Thread 2835600

Soarin Across America Edition

>Last Thread: >>2830791

>What is this thread? Why are there two generals?
/rcg/ was initially created as a way for the roller coaster enthusiasts on here to discuss all things roller coasters and theme parks. While roller coasters are the main focus of these threads (and the title of the general) there is also discussion on other theme parks, their rides, as well as the parks themselves and trip planning too. That's where /tpg/ comes in.
>Can I talk about Disney/Universal parks in this thread?
Absolutely! Disney/Universal discussion of all sorts including rides/resorts/dining/trip planning is OK.

Park Crowd Tracker:
>https://queue-times.com/en-US/parks

Roller Coaster Database:
>https://rcdb.com/

Amusement Park News Sites:
>https://www.themeparkinsider.com/
>https://www.screamscape.com/
>https://www.coaster101.com/

Disney Park News:
>https://www.wdwnt.com/
>https://www.wdwmagic.com/
>https://www.allears.net
>https://www.mousesteps.com

Universal Park News:
>https://www.insideuniversal.net

First for supporting regional parks!

>>2835606
Wonder if this counts as my local park...

>got a huge fine because they let a loaded train go around when they had taken part of the track out

Paulton's Park is probably my actual local one

>>2835690
Never actually been to Paultons Park but it's now got a great selection of family coasters and is branching out to white knuckle coasters with them getting the first new Eurofighter in ages

Post park soul

>>2835741
mid to late 2000s HS is the most comfy place on earth for me

Threadly list of Disney/Universal announcements and dates for your convenience:
Florida:
>Zootopia 3D show opens at Tree of Life Theatre Nov 7, at least one animatronic (Clawhauser)
>Monsters Inc. area opens 2027?
> Dinosaur and Restaurantasaurus closing Feb 2, 2026
>Front Tire Land replaces Tom Sawyer Island circa 2028
>Animation Courtyard Closed for 'Walt Disney Studios Lot' refurb
>Liberty Belle Steamship future plans unknown, but intact as of late Oct 2025
>Big Thunder Mountain (Florida) refurb finishes in 2026 w/ Rainbow Caverns
>Walt Disney robot coming to Carousel of Progress
>Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin refurb until sometime 2026
>Rock N' Rollercoaster: Muppets opens summer 2026, multiple animatronic Muppets confirmed (Scooter included)
>Disney resort guests have FREE water park admission (Typhoon Lagoon) on their check-in day in 2025.
>Volcano Bay closed thru Mar 24, 2026
>Lost Continent demolition finally announced
>Jurassic Park River Adventure closed Jan-Nov 2026.
>RRR Replacement early 2027?

California:
>Fast and Furious roller coaster opens in Hollywood sometime in 2026
>Mr. Lincoln shows when Walt is uncooperative. True rotation soon?
>Mike & Sully closing 2026, becoming Avatar ride

Both:
>Soarin' Over 'Murica by July 4 2026
>Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run gets the flight rethemed to Mandalorian May 22, 2026

Europe:
>Disney Village & Disney Adventure World (Paris) overhauls with Frozen and Mary Poppins expansion at Paris to be completed 2026
>Lion King Splash Mountain water ride at Paris Studio park, late 2027 at the earliest
>Universal UK set for 2031

Asia:
>Multi-launch Spider-man coaster at Shanghai DL, no date yet
>Spider-Man Drop Tower at Hong Kong DL, Doc Ock at some point
>Wreck-It-Ralph omnirover shooter replaces the already closed Buzz Lightyear in Tokyo by April 2026
>Tokyo Disneyland Space Mountain currently closed until 2027 for ground-up rebuild
>Tokyo maybe razing Adventureland 2026 or later?
Did I miss anything?

>>2835764
Sauce for Liberty Belle still being afloat:
https://attractionsmagazine.com/magic-kingdom-cars-rides-piston-peak-frontierland-construction-disney-world/

The armchair imagineer that is me says:
Discovery Island is big enough to host the entirety of Tom Sawyer island, including the fort.
Heck, add the old laser shooting range too.
Rebuild it into TSI, have boats leave from Contemporary/Fort Wilderness/Wilderness Lodge, and you've got an instant budget destination that can probably be built for under $25 million if you salvage stuff from the existing TSA.
Run some quick-serve stuff there, an old west trading post, and combined with other standard resort ameneties, you've just extended the time your guests stay and can get a few more dollars out of them too. It can also justify an entire non-park 'Old West' day on-site, split between:
>Resort Pool
>Visiting the new island
>Tri-Circle D for a horseback trail ride
>Archery
>Hoop-De-Doo Revue
>Ideally step aboard the Liberty Belle too, even if it is just in port at a resort, but would be really cool if it was equipped with a real steering mechanism and could tour Bay Lake (It's already just north of Bay Lake right now, it was towed all the way around).

I hope the James Bond stunt show at Universal UK is cool. Tough to top Waterworld, I suppose.

>ride dinosaur
>all of the effects are actually working for the first time in years
Holy shit the ride is so much better when half of it isn't broken.

>>2835871
I'm assuming you dont mean the Pterradon cause if you do I'll be at Disney tomorrow

>>2835871
It is truly a great, great, great ride. It really makes me sad it's getting rethemed. The museum style queue is S tier and it deserved better. The ride was the perfect amount of scary for families as well, scary for kids but not too over the top. F to a real nigga.

>>2835888
Chuffs my ass I never got to experience the original asteroid impact ending with the smoke ring blast, however the giant carno head flying at you is pretty goated

>>2835594
DisneySea isn’t in Orlando. Neither is Efteling, Europa, Dollywood and a long list of other parks that matter. I really hope the Orlando anons get better jobs this year. Both for better thread quality and because no one should see as little of the world as they do.

>>2835764
Why don't you include non-Disney/non-Universal parks?

>>2835922
None of the best parks of the Sea World / Disney / Universal chains is even in Orlando.

>>2835925
I mostly agree but it’s not even about which park is the “best”. I watch lots of TV shows, not just my favorite. I eat lots of different kinds of food, not just my favorite. “I’ve already been to the best park so I’m just going to stay here” is something only a poor would say.

>>2835764
>all these closed rides in Florida
going to Florida again April 2026. was looking forward to JP River Adventure but hope it isnt becoming jurassic world retheme. also from social media it looks like Epic Universe is a waste of time unless you have fasttrack
>>2835867
just imagine they have to perfect this stunt to perform it 5 times a day

>>2835600 (OP)
Worth going to Energylandia in December? Don't wanna turn up and everything's closed, and have to hang out with Santa all day.

>>2835961
Water rides close but you get all the Christmas stuff which they seem to go all out on.

>>2835978
>that tfw when you can't ice skate and snowboard down the loge flume and slides

>>2835961
How are coasters in the cold? Seems like they’d be worse. I’ve only ridden a few so far and it was much worse, granted I could have dressed better.

>>2835923
That's your job.

>>2835925
>best Disney is in Japan
>best Universal is in Japan
>best Sea World is in Virginia
Why does Orlando exist?

>>2836007
it doesn't have an off-season.
Tokyo in January is not fun outdoors

Just a little under 2 weeks before my trip to Orlando for USF/Epic/IOA/Epcot. Got forced to buy express passes so not really worrying about lines. Any last minute tips?

>>2836010
If you're on-site at Disney on any night, free entry to Typhoon Lagoon on your check-in day.
Ride Jurassic Park before it closes for almost all of next year.
If traveling with kids, the magic wand or Mario wristband app games might be worth it to you.
I love Living with the Land and the actual Aquarium part of The Seas at EPCOT. Spend some time on the upper floor and just enjoy the fish, skip the ride tho lol.
Food and Wine fest is still running while you're there.
Just checked on a blog, apparently the Canada pavilion has a $10 Filet Mignon somehow. Must be tiny?
Japan had a wagyu bowl for $9.50 too
And Mexico has a nice looking Tostada

>>2836007
You must be confused here, epcot is in orlando, not japan.

>>2836012
>Japan had a wagyu bowl for $9.50 too
*American wagyu aka just regular beef and not wagyu at all. Always assume any place in american shilling wagyu is serving american wagyu unless they can prove without a doubt they are importing that shit from across the pond

>>2836004
This isn't a Disney/Universal parks general.

>>2836024
Be the change you want to see in this thread.

>>2836027
This isn't just a Disney/Universal thread.

>>2836031
>Can I talk about Disney/Universal parks in this thread?
>Absolutely! Disney/Universal discussion of all sorts including rides/resorts/dining/trip planning is OK.

>>2836033
>Are Disney and Universal the only theme parks in existence?

>>2836037
No.
Please post a list of the upcoming rides and refurbishments that you care about.

>>2836031
Feel free to post your parking lot coasters but this thread is for the white man

>>2836012
Crazy to me how Disney's food is both cheaper and better than Universal. Universal are out of their mind charging the prices they do, at least here in Hollywood. Nearly $20 for some okay chicken strips and fries, fuck off

>>2836039
That won't change the fact that this is /tpg/ and /rcg/, which aren't exclusive to Disney and Universal

>>2836041
So post about what you want to talk about.
Tell me why I should visit (random park in nowhereville) to ride (actually pretty neat unique and/or vintage coaster).

>>2836042
You should post updates and news about theme parks everywhere, not just Disney & Universal

>>2836043
You should post updates and news about theme parks you care about.

Anyone ever been to Efteling in Netherlands? I'm not really a theme park autist, but this one looked cool, and I was thinking of going there as a day trip from Amsterdam. Worth it? And will I stand out like a weirdo if I go solo?

>>2836044
This is /rcg/ and /tpg/, there are hundreds of parks and coasters with changes happening constantly, not just Disney and Universal

>>2836046
Tell me about them.

>>2836048
Just letting you know there are many more parks than Disney and Universal and they're worth providing updates about. Make a well-rounded news post instead of trying to make this your personal /dug/ thread

>>2836049
Tell me more

>>2836050
What would you like to know?

>>2835606
Little Amerricka would probably be my actual local home park, as it's in my state but SFGAm has the same travel time. It is cute as a hodgepodge collection of 50s/60s flat rides and coasters.

>>2836053
I'd like to try the roll-o-plane someday but it always has long lines.

>>2835925
As long as Disney world doesn't do any major fuckups, I honestly think it can be the best again once all their current projects finish. Villains, Monsters Inc, Tropical americas, etc.

I've missed the chance to experience Halloween in the states, but I have two weeks off from the end of November to the end of the first week of December. Is there anything interesting I can do during that time?

Which Disney World resort should I stay at tomorrow night? Have AP, gonna hit MK first, then Animal kingdom, epcot, then back to MK

>>2836053
I like the old woody there.
Haunted house is just silly.
The train ride is excellent and went way farther than I expected. Bonus points if they're running the steamer.

>>2836060
Ask chatGPT

>>2836058
Bruce Vaughn isn't a complete and total retard and Imagineering is in a way better spot than it was a even a year ago. I think most of the projects are gay and retarded HOWEVER I think they will be done reasonably well. For example, the EPCOT overhaul would have been exponentially better under Bruce than what we got (there's been some rumors that they might redo the overhaul because it was so bad). Cars land is an abomination but I think it will be a decent ride and will probably be a crowd pleaser despite ruining ROA.

>>2836045
It's got some incredible dark rides but only a limited selection of coasters. Looks maximum comfy though, I was planning to go with family at one point.

Anything higher than 130ft is simple too tall for me and I will not ride it.

>>2836112
>t. Disney passholder

>>2836015
I didn’t say anything about Epcot. I did mention the best Disney, which is not Epcot.

>>2836045
I haven’t been but I’ve heard it’s a must see. One of the few non-Disney/Universal parks that are on that level. I’m going next year.

>>2836051
Since you’re incapable of reading between the lines, allow me to translate: that anon is not going to post updates about non-Disney/Universal parks. Sorry. Feel free to post them yourself though.

>>2836124
>that anon
(You) should post them. You clearly have more sources than I do.

>>2835606
I went to Adventureland this past weekend. It was okay. I’m sure it’s good for the locals but I wouldn’t recommend anyone go out of their way for it.

Monster (a Gerstlauer euro fighter infinity coaster) is supposed to be their coaster centerpiece but I didn’t care for it much. Very gimmicky. It likes to have barely enough speed to climb into its many inversions, resulting in a lot of long, slow hang time. But for me that’s more eyebrow raising than truly thrilling. Other than the steep first drop there’s not much else to it.

Their two woodies were closed. Flying Viking is just a family coaster but the queue has cool viking photos and facts on the wall. Phoenix is Laff Trakk with no theming, but I really like that model. Underground is a dark ride about a mine. A bit too loud and too fast to really take in, but the pre-show was great.

The surprise of the day for me was Dragon Slayer, a small S&S 4S free spin. I expected it would be less of a ride than the Six Flags ones because it was smaller, but it was actually more. I must have gotten 20 spins.

Nothing else was noteworthy. Good local family park.

>>2836125
I don’t read theme park news websites. They seem really clickbaity. Anything important will get posted about on 4chan. I’ve stuck to that my whole life and I see no reason to stop.

>>2836131
>theme park news websites
I made no mention of those. You should give updates on all parks, not just Universal and Disney.

>>2836132
I don’t give any updates at all.

>>2836143
Yes you do.

>>2836129
Universal desperately needs to refurb this area. The paint is super faded and it looks kind of run down.

>>2836148
Sorry anon. Your samefag detector is off today.

>>2836220
I actually know someone who works there and have the inside scoop on this. They repaint it several times a year. The Florida sun is just brutal on it. You probably just caught it on one if the days just before they painted it again.

>>2836045
I went a year ago, and it was easily the best park I've ever been to, although the people I was with didn't care for it. It's not the greatest ride lineup in the world, but the atmosphere and theming is second to none. Their fairly tale forest is amazing, and you can easily spend hours in it if you enjoy theming/animatronics. If you're gonna be in the area, I'd definitely recommend it.

>>2836221
meant for >>2836211

Apparently Indy at Disneyland makes you wear these huge as fuck lanyards if you go in the single rider line now

>>2836263
Guessing they don't separate the single riders line enough and everyone was just pretending they were in the regular queue at the end.

>>2836263
Cant wait for the mandatory penis inspection from an incel sniffing dog before boarding

>>2836211
They recently did. They've actually been refurbing and painting a lot of stuff at Islands recently. Port of Entry looks brand new in certain places. They've been reading my survey comments

>>2836263
>>2836268
>get in the regular standby line to avoid the mandatory penis inspection
>wait an hour
>get to the grouper
>"how many in your party?"
>j-just one
>"sorry sir but this isn't the single rider line, you'll have to go back to the front of the attraction and get in the correct line"

>>2836269
What are you saying in the surveys

>>2836271
>still fail the penis inspection

>>2836272
All kinds of shit man. All kinds of shit.

>>2836220
Okay but this is /rcg/ /tpg/, not /dug/, so updates on parks that aren't Disney/Universal are needed and welcome

>>2836223
I love fairy tale shit. It sounds great.

for me, it's people watching through the windows at the columbia harbour house second floor that goes over the outdoor walkway below.

>>2836293
I'm glad that there are still some comfy secluded spots in the parks that haven't been ruined by youtubers yet, I ate there like a month ago and it was just me and one other group upstairs.

>>2836293
sovlnuke
Even with all the retardation of nuDis there is still so much soul and comfyness littered throughout the resort that haven't been ruined by eceleb faggots

>>2836293
>>2836296
>>2836304
I hope they do get ruined. And it's just a matter of time until they do

>>2836312
I'm sorry you're a joyless miserable faggot that will die alone one day. Fuck off.

>>2836314
Enjoy your infantile play space for now. In a year or two everyone will have found out about it

>>2836276
Okay

On the low I kinda miss the google maps guy

HHN lost all its aura when they stopped airing snuff film commercials

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmwTcJi9Uwo
https://youtu.be/nZ908sh_TSw
https://youtu.be/eOo_UPnSdpk
https://youtu.be/iE9_Xp9H114

/ourguy/ made a new video comparing the capacity of the rides at the Florida parks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98mpvE5_Bhs

>>2836392
>45 minutes
How much of a loser do you have to be to watch that

>>2836392
>borderline e-ticket family coaster based off of a popular ip at 960
>yoshi is only 1028 despite being a constantly loading omnimover
did they not think that nintendo would be the most popular land?

>>2836399
Yoshi was designed to kill british tourist but an engineer decided lots of deaths would be too suspicious so he scaled it back. He was executed yakuza style for this change. Please understand it can't be helped.

>>2836045
Efteling is my childhood park, obviously I'm biased but I love this park. I've been plenty of times, most recently about two months ago (pic related). If you enjoy theme parks at all you owe it to yourself. Maybe less so if you're a coaster thoosie specifically (Walibi Holland might be more your speed in that regard) since its claim to fame is the god-tier dark rides. It's seen as one of the best in Europe, if not the world, for good reason.

>>2836066
>>2836223
>>2836494
That actually sounds great. I'm way more interested in atmosphere and comfy vibes over just roller coasters.

>>2836396
Seems perfect to listen to as a podcast as I'm doing some house/yardwork.

>>2836376
Was HHN one of the original Halloween fests? Just wondering because it’s such a generic sounding name compared to competitor events like Howloscream or Halloweekends.

>>2836392
Why would Sea World even be in that video? Not a fair comparison. They don’t pay near as much as the other two and don’t charge near as much for admission.

>>2836502
Howl o Scream started 1999 as "Spooky Safari" before being rebranded as HOS the next year.

>>2835925
This is gaslighting, and I won't participate.

>>2836516
Where is HowloScream

>>2836518
Gran Fiesta needs a complete remodel and total removal of screens.

>>2836520
Did you even read my fucking post

>>2835741
Liberals are assholes. Especially young white male ones.

>>2836518
I like dis ride

>>2835922
>>2835925
>Orlando doesn't have the best parks

If these bots take over the thread, I'm leaving. It's one thing if they have some basis for an argument but this is outright gaslighting. If this thread devolves into that I'll just leave. I am trying to get away from social media anyway. Too many liberals.

>>2836526
This is my favorite ride. I love the short wait.

>>2836522
No I assumed it would be on the graph.

>>2835600 (OP)
Believe it or not, but Kentucky is looking to be a huge destination. I went there for the Creation Museum, and believe it or not I had a great time. Everything is kept immaculate.

>>2835600 (OP)
Flying Fox is even making ad rounds in Florida

>>2836521
Why? No it doesn't

>>2836527
While many people believe Orlando has the best Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld parks, this statement is actually not entirely accurate. Other locations around the world provide more advanced attractions, cleaner environments, and better guest satisfaction overall. For example, international parks often feature superior theming and cultural integration that surpass Orlando’s offerings. Therefore, it can be concluded that Orlando is not objectively the best destination for theme park experiences.

>>2836494
It looks cute but needs more worlds and a larger budget

>>2836392
Excellent video. Thanks.

>>2836293
Its so pretty.

>>2836296
By talking about it here, more people know about that spot now.

>>2836304
Gorgeous shot of MK Space & Tron

>>2836527
Kek, you’re the exact embodiment of that /tv/ meme.

Fun fact anon: no Orlando park has ever won the Golden Ticket Award for Best Park. That has been Europa Park every year for over a decade now.

>>2836527
>disneyland-resort-paris-paris-france-main-street-usa-and-sleeping-beauty-castle-at-disneyland.jpg
Wouldn’t a picture of an Orlando park have been a better choice?

>>2836535
Odds are that anon has never been to any of the international parks you’re thinking of. Orlando residents tend to have fairly low incomes compared to their cost of living. Whatever disposable income that anon has is likely already allocated to buying Disney, Universal, and Sea World annual passes (Orlando parks only), so there’s no money left for world travel. “Orlando has the best parks” is a self defense tool he uses to convince himself that he isn’t missing anything in other countries anyway.

tl;dr pic related

>>2836545
Almost like the Golden Ticket Awards are for bringing attention to smaller parks more then anything else.

>>2836553
Even if you stay within the states, the best Disney and SeaWorld parks still aren't in Orlando. And that's not even counting parks like Knoebels and Dollywood

>>2836567
So true bestie

This stupid debate doesn't even factor in on-property resorts.
At any rate, the point needs to be more clearly stated as "Orlando is the best city to live in if you like theme parks". End of line.

>>2836560
>more then

I want to rant a little about the Tron ride, particularly the supposed overlay for the new movie.
To start, I really love the new movie (Tron: Ares). I've seen it in theaters 6 times and I've had the soundtrack on repeat since day one. I knew that the lightcycle run ride at Magic Kingdom was doing an overlay for Ares so I avoided spoilers and waited to ride it til after I saw the movie (since the overlay came out long before the movie actually did). I got my chance to ride it multiple times yesterday. Long story short, my bar was set pretty low and Disney still couldn't meet my standards.
I knew and accepted as far as ride overlays go this one was going to be pretty "lazy" -the only expectation was that they would change the ride audio to the new movie soundtrack and the LED lights red to match. Somehow Disney fucked both of these up.

Firstly, the canopy would seemingly never actually turn red. Of the promo pics I did see, it was fully red so that's what I was expecting but I saw it only one time as I was exiting so I wasn't sure if it was even real. The ride had been down for a considerable time when I got there so I waited and watched the default light show multiple times. There are thin hexagonal light strips installed along the interior that do turn red as the train passes but it's so minimal in a sea of blue you hardly notice it especially while riding. I don't understand why they couldn't just turn it red and leave it red. Probably some twit worried about the "story" implications if riders see it red and the queue is all blue. No problems with the launch or indoor section at least.

Perhaps more important is the music, it was simply not loud enough. I forget if the default onboard music was just as quiet or not but this was only loud enough to make out the song. Also, I rode it 3 times to see if they rotate through different tracks but they do not. The song they did pick is one of my favorites so it hurts more that it wasn't coursing through my veins.

>>2836553
It always cracks me up that people from the shithole East are this arrogant about specifically money.

Let me make this clear: a White trailer redneck girl here will always be superior to the best, most wealthiest, yellow brown or black of what you have to offer.

>>2836293
>My favorite chill spot is gone forever, replaced with talking cars.
Kill me.

>>2836749
>wasnt generating shareholder value

Had to go, sorry

>>2836545
Golden Ticket is a meme that is known to be paid off by companies wanting to promote their attractions

Zootopia show looks abysmal. The Pandora jewelry sponsorship is the cherry on top

What is the worst rollercoaster name?

>>2836896
Rougarou
Valravn
Rakshasa
Tormenta
Fury 325 (lazy)
Scream! (laziest)

Some footage of Zootopia Better Zoogether is out there
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSNVC4rk8jU

>>2836910
Way too much of that is moving footage 3D that shatters the immersion.

Want to buy a theme park for £3m?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78zmgd429ro

>Remove all the adult rides to focus on kids
>remove the former record breaking Ultimate
>it inevitably fails just like the last time someone did this in a UK park because no one wants to visit a park that has been made shit

I feel if they'd left The Ultimate and The Rat/Raptor Attack, they could've had some buyers, now it's just going to be bought by speculators trying to get it re-zoned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9DMUpiwn3s

>>2836915
The Ultimate was an interesting coaster to say the least and I would have rode it given the chance, but it had some really dumb parts of its design that made it obvious people with coaster designing experience weren't involved.

Normally there's a way to accelerate a coaster out of the station quickly in order to clear the block to get the next one in. Either feed motors or a small drop just outside the platform are used to get the train going. The Ultimate had neither and takes a while to get to the lift.

Both lifts are atrociously slow as well, coupled with the slow speed out of the station, results in reduced throughput.

The first drop doesn't have any curvature to it, just a straight drop to the bottom, reducing negative G forces to nil.

At the top of the second lift, there's a section of straight track, then a dogleg left, and more straight track to get to the drop. Normally there would be a small drop to give the train a little bit of inertia to coast over to the drop, but the designers just used more very slow chain drives instead, which again slows down the cycle time and adds unnecessary mechanical components.

The trains' speed before reaching the second lift and main brakes has been bled off so much there's no thrill by the time you arrive at those sections. It doesn't even have the momentum to enter the station without another lift at the end (which is as slow as the other chain drives). This lift is effectively the main brake, which is another quirk of the ride.

However, having it run as a terrain coaster through beautiful British countryside was unique and probably what made the ride worth getting on. Just wish the park had the money to pay for an established manufacturer to design it. With a better layout it would have likely been much more popular.

>>2836920
Terrain coasters are under-rated. It's as shame we don't see more of them, especially for family coasters.