parkjunkie

It was chilly briefly, but I'm used to it being from the Midwest. It warmed to about 60 that day, but there were frost watches out that night.

Even though I just use a point and shoot Samsung... thank you

Winter 2017 Orlando Trip Please excuse they vagueness of this report, but I hope all still enjoy....... Day 1, Universal Islands of Adventure and Studios Crowds were just a tad above light and the weather was cold, at least for Orlando standards, it was 39* nad windy, wind chill around 32* when we arrived at 8:15. Thanks to a friend, admission was free, along with early ride time. We headed straight to Hogsmeade. Since there were barely any crowds at this time, we took our time going to Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey to soak in all of Hogsmeade. When arriving at the Forbidden Journey, wait time was less than 5 minutes... but its been a while since we have been here, so we took our time through the que and even let people pass us so we could soak it all in. As usual, The Forbidden Journey was incredible... but I noticed one flow in our ride vehicle. It seemed to be pitched forward on the ride path on certain scenes and gave a good glimpse of the track and ride vehicles ahead of us... I've never noticed this before. As we exited, we made our way down for our first round of butter beer, 1 frozen, 1 regular... DELICIOUS!... but expensive!!! We walked through the shops to give us time to finish our butterbeer so that we could go to Olivander's, which had no wait at all. This time, the "show" wasn't as good and seemed to be lacking enthusiasm. We then headed for the Hogwarts Express... again, another walk on. As we made our way through King's Cross to Diagon Alley, we noticed the crowd was MUCH heavier on the Studios side. As we entered Diagon Alley, it was apparent where everyone was, you would have thought it was midsummer, it was wall to wall people. As we hung our heads dreading knowing we had a long wait in front of us at Gringott's... but thankfully, the wait time was only 15 minutes. I was disappointed for the first time ever at this point with Universal, the ride ops at Gringott's were moving ever so slowly and almost made you feel like you were at Six Flags. Gringott's amazed again as usual and we got right back in line for a second ride. This time, the wait was just under 10 minutes and the staff must have awoke from their slumber because they suddenly the chipper, celebrating staff I'm used to seeing. After mingling around Diagon Alley and our second round of butterbeer, we made our way to Men In Black. As old as this ride is, it's still so much fun, even though my aim is WAAAY OFF!!! Then it was off to the Simpson's. I didnt ride this 2 years ago when we went becasue the line was so long, but this time, we gave it a shot, only a 10 minute wait.... and I have to say, it was the biggest waste of time. Even though I'm not a huge SImpson's fan, this ride was still so bad. Same vehicles as BTTF, same everything except the video... horrible. Now it was time for lunch at Krusty Burger. I do have to say, the curly fries, pizza, and chicken was all very good, fresh, and hot!! Next was E.T. It has been 20 years since I have ridden this and was worried it would be janky and beat up, but was pleasantly surprised that it was still in good shape and everything worked great... of course by today's standards it is outdated, but I think it is still a solid classic. Next was Shrek and then Minions. Both had around 30 minute waits. As much as I like both these franchises, I wish they would have done more with these 2 attractions, they are decent, but are lacking as well. Next was Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, 5 minute wait which amazed me. After stuffing the fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo, we made our way up. We decided since the wait was so short, we would do a double ride. As we made our way around for our second ride, and were the next to board, there was a glitch in the system and the ride shut down for about 5 minutes. They ran a laps with the trains empty and then let us board. Next was Transformers. I was never too fond of this ride, but my sister loves Transformers and wanted to ride... all I have to say is BORING!!! Next was Mummy, 2 minute wait, great ride, hot as hell in the fire room as usual. Now it was time to head back to Hogsmeade... and what a disaster that turned out to be. The sign said the wait was 20 minutes.... 55 minutes later!!!! Once back at Hogsmeade, it was off to our second ride on Forbidden Journey, wait time around 20 minutes... and this time, our vehicle was centered through all the scenes. We then stopped in at Honeyduke's and picked up some fudge, which was great deal at 6 pcs for $16, some chocolate frogs and few other goodies. Next was Jurassic Park River Adventure. Walked right on, sat in the back, had a great ride, and barely got wet.. thankfully too, because the high this day was only in the upper 50's. Next was Kong... FINALLY!!! After waiting about 20 minutes, Kong got tired and broke down. We waited it out about 10 minutes until the ride attendants came through and said they were evacuating the ride vehicles.... NOOOO!!!!! I set the alert on my app to let me know when it reopened, so we then made our way to Hulk and Fearfall. Had a fastpass for Hulk, waited about 5 minutes for front row, and I can say this.... SO MUCH BETTER!!! Smooth, better transitions, and just an overall great ride like it was 15 years ago. As we exited Hulk and retrieved our stuff from the fluffy, fluffy bunnies filled with medicine and goo, I received the alert that Kong had reopened. We ran back over and waited about 5 minutes. They did not have the ride going through the outside portion at this point, but it didn't matter, I was highly impressed with Kong, i just wish it was a tad longer, but none the less, still an awesome ride. The detail and theming throughout the que was spectacular, now I know why it took so long to open this ride. It was about an hour from closing at this point, so we decided to hit up Dragon Challenge. Waited about 5-10 minutes for each side, and overall, this ride is definitely showing its age. We made our way to the front for some last minute shopping and some goodies at the Croissant Moon Bakery. I got the cheesecake and it was so so. Overall, we were at Universal Orlando from 8:30a to 8:30p and it was a fantastic visit. Small crowds with short wait times for the most part. Employees were upbeat, cheerful and friendly. Food was decent and not TOO overpriced. Parks were clean and well maintained. Any down times on rides were short and the staff kept you informed. Day 2, Seaworld It has been 27 years since I have been here, and was excited for the 3 B&M credits. First thing first, MAKO! All I have to say is this... B&M hypers are my favorite style coasters, and yes, from time to time, I understand how they "lack" intensity... Of course Mako doesn't have an amazing layout, BUT, after riding it, I was blown away. The airtime is by FAR the best out of any of the other B&M hypers I've ridden, which besides Mako are Raging Bull, Diamondback, Behemoth, Goliath SFoG. My first ride I sat in the front row and was shocked by the ejector air, nothing extreme, but much more than floater... and that first overbanked turn coming out of the first drop was great. Since it was early and we walked right on, we went ahead and did 2 more laps... WOW, the airtime!!! My second ride was last row, of course the airtime on the back row is always that great "yank over the top" airtime, but I personally thought the airtime in the front row was better. The third lap, back to front row. We then made our way to Kraken, after reading reviews and the opinions of many on here, I wanted to keep an open mind and not be persuaded by the negativity Ive heard about this ride... I will say this, it wasn't a great coaster but definitely decent. I liked the layout, pacing, and transitions, but of course because of its age, it was a tad rough, but not bad by any means. I guess the reason I liked it more than others is because it was my first floorless, and not to mention the ending is incorporated with the surrounding scenery and made up for what it was lacking in the first half. We then hit the Clyde & Seamore Show. Yes it was cheesy and aimed more at the kids, but overall, a good show. We then headed over for One Ocean. Again, since its been over 25 years since Ive been, I didn't know exactly what to expect. I absolutely loved this show. There was no narrating, no cheesy acting, just having these beautiful creatures show their grace through jumps, diving, beaching, and playful splashing. Its ashame that this show won't be around much longer. Now it was time to grab a bite to eat.. what a ripoff!!! We paid $7.50 each for 1 frigging hotdog!!!.. and it wasn't even good!!! We then hit up all the exhibits and aquariums. I was kind of disappointed, there are so many aquariums out there now a days that put Saeworld's to shame. We then hit up Mako and Kraken for more rides and then it was off to Manta. I'm not to hip on flyers, but I thoroughly enjoyed Manta. Wait time was about 5 minutes for front row. Great layout that interacted well with the surroundings. Every once in a blue moon, flyers might give me a brief moment or 2 of dizziness or nausea, but Manta never did. Also, the pretzel loop IMO was more intense than the ones on the Supermans, it really gives you a great pop of air going in to the tops. It was an hour before closing and had done everything we wanted to do,m so we called it a day early and headed back to the hotel. Overall, not a bad visit, but not the greatest either. We were at the park from 9:45a to 5p. Employees were just a tad better than Six Flags employees, most seemed unenthused and not wanting to be there. Some exhibits seemed outdated and in nedd of some TLC for the animals sake. Park was extremely clean and well maintained. Food was way overpriced and not that good. Shows were good and kept your attention. Ride times were very short, Mako and Manta are FANTASTIC coasters. We had one more day in Orlando and originally had planned to do Universal 2 days. But since we finished both parks on the first day, we decided to make our third day a Disney day. Day 3 Epcot, Magic Kingdom We arrived at Epcot at 8:30. When they opened the gates just before 9, we headed straight to Frozen. As annoying as this movie and songs are, and I still wanted to check it out. I think every single person headed straight for it, but luckily since we didn't have any kids or strollers, we beat almost everyone to the que and waited less than 5 minutes. I will say this, it was a short ride, but Disney executed it perfectly as usual. The characters looked so real and their movement was so smooth and flawless. We then, headed to Test Track, only to be disappointed. It was 9:15 and it wasn't opening until 10 and the line was already built back to Mission Space, so we headed to the west side of the park. Once 10 oclock hit, I checked Test Track's wait time and it was 75 minutes So we hit up The Sea's with Nemo and Friends, Turtle Talk, and Soarin'. The Sea's was a walk on, turtle talk was about a 10 minute wait, and Soarin' was about a 15 minute wait. Turtle Talk was decent for one reason, one kid asked "what happens when you fart?' and another asked "what color is your poop?"... thanks 3 year olds for livening up this show. We then did a lap around the whole park and then headed for the monorail to Magic Kingdom. The night before, I reserved fast passes for Big Thunder, Peter Pan, and 7 Dwarfs. So as we arrived to the monorail terminal, we wanted to take the boat across, but were told the boats weren't running. Once arriving and making our way through metal detection, we noticed the train was also down So we headed straight to Space Mountain, wait was about 15 minutes, line jumping by the foreigners was horrid. Then it was off to our fastpass time for 7 Dwarfs. This is such a good little coaster with the usual great Disney theming, the only downfall is the que needs more in it, it is very boring, especially for being a kiddie ride. Then, after a losing a battle, I was forced on to a Small World... all I have to say is We then headed to Haunted Mansion, waited about 15 minutes and as usual, enjoyed this classic. We then stopped at a few stores while we had a few minutes before our fastpass time for Big Thunder. Even with the fastpass, we had about a 10 minute wait, which I didn't understand for the fact the regular line was 25 minutes, but either way it was quicker. The thing about Big Thunder is if this coaster was a regular stand alone with no theming, it would such a drag of a ride, its amazing how much theming makes a difference... such a great ride. We then made our way over to Pirate's and only waited about 10 minutes. I'm not quite sure what happened, but right before boarding, they quit loading boats for about 5 minutes. Boats were backed up coming in to the station, but eventually got everything rolling again. After Pirate's was a stroll through Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Ive never been through this before and enjoyed the twisting pathway through it, and the great views it offered. We noticed that Jungle Cruise only had a 10 minute wait, so we decided to ride it since we were near by.. and I'm always amazed at the amount of corny jokes can be squeezed in to a 5 minute ride. At this point, our feet and legs were killing us from the 3 days of walking, and even though we just relaxed for a few on Jungle Cruise, we needed some rest without wasting time, so we decided to take a couple of laps on the Transit Authority. Walked right on and took 3 laps around. We noticed that Buzz Light Year had a very short wait, so we headed down with a 10 minute wait. This was fun yet generic shooter ride, but for some reason, I fele that other shooters are a tad easier than this one. We then had dinner at Pinocchio Village Haus. We had the flatbread pizza, chicken parmesan sandwich, and breadsticks. Food was warm but not fresh, but we weren't surprised by this. It was now our fastpass time for Peter Pan, which thank God we reserved this, because it was the longest wait all day, around 75 minutes. Out of all the rides, this one reminds me of my childhood the most and really brings you back to being a kid. Of course its a short and somewhat outdated ride, but I will always love this ride. At this point, we were on our last legs of energy, so we headed back over to Tomorrowland for a few more laps on the Transit Authority. It was getting to be around 6:45, so we decided we needed to pick out a spot for the night shows. Of course it was already packed in front of the castle, but somehow we managed to find a spot along the fenceline next to the Mickey and Walt statue. I was absolutely blown away by the Once Upon a Time show. The detail of the "picture" is so clear and vibrant. The music was just the right volume and surrounded you from every direction. I just wish it was a tad longer and focused on a few more Disney classics.. but either way, a spectacular show. Of course the fireworks were next, and as always, a nice show choreographed nicely to the music. As we made our way out, we swiftly maneuvered our way through a few of the Main Street shops, grabbed a few things we had picked out earlier on, and hauler a$$ to the boat. As we arrived to the dock, we were some of the last few to get on. Jumped on the first monorail out back to Epcot and were lucky enough to get to see part of Illuminations that was still going on. Overall, a fun and of course EXPENSIVE visit to Disney. Went from 8:30a to 9:30p. Overall, a great visit and surprisingly got more done than ever before at Disney. Of course having fastpasses for 3 of the most busy rides helped a ton. I was a little disappointed with Disney on this visit this time though. I noticed a lot of trash, dirty pathways, parts of the parks that need some TLC and ran in to a few pushy and rude employees. Food was ok, not too highly priced compared to everything else at these parks. Night shows were absolutely fabulous and a perfect way to end our trip. All i n all, a wonderful trip. Great weather (started off a tad cool), light crowds, and great times!!! View from out hotel Our first stop Hogwarts greatness With the cold weather, it really felt like winter I can't get over how amazing Diagon Alley is It always feels like you're really in Gringot's Rip, Ride, Rockit Fast & Furious construction Need a wand? Always loved this entrance Fun, yet starting to be a boring ride Finally, time for Kong Nice to see Universal coming around with their animatronics So gorgeous at night and finally getting to ride the new and improved HULK Good ol' Seawold... Kracken, here I come! Such a ham

So I just got back from my amazing Orlando trip and Seaworld being one of my visits. Mako: B&M hypers are my favorite style coasters, and yes, from time to time, I understand how they "lack" intensity... Of course Mako doesn't have an amazing layout, BUT, after riding it, I was blown away. The airtime is by FAR the best out of any of the other B&M hypers I've ridden, which besides Mako are Raging Bull, Diamondback, Behemoth, Goliath SFoG. My first ride I sat in the front row and was shocked by the ejector air, nothing extreme, but much more than floater... and that First overbanked turn coming out of the first drop was great. My second ride was last row, of course the airtime on the back row is always that great "yank over the top" airtime, but I personally thought the airtime in the front row was better. Kraken: after reading reviews and the opinions of many on here, I will say this. It wasn't a great coaster but definitely decent. I liked the layout, pacing, and transitions, but of course because of its age, it was a tad rough, but not bad by any means. I guess the reason I liked it more than others is because it was my first floorless. Manta: I'm not to hip on flyers, but I thoroughly enjoyed Manta. Great layout that interacted well with the surroundings. Every once in a blue moon, flyers might give me a brief moment or 2 of dizziness or nausea, but Manta never did. Also, the pretzel loop IMO was more intense than the ones on the Supermans, it really gives you a great pop of air going in to the tops. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the 3 B&Ms at SWO, and hope to see them continue to add to their collection.

Screamin' Eagle at SFSTL

Universal Orlando and Seaworld NEXT WEEK!!!

Well I have one good reason to say why I'm excited to ride it, out of the 33 B&Ms I've ridden, none have been a floorless... well, 3 are now, but they weren't converted until after I had ridden them. I have ridden all the other styles by B&M, so this will complete it for me.

Ah, found it, thank you, I obviously overlooked that on the website, thank you! Could you link where that is? I'm wondering as well for April When you go to the website, click on rides and the individual rides have their own links and it will tell you on each rides link

Ah, found it, thank you, I obviously overlooked that on the website, thank you!

Holy hell, if it isn't, I will swallow a whole bottle of aspirin.....

Well, that's usually one of the last full summer hour Sundays, but typically it isn't much different than other Summer Sundays, but depending on how the season is going, that Sunday can sometimes be a tad busier. Sundays usually get busier in the early afternoon, and sometimes even have the slight chance of some "rougher" and "rowdier" crowds. If you get there at opening, you should be able to get a whole bunch of rides in, that is as long as you have a plan. As almost any day, start at the bottom of the park and work your way up hitting the larger attractions first, as long as you get there at park open. Either pack a lunch or plan on eating around 11 or in mid afternoon, otherwise you'll waste a good chunk of your day waiting in lines. Of course this is all based on opinion, others will probably have other scenarios... your best bet is to ask this question again in late July

Well, I guess either no one knows or no one wants to help... oh, well, guess I'll just find out in 2 weeks

I will be heading to SWO end of Jan/ beginning of Feb. Does anyone know if any rides will be down during this time due to rehabs or because of time of year?...

In a few weeks - Universal Orlando and Seaworld This Spring - Holiday World, Mt. Olympus (not my choice), Timber Falls, SFGAm Summer - WoF, Dollywood, Carowinds, all the alpine coasters in the Smokies... well, that is if they're not charred Fall - SDC

Starting off with Universal Orlando for a few days, then SeaWorld. SFGAm this spring, along with SFSTL and WoF... then hopefully Dollywood and Carowinds... Should be hitting up SDC in the fall and

Spectacular crowds for the first night, well above what was expected... and word has it, THEY LOVE IT!

I was doubtful at first, but after finally seeing it all up and going, I am highly impressed. There are few things and a few areas that i think could be a little better, but overall, I think the crowds will be VERY HAPPY! You can't compare it to SDC, its different, there are some things about SFSTLs that I like better than SDC.

It got so quiet so quickly on here....

His time is already over... --Robb "Zero tolerance, bitches... zero tolerance..." Alvey I would like to apologize for "starting something" inadvertently, that wasn't my intention. I don't completely agree with some of Six Flags' decisions, but at least I know they're trying, and was just trying defend the park to someone who had nothing to contribute beforehand to the SFSTL board and slam it just because the ride was not liked and had nothing else to back up why, but I may have gone a tad too far.

If you'd like to take this to PM, that would be great, I'd be MORE than happy to be "enlightened" by ore of your kind words, but the public board is not the place for it.... I would like to spare everyone from continuing to hear your crying

THIS!!!! And DOUBLE THIS!!! TRIPLE THIS!!!! I really would like to believe that the people who post on our forums are "smarter than your average guest." And honestly, after the insane amount of CRAP I've seen posted this year, more than any other year on our forums, I need to take a zero tolerance policy and get rid of the crap. I want the forums to be someplace for "smart" theme park fans to discuss their visits, not look like your typical guest relations lines filled with horrible people complaining about the most mundane things. Sorry if I've been coming off as harsh lately, but I simply cannot take it anymore. Those of you who are not offended by it, well, you're exactly the kind of people we want here at TPR! ....and yet it continues

Oh don't worry, I'm done, not even worth my time

And what do you mean "appears" to be a Disko.... it IS a Disko!! If it looks like a Disko, is said to be a Disko, and is known to be a Disko, THEN ITS A DISKO!!!..... face palm Didn't Robb just go through the whole IDIOT thing.... Obviously some didn't get the message. Yeah, and I think I need to go through the whole bitchy a$$hole thing with you. Who gave you permission to attempt to trash me for no reason? I just said something innocent, and to be honest, I could mistake it for a piece of s**t because I think they're lame. Wow..... pathetic