Photo TR - Italy 2012 with TPR

Well, I was inspired by Ken's photo TR today and, since I have a very limited amount of time to get all of the Italy and Europe 2012 insanity posted (I leave on Friday to go work on the Carnival Dream for two months, followed by 6 months aboard the Carnival Miracle) , let's get this started.

 

Day 1 for me was going from NYC to Rome by way of Helsinki, followed by a beautiful night at the Hilton Garden Inn next to the airport. Day 2 was meeting up with TPR and doing some Roman Sightseeing. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

Rainbow Magicland will be coming soon!

The view from my seat for my flight from JFK to Helsinki. I highly recommend Finnair!

Inside at the Helsinki airport. This was the greatest airport I've ever travelled. It was clean, laid out well, and the customer service was out of this world.

Yup, a wine bar with a view.

I had to board a bus to get to my connecting flight. There wasn't a terminal for it. They put a group of us on a bus and drove us all over the tarmac. First time I'd ever done that! It was cool!

Anyone up for some hot hot plane tail?

Mr. Bond! De plane! De plane!

Long flight including a very long layover. What do I see when I first get out of the airport in Rome? Pregnancy stuff!

My room at the Hilton Garden Inn. It was soooooo comfortable.

Wait, I thought Tower Of Terror came at the end of the trip!

Day 2 begins and we're on our way to do some sightseeing! Starting with the world famous Roman....pyramids?

TPR took over this awesome pizza joint.

Yup. Amazing.

Here's the point where I learn to not leave my camera sitting around while I excuse myself. Thanks, Hanno!

Thanks, Craig!

And of course, thank you, Robb!

Only Mona Lisa is allowed to smoke up in here!

Culture!

Only a real man rides a leopard-print Vespa!

More culture!

Myself...culturing!

Rome can be scary sometimes.

Pantheon!

This is my attempt at making the entrance seem foreboding.

Collosseum! I wonder if Russel Crowe is around.

No Russel Crowe, but there was a lesbian wedding across the street!

We also made a quick stop to the Vatican where the pope tried to enlighten me. It didn't work.

Edited November 14, 2012 by KBrylczyk

Lesbian Wedding > Russell Crowe

Rainbow Magicland day!

 

This park has a great future ahead of it. Right now it is still a baby but they have a solid collection of rides and some of the best themeing I have ever seen. There is plenty of room for expansion and, given the time and money, they will become a major player in the worldwide theme park business soon enough. I look forward to visiting again in a few years.

 

Unfortunately, upon our arrival to the park, we learned that Shock would not be ready for our ERT session. The mechanics were still working out all of the kinks. Being ever so accommodating, though, we were told that we could have extra ERT on Cagliostro, their indoor spinning coaster. We all walked across the park and had a grand ol' time. Due to the mishap with the Shock ERT, the park decided to be awesome and still give us our ERT...when the park was open! Once the ride was up and running they opened it exclusively to our group for an hour. They even posted an employee at the entryway to turn away the other guests. It was very well handled and I give the park a lot of kudos for that.

 

Shock - This is the ride that Rip Ride Rocket SHOULD be. The thing rides smooth as silk while also feeling like a bucking bronco. The non-inverting loop is one of the scariest elements I've ever encountered, what with the whole "trying to throw me out of the car" thing that doesn't exist on Rip Ride Rocket. The turnaround following the non-inverting loop is one of the craziest things ever built. I have no clue how many Gs it pulls, but just watch the car fly through it and you'll understand how wicked it is. The corkscrew at the end is very long and floaty, too. The ride is great.

 

Cagliostro - Fun indoor spinning coaster here. It's nothing big or wild, but it is fun. The spinning concept is a bit lost on it, as well. I was only able to get one ride that offered a moderate amount of spinning. Oh, well. As I said, it is still fun, though. The first drop into the darkness and the fan turn following are great.

 

The rest of the park, like I said earlier, is fantastic. The themeing is top notch all around, the two water rides are among the best I've seen, and the drop tower, while having a painful stop, is great. The stunt show is also good for a few laughs. If there's one thing I learned while in Italy, it's that the stunt shows have absolutely no regard for safety. On with the pictures!!!

We're here!

I see me one of them there rollery-coaastery thingies!

Let the IOA ripoff themeing commence!

John is definitely looking at the themeing. Definitely the themeing. Yup.

"The Adventure Begins...?"

They even had a ripoff IOA lighthouse...but they ran out of money so they only built the base and added a snake.

Through the trees!

Shocking, no?

Note the amount of shade available.

Huntik 5-D. Well, the themeing was nice, at least. Apparently a lot of the group enjoyed this ride. I just couldn't get into it.

This was a pretty wicked Vekoma minetrain.

Mega-size Nutella bottles. Note my Flip camera there as a size comparison.

NON-INVERTING LOOP! WHEEEEE!

Looking back across the lake from the far end of the park.

I love how compact Shock is.

Drop tower! Feel your spine compress!

Cagliostro's exterior.

Another view of Shock.

This was the greatest lunch I have ever had at a theme park.

Flying Islands are always a fun diversion.

Check out my pole, baby.

Awesome shoot the chutes ride. It managed to get me pretty darn wet, especially after narrowly avoiding a bear the size of Texas!

Just like Universal Orlando!

One last look at Shock.

Shock really blew me away! I totally agree with you that it's what Rockit should have been. I really wish they would run single trains on Rockit.

Time for some Rimini pictures.

 

After the day at Rainbow Magicland we had about a 4-hour drive clear across the country to the eastern coast resort town of Rimini. We had two nights here including a visit to Fiabilandia the morning after the drive (those pics are up next). These are photos from the time spent in Rimini. It was a very fun little town with gorgeous beaches and lots of things to walk around to check out, including some phenomenal gelato and calzones.

There was also a huge Ferris Wheel at the north end of the town.

Nice accent lighting for one of the hotels.

That's the Holiday Inn that TPR took over. It had the smallest elevators you will ever see.

Only in Italy will you see a camo Porsche.

A bounce castle in the middle of an upscale restaurant? Intriguing...

Flame in a tube!

Some of the trees were pretty gnarly.

Suddenly I was transported to NYC's famous mental institution.

...and the Jets?

Yup. Me being me.

This was a nice little pool, but someone decided mold-green accent lighting was a good idea. It wasn't.

View from my room's balcony.

Read this entire thing! I'm not even kidding, it's hilarious!!!

I don't trust these bathroom doors.

The rape tunnel! This was the old tunnel for pedestrians to cross under an overpass. There were new, streetside walkways that were wide open. This was all gated up, mostly because of rape, I'm assuming. And knives.

Massage Center. Suuuuuure it is.

The Luxor?! When did I get to Vegas?!

Pretty cool architecture all around town.

Adult vending machines! There were also more risque banners that aren't appropriate to post here. Just know that all kinds of toys are available.

Sunrise from my balcony. Gorgeous.

Alright, let's get back to the park stuff!

 

Fiabilandia! Home of the world's most WTFISHAPPENINGOMGIMGONNADIETHISISINSANEOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGMAKEITSTOP Crazy Mouse. Also home to the world's longest Wacky Worm which, at this point in the tour, was probably number 234. Seriously, there's Wacky Worms everywhere in Italy. Oh, there was also some Big Thunder style wacky worm, as well. Go figure.

 

The park was cute. It was pretty small and didn't have a huge selection of rides, but for what it is there for, it gets the job done. The landscaping in some areas was great, lacking in others. The selection of rides was decent and it made for a fun few hours in the morning. There was a walk-through Peter Pan attraction that needs to be seen to be believed as well as a splash battle with boats that glide along 2 feet above the surface of the water.

 

SpaceMouse - Whoever designed this mouse was on a mixture of drugs that would put Keith Richards to shame. That's the only way I can think of to describe it properly. It spun. Boy, did it spin. And it kept on spinning, faster and faster, as the ride went on. It never let up. It just got even more insane. So much so that I had a legitimate fear of being thrown from the car to my death or knocking my head clean off from one of the supports since I was being pushed so far out of the car from the Gs. I know Craig or Hanno got video of this thing and I'm eagerly awaiting it. Best mouse ride I have ever done.

 

Valle degli Gnomi - World's longest Wacky Worm! Or at least it seems that way. I'm not too sure on how truthful that statement is. Imagine a wacky worm crossed with the Seven Dwarves, remove Snow White, and add in sentient flowers. The course is long and meandering with plenty of those teeny hills that we're all used to on Wacky Worms. The themeing was a cute touch.

 

Miniera d'Oro - This is the same track style as Wacky Worms, but on a much grander scale. For instance, it reaches heights of at least 20 feet! It was built around a very low-budget Wild West area of the park and moved around 5mph. It even had a full on 10-second stop on a downhill section by some native American scene. Once you get up the lift hill and go into the mountain, though, the drop is actually pretty fun. The light effects made that drop.

 

il Castello de Merlino - Ahhh, a cute, old school, 2-story dark ride themed around Merlin's castle. It had a decent length and some good effects, but nothing you haven't seen before. Still, though, I'm a sucker for dark rides, especially old school dark rides, so it rocked.

 

il Lago del Sogno - Nothing like a slow, meandering powered dragonboat ride past peeling scenery and ducks! Getting eaten by the dragon only to find a fully-grown blooming tree in it's stomach was interesting, at least.

 

Labyrinth - The most non-maze maze I've ever done. I don't think any dead ends even exist in it.

 

To the pics!

Unfortunately, the only picture I have of SpaceMouse.

New entrance. The old entrance was across the street.

It said Foto-Point, so I did!

Nice landscaping.

Low budget wild west.

Boob credit at Peter Pan's walkthrough!

Kinda creepy...

Captain Hook's ship.

Themeing!

If you're going to crash, make it a SAFE CRASH!

They're riveted by the excitement.

Colin is all set.

I'm extremely proud of this on-ride. Thank you.

Great updates! looks like you had a blast!

Excellent photo TR!! Those sauna instructions are a literary masterpiece! haha!

Mirabilandia? Yup, Mirabilandia!

 

The day at Mirabilandia was pretty action packed. We had ERT on Katun, iSpeed, and eventually on Divertical when it opened. Yes, when we arrived, Divertical was being a PITA and refusing to work. We did our morning ERT with Katun and iSpeed while hoping the Intamin gods would be kind to us and let the ride open. That wish was eventually granted later on in the day and the park, while not keeping the ride open exclusively for us, was still very accomodating.

 

At the end of the day a bunch of us went to see the stunt show. We were told repeatedly by our guides that it was very good and would be worth it. Well, if you follow Robb's YouTube channel, you already know why. Robb and Elissa were pretty much forced into participating in the stunt show. There were times when all of us in the audience were fairly certain we'd be going home early, haha.

 

Divertical - Just watch Robb's video of the ride to see how I feel about the ride. I'm the idiot on the left of the screen for the ridercam. Basically, I love the ride. The meandering river section prior to the lift is full of WTF WAS THAT?! moments when water would randomly cascade over you. The lift hill itself is extremely funky and scared the hell out of me every time I rode (I swore we were gonna tip over the edge). The rollercoaster section is a lot of fun, too! It's fast, there's no brakes, and it's twisty. The skimmin the water portion right after the first drop gives a great sense of the speed you're travelling, too. The final splashdown is pure evil and I loved it all. Nobody on the boat comes out dry. Every last seat gets soaked. If you're in the back row of the boat, beware of stacking. You'll get a nice, lap-high wave of water come into the boat from behind. Two trip members learned this the hard way, hahaha.

 

Katun - Why can't B&M make rides like this anymore?! It was so great! The coaster itself is massive, the layout is unique, it pulls a ton of forces, and you can even play "grab the branch" during the final helix. B&M always described their inverts as being designed to feel like flying in a fighter jet. This is one of the few that ACTUALLY feel like that. I wish I could ride this all the time.

 

iSpeed - I love Intamin launched coasters. The only straight section of track on this is the launch. It's full of twisty goodness and the most terrifying headchopper I have ever seen. If you're sitting in the right-hand seat, you'll know it when you flip over the station. 3 for 3 so far with the excellent rollercoasters here!

 

Master Thai - Ow. The pain still lingers from this ride. There is more padding on the trains than I've ever seen before and it still doesn't do any good. The ride looks cool from afar and the mobius loop concept is a good one, but the execution is wretched. The ride is way too slow for it's layout and way too rough.

 

Pakal - Worst mouse I've ever ridden. They don't use any trims and you get banged around like Jenna Haze at a frat party.

 

Explorer - I think this is a Schwarzkopf powered. I could be wrong on the manufacturer, though. It is what it is.

 

Leprotto Express - TPR takeover! Somehow the motor managed to get a train full of TPR members over the lift, haha. This is your typical kiddie coaster. Yay, credit whoring!

 

Auto Splash - A double dip on a log flume! Airtime, baby! Seriously. There was scary airtime in the back of the car/log. Great views of iSpeed, too!

 

Columbia / Discovery - Double shot towers, only one of which was working, which TPR quickly broke as soon as we sat down. We had to come back an hour or so later to ride. S&S fun, if you're into that kind of thing.

 

Reset: Anno Zero - Way worse than I was expecting. It's a shooting dark ride that takes place in a post-apocalyptic NYC. The targets aren't responsive, the scenes are near pitch-black, and the effects are "meh" at best.

 

Picture time!!!

First ones here!

I spy an Intamin!

Creepy mascot, anyone?

Hooray for insane maintenance guys!

The balls on this guy can be seen from space.

Themeing!

Well, hello, Katun.

iSpeed time!

Twisty!

Pakal. I think that translates to "Painful."

Columbia / Discovery

iSpeed and Auto Splash

The Ferris Wheel was closed all day, unfortunately. There go a ton of photo ops.

Climb that lift!

Go down that drop!

Katun is very photogenic.

Bellagio wishes they had fountains like this!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Hey, guys? What's the name of this ride, again?

Seriously. I knew it a second ago!

Oh, iSpeed, hey there, buddy. What's good?

I love the station design for Divertical.

And so begins the Divertical photo craziness. Enjoy!

Did I mention you get wet on this ride?

I like this shot for some reason.

Just try to stay dry. I dare you.

Can you spot Colin?

There's Colin!

Robb and Elissa got in trouble with the law.

Tsk tsk, guys.

Clap for the Americans!!!

Didn't like the third row of Divertical also get soaked? It was like 1,3,5. First row from the splash downs, 3rd from from where the boat articulated and all the water came up through there and last row from behind!

 

I also loved that ride and hope we see more of them! That lift is truly terrifying!!!!

^ 3rd row mainly got a nasty spray in the face right after the first drop. The water shot up through the articulation joint and sprayed them. Row 2 gets murdered on the final splashdown because a ton of water comes up through the joint again, but gets thrown forward and down row 2's back. Take a look at the ridercam and watch my reaction leading up to the final splashdown (I know the amount of water coming) and the wave that goes right down my back. Also in the ridercam you can see row 3 get blasted right after the first drop.

Guys...guys. Seriously, you guys. Seriously. It's time. That's right...the world's most dangerous park. Movieland Studios and Aqua Studios. I mean Caneva Aquapark. They keep changing the name to keep the lawyers at bay.

 

How do I best describe this day in my life? I'm not really sure. This comes to mind -

 

 

Yup. You know how they say a near death experience makes you appreciate your life? These two parks are one big life-affirming experience. While walking back to the parking lot, the world takes on a new glow. You notice things you didn't on your way in. Butterflies are more colorful. Birds sound more cheerful. The air smells sweeter. All of this because you managed to survive this shrine to insanity.

 

The day began with a quick walking tour of Caneva Aquapark with a stop by the craziest piece of Italian engineering, the waterslide that sends you careening down a fiberglass tube in an inflatable tube at 65mph and off of the slide over a second hill. I can't remember what it's called, but that doesn't matter. Just looking at it sent shivers down my spine. But we'll get to that later.

 

After our tour of Caneva, we sauntered over to Movieland Studios for some ERT on Tower Of Terr....er, I mean, Hollywood Tower. That's right, ladies and gents. One of the last remaining Intamin 1st gen freefall towers. It is just as much fun as I remember them being, and just as loud and clunky. After the ERT we were given the honor of being the first victi...I mean, riders, on Magma 2. I'll have a link to my onride video of that a little further down. And yes, it is just as mad as everyone claims it is.

 

Once we were finished with Magma 2 the park had opened to the public and we were free to roam. There is copyright infringement galore at this place, but it's all tongue in cheek and done with love. I fell in love with the place. The rides were ridiculous, they were dangerous, but they were nothing but fun, as well.

 

Oh, did I mention that Nolan, Ken, and myself were taken hostage at the Rambo stunt show? Because we totally were and it was awesome. I'll try to get that video up soon, no promises if Youtube will accept it, though.

 

Hollywood Tower - Like I said earlier, it's your typical Intamin 1st generation freefall. As such, I love it. The one bonus it has is the animated signage up top right before you drop. These rides are still great after all these years.

 

Magma 2 - I really wish this was more commonplace. Just take a 50-passenger truck, throw a psychopath behind the wheel, and add explosions and water and you're all set! This ride was hardly a ride and more a brush with death. Flames erupted inches from the truck, the back row almost got ejected on the first downhill slope, sparks flew into the cab, we chased a park vehicle around a building, and we were blasted with water more than once. Just watch my onride to witness the insanity. Spoilers ahead!

 

 

Brontojet - Ahhhh, a small Schwarzkopf baby. One that shouts "Yabba, dabba, doo!" when you dispatch. You just have to love something that does that! Check out my crappy video!

 

 

Bront'O'Ring - This was a kiddy coaster that I'm ashamed of riding, simply put.

 

Back to the Backstage - Hooray for tiny monorail "backstage" tours! While the ride was boring, it did afford some good views of Magma 2 and U-571, so yay!

 

U-571 - I don't think I can describe this madness any better than Robb did when he posted the video on Facebook, so I won't. Instead, I'll just quote him - "...U-571 at Movieland Studios. The ride is completely WTF and wrong on so many levels. It's hard to tell in this video, but the entire time we are screaming, water is POURING into this tiny capsule, filling up at our feet, the capsule is moving and tilting, and we are on seats that have no seatbelts, and roll back and forth, we're were flopping all over each other. The ride is also in the dark and some dude is shouting at us in Italian. Never been on anything like this and it's completely SCREWED UP in the most awesome way possible!!!"

 

Horror House - This was a looooooooong and unpopulated walkthrough haunt. Seriously, we ran into maybe 2 actors the entire time. It was almost pitch black the entire time, too, turning it into one huge touch tunnel. However, the Exorcist scene created one hell of an on-ride photo. I can't remember who bought it, though, unfortunately. Still, though, actors or not, I'm always a sucker for walk-through haunts. Yay, horror house!

 

Police Academy - Very old school simulator that gets taken over by the gang of misfits and turned into a disco. Nice for a break from the heat.

 

Terminator 5D - The 5D wasn't needed. According to Robb, the show has changed a LOT since the last time they visited. It is now a glorified video game. No more live actors or live ammunition. Booooooo!

 

Tomb Raider - This was a funky Top Spin knockoff (not sure of the technical term). There were some flame effects and some good maneuvers. Unfortunately the ride program was short and the fountains were turned off for the day. Oh, well. Still a cool ride.

 

Waterslide O' Doom - I rode once, narrowly escaped death, and then had Robb tell me to go again because he didn't get a good video. I felt like an infantry soldier being told by his general to cross No Man's Land again to deliver a message. This thing is truly terrifying. They make the bigger guy (me) sit in front to get more speed. The inflatable raft you are sitting on reaches 65mph at the base of the (near vertical) drop and then you proceed to launch into the air over the hump and hopefully land in one piece. Sure, it was terrifying. Sure, it was completely mental. Sure, it was all those things, but it was also the most fun I've had in a waterpark. I will gladly ride again and again!

 

Picture time!

Oh, sure, it looks unassuming.

Sheer terror on my face as we descend. Kevin seems to be enjoying himself, though.

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG

This was round 2. Also OMGOMGOMG!

Midway view.

This is what U-571 actually is. A tube that fills with water and moves around.

Those boxes hold the water that dumps on your face.

Rambo Stunt Show backstage.

Magma 2 overview.

Brontojet

Skinny cars, no?

Random Miami Dolphins signage.

Purty Italian lakeside property.

Choose your relax!

U-571 entrance

The aftermath of U-571.

The gang's all here!

Me goofing off.

Nolan enjoyed it!

Looks like we're all coming to a close on the Italy trip. Gardaland was our last stop before heading to Milan to drop off a few participants.

 

Gardaland was a huge surprise to me. I wasn't expecting it to be so Disney-ish. I was expecting a Cedar Fair style park, not this. I suppose, had I actually looked up the park before the trip, I would have known what to expect, but I was going in blind. The only ride I knew about was Raptor. Everything else was brand spankin' new to me. The park has great themeing and an excellent selection of various rides. Their gardeners also know how to do their job, haha.

 

Quick note - We stayed at the Gardaland Hotel for 2 nights, and Robb and Elissa got everyone the 2-day pass for Gardaland because they rock. After our day at Movieland Studios we still had a few hours of Gardaland being open and we were more than welcome to get a head start on the park before our ERT sessions the next morning, which a bunch of us did.

 

Raptor - 1 of 2 wing riders I've been on (the other being Wild Eagle) and this is my favorite. The amount of themeing and close calls and water effects really take the ride from being just OK to being great. As I've said about wing riders in the past, it's nothing thrilling, but it is a lot of fun. I love how much the ride interacts with the queue plaza. Another great thing is that you get shot at with machine guns while geysers erupt from the lake you're sailing over to simulate the bullets hitting. Did I mention you also get pretty wet on the outer seats from those geysers? Yup. I love it.

 

Magic Mountain - Another old Arrow Loop Screw. They even had the train ad-wraps like Six Flags! Funny they did it to the ride sharing the same name. Short, painful, but still fun.

 

Sequoia Adventure - Painful. Ludicrous. Stupid. But also probably the greatest ride commentary you will ever hear on the videos Robb got.

 

Ortobruco Tour - Another huge Wacky Worm. This one actually got to a decent speed for it's size at times, though.

 

Mammut - This was an excellently themed mine train that got WILD in the backseat. It looks unassuming from the queue, but once the ride begins it gets crazy pretty quickly. I re-rode it many times, which I rarely ever do for mine trains.

 

Blue Tornado - A typical Vekoma SLC, but with a bonus helix! Surprisingly, this one wasn't extremely rough. The super-thick mist pit was a cool effect, and the extra helix actually pulled some forces! I was pleasantly surprised!

 

Colorado Boat - This was a nice log flume with a surprising amount of water. Thank you, splashback walls!

 

Fuga De Atlantide - An older Intamin water coaster. You will get SOAKED in the front seat. Any other seat, though, not so much. I recommend the front.

 

I Corsari - Surprise of the day. This was a super-long Pirates of the Caribbean-style ride that took place under probably half of the park. It's massive. Absolutely massive. The effects were all great, especially when you go "underwater" towards the end. It really looked like we were moving around underwater. The misty forest scene was also really cool. There was a lot of cool stuff in this ride! I liked it better than Pirates of the Caribbean at WDW and DL. The Pirates at Disneyland Paris, though, still wins for favorite pirate ride.

 

Jungle Rapids - This thing spun a bunch, so you never knew who would be getting hit. It wasn't exceptionally wet, either. Sure, you got splashed, but never drenched, which was nice. The length was pretty respectable, too. Good times!

 

Magic House - Yet another Vekoma Mad House. Nothing special here.

 

Ramses II: Risveglio - WHOOOOOO!!!! Let's hear it for excellent shooting dark rides! Let's hear it again for ones with ludicrous themeing! Ludicrous themeing like ancient alien robot mummies!!!!!!!!! I LOVED IT!!!!!!! The themeing was so insane that it can only be described as art. The soundtrack was stupendous. The entire ride was FUN! I think I rode this 10 times, at least, just because I could!

 

Space Vertigo - Probably the shortest Intamin 2nd gen freefall I've ever been on. It's MAYBE 75 feet. Maybe. However, it still provides a great thrill.

 

Spectacular 4D Adventure - Well, it wasn't spectacular, that's for sure. The video was antiquated and the simulator vehicle was out of synch.

 

Ice Age 4D - This was Ice Age 3 condensed to 10 minutes. I'm not even close to joking. There was no original story, just a truncated version of the movie. Oh, and the only 4D effect was the snow in the theatre. The seats were the most comfortable I've seen at an amusement park, though!

 

Top Spin - I can't even remember the program being run on it. Still, though, I enjoy Top Spins. Hooray.

 

Transgardaland Express - Yay for train rides! This offered some nice views of the park, along with a pretty crazy, LSD-induced tunnel.

 

Pictures coming later. The board seems to be acting up right now.

Pictures ahoy!

Coke Zero out front. Hot Italian girls really help sell the product.

This is actually a preview booth of Gardaland's next rollercoaster.

Yay for waterfalls!

Raptor!

Twisty!

Watch your legs!

I love this shot.

The use of water effects was excellent.

Take that, guard tower!

Excellent leg/head/arm choppers all along the course of the ride!

Ooooo, purty!

IT'S SO TINY!!!!!

Mammut rocks!

The Flying Island allowed for superb views of Gardaland, Lake Garda, and the surrounding community.

Bonus points if you can spot Movieland Studios!

I can still see Movieland Studios. Can you?

Overview of Mammut.

Beautiful picture, two painful rides.

OMG IT'S STILL SO TINY!!!!

Brace for impact...

I really only like this picture because my jawline looks incredible in it, haha.

Gardaland Hotel. Nice place, horrible internet.

That tree is home to the Magic House.

More Raptor, anyone?

Twisty, sweeping goodness!

Water in yo face!

il Corsair's facade. I thought it was appropriate.

Gorgeous...yet evil. Kinda like my ex!

Why?!

RAMSES!!!!!!

If anyone was wondering the easiest way to get to space, well, here you go!

We'll leave with a final shot of Raptor coming down its first drop.

Even though I had a great time with TPR in China, I was very much tempted to go on this trip. The Italian parks look very intriguing (and, in some cases, just plain messed up).

Great report. Looks like a fabulous time! Thanks for sharing.

Great photos, was an awesome trip. I will say thats the first time i've ever seen some of my fillings though. Teach you to leave your camera around us .

 

Skipping ahead to Gardaland, I think its safe to say everyone knows my opinion on Raptor and Swarm for that matter. I hate them both. I don't know if it was just me or if anyone else felt this but there was something I found odd about Gardaland and I cant quite put my finger on what it is. I think the place didn't feel like it flowed very well for me. It didn't seem to have anything that really stood out for me. I will say though I am very much looking forward to seeing the video of me and Nolan on Sequoia Adventure because that ride was MESSED UP!.

 

-Craig

Great Photos and Trip Report, Kyle. It was so much fun to look through the pictures and re-live the trip again. It was a blast!

I feel compelled to ask, "The Screamin' Squirrel--why?"

Cool pics. Isn't Magic Mountain (the Vekoma looper) a lot less painful now that it's received the new anti-headbanging Vekoma trains?

^ in fact it is... One of the better Vekomas I've been to so far

I feel compelled to ask, "The Screamin' Squirrel--why?"

 

Normally I would say why not, but my god that thing was messed up! I was on it thinking that someone saw a childs scribble drawing and thought that would make a good lay out.

 

-Craig