Why did I choose Disney Cruise Line?

This past April my wife and I sailed on a three night cruise to the Bahamas. It was our first cruise experience. So how did I come to choose going on a cruise over visiting a theme park for my precious vacation time? To be honest, I had never really even considered going on a cruise until recently when a few friends went on a Disney cruise and highly recommended it. There are other reasons why we decided to go on a cruise.

First, why did I choose to go on a Disney ship versus other cruise lines like Carnival or Royal Caribbean or Norweigan? To be honest, I never really even seriously considered any other cruise line. I knew for sure I definitely did NOT want to go on a Carnival ship or affiliate after all the recent problems they’ve been having (and in fact the Ecstasy did experience a 12 minute power outage at sea on the day we sailed!).

I expected the same level of quality, customer service, and cleanliness on a Disney boat that I have experienced at Disney parks and resorts. Not to mention that extra touch of magic. To our delight, the customer service on the boat was even BETTER than in the parks!

Our recent coaster trips have involved lots of driving so one of the appealing factors of going on a cruise for me was I wouldn’t have to do any driving or even rent a car! Disney transportation all the way!

Our last visit to Walt Disney World was very hectic and we crammed a lot into a short period of time. While still very fun, it was not very relaxing. The cruise looked to be a lot less stressful.

In the end, I’m so glad we went on a cruise and glad we choose Disney! The Carnival ships we were docked next to just looked like crap while the Disney Dream was totally awesome and the crew was unbelievable. The only segment of the population I would recommend NOT going on a Disney cruise are those going purely to hook  with someone. Probably not the cruise for you. Everyone else can find plenty of things to do. Below is a montage video I shot on our Disney cruise and largely features our day adventure at the incredible Atlantis Resort:

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GateKeeper Media Day Video

I was lucky enough to be able to attend GateKeeper's media day at Cedar Point. Here is some off-ride video of GateKeeper I took. If you've been on any other wing coaster then know Gatekeeper feels exactly the same, only longer. I like airtime above everything else so I rank rides like Leviathan and SkyRush over GateKeeper. However, I will say GateKeeper is one of the, if not, the most visually stunning ride in the world today (followed by Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Orlando which I think is one of the coolest looking rides out there). I also have to hand it to Cedar Point for putting on an outstanding media day event. The weather was perfect too, unlike the past couple of days that have seen three coasters valley: Maverick, Millennium Force, and Woodstock Express.

Cedar Fair CEO, Matt Ouimet, hinted at a new attraction, saying that he had given his team a new "challenge." I believe that challenge is creating a family dark ride attraction not tied to an existing Intellectual Property. What do you think?

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Dollywood 2013 Preview

Dolly Parton was at Dollywood on Friday, March 22nd to preview the upcoming 2013 season. Embedded below is a video shot during the media preview in which she tells us what to expect from Dollywood in 2013.

One of the highlights I'm most looking forward to is the park staying open later allowing us to ride Thunderhead and Wild Eagle roller coasters in the dark!

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Constructing the CoasterDynamix Comet

As a Christmas gift for myself I bought the CoasterDynamix Comet model roller coaster. It's an HO scale detailed replica of a classic wooden roller coaster. I attempted to make a short time lapse video of it under construction.

I also put together a short slideshow of my late grandfather's model train set. The display was taken apart years ago and this was just a small way to be able to remember it by.

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Wild Eagle Video

I visited Dollywood briefly over the weekend (due to rain and time crunch) but was able to take a few quick shots of Wild Eagle in flight. I compiled the off-ride footage into a short video montage. Enjoy!

You'll have to head over to Coaster101.com for my full review. Shortly I'll be posting some pictures and a review of my second stay at Dollywood Vacations cabins.

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Why Not To Sleep At Amusement Park

I saw this hilarious amusement park related video on Facebook and had to share it. That's Sheikra at Busch Gardens Tampa if you don't recognize it. This big kid falls asleep in his little brother's stroller and what happens next he likely won't forget for a very long time!

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Kick Start Coaster Dynamix

Coaster Dynamix makes the most realistic roller coaster model kits that you can buy. To date, all revenue from models sod has gone right back into the company to help improve their already fantastic product. They need our help in raising $50,000 in order to start a full production run. I've already pledged my $35 for the launched coaster model to put on top of my desk here at home. If you've got $5,000 to spend you can have them custom design and build your very own working roller coaster model! Make your pledge today.

See more models at http://www.coasterdynamix.com/

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Roller Coaster Tycoon 4 Suggestions

We've had many suggestions pour in about what new features should be added to Roller Coaster Tycoon 4 (if or when it ever comes out) as well as what was liked or disliked about Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 (RCT3) Listed below are some of the best suggestions from our readers:

• Paths which can curve (not just square corners)
• better UI interface and controls
• Remove lag and lock the game at 30FPS 
• Add catwalks and realistic stations to the coasters - more realism!
• keep the onboard camera mode
• More roller coaster types!
• Be able to add an extra train on a rollercoaster without closing the attraction
• More diverse park guests - different heights, weights, etc.
• Realistic supports
• More themes and themes from existing amusement parks
• Sit down restaurants
• More realistic track construction - can drop at any angle

Do you have any more suggestions or ideas for RCT4?


Learn how to design a coaster.

Update 7/12/12: A new website has popped which you can follow to get all the latest information on the RollerCoaster Tycoon 4 release date. 

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Cedar Point Police Department Video

Classic video of the Cedar Point Police Department.

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Dollywood Slideshow

I visited Dollywood back in May and had a great time. We stayed in one of the Dollywood Vacations cabins and I think it just might be better than any other place I've stayed (including onsite at Disney and Universal). Way to go Dollywood!

Enjoy the slideshow (which also includes pictures from the national park and Gatlinburg area). Song is Thunderhead (acoustic) by the Elms.

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How does Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey Work?

I constructed a recreation of a Kuka robocoaster in CATIA. I used the car from my cantilevered roller coaster simulations to save time. This is the same technology used on Harry Potter (although I'm not sure if they are actually Kuka robotics arms as I have heard Setpoint worked on them).

This is probably the closet you'll come to seeing a CAD model of the Harry Potter ride. Although I have yet to experience the Wizarding World for myself, I think the main differences between my model and Universal's is there's contains 47 robotic arms and is at a constant speed rate where my base speed is variable.



I made this in about a day so please excuse the lack of detail. The purpose was more to show proof of concept that this was possible to create with CATIA.

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Lagoon Park Video

It's been a while but I finally finished my video from Lagoon Park in Farmington, Utah, taken back in April. The video showcases many of the park's major attractions including the launched coaster, Wicked. Enjoy!

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Software used at ThinkWell Theme Park Design

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K'nex Top Spin Model

If you thought my Demon Drop K'nex model you should check this out:

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Vote for Demon Drop

My model was selected as one of the three finalists in Cedar Point’s K’nex Great Thrill Ride Build-Off. You can vote for your favorite creation by liking your favorite ride's photo on Cedar Point's Facebook page. Voting ends at 3:00:00 PM ET on April 12, 2011. The finalist whose photo receives the most “likes” will be the winner!

K'nex Great Thrill Ride Build-Off Facebook Contest | Facebook

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Demon Drop K'nex Recreation

It's finally finished! My brother and I created this Demon Drop K'nex model recreation to enter in Cedar Point's Build Off competition.

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Latest Cantilevered Coaster model video update

Check out the status on my Cantilevered roller coaster concept model. I completed some of the fine details for the main course like the cross-ties, support columns, and cement footers. I also attempted to make a banked track section, which turned out OK minus the rails which look bumpy, twisted, and are generally terrible. Refinement coming your way!

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Beech Bend Park Map 2007

Pictured here is an overhead map of Beech Bend Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, home of the great Kentucky Rumbler wooden coaster designed by Great Coasters International. I've embedded a video of my trip to the park in 2007 below.
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Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to one and all! Enjoy these holiday videos I created which include some of the most bizarre Christmas displays you will ever see!



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Gifts for Coaster Nerds

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