Hilltopper39

Yeah I'll say I didn't have an issue with it, nor have I on any of the other B&M vest restraint rides I've ridden, but my daughter did mentions being slightly uncomfortable mostly when sitting on the brake run. It seems like the vest thing is hit or miss for a lot of people depending on height/shape/etc. but yeah hopefully they can adjust the tension in the future if needed.

Great report, really enjoyed following these updates (and the whole trip recently). This has been one of the more intriguing new parks out there for me recently because it looks so good but it feels like there hasn't been that much coverage of it. How was the Batman ride? Seems like after it opened I looked for some on ride videos for a while then eventually found a POV several months later, but even from good footage like yours it's hard to get a feel for the thing. I know it uses the same Kuka arm as forbidden journey but was the overall ride experience good compared to forbidden journey? I can't imagine that ride system is cheap so hopefully the rest of the attraction stacks up.

I had a chance to get 4 rides on Pipeline this weekend with my oldest during the passholder preview and we had a really fun time. I gotta say, my expectations weren't high for this ride, or low really, but it's pretty fun. The trains bounce way more than I thought they would and it produces some really unique sensations. I thought that the layout after the inversion would be really dull but there were several unexpected pops of air time that the seats created that otherwise probably wouldn't exist. For a "gimmick" coaster it's a pretty fun little gimmick. I have no idea where this thing ranks but it's a heck of a lot of fun. Mako is still my favorite coaster at SeaWorld, but this is a really nice addition. The whole area around the ride looks great, it's very minimal on the themeing but the sand and the palm trees along the waters edge really looks great and has a nice beachy vibe to it. I did notice there was an awful lot of space on some pathways around the ride which makes me think there's some potential to really bring this area into use during the various festivals throughout the year. Lots of nice places for some food stands, and the whole plaza is goin to be a great viewing spot for the fireworks in the summer time. As far as the loading procedures I really didn't notice any issues. Granted it was a passholder preview so crowds were limited, but we had a few rides where the line filled almost all of the main switchbacks below the stairs down the launch track and it took 10 maybe 15 minutes? They did have to re-check a few restraints each train but it really didn't feel slow or anything. Also I think I saw one person get turned away for the restraints but also noticed several larger people ride with no issues. Feels like there was a lot of discussion about the restraints being restrictive for larger people early on when the ride first opened, but I think that's just a thing that people (bloggers) bring up now to have something to talk about when it's really not that big of an issue. Overall it feels like a really solid addition for the park, probably not gonna be anyone's favorite coaster ever but it's a really fun ride.

I completely forgot this project was happening but it looks really good! Can't wait to see the line for the log flume be 4x as long as the line for the coaster.

I'm going with a 500 Ft spike just so they can say they have a 500 Ft tall coaster even though with the swing launch the train will never go over the 350 Ft mark. A record is a record.

Looking forward to head down this weekend for passholder preview, but one question for anyone that's been, are there any special requirements for the preview? Do you have to get a wrist band some or a special ticket or just show your pass at the entrance like in years past?

Yeah I like the idea of an expansion team more than moving the Rays. On one hand you would probably keep some of the Rays fan base, but the move would probably piss off another large chunk so who knows how much of a net positive that is. Part of the issue in Tampa to me is that the stadium is in the middle of nowhere, probably over an hour just from various parts of Tampa. The Orlando stadium would be right in the middle of everything. Some of the articles mentioned the new SunRail line that's going to be running from the airport to the convention center, I'm sure a stop would be included for the new stadium if this becomes a reality. Again I'm not a big baseball fan but I enjoy a day at the ballpark enough that I'd do a couple games a year. And with this being so close to SeaWorld/Aquatica and Universal there are some great opportunities for some fun weekends. Hit Seaworld in the morning, check into a hotel close by late afternoon then walk over to the stadium district around 5 for dinner and drinks before a 7pm first pitch. Horror Nights on a Saturday in September then a 1m game on Sunday. Lots of potential.

I'm gonna throw this in the "Random" thread since it's not really related to a specific theme park or the theme park industry, but a new MLB Stadium/franchise in being considered for Orlando just right outside of SeaWorld/Aquatica. I'm not a huge baseball fan but we were just in Atlanta over the weekend at the new(er) Braves stadium and that entire complex the area surrounding that venue is spectacular. If this is anything like that it'll could potentially have a huge impact and be a massive draw for a city that already has so much tourism. Just curious if anyone has any thoughts on this proposed project, good or bad. I don't live in Orlando in but I'd imagine locals may have mixed feelings on this as far as traffic and funding etc. etc., but a nice new complex right in the heart of the attractions area could be pretty exciting. https://www.si.com/mlb/2023/05/10/orlando-dreamers-group-proposes-stadium-lure-mlb-franchise

I've seen a lot of people trashing the look of these on various social media channels in comparison to the existing cabins that are a bit more "rustic" and actually look like cabins but I don't know, I kind of like these. I'm sure the footprint of these won't be that much different than the existing units but I like the more fresh and modern look, even if it does kind of resemble a shipping container.

Yeah when we were there a few years ago that made absolutely no sense to me, just move up one flight of stairs to the top floor and group from there, where you can actually see the station and the train. Several time train went out with empty seats because the grouper 1 floor down had no idea they hadn't sent enough people up to fill a train, it made no sense at all.

Yeah I could care less, but I do think it's kind of cool when they build slightly different versions of the same attraction. Like Tower of Terror what are there like 4 different versions using that same ride system across the planet? Space Mountains are all slightly different, there are more examples I can't think of but I always did appreciate those little changes.

Could always go over the Iron Dragon track instead of under it. I feel like I've seen some fan speculation videos/renderings out there somewhere that showed some possibilities for that.

The turntable is kind of an odd choice in the middle of the ride like that but I think I remember something about maybe the maintenance bays are on the end of the layout? If so that's a really creative way of saving space. Layout looks funky as hell, and the upward launch into the top hat thingy at the beginning is really cool.

Even on a crowded day Infinity Falls might be the only thing with any kind of a significant wait time. They usually don't open that ride with the park, if I recall they open that area of the park about an hour later so if your riding Mako around 9:45 or so you can get over to Infinity Falls when it opens shortly after 10. If you're at the park when they open at 9 am it's pretty easy to grab a few rides on Manta, Kraken, and Mako within the first hour.

Does anyone know when QuickQue's go on sale for the summer? Or does anyone remember roughly what QuickQue's cost last year for let's say a Thursday/Friday/Saturday in early June? Trying to plan a trip with the kid up for a KD/BGW weekend and don't see the QQ's available for sale yet.

No I completely agree with most of that, the newer stuff is by and large "better" but it is considerably less "interesting". RMC's are all great but they're all kind of the same. It's not a bad thing by any means, it's great to have a smooth, intense, dynamic, (mostly) reliable coaster at every park in America, but when everyone has one none of them feel like a as much of a unique destination I guess. I will say there is still some newer "weird" out there and I always appreciate that. Cannibal at Lagoon, the wooden shuttle coaster in Texas, the new Tilt coaster coming to Austin although there may be a dozen of those across the globe 10 years from now. Guardians at Epcot is pretty unique but certainly on a different scale, but something like the new Uncharted ride in Spain or even the Darkastle conversion at BGW are pretty interesting projects. As far as Mindbender, I never got to ride it but it was definitely a "bucketlist" type coaster for me. I will say I never really understood the appeal of Schwarzkopf's, been on several, they're all fine and good but nothing that was ever close to a Top 10 or 20 ride for me. It is sad to them permanently removed, but if Indiana Beach successfully reopens Quimera then hey that'll be some old school new weirdness in the coaster world.

Death, taxes, and Sean Paul playing a concert at Universal during Mardi Gras.

Be interesting to see what they do with the space where Phoenix goes, seems like the Screamin Swing ride would have been a perfect fit right there but instead that's going in over across the way. I'm also interested to see what kind of lines Serengeti Flyer gets after it's been open for a little while, it's kind of in the middle of nowhere in the park and I can just see it being a walk on almost all the time.

Great report as always Bert, I never realized Plopsaland was so extensive with all of the themeing and dark rides and stuff, looks like a really great park. Ride to Happiness looks amazing, I know Time Traveler at SDC is similar but it feels like I hardly ever hear about that coaster compared to Ride To Happiness which everyone seems to rave about.

It's funny how kids change you experience and perspective. We're still go go go and get as much done as you can, but if there's a long line for something the kids want to do that I would normally skip on my own, we do it lol. An hour for the log flume vs 10 minutes for a great coaster? Guess we're waiting for this log ride now lol. But yeah it is nice to have what I would normally consider an average day at a park day turn into a really good day just because I know the kids had a great time and didn't notice or care about little operational annoyances like I do. We also just sit down and chill a lot more with kids than I ever did before, and that's nice, but also maybe I'm just getting old.

Yeah it's been closed pretty consistently regularly, but when it was open and operating for a few trips I made back in 2021 I guess it was, there was never anyone in line for it. The half a dozen rides I've had on it even on days when the park was crowded it was never more than a 10 minute wait maybe. Just something to keep mind. Sand Serpent and Scorpion can have a full que and Falcon's Fury would still be a walk on.

Great report as always Bert looks like it was a good trip. We took our kids there for Christmas last year and just had the best time, we're already planning on another Christmas trip for next year. It's a great park and at Christmas time it does just feel a little extra special.

I feel like this coaster quietly might be really good. I mean I don't think anyone was really looking forward to another mid sized B&M in the same park with 3 other B&M's but the layout looks great and the unique trains with a launch, this one might be a lot of fun. And most of the time coasters at SeaWorld have pretty short lines so add in another high capacity ride and everything there might be a walk on 80% of the year lol.

This is kind of a cool project, should be interesting to follow considering that rumored Fast n Furious coaster coming to Universal Hollywood is also probably from Intamin. Might see some similar technology used, or it could be completely different and unrelated but more coaster dark rides is never a bad thing.

Great report man. We made a trip to Dollywood for Christmas last year and were just talking recently about how much fun it was and how badly we want to go back. It really is a special place and even more so around the Holidays. I've always wanted to check out the water park up there but if given the choice between visiting in the summer or over the Holidays it's hard to not pick the holidays.