Xmeister

A classmate of mine the other day said this beauty....."No Sean, the Northeast can't have better coasters than SoCal, the coasters here are better because they're in California and we're awesome because we're Californians." So geography makes a difference in the quality of a ride? I want to date this girl...... I don't know if we have a single coaster that is the caliber of the likes of Maverick, Bizarro (SFNE), or even Boulder Dash. Manta might just be the best coaster on the West Coast.

I went yesterday (the 20th) and had a great visit. For the most part the employees were friendly and most everything was at least a two train op. As a ride operator myself, I do have to ask is it ok for the operators to congregate around the panel and hang out at this park? I saw this on several coasters. On Goliath, there were at least five employees standing around chatting. If I did that at Disney or Legoland, it would be a safety violation / reprimand. In my experience, the panel operator is supposed to have their eyes on the cameras, and/or station track. Not complaining here, I was just a little puzzled. On a few positive notes , Colossus was running great, Superman is so much better backwards, I noticed very little train stacking, Viper was running smooth, and I love DC Universe way more than I ever liked Gotham City Backlot. Oh and I'm never visiting a Six Flags park without at least Flashpass Gold again. This was my first time using any Flashpass or Q-Bot and it enabled my family to go on so many more rides than we would've without it. It was a wonderful tool for the visit. Now that I've moved from Florida back to San Diego, I'm going to be coming here way more than I used to. If only we could land a coaster on the same caliber as El Toro, NTAG, or IRAT. But from the rumors it might not be that much longer!

I can see why she did! Have you thought about building any more ride models?

I just saw that!!!!! It's always great to see another TPR member visiting Legoland. Your models are great, keep up the good work!

Today was a great day to be a Model Citizen. I got to work in the Lego Clubhouse today teaching classes, so I got to talk to a lot of guests and there was a lot of excitement about the hotel. There was a definite excitement in the air with the hotel opening and I really think the resort is looking the best it ever has. One of the things I think Legoland always has had going for it is the food. The breakfast buffet at the new Bricks Restaurant was not only the best buffet I've ever had, it was the best breakfast I've ever had. So don't miss it where you're here.

Hello rollercoaster riding's equivalent to sex!

I think the most exciting part of the ride looks like it might be that climb up the Mountain and then the hairpin into the tunnel. I hope in a few years the trees will grow in and add in an extra thrill.

I remember when it first opened, seeing pictures of the water from the flume going down people's shirt as opposed the the actual flume because that drop was so steep. They fixed that real quick. I wonder how they did, maybe a reduction in the amount of water?

To think that before this transformation that drop off the cliff felt like being dropped onto your spine from the top of a six story building. I think this might be the 2013 equivalent of GhostRider's "the drop" as it was back in the ride's heyday.

^At WDW we closed certain attractions because of the high potential for drug use and/or people having sex. If you want a really entertaining read about all of these shenanigans I recommend the Mouse Tales books. I have some stories from working TTA (not on Grad Nights), but I don't want to wreck my chance of working for the Mouse again so I keep them to myself.

It's getting more and more difficult to find non-Carnival cruises out of Southern Californnia.

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised to see snow at SFMM tonight. In Escondido you could literally see ice forming on the ground. Cue Southern Californian news stations acting like the apocolyspe has come.

This is tough. I started working at Legoland in 2009, then did two Disney College Programs. The first was from January 2010 until July 2010 and the second from January 2011 until January 2012. Since May of 2012 I've been a proud member of Legoland California's education team. I've got a lot to choose from. I'm gonna say it was the awful sight of a mother humiliating her daughter for having a panic attack at the base of Astro Orbiter at MK. She called her things like "f%^$ing freak" and asked me to yell at her too. Of course I didn't indulge this request. The incident ended with her mother physically trying to force the daughter into one of the elevators, but no way was I going to send them up, so I kept the door open and the daughter escaped and ran out of Tomorrowland towards the hub while the mother screamed profanities at myself and her fellow guests. I took necessary precautions as soon as I got the mother out of there. No parent should ever publicly humiliate their child like that. The occasional bad behavior inside Disney's gates always amazes me. The good thing though, is that for every bad guest there are 100 good guests. Also Disney is very good at handling situations like the one I encountered. I never found out from security what happened to those two.

I can't decide which coaster I'm more excited to ride! NTAG or Iron Rattler. It's amazing to think what was once one of the world's worst coasters is looking like it could now be one of the best. For some reason the double down off the quarry wall is what has me salivating the most. I have a feeling that my Top 5 will be changing dramatically this year!

^I think the difference between Manta and Project Reef Runner was that the latter would've had a lot more dark ride to it. I too hope that the concept comes back to see the light of day. I wouldn't be all that surprised to see a Manta popping up at SWSA within a year or two. Whether or not it'll be a flyer, launched coaster or something else I think it's too early to tell IF it ever happens.

^ Would a cruise on Costa be considered an Italian version of a Klassy Kruise?

I wish this expansion would've happened before my College Program. Then I would've had some GCI wood just a short I Ride Trolley ride away from Chatham Square!!! Oh well, more reason to go back I suppose. But in all seriousness this looks fantastic and I can only imagine that it might be a taste of whats to come for Fun Spot. I love this trend towards smaller, airtime focused woodies. I mean, look at how great of a ride Wooden Warrior is and it's so tiny!!! Maybe an FEC like Scandia in SoCal will pick one of these rides up. I think Scandia Screamer is past it's prime. Heck if they could find a way to fit it in (they won't) this would be a great new attraction for Belmont Park or Pacific Park.

Id have to say Ninja as well. Sometimes it feels like it's forgotten when it's one of SFMM's best coasters. It's part of a dying breed, but I hope that it stays for a few more years at the very least. The ride style itself may be a gimmick but I wouldn't call it a gimmicky coaster.

I have to say the US versions of Big Thunder Mountain are among my least favorite endings. For best endings, I think Maverick has a great ending, as does Kumba which has one of the only helixes I find thrilling. Helixes rarely impress me and I think they're a bit overused whether or not they're at the end of the ride.

What are the chances that the ship mysteriously disappears from Carnival's fleet within a few months and suddenly Costa has a replacement for Concordia? Knowing Carnival, they'd pass it off as a new ship. Wouldn't surprise me.....

^ As a business decision, I'd say that's smart. Morally if I was Carnival, I'd own up to what happened and wouldn't try to censor those who suffered due to my own lack of being able to run a cruise line. Wait Carnival and morals don't belong in the same sentence. As a passenger, I'd take the transport and THEN talk to the media. I wouldn't care if they gave me a free cruise, I wouldn't take it anyways so what would I have to lose by talking. I smell a lawsuit.

^I'm sure that'll be brought up in court.

Maybe I've been mean to Six Flags when I've referred to Carnival as the "Six Flags of the Seas." I'd say it's more on level with Nara Dreamland on a bad day. I'm reading these reports, and I'm shocked. It just seems like Carnival doesn't care about people's safety. Look at what's happened to Carnival Corp as a whole in the past 13 months. Costa Concordia disaster Costa Allegra has a fire and ends up adrift in pirate infested waters Carnival Triumph fire This is such an abnormally large amount of accidents for the cruise industry as a whole and they are all linked to Carnival!! This is the company that employs scum like Captain Schettino who are ok with denying that anything is wrong for over an hour after running aground. They clearly don't care about passenger safety. Also, the above incidents are a mere fraction of the incidents that have taken place within the corporation over the past fifteen or so years.

You know, considering everything else Carnival has screwed up, I wouldn't trust them enough to board these buses.......maybe they'll be Klassy Busses. I've heard of bus toilets overflowing with sewage.

This will be a great addition. Hopefully some more places on the strip see this and start building coasters of their own again. (I'm assuming that the rebirth of Speed isn't happening anymore. )