Lego-land signature Dark Ride/Coaster, Dragon. no cameras allowed on ride, but I had gotten an ok to take pics while in queue. . . so at least got the adorable train! group pic in front of Dragon Coaster courtesy of Robb ummm. . . . other than the Duplo Kiddie coaster, the only other coaster at LegoLand Windsor is the family, Dragon's Apprentice - and that was down today. . so we were cut loose and a group of us made our way into the park. several of us did the Mummy Shooting ride, and then noticed the Train was about to pull up (the Mummy ride queue actually crosses the train tracks in the center, and had a woman with stop signs there to ensure no one was on the tracks when the train passed thru the queue. . a bit odd, but charming). so we hopped on the train for a trip around the park lots of theming around the tracks on this train ride: the boats didnt' appear to be on a track here, and it was a pretty large course too. we had limited time here tho, and I was more interested in the SeaLife Aquarium and the mini-land. . so had to pick and choose what to do. and of course have to stop for any photo ops! we had been advised by our guides that the flying theatre here was pretty good and to not miss it, so headed over that way into the "Mythica" area of the park. I really loved how the queue has lego creations of the creatures featured in the film. (having now been to LegoLand Germany, and ridden their coaster that's also themed to the Tri-Lion, I know they use these same models in that queue too. . making them a bit less unique. but still rather cool) after the aquarium (and I think the Ninjago area. . which I strangely have no pics of, but probably because was rushing to get things done on my list). . I did stop for a photo op. and then it was time to head to my last "biggie" here. .the haunted house. which was right across from the lego boats, so got some more pics of those as we passed by. the queue for the Haunted House is adorable. I remembered how the Haunted House in LegoLand Billund ended in a surprise ride, so was looking forwards to what this one might contain. oh my. . it's a dance party in the lobby. no, really. . and it was fun and we all danced. and then you go into the house, and the actual whole thing is a ride - it's a madhouse! (a gentle one, but I always love a madhouse). splitting up to hit the last things we wanted to get on, Stacey and I headed to the kiddie area, as she really wanted the Duplo kiddie coaster credit. passing by the Fire Academy, it was busy this time, so snapped some pics (it's a real workout!) I think what I liked best about the Duplo Coaster (besides how absolutely adorable it is), is the setting - it's just below the new Coaster (s). . so from that line, you can get some good pics of the racing boomerang. D'awwwwww. . . OMG . . it's so cute! so even tho I tend not to ride kiddie coasters? yeah, I had to ride this one. and I spotted this just across the walkway from it. . which checks EVERY single box for "dumb ride that bert will love" it goes up and down. .and turns a little bit. . that's really it. of COURSE I had to ride it. thanks to Stacey for the pics after time spent in Mini-Land, we started our trek back up the path towards the front - making sure to leave us enough time to get back since the park is so large. lots more figs and things to look at on the way back up too. I even found the figure I had bought a magnet of earlier in the day! back at the top. . check out this view! I believe that's London way off in the distance? and from the park? A view of Windsor Castle! a glimpse of the winding paths down into the park proper. and right by the main gates? a large Lego store, of course I SO wanted this, but no way to get it home.. just too big. So I'll have to order online And with that, we headed back onto the Bus, and continued our drive towards Sansea, Wales. but first, I split out all the Miniland pics into a separate post below

wonderful report. . thank you so much for sharing!

most def. add Fright Bash to your list. just for the included house fast pass, and Flash Pass badge. (and show seating). . it really is worth it JUST for those, even if you don't' ride much.