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A Coaster Focused Deep Dive on Ride to Happiness!
74 Plays8 days ago
Trying out something new...it takes us about an hour to get through trip recaps, but after that, we get into our main topic of being "Coaster Focus"ed on Ride to Happiness! We go through all the creative aspects we can think of for the ride, including onboard audio, layout, station theming, train design, and more. It's a ride experience that truly makes us all happy!!
A BIG shoutout to our Patreon subscribers! Much love to Chris, Jeff, Alexander, Chad, and Adam for the support! Check out https://www.patreon.com/c/InvertedCreative if you want to learn more!
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Transcript
Introduction to Inverted Creative Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
You are listening to the Inverted Creative Podcast. I'm Allison. I'm Jen. I'm Brian. I'm Mikhail. And I'm Nate.
00:00:18
Speaker
Hi guys. Hello. What it do baby? I have a question for y'all that is semi-related to our episode topic today. Okay. What's something that's been making y'all happy lately?
00:00:35
Speaker
Looks of confusion as I ask about personal life. Esteling.
00:00:44
Speaker
Oh yeah, they announced a new coaster today. Yeah, they announced a new coaster today right at the entrance. it's going to be so pretty. i have looked at zero about it. So just that it's a launched flying coaster thing. Yeah, by Vekoma, I assume.
00:00:58
Speaker
It's like the one that's going to Magic Mountain. Yeah, that's what I thought. yeah Yeah, but it's not coming till 2029. Which means they're going to theme the ever-loving hell out of it. Yeah, it's going to have so much detail. To announce it this early is so crazy. Yeah.
00:01:16
Speaker
But also, you can't hide that construction. i think that they're... I mean, are they going to have to use the parking lot? I don't know. i don't know I don't know. Like I said, wasn't here. I was wondering if it's going to go, because there's the body of water right next to the entrance where the Aquanora show happens, right?
00:01:36
Speaker
Is it going to go like like just just like directly behind there, or are they going to... I don't know. You're supposed to be able to see it from the entrance. like youll I think it'll be so part of like it'll be Grand Hotel, the entrance, and the and the ride.
00:01:52
Speaker
Is that going to ruin like the views of the entrance plaza? I mean, does Grand Hotel not ruin the... I don't know. I don't know what it looks like. I'm sorry. I haven't been to Efteling. Oh,
Vekoma Coaster Announcement Discussion
00:02:03
Speaker
I forgot. Grand Hotel is just like a prefabbed
00:02:08
Speaker
Like Grand Hotel on the inside is beautiful. I've heard that it's gorgeous. The yeah, but it's just like a prefab giant fancy looking ish building like it's like a fake fancy looking building right next to the entrance like it's giant next to the entrance.
00:02:27
Speaker
i did I did like the look of it until I compared it with the entrance canopy and was like, oh, there's a disconnect here somewhere. Yeah, and you can see all like the prefab lines. It just looks a don't yeah i will so I will say, though, I do like it um positioned to the left. at like Looking at it from a very specific angle, from an off-center angle, with the ah the the Grand Hotel and the entrance canopy positioned next to where each other are.
00:02:56
Speaker
i do i do i do think it looks in one specific photo really nice but it wasn't it wasn't there yet when i went the thing though is that it's you're going to be able to see this coaster from walking in yes it's going to be like it's going to be the first coaster that you're going to die as you walk into the park As far as I'm aware. I feel like i should probably actually like look at some of these things. But also we're not on these podcasts.
00:03:24
Speaker
Yeah. um Yeah, wait. Oh, so. yeah it's supposed to be literally right behind the bench, the entrance next to the restaurant, like directly as you walk in. Oh, OK.
00:03:40
Speaker
Well, I mean, it might look all right. They've got three years to figure it out. It does look like, in the at least in the concept art, they still have a ton of trees. So I wonder if they're still going to have all the trees that cover it from actually seeing it from the parking lot.
00:03:57
Speaker
um But it is literally right next to the entrance. I'm sure they're not going to Dollywood. So.
00:04:06
Speaker
ah not Not to roast Dollywood or anything, but they cut down a lot of trees. Yeah. Yeah. yeah supposed to answer what's making me happy right now. Yeah. yeah um I want to give a non roller coaster answer because obviously roller coasters, but um shout out the St. Louis Cardinals for actually being somewhat decent this year and making me not hate my life when I watch baseball.
00:04:33
Speaker
And also um on my California trip that's coming up i accidentally stumbled upon the fact that they are playing in l LA when I'm there. And so I'm going to have to go to that.
00:04:48
Speaker
That's been making me happy is that my team is doing well.
Jen's Return and Role Jokes
00:04:52
Speaker
Yay. portz Sports. and Go birds because Cardinals are birds.
00:04:58
Speaker
Go birds. Go birds. We haven't had one of those on in a while.
00:05:05
Speaker
Because here in a while. Yeah, I haven't been here, guys. I'm sorry. Yeah, welcome our ah co-host Jen back to the podcast, who has not been on since Nate and Mikhail joined us.
00:05:17
Speaker
Yeah, Nate has been... stretching himself having to close out the each episode saying I guess I'll do the episode. go Yeah, i don't I don't have to this time. Jen's back. I'm back. think you should steal Jen's thunder and do it anyway. Absolutely not.
00:05:32
Speaker
That is her thing. ah but but yeah i it We're going to fist fight at the end of up every episode. it is Jen's line. I just think it's a great way to close the podcast. Just shout over each other. Just say it.
00:05:47
Speaker
I believe that brings us any of that episode. No, I believe it. Every time he's done it in your place, I said, thanks, Jen. That yeah factual.
Hosts' Upcoming Travel Plans
00:06:00
Speaker
i struggle to I struggle to think of something that's that's making me happy until I realized, well, remembered that I recently booked flights to go to San Francisco at the beginning of August.
00:06:16
Speaker
So I'm going to be meeting up with my friend Sammy who lives in Florida. um we're gonna he's he needs to he needs to get all the bay area creds basically so we're gonna go to six flags discovery kingdom and california's great america um on a 10 p.m close there so we can just lap gold striker endlessly heck yeah um um i so I'm so um
00:06:47
Speaker
um so so happy to be going back to be going back because we obviously like we did the Buzz Bars event over there last year and that was my first ah first time getting to California's Great America I had been wanting to ride Flight Deck for I don't know how many years at this point isn't that on the 20th park?
00:07:11
Speaker
is that what? Is that talent at Dorney Park? It's a red talent at Dorney Park. It's, it's, it's California. It's, it's Bay Area talent at Dorney Park. Okay.
00:07:23
Speaker
No, that one has a name. I have the names written down somewhere. Is it Top Gun Talent at Dorney Park? I think it might be Top Gun Talent 2 because I think that I was like, I'm going to be just as creative as Cedar Fair was with Top Thrill 2. Oh, okay. Just name it Top Gun Talent 2.
00:07:42
Speaker
Hold on. I'm searching my phone for when I texted you. Yeah, and I'm like 90%. If that's the other Top Gun one, then yes, that's Gun town. it I guess as creative as Cedar fair
00:07:57
Speaker
Cedar Unfair.
00:08:01
Speaker
um little Yeah, I still haven't been to Discovery Kingdom. i also went, which I missed the stumble by like a month because I couldn't go in April, but I could go in May. So I went the same trip I'm about to go to California with or same person I went with Brian, my friend Brian.
00:08:18
Speaker
uh where we went to cga gilroy gardens and santa cruz beach boardwalk but did not have time to do discovery we did but i was like i'd rather do gilroy and um santa cruz than that and obviously we're not skipping cga like we got fast lane seven times
00:08:38
Speaker
At least you got to the one that is closing soon. Yeah, I went i rode Flight Deck seven times. I rode Gold Striker eight. And Flight Deck is... I love it more than I should, probably. like i have an obsession with Flight Deck. It's so good. It's quintessential 90s B&M.
00:08:56
Speaker
It low-key might be my favorite in the park. I love Gold Striker two, though. I can't decide which I like more between Flight Deck and Gold Striker.
00:09:07
Speaker
I haven't been able to since I since i came back. they're both they're both just They're both just so good.
00:09:15
Speaker
yeah discovery kingdoms ah Discovery Kingdom was an park. Is next year the last year for CGA? Is it 2027? Is that the last year? think 27, yeah. that might That might be a good opportunity for me to make a trip to Discovery Kingdom and then have a send-off for CGA while I'm there. yeah That would be a good trip to do.
00:09:39
Speaker
Yeah, i I looked out hard on some flight on some flights ah down there. um And my friend Sammy was wanting to go, like regardless of whether I joined him or not. So was I was like, you know what, I ah i might as i might as well just take advantage of some good flights.
00:09:58
Speaker
So yeah, I'm super, super happy to be getting back to that park at least one more time before it closes. Oh, yeah. Yay.
00:10:09
Speaker
yay
00:10:12
Speaker
Nate, are you getting bingo anytime soon, by the way?
Coaster Bingo & Future Park Visits
00:10:15
Speaker
Or no? um So currently, my bingo board is only one square away from getting five in a row.
00:10:25
Speaker
But the square that I need is ride a coaster in the US, Canada, and Mexico. I have a trip planned for Canada, but i I have no plan for Mexico, and it's killing me because I could have a bingo so easily with that, and yet I don't.
00:10:42
Speaker
Um, cause you know, what's funny is I'm going hit bingo in three weeks. Are you kidding me? Nope. Let's see if, um, if Montezuma opens by the time I take this trip, uh, I still won't hit bingo unless I write a chance to bog it. When are you, uh, when are you going when are you hitting it? Um, August 1st, August 1st. How, what are you hitting that with? Um, six flags over Georgia. Okay.
00:11:09
Speaker
Oh, another six-fights part. That was the response. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Your second six-fights part. yeah I got it. um First one being Great America over the weekend. Um... If... I just think it's funny that... I know my board is a little easier, but I'm going to beat you to bingo. Yeah, your board is actually really easy. I have yours done already. I have a bingo if I had your board.
00:11:31
Speaker
Um... Whoop-de-doo. I'm doing my own work. If Montezuma opens by the time I go, um then i will be another one away from Bingo, and that's a chance to bargain, and you're going to motivate me to go up to Little America and beat you. If Montezuma has to open, though, because I need two ace landmarks, so i would need Montezuma's advantage and Giant Dipper at Belmont.
00:11:57
Speaker
um Both. monosome is an ace landmark yes oh wow yep and i've never written it so it has to be a new for you ace landmark it's like i can't just go write any of them that i've written before so yeah that'd defeat the purpose of it yeah um but i'll be completing my fourth park with 15 or more because i've got cedar point king's island and energy landia i'll just i'll have magic mountain so that'll be done and i need a chance to bargain which if you're gonna if you're gonna be like i'm gonna get a bingo before you i'm gonna go up to little america and ride that chance to bargain before you
00:12:39
Speaker
that's fine If you're quiet about it, I'll let you get the bingo first. Because I'm going for all 25. What? Now it's going to be all over the podcast. Well, whatever happens, happens. But I'm going for all 25. I'm going for the entire board. So I really don't care when I get a bingo.
00:12:57
Speaker
That's the only one
Jen and Nate's European Park Experiences
00:12:58
Speaker
I'm not sure about. Maybe December. Everything else, I have a plan or somewhat of a plan to get. so I'm already almost at 100 new ridden this year.
00:13:11
Speaker
i'm getting one out of two Six Flags parks. I'll be getting Playland Vancouver in September. Yeah, we might need to talk about that. yeah What? is something happening with Playland?
00:13:24
Speaker
ah ah you ah Are you aware of Playland's like opening schedule? um Yeah, think it's open when I'm... I'll be there. off yeah Yeah, I've like looked at the hours. What does it P&E Playland is open from 11am to 9pm on September 6th.
00:13:44
Speaker
I have it written down right here because was planning the trip with Gary. Are you aware of something called the P&E Fair? Kind of. Okay, so... there If it's... Sorry, go ahead. We can talk about it after recording or whatever, but... Okay, yeah, that's fine. Yeah. like yeah the ah Yeah.
00:14:05
Speaker
PNE Playland's schedule is... It's about as close to non-existent as a regular schedule can theme park schedule can get, and you have to like you have to hit it. ah We'll talk about it after recording. Okay, fair enough.
00:14:25
Speaker
I guess I never answered my own question yet. 15 minutes in. Yeah, what's your own question? Or what's your own answer? Sorry. What's making me happy? um Coaster side, I hit 800 over the weekend. I'm excited about that.
00:14:38
Speaker
Yay. um On a coaster that Nate does not have yet, which is kind of funny. Because we had talked about doing that trip together, and then it just didn't. Yeah, at don all yeah I don't have either coaster named it Scalibur. Yeah. um And then we have some trips booked.
00:14:56
Speaker
We actually have flights booked. We don't have flights booked very often, but we have Atlanta soon and then we're going to Texas in September. so And I might be joining you on that one. Yeah, I heard about that.
00:15:07
Speaker
Yeah, we'll see. um Would you do like the whole, I guess is this not whole same schedule as us? We're flying into Houston. Pretty – no, not that. Oh, okay. I have to – have to work. So I would have to come later and I would land in Austin. Okay.
00:15:22
Speaker
Cool. I've talked about it with Mike already. Okay. That tracks.
00:15:28
Speaker
And then also I have my new microphone and that makes me happy because I almost broke Zencaster right before we started recording. But then I got it working again and hopefully my audio quality is good. And the lights are orange and pink, guys. Yes, and there's custom LED lights on it and it's – I set them to pink and orange because – branding. Have you met Allison?
00:15:48
Speaker
I didn't even like pink as a color until I put this as like the inverted colors and now I'm more of a fan of pink. yes but Hopefully the audio quality is better and ah shout out to ah our Patreon supporters who helped make this happen who which was the whole point of the Patreon.
00:16:07
Speaker
Heck yeah. So thank you, you guys. You guys are the GOAT. Hopefully this improves your listening experience to the Inverted Creative Podcast.
00:16:18
Speaker
because Yes. Yeah. Because my brain just died and that just shows the quality of listening. Oh, i actually have something else that you just...
00:16:30
Speaker
um
00:16:34
Speaker
reminded me of i hit a credit milestone oh are you ready yes 269 nice nice nice but what was six seven no you six seven yeah um i don't know what was 269 that's the more important one I also don't know. Oh, okay. You just know that you wrote it. Wait, how do I tell on LogRide what order I logged things in?
00:17:05
Speaker
Can you? Unique attractions. I can do it by experience. Hold on.
00:17:11
Speaker
I have a whole Excel file, so I have no idea. The attractions, these are on... No, I don't like yeah i can barely keep ahead of this. The other day I went in here and I was looking at stuff and I found like four things at Europa Park I never marked that I did.
00:17:23
Speaker
Oh my goodness. Well, i don't I only do coasters. Well, where did I go? um it would have been in the Netherlands. We could go right into the trip recaps. We could, yeah.
00:17:34
Speaker
And you can talk about it and figure out what you rode along the way. Yeah, you know what's so dumb? It was at Plopsaland. But it wasn't Ride to Happiness.
00:17:45
Speaker
Ride to Happiness would have been my six seven two six seven Perfect. All right. Because I think I rode. I think. Let me see. Hold on. Hold on.
00:17:57
Speaker
Was it hashtag like me coaster? No, I didn't ride that. I actually. Oh, no. um I skipped it because. The queue was fun. da Oh, no. It would have been my 266 because I rode.
00:18:12
Speaker
Oh, wait. No. 267. Yeah. I don't know. Wait, let me see. I rode Anubis. Jen is bad at tracking Chris.
00:18:24
Speaker
I rode Draconis. Heidi the Ride. and Yeah, so it's 266. Heidi the Ridey. Yeah, exactly. Heidi the White Lightning-y.
00:18:37
Speaker
I didn't know where you were going with that then. Oh, it's the same layout as White Lightning. i know. Yeah, but it's not really good. Heidi the Ride is fun.
00:18:48
Speaker
It is fun, but like it's not nearly as good as White Lightning. White Lightning's much better. like Yeah, it's not like a shitty ride to me. Heidi is too smooth for its own good.
00:19:02
Speaker
every every Every kind of fun sensation is muted out of that layout because of how smooth it is. I thought it was just because, well, and we'll get into this when we get into our topic, but ah I went to Plops on a very cold, gross day.
00:19:18
Speaker
So everything was probably running very slow and muted. Yeah, it was a very good chance of that. is Jen continuing with her?
00:19:30
Speaker
think she's still figuring out her first right now. Okay, okay. Yeah. Okay. um
00:19:36
Speaker
Yeah, so, okay, I have a trip recap. Yeah, because you were gone for two months. Yeah, but I'm not going to go over, like, Europa Park stuff. No. Because I go there enough. Except for that Jen and I were there at the same time. Oh, we can go over that.
00:19:51
Speaker
Yeah, so I showed Nate an actual best Europa Park day. It was so good. was. Like, emotional when it was over. Like, when we were leaving.
00:20:05
Speaker
Yeah. It was so good. Jake was bawling, wasn't he? Oh, Jake was fully crying. Jake was bawling. It was such a good day. My favorite, though, when Joey was like, Jake, are you crying? And he's like, oh, look at me! I love Jake.
00:20:25
Speaker
So, um, we can over that day. That day was so much fun. We did, like, um I don't even know. We met you in the park a little bit later and we of course did some of my favorites, Josephina's Embasement Dino Ride.
00:20:39
Speaker
Yeah, we did like so many like walk on dark rides. Yeah. Like Binge slash Elsa, whatever you want to call it. it's called like the Ice Queen or something like that. the Ice Queen. And then we did the Grand Prix thing at Etta's Grand Prix. Yeah, the Grand Prix that's the shooter ride.
00:21:00
Speaker
Yeah, which I was really bad at, by the way. I was really bad at the rope thing. um And then we did ah that like scary one. I don't even remember what that was.
00:21:12
Speaker
Yeah, we do have to mention, I think, that um we brought you to see a Europa Park famous man. Yes. So anyone who has been to Europa Park, one of, in my opinion, and absolute must do at that park is the beer gardens.
00:21:29
Speaker
um And the one at the front of the park always has this like artist that is, he's like Europa Park famous. His name is Tom. And he plays at Europa Park like every single weekend, all summer. And he's like the best performer ever. um So we went to the beer garden and we jammed out with Tom. And Tom literally gauged that most of his audience was English and changed his entire set to English songs. Yeah.
00:21:58
Speaker
It was awesome. and He played Country Roads and we sang along with him. It was incredible. We were singing and drinking the whole time. And then we went to go do um i never I can't remember. that It's like their Haunted Mansion. Something to be... Medici? Yeah.
00:22:19
Speaker
yeah I can't remember the actual name. So we did that. And then... Did we do Pico de Mundo? Yes. Yeah, we did that one too. I feel like I remember us doing Pico de Mundo. Honestly, can't remember the names of any of these. Yeah, so Pico de Mundo is like a little Italian dark ride. It's got the dog with the pizzas. Yeah, we did that too. And then we went back to the beer garden because for anyone who doesn't know, other thing is that the main beer garden at the front of the park stays open and serves beer and has music an hour after park closes.
00:22:51
Speaker
and it was and yeah Yeah, you finish up your day at the park and you can still go to the beer garden and enjoy the vibes of the park um and then just leave at the end so very fun that's that's after they extended the park hours by one hour to close at seven yeah so hey Europa Park is really weird because their hours are always an at least so like in in the summer I think it's like at least 6 30 but it can go anywhere from 6 30 to 8 30.
00:23:27
Speaker
Um, so in the summer, unless it's like a really rainy dead day, they usually don't close at 630. They extend it however long. Um, I've only been there like once or twice when they've gone to 830 though.
00:23:39
Speaker
Um, but the, the hours are technically they like they can extend it up to two hours and they don't announce their closing time until like one or two in the afternoon. So it's a very weird way to go about.
00:23:56
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. It's nice to hear someone in the park and like 2 o'clock it's like, oh my god, I have an extra two hours in the park. like Yeah. That's really nice.
00:24:06
Speaker
The last thing I'll say I'll let you finish your actual trip recap is we did ride Euromir one last time. Well, for me and John Mike. Yeah. One last time.
00:24:18
Speaker
We did have a really good ride on Euromir, I think. um Oh, one other important thing happened. The transfer of the gay cat plushie. That is true. That that did happen.
00:24:30
Speaker
Yeah. and then it got left Germany, didn't it? Yeah. It's in Joey's room right now because I was severely out of space in my bag. um So it did not make it home, but that's okay. It's in my second home.
00:24:45
Speaker
Did it go to the Netherlands at all with you? Yes.
Jen's Day at Efteling with Friends
00:24:49
Speaker
It came with me to the Netherlands and that's when I like fully packed my bag and I was like... Okay. So it's been four countries now. Yeah. Yeah. It was in the back of the car.
00:24:58
Speaker
i i somehow forgot that it went to Poland, but that's literally where we handed it off. You know what else was left in the car? My camera.
00:25:09
Speaker
yeah
00:25:14
Speaker
I did great, guys. But, good news. Big shout out to car Cedar Kev. Cedar Kev happened to be at Europa Park literally like a day or two after I left. So I messaged him and I was like, dude, can you do me like the world's biggest favor?
00:25:30
Speaker
And he brought my camera home. That's cool. Yeah. Yeah. I was like, if if you don't have room in your bag, I get it. But, like, please. My camera. Please make room. Please make room. It's for me. He didn't seem really concerned if the camera wasn't going to fit. He seemed far more concerned. Like, he was really concerned he was going to break it. And I was like, this thing is like a beast from the 80s. Like, I promise there is, like, no world where you will break this camera.
00:26:00
Speaker
Like... And also, if you do, it's my fault for asking you to bring it. Like he was way more concerned about breaking it. He had them like professionally wrap it at the um UPS store to ship it to me.
00:26:14
Speaker
Dang. Wow. I was like, you really didn't have to do that. You could have just thrown it in a box. It would have survived. And then um you got to meet up with a former podcast guest.
00:26:29
Speaker
I did. And I forgot to get a picture. for shame. We had such a good day. And then we just had such a good day. We were having so much fun. And there is a video of us together riding the swan ride somewhere. But we forgot to get a picture.
00:26:47
Speaker
um For context, Jen got to meet up with a Books and Roller Coasters. And... Yeah, we got to um go to Efteling together, which you guys don't know is like my favorite park. um um We got to go to Efteling together and we had like the best Efteling day. We did not...
00:27:07
Speaker
We did not like rush anything. Like our group that it was going was all like, we've all been there before. So um there were like two things that we had to Baron and Villa Volta, because I had never done those. um But then outside of that, we were just like wherever the day takes us.
00:27:26
Speaker
um So super chill Efteling day. and Yeah, what else? We did drumblocked.
00:27:37
Speaker
um I feel like we didn't get a... It was a really busy day at Efteling, so I feel like we didn't get a ton in um I was a little sad we missed Vocal Rock.
00:27:50
Speaker
um But we did get... What else? Symbolica we went on. Was Yoris closed?
00:28:05
Speaker
oh one side was. One side was. So then the other side was so long, we decided not to ride it. yeah It was like a 50 minute wait for it. Oh, wow. Yeah. um So we decided not to. we did Fleekender Hollander. Fleekender Hollander.
00:28:22
Speaker
he i love that ride. ah it's So we have this friend. I'm going to like out his thing that he does. This ah actually might have been the highlight of my day. He was like, he turned to us and he's like, I don't think I'm going to do the thing. And we were like, no, Anne is here and she doesn't know the thing. You have to do the thing. You have to do the thing. So we have this one friend who...
00:28:43
Speaker
ah Do you guys remember that like seating area that is at the end of the splash? So you like come down the splash and then you come around and there's like a viewing and seating area where you don't get wet. It's just like a viewing. So...
00:28:55
Speaker
so We have this friend who literally we hit there and as we go to turn it, he like, we can all, ah not as much me, cause I've only done it a couple of times with him, but like they were literally counting it down and he like hits this moment and he goes, mom, hey mom.
00:29:12
Speaker
And he just starts yelling to the crowd. But also this man is like one of the quietest people you could ever encounter in your life. He just lets all of his energy out at the same exact spot. It literally, I was almost peeing my pants. It was.
00:29:30
Speaker
And then Anne was just like, ah I don't know what I'm supposed to be excited for. And we're like, we brought this, you'll know. And she's the whole time, she's like, I don't know. And then she she does turn and she's like, I don't know what I'm supposed to be looking for. and then we're like, one, two, three. And he just like, lets loose.
00:29:49
Speaker
And people just watch our boat. so It's like so stupid, but it's like my favorite thing that I've experienced on that ride.
00:30:02
Speaker
That's incredible. It's great. And to watch someone who has no idea it's coming also just react to it is like very, very fun.
00:30:14
Speaker
Yeah. that is That's extremely random. Where did that start? I have no idea. i wasn't there when it started. um i have no idea, but apparently it's been happening for like years now.
00:30:29
Speaker
And he does it, like, religiously every single time that he rides the ride.
00:30:37
Speaker
That's incredible. I love that. I love that so much. I wish that you guys, like, knew him to understand, like, how quiet and, like, he's so, like, reserved and mature and and quiet. Um...
00:30:52
Speaker
And then to just like have that. And he's like screaming at the top of his head. Building it all up. Yeah, he literally like lets out all of his... To then ride Flying Dutchman and yell at his mom off-ride who we haven't determined if she's there or not. No, she's not. That's the best part. He has no idea who these people are.
00:31:13
Speaker
Not a single person there does he know. He's yelling to random people. Yeah. And he just, and he he's like entertained by watching them try to figure out who he's yelling to. Everyone's just looking around.
00:31:29
Speaker
Everyone's like looking around like, what is this?
00:31:37
Speaker
Yeah.
00:31:39
Speaker
Okay, so I think that's really, ah unfortunately our Efteling day was like kind of too packed to do too much. But it still was a wonderful Efteling day. We went through the Sprochius Bus. We had Erdinger Weisbeers in the Germany.
00:31:57
Speaker
What's that? Did you have to Poffridges? No, I had no Poffridges. I actually have never had Efteling Poffridges. was going to say if you ever had them. No. They're so good.
00:32:08
Speaker
They're like super like mini pancakes. like just like a it' not It's not like a mountain full, but like it's like a a group of pancakes. You get like 12 or something, I think yeah yeah Yeah. With like powdered powdered sugar, different toppings on them and stuff. You can get them comes like stra with strawberries. ah White chocolate like shavings and stuff. It's so good. yeah So good.
00:32:36
Speaker
I haven't had them in Efteling, but I have had them in Europa Park and in like a city in the Netherlands. um no indeed yeah no But yeah, I never had them at Efteling. At Efteling, pretty much inhale Broja Unoxes. They're like Joey is going to lose it if he listens to this. They are hot dogs. Like, they are hot dogs.
00:33:03
Speaker
Oh, no. But they are a really good quality hot dog. Like, I will give him that. They're a good quality hot dog. But they use they use this, like, special sauce on it. And the bread is so good. and oh my God. I love them. They're so good. So I literally just eat. I think I had, like, three of them.
00:33:20
Speaker
as a but I think I had one of those at Efteling and it was phenomenal. Yeah. Like the stands literally say Unaks on them and they're literally hot dogs. like Yeah. But it was really good.
00:33:32
Speaker
Yeah, they're delicious. I really like them. And this time they had like a grated parmesan and arugula and this like truffle sauce on them. Oh, that sounds so good. Jeez. So good. There's a bunch of snacks I need to have at Efteling. Honestly, I need to go back and just do a whole snack run through the entire place. Yeah, also do the snack wall a lot. I'll just pop up and get
00:33:57
Speaker
I got a sausage, like, roll. Like, sausage roll. oh Yeah, I'm a really big fan of croquette. This is what i need. I had one of those, like, hot, don't it was like, hot chocolate or coffee drinks. It's, like, it was right in front of Symbolica, and it had, like, a Stroopwafel in it.
00:34:17
Speaker
Yeah. know what those are called, but that was phenomenal. They call it just like specialty, like they literally just call them specialty coffees and they're Stroopwafel coffee. Yeah. And it was, it was great. It was phenomenal.
00:34:29
Speaker
I also had like three of those throughout my day. They're so good. You know, they're making me hungry. Geez. just ate dinner. Yeah, Allison, you'll really like those when you go to Efteling.
00:34:42
Speaker
Whenever that'll be. Those specialty coffees are very good. They also um have, like, in the specialty coffee places, they have, like, covered and different flavored stroopwafel.
00:34:53
Speaker
So good. And at the pancake restaurant, and like, I didn't go this time, but I went the time before, but they have a stroopwafel pancake and it's like covered in strobe and like pieces of strobe waffle on it so good so good I like stroopwafels a lot i did i did not eat enough stroopwafels like during my time the Netherlands let alone aftling yeah i come from an area of the states where like stroopwafels are really big um because we have like ah so the Pennsylvania Dutch are here but they're not like actually Dutch they're German but they did decide that stroopwafels and windmills are part of their identity
00:35:38
Speaker
um So stroopwafels are like a huge thing in the whole entire Pennsylvania pennsylvania Dutch region. um So I've like grown up with them and I used there is literally I'll eat like one day. Yeah, no that that's so good.
00:35:56
Speaker
Yeah, I love them. I just can't get them from anywhere here. And when I went to go visit my friend Micah in the Netherlands, like i i think she I think she greeted me with with with like a pack of them when she got me from the train station in Tilburg. But then I didn't have any more for like the rest of the the three days that was there.
00:36:21
Speaker
No, I love them. No, they are so good. Yeah, i had two more parks on this trip, too.
Jen's Visit to Wallaby Holland
00:36:29
Speaker
um I went to Wildby Holland, which that was like an experience. like It's an experience. It's for sure a Six Flags park.
00:36:41
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. like definitely Except, except I wasn't going to like jump right into this one. But you have the Six Flags Park and nothing is really that themed and the theming is tacky and like, whatever. So it's like... But then you have Platform 13. That thing was terrifying. Yeah. Like, their entire park's budget went into Platform 13. Went into the queue. I was about to say, specifically the queue line. Specifically the queue.
00:37:17
Speaker
The queue...
00:37:20
Speaker
was terrifying. They like all pushed me in front and i like I thought things were gonna jump out at me. I couldn't see anything because I had sunglasses on. Terrifying.
00:37:32
Speaker
Crazy. um But that ride, i mean, rock and roller coaster, that ride's fine. I got to ride Condor with the Condor Man.
00:37:45
Speaker
I forgot about that. Yeah.
00:37:49
Speaker
Kyle, do you know that the lore? Not even a little bit. so When Joey was in high school, he did this fundraiser and he rode Condor 222 times with the old trains in like one weekend.
00:38:07
Speaker
That's a lot. Just one question. Why? um Dude, I don't know When Bryant posted his video last year of Europa Park, someone commented was like, oh my god, do you know that's Condor, Joey?
00:38:23
Speaker
so Joey's like really trying to rebrand to be Europa Park Joey, but like, you wrote Condor. I'm not judging the allegations. You run SLC 200 times on a weekend. like You can't just like throw that away.
00:38:41
Speaker
yeah that that kind of stuff doesn't leave you. Yeah, no. it's like it's like It's like the old videos on like somebody's YouTube channel. are just like you can't You don't get rid of them.
00:38:54
Speaker
Yeah, if you actually search Joey's name, the first thing that pops up is him doing this challenge. Let's see. That's incredible. Yeah. um
00:39:09
Speaker
I hope it didn't change. Have all of you written Condor? Yes, I have. Well, Jen has, obviously. I've not been to Wallaby Holland. I mean, like, I know and have been told multiple times about, well, how bad Condor is, but also about Express Platform 13's queue line. I've heard about Condor. And how the experience ends at the station.
00:39:35
Speaker
In 2023, my first coaster trip to Europe, Condor was the only credit out of like 75 that I missed on the entire trip. Condor was?
00:39:47
Speaker
Yeah. Condor. The only one. I'm not mad about it. I was like kind of like relieved I didn't have I was going to say I would be. Yeah. But the cool stat is that's the only thing I missed. Like I was almost perfect besides that.
00:40:03
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:07
Speaker
I would have missed that. Although I couldn't miss it. Cause like, cause I was with Joey, but if I were not with Joey, I would have not written that. Yeah, that's fair. Um, their boomerang was also really good. It was really, they have on-ride audio on their speed of sound. It is good. Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:22
Speaker
Like, and it wasn't a terrible, like it was pretty taken care of. It rode really well. Um, Their madhouse was so good, but we like go through the whole madhouse and I was like, oh, it's it's so good. But halfway through the cycle, they played the entrance loop.
00:40:41
Speaker
So all the like all the lights went out and they started like playing the entrance loop. Like I think someone accidentally hit the button for the entrance loop. Oh, for the entrance spiel, as in like, yeah yeah ah oh, wow. no Yeah, so it was like something about like walking through and putting your bag, it was in Dutch, it was like walk through, put your bags in, like whatever, and like ah it like paused everything that was going on in the ride other than the movement.
00:41:07
Speaker
Can I imagine if did it in English? Yeah. Just out nowhere. I think it was in Dutch and then English. um I think they did Dutch and then English. So it did happen in English too. But i at that point, I was i was like, why? Why does programming allow them to do that?
00:41:26
Speaker
like It made me so mad. But then I also was like, we just waited two cycles for this. So I really don't want to wait again to get the full experience. And I don't want to do that pre-show again to get the full experience. like That sucks.
00:41:39
Speaker
yeah Very upset about that. um Is it like... Is it like Phantasyland's Madhouse with where the pre-show is just unnecessarily long?
00:41:54
Speaker
like All of them just have unnecessarily long pre-shows. so cause Yeah. Villa Volta's super um I think that the pre-show is- Yeah, that one was fairly short. Well, there's like two of them, though, isn't there? Wasn't there like three different rooms? There's like two or three rooms on Hex. I think some of them feel less because you have multiple rooms, but yeah i don't think that they're really crazy long. I think they're one ride cycle.
00:42:21
Speaker
e Oh, yeah. The ride cycle's pretty long. Yeah, I think that it's literally just one ride cycle. So all of them are like the same length, but unfortunately a ride cycle's pretty long.
00:42:32
Speaker
Yeah. Well, i would rather I would rather one have effectively one pre-show broken into two rooms and ah have them both feel like, you know, they're getting on with it and progressing you through the experience rather than just having one, like, stupidly long pre-show and just like, all right. Yeah, and I can imagine too, like, the pre-show wasn't in English. So, like, I was able to understand the pre-show,
00:43:02
Speaker
And I and like i enjoyed the pre-show, but I could imagine that if you're in that room listening to them just like gibberish speaking Dutch, like it wouldn't be enjoyable for that amount of time. Me on Villa Volta.
00:43:15
Speaker
Yeah, like Villa Volta is the exact same way. But at least they might actually, both parks might actually do this. um But for sure, Efteling does. Efteling has translations in the app.
00:43:28
Speaker
So you can go to translations and it will pick up the sound around you to make sure it's with the with the pre-show. um So that one is a little better because of that. but But still, if you're staring at your phone and just reading and you're not experiencing the show, I could imagine that it feels really, really long.
00:43:49
Speaker
Yeah.
00:43:52
Speaker
But I thought that the Madhouse, like, other than that, I thought the Madhouse was really good. um I really enjoyed it. So. The outside of it looks tacky. It's just like graffiti on a castle.
00:44:08
Speaker
oh yeah. I've seen photos of that. Yeah. I haven't been to Wally Holland since like I got into doing the mad houses, so I have no idea what it looks like. Yeah, it was right before I knew about mad houses.
00:44:19
Speaker
i didn't Yeah, it's like a castle looking building, but then they literally like to make it fit in more just through graffiti over it.
00:44:28
Speaker
Is the is the mad house right hardware in the castle? Um, I don't know. Oh, I think I do remember seeing that building and being like, that's weird. Okay.
00:44:40
Speaker
Yeah. Because i've i've definitely i've definitely seen I've definitely seen photos of the castle with graffiti on it and just thought that is random as hell. But I didn't i didn't know if there was a ride in it or anything.
00:44:55
Speaker
Yeah. The madhouse.
00:44:59
Speaker
um What else did we do Goliath, which I thought was just fine. Yeah. um I do think that the ride system is in the castle.
00:45:12
Speaker
Sorry, I just looked up a picture to be so sure. I think the pre-show is like... Like, the castle, when you look at it from above, is literally, like, perfectly the size of a ride building. But
00:45:27
Speaker
but yeah, Goliath was just fine. Like, I think that... agree. Like, maybe...
00:45:35
Speaker
Millie but like look at that I did take a picture of it yeah that's as far as I got i don't even remember seeing it I also feel like that park's kind of hard to navigate so I wouldn't be surprised if you just never made it past there also depending on how long ago you went like the park was really overgrown in a lot of spots I went in like 22. 23. went in 23.
00:45:59
Speaker
yeah three i went twenty three Okay, so I don't know what it was like then, but the park was like really overgrown. um i don't know. I don't think I have anything else to say about Goliath. It just is there. just exists.
00:46:16
Speaker
um It's really sad because I was really expecting more of Millie and just got like a rattly miss um that like wasn't very thrilling.
00:46:28
Speaker
I've heard people come off of that thing and say, oh, it's best coaster in the park and stuff. But then I've also heard people say this the ah something to the effect of, you know, agreeing with you. It's just like, it's just okay. it's It's there. I mean, I really think the only competition is Untamed. And if you don't really like, like if that's too intense for you, it probably is the best coaster in the park. You don't really have any other competition, in my opinion.
00:46:55
Speaker
like
00:47:03
Speaker
I mean, kind of Platform 13, but also, like I don't know. They're so different.
00:47:10
Speaker
But, yeah, for me, that one wasn't doing it. Allison, i don't know how quickly you want to move like move into like the topics We've just been chatting for an hour and Yeah, Jen, remember when you said that this probably won't be a long episode?
00:47:32
Speaker
Yeah, but then we said... were talking about your trip for half an hour. That's... We were 35 minutes. So we were in like 30 or 35 minutes before we even got into my trip. Yeah, we were. Yeah.
00:47:44
Speaker
um i'll I'll speed run the rest.
Comparing Untamed to Steel Vengeance
00:47:47
Speaker
um Yoi is the most mid thing I've ever written in my life. forgot that existed. Yeah, that just exists, and I'm honestly a little sad it does. um Untamed, though, in the first ride I had on that... Yoi, I mean, not Untamed.
00:48:07
Speaker
Yeah. Yoi is, like, crazy. The... the Untamed. We wrote it in the morning and it was like not... I was a little sad because i was like I was expecting so much more. But then we came back and we wrote it later in the day and I was like, oh my god.
00:48:24
Speaker
This is everything Steel Vengeance should be. That's usually how it goes. agree. everything Yeah, it's so good. Who was I having a conversation with ah literally earlier today?
00:48:40
Speaker
Oh, who was it? They were there was there was saying something about getting to Wallaby Holland um soon. Like, within the next like a few days or something.
00:48:51
Speaker
And really hyped up about Untamed. And I i think we would ah ah think we were talking about Steel Vengeance and just being like... yeah ah it like let me know Let me know how it how it is compared to Steel Vengeance and and just being like ah some something to the effect of if they so if if they swapped them around Cedar Point would have an actually good ah RMC just like talking crap about it just for whatever reason or whatever.
00:49:22
Speaker
It's so true. It's like trigger a memory it reminds me a lot of Twisted Timbers. that's the That's the comp I get. um I see for it. Yeah.
00:49:36
Speaker
I love mid-size RMCs. Those are my favorite RMCs. Yeah, they do like they give you the perfect amount. like There's no repetition. there's like I just really enjoy them. They give you like the perfect amount that you want from an RMC. I'm i'm happy with that.
00:49:54
Speaker
It feels more thoughtfully designed. Yes, exactly. Like I feel like in some of the older ones, there are points where it's like we just need to get to where the next element is, um which is not necessarily their fault. I feel like it's it's just because of the way that wooden coasters are like wooden coasters are just air air hills, like airtime hills, laterals and back and forth. So it's like they're just trying to get to the next section that they can throw an element in.
00:50:23
Speaker
but I feel like the midsize ones feel a lot faster pace and snappier.
00:50:31
Speaker
Um, okay. I think that's it for Wally Holland. don't think I did anything else there. Um,
00:50:39
Speaker
And then I went to, this one's going to tie us into the episode topic, guys. Then I went to Plopsaland. Nate still has to do. man. Segway is right into the topic. For Nate to segway us right back out of the topic. Yay.
00:50:57
Speaker
To be fair, Nate, i literally put there I don't know, but you said you have a recap, so I don't know which trip you're talking about. It's the best trip that anyone has ever created or ever taken in history. Okay, well, do you want to do that, and then I'll do Plops Land as a trend? Yeah, that's probably a better way to do it. Yeah.
00:51:14
Speaker
So as I've said plenty of times on the podcast, and we'll say it again, i'm getting very close to a thousand roller coasters.
Nate's Ohio Coaster Trip Details
00:51:24
Speaker
And so I decided to come up with the smartest, best, most genius trip that anyone has ever heard of.
00:51:32
Speaker
And there is no, possibly no better trip to take than the one I did. So I did the bunch of kiddie coasters up in northern Ohio around Akron area.
00:51:44
Speaker
um Obviously, I live in Cincinnati now. um So my dad actually came with me for this. And I'll get into a funny thing at the end of this. um I started at the Columbus Zoo because I had been spited.
00:51:58
Speaker
twice by the wild mouse at the Columbus Zoo. And I was incredibly nervous about it. Plus I hated that I had to spend, you know, 40 bucks to get in there. I really wish I kind of hadn't, but I got the credit. So I got in there.
00:52:14
Speaker
um They said it was operating. They've lied to me twice before, by the way, they've told me two separate occasions that it's operating. I show up and it's not for the rest of the day. So I show up at opening,
00:52:27
Speaker
I go in, i asked him if there's like, I'm like, is there any discount or anything I can get to just ride this coaster and leave? And they're like, I'm like, okay. So I paid full admission and I bought my ride ticket and I stood there for, let's see, how long did I stand there for?
00:52:47
Speaker
I stood there for 25 minutes waiting for it to test cycle and open. I was the first rider of the day. i got a Zen ride and I promptly left like immediately.
00:53:00
Speaker
um I got there at 9.55. I was on the coaster 10.22 and I was out of the park by 10.25.
00:53:08
Speaker
So then ah fish i drive another. ah So it was two hours from my apartment to that zoo in Columbus. Then I drive another hour to a blue place called Tuscora Park.
00:53:21
Speaker
It's a public park that has an Alan Herschel kiddie coaster in the middle of nowhere, Ohio, that only recently started allowing adults because they had an ace event that I guess went really well and they decided to change it.
00:53:34
Speaker
So I show up and I'm nervous because these are the places that you can't trust to be open. And um I go up to the ticket booth and the lady says, we don't have the staffing for it. It's closed.
00:53:45
Speaker
And you can ask Allison. I started to get angry immediately about it. But I like I calm him down for a second. im Like, wait a minute. What if I don't get angry at this place?
00:53:55
Speaker
And I went to their like main office thing that looked like it was just a pool office. And I was talking to this girl. She had to be like 15 years old, like barely old enough to work. She was working the desk.
00:54:09
Speaker
And I was like, I drove like three hours for this. Is there, you know, any way we can get it open? And she like points behind me and there's this guy on the phone just holding up his finger. And when whoever it is answers the phone, he's like, hey, can we open this coaster? We've got a guy who drove three hours and wants to ride it a few times. I'm like,
00:54:28
Speaker
Heck yeah. So I paid $2 for my ticket and I rode that coaster. And it was actually really cool that I got it to open because there was um another kid there who was visibly autistic and he was like very excited so that this coaster was opening and he was getting to ride it. So I felt nice about that because he got to ride it.
00:54:51
Speaker
And then a couple other families came over with their small children and rode it. I was going to say, were you by yourself doing this? um My dad was with me. My dad didn't ride anything. okay right He got out of the car at this stop.
00:55:04
Speaker
um He didn't go in the zoo because he wasn't going to pay admission for nothing. daid ah But he did go into Tuscarora Park with me. and He was like i he like helped me find the the pool office and everything and all that. So...
00:55:18
Speaker
Uh, but, it was just me and this, this other kid that rode the coaster. They sent us around like three times. Um, after that, I drove 45 minutes to a place called fun times fun park, um, that had a e and F miler, like,
00:55:36
Speaker
Cobra or Python pit, whatever it's called. I rode that with fun fact. If you go to ride that, if you have an ACE membership or any coaster club membership, they, they took buzz bars. Even, uh, you only have to pay for the ride you don't have to pay park admission. So shout out to them for that.
00:55:53
Speaker
o Then I finished at a place called sluggers and putters. Um, and their coaster had just reopened from the rain. So I rode that and I completed my gauntlet of three kiddie coasters and a zoo credit to get myself to 997.
00:56:11
Speaker
nine hundred and ninety sevenen so if I decide I'm crazy enough in the next two weeks, I might go to this fair that's less than an hour from me and get one more. That way at Magic Mountain, I can start Viper and X2 immediately and not have to go anywhere else.
00:56:27
Speaker
Do you want talk about your experience stopping an affair and then? I'll get there. Yeah. um This is really quick. That night, my dad and I went to a Cleveland Guardians game in Cleveland, um and they were giving giving away jerseys.
00:56:42
Speaker
But the jersey was for a player whose name is Tanner Bybee. And it was hilarious. That's great. As soon as I got the jersey, I took a picture of it, which I'll show you guys. I know you can't see on the podcast, but um I sent it to Taylor and I said, they misspelled your name. but So close to greatness. I know. i was like, did you know you pitched for the Cleveland Guardians? He's like, I'd actually heard of that guy before.
00:57:08
Speaker
And if you don't know Taylor, he doesn't know anything about sports. I was going to say that one does not know sports. Someone has told him about this already. it was even funnier.
00:57:19
Speaker
Yeah, that game was fun. Oh, no, we know you're good. It's all good. That game was fun, and we went to Cedar Point to kind of justify this trip on the way home.
00:57:33
Speaker
on Sunday and um my dad had not been there since 2018 so I got my dad on Top Thrill 2 for the first time Siren's Curse for the first time um oh shout out to Byron by the way who gave us We got right back and we rode Top Thrill 2 twice in a row because he let us back on.
00:57:55
Speaker
Shout out to Byron. We love Byron. I think I've met Byron. And my dad got the Wild Mouse credit as well. And we figured out that if my dad had ridden, like, a couple of the kiddie coasters that I had ridden, he would have hit 300 at Cedar Point on Top Thrill 2 or Siren's Curse. But instead he's sitting at, like, 297 or or The audacity.
00:58:18
Speaker
yeah wow Um, but yeah, that was fun. We came back home and got here at like, I don't know, 9 PM. So it was clearly the smartest and greatest trip ever to be made.
00:58:33
Speaker
And then to finalize, um, I'll throw in what Allison said. went home for the 4th of July and on my way back, um, Last Sunday, i was driving through Indianapolis and happened to look over and see the Marion County Fair.
00:58:50
Speaker
And I was like, oh, should I pull over and get get a credit? Because I knew one of them I already had. But um I checked their website and there was two names on there, Orient Express and Wacky Worm. And I was like...
00:59:03
Speaker
I don't have an Orient Express by them. So there's at least one credit and that's all I wanted was one. So I went ahead entered, paid and everything, got in there, rode the coaster, got off and looked and the name said Dragon Express, not Orient Express.
00:59:20
Speaker
And I checked and I had already written that. So I couldn't count it. So big, big fail, big blunder there. But, you know,
00:59:33
Speaker
It's what I get for being a credit fiend. I can't help That stinks. Yeah, that's my trip recap, guys.
00:59:45
Speaker
I know we all want a deep dive on the little Alan Herschel at Tuscora Park. Sorry, what? A very important question because you were in northern Ohio. was. Did you get the parasite that makes you have explosive diarrhea?
00:59:57
Speaker
i did not. I didn't know that was thing.
01:00:02
Speaker
The important questions, guys.
Completing Ohio Coaster List & Parasite Humor
01:00:04
Speaker
Yeah, I did not get Montezuma's Revenge of the North. This is the the content you come to the inverted creative podcast follow. yeah It's a very serious question. it's It's apparently like a thousand people in Ohio. Other places too, but Ohio is like, ah I think, the biggest outbreak right now.
01:00:22
Speaker
I did not, and I will throw in that I am only one coaster away from every coaster in Ohio, too, by Oh, so you don't have much more credit runs to risk the explosive diarrhea. apparently Right. It is up there. It's at Howard's Apples Farm Market up in northern Ohio.
01:00:42
Speaker
But ah it's only open in like September, October. So. OK, I wouldn't suggest eating the berries there. Or the lettuce. I don't know if I want to go there for a while now. Yeah. you mentioned But Ohio completion.
01:00:56
Speaker
Ohio completion, except you might pee your pants. You might have to risk something. You might risk pooping your pants, but you get Ohio completion.
01:01:07
Speaker
We're not a news podcast, but fun times fun. You've already reached a level of enthusiasm that I could only like lucid dream being being like achieving. that This would only add that it would only add to your legend.
01:01:25
Speaker
Well, that's that's fair. um But the fun times fun part that I went to, they're actually building and bringing back a defunct model, the Alan Herschel Mighty man right mighty Mouse.
01:01:40
Speaker
ah So the like really big Alan Herschel Wild Mouse that's definitely not sketchy, that's coming back. There hasn't been one in years.
01:01:51
Speaker
Maybe I'll have to make my way to Ohio, I'm probably. not making You should come visit us in Ohio. It's too hard to get there. Allison, I'll see you in Atlanta.
01:02:04
Speaker
That's not Cincinnati. Yeah, but it's your yeah home. so like Also a place I don't want to go. Maybe I will go go to Atlanta.
01:02:16
Speaker
Nate, I have one good eat well two good reasons why you should come to Atlanta with us. What are the two good reasons? Village Burger and Pontoon Brewing. Okay. those are Those are pretty good reasons, actually. Yeah. I think Michael's going to surprise me with him, but I'm like, we're going to go to Village Burger, aren't we?
01:02:34
Speaker
He's like, yeah. Village Burger sounds something like it's right up my alley. I'm finally going to go ride Monster Mansion. I don't care about a single other thing in that park. I'm to ride it with you.
01:02:45
Speaker
I know you're not going to ride Georgia Gold Rusher. Yeah, definitely not. Unfortunately, that's in pieces. I would be finding my way over to Outlander at some point if flights were not $800. Yeah.
01:03:01
Speaker
Yeah. yeah We're actually flying Delta for fairly cheap, so I'm excited. Yeah, i I had points on Frontier and then I'm i'm flying.
01:03:16
Speaker
I'm going wild to Orlando right after, but there's so many flights Atlanta to or Orlando that I'm really hoping that's not a bad decision. Yeah.
01:03:28
Speaker
Yeah, it was it was it was either pay to Force which thank God i already have from last year,
01:03:41
Speaker
or pay less than two hundred and fifty dollars to go down to san francisco
01:03:51
Speaker
That choice was definitely made. That weekend and the flight is like $70, but don't know if I'm going to do
01:04:02
Speaker
it not.
01:04:05
Speaker
Okay, I think that brings us into... going to say, i have a trip recap, but go listen to the last episode where I did an entire episode about it. so Yeah. yeah um I also went to Vegas right after i was in...
01:04:19
Speaker
The Netherlands and I rode the Big Apple coaster twice. It was very fun. Heck yeah. I feel sorry for you. My condolences. Yeah. I mean, it's cute.
01:04:30
Speaker
I thought it was cute. um And then I rode with a bunch of coworkers, which like none of them are roller coaster people. But we were all like um just enjoying Vegas on our last night. And um we got everyone on it, including someone who is scared of roller coasters.
01:04:47
Speaker
Um, so it was really fun. And we like closed out the roller coaster. Like we got there, we were last train of the night, only us on the train. So it was very fun. Um, but yeah, then it brings me to one of my days in the Netherlands where I finally, finally, finally went Plopsaland, Belgium.
Jen's Experience at Plopsaland
01:05:09
Speaker
Very excited. Hell yeah. We put it in the GPS. like I had mentioned to friends and they were like, oh no, we never rode rides to happiness. And I was like, wait, what? Me neither. Well, like how far is it? It makes sense. If I'm not the only one who hasn't ridden it, then like we should go. And it was only like two hours and 15 minutes away. So we loaded everyone up in the car and we took a trip to Plopsville in Belgium. Took a trip across the border.
01:05:35
Speaker
Yeah. Exactly. So we we went and i didn't ride everything, but I rode Heidi the Ride. Heidi the Ridey.
01:05:47
Speaker
Heidi the Ridey. It was um very cute. Very good. It's not as good as whitenett Lightning, but it's very good. The theming's great. um And then Dragon...
01:06:01
Speaker
dragging The dragon ride? I don't even know what it's called. It's like a little dragon roller coaster. um i think it's a powered coaster, if I remember.
01:06:13
Speaker
it is a powered coaster. Yeah. god. I think it's a dragon. Yeah. Yeah, that's the one. And then Anubis? Is that the one that's based off of- Anubis! I love Anubis. Yeah, we rode that too. Anubis is so good.
01:06:31
Speaker
It is really good. Yeah. And then we did Hetz Bolsven Plop. It's like a dark ride. Sure. I messed up when I was there. It was kind of so cute. It had a bunch of gnomes in it. like It was so long.
01:06:49
Speaker
I didn't really sneak a beer on, but I just walked on with a beer and no one told me I didn't have it. um So that was kind of fun. And then after we did all that and we did actually we started the day with Ride to Happiness, but then we rode the other things. But then it was like, I have an hour and a half left. Do I go and ride the other two credits?
01:07:12
Speaker
Or do I just ride ride to happiness as much can? happiness, yeah. And that's what I did. So I missed the rest of the credits so I could go ride right to happiness as much as I could. We got like five more rides on it.
01:07:24
Speaker
um Two of which were unbalanced. Yeah. It was so good. My unbalanced ride on that was the best coaster ride I've ever had on any coaster, period.
01:07:41
Speaker
Dude, i like, I can't believe I have never laughed as much as I laughed on that coaster. Like, yeah I didn't know where i was going. i didn't know what ah if you asked me what elements were on that roller coaster, I would have no idea.
01:07:57
Speaker
Like, i I'm like, girl, I don't even know where I was. You rode the happiness. Yeah, literally. Like, I could not stop laughing. it Oh, my gosh. It's incredible.
01:08:08
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. The sideways, though, momentum, though, it did make me have to go to the bathroom. Oh. Like, I literally got off the first time and i was like, I gotta run, guys.
01:08:19
Speaker
Help.
01:08:22
Speaker
But, dude, so good. So good. i wish i I wish I had a fresh memory of. Right. Because I wrote it four years ago. I heard it three years ago. I still remember. like i so i still I still remember how it like how I felt like multiple times hitting the bridge. I went in April um of 2022, and like it was not busy at all. So I got like somewhere in the region of 15 to 20 rides on it. like Oh, you beat me. I got 13 rides on it.
01:08:57
Speaker
Oh yeah, i I definitely got more than 13.
01:09:03
Speaker
Wow. So yeah, like like multiple times I have memory of just hitting the brake runner and just being like, what? Just like, what even is this ride? Yeah.
01:09:18
Speaker
But yeah, I wish I wish i remembered more like specific moments from my ride. I remember some, but like not as much. I don't remember specific moments from my ride, but that's because it was insane and I don't know what was happening. No, it wasn't. That's a grown one.
01:09:36
Speaker
but Gronaland! Gronaland! Gronaland! Now there, Gronaland! We're going to take the kids all down to Stockholm to go to Gronaland.
01:09:52
Speaker
You know, going ride that insane. We're going to ride Monster down at Gronaland. What do you mean you're going to Sweden? and We're going to ride Twister at Gronaland.
01:10:12
Speaker
These kids gonna have Stockholm Syndrome by the time we're done. I swear this is an episode about Ride to Half Man.
01:10:22
Speaker
Jen said the word. And then you said everything else. Yeah, I did. You're right. I told you I'm a sleeper agent. I hear the word and I'm like, no, that's a gronal land.
01:10:35
Speaker
Yeah, it's only a snickers for you now. A gronal land! yeah Now it's just gonna feed off of each other every time he says it's a gronal land. I'm gonna ask. I try to not do it more than once per episode.
01:10:49
Speaker
I can't call it Grunaland anymore. Grunaland? We can't call it its actual name anymore. Oh man, I gotta change my stickers already. man real Reel this back in We're talking about Plopsaland.
01:11:06
Speaker
Ride to Happiness.
01:11:11
Speaker
Before we get too deep into our discussion... um Now that everybody's dying. Thanks, Nate.
Coaster-Focused Episodes: Ride to Happiness
01:11:24
Speaker
So um um right before Nate joined the podcast officially, we kind of talked about like doing coaster focused episodes for ah no reason in particular. i don't know who coaster focuses, but i just focus on coasters, man.
01:11:38
Speaker
But just the idea to do like our park centric deep dives, but just with roller coasters and calling it coaster focused on whatever coaster. So this is our very first coaster-focused episode.
01:11:50
Speaker
um We were arguing in our group chat if we're going to do Ride to Happiness or Stardust, and I think I made the final call for Ride Happiness. But I would say if this goes well, but we're an hour and 12 in and have barely talked about Ride to Happiness, but...
01:12:05
Speaker
We had big trip recaps and some other stuff. I think if we do one that's little less last minute and that the future, they'll be better. Also, if it hadn't been two months since one of our hosts was on the podcast.
01:12:19
Speaker
Right. Man, Nate. Yeah, what the heck? You should really take this more seriously. I really should. You're right. I'll try to do better. I'll try to focus in more.
01:12:33
Speaker
Perfect. You're not coaster focused. Generally a good idea. i am coaster unfocused. We know. yeah Yeah. i Yeah. We also just yapped four 40 minutes before we started anything.
01:12:50
Speaker
That's normal for us, honestly. so um Sorry for the yapping, guys. Let the record show I tried to progress the episode onwards. hope it happeningpping The idea of our coaster-focused episodes are to look at all of the creative aspects of a specific coaster. So on my list, I literally have layout, theming, onboard audio, immersion, surroundings, train design, station colors, or station, comma, colors.
01:13:17
Speaker
dot dot dot whatever so all those things that we do are like deep dive episodes on but focused on today ride to happiness one coaster attraction yeah um I'm not I'm gonna be the one voice of dissent and that Jen yelled at me I think Jen Nate y'all both yelled at me for this um I do not have it ranked as highly as the others on this podcast right now because I went in late november and it was a day where it was very windy and cold and we weren't even sure that ride to happiness was going to open so i did not get optimal rides we just told her that was a skill issue and she needs to do better well i will get back to the decision making this was the part of the decision making progress that i'm a process that i missed because i was asleep yeah i'm sorry you woke up to 103 messages in our group
01:14:15
Speaker
forgive you this time
01:14:19
Speaker
I feel like you're done for like you're never gonna change it because like fury it's just fine to me even after I got good rides on it it's still just fine to me I know we're not we're talking about ride to happiness here it's not fury yeah but my first fury rides I have the same exact thing that Allison is saying right now I didn't ride it in like good conditions and I like i know it's a ride I would love more if I had Better rides on it.
01:14:46
Speaker
it is nice It is my type of ride. Skill issue. Well, I'm sorry. It has a rolling launch, Allison. It does. and again, this is part of why I know I would love it more. I mean, it's not that I hate it.
01:14:59
Speaker
I have it at 14 right now. That's But I know it could be higher. It's got a rolling launch with a airtime hill on it. and That's even better.
01:15:10
Speaker
And the magnet, right? his um front And the magnet that, like, makes you spin, yeah. Yeah. Dude. Which is maybe one of my favorite moments of that ride. Although, like, the entire ride is my favorite moment of that ride because for a long time, it was my number one. And by a long time, I mean, like, a year and a half. But it's because of Voltron. I'm sorry.
01:15:35
Speaker
Um... It... It's yeah. Um, it's, it's near perfect for me personally, but, um, I don't know. Do we want to go in that order that we have it? Like we talked about the layout first because I can kind of run down what. um I think actually. um Clearly this is going to have spoilers. If you do not write to have spoilers.
01:16:06
Speaker
This is the part where you can probably leave the episode. I hope you enjoyed our yapping and trip recaps. But this is the part where where you leave. If you would die not like any spoilers. If you're listening to a ride to happiness episode. And don't want spoilers. Why are you listening to a ride happiness episode? Yeah. Yeah, this is not a spoiler-free episode. We love you, but spoilers the whole rest of the episode. I actually think because it's Ride to Happiness and like just in general, we should probably start with theming.
01:16:34
Speaker
Yeah, theming is a good one. Because I think that's the like the first thing that you see walking into when walking into the attraction is the theming. um So I think that we should start with theming.
01:16:47
Speaker
um At least the general theme of the attraction for those who don't know and do want spoilers. Yeah. um That whole area, at least when I was there, was just gorgeous because you walk in under like this giant green arch and it has like a golden glass like logo of the Tomorrowland butterfly symbol with the gears on it and everything. And then all around you is just like plants and flowers and then you're walking underneath the ride.
01:17:21
Speaker
And that's not, you haven't even gotten up to the station yet. Like, um the whole area is built around it. um Which I guess we can mention, it is themed to Tomorrowland, which is an EDM festival in Europe that they have annually. i don't know much more about it than that, but that is literally what it's themed to.
01:17:43
Speaker
Yeah, i I think it's also, and like... important like the you don't have to know the extent of the festival the festival is crazy large um yeah it's it's the biggest it's the biggest festival like in the world right is it not i think so um and isn't that the um like they do extravagant sets but isn't that the one last year where their set caught on fire like a couple a couple yeah days yeah yeah yeah like and the set was like
01:18:16
Speaker
The sets are massive. Absurd. They all they always yeah they've just They've just gotten more and more elaborate and more and more outrageous like year by year.
01:18:27
Speaker
um But yeah, I just think by... but by by um like attendee population by by simple square footage by size of the you know the size of each set, size of each stage, I think that ah like it is if if if not the biggest, like among the biggest.
Thematic Exploration: Tomorrowland's Influence
01:18:49
Speaker
Yeah, i I believe so as well. And then also just if you don't know EDM festival vibes, which of course and I'm not the most well-versed in them either, but a lot of it centers around like peace and love and and inclusion. happiness.
01:19:05
Speaker
um And happiness. And the official slogan of Tomorrowland Music Festival is actually live today, love tomorrow, unite forever. um So Ride to Happiness kind of fits right into that.
01:19:16
Speaker
um well not so so the it's has a the The name is taken from one of from one of the stages, which was called the Key to Happiness.
01:19:28
Speaker
And that's why the station looks like a keyhole, like on the front where you come out? Okay. I actually did not know that. Is the actual building, like... It's a keyhole.
01:19:39
Speaker
I did know it was a keyhole, and I knew it came from, like, a set, but it... So let me let me see what year it was. It's definitely the name it's definitely the name of one of the sets.
01:19:52
Speaker
The key to happiness.
01:19:57
Speaker
Aggressive typing. Yeah, that's actually really creative. creative for them to do that. 2014 was the central theme. um the ah The key to happiness was the central theme to Tomorrowland, which, of course, like featured... ah what it's it's one It's one of their more iconic er ah like set designs that they did.
01:20:22
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I'm just reading reading off of ah off of a off of a blog. like the like the festival of ah the the in Within, like I guess, like the whole umbrella law of Tomorrowland, the theme encouraged attendees ah to look within, embrace the present, and celebrate unity and love. So um this like like you said like um said, as is, I guess, kind of typical for EDM music festivals,
01:20:52
Speaker
embracing spirituality and celebrating and celebrating that and the joy within that. um It is very much put to the fore, push to the fore, to the forefront of the overall atmosphere of ride to happiness as a, as an attraction.
01:21:09
Speaker
So they really, they really did. They really did well with, um I guess, birthing ride happiness as an attraction from what ah was already there.
01:21:24
Speaker
Yeah. um And the whole like station building and everything is just it's gorgeous, too. Mikhail, let's call back to a few episodes ago. is it Art Deco or is it Art Nouveau?
01:21:42
Speaker
I can't remember. So I would interpret it as Art Nouveau. Okay. So i one ah so one thing one thing I like about just like the thematic um sort of intention in the architecture is that it kind of fuses Art Nouveau with a lot of naturalist elements as well.
01:22:04
Speaker
I think you mentioned you mentioned a lot of the flowers, um a lot of the light fixtures, um a lot of the lampshades on the light fixtures are... theme to flowers. Yes. So they they they they merged those two well and then with a lot of um a lot of steampunk elements ah as well. Yeah, a lot a lot of gears, moving parts, cogs. um You see it on the trains. The Ride to Happiness is like central logo. like the out The outer shell of it is is ah is a cog or gear. Yeah.
01:22:39
Speaker
um So there's there's a nice fusion of like different architectural elements, I'll say.
01:22:47
Speaker
Yes. Good callback to that episode. Yeah. I remember mentioning it specifically. Well, no, it's ah it's the ah the episode art for that one. is the Oh, yeah, yeah, you're right. happen the station Not knowing we would be talking about Ride to Happiness more few weeks later.
01:23:03
Speaker
um This is actually not um super related to... current Ride to Happiness. However, in doing like a little bit of the research, and by that mean I read the wiki page like before the episode. I'm reading it currently. um It was working under the title Time Traveler. Oh, okay. um Yeah, it was.
01:23:28
Speaker
Yeah, I didn't know that. I wasn't really into coasters. like I was into ah Disney and Universal at that point, but I wasn't really into coasters as a whole in
01:23:41
Speaker
like what is that 2020 i probably was getting into like announced yeah so i didn't know that it yeah it was going by the name time traveler until it was officially announced um because i remember ever everyone was like what
Train Design and Thematic Elements
01:23:56
Speaker
it's going to be it's going to be called time travel even though there's like the already there's already a extreme spinner called time traveler yeah i was actually gonna how are we ever gonna tell them apart like the call because belgium and the us s are the same country right so like like how is anyone gonna you know people gonna set a silver dollar city like thinking the the pops of land and and how's it gonna work guys like i'm so confused
01:24:22
Speaker
Isn't it the exact same train design too? I was looking and it looks to be, um i thought they were ever so slightly different, but they are identical other than the logo on the front and time traveler has a a little time dial that has the date and stuff that ride to happiness does not have. So other than that, and they are identical.
01:24:48
Speaker
Yeah, the Ride to Happiness trains also have the onboard audio speakers as well. but They do, yes. Oh, and then Time Traveler does not, right? Yeah. I will say, um at the I don't know if this is still true, but at the time of Time Traveler and Ride to Happiness coming out, both of these trains were the most expensive roller coaster trains ever created.
01:25:10
Speaker
I don't know if that still holds true or not, but that's a fun fact. I did know that they were the exact same train because I have not ridden time traveler and I don't know much about it. However, last year during the summer nights party at Europa Park, Mok just like put out a bunch of random stuff in the park and one of them was a train for time traveler that was just in the middle of the park.
01:25:33
Speaker
I remember seeing that, yeah. It was just chilling. i was like, what is this? I was like up close and personal and like touching it and took a picture of it, but I was like, why are you here? Is that the closest you've been to time traveler? The closest I have been to time traveler. Was in Germany. Was in southern Germany. yeah Yeah. Make that make sense. Yeah, I think it was like supposed to be. I think they were showcasing some of their accomplishments and that was their extreme spinner accomplishment. So they had the train, which kind of is crazy that to me, like, do they just I don't know.
01:26:07
Speaker
Just have an extra. it was just have an extra. Like, it's themed to Time Traveler. It looks identical. They just have an extra sitting. Like, did they order a new train? They they might have made it as a prototype. That was their first one. It was Time Traveler and then Ride of Happiness, which are identical. So...
01:26:23
Speaker
Yeah, so maybe it was just like, maybe it was like a prototype of it, but it looks like it was identical to the trains. on Maybe a proof of concept, or no, that's yeah even less than a prototype, actually. Well, who knows? It is their first of that type roller coaster, so maybe they did just have an extra one. Like, yeah to have on display, to whatever. Maybe it was, yeah.
01:26:44
Speaker
Who knows? i don't know. um But it sat in Europa Park for like two weeks. Mm-hmm. I'm glad you got to experience Time Traveler. Thanks. Yeah. um Just, and then obviously the trains fit in with the theming so well that it's just like all around. It's just, it's it just works. Yeah, it's, it's I've always thought of Ride Happiness as an interesting one because it's not what I would call ah like ah like a demonstration of like immersive theming.
01:27:21
Speaker
Right, like while riding it? Well, just just in general, whether you're on the ride or just like in the... in the in the um Like on any of the walkways or in the plaza or anything. but it But there are hints of it all around you. Like, it is kind of in little bits um or like to varying degrees, like every everywhere around you. there's and there's no there's There's no point where you're like stood with it like in the midst of that attraction and and can look in a certain direction and...
01:27:50
Speaker
ill you'll be taken out of it, like, a little bit. Right. Yeah. It's just really nicely... Like, it's not... In terms of just, like, the the the level of thematics going on, like, to draw you into that attraction, is it's just... It's done tastefully.
01:28:08
Speaker
Like, it's... Yeah. A good amount. It's not well it's overwhelming or anything. It's a little bit of what you get with the Plopsa land parks, is that, like, you just get...
01:28:21
Speaker
They put money, they put time and effort into their theming, but it's not something you're going to get at the truly immersive parks. But they a great job in their own right. And that's exactly what Ride to Happiness does, as you said.
01:28:37
Speaker
um i do I do prefer its execution thematically to time travel, as I will say. And I mean, like, the like the the comparisons between the two are are going to be inevitable in this episode.
01:28:50
Speaker
Papa, we did it! Yeah,
01:28:54
Speaker
yeah i'd id ah so Aside from obviously um ah time travel overall being much more family friendly in comparison to Ride to Happiness, where which is much more ah which is much more intense forces-wise and everything, I do think just as an attraction, Ride Happiness is executed better. Yeah. From a theme art example.
01:29:17
Speaker
Yeah, I just think that they they do such a good job with like having, ah you've already essentially said this, you have enough theming to feel like you're part of the experience, but also not so much that it's like... Overwhelming.
01:29:34
Speaker
oh Yeah, overwhelming. It's just enough to understand. But also, I don't think they're trying to... so I think what makes it I think what makes it a little bit different is, like, they're not trying to sell you on, like, a story or a an actual, like... They're not trying to sell you on a story. Like, Baron, for example. Yeah. Like, Baron, they're trying to sell you on a story. Like, that theming is so immersive and so good because they're selling you on a story. um And even...
01:30:06
Speaker
I mean, Voltron's pretty similar, I would say, because they're not telling you a full story. They're really just getting you into the experience. But, like, with the whole Tomorrowland vibes, like, they're not selling you on a story and they're not selling you on, like, a time period. They're selling you on, like, a vibe.
01:30:21
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. On an experience and on, like, a feeling. And sure, they it's, like, very steampunky because that's Tomorrowland. But for the most part, they're...
01:30:36
Speaker
they're selling you on unity and love and happiness, not... Yeah. an actual story. like I hope that makes sense. No, no, no. Yeah, it does.
01:30:47
Speaker
It does. Oh, for sure. It's more vibes than story. Actually, it's actually almost like ties into our next talking point. It's because it's part of the theming because Tomorrowland and all of the EDM festival music. That's why they have the onboard audio yeah that they do. And that is part of the theming. Um,
01:31:12
Speaker
So, I mean, obviously when you start in the station and as you roll out the the robotic, what is she? She's like a robot lady that says that says the slogan, live today, love tomorrow, unite forever as you pull out. And then the music starts behind you and it's like,
01:31:32
Speaker
Okay, now you're in it. It was not working when I wrote it. Okay, you just need to go back. I know. Why did you go at such a terrible time? I did not get the full experience. So I will say that, like, I You didn't get an experience. I got right to happiness, okay? You wrote Seer and Grindr in Belgium. ah I think it was a little better than that.
01:31:59
Speaker
The, um, I will say that the first ride, maybe even two rides, I didn't even realize there was onboard audio. Like, i think because the second we hit that launch, like, just the excitement was so high and then I couldn't stop laughing. And like, I had no idea there was onboard, board audio that went straight over my head.
01:32:24
Speaker
Um,
01:32:27
Speaker
And i still i I still loved it. um So I think that i think that ride is in a really unique place to be fantastic with or without the audio. Yeah. um I actually can speak to that because I agree that it's phenomenal without the onboard audio. But when I was there, there was one specific set of seats. So only train... I'll just call it train two. There were two trains running. Yeah.
01:32:56
Speaker
Let's call it train true back row. It actually, there was a little sticker on this specific one and it wasn't a park sticker. It was a it was a little like shark sticker that someone had like put on there, like for fun.
01:33:09
Speaker
But that one was on there and that was the seat that the onboard audio wasn't working on. the other three The other three cars and the opposite side of that and the entire so first train, it was working. It was just one set of seats that it wasn't. And I got that seat because we kept riding in the back row, of course.
01:33:29
Speaker
I got that seat probably four or five out of the 13 rides. So the majority of them had onboard audio. But it became noticeable to me. the difference between having the onboard audio and not having the onboard audio, I was having a better time with the onboard audio because it was like, it was the vibe. It was getting my like heart rate up. like I love EDM music anyway, but it was like, it was flowing with the ride. it Some of it matched the elements. Now, I don't know if they did that on purpose or not, or if the way it was working just lined up.
01:34:05
Speaker
And, you know, it it added a whole layer to it. And it would it still be my number two if it didn't have on-ride audio? Yeah, probably. um But i could tell I could start to tell a difference by the end of the day. that you start to You start to feel like, not that not that your experience is missing something, but hu that but it's ah a little bit just like, I'm used to there being another element to this.
01:34:31
Speaker
Yeah. oh hey like its it's It's like on Stardust. I was going to bring up Hulk, actually. Hulk as well. I've never actually had a ride on Hulk without the onboard audio, but Stardust Race is one that really affects me.
01:34:47
Speaker
if If Hulk does not have the audio on, it's ruined. really that doesn't happen That doesn't happen to me on Ride to Happiness or Stardust. I can't remember a time where I've had a um a music-less Hulk ride. I've definitely had i definitely had music-less Stardust rides, and it was still so weird still awesome, but it was kind of just like...
01:35:12
Speaker
it it like it it I feel like there should be something else here as well that that I'm used to hearing from obviously when you get music on it and stuff. So it's a lot it's a little bit like that. It definitely it definitely doesn't distract to the point where it's like, oh, this is objectively a worse ride without it. but Right. yeah the The cool thing I like, and I've noticed this on almost Pretty much all of the rides I've experienced onboard audio of is that it just surrounds sound like because there's two speakers behind you and you feel it around you.
01:35:44
Speaker
And this goes for any coaster that I've ridden with onboard audio. But with Ride to Happiness, the EDM surrounding you and you going you don't know where you're going. yeah And it's the ride itself is disorienting, which I love.
01:35:59
Speaker
and then you have the music surrounding you, you feel like you're floating in this, I don't know, this like realm, this other realm. It's crazy. And to that point, um I feel like the layout feeds into that feeling so well. At the very least, the yeah first half of the layout. is I was going to say the second half.
01:36:18
Speaker
ah Well, I do feel like the second half gets a bit gets a bit more aggressive in terms of just like... the um the ejector airtime moments the sensor the sensor speed is raised a little bit in the first half because because the elements are so flowy at least when you come when you come off of the when you come off of the drop when you hit the um the butterfly inversion and then and then the loop and then into the zero g roll it's all so flowy and obviously you're rotating or you might not be you might just be taking it different different directions and stuff but like you like rotating through these inversions
01:36:53
Speaker
which, I mean, like, you're already, you know, like, being flipped upside down and stuff, but then to be rotating through them as well, it adds to that, like, feeling of um floating in a realm that the 360 feeling of the onboard audio is
Ride Experience Highlights
01:37:10
Speaker
is giving you. It all feeds into itself, like, super, yeah super well. Especially, like, specifically in that first half, I think. Yeah, that's why it works as well as it does.
01:37:20
Speaker
And the second half, my point there, is it does get more intense. You get more ejector on it. You have the... I'm going to call it a flying snake dive because I don't know what else to call it. The roll in the air down into the dive loop. I call it a dive loop. but yeah that's That's also a good name for it. You're just what is constantly flipping and... A what?
01:37:44
Speaker
Banana roll. Banana. I... Wait, banana rolls earlier in the ride. Banana rolls like right away. That's what Mikhail called the butterfly roll, I think. yeah Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:37:55
Speaker
This is after the second launch when you do like a double roll in the air and then you go to a dive. Step up under flip. Okay, a step up under flip.
01:38:05
Speaker
um look Yeah, so when you're on the step up under flip and the music's playing in your ear, you're you're um in a different sense of the beginning where you're just kind of floating in it.
01:38:16
Speaker
Now it's like the background to like almost like what it feels like is intense as a boss fight in a video game. Like that's what the music turns into.
01:38:27
Speaker
Like you're intense and you're feeling it. Plus the ejector heels at the end, and then you hit the break run, and the music like hits that final closeout of the song. its Yeah, yeah. o everything Everything calms down, and then you just hit it. Yeah. and ah yeah just Chef's kiss. As you're coming like coming around the break run, it's like, oh, perfect. yeah Yeah, they did really well with the timing of all the music.
01:38:57
Speaker
Mm-hmm. Yes, the timing went really well. It felt intentional. Which also so we've all we've kind of talked about the layout now as well, which is which is good. that um What did we call it again? forget what it was called already.
01:39:14
Speaker
Step Up Underflip? The Step Up Underflip my favorite element on any coaster, specifically because it's on Ride to Happiness. Like, that's my favorite element. I truly, like... I cannot emphasize the fact that i'm I am being so unbelievably honest.
01:39:35
Speaker
I have no idea what that episode It's hard to know. I think there's a cobra roll? No? Ish? What is that first element? I don't even know. So, they've got, like...
01:39:50
Speaker
A curved top hat is what i Wait, are you talking about the very beginning? The very beginning. that The Jojo roll. oh no, no, no. It's like a curved Jojo roll? Oh, okay. No. I'm talking about the really weird... Like, you... i don't know. I don't even... The... Yeah, it's like ah almost a cobra roll, kind of not. it's Like, don't think it's any element, but it feels crazy. It's like a curved top hat, and you're, like, leaning out over the edge as you do it. It's... Yeah. Yeah.
01:40:21
Speaker
I don't what to call that. And then you're spinning. So it's like, oh, that's the only element that I know exists on the whole entire ride. I didn't even know that there was a flying snake dive. Like true. Yeah. No clue.
01:40:34
Speaker
Step Up Under Flip is crazy to name that. don right I agree. I'm not calling it but it a is ah that. like Flying Snake Dive is such a specific to Storm Runner thing to me, yeah just in terms of how it's profiled, that I wouldn't even call it that either.
01:40:53
Speaker
um It's just the closest thing I could think of. It's double inverted dive loop to me. um But no, I mean, if we're talking about like favorite parts of the layout and stuff, um I have, I mean, theress there's so many moments on it but um are it.
01:41:13
Speaker
One of my favorites, I will say, is the um the top hat entry in the front car. Oh, yeah. You get lost. It might be the strongest airtime I've ever felt on it. You get lost. It's ridiculous,
01:41:30
Speaker
Yeah. You get... Bro, you get flung to the moon. so yeah It's stupid. It's like you hit it and you're gone. It might be legit the strongest airtime I've ever felt.
01:41:45
Speaker
Maybe. yeah if if If not the strongest, it's got to be top three. And then you're hitting it most likely not straight on. So it's like... Yeah, you get shot to the moon in any direction. yeah Yeah. Not even any direction. You're spinning. So like you're hitting it mid-turn. It's so busy.
01:42:07
Speaker
I actually think that my front row was one of my unbalanced rides too. Oh, yeah. yes Yeah. I didn't get any front row unbalanced, but I did get back row.
01:42:20
Speaker
Unbalanced rides, dude. That thing was insane. Oh, yeah. I'm not going to this time. ah um But literally, I've said it before, like,
01:42:35
Speaker
My, okay, so I rode it 13 times um in the day that I was there. The 10th ride that we had on it was unbalanced in that back row seat, and we hit every, like, turn and every curve at, like, the perfect moment. You know how, like, kind of those yeah spinning wild mouses where you hit the corner ride, it goes stronger.
01:42:57
Speaker
I don't think I've ever spun on a coaster faster going through that double inverting, dive loop, step up, under flip, whatever you want i call it. um And I was um only against the lap bar for a solid 15 seconds. um And um I couldn't see straight um the airtime hills at the end. I was hitting it backwards and forwards all on the same hill was how fast we were spinning. yeah um And that ride in particular is what I crown as my
01:43:32
Speaker
best ride on any coaster I've ever had. yeah How does it not be Voltron for my number one? i really can't answer that, but I just... It is. it That was the best ride I've ever had on any coaster ever.
01:43:45
Speaker
yeah yeah i've definite I've definitely had um ah rides where like we hit the we're all We're already like spinning. Maybe maybe not like to the degree that you were talking about, by a lot but like definitely spinning spinning enough to spin through the entire the entire two inversions while also obviously being flipped upside down in them.
01:44:08
Speaker
And you know you go you you you go you go in sideways, like you do like a full 360 and then some like all the way to the exit in the dive, and then come out still spinning. I've definitely had a... Definitely had a couple of moments like that. And it's just like, but i mean, like is there is even is there even any point in writing any of the course?
01:44:36
Speaker
it's yeah That is the coaster. Yeah. yeah it Because it's like, I mean, like, it's it's full... with talk about the We talking about the theming not being, like, overwhelming. But that sensation in that moment, like, spinning through a double roll, essentially, with the music getting more and more intense at the same time, that is sensory overload. know Yeah. Like...
01:45:05
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, love it. I love it too. Absolutely
01:45:12
Speaker
insane. It is insane so stupid intense.
01:45:16
Speaker
It's, it's, it's, it's, yeah. Did you that just to bait Nate, by the way? Yeah, i looked right at him after he said that. Oh, I heard him and then I almost said it too and I stopped myself.
01:45:29
Speaker
Like I said, I try not to do it every time someone says it. You can tell out I didn't say it just to bait anyone because I wasn't even looking at the camera at the time. I feel like it doesn't turn into problem now. Like, it doesn't turn into a problem for you to say it, but it's my response of groan-a-land. Groan-a-land!
01:45:48
Speaker
That we can't do every time. right i know That 100% has the cadence of like, oh, brother, this guy stinks. Oh, brother, this guy stinks. Yeah,
01:46:01
Speaker
literally same vibes. Oh, brother, this guy stinks.
01:46:10
Speaker
Oh my goodness. I think we've said Grown-a-Land more than we've said Plopsaland in Belgium. More than we've talked about Plopsaland. We're an hour and 46 in. Yeah.
01:46:25
Speaker
Oh my goodness. Okay, let's get back to Plopsaland. I was going to mention the Jojo role, actually, because we hadn't really mentioned that.
01:46:36
Speaker
Yeah, it's a super fun way to start start the whole experience. It is a great way to start the ride because you are already spinning and you just slowly go upside down and you're hanging there and you're spinning and you're just looking at everybody on the ground because they're right below you. And like it, you get flipped upside down no matter what direction you're facing. there's no There's no way that there's no like direction that any of the seats can be facing and you don't get flipped upside down. that's that's crazy to me like like how did how did they figure that out how did they figure that out to get every seat on a spinning coaster which by the way doesn't dampen the spinning like time traveler does on the on the cars no it doesn't how did they figure out a way to get every seat no matter what direction it's facing in to flip upside down through that
01:47:35
Speaker
That's wild. kept it They kept the track at 180 long enough so that everyone has the full train situation. You're literally just spinning upside down.
01:47:48
Speaker
So they just made it drawn out enough. I feel like it the only way you wouldn't is if you were spinning really, really, really slow, which is really unlikely. oh Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's just because they put you upside down long enough. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. go through But because they put you upside down long enough, that feels like hands down the most intense Jojo role.
01:48:11
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, Copperhead, well, Hydra's, I barely even remember. You have over the shoulders. The over the shoulders really make you feel secure enough that that one doesn't feel as risky. Right. And Copperhead Strikes feels, there's like a moment where you're like, ooh, I could fall out. Yeah, there is. I don't ride the happiness every time I was like, ooh, I'm about to fall out. Yeah. I remember writing it, like, well, a few different times writing it, was just like, going like...
01:48:43
Speaker
oh i'm goodnna like eat there must There must be some way that I can get through this without it like getting you upside down. I'm going to get it this time. going to get it this time. Nope.
01:48:55
Speaker
never have Upside down every time.
01:49:00
Speaker
But yeah, no. the fact that yeah the The fact that you're rotating through it while also... you know being slowly turned upside down and then curving to the right by the way yeah curving like this is a lot going on i think that if you compared this the length of the dro rolls between copperhead strike and ride to happiness and i don't i don't know this as fact just like visually looking at them i'm pretty sure rides to happiness is almost double the size
01:49:32
Speaker
Yeah. Copperheads does it. It's spread out. I mean, like, those cars are... And then it turns. Yeah, and then also, those cars are way bigger than the standard, like, multi-launch. Yeah.
01:49:43
Speaker
And the track gate the the track gauge on the um on the the track, obviously, is much wider as well, so it just has to be more drawn out. Yeah. Yeah. i I just feel like it's so much longer, which makes sense. you feel ah You're upside down longer. Yeah.
01:50:03
Speaker
Um, which the next part is where I'll give like time traveler, it's flowers that it deserves. Um, there's one point on time traveler that I like just slightly more than ride to happiness. It's just the fact that you get that back row drop in the same position every time.
01:50:24
Speaker
Because they're stators that go around that magnetic wheel at the bottom of the train yeah are right on the edge right before you drop.
01:50:36
Speaker
yeah So you don't get that rotation yet. Whereas the stators on Ride to Happiness are halfway down the launch track on the first launch. So when you hit those, you start spinning. Yeah.
01:50:50
Speaker
but The one thing I'll give Time Travel a credit for is that you can get a consistent out-of-your-seat experience every time in the back row. That's true. the back car, actually. um is it row eight the is it Is it row eight that you get like consistently like a backwards drop, or is it row seven?
01:51:10
Speaker
Row eight is the backwards. Row seven is mostly forwards, but you're also, you're crooked on both of them. Yeah. Yeah. Eight, eight left on time traveler. You're going to turn to your right and that's going to be your most backwards, most upside down moment.
01:51:26
Speaker
i'm trying to think because you're going to get pulled this way on the right i'm trying to think back to my rides in 2024 on yeah on on time traveler on the right of the of eight it's more sideways you're still going backwards but it's more sideways and then opposite of seven seven right you're more forwards and then seven left you're more sideways but still four right and then the other three cars It's a gamble because you're spinning and hanging down that drop. so i will I will say when you... when you like I definitely will give it points for for it being a more consistent um you know like peak experience of time travelers drop. Yes.
01:52:06
Speaker
But when you but when you get that when you get that backwards drop on Rides of Happiness... Yeah. The rest of the rides... There's no contest for me. The rest of the rides, it's not fair. Yeah, the rest of the ride is um there's not even worth it.
01:52:22
Speaker
It's just that one moment on Time Traveler that I'll give i'll give credit to. but one point One point I will... i but Because um I feel like... Anyone who's listening who's listening to this who has ridden Ride to Happiness will will you know we champion the double up into the brakes, which is awesome as well, um the yeah the the other the other parts that we've mentioned. One part that I feel like doesn't get mentioned as much um is the is the airight is the twisted airtime hill after the double-inverting dive loop.
01:52:59
Speaker
arm i got ah I got a couple of rides um in the back car where I was where i was facing completely backwards um after coming out coming out of the dive loop and going into that going into that immediate airtime hill.
01:53:18
Speaker
And, dude, just...
01:53:23
Speaker
Sustained ejector airtime being dragged backwards. I mean, like not like not like you know like the backwards airtime on Pantheon's swing launch or Two Tatters' swing launch. I mean, like sustained ejector.
01:53:36
Speaker
imagine imagine Imagine riding twisted timbers backwards. yeah over those over those Yeah. Over those first three hills, those first three sustained ejector hills, imagine taking those backwards. That's what I got on Right to Happiness. Yeah. yeah we're in a much In a much more open seat as well, by the way.
01:53:58
Speaker
I got dragged over that hill and then dragged to the right because it twists at the top as well. yeah Unreal. Unreal. You don't just stay backwards typically.
01:54:09
Speaker
You just, you start backwards and then you go yeah going somewhere else. On a couple of rides, I stayed backwards, like throughout the entire thing. of unbeliev Unbelievable airtime moment. I'm, as as people are know, like I, um I'm not just an airtime for airtime sake kind of person.
01:54:25
Speaker
But in that that moment, I was just like, that moment of airtime is one of my favorites that I've felt for sure. insane Yeah. um You mentioned Pantheon, same thing with like two Tadis or whatever.
01:54:41
Speaker
um Those backwards airtime hills are designed to be taken backwards every time. Ride to Happiness is just designed for pure intensity. And if you take it backwards, you take it backwards. That's just how it is.
01:54:58
Speaker
So they're different for sure. Yeah.
01:55:05
Speaker
I will say there is one moment of the ride, the only one moment the ride that I think doesn't deliver. But that being said, that moment is your only breather until the brake run.
01:55:19
Speaker
And it's after that corkscrew that goes under that first big drop, you have that slanted airtime that goes into the launch. That's the that's the moment that's...
01:55:30
Speaker
That's the only moment, but I will say it almost needs to be there. Yeah. because of How oh crazy the first part is you're processing that and you're about to launch into one of the most intense sections of coaster in the world. Yeah. While spinning.
01:55:47
Speaker
I also liked that moment though, because I was riding with a bunch of people. So like that moment, it was like, you're gauging what the people around you are doing in your com community. Like, Yeah. You're seeing each other and like seeing the other people. So it's like the only, i feel like it was like the only moment on the ride where you actually could even process what the other people were doing on that ride. Yeah.
01:56:08
Speaker
Like, and just watching other people's reactions. Like I loved that moment because I could just see how other people were taking in the ride. Yeah. Yeah, it is it is your one moment to have like a breather and to take in what's going on before you launch right into the last section. yeah um Speaking of the next section, what are your guys' thoughts on launches going over a bunny hop like that?
01:56:37
Speaker
Allison, that had to be the best part of the ride for you because that should be consistent in the cold. Yeah.
01:56:44
Speaker
I don't remember a whole lot about my ride, to be honest. My ride. Your ride to happiness? my My ride to happiness. um I got like four or five rides. But i just I like launches.
01:56:56
Speaker
I really enjoyed that launch. Well, it's rolling launch. Yeah, i know. yeah I had no issues with any of the bunny hops or anything. Yeah, I don't have any like issue with that launch at all. I really enjoy it.
01:57:07
Speaker
i i do I wasn't saying like an issue. i was saying like I love when rides put bunny hops on launches because it's like forced airtime. and What I mean by like forced airtime is it could be the weakest tail ever if it had nothing on it. and But because it's launched. But because it's launched, you're going to get airtime no matter what. yeah So I kind of like how they push you over those.
01:57:29
Speaker
um ah Copperhead has one too, I believe. That one's fun as well. yeah but It's not right happen. Well, even even aside from that, i just I think I expected a bit more from Copperheads. That's the end of Mikhail's involvement of this episode.
01:57:47
Speaker
We do not slander Copperhead Strike here. It's better than... Excuse me, you are damn near this close to not even being on the podcast anymore. You ain't been here in two months. You can never get rid of me. Do you know how excited I was to get on here? I was just like, oh, I get to talk a bunch of themed attractions and coasters with Jen, and then you weren't here for two months. I'm like...
01:58:12
Speaker
Yeah, Mikhail, remember when you were taking over this podcast? Well, it's probably good because you wouldn't have been here for two months because you're going to slander Copperhead Strike and that's stupid. Mikhail, we're going to have do a better job taking this over. They're starting to pull it back. Yeah, let's not get confident.
01:58:29
Speaker
Yeah, your Copperhead Strike opinions are not accepted. Allison, next time we have ideas for co-hosts, that's part of the interview process. All opinions are valid on this podcast. I love how I mentioned one part the ride and it, like, Cophead sets you off like a sleeper agent. Never mind this guy.
01:58:54
Speaker
I like Cophead a lot, but that that moment was one of the less memorable moments of it for me. but I like Cophead a lot. It's a good time. Listen, i'm I'm just out here enjoying coasters whose trains move independently of the track.
01:59:12
Speaker
Okay. but I have ah ah have a thing for those. Whether it's Ride to Happiness, Time Traveler, or Insane at Grota 1. you know I like them.
01:59:24
Speaker
Except for 40 free spins. We don't we don't like those. Anyway. we don't click anyway but wendy um Isn't there a ride called Tornado that spins too?
01:59:36
Speaker
oh yeah, Tornado at Bakken. Is that one any good? i hear okay oh people People love it. It has a following, but I did not enjoy it. It hurt my collarbone. i Yeah, I hear people hate it. I have never heard good things about it. I've heard people. Austin is one of those people know.
01:59:57
Speaker
ah but patin has is one of those people i know i'm i I don't love it. I don't really like that one. I've heard people gush about it. um Yeah, me too. When they they've i know they've gone to ride it boost mode and stuff.
02:00:10
Speaker
i would I think it'd be worse boosted. do That's not the kind of spinning I like. I like Ride to Happiness spinning. Yeah. that was just interesting. Yeah, Ride to Happiness got it perfect. Um...
02:00:26
Speaker
Yeah, Ride to Happiness did get it perfect. But yeah, no, um... I think... but in in terms In terms of the... ah like quick really strong ejector airtime pop in the middle of a launch i i think probably pantheons and two tituses are my favorite but um i did i ah again like rode right happiness four years ago i can't really remember if it was like especially strong but it like it's fun highlight like it's it's a fun it's a fun moment
02:01:03
Speaker
it's it's hard to remember that particular moment when right after that you go into exactly crazy turnaround thing like the mega helix it's not even a helix it's just like a big like loop of yeah element loop a loop of the plaza yeah um One more thing I was going to mention that we haven't brought up yet is I love the unique color of track that Ride to Happiness has because it's like this mauve, brownish, purplish.
02:01:36
Speaker
I don't know. it just it makes it makes me happy. Yeah. Of course. I didn't mean it like that, but yeah. It is a very pleasing color and then like the tan supports below that. m Also, the train looks so pretty on that track. Yeah, especially yeah the gold makes it pop and come together. and i like that that I like that the train color isn't is enough for you to see that it's colored and not just like a you know, like a dark brown slash like just like, well, just like uninterpretable color, but it's not yeah anywhere near enough well, it's it's it's it's muted and shaded enough for the gold on the trains to really stand out.
02:02:23
Speaker
Yes. Yes, it is. Because it shows up because the the the track color shows up really well in photos. Yeah, so it does. Especially when out and Yeah, not in my photos. It was not very bright. oh it It was a mostly cloudy day for me, but it was one of those bright, like you can see the sun through the clouds. And it was it was almost like a like a natural ah dampening of the sun. Yeah. like Yeah, yeah my mine look gray.
02:02:57
Speaker
unfortunately. It was a very gray day for us, too. was a gray day for me in November. I'm sorry. I'm just going to roast Allison every time. I'm used to it. Yeah, i think that if my option was to go in November, I would have said no.
02:03:13
Speaker
i had zero PTO when we went over Thanksgiving. I know, and but I feel like I would have waited a year, two years. like I didn't know when I was going to get to go It was a very fun trip, and I'm glad I went But it just kind of was a bummer.
02:03:29
Speaker
Pretty. Yeah, so I think this really shows the track color well with the trains. Yeah, it definitely is a very pretty. Pretty color. Yeah.
02:03:43
Speaker
Yeah, it fits in really well with the naturalistic arm like kind of color palette of everything else going on in the plaza. It fits in with the the ah the colors on the station.
02:04:00
Speaker
i mean i mean, they even they even um have the theme and architecture of the of the maintenance shed be in keeping with everything else, like in the area as well.
02:04:14
Speaker
Yeah, um it all fits together really well. um Yeah, I... I think that park does a ah really good job with that just overall.
Park Ride Offerings & Accessibility Issues
02:04:28
Speaker
I think the only thing that's weird about that park is that Ride to Happiness exists in it. Yeah. it' I was wondering if we were go to talk about this as well. It's the same kind of thing at Plops of Germany. Both of them, like with Expedition G-Force, like why are both of these mostly family parks with two just elite massive rides in them?
02:04:51
Speaker
Yeah, it's... Well, Plopsal and Germany, like, I mean, they they've had um Exhibition GeForce for, i don't know how many years. 25 years. They've got the the the Premier Skyrocket 2 over there as well, haven't they? and there are Yeah, that one's a little more intense. But they have Anubis at ah Belgium. Right, yeah.
02:05:14
Speaker
That's still, like, intense for a kid. Like, i feel like that's not, like... super crazy like there's no stepping stone to get to ride to happiness yeah like ah that is not a good stepping stone to ride no no it's not and like no you can need something like g expedition g-force or which i know is still very intense but not as intense as ride to happiness um or like blue fire which a little more blue fire would be great yeah Yeah, it's a little more tame. I think ah a stepping stone should be a little more intense. Like, maybe, like, Velocity.
02:05:53
Speaker
I don't know. No, maybe Maverick. Like, something like that. Where it's still, like, intense, but... As a stepping stone? Or as an equivalent. ma Is it equivalent to Ride to Happiness? Not not in like how much not like how good it is, but like how what level of extremity or intensity? Yeah, I would say the same heights slash ages of people would be ready for them at the same time. Yeah, but Ride to Happiness is at level 100.
02:06:30
Speaker
like it It's it's like different approaches to like intensity and aggression, right? like So the Maverick maverick and Velocicoaster may not be as... How can I word this? um Unhinged.
02:06:47
Speaker
may not be unpredictable may not be as multi-sensory in terms of the things it throws at you all at the same time but they're in my in my opinion at the very least much more in in terms of like the force switching and change the directions it's much more abrupt like the the the the the force application is much more abrupt on those than it is on on ride to happiness but ride to happiness throws so much at you at the same time it's like oh, what do I do with all this information?
02:07:19
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. I guess I just, like, I think that... It's just different executions rather than one being, in my opinion. I think that an intimate blitz is, like, a little less than, like, a pretty intense RMC. Like, but also, you're going from Anubis to Ride to Happiness. Yeah, that's big jump. That's a big jump. Your stepping stone needs to be more intense because you're getting Ride to Happiness. Yeah.
02:07:46
Speaker
it's It's not like in a normal park, they would never be my stepping stone choices. and and They would be my intense ride choices. But when Ride to Happiness is on the other side, you need a more intense stepping stone. For sure. And you can see it. You can kind of you can kind of see it as well. Because for me, at least on on on my day,
02:08:07
Speaker
Heidi the Ride consistently had a longer line than Ride Happiness did. Yes. Because the park's full of families with young kids. And they're like, and i mean, like don't get me don't get me wrong, like there there was it was there was definitely like younger kids getting getting on Ride to Happiness and loving it as well. But for the vast majority of the time, it's like, okay, the family's still wanting to ride together and it's like, not everyone is, you know,
02:08:34
Speaker
geared towards that level of just like just stuff being thrown at you the the ride yeah we waited like i think at most 20 minutes for all of our rides like and the people that we were with that have been there before all said that it was like at least double the line that they have ever seen yeah yeah i think the most i waited was like maybe 10 15 minutes like yeah four trains at most i never really waited past the stairs Yeah, we were on- And then most of them walk-ons, actually.
02:09:04
Speaker
Yeah, we were, like, the cu down the steps in the courtyard for most of our rides. Which we didn't even talk about the queue, by the way. The queue's gorgeous. But, um, but, yeah. Yeah, like, I- think I think the most I waited was 20 minutes.
02:09:19
Speaker
Like, the absolute worst. We waited longer for the dark ride. Yeah, yeahll I'll bet you do. waited a lot longer for Like Me Coaster.
02:09:30
Speaker
Hashtag Like Me Coaster. Someone in our group went to ride that and it took them like an hour. And I was we've ridden Ride to Happiness like three times. like I waited 30 minutes by myself for K2 Roller Skater because my friend had already ridden it.
02:09:47
Speaker
So he was just waiting outside for me. At least he didn't ride to Happiness without me. Yeah. Yeah. That was one train ops and it had like a super long line. So wasn't fun.
02:09:59
Speaker
um We do have a listener comment we should probably get to because it's a, it's a long listener comment. Yes. is from a friend and
02:10:10
Speaker
Do one of you guys want to read it? Allison or Jen, maybe. you want to read it out? Just because you guys know Anne. I'll let Jen since y'all actually got to hang out. Yeah. Okay. And you've just got some catching up to do, like, in general. Yeah, that's true.
02:10:28
Speaker
In general. Oh, yeah. In general.
02:10:34
Speaker
Like, I didn't yap enough for whole time I've been here. I don't know if you guys know this about me. Yeah, be fair. You did make up for lost time real quick.
02:10:45
Speaker
I'm a yappy person. Well, that's why you're on a podcast. Yeah, exactly. yeah Okay. So our listener comment, I'm going to break it up into sections. Like we haven't broken up into sections already, but where I feel like is a good part to pause because it is very long. Yes.
02:11:02
Speaker
Okay. novel So from my friend and books and roller coasters. Um, She says, ride to happiness. Such a beautiful and fun coaster to look at. I love the nature elements throughout the area. The usage of flowers. The flower lamps are so pretty. The design is somehow a perfect combo of natural and futuristic. Onboard audio is amazing. Ride pacing is amazing. Although it could have ended without those painful bunny hops. I'm not a fan. I love the finale. The best ejector ever. Yeah.
02:11:36
Speaker
yeah i can see where if it could get overwhelming yeah yeah no for sure after a whole ride of all that intensity and then like ending with them it throws you into the restraint for sure it does yeah i i just think when it comes to a roller coaster like if i'm being honest like it's it's the most intense coaster i've ridden and i love that but like i want more Like, just- I just think that my level of intensity is just at a level- like, and I'm not gonna do something crazy like skydive, I'm terrified of that, that won't happen. But I just think that, like, my level of intensity for coasters, like, my gauge is, like, a little- a little intense. So, like, I- I would like more of it, but... I'm on the same page- same page as you on that.
02:12:30
Speaker
Yeah. Okay. So the painful bunny hops. Then she says, five years ago, i had ERT on it and managed three rides in a row, but that was enough for me. It gave me a headache. My dad rode it five times, I think. And last month I had two rides. I actually loved the coaster better than when I originally did it.
02:12:51
Speaker
um The first time I thought it was too intense. Now, not so much. But five years ago, I was just starting in my enthusiasm and had not rewritten many coasters people would deem intense. Ride to Happiness is now just a fun coaster to me. Love the element after the second launch the most.
02:13:11
Speaker
This, oh crap, i already forgot what it was. Is that the Flying Snake Dive? Yeah, the Flying Snake Dive, the Step Up Under Flip, the double and burning dive loop.
02:13:22
Speaker
Yeah.
02:13:25
Speaker
That one. Yeah, that's a good element. That is the best element, yeah. looking back on it, I...
02:13:35
Speaker
like ah ah I mean, i just i'm I'm lucky enough to to not like get any type of motion sickness or anything, but managing somewhere... I can't remember the exact number, but somewhere in the region of 15 to 20 rides in one day is what I got on it.
02:13:50
Speaker
And like didn't feel sick after or anything. Yeah. yeah ah could could have kept going but yeah same here i got 13 in the park closed i just i don't know i just don't experience my friend tyler got nearly 30 because i like our our group i'm jealous um it's his number one coaster to this day i think it's a zero as well um ah our group like people like came in and out um like got some rides went elsewhere and stuff I think I just stopped to go get something to eat or maybe just to go to the bathroom or something. And then, and then got, and then got back. And so like, he got up to like 27, maybe something around there.
02:14:33
Speaker
And I got like, I guess like eight to 10 less than him. Cause he just, he just, he's the type that's just like, I ah i ain't stopping. oh i Like, I'm not stopping.
02:14:48
Speaker
Yeah.
02:14:52
Speaker
awkward silence my computer is dying oh yeah my computer is dying sorry i was letting alice though she knows that my computer is dying but then i had the awkward silence because i stopped paying attention that's fine me this entire episode has been an awkward silence that's okay you burned it i'm so tired Okay, so that brings us to our last um section from Anne.
02:15:25
Speaker
um If there's one thing I could change, is this is this is not a problem with the coaster, but a plopsaland problem is their accessibility. They claim accessibility, but even for a newer ride, like Ride to Happiness, there is a lot of stairs for people with mobility issues. Also, as a disability pass user, I was only allowed to ride...
02:15:45
Speaker
ride to happiness with my designated companion, I was not allowed on it on my own or even with two disability passes and one companion. When using a disability pass at PLOPSA, you are not seen as an individual that you can ride independently, which in some cases cases is rightfully so, but I never felt more disabled than in PLOPSA land. And this policy, which was not communicated prior to or during the retrieval of our passes gave our party some really unpleasant moments. Being sent away at a gate for a coaster you've been really enthusiastic about is something I would not want anyone to experience.
02:16:23
Speaker
um Yeah. That sounds terrible. Yeah, that's great. Yeah, she was telling me about this. So if you if you hold a disability pass, you have to be with someone who's not disabled.
02:16:36
Speaker
Hmm. So... Which is a bit dehumanizing. Yeah. Yeah. She like went to go ride her ride to happiness at the gate ready to go. And because they had two people with passes and one person without a pass and it wasn't two and two, they wouldn't let them ride.
02:16:54
Speaker
Wow. That's... That's that's surprising. ah Two people with one person, they still didn't let him ride as three. yeah No, it has to be a one-to-one.
02:17:04
Speaker
Like, one disability holder, so one companion. So you got a child swap, basically? But also, like, I think about, like, when I need the pass the most, and it's when I'm alone.
02:17:16
Speaker
Like... Yeah. e It's when I'm alone. So it's like, that completely eliminates... the purpose of like some people using it. Like i don't always need it. I didn't need it at all. I plops the land. Um, but if I was by myself, I would have, and it's not an option.
02:17:36
Speaker
It's really unfortunate. and Yeah, so that's not something I've ever run into with my brother. Like, I mean, i just, like, he is always with someone else.
02:17:47
Speaker
So, ah but hearing that from a different perspective of using him, you know, like, um we have a friend that last summer was using one because he has knee issues. Literally just knee issues.
02:18:01
Speaker
That's it And um that would have been really bad if they did that. Obviously, he was riding with others anyway. It was big trip. But, yeah you know, completely 100% normal person just had a knee surgery at one point. Like,
02:18:15
Speaker
you know, not someone who needs someone else to ride something. Yeah, no, and now he's not allowed to ride Rats happiness by himself. It's just like so, it's so unfortunate. Well, without the pass, I guess he can, but, you know.
02:18:28
Speaker
If, it's just so unfortunate because there's such, like, a, there's such a large, large scale of people who need these passes. Yeah. And,
02:18:39
Speaker
It's a whole spectrum. Yeah, it's such a huge scale and you're making it inaccessible by having a rule like this to people who don't need to travel with a companion and don't need or maybe like one person. Because I like...
02:18:59
Speaker
I've seen like I used to work with like a company that worked with disabled individuals and they would do outings and there would be like one, depending on like, of course, the extent of the disability, but sometimes there would be like one chaperone to three or four people like adults.
02:19:19
Speaker
And like, to me, that feels normal if they're like, Especially if if the people, no matter the extent of the disability, if if they're if they don't need one-on-one companion, who are they to decide that they need a one-on-one companion?
02:19:34
Speaker
Yeah.
02:19:39
Speaker
It's like, I feel like fairly normal with assistants to not do a one-on-one companion unless absolutely needed.
02:19:48
Speaker
But it's just really unfortunate. and it really Especially because that park has so many kids stuff too. It's not even just Ride to Happiness. Sorry. yeah yeah yeah You can't get on the kiddie dark ride with one companion to two people?
02:20:04
Speaker
Yeah, i don't know. Yeah, it's wild. i don't I don't really get how that can even be enforced. Not everyone's going to turn up in an even like a group of an even number of people.
02:20:16
Speaker
Yeah, so... i Well, I think if it's two people without the pass and one with, they would be okay. Yeah, two without and one with, I think you're okay. like Because you still have the limit of how many people can be with you with the pass.
02:20:30
Speaker
But it's if you have two people to pass and only one, none. With a rule like that, with a with a rule i that you're assuming you're assuming that everyone who needs a pass is going to turn up in a group which allows that rule to be satisfied. yeah which is just ah like how could you assume that How could you possibly assume that that'll be the case for everyone?
02:20:51
Speaker
yeah Yeah, you can you can't. can't. Exactly. You can't. And that's what um I believe, if if I understood correctly, I mean, and we're talking, she was traveling in a group of three with two people on a pass and one without. So they ran into or I think they had four, but one of them didn't ride roller coasters. Maybe that was the thing. So they could not use the passes on ride to happiness or someone had to sit out.
02:21:16
Speaker
Right. Wow. Yeah.
02:21:20
Speaker
So it's that's very sad. And I could see that like such a such a wonderful ride and such a wonderful experience and and being completely
02:21:33
Speaker
turned off by that experience.
02:21:38
Speaker
It's very unfortunate. awesome for I'm sorry that that was your experience, Anne. It's pretty upsetting. Yeah.
02:21:50
Speaker
I think we have to give some Patreon shoutouts. I do that in my final. I was waiting for you to do your thing. I always do that at the end. You haven't been here since started doing Oh, was waiting for the Patreon thing. Okay, well, I guess that brings us to the end of the episode.
02:22:07
Speaker
thanks Thanks, Jen. was
02:22:13
Speaker
going to say, i finally have the night off from that. um yeah Mike is now officially falling asleep on the couch. so I probably need to ah get off here and go to bed soon.
02:22:24
Speaker
yeah Don't worry, Jen. I got your back when you're not here. Appreciate it. Someone's got to do it. and then Usually someone does it like when we did our car episode last week. I think Alex did it. Heck yeah. Allison, i remember you saying, well, neither Jen nor Nate are here to say it Yeah, that sounds like something would say. And we have to give thanks after it as well.
02:22:49
Speaker
Yeah. why yeah We have to give thanks on Thanksgiving. When Allison went to ride Ride to Happiness and it was too cold to be good. but i was going to say Thanksgiving when Jen finally rides Voyage.
02:23:06
Speaker
It's in the Thanksgiving area. but Yeah, and that's what I mean. Yeah. that She's giving a um a double thumbs down. Stupid. bed There's no reason for me to go to that park.
02:23:18
Speaker
Also, why would I go to that park not in summer? To hang out with Like, isn't that park supposed to have, like, a cool water park? Yeah. You can't go at Thanksgiving. They're not open.
02:23:30
Speaker
Oh, that's probably... it's just the area of Thanksgiving. That's what I was referring to. Yeah. Okay, well, i I don't know. don't... I do want to go ride good gravy.
02:23:44
Speaker
What'd you say?
02:23:47
Speaker
I feel like two people said something want to go ride good gravy. Exclamation point. And cannonball exclamation point. Maybe. really want to, I do really want to ride cannonball exclamation point.
02:24:01
Speaker
I hope that it's smoother than, what is it at Europa Park? What's the blue one? Poseidon. Poseidon, yeah. It will be. It'll be a lot newer, but I really like Poseidon, so I'm excited for Holiday World.
02:24:14
Speaker
I like Poseidon. I just gotta to hold my head on so it doesn't, like, bounce around. Yeah, it's, like, not the smoothest at all. You could, like, tell it's, like, sitting in the middle of a swamp. If you ever look down on that coaster, it's just in a swamp.
02:24:31
Speaker
It's actually so gross. ah Classic Mock.
02:24:39
Speaker
Anyway, oh yes, I do want to give a a shout out to our Patreon members. Thank you to Chris, Jeff, and Alexander. um Since I was not talking as much during this episode, I was actually getting our ah sticker packs together for our unhinged tier people.
02:24:57
Speaker
So very excited to get those out now that I have a needed giant pile of stickers. Yeah, she needed to leave more time for me to make up for the last two months I haven't been on, so she was quiet.
02:25:09
Speaker
And anytime I talked about Ride to Happiness, I just got roasted for going in November. and yeah yeah we also didn't accept your opinion. I'm happy to sit back for an episode and let you guys yap.
02:25:24
Speaker
about something you know more about than I do. You are surrounded by three yappas. Yes. Yeah. This is why I invited you guys to be co-hosts on my podcast.
02:25:39
Speaker
Because you guys talk more than me.
02:25:42
Speaker
I just like to yap. I just do all the background stuff. Yeah, me too. Yes. Thank you to our Patreon members. Thank you to all of you lovely listeners who are still sticking with us 56 episodes in.
02:25:56
Speaker
56 episodes. Yeah, this is 56. Damn. It's jumped up a number quick since we did since I started doing Weekly. And we actually have the next few episodes planned out. it's it's so easy It's so easy to lose track of like how you you just keep trucking along and then you're at episode 56 and it's like, how the hell? When? yes it went on world the and wendy Thank you all for listening.
02:26:24
Speaker
Hopefully my microphone did well and it was worth the money spent on it. remember You sound broke yeah sound great. Well, thank you. yes Remember stay coaster focused.
02:26:35
Speaker
Yeah. Remember to stay generally analog. and Yeah, generally. yeah And Mikhail. And then keep the Yeah. Keep the vision going.
02:26:50
Speaker
and lastag keep the vision going Actually, be like Bakai on Delete Your Instagram. No, I'm kidding. No, do. Instagram is brain rot. unless you use it ah Unless you use it the right way.
02:27:04
Speaker
It's how I get all of our listener comments. It's also like how I learn film weird stuff that I do. So, it's a good learning tool. I also get recipes on there. If you use it ah if you use it the right way,
02:27:18
Speaker
its good I also used it to find a vintage photo booth in Vegas.
02:27:25
Speaker
That's cool.
02:27:29
Speaker
Also, the inverted creative account on Instagram currently has 365 followers. So Bryant is here in spirit. Shout out to you guys. and Shout out to Bryant.
02:27:41
Speaker
We will have Bryant on the next episode. I can say that.
02:27:47
Speaker
But hashtag keep thinking inverted. i need more hashtags besides being coaster focused.
02:27:57
Speaker
But keep thinking inverted and we will you all next time. Bye.
02:28:26
Speaker
Bye.