>Last Thread: >>2705277 >Edition edition>What is this thread? Why are there two generals?/rcg/ was initially created as a way for the roller coaster enthusiasts on here to discuss all things roller coasters and theme parks. While roller coasters are the main focus of these threads (and the title of the general) there is also discussion on other theme parks, their rides, as well as the parks themselves and trip planning too. That's where /tpg/ comes in.>Can I talk about Disney/Universal parks in this thread?Absolutely! Disney discussion of all sorts including rides/resorts/dining/trip planning is OK.Thread Tip Pro: Wait for some girls to get in line, and swoop in behind them. Just don't make it obvious...Park Crowd Tracker:>https://queue-times.com/en-US/parksRoller Coaster Database:>https://rcdb.com/Amusement Park News Sites:>https://www.themeparkinsider.com/>https://www.screamscape.com/>https://www.coaster101.com/Disney Park News:>https://www.wdwnt.com/>https://www.wdwmagic.com/>https://www.allears.net>https://www.mousesteps.com
>>2720096Any solid predictions for Epic Universe announcements?I'm betting there will be AP previews before it officially opens. Then after it opens, AP holders will have to make reservations to get in.They have already been gradually increasing AP prices the past couple years, so it wouldnt surprise me if all passes become eligible, or just need an addon.Lots of people saying they wont even have an AP option for the first 1+ years, but I can't imagine Universal burning their biggest fans like that. They have even posted phrasing like "AP options will be announced at a later date".
>>2720105On the topic of passes I'm expecting either no Express Passes or limited use in some way (like how you can't use an Express Pass for Hagrid)
>>2720109With how much Universal appears to be (literally) gatekeeping the new park, it seems like they expect attendance to be like 15m in the first 12 months...The park will have a higher capacity than islands (which gets 10-11m per year), and they expect it to be at capacity constantly.
>>2720105Big price hikes for the various tickets across each region. I can see the gap between them and Disney in terms of prices shrinking. I think there will be limited dates for annual pass holders or an option to upgrade to a super premium one. They may open up dates depending on attendence levels. I think we won't get the to the more nitty gritty announcements this year. Announcing the opening date could cause people to postpone holidays so that definitely won't be until after xmas. I think they'll do some more focused announcement videos. One of food options, one on shows and entertainment, ones on "resort benefits" to shill the hotels and talk about shuttle options.>>2720110Seems optimistic given the smaller ride count and the "it'll be too busy this soon after opening, lets wait" factor. Although the park has an incredibly good selection of rides with maybe only 2-3 not being e-ticket level, it's still going to be a park you do quickly if it's quiet, I think it's only going to be when we get phase 2 of Monsters (water ride) and Nintendo (Pokemon?) that the park will properly fill a day Queues on Donkey Kong and Wolfman are going to be savage though.
>>2720118I don't even care about the queues. I haven't been this excited since Islands first opened. If I weren't such a fucking loser I'd have my own kids to take to the opening, but at least I'll still have fun by myself or with my nephews once the buzz dies down and they're a little older by 2027.
>>2720105new (leaked?) hotel benefits chart says express passes are not valid at epic universe
>>2720217Stella Nova is walkable to Epic Universe? Didn't know that. Guess that means it'll be $10-20 a night more and fill up quicker. Seems like penny pinching that they didn't add a bridge or tunnel for the other hotel, maybe they decided it pushed it to a distance that was unwalkable a the hottest times of the year.No priority seating for Helios is weird. Maybe they didn't want to highlight that Epic Universe is kinda lacking in table service places (just the one in the central bit I believe)
>>2720109>>2720217Yep, called it.
Something else I'm expecting at Epic Universe is for at least one or two rides to use a Virtual Queue system.
>>2720303If any ride will have a virtual queue it'll be Donkey Kong but I'm not too sure Universal will want to introduce it for that. This won't be people making a holiday for one single ride so if something goes over 2 hours, it's annoying but not a holiday ruiner. Most of the rides look to be extremely high capacity and I think the dragon riders coaster in particular will be a ride that frequently goes down to 15 minutes, encouraging people to walk to the opposite side of the park to the queue monsters.I wonder if there'll be a phase 1.5 where they put in a couple more flat rides, a bit like they did with IoA (hopefully something a bit more effort than the Storm teacups). Getting rid of the monster show as a crowd soak for that area was a mistake, even if it did mean another family coaster.
Updated height requirements.It's mostly in line with their existing rides, the only one that's eyebrow raising being the DK coaster which has a ride height in line with a kiddy coaster, suggests that there's no airtime on the 'jumps'Also noticed that the Dragonriders looks to have shin restraints which is a shame.
>>2720377Didn't post the link: https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/gb/theme-parks/epic-universe
>>2720377>Also noticed that the Dragonriders looks to have shin restraints which is a shame.I'm not seeing any here, unless you're talking about the coaster?
>>2720501Also
>>2720377>the only one that's eyebrow raising being the DK coaster which has a ride height in line with a kiddy coaster, suggests that there's no airtime on the 'jumps'Unfortunate if true.
>>2720377>>2720572DK's intensity isn't too surprising considering the trains are pretty much on a stick. Can't have much force or else they might undergo too much stress.
>orlando is right in the middle of the path of Hurricane MiltonThis could be savage, especially for Epic Universe.
>>2720624>Oh No!>Anyway
>top thrill 2 done for the season after only 2 weeks.>announce new coaster for 2025>immediately beginning selling tshirts for it>mfw wearing a tshirt in 2025 to another broken ride
>no update on the Alton Towers indoor coasterHope it isn't cancelled, apparently it wasn't a good year for the park. RMC just showed off a high capacity version of the Wild Moose with less cluttered supports that looks suspiciously like it has indoor/dark ride use in mind. RMC's bending tracks seem ideal for dark rides but all they've really done are refurbs of classic wooden tracked dark rides.
>2024>still no life sized version of this
>>2720624Too far inland
>>2720688Still could hit it though. IoA had the sides ripped of Jurassic World and a building site like Epic Universe will still have a lot of exposed stuff that isn't hurricane proofed.
>>2720691>Still could hit it though.It almost certainly will but this isn't the first time a hurricane has hit Orlando, the parks normally reopen the next day.
>>2720624It'll be fine. Busch Gardens might get fucked though.
>>2720696And anything in construction with exposed parts isn't usually affected?
>>2720708Not really, they're feverishly securing that stuff right now
>>2720700They posted a message saying it's fine, Iron Gwasi was built to withstand 160mph winds.It's currently blowing 165mph...
I'm living in Orlando, and getting fed up with the hurricane hysteria and second-hand outrage over the parks staying open for a half day on wednesday...It's like people think that when a storm is blowing in, we all need to lock ourselves indoors for a full week. Tampa will be in trouble, yes. But Orlando will not be nearly as affected.The truth is, its going to start getting windy and rainy on wednesday night, then get intense in early thursday morning, and be gone by the evening. It's perfectly normal for the parks to operate a day before the storm, while its still mild.>"But employees need to be home to prepare!"We all have 3-5 days to prepare, and there isnt a whole lot to even do, past stocking up on supplies.It's giving flashbacks to covid, with people obsessing over fear-porn, leading to panic and overreaction. Theres all these national stories on how being in Tampa is basically a death sentence, so people assume that being ANYWHERE in florida is the same.>>2720725It's going to be around 100-120 by the time it reaches BG...>>2720624There is a chance that some construction could be damaged, though they do everything they can prepare for it.Luckily, most structures are fully built by now, so hopefully it remains mostly stable.
>>2720096Why are Dutch parks and coasters so much better than those in other countries?
>>2720730I'm surprised by the lack of victim blaming by the climate alarmists but to be honest we're at the point where we should start asking if EVs are making things worse.
>Flights I was tracking for next June just went up by £160wtf
>>2721223Are you the LA anon? No way they're anywhere near selling out (unless an event was just announced), guessing it's a "we're about to pretend we're reducing it in a sale" price rise.
>>2721226>Are you the LA anon?Yeah. I don't think it was tied to any events since I got the alert for it about a week ago.What's the best price I should expect to find?
>>2721229The floor when I went last month was £210 but June is summer holidays for Yanks so probably a bit of a bump. A quick look sees flights from Norse at Gatwick at £240 but BA is stupid money money at £400+, can't see them keeping flights at that price, I'd say £230-270 is the target, chance Norse may go under £200 (book Norse on a CC, not a debit card, their finances are dodgy). British Airways do 2 A380 flights a day if you're a plane nerd and want to go on one.
>>2721239ok sounds good
>Alton Towers have a big teaser to hype a mystery new ride>it's just for the fucking top spin they're putting in
Cool thread info
Went to Disneyland Paris for three days. I had a lot of fun but there were definitely some issues I noticed. Some thoughts:>Electrical Sky Parade ran without drones every night because of the shitty weather. I am very butthurt I missed it>Studios is one big construction site, tons of construction walls blocking roads making it a pain to get around. Going from Avengers to Toy Story means walking through the ENTIRE park since they blocked off all the shortcut paths around Tower of Terror>Walls all over Main Street and around the Castle too. Not as egregious as in Studios but it still ruins some of the nice views>Same issue in Disney Village, construction everywhere ruins the vibes>Noticed several effects not working properly, like the rotating eyes on the big Cheshire Cat face in the maze.>Second day had really bad crowd problems because of several rides breaking down repeatedly. Had to exit mid-queue for both Big Thunder Mountain and Web Slingers after waiting like 30 minutes, and Ratatouille broke down right after we got off and noticed some weird sync issues. We got free fastpasses for the next day tho so it wasn't too bad>Walt's was really nice. A bit overpriced of course but really tasty. There's lots of archive pictures of Walt and tons of old concept art framed on the walls, including amazing Discovery Mountain concepts from Tony Baxter>First time in Avenger's Campus, it is (for the most part) well themed. The problem is this theming is a lot of boring concrete. Flight Force has a fun launch but is so barebones, even Hyperspace Mountain is better themed. Web Slingers is fun, but despite being able to pull objects and switches and cause reactions, it just devolves into wildly flailing your arms and spamming shots to get the most points>Discovery Land looks absolutely gorgeous after all the refurbs. Now I just hope we get the original Space Mountain back>Phantom Manor and Big Thunder Mountain are still the GOATs, absolute peak imagineering
>>2722450TL:DR - DLP is a gorgeous park with some great rides, but it could use a new ride or two to breathe some new life into it. Studios is getting worked on which is appreciated, but it is absolutely not worth visiting in its current state. If you're thinking about visiting the parks, definitely wait until the lake and Frozen area are done in two years.I was actually able to see the construction on it from the top of the parachute drop, which was really cool to see. It's looking bigger than I thought.Here's another pic I took after exiting the disappointing new Nautilus. I can't believe they got rid of the Kraken.
>>2722450Sucks you couldn't get the full drone experience, really is my favourite night show from Disney.Construction was bad when I went too, hoping when Frozen opens they re-open all the shortcuts because the amount of walking you do for such a small park is insane. Not sure the disney Village changes will make it better, I actually liked the old 90s vibe of Disney Village, would have been happy for them to just refurbish that and maybe add a bit more to the theming (maybe add some neons to make it like 90s pleasure island). Also think the new restaurants are lacking, they should have tried to get a Gideon's. Definitely needs another heavily themed place.One thing I discovered at California Adventure is that you do actually get some hints that tell you what to aim at rather than just flailing your arms and looking for gold bots, you miss that in the French one (shame they didn't go duo-lingo like Ratatouille). Flight Force is a bit of an embarassing retheme, a few lazy screens on a decades old coaster.Paris definitely has the best versions of Pirates (comfiest queueline), Phantom Manor and thunder mountain. The Disneyland park desperately needs a new ride though, Nothing since Buzz Lightyear Frozenland looks nice but... it's so frustrating it's a clone of the Epcot one and that the other ride is another fucking teacups. 6 years it took them to build it, they could have worked with Tokyo and got that one too as it completely shits on the Epcot one. Hopefully the Lion King ride will be build a lot quicker.
>>2722510>Sucks you couldn't get the full drone experience, really is my favourite night show from Disney.No need to rub it in kek. But yeah, it's unfortunate. I suppose that's the one drawback to drone shows, they're a lot more sensitive to weather than fireworks are. The fireworks show was pretty good too, but nothing like the ones from the US parks I've seen on youtube.>Not sure the disney Village changes will make it betterThey won't make it better at all imo, current Disney cares little about extravagant theming like in the 90s Eisner era. Looking at the concept art they're gonna turn it into the usual modern mall aesthetic with some character faces here and there.>The Disneyland park desperately needs a new ride thoughI think it's only a matter of time before they do. The rumors of that Star Wars coaster behind Discoveryland seem potent. But it makes sense to not announce anything until they're done with the Studios park, that one needs the attention the most. Finish that one first, then move on to DLP.
>>2722530Wait why the fuck did it upload sideways, I didn't take it like that
>>2722532phones often rotate in the metadata rather than the image (means you can do lossless rotation) itself which 4chan doesn't support.>>2722530The Mandalorian Coaster could be a great addition, DLP only having 2 family coasters is something that holds it back. I'd guess it's happening given it was rumoured along with the Lion King ride. Just hope it isn't an alt theme of the upcoming Spider-man coaster (not that it looks bad but they need to keep parks having real exclusives).Wonder if they'll ever do the Cars expansion that was on some of the earliest plans, Would like to see the parks get a Test Track style ride.
>>2720751Dutch autismMy homie Marcel Vos is Dutch and an autistic Roller Coaster Tycoon Youtuber.
Gotta love the time before CAD when designers had to work out forces themselves and occasionally you got someone lazily designing a kids coaster without doing any calculations.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OJbJxUAM9gWonder how often kids puke up after that.
>>2722976Doesn't look like that big of a deal desu
>>2722976Pretty sure that’s a post-CAD coaster. My kids have ridden a very similar E&F Miler kiddie coaster at Kings Island and they like it.
Probably the last we'll see of Tokyo Space Mountain as they're starting to cover it up. Looks like it's going to be a more modern take on DLPs one with a launch up a tunnel.Star Dust Racers is going to look incredible at night, they made the right choice of making it unlit.https://x.com/AnniesUniUpdate/status/1845622463033729427
>>2723246so it's a complete retrack rather than just a new exterior?
>>2723253It's completely from scratch, it's being built behind the existing space mountain (which closed a month or so ago)
BTM closing for a year+ in January. Guess 7 dwarves queue will get even more insane
Universal has confirmed Epic Universe will open Memorial Day Weekend
>>2723669https://www.wsj.com/business/universal-epic-universe-harry-potter-ride-d6e5113b>opening it up in late spring just in time for summerGod they are gonna slaughter the competition.
>>2723677I was surprised. I was expecting late summer. I'm super pumped they're getting it open that early.
>>2723416I know that BTM is one of the most generic rides at WDW but it's my favorite now that Splash is gone.Part of me loves the ride and doesn't see the need for change, but the other part of me is bored of BTM staying the same since I was a kid. Thankfully, the changes seem good.
>>2723677When you compare it to Disney, it's really impressive just how much they've got their act together. Opening a new park at peak summer though... What are we predicting, Magic Kingdom style "it'll be too busy, lets wait" for the first month + spreading customers over whole of Universal or will it get close to capacity?Really interested in finding out what the ministry of magic ride is like, will it be Avatar levels of "swoop but you never lose your stomach", maybe with a RotR singular drop down or will it be a smaller ToT.>>2723715Think it's just a retrack and adding some minor effects to the lift hill.
>>2723677>God they are gonna slaughter the competition.Maybe it'll encourage Disney to provide better value and come up with better ways of sorting out the crowds
>>2723726>Really interested in finding out what the ministry of magic ride is like, will it be Avatar levels of "swoop but you never lose your stomach", maybe with a RotR singular drop down or will it be a smaller ToT.More like a bigger Spider-Man/Transformers
>>2723726I think they're being really smart making it so you have to buy a three day multi park pass, and you can only go to Epic Universe on one of those days. I certainly won't be going in the first year it's open, but hopefully it won't be too bad. I'm excited to go probably in 2026.
>>2723727>Maybe it'll encourage Disney to provide better value and come up with better ways of sorting out the crowds
>1 week away from my Japan tripI'm so fucking ready bros.Also didnt know DisneySea got an expansion, anyone knows if it's worth it?
>>2723669Rumors are not confirmation. stop with the fake news.I see so many people talking about how you can only visit Epic as part of a major ticket package.If this is true, I think Universal will see their biggest backlash they have ever gotten. If there are no AP options, and no single day passes, they will kill a lot of good will, and lose a big chunk of their fanbase. People will start to look at them like Disney in no time...
>>2720096The longer I live in Florida, the weirder my preferences get...1. Mako2. Expedition Everest3. Iron Gwazi4. Velocicoaster5. Hagrids6. Manta7. Tron8. Cheetah Hunt9. Pipeline10. SheikraAs I go to the parks more, I find things more enjoyable when they are less hyped. Mako and Everest always have quick lines. I can walk right on almost any time I'm there, and get a consistent, smooth ride. I guess a better way to define this ranking is - which rides am I most likely to ride the most when in that park. Anything that is too rough, or has stupidly long waits (and has no single rider), I'm not interested in repeating much...
>>2723898>didnt know DisneySea got an expansion, anyone knows if it's worth it?Probably, but keep in mind that all three rides still use virtual queues and you'll need to grab one or buy a Lightning Lane to even enter the area.
>>2723898Are you planning to hit up both Universal Japan and Tokyo Disneyland?
>>2723957Yes. I will do that. How do they feel about Indian men there?
>>2723959>Yes. I will do thatHow easy is it to get from one resort to the other?>How do they feel about Indian men there?I don't think they mind as long as you aren't being an obnoxious tourist.
disney world is getting universal express pass. costs between $129 to $449 depending on park and day of visit. Only disney deluxe resort guests are allowed to buy it. can only enter each ride once.https://www.wdwmagic.com/other/disney-genie/gallery/16oct2024-lightning-lane-premier-pass-logo/57766.htm
>>2724066wrong link lolhttps://www.wdwmagic.com/other/disney-genie/news/16oct2024-everything-you-need-to-know-about-disneys-new-lightning-lane-premier-pass-at-walt-disney-world.htm
>>2724066I wish they'd make up their mind. It's exhausting trying to figure out how Disney's system works at any given time. Much worse value than Universal's but that's to be expected I guess.
>>2724066DL is also getting it with their price ranging from $300-$400. Anyone with a reservation can buy it and it's good for both parks (WDW version is only good for one park)
>>2724066Given how much the deluxe resorts cost, that's especially eyewatering. I'd guess you're paying $1-2 for every minute you knock off of queueing times, assuming you use them to the max, on top of how fucking expensive the deluxe hotels are ($250 premium per night?)
>>2724083>DL is also getting it with their price ranging from $300-$400More specifically it'll be $400 until the end of 2024, then for 2025 onwards it'll vary by demand within $300-$400.
>>2724138Fuck that's a lot.
>>2724066>>2724083For comparison, the equivalent service at Disneyland Paris (Premier Access Ultimate) costs about $230 for both parks.
>>2724140Don't forget that a bunch of the attractions at Disneyland aren't included in Lightning Lane (like the Fantasyland rides, Jungle Cruise, and Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage)
>>2724146Really? That price is outrageous then.
>>2724142I did it when I was at DLP.In all honesty it was actually worth it. Would never have done Crush's Coaster and Peter Pan without it and got an extra ride on BTM (easily the best non-launch version, dat tunnel section)
>>2724146Half the point of these passes if getting on quickly the "I'm not spending 45+ minutes for that..." rides.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=PS3v1OC-mx8Epic opens May 22
>>2724439Fuck yeah. They must be really confident they're making that date.I'm probably going to end up going week after Labor day. It's possibly I may do a few days in Washington then road trip down.
>>2724441Thinking about it, wonder if UK tickets will let you go multiple days. Only allowing 1 day at the park will be kinda stupid when they sell 14 day tickets.
>>2724442They sent APs an email specifying 1-day tickets go on sale on the 26th for them so it's likely initial ticket sales will only be multi-day (otherwise why would they let APs buy tickets later than everyone else)
>>2724447Attraction Tickets Direct (Universals UK seller for some reason) are saying 1 day per 14 day ticket which is kinda bullshit. Hope they improve it on the 22nd.
Theres a lot of misconceptions over this complicated Epic announcement, so here is everything summed up.>Ticket packages go on sale 10/22>AP single day tickets go on sale 10/24>Everyone else single day tickets go on sale at a later date>Opening date is 5/22, but there will likely be a 'soft open' for AP holders prior to that.>Epic AP options will be announced later (probably as day passes slow down)Single day passes to Universal currently go around 110-150 per day, so I expect Epic opening days will be around 170-200. If the economy crashes in the next year, and they can't keep up with selling tickets, I could see them opening AP options pretty early on.I live about 2 miles away from Epic, so I will be there opening day, just for the experience. Though it will kinda suck to have 1 park (the best park) around here that I don't have full access to lol.
>>2723898Yeah, DisneySea is fucking awesome. Best theming in the world. The new expansion is really good, but very much family-oriented. It mogs pretty much every US expansion Disney has done since Pandora, and even then I would say it's only the fourth best land in the park.>>2723953As this anon points out, you will need standby passes, so download the app ahead of time (you'll want it anyway to utilize their free fastpass service). If you are traveling with a party, the system for linking them is a bit convoluted. You need to have everyone download the app and make an account, then you can invite them to your group so you can grab passes for everyone at once. Best I could tell, you need to re-create this group every day of your trip.Show up early. At least an 45 minutes before posted opening time. The Japanese are hardcore about ropedrop. As soon as you enter the park gates, open the app and try to snag passes. I don't know if things have died down at all, but when I went, all Fantasy Springs passes would be gone in minutes.
>>2724473Seems like Fantasy Springs has been a bit of a failure when it comes to the "we're trying to reduce the queues and crowds" side of thing. The rides look great though, I really need to get over there.
>>2724529I think it'll probably reduce the queue for Toy Story Mania once it moves away from requiring standby passes, but really it feels more like a evening out of Sea's roster than something to drive down crowds. The park's headliners skew more adult than most Disney parks, especially Disneyland next door. Fantasy Springs will make the park much more attractive for families with younger children.
>>2723920I like Everest but I don’t know if it would even crack my Florida top 10. Mine would be:1. Mako 2. Iron Gwazi3. Velocicoaster4. Hagrids5. Cheetah Hunt6. Cosmic Rewind7. Manta8. Sheikra9. Hulk10. Big Thunder MountainHonorable mentions to Kumba, Pipeline, and Ice Breaker. And Everest with the working Yeti which I rode twice in 2006. I haven’t ridden Tron yet. I also haven’t ridden White Lightning or Mineblower at the Fun Spots. Have you? I’ve been on 5 B&M hypers (but not SFOG Goliath) and Mako is definitely my favorite. I like the little lake and the lift hill soundtrack. The perfectly profiled airtime hills. And like you I also like the short lines and marathon it when I visit. That’s what puts it over IG and VC for me even though I know they’re better coasters
>>2724588Everest gets lots of points for how forceful the backwards helix is. Can't think of any other family coaster that does something like that
>>2724588I haven't done any of the non-major-theme-park coasters yet. I also haven't even gotten on cosmic rewind (after living here 2 months) because of the stupid V-que...I'm a big fan of Everest for how quick and easy it is to get on. The other day, I did 7 runs in a row, with the exit leading right back into the single rider line lol. The smoothness also makes it comfy enough to not feel destroyed after getting off.It actually feels like a lift hill version of Hagrids. and >>2724596 is right about the backwards part. that is one of the most disorienting feeling I've ever had on any coaster.Overall, most underrated ride in Florida. I only rode it a few weeks ago for the first time, and it has climbed my ranks really quick
>>2724600Also, I know Velocicoaster is always seen as the 'objectively best ride', and I definitely enjoy it, but it has already gotten quite the rattle. and even with express, I cant do it in under 25 minutes. It is just quite the ordeal, so I never do it more than once
>>2724588>I’ve been on 5 B&M hypers (but not SFOG Goliath)It's fine but not great imo. Definitely not worth going out of one's way to ride. I don't care about positive G's though, between that and it not having a 200+ foot drop, it just seems overhyped.
>>2724600Apparently the CMs at GOTG don't care if you show up late so you can just book a queue at 7 and then show up later in the day
Best Orlando park for a solo adult?Feeling the blues and I just want to walk around somewhere nice in this cooler weather and try a few new things. I don't like coasters more intense than Cheetah Hunt at busch gardens. Magic Kingdom is my favorite park by a long shot, but I went earlier this year and I've barely even been to other Disney parks. I've never been to Universal because I'm waiting to go with my parents for my first time. I'm mostly torn between Hollywood studios and Animal kingdom.I briefly considered Epcot but didn't see anything it offers that appeals to me, especially when Test track is down. I may change my mind, though.
>>2724763I should clarify that I haven't been to anything but MK and busch gardens in at least 10 years. I only have vague memories of being at Epcot as a kid in the early 2000s. I'm not a drinker either which is always the Reddit Disney Millenial appeal.
>>2724763EPCOT and Animal Kingdom are the best parks to walk around in my opinion. It really depends on whether you're more interested in world cultures/history or wildlife.
>>2720096Yo I'm going to go to the hong kong disney land at the end of the year and i'm wondering should I bring a relative for the fun of it or just try to take all the rides myself over a day?
>>2724600Since you live there you might want to check out White Lightning at least, that's supposed to be a good GCI. It's a woodie but the support structure is steel. Mine Blower is part woodie part steel and also with steel supports but that one has mixed reviews for roughness even after the new RMC track. The Fun Spots don't charge for parking or admission and they have pay-per-ride options. Plus they're always open late (that's their thing, to attract people coming from parks after they close). The one in Kissimmee is attached to Old Town which is a nice little tourist trap full of bars and gift shops (that also sell alcohol you can consume outside).. that's the one with Mine Blower
>>2724625I didn't even realize it had a sub 200ft drop. I wasn't going to go out of my way to ride it but on the way to Florida next year was considering stopping there and also the Atlanta Fun Spot for Arie Force One. But after watching Poseidon Entertainment's review I might pass won Arie and probably SFOG altogether and go to Carowinds again instead.
>>2724864Carowinds standout coasters are better than SFOG's standouts, but I think SFOG is the superior park. It has a better atmosphere, and the quality of the rides is more consistent. Carowinds has great rides but it also has some duds. Plus SFOG has Monster Mansion which might be the best non-Disney or Universal dark ride in America. If I had to choose between the two parks, I'd take Six Flags personally.
>>2724442Looking on forums it seems the 14 day tickets will only have 1 Epic day for 2025. Beginning in 2026 it'll be the same rules as for the other parks.Guessing that Epic tickets will be a la carte at the beginning so no special deals.>>2724601I noticed Velocicoaster had a bit of a rattle too which nobody seems to talk about. It is still my #1 but it definitely doesn't seem as enjoyable as it was a year or two ago (though maybe it's because I'm used to riding it)
>>2724897I know they've got to prevent insane crowds but that seems like a huge mistake that will piss people off even more than the park reservation system at Disney. On a 14 day ticket it's kinda laughable only getting 1 day at what could be the entire reason people are booking a holiday for. They don't even sell single day tickets to British visitors.
>>2724066>Hey plebians>We're removing as many areas as possible that you would previously be able to hang out in for 30 minutes like Tom Sawyer Island>You'll be spending even more time in queues now!>And you'll have to pay triple or quadruple to actually ride everything.>But you can only earn that privilege by staying at a DELUXE (TM) RESORT.>Yes, we used to give even the poors in tents at Fort Wilderness full Resort Guest (TM) perks, but even though those are up to $100+ a night to set up your dinky tent, you deserve nothing for being so poor.5 years later>Why is everyone going to Universal?>All our new resorts are only at 20% capacity>DON'T YOU LIKE FRONT TIRE LAND?>DON'T YOU LIKE THE COUNTRY BEARS AND TIKI BIRDS SINGING DISNEY SONGS?>WHY DON'T YOU LIKE THE INDIANA JONES OVERLAY TO DINOSAUR AFTER WE COMPLETELY MURDERED THE CHARACTER IN DIAL OF DESTINY?>We put baby Yoda in the Millenium Falcon ride, please come back! We need money!>Overpriced food at a pirate tavern! You want that right?>Test track is going suck less again and still doesn't have cartoon characters! Please come to Epcot!>You loved Zootopia right? We replaced the bug 3D show with Zootopia! You'll have to visit to see the sequel right?>No one minds that we're maybe removing MuppetVision 3D, the final project Jim Henson personally worked on, right?>Please please please, give Iger your money.
Bit of British park news I missed. Chessington World of Adventures gave a lot more details of their huge rework. Most of it is stuff they've said before, moving a lot of the animal enclosures to a new location to make the zoo a bit closer knit, building a small indoor waterpark hotel.New stuff is them removing a few of the older kiddie flat rides and moving their disc-o-coaster, adding a kid zone (like cebeebies land) and adding a new zone (rumoured to be Minecraft themed) with a new indoor coaster, probably an intamin multi-launch or sfx coaster. Chance they're giving the park Alton Tower's Project Horizon as that seems to have stalled.
>>2724874I do want to see Monster Mansion some day. Well… apparently my all park Cedar Point pass works at every Six Flags starting in January. I’ve still got many months to decide. My kids really liked the kids area at Carowinds though.. which was impressive and is getting plussed next season. I thought the atmosphere was surprisingly good too, more charm than I was expecting.
>>2724901>give Iger your moneyNo way Iger is still CEO after 5 more years, he's gonna be replaced simply for being too old.Eisner was ousted when he was 63, Iger is now 73.
>>2724901>no complaints about the Monsters Inc Door Coaster or Villains Landhmmmmmmmmmmmmm
>>2724967NTA but they specifically mentioned Muppetvision possibly going, and the Villains land is almost certainly going on the northwest half of the river
>>2724897I just rode velocicoaster again today, and realized its the trains that cause the rattle.Got a train with fully functioning lighting, lap bars had no wiggle, and full ride was smooth.Seems like they just need to repair the rest of the trains and it should be good as new! most of the trains seem to be in rough shape
>>2724901The truth is that Universal will flop as well, theme parks are just becoming too expensive for the average person to visit.
>>2724901>All our new resorts are only at 20% capacityWell by then hotel prices will have increased by 80% so it evens out.
>>2725067>becoming too expensiveThat's a weird way to say they've been made too expensive by short-sighted price increases. When parks are reporting 40% profit margins, you don't have to be a genius to realise it's not sustainable.
>>2725081Nothing about modern megacorps like Disney are sustainable.
>>2724967villains land is nothing but a concept right now lol
You guys ever notice that screen rides at Universal are looked down on, but are loved at Disney?I don't understand the hype around flight of passage. it felt like just a more high tech version of soarin'. both of which are basically the same rides as Jimmy fallon and Simpsons, which are never popular...Maybe its just the immersive que that gets people excited?
>>2725121Depends on the quality of the ride as well. Nobody shittalks Universal's Spider-Man ride, but Disney's is a laughingstock
>>2725121>it felt like just a more high tech version of soarin'. both of which are basically the same rides as Jimmy fallon and SimpsonsNah flying theatres are different enough from regular simulator rides.
>>2724967I was working from memory, but the MuppetVision part was about Monsters potentially replacing that area, and there are too few details on a Villain land to say anything about it yet.
>>2725067Universal isn't as much. I mean I could afford to stay at one of Universal's most expensive hotels if I wanted to. I don't think I'll ever stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
>>2725154Are Universal not planning price hikes on their hotels in anticipation of Epic Universe?
>>2725158That wouldn't surprise me, but right now the prices at all their hotels are extremely reasonable, and if I really wanted to, staying at their most expensive places is within my reach. But Disney's deluxe ones aren't.
>>2724601>>2724897>>2724998>rattleYou guys need to stop with this. Wheels get out of round/out of true and short of rewheeling the train every week there's nothing a park can do about it. Ride an old Vekoma or Arrow looper if you want to experience discomfort
>>2725169>rewheeling the train every weekHow much would that cost?
>>2725169Just because there are worse coasters doesn't mean they shouldn't work to improve the ride
>>2725180Too much, that's why wheels are replaced on an as-needed basis>>2725187>boo hoo hoo it rattledSoft
>>2725067That's basically the equivalent of saying "it's too crowded, no one goes there."A price puts supply and demand in equilibrium. The price is caused by the demand. If demand goes down, the price will too.It could be that a corporation overinvests and makes a product that's more expensive than people want to pay. It really does not seem to me like that's what's going on. People are paying high prices because demand is high. Companies are expanding supply so they can charge those prices to more people.
>>2725081The high margins are a function of demand outpacing the ability of sellers to scale up the supply. Eventually more competitors will enter the industry and the existing players will scale up their operations and margins will go down.I don't understand how that makes the prices short-sighted, though. No offense, but please study economics.
skull island monke
>>2725611
>>2725613
>>2725614This thing is really impressive.
>>2725347Orlando theme park tourism was down again this summer and Disney couldn’t fill their hotels. They even ran hotel deals and a summer ticket deal, the first such ticket deal in recent memory that wasn’t Florida residents only. And they blamed everything except themselves and their prices. Global warming. Rebound tourism cooling off. People waiting for Epic. Etc. Apparently almost half of vacationers who take a Disney vacation go into debt for them. And we all know that adults are now their biggest consoomers, many of them without children. How are they going to produce future fans to help fill the parks? The business model isn’t sustainable in the long term
When do epic universe tickets go on sale?
>>2726029>Apparently almost half of vacationers who take a Disney vacation go into debt for themThat is fucking nuts. Kind of disgusting honestly.
>>2726070You should always put holidays onto a credit card anyway. So long as they're able to pay it off within a year, it's not too bad.$6000+ is a lot of liquid cash
Does anybody know what's still closed at BGT from the hurricane? Queue times must not be accurate because it's been saying Serengeti Flyer is open but that's been walled off since before the Hurricane due to S&S installing the cables backwards and ruining it. It also says Iron Gwazi is running but I've read it's been closed since the hurricane, confirmed in a YouTube video last week. Phoenix Rising and Falcon's Fury were also closed.. but the Sky Ride was working. Haven't seen any news since and their site and app don't say.
>>2726199>but the Sky Ride was workingIt's complete bullshit that they charge extra to ride it if you're not a passholder. Same with the observation tower at Sea World. Admission should get you access to all attractions.
>>2726204Agreed. Swan boats at SeaWorld I can see as an up charge for capacity reasons. Observation tower though? They have that same tower at other parks for free. Von Roll sky rides are a dying breed but the one in BGW is not an upcharge. The one at SeaWorld San Diego is though and that's probably where they got the idea. They claim the alternative at BGT is removing the attraction but this could set a bad precedent.
>>2725349>Eventually more competitors will enter the industryI doubt it, the theme park industry is not something easy to break into. American Heartland is pretty much DOA. Islands of Adventure struggled until Wizarding World. Even Magic Kingdom struggled until its first holiday season. Very few companies have the money to compete with Disney and Universal spending power.I do predict that already-existing regional parks will market themselves more as destinations (we're already seeing this happening with Dollywood and now Silver Dollar City) and this could affect tourism trends to Orlando. Universal is also dabbling in regional parks with their Texas park that's geared toward families with children.
£400 for 14 days universal with 1 day at Epic Universe (no other way to buy)Annoying. Now only slightly less than 14 day Disney tickets
>>2726244Just got to the front of the queue on the US site. No single day tickets available anywhere. Park to busy to do it all in a day? Tough shit unless you pay another $500.Guess I'm not doing it this year because fuck that.
>>2726248Single day tickets will probably go up at a later date. Considering it's been 6 hours and even opening day hasn't sold out, I think they made the right move in starting off by selling multi-days.Sucks for international guests though, if 14 days is the only option.
prices are up for epic universe vacation packages.all prices I show are for 1 person for a 5 night stay labor day week (slowest week of year). packages start at $1096 (was $880 last year same week)helios grand hotel costs about half of the other signature collection hotels, but does not include express pass for the 2 older parks. getting a park view from a standard room is an extra $346.all park ticket lengths include ONE day at epic universe but for a 6 day stay you can cheat it by buying two 3 day tickets in order to get two days at epic. one 5 day park hopper ticket costs $495 (6 day tickets don't exist) and two 3 day tickets cost a combined $890single day tickets will be available for this week at a later time, but if you want two guaranteed days NOW it costs an extra $395 to visit epic universe for a second time in one trip.
>>2726255>>2726256This feels like they're way too overconfident.If the Magic Kingdom could be a ghost town on opening because of the "it's too busy" factor, they really are taking a huge risk. Even opening up the tickets later may be too late.
Disneyland Splash Mountain doing press previewshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw1kJDtFBqUSeems a lot like they designed both rethemes around Disneyland first as it works a bit better. There is a lot less dead space as it has pretty much everything from the MK version but in a ride that's 3-4 minutes shorter. The whole "looking for band members" story still doesn't quite work and the final drop is still terrible though.
>>2726260They'll be able to gauge demand from this and adjust. They are way too overconfident though. The park looks great and has generated lots of hype and interest. I just don't think it's enough to warrant these ticket limitations. Happy to be wrong.
>>2726260the concept of "it's gonna be too busy, lets not go" does not exist in the universal fan's mind.or gee, maybe they want opening day to be a pleasant experience for people that are actually there?
>>2726273I feel everyone got caught by surprise by that which is why everyone rushed in boarding passes for new rides. A new ride is also very different to a new park as you've the "people who were going anyway" added on to it.Most of the rides at Epic Universe (aside from the flats and maybe Wolfman and Donkey Kong) are extremely high capacity, It should cope with crowds better than almost any other park.
>>2726276There's only 11 rides and 2 shows, I wouldn't say it can cope extremely well. Plus having only one entrance/exit for each land might not bode well for crowd flow.
>>2726270The light beams from the climb look better. MK has theirs caught on the ceiling.
>>2726281How many rides and shows did universal Florida, IOA, and all the other Orlando parks have at opening?
epic universe will have express pass on opening day, they just aren't for sale yet.
>>2726270It should just be the movie as a ride heavily featuring Dr. Facilier.
>>2726151>So long as they're able to pay it off within a year, it's not too bad.>20%+ interest on mosr credit cardsIf you can zero the balance every month, you're getting scammed.
>>2726600Or just bring back Facility as a spirit for the drop, they already had him return for sorcerers of the magic kingdom.
>>2726029>How are they going to produce future fans to help fill the parks? The business model isn’t sustainable in the long termI want to know how they're going to fill their rooms in new resorts. Apparently the hotel on the former site of River Country (next to the Tri Circle D ranch) is back in full swing.How the heck would you fill another Wilderness Lodge-sized building on that side of Bay lake?
>>2726603Depends if it’s still going to be a DVC resort.
>>2726602>"So you want to help her band? Make a deal with me and I'll help you make a big splash">singing tiki masks on the walls >his shadow following and taunting the boats on the way up>Either a projection onto a mist wall over the drop or an animatronic of him wearing the neon mask>"I hope you're satisfiiiiiied"It's so fucking easy.
>>2726612You can even keep the Odie animatronic before the drop, just make it so that she's saving you instead of "getting you to the party".
>>2726603Hopefully they did a re-design because the proposed shit looked ugly just like the towers going in between polynesian and grand floridian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfrIImuWBW0RIP being removed at the end of the season. Part of their move to making it more of a theme park, adding a viking area. Wonder if they'll still keep strictly to family coasters or go "family+" and do a multi-launch.
>>2726601This is what I do. I use a CC for everything and pay off the balance every month. But if you spend beyond your means, as many people do, you can't do this.
>>2726701That's all they make now is ugly sterile and soulless hotels. It's one thing for a McDonalds to have a soulless "modern" look that can quickly be converted into a dentist office in the future. But Disney doing it on their own property that's always going to be a hotel makes no sense. They always made highly-themed hotels full of intricate details. Some of those details have been replaced with boring sterile nothingness. Others have been changed to out-of-place and out-of-theme IPs. There is little to no creativity left in their so-called "imagineering".Enjoy what's left while you can because one of these days it won't be there. I can see them replacing detail in the lodges, the little animals carved into things, with Inside Out and Zootopia characters. Completely out-of-place and out-of-theme but that's what they do and Disney Adults and pixie dusters love it. For me, those old bits of Imagineering are the only reasons to still go there.
>>2726821Happening at Disneyland Paris too. Disney Village has a neat 90s asthetic (albeit run down now) and they're replacing it with a sterile modern shopping mall look.
>>2726829I don't get why they don't think people don't want in your face theming. Would the Chocolate Emporium at Universal get half the customer base if it didn't look like a bit chocolate factory?
>>2726821I wonder what drives Bob to approve such soulless projects. It cant all be money focused, there has to be some deeper reasoning behind it. I refuse to believe they serious think the lack of "disney theming" is whats stopping people from staying at their hotels.
>>2726605Explain for a poorfag who never looked into their dumb timeshare program.
>>2726839DVC isn't really a timeshare, it's buying blocks of bookings. You pay a lump sum and an annual fee and get a number of points every year that can be spent on any DVC location.You save money on rooms compared to typical prices, get room sizes you can't get otherwise without paying an insane amount and get a few random perks (special annual passes, lounges, and random other stuff) . Also the Disney price rises outpace inflation so over time your savings increase.When you're fed up of it, your contract is sellable (minus a fee) and generally worth more than you paid for it.
>>2726832If a concept like >>2726831 doesn't work out, they can easily replace it with something different without re-theming it (the same can't be said for the Chocolate Emporium). Still, that doesn't explain the hotels like Riviera and the additions to legacy hotels.The company is run by sterile and soulless un-creatives who probably think theming is tacky and winds up looking dated after a few years. This was the reason why Vegas casinos got rid of that excellent 90s theming in casino hotels like the Luxor. They claimed it increased revenue.... not sure how though. Removing the Egyptian theming from an Egyptian pyramid casino is fucking stupid. Poseidon Entertainment did a good video series called 'theme parks were better in the 90s' that went over the 90s theming everywhere that disappeared. And of course the theming at Disney's parks and resorts that peaked in the 90s and is being stripped away despite theming being a core part of that experience. But maybe that's no longer true to the current new fanbase.. they seem to go there primarily for shitty rides based on mediocre franchises.
>>2726832Iger came from ABC television he doesn’t understand quality. Eisner was into architecture, and art some of that spirit trickled down into the parks.
>>2726816or spread out your purchases. book the flights one month, book the hotel the next month, then everything else during the vacation
>>2723920>>2724588Ok I finally got on cosmic rewind, so I've now been on every notable ride in FL.Its a great ride, but I have such a hard time ranking decent rides that are easy to get on vs great rides that are a pain...
>>2726870Thanks for the summary.How would this affect occupancy at the resort replacing River Country?
>>2727240Not him but it depends if there’s still enough demand for DVC bookings.Like did those recent properties on Ford Wilderness and Polynesian sell out yet?
I had the opportunity to visit both Busch Gardens parks within a month of each other, and now I present my findings from each. (1/2)>BGWWent on a nice Friday afternoon/evening, had an easy time getting parking right next to the gate and waltzing onto rides with sub-5 minute waits. Alpengeist and Verbolten were unfortunately closed, but there was still plenty of other shit to see and do.Loch Ness is probably my favorite Arrow coaster given the setting and interlocking loops, but the ride is still fairly rough even after the refurbishment. I could barely get my legs to fit in the seats which made it all that much more painful. 4/10.Griffon is a great ride, but gimmicky. There's really not much else to it other than the seating arrangement and vertical drops. Smooth and forceful, but the best parts are terribly short. 8/10.Invadr is waaaaay far away from everything else, though I liked it a lot. Had an interesting layout and comfortable MF seats, except empty trains were rough and slightly painful. Much more entertaining than it looks in videos. 7/10.Tempesto is a sky rocket II copy-paste, 5/10.Apollo's Chariot is hands-down my favorite ride at BGW, I went on that shit 7 times in a row because I enjoyed it so much. Smooth, forceful, beautifully set, and no-fuss. Masterpiece, 9.5/10.Pantheon has an incredibly unique layout and offers strange sensations, though I did find the lack of theming to be abhorrent and detract from the entire experience. It's certainly worth a few rides due to the crazy mid-section multi-launch, as long as you ignore the empty grass field it sits on. 8/10.There were some animal exhibits and a few flat rides I liked (the swing in the Ireland section is fantastic), though I was disappointed in the ride closures and confusing park layout. Certainly a fantastic park either way, the theming is appropriate without being annoying, and the operations are quick and smooth. I'd love to go back when everything is fully open some day.
>>2727599>BGTScooted over on a thursday morning before my evening flight, so I was in a bit of a time crunch. Still got in 4-5 hours though.Cheetah Hunt is a cute launch coaster with a very scenic windcatcher tower, though I wish it had one or two more inversions. Some good ejector air, some nice laterals into curves, neat layout. 8/10.Cobra's Curse is honestly one of the best family coasters I've been on. The ride layout is a bit disappointing for the first and second sections, but the free-spinning section can really fuck you up if you get lucky. I really hate the queue though, it's way too fucking dark and long. 7/10.Montu is a blast and a relentless B&M invert, basically Kumba without a floor. Really interesting layout through some fake ruins, super aggressive batwing, and an unpredictable series of elements. 9/10.Phoenix Rising is a kiddie version of Montu. Good for the intent, but pretty lame overall. 5/10.Kumba is in my top 3 favorite rides for sentimental reasons, but it still kicks ass after all these years. Each element goes right into the next one and the pacing is fabulous. 9.5/10.Sheikra is a slightly worse Griffon. 7.5/10.Iron Gwazi might just be the greatest roller coaster ever, only held back by its lack of theming. Incredibly fast, incredibly forceful, and absolutely throttles you in the Death Roll. The restraints were slightly uncomfortable due to the shin padding, but I got over it pretty quick. 9.5/10 overall but a 10/10 experience.The fact that BGT has a full zoo attached makes it all the more worthwhile, even if the exhibits seem prohibitively small for the animals there. The park can be a bit steamy and uncomfortable most days due to the location and heat, though I found it extremely worth it in the end. I still wish I got a chance to try Falcon's Fury. Definitely recommend going in the off-season to get the max value you can out of the rides. Remember to drink lots of water to avoid nausea!
>>2726947Iger was the guy who ruined Twin Peaks by the way. You make a horrible decision like that and Disney rewards you for it.
Am I a pleb if I loved HHN at Hollywood this year? There were some real flaws and failures and things I would have done different but man this event is still so fucking fun. Definitely worth going to especially with a 2 PM day-night ticket and express. You basically get Super Nintendo World all to yourself for 3 hours and four really good houses are right there when you get out.
>>2728081I really enjoyed it. Biggest problem was the weak scare zones, the only one they put effort into was the one designed to sell drinks (which were also not great which is a shame). I know Hollywood has less walkways for this sort of thing but it felt lazy.Weakest mazes were the Nuclear zombie one and the mrs helsing ones. Unexpectedly the IP ones were the best (including The Weekend's). Terror Tram was meh, outside of a really neat start, Blumhouse having nothing to offer outside of slashers and them annoyingly shouting at you to move on past the lot houses made it pretty rubbish.
>>2728089I agree completely! I would have loved to see a fifth scare zone in the lower lot, or even an IP zone like Treehouse of Horror or Death Eaters in Hogsmede. Monster luchadores was a fun concept though and I love how they used smoke and lights to make it harder to pick scare actors out of an approaching crowd until they’re right on top of you. Monstros was pretty fun too with all the elaborate costumes and giant puppets.Dead exposure seemed like it couldn’t decide between goofy high concept sci-fi or more realistic military experimentation and I wish it would have gone full camp like Major Sweets in Orlando. I kind of liked Bloodlines though, if only because it’s interesting to see a house with monsters getting brutalized. And whoever was playing Dracula’s daughter when I walked through was really hamming it up. Completely agreed about the weak terror tram though. It felt extremely disjointed and boring except for the Purge part at the end, which was still just weirdly dressed people swinging weapons at you.
kino inbound
>>2728541>Eddie Redmayne just confirmed that there won't be any more Fantastic Beasts filmsuh oh, not very good timing
>>2728541Universal posted a video showing some of the animatronics. They look fucking greathttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgoJT_mrn1E
>>2728584They look awesome. Here's to hoping they're reliable.
Only a week away to see if the replace Joe or the whole attraction.
>>2728588Money matters more to them, and if Trump wins it'll be very cheap to put him back in his old spot. Though they probably have to redo his head for the third time to give it a working mouth.
>>2728588Its funny to think that at a 53 year old park the only original attractions (not based on an existing IP nor imported from another park) left are this and space mountain. Its funnier to think the last thing they built that matched this criteria was 30 years ago.
>>2728590I hope so and not reuse the old head, which was probably never suppose to be him in the first place.
>>2728593And even then you could consider this just an expanded version of great moments with mr lincoln.
Frozen ButterbeerCold ButterbeerHot ButterbeerButterbeer ice creamButterbeer fudgeGoing to Universal Studios Hollywood for two days in November. Probably only going to have two or three of these at most. Which should I get?
>>2728807Cold butterbeer in the morning/afternoon when it’s sunny, hot butterbeer when it’s chilly at night. Frozen is fun too but it’s basically just a slushie which isn’t too unique. The ice cream was great when I got it in Orlando. No idea about the fudge or potted cream. Also see if the 3 broomsticks is doing breakfast on the day you go because that’s pretty much the only good place for breakfast on property.
>>2728807Every time I've tried hot butterbeer it was ass so I would completely skip it. Cold, frozen, and the icecream are all good but the cold weather might sour your experiences with the latter two. Cant hurt to try them all over the course of two days.
>>2728811Gotcha
>>2728816Noted! I will skip the hot butterbeer.
>>2728816Oh shit, really? I had hot butterbeer a few days ago during horror nights and it was pretty great. Like someone liquified a butterscotch candy. I guess I might have gotten a good batch or something. Cold frozen and the ice cream are definitely the stars though.
>>2728828Sounds like the jury's still out!
>>2727601Somebody on Reddit pointed out that BFW always wins the award for most beautiful park and is in the middle of a beautifully forest with a river. Meanwhile BGT is beautiful park in the worst and ugliest part of Tampa, it’s gets much less respect than it deserves.
>>2720096Day 61 of living in Orlando>I have entered a theme park 68 times since I got here. (even with a few days off)>HHN and HoS are stale af, and I don't care if I never see another haunted house again>I came here as a Universal fan, but I've started moving more towards Disney>I'm realizing that every single park has 1-3 S tier rides, so I have to spread my visits out across every park>I literally can not rank my top rides. I feel like I need a complex algorithm just to tell which ones I like more lol>I'm finding theres lots of single girls that like to go to the parks, and they make perfect date spots tooI've had some ups and downs, but this has been the best decision I've ever made. It's been a wild ride so far...
Pitch me your theme park ideas. The winner will receive a blank check with which to bring their concept to life.
>>2728966Are you planning to do some days visiting the weird tourist trap locations around the parks?
https://touringplans.com/blog/disneyland-hungry-bear-barbecue-jamboree-review/>$21.49 for thiswhat the fuck
>>2729060Yes, I live next to International drive, so there are a lot of things I still need to try. I can see the starflyer and eye from right outside my building lol.I'm mostly just waiting to have a gf to do the other stuff with. The parks are the one thing that are great to do solo, and a great place to meet people. Once I find someone, I will branch out a lot more. I still havent even been to any beaches yet.Whenever you go on tinder / any dating app here, you find tons of disney / universal cast members, or just enthusiasts and passholders, so I feel like I have a good shot.
>>2729061lmao. meanwhile, at epcot...
>>2729061That's what you get for buying "" "barbecue""" in commiefornia
>>2728966Despite Bob's best efforts the Disney parks/resorts still ooze soul in most places and there's a reason why they attract so many people. Also central Florida is kind of beautiful in it's own way and there's a lot of stuff to do besides tourist stuff. I'm looking at buying a vacation/Airbnb property soon in the area and would love to spend my summers there (though my wife isn't as keen on the idea)
Been seeing a lot of Yas Island ads in my failed nation that is the UK. Is it any good or should I just stick to Western or Japanese/ Australian theme parks?
>>2729162I moved out to California from the east coast. It is almost impossible to find good BBQ or good NY style pizza out here. However, once you start eating Vietnamese, Korean and Thai food out here, you won't really miss the pizza and BBQ. I did discover after a decade of living here that the secret to getting an edible pizza on the west coast is to go to a Neapolitan style restaurant. There isn't a single New York style place out here that's passable.
>>2729061I don't get why they scrimp on portions when they're already expensive. The gumbo portions are pretty small too.Just spend an extra 50c making it and make the guests happy eating it. A second sausage and a thicker slice of non-standard bread and that looks a lot less pathetic
>>2728966Ranking rides is lame. Sure you have your small handful of favorites, maybe a top 10, and then everything else is virtually interchangeable. It's super cringe and autistic when thoosies say things like "it's my #57 overall"Anyways, it sounds like you're bored from doing those things too much. Disney's parks and resorts are still full of little thematic details that the others are lacking making for a better suspension of disbelief and immersion to just stroll through and people watch. You don't get as bored even if you've been many times. But this is not true of their new stuff (mostly everything from 2010 onward). They don't even care much about sightlines anymore which was always important to their immersive theming.
>>2729379A. Why in the fuck would you willingly move to California? B. You should have known the food was going to suck. It sucks everywhere in California and I honestly can't think of an exception. I've had business dinners at the so called "high end" luxury fancy places in LA and they were all garbage. I'd rather just go to In n Out. I live in Nashville so I know I'm spoiled when it comes to great food but still. California is beautiful though, especially Tahoe, but the communists ruin everything.
>>2729379There's a place in Berkeley that does a sort of NY-East Bay Gourmet fusion style of pizza called Gioia's Pizza that I think is very good.
mysterious bars of light at epic universe
>>2729714Is it worth going next year, Or should I wait for 2026?
>>2729903It's probably gonna be really hard to visit for more than one day next year.
>>2728975A catch-all non-Nintendo Video game IP park.Science-y land:>Portal trackless ride>Resident Evil (but The Last of Us is probably more marketable to normies) on-rail horror shooter or dark ride>Kerbal Space Program clone of Star Tours>Subnautica simulator expeditionFantasy land:>Skyrim dragon coaster>Tomb Raider indoor coaster>Monster Hunter water rideKids land:>Minecraft minecart family coaster akin to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Disney>A Hat in Time dark ride>Fortnite on-rail shooterMiscellaneous ideas:>Need for Speed: Underground clone of Test Track>Rocket League bumper car soccer
>>2729903>>2729950seeing as how the park will only be full of people who bought a ticket for that day, I get the feeling its going to be not too crowded all the time. a september week day could actually be pretty nice
How often do you guys visit virtual parks? Picrel is Disneyland Wales on Roblox, a few of the rides are mid or bad but they have an original Wall-E ride that is really nicely done, and the Winnie the Pooh trackless ride is well made. They also recreated the halloween stage shows using NPC animations pretty well.There is/was also mcmagic Minecraft Disneyworld clone, I think it got into drama or something I'm not sure if it's still around but I used to love it years ago.
>>2730187I have a look at the main WDW Roblox game occasionally to see if they've added anything new. I wish they would do more than just the rides, I wanna be able to walk around the park and resort areas.Also I vaguely remember mcmagic, but mcparks seems to be the best one now.
>>2730195Oh also I think projects trying to recreate still operating rides have the wrong idea, I want to see demolished rides recreated.Imagine an attempt at doing all of the DisneyQuest attractions within modern VR.
>>2730199I think recreating existing rides has it's own appeal but I get what you mean. I prefer when they create new rides that don't exist but could, in theory.I can't really name any defunct rides/attractions I've been on that I want to see again besides Splash mountain.
>>2730201>I can't really name any defunct rides/attractions I've been on that I want to see again besides Splash mountain.I'd want to see all those interesting exhibits from Innoventions over the years recreated.
>>2730201Lucky for you theres Escape from Splash Mountain, a Left 4 Dead 2 campaign. I don't know how complete the attraction is but it also has Mainstreet, adventureland, and the Hungry Bear Restaurant. Theres also an extremely old recreation of the adventurers club made for gmod that was made around the time it closed.
>>2730187>>2730195>>2730199Quite pathetic desu
>>2730208Well it's all volunteer stuff.
>>2730187While on the topic of virtual parks, it's a shame PC2 is starting to become a disappointment.
>>2730211QRD? Haven't kept up with it. I have the first game but I'm not good enough to enjoy it. I prefer RCT3 still.
>>2730213Essentially a lot of well-used features from PC1 aren't being included, mainly custom images/audio. There's also a hard limit of 6k guests per park, and scenery can't be added to track ride vehicles (adding it to coaster trains and flat rides is a major selling point for the game)
>>2730221Bet you most of that's due to targeting consoles from the start as opposed to giving it a later port.Like does PC2 have the same "Oswald-Eugene Counter" limiter on consoles as the original?
>>2729950>>2729903We'll have to see how that insane ticket limiting works out, as it stands, I'm not booking until they drop it.If it underperforms, it's not impossible to limits are lowered by Autumn 2025 but I would assume it'll stay for the rest of the year.
Danse Macabre looks really fun, hope we see more of that ride type that are done to the same standard.
https://youtu.be/D84HRtkWz_EIs Dinoland U.S.A. truly one of the best Disney Park lands?
>>2730404Universal made it clear they'll start selling standalone Epic tickets before it opens
>>2726070Now see this doesn't make sense to me. I paid out the nose for the vacation I did with my friends recently but Disney gives you a while to pay it off if you plan it far out enough. Plus considering everything it just makes sense to plan a year ahead. The only way I can see someone getting into debt over it is if they paid everything upfront (possibly with a travel agency) or if they bought one of the Disney time shares for that 10% merch discount. Are people just bad at planning this stuff?
>>2730461No, I know what video that is without even clicking on it and the answer is no. Did I enjoy Dinosaur the ride? Yes. Did I appreciate the little tidbits of the area in the video? Also yes. It's still got a giant Six Flags Boardwalk in the middle of Animal Kingdom, and while Encanto won't be much better, a large wooden house probably looks less garish for the area.
>>2730471May not be available to me as Universal don't sell day tickets to Brits, only 14 day tickets. It's also really shitty to ask people spending £1600+ on tickets for the family to spend an extra £400+ on something that really should be part of your "unlimited" 14 day pass.Hard not to see it as an even shittier version of Disney's Park Reservation system.>>2730461It just didn't really work, there wasn't enough humour in it so you had the weird point where it was between parody and homage but didn't work as either. In this way the Simpsons land is more successful as it leans into it being a cheesy rip off low quality theme park rip off. Likewise Cars Land at DCA gets the loving homage thing right.The core theme of it being next to a cheap low budget rundown fair made by PT Barnum types looking for a quick buck doesn't gel with everything having Disney's cleanliness and wholesomeness. Rather than being a parody of something cheap and tacky, it just made people think it was cheap and tacky. They should have had a lot more fun with it being a tourist trap; next to the big green dinosaur they could have put a hand painted sign along the lines of "get your picture taken with the largest green painted concrete dinosaur on the East Coast... Florida... Orlando... within 2.1 miles" (with all but the last location crossed out), it wasn't funny enough for what they were trying to do.
So I'm thinking in like 2 years or so to try and spend a weekend checking out Universal and that new Epic Universe they're doing. Would three days suffice for Universal with my return being Sunday? Is it as exhausting as Disney and thus I should plan an extra day for recovery or is each park relatively small enough to justify one per day?
>>2730484Depends on the time of year and if you're doing an exhaustive "MUST DO EVERYTHING". You can absolutely do Universal and IoA in 2 days outside of peak times although 3 would give times for re-rides and things you may have missed. Epic Universe will be a bit of a mystery as there are several rides which could have insane queues and the "you only get 1 day" will force people to join those queues if they want to get it done.I think Donkey Kong will end up with 2 hour queues for the majority of the year.
>>2730485I'm not a "MUST DO EVERYTHING" type, but I do try to go on the biggest stuff. I think I rode an average of 4-5 rides per day when I was at Disney because the Lightning Lanes are only really good for three rides due to how quickly popular rides go out. Think the longest I waited was Tower of Terror at around 80 minutes due to one of the shafts being down if that gives an idea of my balking point. Guess I'll keep my ear to the ground and see the state of things in two years, maybe the Helios resort will have actual benefits by then.
>>2730483I'm mixed on that guy's videos and a lot of the negative opinions I hear. Surely some of it is understandable, but then a lot of times when people mention Epcot being "dead" they bring up Cosmic Rewind even though arguably that's the best of the IP based attractions. Personally I consider Maelstrom being turned into Frozen to be far more egregious. Similarly I don't get the tears over Dinoland other than Dinosaur itself because it was too jarring of a location and while I think it could be improved by just making it all The Dino Institute and do agree that Encanto and Indy don't really have much to do with animals, Dino-Rama is a bit too good at its job of coming off like a cheap roadside attraction even down to the games that give you cheapo prizes stuffed with celophane. In the moment I was seeing the place it sparked no joy because I could just go to the Six Flags near me if I wanted to look at a replica boardwalk or literally just go to the actual boardwalk.
>>2730500I'm kinda suprised they didn't do the Indy coaster from Paris and Tokyo as an easy way of bumping up the ride count but I guess it's too low capacity and it already being a rickety Pinfari design means it wouldn't exactly attract many new guests.>pic related is still probably 18 months from opening in ParisIt's wild comparing its progress to that of Epic Universe. Here's hoping it doesn't take 8 years for the Lion King ride to open.
>>2730503Honestly I feel like it'd make more sense to put an Indy ride somewhere in Hollywood Studios but seeing as they have Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land there isn't as much real estate that's open like that. Though you definitely have a point about an Indy coaster, there'd be plenty of space after they tear down Dinoland and at least then there'd be two Indy rides there and they could theme it to Indiana Jones instead of the weird mishmash of having the Indy ride next to an Encanto ride. I mean, an Indiana Jones land still wouldn't make sense in Animal Kingdom but at least it'd be a consistently themed area
>repairing the enclosure to a simple animatronic to fix a leaky roof>$600,000 budgetWill Disney ever get their spending under control?
>>2730513Pic showing the comprehensive work being carried out
>>2730500>a lot of times when people mention Epcot being "dead" they bring up Cosmic Rewind even though arguably that's the best of the IP based attractionsI mean even if it's a good attraction it still doesn't really fit the park at all.
>>2730517I at least appreciated the effort they made to try and give a reason for it being there with the showcase pavilion angle and a small emphasis on energy and the big bang even if it's not really educational. In the increased focus Ratattouile makes sense because it takes place in France and has a heavy food focus which is also a big trait for France. Maybe I'd understand if I saw Frozen but it just doesn't seem to fit at all and it comes off like they just wanted to do a retool because Maelstrom wasn't popular enough to justify maintenance costs. My point is moreso that if the IP-fication of the Disney parks is inevitable, the least they can do is give some reason for it to exist and maybe Cosmic Rewind doesn't do enough for some to justify its existence but I think Frozen is even less justified and yet usually gets glossed over in the conversation.
>>2730525Guess Maelstrom wasn't as beloved a ride as Ellen's Energy Adventure.Or maybe it's because one was a reskin and the other was a complete replacement.
>>2730527If I had to guess, probably the former. Maelstrom was tucked in the back of the world showcase whereas Ellen's Energy Adventure was one of the main spots in Future World. So the latter being replaced was a far more obvious and upfront thing, while a good chunk of people probably only knew Maelstrom was there BECAUSE Frozen is there now.
>>2730525I'd be all for them adding a scifi pavillion between Cosmic Rewind and Space, they're clearly never going to do anything with the wonders of life pavillion (are the body wars simulators even still there?). Heck, there's enough space for a pavillion and a mid scale ride.Hopefully the Projection mapped Mary Poppins ride comes back too. Seemed a neat filler ride and it'll spread out the queues from Rataouille and Frozen.
>>2730532Body Wars simulators were scrapped for parts for Star Tours and the Hong Kong Iron Man ride.
>>2730534I wonder who even makes the parts for those any more. That model used to be all over the place but I think Disney are the only ones still using them. The parts must be fabbed on demand.
>>2730536Just looked it up, they were made by Reinfusion (who then became Redifon, who are now Thales) . My dad used to work for them, they make a pretty huge variety of simulation and radio communication stuff (mostly military some civil, tiny amount of commercial)
>>2730542*redifusion
>>2730530I went to Epcot as a kid and we didn't ride it. I didn't even know it was there.
>>2730555It was a very long ride where half of it was waiting for the huge cars to get into place (possibly used the same cars as the great movie ride?). If you liked the Ellen sitcom it may have appealed a bit but it wasn't a great ride.
>>2730555>>2730557Oh sorry, I meant Maelstrom. We did ride the Ellen ride. I remember liking the dinosaurs.
>>2730560I went on Maelstrom when I was a kid, memory's not super great but I recall it being a boat ride through a storm and turbulence as you were accosted by trolls. Frozen basically kept the boat but removed the elements tied to those old myths and the elements that'd scare younger kids
>>2730560Maelstrom was fun in the way a good pretzel ghost train was fun. Short and low budget but it never had queues and it was almost a hidden ride. In the bit before the backwards drop, they opened up the front of the ride in a "you're going to fall out the front" fakeout.Worst thing was the forced video afterwards (I think they converted that theatre into an extended queueline for frozen) but generally they left the exit doors open long enough for you to skip it.
>>2728588And now we wait
I've just booked my trip to japan, is Fuji Q highland good for rides?And what about universal studios osaka?
>>2731021The coasters at Fuji Q are worth it. Eijanaika and Fujiyama are world class while Takabisha and Zokkon are both solid as well. I didn't get on the other rides there, so I can't speak to those.
Nobody here talking about kingda ka's impending doom?
>>2731155Coaster enthusiasts are the most gullible people on the planet
>>2731155I live about 20 minutes from Great Adventure, considering Kingda Ka is practically their star attraction [spoiler]I still don't get the hype of it, El Toro was better imo[/spoiler] I feel like they wouldn't just shut it down during their anniversary no less without at least a bit of fanfare
whos idea was it to cater planet coaster 2 to consoles?
>>2731182Guess Planet Coaster 1 sold way better on consoles than they expected.
>>2731182>>2731278Parkitect was way more fun anyway. Here's hoping for a sequel that improves on the graphics and makes the scenarios longer and more varied.
>>2731286The two games were going for different vibes.Parkitect was inspired by RCT1/2, Planet Coaster was inspired by RCT3 (also being made by the same devs).
>>2731155The rumor is Ka and Green Lantern and if they took out both it also takes out Zumanjaro since it's attached to Ka. I just don't see them removing 3 rides all at once like that, not when their Skyride's future is up in the air.I think Zamperla will figure out and fix TT2, and if TT2 is fixed and reliable there is no reason not to apply the same treatment to Ka. A spike added to Ka will necessitate the removal of Green Lantern. As for Zumanjaro, I don't know if there is any liability running it off Zamperla Ka's tower being that it's Intamin. They could also give Ka the Red Force treatment by Intamin with an extended launch track if they're truly through with Zamperla (and they could be at this point) and then there is no liability issue with Zumanjaro. Either are better alternatives to scrapping it (assuming Zamperla does fix TT2) or continuing to refurbish and run it which I doubt the new leadership from CF wants to to after TTD.Green Lantern would only be the 3rd or 4th B&M to be scrapped so it's possible it gets moved or sold and winds up somewhere with floorless trains, but not at GAdv since they have a floorless.
>>2731317I can't really blame them for removing Green Lantern if that's true. It's got a neat queue and the Parallax loop is a neat visual but I always heard that thing is a constant series of nutshots due to how the restraints work.
>>2731317After reading the latest news making the rounds after writing this, it sounds like demolition is happening and reimagining is off the table. Zumanjaro's signage is gone. The parking lot near GL and Ka is blocked off. Supposed insiders on parkfans are saying it's over.>>2731321Seems to be the case with all stand ups that aren't Pipeline though Riddler's Revenge has its fans.
>>2731325I'll stop by when I feel better and verify those claims. I'm stupidly close by and can stop by whenever I feel like it
>>2731328How late in to the year does Ka stay open? I'll be in Philly next month but that might be too late to take a detour there.
>>2731334So long as it's operable and there's no severe weather it's open. Holiday in the Park and thus the season ends January 1st though.
>>2731336Oh good, so there is a chance. I'm a sucker for these Christmas events anyways, even if Ka is closed.
>>2731317>I think Zamperla will figure out and fix TT2I agree. And once they get it working, KK will get the same treatment. I think TTD's renovation was slated to happen a couple of years later than when it did, and after the accident Cedar Fair asked Zamperla for an accelerated schedule to rebuild the ride.Zamperla was likely already doing the preliminary work and probably told CF managers that although the schedule could be accelerated, immediate success could not be guaranteed. It's probable, then, that everyone involved knew there was a fair chance TT2 would experience a delayed reopening as a result of pushing the schedule up by a year or two, which obviously everyone found to be an acceptable risk. Thoosies who think Zamperla completely screwed up don't understand how the industry works, either on the side of the parks or manufacturers.
>>2730500>and do agree that Encanto and Indy don't really have much to do with animals,Encanto is absolutely the best IP Disney can use for a South American zoo habitat, because it has a character who can talk to animals with a "room" that looks like a jungle. The Indy ride is probably going to be similar to the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark with spiders and a snake.
>>2731409Up would be a much better anchor for this then Encanto, but Ed Asner's dead.
>>2731422Kevin the bird was already being used as a walkaround character in the Dino-Rama area, and anyway, weren't most of the South American animals in Up fictional?
which Cedar Flags parks do you think are on the chopping block?
>>2731570The more apt question is who would even buy their lesser profitable parks? They would have to sell them really cheap.
>>2731583It'd be a lot easier for Herschend to just convert a park into American Heartland versus building from scratch in a tiny-ass Oklahoma town.
>>2731347I wish this was the case but the rumor mill says it’s closing tomorrow for good without any announcement and it’s not being reimagined, it’s getting scrapped and they have plans for something big probably eying 2027. As for what it is, some think it’s going to be that Mack extreme spinner launch tower coaster but I really hope not, boomerang coasters have shit capacity plus it’s a massive downgrade from the 3 attractions it would replace
>>2731570Everything that isn’t one of the majors. The majors being OT, OG, GA, GAdv, MM, and FT. I think all the legacy CF parks are safe, even MIA. St. Louis might be safe too.>>2731583Premier Parks is back and they even manage Elitch Gardens, though they don’t own it. They might pick up something like Frontier City since that is their baby. But it SF decides to get rid of a park because it’s not profitable, there probably won’t be many interested buyers. They’re more likely to get Astro Worlded and Geagua Laked. La Ronde, that’s worth more as real estate. Maybe Sea World would take DK off their hands. Darien Lake was always a vacation spot with a campground so I can see some local company managing it (they don’t own the land anyways, same with La Ronde and others)
Trackless 4x4 system confirmed for the Cars ride in Magic Kingdom: https://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/cars-land-magic-kingdom/news/09nov2024-disney-reveals-trackless-all-terrain-ride-system-for-new-cars-attraction-at-d23-brazil.htmDisney have enough issues with trackless ride vehicles as it is, I can't see this system having anywhere near the reliability it needs. What happens if the guidance gets confused and it steers at a bump or slope at the wrong angle and the car tips over? Even their slot rides have something like 3 additional levels of redundant safety features.
>>2731781>We totally built this ride system ourselvesI hate Disney's fart sniffing so much
>>2731781Can't wait for extreme wait times due to downtime.
Thorpe Park Fight Night: First week of school holidays so literally 4 hour lines for every ride and the entire park filled with antisocial 13 year olds. Hyperia had like a 5 hour line so didn't bother.Scare mazes>Sitches C-tier>Trailers D-tier>Deadbeat D-Tier>Survival Games E-tierTully's Farm Shocktober:The best Halloween park in Europe no contest, lots of scare mazes with fucktonnes of effort put into them, adult event so the stuff isn't really for kids, that said, is only open like 5 hours a night for god knows what fucking reason and a bus that only goes there once an hour from the closest town, and each ride has like a hour and a half line so wasn't able to do everythingScare Mazes>Purgatory C-Tier>Haunted Hay Ride (high) A-Tier (The scale of this is insane)>Coven of 13 S-Tier (Resident Evil 4 village filled with insane bitches going mental and it rocks)>Hell-Ements B-TierThe London Bridge Experience Dreadflix.This is just a single scare maze through the London Bridge Experience, pretty long and varied.>C-tier.Might try Alton Towers next year, but honestly going to Theme Parks during School Holidays is literally hell in terms of lines. I've heard about that Walsall Scare Maze place that strips you naked and beats the shit out of you and kicks you through walls and such, so might do that.Wish Warhammer World did Scare Mazes, there is so many unique good themed ones you could do with the Warhammer IP, especially Warhammer Fantasy with races like the Night Goblins. Anyone recommend some good scare maze/halloween shit for next year?
>>2731583>The more apt question is who would even buy their lesser profitable parks?No one interested in operating a theme park. If any of them are sold, they'll be closed, stripped, and the land would be redeveloped.I think their long range plan is to get out from parks they don't own outright. OT and OG are too big to walk away from, but Six Flags has the chance to buy them from the investors who own them now, and they almost certainly will. All others, watch out. If SF can't buy them, they'll divest them (again, in the mid- to long-term).As for parks they own, Valleyfair and SFA seem the most vulnerable. Michigan's Adventure seems safe since it turns a modest profit and the land it sits on wouldn't fetch much. I could see DK eventually getting sold for the opposite reason - the value of the land the parks sits on may exceed what they can reasonably expect to make from operating the park. During the 08 recession, SFI tried to sell MM to real estate developers, but retreated from the idea once they realized the low value of the land in a depressed market... so if there's an economic downturn, that changes the stakes.
>>2731835I went to Tulley's farm about 15 years ago and it was really good, I imagine it's only got better since then. They can't compete with the budget of Universal but they don't have the conga line forcing you through it fast either.
Thoughts on Universal Orlando in January? Wife and I are thinking about going the 10th and 11th. We’ll probably stay on property and get Express but generally wondering what people think since crowd calendars are mixed.
>>2731960I think you should be far out enough from New Years to avoid them, and Epic Universe won't be a thing until May so most folks in 2025 will be waiting until then if not after.
>>2731964Alright great. Wasn’t sure how many Latin folks came up during their spring break. I know the Brazilians used to bomb Universal but it’s been a long time since I’ve been.
>DK expansion at USJ release date announcement tomorrowFucking finally, jesus. It was supposed to be done early spring, I wonder what caused the delay.
>>2732040>I wonder what caused the delay.It's a coaster-on-a-stick from a relatively inexperienced manufacturer.
>>2731960the weather is incredibly nice
How is der Nederlands this time of year?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-QA4T9DqpY
Looks like the kingda ka rumors were true..... long live the king... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LAvtS-uz8DU
>>2732054it doesn't seem like the version at Epic Universe was delayed at all though.
Does it feel like the US theme park scene is dying right now?So many parks are losing rides, understaffed (with horrible ops), in a state of disrepair, possibly shutting down altogether...The only ones that still seem to be doing fine are Disney / Universal. I'm down in Orlando, watching as the rest of the US parks fall apart.I hope its just a temporary setback from the bad economy. Hopefully next year things can turn around.
>>2732105I may not have been the biggest fan of it, but it was pretty dang iconic to the park. In that sense it's a shame but maybe with this they can turn The Golden Kingdom into something that's not a shell of its former glory that was just where you go to ride Kingda Ka. I'll mourn El Toro more if that goes, that ride is the best coaster in the park imo
>>2732105>>2732227Still no official word
>>2732207I think it's not even necessarily the economy. With prices to get into parks getting more expensive without additions to justify that expense, most folks would probably rather wait until they can afford Universal or Disney. Hell, one of the big reasons I saved up for a week in Disney was because I figured it'd feel more like what a theme park should be whereas every time I went to Six Flags it felt hollow, like it was bare minimum effort because they just care about getting butts in coaster seats. And yet Great Adventure's big plan for saving themselves is to make a bootleg Wilderness Lodge Campgrounds in their safari zone and to close an incredibly iconic ride to save on maintenance costs. I do hope that things get better but I feel like there's multiple factors at play
>>2732246I think it's because parks are starting to reach a critical mass of size/maintenance/staffing etc. There's just not enough demand to keep them going in the traditional way that we're used to. Disney/Universal may be the only exceptions. Part of me does wonder though if this is why we've seen Disney be so allergic to true expansions and instead opting to continuously replace old rides. Tldr: parks getting bigger, expenses go up, not enough attendance to offset.
>>2732246It almost seems like a result of the decaying culture as a whole.Most young employees have no motivation or drive to be good at their jobs, and most decent guests are turned off by the crowds of rowdy teens all over the park. So you get a bunch of careless teens running the park for a bunch of reckless teens who ruin it even more.People just seem like they've given up...
>>2732252I mean at least when I went to Disney the only staff member I had issue with was this one guy with a super heavy accent in Dok-Ondar's and that was mostly because communication was breaking down regarding my gift card and me wanting a Spira. A lot of them were fairly pleasant and accommodating and some had some fun with their roles even if it was simply meeting us at the ride exit. But I suppose that's the difference, Six Flags doesn't have much theming or opportunities like that and most guests going don't really care because they just want to ride the rides. Folks seem like they've given up mostly because there's not much opportunity offered to begin with, and in the case of Six Flags I can't imagine they pay higher than minimum wage for standing out in the sun for eight hours doing repetitive tasks (unless you're in Games where you at least got to act performative to try and lull people over to you).
My cousin is going to Euro Disney and I looked up how much it's costing him and his family just out of curiosity. I was absolutely floored to see how ludicrous the pricing is, this is insane. I guess they only want really rich people to go? My poor cousin has been saving for like four years.
>>2732271Funny thing about Disney is that it is obscenely expensive as a visitor, but laughably cheap for locals (at least in FL).I spent <$500 for a full year of access to all 4 WDW parks, and I am in the parks 2-4 times a week, surrounded by people who dropped $10k to be there for a week lol
>>2732272Wow. That's amazing. Seems like Florida is the place to be!
Nintendo's Donkey Kong direct happened, seems they made it a point that the Super Nintendo World coming with Epic Universe will include the Donkey Kong stuff as well.
>>2732287They didn't even give an opening date for USJ's? At this rate the Epic one will open sooner
>>2732301December 11th, 2024 is when Japan gets their's.
>>2732271Dlp can actually be done pretty reasonably if you go off peak and avoid weekends. The hotels have much lower floor prices than orlando or anaheim.A quick look in January has it £650 for 3 nights with 4 days tickets for two people
>>2732287I counted 14 seconds between cars, assuming no delays, that's probably going to be 950-1000 an hour.Queues are going to be bad
>>2732207The 2 local parks I visit frequently are getting a solid-looking dive coaster and a raptor, respectively.
>>2732252I think the last CEO of Six Flags made the point that by raising prices, they're intentionally trying to reduce the number of teens in the parks which will make it nicer for families.
>>2731317>>2731321Apparently a permit has been filed for the removal of Green Lantern. Nothing on Ka yet
>>2732530Someone on parkfans who has been reliable is saying it’s definitely going to be demolished. It might not get demolished with these other demolitions because of the expense, but even if it remains SBNO next year its fate is supposedly sealed. New corporate ownership doesn’t want it. Also Zumanjaro has low ridership and is expensive to operate. As for why they didn’t announce Ka was going away, that part is shit for such an iconic ride that still holds the world’s tallest for how (and fastest too technically).Without Ka, Great Adventure will drop significantly in park rankings. It still has El Toro for now. But what a great 50th anniversary present, Ka is gone, Zumanjaro was gone, the Sky Ride is gone. Nobody will mourn Twister or GL but that’s still less attractions.
>>2730202>presented by raytheon.
>>2732691I wonder what the weirdest sponsor for a theme park attraction ever has been.
>>2732720Wizard of Bras perfected it in 1955 and we've been trying to live up to it ever since
>>2732665I can see Zumanjaro being low attendance. Like if you had to choose between a ride that people ride because it's a record breaker or the drop tower strapped to it which would you do? I never rode Ka, but gun to my head I'd pick it over Zumanjaro any day because of that iconography
>>2728541My only hope is that the Universal cuts so far into Disney's income in the second half of 2025 after Epic Universe opens that they give up on draining the Rivers of America for lack of funds.
Great Adventure bros...it's officially over.The park was already dying with that locker system, but now it's over for good.I can't believe I have to travel to Virginia now just for some Coasterkino for now on. Even that or Texas.
>>2732720Imperial leather (soap company) sponsored the alton towers log flume and replaced the logs with bathtubs.They also added a rubber duck jumpscare.
>>2732899The park still hasn't made an announcement on what is to come
>>2732930Supposedly an official announcement about Kingda Ka’s closure is coming at the end of this week. Not sure about the others but there are official permits for their demolitions. Also their Sky Ride is probably closed for good. That’s 5 rides including one of their two flagship coasters which is also still the tallest coaster in the world. What a shit show.
>>2732984Hey, cheer up. At least you got a low-capacity shuttle coaster that was delayed a year. Happy 50th anniversary :)
>>2732899>I can't believe I have to travel to Virginia now just for some Coasterkino for now on. Even that or Texas.Hersheypark is a couple hours from GAdv and has arguably the world's 3rd best coaster collection behind CP and SFMM.
>>2732984>but there are official permits for their demolitionsI've only seen Green Lantern. One site speculated the parachute tower and some other smaller ride were getting the axe.
>>2733039Probably the Twister, Cyborg does that ride's gimmick better and it doesn't attract many crowds.
>>2732992I forgot about Hersey Park. I haven't been there in 25 years..back when I was afraid of rollercoasters.
What's going on with Great Adventure? They're closing all the rides?
>>2733039>>2733042>>2733056Demo permits are filed for Green Lantern, Twister, and the parachutes, but nothing official on Ka
Official press release just came out this morning regarding Ka. It is in fact closing down, however...>"retirement" instead of explicitly stating removal>will be replaced with a "multi record breaking launch coaster" Leads me to believe they're planning on a TT2-esque re-imagining. Would imagine they'll get someone else other than Zamperla though
>>2733160To me it suggests SBNO for a long time. I think they'll keep it up until it costs them money.I'm guessing it's relatively easy to have a record breaking multi-launch because there hasn't been a great deal of record chasing for a while, especially with multi-launches.
Here's your Kingda Ka replacement, bro.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0fU1vFcB9o
>>2733160Looks like Ka is being removed. The reddit thread contains a follow-up response from the park:>Kingda Ka has delivered more than 12 million rides since 2005. What was cutting-edge roller coaster technology 20 years ago has been surpassed by more modern advancements. We're excited to debut acompletely new, multi-record-breaking launch coaster in 2026. Six Flags is committed to delivering unique, signature rides that will distinguish each park, ensuring guests have access to unforgettable, one-of-a-kindexperiences.Also they had to release a follow-up response saying Zumanjaro (world's tallest drop tower) was closing since they left it out of the press release. It's gone. They closed the world's tallest roller coaster and tallest drop tower without any advance announcement. They're closing 5 total rides at this park. The company already has experience with re-imagining a 20-year-old coaster of similar scale and knows it's not worth it. The Mack extreme spinner tower is 400 ft tall. That's probably what they get and since this is a 2026 project they must have greenlit it months ago at the least. Anyways, this severely downgrades Great Adventure as a park. Hershey was already the better park but this solidifies Hershey as the best park in that region
>>2733160>>2733180Sounds like that's exactly what's going to happen, they're just not sharing a date because they're waiting on the results of the next phase of whatever's going on with TT2. It could be possible another company besides Zamperla gets the job.
>>2733209>The company already has experience with re-imagining a 20-year-old coaster of similar scale and knows it's not worth itYeah, it's not like Cedar Fair cut corners and gave that super ambitious project to a flat ride manufacturer or anything...
>>27332095 rides closing is death spiral territory.
>>2733213>it's not like Cedar Fair cut cornersHow? Because they didn't consult you first?
>>2733216One's a giant top spin, one of the last (if not the last) of its kind. One is a Von Roll sky ride, also one of the last of its kind and it would probably be costly to repair like Busch Garden's was... this one sucks for me more than Ka (it also served as transportation). Zumanjaro is built on Ka which is kind of stupid and that one at MM will suffer the same fate. That's two. Green Lantern could probably stay but stand ups are not popular and it wouldn't make sense at GAdv as a floorless.. probably not worth relocating at this point either. The closures make sense except for Ka which they don't want to pour any money in or risk a TTD-type accident. It's just happening all at once is the problem.
>>2733210After the press release they clarified that it is being removed.
>>2733233Got a screencap?
>>2733209Yeah I don't think I'm going to Six Flags Great Adventure again unless it has something serious to replace Kinda Ka..which will take years to build. By then we'll be already be a year into Buttigieg's presidency. That fine though. Six Flags Great Escape is more comfy anyways
i have a pit in my stomach after hearing the kingda ka news.... guess this is how it feels to lose a family member.... fuck man.... i live an hour away from the park and went there all the time with family and friends... at least once a year... there isnt much else to do in jersey but kingda ka was essentially a NJ landmark... I remember watching the commercials when it first opened and begging my parents to take me... and the ride is gone... just like that... no heads up from the park... im so sad bros....
>>2733501Best advice is to get over it.
>>2733512He would probably just roll back
>>2733501I'm sorry to hear that bro. That really sucks.>>2733512>>2733517Kek
>>2733043And unlike GAdv, they still have their Intamin accelerator and seem to have no intention of removing it (and it's arguably better than Ka since it doesn't end immediately after the first drop)
>>2733592The engines that powered TTD and KK were operating at redline limits day in/day out which contributed to their ends. Smaller rides that didn't push the envelope quite as much are going to last longer, but Storm Runner is 20 years old now, so it's probably safe for the better part of a decade. But the future belongs to magnetic launches.
New thread:>>2733751
>>2733501lol i remember it being over in 5 seconds and was largely disappointed by it.
