oriolat

I wish they themed/dedicated the ride to Daft Punk. It could go with a more futuristic theme and even a change of name.

To be honest, I think skip-the-line passes should be A LOT more expensive than they are now. They should be a premium service, not an alternative line. This way it's a win-win: park gets a significant revenue yet lines are not that affected because there will be fewer people buying them (of course, parks should really limit available units). I hate when parks basically give away those passes. You either make them completely free, like Disney's FP or Europa Park's return time for Voletarium or just don't bother at all.

I am hoping for the S&S Axis prototype. After all, this would be a world's first, which would be perfect for the park's anniversary!

Sorry, what? Last time I checked wasn't there some kind of local regulation preventing them from running both at the same time? What happened? Anyway, I am so glad they can run Ka and Zumanjaro independently. I am sure this will boost capacity for both rides as well as provide unique experiences like being on top of Ka with a train rumbling down the launch track, which sounds amazing! Thank you for the honest review. I am sure, over time, with expectations in check Jersey Devil will fall where it belongs, right in the middle of El Toro and Nitro.

I am intrigued: besides construction work, why is it that they cleared SO many trees around Lightning Rod? Is there any other reason why they cut so many?

Hopefully if Kondaa turns out great, we could see an Intamin megacoaster renaissance. About time we saw such a lengthy and interesting coaster get built (without a launch) by Intamin.

Wow! Vekoma is sure upping their train game! Those trains look great and the restraints look extremely comfortable and a nice progression from the standard sit-down Vekoma lap bar. I am really intrigued to see what the layout looks like and what is the giant shed (KI is probably jealous of it right now as this is a proper shed xD)

I mean, Pipe Scream is just a Disk'o'Coaster, and it runs on a powered track. Why close it? Most Zamperla rides have a standard 30 mph wind limitation but that one is not even that tall...

Great trip report! Some of your captions were hilarious as well! It's so weird to see Nagashima as empty but I had a similar experience as yours when I went in 2018. It was mid-summer and the only place where I had to really join an actual line was for their Mine train and Steel Dragon. I am glad that you had the chance to ride Hakugei, as it was under construction when I was there. It looks so majestic with the massive white structure combined with blue rails. I must agree that Arashi is completely nuts. I had ridden Joker at SFGAdv but boy does the Japanese clone ride differently! It span so many times I left the ride shaking. It was really intense and quite fitting for the ride's name (Arashi means 'storm' in Japanese). One of the funniest memories was doing the horror walk-through with a Japanese bunch of school girls. They were screaming their heads off and sort of hiding behind me (as if I was a sort of human shield "Let the Western boy die" ) while I was just casually strolling through the maze.

Apparently, PortAventura in partnership with LaLiga (Spain's professional football league) have decided to open a new land/park themed to football (soccer, for Americans). These news come a bit as a shock as no one was expecting this move on their part, not even die-hard PA fans. Here is the link to the article in Spanish: https://www.lavanguardia.com/economia/20200913/483444069204/portaventura-laliga-futbol-egames-gamers.html And here is the link to a video in Spanish talking about The Beat Challenge (an experience similar to Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom) that will be available throughout the property: https://videos.elmundo.es/v/0_sybz267u-del-cesped-al-parque-de-atracciones-laliga-sigue-la-senda-de-disney-la-nba-y-ferrari?count=0 Thi is a bold movement, to say the least. FerrariLand (which opened in 2017) has been underperforming and doesn't even feel like a half-day park, yet management wants to invest money on a fourth gate. What do you think? On the one hand, sports, football and LaLiga, are extremely popular, so it seems like a great move from a business perspective. Football has such a huge fanbase among Spaniards (it would be the equivalent to NBA in the US or even Nascar), so I am sure this will get people talking and speculating, as the idea seems innovative. If only we got something as cool as Kennywood did with Steel Curtain lol On the other hand, if a well-established brand like Ferrari couldn't pull off a decent park, how can LaLiga (which has no connection whatosever with parks) think they will be up to the challenge? I am really skeptical about this project.

As much as I love Efteling I am wondering that too. There is really not much themeing besides some props in the queue area (which looks tiresome being a cattlepen) and gorgeous station design. The ride is "cute" but I feel like we would bitching so much about this ride if it was at another park but since it's located at Efteling it gets a pass. Max & Moritz sure looks "fun" but it's nothing else than two glorified powered coasters on a field full of weeds. Bob felt special and unique whereas this doesn't. Hopefully, at least running both sides, capacity will be through the roof!

I wonder what the maximum capacity for Volcano Bay is now that it has been limited.

I saw this at Fantasyland when Mine Train was down! Those times when attractions went down and we got creative were the best ones!

Post of the year. Coronavirus is the greatest example of lack of common sense and hysteria created by the media. Hopefully, people will learn that sanitizing their hands and using a mask is not a matter of coronavirus, but a matter of everyday health. I would also enjoy parks at this time, as they will probably be less crowded, and thus much more enjoyable.

I really like the way you are reviewing Japan, because it's not just about the parks but also about the cities. As for Kyoto, I much prefer it to Tokyo as it is busy, but still manageable, and has plenty of traditional shrines. I also did the Fushimi Inari tori trail but it was mid-summer and it was exhausting and had me completely dehydrated! I also agree that Arashiyama is a nice area to visit while in Kyoto: I visited the bamboo forest and got to experience hot springs (I seemed to be the only foreigner venturing them lol). If you are into railways, Kyoto had a very large and interactive railway museum some 20 minutes away from the main station. Regarding Nagashima Spaland, I completely agree: FujiQ exceeded my expectations too and Nagashima just met them. The park was nice but a bit too bland, perhaps. Operations were much better at FujiQ than Nagashima in my case. As for Arashi, it was completely insane. I had been on Joker at SFGAdv but nothing could prepare me for the sheer madness Arashi was. It was like being on a top spin on an insane German-run cycle on wheels. In my case, they did something really weird: they were running 3 trains BUT only loading one side (so they still had a ride op checking empty restraints on a side which was roped off to the public), just to make the line for Arashi appear longer than it was, thus fostering FP sales... Thanks for your pictures and detailed descriptions!