BeemerBoy

^ Ah yes, forgot about that. I stand corrected. EDIT: Still, I'd rather see 'em do something unique on their property, similar to what they're trying with that new miniature golf course they're opening. Not every water park needs tropical theming. I'd love to see Universal have fun, and put a new spin on the water park experience.

Transformers thrilled me as a kid, but bores me as an adult. And given the possibilities of huge movie franchises out there to pull from, I'm setting my expectations REALLY low on this one. In fact, I'm starting to think it'll be a pretty long time before I'm inspired to visit either of these parks again. I didn't get a response as to whether Universal owns the land adjacent to the Royal Pacific Resort, but I'll go ahead and assume they obviously do. Which, in that case, personally, I'd be much more interested in the company jumping into the water park fray. Realistic? No. But when you think about it, it is rather odd that they're the only ones not doing what all the other cool kids are.

I'm just glad my last experience on it was a "TPR one" back in October.

Random question: It is safe to assume Universal owns the land adjacent to the Royal Pacific Resort, right?

I don't. Not only has the place managed to take one of the world's greatest theme parks and neglect it on SO many levels, they've also (while it's still debatable) managed to take the consensus "Best Halloween Theme Park Experience" and overprice and "under-deliver" on it. So yeah, unless they really get their act together, I've pretty much lost faith in the place at this point. And considering the ownership as compared to the other big players in Central Florida, I'm not holding out much hope either. Good luck, Hollywood.

Weren't they conducting guest surveys last year about what franchise people would like to see represented next....or something like that? Or am I imagining things again?

There's a reason why Walter doesn't smile in his interviews. He's bored of his own rides.

Mallcot does rank above this, right?

The bigger question is why parks even bother building new coasters anyway when Prowler already exists?

I was holding out for a rebirth of the Miami Vice Stunt Spectacular. Therefore, I am clearly let down by this news.

The Shanghai castle is gonna be pretty impressive. You suck.

^ Thanks, Chuck! Thank you, sir! I enjoy putting these together for everyone to share in our excitement, but I think I'm retiring after this one....it really wore me out. It's growing on me though. Yeah, being on board with so many friends was definitely a great bonus, and that's still so cool to hear about your new view on water parks. You guys would love Discovery Cove! Thanks so much, Renee! Yeah, I have a "vacation hangover" from every trip we take, but this one has certainly lingered so much longer than the rest. I miss every bit of it!

Well, they have sent chimps up there, so this statement is probably accurate. Well done, Chuck!

I took a boat ride.

^ Any chance you got the Dania Beach Hurricane credit for comparison's sake?

I've been pretending that this ride just didn't exist for the last few seasons or so. I'll hold out judgement for now, but Topper Track certainly seems like a step in the right direction to making it "rideable" again, for me anyway. Thanks for the update!

The "graininess" gets bonus points from me! I remember riding it as Flying Daredevil and Double-O, but never as Zoomerang. Also, I never realized it was the actual prototype...which is pretty cool. The ride op at the far end of the track always had something funny to say to the riders before they launched backwards. Any chance you've got footage of Wiener Looping?

http://divorcelawyersknoxville.net/

Spoken like a true mother.

Just got caught up here. Larry, this is awesome. Thanks for posting all of this!

Bob and Chris - Thanks, guys. Hope to see you both on a cruise in the future!

Eh, why not? These are my favorites from this.

Is the term "Owned" still en vogue?

Yeah, the Splash Rally really caught my eye too. And that's the thing about the Central Florida water parks....there's still plenty of variety in all of them. Although I have my favorite overall parks, I can still pick out at least two things from each place that I love; whether it's price-point, slides, atmosphere, food, whatever. And realistically, isn't that the point of it all....variety?

Also, for an "overpriced tourist trap in the ghost town section of I-Drive," they're obviously doing something right to catch the attention of the largest enthusiast site on the internet. Just based off the artwork, rumors, and Shane's knowledge, I'm inclined to give them my business the next time I'm in town.