jedimaster1227

^While I don't know any specific heights either, I know that the Incredible Hulk has its own red light at its highest point for airplanes. And, if I'm not mistaken, Doctor Doom has lights on each tower as well.

Well after watching both Coasters in the Raw 2 and Coaster Expedition 11, I've got reviews to share! Coaster Expedition Volume 11: Japan-A-Mania Two! This new volume continues in a long tradition of great TPR releases. To me, this was the second most-anticipated release in the pipeline (only trumped by the East Coast Trip DVD), specifically because the original Japan-A-Mania is to date one of my favorites of the series. Looking at the original in comparison to this follow up, TPR has given its viewers an amazing view of how things change in a matter of a few years in the theme parks of Japan. Hosting a colorful gang of trip participants while traversing the strangely wonderful country of Japan makes for an irresistibly fun, entertaining and unique experience. Once again, TPR antics shine through, making this two disc set an amazing stand alone, but an even better addition to a TPR fan's growing collection of video releases. Disc 1 offers the signature music-to-video episodic segments which have helped to make the Theme Park Review videos such a staple in the community's collection while Disc 2 stands out with professional-quality POVs of rarely seen parks and their strange attractions. Overall, Japan-A-Mania Two has earned a spot at the top of my "best of 2008" DVDs, and definitely mirrors the experiences typical of the not so typical Theme Park Review crew and their many offerings. Coasters in the Raw! Volume 2 Having not seen more than a few clips of the original volume, I wasn't sure what to expect with this new release since, like many others, "raw footage" has never really been my area of interest. Once again, Theme Park Review has taken a concept and flipped it on its side, making it not only fun, but exciting for any viewer, whether a fanatic or a pure park observer. Pristinely clear footage continues to exemplify the quality which Theme Park Review offers as a production company and of experts in the industry. Their film techniques call for very little editing (as evidenced in a disclaimer at the beginning of each disc, as well as the lack of cuts in their seamless segments) which only supports the exemplary skill put forth in the production of these discs. Two discs, one based on wooden coasters and the other based on steel offer incredibly clear front seat views of some well known (and some more rare) coasters from around the world. Mixing in footage from classic coasters such as the Coney Island Cyclone and Phoenix with some newer rides like Fahrenheit, Formule X and Led Zeppelin, Theme Park Review has given its viewers the chance to take a world class "Coaster Tour" without leaving the comfort of their living room. I was pleasantly surprised to find the "raw footage" delivered by Theme Park Review to be the most interesting collection I had seen. I would highly recommend adding this to your catalogue of TPR DVDs as soon as possible!

^One of the greatest pieces of news for this year! I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment!

Well, Bryan and I are back with a lengthy update covering Manta's fast moving construction as trackwork nears completion... Soon to be completed: Manta. With trackwork near completion, prepare to see the terrain change drastically as the ride's ocean and land features are built up. The project is huge, now dominating the park's skyline. Elegantly curvacious. This looks alot like an inverted coaster's corkscrew. To guard the track from ongoing rockwork, it has been covered carefully with construction tarps and wrappings. Seaworld has done a great job of bringing much focus towards this single element, making a focal point of the attraction. Are those show lights I see? Though the element scares me already, it does look fantastic at any angle! A nice looking flatspin... Painters are working on completed track sections (as seen here on the pretzel/dive loop) to paint the track at the segment connection points. The flatspin and turnaround that we saw under construction is now complete. Personally, I think the first drop will be one of the most fun elements--flying over guests will definitely take the flying coaster sensation to the next level. Take that Superman! Graceful! Even this single part of the coaster is photogenic! The station and aquarium/queue has also been heavily worked on since the construction tour we took a few weeks ago. Much of the work is visible from the Key West side of the park. Swing-set supports hold up the new mid-course brake run. Yah, yah yah... Through the trees. A flyer in Orlando--my dream come true! A new Manta advertisement has been placed on the construction wall at the entrance. Looks promising! Not too much left to be installed... Even this finally turn into the brake run looks smooth and wonderfully fun! Much work has been completed since our last visit...

^I think it is safe to say that the system has not been removed--just turned off. If Poseidon's Fury will remain as the anchor for the Lost Continent when the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is complete, the effect may be turned on again to attract more guests with that "wow factor." My only fear which I think logically backs up management's justification of this effect's retirement is that the majority of the guests (meaning those first-timers) will likely not even realize what the tunnel was meant to show. In other words, they won't know what effect used to be there, and will not miss it.

Now you know its a party! Glad to have you joining us Ben!

^Thanks for that! The videos came out a little different than I remembered but they were classic! It was great to relive two of the strangest attractions on the trip once more... Thanks again Brent!

^I believe the video file needs to be .WMV (or .AVI) to stream properly on TPR. You will probably need to convert the video and then upload it again. Or, if you can't convert the file, you can compress it in a ZIP folder to upload here for downloading. Either way would work! I really do appreciate the video(s--you still need Pirates Cove ) and I look forward to seeing them when they are posted... Thanks again Brent!

^As of right now, Poseidon's Fury and Mythos will be the only two pieces to remain within the extremely reduced version of the Lost Continent. Poseidon's Fury will be the land's only anchor, so I doubt that its removal will happen anytime soon. Thats not to say that I don't forsee the rest of the Lost Continent being overtaken within the next five years... I just don't see it happening until the existing announced (and not-yet-announced) phases are complete.

I am happy to report that my download went through without trouble. The zip file opened quickly, and both files were completely flawless (in other words, they weren't corrupted as others have been reporting). I can only thank Robb and Elissa again for this great opportunity! To answer Robb's question to Bryan, I would absolutely pay for a downloadable version of the TPR DVDs, especially for a $5 price each. These videos would definitely make my flights go faster, and considering that I'll be flying to and from Italy this Spring, I will need plenty to keep me occupied--and I could think of no better option. The download system, price and format of the video are all ideal (in my opinion). I would even go out on a limb to say that I would probably watch a digital version more often than a hard copy. Maybe if the digital release is made standard, you could offer it primarily as a download, with a DVD made to be an optional addon. If you offered the download for a single price and the DVD for a reduced price as a combo for the two, I would definitely buy both. Think of it as a digital and backup copy combination! Anyways, I thank you again for this excellent pre-holiday gift--Hannukah just came early!

I'm currently downloading now! Thank you very much for this incredible post-Thanksgiving gift! I think we have much to be thankful for with TPR, and this offering is just icing on an already wonderful cake! Thank you again Robb and Elissa!

^The one loop the ride features is considered to be a "non-inverting loop" meaning that you will never technically be upside down while in the element. This element was chosen for Universal to keep the ride on a "family friendly" level according to Mauerer Sohne.

^^^ Glad you've enjoyed them! ^^Sorry to hear that you couldn't join us Matt, but it was fun having you with us for the Behemoth part of the trip. ^Josh took that photo of us in the trough while you seemed to be taking a photo of yourself. I just had to post it... Well, now that I have finished up the trip report, I have one last update to add: my trip roundup and recap as well as my on ride photos. Inspired by Brent, I have both the Behemoth trip and East Coast trip in review... Behemoth: Best Steel: Behemoth Best Wood: Leap the Dips for a historical credit that ended up being one of my favorite rides of the trip (and my 100th credit). Ravine Flyer II for the overall best wooden coaster of the Behemoth trip, mainly because of the ERT session. Silver Comet is also up there. Memorable Experience(s): Seabreeze (day 1), ERT on Whirlwind, Darien Lake's Mind Eraser (my first SLC), Matt Damon, Behemoth, Time Warp (surprisingly fun), Dragon Mountain film session, Wacky Shack, Pirate's Cove (Waldameer Park), Rollo Coaster Fan Boys, Mr. Roger's Trolley, Leap the Dips, Toboggan, the Sauce. Most Painful Experience: Predator. Took my spine, smashed it, tasered it and ate the ashen remains. Friendliest Ride Op: Silver Comet's ride op. Specifically worked that day just to op for us. Nastiest Ride Op: Little Leaper's Nazi op. Enough said. Funniest Line(s): "Its all about the Sauce!" -Brent, "Why So Serious?" -Tyler, "This mouse is CRAZY!" -Matt T. Scariest Line(s): "I've noticed you're not wearing your underwear on the outside of your pants..." -Tony "So, do these wheels make you excited Adam?" -Tony Funniest Person: Tie between James, Jes, Dave Fudge, Dave Wilson and Brent. Well... There's always Robb too. Most Amazing Revelation: There is such thing as a Sauce Park. Worst Thing: Losing some of our Behemoth/Ravine Flyer II tour buddies at the start of the East Coast trip. Most Impressive: Robb, Elissa and the TPR crew. They do so much for such a large group--I couldn't help but be impressed. Best ERT: Behemoth night time ERT. Getting to backseat coaster monger with Larry and such was fun too. Worst ERT: Everything was fantastic--nothing to complain about. Most Consistent: Tony. I could say so much more, but I'll leave it here. Biggest Credit Whores: Matt T. and Brent Best Sport: Jahan--he gets more jokes than I did, so I feel he deserves this award. Most Bizarre Sight: Toboggan and Marineland's random bears Biggest Surprise: Leap the Dips Biggest Regret: Bringing my video camera along for the trip without ever bothering to use it. Google Earth Award: Jes and Brent (they work together anyways) East Coast: Best Steel: Great Bear followed by Kingda Ka Best Wood: Boulder Dash, then El Toro followed closely by Phoenix and Lightning Racer's Lightning Memorable Experience(s): Sesame Place, Coney Island, Houdini, Quassy's Mad Mouse, Fried Dough, Fried Oreos, Fried Waffles, Fried anything, Lake Compounce Flyers, beating Alan at Ghostblasters, Stacker, Deal or No Deal, the Prize Gang, Busch Gardens Europe, Grizzly, Shockwave, Great Nor'Easter, Morey's Piers, Great Bear, Rollersoaker, Canyon River Rapids, Chocolate World, Dorney Park, Dorney Backstage Tour, Steel Force, Talon, Thunderhawk, Knoebels, Flying Turns, High Speed Thrill Coaster, Phoenix, GCI Factory Tour, Knoebels bumper boats, Knoebels bumper cars and the last farewell. Most Painful Experience: Six Flag's America's Mind Eraser (the second worst SLC of the trip). Friendliest Ride Op: Boulder Dash ERT op. Nastiest Ride Op: No bad ops on this trip. Funniest Line(s): "Its all about the Sauce!" -Brent, "Why So Serious?" -Tyler, "Do you have white beer?" -Axel, "I have a krestion!" -Axel, "Speak up!" -Axel, "This is rubbish!" -Wank, "Meh. It exists..." -Dave Wilson, "That's look number 6 he's giving me now!" -Robb, "I know he is giving me look number 6 and I don't even have to see his face..." -Robb Scariest Line(s): "I woke up to a flooded bathroom this morning..." -Phil, "Its all for the doco..." -Tony Funniest Person: Tie between James, Jes, Dave Fudge, Dave Wilson and Brent. Well... There's always Robb too. Most Amazing Revelation: I love traditional parks. Worst Thing: The end of the trip. Most Impressive: Robb, Elissa and the TPR crew. They do so much for such a large group--I couldn't help but be impressed. Best ERT: Boulder Dash ERT--best moment ever! Worst ERT: Everything was fantastic--nothing to complain about. Most Consistent: Tony. I could say so much more, but I'll leave it here. Biggest Credit Whores: Matt T. and Brent Best Sport: Jahan--he gets more jokes than I did, so I feel he deserves this award. Most Bizarre Sight: Winnie the Crap's resurrection. Biggest Surprise: Boulder Dash Biggest Regret: Bringing my video camera along for the trip without ever bothering to use it. Google Earth Award: Jes and Brent (they work together anyways) Now onto some on-ride photos! One of the coolest ride photo systems ever (1 upside down and 1 right-side up)... I just noticed that Nathan's head is cut off by the ride's front overlay in this photo. My first ride on my #1 wooden coaster! Hey Tony! Recreating a famous moment in history. Just a regular "good time" photo from Apollo's Chariot...

^I'm sure it is possible, but entering in one stance while exiting in the other wouldn't make it a cobra roll (technically). I never really found cobra rolls to be all that exciting to begin with. On a flyer, I just don't think it would be practical.

It is time for another large update regarding Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit! at Universal Orlando! This week, we bring photos of the expanded construction that has begun since the end of Halloween Horror Nights with much vertical expansion having begun as well as a few surprising aspects to the project that have started preparation... An overview of the work taking place on the BMG entryway. And there is plenty more to be had! This side of the BMG entryway is full of dirt... Again, somewhat artsy. An excavator is digging below grade--for what, we are not yet sure. "And we had just finished landscaping this entryway..." This area hasn't really been ravaged like the midway has... The lone worker spends hours to build us a new coaster. You keep it up Mr. Doe! More vertical work can be seen from this side of the park. Work extends all the way over towards the Sharp Aquos Theater. This is a new poster. Nothing that significant, but it is relevant. Dirt fanatics, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! Time for some more piping/wiring to be layed down... Any idea what this will be? Things seem to have changed since October. "Don't you know? This is that new fangled Fast and Furious coaster they're building... I read about it on wikipedia!" See what I mean? On the other side of Twister, the midway's side of the construction zone has quickly started vertical construction. An artsy shot... Save any Adam+hole jokes for later. We can safely assume that this will be where Rockit busts through the building as shown in the layout charts. For some reason, I feel like these are pieces of the temporary (or permanent) stage to be assembled soon... Something looks different here... This is new! Rockit's construction has forced guests to use parts of the extended queue for Twister: Ride it Out! Some supports have shown up on the side of the construction zone for Rip, Ride, Rockit near the Guggenheim Museum.

Hello everyone! Its time once again for an update regarding The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, which is set to open between 2009 and 2010. Not much seems to be going on with the site right now, with much of the work taking place within the "big box." Much of the cranes and demolition vehicles have left the site leaving room for work to begun on new construction and development of the new land. This attraction is still a mystery, but something tells me it will really push the limits of Universal Creative's work to a new level... Though very difficult to see here, catwalks seem to be filling the "big box" on multiple levels. Most of the "big box" has received a slab to cover its brick walls, likely in preparation for an additional, themed layer to be added soon. The Flying Unicorn sits dormant waiting for its inevitable retheme. Not much has changed here...

^^Thanks Neil! There are in fact, four coasters pictured there... Exhausted from a wonderful day at Dorney Park, I hit the hay pretty quickly, sleeping better than I had before on the trip. So good in fact, it played against me. Needless to say, I slept in, ending up late by a few minutes (on the last day)... I definitely felt terrible about the situation, considering I'd never been late before, but everyone (after the embarrassment of my shirt being put on backwards in my rush to catch the bus) was forgiving, so I once again had something extra to be grateful for. We started our morning with ERT on Twister, one of two of the park's wooden coasters. Still in shock from my earlier mishap, I wasn't really paying much attention to the ride, but the odd twist into the second lift woke me up quickly, catching me off guard without a doubt. After a few rides, I figured I'd had enough so I went with a couple of others to the campground's supply store for some candy (a Nerds Rope and some Reese's Pieces). Following my sugar binge, we were called over by Robb to participate in a filming session of Phoenix, the park's other wooden coaster. Several friends had told me earlier about Phoenix, saying that it would shock and amaze me, liking making its way to the top of the charts for my list of wooden coasters. I was somewhat skeptical considering the coaster's age and what information I had already on it. I sat next to Jes during the filming session, loving every minute of the coaster from start to finish. The seat belt-less cars allowed for additional bursts of airtime with my body spending much of the circuits above the seat divider's top. Knowing we would have ERT on the Phoenix that night, I knew that our last night (and last ERT session) would be incredible. After our ERT session we were given our ticket book to be used during our day. Knoebels was my first "ticket park" ever... Meaning that the park's rides required value tickets for each entry. Ticket values run from 5 cents to 2 dollars, allowing for a wide variety of entry fees to be paid per attraction. So on we went, hitting the park's many flat rides including the hamster wheels (which didn't flip for us), the bizarre Roll-O-Plane, the flyers and the typhoon. All of which were unique, fun and at times painful, but definitely worthwhile. Besides Phoenix and Twister, Knoebels had one additional [working] credit for us to conquer--the High Speed Thrill Coaster. A kiddie coaster in nature, yet more intense than many other rides we had done during the trip. Again, the coaster had been critically hailed as an amazing experience, so we made sure to try it. Tipped off by Robb and Elissa, we were told that if we could get an all-adult train, the coaster could operate with a faster lift and circuit, making the ride even wilder. So, wait we did, allowing for an even more terrifying time on this wonderful contraption; again more than worth the wait. As the afternoon rolled along, it was time for our Flying Turns tour. As most of you know, Flying Turns is the park's latest coaster project, reviving a concept that hasn't been used since the 1930's. Unlike steel bobsleds like Avalanche at Kings Dominion, Flying Turns is completely wooden in track build (some of the support structure uses steel). Though started in 2006, the difficult task of tweaking the ride's vehicles and their motions has taken much time to work on, causing the ride's opening to be delayed. The mention of such an issue may sound grim but GCI and Knoebels are working diligently to develop a ride based on what little information exists regarding the operation of the previous iterations of Flying Turns. We were assured that the coaster will see operation eventually and that patience and work will make it run properly in the end. Following our tour, the group boarded the busses once more to head over to the GCI Factory Tour. A great experience that I can't elaborate on, but I can say that it was another highlight of the trip for me. Back over to Knoebels we went, returning to the wonderful collection of flats and coasters. We spent our afternoon enjoying each others' company knowing that the following day we would all be heading in separate directions. As night began to fall (and emotions began to rise) we moved towards the park's bumper cars. TPR made quite a commotion there, watching GCI Joe and others ram each other with the deadly vehicles causing sparks to fly and "wheelies" to be pulled. It was unlike anything I had experienced before, with our entire group causing [safe and fun] mass mayhem within the attraction. Finally, the time came for our final ERT session on Phoenix. I spent much of my time riding in the backseat with Jes, in what was one of my favorite moments of the trip. I had worried that our final event would be far less upbeat and difficult, but it had in fact been one of the most memorable experiences of the trip. Our session ended after more than an hour of rides (some without stopping in the station) with more smiles and laughs than we had before on the trip. Our bus ride back was filled with talk of the highlights of our trip and even more laughter. Leaving that night was definitely the saddest moment of the trip, but with all that we had experienced over the last 16 days, there was more to celebrate than to be sad about. So after much anticipation and plenty of memorable moments, my first TPR trip came and went. New friendships were made; new favorites were found and new jokes were established. Every aspect of the trip was incredible and, as my new title shows, I'm more than ready for another TPR trip. As I wrap this up, I would like to thank Robb and Elissa for an incredible trip. I would also like to give a shout out to all of the Behemoth/East Coast trip friends I made--you all were incredible! So, enough talk--enjoy the photos! (There will be one more update following this one, but it is a surprise!) Sam is the lucky winner of the last trip photo of the report (minus the surprise photos to be posted soon)... Thanks for reading everyone! One more for Jes and I. Josh and I love leftover tickets! One more shot of Brad and I. One of my final farewell photos while in line for the insane bumper cars. More curvy goodness... Another shot of the tight helix. Beautiful. The ride's brake run. So much to see! "Where'd everybody go?" Luko looks excited to be here! And that other guy who I beat majorly when competing on Sally dark rides... Matt and I just relaxing in the trough. I'm not sure what's got Sam so twisted in this photo... But here are Alan, Matt and I laying in the trough. Now we are technically riding in reverse. For you support fanatics out there, here is a shot of the inner structure supporting one of the ride's helixes. Interesting! "Maybe if I hide in the helix, he won't find me..." Jes is being eaten by a hairy ghost... "Smooth as a baby's bottom!" The TPR train creeps along the trough of Flying Turns. One of many lift hill shots... Time for our tour of Flying Turns! Quite a large coaster... Its definitely a "twisted" ride. Twister greets us this final morning...

Well everyone, I've got an extended edit of the Manta Construction Tour video that Bryan and I took last week to share with you. This video was taken on November 17th on behalf of Theme Park Review... Enjoy! [tprtv]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=MantaCT[/tprtv]

Thanks for all of the replies guys! I'm really enjoying getting to write out these recaps (something I've not done before for any other report) and though I'm looking forward to finishing up, I will miss being able to do this once I reach the end. Picking up where we left off, after a great night's rest at the Dorney Hotel (I believe that is what it’s called); I woke up ready for another great day. Dorney Park ended up being another one of those surprise gem parks where everything we did was not only fun but relaxing and memorable. Though this wasn't the first Cedar Fair owned park we visited on the trip (we had already been to Kings Dominion and Canada's Wonderland), I felt that since this park had been owned and operated by them for quite some time, it would be my first real Cedar Fair experience. Our morning was filled with a round of incredible perks--management knew how to treat us! Things were definitely looking positive for the park from the start of our day... Our ERT began with a half hour on Steel Force. My first ever Morgan hyper (let alone my first Morgan coaster), I was [more than] pleasantly surprised to find that the coaster delivered a nice amount of airtime (especially in its latter half)--definitely a solid ride! Though ERT was set to end there so we could start our backstage tour, management had other plans for us! Giving us a little taste of both new and old, we were granted the ability to ride Laser (knowing this would be its last season) as well as Voodoo (knowing that this was its first season) before we started our tour. Laser was my third Schwarzkopf (having ridden Scorpion and Mindbender previously) and a pretty fun ride. The loops were forceful and the coaster was smooth, so I was again, happily impressed. Voodoo was another first for me, being my premier LIM Impulse Shuttle (if that’s what it can be classified as). The launch was great, catching me off guard each time, as was the incredible holding brake (again, if that is what it is called) in the last circuit. Another one of those great surprises... Following our ERT, we began our ascent, moving up the hilled terrain towards the former guest parking lot onto the backstage area. Treated to a grand view of the park's skyline (you'll see below in the photos), we were once again given a real sight to see. Led by our wonderful guide Chuck, we moved in to the giant warehouse structure where maintenance work on the park as well as Halloween Haunt preparation was underway. The tour itself was a real joy to take part in, giving me a real insight that I had not had in the non-franchised park's operations and history. Exiting out at the water park, we were given $20 worth of Dorney Dollars to use for food or merchandise. My stomach called when we saw a Subway, so Brad, Matt and I stopped for some food--and it was great! Afterwards, we moved on to try to get the rest of the credits in the park, planning to leave the park for a short amount of time so that I could get some homework done at the hotel and the guys could get a rest. Needless to say, our hotel's proximity made the day even better! Before we took our break, we hit Thunderhawk, an awesome classic wooden coaster in the park. Though I was nervous about its state, it rode fantastic, warranting an additional two rides before we ended up breaking the coaster for John and Luko, in typical TPR trip fashion. We rode Wild Mouse, a standard Reverchon catalog model with a terribly long line. It was decent but nothing special. We then decided to take a bit of time to relax, going back to the hotel for some rest and (for me) homework. After nearly two hours of work, I (along with Brad) was ready to go back to the park to ride some more. Meeting up with Matt, we rode on Hydra the Revenge, which was a fun little floorless. Again, not as good as Kraken but definitely better than Batman: The Dark Knight. Afterwards we moved on to Talon for an incredible ride. Talon, the park's B&M invert shot up to my #3 spot for inverts, only trumped by Great Bear and Montu. As night began to fall and our hunger began to rise once more, we hit the one place we knew would satisfy once more--Subway! Another great sub had me full and ready for some late night ERT on Hydra and Talon. After 5 rides on Hydra (which runs better at night), we moved over to Talon for an incredible set of over 17 runs. Talon's ops also made the ERT plenty fun, except for their "stapling for fun" gag. The night had come to an end as we headed back to our hotel for our final hotel night before the trip would come to an end. Tomorrow would be our last day. Other memorable moments include: Bethany's stappling frenzy on Talon, Stacker, Subway and a giant pepsi. I'll end on a light note... "Woosh!" Here is the holding brake in action. The last few photos put the spotlight back on Voodoo. "I don't see any dead people..." "Ready for rap battles, closed park liquidations or your daughter's birthday party. Just call us for a quote." "It's street legal and comes with its own high-tech casket!" Dorney Park has its own fleet of herses, says Chuck. How many coasters can you count in this photo? One-ah-ah-ah... Two-ah-ah-ah..." The skyline alone makes Dorney great! And so our tour begins... I love you. One more... An all-too-common artsy shot. "I take photos of people taking photos of me taking photos of them taking photos of me..." A flood of TPR members exit Voodoo after our ERT... I'm in love... Best attraction sign ever. Welcome! I'm excited already! This billboard greeted us from our hotel... Voodoo is a shining new addition to Dorney Park.

The ride is a newer version of the Disk-O called "Surf's Up." It does have riders standing throughout its duration which makes the motions feel far different from that found on the Disk-O. Personally, I liked Surf's Up better...

While I don't have photos today to show for it, I can report that as of today, even more track has begun to be unloaded in the previously photographed location. The newest pieces that have arrived are curved heavily, featuring an extremely thick (nearly covering the track width from rail to rail) spine. I'm not sure what element this belongs to, but the track is unlike anything I've yet to see Maurer Sohne produce.

I'm not sure they could honestly do this without damaging the story presented. Plus, with Poseidon's Fury being the last remaining anchor for the Lost Continent (provided Potter doesn't eventually take over that area as well), to remove what few effects make the attraction worthwhile would be a mistake. Taking it from the general guest stand point though, I could see a first time visiter walking through the vortex hall, showered in projections of water and mist rather than the vortex of water itself and not even noticing the difference. It is hard to predict how Universal would handle this, but if it becomes true, it would be a shame. I always thought that Poseidon's Fury was one of the most innovative attractions in the park next to Spiderman.

^^ and ^ Thanks very much! After a wonderful bus ride back from Clementon (I slept for quite some time during this ride), we got back to our hotel with plenty of time to spare for rest. Needless to say, I passed out within five minutes of getting in bed, readying myself for the exciting day to come. Hersheypark was another one of those parks that I'd anticipated because of the history, prestige and hype the park had to its name. With a large catalogue of coasters as well as the promise of a chocolate heaven in Chocolate World, I was definitely stoked. We started our morning at the park with some ERT on Stormrunner and Fahrenheit--both Intamin--both interesting. We decided to hit Stormrunner first so that we could spend the majority of ERT on Fahrenheit (which ended up being a pretty smart move). Stormrunner, my second Intamin accelerator was pretty fun with a unique layout. The positives included the launch, its wonderful top hat and role into the brake run. The negatives were the length of the ride and the terrible restraints which seemed to jackhammer the sides of my neck, leaving some strange bruises that would only be battered further on Fahrenheit. Fahrenheit was the newest coaster addition for the park, sporting a 90 degree lift, 97 degree drop, a Norwegian loop, a cobra roll and a fantastic airtime hill. All of the elements listed above made the ride enjoyable, but again the coaster was a victim to a short ride time and terrible restraints which had even sharper bars that would hit my already pained neck once more. After ERT, those of us that were willing to get soaked for a credit headed over to Roller Soaker. The suspended coaster carries one-time water droppers to drench guests below, though the ride's surrounding water-place allows for those same guests to hit the riders (normally harder than the riders could possibly hit them). Dave Fudge and I made the mistake of sitting in the front seat, taking the full force of the geyser blasts that would engulf our train throughout the ride. Afterwards, having already been blasted by fellow TPR members, we took revenge on those same folks, getting them soaked by the same geyser which blasted us earlier. Following our wet and wild ride on Roller Soaker, many of us stopped for a quick nosh (yes, nosh) on some incredible Nathan's hotdogs in the boardwalk section of the park. Afterwards, still being mildly wet, we decided to take the plunge (pun intended) and ride Canyon River Rapids, which would be closing two days after our visit. Personally, I think the ride was evil for its "cheap" soaker spots where it was impossible to escape without having a bucket of cold water poured all over. It was definitely fun, but not worth re-riding again. Following the wetness of the previous two attractions, we moved on to Wildcat, Sidewinder and Comet, all of which were fun but not deserving of a review. Sooperdooperlooper, Reese's Challenge and Wild Mouse followed afterwards, all of which were too simple to go into detail about. The gang decided to take a short break from the park to head over to Chocolate World, which was included in our park admission. The place was pretty surprising with a unique omnimover-like ride system for its informative attraction about how Hershey's chocolate is made. The process includes a group of singing cows, a terrible theme song that rivals "Boo to You," some plastic looking machines and a little bit of cocoa here and there... After exiting the ride, you get a sample of the latest Hershey's product (we got a chocolate called Bliss), leading you out towards the magnificent gift shop. The gift shop itself had my eyes bulging the entire time at the sight of 16 pound Reese’s cups, 30 pound Hershey bars (I almost won one during lunch, but lost it in a wicked round of Rochambeau) and other wonderfully sinful creations. I resisted the urges to buy all that I saw but did indulged in a white chocolate tart as well as a piece of chocolate cheesecake--both were heavenly. After we were done with Chocolate World, we went back to Hersheypark to get the rest of our credits in before the end of the day. Trailblazer was unfortunately closed that day, so there was one missed credit. Great Bear ended up being our last credit before ERT--the B&M inverted coaster quickly rose to the top of my inverted list thanks to its unique layout and support structure. Both times I rode it; I was caught off guard by the uniquely forceful helix at the beginning as well as its fun hops over the river which runs beneath it. So, the time came for another round of ERT, this time solely taking place on Lightning Racer, the dueling wooden GCI racer. This one surprised me beyond belief, with one of the greatest ERT staffs we had seen (since Boulder Dash's wonderful op) as well as a great ride full of airtime, strip lights, twists, turns and of course, WANK! (Sorry Mike, but I had to include it for historical purposes.) Lighting Racer's Lightning side constantly won against Thunder, prompting its higher placement on my top #25 wooden coaster list. After an incredible hour of ERT, it was time to once again leave the park and move on to our next location. The night's drive would bring us to our hotel which placed us directly across the street from Dorney Park, providing us with a preview from our room windows of what would come the following day. Other memorable moments of the day include: the Hersheypark monorail, Matt's bag-o-crap video, Max, prize hunting, the (unfortunate) trashing of all remaining Prize Gang prizes by Mike, Rochambeau and TPR Trivia. It looks so good! Time for some lunch and trivia! One of the few Fahrenheit photos I have. John and I discussed Schwartzkopf in depth while in line for Sooperdooperlooper... Notice Great Bear's glorious track behind him. He escaped my knawing grip in time to grab a quick group photo before attempting to make us pay for a more shoddy version of the same photo... Oh wait, that was the photo lady's fault! There is no other mascot that I would ever consider eating...Except maybe Sackboy, but he's just too cute--you could just eat him up! Chocolate makes the world go round... For the price, we took a really BIG pass on this 3-D film. "It's the milk chocolate!... It's the milk chocolate!... It's the milk chocolate!..." The log flume, Great Bear and Sooperdooperlooper all cover this riverside plot of land. Great Bear towers over the area...

^^That is glorious! Thou shall not miss this coaster!

Sounds like a great project Colin! We'll be rooting for you all the way!