Gsus

Below are some examples of my Theme Park Photography: Tower of Terror Rock 'n' Roller Coaster view all my theme park related photos and others on my Flickr Page or my Portfolio Gareth.

Hulk really needs a repaint, and so does Kumba!

Thanks all for the replies! Much appreciated.... To answer your question HELIXJ I have a Nikon D90 Nikkor 18-200mm AF-S VR Manfrotto 190CXPRO Manfrotto 484rc2 Gareth

Hey guys! Recently I went away with my family and Girlfriend for a two week holiday to Florida; the third time in 10 years no less! It is also the first time in 10 years my mum has flown anywhere. We flew out from Gatwick on the 19th Aug. We got to hang out in the British Airways Lounge before take-off and were upgraded to Economy+ whilst mum and dad were upgraded to 1st class (thanks to a nice man my dad knows from work as an air traffic controller). It was a lot hotter then I remembered it being even though I’ve only ever visited during late August. The villa was the perfect size for the 5 of us and the pool was deep (I'm nearly 6' 7") albeit a bit small. We did all the Disney parks for the first week. Before the holiday I was worried that the park would lose its appeal to me now that I'm older and have visited previously. I was right. I always enjoy theme parks and Disney is no exception but it really lost a lot of the magic on me which is a real shame. However going on the few rides I have never ridden, which were mainly the ones opened within the last four years, the magic returned.... However having said that my favourite rides didn't disappoint, especially the upgrades to Pirates and Haunted Mansion. The remainder of the holiday was spent at the other parks and due to it being the last week of August, there were hardly any queues which I'm always a fan of. The holiday became a balancing act of photography and fun/relaxation the longer we spent in Florida. I can tell you now that it wasn't easy, when I was doing one thing I wanted to do the other! One of my best moments was at IOA on Bilge rat Barges......A ride none of my family have ever been on. I have seen on-ride videos and photos before, even walked past it when it was closed the two previous visits to Florida, but I wasn't prepared for it let alone the rest of my family! I've never had so much fun getting soaked, period! Any who, it was a pretty standard Florida Vacation I guess, which is why I don't want to rant on too long, instead let me share with you my favourite photos instead.... Wishes on the last night of the holiday: Water totem heads in Adventure land: Splash Mountain just before it tipped it down!: Big Thunder Mountain Entrance....as if it wasn't obvious: A quick glance at the parents over the shoulder: Sheikra's turn before the splash: The only Americans at the park that day : Kumba: Tiger: Kumba: Sheikra’s first drop: Montu: Wet faces on JPRA: BIG SPLASH!: Bilge rat Barges: This is why you get so wet....: Hulk Tunnel: Hulk 'Screw: Your going to get wet.....an unacceptable amount: Shamu entertaining the audience: Manta taken at dusk: Best part of the ride: Expedition Everest flags on a pole: HDR of the Hat: HDR of the entrance to Rock 'n' Rollercoaster: Tower of Terror Entrance Sign: HDR of the Tower taken during Twilight (get the link? ): Ouch: The car under the entrance to Rock 'n' Rollercoaster: Run Indy, Run!: To view all of the photos from the trip, including the ones above, in larger sizes and/or on black, please visit my Flickr Page. Thanks Guys, Gareth

QLB 01 = Queue Line Building? Nice TR, some great photos including one of Nemmy that looks like its just floating in the air!?!

Am I right in thinking that this, along with the turtle, where acquisitioned for the proposed heritage park at Margate?

I was expecting a big bang at the beginning of the head rocking and was quickly disappointed when there wasn't one. However most of the synchronization was very good and I loved the kite at the end.

Are they casual or close-fit?

I think the forum should now be called ''Theme parks, Roller coasters and Kidtums!'' Congrats guys

Yep. That makes sense, the theme park fired the company?

can't believe this hasn't been up yet but: http://gallery.towersalmanac.com/albums/features/behindscenes/nemesis/normal_aaa_nemesis_01.jpg

That sounds so exciting! I can't believe i hadn't heard of it before. I told my mum about it over the phone (both of us Alien fans) and she was just as excited. I hope (if it happens) that it is all upgraded themeing wise becuase googling it and looking at the pics i can imagine it looking a bit dated if the reused the old sets. The story is fab though.

I find it quite funny that there are a lot of complaints about timing about attractions tieing in with films/books. Just have a look at the park right next-door! I'm sure that some of the rides didn't open at the same time the film was released, however look at the popularity, especially from the punter's point of view and not the enthusiasts. I for one am quite excited about it. Mythos was good for the tunnel and ending as others have said and sinbad wasn't too bad the first time. As for DD i'm going to shock people and say that i hope they add themeing to it. Don't get me wrong i love the queue and station but the story behind it includes a small village, which is nowhere to be seen. They could easily add additional themeing to the outdoor section which is pretty bland, and the story could easily be changed to fit in with Potter. If fanbase for the series is huge and i have no doubt the land will last long after the films have finished. I'm quite shocked everyone has taken to it so negatively. That's my two cents.

Knightmare was a name of a really cool VR kids show back in the 90's.

Not 56k friendly but that park does look quite nice, i especialy love the first mine train pic you posted.

I spat drink over my keyboard at the clint eastwood dolphin pic. It's as if some kid shouted how crappy the dolphin was and he just stopped mid-show and swam over....... anywho love the PTR so far

Ever so random, i thought i would see who would get the most pages if i googled them, R or E? I thought it would be Robb becuase of his career as well as the site but surprisingly (and i'm not complaining) it was Elissa and it was all the gorgeous photos of your wedding. Okay so for fun start typing in peoples names into google and see how many they get.......if you're bored to death that is!

Looks really nice, great job! As for the element.....i have no idea although it has to have something to do with straightening out before suddenly diving down again. Something like Whiplash, etc.

It's going to the same park that purchased the thunderlooper i think, In south America.

I know this maybe a bit late but i find a lot of people head towards spinball first and go anti-clockwise towards RITA.

Sorry to post this as i'm sure it's been answered but have the flyers gone out yet?

Well just incase you didn't get my email R&E please add me to the list! I'm interested in all of them but becuase i'm from England i think the Italy and sapin trip sounds best, although i would actually kill someone for a place ohn the Japan trip but with uni coming up. . ..perhaps i'll sell my body every night instead. BFG gareth_smy@hotmail.com

When it was a haunted house: Alton Towers's Haunted House. Really scary at the time and was very long. Espcially loved the queu line witht he girl in the doll house and the face in the fire. . . . not to mention the whole room was skew-wif! i think my avatar says it all though.

Well surprisingly the queues weren't that bad, the longest queue over the 2 trips was between 35-40mins. It all depends on: a) if you stay in the hotels or have an AP so you get the ERT b) when in the summer hols becuase i think the queues will get longer towards the end as people return from abroad. c) How well you know the park. If you know how to work the park you can skip the major queues. For more info try www.towerstimes.co.uk and www.towersalmanac.co.uk They have calendars witht eh busiest days predicted, up to date trip reports giving an indication to queue lengths and tips on how to tackle the park.

Hey all TPR'ers First off sorry for not uploading these sooner but been busy donng nothing this week as it's my week off! Anywho on with the show..... and what a show i have in store! Okay i stayed at the AT hotel 22n and 24th of July, both being two completely seperate trips. The first with my best mate Emma and the second with my family. Trip 1: This was my first long distance drive and i was really looking forward to it. Set-off to pick Emma up at 11:30 in Winchester (southern England) and arrived at the hotels for 3 having taken a wrong turn at a roundabout accidently on purpose..... Checked in and had a bit of a gander around the hotel. Having been to the hotels before i showed her the sights such as the outdoor chess board, waterpark, evelevators, etc. We hung out in the room for a bit chatting and showered. Dinner was awesome and basically spent most of the night chattin and getting drunk, not to mention an houir in the waterpark squeezed in for good measure. Got up early for the ERT on Nemesis and Air which we managed two rides on each before 9:30. Walked over to Rita and got our front row ride on that before the queue's got too big. The rest of teh day was then taken at our own pace and we did eveything we wanted to at least twice. Trip 2 - the bigger one: Having dropped Emma home Sunday night, i was up again the next morning for the second trip up with the family. Arrived earlier (arouind miday) and spent hours in the waterpark. Met up with my Cousins family and went for dinner at Flambos again (buffet) which again, was awesome. Next day was up again for ERT but i was more interested in picture taking considering i had ridden most things only a day before...........and here are the best ones! Hope you enjoy and sorry for any spelling mistakes becuase i'm in a rush! Gareth Insert rude Rita caption Extremely painful now (especially now i'm 6ft 6"!) Anywho some actual rollercoasters...... and a bit further out speaking of Hex.... so was this This came out really well, it's on the way out from Hex not a great pic but meh, felt this PTR needed more and from far away The towers in the morning....spoilt by one person in the way! Some of the themeing inside Splash landings facade And heres the last! I took way too many shots of the drop, thank god you only get a small percentage erm running out of comments now yeh its G5 pretty easy to guess now can you guess yet? what is it? lovely B&M Goodness Air through the trees Flumeness and the exclusive shot that took me hours to set-up signature shot OOoooo Fleshy cannon