OCJ48

I'm still not absolutely convinced it's a B&M. Those footers could be for the station of anything that has a transfer track and that turnaround could just as easily be post final brakes. There's just not enough info yet to call it definitively. I'll believe it's one manufacturer or other for sure when it's announced or supports or track show up. All that said, has anyone been by the B&M plant lately? Might be good to see if they have any MC or WI designation track out that can't be otherwise accounted for.

Looks immensely fun, though I'm still not sure what the Satanic Intro of Death has to do with Mayans and quad bikes.

The more I think about it, the less sense this makes. Any coaster manufacturer would want to use their own trains, I would think, so sending Millennium Flyers only makes sense if they're planning on building a GCI. The problem is, rationally, the whole chain is likely avoiding GCI because of how Gwazi has turned out. With that established, the only good reason to pack up the trains for shipping is if they're selling them to another park. I'm therefore forced to conclude that Holiday World is giving up on the Timberliners and fitting Voyage with Millennium Flyers for 2014. You heard it here first

^I think they're actually referring to the solar panels on top.

I can think of a few reasons to do this rather than one big one. The first is novelty: If a park built one, it would be unique and special, giving it appeal to someone like Disney. Another is height, which is twofold: parks have height restrictions (somewhere like Alton Towers can't necessarily build a giant wheel), and some parks don't want a giant Ferris Wheel on their skyline for thematic reasons. Finally, there could be a cost factor, although that's obviously unclear, since no one's ever built one.

If B&M can get these trains to work with inside wheel carriages I could see this being a popular way to breathe new life into Arrow and Morgan Hypers in the coming years, especially since a lot of these rides are signature attractions in smaller parks (Valleyfair, Dorney, Kennywood, SWSA, etc.). In conjunction with a new flat or water slide complex, it could be a good way to boost attendance for a fairly low price in an off year when the park can't really afford to do anything bigger.

And Universal responds with a CityWalk upgrade in 3...2...1...

What's up with the track in that pic? It looks really worn out, nothing near as new as Gatekeeper track should.

^How much is the price difference?

Sheikra at BGT is bad about the sun blinding as well. The lift is just perfectly angled so that you get blinded by the Florida sun from opening 'till 4-5PM every day.

...Taco Bell and...

It's one of Vekoma's Splash Party coasters, which is described on their website as "based on a new layout of the Suspended Family Coaster," so it's suspended. You can see the joint that makes swinging possible (in yellow) and the tubes that limit the extent of the arc (in blue) here: The same photo from above, with markings added. Here's Vekoma's website entry for the Splash Party.

Question for GCI: What are the major disadvantages of the new prefabricated track types coming from groups like Rocky Mountain when compared to a more traditional wooden roller coaster?

Regardless of when you go, if you like coasters and don't like lines, run to Cheetah Hunt at opening, then hit Montu, then take the skyride to Sheikra. After that, you should be okay, as you'll have hit all the big line attractions. If it's hot, do the water rides before lunch, as they all generate hour waits in the afternoon. The only catch-22 with that is that the animals are much more active in the morning, which is also when the coaster lines are shortest. Plan accordingly.

^Or Gerstlauer's just using a new train design. They do have two already, after all.

That's just stunning. Was there a breeze coming off the bay?

^No, they're actually giving it to the Save Teh Big Dipper people as a consolation prize.

I think the worst-looking parts were the transitions to the loop and the weird, rusty lifthill pipe.

^ The detail is incredible! It looks almost like Tokyo DisneySea!

If you have Express, hit Rockit before the event starts or as early as possible. It's the only ride that's open and doesn't have an Express line. Do be careful though, as they usually close Rockit about half an hour to 45 minutes before the park closes on HHN days so that the line has time to clear before security sweeps the park.

^I sort of suspect that they will, and will just have a live scareactor rigged there for shock value, thus the lack of it in the report. Just rewatched the movie last night, and that house looks amazing.

What if SFI sent Scream from SFMM there? It's a clone of Bizarro SFGAdv, right? From what I've heard, it's also not very popular, not themed, not needed for the record, and not a featured attraction. Sure there haven't been any rumors of it moving, but if any ride is going to be rotated, it seems like the perfect candidate, since it would basically become a major attraction at a park like SFOT. I know it probably won't happen, but it is a thought...

Reading through, I don't think anyone's brought this up yet. From the SDC2013 website's manufacturer section: "Known as ride experts, the folks at RMC have built, rebuilt or installed more than 50 new attractions in the last decade." What are they referring to here? All I know of is a few Topper Track mods, this, and NTAG. What am I missing?

Agh! The splinters!!

I can guarantee that a box of matches, some gasoline, and a fire crew for a day would cost less than a disassembly crew. Just a thought, KI. You could have record attendance that day...