WillMontu

...you've ever "borrowed" a kid to get an elusive kiddie credit ...you've willingly shelled out $15 (or whatever it is now) to ride Manhattan Express, just to get the credit ...you've travelled to a foreign country just to ride the coasters

Here are some pictures of the ride in its current state The station The butchered trains

Barry- Once again, Barry creeps us out. He did do a decent job at shooting though. Pam and Brian- Bonus points for using The Beatles for the music! I need to get out to Knoebels sometime. Some scenes looked like they were overexposed, but that may just be the compression Darren Bailey- This one covered a ton of parks and was more of a faster pace. I noticed that the play time was 5:03, but that's probably my computer playing at the wrong speed. Covered the Midwest trip fairly well Kevin Aglione While I appreciate the effort that went into this one, it's not quite my style. I felt that the music could be better synced with the video clips. Dave Thomas This one was hilarious. I almost fell out of my chair during the Barry scene. I do think the music could kill small animals though.

^ I knew they had built a working model of the corkscrew, but I can't believe they actually went and built a full scale "Looping Suspended Coaster" The Flying Turns looks fairly insane and slightly dangerous

Kennywood The initial plan for the Midwest trip was to go to Geauga Lake before hitting Kings Island. With the lack of "perks" and the fact that the park was closing rides faster than it was adding them, Robb and Elissa proposed that with a little bit more driving, we hit Kennywood instead. As an added bonus, Kennywood offered us ERT on Racer and Thunderbolt and the perks didn't end there. After checking out from Breakers, we headed for the buses for a new state credit. We are the champions! Next up: Thunderbolt But we do have the obvious weight advantage Will we catch up to them? They're really ahead now They're ahead! Going over the edge We're going to win again! Now we're on the other side But if we want to get the "whole" credit, we have to go again! And we finished in the lead We do have a "weight" advantage though But they're gaining on us We have the lead The ride was designed to be good for kids and families to rides, so it's not very intense One of the unique features of this ride is that the trains run close enough so riders can slap hands with those on the other hand. It is a Kennywood tradition Going over the first drop. Are there really people stupid enough to stand up on wooden coasters (aside from rides like Cyclops) Going up the lift We were given permission from the PR lady (I forgot her name, sorry) to use cameras on the rides. The park probably does have rules in place, but they gave us permission to do this. Generally, the train with the most weight on it wins And ends up on the other side A train starts on one side Being a Moebius Racer, the trains must race The ride was the second "Racer" at Kennywood, and this one opened in 1927 to replace an older 'side friction" Racer. First ride of the day was Racer, a classic John Miller moebius racing woodie Are you trying to tell us something Ryan? First we need to get through security We had the "TPR Funday Pass" With a bit of duct tape and a lipstick cam, Robb made it But first we have to get in Visitors to the park are told to "look for the Arrows". I'm assuming this is one of them! After arriving, we had ERT before the park opened to the public

I've never been to GADV myself (I expect to within a few weeks), but if the lines are long, you can always get a Q-bot.

I thought the video was pretty cool, but I don't understand how they get out of the Mark II (?) monorail and somehow end up on Main Street. I'm also assuming that that train ride was the original mine train ride before Thunder came in.

Based on my personal experiences, I would do Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Blackpool with a B) and Alton Towers. BPB used to be free admission and pay-per-ride (optional wristband), but I think they changed it recently so there is also a cost for admission. You can still get wristbands for the rides, and if you're into credits, there's a spinning mouse at the South Pier (walking distance of BPB) For hotels, I'm sure Robb and Elissa will know. For the UK trip, we stayed on site (Big Blue at Blackpool and Splash Landings at Alton Towers). Alton Towers hotels come with the perk of ERT on a coaster or two in the mornings (just be prepared to do a lot of walking). Your last question is a little unclear. Are you asking if someone can give you a ride or are you wanting to look at train/bus fares?

I'm basing it on the Florida version, and that was the only way to get the cars to move sideways. Again, there are limits to RCT2, and I wanted something better than just a "drop tower" ride. I'm still open for suggestions

More Disneyland. I'm having trouble posting the last of the pictures though It's not the highest capacity ride in the park I'm going to have to stop here because I hit the limit for number of pictures. I have a large number of WCB pictures, but I will post them based on what people want. If people want me to post everything (~100 pictures), I can. Alternatively I can post just the highlights. If I don't get any response, I will just finish here. By this time, the queue for Submarine Voyage had dropped down to a slightly more bearable level The fireworks show was very impressive, with segments relating to various attractions, such as the Haunted Mansion (with a very cool stretching room effect) That looks like Mickey Mouse on drugs...or is it just a cat with big ears? Most of these attractions are long gone (Flying Saucers, Skyway, PeopleMover, Mark I Monorail trains) More models Life sized models Models (notice the missing attractions) More concept art Concept art It showcases some of the park's history This exhibit was located near the front of the park No comment. The Astro Orbiters at night Tomorrowland at night Pinochio is a move I haven't seen in years. Again, no equivalent at WDW ...and they lived happily ever after. I'm not kidding. Snow White's mother makes her eat a poisoned apple. Snow White dies... It basically tells the classic story. Snow White's mother is jealous. Snow White leaves home and lives with the dwarves. We just had to do Snow White The carousel lit up at night. No horses though Are we shrinking? On ride Next up was the Alice in Wonderland Dark ride, another ride without a Florida equivalent. There is one at Blackpool Pleasure Beach though (but I didn't ride it) Barnstormer > Gadget's Go Coaster Last credit: Gadget's Go Coaster. Nobody wanted to ride with me. I'm sad and pathetic The trains almost race during some parts of the ride Back over to Matterhorn..because we love Arrow rides (not the four trains in one shot) Was there an accident? It is nicely themed too Autopia POV The loading station It's a good simulation of driving on California's highways, complete with bumper to bumper traffic Autopia > Tomorrowland Indy Speedway Not our Dino! Ready to find our Dino? The queue is pretty cool Indy is another ride that we don't have in Florida. Instead, we got stuck with Dinosaur So where is the castle anyway? "The Throne Room" This is another unique feature. In Florida, the monorails are air conditioned and there are small slits that can be opened for ventilation. Inside the Monorail. A little more cramped than the Florida trains, and no familiar "Please stand clear of the doors" spiel either. I'm hoping that the Mark VII's have nicer seats than the hard plastic ones shown here. DL's Monorail stops at two stations, one being in the park, and the other at Downtown Disney. This Downtown Disney is similar to the Florida one, except on a much smaller scale (provided you take out the lake, DisneyQuest, Planet Hollywood, etc.) The Monorail station provides a good view of some of the overgrowth on the PeopleMover track The Disneyland Monorail has a bit more history to it though, being the first operating monorail in the Western Hemisphere. There is another ALWEG system still operating in Seattle. At first glance, the trains look similar to the Mark VI's in Florida. They do have their differences though. The Mark VI's have six cars per train (instead of five), and two pairs of doors on each side of each car. The Mark V's also look more "rounded" The Monorail station is also a good place to get some pictures of the Submarine Voyage. Magic Kingdom had a submarine ride, but it closed before I first visited. We live in Florida; we're not supposed to queue for the Monorail! The current fleet consists of a single Mark V train (as one was converted into a Mark VII and had engineering problems, and two more were out for conversion). Mark IV trains ran in Florida for several years before being sold off (some ran in Vegas for a few years), and Mark VI trains make up the current Florida fleet of twelve trains Retro-future mural showing the monorails. Some of them have the signature "bubble" on the Mark I/I/III monorails. The Carousel of Progress? I knew that FastPass I had from Florida was good for something The Monorail was one of the attractions I wanted to do while at Disneyland Back over to Tomorrowland for a bit. Did I mention that TTA/Peoplemover > Rocket Rods?? It's a replica of the ships of the time. Another feature is the lower deck It sails the same route as the Mark Twain, but with different narration On board the Colombia I haven't seen this at the Magic Kingdom either ...and it's got boobs! The Colombia is one of those attractions that does not have a Florida counterpart

^ "When it's done", which shouldn't be too far away And of course, one of the greatest Disney rides ever - The PeopleMover! Work has started on a drop ride similar to the MGM version of Tower of Terror Groundbreaking started on a new Florida themed area, as it's Elissa's home state and many of the rides in Florida are better than their California counterparts Journey to the Center of Robb is another of the park's new coasters. Some work to do on the theming

Finally done with Cedar Point. I might have Kennywood done before summer, and maybe Stricker's. To be continued??? The next day, we got back onto the bus and headed for Kennywood Dragster's station with Mantis' lift hill in the background Dragster again Dragster's station Draggin' Iron and Power Tower MF's first hill lit up Looking towards the lift The queue for MF What do you do if you don't have a tripod? Use a trash can! The wave swinger This was one of those spin'n'puke rides at the front The Ferris wheel The carousel MaxAir at night I've seen these restaurants at Six Flags too That retro fountain all lit up I finish Cedar Point with a few night time shots I didn't get a chance to try their swing Theming? Won't a couple of trash cans be adequate? I believe this was where the ride received its "Drachen Fire" treatment Being the newest ride at the park, the line didn't get much shorter than this Maverick's entrance (and the back of Ryan's head) While they were running (and stacking) several trains, the lines for the ride were fairly long This is one of the ride's unique elements I didn't think that much of Maverick, but then again I only rode once, at night.

I think the ISO setting has more of an effect on noise, but it also depends on the density of the image sensor. SLR cameras tend to have larger sensors, so noise isn't as much of a problem.

All I can say is wow. I'm assuming that you have a huge zoom lens for the Millennium Force shots. Also, how were you able to pan the Twister ones so well, especially when its going at that speed? If I ever get a real job, I want to invest in a nice camera for shooting coaster porn.

^ At least I put my camera away sometimes

"What would rides be like on the moon?" (wait, that's actually one of the smartest. Never mind)

^ The single rider line on MIB is very effective. Just ask Barry!

Hulk's had a single rider line for many years. As for the Dragons, it doesn't really need one since it does not have much of a line to begin with (it does have the re-ride line)

More from Disneyland. More Disneyland and WCB to follow I will post the rest soon, eventually... The ride is just as good as the Florida version, but I've been told that the Paris one is best of the lot These rides have used LIMs for many years Is the train missing a set of wheels? I thought Morgans were the only ones that were supposed to do that Back over to Thunder for another ride (unlike Magic Kingdom, it's relatively easy to jump from one area of the park to another) Erik Johnson and Eric Johnson, or should I say "Dueling Johnsons" Erik loves Mr. Toad The steering wheel is on the "right" side (as opposed to the "wrong" side, at least where I come from) Why did they have to replace ours with Pooh? Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is one of those old-school dark rides Not so random Toad! Random Goat! Random Donkey! Random Donkey! Another shot of Splash Florida's is better, but not by much, and both pale in comparison to the Japan version (so I've been told) Some of the scenes are similar to the Florida version. I have yet to try the Paris and Japan versions though Erik and his orange hoodie are clearly visible in the boat ahead It's a little difficult to get 12 people into a single boat though Splash Mountain is another classic Disney attraction Look who found the Dole Whip stand Wes is jealous of KT's mobile. Apple iWhat? They're a little "Mickey Mouse" to my likings though Pancakes Time for breakfast Looking towards the Mark Twain boat, we noticed this little "seating" section on the boat. Do any of the other Disney boats have this? Random Petrified Tree Another shot of Thunder Is this a remnant of Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland? With this one, however, you can see a lot more of the ride. Big Thunder is similar to what we have in Florida And this is why (In Florida, if we want to go to "hell", we have to have an E-stop on 'it's a small world', and that's without any cool fire effects) DL's Fantasyland is nicer than the one we have at WDW It took less than ten seconds to walk through (it was actually about six seconds, but my watch kept timing after I pressed the stop button) We found the castle. We didn't see any restaurant, gift shop, or secret apartment The "Imagination Institute" was what spelt the end for the DreamFinder at EPCOT I'm assuming that HISTA is identical to the version we have at EPCOT Random horse on Main Street The train ride is different from the Florida version. The seating on this train is similar to that on the ones at AK The next day, we headed back to Disneyland

As I said, there are probably over a thousand pictures in there, so there's pictures of nearly everyone. Coming up: Maverick, night shots, and Kennywood! And Ryan too Tomi (FLIPDUDE) through the trash cans This was the queue for Gemini The parking area behind Magnum This was found in the campground. Why is called a dump area if you can't take a dump in it? This was the path heading back to our hotel The beach itself They go beyond the park to the beach This one's different, and actually nicer than some of the trash cans found at other parks There's no need to reach over the fence This was the picnic type area near the Coral Dining Room The queue for Raptor With the rain and nothing open, there wasn't much else to do The front of the park has a lot of concrete Of course, it wouldn't be Cedar Point without seeing everything that the park has to offer The Coral Dining Room was where we had lunch Since few of us are ACErs, there's plenty of food to go around Time for lunch Random sign showcasing Cedar Point's first roller coaster, "SwitchHawk"

The kiddie coasters: The signature move Like some kiddie coasters, Jr. Gemini runs the circuit twice Don't lose your hat! Most of these people are riding this so that their kid could ride. Duuuuuuuude! They're looking forward to this ride So far so good Ryan, Tomi, free kid, and trash can. Tomi already had the credit, but he waited in the line anyway. It's one of those difficult to get credits. Most of us passed on it ...to ride Junior Gemini The reason being, he was offered the kid free of charge Yes, he's texting again! Surprisingly, he wasn't texting much during WCB. I think he had his plan cancelled. Take a look at the kid to the right. He will return! Spot the credit whores! Ryan and Tomi (FLIPDUDE) get ready to ride A closer look at the cars Being Cedar Fair, the seatbelts have to be manually unlocked by the ride operators, making for a low capacity ride (though the line was not too long) There's also an on-ride camera so you can relive your terrifying Roller Skater experience! For this one, kids are optional Unlike most rides at Cedar Fair parks, it has a little bit of theming It's a Vekoma Roller Skater Woodstock's Express was added in 1999, giving the park a total of 13 coasters at the time Next up was the kiddie coaster (at least the only one we could ride)

I can somewhat feel what you just went through. I don't take criticism very well (many years ago I was once booted from a chat room for breaking a rule that nobody knew about, and I never talked to that moderator again, and I recently had a mental breakdown after doing something minor at work that was misinterpreted), and I can upset or annoy people without even being aware it. Sometimes I will mention jokes that others misinterpret or not find to be funny, including a very minor incident in chat several days ago that I thought may have upset Robb. I have actually been diagnosed with an Autism spectrum disorder, which results in poor social skills, attention to detail, and other psychological conditions. The trouble is that people try to be nice and if somebody is obnoxious, others may simply be avoid them instead of confronting them about it to avoid upsetting them. Of course, this is just my humble opinion And by the way, I'm enjoying your Photo TR. The amount of commentary contrasts a lot with my "pictures only" version

More pictures from Disneyland Toy Story Zoetrope Video This marks the end of the first day. Day 2 at Disneyland, along with WCB will be posted soon For comparison, this is what we have in Florida The Mark Twain riverboat also serves as the finale There's plenty of fire The Colombia is used as part of the show Jeff wanted to ride this Wacky Worm DL's Fantasmic is a bit better than the one at MGM, though finding a place to sit/stand is much more difficult It looks smaller than the Florida version, but as said before, it only has one track Of course, the Florida version doesn't have as many "safety features" If they could do some of this theming, especially the soundtrack, on the Florida version, the ride would rock (and I don't mean "Rockin' Space Mountain) This version only has one track, and two seats in each row. Bonus points for a H2G2 reference (and Jahan, that is a fire alarm for your reference) The queue is a lot more elaborate than the Florida version DL's Space Mountain has differences from the Florida version Over at the Little Green Men shop in Tomorrowland, there is this counter modeled to look like a PeopleMover car. Bring it back! Cameron had to see this pinball machine, partly because of the unique frame (not the old man) Well they did say something about a "ghost following you home" The loading platform is a bit nicer than the Florida version, but it contains scenes that are part of the ride in the Florida version. The ride itself is a bit shorter, with some scenes such as the "Hurry back!" ghost appearing after riders disembark from the Doom Buggies And in this version, the Stretching Room is actually an elevator because the designers needed a way to get people under the railway tracks to the ride itself, which was outside the boundaries of the park itself This version lacks the first scene in the Florida version with the morphing portrait (at least it did when I was there) DL's haunted mansion has a different exterior to the Florida version We are not l33t enough! (Get it?) DL's Pirates was originally mean to be a walk-though attraction, but the concept expanded into the ride. The ride even has a classy restaurant overlooking the station, a little bit like the Mexican pavilion at EPCOT More Pirates Some of Florida's scenes are similar to this one Another shot from Pirates Interesting effect caused by the strobe light DL's Pirates is better than ours by a long shot Florida's riverboat is bigger, but this one runs circles around our "Steamboat Willy" Fantasmic boat Not our Dino! This was a nice surprise on the train ride from Tomorrowland to Main Street. WDW's doesn't do this. Florida Advantages: Shorter ride Flooded showroom ride system Covered queue Fits guests of all sizes California Advantages: Better facade Topiaries Closed for rehab! We love Arrow rides! It rides like a 50 year old Arrow...maybe because it is! Ready to ride The brakes look unusual Some people compare it to our Space Mountain, but other than the fact that it has two tracks and uses inline seating, they are completely different But Florida doesn't have Matterhorn, though we do have Everest now, but they are very different rides We still have our PeopleMover, and our Astro Orbiter is right where it belongs. It would be nice to see DL bring theirs back The park is a bit smaller than Magic Kingdom in more ways than one But where's the castle? The Disneyland Fire Station contained Walt's personal apartment on the top floor. A small light just barely visible through the center window indicated that Walt was in. Since he died, the light has been left on continuously. Of course, Disneyland was the only one completed by Walt Disney himself Since we were done with DCA in a few hours, we went across to Disneyland. Unlike WDW, where the parks are spaced apart and can only be hopped by car, bus, or monorail, Disneyland is directly across from DCA

Not much new lately, but I recently got this little ride working. This one's for you, Joey, and yes, it actually works, though with only one ride vehicle at the moment. This is taking into account that no such ride exists in the official versions of RCT2 I'm still open for suggestions. I'm thinking of adding a Florida themed area with Leonardo's Pizza, a Peoplemover, Erik's van, and Derek's Brewery.

I did feel the Sky Tower sway a little when I was up there, but that's to be expected and reduces the strain on the structure. I shot the "other" night shot and I have a few more. For some of them, I had to use a higher ISO to get a better picture, though a higher ISO results in a grainier image. Fun with the binoculars It doesn't do much, but it sure looks nice Looking towards the front of the park and Tatso