Double0Kevin

1. Name 3 of your favorite roller coasters, but not your top 3. Xcelerator, Cheetah Hunt, Apollo's Chariot 2. About how many different parks did you visit in 2018? Three 3. Which 2018 park visit was your favorite? Disney California Adventure 4. Your favorite 2018 park addition (ride, food, show, etc)? Paint The Night's return at DCA 5. What ride exceeded your expectations the most in 2018? Only new to me ride was Giant Dipper at Belmont so it wins by default 6. Best meal/food at a park in 2018? Disneyland Corn Dog 7. What was your favorite new coaster of 2018 NOT made by RMC or Larson? See answer to #5 (new to me) 8. Name one park you will definitely visit in 2019. Lagoon, possibly Elitch Gardens 9. Best ride themed to a bird? Montu (bird gods count) 10. Lamest ride/coaster you rode in 2018? Flight of the Hippogrif at USH, though is still found it fun. 11. What roller coaster currently sits at the top of your bucketlist? (degree of difficulty: NOT a new-for-2019 ride). Steel Vengence followed by Tron 12. What new-for-2019 ride or coaster are you most looking forward to? Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance 13. Name the first totally middle-of-the-road (not bad/not great) park that comes to mind. Sea World San Diego 14. You're in Orlando and magically have a 1-hour ERT session on 1 coaster of your choice at any park in the city. You choose... Manta 15. Holiday In The Park vs. Winterfest. Who reigns supreme? Never done any of teh Winterfests, so I guess HiP by default for me. 16. Mystic Timbers mystery shed or Wicker Man fire infusion? Wicker Man 17. Which Six Flags have you been to most recently? Discovery Kingdom 18. Intamin or Schwarzkopf? You may only choose one. Schwarzkopf over all 19. Battle of Kings Coasters: Island or Dominion? Pick one. Dominion, though I haven't been to KI since SOB was still standing (and had a loop) so it's a tough call. 20. What was the longest you waited for a ride/coaster in 2018? 30 minutes or so, for Radiator Springs Racers, but that was due to a shutdown 21. What roller coaster have you ridden more than any other? Medusa, SFDK. Morning test rides racked up the ride count. 22. Best drop tower under 150 feet? Probably VooDoo drop at SFA... Big Shot on Stratosphere if we are only counting the height of the ride itself and not the height of where it's placed. 23. Maverick or Millennium Force? (If you haven't been to CP, pick what you want to ride more). Maverick, no question 24. Log flumes or sky rides? You can only choose one. Sky Rides 25. What are 3 things you enjoying doing at your home park other than riding rides? Well my home park is Adventuredome so, midway games, drinking and gambling 26. What is your second favorite Cedar Fair park and why? Kings Dominion, best collection of coasters that I've been on at a CF park outside of CP 27. What is your home park and give us two good reasons why we should pay it a visit. Adventuredome. 1, you shouldn't, and 2 you shouldn't. 28. Launch or Lift? Launched Lift 29. Did you buy fast pass at all in 2018? DL Max Pass, yes 30. What is your least favorite wooden coaster? It was SoB, then it was Gwazi, still operating.... probably ROAR at SFA. 31. Disney fanboys: cool or cult? Depends, if you just like to go and maybe were a mickey shirt ok. If you join a biker gang and wear stupid vests and start online smear campaigns against the other gangs... you need to go away. 32. Best Batman themed ride? Haven't been on many. Probably just the standard Batman The Ride, been on the ones at SFMM and SFGAm, both were good. 33. Name something that you tend to take home from parks that you didn't bring with you. Park maps, lots of park maps 34. Best wooden coaster over 110 feet tall? (rcdb will help you) Beast is 110, so I'm counting it as my choice. 35. Have you ever been hit with something (loose change/a tree/vomit/etc) while riding something? I almost got hit by a cellphone on the TPR video if Superman at SFDK. 36. Skywarps: credits or no? State your case. No, not if powered coasters aren't a credit. 37. Turkey legs: nah or yaaaaassssss? If I'm in the mood, but I never come close to finishing one. 38. What is the most recent B&M that you rode? Its been years since i got on a B&M (I'm a terrible coaster enthusiast now a days). I think maybe Manta or Kraken back in 2012. 39. You can eat nothing but corn dogs, churros or funnel cake for the next 48 hours, which do you choose? Corn Dogs 40. Post a great on-ride shot of you from 2018. (DO IT!) Whoops, I ruined the photo for the girls behind me.

New Attraction for Las Vegas! I know, I know, Another Zipline? But this one is at least in an easily accessed location for tourists and at a fun location with a lot of other options including other attractions. I'm a little biased on this one since it's where I work. PR Newswire LAS VEGAS, Nov. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Caesars Entertainment Corporation (NASDAQ: CZR), owner of The LINQ Promenade, announced the intended addition of Fly LINQ, expected to be the first and only zipline on the Las Vegas Strip. Developed by the team behind the High Roller, the world's tallest observation wheel, the approximately $20 million Fly LINQ features 10 side-by-side zip lines, capable of simultaneously launching all riders. The experience will be constructed on The LINQ Promenade, the open-air shopping, dining and entertainment district situated at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of next year. Fly LINQ Launch "Fly LINQ will further establish The LINQ Promenade as a must-visit destination, particularly for distinctive Las Vegas entertainment experiences," said Bob Morse, President of Hospitality, Caesars Entertainment Corporation. "This new experience will join The LINQ Promenade's growing number of thrilling and memorable entertainment, dining and retail options." Guests are expected to begin their ride experience by taking an elevator designed to provide open strip views from the Vortex at The LINQ Hotel & Casino to the top of the 122-foot-tall launch tower. After enjoying spectacular views of the Strip during the ascent, it is planned that guests will arrive on the launch deck, where queuing and gear-fitting will take place. Riders can choose to ride in either a "superman" or seated position. From the launch tower, the ride continues eastward, traveling 1,080 feet above The LINQ Promenade. Riders disembark near the base of the High Roller. To remember their exhilarating experience, guests will be able to opt to purchase professional photos—either individually or as a group—dressed in full flight gear and in mid-air. Fly LINQ is expected to feature two automated gear retrieval lines that will keep queues moving quickly by swiftly returning gear back to the launch tower. In addition, it is planned to feature an innovative, custom-built automated ride system as well as best-in-class technology developed by global leaders in zipline construction. Fly LINQ is being developed in conjunction with Xventure LV, LLC, a company built by hospitality and attractions industry veterans, delivering the most advanced thrill rides in the most exciting locations imaginable. Xventure specializes in high-capacity adventure rides situated in prime urban locations and Fly LINQ will be its most ambitious project to date. Xventure will lead the development and operations of Fly LINQ. "Xventure is thrilled to work with Caesars Entertainment to give thrill seekers an adrenaline-packed experience in the center of the Las Vegas Strip," says Joey Paulos, principal and managing member of Xventure. Fly LINQ will reunite many of the team members behind the development of the High Roller observation wheel, including Themed Development Management (TDM) as project manager. In addition to the High Roller, TDM's principals and executives have extensive experience in creating major theme parks and attractions. ABOUT THE LINQ PROMENADE AND HIGH ROLLER The LINQ Promenade, an open-air shopping, dining and entertainment district, anchored by the world's tallest observation wheel, the High Roller, has redefined the iconic Las Vegas skyline. Located at the heart of the world-famous Las Vegas Strip, The LINQ Promenade features more than 30 unique retail, dining and entertainment venues and plays host to a variety of special events, festivals and more. Topping out at 550 feet, the High Roller observation wheel, voted "Best Attraction of 2016" and "Best Amusement Ride of 2016" by the readers and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal and one of "Top 5 Trending U.S. Attractions" by TripAdvisor, is the focal point of the unique urban entertainment district. The High Roller's 28 glass-enclosed cabins feature an interactive experience including video and music that fade away to unveil spectacular views of Las Vegas in the 30 minutes it takes to complete one full revolution. Each cabin accommodates up to 40 people. Unique in-cabin experiences including the Happy Half Hour (for guests ages 21 and over and includes an open bar inside the cabin during the 30-minute ride); North America's first in-cabin Chocolate Tasting with Ethel M Chocolates and Yoga in the Sky (a 60-minute experience that can accommodate up to six guests per one-hour session). Cabins are also available for individual or group experiences. For more information, please visit TheLINQ.com or the Caesars Entertainment Las Vegas media room. Find @LINQPromenade on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram.

Disney Parks Blog Pixar Pier to Bring New Incredicoaster and More to Disney California Adventure Park Summer 2018

^ Was literally just posting this. Haha. That's one way to solve the Eastern Gateway fiasco. Also, bye bye Earl of Sandwich, AMC, Rainforest Cafe and ESPN Zone.

It has definitely been a hard couple days here. The strip has had an eerie quietness about it, but it has been very comforting to see the city come together around this and also to receive the support from so many outside of the city. It was a weird feeling driving into work the next morning and seeing the two windows smashed on Mandalay Bay and knowing what had happened only 12 hours earlier. The whole thing has been hard on everyone in town. We are a city of 2 million but it still feels very small, everyone is taking it pretty hard. But we still show up to work, put a smile on our faces, and help our guests. Luckily I haven't run into any assholes that want to make light of it, but apparently there are quite a few.

They've tried. Land is owned by Solano County, not city of Vallejo. While Vallejo would be for it, Solano County isn't interested in losing their fairgrounds.

Are we all that surprised by a similar ride? SFDK has always had a tendency to put it similar rides. They have 3 swing rides of varying sizes (4 if you count Sky Screamer) They had 2 Zamperla Crazy Bus style rides (though I think one has been removed). They have 2 spinning pendulum style rides. They have 2 Multi-Launced single train coasters that feature vertical drop and barrel rolls. They have 3 Kiddie "dumbo" style rides. I think this one looks fun. Nothing to plan a trip around, but more worth a ride than the Larson Loop ride.

They removed it to make room for Invertigo. I hated that thing, was not sad to see it go.

I agree with this and that's what my expectation(hope) of what Pixar Pier is. It still, at it's core, is the seaside park theme but infused with Pixar to be more relevant to Disney rather than just a replica of something from the past. Cars Land would be the extreme of this idea where as BVS is the much more subtle version. Both lands are replica's of a place but infused with Disney. By the look of the one piece of artwork, it maintains that 1920 Seaside Park look, just with Pixar. TSMM and Mermaid are both mostly themed to the Pier theme with the infusion of some Disney, I don't see why they wouldn't follow that trend with everything else. Also, I may be looking wayyyyy to much into this, but since Play Parade is headed to DL, and DCA remains at 1 parade, that allows theme to get rid of the parade warehouse behind Screamin's lift that they built for Electrical Parade and add another dark ride or the Pixar Pals Theater you see in the artwork. I would think if that wasn't the plan they would just keep Play Parade and add Paint The Night while leaving MSEP and Soundsational at DL.

^I guess I should have put a disclaimer that I posted this rant here because in my experience TPR members have better head about them and don't react like the DL Fanboys I'm referencing. Haha.

So... Why is there all this hatred about the D23 announcements? Everyone is acting like DL was forgotten and WDW is getting so much. Do people really have that short of memories? Excusing the fact that DLR is way smaller and can't get as many major additions without losing something else, does nobody remember that DCA just had a billion dollar makeover? You can't get that every couple of years. I keep reading everyone saying WDW is getting great new stuff and DLR is getting a crappy overlay to one of the last areas of DCA that "celebrates California" like the park was intended to do. But since the day DCA opened everyone complained that the California theme was a terrible thematic choice. Now Disney is destroying that? Isn't that what everyone wanted? Also, Paradise Pier has always been a hodgepodge of half-ass. It was never beautifully themed, it's rides don't follow a coherent story or thematic idea, and the remodel only fixed a few things and left other stuff painfully more obvious in it's cheapness. A Pixar overhaul would give everything a story, a reason, and a bit more emotional weight (people love Pixar). If it's the lack of California thing people hate, Pixar is California based up in Emeryville. Furthermore this overhaul opens the possibility of getting some wasted space (Maliboomer) finally used for something good. Further than that, DL is getting Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge which is going to be amazing, as well as what promises to be an immersive Marvel themed land. That all sound fantastic to me. I don't get why that's overlooked as if WDW got everything good. Also, face it, WDW is the far superior resort and really needed some of the enhancements they are getting. I guess what I find funny is just all the crying that WDW is getting more and DL gets nothing, but if Disney tried to do something at DLR like what they are doing at Hollywood Studios, where half the park was essentially razed, DL Fanboys would lose their shit (I mean look at their reaction to GotG). Anyone else excited for DL's upcoming additions? Am I the only one tired of the negativity regarding what Disney does with the parks? Should I just shut up?

Oddly twice in one day with the news here. Its pretty rare but its not unheard of. Mirabilandia in Brazil will be moving from their central city location to a new site outside of th city limits next year while Elitch Gardens famously did something similar in 1994/95. It's not a totally unheard of, its like relocating an attraction, but just every attraction. Obviously you lose certain aspects that can't be moved but gain other ones. Back in the day, SFDK started out as Marine World in Redwood City, then they acquired a park called Africa USA in Palmdale California and moved it up northe to become Marine World Africa USA. Later they sold the land they were on and relocated the entire park to Vallejo where it is now. That was before the rides, but still a lot of relocation of stuff they had. Oracle's corporate headquarters in Redwood City are where the old park was and the road they are on is still called Marine World Pkwy. Anyways, back on topic. The new park looks amazing, but I REALLY hope they keep the interconnected slide setup of the current park. That is just such a cool aspect of the park and something I wish we saw more often. I'm curious what will happen to the land the current park is on as it's in a pretty prime location.

I think I may be the only person who has never cared at all about DCA's ToT.... I've always found it to be a mediocre ride at best. It's never been overly popular and it drives me crazy that even with no line it takes 15 minutes to get on a 90 second ride. Throw in the experience you get on WDW's version and if further shows how sad California's version is. I'm looking forward to a more fun overall experience and a randomized drop sequence. I think this could be a great change.

Hard to form an opinion based on the animation. GCI has done a great job packing a punch with their small coasters so I'm hoping we get that on this one. The animation makes it seem a little slow, but I've never really trusted animation to convey speed. I'm hoping this thing turns out to be a like El Toro in Germany, small but awesome.

The amount of inaccuracy in this is mind boggling...

I have to disagree with you on this one. While the prequels seriously lacked in acting(more so Lucas's horrible dialog) humor, believable visuals and intriguing story lines; the music John Williams made for the prequels was absolutely stunning with Duel of Fates quite possibly being the best score made for any Star Wars film. Also, The light saber battle at the end of Episode 1 was probably the best in any of the films, Ep. 7 included. I think it's become a knee jerk reaction to say there was nothing good about the prequels, and while overall they are just absolutely terrible movies, they did get some things right. As for Episode 7, I found it to be very satisfying. For the first time in a long time, I'm excited for Star Wars and where it's headed. I think it's clear Disney is treating the franchise right. I'm already eager to see Episode 8 and find out some more info on the questions Episode 7 left unanswered. I also thought the entire cast (except General Hux) were amazingly well cast and did excellent in their roles. Can't wait to see it again.

Looks like it's going to be some sort of Pixar attraction. http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/on-the-town/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2015/11/13/captain_eo_closing_f.html

Looking at it through Google Translate, I'm confused why it's talking about MGM Resorts building it. DIsney wouldn't partner with a casino company to build a park and I don't see MGM being interested in trying to contract with Disney either. Maybe MGM is looking to build a Disneyland type park if it's attached to some sort of casino resort, but as far as I know, the only US company that was successful is securing permits to build in Korea was Caesars Entertainment. I'm pretty sure MGM wasn't selected. If MGM is involved, maybe they were able to get in by building a park, and are hoping to use that as leverage to expand into gaming. I'm taking this with a grain of salt.

I was driving back from the Bay Area to Las Vegas this past weekend and decided to break up the drive with a side trip to SFMM. I hadn't been to the park in over 6 years so there was a lot of new stuff for me to do. Here's a little rundown on my new experiences at the park: Twisted Colossus - Amazing. I was expecting a great ride, but not THAT great of a ride. My only issue with it was the two lift hills. The second one realllllllly kills the pacing. I was fortunate enough to race on both sides my first ride, but only raced on the blue track for my second ride. The lack of a second train doesn't kill it exactly, but it does leave you slightly bummed out. Green Lantern - Why? After all I heard, why did I do this to myself? It was bad enough that the ride is awful, but then the operators went and put me and my friend (both not tiny people) opposite one rather small guy. I knew I was in trouble when we went up the lift looking straight down. We ended up flipping about 6 to 8 times all together, and I'm now the proud recipient of bruises all over my body. Then to make matters worse, when we got back to the station we were so unbalanced the ride couldn't put our car upright and we proceeded to hang looking straight down for a few minutes until and operator came and pushed us back up. I hated this ride so much I'd rather marathon Manhattan Express than ever ride it again. Superman: Escape from Krypton - New set up is much more fun and you can really tell that the ride is going much faster now. I doubt I'd wait long in line for it though. Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom - The ride up, unsettling. Sitting at the top with Superman running next to you and the tower swaying, down right terrifying. The drop, meh. Full Throttle Sports Bar - So my expectation was low, I loved Mooseburger Lodge, and living in a town where you can't throw a rock without hitting a sports bar my expectations were low. To my surprise though, the food was great! The beer came out of the taps super cold, which I love, and the staff was a complete anomaly compared to the rest of the park. Our server was very friendly, she checked on us often, and her relief while she took her 15 minute break was equally as great. I have to say this was a huge highlight of the day for me. The look of the place was generic and I definitely preferred eating with singing moose's, but the service and improved food quality made up for that. Full Throttle - I wanted to love it... I really did. The train had a significant rattle which was sad for such a new coaster. The reverse launch was pointless to me. And it was just WAY to short. They had all that room... it couldn't have done more? I'll take Superman at SFDK any day over this one. Terminator... er, Apocalypse... er, Shadows of Evil: The Ride - How did they let it get this bad this quick? My reference point is Roar at SFDK... which after 16 years was NEVER as bad as this thing was. Even on sections that shouldn't be rough... it was. I was very disappointed in this one. And what is with one train operation when they just got a third train from SFDK and they are running a special FF theme on it? Overall, SFMM is basically as a I remember it. The staff looked bored and moved slow (especially Goliath, but definitely not FT Sports Bar), the rides are deteriorating faster than they should, and it's exhausting to walk around (they really need transport rides to the top of the mountain on the back side). I've never been particularly fond of this park, and my visit (other than TC and FTSB) did nothing to change that. I doubt I'll be back for at least another six years.

Exactly, most of the people complaining have never ridden a RMC coaster. I'll bet that all those haters go away once the ride actually opens and they see how awesome it is. Hell, I probably have stronger connection to the ride than most, it was the very first coaster I ever operated. I spent many fun and happy years either operating the ride or supervising it. All that said, BRING ON RMC! Roar was a fun ride, but after riding Twisted Colossus (my first RMC) for the first time this past weekend... I'm 10 times more excited for this. People complain to complain... it's what the internet has become. Complaining about things that people don't fully understand has got to be the internet's second biggest export now a days (porn still being number 1 of course).

Most companies don't build their LIM/LSMs in house, Intamin included (at least they didn't provide the LIMs on their impulse coasters, I know that for sure). I think the biggest difference is that some manufacturers program their own rides with provided LIM/LSMs and some do not. B&M for example designs the ride structure to specifications for a launched coaster but the ride programming is done by outside contractors (from what I've been told, but don't look at me as an expert on this and I could be full of s#!t). Intamin designs the structure and programs their rides (at least I know they did for the impulses). In regards to Hulk, when i rode in 2012 I found it to have a significant rattle to it (maybe i caught it on a bad day?). But overall the ride experience was awesome. I'm really excited to see what the result is with the new track and trains. I wonder if Universal will opt for on-board audio this go around? I'm curious, are they replacing any support structure, or does it appear to only be track? Lastly, can we please all agree this is NOT a new credit? It seems like whenever Disney does this, everyone tries to claim it as a new credit.

Just me, or does this look like the most reused structure on an RMC? Other than the second half being kind of reversed, they basically are using the entire ride all over. I'm so used to them cutting out major sections that this really gets me excited for this one. This may have been discussed already, but anyone else notice that it looks like they pushed the start of the lift back and made it a steeper incline? This could just be the animation being a little off... but having ridden roar probably more that 1000 times over the years, it's definitely noticeable to me.

I would not count on Flamingo or Bally's being willingly sold off. Caesars would have to be forced to sell before they let those go. Harrah's and Rio are the most likely candidates if it comes to Vegas, which I doubt. Don't forget Caesars owns over 50 casinos worldwide, I'm sure the small markets will go before they lose anything in Vegas. Or they could just set something on fire and collect the insurance. http://www.fox5vegas.com/story/29632051/at-least-2-people-injured-in-fire-at-cosmopolitan

One thing I like about USH vs. USO is how completely different they feel. While I can't say USH is the better park over the ones in Florida, I definitely think their City Walk is superior. Awesome report. I lived in California the first 26 years of my life and still have never walked around Hollywood or seen the walk of fame. USH was always good enough for me.

^ Very sorry for your loss. Glad you got the opportunity to have something special like that made into something you will always have with you.