My Ongoing Spain PTR

[RaptorBoyASU]

Day 6: Baco, Buses, Beaches, and Benidorm

 

Day 6 begins like the last few, with a breakfast buffet and ERT. Today's featured coaster? FURIOUS BACO, aka Furiously Masturbating Bacon, aka Serious Debacle. Have I mentioned this coaster hurt me? LOL

 

We love having rides all to ourselves, even if they hurt.

 

So like I said before. This ride has a great quirky pre-show, a stellar launch, a cool zero-g roll, and a great looking station. And I would like the rest if it didn't try to shake you like a can of paint.

 

The monkey laughs at us trying out the "experiment" (reference to pre-show)

 

I took 2 rides, near the front. One in an inside seat, and one in an outside seat. My recommendation, sit on the inside.

 

After ERT, we headed back into the park to get a few more rides on our favorites.

 

Have I mentioned the theming in this park was great.

 

 

 

We got a few more rides on Hurakan Condor, and while we had the time, we hit Templo del Fuego for one last show. It really is a great show. A pre-show very reminiscent of Poseidon's Fury at IOA, and a show closer to Backdraft, except with a lot more fire, and themed around a cursed Mexican temple. Some pictures of the show.

 

Everything's calm

 

The fire begins

 

Watch out Mr. Actor Man

 

Fire starts coming through the stairs even

 

Then the ceiling starts on fire too

 

Ahhh! Skeletons

 

And the big finale

 

I tried to get one more ride on the splashdown boat (Tituki Wave?), but the line was too long.

 

On to the bus, and our drive down the coast to Benidorm. I won a bag-o-crap during trivia. W00t! The drive was very pretty since we could see the coast for a good chunk of it. We stopped at a truck stop for dinner, and the food was pretty good. I had Valencia style paella, and it was very tasty. And a beer, since it was cheaper than soda (this was true almost everywhere)

 

Then we arrived at our hotel, or I should say resort.... It's a golf resort for a new Jack Nicklaus course that hadn't opened yet. It was gorgeous.

 

Pretty

 

 

And here's how close we were to tomorrow's park

 

The view from our room

 

Let's take a tour of our "room"...

 

The balcony

 

Our room

 

The walk-in closet

 

The bathroom

 

The shower

 

And a hand-washing station

 

Ok, enough of the hotel, on to Benidorm, and bonus park......Festilandia. It was basically a children's park, with one "credit", DRAKEY

 

It's James approved

 

Heading on down to the beach

 

The Med, another major body of water credit

 

The boardwalk area in Benidorm

 

Why's it so damn cloudy?

 

I was the only one brave enough to go for a swim...it wasn't that cold

 

Some others go and get their feet wet

 

What do Lou and Hector find so funny?

 

Oh yah, the fact that Jon is wearing a Manhunt t-shirt

 

We next went off to explore the sex shop in the middle of town, and then for a drink at a British Pub. I mean, you have to make a true day out. We also decided it was time to search for food. We eventually settled on a little cafe that had great pizza and rotisserie chicken.

 

What Deka got though, was not as tasty (fish were whole, guts and all)

 

So after dinner, we ran across the street just in time to catch the bus back. The panthers (well the rest of them) had decided to stay out, and quite the night of bar-hopping in Benidorm. The stories they told the next day were great.

 

We headed back to the hotel, made some phone calls, and then headed towards the pool. Did I mention how awesome the pool was?

 

Oh, and that's the "small pool", I took a few of the larger pool in the morning.

 

After some pool time, I was completely exhausted, and hit the bed without a single drink imbibed. I guess everyone's liver needs a break

 

Next: Day 7: Terra Mitica, and all the great civilizations

[Moose]

I just want to point out that you were the only one to wear a swimsuit. Otherwise you wouldn't have been the only swimmer.

 

The pool was soooo much colder.

[Louise]

Not that cold?!?!?! You people are insane, that water was damn freezing!!!! Brrrr!!

 

Yay for more updates!! Thanks for posting Kyle. I really like that first picture of me, Jon and Hector on the beach.

[RaptorBoyASU]

I can't wait til you put your toes in the Pacific

 

Eventually you'll come to the west coast of the USA and experience what cold water really is.

[Moose]

honey, screw the toes, no matter how cold it is I'll dive right in.

 

**proud member of the polar bear club**

[RaptorBoyASU]

^I meant Lou there.......not you

[Tömmioh]

Awesome TR Kyle!!

Lovin' it. Lots of great pictures, which bring up many memories etc.

 

Thanks a lot!

 

Tommi" not the painter of hunky, mustachey men " of Finland.

[RaptorBoyASU]

^Now my question is did you know of "Tom of Finland" before someone mentioned it in this thread, or not until then?

[Tömmioh]

Yeah, I actually did now about him before. I saw some of his art on a documentary about "Rainbow Finland" about 2 years ago and I saw/heard on the news last year that they opened Finland's largest exhibition of his art in the National gallery, due to it being 15 years ago since he passed away.

[Moose]

Um, weren't there a few more days on this trip?

(I kid i kid, i still havent posted any pics)

 

 

I could have sworn you had a good pic of Larry while we were in Barcelona. Guess not.

[PKI Jizzman]

Wow, that hotel is absolutely beautiful! Can't wait for more updates, Kyle!

 

-JZ

[RaptorBoyASU]

Ugh, I guess I'll have to finish this. Maybe later tonight after I get done cleaning

 

Edit: NOPE, not tonight

[Gav]

LOL, "hand washing station", I personally wouldn't put my hands near there.

[RaptorBoyASU]

Continuing on from where I left off..........5 months ago.

 

Actually, I knew I never finished this, but a combination of laziness and time elapsed since the end of the trip made me put it off.

 

However, after seeing how awesome the newest Coaster Expedition DVD was, and reliving all those memories through Robb's wonderful editing, has caused me to pick this back up and finish it. I know you all were waiting in anticipation.

 

So without further ado....

 

Day 7: Terra Mitica, and all the great civilizations

 

So today started by checking out of our fabulous hotel. It really was an amazing resort, and the models of what the finished project will look like blew me away.

 

It was such a long drive to the park (about 5 minutes). Once there, we were greeted by the PR person, and Robb gave us the day's agenda.

 

As was the case with most of the Spanish parks, the theming was impeccable. The park was themed to Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Mediterranean. There were some grand structures present as far as theming, and many many statues and sculptures.

 

 

Ron's spokesmodeling classes came in handy. Here, in all of his hangover glory, he points out the great pyramid.

Onto Greece

 

And the other great part about this park, a fantastic view of the Mediterranean Sea

 

We started the morning with ERT on their giant frisbee ride, and then moved on to the Rome section for Magnus Collossus aka the ride that made me wish I was wearing a bra.

 

Queue it up

 

Everyone looks so enthused

 

In case you forgot..........Chad is Rad

 

This was obviously taken before riding

 

In all actuality, the coaster wasn't that bad. It bounced a lot, but it was definitely rerideable. Not an amazing ride, even though there are elements that should have been "OMG!", such as the double down. It was worth a few spins.

 

BTW, this couple, in their 70s, were amazing. I had quite a few great conversations with them.

 

Unfortunately, our other coaster scheduled for ERT was not operational yet. It was pretty though.

 

I LOVE COASTER TRIPS

 

So does KidTums. What I wouldn't give to have someone push me around the parks all day.

 

Roman theming

 

And mediterranean theming as well

 

How's this for branding. On a side note, I was amazed at how similar the landscape here was to SoCal.

 

I was expecting a wet t-shirt contest, but rather found a children's area

 

The park had sodas and pastries around for us. It was a nice touch, and a welcome pick-me-up. I think everyone was dragging a bit by this point of the trip. FANTA FANTA, wanta a FANTA.

 

In addition to the frisbee, and the woodie, the park also opened their SLC a bit early for us, so we could get our rides in before the rest of the park was let into that area. I somehow forgot to snap pictures of it though.

 

JON, what are you doing?

 

I guess it fits in with the theming

 

Lou was thirsty

 

I couldn't understand what this guy was saying to us, but I'm sure in Spanish it meant that he was very happy to see us.

 

The ride selection was quite good at this park. Highlights for me were the reversing Egyptian themed log flume, and the Minotaur shooting dark ride. The dark ride had the most impressive theming of any dark ride I've been on. Our car did quite well, making it all the way to the final room to battle the minotaur. And their swings were also quite good, with a great view of the park and the coastline.

 

Watch out for that center dividing bar, Hector

 

Lunch was a group lunch in the Greece section of the park, as you can tell from the inside of the restaurant

 

There was a great Greek Salad, followed by a super rich Moussaka. I forget what dessert was......

 

Have I mentioned the abundant amount of statues?

 

They also had two raft rides. One was more of a dark ride through the journey of the Odyssey

 

The other was a traditional rapids ride, that got us wet, but not drenched.

 

Water rides always bring out shirtless Spanish boys

 

And clothed British boys

 

Here's a view of our hotel from the park. It should give you a good idea on how close it was.

 

We left the park mid-afternoon for a very long bus ride back to Madrid. What do long TPR bus trips produce?

 

Makeovers

 

Tickle fights

 

And SCANDAL

 

We arrived fairly late back into Madrid. That night, the panthers made our way down to Chueca to hit some bars ("No Chanclas"). It was another late, drunken night, but only one more day of parks left.

 

Next: Day 8: This was a Six Flags Park?

[RCFreak]

OMG an update!

 

 

I love that you got completely different pictrues then what I ended up with lol. Makes the trip a little more complete. And I'm sorry you forgot your card this past weekend too.

[oriolat]

Kyle, I love how you update this like a million months after you did your last update

 

But it was nice anyway... lots and lots of beautiful pics and you seemed to really like the park.

 

TBH, Magnus Colossus double down is AMAZIng, I swer night-rides on that coaster are awesome and butter smooth And the dark ride... I think it deserves its own paragraph because I think it's amazing. As for shooting dark rides, this one is the best, although it has seen better days.

It used to have fog all over the floor to look like you were like in a place far away from civilisation and it added a really nice touch, AND, you all made it to the final room cause the other looser exits no longer work (I am not saying you didn't do well, but after the first year the park decided not to use them anymore because people came off really disappointed after a 3-hour queue).

[RCFreak]

LOL! and here we all thought we were the awesomest because we made it to the end. Way to crush our spirits man, although the park should REALLY add scores to each gun/seat if that is the case of not even having the "different" endings.

[Louise]

Wait though, weren't there other riders in the TPR group who had a different ending to us??? Maybe there was at least one other ending room working at that time?? I'm clutching at straws to try and hold onto our positive idea of our own skills!!

 

Kyle, I'm *SO* glad you decided to finish this, I love your reports, this cracked me up!! I'll say again for the hundredth time, so many great memories, I really can't wait to see the DVD from this trip.

 

LOL at that pic of me and Jon on the bus. And the one of you with hairclips in.

 

I'd forgotten you'd gone into the city that night! This was the night that the random guy from the band forced me to dance with him in the bar, and then Rob, Trev, Robb, Ron, Steve and I gatecrashed the Spanish wedding at the invitation of the best man and dismay of the bride's family!! Somebody needs to post those pictures somewhere too.

 

Looking forward to seeing Parque Warner!

[RaptorBoyASU]

^Yah, we arrived back to the hotel early enough to see the wedding crash. Though I went to bed instead. LOL.

 

Oriol, why did you have to ruin my self esteem like that. I thought we got to face the minotaur because of how awesome we were

 

One more update left, sometime this afternoon.

 

-Kyle

[RaptorBoyASU]

And now, the grand finale.......

 

Day 8: This was a Six Flags Park?

 

So it was the last early morning of the trip for me (My flight the next day was in the afternoon). And boy did it hurt to wake up early, I blame Chueca.

 

The last park of the day was Warner Brothers Madrid. The park used to be owned by Six Flags, and I believe was even built by Six Flags. But we learned very quickly that the company put quite a bit more money into infrastructure and theming overseas than they ever did in the states. Of course, to be competitive, you'd almost have to, since almost every Spanish park had fantastic theming.

 

The bus arrived to the gate a bit early, and there was no one there to open up for us yet, in fact it seemed that security was totally baffled by our presence. While waiting, we watched a couple have sex behind their car while waiting for the gate to open. Well, they were hidden from view, but it was obvious what they were doing. Especially when the guy got up, and was "pitching quite a tent".

 

Finally, we were let in, and headed back for ERT.

 

The water tower

 

This mornings ERT was on Superman: la Attracion de Acero. The coaster is a FANTASTIC B&M floorless coaster. It had two great airtime hills, and a pretty intense, low to the ground helix. Not to mention a great bitch-slap zero-g roll, and very smooth transitions. This coaster made my top 10 after just one ride.

 

Theming in the cue of the Daily Planet press room

 

Jon ready to ride

 

Beauty from the back seat

 

An early example of what I meant about being surprised this theming was done when it was a Six Flags Park....it's at Universal quality

 

Time for a quick bathroom break.... in case you weren't sure what this sign was for, they illustrated it

 

Next it was time for SPANISH DEJA VU (actually called Stunt Fall).

 

I actually didn't care all that much about riding this, but we had super premium flash passes, so I took a spin. I neve got the Great America or Georgia Deja Vu rides, so I didnt' need this one to complete my Vekoma Giant Boomerang circuit

 

Might as well get all the big rides out of the way early. Next on the list was Batman: La Fuga. Typical Batman clone, but themed around an asylum instead of a city park and dump.

 

In case anyone didn't know..... Jon *LOVES* Batman

 

This used to be a Six Flags?

 

Seriously, this Gotham city was awesome

 

So as the day went on, it became quite clear that it was going to be a scorcher. It was still fairly early, and it was already unbearable. What better way to cool off than the log flume, Rio Bravo.

 

Here comes the retarded yellow hat club

 

One of the best flumes of the trip. I had no idea it was a reversing flume until we were on board. Best part was the backwards drop. It was huge, and had an airtime hill after, none of which you could see due to being backwards. Seriously awesome.

 

Next was lunch at the Mexican place in the Old West section of the park. I believe it was #69 on the map. The food was ok, but I'm not sure how pasta fits into the mexican theme, and why the heck a mini burrito looked more like an egg roll. Oh well, it was much more edible than the food at Isla Magica, even if the process was just as confusing.

 

This used to be a Six Flags park?

 

Next was Coaster Express. Not as bad as I'd been lead to believe, but not good either. Bounced as bad as Magnus Collussus, but a more twister layout. The ride op was cool though. I neglected a picture of this one.

 

Only one more coaster left to hit..... Tom y Jerry. A family coaster themed around food

 

The seats had a little divider that came up between your legs. It sat right on your balls, and the trains vibrated through the course. It was quite an odd feeling.

 

With the temperature rising, we became more and more lethargic as a group (the lack of sleep over the last 8 days didn't help I'm sure)

 

So we sat around a fountain in the kids area for quite a while. It was much needed, and provided ample opportunity for stalker shots.

 

Hey there

 

How you doin?

 

Hey daddy

 

And one for you straight guys out there, the one to the right

 

Oooh, a Scooby Doo dark ride....... YAY FOR A/C

 

It was decent, far from the best of the shooting dark rides of the trip, but better than some

 

Oh, hey there again

 

And more

 

Kidtums was helping me check them out, she liked that last one

 

Lou loves Marvin

 

And then Robb has to make it into something else

 

Porky and I suffer from the same follicle challengedness

 

Mmm.......more Superman

 

They also had a haunted swing

 

For those of you that have never been on one, they're neat, but if you get motion sick easily, I would skip it.

 

The washer women next to the fountain were helping the public cool off. Throwing water at them, ringing out their clothes over people's heads.

 

I see you over there. Seriously, there were more men in the park with their shirts off than on

 

Oh, if you're there, don't miss the rapids ride. I didn't get a picture, but it spun faster than any other rapids ride ever. The double shot S&S tower was also pretty good. They switched it from drop mode to combo mode right as we got on, so we got quite a surprise.

 

Emo boy is ready to go, and I think everyone else is too. We ended up meeting early and taking off. Everyone was done, and wanted to get out of the heat.

 

After getting back to the hotel and cleaning up, most of the group headed down to a local restaurant. It was very similar to souplantation or Fresher Choice or Sweet Tomatoes here in the US. The food was good, and their frozen yogurt tasted just like Pinkberry. YUM!

 

It was sad to say goodbye to everyone, but I was also excited to get home. I was tired, and missed my sig other. I lasted an hour or so in the bar of the hotel before heading to bed to crash hard. My fantastic roommate Lou was up early to board the flight for Mini-Europe trip, and I vaguely remember saying goodbye. Everything about this trip was amazing. And for anyone thinking about going on a coaster trip, you can't beat the package that Robb and Elissa put together for a true ThemeParkReview trip. I can't thank them enough for the planning, the perks, and the people that they bring to an expedition like this.

 

And for all of you that want more of a glimpse of what the trip is like, something I can't express well enough through pictures, buy the Coaster Expedition DVD

http://www.themeparkreview.com/store/index.php?productID=23

 

It's not the same as being on the trip, but it will have to suffice until you go on one yourself.

 

After a long day of flying (back through Miami), I arrived in L.A. and went to bed. I think Jeff appreciated the present I brought back for him.

 

THE END!

[kraken613]

Its hard to belive that was once a Six Flags park! Ive never seen that amount of theming at a SF park!

[Louise]

My fantastic roommate Lou was up early to board the flight for Mini-Europe trip, and I vaguely remember saying goodbye.

 

Kyle managed to stay asleep while I got ready and packed up... Our goodbye went something like this.

 

Lou: *shakes Kyle* Kyle, I'm leaving now!

Kyle: *half asleep* Where are you going?

Lou: Germany!

Kyle: Why?

 

I gave up and left.

 

I'm so glad you finished this, it was an awesome report!!! Can't wait to do it all again (well, in different countries)... Hopefully '09, right?

[BeatleBen]

^Yah, we arrived back to the hotel early enough to see the wedding crash. Though I went to bed instead.

-Kyle

 

Y'know, I too regret not staying awake long enough to crash that party. I could've gotten lucky with some lovely Spanish senorita!

[larrygator]

Y'know, I too regret not staying awake long enough to crash that party. I could've gotten lucky with some lovely Spanish senorita!

 

and I could have been annointed King of Spain

[RCFreak]

^ & ^^

 

 

Glad you FINALLY finished! SOme great pics in there (and some fine men but that's besides the point, freakin stalker)