JRHcoasterki

1) Actions speak louder than words 2) Making a statement such as you suggest is easy to do, but also opens up Disney to immediately needing to respond to every covert unseen racist accusation against the company. I'm certain would want to able to respond properly to any accusation and preparing for that takes time and planning. 3) Chip and Dale mountain in Japan in the final straw in the Alvey's moving to Japan. I appreciate you responding! Yeah, I absolutely agree with you. I think in this case in particular, the timing of the announcement was no coincidence, and it provided an opportunity for what could have been some refreshing transparency and accountability. But as you said, that also opens a can of worms that is not necessary when it comes to taking real action. Anyway, it's exciting to see positive changes. The ride is more than likely going to be gorgeous, and the argument of whether mountains/giant trees make sense in a Louisiana-based attraction will give the diehard Disney fanboys something to debate over for decades to come!

I think this change was necessary and I'm glad it's finally happening! I will say, I think Disney missed an opportunity to come forward with a true acknowledgment of why the retheme of Splash Mountain is necessary. The press release mentions their aim to make the new ride more inclusive, which is definitely great. But I wish they had been more explicit in their explanation, stating why the ride has always been problematic, apologizing for their longtime silence regarding its problematic nature, and clarifying how this retheme is a part of their effort to enact real change in the parks. I know we are all tired of reading longwinded apologies from corporations. It is about the action, and Disney is taking action here. However, I think recognizing and owning up to their faults when it comes to the ride (and Song of the South in general, that's a whole other discussion), would have been impactful. Anyway, not trying to be negative! I think this change is well-intentioned and could be very cool. I don't post much on here, but I have been trying to be more vocal recently. Also, very on board for Elissa's idea of a Chip and Dale-themed Splash Mountain!

I don't post on the forum very often, but I just made my first trip to Holiday World this weekend so I thought I would share a mini report! Overall, I thought the park was super lovely. My family and I are from Ohio and had been wanting to visit for a long time. My mom had actually been as a kid when it was still known as Santa Claus Land, so she enjoyed seeing the crazy growth and expansion since she had last visited! The whole park was extremely clean and well-maintained, and every employee my family encountered was pleasant and competent! The free soft drinks are awesome, wish more parks did this! In terms of food, we ate a full-on Thanksgiving meal at Plymouth Rock Cafe that was truly great, I can't say I've ever said that when eating at a park! Seriously, it was worth every penny. Also, definitely splurged on a cinnamon roll funnel cake that was absolutely heavenly. No complaints. Now, in terms of rides. First, we stopped at Legend, which was a fun time but a bit too uncomfortable for my liking. Had a few good rib slams into the car that were not the most enjoyable. We circled back and rode Raven next, which I loved! It had a solid amount of roughness but definitely bearable and just added to the wild nature of the ride. Loved how it disappears into the woods and would have loved to have ridden it in the dark. After these two, we made the trek back to ride Voyage. Now, I was really looking forward to this, I had heard so much about it, and I was prepared for a wild ride. I also had read a few different accounts that it was running more on the smooth side this year, which made me pretty optimistic. Well, I am aware that I'm not the most experienced rider, and I probably haven't experienced true roughness, but omg. That thing hurt. I mean bone-shaking, skull-rattling, giant pothole hurt. I rode twice to see if maybe I just wasn't in the right mindset or something, but no, it was rough. I don't mean to bash on the ride at all, I can see how it could be amazing, the layout was crazy and never-ending. But, unfortunately all I wanted during the second-half was for it to end. So, after Voyage, we decided we needed some reliably smooth B&M goodness to soothe the headaches, so we walked back to Thunderbird. The whole ride area looks great and I loved the queue. We didn't get to take a close look at anything because lines were short, but all the bits of theming seemed of high quality and it was obvious the park made a great effort for the ride. The ride itself was great, super smooth and graceful with a nice amount of intensity. I've only ridden one other wing coaster which was GateKeeper, and I can say they are really solid and fun rides. We re-rode a bunch of times which I always think is a positive thing to be able to do. Anyway, just wanted to share some thoughts about the park. Again, we had a great time! The predicted weather held out and crowds were light! We are for sure going to come back and check out Splashin' Safari, it looked like a really great water park!

^^ I had the same experience with Banshee's line on Thursday. It was a very fairly busy day, so I wasn't even going to attempt to ride Banshee. Glad I did though because I only waited probably 20 minutes! Maybe less! It doesn't surprise me though, they blaze through loading/un-loading.

I'm so fancayyyyyyyyy, you already knowww.

The park just tweeted this. Looks great!

Hi! So, my family and I are thinking about going to a water park around fourth of July just to have a fun summer day. We live in NYC, so the two water parks we are looking at are Wildwater Kingdom (Dorney Park) and Hurricane Harbor (SFGAdv). We're not sure which park to go to. So, if anyone could me any insight on which park is overall a better choice that would be awesome. By overall, I just mean experience, pricing, ride selection etc. I hope this is enough info for you guys. Thanks in advance for your replies! P.S. Driving time isn't an issue. I know Wildwater Kingdom is a little bit farther but if it's the better park we are willing to drive the extra thirty minutes.

I have good timing with the webcams! I checked them just a second ago and both Raptor and Gatekeeper were beginning their first drops!

Oh okay! Thanks for the reply!

This is VERY random so bear with me... Recently, I've been trying to find a POV of BuzzSaw Falls. Not for any particular reason, I've just been curious about it because it only lasted for a short time. BUT, I can't seem to find one. I was wondering if you ever filmed one Robb? If so, could you possibly post it sometime? Obviously I know BuzzSaw Falls probably isn't on the top of your priority list of POV's (And I know you are very busy), but it would be really cool if you did post it. Thanks!

It wasn't posted on their Facebook. I expect this to be true. It's been a rumor for some time that after Batman backwards is over we'll see both AE Blue and Viper run backwards, but not at the same time. One will probably be for Fright Fest. May I ask where it was posted then?

I looked on the Six Flags Great America facebook page and that picture is nowhere to be found...

^^ That actually made the news?

^THANK YOU!

It's an aquatrax. Called it.