jedimaster1227

WhiteWater has sent us a press release about their involvement in the latest expansion at Atlantis The Palm!

Holiday World has sent us a press release about its latest honor!

WhiteWater has sent us a press release about their latest exciting project!

Kings Island has sent us a press release announcing the start of a brand new Behind the Scenes tour of the Beast taking place this month for the Kings Island for the Cure campaign. Be sure to take advantage of this exciting opportunity and help out a great cause!

http://www.darienlake.com/rundead

^I was totally joking! The only thing Hard Rock Park is destined for at this point is an asset liquidation! As for the Dania Beach Hurricane, I'd love to see it salvaged, but I think it would be wasted money and land for Fun Spot here. The ride they just built is honestly better than the Hurricane and the Hurricane takes up far too much space. If you look at how Fun Spot squeezes in their attractions, they could probably put a ton of new flat rides and a go-kart track (and maybe even another coaster) in the same footprint as the Hurricane. At the end of the day, the value per acre of land for them is far more significant if they can put multiple attractions on a plot.

Thanks for sharing those awesome photos with us! It is always neat to see a park in its earlier years, especially one that has grown so much since those photos were taken!

That last picture looks fantastic! I especially love seeing four rows of track exactly next to each other... Feels very much like something out of Roller Coaster Tycoon!

The song featured on Psyke Underground (formerly Turbine) is now available for download on iTunes! https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/psyke-underground-single/id674993829

^I don't think any of us really wanted to see the shuttles grounded, but considering that that scenario is a reality we can't avoid, exhibits like this are at least a way to let the public see the scale and scope of the shuttle program as it was when it was still active. I'm a firm believer that we shouldn't have shut down the shuttle program until we had a viable replacement ready to go, but I'm still happy to know that even as a piece of history, the shuttle program still contributes so much to the education and inspiration of people of all ages.

Catching up after being away for a few weeks... Karacho looks like another serious win for Gerstlauer. They're serious on a roll these days!

^Thanks for sharing that Robb! These S&S El Loco's look to be a lot more enjoyable than their predecessor Screamin' Squirrels.

Iron Shark looks like a solid little Eurofighter! And I must admit, the gimmick of having the brake run sit slightly over the edge of the pier is a neat one. That being said, I still think that Bubba Gumps is the thing I'm most excited about eventually checking out whenever I make it out to the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier.

^If that's the case, I wonder if they will open the double doors in the room before that since the flow of the exit currently finishes in that room. Also curious is where the queue might be for this meet and greet if it turns out to be popular.

Considering how rare it is for a park to replace one ride with a ride of the same kind, it is especially great to see Phantasialand putting as much effort into theming and integrating this new ride into the existing area. This park is still high on my list of must-visits in Europe!

^Disney has a policy regarding unsolicited submissions of creative content, ideas and intellectual property. They will not be allowed to even open the email or physical package in which a concept is sent, otherwise they become liable to the concept's creator making a claim that they might have used or taken the concept without proper consideration, compensation or credit. Most making amusement companies take this proactive stance to ensure their own liability is minimized. Anyways, this looks great A.J.!

I'd be amazed if they make a themed attraction of any kind... But then again, I would've NEVER in all the years Fun Spot has been open guessed that they would triple their land size in order to build two coasters, a skycoaster and to add even more flats. At this point, I won't put anything past Fun Spot short of them buying Hard Rock Park and reopening it as a pay-per-attraction offering... Come to think of it, that's probably not a bad idea!

Farup Sommerland continues to sit at the top of my European must-do park list along with Liseberg, Europa Park, Toverland and Walibi Belgium. Thank you for sharing this awesome trip report with us so I can continue to dream about making it over to this park eventually!

It is really great to see official confirmation that Rocky Mountain Construction is bringing Thunder Run back online. Hopefully this is an indication that they'll also be working on Twisted Twins... Those two could use some of RMC's special track elements to bring them back to life.

I went to have lunch at the Crown Colony House Restaurant yesterday, where it was confirmed t us that the restaurant's last day of operation is August 18th, 2013. Our server who has been at the restaurant for over a decade was pretty honest, saying that the restaurant could reopen seasonally, but it is likely that the restaurant as we know it now will be gone for good, including the signature all you can eat family style menu. We were told that the operation has been more consistently breaking even rather than turning a profit, and with tightening of the belt across the company, breaking even isn't good enough to justify keeping this historic venue open anymore. Our friends at Orlando Attractions Magazine have said that Busch Gardens PR claims that the closure is temporary. We'll have to see what happens, but if you want to experience the Crown Colony House Restaurant as it has been for many, many years, you have until the 18th to go check it out.

(Concluded) The farewell show on the ship was pretty neat and features appearances from all of the characters in addition to video clips from throughout the week. Hi Elissa! Gawrsh, I'm gonna miss this ship! The Goat Cheese and Potato Napoleon was definitely my kind of appetizer! I loved it! I had to try the Beef Wellington. It was awesome! There was this awesome dessert! And another dessert trio for good measure! I spent a lot of time in The Tube over the course of the cruise and it ended up being one of my favorite venues on the ship! There's even a royal thrown in The Tube! La Piazza was also a really great place to grab a drink and relax. I loved these giant porthole loungers! I even got the chance to catch up with our TPR friend Soren! But now the dreaded moment has arrived... Say it isn't so! I certainly hope so! This really was an amazing, unforgettable, insanely relaxing experience!

And now, it is time for the conclusion of this fabulous trip, picking back up where we left off on Castaway Cay! Wastin' away again at... the Conched Out Bar? Also notable at Castaway Cay is the significant presence of child-friendly play areas, including this large game area at the front of the island. Pelican Plunge is a part of the recent expansion on the island made right before the debut of the Disney Dream. The two slides float just off of the beach, one enclosed and the other open air. The platform also features a mini tipping bucket to further soak guests. Geronimo! Look out below! Skloosh! He can fly! He can fly! He can fly! People watching at Pelican Plunge is very entertaining! Considering my hatred for salt water, I know how he feels. Back on the shore, there are high powered water guns that you can use to further soak guests swimming to and from Pelican Plunge. I believe the Heads Up Bar was also added during the recent expansion to Castaway Cay. Castaway Cay features a HUGE wading/snorkeling/swimming lagoon that is naturally barricaded from the ocean. Throughout the evening and morning, Disney scuba cast members actually comb through the lagoon to ensure that no sea urchins have gotten in--safety first! There's also lifeguards throughout the entire lagoon, so you really can go out as far as you'd like without worrying about safety. Castaway Cay also features an indulging 5K path for runDisney enthusiasts. Not sure if you get a medal for running it though... There are several family-friendly splash zones across the island for guests to enjoy. And they even use fresh water! Plain and simple, this was THE BEST island food I've ever experienced on a cruise. And yes, I did pig out. And much like on the ship, soda is unlimited and FREE! It is the little details that make me love Disney so much. This was actually a plane once! Serenity Bay is the adult-only side of the island, and features its own BBQ location (with a few unique food items not found on the other side). Serenity Bay's main appeal is the huge, quiet, adult-exclusive beach. And it just so happened that Jack Sparrow was roaming Serenity Bay looking for buried treasure! Looks amazing! Fun fact: The island has a formerly-active runway that is now that path in which the shuttles bring guests back and forth between Serenity Bay and the main portion of Castaway Cay. There's another plane at the entrance to the main portion of the 5K trail! I've got knee problems, so running really isn't much of an option for me, but I was urged by my friends to visit the observation tower along this path, so I opted to walk it. About 20 minutes later, I arrived! Even at the observation tower in the middle of the island, there were awesome Disney touches. Fun stuff. The top of the tower provides a gorgeous view of the island's unique landscape. And of course, it provides a fantastic view of the ship! The rest of the 5K trail features some really awesome moments of "natural beauty." It may have been insanely hot out, but the open sky, quiet road and my casual pace made the experience thoroughly enjoyable! Back in the main portion of Castaway Cay, there were hermit crab races for the younger guests. Karl Holz shout out! Live entertainment on the island... Remember when Matt Ouimet worked for Disney? And a Tom Staggs tribute to boot! Do you get it? This stamp of authenticity proves that Castaway Cay is in fact a part of the Bahamas. Tom Wolber used to be the COO of Disney Cruise Line. Back on the ship, I thought I'd take the time to walk around and admire the island from high up... But I ended up admiring the AquaDuck some more instead. The back of the ship features a small room with two sports simulators for guests to enjoy. As you can see, there is still much of the island available to be developed. Another look at the Castaway Cay lagoon. Quite picturesque, no? Satellite Falls really did become one of my favorite amenities on the ship. A sign of quality! Captain Mickey looks ready to meet guests today! Love this!

It is really awesome to see that despite Iron Rattler being closed, Six Flags Fiesta Texas really seemed to go all out, including the shout out in the projection show. Shame Six Flags Over Texas couldn't follow their lead...

^^^But that wouldn't necessarily explain the guest's injury, no matter how minor it might have been.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-universal-rip-ride-rockit-injury-20130801,0,7127139.story