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Not sure if this is old news, but according to today's Knotts newsletter Coast Rider and the other new boardwalk attractions are scheduled to open on Memorial Day, along with the refurbished log ride.

A few of my own based on some experiences last week: 1. Empty pockets before getting on the ride. If ride ops have to unlock, lock and re-check all the restraints because you thought your phone/keys/glasses 'would be fine' in your pocket, everyone in line will think you're a douchebag. 2. Pay attention in the station. Watch the people ahead of you to see how the restraints work. 3. Speedos should not be worn in a water park. Or anywhere, for that matter. 4. If a you are a guy visiting a water park with a girl, under no circumstances should you make her carry the raft/tube/mat to the top of the slide tower. Not even if she's your sister. 5. When on a ride, don't complain loudly about how lame it is. If you hate it so much why are you riding!?

You should be able to fit this all in, especially if you use single rider lines. I'd recommend checking the parade/show times ahead of time and plan your route around those, as they will bring foot traffic to a standstill. If you have an extra 15 minutes, enter Roger Rabbit through the standby line instead of grabbing a fastpass. The queue is almost better than the ride. Nemo is good... once. I wouldn't ride it again but if the queue is short it's worth a go.

So now that fastpass return times are being enforced, has anyone noticed a difference in wait times? I have occasionally taken advantage of 'open' return times in the past but this new policy sounds more equitable. Are the Roger Rabbit/California Screamin' fastpass machines still 'disconnected' from the rest of the network, or has that changed too?

My first was Cyclone at Dreamworld. Just OK, but the loop at the end does make it more interesting. Very inefficient station design though.

So far: Luna Park Melbourne Sea World Movie World Wet 'n' Wild Coming up on my USA trip (10 weeks to go!): Disneyland Knott's SFDK CGA Luna Park NYC Quassy Lake Compounce SFNE Waldameer Cedar Point Kings Island Kennywood Knoebels Hersheypark Dorney Park Kings Dominion BGW SFA SFGAdv SFMM Universal Hollywood

Surfrider. I know this is nitpicking but the train is in the shape of a skateboard, which is very different to a surfboard!

Having seen all of the Oscar-nominated films playing locally, I decided to give Movie 43 a go last week. It wasn't great, but not quite the turkey the reviews suggest. If you watch it from the perspective that the whole thing is a commentary on Hollywood as a whole it may even be a work of genius! There were some genuinely amusing parts, but as with a lot of sketch-based comedy the joke wore off well before the sketch ended in many scenes. And if Hugh Jackman/Kate Winslet/Halle Berry had been replaced by no-name actors their scenes would not have been nearly as funny. Overall I think it comes down to how much you like/tolerate gross-out humour.

^I haven't noticed that so far, but there's still a roughness to the track that keeps the ride aggressive. This might have more to do with the age of the coaster though.

Just by coincidence I happen to be waiting in line for Arkham Asylum at the moment! There are indeed seatbelts over the shoulders. Makes a huge difference to the ride experience, none of that classic SLC head-banging or concussion. Hopefully we'll see more SLC trains like this in the future, because with them it's not a bad ride at all.

Green Lantern at Movie World. Small footprint but very intense ride. And inversions with only lapbars are full of awesomeness!

Never been denied a coaster, and after losing 20kg I no longer need attendants to give the restraint a shove to make it lock. Still have a bit of a way to go since some seats are still fairly snug, and earlier this week I was 2kg too heavy for the AquaLoop at Wet 'n Wild. Odds are I would've been OK but understandably the ride ops have to stick with the rules.

Ended up being Viper at Sea World. I wasn't expecting much from a 30-year old Arrow Corkscrew but it still gives a decent ride, and there's a nice pop of airtime on the first drop. The new Kumbak trains are quite good - your seats feel almost level with the track so the ride is more forceful.

Jet Rescue at Sea World. I will never tire of Intamin motocoasters!

My closest is a Wacky Worm at Wonderland Fun Park. I am yet to get the credit.

Let's just add Airbourne to the list of things Australia would prefer not to be associated with, along with Russell Crowe, Mel Gibson and Crocodile Dundee 3.

^Just buy it. Club TPR would be cheap at double the price. I'll easily recoup my membership in park discounts this year, but even if I didn't it would still be worth it.

^^Touringplans.com is a great resource, especially if it's your first time visiting the parks. Even if you don't follow their suggested itineraries, they have plenty of good tips that will help you get the most out of your visit.

Something that I've wondered for a while, and maybe a dumb question but here goes: how come an Intamin Half Pipe is considered a rollercoaster, but a Disk'O Coaster isn't? I get why someone would say a Disk'O Coaster is more flat ride than rollercoaster - but surely if that's the case then the Half Pipe is a flat ride too? Neither ride has a 'train' in the traditional sense - both just have seats that spin on a platform. And in some cases the Disk'O coaster can have more 'track' than a Half Pipe. Or does this just come down to individual preference so far as what you count as a credit?

Nobody in Australia understands the game but I've talked to plenty of people today who want to see the Niners win. So good luck!

^^I think we'll have to wait for the IKEA dark ride first.

^I seem to get hearts about 30% of the time when I leave cards. Just have the putt-putt and train left to go, but the train will wait until last since it's only decorative.