jray21

Looks like a massive and fun ride! Can't wait to ride it someday. Hopefully the next time TPR goes to China. There is no way in the world I would visit there without TPR!

^^ I loved the Prairie Dog exhibit! I used to have a Prairie Dog as a pet, so I loved watching them. They actually make really cool pets. They used to be at the end of Tavas Jungleland torward the giraffe end of the area. The were on the right side, if you are walking from the elephants toward the giraffe area.

I am surprised that they still went on despite others deciding not to sail. You would have thought they would have learned from previous cruise lines!

Vortex at CGA! I remember thinking it was so amazing and smooth!

^ I'm hoping, but not holding my breath, that Full Throttle is just a medium ride for the area and that they will be introducing a major ride like everyone thought. It's such a massive area to clear for a few smaller rides. Of course this is SFMM so this may be all we get.

^They have started popping up all over town as well, we even have 3 in Reno! You can find ones near you HERE. Just put in your zip code. I really am glad that they are changing over to Coke. I will honestly buy more soda when it's Coke, especially with the Freestyle machines. Now if only Coke would bring Real Gold over from Japan!

For some reason, TDL doesn't seem to do good firework shows. All the times I've ever been there they have been really short, but I usually visited during the slow season. It could be because the rest of the country has the most amazing firework shows that it's not really worth it. I've never seen a special event show though, it would be interesting to see what they do for New Years.

Great pictures! I first rode Firehawk as Stealth at CGA, but I don't remember how the seats were raised. I remember waiting over 2 hours for it, and thinking that while it was slow, it was pretty amazing and unique. Now, not so much.

That's an awesome idea! I'm totally doing the same thing when I have a kid. Just think of all the money I'll save on not having to buy toys!

^ That's exactly why I like Buzz Lightyear versus Toy Story Midway Mania. Even if the guns didn't work, Buzz would be a fun dark ride you could spin in. In TSMM, you are just watching a video game.

Wow, what awesome pictures! I remember both of those places as a kid. It was an awesome time growing up with Marriott's Great America! I do miss Tidal Wave most of all. As for the Bees, they still have them! Although, now they are ghosts.

I really need to get back to this park. It's been a few years. I love how they also have a lot of food and gift 'specials' for each years celebration. They don't just have a handful of junk like the US Disney parks, they have a ton of awesome dishes, and some really cool gifts!

^You would think that was common knowledge! Yeah, as nice as it looks, I don't see it happening. I just can't believe they decided on Tracy, I mean really, Tracy?

I would love to see another Ultra Twister in the US as well, but not holding my breath. I really like Chuck's idea. They could a lot of fun stuff!

I think the SyFy channel needs to theme an area of a park!

This is so true, especially after going to USO this year. They had some really nice houses, but with no atmosphere the whole event seemed 'off.' I haven't been to BGW for over 21 years! I think it's high time I got back there!

Really great looking ride. I hope we see more of these installed around the world!

Rip Ride Rocket with Rainbow Connection from the Muppets!

Great photos and report! I love all the in-depth photos of each area!

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at DHS.

I really love that show, but seeing how it's never busy I am in the minority. I like the original version, but glad they left some of the questionable songs in! I did like the California version as well. I wouldn't be surprised if the old County Bear Jamboree in California brought in more people than Winnie the pooh does now! I can't remember the last time I waited more than 5 minutes for that ride, even on the busiest days (Yes I know it's high capacity).

BGM really is a great looking all around fun coster, which is what Disney does best! It'll be entertaining for everyone. Looks like a fun ride with great theming, and some fun and unique elements! Thanks for the great video!

Capital budgets and Operating budgets are two entirely different things. Speak to just about anyone who has worked at SFMM and they will tell you that SFMM most definitely does not put enough into its operating budget. They don't pay as well as other parks and they certainly don't provide as many resources to their employees as the other parks. There is a reason so many talented people (especially in the maintenance department) leave for other theme parks the first opportunity they get. But on the flip side, that's not what their business model is. The crappy operations bother us, but the majority of their clientele just go "OMGz! Coasters! Yay!" and they still make money. I was just about to post the same thing! This is exactly it. Count me as one of those who have worked for Six Flags in a management position. You get what you pay for, or in this case, what you don't pay for.

^That post was definitely better than the original one! Just try and remember to use proper capitalization and grammar in the future. Thanks! -Moderator Joey (Now it's time for Detroit to wake up and start playing! )

It's really starting to look great! Even if it's a 1/4 as good as it looks, it's still better than what it used to be!