1. As for updates, Vu has progressed quite a bit. The new uniforms are easy to spot. More employees seem to work at the stations for rides and ensure there are no loose items before you get in line....If there are loose Items, they give you a card saying it's not their responsibility etc... $1 lockers are automated, you get a ticket when you put a coin in and the locker will open, when you get off the ride, you scan the ticket and the locker will open, after 120 mins, your items are sent to lost and found. Blacktop has been re-paved. painting for bull was not finished for the first U-Curve and there were un-painted "spots" under the lift hill that you can see while in line.
See the difference?
Looking good!
2. As for Vu, I'm sorry to say the pics I have may be disturbing for you lovers out there....There was a basketball game where it's exit used to be and it's entrance is just cut-off. there is NO paved surfaces or grass...pretty much nothing, crushed rock from the Concrete base supports are all that remain, some tracks are still in the parking lot. both towers still stand, BUT they are being taken down simultaneously.
VU UPDATE:
in line for Batman
horrible sight for some
(fob716
(fob716)
fob716)
3. TDK has made A HUGE amount of progress, the coaster is being assembled inside the building and the front of Theater Royal is completely covered. The building seems a little plain (for now I hope) it seems that the last wall won't be added until they get the small crane out first (pointing out the obvious) what made me curious is that there seems to be a large Door....which is expected. But what was strange is that there's a window by the exit of the Superman....which made it easy to peak inside. Tracks are clearly seen on the exit of the Superman.
TDK UPDATE:
Theater Royal (fob716)
A Window?
Wheelchair entrance
It's pretty tall up close....Superman Exit
Lift Hill
Platform?
Zoomed in through that window
Hallway between Theater Royal and TDK Coaster
4. There was only two closings, one is obvious though. These two are AE Blue and the Orbit. While on the topic of AE, winter 07-08 took a huge toll on it, it seemed the same train had problems leaving the hill, or it kept getting stuck on the lift hill. about 2-3 times, people got stuck on the top. So they closed it and kept running it trying to find the problem. In my opinion, it'd be better just to run the one train. Blue wasn't running due to the re-tracking. the re-tracking went from the station all the way to the lift hill. Red has been re-tracked from the station to the hill already. The Viper failed at the lift hill once also.
First time EA got Stuck, we were in line (fob716)
AE tracking (blue)...before lift hill, after station (fob 716)
First Turn re-Tracking (Blue side obviously) (fob716)
Weather today said scattered T-Storms were expected, NOT A DROP! At one point, it felt like it was about 70 degrees! I live in Burbank, the weather here was supposed to be better than Gurnee, nope, it rained here all day as my dad says. it was raining the way there and it stopped when we were near the Park....just missed
On a Side note, I FINALLY FACED MY FEAR OF RAGING BULL!
**ALL PICTURES ADDED**
UPDATE: Some pics say "fob716" pics courtesy my sister!!!
PLEASE DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE PICTURES WITHOUT PERMISSION!
Last edited by Goku1910 on April 20th, 2008, 12:15 am, edited 7 times in total.
"I've been told that some part of every wish will be heard but lately I lost sight of the truth in those words."
Nice TR, looking forward to seeing everything in person next week.
For Eagle it's probably sensor issues, probably the first time it's run full trains, they will go and make whatever adjustments they need, though I'm sure RagingBullsfgam can shed more light on that.
Favorite Wood Coasters: The Voyage, Ravine Flyer II, Thunderhead, Balder Favorite Steel: Voltron Nevera, Steel Vengeance, Expedition GeForce, Olympia Looping Parks visited: 232, Coasters Ridden: Steel: 894, Wood: 179, Total: 1073
was probably a misaligned fin or something on the train that wasn't getting stuck. Cause where it stopped in the pics is the block checkpoint. PLC likely thinks there is a train out on the course and stops that train up there to prevent a collision. A proxy on either the final brake run or the block before the final helix doesn't seem to be tripping for whatever reason. Not exactly sure though how the blocking is set up anymore on Eagle.
Favorite Wood Coasters: The Voyage, Ravine Flyer II, Thunderhead, Balder Favorite Steel: Voltron Nevera, Steel Vengeance, Expedition GeForce, Olympia Looping Parks visited: 232, Coasters Ridden: Steel: 894, Wood: 179, Total: 1073
I'm looking foward to seeing all this and more on Saturday.
As bigb7965 said, any updates or pictures on SWF? How about SSA?
I was going to ask about parking, but I don't think the park charges parking for these private events. Will have to wait until Saturday to see how it works out, and what kind of reaction the public gives it.
I have a question regarding what you said about loose articles.
More employees seem to work at the stations for rides and ensure there are no loose items before you get in line....If there are loose Items, they give you a card saying it's not their responsibility etc...
So here is my question...the impression I got from reading about the loose rider policy was that if you had loose items, say a basketball, and you did not use the $1 locker, you would not be allowed to ride once you got up to the station with said item. Reading what you said "implies" that if I had something and I did not use the $1 locker, I would be allowed to leave it in the station just like before because they gave me a paper saying its not their responsibility? Wasn't that how it always has been with the bins and leaving things in the station? If that is the case, what really has changed? Or am I mis-understaning what you are talking about.
So here is my question...the impression I got from reading about the loose rider policy was that if you had loose items, say a basketball, and you did not use the $1 locker, you would not be allowed to ride once you got up to the station with said item. Reading what you said "implies" that if I had something and I did not use the $1 locker, I would be allowed to leave it in the station just like before because they gave me a paper saying its not their responsibility? Wasn't that how it always has been with the bins and leaving things in the station? If that is the case, what really has changed? Or am I mis-understaning what you are talking about.
--Brian
That's exactly the case!
"I've been told that some part of every wish will be heard but lately I lost sight of the truth in those words."
^ Interesting. I wonder then, why they made such a big deal out of the lockers, and giving the impression that if you had loose articles, and you did not use the lockers, you would not be allowed to ride. Now they go and change their mind, and give you a paper saying you could leave it, but it gets stolen while you are on the ride, its not their fault.
Makes you wonder why did not leave the bins in place, and just add lockers for those who want to feel "safe" that their stuff would be there when they got back. Then, add some signs in the station with the same statement on the paper. I wonder how much it is costing the park to print a paper copy for each guest that leaves articles in the station instead of using the lockers?
Of course, the old "bin method" worked for 30+ years. My though is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"
... not really I am actually very angry about the vu 
