FreeFaller Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 (edited) Hey TPR members! This trip report is about my very first TPR adventure! Together with a bunch of other coaster geeks, we barrel rolled our way across the country to the keeper of the gate AND MORE! That trip was one of that 'Time of my life' experiences that will always be in my mind! It was really AWESOME and I honestly don't know how to describe that trip with words because Robb and Elissa put so much effort in organizing and making this trip so EPIC! Thank you VERY much! You guys rock and I'm definitely ready for another TPR *Explore the world* adventure! BUT, before going on another trip, I should finish this trip report, so back to the report! I will try to update this thread every day to give you guys an impression of all the fun we had during our trip throughout the UNITED STATES! I'm sorry about not having that many photos of my arrival and my first day in the US, but I just was too lazy in the first two days! Sorry for that! With that being said... Are you ready for some AWESOME coaster goodness and TPR fun? Let's go... Every trip starts with traveling and in my case it started with a nine hour flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Detroit, Michigan where I had a layover of 4 hours! My final destination was Houston, Texas where some other TPR members and I met to have some PRE trip fun with Iron Shark at Galveston's Pleasure Pier and Kemah's Boardwalk Bullet! Arriving in Texas was insane...I got out of the airport and it was like being hit of a giant heat wall! Welcome to Texas! After having taken my shuttle to the first hotel (which was close to the airport) and checking in, I took a nap! I finally arrived in the States but I was just too tired to realize it! The next day, I had to wait for Bas', Werner's and Andrew's arrival. Together, we planned on having some coaster PRE trip fun at the Gulf of Mexico! Galveston's Pleasure Pier is a very nice pier to stay! A good selection of different flat rides and of course the home of the lap bar only Euro Fighter IRON SHARK! It was really fun and since the coaster is almost built in the middle of the ocean, it's a really nice feeling to ride the coaster there! Especially the Star Flyer was kind of scary because the only thing you see is WATER when flying in the air. It's pretty awesome! After some rides on Iron Shark and the other rides there, we made our way to Kemah Boardwalk where Boardwalk Bullet was waiting for us! Since we were not interested in doing the other flat rides there, we decided not to buy the ALL DAY admission wristband. With that being said, we bought a single ticket for Boardwalk Bullet which was $6! It's a nice little woodie that is not too rough! I think after HADES 360 at the Dells during the trip every coaster seems to feel as smooth as Kumali in the UK! I thought it was really rideable and not too bad! We left the Pier after some rides on that woodie. There was a 3 hour car drive to San Antonio we had to take, to get to the first TPR hotel where all the members doing the Schlitterbahn pre trip add on were waiting! Dropping off the car at the airport in San Antonio and taking a cab to the hotel were the next steps to do though! After having arrived at the hotel, we went to Longhorn Steakhouse where the other TPR members already celebrated the unofficial start of the trip! Let's see some photos! More Pleasure Pier goodness! Please enter the pier and have some fun! YAY! We can get all credits! Oh wait...there's only one! Good sign! We got soaked on the log flume! Nevertheless it felt like sweat! The texas heat tried to kill us! My first breakfast in the US! I finally arrived! Yummy! More Mac&Cheese Snacks to survive the car drive! Look! My luggage is TPR approved! I'm ready to leave Germany! No crappy plane food at all! I liked it! We're flying high! Somewhere over the ocean! Relaxing at the crappy hotel pool! When do the others arrive? I'm bored!!! Being bored and taking photos at the Detroit airport isn't a good combination! Hard Rock Café Houston! Werner took his traditional Hard Rock Café meal! Fish and Chips! Good luck with that! Thumbs up for the Mac&Cheese! Bye bye Pleasure Pier! Look! IRON SHARK! Yummy! Seems to be a twisty coaster! Iron Shark looks good! It\'s right next to the ocean! I loved it! Oh look. TPR members have not been eaten by the Iron Shark! They survived... ...but had a BIG shock! HELP ME! YAY! We made it to the pier! Welcome! I got the ticket! Let's go! Boardwalk Bullet's entrance! TPR members show their coaster enthusiasm! Wave your hands!!! TPR members take the last row! Have fun guys! That\'s the ride we are looking for! Let's buy the tickets! See ya Boardwalk Bullet! Welcome to Kemah Boardwalk! Edited September 27, 2013 by FreeFaller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Great TR, Marcel! Good to know Broadwalk Bullet is not rough and I especially look forward to Iron Shark. Guess I have to take a visit to both of these places! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Great Zo Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Marcel! Didn't know you went through Detroit. That was the end of my trip -- I have pictures of that same fountain. Can't wait to see the rest of your trip report, I know you had as much fun on the tour as just about anybody! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle11 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 I wish I could have joined you guys on that pre-trip. Since I have to go back to Texas anyways (stupid Six Flags), I suppose a visit to the Houston area should be on the list. I'm looking forward to the rest of this report! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Your off to a good start--and you've seen more of Texas than I have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 Thank you for the feedback guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 Here's another update of my TPR trip adventure! This time, I will report from our Schlitterbahn PRE trip add on day! First of all, a HUGE thank you to the whole Schlitterbahn crew and Robb&Elissa who made this day AMAZING! Schlitterbahn New Braunfels, TX was my first real waterpark because we don't have those kind of waterparks here in Germany! I liked it a lot especially with all the other TPR members! Together we had an AWESOME time! After having arrived at Schlitterbahn, we got our wristbands and a great welcome breakfast buffet so that we were prepared for a FUN day at the park! Schlitterbahn offered us cabanas which were reserved for TPR only! It was really nice, because Schlitterbahn's staff kept an eye on our stuff, so we did not have to worry about that and could explore the park. We also got the so much needed ERT on Master Blaster and Blastenhoff (Blastenhoff included resort guests). All that good stuff has been a good start! Since the park is divided into two parks (Old and New Schlitterbahn AND there is a shuttle between those two parks) the group splitted after the walkback to Float the Falls, so people started exploring the park by their own! Especially the TPR takeover of the lazy river in the older section of the park was AWESOME! We had EXTREME heat and I loved our SUN DANCE because the stones were so hot you could not stand on it for longer than 2 seconds! After our day at Schlitterbahn we had the AWESOME Welcome Dinner at Grimaldi's where TPR handed out our tour bags, the itinerary and all that good stuff! We ate a LOT of good pizza and had a very good time there! It was a perfect ending for our Day 0! Again, it was so much fun! If you have any questions, feel free to ask them. With that being said, let the photos tell the story! Waiting for the bus to Schlitterbahn! Ready for some waterpark fun? Schlitterbahn wristband! Ready to go! Schlitterbahn's river without any guests! This will change when TPR is taking it over! Our private cabana! Perfect for a short break from all the HEAT! They even had a ''Schlitterbahn welcomes THEME PARK REVIEW'' banner! Staff is getting ready for offering us an AMAZING breakfast! YUMMY! We even got PRESENTS! That was AWESOME! Thank you guys! Hey! The water is really warm! Help me! I'm sinking! Relaxing! Hey guys! It's this way! Ready for the drop? We're getting soaked! Refreshing cold water! Your curls were water approved, Alexis! Thumbs up for Dragon's Revenge! Ready to be launched! We found those nice little crocodiles! Doug has almost been killed by the crocodile! Look at my brand new Donut necklace! Isn't it nice? Falling down the river! Roxanne liked the lazy river but where's her drink? Lazy river rush hour! Did we get stuck? Finish! It's time to eat some park food and... ...take the shuttle back to the new Schlitterbahn park, because... Reserved for THEME PARK REVIEW! You can relax at the bar! Cheers! It's all about Theme Park Review! No time for boring breaks! Drinks, nice people from all over the world and a pool! What do you want more? WHAT? You're not drinking Marcel? Yes Roxanne! I'm 20 and not allowed to drink in the United States! Not drinking was not a problem at all! The others could drink more though! we needed a break from the heat! But only for a few minutes because... After a FUN day at Schlitterbahn, it was time for the TPR Welcome Dinner at Grimaldi's! They offered us even more food! More pizza! What? Another pizza? I'm full! YUMMY! I loved the pizza! At Grimaldi's It's all about delicious food and drinks! Hooray! We got our TPR trip bags with some GREAT stuff! Paying up TPR for their excellent services! TPR knows how to make us happy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperShawn Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Great updates and some fun photos Marcel. We missed thetube slide into the tunnel you guys did, looks like it was a fun one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barge84 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Great report, Marcel! I hated that stupid Congo River Expedition ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 Thank you! Shawn, the tube slide was really fun! There were some kind of free fall moments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrlittle Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Cool report, I should of done the Schlitterbahn day. Oh well, its not like I live far from it. That pizza was delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted August 22, 2013 Author Share Posted August 22, 2013 ^Yes, you're right! The pizza was VERY good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_D Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Awesome trip report so far Marcel! Am having Congo River flashbacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kailisun98 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 The Congo River is one of Schlitterbahn's homemade rides right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barge84 Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Awesome trip report so far Marcel! Am having Congo River flashbacks. I'm glad he has a picture of me right after I gave up and just walked for the last 1/4 mile of the ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted August 23, 2013 Author Share Posted August 23, 2013 (edited) The next day we visited Six Flags Fiesta Texas! As soon as we arrived at the park, we were given our wristbands, our VIP Iron Rattler wristbands and all the other good stuff we needed to survive a SIXtastic day! We started our day with some ERT on Superman Krypton Coaster and Poltergeist, BUT not only got we ERT on Superman and Poltergeist, we also got ERT on Pandemonium and Scooby Doo Dark Ride which was AMAZING! Thank you guys for having arranged that awesomeness! After Elissa handed out the Qbots, we were free to explore the park by our own, so we got some credits and when it was time for lunch we made our way to the VIP room of the park where a BIG buffet waited for us! YUMMY YUMMY! During lunch, Robb&Elissa reminded us of the opportunity to take the bus back to the hotel, get some rest and come back some hours later! Many people took that rest and went back to the hotel! For those of us who couldn't get enough of the park, Six Flags offered an Iron Rattler backstage tour! We had the chance to explore the backstage area of the EPIC Iron Rattler in smaller groups! In addition to that, the park arranged a Mini Van who brought us to the top of the Iron Rattler area which allowed us to take some AWESOME photos the GP would never get! After the backstage tour we had some more time to explore the park and get the other credits! After the park closed the rides, they showed the laser show ''Lone Star Nights'' where we had VIP seating! Nice show and great atmosphere! Right after the show we got some more ERT! Hooray! Night ERT on Superman and Sky Screamer! Perfect ending for a SIXtastic day, I think! Again, a HUGE thank you to the park and Robb&Elissa who made this Six Flags day possible! The EPIC Iron Rattler! I'm an Iron Rattler V.I.P. The heart of Iron Rattler The Mini Van is ready to catch us up! Look at that red snake! All the coaster nerds taking some photos! Yummy! Do you wanna ride? Goliath kicks your shoes! SURPRISE! Standing in Q for some food and meeting an American girl that lived in my town! TPR connects the world! Fireworks! Night ERT on Sky Screamer Night ERT on Superman Krypton Coaster! Robb giving us instructions for a SIXtastic day! Ready for some G-Forces? TPR friends! YAY! Welcome to Six Flags Fiesta Texas! Yes, we're VIP's! Hey dude! Ready to have some fun...? ...For sure! Jeff informing us about our schedule! Meal vouchers!!! TPR gang going to our first ERT session on... ...SUPERMAN KRYPTON COASTER! Here we go! Let's ride Superman again! 2nd ERT session: Poltergeist! Did the ghost catch you??? Jeff and me! Laina's Poltergeist bodyguards! Kristen helping Elissa handing out the Qbots! Get ready for some spinning! Let's spin! Shawn, can you please hold my hand? I'm afraid of the Kiddee Koaster! Kiddee Koaster! Are you afraid??? Ready to fly? B&M goodness! Dudes, it's lunch time! Welcome Theme Park Review Thank God for Qbots! Let's get the backstage tour started! Edited August 23, 2013 by FreeFaller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Awesome trip report so far Marcel! Am having Congo River flashbacks. I'm glad he has a picture of me right after I gave up and just walked for the last 1/4 mile of the ride. When looking at that picture I assumed you caused the log jam. Ok, now a bunch of TPR members have tried Grimaldi's in Houston before I've sampled at the the original location. I was supposed to eat there with a friend in 2 days but had to cancel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted August 24, 2013 Author Share Posted August 24, 2013 (edited) Another update of the TPR Texas/Midwest Trip! This time it is NOT Six Flags, BUT Sea World San Antonio! Since I have never been to any Sea World Park, Sea World San Antonio was my very first one and I pretty much liked it! The staff has been very friendly and offered us a bunch of perks! After our arrival at the park, we got our wristbands and we were took over to our first ERT this morning...the Mack Super Splash Water Coaster ''Journey to Atlantis'' which allowed us to take a short break from the extreme heat! Right after that it was time for some Steel Eel ERT! Good coaster which I only like in the front! The back part tried to kill my back and at this time I didn't know that it was not only Steel Eel that was trying to kill my back on the trip. It can be WORSE! *Wisconsin Dells..cough...cough...* Steel Eel was not the last ERT we got. We also got morning ERT on Great White! Not as good as Goliath at Six Flags Fiesta Texas but worth riding it, at least it is a CREDIT Between Steel Eel ERT and Great White ERT, I took a run to the kiddy coaster ''Shamu Express'' because Elissa told us that it can be VERY crowded later the day! Thanks for that hint! During our fabulous lunch, Sea World surprised us with some special guests...They brought three different kind of animals which was a VERY nice surprise! Since everybody got a kind of lot, Robb chose different winners for some Sea World park stuff like stuffed animals! Again, thank you very much! (I know I may say the word ''Thank you'' very often but it is true! All the perks we got is REALLY worth saying it!) After lunch everyone had some more time to explore the parks and to watch all the shows the park offered! In the afternoon the bus departed. It was time to head for Dallas, because Six Flags Over Texas was waiting for us the next day! BUT, when we arrived at our hotel, it was first time to the traditional TPR snack exchange where all the trip participants brought snacks from where they live! That being said, it was VERY multicultural! Hanging out with all the people and eating some snacks from all over the world was AWESOME! TPR members on their way to the first ERT session of the day...ERT on... ...Journey to Atlantis (Yes, I travelled all around the world to ride a coaster that is in one of my home parks ) Splash!!! This is how a TPR ERT looks like! NO Q!!! YUP! That's where our second ERT will be! Steel Eel looks beautiful! On our way to Steel Eel I discovered those! Thumbs up for Steel Eel! After our Steel Eel ERT I took a run to the kiddy coaster ''Shamu Express'' No Q! But this should change during the day! After all the ERT sessions I was ready for some soda! Isn't that cup the NICEST cup ever? ...LUNCH! Yummy!!! Enjoy your meal guys! Surprise, surprise! There were some guest waiting for us! Especially some pooping guests! May I present you my new friend? Ohh don't be sad cutie! You will always be in my heart! What's going on here? He has already found a new friend! Say HI to Shawn! Snake time! Why do all the people want to touch me? My skin is just as yours! Another guy touching the snake! Say Cheeeese! Postcard time! So many snacks! After Sea World we got ready for our AWESOME Snack Exchange! TPR Snack Exchange! YUMMY! Crazy TPR people! All those different nacks made them freak out a little bit Roxanne, are you sure you want to eat all those CHINESE mushrooms? We think you will die! It's Showtime! I'm fat and ready to go to Weight Watchers! Let's do some Dance Dance Revolution before it's time for... Next ERT stop: Great White! Ready to be eaten by the shark??? Welcome to the Shamu show! Shamu in action! More Showtime! That's true! Welcome to Sea World! Edited August 27, 2013 by FreeFaller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatle11 Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 I couldn't believe how much everyone brought for the snack exchange! I remember the bourbon balls being amazing! The Chinese snacks were really interesting too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattnz Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Great TR so far Marcel, nice to re-live the trip. Looking forward to more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barge84 Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 When looking at that picture I assumed you caused the log jam. Nope. I was bringing up the rear of our group. The log jam was basically THE ENTIRE FREAKING RIDE! Slowest moving ride I've ever been on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKI Jizzman Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 This is such a great photo TR, and really takes me back to the 2009 trip in Texas! Marcel you're the showcase TPR member, I can feel the fun vibes from your trip through your photos - nothing but positive, beaming happiness in this report! I can't wait for more! Just made my day that much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Haha, the Chinese snack is really…um…not snack… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreeFaller Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share Posted August 25, 2013 This is such a great photo TR, and really takes me back to the 2009 trip in Texas! Marcel you're the showcase TPR member, I can feel the fun vibes from your trip through your photos - nothing but positive, beaming happiness in this report! I can't wait for more! Just made my day that much better. Thanks man! I'm glad that I'm on the right track! Do you mean the TPR Texas trip? I think it was in 07 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillerman1 Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 This is a really fun and awesome trip report. I look forward to more! Thanks for sharing!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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