Xmeister

I really hope this project goes forward. I'm optimistic, but cautiously optimistic because the San Diego city government can be notoriously difficult to work with when it comes to any kind of new construction. We saw this when they wanted to add Journey To Atlantis to the park when some city council members (along with the California Coastal Commission) try their very best to stop the ride from being built. I've never felt that the San Diego government appreciates how important SeaWorld is to the local tourism economy.

Great pictures of a park I've been dying to see more detail of! I love how Tron lets those waiting in line have a peak at the launch track. Makes me miss the windows that the old Space Mountain queue had at DLR and the view of the ride that the loading station of MK's Space Mountain used to feature. Maybe it's the film major in me but I think those little (or large in the case of MK's Space Mountain) sneak peeks add so much to the overall attraction experience. It makes you even more anxious for what's to come and gives you a unique way to see the attraction.

For me it was Kilimanjaro Safaris at DAK. This was several years ago when it still had the poaching storyline. Even though the storyline wasn't very strong, the mere presence of a storyline added an extra layer of immersion from which we as Cast Members could pull from to vary our performance as we played our part in the guest experience. From wishing waiting guests an amazing "two week safari" to our dialogue with the "reserve warden", each individual part of the story were tools for us to use in our goal of bringing the fantasy of an African safari to life! Even without the storyline, it is an incredible place to work. I felt like the luckiest guy in the world at that job. My favorite memory has to be on a slow morning where we had to have certain trucks pass the station without loading guests and I had to take my vehicle on an empty round. Morning is when the animals are most active and this was one of the most beautiful days I saw at the attraction. I was at a point where I could see no vehicles in front of or behind me and the scene was so peaceful. The scene got even more beautiful when I saw a baby giraffe emerge from an isolated bank of low-lying fog. This moment still gives me chills and it is how I know that the magic of Disney is real for the guests, but it is just as real (if not more!) for the Cast Members.

For me the only things that seem like they could be offensive were the captions joking about suffocating and drowning. I think that the actual rink itself was beautiful. What a creative idea! It was a unique way to showcase sea life that would've otherwise been eaten. Instead of being destined for someone's intestines, scores of people were able to view the beauty of these creatures.

Hey everyone, I know a lot of us miss Vegas when theming was all the rage. I was looking for photos from when the Luxor was filled with awesome (and sometimes corny) theming. I came across this video of the hotel from 1994, it's opening year. You can see footage of things like the short lived Nile River Adventure, the exterior night time show, and the outside of the bizarre In Search of the Obelisk simulator attraction. As you can see, a lot has changed since then. In my opinion the majority of the changes have made the Luxor much less interesting. Today only scarce remnants of the original theme remain in the interior. It's been sad to see so many places in Vegas lose the decorations that made them unique. I guess that's business though. Anyways, enjoy seeing the Luxor as it was 22 years ago! (Warning: The video I found the footage in is some kind of weird conspiracy theory video. I turned the sound off and enjoyed the footage much more. The footage of the Luxor is mostly contained to the first half.)

The 1940s are gone and the first year of the 50s is over. 1951 finds America in a period of prosperous growth and hope of a bright future ahead. In Southern California the owners of a huge plot of land that they have farmed and ranched for decades have opened a small amusement enterprise. Once you've arrived you have to make your way past the barn and residence before reaching the entrance. A shot of the residence shows how close it is to the barn. The entrance to Miss Debbie's Farm and Fair. The park's name comes from a family nickname of the wife who owns the park along with her husband. The view of the park immediately after entering. Dominating the shot is the park's Columbia Star ferris wheel. The horse statue is a nod to the property's past as a major horse breeding center. An overview of the park reveals how tiny it is at the present. It is just a small component of the overall property. This building houses the main eatery of the park as well as the entrance to the park's most popular attraction. By far the most popular spot in the park is the Wonderland Pool. When the park is open it is amazing how packed this pool can get. Helter Skelter is a simple, but popular attraction for the park's younger guests. It has the same style of simple decor and landscaping that is at the Wonderland Pool. The park's only coaster, Blue Streak is small but a favorite! To compensate for the short ride time, guests are sent around twice before their ride is over. Another shot close to Blue Streak's station gives a better idea of it's short layout. The final attraction is the park's railroad, Lakeview Express. This is currently it's only station. In this photo it is easy to see how it got it's name. The Lakeview Express travels right through the landscaping of the Wonderland Pool offering a unique view for swimmers and train passengers alike. Beyond the amusement facility, nearly all of the property is open for the visitors to explore. Access to the main trail head is located between the Wonderland Pool and back restrooms. A short hike away is a bridge leading to the former horse ranch portion of the property. From the trails you begin to get a sense of how big the property really is. This lake is one of the few natural lakes in Southern California. Further down the trail is the building housing the disused horse stables. It'll be interesting to see what the owners do with all of this land if the park is successful enough to expand. At the back of the property, the flat region around the lake drops severely into a huge canyon. Looks like a place you wouldn't want to be on a hot day. One final shot of the park at night closes out our first visit to Miss Debbie's Farm and Fair. Thank you for reading!

My working theory: Rafts are a bad way to see theming, and usually theming doesn't do well with water, so if you do have a lot of theming, it can't be that wet. Bluto's has a lot *and* is super crazy wet, so as a result, you get the raft ride you always wanted. I feel the same way. Also, one of my thoughts whenever I've boarded one of these rides is how cool it would be to have a raft ride where the riders face outwardly. You would see so much more! If I recall correctly the old rapids ride at Hunt's Pier (later Dinosaur Beach) in Wildwood had outward facing boats. I'm sure the reason we don't see more of these boats are that with the usual rapids ride restraints, it would probably be easier to get out with outwards facing seating. Obviously you could have more substantial restraints but that would increase loading times which wouldn't be great considering that so many of these rides are boarded on a moving turntable. Then, remembering the accident at SFOT on their rapids in the 90s, stronger restraints could be seen as a safety hazard in certain situations. Of course more and more water rides seem to be including some kind of restraint so this point doesn't seem to be as much of a factor.

Why is it that there seems to be only a few "good" rapids rides in the world? The only two that I've been on where I've been truly interested in re-rides are Popeye at IOA and Grand Canyon Rapids which was at the long-defunct MGM Grand Adventures Park in Vegas. Most others are just kind of ho hum for me to be honest. River Quest at Phantasialand looks interesting though.

Can there be a dive machine themed to Courtney Love?

This has been my dream since I was eleven...you could have some interesting 4D shows at this place....and I think that's a pretty low key idea!!

This is the reason I'm so excited to go to Schlitterbahn New Braunfels this summer! I think these types of slides tend to be much more interesting!

I just came across this slide today, it looks like a more terrifying version of the old Congo River Rapids attraction at Wild Rivers. I've never even heard of this park. Video is courtesy of Amusement Force.

Looks to be on par with the Carnival ships that I've been on. Of course I have to assume the average quality of the beer on Costa is better than the PBRs and Coors Light consumed by the masses on Carnival.

The park is definitely doing better since El Loco opened. At least it seems like it is better maintained.

I think I'd have to say Texas Cyclone. Probably more for nostalgia reasons as opposed to how great the coaster was though.

GhostRider, when it was first open is still the best coaster I've ever been on. The airtime and the bat-out-of-hell second half blew my eight-year-old mind. Unfortunately the next opportunity I had to ride it was 2004, and it was really starting to age badly at that point. Even the RMCs I've ridden don't come close (in my mind) to the original GhostRider. I can't wait for the coaster to reopen. As much as I'm looking forward to Lightning Rod and Storm Chaser next year, I'm twice as excited for the reborn GhostRider.

This, I really like every flyer I've been on, in particular Tatsu. I think Tatsu could have been even better if it was more low to the ground like Ninja is. Maybe they could have had the first drop and inversion the same as it is now before going into a sequence of steep dives and sweeping turns following the terrain. That sensation of speed would've been insane! I'd even forgo the Pretzel loop as amazing as it is because I think that a terrain coaster that follows the landscape as closely as something like Ninja or Lisebergbanan is what would suit the flying coaster genre best.

With regards to Twisted Twins, I feel like the dueling element was the only semi-interesting aspect of the ride. The layout was strange and boring. Maybe one of the strangest layouts I've ever seen.

One of my favorite coaster moments of all time was rushing towards "the drop" like a bat out of hell. I know it wasn't actually very fast but it sure felt out of control. I hope to experience it again after the refurb!

I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to double post.

As someone who has worked for Merlin and Disney, I can say that although Disney does a great job in keeping their parks and rides safe, Merlin takes even more precautions and is even stricter. They are the very definition of safety conscious. I worked at Legoland California in 2009 and 2012-2013 and just by looking at how meticulous they require their employees to be with making sure that riders meet all requirements, I can say that Merlin might be the safest park company in the world. Legoland California is very strict in making sure that age requirements and size requirements are both met whereas I find that most parks tend to focus on the size requirements instead of having both. Just an example of their extremely strict rider requirements, one of the first attractions I ever operated was the Royal Joust at Legoland California. When I worked there the height requirement was 36" and the age range was 4-12. The age requirements were what excluded the most riders from riding out of the two. In fact we were trained that absolutely no exception to either requirement would be acceptable. While this is obvious for any size requirement, there were times where I had to deny ride access to children who were three, but turning four the very next day. My own experiences with Merlin combined with the fact that I can't think of another serious ride incident that they've had are the reasons I know that Merlin's attractions have a safety standard that is not only above average, but one that should be an example to the industry as a whole. In fact in some cases I think that their rider restrictions are too strict, but in this industry safer is always better so I'm not complaining.

I still haven't had as good of a coaster ride than I did the first time I rode GhostRider shortly after it opened, I think I was eight. It truly is one of the best designed coasters layout-wise of all time in my opinion. I miss rushing towards the drop off the mid-course brakes like a bat out of hell. If they fix the ride up I'll be ecstatic! Maybe they could enclose the drop and theme it like a mine shaft?

How about a Centralia themed dark ride for Dorney?

Since Matterhorn is too rough to run backwards maybe it could be done on California Screamin?

Even better! That's something I'll be seriously considering a couple of years from now.