BeemerBoy

^ Don't quote me on it, but I think you have to have driven at at least one other track before you're condsidered "qualified" to drive Daytona. It may have changed, but I think that's what I remember hearing when I did the ridealong there. If that's the case, at least you've got WDW and Homestead within a reasonable distance.

What? TPR didn't offer the Larry Special Edition sleeveless UK Trip T-shirt? Great report Chuck! Glad to see you finally invaded PA. Also, nice to see another loyal fan of Lightning Racer.

This whole thread would be much better in cartoon form.

Nice to see her friends had her back.

Wow, I've been an artist for years, and had no idea! The only time I don't mind waiting in lines are at places with highly themed queue lines (WDW, IOA, etc.). And even then, I still don't want the line to be more than 10-15 minutes. That's just enough time to take in the theming and then get onboard. Longer lines just mean I usually have to put up with a ton of GP idiots much longer than I'd like.

Awesome report. It's nice to see someone still appreciates Raptor. It's not an Albino Squirrel though. HersheyPark is obviously better in this category!

Congratulations to the two of you! The pictures were excellent.

^ LOL. Awesome report Cam! I've been meaning to get back to a track and drive it this time. I stopped in Daytona Intl. Speedway while visiting a relative once, and they just so happened to be doing it that day. I didn't have the time to drive, so I opted for the ride along for the heck of it, vowing to be back to drive next time. We topped out at 175mph! It was insane. I'm actually a big NASCAR fan, and I've seen races at Daytona before, so it was a huge thrill. Thanks for the report. It gave me the urge to suit up asap. Yeeehaw! Git-r-dun!

^ Same here. They'll just make up for it by adding a few more trash cans. Heck, I'm surprised it's even running by now.

^ I concur. My only visit (around that time) gave great rides.

It's close to the theme from Happy Days.

Yep, sure sounds like it. Truth is, it may look different from the conceptual art in a million different ways, but one thing it won't be is cheap.

Yeah, if I was a local resident, I'd be doing backflips about this place opening! This place would be a great alternative to jumping on a plane and heading down to Orlando when the weather turns miserable. The only thing it would need is a world class casino to make it the complete package deal for me.

Currently 33, and my first was "good" Space Mountain, probably around '79-80ish.

I've avoided this one until now, but I've got .02 burning a hole in my pocket. To those who are upset over the stereotypes, etc., you must not be big fans of the evening news, huh? What's wrong with accurate reporting? As far as the incident itself, I feel your pain, man. I've had to bite my toungue many a time to avoid confrontation with line jumpers. Most of the time, a word with park security solves the problem though. In all honesty, if I had been in line with a young child, I would've been just as upset with you guys as with the "latino bitch." Sometimes it's best just to walk away, knowing that at the end of the day, you're a much bigger person than the trash bags that cut in line.

Don't forget the go-cart track. Sell 'em on that. Nah, I hear what you're saying, and so many people miss out on a great one simply because of the odd location. If given the chance, you should really ride it before the years start to catch up with it. Honestly, I'm amazed it's held up as well as it has, given the fairly low attendance compared to if it were in a park with a bigger maintenance budget. You could always fly into Lauderdale first, then make the trip to Tampa. That is, of course, if you don't road trip it from Ohio. Thanks Lou! Cedar Point's up next....just 10 days away.

Very very cool report, Chuck! I loves me some US maritime history.

Actually, including Joe's, there's currently still 6 unaccounted for....2 stateside, and 4 internationals. However, Tom's (UK) was knowingly sent while he was on vacation, so it can't really count towards the timing element of the experiment.

This trip report has been officially approved by me. Great job, Erik. I looked for Soren when I visited a couple weeks ago, but he had the day off, and the credit once again eluded me. I'm sure Epcot will miss you, Soren!

Awesome report guys! Culture and coasters = the perfect mix. So do they wipe the stone off before every kiss?

^ That would be hilarious. Don't worry, Joel. Technically you haven't lost to Jow just yet! Keep the faith, my friend. Somethings tells me the dead donkey still has a better chance of arriving before his. To sio and Adriel and all our international friends, thanks guys! You've all represented your countries very well! Wish the same could be said for Italy.

^ Thanks. Yeah, the park definitely gives you a workout! So anyway, for some strange reason I was thinking about that freaky squirrel this morning, and I came across this.

^^ Thanks. In all honesty, I would've loved to have ridden both the train and monorail, but my main focus was the coasters this time around. Heck, by the time I had finished with that objective I was beat. There was plenty more I could've explored, but I really needed to conserve energy for the last leg of my trip. ^ Thanks Pete. Yeah, yay to Hershey in general is right. Here's the rest of the pics. I see you Dorney. I don't have time for you today, so quit taunting me with your Hydra credit that I need. Just tell the folks thanks for viewing this TR. Thank you Hershey. It was a pleasure. Time to head towards the Vineyard now. Hours and hours of driving + plenty of coaster riding, with very little sleep = bloodshot eyes. Sadly, I think it's time to get going and find some Visine. Dollywood, this is what you need. A classic. Maverick? You guys just can't compete. With all the coasters done, and not many people around, I was able to catch a few more random things before heading out. Even with a crooked lift hill. This turned out to be pretty fun. Much like Lake Winnie's Cannon Ball. At least to me, anyway. What it says. Exclusive brake run shot. Gotta love when there's a chain IN the station. Obligatory "Hi Joe" comment. And one more for good measure. I'm smiling at this very moment. It afforded some pretty unique views of it. And I was happy. I really did love how the skyway ride crossed over Great Bear. Awesome! Have you noticed it's early, and I'm not really into caption writing at this time of day? Location, location, location. This was the second. Honestly kids, how tough can it be to get the whole sign in the pic. I'm even pointing to expand the view, yet she still failed miserably! I asked two different people to snap a pic of me with Great Bear's sign. This was the first lame attempt. B&M goodness.

Why? I'm reserving judgement until I see and hear more, but as a Disney fan, why would I be upset over this? This was taken from WDWMagic Forums: "Yes, but will Potter alone be enough to save Universal? Doubtful. Especially since they are going to take the cheap route like usual and do rethemes and things of that sort. I guess it was one way of getting around Rowling wanting multiple attractions and an entire land. Is Potter the type of product that can support an entire land? Disney didn't think so, and I agree with them. I guess we'll find out. It will probably be popular for a while, and through the release of the rest of the movies, but after that? I'd check it out if its impressive on my first trip after it opens, but I doubt it will be any more than that. For one, the terrible condition of Dueling Dragons gives me immense headaches after riding. " love this one as well "Believe what you want, but its about the money. If it was about doing it correctly and doing the best possible attraction for Potter fans, where the most Potter fans would see it and enjoy it, she would have taken Disney's offer." But this one will all ways be my Favorite "This whole thing is just an excuse for Universal to have their own castle so they can rip off Disney!!!" LOL. All the more reason I avoid Disney fan boards. I'm not sure about that. If anything, they're on par with each other. But yes, the Disney fan boys can be as bad or worse than CP fan boys at times. When will they ever learn to welcome the quality competition? Orlando parks would never have any reason to consistently improve if they didn't have each other to feed off of.

Okay, so I got caught up in D.C. traffic, arrived at Hershey an hour later than planned, underestimated the size of the place, and quickly decided to save Knoebels for another time. I was only working on a couple hours sleep, and there was simply no way I could do both parks in one day. My thoughts on Hershey.... I really liked this place. It seemed to have a pretty good mix of everything. I only wish I could've been a little more rested prior to entering the park. This place took it's toll on me because I simply underestimated the amount of walking required to see the whole place! It's not a flat park by any means, and the distance from the entrance gates to Lightning Racer is insane. Although I thought I was familiarized enough with the layout before I arrived, I found myself constantly looking at the park map to find my way around the joint. It wasn't until later in the afternoon, and a couple trips around the park that I started to feel like I knew where I was going. Even though I saw a train, and a monorail, I never really noticed where to pick them up, or if they even aided you in navigating the park all that well. I guess you could consider that my biggest gripe about Hershey then. Perhaps their next investment should be finding an easier alteranative to getting all the way back to the Midway, and new Boardwalk areas. It's quite a hike as it is now. The crowds weren't too bad, but a park filled with field tripping high schoolers didn't help matters too much on the enjoyable meter. Besides that, I found most of the employees to be friendly and helpful. The grounds were clean, and the park looked great. Onto the coasters: Stormrunner - The longest wait of the day at just about 45 minutes for a front row ride. It was a one train opreation all day due to what I was told to be "understaffing." If so, then that's ashame. Thankfully, I never waited more than 15-20 minutes for anything else (that being a front row Great Bear ride), or I would've been slightly more upset by this. The ride itself is great. Honestly, I'm the oddball who still loves the sheer size and speed of KK and TTD over this smaller rocket. Don't get me wrong. I thought the inversions, and the course were great fun, but if given the choice, I'd still go with Ka. Yes, I'm strange. There was a little discomfort with the OTSRs through the elements, but nothing too bad at all. Great Bear - Naturally, I love B&M inverts, but this one was only saved by the unique layout and location. Granted, it was still great fun compared to most things out there, but it just didn't do alot for me in comparison to the others I've ridden. Ice Dragon, are you two competing for lamest ending ever, or what? Wildcat - Since I never rode it with PTCs, I can't say too much. Even so, I could still tell that Millennium Flyers must've been a Godsend to this coaster. It turned out to be another pretty fun GCI in my book. Lightining Racer - This was the surprise of the trip for me. I'm not sure exactly why, but I was blown away by this one! I loved everything about it. ** surprisingly, the two on-ride pics were taken with permission of the ride ops ** Come on baby! Daddy needs a new Tahoe. Coaster. Signature move. Not pictured. My train never saw the winner light. The riders on the winning trains were all given new Tahoes. Next up was a big surprise. Booo to smokin. Yay to making their areas look nice and blend in. Purdy. They are beautiful though. I think it was around this point that I was stapled through the seat itself. Insert "wow, GCIs always look amazing statement" here. Insert growling cat sound here. Flowers and stuff. The new Boardwalk area. Wow, another boring caption. Maybe I need to call to the bullpen for Nikki and Jer to help finish this report off for me. A smooth mine train. In fact, much more interesting than this caption. It's been approved by me. No sticker needed. I'm not real fond of the zoom on my camera, but I did like Stormrunner though. Through the station. And bonus two train shot, I might add. The other train just sat there and laughed at me and my sore feet. Almost there. This guy threw out 6 kids over the course of my time in line. Way to go Hershey! This might have been enjoyable if it were dipped in white chocolate too. Hershey dips their squirrels in white chocolate. This should be redirected back to Lightning Racer, immediately. This seems so familiar for some strange reason. The grounds were beautiful. Argh. Probably the most frightening sight one could see upon arrival to a park. I have a feeling it's gonna feel like a living A&F store in there today. Thanks. Wow, when the kids TP a lawn up here, they sure do get creative.