azza29

^^You're welcome! Happy to see everything made it there in one piece, and on time!

^Robb - having seen the rollout at WDW, do you think that the Fastpass+ arrangement would be as effective at Disneyland/DCA, given the much greater proportion of locals visiting those parks?

^Next community prize is at 625m cards. Shouldn't take quite so long to get this one.

^Kong is definitely one of the smoother SLCs still running the traditional Vekoma trains. I don't get why people are so negative on the Boomerangs either, they're a bit short but still fun, and not too rough.

Just saw a gremlin in my town, thinking "huh? It's not halloween!" It was the raccoon. Duh.

^Thanks Larry. Totally forgot to ask - where are the best places to eat at WDW and Universal? Quick service and sit-down. So many options... so little time!

X2 - Magic Mountain

^Cool, thanks Elissa. I was considering two days for Busch Gardens mainly because one wasn't enough at BGW earlier this year. Might allow for a break/non-park day instead, and if we really want to go back we can. Maybe I'll book my brother into the F&W half marathon... surprise! He can wear his medal the whole time we are there...

Hey everyone, working on some plans for late next year to take the first trip to Orlando with my brother and have come up with the following: - visit first during the first three weeks of November - 3 days at Universal, staying onsite, probably go to Fun Spot one evening - 1 day at SeaWorld - 2 days at Busch Gardens Tampa - half day at Legoland - 8 days for Disney World, staying onsite (probably Pop Century for 5 nights, Port Orleans for 4 nights). Thinking 1 day at Animal Kingdom, 2 days each at the other parks and a 'break' day where we might go to a water park or Downtown Disney. This is a lot of time but since it's our first visit I want to be able to take it easy. We'll catch the tail end of the Food & Wine Festival and check out the Christmas Party one night. I have a few questions: - is three days enough for Universal? We will have the Express Pass. - my brother wants to do some sort of outdoorsy/adventure-type activity. Maybe a hike or something physically challenging. Are there any options in the Orlando/Tampa area that would fit this description? - is it worth adding the Kennedy Space Center to the itinerary? - we both like theatre, what's a good site to find out what shows might be in town when we visit? - any suggestions for things to do in Tampa in the evenings? We're pretty early in the planning process and any comments/suggestions are definitely welcome. The only thing that really can't change is the timing, as the earliest we can leave is November 3rd and we want to head home before Thanksgiving week. Thanks for your help!

Do you mean if three Fastpasses is enough to make guests happy, or if there will be enough Fastpass availability to give everyone three each day? I don't think there's anything stopping Disney from adding FP+ to more attractions - "hey kids, how about a Fastpass for Captain EO or the Tiki Room?" I'm interested to see how the new setup plays out, anyway. I suspect for the most part the best park visit strategy will remain pretty much the same (ride the headliners early, late, or during a parade) with the main difference being that Fastpasses will be easier to book, even if there are fewer of them available each day.

Storm Coaster!

Dive loop, although the pretzel loop on Superman at SFGAdv is pretty special.

So Australia's new Dinosaur Park is now open... called "Palmersaurus" after its creator, politician and "businessman" Clive Palmer. I honestly don't know what to make of this: www.news.com.au/travel/australian-holidays/palmersaurus-inside-clive-palmers-dinosaur-theme-park/story-e6frfq89-1226784183175. Just bizarre.

^That's good to hear. I was sort of wondering how exaggerated the situation had been. Definitely felt like I was a bit of a slave to the paper FP system on my last trip to Disneyland, so I really like the idea of being able to turn up to a park in the afternoon having already booked my FPs beforehand.

^What you're experiencing is also known as "Stockholm Syndrome"

I like Green Lantern at SFMM more than most. And I'm another who will ride a log flume in any weather, even by myself if need be. If there was a TPR "Log Flumes in the RAW" DVD I would totally buy it!

^Yeah, I hope mine arrives in time. However I'm still waiting on my Club TPR Christmas ornament so the postage time is definitely a bit slower around this time of year!

Yeah - I wasn't suggesting CGA, it was just one of the parks we visited with the pass. We visited KI, CP, KD and DP in the last week of May and first week of June this year, mostly on weekdays. Did not buy a Fast Lane for any, although I would have done had we not allowed two days at CP. Crowds were light to moderate at all parks but there were a lot of school groups around. Most lines at CP were pretty reasonable (sub 20 minutes), but wait times for MF/Maverick got up near the 90 minute mark in the middle of the day. This was compounded by some windy weather causing TTD, Gatekeeper and Raptor to be down fairly regularly. The early entry at CP allowed us to ride Gatekeeper, MF and Maverick without much wait. At KI we rode Diamondback during early entry, the rest of the park was very manageable although there was a long wait for both Flight of Fear and Firehawk. KD's early entry was used to get on the first Volcano train, nothing else took long (even i305 had a short line) but be aware that some rides don't open until 12pm (Shockwave and Avalanche, from memory). DP was very quiet, no waits longer than 10 minutes, especially once the water park opened for the day. We were done with this park in about 3 hours, including all the re-rides we wanted.

I've heard reports that Fastpasses are "running out" earlier on most attractions - is this due to the increased usage across the board now that all resort guests have a MyMagic+ wristband? I'm thinking that people who wouldn't have bothered with the FP program in the past are now aware of it, and so there's a greater number of people making reservations across the board.

Even if they are really are intending to just refurb and reopen, if costs blow out then perhaps it'll be the end of the subs. I like this ride for its uniqueness, but it does get some long waits. Would be great to see the park come up with a way to make the load/unload happen more quickly and improve capacity.

Jett Star has some serious padding on those lapbars!

This past weekend I continued to put off finishing my USA trip report (shameless plug - read it here) and took a very quick trip up to the Gold Coast to get some sun and check out what's changed at a couple of my "local" parks since last summer. And I mean very quick - up Saturday morning, back Sunday night! The parks have really lifted their game in the past few years, adding new attractions all over the place, and this time the key draw was Sea World's brand new Storm Coaster. The coaster section was fairly tame, but has a great splashdown at the end - so I think of it more as a more extreme flume ride. The park have put a lot of effort into theming the ride, and it looks great on the outside. The indoor flume section. which is supposed to represent the inside of an upturned container ship, isn't quite as successful and seems a little empty at present, but that may be partially due to the fact that the planned flame effects aren't working yet. Inside the ride building is quite hot and steamy, so hopefully the park will add some misters or fans at some point to help you cool off while waiting in line. Anyway what really matters is that you do get incredibly wet, especially in the back row! Movie World was decked out for Christmas, and the park have continued their White Christmas event with its parade, lighting show and carols. Unfortunately due to a ticketing stuff-up I ended up missing out on that part of the night, but it didn't really matter because there was still plenty to do during the day, including marathoning Green Lantern, which is still my favourite crazy compact coaster. Sea World and Movie World are the two best parks in the country, and it's always great to get the chance to visit. Time for some photos! 4:30am. Bus to the airport. 6am. We didn't miss our flight. Hooray! 6:30am. Never get tired of this view! 7:30am. We arrive at the Gold Coast! No rental car this weekend. Luckily the bus system is decent. Bus #2 takes us to Movie World. 9am. Still on the bus. We arrive just before the park opens. Movie World has plenty of Christmas decorations, but mostly it's not over the top. Always happy to see Superman, especially since it was closed last visit. Arkham Asylum, on the other hand, had particularly slow operations, only running one train every ten minutes or so. Yep, the park is getting 120 people/hour on an SLC. Well done. Who doesn't enjoy a giant Christmas tree? Gotta love that Superman is actually "pushing" the train too - one of my favourite little details in this park. Merry Christmas! Lots and lots of lights for the nightly show. The park had plenty of grandstand seating set up in the hub for the parade. And yes, that man really is wearing a tiger singlet. I'm as mortified as you are. I think this is supposed to be snow. Either that or Movie World was recently attacked by the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Even the gift shop has not been spared the wrath of Mr. Stay Puft! I don't know why so many people line up for the Ice Age show. It's really, really terrible and yet seems to attract the longest queues in the park. FMX Overdrive is the show the park has brought in for the summer. Aussies are used to seeing these guys at various state fairs and events around the place, they are pretty talented and help to fill a gap in the park's entertainment lineup. Look mum! No... feet? The cars from the stunt show get in on the action as well. Not a bad show, but isn't really specific to the Movie World theme - I feel like this would be just as much at home at any random theme park anywhere. Wild West Falls looking great, and getting everyone soaked. Justice League is a really fun ride, and frankly better than anything Disney's done in the interactive dark ride department. But can somebody please fix the projector settings so this fills the screen like it's supposed to? Please? Hollywood Stunt Driver has been completely reworked since I last visited! No wait, I meant the opposite of that... it's exactly the same. Explosions are still fun though! To the seasoned coaster enthusiast Green Lantern may not look like much, but while it's not notably fast or forceful, it certainly gives an insane ride. The first drop is great - almost like a diving wild mouse! There are plenty of twists and turns, and the lack of OTSRs just makes it seem all the more intense. I have to fight the urge to hang on on this final roll. View from the hotel room. The beach + theme park combo makes for a great trip. Sunday is Sea World day! Penguins! "I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille" If you like Spongebob, you will love Sea World. Dinosaurs are still here. Saw these all over the USA earlier in the year, but this is the only park I've visited where they aren't an upcharge. Sea Viper still doing it's Arrow loopscrew thing. The new hotness. Or new wetness, in this instance. But first - a baby polar bear! Awww. Cute enough to soften the hardest heart. Got milk? The synchronised swimming display left much to be desired. Everybody loves dolphins. I do like seeing that the dolphins here have such a huge space to swim around in. There is even a third lagoon behind the stage! This is a sea cucumber. I agree, it does look a bit like a penis. The set of Finding Nemo was particularly active today. Viking's Revenge is now essentially a boat tour of Storm Coaster's footers and supports. Jet Rescue is a fantastic family ride - can't wait to ride Juvelen next year! CSI: Sea World still going strong. Time to check out the fresh meat. This photo is proof that Sea World can manage to run two trains on a ride if it really wants to. Ride sign. The story. I wish Full Throttle had a story. They have really gone all out with the theming, with a heavy emphasis on shipping containers. More shipping containers. A quick check on eBay reveals they can be bought for about $1500 each secondhand. Very good value should you ever decide to build your own tropical disaster-themed ride. The theme extends to the gift shop. And even the lockers. Well, at least they're consistent. On the right is the upturned boat you're supposed to be entering in the splashdown. The propeller is a cool little detail. If this was a Micechat update you'd see even more photos of streetlamps. So the drop is fairly tame, but picks up enough speed to make it interesting. You go into a tunnel... And take a little bunny hop over some raging water. The change in track colour is a nice touch. The splashdown is all indoors, and gets riders very, very wet. There is a short dark ride section with a few water and fog effects, but it's quite open so the theme doesn't quite carry through. No photos allowed, so you'll just have to come visit and find out for yourself! So the ship is upside down but the containers are still neatly stacked. This is because the old Bermuda Triangle ride building looks like a 1980s K-Mart and had to be disguised. Water everywhere! Well done, Sea World, Storm Coaster is a really good addition to the park!

I used a Platinum Pass to visit Knotts, CGA, CP, DP, KI and KD this year. In addition to free parking the food/merch discount is a good benefit. Plus if you find one day isn't enough (and it isn't at CP) then coming back for another full or half-day won't cost anything extra. Some parks have an early entry perk (half and hour at CP and KI from memory, and 10 minutes at KD) but I didn't see any discounts on Fast Lane.

Something I found out from a BGW tour guide - there are more sensors monitoring Verbolten's drop section than on the entire rest of the ride!

Great TR! This is definitely one of my favourite parks, it really is very beautiful and has a great collection of rides. Europe in the Air is difficult to enjoy, even in an ironic hipster "LOLOMG this is so terrible" kind of way. You did not miss much. I agree that the terrain adds a lot to Alpengeist - I always enjoy riding coasters which interact with their surrounds.