halltd

Show me where you have proof of any of this. I've been to some of the I-Drive meetings myself, had several one-on-one conversations with Joshua Wallack and I have seen zero evidence of what you are implying. So unless you can back up your statement, I think this is you just making some assumptions that aren't factual at all where on the other hand, you can easily point to articles written and eyewitness reports from other people have been at these meetings that Universal has been very vocal about trying to shut down this project. What kind of proof do you want? The developer is asking for the zoning to be changed on his piece of property that he bought full-well knowing it had height restrictions of 200-ft so he can gain an advantage over all of his neighbors and have the tallest attraction in Central Florida. So, he launches a marketing campaign to show off this amazingly tall attraction to get everyone excited to sway votes, mentions how many views said video has on YouTube (lobbying), and then puts up pretty non-professional cartoons in a zoning hearing calling Universal a bully for challenging his request. He knows the convention center overlay doesn't apply to his parcel of land which is why he has to get the variance. He's also lobbying to get people on board to convince the county to approve his plan and then says Universal is not playing fair for doing their own lobbying. He's also trying to force the vote before the I-drive master plan is complete. Universal is just saying that his property doesn't allow for structures over 200-foot and they don't think it should be changed. What about any of that doesn't say he's trying to strong-arm his zoning request? Both sides are trying to get what they want, yet somehow only Universal is the "bad guy"? That's all I'm saying. As I already said, I think it'd be fun to ride this thing if it ever got built. But, the developer is trying to get the rules changed for his own personal gain, Universal is trying to enforce the rules already set, yet Universal is the bully. That's what I have an issue with. If the developer wanted to build this thing without any challenges, he should have bought property within the convention center overlay and then he could have built whatever he wanted to.

As much as I'd love to ride this coaster, the developer bought up land that was zoned with a 200-ft height restriction. He either didn't do his research (which I doubt) or took a risk and thought he could just force the rezoning issue to get the unlimited height restriction. I'm sure part of Universal's issue is with competition, but their biggest issue is that the developer is trying to strong-arm his way into a zoning change before the new I-drive master plan is finalized. They're unable to change their zoning, so I'm sure they're pissed that the county is randomly letting other people do whatever they want (like the Eye) which is not what the intention of the convention center overlay was for. I don't get all the comments of "Universal is being a bully, etc..." when in reality the developer is trying to bully his way into a new zoning classification to get what he wants (for presumably less money because land with height restrictions costs less than land without). I have mixed feelings about the project because I'd love to ride the coaster, but the whole I-drive corridor is a mess as it is and I can't tell if this is going to make it worse, or better. I'm very interested in seeing the new I-drive master plan, so it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.

I wonder why the new models have generic names.

CF doesn't have any dive coasters in their possession either and it'll be nine years since the last one was installed in the US once Valravn is complete. So, that's not really a good argument.

I'm not a huge fan of this just being plopped down in a field on a pretty predominant corner of the midway with what could have been a huge amount of guest interaction (like Dragster). But there could definitely be worse things. What intrigues me the most about this announcement is the station. I only saw one other person mention it so far, but it looks amazing. The sleek and simple folded roof plane that resembles the wing of a bird is probably the coolest station I've seen. It doesn't really jive with the style of the logo like Banshee's station does, but I still love it. It's amazingly elegant for a coaster station. I probably have too high of an expectation that they're going to uplight the roof from below and put speakers/signage somewhere else so it remains as clean as this image is, but that would really be stunning if they did. At night it would appear as if it were floating. Edit: LOVE that this is getting the vests! LOVE!

That PD article states that the guy was unaware that he could get killed by the ride by climbing over a fence to get his wallet/phone. With that logic, if you lose something out of your car on the highway and then exit the road, climb a fence to get onto the highway and are hit by a car going 60 mph, the driver that hit and killed you is at fault because "you weren't aware of the dangers". Seriously, that's what this "expert" is saying. You rode the ride, you know how fast it goes, you know it hangs from the track, and you also know if it hit you, you'd die. The same applies to a car and a highway. You drove on the road, you know how fast you're going, and you know if you were to stand in front of a car, you'd die. I honestly don't see how anyone can claim a person isn't aware of the dangers of entering a restricted area around a coaster.

My favorite was Maverick when coaster track just showed up and they started building the ride before they ever said anything. "What are you talking about? A new ride, what?" To me, that created the most excitement and they didn't have to do anything.

Not arguing there. I always expect too much. I'll also say that after putting the apk on my phone (which just finished installing), the graphics look way better there than what has been posted. So, we'll see on the 18th...or sooner if things keep leaking.

All well and good. But, I don't see why if you already have a digital model of something why you would create an entirely different one for a separate app. Granted I know nothing about VR apps, but I would think one model could be imported into the app just as well as another...even at a lower resolution. Also, if you're going to announce a new ride with something new (like VR), wouldn't you want it to look amazing...not like a five year old created it in their basement? Granted, I could be wrong and this could be real, but I hope what was leaked was a really rough working model that has since been updated for the announcement. Maybe the final quality model we're used to from them wasn't done and they just wanted to see how the process was going to work? Let's hope so.

The logo looks real, but the coaster rendering doesn't look anything like what the guy who normally does them would look like.

I'd die of laughter if "witness history" was a tie-in with Lebron again. Remember the uproar when they announced their partnership last year with the Lebron James Foundation?

I like both angles. But, I prefer the back POV on rides that aren't suspended because that's where I always tend to sit anyways. Thanks for the vid! This is one of my favorite coasters! Can't wait to ride Maverick this season with the same restraints.

Well, yes, I believe I did: http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2015/04/11/confessions-screaming-grandma/ I just wanted to say that Paula is probably the most amazingly awesome park rep in the history of parks...like ever!! I read that blog post earlier today and I'm still smiling from it. And that picture? OMG! Hysterical...in a great way! Love ya, Paula!

Quick area calculation off of Google Maps shows the land area of Disney Springs (including all parking) is about 125 acres. The Magic Kingdom is apparently 107 acres, Hollywood Studios 135 acres, Epcot 300 acres, and Animal Kingdom 500 acres. I don't think these numbers include the parking lots though because I just pulled those from a Google search...I didn't actually calculate like I did with Disney Springs. But yeah, pretty close to a park size.

Whoever they had do the design did a great job. I really like the airy and modern feel to all the rooms. Massive upgrade to what they used to have. I'm really curious as to why a "presidential suite" has a suspended tile ceiling in it, though. Ouch. I'm hoping there is a ton of items above it that need regular access. Otherwise, they should've used drywall.