Woodie Warrior

I did notice fresh wood on Screamin' Eagle and the wooden handrails of the Mine Train. I checked out the new gift shop and the outside looks a lot better. The inside doesn't seem much different than what was there before other than the fact that it felt less cluttered. Having it as the exit to two rides seems like it'll be really busy all the time.

I'd say more like Top 5 material! I've never seen anything quite like it! It'll for sure steal El Toro's thunder.

^Mr. Freeze at SFSTL and SFOT launches you backwards and it has lap bars. I'm sure there are countless other examples of rides running backwards without OTSRs.

The ride crews really were doing awesome today (except for the whole "one-train operation thing, but that's not their fault). If that's how efficient you are on opening day, I can't imagine what operations will be like later on in the season.

I hope I didn't come off as insensitive in that last post. Suicide is a serious topic and I don't feel comfortable discussing it anymore. Sorry if I offended anybody, that wasn't my intention.

If you want to commit suicide, do it in your house or something. (Edit: Not trying to "condone" suicide. Things need to be done to help people who are going through depression. But choosing to do it in the most public way possible is just plain selfish). Don't do it in front of families at an amusement park. He's just scarred kids for life, and like others have mentioned, this will definitely change how security is handled. Suicide is a problem, and I feel bad for those with issues with it, but doing it at an amusement park screams "I wanna make the headlines!" Thoughts go out to all the witnesses (especially the little ones) and his family. Even if I totally disagree with his method, it's still a tragedy.

Mr. Freeze didn't valley. We walked through the shade arbors and there wasn't a train visible on the track.

^A small part of the park still had power which makes me think it was SFSTL only.

Update: Power outage in certain areas of park. Mr. Freeze and Batman are closed but the sports bar right next to Mr. Freeze has power. Main gift shop at front of park lost power while all the gift shops around it have power.

Park is looking really nice this year. A lot of rides weren't running at opening but they got going pretty quickly. Justice League looks pretty far from completion. I wouldn't be surprised if it opens early June at this point, but I'm sure they could get it ready by May. They are advertising it as "opening this summer". Screamin' Eagle was running pretty well.

Will seemed like an awesome guy. That post was surprisingly moving. He has left an amazing legacy, and anyone who's been to HW would agree.

I visited Kentucky Kingdom last June, and the teenagers at the park were often more well-behaved than the adults. At least teens don't blow smoke in your face while waiting in line.

I wasn't complaining about the area itself. The restaurants' interiors look awesome, and I love the other facades they built to go behind them, like Springfield Elementary. It looks far better themed than Orlando's area, which already looked nice. The only tiny complaint I have is the huge contrast between Springfield and Hogsmeade. It is a way bigger contrast than the one between Jurassic Park and Hogsmeade over at IoA. That being said, it looks that you can only see it in one tiny area, so it probably isn't as big of a deal as I made it out to be in my original post. Anyways... Is anyone else noticing there seems to be less coverage of construction at both Universal resorts than there used to be? I mean, when Transformers was being built at USO, we got a new pic every day of what was going on. Nowadays, huge additions spring up with very little fanfare. It's not just TPR I'm talking about.

Glad to hear. Hope it holds true. According to HWFan, SFSTL is referring to JLBFM as "our hyper coaster". At least for SFSTL, this ride is a HUGE deal. Hopefully it'll be the same for SFOT (even though you guys actually do have a hyper coaster....and NTAG....)

A worker at SFSTL (HWFan, I believe) answered this question in that forum. The park president at SFSTL said that the chain is investing too much money in these rides to let them go to waste. They want these to look amazing for years to come. I know SFSTL did all they could to maintain Scooby, but that ride was never intended to last for so long. JLBFM should be much easier to maintain.

Trackless vehicles wouldn't have added anything to the overall experience. It would've been a waste of money. The ride is really shaping up to be just as good as dark rides you'd see at Disney/Universal, which is something I never thought I'd say about a Six Flags attraction.

What is?

The Boss at SFSTL is the same way. I know for a fact they put in lots of effort during the off season and replace giant sections of track, but its speed and forces just tear up the tracks within weeks anyways. Big wooden coasters are a lot harder to keep smooth.

Both animatronics are already installed in their spots. The encounter with the Joker is going to be absolutely jaw dropping. I'm extremely excited for the Joker. He looked extremely lifelike at IAAPA, and that was without any lighting effects or fog. Is he going to do the same speech that was shown off there? And thanks for the updates by the way! Hoping to make it out for opening day even if it rains.

edit: double post, sorry

Have the ride vehicles been delivered already? I would've nerded out as well seeing that. Great report! Love the small details being added around the parks.

What type of simulator is the main attraction going to be? Is it Soarin' with a different film or will it use a different system?