Chroniq

I'm a huge fan of car rides.. Hertz offers a ZHZ Corvette for a great price if you book last minute... I've heard it goes 0-60 in about 3.7 seconds and the ride is interactive. Chris "we all like different types of rides, but it's hard for me to understand how a person that has an actual drivers license would be into a "car ride"" Connolly

If they are shipping by boat, they probably just falsified the fedex records to avoid attracting attention of the pirates... Think about it; The Somali pirates could demand a huge ransom for a coaster of this magnitude. Probably even more money then was raised through savethebig*redacted*.org.

Found it.. Doesn't it seem like universal creative created the launch (even though premier did)?

^I also remember watching that documentary where they showed footage of preconstruction tests of the launch at a different location. They made it seem like universal creative designed the launch system. Now to check youtube and mousebits to find it.

Based on this thread, I'd love to see some photos of the hulk launch construction. Please.

Hoping we get an update soon from his Royal Highness Prince Desmond. My contacts in the industry have told me that a location has already been chosen and many trucks have been dispatched. The ride will be located in the empty plot next to to the Somalli Pirate Seafarer Monument and adjacent to the Majububkins Museum.There will be an interactive queue and flame throwers at every turn (an unconfirmed rumor mentions that prince desmond may include onboard audio that encourages all riders to give their life savings to him) . I've also been told that B&M has created a modified version of their Raptor car for the track, and the track will actually "jump" Busch Gardens Nigeria's sky ride. Screamscape has confirmed they've raised the sky ride so the jump would be more extreme. Look forward to more details.

Thanks for the awesome trip diary so far. You take some nice photos (though they could probably use watermarks). I'm suprised that windseeker is being delayed due to soil compaction tests. You'd think that every major ride would require them before starting construction (especially in California)..

LOL! I came up with a caption that was just like this then I clicked to page 2.... Awesome! I hope everyone is having a great time at West Coast Bash. It looks like it from the photos. I see you TPR friends! Chris "jealous of every single one of you" Connolly

Blackstone may be trying to purchase Comcast's 50% at a discount. If they create a new shell company then they can purchase Comcast's stake using the "drag along" provision in the contract. Basically, if Comcast doesn't want to buy Blackstone's stake then Blackstone has the right to sell both their stake and Comcast's for 90 cents on the dollar of the original offer to any company they wish (even one they control). Since Comcast may be looking to get out of the theme park after their recent purchase of Universal, this could be viewed as a power move by blackstone.

I'm happy to hear that Texas Giant is getting such awesome reviews (thanks Jakizle for all of the details). I'm trying to resist the urge to find a cheap flight on kayak.com..

1. Dueling Dragons 2. India 3. Two 4. The Spanish Coaster Inquisition! Spain Germany Netherlands 5. March 3, 2007 6. Live crocodiles in the pit coming out of the station. 7. Turbulencia at Parque de Atracciones de Madrid 8. At least one (at a fair). At least according to Noxegon's report. 9. True 10. 14: Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, Hong Kong Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Paris - Walt Disney Studios Park- Blizzard Beach- Typhoon Lagoon and..... River Country .. The 2 Disney Quests don't count.

Yeah.. I was completely wrong. It is John Stamos's house. http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/john-stamos-house/view/?service=1 MANY other websites are reporting that it was Kraftland including Lacurbed.com

This "D" Is actually the giant D from the Disneyland Hotel sign. It is owned but Richard Kraft of "Finding Kraftland" fame. Finding Kraftland was a a quirky independent film of a few years back. It's a documentary about a father and son, their love for Disney, and their adventures around the world. www.findingkraftland.com Flikr link -http://www.flickr.com/photos/14272980@N03/2181356127/ MiceAge article that mentions the John Stamos- " WEISS: Actor John Stamos was the winning eBay bidder for the Disneyland sign on Harbor Boulevard from 1989 to 1999. Did you bid on that sign? KRAFT: Actually, I bought the other side of the sign!! For about a year they stored it for me at a Disneyland warehouse. Then they needed the space and I had to move it elsewhere. After calculating the cost of moving the sign and storing it indefinitely, I had a rare moment of sanity and decided not to take it. I did get the giant "D" from the Disneyland Hotel instead." http://miceage.micechat.com/guest/gu080607a.htm

Ironically, Gawker had an article today about Facebook's Boobs and Art Policy From the article ""! In fact there is an "unwritten policy that allows drawings or sculptures of nudes," said a spokesperson."" http://gawker.com/#!5765057/how-to-get-a-boob-on-facebook

This opening of ponds is a pretty common occurence which can be enviromentally beneficial if done at that right time. These guys found an awesome way to do it. While we are on the topic of cutting ponds,here's a cool article about the Secret Service cutting a pond near my house open when President Clinton visited. Pond cutting made the cover of the new york times.. It must have been a really slow news day. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/09/nyregion/the-clinton-crowd-has-left-and-so-has-georgica-pond.html

It looks like those rooms don't have doors because they aren't really rooms? Looks like the pool takes the place of the rooms and the "fake" balconies were added so the ship looks symmetrical from the side.

Just reiterating what Robb and JRay said- Many people go an entire cruise without spending any money on extras (my parents minus the drinks are a great example). I prefer the upcharge options because it keeps the costs down for everyone and gives you options like eating Lobster every night for 10 dollars more or attending a wine tasting event for a few dollars..

Hey.. I can't believe I missed this Trip Report during the different updates. Great photos!.. I don't think I've ever seen that "one last ride" sign for GASM posted.. Also, the brakeman for leap the dips sits in a plastic lawn chair?

I vote A.- because refrigerator magnets are supposed to be big and somewhat tacky. The ship magnet also looks like it could hold more papers and, just like the Allure, is visible from further away. Edited to say: I feel sad that it took me over 4 minutes to write the above comment. At least according to Beemer Boys post above.

Awesome photos.... The interactive flat screens are impressive.. The arbitrary use of a flatscreen for a gangway is even more impressive.. But the most impressive- Is KT's official dinosaur name Kristenadon?

I really enjoyed checking out this analysis.. One of the key points you made is that Vekoma has much higher market share of rides built. I'd love to see some graphs involving total cost. I'd suspect that in the past 15 years Vekoma has built many more coasters than Intamin or B&M but both companies surpass Vekoma in revenue/capital expenditure by parks to build the rides.

^What he said.

I've got something amazing to show TPR regarding that.. I just need to clear it first....

Thanks for the nice words...I haven't felt such praise since I got a score of 114 bumper bowling in 7th grade... I've since had three IP addresses banned from that site just for posting that. That is why there is no follow up... Wes mentioned earlier that the best way to respond to a troll is with no response. I agree with that completely. I also think it shows their true colors by banning me instead of opening up a productive dialogue. Chris "likes turtles" Connolly