mwm1444

Honestly, top of my theme park-related thankful-for list is Theme Park Review, and the trips I've been on this year in particular, so thanks Robb, Elissa and everyone on the UK and IntimidaTours, for such amazing times. Otherwise, I'm pretty thankful that I have Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures within travelling distance - and I'm also very thankful for dark rides, everywhere.

Great to hear that they're injecting new life into the Lego shop, despite that new park opening up the road - although I never really thought it would have any impact on the Downtown Disney location.

De La Soul - Can U Keep a Secret?

Might seriously consider going to this with Mum the night we arrive - unless there's something really good on at the Beach Club (our resort for the trip).

This year I'm going to WDW for the first week of December, but otherwise, theatre, Christmas and my birthday...then more theatre and gigs to combat the depressing first two months of the year.

That looks pretty amazing - I sometimes feel like slagging Sally off, mostly for all the copycat Ghost Blasters-type rides, but still, I would love a tour of an animatronics factory more than pretty much anything else. Thanks for posting!

I'm just glad that the pictures, fantastic as they are, don't convey the extremely sticky humidity I was(n't) enjoying that day. But, besides that, it really was a brilliant day all round - seeing my best TPR mate Jason again, and not greying/blacking out on I305...at least, not until I got halfway down the train, certainly didn't make it to back row. I actually loved Shockwave, as well. Great photos all throughout your threads, Hanno, and on a personal note, it was awesome hanging around with you at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson before our respective flights!

Definitely seconded, anything to do with dark rides, themed immersive experiences, that sort of thing - that'd be brilliant.

Followed Elissa's lead on this, I don't know Texas much, but I do know my Lego - great to see more Legoland Discovery Centres popping up.

Th13teen at Alton Towers - started and finished my UK standard season with it, nice symmetry. Somewhat related - I finally got my Stealth and Rita credits in the last two weeks - still not sure if I enjoyed them, or not...

Lego queue-jumping, a neat combination of something I love and another thing I hate! Courtesy of Jason, aka printersdevil79.

Proud of myself that I managed to make up for lost time on my NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) project by writing 3,035 words in the last few hours..going to have to do some 'writing ahead' later in the month, but I'm on target for 50,000 words in the month at the moment!

^ Actually, it was perfectly comfortable being suspended from the B&M flyer restraints for five extra minutes, I didn't see what the fuss was about - I actually contemplated attempting to fall asleep, or at least meditate (for kicks), if the wait was long enough! Not been on a Volare, so I can't really compare it.

I rode Spuk at Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland last year, and will hopefully be riding it at the same venue again, next month. Great ride, definitely a couple of cuts above the average ghost train - did they have a roaming zombie/ghost/wraith person outside Spuk in Dam Square? That definitely added to the experience in Hyde Park - and that scary knight-looking barker animatronic is awesome. Great TR, by the way!

Heard a few beauties at Alton Towers last night, when our Air train stopped in the final brake run for five minutes, due to some fault in the train that was in the station. "If we fall from here, will we break anything?" (Possibly your nose.) "Can you at least get us down?" (I'd expect the answer to be no, what with the hydraulics and stuff being in the station, where we weren't.) "Oh well, at least we didn't get stuck halfway in midair (i.e., on the circuit)!" (We wouldn't.) The comments were more uncomfortable then hanging in the flying position for five extra minutes.

Up From the Deep - The Tubes

^ Not surprising, seeing as (I think) a Mega-Lite is meant to emulate the bigger models, but on a more compact scale - hence 'Mega..Lite'. Someone who actually knows what they're talking about can correct me!

I believe there's a £600 lifetime pass at Legoland Windsor - just inside the entrance, they have a wall where Lego mosaic nametags are put up, showing who's bought lifetime passes. I think there were about 20 names up, but there may have been quite a few others who just wanted to preserve their privacy. I know I'd probably buy a Lego Around the World lifetime pass - hint, hint, Merlin - if they were available, and didn't mean I'd have to sell a kidney or two. On a probably equally nerdy note, the Lego fan in me is slightly disappointed that the attractions line-up, not just Miniland, is pretty much note-for-note the same as Carlsbad's, but I don't expect any GP will give a Lego monkey's, which is fair in the end.

^ Correct about Reverchon building Primeval Whirl. I remember even less about it than I do the Fabbri rides I've been on, never been impressed by their spinners. MS's are brilliant, I personally think Chessington WoA's Dragon's Fury is the best example of a spinning 'coaster I've ridden - but I haven't ridden Winjas yet! Not a fan of Gerstlauer spinners, for some reason the face-to-face seating makes me nauseous in a way the MS rides don't.

Honestly, I enjoyed my experience on the one at Botton's, but it'd possibly be a different story if I was any taller. The one at Castle Park clearly didn't have much of an effect on me, as I don't remember anything more than Elissa being forced to ride with the heavy guys, i.e., more spinnage. So I guess I'd say I'm not as anti-Fabbri as some might be - in fact, I think I might prefer their Spinning Mice to the Reverchon model that seems standard at most other places.

I listen to WDWRadio, started to listen to WDWToday again, since I'm going to Orlando in December, and I've been working with Len on UK stuff. Also listen to the MuppetCast (not so Disney-related, but it's tied in with the Disney 'casts I listen to), and I'm a fan (and an AllAbouttheMouseketeer) of the All About the Mouse 'cast, even though it's been defunct for a few months. I have also been known to listen to A Window to the Magic, Mouse Guest Weekly, the Laughing Place podcast, and MusicalTalk - just getting into the Season Pass, and considering the IndyCast. Mike 'podcast nerd' Moody

I loved the Gremlins ride, so I'm definitely looking forward to what they could do with the space.

Just finished downloading - so far, it's awesome, great to have all the Oktoberfest segments in one, and makes this particular little bitch wish he'd been able to go. Yet another reason why Club TPR is brilliant value.

Although I haven't ridden Steel Hawg, Mumbo Jumbo's awesome enough that one more of these in the world is no bad thing, in my opinion.

^ When I first saw the POV, I almost jumped out of my skin when I realised KT was riding! Glad she enjoyed it though, got to give her credit as I'd definitely be more of a chicken when faced with a monster of a slide like that..