Mitchada04

Bellewaerde. Florida or California

Whist we're on the subject, even Disney are making cutbacks due to the overspending on Shanghai and inherited debts of Paris. Rumoured to be cuts of 500 million dollars across the two resorts in the states including less staff members serving food etc. It's the way the industry is.

That would make sense, but to the right of the suspended train where you have your transfer track is a wall. Plus there's surely only one levitating carriage with the other ride vehicle being seen outside and the fact there are walky bits. Unless you're just talking about the transfer bits for the train we saw sat outside then my bad. With the 3 metre deep pit under the train, and the fact below it looks like gravel you wouldn't really want to walk on that the tube tunnels we've seen as the walking element are below the carriage. Carriage lowers, you walk through a tunnel and board a immersive tunnel train, immersive tunnel then walk through more tunnels to reboard the train at the bottom and rise back up to offload.

Seems this is going to be part of the May newsletter to AP holders. And it looks great for a new entrance feature! Trains are also on site apparently. More news is expected next week!

Sad times. But it is signposted clearly before you buy tickets.

Derren with his hench finger. He's so happy with it on! It's like a miracle... you wouldn't even know he's now bald Guessing this is a tunnel we have to walk through, maybe an actor section. Would be funny if he shuts the gates on people at 10am tomorrow and laughs telling them it's not ready. And denies some geeks who will no doubt be desperate for the first ride after multiple press and staff rides, but it still counts, apparently. Very hyped for this though! It's amazing how close to opening we are and still have no idea what's in stored other than a bit of VR and a train carriage. Still a good 8-10 minutes to fill after that I'd guess. Might watch all his shows this weekend, you never know with Derren, he might have been dropping hints for this since his first tour

For me, Efteling has good rides in a messy layout that often doesn't feel coherent. Operations also aren't the best at Efteling. Europa Park has its set areas, all well themed and individual. It just feels of a higher quality and and consistent throughout. After 2 days at Efteling I was very happy to leave. After 4 nearly 5 days at EP I was okay to leave but knew I'd happily go back in a few months.

Well they're expanding their number of actors this year anyway with DB and you'd only need another 4-6 for Containment. It's another thing to advertise for summer and it could work really well. Saw Alive was really popular at first, it just faded after that. But if they're going to have Containment again for FN then why not see how it works year round.

So, apparently Montu is running like it used to when brand new, with no trims and the MCBR not slowing down trains. Just need Kumba to do the same, keep them that way and you've got an amazing pair! As for Cobra's Curse, it began testing same time as Mako, I wouldn't be surprised if it opens at a similar time early to mid June.

Megafobia they close early because of the fireworks. Speed was still going round though.

He hadn't booked this week off, it just worked out with his tour schedule. When Thorpe realised it wasn't going to be opening at the beginning of the season, they probably talked to him and looked at dates. This week in May is his last week of being available before middle of June. And he isn't just down the road on his tour the next few weeks, he's in Bristol, Ireland and Leeds. So not so easy to just pop back either. Could be signing it off to the park, as I assume he will have a big say in "yes it is good" or "no it needs more work." Odd though, I don't think he has once mentioned about the delay on any of his social media. Just thought he might have put it out there too.

Been a long time! But a busy few months lie ahead for me and theme parks so time to revive this blog! Europa Park is one me and Jack had talked about for a few years, the place of dreams almost. Finally, it happened! This is one of those trips worthy of a realistic report, not some sarcastic attack at the park like I usually do. We arrived in Basel to get a 100+mph train into Freiburg, followed by a double decker train to Ringsheim and a short "bus" (was a coach) ride to the park. What a lovely sight to walk in on! Just looming in the distance Ed and Jack were ready! Water fountains were ready! Let's go! First up Silver Star. I like the Mercedes F1 tie in, it's intimidating, trims aren't as bad as I was expecting but the airtime just got repetitive, twists were great though! This twist though Meanwhile over at Epcot, I mean the silver ball at EuropaPark... Eurosat sits around. This thing is bonkers, so glad it's hidden inside. Caught me by surprise each time we rode! Totally get why people wish X was like it. It's also huge! Cheeky bit of lunch in Greece. Food on park is great, so much choice and it's not hugely expensive for a theme park! I don't know why, but this is now such a guilty pleasure ride of mine Looks great! Theming!!!! Really nice station too! Meanwhile, in Portugal there is this. A ride that is newer than Poseidon, yet does less and does nothing for me. It photos well But that's about it Annoyingly I didn't take any photos of Spain, other than the jousting show with added drama Bad guy drama It's okay, it had a happy ending! Whilst we're talking about shows. They have so many! Lots of 30-40 minute shows, this in itself takes over a day to complete. Plus, on the larger shows they have mimes entertaining the audience as you enter! You had Bombay Nights in Holland with the Pirate's of Batavia ride going around the stage! A live action Italian film set stunt magic show thing An electronic bird show In the same room as a bubble magician guy who smokes as part of the show. A musical show in the Globe Theatre, because Shakespeare was known for his musicals. A dome screen show where you lie in sleeping bags! Plus, an ice show, flamenco, open and closing show, 2 4D films, a little French dance/magic show and a parade Ed being boss. Just this. Quality. What's this? A mine train that even with VR has a higher throughput than any Mack mine train over here! Bears for bare banter. Okay, I'll move on from that one. Anyone still needing a lift to any meets this year, there are two options. This. Or Jack in his purple sportscar! Can seat another 2 people, it's speedy and laps Silverstone regularly so must be good! Feel free to get in touch with Jack for more details Then there was this thing. Odd is one word I suppose. Next please. Yup, this guy looks like a trusty op. We'll do this then. I want them everywhere. This is ideal for family parks! Great coaster section! Fab dark ride. And great visual in the plaza of the kingdom. Lots of these please thanks. So many photos it's hard to fit them all in. So let's look at the hotels. Bell Rock is gorgeous. Colosseo really cool! The other 3 really cool! And not bad views from the bars Back on park this guy thought he'd set fire to his house. As you do, red fire and that. So that's it! Europa Park! Stunning park with great rides, operations, atmosphere, just everything! I have loads of photos so if you do want anymore just request in the comments and I'll post more Oh, guess you want to see something else first though. Me and Jack with ED that's why you're all here. Or maybe for what this is... Lots of artsy fartsy photos thanks to a back path that I think used to be an extension but is now open to public for photos, round the back of Wodan village. This inline is crazy. The little pops of airtime, fast changes of direction, it's all just great. LOTS more of these in the world please, I bow to our new Mack overlords. Wodan for me though was the best ride on the trip. The indoor queue has some great effects, and is just a really nice place to queue. It just looks intimidating. Has a spectacular entrance Just loved it! Bye bye Europa, it was fab. Should be back for Horror Nights!

I'm guessing the head in a jar will be like the Galactica space selfies or whatever they're marketed as.

Yay fountains!!! Just what Efteling was missing

Swarm's attempt at themed uniforms was high vis jackets! Wouldn't be surprised if the IAC actors are used forDB too, they'll all be part of the same team end off the day. Like IAC actors being used at FN.

Right, think I'm onto something here. Chessie will be rebranded to CheZU! Take a wild spin on Dragons ZUry or a flight on the ZUpire! Watch out though as RattleZUkes bite, as do many creatures in AmaZU (mainly that crazy 5 year old kid!). Unwind with some magic in ZUcus Pocus hall or a bump on ZUk ZUk turmoil! Only here at CheZU where our ride to hotel ratio is a world first high of 3 to 1! Now, I feel sorry for people who can't pronounce th and instead it sounds like an f. So, FORPE PARK it is. Sorted. Going away from Merlin, Europa Park is too family friendly and needs rebranding. Oi-Opa Park!

So Kong's target date for soft openings set by Universal Creative was yesterday. TM's are riding the ride, it is getting mixed reviews as apparently certain elements aren't working as expected, as in giving the effect wanted, not that they're broken. It's still regularly testing though, and according to @Bioreconstruct on Twitter, Kong roaring can be heard from Hollywood Way which is where the picture is taken: Hulks tunnel under the bridge into MSHI is being put back in place We must be near to testing happening on this, apparently TM's are in the process of being filtered back to Hulk, doesn't mean we're near opening but testing definitely! Meanwhile, Comcast did buy Dreamworks for $3.8 billion. Reports from NBC are already saying about putting Kung Fu Panda in Beijing for when that opens and the possibilities are huge. Seriously hoping for a Mack coaster like Arthur themed to HTTYD like Motiongate is getting.

Moving this on... Anyone know what's up with Slammer this time? Waiting on a part or something?

Seems I can't post in the TPM Meet threads? Any reason for this other than you not wanting to know I can attend meets which might put others off?

Comcast are apparently in talks to buy Dreamworks Animation for 3 billion dollars. With a 3rd park in the works, this would open up a world of family orientated possibilities! Plus the Nintendo link, whole deal with Illumination and reworking of Suess IP's the family section of Universal's parks (which are admittedly lacking) could well be on the rise in the coming years.

The queue line looks like it'll be ready on time though! That's a good start for Merlin

Wow. Europa Park is how you run a park! Extended openings till 7 when the longest queue is like 20 minutes, throughputs meaning your queue barely stops moving, rides hidden all over the place and so many shows! Such an impressive park all round. The areas have animatronics just dotted about, my favourite being the fisherman in Scandinavia who sets fire to his house. I'll try and get a full trip report written up in the next week, but a small review. Silver Star: Decent, best bit for me is the ending s bend, the up down bit did nothing for me. Eurosat: Just what. Bonkers, shame we have X Euromir: Another just what. Wasn't a big fan due to the backwards nature. Matterhorn: Standard, cool queue though Poseidon: Really liked this, probably my guilty pleasure! Pegasus: short but sweet Alpenexpress: Brilliant surprise, great gem Arthur: Incredible family dark ride/coaster thing Atlantica Supersplash: Not a lot going for it Blue Fire: More in the world please, Mack Megacoasters everywhere. Such a smooth ride with some great elements Wodan: Loved it! The whole indoor queue is incredible, really sets the tone and the ride is great. Shows were all good, apart from the odd smoking bubble magic one, really cool parade and the opening and closing show are good fun. Various dark rides are good, bench is just well, bench. The rest are cool. Operations impeccable. On Sunday, park was pretty quiet and open till 7:30, about 5:30 a huge hail storm hit literally emptying the park giving us 3 rerides on Blue Fire back row. They had taken Wodan and Silver Star down to one train as they expected it to stay empty. Wodan started getting a queue (only ride to always seemingly have one) so they added the second train back on. It's funny, their operations aren't really any different as they still have baggage holds in the station and stuff, just the staff are always on the ball and not jabbering away to each other. And no fastrack really helps the queues move better.

The two concepts have used Juvelen and Flying Dutchman at Efteling as their basis because that's what they are, basic concept. Nothing can be read into a layout or manufacturer as they're just pretty images highlighting the type of ride they're looking into.

2021 it is aiming towards now.

Mack and Intamin don't have to be expensive. Loads of smaller parks are building Mack megacoasters like Nigoland. And Intamin only get pricey on new tech and bigger rides, a family launched wouldn't be that much for a company second only to Merlin