Jew

He's an alleged murderer now. His past is suddenly interesting, and arguably relevant in the sense that people will just now be looking for the things that should have been potential red flags years ago. All this would have likely still come out in the lawsuits/bankruptcy proceedings, but it wouldn't have been as newsworthy.

All that means is they will be selling a lot of parts to keep the business running between coaster sales.

I wonder if that’s exactly why Sensei bought them. Between S&S and Vekoma, Sensei can get out of the design business themselves and just use their facilities to fabricate? Regarding the Disney partnership, apparently Sensei built the latest versions of the omnimover ride systems for Disney (little mermaid and buzz light year), so I’m guessing no impact there

If I remember correctly, Vekoma had financial troubles after the giant inverted boomerangs had so many issues and declared bankruptcy around that time. This might be a case of creditors cashing out.

That was the last one. I actually liked the concept, since it was basically a sports book without the book part. Could watch any game and still get updates on others in their main room.

At least they are not alone in the sewage leak department anymore...go Dodgers! If all else fails for the A's, they should get rid of Oracle Arena and just build the new stadium on that site and get rid of the old stadium after for more parking/development. In fact, it sounds like they might be going that route...the A's offered to buy the site from the city.

What's weird about that statement is how WELL the AMC works at Disney Springs in Orlando. I mean, that theater is constantly PACKED with people to the point that they expanded it with the Dine In option years ago. They constantly have most theaters filled when a new Disney release comes out and I couldn't think of a better place south of El Capitan in So Cal to see a new Disney release than at Disneyland. I would say that it may be because there are tons of other movie theaters around Disneyland, but there are also tons around Disney Springs also. Either way, no lost sleep over a movie theater going away. It's just funny to me to read a statement like that which defines how different the Disney demographic is in SoCal versus Orlando. You nailed it with the different demographics. I think a lot of it is that Disneyland isn't an actual resort, despite what they want to try and call it, so the majority of visitors are either AP holders or visitors who do other things in the region on their vacation. I honestly thought the movie theater did good business because of the AP holders who would see a movie and then pop into the parks, but a movie theater is no match for a super pricey hotel in terms of revenue. You could easily never leave WDW property in a week and do anything you could ever imagine.

If they were just facing civil penalties, 100% agree. Even if I know I'm wrong, I'd still want to protect myself from criminal charges. That being said...Glad Jeff Henry was charged. That indictment was terrifying to read. He'll get the day in court they asked for in the press release.

^Why would they want to wait to open it? New attraction opening while kids out of school=$$$. It also means greater capacity to help spread crowds around.

Whether it’s delays or by design, Memorial Day weekend is always a popular time for any park to open a ride, so it’s generally worked out.

Unfortunately no machine is perfect. Accidents in the amusement industry are usually traced back to human error. Sometimes that is a dumb guest, sometimes that is park negligence, and sometimes it’s unforeseen manufacturer errors. In the case of this death, it appears to be the fault of the park (who doubles as the manufacturer). Seems like a lot of the evidence comes with a paper trail. I suspect there will be plea deals, so I don’t think we’ll ever know the full story. Whatever happens, I think it’s safe to say Mr. Henry’s career as a waterslide designer/engineer/whatever you want to call him is over. And good riddance if everything in the indictment is true. The industry doesn’t need people who will willingly sacrifice safety for bragging rights or for financial purposes

Stan Checketts isn't an engineer either. And honestly, if some of the stuff he designed and tested ever went into actual production like the Sonic Boom, maybe we wouldn't have discussions about what a genius he was. The point here is this: There isn't anyone more experienced in the world at building slides of this sort than Jeff Henry. The problem is that Jeff Henry's interest in Jeff Henry superceded that of the safety of the guests in this instance and there weren't enough people on his team to tell him no any more. Focusing on his "lack of experience" gets into a whataboutism loop that is only going to make you wonder about your safety as a whole in the industry. Maybe we should have that discussion? I don't know. Stan Checketts built a lot of crazy things...but left them in the prototype stage. He was smart enough to realize the rides he sold needed actual engineering, had to meet ASTM standards, etc. There was actually no one with experience building slides of this sort because it was a first of its kind. So in this case, he did lack the proper experience and it showed. I agree that his ego played a big role...but to ignore every single industry standard? Makes you wonder just how much “experience” the guy had...perhaps that’s why NBGS got out of the slide business besides for themselves?

Having experience doesn’t mean he was qualified to take on this project. Clearly if everything in the indictment is true, his previous design success sounds much more like luck than skill.

I’ve always thought schitterbahn seemed a little sketchy. This confirms it.

When you factor in guest delay...600 really equals 500

I doubt the mailers are even created by sfmm marketing team. Likely outsourced by corporate to a company that does all the parks.

They will have just finished up spending a rumored billion dollars on Star Wars, so I suspect that is correct...for now. Have no doubt this land will have a phase two with another attraction that will reside in the remaining space behind Tower. I imagine with all the dead space in Hollywood between Hollywood & Dine, Muppets 3D, and the Who Wants to be a Millionaire building...eventually that whole land gets transformed in phases over the next 5-10 years.

It's on my bucket list to visit Jacksonville just for the pools in their stadium. Sports in the U.S. are definitely all about the money. There is no relegation to worry about or historical ties to cities like soccer clubs in Europe. Raiders will move again in 30-40 years if they can't extort Las Vegas to keep the stadium "modern." I have a feeling they will become the new norm. The whole top deck is the Hyde nightclub and two bars on the ends with those viewing perches. That's a lot of money to be made!

If you really wanted to do it on a budget, you could fly into burbank and take metrolink to Santa Clarita and use uber/lyft from there.

Royal Caribbean has announced a major upgrade to CoCoCay! https://www.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/press-release/1350/royal-caribbean-eyes-next-generation-of-cruisers-with-multibillion-dollar-investment-in-ships-experiences-and-destinations/

Definitely. Vegas is suddenly the it sports town. Golden knights. WNBA. Raiders. New stadium being built for their AAA team. A USL soccer team that will inevitably become an MLS expansion team since MLS hands those out like candy instead of trying to actually improve their product....

Back from hibernation...have a few more to post, but I’ll start with the newest NHL venue: T-mobile arena in Las Vegas. It’s basically the younger cousin of staples center without three rows of suites. So not really a bad seat in the house! Once inside, you are greeted with this before taking escalators up to the main concourse The entire top level is a bar, featuring both public spaces and... Obligatory “boxes” for people who can’t afford a suite but want luxury Since it’s sponsored by t-mobile, you can find phone chargers throughout The exterior features a translucent LED screen that doesn’t really obstruct the view from the inside View from Monte Carlo, err, park Mgm Here it is in basketball configuration. There’s a stage and plaza outside for pre game Activites Concessions on point! Beer selection was decent, thanks to InBev purchase of golden road Hockey configuration ...Hyde lounge. Basically a nightclub within the arena. Obligatory projection mapping pregame show The center ice seats have a private bar at the top of their section.

I love that Disney is finally doing stuff like this. For what felt like my entire life, they never did any sort of behind the scenes stuff. This makes me a lot more optimistic about Pixar pier (to which my initial reaction was meh)

Still referring to Corey Feldman as a celebrity is being generous

True story: the bumper cars were so poorly taken care of at one point in 2002 that the wood supporting the floor rotted away and collapsed. Glad they get some love now. The troll sign should live on.