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    Farewell to Vortex at CA Great America and Lumination at Gilroy Gardens

    2017 Attractions California's Great America Cedar Fair Patriot
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    ​With Bay Area schools back in session, we thought it would be a great time to check out some of our local parks. With the news of Patriot coming to California’s Great America in 2017,  we decided to check out the final week of Vortex’s operation and to make my first visit to Gilroy Gardens for their Lumination festival. Check it out!
    Written by Andrew Cunningham 
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    We started the day at California’s Great America to say our (not so tearful) farewells to Vortex!

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    You have until the end of operating day on September 5th (Labor Day) to get your last ride on Vortex. Clearly I will not be missing the standup trains.

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    : Vortex actually has a really compact, snappy layout. Hopefully the floorless conversion will make the ride smoother while keeping the fun transitions and intensity.

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    With one week of operation left for Vortex, there were no noticeable signs that things were changing. There was nothing posted in the park to indicate that the ride was closing, or that Patriot was coming in 2017.

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    The ride itself actually has some pretty scenic spots throughout the park! Can’t wait to see this thing shine with some much needed paint.

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    One last shot of the standup trains before moving on!

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    We took a quick spin around the park before leaving. I gotta say, the double down log flume is still a favorite mine!

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    After wrapping up at California’s Great America, we took a trip down to the Garlic Capitol of the World: Gilroy, CA!

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    Gold Passes for California’s Great America also act a season pass for Gilroy Gardens. This is a fun little bonus from Cedar Fair, since you usually need Platinum Passes to jump between Cedar Fair parks.

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    Gilroy Gardens is owned by the City of Gilroy, but is operated by Cedar Fair. While the park is definitely geared more towards families, the scenery and theming is all very nicely done and warrants a visit.

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    New for 2016, Gilroy Gardens debuted Lumination! This is a separate ticket nighttime event with Chinese lanterns and scenic displays throughout the park. Check out this amazing dragon that is made entirely of plates!

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    For a $20 upgrade, you can add on a dinner show to your Lumination visit. The show included a few different entertainers that performed right next to your tables

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    The food itself was a pretty basic Chinese buffet. Definitely not the most authentic Chinese food you can find in the Bay Area, but not terrible for a $20 theme park buffet that includes entertainment.

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    After dinner we had time to wander the park and check out the displays before the nighttime entertainment begins.

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    Gilroy Garden’s greenhouse was converted into a bamboo forest filled with glowing baby pandas. This was definitely a favorite!

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    Once the sun went down, the park puts on a Lumination show that includes various acrobats and choreographed routines. The face changing routine was really cool!

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    After some final wandering throughout the park, we decided to call it a night. It’s worth noting that the park’s train is the only ride that operates during the Luminations festival. We definitely recommend night rides on the train, as certain portions of the ride become pitch black and spooky!

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    Goodnight Gilroy Gardens! Thank you for such a fun evening!

    Be sure to check out the full press release for The Patriot coming to California's Great America in 2017. 
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    Big Bad Wolf Memories - RD Sussman

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    Every one of us has a moment in their time where something makes an impact on our lives, for better or for worse. This is what happened to me in July 1987 ...
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    Growing up in the northeast, you had a number of choices as to where to go on vacation: The Jersey Shore (long before it became a plasticized molded TV show) and Atlantic City; up to Maine & New Hampshire, down to Rhode Island & Connecticut - or even to the Adirondacks. This year however would be a bit different - as we headed to tidewater Virginia - Virginia Beach, Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk... and Williamsburg. Up to this point, those areas were unknown places for me to visit; indeed, a single visit when I was much younger did not count. We'd be seeing Colonial Williamsburg, and the standard array of tourist traps & such, but to me, it was Busch Gardens Williamsburg that was most appealing to me.
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    Mind you, my fondness for theme parks had not developed yet. While I'd already had my first coaster encounters notably in Massachusettes & New York, for me they were still terrifying things. Being that I was small for my age, and very thin (Yes, those of you who know me now... I was rail thin) so my first coaster encounters weren't the kind one associates with fun... but rather, terror. I'd seen from a number of brochures that I found around the room the various attractons & such one could find in the area, and one of 1987 Busch Gardens had pictures of this swinging coaster... The Big Bad Wolf.  For some reason, the eyes on the lead cars of the train looked alluring to me - and from the pictures, the ride didn't look too intense... to 12 year old me. What I didn't realize is that pictures may speak 1,000 words... but those words don't include "Speed" "Height" and "Terrifying plunge into the water". Rationality was not my strong suit at that age.

    The morning started with breakfast in our hotel not far from Williamsburg; and proceeded into the main entry plaza for BGW. The park wasn't overly crowded for the mid-week of summer season, but the heat was definitely in place. In 1987, there were only two coasters in the park: The Loch Ness Monster (That's a future story folks...) and Big Bad Wolf. In fact, the park's offerings were very well balanced: Plenty of flats in the newly-opened Festa Italia, a very good log flume in LeScoot, and the park's general aim was for family friendly rides and attractions spread throughout the grounds. It was certainly a beautiful place - and had a very welcoming, open feel to it: You were the guest in their place, and they made you feel good about being there. If anything, Busch Entertainment Corporation knew how to build & operate a theme park, and to do it with great skill & adept planning. Nothing was out of place - and everything was well tied together.
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    After wandering through the park's outer perimeter via New France, Rhinefeld & such, I saw the station for BBW - complete with the massive red Wolf logo out in front. The line wasn't very long in all reality, filling in only a few switchbacks of the queue holding house outside the main platform. And having not seen the ride itself, it didn't look too intense at all... as all you could see if you'd come from that direction around the park was the brake run & station house/track to the lift. After 15 minutes, I was in line for the middle of the train...

    The air gates swung out and open, and I climbed into the train. I recall sitting down, and waiting for the restraint collar to drop; it did so with little effort even for somebody as small as I was. The restraint lowered... and I recall the dispatch of the train...

    "Sit back, relax. Hold on tight. Enjoy travelling at the SPEED of FRIGHT on the Big... Bad... WOLF... (HOWL)"

    And my thought was this: What had I gotten myself into. As the train gently dipped down and out towards the first lift, I saw another train blister onto the same lift... apparently, the picture I'd seen before wasn't quite accurate towards my undue expectations. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was about to crap myself. Slowly, slowly up the lift, the anti-rollbacks "CLONK....CLONK....CLONK....CLONK....CLONK....CLONK" as the train ascended the lift... followed by the first drop into the village below.

    At this point... the ride became a blur of sheer, unadulterated terror. And I wanted off... NOW. Of course, there were more things to come, such as the helix in the middle, and the second lift.
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    It should also be noted: Back in that era, I battled severe motion sickness... the kind of which kept me drugged up the hilt on airplanes and any other moving vehicle. Needless to say, my breakfast that morning was starting to chatter with me in very dangerous ways. As our train ascended the second lift, with every "CLONK" of the anti-rollbacks my body made itself known that a technicolor yawn was about to take place... in bad ways.  The train rounded the top of the lift, and I saw white. The drop looked beyond taller than it was... and down... she.... went.

    There are times in our lives where we wish we were elsewhere: The first time we wreck the family car, the pregnancy scare of a teenager, the baseball thrown through the ginormous plate glass window. All of those seemed preferential to where I was right then. The rapid motions of the BBW train combined with the swaying right then left then right again were bringing me ever-closer to the embarrassment of ejecting the contents of my esophagus forward at blistering speed. Fortunately, the brake run slowed us down, and the good operations let me off and out of the train in no time flat. Up the exit stairs, down the other side... and in full view of any patron within a good 100 ft was the Linda Blair inspired projectile hoarking into the bushes just outside the exit stairs. I felt as if I'd swallowed a live squirrel, and he wanted out.

    Needless to say... it was NOT love at first ride. It was however the ride I credit with being the first to make an impact on my life. As time would progress through months and years, I would become reacquainted with BBW - to grow closer together, and in the end, BBW became a fond & loving friend of mine through many years of living close to each other (From 1991-2000, I lived very close to BGW, and would spend 40-60 days annually there... if not more.) While my #1 coaster is (and always will be) the Loch Ness Monster, BBW may be my fondest memories - and certainly among the most notable.
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    There are times where something can scare us to death one minute... and become a close friend the next. BBW is one of those for me. Through the 90s, I became aware of every nuance and every fine point BBW offered her riders over the years. The way one could (and SHOULD) ride her at night. Or on foggy days the trains disappearing into the late evening fog at the base of the river ravine- with the mist and the speed and the breeze at the same time coating the tracks and making the strange BBW 'squeak' as they did this. Or how on rainy days, one never sat in the forward seat, lest they get covered in 'wolf pee' from the bunting wheel covers on the axles. And then there were the hidden references to Die Wildkatze, the coaster which occupied the site formerly - including a single Schwarzkopf light column to the left side of the train, between the village run & the mid-course helix; it was customary to say "HI ANTON!" as the train zipped by.

    And then it was with great sadness when the announcement was made: Big Bad Wolf would be silenced in 2009.  This monumental machine of my history, a ride that had at one point caused me to hurl as if possessed - would soon become nothing more than a memory. I had relocated a few months earlier to the west coast, and watched friends take their final rides via the web, and I mourned that I did not get to say my goodbye to BBW. I spent the better part of a week in a dark funk; a sad moment in my life as I watched a ride so impacting on my future turned off one last time. By the end of the year, BBW was gone; removed from the landscape, with only the footers and a few small scraps of the columns remaining. To me, seeing the first pictures of the site less the brown & red structure that made up BBW were painful; as if years of my life had been erased in one short winter. In a lot of ways, I lament this - but as we all know life & love are different from reality & facts. And since then, the site has been re-used by Verbolten, an excellent family coaster - and with tributes to BBW remaining (WLF-XING) on the new attraction.
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    BBW will never be known as the most terrifying ride on earth. But rather, a ride that was well designed, well engineered, fun & thrilling - and one that made a thousand memories for millions of people over her 25 years. She will always be nothing short of a great ride for me, and one that I cherish as I do a handful of others.

    And those bushes at the exit of the stairs? They never did grow back...

    R.D.
    ​8/31/16
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    Star Wars Land Update from Disney's Hollywood Studios and Nighttime Animal Kingdom 

    2018 Attractions 2019 Attractions Disney Hollywood Studios Disney Parks Disney's Animal Kingdom Disney's Hollywood Studios Star Wars Land Walt Disney World
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    It's time to take another look at Star Wars Land construction at Disney's Hollywood Studios which doesn't seem to be moving along at quite the pace as Star Wars Land at Disneyland. 
    We'll also head over to Disney's Animal Kingdom to check out the nighttime fun. 
    Written by Renée Girard 
    Here we are at Disney's Hollywood Studios on a beautiful summer evening
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    Halloween is in 2 months, which means merchandise is already out at WDW!
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    ​I love the new socks at WDW! Too bad it's 90+ degrees here. Maybe we'll pick them up in a few months.
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    Can't really complain about there being two varieties of chocolate peanut butter cupcakes at Hollywood Studios.
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    ​Concerned about Zika virus and left your bug spray at home? Disney now has several kiosks throughout their parks.
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    ​Construction at Pizza Rizzo is coming along, across from Muppet Vision 3D at Hollywood Studios.
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    ​The signs on the walls for Pizza Rizzo fit perfectly with the Muppet humor.
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    ​The Streets of America are nearly demolished at Hollywood Studios, to make way for Star Wars land.
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    Time to take a spin on Toy Story Mania! ​
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    ​Girl behind us in line: "They have the lights from Stranger Things."
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    ​Close game on Toy Story Mania, we got the high score in our car, of course.
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    ​Crowds are light and we staked out a good spot for the Star Wars fireworks 10 minutes before showtime.
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    ​Another great showing of Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular at Hollywood Studios.
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    ​Finishing our Disney night out at Animal Kingdom!
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    The night time entertainment in Africa at Disney's Animal Kingdom is awesome! ​
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    ​Taking a trip on the night time Kilimanjaro Safaris
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    ​Jungle Book: Alive with Magic is only playing for one more week at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
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    ​Tree of Life Awakenings is still our favorite part of Animal Kingdom at night. Perfect way to end the evening.
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    Knott's Scary Farm Preview 2016

    Ghost Town Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Scary Farm
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    Last night was the annual Knott's Scary Farm preview event. After going through the scariest part of the day (3 1/2 hours in traffic to get to Knott's) we spent some time in the park (that will be a separate update) prior to the event. 
    After checking in we made our way to the Ghoul Time Theater to see what's awaiting us all in the fog this year. 
    Written by Gregg Condon
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    It's not quite dark or foggy enough yet 
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    The Season Passholders waiting to get in. Seriously, is there a more dedicated fanbase anywhere? 
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    What's in the box? 
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    Fog slowly fills the theater as the monsters come out to play 
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    As the clock struck midnight, err, 8pm, it was time to see what horror was awaiting us in the box. 
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    To the horror of all it was none other than the master of scaremonies, Jeff Tucker. 
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    With that it was time to get on with the show. 

    First up, the two shows coming to Scary Farm 2016. Elvira is back as well as the Hanging in it's all new location. Just the name of the Hanging made us want to see it. "Finding Gory". Perfect. 
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    Next up was the scare zones, and what would Scary Farm be without these 3 amazing area's. But could there be another Skywalker, err, scare zone? We'll have to wait and see. 
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    Mazes

    First up was the returning mazes. We've also included our maze video's from last year to get you familiar with what's waiting for you in the fog. 

    First up, the fan favorite "The Toothfairy". 
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    Back again is "The Gunslinger's Grave - A Blood Moon Rises". This was actually one of our absolute favorite mazes last year. The addition of the Werewolves was awesome. 
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    Down on the bayou isn't just a song anymore, it's a curse waiting for you in "Voodoo - Order of the Serpent". 
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    "Trick or Treat", you don't want to smell the feet of the Green Witch. Trust us. 
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    The maze widely considered the best maze of Scary Farm 2015 (and pretty much from any event in Southern California") is back. Do you dare experience what "Paranormal Inc" has to show you? 
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    Back again is "Dead of Winter" but this time the Queen is dead and the Windigo is here to have his revenge. 
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    As announced at Midsummer Scream they are doing Skeleton Key rooms different this year with 4 separate interactive experiences - Slasher, Prey, Visions and Zozo. 

    With Prey, you're on your own, not even the maze designers will save you, heck, they didn't even save the little girl. 
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    Then it was on to the new mazes. 

    First up, Black Ops Infected is no longer taking over Camp Snoopy, but now is fully backstage which allows more sets and close quarters action. No more return time, just get in line and shoot some zombies!! 
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    Based on Japanese folklore, "Shadow Lands" is a new maze designed by John Cooke. 
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    Knott's has always had a Red Barn that has mazes in it, so why not use that as a theme for the maze. Beware of the chainsaw killers in "The Red Barn". 
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    And lastly, since Camp Snoopy is no longer being used for Infected, an all new scare zone called "The Hollow" will be haunting you. 
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    We'll be in the fog in less than a month ... 
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    After the announcement it was time to eat, and eat we did. 
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    These guys are the real MVPs
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    Jeff did an amazing job as always
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    They are waiting for you ... 
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    So what do you think of Knott's Scary Farm 2016? Are you ready? Let us know your thoughts on what's new and returning in the comments below. 

    ​See you in the fog ... 
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    From the Mind of the Editor - Why So Serious?

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    It's funny how these articles come about, considering we'd never actually wanted to do opinion pieces or editorials. But sometimes things just happen that are too much for 140 characters to explain, or even a Facebook post, because they simply lack explanation. 

    And such is the case of today's story. 
    Written by Gregg Condon
    Anybody who follows the Universal Orlando Resort twitter account knows they like to have fun. They interact with the fans, are quick with fun responses and generally like to have fun with the online community, not just bloggers. 

    They are also very informative to those that have legitimate questions which is what a lot of people think the sole purpose of their account should be. But when you are an account for an "amusement" or "theme" park, shouldn't the fun already be assumed? Shouldn't we be able to find amusement in their tweets? We sure do. Sadly, many do not. 

    And this started with this tweet from yesterday: 
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    We're sure that 95% of people saw the joke in this, it's funny, it has a hint of truth, is well thought out and again ... it's funny. There was no ill intent behind this, they didn't say Expedition Everest was a bad ride. Of course they were going to say Kong would win, but they did it in a clever and entertaining way? What's the problem with that? 

    The problem is, so many take this hobby way too seriously. Why? Why So Serious? 

    The proper response to this isn't to get all butthurt and yell, the proper response is for some slight ribbing back the other direction. But most of the responses we've seen were "Well this is broken at Universal" or "Yeah, well, they got screenz everywhere". That's neither funny or well thought out. 
    Look, we get it, as we discussed in our "enthusiasts" article last year we know there are people who just go to Disney parks and will defend them against other parks on one hand while on the other totally bashing everything they do that they don't 100% agree with. 

    It's like siblings who will torture each other (as siblings do) but the second somebody else does it the gloves come off. Why? It makes no sense at all. 
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    Sadly, this wasn't the only incident of fans taking things too seriously this week. 

    Kings Dominion announced an expansion to their Camp Snoopy the other day. Some fans because of some tweets sent out by the park (ALL which contained Snoopy in the pictures) felt slighted because they were expecting something else. So much so that some started a petition to boycott the park until they add a new coaster. We did get a tweet from the petition starter saying it was a "joke", but we don't really buy that. 

    Even if it was a joke, it just goes to show that some fans think they own the park, or that parks do things just for enthusiasts. They don't. 

    Never-mind that Kings Dominion has the coaster consistently ranked as the #1 coaster in the United States, that they have one of the best mixes of coasters and rides in the Cedar Fair chain and that there are half a dozen other parks in the chain who have gone longer without a major coaster addition. 
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    As we approach September 1st, the day Six Flags will be announcing their 2017 additions it's important to keep the "enthusiast hyperbole" in check. 

    Remember that this is all supposed to be fun, that at the end of the day it's the goal of all of these companies to make as much money as they can and it's up to us to have fun and not take our hobby so seriously. 
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    Universal Orlando Resort Update - Toothsome opens, Hulk and Kong

    2016 Attractions Hulk Islands Of Adventure Reign Of Kong Universal Citywalk Universal Orlando Universal Studios Florida
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    Now that summer is winding down and many of our AP's are becoming valid again, we're going to start having some new updates, and first up is Renée and Morgan's trip to Universal Orlando Resort yesterday where they got to check out the new Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. They were also able to check out Reign of Kong and the newly re-opened Hulk. 
    Written by Renée Girard 
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    Our passes aren't blocked anymore, so we decided to stop by Universal Orlando Resort for the evening
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    Before the parks, we thought we'd check out the new Toothsome Chocolate Emporium at CityWalk
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    The quick service counter at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium is to your left as you enter, with lots of sweet desserts.
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    The gift shop is to your right as you enter the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium
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    There are quite a few unique "steampunk"-ish items for sale in the gift shop as well. ​
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    There are quite a few unique "steampunk"-ish items for sale in the gift shop as well. ​
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    ​We were intrigued by the different types of marshmallows that they had, including absinthe
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    ​The cotton candy display looks awesome and colorful
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    ​You can also watch as some of the chocolate treats are made right in front of you
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    ​Entering the actual restaurant at Toothsome Chocolate Emporium is quite impressive.
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    ​The team members are great and interactive, including a robot going around to the tables to greet guests.
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    ​With an hour wait at the restaurant, we opted to just get a drink at the bar upstairs, where you could also get food
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    ​The chocolate stout beer is made exclusively for the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium. It's delicious!
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    ​At the bar, there is a nice view of City Walk as well.
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    ​The menu is basically a giant book, with several pages of food and drink offerings.
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    If you want brunch all day, you can have it here! ​
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    The drink selection is huge, and this page is only for the beer.
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    The desserts look amazing, and I definitely plan on trying at least one of these next time!
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    ​It's really cool to see what they did with the former NBC City restaurant. Toothsome looks fantastic!
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    We ventured to Islands of Adventure to ride the newly updated Hulk coaster.
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    ​The new locker system works out really well! Just make sure you keep your ticket with you and not in your locker.
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    ​The new signs, queue and sound system are awesome!
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    ​Hulk smash! It's great to have this coaster back!
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    ​We also finally visited our friend King Kong at Skull Island. 75 minute wait posted was only 55.
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    We liked Skull Island, nothing amazing but a solid ride for IOA. Wish they used more animatronics than screens!
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    Had a great time checking out the new additions Universal Orlando Resort!
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    Thanks again to Renée and Morgan for the amazing update, Toothsome looks amazing and of course it's always nice to see an update from Universal Orlando. 

    We'll be back at Universal Orlando soon for Halloween Horror Nights!! 
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