jedimaster1227

^Spanx socks.

Word of advise: Leave the top-notch keeping to the people that keep the site top-notch. If you haven't realized it by now, this site has been around long enough, as has the sense of humor around it, and it doesn't negatively impact the site in the way you are implying or worrying about. Just look at the upcoming year's list of Club TPR benefits, coupled with the many, many special things that happen on the TPR trips. If you truly understood TPR, you'd realize that this isn't a concern. Before the wedgie gets any tighter, take a step back and observe--if you still don't like what you see, then keep quite or go somewhere else that takes things a little more seriously. I don't know if you've realized yet, but the tagline on the new header logo says alot about how we regard ourselves here...

http://www.cedarfair.com/ir/press_releases/index.cfm?current_root=15&mode=story&story_id=280

http://unofficialjazzlandinfo.yuku.com/reply/8396/Yet-another-news-story-on-the-Six-Flags-site-#reply-8396 This part just really stands out to me: Somehow, I think he and Kat (of the Big Dipper fame) would get along quite well.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has sent us a press release announcing the launch of their new park-specific blog!

http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2011/01/22/10-sage-managed-hotels-to-be-auctioned.html

Quassy has sent us a new photo showing off the great Winter progress made with the Wooden Warrior.

http://brooklyn.ny1.com/content/top_stories/132600/ny1-exclusive--luna-park-developer-takes-over-cyclone-operations

While there, we stopped by Cheetah Hunt to see where progress had gotten since my last visit.

As John mentioned above, we were given the opportunity to give Gwazi's new Millennium Flyers a try before the general public was able to do so (officially). The ride did soft open for a period of time following the event, but it only ran one side at a time while the final decals were applied on the trains. The trains reminded me when I enjoyed Gwazi so much at a younger age (it was my first wooden rollercoaster)... While the trains certainly make the ride more smooth, it hasn't taken the edge off of the coaster. It still feels like a wooden rollercoaster, but with these trains, it feels more like the GCIs we've come to enjoy. The trains navigate the track more naturally, and shimmy much less than the PTCs did when attempting to find the right angle for each shift in the twisting track. Overall, the fact that Busch Gardens Tampa has revitalized a twelve year old coaster, re-tracking much of it in the process, is a true testament to the park's commitment to their quality attractions. It is easy to admit that Gwazi may have become more rough over the years, but with the Millennium Flyers onboard, the ride almost entirely as if it had opened only yesterday, which means they must be doing something right! This banner, as well as several other advertisements keep guests aware of Gwazi's transformation into its own "new breed of speed." It's still the Gwazi we've come to know and love. To start the media event, Vice President of Design & Engineering, Mark Rose gave us background on this project and its twelve year genesis for Busch Gardens Tampa. Watch John's video to get a better idea of what he had to say! The stories were extremely interesting to hear, especially when it came to the decision to bring Millennium Flyers to Gwazi's tracks. It was a fascinating start to our session! Nothing besides the trains and some of the track has been changed, so everything feels more than familiar. Not for us! Here you are, beautiful! And you! You sir, are spectacular! Mark Rose posed for a photo with Bob Dean, a representative for Great Coasters International, Inc. Get ready for lots of glamour shots... It's real! It's really real! So long, yet so open! No more PTC boxes! You get some love too sir. My, how many days we've dreamed of this happening! Brake shot for you geeks out there! A look at the new stylized front on Gwazi Tiger! Never gunna get tired of seeing this! Side view front. Side view back. Media ERT is always a plus! I don't think I'll ever be this lucky again with Gwazi... The non-decaled train was doing some test runs as we left the event. The decals definitely help! Train #4 sitting in the brakes. Eat it up. Take it in. We didn't forget about you, #2! The backside of Gwazi. Time for a few panoramas... The water dummies wait for their next job. Notice the new wood? Old next to new. New next to old. Closer examination. Opening this Saturday! Gwazi is Adam approved!

^I'm guessing you didn't like Magic Journeys then?

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/os-dine-with-shamu-20110113,0,3770148.story

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has sent us a press release announcing the debut of new Millenium Flyer trains on Gwazi. Photos courtesy of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

^Those dollars and cents will help cover the down payment on the fleet of pickup trucks they had already invested in. Or for Superman's lunch.

^^^I'd be fine if they picked up Led Zeppelin/Time Machine and Maximum RPM/Round About from the park. Better than letting them sit there and rot.

GCI has posted a special new photo of the progress over at Knight Valley. First car on the track at Knight Valley in China!

^They aren't customers if they haven't paid to go in.

(Continued) Thompson's gazelle? Wrong park. I see supports! More supports in the area that used to be Rhino Rally... "And to the left, we have the other half of this ride, which no longer exists..." What's this? During our ride on Rhino Rally, the initial piece for the hill from the third launch was dropped into place. Then, someone came around to secure some launch fins. This is the best view of the "twisty" I could find. I'm sure this area will be done soon... Time to take Rhino Rally into my own hands! Or get hit by a parked car... Scorpian still garners a line over in Timbuktu, and still runs extremely smooth and forceful. Best buddies in Walkabout Way. This isn't what you think it is. Really! "Kan yoo phead mee pweaze?" "Hello. I'm a marsupial, not a rodent. But I still hope you'll love me all the same!" Nice day for a white wallaby! He's got a rough life. Walkabout Way really is another great addition to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay! Gwazi is closed for refurbishment. Yes, I do believe Millenium Flyers are essential at this point. For those of you hoping to see some Millenium Flyer photos in this report, I'm sorry to say no luck. Maybe next time. One last set of glances towards Cheetah Hunt from entrance of the park. One more look at the turnaround... Cheetah Hunt towers over the Nairobi Gate. The first launch can be seen from the entrance of the park, and boy does it look great! We'll close this trip report with a final look at the yet-to-be-finished tower element.

So for the last day of Chrismahanukwanzakah 2010, we visited Busch Gardens Tampa Bay for the first time since Howl-O-Scream 2010. Since my last visit, Cheetah Hunt has been announced and has grown from a mere set of trenches to gigantic expanse of green track and unique yellow support structures. While there, we stopped by the other coasters, except for Gwazi which is closed for a rumored additional re-tracking and the possibility of the long-awaited Millennium Flyers being installed. Immediately inside the entrance is Santa's Christmas Workshop, occupied previously by the Shop of Horrors during Howl-O-Scream. The stilt performers were out around the entrance during the park's opening. In keeping with family tradition, we had lunch at the fantastic Crown Colony House restaurant... Sooo good! And here was our view from the restaurant. Now it's time for the good stuff! This is new! The Tampa skyline will never be the same! The wall between the former monorail station and the skyride building is gone... I see you, hidden footer! LSM's! Magnetic brakes or something else? And here's the turnaround. I really do love how they kept the old Clydsedale stable for this project. Edgy! An overview of the Crown Colony plaza under construction. Stonework within the trench has begun... A bridge in the plaza that crosses the first trench. And the framework for some of the initial launch's theming has been put up. As part of the construction, the main entrance to the Crown Colony Restaurant will be slightly reworked. And a shot of the turn into the station and the transfer track. There's some interesting mechanics going on at the foot of that ascent look pretty interesting... A close up on the turnaround. We found this little gem of a photo op in the elevator area of the Crown Colony. Time for some Montu! That's actually us in the back row. The other side of the turnaround... Work is going on inside to prepare this building for its rebirth as Cheetah Run. The tower can be seen from just about anywhere in the main center of the park. A few new images have been added to the construction walls around the area. While the rest of the tower awaits its finish, a cable has been placed between the entrance and exit of the element. More theming has gone up in a corner previously occupied by a small gift shop. The underside of Cheetah Hunt. I'm not gunna say it, but somebody will get the concept behind this photo. A portion of the sky ride's building has been stripped while Cheetah Hunt construction continues. Intamin drop... Yum... The last trench is being prepared and concrete is starting to be poured. Starting to take a basic shape... Over near the former water portion of Rhino Rally, the final launch track is being raised into place by this crane. The turn out of the brake run... Even from Rhino Rally, Cheetah Hunt's tower element can be seen clearly. The much, much shorter Rhino Rally. More construction on the Edge of Africa. The former water portion of Rhino Rally has been repurposed for a "twisty" section of Cheetah Hunt. The entrance to the last launch was the focus of today's construction. Some sort of spring beneath the fin... Someone care to explain? Waiting for the first upward piece of the third launch... This little disclaimer has been posted at the entrance of Rhino Rally. Notice that local road in the bottom right corner of the map leading to the river? That's where the ride used to go with the Vekoma raft track. Now that belongs to Cheetah Chase, forcing Rhino Rally's story to end abruptly. I see you! Elephants are fun...

This.

http://www.seaworldparksblog.com/new-year-new-cheetah-hunt-construction-update

^Don't read too far into things.

(Continued) After Animal Kingdom, we decided to wait for the capacity-filled Magic Kingdom to clear with some time spent at Epcot. Our visit started with lunch at the new La Hacienda de San Angel table service restaurant at the Mexico Pavilion. So fancy you could eat from it! These shrimp tacos with cabbage and lime aioli were amazing. Hands down, the best Mexican food I've had at a sit down restaurant! The meal came with unlimited chips and salsa--the green salsa was so good, we finished two of those side cups. Plus there was rice! My big brother got the flank steak with chimichurri, which was also incredible. That beige thing? That's an excellent tamale covered in a deliciously tangy white sauce that added some extra flavor to the dish. The restaurant was built out onto World Showcase lagoon, allowing for what I'm sure will be a great viewing location for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. The restaurant is spacious and comfortable in its design... Delicate touches such as these wall accents help to keep the Mexican flavor present in this classy eatery. More details to take in... Looking into the lobby from the main area of the dining room. Lighting and extra touches in the room help to keep the flavor alive in this new addition to Epcot's dining offerings. Did you know that the pineapple is the international symbol of hospitality? #ThingsILearnedinSchool The restaurant even had a special New Year's Eve offering, despite it being so new. Here is the entrance to the table service section of the restaurant. The counter/quick service area is off to the right. After dinner, we quickly moved to the extremely packed Magic Kingdom. I think this picture says it all. And on this note, we made our way to the exit of the park. On our way out from the Polynesian, the free (Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party) cookies that were available for visitors of the lobby were all gone. No more cookies for Adam. The next day we stopped by Downtown Disney to see True Grit. While there, I checked into the back corner of the former Pleasure Island to see demolition had already begun. While the front (main entrance) of the Rock & Roll Beach Club has not been touched, the backside (as you'll see a few photos later) has been ripped up. One of the few remaining (accessible) plaques detailing the "complete and dubious history of Pleasure Island," located on the side of Fuego by Sosa Cigars. Note: The typhoon referenced is the same one that landed Miss Tilly on top of Mount Mayday at Typhoon Lagoon. At look at Motion from another angle. Over at the Adventurer's Club, not much has changed. Oh, I just noticed... The tiles are supposed to represent dominoes. Either they are expecting a hurricane, or they don't want us to see what's going on in there. A few new door covers have been added to the entrance of the [former BET] Soundstage Club to prevent guests from looking in. But one door to the side within guest access offered this view. Not much has changed here over the last year. The same goes for the exterior of the club. And it doesn't look like anything has changed on this side of the Soundstage Club either. As for the Rock & Roll Beach Club, the windows have been pulled out giving a clear view of the interior of the former Pleasure Island hotspot. A closer look at the damage... On the following day (my birthday), we went to go walk around the Gaylord Palms before a nice dinner at home. Here's the Key West area. Is that a real sailing ship Chris? A panoramic of Key West. I always thought it was bigger. It's five o'clock somewhere... Little known fact: The Gaylord Palms features actual wildlife from each region in their themed environs under the atrium. The Smokehouse has been one of those restaurants I've not yet tried, but have wanted to for years. It looks awesome! The resort also has a full service spa that I intend to gift a visit for someone at some point in the next 50 years. In the Everglades section of the hotel is a little animal exhibit. Knights are not afraid of Gators, Snakes, Bulldogs or Seminoles... Knights are fearless! Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes? Why does this always happen when I'm around? This seems like a great place to close the update...

Premier Rides has sent us a few press releases regarding their most recent company developments... Sonja Sohn, Actress; Michael McCrary, Former Raven’s Football player Charlie and Becky Bray, IAAPA; Jim Seay, Premier Rides From left to right: Sara Ingram, Premier Rides; Karen Davis, wife of Randy Davis (far right); Jim Pattison, Ripley Entertainment; Stephanie See, IAAPA and husband, Mike See; Randy Davis, IAAPA From L to R: Christina Fontanos, Tom Moore, Jim Seay, Sara Ingram, Alethea King, Mario

S&S Worldwide has sent us this press release in light of a piece of wrong information recently published in the Chinese press.