Florida Thrills Forums - Blogs

J-Man's Manventures: Rays Game!

J-Man — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 18:09:09 GMT

Hey everyone and welcome to J-Man's Manventures! :t
On Thursday, August 6, 2010 my Father and I were kindly given two tickets to the final game of the Rays-Twins series. This was very special because It gave us a time to hang out before I leave in two weeks and It gave us a chance to watch our favorite MLB team in action. The Rays were closing out their longest home-stand in the past five years. A total of 11 games in 11 days, against the Tigers, Yankees and Twins. The Rays were tied for the Best recored in the MLB going into the game and had a chance to take sole possession of the AL East.

Thursdays game was an afternoon game, with first pitch at 12:10. Since it was summer time we excepted a "good amount" of kids to be there.
There was a "good amount" of kids + a few thousand more. It happened to be Parks and Rec. camp day at the game,so the entire left field and a few sections scattered around the Trop we filled with kids in a sea of green shirts. All of them were screaming and given thundersticks to make even more noise.

Our seats were pretty great I must say, Section 110 row G. For those unfamiliar with the Trop thats front row, right behind the on deck circle. So close we could actually talk to the players. We didn't want to distract them during the game, but our did sing Carl Crawford Happy Birthday as he was on deck in the first inning. He laughed and smiled and thanked us for our amazing singing skills.

The game didn't start out very very. Rays starting pitcher Wade Davis gave up a few doubles in the first to give the Twnis a 5-0 lead. Twins pitcher Kevin Slowey came with the goods at this game. Shutting down Ray batter after Ray batter.

Top of the 5th and the Rays were still down 5-0. I decided It was time to get up and get a drink, maybe this would change the Rays bad luck. The Trop has a wide selection of food for your enjoyment. From the baseball classic hot dogs to Checkers and Outback. I just went with a $5 pepsi since I ate a nice breakfast before getting to the park. I later regretted my breakfast decision since it made me to full too want a hot dog later. I could of got it and attempted to eat it, but I didn't want to be a glutton.While I was up Jason Repkoof the twins decided to make it 6-0 with a homerun. In the 6th the Twins added another run off a RBI double from Drew Butera.

The Rays were down 6-0 in the 8th and need something magical to get them back in this game! Could it be done? Down to their last 6 outs B.J. Upton decided it was time to get the Rays on the board with a homerun to the deepest part of center field.

After a strikeout, walk hit and ground out the Rays had men at 2nd and 3rd with two outs. And Evan Longoria walked to the plate.

Longoria fought his was to a full count and was walked to load up the bases. Twins made a pitching change and it was Aybar's chance to make a difference in the game. He quickly found himself behind in the count 0-2. Fighting back fouling off close pitches and taking bad pitches we got himself to a full count and walked. This brought in a run to make it 6-2. Four runs away from tying it up. This was their chance with bases loaded two outs.

The Twins once again changed pitchers to try to get out of this jam. Then Rays manager Joe Madden made a change of his own. Taking out Matt Joyce in favor of Jason Bartlett to pinch hit. Coming into this game Bartlett had only TWO homeruns this season and ZERO gramslams in his career.

Taking the first pitch strike Bartlett knew he was looking for something good to hit. The next pitch was low making the count 1-1. Then Twins pitcher Jesse Crain made a mistake that Bartlett was waiting for. The 1-1 pitch was right when Bartlett want it, and with a swing of the bat he launched a ball deep to left. The fans rose to their feet screaming for the ball to get out of the park. The screaming must have worked since the ball flew right over the left field fence in the front row. Bartlett's first grandslam tied this lopsided game up and made the Trop louder than I have ever experienced it.

All game I was trying to take a perfect picture (pic. above) of a batter making contact with the ball. I think I came close enough with the picture of Jason Bartlett smashing a perfect shot for a grandslam. I have been to quite a few baseball games in my days but this was the first time I saw a grandslam. It is probably the greatest moment I have experienced at a Rays game.

But just when you think the momentum and fight has changed in favor of the Rays, the baseball gods love to throw a curve ball out there. In the top of the 9th Joaquin Benoit found himself in a jam with men on first and third, and 2 outs. Jason Kubal hit an infield pop-up, an easy play for the 3rd out. Well this pop-up went a little higher than all the others during the game. In fact this one decided to hit the A-Ring catwalk, the highest in the entire park! And once the ball hit it dropped straight to the ground, away from where any fielder was standing. B rule this is a fair ball and the Twins scored a run. Such a heart breaking play.

This was only the 2nd time a ball has hit the A-Ring in the history of Tropicana field and it worked in the Twins favor. Adding another run after that the Twins made it 8-6 and eventually won after the Rays failed to tie up the game once again. We all left disappointed at the way this game ended. But it wasn't completely the reason why the Rays lost. Six hits doesn't always get the job done, especially when you are shut out till the 8th.

They can't win them all, but at least it was fun to spend time with my dad and watch an awesome comeback. The regular season ends in the first week of October so there is still plenty of baseball left. The Ray are a top team in the league and are fighting those gosh darn Yankees and Red Sox for the AL East title and a playoff spot. If you are in the Tampa Bay or St.Pete area come out and catch a game. Tickets start at only $8! I hope to catch one more game myself when I come back to Tampa to visit family and friends.

Upon the drive home I revived a text from a friend telling me I was on TV. And sure enough once I checked the DVR at home my father and I were on TV 4-5 times.

Thanks for reading this "episode" of J-Man's Manventures! I hope you enjoyed it and will come back to catch more of my journeys in the Orlando and Tampa area. I am moving to Orlando in two weeks so I probably won't have another post till then. But once I get settled thats when the real fun begins!

If you got any suggestions on places I should go, places I should eat or any other crazy adventures please leave them in a comment below. I'd love to hear some of you feedback and ideas! ::blob

All Photos were taken by Justin Muniz on 8/5/2010

J-Man's Manventures Preview: Aquatica Splash-Up

J-Man — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 02:33:56 GMT

A few weeks ago Sea World's official twitter page (@SeaWorld_Parks) sent on a twitter invite to its 4,500+ followers. The invite allowed the first 75 followers to RSVP to come down to the park on June 24th for FREE! I immediately jumped aboard this opportunity, Sea World even allowed us to bring one guest. I sent the link of to my followers and to the rest of Florida Thrills and started planning my trip. I have never been to Aquatica before so as the day grew closer my anticipation became stronger.

Sign welcoming us to the park

The 24th finally arrived and my friend and I left Tampa in route to Orlando for some Aquatica fun. After a quick detour to meet up with a friend who was also going we made our way to the park. We found a parking spot then checked in at the gates, and boy did we get some goodies. Each one of us got a pen, portable sunscreen type thing, an awesome water spritzer (which I use all the time now!) and probably the greatest USB drive I have EVER seen, its a USB drive shaped like a Manta ray. After we received our goodies and food bands were lead to the Banana Beach Cook-out. We quickly grabbed some food from the buffet and gobbled it down as the VP of Aquatica welcomed us. But before heading out into the park I went up to take a look at the animals, including my favorite bird of all the Kookaburra.

The Kookaburra with some children learning more about them.

The first attraction my friends I went to is Roa's Rapids. I have been looking forward to this high speed rapids river since the park was first announced. Walking up to the river reminded us of trying to merge into traffic. As people zoomed by we waited for an open and then jumped in. We were quickly swept away. We didn't know if we should just float, run or swim. So we did a lap of of each. The sections where the island in the middle of the path were my favorite, the tight canal made the rapids even faster for the short portion.

The fast paced Roa's Rapids is a great attraction to relax in, when your wearing a life vest.

We then made our way to Taumata Racer. This 8-person racer slide actually made me a tad but nervous because of that face-first drop. We grabbed our mats and headed to the top of the tower. My friends and I took our positions and waited to hear "GO!", except for one of my friends who decided to get a 2 second early start. When I heard "Go!" I jumped into the slide, got a lil stuck, but managed to wiggle free. Speeding around the turn I wondered if I was at-least close to winning. I exited the tube and saw everyone but the little kid already going down the drop. There was NO WAY I'd let the little kid beat me so I tucked my head down and speed to the finish! TAKE THAT LITTLE KID!

Commerson's dolphins swimming around the slide

While arguing why a 1 second early start equals disqualification we walked to Aquatica's Signature slide Dolphin Plunge! I loved the que walk up to this ride. I have been on a slide that went through an aquatic exhibit before at the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas, but this one is a little different. Walking across the swinging bridges over the lazy river was so much fun. After a short wait we were next in line. I won the rock,paper, scissors battle and got to go first. The light turned green and I crossed my feet and arms and went down the slide. The dark turns were disorienting but in the distance I saw daylight glowing brighter. I quickly flew into the clear tube and looked for the dolphins. I think I spotted one but I was going too fast to tell. This was a very fun slide, my only complaint is every time we went over a section we could feel the seam scratch against our backs.

Tassie's Twisters is surounded by loggerhead lane

Next up was Tassie's Twisters, or the "toilet bowl" slides as the are commonly called. Going into this year I wanted to ride two things I have never done before, a Flying coaster (Manta) and a toilet bowl side. I accomplished Manta earlier in the year (Loved it!) and now It was time to scratch of the toilet bowl slide. After I got the "Go!" from the lifeguard I quickly built up speed down the drop and exited in the bowl. Spinning around and around the bowl was much more fun than I thought. When I thought i was done going around my raft skipped over the drop hole and I took one more trip around the bowl. The drop out of the bowl is so much fun, and doing it backwards is even better!

Omaka Rocka and Whanau Way share the same tower

With a little over an hour left before closing time we skimmed past the extremely warm water of the wave pools (yes pools, they have 2) and headed to their newest ride Omaka Rocka. Half tube slide, Half half-pipe slide Omaka Rocka was alot of fun and extremely unique. I had no idea what to expect my first time on the slide, hitting the speed bumps added to that confusion. Upon entering the first half pipe my raft quickly climbed the wall, SO MUCH FUN. At this point the crazy slide had me now going backwards into the next section and up the wall on the 2nd half pipe and then down the the rest of the slide to the end. This slide was so much fun we did it twice, but on my second ride I climbed the 2nd half pipe a little to high and my raft flipped me off and left without me.. AWKWARD...

Whanau Way uses standard clear tubes while Omaka Rocka uses special yellow tubes

Sharing the tower with Omaka Rocka is Whanau Way, a collection of different water slides. We only had time to do one so we picked the pink one after a suggestion from a friend. Wow was this slide faster than I expected. We built up some serious speed on our journey down the pink slide. On one of the drops halfway down we even got airtime, one of my favorite things on a slide.

With 30 mins remaining till close we headed to the final slide of the day HooRoo Run. There was a long wait but we were excited to conquer this scary looking slide. We got to the top and just as we went to step in the raft the lifeguard said "wait", 3 adults can not ride in the same raft :s . It came down to Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who doesn't go. I threw paper and LOST to both of them. They hopped in the slide and went down having fun the whole way down. Luckly the lifeguard let me go down Walhalla Wave all by myself! It was so much fun, but I wish I still could of rode with my friends.

With a few mins remaining we settled the racer slide argument by riding one more time, I still lost. And hopped into Roa's Rapids until park closing. Man those rapids make your legs tired if you run. The announcement came over the speaker that the park was now closed so it was time to exit the rapids which is a whole lot harder than it sounds. We grabbed out stuff out of the lockers and made our way out the exit.

Aquatica is a beautiful water park, the lush vegetation adds to the tropical feel and theme. The water sprinklers on the hot walk ways were a life saver and such a grand idea. I hope to go back to Aquatica soon I really want to ride Tassie's Twisters again and finally get to go on HooRoo Run.

The gifts everyone received at the splash up

Thanks for reading and come back in the Fall for the launch of Season 1 of J-Man's Manventures!
Follow me on twitter: @JMuniz822

Pictures are courtesy of Figment1986 since I was to lazy to bring my camera.

Introducing J-Man's Manventures!

J-Man — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:37:23 GMT

Hello and Welcome to J-Man's Manventures!

Starting in Fall 2010 I will use this blog to share my experiences and adventures with you! For those who don't know me my name is Justin, and I have been a member of Florida Thrills since 2003. I am an adventure seeker and I felt that I should share my journeys with you, whether its a theme park, restaurant or a hike into the wild I will do my best to share it with you. In the Fall I will be moving to Orlando, the perfect place to go out and explore. My blog will not only include stories but also pictures and later video. Subscribe to my blog now so you never miss an exciting update! Though I won't officially start until September I will give you guys an early treat. Check back soon for a review of my Aquatica Splash-Up Adventure.

Season 1 of J-Man's Manventure's Officially kicks off this Fall!

Busch Gardens 2011 Roller Coaster Rumors

BGTKing — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 19:54:23 GMT

There are rumors swirling all around the internet about a possible new Busch Gardens Tampa roller coaster in 2011, among other things. First some facts that I know: we watch permits pretty closely and so far there have been no new filings for Busch Gardens. Until a permit is filed, you will not see any construction on anything, even if it is completely related to anything that gets most of you excited.

Now for my take on some of the rumors. As I mentioned in a previous article, if a new roller coaster is going to be built in 2011, we should know by May of this year (SheiKra began early construction in April, such as rerouting of the Serengeti Express). Until we know it is happening from building permits, it is hard to speculate on what type of ride and whatnot it could be.

Screamscape posted photos last week of a survey crew around the Nairobi area. Last week, a forum member posted a list of rumors, and one of them was a �walkway from EOA to Nairobi next month.� Thinking about it, it does seem logical that the crew could have been surveying for a potential new pathway from Nairobi to connect to the Edge of Africa. It would actually make a lot of sense and help improve the flow of visitors around the park.

As for any other rumors and happenings, I have not been able to gather anything concrete on anything so far. If any of the rumors are true, hard evidence should become available some time this spring.

Ultimate Quick Queue Tested

Figment1986 — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:04:26 GMT

One of our reporters went to Busch Gardens Tampa this morning and informed us Busch Gardens is testing a new Quick Queue pass this week. The Ultimate Quick Queue offers unlimited uses on participating attractions. This pass is priced at $40, $35 for pass holders, and is limited in stock. The pass is available for purchase December 26 through New Year's Eve.

Hey Bud it�s the Bands, Brew & BBQ 2010 Line Up

Figment1986 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 23:16:59 GMT

The Bud and BBQ is returning under a new name in 2010 as the Bands, Brew & BBQ concerts. This coming year the featured artists include: LeAnn Rimes, Huey Lewis and the News, and Willie Nelson.

Bands, Brew & BBQ are included with daily admission, and the best option is to get a 2010 SeaWorld Orlando Fun Card and 2010 Busch Gardens Tampa Fun Card so you can enjoy all the concerts, It also makes for a great stocking stuffer.

Visit BuschGardensTampaBay.com and SeaWorldOrlando.com for more information.

Saturdays at SeaWorld
February 06: LeAnn Rimes
February 13: Montgomery Gentry
February 20: John Rich of Big & Rich
February 27: Yes

Sundays at Busch Gardens
February 07: Dennis DeYoung: The Music of Styx
February 14: Willie Nelson
February 21: Huey Lewis and the News
February 28: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo

Concert dates and performers subject to change

SeaWorld 12/17/09

BGTKing — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:05:47 GMT

Since the semester is over, I made a trip down to Orlando to visit a friend and visit a few theme parks. The first stop was SeaWorld Orlando, which I visited today (as of writing this). Upon looking at the forecast, Thursday seemed to have the best weather out of the other weekdays (with weekend plans already set) to make the trip. I didn't figure going in the crowds would be bad at all this time of year. The forecast called for a 30% chance of rain and for the morning only...

My girlfriend and I arrived at the park a little bit before eleven. The first order of business was to get Busch Gardens/SeaWorld combo annual passes. After getting those, we entered the park, took a photo with a costumed penguin doing photo ops at the large SeaWorld themed Christmas tree, and then headed to Manta.

Manta was only a couple train wait even though only one side of the station was open. We rode this time in the second row and there certainly is an intensity difference between the ends of the train; the back is quite a bit more intense. Manta was again a fun and enjoyable ride.

After Manta, we decided to try to find somewhere for a bite to eat before catching Believe at 12:30. We found a place and had some chicken tenders. After that, we headed over to Shamu Stadium to watch Believe for the first time.

Believe is something we missed back on our trip in August and was something we had marked to do. As one of two shows during the day, it was quite crowded. The show was impressive and having never seen any of the other Shamu shows, I do not know how it compares.

After the show, we headed over to Pacific Point and checked out how the seals and sea lions were doing. Along the way, we also stopped by and walked through the shark encounter. Then we headed over to Kraken for a couple rides, including a front row ride. There was basically no line however it was only running one train. Kraken was a great ride as usual, especially with the floorless effect in the front row.

After Kraken, it began to rain lightly. We decided to check out the puffins and penguins before trying to find some ice cream. We ended up at the Polar Parlor near the front of the park. After enjoying our delicious ice cream, we decided to head on home due to the poor weather and that we plan on visiting the park again on Sunday.

Overall, it was a pretty good visit to the park. The weather did not end up cooperating, but the park was a lot less crowded than our last visit and we could spend more time looking at the aquatic exhibits.

Howl-O-Scream 2009

MonTu poop-c — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:31:57 GMT

Howl-O-Scream 2009 Review

For ten years now, Howl-O-Scream has built, from the ground up, an absolutely nightmarish set of haunted attractions, collected as the demented event now known as Howl-O-Scream. And in the event�s tenth season, it does not disappoint. Even before a guest walks into the event this year, it is clear from the event�s very presence that this year would be something noticeably special.

The story of Howl-O-Scream�s tenth anniversary begins with the icon; Ms. Vayne. The event�s biggest milestone thus far, its tenth birthday, makes little acknowledgment of the past, and instead chooses to live in the present, creating a new icon and event theme. But we�ve been treated to arguably the greatest icon the event has ever seen. Ms. Vayne�s back story is cleverly developed, and presented in multiple forms of media, including the event�s website, the event�s Twitter and FaceBook accounts, television commercials, and even live appearances by Ms. Vayne and her models, in the flesh, on local television networks. Although some would argue that Howl-O-Scream�s back story has little to do with the actual final result found in the park itself, I completely disagree. The story of Ms. Vayne and her models sets up an atmosphere and synthesis that perfectly introduces the event. The story surrounding the event is every bit as important as any given haunted house within the event itself. And while it�s true that every aspect of the event doesn�t directly tie in with Ms. Vayne�s history, it is certain that her well-developed story would be missed if it weren�t present.

If the first part of the event you experience is Ms. Vayne�s story, then the first thing one will experience once stepping inside the main gate will, of course, be the face-to-face encounter with The Diva herself; the Fashion Show. Immediately inside the front gates is a monolithic runway. It�s simple in its design: a solid-white straight runway with two large walls adjacent that bear the House of Vayne logo. As the show begins, Ms. Vayne�s models begin to walk down the catwalk one at a time, showing off her creations. As the show commences, photographers surround the runway and snap pictures of the show. As the models walk the runway, the runway itself shoots startling and dramatic bursts of steam and water up around the models. After each of the models has made their appearance, they gather on the runway for the finale walk. After this, the designer herself comes out, as one would expect in any given fashion show. Ms. Vayne proudly walks to the end of the catwalk, and with a swift caress of her legendary House of Vayne Ring, not only do her models reveal their true form, but the photographers surrounding the stage are also exposed to be vampires. The light quickly changes from white to red as the chaos begins, and the photographers dive for the guests. They heckle the audience for a while, snarling and lunging at the onlookers as Ms. Vayne�s models gather at the beginning of the catwalk. After a few moments of sheer terror, an unlucky audience member is pulled onto the catwalk, into the middle of the cluster of vampires where they are torn apart in an eruption of blood. They are eventually dragged off stage as Ms. Vayne licks her lips and claps. The lights dramatically go out, and the show is over. Seeing it in person is every bit more amazing than reading about it. The attitudes of the models, and especially of Ms. Vayne herself, truly make the show everything it is.

One of the first haunted houses once inside the park is Reconstruction, which is a returning favorite. The house, in its second year, is still one of the best ever created. It portrays the twisted Dr. Edgar Von Angst: a plastic surgeon that promises miraculous results, but instead turns his patients into hideous creations that are nightmarish fusions of flesh and steel. As with last year, the queue line sets up the theme. Although, last year�s queue was better because it had more atmosphere, featuring a recording of the doctor himself introducing his business (interluded with generic waiting room music). This year�s queue still set up the shady-downtown setting though, which is present in the first two scenes of the house. After walking down the dark alley, you enter the doctor�s office. The first real scene in the house is his waiting room, which is actually one of the greatest rooms in the haunted house. The three scares in here tend to be perfectly timed, and they always manage to deliver, at the very least, a good startle.

After the waiting room scene, you travel deeper into Dr. Edgar Von Angst�s twisted plastic surgery office. Reconstruction has never been a house based on in-your-face startle scares or any such thing. Instead, Reconstruction relies on visuals and a sinister atmosphere that screw with your mind. This becomes evident as you travel deeper into the plastic surgery office, and the atmosphere comes to feel more secluded and solitary. For the most part, gruesome sound effects take the place of music. There�s still the random hallway that features strobe lights and techno music that makes absolutely no sense to the rest of the house, but it leads to the second half of the haunted house, where the scenery reaches its peak.

The first scene of the second half of Reconstruction involves a face-to-face encounter with the doctor himself, as he operates on a helpless patient. When the actors in this scene work together, the scares are inevitable. The house then moves into a room with the doctor�s grotesque creations adorning the walls and ceiling. The sight of the mutilated bodies in this room is so disturbing, yet it is difficult to take your eyes off. After an oddly-lit hallway of darkness, there�s one last showcase scene that shows off some of the doctor�s most grotesque mechanical achievements. The distractions in this scene, coupled with a heavy fog, make for at least two highly effective scares. The last stretch of the haunted house is an outdoor corridor where hung are a number of unnervingly realistic body bags, concealing a few final scares from the doctor�s nurses.

In its second year, Reconstruction may not shine as brightly as it did during its debut season, but it proves to still be one of the strongest houses at Howl-O-Scream. The somber, industrial atmosphere is an absolute joy to be in, in the sense that it provides a visually intense setting. Some of the scares are unexpected in the best way, such as a patient coyly hiding in corner, or swatting at the feet from underneath a gurney. But I also walked through Reconstruction a few times during which it didn�t feel fully staffed, as scares were clearly missing, and I felt as though some of the lights in the house weren�t working properly at some points. Nonetheless, the sheer visual arrest that this haunted house provides is enough for it to remain one of my favorites for a second year in a row.

It�s no secret that the prime location for a haunted house at Howl-O-Scream is, and has always been, beneath the Skyride station. Historically, the houses that have been here in the past have been among the best seen at the event, or in some cases, anywhere. The house featured there this year is a newcomer, replacing the much-praised After Hours. Nightshade Toys takes the helm this year, as one of the event�s two new haunted houses. Being the successor to After Hours, Nightshade Toys has a lot to live up to. But much to my relief, it doesn�t completely disappoint.

The haunted house actually has a rather festive queue line, with the main portion of it decorated by banners announcing some of the toys in production, as well as multi-colored lights, and the factory�s main sign hanging above the entrance. Similar to houses that have been in this location in the past, the haunted house truly begins outside. An ambient setting showcases crates bearing the Nightshade logo, and a huge delivery truck concealing an intense and highly effective scare. Opposite the delivery truck is a feisty worker bee heckling the line as it files into the factory, and providing more scares.

The fa�ade of the toy factory is dreary and industrial, but once inside, the setting is bright and colorful. But many of the colors are stressed and washed-out. The beginning of the haunted houses starts off fairly slow, with a quiet atmosphere, and few scares. The first truly notable scare involves Nightshade himself behind a mirror. The scare here is versatile and startling, and can be used to create a very creepy atmosphere. Another great scare involved a disembodied hand floating behind a map of the factory, which serves as an effective distracter for a startling special effect scare. Once inside the main part of the factory, the first set of toys you encounter is Catch Your Breath Bear. He is showcased in a long, dimly-lit hallway, surrounded by other stuffed animals all of at least seven feet in height. This room contains two amazing scare effects, but it�s the props that truly give this room its disturbing feeling. After Catch Your Breath Bear and his friends, you come across another of the factory�s showcase toys; Tina Tinkle. In a scene that is sure to become iconic of Nightshade, you find yourself in a long hallway with shelves on either side displaying countless dolls, perfectly in a row, staring you down with their glowing eyes. But the sheer creepiness of the dolls is only half the effect; Tina tinkles. As you walk past the dolls, they get you wet, proving that even in the most unsettling moments, Nightshade Toy Factory doesn�t take itself completely seriously.

After the first two displays of toys, Nightshade takes a turn into an amazing scene. A room with the walls covered in UV-reactive paint, and a black light. This scene has had some of the best actors seen at Howl-O-Scream this year; their scene was relatively sparse, but they made the best of it, going in for some very intense and relentless scares. But it�s at this point in the haunted house that some of the more avid fans may realize something oddly familiar about Nightshade Toys: the house, from this point, has the exact same layout as the previous haunted house After Hours. For the most part, it works relatively well throughout the house, but some scenes do seem to suffer. It�s really not a problem to anybody other than the most scrutinizing fans that would remember the layout.

The next scene in Nightshade Toys is the assembly line room. Off in the corner is the ringleader Nightshade interacting with the guests, and providing the occasional scare. But the most intense scare comes from the workers putting the toys together. They�re chained together like prisoners, wearing bright orange jumpsuits, and porcelain-doll masks, and just when a guest is at their most vulnerable, they come alive and lunge forward together with the sound of a steam horn for one of the most startling scares in the entire haunted house. Following the assembly line room is the dark and gorgeous marionette room. With a vivid palette of colors and a black light as the only means of illumination, it sets up the perfect atmosphere for a few shockingly-placed scares. After this is the creative design room, featuring several artists behind drawing boards. This room actually features a good few well-placed and unexpected scares. When it�s coupled with energetic actors, this room can be quite effective for both scaring and disorientation. Following the design room is the packing and shipping room, littered with boxes and crates bearing the Nightshade logo. In this room is an incredible special effect: a huge Nightshade crate soaring diagonally from one corner of the room to the other, just a few feet above the guests� heads.

After this point, Nightshade Toys is in its final stretch. The �testing� rooms involve the listless acid testing room, which features a lone actor, and a few props plastered to the walls. Then there�s the ballistics testing room which lamely reuses the firing squad effect that is seen elsewhere, and the reality testing room, involving a pair of creepy children and Catch Your Breath Bears hanging from above. After this is a series of brightly-lit showcase hallways featuring demented toys, and posters of the factory�s more popular toys, concealing scares from Nightshade himself.

The finale scene of Nightshade Toys is nothing new, to say the least. Like a ringleader at a three-ring circus, Nightshade calls the shots, ushering guests of the factory into his �toy transformation machine,� which is a colorful, psychedelic spinning tunnel. On the other side of the disorienting tunnel are life-size dolls with chainsaws, chasing the guests out of the maze-like corridors at the end of this haunted house.

Nightshade Toys is a hot mess of a haunted house, but in some strange way, it works so well. My first trip through this haunted house left me disappointed, wishing it had been more intense and coherent. But one of Nightshade�s most charming features is its disjointedness. There�s no logical progression from one scene to the next, and it�s clear that some of the scenes are just filler, meant to take advantage of the leftover layout. But everything so wrong about this haunted house is what makes it so right. The house is wrought with flaws, and could be made better in a number of spots, but ultimately has some very creative scares, and a very dark atmosphere. And perhaps the house�s best attribute is the fact that it is so subliminally trippy. The parts that make little sense are what give this house its disorienting charm.

If Nightshade Toys was the most-colorful haunted house at the event, then El Carnaval Del Muerto is easily the most-colorful scare zone at the event, and by far my favorite. Coming from either end, El Carnaval is flanked by brightly-colored pieces of fabric which conceal skeletal mariachi-esque actors that use maracas for a surprising sound. The main part of the scare zone is a glorious mish-mash of scare tactics presented in a lush atmosphere that lies somewhere between Mardi Gras and D�a de los Muertos. There are stilt-walkers, faux mannequins, and a throne that seats a colorful pair of party-goers. Everything about this scare zone is delightful. The costumes and props are gorgeous, almost flawless. El Carnaval isn�t overly-intense as far as scares, but everything fits perfectly together.

Returning for its second season is the popular Death Row Vengeance. In its debut season last year, Grey Echo Penitentiary proved to be one of the most intense and well-designer haunted houses ever seen at Howl-O-Scream. The haunted house had a simple, but unique storyline that ultimately served as a showcase for various methods of capital punishment. The house returns nearly identical to last year. The uncomforting lethal injection room looks the same, but never in the past had I seen the actors moved from their static posts to give a surprising scare. The room with the gallows was every bit as well-choreographed as I would expect, but I�ve come to realize that that scene relies heavily on timing, which means it is almost completely hit or miss. The electric chair scene is crushingly intense. The sights and sounds in this room are enough to make anybody�s spine tingle, provided every effect in the room is working at its best (because on the occasion they�re not, the room is severely lacking).

The next couple of scenes in Death Row Vengeance are where the few minor changes become evident. The firing squad room is now lit by a blinding spotlight. I can�t understand this at all. The firing squad room, when the timing was right, was possibly the most shocking scene in the entire haunted house. But the bright spotlight takes away from the mystery of the room, and only really distracts from the true scare that comes from the other side of the room. The next scene also features a new scare that seemed to be different nearly every time I walked through; a scareactor would hide either right at the sharp u-turn, behind a toilet seat, or in some other location in the junk-filled room. The scare here was actually rather effective, and made this scene seem much less empty.

From this point, the haunted house becomes heavier on the special effects, as it transitions into the final scenes. The climax of the haunted house is the epic two-story cell block scene inhabited by the ghostly prisoners. This scene is everything. It has a grandiose feel coupled with a number of scares from every direction. It�s hard not to feel unsafe walking through this room. The house still ends with one of the most creative aspects of a haunted house ever implemented: the escape tunnel. Death Row Vengeance is still a great haunted house with some very intense scenes, but the house doesn�t feel as brilliant or as crushing as it did last year. Some of the emptier scenes feel as though they throw the house�s pacing off. Due largely in part to the actors, the house feels as though it�s fallen from its position as one of the best houses at the event. But when it�s good, it�s good, and the better points of the house still shine through.

Amidst the haunted houses this year is a delightful new show. It must be pointed out that Full Moon Cabaret is new, not only because Howl-O-Scream features a new show each year, but because this show is a drastic departure from anything seen in this location in well over 5 years. Rather than a shallow plot and irrelevant pop culture references, the show has a conscious purpose: magic. The show doesn�t make an effort to have a true story, but it doesn�t need one. Jason Byrne�s dark magic tricks alternate with campy dance numbers from his �assistants.� The show naturally ends with the best trick of them all, in which the magician appears to be executed, but reappears elsewhere on the stage. And it�s really that simple. The show doesn�t have any gimmicks, and it doesn�t make a desperate effort to appeal to a youthful, �hip� audience. The show is good, and it�s timeless. Overall, it may not present anything terribly innovative. But what it lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in quality.

The longest run a house has ever seen at Howl-O-Scream is four years. And in its fourth year, Trapped in the Walls makes no effort to step up its game like any other four-year haunted house the event has seen. Typically, only the best haunted houses are seen to stick around for a full four years. But Trapped in the Walls feels as though it is sticking around solely as filler. Nonetheless, its presence means we were able to savor two new haunted houses this year, and a total of seven haunted houses overall. And in its final year, Trapped suffers from the same major problem the haunted house suffered for its past two seasons: it is experienced in reverse.

Trapped in the Walls begins with a stroll through the garden leading into the finale of the haunted house: a long series of dark, empty hallways with a heavy strobe and black and white walls. Following this is the crypt-like scene which has been ruined with mannequins creating a needlessly convoluted, maze-like path. The basement scene still manages to provide a good set of scares. The various scenes of the house, though experienced in reverse, still tend to provide decent scares. Last year, Trapped felt like it really attempted to step up the scares from the actors even in the presence of a reversed layout. But this year, it didn�t seem to have the same intensity. The house still has a few surprising scares, but the scenery doesn�t have the same effect when being seen in reverse. Even worse, the house is completely out-of-order, as the last scene you walk through is nearly empty. Trapped in the Walls still has its few decent scares, but it�s messy, and so clearly beneath every other haunted house seen at the event this year.

The next returning haunted house at the event this year is Taste of Blood. This haunted house is in its third year. In the past, Howl-O-Scream was accustomed to overhauling returning houses so their successive installments differed from their initial years. Some of the greatest success stories of this are Deathly Departed and Freaked! But in its third season, Taste of Blood sees no advancement of the storyline. Luckily, the story was creative to begin with. But the house has begun to feel like a staple at the event.

I have an immense amount of appreciation for Taste of Blood�s queue line, which is themed. There�s something so much better about a queue line that sets the mood, than a generic one that doesn�t serve the experience about to come. Once inside, Taste of Blood follows a traditional pattern, beginning relatively slowly, and eventually growing into the more intense scenes toward the end. Taste of Blood has always been a joy as far as the sets are concerned. The subway and sewer scenes at the beginning are lush and immersive. But it�s the more vampiric scenes that make (and break) the haunted house. This is where the most intense scares happen. And happily, most of the vampires featured in these scenes were heavily into their scares.

The only true major change seen in Taste of Blood comes in the scene where Vlad Tepes had previously been. With bloodied corpses littered around her fabulously Gucci-clad feet, Ms. Vayne herself floats in the center of the room, and through a thick eastern-European accent, gives a chilling threat to everybody who sees her. After this point, the haunted house is all but over. A few final well-placed scares lead to the ending of the haunted house. Taste of Blood has never been a bad house. In its third season, it doesn�t necessarily stand out, and it doesn�t stand up to the likes of Nightshade Toys and Reconstruction, which is saying something. There�s nothing particularly over-the-top about Taste of Blood, but it still has the virtue of being a solid and very well-put-together haunted house.

Howl-O-Scream is known for bringing back haunted houses for multiple years, which I am thankful for. But this year, Unearthed flat-out feels like a ghost from the past. 2006�s Pharaoh�s Revenge seems to make a comeback in a new form and new location this year. Unearthed is in a fickle location. Scare zones that have lived in this spot in the past have had a hard time really capturing the guests. Unearthed may be the longest and most well-laid-out scare zone seen in this location though. The scenery feels surprisingly well-done too. On both sides of the path are a series of dark, Egyptian-looking set pieces. But it�s the actors that really give this scare zone what it has. At one end are the inevitable shovel-wielders that send sparks shooting across the ground; an effect that is more than welcome every year at Howl-O-Scream. As a whole, though, this scare zone can be very hit-or-miss. If the scares aren�t choreographed effectively, the zone will feel almost empty. Unearthed may not be the standout scare zone of the year, but it doesn�t completely fall flat, which is commendable.

Perhaps the most-talked-about house this year is Delta Epsilon Delta: Pledge Week (or simply DED). In its debut season, DED is made to be known as perhaps the event�s premier haunted house. The theme of a mysterious sorority is contemporary, but it doesn�t senselessly chase trends. Additionally, the house is perhaps the main one associated with the event�s icon, Ms. Vayne, as she is said to have founded the sorority.

The experience begins outside the haunted house. The queue line is possibly the best ever seen at Howl-O-Scream. It has the virtue of being in a great location: the pathway leads guests behind buildings and through mysterious rock structures up to a secluded sorority house. As you near the house, festive flags and posters advertising the sisterhood�s pledge week adorn the queue. And immediately before entering, guests are greeted by spirited DED Girls handing out fliers. Greeting you at the door to the haunted house is the lovely House Mother Hannah, who does an excellent job of taunting the guests.

Once inside the edifice, guests are greeted by a lovely foyer reminiscent of The Mortuary. The first hall leading into the house itself is an art showcase, featuring impressionist paintings of various Howl-O-Scream people of importance, as well as hideous gargoyles that never fail to induce incredible scares. After this scene is the reception desk. This is where the house begins to show its dichotomy of modernity and decaying antiquity. A flat-panel television serves as a distractor for an amazing two-piece scare that occurs off to the side of the room. The living room comes next. The room feels strangely out-of-place, almost like it was decorated by rednecks, and not 20-something girls. But it does have a least one well-concealed scare. The tanning bed scene is very unnerving and theatrical. It�s visually delicious, but it doesn�t provide any intense scares until the final moment of the scene. One thing I like about this scene is that the area has the appearance that it conceals more scares than it actually does, which can be a clever way of distracting guests.

After a transition hallway, guests are in the bathroom. Bathroom scenes are always entertaining, and they tend to be particularly well-done at Howl-O-Scream. Off to the right are some rambunctious toilets (making a comeback appearance). And at the end of the bathroom scene are some of the house�s greatest actors; two sister are torturing a very, very unfortunate young lad with pedicure tools. The scare here isn�t startling, but the human interaction never fails to land a good startle. After this is the requisite bedroom scene. This scene is actually one of the weakest of the house. The actors here are meant to jump on the bed while tarring and feathering an actor. Instead, they typically just stare menacingly at the guests. This scene features no other scares, and in a huge contrast to the previous bathroom scene, is surprisingly lackluster in its design.

Immediately after the bedroom scene is the closet. This leads to a gorgeous passageway into confining darkness, which dumps you out into the final scenes of the house. The first of these scenes are a round room with a fountain in the middle surrounded by robed sisters. The fact that there are so many of these sisters creates a disorienting effect, and almost guarantees a scare. After this, you are clearly in a dungeon. The scares here are hit-or-miss. They tend to be either startling and grotesque, or cheesy and uninspired. My favorite scare in this series of scenes is a man suspended by chains and wires with his bodily fluids being drained via plastic tubes (which actually serves as a distraction for another amazing scare). Another well-done scare involves a sister appearing from the darkness in the final room of the house. After the final dungeon scenes, you are dumped out of the house�s gorgeous fa�ade, and back into the park.

DED Girls believe that the females are the superior gender, and to carry out their feminine duties, they violently torture and kill men. The house is clever and sinister. But the house has one glaring handicap: it�s short. It�s easily the shortest house of the year, and possibly one of the shortest houses ever seen at Howl-O-Scream. This isn�t always necessarily a bad thing, as a short house can mean a fast-paced, intense experience. But DED�s theatrical scenes and time-dependent scares take away from its chance of being a tightly woven haunted house. DED simply walks the middle ground. While it�s stunning to look at in many of its scenes, it�s somehow not an over-the-top haunted house in terms of scares. In fact, DED may be compared to haunted houses seen at Howl-O-Scream�s competition; it feels like the first haunted house seen at the event to forego the natural, realistic layouts seen at most Howl-O-Scream houses, and instead focus on a short layout with theatrical, rapid-fire scenes. This can be a good thing when done well. But with DED, it�s done only on a passable level. Still though, DED certainly has its spotlight scenes (many of which feel like they�re concentrated in the first half of the house), and its fair share of effective scares.

There�s a scare zone at Howl-O-Scream that feels as though it�s become a complete necessity at the event. Debuting in 2004 as Beware!, and then spending an additional four seasons as Wicked Woods, the mammoth scare zone that terrorizes the east side of the park returns this year as its new incarnation: Werewolves. Werewolves reuses many of the same props and set pieces seen in previous years, but adds a handful of new ones to set the mood more directly on the werewolves themselves. But this scare zone�s biggest change comes in the form of the actors themselves, whom range from people who appear to be in a pre-wolf human phase, to some completely gnarly and feral werewolves. One end of the scare zone is stalked by the main gang of werewolves whom wear some of the best costumes seen at Howl-O-Scream. Also seen here is the effect of smell (rotting meat or fish), which, when used, is always incredibly effective. For its expansive size, Werewolves would really have a hard time being a complete let down.

A scare zone that does a good job of being a complete let-down is Banshees. Unfortunately, Banshees manages to be, by far, the worst scare zone of the year. Not to mention, it is the worst scare zone seen at Howl-O-Scream in quite some time. The setting is in a location that allows guests to walk around it altogether, meaning many people miss it. The scare zone is relatively small, and is very sparsely-populated. About half of the actors within are wearing rollerblades, half are not, and all of them are wearing some of the gaudiest, cheapest costumes seen at the event. The only thing that this scare zone has going for it are its visual/sensory effects; lights, fog, and sound. The actors have a hard time delivering scares effectively. Overall, this scare zone feels like a low-budget afterthought meant to use up some of the leftover props, and distract guests from an otherwise empty location. In the past, a DJ was featured where Banshees is now. I would much rather have said DJ.

It would criminal to overlook (and tragic to miss) one of Howl-O-Scream�s best attributes, the Roaming Hordes. The main flaw of the Hordes is that you can technically go an entire night without seeing one of them, but that�s just the nature of the beast. But this minor flaw is just about the only negative point surrounding an otherwise amazing aspect of the event. The Roaming Hordes honestly do strike in unexpected locations. And most of the actors involved in the hordes are some of the best seen at the event. They do a great job of scaring large groups of guests. Additionally, the hordes tend to be spread out enough that a guest may experience multiple scares while traveling through a horde�s area. Of the hordes themselves, my favorites are the Sliderz, for their sheer entertainment value, and the �normal people,� for their unexpected and unnerving scares. I also appreciate the Klownz, as they truly know how to deliver a great scare.

Returning for its third season at Howl-O-Scream is the haunted house now simply known as 13. I was initially disappointed to know that the house would not be returning with a new theme, as the very premise of the house states that The Messengers seek to kill their thirteen victims by a new method each year. While there was no new method of murder, the house managed to feel fresh. Perhaps it was the new building it was housed in. Perhaps it was the actors. But it doesn�t really need an explanation.

13 has the perfect setting for a redneck house, as it sits out in a grass field. The queue for 13 is amazing, pumping Patsy Cline music and featuring arresting visuals all set on a gritty, earthy patch of land. As guests enter the gas station, they are greeted by The Messengers� iconic grandmother, who fiercely mocks guests, and even manages to provide a good startle scare every now and then.

Once inside the main part of the house, it typically doesn�t take long for the chaos to begin. The first several scenes are stocked with characters in great locations. And as I�ve seen them this year, they�ve typically been very aggressive and dedicated to their scares. The scenery leading up the kitchen scene, though unchanged, is still impressive to look at. It works well with the scares, which are all well-choreographed. The kitchen scene is the turning point of the house, of course. There�s the strange smell (which are always a plus in a haunted house), followed by a pair of great scares.

Once you�re in the �outdoor� section of the haunted house, the scares feel even more densely packed. Your vision here is so inhibited by distractions that a scare in this scene is almost guaranteed. One of my favorite rooms in the haunted house is the scene with the truck parked in the garage. It�s so simple, yet so unnerving (and once again, the sensation of smell really adds to the scene). One of the few rooms in the house that feels really half-baked is the meat locker scene. The slaughtered pigs that hang from the ceiling here are unsettling to look at, but the room is completely free of scares and actors.

After the last few scenes within the haunted house, there is the delicious finale scene. It begins with the wooden chainsaw pen, in which guests are lead through a series of wooden fences and stalked with chainsaws. But this is just the warm-up for the coming scene. An alley zigzags around props and walls that are crawling with Messengers, most of them wielding chainsaws. The scares here come in two and three parts, and are often unexpected. The last chainsaw-wielding Messenger or two have the advantage of being able to chase particularly frightened guests out of the haunted house, as there is a long lead-out featuring walls covered in graffiti.

Everything about 13 worked so well this year. A haunted house is at its best when it can make a person feel nervous, and there were many moments in which 13 achieved this well. The actors were intense with their scares, and the overall atmosphere captured the feeling of The Messengers perfectly. Even though the house didn�t have a new story (as one would expect), I somehow didn�t feel entirely slighted. Instead, I was more than captivated by the fact that everything else in the haunted house worked so well this year.

Although not an attraction, it would be criminal to not mention Howl-O-Scream�s Shop of Horrors. The store was beautifully decorated, and even served as a kind of museum, housing a few of the props seen previously in After Hours. But the shop�s best features were its elegant, gothic-inspired oddities that fit in perfectly with Ms. Vayne�s theme. The merchandise carried was amazing as well. No less than nine event shirts were featured. There were gorgeously-designed posters, and classy commemorative pins (including a set that paid homage to the event�s previous years). And the shop was no stranger to the 10 Years of Fear theme, carrying a number of items bearing this motif in addition to the Ms. Vayne logo. Other non-Howl-O-Scream items included a circular Ouija board, a miniature graveyard garden, and Teddy Scares, which fit in perfectly with Catch Your Breath Bear and the Nightshade Toy Factory. The shop even showed a video on one of its televisions that featured clips from the past 9 years of the event. There�s really not a single negative thing to be said about it.

By the end of the 2009 season, I had visited the event just five times. There was something about the event that drew me in, and made me want to visit so many more times than I did. 2008 saw the event return to its classic excellence. But 2009 is almost understated in comparison. Neither of the new haunted houses bowled me over, but they were still very charming in a way that made them undeniably likable. And the icon, Ms. Vayne, initially didn�t seem as creative as the Raven Twins. However, as the event wore on, her story became more and more magnanimous to the point where she was truly a force to be reckoned with. As a whole, the event was incredibly strong; easily as strong as any of Howl-O-Scream�s past years.

Much to my surprise, my favorite house of the year was 13, a house that is returning for its third year. It returns without any major revamps or gimmicks, but it just managed to be an amazing house. I look forward to seeing it return for a fourth years. My second-favorite haunted house is Nightshade Toys, with all its disorienting charm, which was also my favorite new haunted house of the year. My favorite scare zone was easily El Carnaval Del Muerto. Banshees was my least favorite scare zone, but it was a small misstep that I hope we won�t be seeing in the future. My least favorite haunted house was Trapped in the Walls, which suffered from the same flaws as the previous two years, but I do believe we won�t be seeing it return, as it has been at the event for four years (long enough). As usual, the Roaming Hordes are amazing, and should become a yearly staple at the event, as should the Shop of Horrors.

In its tenth anniversary, Howl-O-Scream makes its very best effort to put on a good show, and it succeeds. As with all of its previous years, it can�t really be said that the event is perfect; it has its good points and its bad points. But the good truly outweighs the bad here, and as a whole, the event really shines. This year�s event focused on the new and the present, with a fierce new icon. But side-by-side with Ms. Vayne was the presence of the Ten Years of Fear theme: a nod at the decade that Howl-O-Scream had just completed. With a mention of the past and an eye on the future, Howl-O-Scream promises a continuing tradition of crushing fear presented in what some may consider to be the very best Halloween event carried out.

Additional photos:

Williamsburg, Part 4: The Roller Coasters

BGTKing — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:49:45 GMT

Part 4: Busch Gardens Williamsburg - The Roller Coasters

One of the main reasons many of us, myself included, visit theme parks is to take on the always menacing roller coasters. Typically they dominate the skyline for miles around the park and Busch Gardens Williamsburg is no exception.

As of this writing, the park features four major roller coasters and one kiddie ride. When I went, there were five major roller coasters; the Big Bad Wolf closed in September and is being removed from the park. Overall, the park features an impressive line up and has several rides are are similar types of rides to Busch Gardens Tampa, but they all feature unique layouts. On my trip, I was able to ride each roller coaster multiple times. Here are my reviews of the roller coasters in the order that I first rode them:

The Loch Ness Monster
A classic Arrow Dynamics looping roller coaster, the Loch Ness Monster is the oldest roller coaster at the park. That does not mean the ride runs poorly though; the ride is surprisingly smooth for a ride its age and still zips the two vertical loops that interlock. This is probably the most famous or picturesque element on the ride: the two interlocking loops right above the Rhine River.

If you are riding for the first time and do not know much about the ride, you will probably be surprised by the very long tunnel after the mid course block brake. I will leave what happens on the inside for you to see for yourself. The ride also fits in very well with the natural features of the park. Because of its age, Nessie is very ingrained into the environment and this just adds a little bit extra to the ride.

Overall, I enjoyed the ride quite a bit more than I expected. The first drop provides a nice little bit of air time, especially in the back rows of the train. Nessie was also smoother than I expected for a ride of its age. I think it does help that my head is a good bit above the horse-collar restraints, but still it did not have the nasty jolts some rides do.

Alpengeist
I was perhaps no more excited to ride any other ride at Busch Gardens Williamsburg than Alpengeist. Just something about this gigantic Bolliger and Mabillard inverted roller coaster has made me want to ride it over the years. It might be the ridiculously twisted first drop or just how it interacts with the elevation changes of the landscape. The elevation helps create the illusion that the ride is taller than the 196' that it actually is.

Alpengeist just flat out flies through its layout. Perhaps, it even goes too fast, causing it to be a bit bumpy at times. The speed, however, does make the ride quite intense, something that I truly like. I had heard that the cobra roll was a rough element; I did not find it to be so. It just has the quick snap of any corkscrew on a Bolliger and Mabillard inverted roller coaster.

It is a little bit difficult to compare Alpengeist to Montu. They really are different types of inverted roller coasters. Montu is certainly smoother, yet Alpengeist felt more intense than the trimmed up Montu of today. The drop on Alpengeist is better than on Montu, but Montu's zero gravity roll is much better and in a better position in the layout. Overall, both are very solid rides. As a complete package, I would say Montu is better, but that is not to say that Alpengeist does not have elements that are better.

Griffon
There is no ride that I do not know more about or followed more closely than SheiKra, the Bolliger and Mabillard Dive Machine roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa. I have ridden SheiKra plenty of times, so I was anxious to see how its slightly bigger brother, Griffon, compared. My biggest complaint with SheiKra is how short the ride feels (or kinda is). Would Griffon, with its second Immelmann, feel longer?

Sadly, the answer was no. Griffon actually felt shorter than SheiKra to me. I think the difference was that after the drop and first Immelmann, Griffon just climbs straight into the mid course block brake. It just seemed like a complete waste of speed and energy. SheiKra at least has a high speed turn. I also did not feel as much airtime in the Immelmann. I also prefer SheiKra's second drop into the tunnel, which makes the drop longer.

Now for some positives about the ride. The first drop under a bridge is a very cool effect. It is also great view for those just looking at the ride. The second Immelmann is also certainly better than SheiKra's turnaround. Also, Griffon's queue line allows you to chose your row much better than at SheiKra. SheiKra can be hard to get a front seat ride on. Overall, Griffon is a very good and fun ride, but it was just missing something to make it great.

The Big Bad Wolf
Since I was able to make it to Williamsburg this past summer, the park decided that the time had come to remove this twenty year old coaster. Well, not quite or really at all, but the Big Bad Wolf no longer exists. The biggest shame of it being removed is how great this ride fit into and interacted with it's environment.

The Big Bad Wolf was the second suspended coaster I have rode (Iron Dragon at Cedar Point being the first). If you have never rode one, it definitely is a different sensation to swing around through the curves. It actually gives me some feeling in my stomach that on many rides I have almost become immune to due to the lateral accelerations. The ride felt quite fast, partly due to the closeness to trees and the other themed objects in the village that the ride passed through. If you are not real tall and your head does not stick above the horse-collar restraint, the ride may have been rough for you. The signature moment of the ride was the drop after the second lift hill that curves right above the Rhine River. The ride was really booking right here and the vehicle swung all about.

The Big Bad Wolf was a fun and solid ride, but I just didn't find it to be all that spectacular. It was certainly better than Iron Dragon and Busch Gardens Tampa really has no ride that compares to it (a better ride than Scorpion if trying to compare it to something). It is sad to see it go because it is a rare and unique breed of coaster, which really turned out to be its downfall. It was also the easiest ride for beginners to ride due to its low height restriction. Busch Gardens Williamsburg really needs to step up to the plate to replace this attraction with something really impressive.

Apollo's Chariot
Dominating the parking lot of Busch Gardens Williamsburg (ala Montu in Tampa), is the the Bolliger and Mabillard hyper coaster Apollo's Chariot. It is actually the third tallest roller coaster at the park, however it drops into a ravine, making the drop 210'. Apollo's Chariot is the longest roller coaster at the park and is ride designed for airtime.

When it opened, I remember Apollo's Chariot had the most amount of drop footage or some stat like that. So when I rode, I was expecting a ton of airtime. There is a good to decent amount, but not quite as much as I was expecting after being a regular on Goliath at Six Flags over Georgia. The ride is pretty well paced, but was just not quite as intense as I had hoped. I think trim brakes in a couple spots slow the ride down (also ala Montu), which takes away speed, which takes away intensity. Don't get me wrong, Apollo's Chariot is a very good ride. I would just like to ride it without the trims functioning.

Apollo's Chariot was built in 1999, the same year as Gwazi at Busch Gardens Tampa. I would certainly trade the two, but I suspect Tampa will get a similar hyper coaster some time down the road. This was it's tenth anniversary and the park let you know this, unlike in Tampa. And it will continue to thrill for many years to come.

For photos of all the roller coasters, take a look at the photos I took in the gallery.
Graham's Williamsburg Roller Coaster Photos

Williamsburg, Part 3: The Rides

BGTKing — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:42:50 GMT

Part 3: Busch Gardens Williamsburg - The Rides

This is part three of my review of Busch Gardens Williamsburg and its comparisons to its sister park.
Part 1
Part 2

The biggest and most common complaint I hear about Busch Gardens Tampa is that there are not enough rides. No, I am not referring to roller coasters, but instead to those that are commonly referred to as flat rides. These rides take many shapes, from ones that spin you very fast to those that drop you very far. Busch Gardens Tampa simply has very few of these types of attractions.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg, on the other hand, has many more non-roller coaster rides. This is probably the biggest difference between the two parks to me. There are just simply more things to ride. Now for some comments about the particular rides I rode.

The Curse of DarKastle
The biggest non roller coaster ride at the park, this dark ride is similar to Spider-Man at Islands of Adventure, although just not quite as good. The ride is a 3D (or I guess you could say 4D because of some other effects like water) adventure through the castle of King Ludwig. It is a dark film that features some cool effects, including a battle over the top of the castle, with some nice simulated dropping effects.The ride is a great way to beat the heat in the summertime. It was almost too cold inside the building that houses the ride. I would be pleased if Tampa were able to add a ride like this, however, I wouldn't expect one with Islands of Adventure an hour away.

Corkscrew Hill
This ride is your traditional simulator ride; after a few pre-ride films, you enter a bigger theater and get strapped into your seat. You are transformed into a miniature Irish person and get flung around as the platform moves as you are carried around in a box in the film. The attraction is nothing earth shattering, but it was fun.

Escape from Pompeii
This is your typical soaker boat ride where you go down one drop and make a big splash at the bottom. What makes this ride better than say the Tanganyika Tidal Wave though is that it features a journey through the deteriorating Pompeii before the drop. Once you climb the lift, you enter a building that tells a short story and has some cool special effects, including fire. These additions make Escape from Pompeii an attraction to definitely check out.

Roman Rapids
If you want to get soaked for sure, ride Roman Rapids. The first half of the ride is pretty innocent; there are a few rapids and blasts of water that get you a little wet. But the second half, which is not visible before you ride, soaks you. You pass right by an overflowing aqueduct that just fills the raft up with water, soaking each passenger. The aqueduct is quite long so the raft has time to rotate a few times under the waterfall. Definitely more of a soaker than Congo River Rapids.

The Skyride
Always one of my favorite rides, these sky buckets soar over most of the park, providing a unique and beautiful view. My only gripe is that you cannot ride the entire loop without waiting in line twice, unlike the Skyride in Tampa.

Tradewind
This ride is your typical Himalaya ride. It does not go backwards, which was fine by me.

Turkish Delight
This ride is a spinning tea cup ride. I am not a big fan of spinning, but my girlfriend enjoyed it. Good ride for the kids too.

The Katapult
This is your usual scrambled eggs ride. It is a fun ride though.

Le Scoot
This was a fun little log flume ride. It seemed a bit similar to Stanley Falls... maybe it was just because they are both old? The ride provides some good views of Alpengeist too.

I think that is all the rides we hit on the trip. There are still many more rides that we either did not have to ride or just didn't want to ride. They had a ride just like the Sandstorm, a swinging ship, and a magic carpet ride, among others. The park also had a nice selection of kiddie rides, although I never examined them very closely.

Robert's Howl-O-Scream Review: 2009

Figment1986 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:31:55 GMT

After months of anticipation the legendary Ms. Vayne arrived and Howl-O-Scream 2009 (HOS) kicked off its Freaky Preview Weekend and on September 26 I was there with a fiend who was much easily scared compared to myself.

Compared to years past this year Howl-O-Scream features more innovating scares as well as some odd placements but more on that later, Of the seven hourses this year we experiences six: 13, Delta Epsilon Delta, Taste of Blood, Trapped in the Walls, Nightshade, and Reconstruction.

Haunted House Review:

13:
While approaching the building you will nice an immediate difference with the house now facing Sesame Street Safari of Fun rather than Gwazi, inside the house is relatively unchanged and still includes the messengers searching for their 13th victim and go cannibalistic on them.

The best experience is usually in the queue when �Momma,� who is at the entrance, who will interact with the guests and prepare them for the horror that lies inside.

The twisted sisters of DED take out their revenge with tar and feathers.

Delta Epsilon Delta:
What was once a secluded area is now home to the Delta Epsilon Delta Sorority house and the girls living here are not as innocent as they appear. D.E.D.�s founding mother, Ms Vayne, founded the sorority to be the opposite of traditional houses.

The Sorority house features many scares from Gargoyles in the portrait hall to the sisters tarring a helpless guy. The scary moment for me of this house happened when various girls, including one tarring the helpless man, remembered me from Scream cam and called my name. Something my �fiend� noticed about the house was the lack of scares in the 2nd half; while the sets are detailed nothing was happening to us in the last rooms.

Taste of Blood:
The classic returns with a few surprises. Outside in the switchbacks there was a bum who sometimes had a rat and other times kept warning everyone about the dangers waiting for them inside.

Venturing inside you start off in an abandoned New York subway line which eventually leads right into the lair of for the past few years the vampire king, only this year Ms Vayne seems to be hanging around instead with some �wicked� woman not far.

The cast was �dead on� for while others were sucking� all the blood they could get their hands on. My �Fiend� loved seeing Ms. Vayne but also the minion who screamed my name as I passed her.

Trapped in the Walls:
The historic mansion has yet to burn down or have it�s route even fixed. To get to the house you don�t enter the front but enter what was the original exit and then eventually make your way back to the chimney.

My �fiend� did not mind but this house still has some effects and such that were meant to be viewed the other way including some strobe not far from the bedroom that was flashing in my general direction� If this house was designed that way I would have said it was a forgotten effect or they wanted to take my picture, but there was nothing around there to even purchase such a photo� but that would be a great idea for later use.

The scares are like last year, but since the raven twins were a one year only, an old scare came back that even scared me to a point. All I will say is it involved the ceiling. I would be surprised if this house returns for HOS XI.

The spinning tunnel of doom returns

Nightshade:
Club muse has disappeared and in its place an abandoned toy factory called Nightshade stands. While going through it felt like it was nearly identical in layout to Club Muse right down to the spinning tunnels from last year.

The scares are top notch though spaced out quite a bit. One scare I hear about is Tina Tinkle� where her name is a great pun, unfortunately I did not experience this. My �fiend� loved this house a lot including the guys at the end.

Reconstruction:
The doctor is back and for some reason Busch Gardens let this unlicensed plastic surgeon operate near Egypt. Practically identical to last year right down to the scare that got me last year, a feather duster to my foot.

The cast did not appear to be the same as last year, perhaps since they were rated so well they got moved to the other houses to help. The current cast did seem tired but since this was my last house of the night nearing 1 a.m. during Freaky Preview it was understandable, though I wish they did a better job to try and scare me, my Fiend even walked out only slightly scared from the pitch black hallway.

Scare Zone and Show Review:

The scare zones that we experienced were top notch. The guests somehow even got certain scare actors to hold still long enough for a posed photo, I don�t remember Scare actors posing for photos being allowed with HOS in the past, and maybe it was a new rule change? Of the four scare zones my �fiend� loved the Banshees and the werewolves the best. Something about the women rushing past you makes that scare zone the best with me.

It's not Howl-O-Scream without Fiend's Nurses

Overall this year�s event is matched with last years, with the extra house there is something extra to do, though with only Fiends and a magic act the shows are lacking

Since we didn�t get to try Death Row this year I plan on going back to Howl-O-Scream next Thursday, if you see me there feel free to try to scare me, unless you�re a guest then introduce yourself.

Everything Ripped from the Silver Screen

FloridaThrills — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:34:19 GMT

Halloween Horror Nights: Everything Ripped from the Silver Screen
Written by J-Man

Since 1991 Universal Orlando has been the primer destination for haunted attraction fans. Year after year Halloween Horror Nights has been the top Halloween event, pulling in thousands of people each year. �This year�s event is the first time the entire event is themed around horror films.� said Michael Roddy, show director at Universal Orlando. The theme for Halloween Horror Nights 19 is �Ripped from the Silver Screen� as you will come face-to-face with some of the biggest names in horror film history.

Florida Thrills had the chance to join in on a conference call with Michael Roddy as he talked about this year�s theme, houses, and scarezones. One of the big names at this year�s event is �Saw�. Fans of this horror film franchise will be in for a treat as they navigate a labyrinth of trap throughout the maze. �You being in the maze sets the traps off on the victims� Roddy explain, traps from Saw 1-5 can be found in this year�s maze. But be careful, you don�t want to find yourself locked in one of these traps.

If Chucky had his way, what would he do

Chucky, the killer doll from movies such as �Child Play� and �Bride of Chucky� makes an appearance at this year�s event. His house is called �Chucky: Friends till the end�. Roddy did not say much about the house besides �If Chucky had his way, what would he do�. Chucky is a twisted evil toy, maybe he made other toys to be just like him. People are wondering how Universal would pull off the character of chucky, if he would be played by smaller people, or would we be shrunk down to his size. Who knows maybe former NFL coach Jon Gruden will play Chucky this Halloween.

The Wolfman will terrorize guests in his own house at Halloween Horror Nights before he terrorizes movie goers in 2010. Universal was able to have exclusive access to footage and sets from the movie while they designed the maze for the event. Guest will journey through the woods and gypsy villages as they are being chased by the Wolfman. As you wind through the maze you will see the Wolfman morph from human to wolf right before your eyes. Recently during a Facebook Q&A Roddy said that his favorite house this year is the Wolfman house.

Dracula: Legacy of Blood Facade

Two classic Universal monsters return this year but completely re-imagined. Dracula and Frankenstein each will have their own horror filled house. In �Dracula: Legacy of Blood� venture through the Count�s castle as he searches for a bride. You will see Dracula is his different forms as you make your way through this immersive maze. The Frankenstein house �Frankenstein: Creation of the Damned�, the story picks up right after the Bride of Frankenstein as Dr. Frankenstein attempts to rebuild his castle, as well as create new and horrifying monsters to join Alpha as they terrorize guests.

The Usher will make his presences known as you visit the Universal Place Theater. There you will go through different movie scenes from such films as Phantom of the Opera, My Bloody Valentine and Shaun of the Dead. Other houses this year include �Leave it to Cleaver� where guests will walk through a meat factory with a twisted secret ingredient. �The Spawning� house where guest will find themselves in the sewers of Carey, Ohio, but they won�t be the only things in the sewers this Halloween. T.J. Mannarino, director of art and design, said his reaction after walking through the Spawning house was �That scared the hell out of me!�

"You being in the maze sets the traps off on the victims"

This year�s scarezones are Containment, War of the Living Dead, Cirque du Freak, Lights, Camera, Hacktion, Horrorwood Die-In and Apocalypse. Roddy told the people on Facebook that if they love heavy fog then they will love Containment. Horrorwood Die-In brings you to a drive-in theater where at first everything seems just fine, until the characters jump from the screen and stand toe-to-toe with you. War of the Living Dead puts you in the middle of a war between soldiers and zombie soldiers.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Bill & Teds Excellent Halloween Adventure both return to entertain audiences as they take a break from the rides and houses.

Halloween Horror Night: Ripped from the Silver Screen runs select nights from September 25th � October 31st. Check back after the event begins for reviews and photos.

Halloween Horror Nights 19: Ripped from the Silver Screen

J-Man — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:16:10 GMT

Check Back Soon for News and Updates about this years Halloween Horror Nights 19: Ripped from the Silver Screen.

Follow us for updates from now till the the event begins!

Between the Ears: September 06, 2009

Figment1986 — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Between the Ears: September 06, 2009

Behind the Ears is a weekly Florida Thrills update on the News, Rumors, and Updates coming from the Walt Disney World Resort, and occasionally the Disneyland Resort. Each week the latest updates from the Disney parks and resorts will either be posted or linked so everyone can keep up with the mouse.

Magic Kingdom:

The former Tomorrowland Skyway station being demolished, Photo by Robert Ashburn.

The Skyway at Magic Kingdom operated from 1971 to 1999, since then the machinery was removed but the stations in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland remained. While the fantasyland station was remodeled to include a stroller parking lot, the Tomorrowland station remained where it was mostly off limits to guests except for the restrooms underneath it.

A few months ago Disney filed for demolition permits to remove the second story from the building, keeping and renovating the restrooms underneath.

More photos can be found on WDW News Today:
http://www.wdwnewstoday.com/archives/4223

Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party has begun, Photo by Robert Ashburn.

For those people who want to experience the Magic Kingdom in a ghoulish light then Mickey�s Not So Scary Halloween Party is the event for them.

On select nights in September and October park guests, even the adults, are get to dress up in Halloween costumes and �trick or treat� around the park, watch ride favorite attractions, see a spooky Halloween fireworks show, and watch a special parade.

Mickey�s Not So Scary Halloween Parade is not included with daily admission; tickets are available at the park, and through Orlando Fun Tickets.

Disney�s Hollywood Studios:

Photo by Shawn Slater http://twitpic.com/gbnxj

The famous mascot of Pixar, Luxo Jr, has been reintroduced to Pixar Place after disappearing for a few months. He performs multiple times an hour and even has a special nighttime program that is a site to see.

EpcotServo shot a video during his first day of testing back in june:

More information on Luxo Jr can be found on EpcotServo�s Update:
http://epcotservoupdate.blogspot.com...-update-i.html

General Disney News:

Disney recently announced the plans to acquire Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion in cash and stock. This will add 5,000 characters to Disney�s already vast catalogue or resources.

How does this affect universal who has an agreement with them to use characters from that same library at Islands of Adventure, according to Bob Iger they would honor the contract, but that does not stop them from adding them to Disneyland Resort or the International parks.

More information can be found on Orlando Attractions Magazine:
http://www.attractionsmagazine.com/b...-of-adventure/

The D23 expo being held in Anaheim will begin on Thursday September 10 and multiple websites will be bringing coverage from this grand event including WDWNewsToday, Orlando Attractions Magazine, Mouse Planet, and MiceAge.

Many of those sites will be talking about the event via their twitter accounts which can be found on their sites.

Between the Ears: August 30, 2009

Figment1986 — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 08:06:18 GMT

Between the Ears: August 30, 2009

Behind the Ears is a weekly Florida Thrills update on the News, Rumors, and Updates coming from the Walt Disney World Resort, and occasionally the Disneyland Resort. Each week the latest updates from the Disney parks and resorts will either be posted or linked so everyone can keep up with the mouse.

Magic Kingdom:

Stitch's Supersonic Celebration, Photo by Robert Ashburn.

Stitch left the Tomorrowland stage on June 27, or did he. The Theme Park Rangers have reported that Disney is creating a show for Mickey�s Very Merry Christmas Parties titled "A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas,� and it might include Stitch.

More information can be found on Orlando Sentinel Theme Park Rangers:
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/fea...mas-party.html

More information can be found on WDW News Today:
http://www.wdwnewstoday.com/archives/4183

Epcot:

Photo by Robert Ashburn

A �little chef� was introduced a few months ago to the Chefs de France restaurant at Epcot�s World Showcase in the form Remy. This living character has been delighting restaurant patrons over the summer season. Originally Remy was going to be departing Epcot in September however a casting call was recently made for to cast new handlers for this experience. Could this indicate an extension of the program?

More information can be found on WDW News Today:
http://www.wdwnewstoday.com/archives/4175

A brand new exhibit coming to Innoventions called The Sum of All Thrills has had concept art released. This exhibit, sponsored by Raytheon, features Kuka robotic arms as a simulator vehicle that will run through a customized course as designed buy the rider.

More information can be found on Orlando Attractions Magazine:
http://www.attractionsmagazine.com/b...-innoventions/

Adults who wish to sample alcohol from around the world have a new option at the Mexican Pavilion, The La Cava del Tequila. The new offering is connected to Mexico�s main restaurant, the San Angel Inn and features exotic and uniquely blended margaritas, and a variety of quick snacks including freshly made guacamole.

More information can be found on Orlando Attractions Magazine:
http://www.attractionsmagazine.com/b...xico-pavilion/

Disney�s Hollywood Studios:

Photo by Robert Ashburn

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights has been dazzling adults and children alike for years. While this event is a holiday tradition it would begin earlier during November and this year is no different. The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights will run from November 10 through January 3.

More information can be found on WDW News Today:
http://www.wdwnewstoday.com/archives/4168

Disney�s Animal Kingdom:

The concept of Disney�s Fast Pass system can sometimes be complicated, but a test at Disney�s Animal Kingdom is trying to make the concept of Fast Pass much easier by testing a centralized distribution area.

The centralized machines are in addition to Disney�s Fast Pass machines at the various attractions and may not be offered during your visit.

More information can be found on Orlando Sentinel Theme Park Rangers:
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/fea...n-everest.html

More information can be found on WDW News Today:
http://www.wdwnewstoday.com/archives/4154