Movieguy

I may not have been to Darien Lake since 2007, but I remember the ride ops there vividly. They were a far cry from the ones I've seen places like Kennywood, CP, or Knoebels. They all looked bored, oblivious, and had absolutely no concept of how to efficiently run rides. So, again, I'm not shocked at all that yet another bad egg slipped through the cracks here.

The sad fact is, it costs too much for companies to have workers who are well trained and intelligent, because they know how much money they need to run their lives. Companies would rather have novices and imbeciles working for them, because they'll work for less, and that improves their bottom line. I've been to Darien Lake before, and I've seen the people who work as ride ops. Frankly, most of them seemed to be dim-bulbs to me, so I'm not the least bit surprised that such a terrible thing happened here. Today, I'm even more ashamed to have this park as my home park. Doug "Why the hell couldn't my parents have stayed in Pennsylvania?" Booth.

^ You said it! There are so many examples from the 90's, of coasters with gigantic first hills, but the rest of the ride is absolute rubbish (Desperado, anyone?) I'm glad that people are finally realizing that good things CAN come out of smaller sizes.

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Tobu Zoo looks great as usual, and I love all the pics of the area near Hanayashiki. Nice to get in the occasional culture credit.

We are currently rehearsing for a production of HMS Pinafore here. I'm playing Dick Deadeye, my Mom is playing Buttercup, and my sister is in the ladies chorus. Here's a pic from last night's rehearsal.

Another fantastic update! Raped by Jackie Chan? Oh Robb...you come up with all kinds of weird, funny ideas that get stuck in my head.

After seeing that rider cam of White Canyon, I can definitely see the need for the extra padding. I guess there have been a few noggin knockers between riders in the past.

^ That's a good point. I had no clue RCCA was responsible for all of those stinkers as well. At least Dinn's coasters started off good in their early years. I don't think RCCA's were ever any good.

On the subject of White Canyon, does anyone else find it odd that one of the most brutal woodies on earth was NOT built by Dinn?

Awesome TR! Yomiuriland looks as good as ever, and I'm loving all the craziness of Tokyo itself. I saw a Sega Saturn in the sonic museum! I have one of those in my home now.

My goodness...those photos looked like Fuji-Q in Bizzaro world. Glad to hear you guys actually had a decent day. Too bad Eejanaika was closed, but that was probably for the best. And they have FAST PASS there now? This may be the start of a big change for this park. Also, kidtums has a story about a spider? You've got to get her to tell it on video sometime.

I recently bought a used 3DO on Amazon. This old system may have been a failure, but it still has some stuff worth checking out, unlike other duds like the CD-i. Best of all, it predated region codes, so it can read burned games! I've already burned quite a few games for it, including Gex and Samurai Showdown.

^ Aww, too bad. At least you can still get beaten up on Eejanaika.

^^ Cedar Point clean? Maybe in some areas, but I remember seeing some pretty filthy tables near the front of the park one of the last times I was there.

I love it! I may not be able to afford to go on one of these trips with you guys as of now, but Robb, you do a hell of a job of making me feel like I'm there with you all, with all the videos and photos you take. I've put together photo TR's before, and I know about all the hard work that goes into them, so I really appreciate you being able to do all this for us day after day. Nagashima Spaland looks absolutely awesome in this, and I'm looking forward to the rest of this wonderful expedition.

Judging from their reaction after they first rode it, I doubt the Alveys will be really crestfallen if Thunder Dolphin stays closed as long as Steel Dragon did.

Well, that'd be a nice prospect, to actually have a good day at Fuji-Q...though it would be even more entertaining to have an even crappier one than last time.

Parque Espana impresses me more and more with each trip report. It sucks that Musical Circus is gone, but at least it still has two incredible coasters in the form of Pyrenees and Gran Montseratt. It's tough to find even ONE good coaster in most Japanese parks, it seems, and this one's got two! Love the update from this well-kept, well themed park.

^^ I was just saying, I was surprised, and I was looking for some explanation in place of my lack of experience. I'm just going by what I've seen.

Was Space Fantasy what replaced ET? If so, I'm glad they put in another space themed attraction in its place. Now, Robb says This park could use the Mummy and MIB. I won't argue about MIB, but Mummy...I've never ridden it, but it just doesn't seem like that interesting of a ride. I've seen videos, and the ride is just so short, with a few FX and animatronics along the way. USH's version is particularly underwhelming, and I'm really ticked that it was what replaced ET at that park. Speaking of which, does Florida still have their ET? It seems that ride is really getting no love at all, removed from both USH and Osaka. It looks so cool from the videos, and it seems like a nice family ride, so I don't know why it's being shunned like this. Anyway, great update!

Robb you once again go above and beyond all my expectations for these TR updates. I'm loving it all.

I could not believe the nerve of that poster who complained about the POV. I really need to quote Morgan's old poem and say "stop ruining it for the rest of us!" Robb is working his A$$ off to put this stuff together for us, and I will always gladly wait for anything, because I know it will be dynamite! Hats off to you once again, Robb!

"This was the most awesome little play area for kids. USA parks...why can't US parks have something like this?" Robb I'll tell you why...cause it takes up space for what could be used for more roller coasters! More coasters, more coasters, more coasters! Don't you know? Every US park needs to be like CP or SFMM now! Great report, guys. You're having the same wonderful time I'm hoping to have next month on my trip.

I don't think it's idiocy as much as laziness. People nowadays, when they go to these types of places, they want to think as little as possible, and they expect everything to be done and pointed out for them.

Just today, I got the first dlc content for the new MK. This one has the classic costumes for Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Reptile, Ermac, Kitana, Mileena, and Jade. It was a great deal for 5 dollars, plus, you also get 3 classic fatalities: Scorpion's fire-breath, Reptile's head muncher, and Sub-Zero's infamous spine-rip!