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Photo TR: Canobie Coaster's 2017 US Adventures


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Fun Spot Orlando

 

Fun Spot is one of the most universally liked parks out there. Honestly it’s pretty surprising. If a regional park with this park’s lineup tried charging $46 for a wristband, they’d be burned at the stake. But for Fun Spot everyone just sips the Kood-Aid and turns a blind eye. Would I sip the Kool-Aid? Sort of.

 

Having free parking was certainly refreshing after forking over $20 for a seemingly endless ride on the moving walkways of Universal. One of the many reasons Fun Spot is popular is because there are typically no lines. I wasn’t so lucky during my visit. It was a really busy evening!

 

It turns out the park doesn’t have a combo ticket for the Kissimmee and Orlando location anymore, so I decided to buy a season pass. It’s pretty crazy that I bought a season pass for a park over 1000 miles away, but that’s exactly what I did for Fun Spot. It paid for itself after two wristbands and it also included a heavily discounted rate for the sky coasters.

 

I planned to hit both Fun Spots on the same night, so I only budgeted a little over an hour at the Orlando location. I lost 20 minutes of that to the ticket line. So after that, I started with White Lightning. The line stretched onto the midway, but it only took 15 minutes thanks to lightning fast dispatches.

 

I’ve heard some very good things about White Lightning and it delivered. My first ride was in the very back. Despite standing just south of 70 feet tall, this coaster maintains its speed better than some hyper coasters. The ride also has several subtle changes of direction despite essentially having an out-and-back layout.

 

The first drop is a nice mix of air and laterals. The outward leg wasn’t too heavy on the air, but the return leg sure was. It was a relentless barrage of one tiny hill after another. It’s also a really smooth ride unlike some of the older GCIs that I’ve been on.

 

My one issue with the Millennium Flyers is that they’re very proficient at stapling. White Lightning was no different, but I still really enjoyed this coaster. I would have loved a second ride, but I really wanted to be out of there in a half hour and I had other credits to get. 8.5 out of 10

 

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I loved the lighting package on White Lightning. Actually the whole park in general looked really alive at night.

Freedom Flyer’s line was spilling out onto the midway as well. The back 3 rows were reserved for VR, so I of course went towards the main queue. I ended up waiting about 20 minutes. But right before I boarded, the ride went down. Maintenance estimated that it would take about a half hour to get the ride up and running.

 

That severely cut into my time at Kissimmee’s Fun Spot if I stayed. So I had a few options.

 

1) Wait a half hour and only have 45 minutes at Fun Spot Kissimmee.

2) Stay the rest of the night at Orlando and hit Fun Spot Kissimmee tomorrow.

3) Head to Fun Spot Kissimmee and return to Fun Spot Orlando tomorrow.

4) Skip Freedom Flyer altogether.

 

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I rode coasters 4X taller and technologically advanced dark rides, but this tiny Vekoma was the lone ride on my trip with technical issues. Go figure.

I wanted to ensure I had enough time at Fun Spot Kissimmee and wanted to ride the Kvasten clone, so I eliminated 1 and 4. The impact of options 2 and 3 is that they’d cut into my time at Legoland the next day. I ultimately decided to head out for Fun Spot Kissimmee so I could experience that sky coaster and Mine Blower at night.

 

But not before I whored out on the kiddie coaster. This ride was a walk-on and every bit as shameful as it sounds. It wasn’t more than 7 or 8 feet tall. 2 out of 10

 

So flash forward to the next day. I made it to the park just after opening and budgeted an hour. Getting the season pass paid off as a return visit would have been pretty costly otherwise. The park was considerably less busy than the night before, which was to be expected.

 

My goal was simple, get some extra rides on White Lightning, ride Freedom Flyer, ride the Paratrooper of death, and try their Sky Coaster. I wasn’t messing around so I started with Freedom Flyer. I really liked the coaster’s placement over the midway, but it wasn’t quite as good as Kvasten. It was missing the tunnel and the landscaping around the helixes. Still it was a smooth, fun coaster. 6 out of 10

 

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Freedom Flyer lives!

White Lightning’s station was empty so I had my choice of seats. After my back row ride the night before, I decided to try the front. The air was as good up front, but I preferred the back since the changes of direction were wilder. So of course I grabbed a second ride in the back afterwards. I’d love to have a small FEC like this near me. But instead I just have freaking Jay Gee’s mini golf and go karts.

 

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On the bright side, Freedom Flyer let me get a few extra rides on White Lightning.

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It tours the park like Knott's Jaguar. Except White Lightning actually does stuff.

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They aren't as good as Phantasialand's bathroom signs, but these are pretty good.

With my season pass, I was able to get a ride on the world’s largest sky coaster for $10. Note how I say world’s largest. It’s shorter than Kissimmee’s at 250 feet, but the frame is technically larger. You’ve got to love technicalities. I love sky coasters and my only reservation with them is forking over $30-40 to ride. $10 is a bargain that I’m happy to spend.

 

The views on this one were fantastic and I love how it’s positioned partially above a little pond and above the midway. My heart began to race when I got the 3, 2, 1, fly. There’s still something genuinely terrifying about being in such a minimalistic restraint that high above the ground. The initial plunge was exhilarating. It’s a true freefall and it’s a pretty freaky sensation when the cable finally catches you and starts swinging you forwards. 10 out of 10

 

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At just , I couldn't turn the Skycoaster down.

The last ride I wanted to hit was the Paratrooper. While this may look like any ordinary paratrooper, this one is special for a few reasons. One, it only loads 1-2 gondolas at a time as it is always raised. Second, it runs crazy fast. Third, it even goes backwards. Yes it runs backwards. That’s what really sold me.

 

Unfortunately there was no operator to be found. I hung out by the ride for 15 minutes until an operator arrived. The oddest part about his arrival was that he didn’t enter the ride using the gate. No, that’d be too main stream. He hopped the fence. I have no clue why he did that, but I was just happy someone finally showed up.

 

The ride itself delivered. I thought Knoebels and Quassy had good cycles on their paratroopers, but Fun Spot put both of them to shame. The swinging is much wilder on this one, particularly when you’re going in reverse. It’s a really odd sensation having that happen on a paratrooper. 9 out of 10

 

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15 minutes later someone finally showed up. But it was worth it for a backwards paratrooper.

Overall I really like the mix of rides at Fun Spot. It’s the perfect park to visit for a few hours. I did have some operational hiccups in Freedom Flyer breaking down and the difficulty finding a ride operator the next day, but it’s still mostly good. But I think the sister park over in Kissimmee is superior, something I’ll touch on in the next installment.

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I considered leaving after waiting 10 minutes of there being no operator. I asked the guy at the Tilt-a-Whirl and he reassured me someone would show up. But I am glad I waited since it was such an odd and disorienting experience going backwards on a ride like that.

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Awesome update. I'm a little concerned about the Paratrooper as the last one I rode was at Kennywood a couple years ago and it made me a slight bit nauseous, and the cycle ended just in time. I really want to do Funspots since you guys rave about it, and the missus typically loves them. I guess I have to see how I'll feel, or maybe save it for last.

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Save it for last. The ride cycle is non-ending and it goes backwards.

A thousand times this. The ride looks oh so innocent on the outside, but it will try to kill you. Mark my words.

 

Nice report, Canobie. A bit surprised that you prefer the Kissimmee location to the Orlando one, even with Mine Blower being at the former. Curious to hear your take in the next post.

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Awesome update. I'm a little concerned about the Paratrooper as the last one I rode was at Kennywood a couple years ago and it made me a slight bit nauseous, and the cycle ended just in time. I really want to do Funspots since you guys rave about it, and the missus typically loves them. I guess I have to see how I'll feel, or maybe save it for last.

 

Like coasterbill said, save it as your last ride. It's so well run and unique that it needs to be ridden. But I also understand self preservation since its cycle is twice as long as others. The other thing to note is that it only loads 1-2 gondolas at a time. So if it has a line, you could be on the ride for quite some time waiting to get off.

 

Save it for last. The ride cycle is non-ending and it goes backwards.

A thousand times this. The ride looks oh so innocent on the outside, but it will try to kill you. Mark my words.

 

Nice report, Canobie. A bit surprised that you prefer the Kissimmee location to the Orlando one, even with Mine Blower being at the former. Curious to hear your take in the next post.

 

I'll have a report in the coming days, but I preferred the Kissimmee location for a few reasons. Orlando has a better flat ride collection, but the coaster collection at Kissimmee is superior. I also thought the Kissimmee one was better run. There weren't any points where I had to wait for an operator to come over and all the employees I interacted with were extremely friendly. The ones at Orlando were efficient, but I wouldn't call them friendly.

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It turns out the park doesn’t have a combo ticket for the Kissimmee and Orlando location anymore

Son of a motherless goat. At least this gives me all the more incentive to purchase the season pass when the timeshare I'm staying at in March is next door to the Orlando location.

 

I’ve heard some very good things about White Lightning and it delivered. My first ride was in the very back. Despite standing just south of 70 feet tall, this coaster maintains its speed better than some hyper coasters. The ride also has several subtle changes of direction despite essentially having an out-and-back layout.

 

The first drop is a nice mix of air and laterals. The outward leg wasn’t too heavy on the air, but the return leg sure was. It was a relentless barrage of one tiny hill after another. It’s also a really smooth ride unlike some of the older GCIs that I’ve been on.

White Lightning looks so unassuming. And then you ride it. It's better than it has any right to be. It was also my 100th credit, so I gotta love it. Especially my triple zen ride in the back.

 

The last ride I wanted to hit was the Paratrooper. While this may look like any ordinary paratrooper, this one is special for a few reasons. One, it only loads 1-2 gondolas at a time as it is always raised. Second, it runs crazy fast. Third, it even goes backwards. Yes it runs backwards. That’s what really sold me.

Riding the Kissimmee Paratrooper earlier in the day did not prepare me for this one. Hell, I didn't even know it went backwards until it started going in reverse.

 

Unfortunately there was no operator to be found. I hung out by the ride for 15 minutes until an operator arrived. The oddest part about his arrival was that he didn’t enter the ride using the gate. No, that’d be too main stream. He hopped the fence. I have no clue why he did that, but I was just happy someone finally showed up.

At least you got to wait off the ride for an operator. After the cycle on their Enterprise, the op unlocked every cabin but mine and my companion's before leaving to operate another ride. Of course we were on the far side of the attraction and had to flag down another op to let us off.

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^ I kind of wish I didn't know about the Paratrooper so I could have been surprised by it, but then again there's a high chance I would have skipped it. That sucks about getting stuck on the Enterprise. That's one of my nightmares- getting stuck on a ride and having it unbeknownst to the operator.

 

I was shocked as well finding out there wasn't a combo ticket but in the end, the season pass worked out for the sky coaster discounts and second day that I visited.

 

Your the second person on here to say how awesome the paratrooper is at funspot. Think I need to give it a try when I'm out there next week.

 

I've only heard good things about Orlando's paratrooper. It's sort of an obscure ride, so when an attraction like that gets praise, you have to ride it to see what all the hubbub is about.

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Fun Spot Kissimmee

 

It seems the general consensus is that Orlando’s Fun Spot location is superior to the Kissimmee one. While Orlando had more rides, I am going to stray from the norm. I preferred Kissimmee for several reasons. It was less crowded, had better service, and better rides.

 

After only riding two rides at the Orlando location in just over an hour, I was greeted with no lines whatsoever at the Kissimmee location. I decided to start with the Rockstar Coaster since it was adjacent to the entrance and there were only 6 or 7 people ahead of me in line.

 

Usually I find these spinning coasters rough and uncomfortable, but the Rockstar Coaster was surprisingly comfortable. It’s usually that awkward finale that crushes me. Here, it was somehow smooth. Because of that, I was really able to enjoy this wild little coaster. The drops on these spinning mice always pack a punch, but it was the spinning in the second half that really elevated this one. As the only passenger in the car, I was spinning wildly out of control. 6 out of 10

 

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It was a missed opportunity that the ride didn't play Smash Mouth.

Not wanting to risk another breakdown like the Orlando location, I wasted no time making my way over to Mine Blower. Despite only standing a hair over 80 feet tall, Mine Blower feels considerably taller thanks to its slender layout. It’s really impressive Gravity Group was able to cram a coaster with this many elements into such a small space.

 

It was a walk-on, so I snatched the back row. Early reviews for Mine Blower noted that it was a pretty rough ride. They did also say it was one heck of a wild ride. My assessment? It was certainly wild and while it was far from smooth, I didn’t find it rough. Rough is the jackhammering dumpster fire known as Predator or Mean Streak. This was bumpy simply because of how aggressive and compact the layout was.

 

The first drop was outstanding and one of the best I’ve experienced on a wooden coaster. It was quite steep and had some major ejector air. That’s followed up with the zero-G roll. It had some great hang-time and it kept throwing me off. For some reason I kept anticipating that it’d be like Wicked Cyclone’s stall. So every time it completed the 360, I was thrown for a loop, literally.

 

The rest of the ride was akin to riding a buckling bronco. Each hill had powerful pops of ejector air and I was stunned how well the coaster kept its speed. The other Gravity Group compact woodies I’ve been on deliver air without fail, but they don’t necessarily keep their speed well. Mine Blower feels like it’s going to tear the track to shreds with its relentless speed.

 

I figured I’d enjoy Mine Blower, but I was stunned just how much I loved it. It just narrowly missed my top 10 wooden coaster list, beating some more well-known coasters such as Goliath, GhostRider, and Gold Striker. I immediately got a front seat ride. It was still excellent, but I preferred the raw intensity of the back row. 9.5 out of 10

 

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Mine Blower blew my mind (say that 10 times fast).

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Having a zero-G roll alone on a woody made the ride awesome.

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Yeah it was sort of bumpy, but the ride was relentless. Impeccable pacing and great air.

Before trying the world’s tallest sky coaster, I needed to work up the nerves. So I rode the 1200 foot tall coaster. Whoops I added two extra zeroes there. The Kiddie Coaster was good for a kids coaster and it gave 5 laps, so I felt ready for the imposing looking sky coaster. 3 out of 10

 

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Honestly saying this kiddie coaster is 1/30th the height of the Sky Coaster makes the kiddie coaster seem more impressive than it really is.

Kissimmee’s Sky Coaster is the world’s tallest at 300 feet tall. With the slender A-frame, it possibly looks even taller. To this point, I had ridden 3 other sky coasters, but those ones topped out at 180 feet. This one added an extra 120 feet. So I was both pretty excited and nervous.

 

The ascent up to the top was faster than expected. The views were a blur. One of the recurring themes of the weekend was my cruddy vision coming back to bite me on these massive rides. I wasn’t allowed to wear my glasses, so in some ways I couldn’t tell that I was 300 feet in the air.

 

However, once the drop began, I could definitely feel the added height of this tower. The descent was absolutely terrifying in a good way. The initial drop is easily the highlight of a sky coaster and this one felt noticeably longer. It was probably still less than 1-2 seconds, but it felt like time was standing still as I barreled towards the ground.

 

The following swings are child’s play by comparison, but you can’t help but feel a sense of great personal accomplishment for conquering such an imposing ride. So naturally I had my fist out posing like Superman. I don’t care how goofy I looked. I was having a blast. I know it’s an upcharge, but you have to ride this Sky Coaster when you visit Fun Spot. 10 out of 10

 

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There is a rider in this shot. It's hard to tell because of how freaking massive the ride is.

I had a half hour left. I could have tried the park’s inverting frisbee or the go kart tracks. But instead I was drawn back to Mine Blower. I finished off with 6 straight rides, all in the back, and each ride got better and better. The operators in the station were also really sociable and efficient.

 

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This coaster is the main reason I prefer the Kissimmee location over the Orlando one.

After the park closed, I walked through the Old Town area in search of food. The Old Town area was pretty creepy. It could have been since it was past midnight, but the whole area looked run down and oddly empty outside of the Ferris Wheel and thrill rides at the front. Luckily I found one of my favorite fast food chains that it missing in New England, Checkers. It’s cheap, it’s greasy, but their fries are to die for (and if they were closer to me, they could probably kill me).

 

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Behind the bright sign was a dark, desolate wasteland. So they nailed the theming.

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The heart wants what the heart wants. Until it clogs up.

Fun Spot Kissimmee will be a staple for me in any visit to Orlando. Mine Blower alone is enough reason to return, so when you add the world’s tallest sky coaster and a strong likelihood of no lines, sign me up.

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While it was always the consensus that the Orlando version was superior, Mine Blower really made that place seem like a brand new park. Not only is the ride itself great, but it provides an awesome visual, makes you walk through the arcade on the way in and not just awkwardly walk by portable flat rides and kids Go Kart tracks and when combined with the new frisbee thing, the Rockstar coaster, the awesome Go karts, their impressive collection of rides and an (albeit slowly) improving Old Town it makes the parks a lot more comparable.

 

Great report!

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Wow, love the MineBlower light package! Looks great. Totally agree with everything you say about the sky flyers - that complete freefall is pretty much unmatched. I think the only comparable feeling would be the drop pod slides (the ones that are close to a 90*). I've done plenty of Skyflyers before but 300ft? Whew. That and the flipping slingshot genuinely scare me.

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My assessment? It was certainly wild and while it was far from smooth, I didn’t find it rough. Rough is the jackhammering dumpster fire known as Predator or Mean Streak. This was bumpy simply because of how aggressive and compact the layout was.

This times a thousand. I still don't get all the hate coming in on this thing, it's absolutely balls-to-the-wall insane up until the brakes.

 

Great report as per usual. Nice to hear you liked Old Town (and I agree Checker's fries are jizz-worthy), but never go there after midnight.I hope for your sake you never make that mistake again.

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While it was always the consensus that the Orlando version was superior, Mine Blower really made that place seem like a brand new park. Not only is the ride itself great, but it provides an awesome visual, makes you walk through the arcade on the way in and not just awkwardly walk by portable flat rides and kids Go Kart tracks and when combined with the new frisbee thing, the Rockstar coaster, the awesome Go karts, their impressive collection of rides and an (albeit slowly) improving Old Town it makes the parks a lot more comparable.

 

Great report!

 

I didn't realize Mine Blower caused the park to change its entrance. Entering through the arcade made it feel like a legitimate entrance even if it still was a free admission park.

 

I never saw Old Town before Fun Spot started improving it, but my friends in Orlando had some nightmarish stories about that place.

 

Wow, love the MineBlower light package! Looks great. Totally agree with everything you say about the sky flyers - that complete freefall is pretty much unmatched. I think the only comparable feeling would be the drop pod slides (the ones that are close to a 90*). I've done plenty of Skyflyers before but 300ft? Whew. That and the flipping slingshot genuinely scare me.

 

I still think the sky coasters are far scarier. I know they have the perfect safety record and are over-engineered, but it's still hard not to trust a huge fiberglass slide over an inch thick cable.

 

My assessment? It was certainly wild and while it was far from smooth, I didn’t find it rough. Rough is the jackhammering dumpster fire known as Predator or Mean Streak. This was bumpy simply because of how aggressive and compact the layout was.

This times a thousand. I still don't get all the hate coming in on this thing, it's absolutely balls-to-the-wall insane up until the brakes.

 

Great report as per usual. Nice to hear you liked Old Town (and I agree Checker's fries are jizz-worthy), but never go there after midnight.I hope for your sake you never make that mistake again.

 

I'm still here to tell the tale. The Checkers was well-lit. Having said that, I probably wouldn't cut through the dark Old Town area again.

 

Mind Blower is easily one of the best wooden coasters out there. I can see how people could find it rough, but it's a wooden coaster that goes upside down. It's understandable it won't be as smooth as a baby's bottom.

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Legoland Florida

 

“Why are you going to Legoland?”

 

That was a question I was asked repeatedly when I mentioned my itinerary for my Florida trip.

 

“Isn’t that place meant for kids?”

 

Well, yeah. But you’re also talking to the person who can spend an entire day at Story Land or Santa’s Village. If a park is well-themed and well-run, it’s pretty much a given that I am going to have an enjoyable day.

 

I had never been to a Legoland before so I was interested in visiting. Boston has one of those Legoland Discovery Centers. For those unfamiliar, it’s an indoor complex with some Lego displays and a few rides. After it opened, I proudly made my way down only to be denied. Turns out they have the Chuck E. Cheese’s rule. No one over 18 is allowed to enter without someone under the age of 18.

 

Thankfully Legoland Florida doesn’t have the same rule. Isn’t it perfectly normal for a grown adult to love Legos? I’m an engineer and so those familiar, multi-colored bricks were one of my favorite toys growing up. I arrived later than anticipated because of my return visit to Fun Spot Orlando, but I arrived around 1:00.

 

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Judge me all you want. I have no regrets.

I haven’t seen too many Legoland reports, but after passing through the main gate I knew I wouldn’t regret my decision. Everywhere I looked, there were larger than life Lego figures. People, dinosaurs, Christmas trees, you name it. They had everything.

 

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Now this is the type of Christmas tree I need in my apartment.

As a kid, I of course spilled milk or water all over my Lego bricks at one point. And sure enough, they were still usable. However, the outdoor rides at Legoland aren’t quite the same. I saw a few Yelp reviews mention an asinine rain policy. The forecast only called for a 20% chance of rain, but it was apparent the skies were going to open up soon.

 

I decided to start with the Dragon. I can’t believe the park modified a pre-existing roller skater into this attraction since the entrance and station look fantastic. The posted wait time was 37 minutes. That oddly specific wait time turned out to be accurate. But right before it was my turn to board, the dreaded PA system came on and said something to the effect:

 

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Estimated wait of...37 minutes. That's oddly specific.

“Due to inclement weather, the Dragon will be suspending all operations until further notice. You are welcome to wait it out. Thanks and have a great day.”

 

I decided to stick it out since it was just a light sprinkle. Most of the line evacuated and it became pretty clear the park wouldn’t reopen the attraction even in a mist. My handy dandy Weather app said rain was possible for the next hour so I was decided to bail out and hit the indoor attractions. But right before I left, the angels descended upon me and I was offered an exit pass valid for any attraction.

 

I figured the indoor attractions would be flooded, but Lost Kingdom Adventure was only a 10 minute wait. Truth be told, the dark rides were the attractions I was most looking forward to at Legoland. I knew the park wasn’t big into thrills, but I knew they weren’t afraid to spare all expenses on theming.

 

The ride was on the short side, but it was incredibly well themed. There wasn’t a single screen or a cardboard cutout to be seen. Each target was a detailed animatronic that moved after it was shot. I also loved how easy the guns were to aim. Each gun has a light that illuminates where you point. It felt like I had applied a cheat code, but I wasn’t going to complain as I racked up my high score. 9 out of 10

 

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Exercising my Second Amendment.

The light drizzle had turned into a full-on downpour, so I knew exactly where I was heading. Of the two dark rides, I was most anticipating Ninjago the Ride. Ninjago looked very similar to Toy Story Mania only with motion controls. Unlike Lost Kingdom, this one had a significant wait. It was posted at 25 minutes but in reality it was 40 minutes. I considered using my exit pass, but I wanted to save it for the outdoor attractions once they reopened.

 

The ride system is definitely the ride’s strong suit. I was skeptical how well it would work. I was worried I’d have to flail around like a team mascot and randomly hit things, but within 15 seconds, I had the aiming system figured out. It’s very responsive and works well. It’s definitely a tiring ride, even more so than Toy Story, but it’s really cool. I finally got to live out my childhood fantasy of being a superhero.

 

Unlike Lost Kingdom, Ninjago was heavily dependent upon 3D screens. Universal would have been proud. But I think it was absolutely necessary for an attraction like this and I didn’t mind one bit. I would have loved to grab a second ride, but I wanted to try and hit all the outdoor attractions. 9 out of 10

 

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Ninjago let everyone relive their childhood fantasy of having superpowers.

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The ride system is fantastic. Tiring, but very interactive.

Once I emerged from the dark depths of Ninjago, I was greeted with sunny skies. I wasn’t sure how recently the rain had stopped, but I heard the unmistakable roar of a wooden coaster. I was in business. So I made my way over to Coastersaurus, hoping to knock it out before it developed a line. I was greeted with a 2 train wait.

 

Despite being a junior wooden coaster, Coastersaurus has an expansive layout. I’m used to the tiny double out-and-back design of all those Cedar Fair woodies. This one had an endless series of drops. I was riding towards the back. While none of them provided any air, the ride was enjoyable. It was glass smooth and the ride maintained its speed pretty well. 6 out of 10

 

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Hey the outdoor stuff is open again!

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Noted, I'll beware of the Coastersaurus.

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I appreciated the drawn out layout of this junior woody.

I decided to double back towards the Dragon. I saw the queue was only on the second switchback, so I figured it couldn’t have been more than 15 minutes. In retrospect, I probably should have used my exit pass here. It took almost a half hour. It’s pretty sad to think that I spent an hour of my day in the queue for a roller skater, but that’s exactly what I did.

 

But then again this is no ordinary roller skater. I felt kind of guilty, but I was assigned the front row. The coaster beings with a great dark ride segment with a series of Medieval characters. The final bit comes face to face with the ride’s namesake, a large and imposing dragon. Then there’s this weird empty hallway. I am guessing this is the bit where they reconnected to the pre-existing coaster?

 

The rest of the ride was your typical extended roller skater. As far as junior coasters go, roller skaters are actually one of my favorites. They’re smooth and never lose their speed since they’re constantly moving downhill. Because of the dark ride bit, the Dragon is probably the best coaster in the park. It’s just a bummer they only run one train since the ride time is pretty long. 6 out of 10

 

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Behind the glitz and the glamour of the dark ride section, the Dragon is just a jumbo roller skater at heart.

I had just over an hour left and I had yet to ride half of the park’s coasters. But before I got to those two, I wanted to check out two of the more unique areas of the park, the Cypress Gardens and Miniland USA. Admittedly I am not a big nature guy. But I have to admit that the Cypress Gardens were impressive. I just wish the park still had that Island in the Sky attraction so I could have appreciated them from the air.

 

Miniland USA was more up my wheelhouse. I was in awe just how ridiculously detailed all of the displays were. I didn’t even have to read the signs; they were realistic enough that I could immediately tell that I was looking at San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, etc.

 

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Still my favorite city to visit.

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I never realized just how white all of DC's landmarks were.

My two favorite sections by far were Cape Canaveral and Las Vegas. Cape Canaveral had a rocket launch every 10 minutes. When I saw the countdown, I figured there would just be some lights and sounds. But when the timer hit zero, there was a plume of smoke and the rocket rose into the air. Nothing crazy, but it was a special touch that made the jaws drop on all the kids.

 

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Will it actually launch or will it be all smoke and mirrors?

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It was a whole lot of smoke and no mirrors.

Las Vegas had all of the glitz and glamor you’d expect. There were all the hotels and casinos, but as a theme park fan. I was most impressed by the Stratosphere Tower which had a working Big Shot ride. Legoland has also fulfilled the dream of every single enthusiast who has ridden Manhattan Express as it was inexplicably missing from the New York, New York. Maybe Legoland is predicting the future?

 

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Someday I'll make it to Vegas to try the Big Shot. Until then, I can say I have the Lego credit.

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In a day where there are no more Togo coasters left in the United States...

I budgeted just enough time to hit the last two coasters, Project X and Flying School. Project X appeared to have a 20 minute wait, so I finally used my exit pass. But just before I boarded, the ride went down for technical issues. Aw rats. Since it was nearing park closing, the ride attendants immediately placed the “Closed for the Day” sign by the ride’s entrance.

 

They assured us that anyone in line would be guaranteed a ride. That left me with a decision. I could either ride this wild mouse or I could ride the junior SLC instead. It was a no brainer. Since I value my brain, I decided to forego the concussive blasts of Flying School in favor of an enjoyable wild mouse.

 

I also want to note that this coaster suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. Yes the ride entrance says Project X. And so doesn't the park map. But the safety spiel for the ride calls it the Lego Technic Test Track Coaster. Hmm, isn't that what the California one is called? I'm willing to be the safety spiels match verbatim for these two.

 

After about 15 minutes, Project X reopened and we were sent off. Project X is one of the larger models. While I love the first drop, I dislike everything else on the large versions relative to their compact counterparts. The hairpin turns on the large versions are considerably slower and lack the rib-crushing laterals that I expect from a wild mouse. Project X was even worse in that regards since it was heavily trimmed. It was still enjoyable, but it was the weakest of the park’s coasters. 5 out of 10

 

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Dear coaster gods, thank you for causing Project X to break down. Not severe enough to close the ride for the day, but enough to protect me from the junior Vekoma SLC.

By the time I got off Project X, there was 2 minutes to park closing. I could have tried making a beeline for Flying School, but I figured that a single adult sprinting through Legoland would draw some unwanted attention. I also knew that Flying School would suck tremendously like all the other junior Vekomas with the bulky OSTRs.

 

So instead I slowly made my way towards the exit and soaked up the Lego figures. Since Legoland closed at 5, I still had enough time to make it to Busch Gardens for a few night rides.

 

Would I return to Legoland? Probably not the Florida one. It was a nice, well-themed park that allowed me to relive my childhood and I was glad to have finally popped my Legoland virginity. But when I compare it to Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, or Busch Gardens, it’s simply outclassed. For kids, this is one of the best parks in the world. But as a thrill seeker, I’m just not their target audience.

 

However, once that New York location opens, you’ll probably see me there shortly after opening. I think I can spare one trip to a regional park like Six Flags or Lake Compounce in favor of Legoland.

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When I visited Legoland FL for the first time in April of 2017, I can truly say I enjoyed myself! Even though geared toward kids, it's a place adults can have fun as well. I was busy from open to close, and I wasn't bored one bit! I hope to visit the one in CA this January if all works out. Great report!

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I really wanted to visit Volcano Bay, but the nightmare stories I've heard about Tapu Tapu had me delay it for a future trip. Krakatau looks like Wildebeast in a fake volcano and those trap door slides look like some of the most terrifying slides out there. How bad were the queues on your trip? In particular I remember hearing 4-5 hour Tapu Tapu times for Krakatau and I couldn't spend that long in a lazy river.

Sorry for the delayed response but it wasn't that bad overall although there were a couple of hiccups. I went on a Tuesday on the last week of August so the crowds were manageable. About a third of the slides were listed as "Ride it Now" all day, so there was no need to spend all that time in a lazy river. Two of the trap door slides were listed as "ride it now" most of the day, although there was about a 20 minute stand by wait in the line, so I think now for certain attractions if the projected wait is 15-20 min or less, they list them as ride it now.

 

The longest wait I waited for was Krakatau, it was listed as 60 min when I tapped my Tapu Tapu, so I decided to have lunch and walk around and take pictures and then when I was about 15 min away from my time, thunder in the distance was reported so everyone had to get out of the water. It poured like a monsoon for about 20-30 minutes and then it started to clear up again, but they had to wait for thunder to be out of a 5 mile radius before they let people in water again or start up waterslides again so it was another 30 min. About a third of the people left the park during the heavy rain so that was nice. My Tapu Tapu would list Krakatau as temporary closed during the storm and until it reopened. When I was able to enter the Krakatau line it was about 30 minutes until I was about to board and then the ride broke down. I decided to wait it out and the cast members in the station played a trivia game with the guests waiting to see which group would get to ride twice when it reopened. It was about another 30 minutes before they started testing the ride and then about five minutes after that the ride was ready to go. The ride was great and was a pretty decent length for a waterslide, but there were a couple of water slides that I ended up liking better at Volcano Bay.

 

The Ko' Okiri trap door slide (the straight down one) had about a 45 min wait time (which was accurate) when I was done with Krakatou (after 4:30 PM now) so I tapped into it, but once I was ready to go in its line it was a straight climb to the top and about a minute wait until it was time to go down. This waterslide was amazing and exilerating and my favorite one at Volcano Bay - it was only 7 seconds long but what a rush. Everything that was listed as "ride it now" (over half of the slides) after riding this (after 5:30 PM now with a 7 PM park close) was a walk on to the top of the waterslide including the other two trap door waterslides. I did Honu (blue dual wall raft slide) late in the day which listed a 20 min wait time, but moments after tapping it as I was walking away it listed 10 min, 5 min, and then "ready" on my Tapu Tapu so I headed back to Honu and went up to the top where after a couple of minutes I was boarded into a raft with a couple of others and it was a crazy fun ride - my second favorite after Ko' Okiri and better then Krakutau in my opinion which the other people on the raft agreed with me. I also tried the TeAwa Action River which is the faster paced lazy river and goes through the volcano and that was pretty good for a lazy river.

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I really wanted to visit Volcano Bay, but the nightmare stories I've heard about Tapu Tapu had me delay it for a future trip. Krakatau looks like Wildebeast in a fake volcano and those trap door slides look like some of the most terrifying slides out there. How bad were the queues on your trip? In particular I remember hearing 4-5 hour Tapu Tapu times for Krakatau and I couldn't spend that long in a lazy river.

Sorry for the delayed response but it wasn't that bad overall although there were a couple of hiccups. I went on a Tuesday on the last week of August so the crowds were manageable. About a third of the slides were listed as "Ride it Now" all day, so there was no need to spend all that time in a lazy river. Two of the trap door slides were listed as "ride it now" most of the day, although there was about a 20 minute stand by wait in the line, so I think now for certain attractions if the projected wait is 15-20 min or less, they list them as ride it now.

 

The longest wait I waited for was Krakatau, it was listed as 60 min when I tapped my Tapu Tapu, so I decided to have lunch and walk around and take pictures and then when I was about 15 min away from my time, thunder in the distance was reported so everyone had to get out of the water. It poured like a monsoon for about 20-30 minutes and then it started to clear up again, but they had to wait for thunder to be out of a 5 mile radius before they let people in water again or start up waterslides again so it was another 30 min. About a third of the people left the park during the heavy rain so that was nice. My Tapu Tapu would list Krakatau as temporary closed during the storm and until it reopened. When I was able to enter the Krakatau line it was about 30 minutes until I was about to board and then the ride broke down. I decided to wait it out and the cast members in the station played a trivia game with the guests waiting to see which group would get to ride twice when it reopened. It was about another 30 minutes before they started testing the ride and then about five minutes after that the ride was ready to go. The ride was great and was a pretty decent length for a waterslide, but there were a couple of water slides that I ended up liking better at Volcano Bay.

 

The Ko' Okiri trap door slide (the straight down one) had about a 45 min wait time (which was accurate) when I was done with Krakatou (after 4:30 PM now) so I tapped into it, but once I was ready to go in its line it was a straight climb to the top and about a minute wait until it was time to go down. This waterslide was amazing and exilerating and my favorite one at Volcano Bay - it was only 7 seconds long but what a rush. Everything that was listed as "ride it now" (over half of the slides) after riding this (after 5:30 PM now with a 7 PM park close) was a walk on to the top of the waterslide including the other two trap door waterslides. I did Honu (blue dual wall raft slide) late in the day which listed a 20 min wait time, but moments after tapping it as I was walking away it listed 10 min, 5 min, and then "ready" on my Tapu Tapu so I headed back to Honu and went up to the top where after a couple of minutes I was boarded into a raft with a couple of others and it was a crazy fun ride - my second favorite after Ko' Okiri and better then Krakutau in my opinion which the other people on the raft agreed with me. I also tried the TeAwa Action River which is the faster paced lazy river and goes through the volcano and that was pretty good for a lazy river.

 

Thanks for the detailed reply! How did Krakatau compare to the other master blaster slides you've ridden since that's my top reason for wanting to visit? It's a bummer it went down a few times for different things, but at least the tapped wasn't the insanity of opening weekend for you.

 

It sounds like I maybe would have been ok visiting in late November when the "cooler" temperatures scared people from the water rides and Aquatica. 80 degrees still sounds perfectly fine for a water park to me.

 

Just read the fun spot reports... great stuff. And thanks for the laughs!

 

Thanks, my pleasure!

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^ Thanks! I'm glad I visited and with how often I visit Orlando, I decided to finally cross Legoland off my bucket list.

 

I feel the same way with the SoCal location though. There's no way I could justify a day at that one over SFMM, Disneyland, Knott's, SeaWorld, or Universal (the latter I've never even been to) since I haven't been out that way nearly as often.

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