Delirium_Guy

It really is starting to look amazing and its going together very, very quickly now. When I was at IOA with Ryan two weeks ago, I was floored by the progress that had been made since my visit just a week before he came down. Rumors are starting to circulate that the first phase of the project could be opening in January.....which by all accounts would be the area surrounding Dueling Dragons. I am impressed that they have kept Dragons open. The Castle queue line is ENTIRELY closed off and has been for quite sometime....you enter via the exit (which is still serving as the exit as well). Its an absolute mess and I hope that they have a different plan for the huge Christmas crowds, but at least the ride has remained open for its change over. - Todd

Exactly, can't judge until we ride. With that said, typically, Intamin's surprise me with the places that provide airtime. I absolutely love Maverick with the mix of air and the quick turns. Another great example, the former Superman at SFNE has some extreme air in the most unexpected places. I think Intimidator has potential to be a huge surprise, of course it can also go the other way. For me, Diamondback is incredibly dull. I've ridden the front, the back, the middle, I just haven't had a ride that really impressed me. Wish it did, really, but the B&M Hyper's just don't do it for me....the only one that comes close is Goliath at SFoG. - Todd

Looks like they are working late into the night to get this thing topped off.... http://twitpic.com/qlbo4 Sigh....if only Diamondback would have been Intamin instead of a B&M..... - Todd

I can tell you the bulk of the decreases aren't coming from the Orlando market.....so say what you will about the price increase. While I'm not happy that any of the Parks here raised ticket prices yet again, there are still ample discounts and packaging options that make them relatively cheap to visit. Add to that, in park prices really haven't increased all that much.....so my visits IN the park are still far cheaper than at KI. Perhaps if they raised the food to outrageous prices and served poor quality, cheaper products at the same time, that would offset the loss of revenue.....cause obviously THAT has helped Cedar Fair oh so much ;-)

Oh my, lets not get started on Muppet Vision at Studios! Anyway, regardless of whether its putting lipstick on a pig....it sure makes one HELL of a difference in the experience that guests get and thats what ultimately counts. :-) - Todd

I am glad to I see that I am not the only one who felt this way...I got off thinking "is that all it is"? It's a small world after all... I may actually agree with the statement that Flight of Fear is better IF....Flight of Fear ran like it used to. As it stands now, Flight of Fear is fairly dull itself. I don't particularly like hanging off the block brakes after coming to a complete stop.....which results in the what is usually an amazing ending just being kinda blah. If Rock 'n' Coaster were a stand alone ride, no theming or anything, it'd be very dull indeed. I tremendously enjoy the soundtrack though and I like the general theme behind the ride including all the signage and such in the show building itself. - Todd

Yeah, yeah, but I'm a good friend and rode anyway....I had my yearly ride. Maybe I'll be fortunate enough to skip out on riding next year . Glad you like Hollywood Studios, Terpy. Beautiful park, but I don't go for the attractions....I've seen the shows all too many times at this point. We mostly stay on Sunset Blvd these days....Coaster, Tower and Fantasmic make a fabulous trio for an evening at the Park. - Todd

Jesse, by all means hit me up when you come to town! I'd love to hit some of the parks with you. I forget, did you and your family do Discovery Cove already? If not, make sure its on your list and make sure you get with me before you book your reservations :-) To answer your question, I originally started at SeaWorld in merchandise. I recently got a promotion and because of said promotion, I was moved over to Discovery Cove in merch as well. I am there permanent, I don't float between Parks unless a situation arises where another area would need help. From time to time, it seems every few years, they do shake the management (not directors and such) up and rotate managers to different areas. Its a bit different, however, with Aquatica and Discovery Cove as the merchandise managers at the two parks also act as buyers. Obviously, because of that, they are more in tune with the specific needs of these parks. My manager, for example, has been at DC for 3 years now, its not real likely that she'll be moving back to SeaWorld anytime soon. About Aquatica, all that is being said is Spring 2010. Before the InBev buyout, there was a fairly impressive second phase supposedly planned but was put on the backburner when the buyout happened. At this point, it looks as though its just a new slide going in for now....it will actually load from the same tower that houses Whanau Way (the tube slides over by the wave pool). The platform was pre-installed on the structure already and the current slides will only operate on Friday-Sunday each week. I'd imagine that details will be released relatively soon as construction will be well underway soon.

Hey Avatar, the twitter code of "Todd" will be good anytime you head to Orlando if I can work things out Yeah, SeaWorld has changed a tremendous amount since the early nineties. The Manta area is beautifully done, even the Kraken and JTA plazas are very nice as well. Of course, several years back they also created The Waterfront At SeaWorld, which is a beautiful area right by the lake that encompasses the Sky Tower as well. Rest assured that the future is bright for the BEC's Orlando Parks, already there are a handful of projects coming down the pipe in 2010 that will continue to give the other areas of the Park some attention as well in addition to Aquatica's expansion project coming in the spring. - Todd

The one thing I liked about WDW's Space Mountain was being able to see the Rockets up above zooming along. The new loading area does look nice though. Sadly, what I hoped for more than anything obviously didnt happen....onboard audio. Its amazing just how much that can change a ride experience....please see Disneyland's Space Mountain. For as long as the ride has been closed, I feel like the ball was dropped with this rehab. - Todd

A-MAZING :-) That's just one of many random acts that we were witness to at Food & Wine 2009 haha. No, seriously though, I am extrememley happy that you enjoyed Epcot as much as you did and definitely glad we made it over there for a second evening of strolling around World Showcase! Epcot is probably my absolute favorite park, even though it really lacks in any time of major major thrill department. It is the one park here in Florida that I never need a break from or never complain about going to. As Ryan got to experience, it's really just a great place to go hang out for the evening.....and Illuminations NEVER grows old for me. - Todd

I definitely love hitting the parks with first timers and it doesn't happen all that often. I love watching their reactions to certain attractions for the first time, the atmosphere in the parks, everything. To be honest, it gets me excited about the parks all over again. Visiting these parks as frequently as I do with my friends, we tend to be very routine and hit the same things each visit. Its always nice to go back and revisit things that I haven't experience in a while. Today was the first time that I've taken the time to see the shows at SeaWorld in a long time (and for those that do no know, I do work for SeaWorld Orlando). It was an absolute pleasure for me to not only see Ryan's reaction to the shows and experiences but also those of the guests. I'll let Ryan sum it up in his trip report, but needless to say SeaWorld was a very, very pleasant surprise for him. For those that asked, here is proof that Ryan is INDEED in Orlando.....enjoying the beautiful Manta Aquarium first hand - Todd

Yes it can and I don't think either one of us need that LOL! Besides, I let him see the Small World rejects that call their home the Grand Fiesta Tour over in Mexico at Epcot NO hate towards Grand Fiesta, I promise, I love me some Donald Duck....just saying though about the Small World-esq characters. - Todd

There will be no Small World this visit, thank you very much. Just not enough time to endure the pain and suffering, sorry Ryan! :-) Had an awesome first night though and went through every attraction in Epcot this evening....including a spin through Innoventions. I definitely enjoyed seeing Ryan's reaction to Spaceship Earth upon walking into Epcot though haha! - Todd

You must have been fortunate enough to get one of TWO trains that actually are running smootly :-) I'm happy for you! Unfortunately, my two rides (and if they were my ONLY two rides I'd be OK with that) were incredibly rough and left me with a pounding headache after. With that said, I give them mad credit for the song selections and all the hidden tracks. The music is so perfectly timed with the elements of the coaster. I definitely enjoy that aspect of the ride. Oh, one of these days, perhaps I'll get that smooth ride. I don't want to derail the thread about the flaws and issues that are currently plaguing HRRR. I still haven't hit Sum of All Thrills, however I'm heading to Epcot first thing tomorrow morning to give it a try. - Todd

Not even close. Sum of All Thrills is basically a simulator attached to a Kuka Robotic arm. Guests are able to design their own experience. This new section of Innoventions is themed as a high tech lab with a heavy emphasis on math and physics. From what I've seen and been told, its actually a pretty neat experience. I'm planning to go check it out this evening or tomorrow hopefully. MouseSteps has some pictures posted now http://www.mousesteps.com/index.php?option...3&Itemid=65 Rip Ride Rockit is a fairly dull & lame coaster experience only highlighted by the great onboard audio & song selection :-) - Todd....eeek 194 pph at Epcot?! Ouch!

To be perfectly honest, I wish people would stop speculating that its going to happen this day and then this day and then this day. The media is getting quite annoying as every morning when I drive into work their vans are bombarding the entrances to the Parks. Of course the day of our monthly Communication meeting, which people just assumed was going to be something huge, they had numerous helicopters flying over SWO, AQ and DC. Really. Ugh. It'll be announced when there is something there is something ready to be announced. - Todd

They apparently already think they can get away with outlandish prices on poor quality food. It still amazes me that I eat cheaper at ALL the Orlando parks than at Kings Island...better yet I even actually ENJOY my food, crazy I know! I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner, to be honest, as some other in park prices have quietly inched up a tad. - Todd

I'm glad you mentioned Small Word actually, because I totally forgot! Even it is superior in California. The more recent renovations to include Disney characters in it was fairly well done. The only objectionable one was Woody, Jessie and Bullseye which actually have an entire scene dedicated to them now. It clashes badly, but otherwise the rest of the characters were pretty well done with placement. Anyway, yes Disneyland really IS that much better than Magic Kingdom. Its a no brainer that Orlando is the better resort, but Disneyland Park is just a true gem and a bold statement as to what Disney really originated as! Gad198, lines at SFMM were crazy....I was there on a Saturday afterall. Of the coasters I rode, Viper and Revolution were walk ons. X2, Tatsu, Deja Vu, Terminator, Goliath all had full queues and Scream was bout half full. Thats all I had time for. I did buy a Gold Flash Pass, which was my saving grace. Well worth the money, but be warned about something.....no Flash Pass includes X2 or Terminator! You have to pay an ADDITIONAL $10 for EACH ride.....so $20 will let you skip the line ONCE for each. That aside, the Gold Flash Pass practically allowed me to walk on the others. I only paid for my X2 ride, I had no idea the Park was as busy as it was and thought Terminator wouldnt be too bad....I ended up waiting an hour which ate a good chunk of my time up!

What do I do on my two days off during the week, why fly to California of course! A good friend of mine was spending 4 or 5 days in Southern California for her birthday. I was unable to get the entire amount of time off due to conflicts at work, but I did manage to make it out for a few days. Flew out late on Thursday, spent Friday at Disneyland, spent part of Saturday at California Adventure with a side trip to SFMM before flying out of LAX at 11PM that night Exhausting? Yes! Worth it? Absolutely!! I don't have time to do a real long report, so just some highlights: * Disneyland Park always has and always will BLOW Florida's Magic Kingdom right out of the water. So much charm packed in. They also have a considerably larger number of attractions in the park including Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchios Daring Journey, Roger Rabbits Cartoon Spin, the AMAZING Indiana Jones attraction and many others. * Disneyland pulled out the stops for Halloween this year with the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay at Haunted Mansion, Ghost Galaxy has taken over Space Mountain and for the first time they are offering up Halloween Time Fireworks that are hosted by Jack Skellington * Ghost Galaxy = AWESOME. Its amazing how a new soundtrack and some crazy creep projections can totally change the ride. The effects are seemless, with the phantom ghost following your train essentially through the entire attraction. In particular, I loved seeing him drifting across the top of the building and following as the train slowly climbs the last two lift hills to the top. There are a few really GOOD scare moments, actually SCARY moments! The best of which is the final turn in station, not one train load of riders would return without screaming....including myself and my group. It was more startling than anything I have encountered at HHN this year. I also forgot just how much better this version of Space Mountain really is than the one here in Orlando. * Haunted Mansion Holiday. WOW. Disneyland has done this for sometime now, but I had no idea that they bascially re-do the entire attraction to bring Jack Skellington and his crew to life in the Mansion. Incredible! Loved the pre-show room. The Ballroom scene was spectacular. The final graveyard scene was breathtaking, with so many props and added effects that you'd never know what it was like in original form. I could only DREAM that someday the folks in Orlando will bring this amazing overlay to our Mansion. * Halloween Time Fireworks - hands down the best Disney fireworks show I've seen. Great soundtrack. Zero flies back and forth through the air. There is a huge floating orb that rises behind the castle, on which Jack Skellington's face is projected. With the show focusing on Disney Villains, they too make their appearances through the show. Add in the killer flame throwers on each side of the castle. Kudos to Disneyland! * Indiana Jones still owns everything. Incredibly detailed attraction, all effects working, action packed ride from beginning to end! * Fantastmic kills Hollywood Studios version. I prefer the in-park setting of this to the amphitheater style in Florida. Also, Disneyland recently debuted the new Malificent Dragon which was absolutely stunning. Amazing how out of nowhere a 50 foot animatronic dragon appears! * California Adventure.....well now i know why so much money is being invested. Doesn't feel like Disney at all. No charm, no personality and a serious lack of quality attractions. Tower was great, provides a better ride than the one in Florida however the original is still the best! California Screamin' was a fun ride, nice launch and a couple of great pops of air. I bolted out of the Park after this ride. SFMM * X2 is the first coaster that has actually ever freaked me out. The first drop and raven turn combo are, perhaps, the most insane moments on any coaster that I've ridden. While the first half of the ride was amazing, the last half was incredibly painful. It caught me off guard. Quite honestly, I think I'll be surprised to see this ride last as long as say its neighbor, Viper. I can certainly see where maintanance costs could become or already are quite an expense. Not sure what could be done about smoothing out the ride, but it was rough enough that would make me really have to think about taking a second spin. * Tatsu really is breathtaking. I do like it better than Manta. It isn't so much more intense, with the exception of that HUGE Pretzel Loop, but its the visuals of soaring high above the mountain that makes the ride. * Terminator is a solid ride, not QUITE Top Ten and I don't like it as well as Evil Knievel, but what a fantastic addition! I enjoyed the theming and preshow rooms, though they'd be annoying after a while for those that want to re-ride. I also enjoyed how the operator in the station was in character and would yell INCOMING as the train went flying through the station overhead. The soundtrack was a nice touch and the tunnels were a nice effect, filled with cold mist. Great, great ride!! * Thanks to my Flash Pass, I completed my trio of Deja Vu credits. This version seemed to be operating without hitch. I rode the frontseat for the first time. The lift hill was unnerving, LOVED it :-) Ride itself was glass smooth, really really enjoyed! * Scream - Please see Medusa at SFGAd. Not that that is a bad thing, but seeing as I've ridden Medusa many times, Scream was nothing to write home about. * Goliath was a huge surprise for me. First drop, while not the steepest, was awesome! Great float ALL the way down and the drop seemed as though it lasted forever! The big speed hill mid ride was awesome too, with a great sustained float all the way over it. The second half was intense, I grayed out several times. While the ride was a blast, with a shorter track length it just seems like its potential was incredibly wasted. My visit to SFMM was brief, but great. Park was clean, employees were nice, operations were efficient.....just like all my other Six Flags visits this season. That makes me happy, it seems like they have learned lessons at last. Hope the future stays bright for them, I've had some great visits this season. SFMM was much improved since my last visit! Looking forward to going back and spending some more time out there. - Todd

I was just at SFMM this past Saturday, every attraction in the Park was operating and at full capacity with the exception of X. Given that Fright Fest is still going on at that point, I'd say you will be safe that all major attractions will be operating, but as Terpy suggests you can always call before going. I'd recommend definitely visiting though. My visit was brief on Saturday, just a few hours, but I had some amazing rides. Terminator is fantastic!!! - Todd

I'm gonna be missing opening weekend of HHN, but have my Frequent Fear pass ready to go :-) This weekend I'll be checking out the great Halloween goodies that Disneyland is offering, looking forward to Ghost Galaxy. HHN is looking promising this year, but I'm more interested in seeing Howl-o-Scream....I've talked to many people who actually prefer it to HHN! Either way, much fun awaits in Orlando over the next month. Avatar, have you done Food and Wine at Epcot?

That is certainly the rumor. We were due to have our monthly Communications Meeting today actually, it was suddently postponed with no new date announced. It has raised eye brows that something is definitely in the works. Mix that in with Blackstone officials touring the parks, being in Orlando and Tampa quite frequently over the past few weeks. It'll be interesting to watch things unfold in what would seem to be the very near future.

You answered yourself. Cedar Point IS a resort, it has a well respected reputation. People are coming regardless of Shoot-the-Rapids being built or not. I used to hit CP far more than KI when I lived in Cincinnati, northern climate or not, I saw plenty of days where both Thunder Canyon and Snake River Falls had full queues! So more capacity in the water department is not a bad thing at all! For God's sake, they have 17 coasters! I'm happy to see something different going in, I personally think its a great addition. Pilgrim's Plunge certainly seemed to get a VERY good guest response, I'm sure Shoot-the-Rapids will be the same. - Todd

First of all, here are some pictures that I took for those that prefer a more visual TR type experience http://www.flickr.com/photos/42121481@N04/sets/ At the end of July, Busch Gardens Williamsburg made their announcement that Big Bad Wolf would be taking its final rides in September. I knew I had to make it up there to say goodbye. So a game plan was set in motion, but realizing that I'd be shooting up I-95 and that Myrtle Beach wasn't THAT far outta my way I decided that I'd finally make the trip over to the former Hard Rock Park....now known to us as Freestyle Music Park. I will admit, I've never understood this Park since its inception. I still believe that the location is all wrong and that the Park should have been built somewhere else. I questioned the lack of attractions that it was to open with initially. Then seeing the suffering attendance last summer, it seemed all suspicions were confirmed. Unfortunately, I was never able to make it up to visit while it was Hard Rock Park, but I was very glad to have the opportunity to visit Freestyle. I pulled in the parking lot around 130PM, after nearly missing the Park on the way in. There are NO signs along Highway 501 stating where to exit. If it weren't for the fact that I saw Time Machine off to the right, I would have driven on by. Perhaps this is an issue that should be resolved soon? The first thing I notice is that the neighborhood, to me anyway, is somewhat shady. To be honest, I reminds me very much of Kentucky Kingdom. The Park itself is surrounded on all sides by less than desireable houses and such. Getting to the parking lot itself was a feat as any signage directing you there was incredibly small and difficult to read. Again, perhaps this too is part of the problem. Parking was $7 and I pulled into a decently filled lot, to my surprise. Freestyle is running a great promotion, Buy One Get One Free for $19.99. Getting my ticket, I found myself inside the Park very quickly. The ticket plaza and front gate area I think was very nice. On the left a huge merchandise location takes up pretty much the entire left side. Being a merch guy at SeaWorld, I was very impressed. There wasn't a lot of Freestyle merchandise, mostly all rock merchandise that I'd assume was left from last season's abrupt end....Led Zeppelin, Beatles, and so on. There was a restaurant on the right, but to be honest I didn't pay attention to the prices or what was being served. I soon found myself at a crossroads, seeing the iconic guitar standing tall in the middle of the lake. I went to the left, heading towards Time Machine first. Along the way, I passed the family water play area, complete with the huge tipping bucket of course! Was very popular and very crowded. The first thing I noticed was a lack of shade to be found in the park. Given the price tag that was supposedly dropped to build the Park, I would have thought that shade would have been included. Not the case. After a short walk, I found myself at the entrance to Time Machine, formerly Led Zeppelin: The Ride. The queue house is very large, with the outside now dawning symbols for the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s along the top. Beneath each symbol, all the way to the ground, are various album covers from said decade. It looked nice. The queue house itself was very large, indicative that they anticipated much larger crowds when they built the park. After zig zagging my way through, I was to the loading area....which was very weird. To put it simply, there are 5 different loading doors....again each sporting either 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s or 00s. Depending on the door you are lined up at, decides the soundtrack you will get on the ride. Behind each door are squares to fill the train. So essentially they are able to pre-load 5 trains at one time. Given the fact that only one train was in operation, my wait times ranged from super short to close to 30 minutes. My first ride was 60s my second ride was 00s. Both fun soundtracks. Anyway, the doors open and you walk into the station to your corresponding number. Let me start by saying that I had no expectations for this ride. I hadn't heard anything all that glowing about it, I expected the norm from B&M now....forceless and uneventful. The ride begins with a steep lift, very similiar to that found on Diamondback, which always is fun to me for some reason Surprise #1, FANTASTIC airtime on the STEEP first drop in the back seat! Wow! The train speeds around the first tall vertical loop then heads into Surprise #2....a relatively forceful Cobra Roll. I was pleasantly surprised to find that "snap" through both inversions of it! Next up, zero-g roll which is by far the worse that they've come up with. Its a steep climb up to it, so the train loses a lot of speed. You just kinda get tossed lightly over it. With that said, due to the slow speed.....the forces that you do get are just wonky and actually are kinda fun! So not that bad. A second vertical loop ensues followed by a upward helix and dive up into the block brake. The brakes kick in somewhat hard at this point. The second half of the ride isn't as eventful as the first. A downward spiral out of the block brake is slow to pick up speed until the train suddenly dips down steeply into the flat spin. The ride finishes with an upward helix to hit the final brakes. The ride was a VERY pleasant and VERY VERY fun ride! Dare I say, I actually prefer it to Hulk. The onboard audio is GREAT, speakers were loud....so loud you could hear the soundtrack from the ground as the train passed by. Next up I headed across the pond to what used to be the British Invasion area of the Park. While not specifically named anymore, its now filled with the sound of a lot of 80s music.....bad ass. First up was Roundabout, formerly Max RPM. This ride has intrigued me since they announced it, with the Ferris Wheel lift and all. A short 10 minute wait, thanks to them running 6 cars, and I was onboard. My first observation, the cars are essentially individual old Son of Beast cars....shocking since the ride is from Premier. They are 3 bench with the same god awful and cramped restraint system. Its not so much of an issue on Roundabout as its smooth and not the torture device we call SOB. The Ferris Wheel lift was unique, definitely. Things are very precise with it as any deviation near the locking points shut the ride down, which I witnessed a few times. The first drop is STEEP and fun, the rest of the ride was very short but I wasn't caring as I was singing along to Come On Eileen :-) Fun little ride. I could see it off in the distance, I heard horriffic things about, it was now time to check out the darkride Monstars of Rock. I'm willing to excuse the mess, the Park had just a few short months to do ANYTHING with the ride and to remove the Nights In White Satin theme. Wow though. Just wow. There are worse dark rides than KI's very own Scooby Doo. The rooms that housed the scenes in Nights In White Satin are VERY big, with tall open ceilings. Essentially some cardboard cutouts were thrown in, a customized soundtrack added and thats about it. Hopefully they do a bit more over the offseason. Wow. Next up, Iron Horse which as formerly Eagles: Life In The Fastlane. It now sports the soundtrack of Devil Went Down To Georgia. Built by Vekoma, its a very fun ride. The first half is pretty mild, but a second and taller lift hill leads to a pretty fun second half. No padding in the trains made it somewhat uncomfortable to ride but nothing too objectionable. The ending is hella cool with the fire guy After Iron Horse, I checked out Soaked! This was the suspended water coaster from Premier, similiar to defunct Super Saturator at Carowinds. Fun ride, I didn't get all that soaked as there weren't many bystanders below shooting the cannons at my car! I also took a spin on the Vekoma Roller Skater, I believe they call it Hang Ten. At this point, I had made my way all the way around the loop. Lets see. The park is NICE, very nice. It was well thought out and designed. Theming I felt was very well done, not Disney or Universal quality persay, but nicely done. It was all very cohesive with the areas that were originally planned out in the Park and you can tell the stories all worked. I'll give Freestyle credit for maintaning that. Given the short period of time they had to open the Park, 3 months after they purchased it, they really seamlessly made the theme changes that they needed to without ruining any of the experiences. While there weren't a ton of attractions in the Park, I didn't find myself bored. The atmosphere was just a lot of fun, made mostly in part to the music I really believe. I really thought I was only going to need an hour to go in, ride the coasters and get out. I ended up spending 3 hours and really wanted to stay longer, if it weren't for the fact that I had to finish the drive to Williamsburg. They have a GREAT product there, truly. There was a decent crowd, even though they are giving away the gate. I suppose at this point they just need PEOPLE in the park to experience what they hve to offer. Word of mouth goes along way, as anyone knows. People seemed to really be enjoying the Park and the rides. Marketing still seems to be an issue. On my 70 mile drive from I-95 to Myrtle Beach, I saw ZERO billboards for the Park. I only found one right outside the Park on 501. I wish them the best, I know that it is definitely on my list to revisit next season. I had a great time there, its a fantastic little park that has a lot of potential! - Todd