Participants: Alex, Michael, and Rendell
Early December is a great time to visit parks
in North America if they are still operating. The crowds were nearly
non-existent at every place we visited.
Day One - Salvador Dali was a genius. Probably one of the greatest artists this world has ever known. Any person will find their appreciation for art broadened by visiting this fine museum. Yet the mystery remains : *WHY* is there a museum devoted to Salvador Dali in St Petersburg, Florida?!
[Our tourguide told us "the reason". She said it was because only two museums in the whole world who were offered the collection would promise to never SELL any of the artwork, and St Peterburg's won the race -- does this mean ALL the rest of the museums in the world routinely SELL parts of their donated collections?!]
Day Two - Busch simply TRIES harder than Six Flags. It is an incontrovertible
fact that Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Busch Gardens Williamsburg
(nee "The Dark Continent" and "The Olde Country", respectively)
are among the most lovely amusement parks in the world. The attention
to detail is a wonderment. The landscaping is breathtaking.
Additionally, BGT has the only wooden coaster at any
Busch park : Gwazi.
Gwazi doesn't get enough buzz. I *loved* this dueling coaster(s). I felt "Lion" was better than "Tiger", but they were both quite good. I can see how the combination of PTC trains and GCI's swoop curves were playing havoc with the structure, though. While not "teeth shatteringly" rough the axle seats where not something I'd like to experience again any time soon. But the other seats on the trains were quite wonderful.
Kumba remains one of my very favorite B&M's.
I've ridden LOTS of B&M coasters over the years, but Kumba remains
one of my very favorites. Good pacing, great visuals, and a nice
surprise at the end.
Montu, Python, and a non-running Scorpion round
out their coaster menu. Good choices all. Plus, Rhino Rally is
worth the wait, provided the wait isn't overly long.
Rule 4 - Disney has their "highs" and their "lows" ...
(Magic Kingdom versus Animal Kingdom
_Beauty and the Beast_ versus _The Black Cauldron_, etc),
...but their Blizzard Beach
is a hands-down winner. I was completely
captivated by the cleverness of the theme-ing of a ski resort hit
by a freak warm spell. The yodeling music quietly piped-into
the background was a nice touch. But the "piece de resistance"
was the
chair lift to top of the mountain. Why doesn't EVERY
waterpark in this country have some sort of
mechanism to
make the schlepp up the "tower" a little easier for those of
us for whom walking on open concrete all day is a chore?!
I realize that Schlitterbahn's new park on South Padre' Island
has their award-winning "Transportainment" system, but I have yet to
visit.
We must all learn to appreciate the tiny joys of life.
In the midst of our day at B.B. a "popcorn shower" briefly clouded the day. The raindrops were a full 20 degrees cooler than the surrounding air. We giggled like schoolkids as the other guests ran for cover, even though everybody was dressed appropriately for a downpour.
Rule 5 - Universal spent one BILLION dollars building Islands of Adventure
and it shows, buddy.
Universal's Islands of Adventure is a lovely, immersive, and truly FUN amusement park. I relished every minute we spent there.
But its not without flaws:
Subrule 5a - Does the piped-in music have to be so loud? On Marvel Comics Island you could barely hear yourself think!
Subrule 5b - We nearly walked ourselves to death merely WALKING thru the queues! I don't want to be at this park on a day that the operator's might consider "crowded". As it was, rides like Dueling Dragons and Popeye&Bluto were almost NOT worth the hassle of walking the miles and miles of (mercifully) empty queues. Repeat rides were simply out of the question.
Subrule 5c - To encourage business at their establishments outside of the park, most of the restaurants inside the park closed at 3pm(!). And some of the most beautiful places inside the park were/are the restaurants. We missed "Mythos" because we got there at 3:05pm. AARGH! I also couldn't get a green-eggs&ham sandwich in Suess Landing for the same reason. Harumph!
All-in-all, we had an ABSOLUTE blast. I highly recommend anyone stuck in snowy climes to consider making such a trip next year. You might spend too much money, but you won't begrudge yourself the trip.
