Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Discuss theme parks, roller coasters, and donkeys!
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Erik & Smisty & TPR do Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland 1 2 3 4
Part 28: Big Finnish- 88 replies
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Photo TR: A day in the West-Flemish Amazon Jungle - Bellewaerde 28/4/2025
Tripreport with photos from Bellewaerde- 1 reply
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Coaster pants
Coaster pants- 2 replies
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World's Longest Coaster
who has the actual record- 9 replies
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Bert gets his Viking on with the TPR 2023 Scandi Tour (no Pillaging, but some Humping occured) 1 2 3 4 5
Day 21, now updated: Travel day to Tampere, Finland, and sightseeing (tomorrow we'd be going to Särkänniemi)- 109 replies
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Universal Orlando Resort (USO, IOA) Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 624
P. 624: Super Nintendo World unveiled!- 15.6k replies
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Silver Dollar City (SDC) Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 275
p. 274: New Fire in the Hole announced for 2024!- 6.9k replies
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Photo TR: Adam's 2023 Las Vegas Adventure
P. 1: Golden Tiki and Area 15- 1 reply
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Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 148
p. 148 - Magic Kingdom Destination D23 news roundup!- 3.7k replies
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Walt Disney World Epcot Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 119
P. 119: Test Track closure announced, new concept art released!- 3k replies
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Disneyland Paris (DLP) Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 54
p. 54 - Walt Disney Studios Park to become Disney Adventure World!- 1.3k replies
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Busch Gardens Williamsburg (BGW BGE) Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 467
P. 467: Loch Ness Monster Update Tour- 11.7k replies
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Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (BGT Discussion Thread) 1 2 3 4 377
p. 375: Phoenix Rising family inverted coaster announced for 2024!- 9.4k replies
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SeaWorld San Diego (SWSD) Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 61
p. 61: Jewels of the Sea Jellyfish Experience coming in 2024!- 1.5k replies
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Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 201
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Six Flags [FUN] Corporate Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 96
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Are US Las Vegas and possibly Disney monorails in danger of disappearing in the next 10 years?
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The Knott's Berry Farm (KBF) Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 652
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Dollywood Discussion Thread 1 2 3 4 797
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By BitterOldHag · Posted
^ You know it's funny because I saw the vibration of the trains in the videos, but I honestly didn't even notice. Both of my rides were on the blue train and I was assigned row 7 and then 9 (second from the back). You do feel a little bit of a shuffle, but the original Dragster had some shuffling as well, so I don't think you'll have anything to worry about. (Not sure how the other trains are though, so don't hold me to that!) As for the lockers, I'd actually suggest renting one over at Magnum's entrance and then heading over to TT2. There should be less of a cluster of people just milling around not knowing how to operate the lockers, and retrieving things should also be way easier as I thought the TT2 locker area was a congested mess... and I went on a slow day! -
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By BitterOldHag · Posted
Made a trip out to Waldameer on Saturday for Opening Day. Thunder River was closed for testing (a sign was posted stating it would be closed all weekend), the Flying Swings were down, and Chaos was suffering some sort of issue but was running early on. Aside from that, everything else in the dry park was operational. The main thing I noticed was the extensive amount of new wood on Ravine Flyer II. The entire turnaround on the opposite side of Peninsula Drive looked like it had new wood and there were other sections that appeared to be new as well. The result was the smoothest ride I have had on RFII in years, and it was never really a brutal ride to begin with. So kudos to Waldameer for their incredible upkeep of one of the best wooden coasters out there. It was so good it crawled back into my Top 5. Mr. Gorman was out and about making sure things were going smoothly. He even "assisted" me as I purchased my Wally Points for the day. Always nice to see a park president out mingling with the common folk! And speaking of Wally Points, I think the park added new kiosks over by the Scrambler and arcade for purchasing them. They looked like those slot machines with the big screens that are all the rage at casinos these days. Nice to see new technology being used as the older terminals (like the one Mr. Gorman assisted me with) are a bit confusing. Whacky Shack was in prime form with all of the stunts working. Again, props to Waldameer for maintaining this classic dark ride. I rode this first thing when I arrived and there were probably about a dozen people in line. Rode again immediately afterwards and the line had doubled. By the end of my third ride, the line had filled the entire first switchback. Nice to see the Shack is still loved by park goers! Rode the Music Express for the first time in several years and I forgot just how fast this ride is. While it seemed a bit bumpy, especially when running in reverse "turbo time" mode, the speed this thing travels at is pretty crazy. Rode the train, Giant Wheel and Sky Ride, took in the sights and just enjoyed my brief few hours at the park. The place looked good as usual, the employees I encountered seemed happy, and I look forward to seeing what the park has in store for 2025 (and beyond). -
By coasternut · Posted
^ I'll be there in a few weeks. I'm a little concerned that I've read it's rough in the last row. That's normally my go to row for most coasters. Did you experience that? Also this "locker thing" seems to be a mess. It seems like Steel Vengeance all over again from year one. What are your thoughts on this? I too have low expectations. -
By prozach626 · Posted
Sounds like every other season at SFSTL. -
... But - I gotta say.... Tornado your worst coaster? LOL I rode it back in '09 and '14 in the early TPR tours, and found it to be one of my all time faves in the tours! Slow speed lift or insanely speedy lift! When I knew it was coming I braced myself accordingly. And I actually dreamed of one of these being built in Playland(PNE), my home park... Anyway, sorry it's not one you enjoyed. TPR tour 2014 - Bakken park - where I ran into my folks, that trip. 😉 -
^ What he said. I always enjoy reading through what you've .....uh ......been through, on all your tour TRs! 👍
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I might be the only one who tends to comment sometimes. . but trust me, many read your reports. and I LOVE them. y'all are freaking hilarious, and I loved spending some time with you both. great pics. -
And so at last we come to the final update of the longest trip report I've ever written, about the longest vacation I've ever taken, to the farthest place I've ever gone, to experience the worst roller coaster I've ever ridden. (Tornado at Bakken.) But let us not dwell on the negative, but rather focus our attentions on the very best things we encountered on this amazing trip.... 28: Big Finnish Up with the sunrise to catch our flight. And this is Helsinki, so sunrise is probably earlier than you think. And back home to the little strip of land we share with 750,000 other people near the Pacific Ocean. Time to reflect. Sometimes Smisty and I agreed as to what was the best of a particular thing, and sometimes we didn't. For example: Erik's Park of the Trip - Gröna Lund I really struggled with this one. Yes, I rate Gröna Lund as my second favorite park (with Europa being #1) but Liseberg was just so good on this trip. What I ultimately decided was this: If I can count the Grand Curiousa Hotel as part of Liseberg, then Liseberg wins--and if I can't, then Gröna Lund wins. And since it seems weird to me to count a hotel as part of an amusement park for this purpose, well...Gröna Lund wins. Smisty's Park of the Trip - Power Park I get it. I rated this one quite highly as well, and I skipped the crazy flat rides that Smisty cited as being particular highlights of Power Park. She also mentioned the Devil's Mine Hotel dark ride that gave you a limited number of shots. Best Wooden Coaster - Rutschebanen at Tivoli Gardens According to RCDB, Rutschebanen's elements are: Tunnel, Cable Lift Hill, Tunnel, Tunnel, Tunnel, Tunnel, Tunnel, Tunnel. But I think that's selling it a bit short. There are a few drops. And, of course, a brakeman. Normally, I don't distinguish between wood and steel for purposes of judging rides against one another, but doing it this way kept Misty and I in agreement. Otherwise, my favorite coaster overall would be her second favorite, and vice versa. Which, come to think of it, wouldn't really have changed very much in terms of presentation here. Best Steel Coaster - Fønix at Fårup Sommerland For me, it's not even close. I have Lech as my #1, and this now at #3, with Mako sandwiched in-between them, but probably just because I subconsciously don't want two such similar rides right next to each other at the top of my list. It's like someone took an MRI of my effed-up body, sent it to Vekoma, and challenged them to design a ride that specifically I would enjoy. And they did it twice (at least). Oh yeah, and Smisty likes it also. Best Coaster Collection - Liseberg Is this here just to make me feel better about choosing Gröna Lund over Liseberg? Yeah, probably. But there's not a bad coaster in this park, even if Balder is a bit overrated. Best Dark Ride - The Flying Trunk A weird multi-level dark ride that travels through narrated Hans Christian Andersen stories? Yes, please. I wouldn't say that there were a lot of dark rides on this trip, but many of the ones that did exist were relatively strong. Best Dark Ride Collection - Linnanmäki Witches and clowns, man. Erik's Favorite Water Ride of the Trip - Ragnarok at Tusenfryd On a trip without a lot of good log flumes, a rapids ride sneaks in and pillages my watery heart! (Or something.) Smisty's Favorite Water Ride of the Trip - The Three Hour Buffet Ferry Ride from Denmark to Norway Smisty, I don't think you're taking this very seriously. I was thinking more like an actual ride at a park. Maybe the log flume at Liseberg? No? *sigh* Fine. Erik's Favorite Walk-Through: Lustiga Huset at Gröna Lund I may be old and overweight, but I'm pretty sure-footed, and I love a good fun house. And this is the goodest. Smisty's Favorite Walk-Through: Gasten Ghost Hotel at Liseberg I'd love to show you a picture of it, especially the awesome flooded room--but photos are not allowed inside. So, instead, here's a picture of Smisty's favorite dessert of trip, Strawberry Shortcake Cake at Power Park's Road House. Erik's Favorite Flat Ride - Lake Carousel at Särkänniemi Yes, it's a Schwarzkopf. Yes, it's also very much a family ride. But it's just so gentle and fun! They don't make them like this anymore, but they should. Smisty's Favorite Flat Ride - Aquila at Tivoli Gardens A nicely themed Zamperla Air Race on top of a building. What more could a Smisty want? Transportation/Observation Ride of the Trip - Safari at Kolmården Zoo When I told Smisty first draft nominee for this category, her response was, "That's it?" So then I threw in Särkänniemi's observation tower and Linnanmäki 's monorail to pad it out. But, really, what other possibility could there be besides this? Erik's Best Park Food/Restaurant - Spökbaren Gasten at Liseberg While food was perhaps not on balance as good as on our two previous European trips, there were some highlights. Such as the Danish Smørrebrød, or Liseberg's haunted pub. Of course, part of this choice is the atmosphere. After all, everyone knows that food tastes better when you're scared. Smisty's Best Park Food/Restaurant - The Disgusting Food Museum in Malmö, Sweden Smisty, you're making a mockery of this whole idea. This isn't even at a park and the whole point of the place is that the food is bad. Why do you hate me?? Erik's Best Non-Park Thing - The Paternoster Elevator What more can I say? Except that Smisty knew full well this was a category when she named a place that serves "three penis wine" as her favorite restaurant, and a buffet as her favorite water ride! Smisty's Best Non-Park Thing - Tropicario (or, as we call it, the Snake Zoo) Oh, I get it. By calling the Disgusting Food Museum your favorite restaurant, you got to mention both that and this. Cheater! Fine! I'm changing my favorite wooden roller coaster to the ARoS Aarhus Art Museum! How do you like those apples?! She likes those apples fine. I'd like to thank the following weirdos: Myself, for writing this trip report and taking most of the photos. Smisty, for proofreading it and being the B-camera. Bert, for being the only one who reads it. Goodballs, for being our pal. Elissa, for organizing the trip and herding the cats. Robb, for hating mango lassi. Peter Ellis, for inventing the Paternoster Elevator. And Hans Christian Andersen, without whom, we would be left with a dark ride themed to Mads Mikkelsen. Actually, that sounds kind of awesome. Goodbye forever! -
The park has many weaknesses. #1: Its competitors (such as Holiday World and Kings Island) have more room to expand, while Kentucky Kingdom's size if it uses all the land for expansion, would be around 80 acres, far smaller than those two other parks. #2: Height restrictions, given its proximity to the airport, restrict KK from ever building attractions taller than 150 feet (which, as far as I'm aware, is the max height they're allowed to build), which limits the park if they ever plan/want to compete by building new thrill rides as they did during the 1990s. #3: (This is a minor one, but no one I've seen really talks about it as a negative) The park layout is terrible. The road cutting the park in half, King Louies Playland being in the middle of the front half of the park, and Hurricane Bay being in the middle of the second half of the park make KK unnecessarily difficult to navigate (especially when compared to Kings Island, for example). The back half specifically feels dead in most places, such as the area between Thunder Run and Taco Tequila, which is connected by a long, narrow path, with only one attraction (Raging River Rapids Ride) and almost nothing going on back there. #4: KK, despite its best efforts, has so far struggled to make a profit. When Hart reopened the park in 2014, he believed that KK in the 2010s could have 1.2 million visitors in a season, which were the same attendance numbers from the '97 season. These days, Kentucky Kingdom gets around 700k visitors per season, which is not terrible, but far less than its competitors who average over 1 million guests per year. The issues with making a profit limited the park in the 2010s when it came to new additions (such as not being able to afford a dueling RMC, instead opting for a single-track Storm Chaser). The emergence of Holiday World may be a reason to blame their attendance struggles, as I know that park has taken a large bite out of out-of-state visitors who now go to Santa Claus and not Louisville, I should mention the park of course also has its strengths, its location in Louisville and friendly relations with the local and state governments definitely help it. But barring some serious investment from Herschend or some other operator, I don't understand how Kentucky Kingdom can stay open without heavily relying on the state and local governments to help bear the cost of keeping the place afloat. Although I wouldn't entirely blame Herschend's few investments for the current state of the park, because aside from the 1990s when Paramount was not expanding Kings Island as much and Holiday World was not much of a competitor, it seems that Kentucky Kingdom has struggled to really compete as a regional amusement park. -
By BitterOldHag · Posted
Rode TT2 for my first time this morning and all I can say is wow. Went in with low expectations, came off so pumped up I got right back in line for another lap. To me, it seems like more of a complete ride now. The backwards launch is unlike anything else I have been on and the trip up and over the top hat now is absolutely crazy. CP has a major hit on their hands and I am looking forward to riding again soon. -
By thepoint4life23 · Posted
What makes you say the future doesn't look bright for the park? -
By Mustangman55 · Posted
Hey there all! Apologize if this is posted in the wrong area of the forum but I saw another thread asking for trip advice and wanted to shoot my shot to the experts. Looks like health permitting I will finally be going to cedar point this summer! Yay! And to top it off I will get 3 full days at the park and a stay at the breakers(which I’m told is an awesome and very convenient experience). There is one factor I just can’t decide on and that’s what week I should go. Person I’m going with says first week of June would be good because the crowds will be lower. But there’s a caveat. The park closes at 8 that week and it isn’t until later in the month that it stays open until 11pm. I have also been told Ride Ops will be slower/worse the earlier you go. A local told me you run the risk of more stuff having downtime. The cons of going later in June(18-20)will certainly mean it is more crowded but by how much? Like would the crowds offset the increased hours because that means longer lines? Another local told me it would be way hotter and to definitely go early JUNE to skip the heat and people. I don’t do well in heat. So that’s two different opinions from locals haha! It also doesn’t help that I’m very indecisive because of my OCD and this is a dream trip for me. I want to “get it right” so to speak. A few things to note I know fast lane will be expensive but I have prepared to buy it either dates so that is a non issue. Unless the park was a ghost town I have read enough good things about FL here and other places. I am the kind of person who wants to ride every coaster in the park and ride multiple times based on how much I like the ride. If I wanna ride Maverick 20 times I will do it lol. And night rides might be really neat. But if early June is really less crowded and much cooler I think I would probably prefer that. As long as the ops aren’t bad (I know nobody can guarantee me anything here). But those elusive night rides sound fun! Anyway I would really appreciate any thoughts you all can add to this discussion. Carowinds is my home park but I’ve never ventured out further because of health issues. I’m really hoping this will work out. -
T3 has now been taken down. I also feel the future of this park doesn't look all that bright. -
Thanks for the TR! The new stuff looks cool. I've only been to this park once (in 2022), but I enjoyed it. Maybe not the most thrilling coaster collection, but certainly a unique park with some fun attractions.
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