Swimace

Great report Eric! I'm bummed that I didn't make it out to Mickey's Not-So-Scary this year, maybe I'll go again next year. The after-hours parties are really the best time to visit the Magic Kingdom. Great seeing you again back at the house btw! -Andrew

I don't really care about who pilots your Starspeeder. When are they going to release the information that everyone REALLY cares about? Are we going to see the black lady return to the preshow video?!?!?! Will we be seeing an updated hair style??

What a shame, I thought this ride was really enjoyable when I visited SFNE. It was really unique and well themed for a Six Flags ride.

Blizzard Beach OWNS Typhoon Lagoon. Typhoon has the better wave pool and water coaster, that's it. Plus the Shark Reef is cool, but whatever. I still can't believe you went there instead of BB, you're so LAME!!! Typhoon's family raft ride is terrible (I mean really, Blizzard's doesn't smash you into walls and it's like 5x the length of Typhoon's), their speed slides are pretty underwhelming, and their tube slides are so boring and rough! As for the shade issue at Blizzard, the only place in the park where I think that's a problem is on Mt. Gushmore's Purple and Green slopes and in Ski Patrol. The upper beach area of Meltaway Bay has plenty of shade, the lazy river is super long with plenty of shade, and there's a ton of secluded shaded space behind Red Slope that most people never head back to. If you ever want a secluded spot in the park without paying for a Polar Patio or Premium Space, go to the back of the park past Runoff Rapids and there's a ton of space for people that rarely gets used. haha, I'm sorry but I feel very strongly about the Typhoon vs Blizzard debate! The cost varies depending on the time of year, but I think during the summer they're $250 a day (at least that's what I think Blizzard's "Polar Patios" run). They pretty much always sell out early in the day during peak season.

Well... I was expecting a Tony Hawk so this is a pleasant surprise. That's about as excited as I can get though. What's up with the way they are marketing this ride? No POV, no layout, a pretty minimal page set up on their website... and they're saying it's the first beyond vertical drop in the country.... Did they do any research? It just seems like the marketing department threw some half-ass thing together last minute.

I rode Space Mountain last night with the new audio and I have to say that I'm not a fan. The dome now sounds like a big techno mash up; there's just so much noise in there now. I thought our Space Mountain was just fine the way it was, but whatever I still love the ride

Last night I went and saw Motion City Soundtrack and Fun play together here in Gainesville. Good times!

^There's no way it's that far. I drive from Gainesville to Atlanta pretty frequently. It's a straight shot right up 75 and you pass Wild Adventures on the way. I'd say 3.5 hours from downtown Atlanta to Wild Adventures. Mapquest is your friend

New coaster... meh. To me the most exciting thing about Wild Adventures this season is that they finally added TREES. Seriously, if they take the time to invest in their landscaping they could eventually have a much more enjoyable park; natural shade would do wonders for that place. Nice job Wild Adventures.

I got a shout out in a Bryan and Adam update? Does this make me famous? OMG, I'm calling everyone I know.

I disagree. If you stay at a Universal resort your key is your fastpass. You only pay extra if you're not staying at one of their hotels. Disney's hotel key is not a fastpass. Rather you have to rush to those little booths to get your fast pass ticket, which is usually sold out anyway ;( I'm not quite sure what you're getting at here... It's not like he's stating an opinion. Fastpass is free, Express is not. "You only have to pay extra if you're not already paying hundreds of dollars to stay in one of their hotels?..."

^^If anything I think BGT has been focusing more and more on family rides. I'm not sure saying that they have a "total lack of family rides" is accurate. I know it's easy for coaster enthusiasts to forget, but they did install the huge Jungala section not too long ago. Between Jungala and the new Sesame Street/Land of the Dragons retheme, I think it's safe to say Busch has been taking care of the family audience recently. Plus you have the older family attractions in Timbuktu. It makes sense for a new thrill ride to be next on the agenda.

I was so bummed when Screamscape pulled that April fools joke by saying that B&M track was on site. I REALLY hope the rumors about this project being an Intamin coaster are true, judging by the rumored layout this thing looks like it could be a huge project.

^FTPLA is pretty cool, I've done a couple of scavenger hunts with them over the past year. One of them was quite epic, all four Disney parks in one afternoon. Hopefully I can get back into it when I'm doing the CP in the fall. I'm probably going to do my Masters degree at Rosen so it was an interesting group to hang out with.

Thanks Jizzman for posting this. Kings Island just got so much better!!!

^How did you manage to go to the park last night? Granted, I never go to the parks when it's busy but holy crap I don't think I have ever seen Universal as crowded as it was last night. CityWalk was packed and the garages were almost full. -Andrew

Last night I went and saw the Arctic Monkeys at the Hard Rock Live in Orlando. (For you coaster nerds, that's the big Roman Colosseum that's right in between the entrances to Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios) It was a jolly good time! Crappy cell phone pic... I was pretty close to the stage! Jolly, Jolly, Jolly!

So... I'll be doing the college program in the fall. Hooray! My interview process was sort of weird, my interviewer called me late and I didn't get a very long interview because he was short on time. The only really open ended question he asked me was "tell me about your job". Well, those of you who know me may know that I manage three pools for a living and also work at several recreation centers throughout the City of Gainesville's Parks and Recreation Department. So I guess it makes sense that they cast me in a Recreation role. I've read through a lot of info on the program on various forums and it seems like most people get put in attractions, quick service food, merchandise, or custodial... so I was sort of surprised (in a good way!) that I'll be working at a resort instead of a park. I think getting experience at a resort will also be awesome since I will hopefully be moving on after undergrad to get my masters degree in hospitality management. Anyways... it wasn't really what I was expecting because I've never really heard much about my role in the CP, but I LOVE my job here in Gainesville and if I can go to Disney and continue to work in the same area then I am THRILLED. Plus... I know this makes me abnormal, but I love working outside in Florida. I look forward to summer every year because I get to run my aquatic facilities, I hate the off season when I'm stuck inside all the time.

Woah! Thanks for posting this! I've ended up in the Florida Panhandle the past couple years on spring break and I had no clue this was nearby. I'll have to check it out sometime.

Putterfish, just out of curiosity how many of the other B&M hypers have you been on? I'll be there in a couple of weekends and this looks like a solid ride, I'm excited to check it out. I thought Diamondback was sort of "meh" and this looks sort of similar to that ride, I guess I'll have to wait and find out though!

Does the wonder of energy include Ellen or Jamie Lee Curtis? If not then it's an epic fail. Joking aside Europa Park seems to always put in great looking additions so this should be nice.

Alkaline Trio last night at the House of Blues in Orlando

YES.

So was this "at" Universal or "near" Universal? "Dad charged for leaving baby in amusement park" "he left the infant for two hours in bushes near Universal Studios in Orlando" What great journalism; I'm confused.

I'm not sure how competitive I see this place being in the Orlando market, it seems sort of bland for the area. I guess we'll see...