jcgoble3

I love that sign!

Mrs. No Chickens can't post here at the moment, but she just told me on Facebook that they don't care as long as it's not fast food. I told her that the leading options were LongHorn and O'Charley's, and she said either is fine.

After looking at the menu, I would be good with O'Charley's also. EDIT: I poked Gator and Mrs. No Chickens on Facebook with messages to check this thread and add their input.

...thus explaining why I am slowly feeling less and less interested in thrill rides and am beginning to get drawn more to the smaller rides. The ONLY thing at KI that still gives me an adrenaline rush is Xtreme Skyflyer. Even Drop Tower is beginning to become boring to me.

I'd suggest LongHorn; different people may want different things, but usually everyone can find something interesting at a steakhouse. Perkins is IMO overpriced for what you get, and has been for a long time. Friday's has very little on the menu that I care for, and I've never been in an O'Charley's. And I don't want pizza.

Right now, the weather forecast looks like it's going to put the kibosh on my plans to do some photography downtown. I sure as hell ain't walking across the Ohio River in a thunderstorm. So I'm probably just going to drive down that evening for dinner and the escape room challenge.

While there have been a few removals and additions, the list of options seems to overall be similar to last year's list. I wouldn't say that it "has been cut quite a bit". This page lists all of the options, but from my understanding is still a work in progress. Of note is that we don't yet know how the dining plan will work at the Reds Grille, which is listed under "where can I eat" but not yet under "what meals are available". Last year there was a discount ($12 each) for buying four or more simultaneously. However, I haven't seen a similar discount advertised this year. As for value... let's do the math for one adult. Two meals per day at ~$10 per meal is $20 per day. The dining plan is $100 (not exactly, but close enough for a rough calculation). $100 divided by $20 is 5. So in just five visits, the dining plan has paid for itself, and everything beyond that is pure savings. As for the kids, it depends on their age. If they're old enough to be able to eat the majority of a normal adult meal, then the same calculation applies. If you're more likely to order kid-size items for them, then don't buy the plan for them as the plan only includes adult-size meals. But in that case you can still get the plan for the adults.

...unless you were born on February 29.

And I do believe our own MDMC01 is in that video somewhere.

http://m.clickorlando.com/news/universal-using-metal-detector-for-roller-coaster-passengers/32005548 The comments on GOCC's Facebook post about this are largely against it. A couple of those comments are saying that ride operators on Incredible Hulk and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit have recently been VERY aggressive with enforcing a rule that ALL of your pockets must be COMPLETELY empty, even pockets secured by a zipper. I'm all for finding way to reduce the chances of loose articles flying around, but Universal has gone too far. When I cannot even carry my phone in a zipper pocket through a two-hour line, that tends to turn me off from visiting Universal again.

Great report so far! Keep it coming! This is freaking awesome.

Nope. I do it too.

Nutrition, shmutrition. I like my Panda Express no matter what. And when I get it, it is often the only significant meal of the day, so those high numbers aren't nearly as bad as they would be if I were combining it with two additional meals that day.

Well, I'm far more likely to get that reaction from Gold Star, and a three-entree plate at Panda Express fills me up enough for it to be the only meal of the day. So I guess I'm, uh, built differently, then?

^ I don't know what kind of appetite you have, but Panda Express qualifies as "substantial" for me.

Ryan, you missed a question:

^ That looks cool, but I'd much rather have it outdoors where you can get a good view from the top.

I'd prefer Panda Express or Gold Star Chili, as neither are ones that I can get close to home. And of those two, Panda Express would be less likely to give me a sudden urge to poop five minutes after I get locked in the room. (Speaking of which, is there a restroom in the game room?)

That was my first thought too, but I didn't know for sure if they were real or fake.

Welcome to KIC! More than any other day, the weather plays a huge role in determining crowd sizes on opening day. In mid-April in Ohio, the weather could be any combination of rain, snow, sleet, dry, 40°F, 80°F, sunny, cloudy, calm, and/or windy. And none of those are mutually exclusive. I suggest holding off on purchasing Fast Lane until the week of Opening Day when we can actually see what the weather will be like. And if there's precipitation of any kind or temperatures below around 60°F in the forecast, wait until you actually get to the park and see what the crowds are like. Fast Lane rarely sells out.

Two words: Cargo shorts. Preferably with zipper pockets, or failing that, buttons. I don't trust snaps or Velcro. If you have someone in your family who knows how to use a sewing machine, they can take a pair of cargo shorts without zippers and convert the pockets into zipper closures. Oh, and fanny packs are not allowed on Banshee. Another reason to switch to cargo shorts. There don't offer Cargo shorts for girls ( never have seen them). I wear the pack under my shirt and they cant see it. Yes, they do offer them for females. And just because they can't see it doesn't change the fact that you are violating posted signage, which is a misdemeanor under the Ohio Revised Code.

Two words: Cargo shorts. Preferably with zipper pockets, or failing that, buttons. I don't trust snaps or Velcro. If you have someone in your family who knows how to use a sewing machine, they can take a pair of cargo shorts without zippers and convert the pockets into zipper closures. Oh, and fanny packs are not allowed on Banshee. Another reason to switch to cargo shorts.

^ The park will not page guests over the PA system. Most amusement parks have the same policy.

Details have been released on the First Flight Auction, to benefit Give Kids the World: http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2015/03/23/rides-thunderbird-first/

The eBay listing has been removed. No indication on whether the seller took it down voluntarily, or if eBay took it down over concerns about whether it was legitimate. eBay has been known to take down questionable auctions and then allow them to be relisted after verifying that the seller actually possesses the item and has the right to sell it.