Busch Gardens Williamsburg Trip Report
Back in July my family and I returned to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Of course, I was excited to check out the park’s new roller coaster Verbolten. And I knew that the kids were going to enjoy Sesame Forest. My parents were also with us, so this was going to be a trip that included three generations of visitors. Surviving the Heat It was right around 100 degrees the day of our visit. And wit...[Read More]
Legoland Florida Trip Report
You’d never know that Legoland Florida just opened in the Fall of 2011. Located in Winter Haven, it’s a nice looking theme park with its picture-esque lake and lush green foliage everywhere. It was formerly Cypress Gardens, but has since been transformed with fun and adventurous Lego theming throughout. While it was a pretty park from a landscaping and foliage standpoint, of course the...[Read More]
Joining The Season Pass Podcast at Dollywood
My last trip to Dollywood was back in 2006. I enjoyed GCI twister Thunderhead, terrain Arrow looper Tennesee Tornado, and the amphibious indoor coaster Blazing Fury. Since then, the park has added Gerstlauer looper Mystery Mine and America’s first wing coaster Wild Eagle. I’ll be returning to Dollywood tomorrow where I’ll be joining a taping of The Season Pass Podcast with host D...[Read More]
Darien Lake Trip Coming Up
I’ll be taking a family trip to Darien Lake soon. This will be my third time to the park and also the third management company running the park . On previous trips, the park was run by Six Flags and PARC. Now it’s under Herschend’s management and I’m curious to see if I notice any improvements. Herschend also manages Dollywood and Silver Dollar City. The Predator has give...[Read More]
Have You Ever Been Stuck on a Roller Coaster?
If you’ve ridden roller coasters quite a bit, then at one time or another you’ve likely found your ride suddenly put on pause. I know that I have. From an incident almost ten years ago on Predator’s peak to just this past weekend on Great America’s Viper, getting stuck is not unusual. In my experience, a ride op has always trekked out to my location to inform me and the oth...[Read More]
SeaWorld Orlando 2012 Trip Report
This Spring, my family and I took our first major theme park trip of the season. Luckily, we’re only an 8-hour drive from the themeparkopolis of Central Florida. With our kids’ interest in animals and their Dad’s interest in world-class roller coasters, I thought SeaWorld Orlando would make for a fun adventure. Like SeaWorld Parks’ dryer parks, Busch Gardens Williamsburg an...[Read More]
Mrs. Coaster Critic Reviews Carowinds’ Snoopy Starlight
My wife was invited to Carowinds’ media event for the new Snoopy Starlight Spectacular. The new attraction features more than a million LED lights covering trees and buildings in the Planet Snoopy area. In order for guests to enjoy the beautiful lights, Carowinds is staying open later (until 10 PM). Our kids are pretty young (4 and 1), but we may try to stay late at the park once this summer...[Read More]
The Coaster Critic Tackles Texas
This week, I’m headed out to Texas to visit the state’s three largest theme parks. I’ll be visiting San Antonio for Six Flags Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld. Then, I’ll be going to Dallas for Six Flags Over Texas and the newly re-opened Texas Giant that received some very positive reviews during a commercial shoot. It’s also my second most anticipated new coaster of 2011. ...[Read More]
2011 Theme Park Trips – Where Are You Headed?
Florida vs. Texas I had been looking to go back to Florida for my most anticipated roller coaster of 2011, Cheetah Hunt. But, while the trip would have had some high quality rides like my all-time favorite Kumba, Rip Ride Rockit, the Wizarding World, and re-rides on great coasters like Mummy, Montu, etc., the number of new rides would have been very low. Meanwhile, Texas will be packed with rides ...[Read More]
Coaster Stock 2010 Recap Pt. 4: Trivia, Videos, & Night ERT
This is the final part of my coverage of Coaster Stock 2010 at Carowinds. After the Intimidator Tour, there was another break. Again, attendants dispersed throughout the park. I headed for the above average Arrow looper, Carolina Cyclone only to get caught by a thunder storm. All rides were halted for fear of lightning strikes. I waited in the station hoping that the storm would pass quickly, but ...[Read More]
Trip Report: Filming Bert the Conqueror at Carowinds
After signing a few waivers, the group of about 30 of us made our way to Intimidator. It was hours before the park opened to the public and it was neat seeing the normally busy park empty, but not lifeless. Maintenance and groundskeepers were hard at work making sure that Carowinds looked pristine as always. We entered the station where the crew, except Bert, were already setting things up. There ...[Read More]
Coaster Stock 2010 Recap Pt. 3: Intimidator Tour
When we last left the Coaster Stock attendees they were enjoying lunch while being treated to a rare Q&A session with B&M rep Bob Mampe. Next, the attendees had a break for a few hours where they could enjoy the park at their leisure. Since I live about 30 minutes from the park, I headed home to help out with the kids and cool off. When I returned around 6 PM, everyone was finishing dinner...[Read More]