Ryan King
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Posts posted by Ryan King
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Hey Bob and Ryan,
One last question:
Are either of those two coasters open on a Friday?
Peace, Big Mike
They SHOULD be...I dont see why not....
Roeding Park -
Parks Hours and Entrance Fees: The park is open April through October, 6am to 10pm and November through March, 6am to 10pm and November through March, 6am to 7pm. ADMISSION is $3 per vehicle, there will be No Charge during the Winter Months Monday through Friday, except on Weekends and selective Holidays.
Blackbeards Fun Park -
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Well then NO SANTA CRUZ FOR YOU! We dont want you anyways! Haha. Alright, cool deal.
And let me know about rooming stuff! I confirmed with Dad and he was way cool with it. Ive got a pull out couch with your name on it!
-Ryan
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Also, I know you're just credit whoring, but Gilroy Gardens really deserves more than an hour. It's really nice.
I have to second that notion. I tried to go in there just to get my two credits, but i ended up riding a lot more stuff! It is a really beautiful California park, and not to mention its only 30 minutes or so away from Santa Cruz!
I would almost suggest you scrap Pixieland and do Santa Cruz. You'd have three credits there, the Classic Giant Dipper Woodie, the Hurricane, and the Dragon Kiddie...
PLUS not to mention the Boardwalk stays open pretty late...so you could probably do that park after you do Gilroy Gardens...
Did you consider Santa Cruz?
-Ryan
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Well, I just dug through my box of Theme Park Goodies and found a post card of the Haunted Mansion I just bought recently at an Antique store here in town.
Its really cool to see the bright colors of the Mansion, and size of the trees that surround it! Anywho, Enjoy!
-Ryan
Back
Front
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What about a Fresno Postcard...?
Ill pop one in the mail when I get a chance!
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Wow! Thas a terrible picture of me! Haha!
But i do remember having to pay her to ride that with me...
God...im a dirty coaster whore.
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9/12/08 - Nightwish in San Fransisco at the Filmore
Nightwish
www.nightwish.com
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What's your schedule for California Big Mike?
Big Mike MUST stop in Fresno for our two AWESOME kiddie credits! And maybe whenever Granite Park gets built...
Let us know Mike! Ive got a fold out bed in my computer room!
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They'll probably just end up using all that wood to erect a memorial statue for Psyclone.
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It looks like you guys are having an absolutle blast! Im so happy to see Kidtums on so many rides, Shes growing up so fast!
But man, I laughed at the extra "crunch". Now, whenever I have crunchy food, im going to think of eating the neighborhood cat.
Great....
-Ryan
P.S. Wheres all the Bob Hoffman pictures? If TPR can't have the Hoffman Girl on this trip, then some people out there may want the Hoffman Man! Just Sayin....
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Perhaps "forellenhof" is a name of a person...
For - Ellen Hof?
So Ellen Hof may be someone at one of these parks, in which the drawings were prepared for?
I dont know.
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More photos....
Ryan - 2008
Thanks for Reading!
Ryan - 1999
Cute Adam Lego Photo.
A Cat after the Birds
Louisiana Swamps - 2008
Louisiana Swamps - 1999
Lego Cemetary - 2008
Lego Cemetary - 1999
San Francisco - 2008
San Francisco - 1999
Chinese Theater - 2008
Chinese Theater - 1999
Hollywood Bow - 2008
Hollywood Bow - 1999
Band Dome Thing - 2008
Band Dome Thing - 1999
Mardi Gras - 2008
Mardi Gras - 1999
Time Square - 2008
Time Square - 1999
US Capital - 2008
US Capital - 1999
Welcome to MiniLand!
Beaver - 2008
Beaver - 1999
Want More Picturs...? Okay!
Heres a Lego-Mold.
I'm a Lego Nerd.
I was fortunate enough to get to go backstage and see where the legos were made. This is the stuff they make em out of.
Time for the Lego Tour.
Fun Town - 2008
Fun Town - 1999
...And the X Marks Jahan's House.
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Hello Folks!
So, Just recently I took a trip to Legoland with my Dad, His Girlfriend Patricia, Patricia's Son Chad, and Patricia’s grandson, Adam. Adam had never been to a real Theme Park before, so I figured I’d take a day off from work to go to Legoland with them. (I know…Legoland or Work, hard decision to make!)
I really thought it would be an interesting experience to see how much Legoland has changed since I had last been there. My family and I were last there back in 1999 when the park had first opened. I used to be a complete Lego nut, and after this last visit, I realized I still am!
The park has practically doubled in its size and is still just as awesome as it was back in 1999! This report isn't really in any kind of order...I just did some Before & After shots. And I also included pictures of Legoland's intricate displays and a bunch of other Random Lego dudes that are also awesome. So, I hope you enjoy this trip report…
More to come!
Adam REALLY liked this ride.
This is a ride where you can drive boats around, kinda like a go-kart track.
Fish-Eye
All the change collected from Legoland goes to Charity. So when you go, throw all your change at the Displays! Don't Worry, its okay!
Get off me lap ye Swabby!
Yarg! Oh No, Her Ye Comes...
Theres the Fox, but where the Hound?
My Dads Girlfriend Patricia
Pretttttyyyyyy....
One of Legoland's Newest lands.
Obligatory TPR Donkey Shout-Out.
Whhhoooo Kne Owls were here?
We have a Security Breach.
Linejumper!
The Picture of Pikachu just makes me laugh.
After your ride on the Dinosaur coaster, you could rent a bucket and dig for Dinosaurs. I think Adam spent and hour or so in this thing.
Adam loved every moment of it!
What was cool is that Legoland actually let you go around two times! Come on Disney...do this with Gadgets!
Put your hands in the air...!
Adam makes a girlfriend while waiting in line.
Dead Men Tell No Tells.
Happy Riders coming into the Station.
This is the credit I have yet to get. Woo Hoo!
Ackaplakasaur.
See, I can make up Dinosaur names too.
Triceratops
Somethings Fishy About this...
Get it, Fishy!
*ahem* Anyways...
So Politically Correct.
Spongebob Squarepants
A Life-size Indiana Jones Lego Model. I wanted to take this thing home with me!
I'm Barack Obama - Yes We Can!
The little Lego Guys took down the Gigantic Lego dude. And the Giant shoots water at the riders.
The Legoland Band - 2008
Sadly, the band was no longer Dancing or Moving. The Drum Sticks were rotted. And the music just didn't work as well.
The Legoland Band - 1999
The Legoland Band - 1999
Golden Gate Bridge - 2008
Golden Gate Bridge - 1999
Mini Lego New York - 2008
Mini Lego New York - 1999
Mt. Rushmore - 2008
Mt. Rushmore - 1999
Le Eiffel Tower
Taj Mahal - 2008
Taj Mahal - 1999
Sydney Opera House - 2008
Sydney Opera House - 1999
Here we all are on the Legoland Boat Ride. Its a short little ride that takes you around and shows you Miniland.
Buffalo - 2008
Buffalo - 1999
Einstein - 2008
Einstein - 1999
Bionicles - NOW ON DVD
Speaking of Pee, heres the Urinal Sign.
Nowz I gotz to peeezz
"Oh Damnit, I told you to pick up your Legos!"
OmGz, I'm Gersty.
I'm An Octopus, I AM eating your children.
I'm going to say it like a couple hundred thousand times. But the theming at Legoland is incredible. Their attention to detail is awesome.
Bambi showed up.
Good-Knight
Grrr. Im an Angry Dragon. Gimmie your Children.
Legoland Jail back in 1999.
Adam enjoying his lap around the Horse Bumpy Ride.
Adam Horsing around. Get it! Horsing! *ahem* Anyways...
Adam really enjoyed one of his first coaster rides.
OMGZ POVZZZ
This is pretty much the whole layout of the outdoor coaster part.
God...?
The Station is full of "castley" theming.
Adam is a big fan of the roller coaster theming.
Turn off your Flash, you idiot!
Now for an obligatory Elissa Shout Out!
Here is just some of the outside theming to the coaster.
Now Correct me if I'm wrong, but this was Legoland's first Roller Coaster. It has a "cute" little layout with an Indoor part that leads to an outdoor part.
I personally really like this barrel located behind the Blacksmith. We could REALLY use this in Disneyland. I hope one day some kid DOES pull that damn sword out.
Blacksmith - 2008
Blacksmith - 1999
Phone Booth - 2008
Phone Booth - 1999
And here he is now, still sleeping. Apparently he got a dog.
Here is a picture of my Brother and I sitting with the famous sleeping fat guy.
Lego Cop - 2008
Lego Cop - 1999
Oh Yeah! It was Chris!
...You see a Hatched Egg Shell. Hmmm...I do recall some retard sitting in this Egg awhile back...
You can see that the park is surrounded by bushes and large trees. Once you come across this bridge you see...
In this picture you can really see how much the two characters have changed. They also moved them towards the fence, when they used to be more out in the middle of the walkway.
Awwwwwww....
Adam wasn't so willing to take on Darth Vader, maybe next time.
Time to Take on Darth Vader! I was nine years old in this picture!
Heres another view of how much everything really has changed. Its insane to see what 9 years can do to a park.
The girl on top of the dirty dino shoots water over to the concrete mixer.
But here you can see how much it has changed! The trees have all come in and the Lego dudes haven't even moved!
If you entered the park in 1999, this is what you'd see. There are NO trees in the background...
And here is the Legoland Entrance in Good Ol 2008. Although you can't see it in this photo but from the old photo, the gates were much different then in 1999. They no longer had the Gigantic Lego Heads.
So Basically, Here is the Legoland Entrance back in 1999. This is a picture of me, my Dad, and My Mom.
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I think seeing what the stations have deteriorated to is one of the more saddening things about some of the coasters at MM. I don't so much mind seeing the track color fading; when the stations are kept up well, it sets a good mood for the rides.
For once PURE, I think we agree on something! These effects on all the stations really need some attention. I was really glad to see that Magic Mountain pulled out all the retro-TVs in the Bat-cave, but was sad to not see much of anything else working. Especially with the new Movie coming out, I would expect people to want to ride it more.
I don't know. I hope that these "problems" are on one of Magic Mountains "To Do" Lists.
-Ryan
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Yay for Derek & Nicole PTRs!
I really enjoyed your guys' report! I hadn't even heard or seen pictures of this pier before. Looks like you guys had an awesome day going from park to park! I wish I had something like that here in Fresno...
-Ryan
Also, Dumb Ryan Moment. I was reading through the TR, and saw this and thought "Man, that cutout looks A LOT like Nicole...Oh....Wait..."
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Maybe they should do what they did for X and release it as "Riddler's Revenge: Part 2"
That's really not such a bad idea when you think about it! I must say, when I've been to Magic Mountain on a rather busy day, the line for Riddler's is so screwed up that its hard to make sense of it all. People loading process. The lines really pour out of the queue and get totally backed up. Maybe we need to pull an X2 and revamp the loading process....?
Furthermore, The last time I was there I was disappointed at not seeing the light effects working, the awesome beat music, and or some of the other lighting effects that are normally working in the Riddler Line. Not only is Riddler like this, but Batman is also. No more fog, the lights were on (Last time I was there), no creepy bat cave music etc. I feel like all of these things really help to set the stage for a good ride, and yet, the effects don't even work half the time.
Look at me...complaining...
But really, these are probably problems that Magic Mountain is well aware of, and hopefully, we will see these things change in the near future.
-Ryan
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Is the available labor pool so shallow that the - bottom of the barrel - workers can't be replaced? For what it's worth, employee morale and performance have, in my experience, improved considerably over the past couple years at SFDK. (And I have written the park to express that I have definitely noticed the strides they've made) Is there something being done differently at SFDK? I believe there has to be a solution to the employee morale situation at SFMM. Maybe they can find it by looking to other parks in the chain that have made progress in that area.
Jay Thomas seems to have a lot of experience in working with multiple Six Flags parks. I think he is well aware that Magic Mountain's moral is way down with all of the park staff. Jay Thomas and MM enacted a plan to try and raise moral by awarding employess with prizes and such when they do something good for the park and the public. Basically a "You do something good and get a prize."
Honestly, i think theyre trying to get a hand on it. But as EDL stated, its not going to happen quickly. But it is happening. We can only hope that we will see these changes sooner then later.
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I love Vekomas.
Yummmm
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I recommend going to Toy Story Mania. I went on it 3 times and it's the best ride i've ever been on.
What does this have to do with a Universal Studios trip report?
Based on your age I STRONGLY recommend you read this thread:
Hey Robb, I think he might have been referring to the end of Jahan's report when Jahan took a picture of the Toy Story Mania Billboards hinting of going to Disneyland next.
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Honestly, I wasn't happy to hear what some of you were/ and are saying about Magic Mountain.
Really, all I'm trying to say is that, get off Magic Mountain's back! They're honestly doing the best they can.
I'm sorry to say, just cause you're not happy to hear what some of us are saying about the park, doesn't mean it shouldn't be said.
Maybe in 2-3 years if the park continues to improve, these types of issues won't be around anymore, but I really doubt it.
Really, The point I'm trying to get across to you is that, no matter what Magic Mountain does, a lot of you will still find room to complain about it.
I never once said your opinions didn't matter. But really...what I said above is true, most of you WILL find something to complain, moan, and groan about...
Lets say, for Example, Even if Magic Mountain becomes the Number 1 best operated and most visited amusement park in the world, most of you will still find room to whine and complain. The park will "never" be the way it was so and so years ago. You'll still find things wrong. Amusement parks are a work in progress. They're always working to make things more entertaining and friendly. Finally, Magic Mountain is moving in that direction.
For Example, Jahan absolutely loves Disneyland. He'd marry it if he could. But yet, when he goes, he still finds things that aren't "up to par" or something that isn't "Disney Like". Not every park is perfect.
The point is, is that, Park President Jay Thomas and Magic Mountain are really taking steps in the right direction to improve a park that has sunk really low in the past few years. I've had the privilege to hear Jay speak at some of the TPR MM events, and I can easily say, everything he has promised so far, is happening. He has enacted a plan to help employee performance, but its certainly not going to happen overnight. Hes not going back on his word. Why can't some of you see that...?
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Nuff Said.
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Chuck...
I always love reading your PTR's...
You Sir, Are A God.
That is all.
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I just got done reading through Jahan's latest update (Which is always amazing), and I scrolled through the pages of responses...
Honestly, I wasn't happy to hear what some of you were/ and are saying about Magic Mountain. For the record, I've been actively going to the park now for the past few years (When I say actively, I mean I've actually purchased a Season Pass an am going at least 2-3 times a rear), and have really seen the changes going on in and around Magic Mountain. For Example, the park Employees are really starting to shape up. The park has a much cleaner environment (Garbage Clean Up, Leaves, and New Trees/Bushes). The park is running in a much more efficient manner. But some of you still find room to complain...
And leading into that, how can some of you to say that "Thomas town is a waste of money"? You must be absolutely crazy. MM is ACTUALLY trying to do something geared towards making the park a more family friendly environment. It almost seems like some of you just get off to smashing and abusing Magic Mountain. It almost seems like, when The Park doesn't do anything to the park, they re wrong. And when Magic Mountain actually makes an improvement (Such as Thomas Town), most of you aren't happy. Honestly, get over it.
Joey really helped put into perspective how MM is actually trying to push themselves in the right direction. We all know the park sucked years ago. That was then, this is now.
The changes are happening. Rides are finally getting the attention they deserve. Old rides are being ripped out, and will eventually be replaced with new ones. Employees are becoming much more motivated. The park is by far cleaner then it was two years ago...and so on and so fourth.
Really, all I'm trying to say is that, get off Magic Mountain's back! They're honestly doing the best they can.
-Ryan "End Rant" King
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Thanks for the Shout-Out! Car looks in terrible shape...*sigh*
But anywho. You did a great TR, As Always. You pretty much "nailed" Universal Studios Hollywood right on the head. The park is good, but it just deserves so much more....
-Ryan
Still Out Best...
THE BIG MIKE ROAD SHOW - 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PICS ON PG 769
in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Posted
So No Fresno Stops?
Also! Another thing I thought about is that the BIG FRESNO FAIR is currently in town, which means theres a bunch of screwed up carnival rides and normally at least 3 Carnie coasters!
This might be something youre interested in? Its always a huge thing here in Fresno...So Id think about it?
Heres my report from two years ago -
http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=29969&highlight=fresno+fair
Or their website -
http://www.fresnofair.com/fair/