Back East from Out West, our every 15 year trip to WDW... (finished Feb 2025)

[Psymonds]

They had a great souvenier cup with a Nalgene like body and the sport sipper top and iron gwazi logo. It’s the only souvenier sipper that I feel like I’ll use at home.

This sipper cup is a mixed bag, we still use one of the two we bought, the other melted in a hot car, so clearly not Nalgene quality...

 

[Psymonds]

Just found this! Would love to read the rest, or at least see where GotG ranks on your coaster list!

lol I have left two parks off of my rankings... and now I have many gotG ride under my belt so I can freely comment:

1. Velocicoaster: A world Class coaster: smooth running, multi launch, multiple airtime moments, great operations, and good theming, interesting Queue. Wins out over Gwazi on operations and theming, may not be quite as wild, but does pack force and fury.
2. Iron Gwazi: world class roller coaster, speed, power. No roughness. Train 3 hauls. It’s fast, powerful and a wild ride. Rightfully a centerpiece coaster in the park.
3. Montu: The Best B&M invert in the country. Running great. Their ride ops are proud of Montu (DS14 was wearing a velocicoaster shirt and they asked over the intercom on our second reride if it was better than velocicoaster…. Which it’s not but it is in the same room) and rightfully so. Well run, well maintained best of it’s class.
4. Guardians of the Galaxy: it can't compare to the power, fury or pacing of the above, but it is just a great ride and my whole family is a fan, DS now 7 rode twice this past trip. I'm still waiting on a few songs but I sing along to everything....
5. Hagrid's Magical Motorbike adventure: Not as thrilling as velicicoaster but more appealing to more folks. Well themed, and well operated when running. loses points for not as thrilling and high breakdown time. Still thrilling though especially the Drop Track Segment
6. Expedition Everest: Thrilling fun coaster, just a great time and bonus points for high capacity and theming. would move up list if Disco yeti ever actually danced. Always love first time riders suddenly realizing it goes backwards
7. Cheetah Hunt: a multilauch coaster which integrates into the area, and over the savannah. The unique use of terrain in the second half is spectacular and this has a great set of elements.
8. Gringotts: This is a good ride more than it is a good roller coaster. Theming and operations are great, the tilt track is fun! The rest of the coaster/ride is ride centered and the coaster part does not do that much. less thrilling than mummy in that sense.
9. Tron Light Cycle Run: Cool Launch Coaster, with great theming and immersion. Short, and doesn't have much thrill after the first 10 seconds. Unique ride vehicle creates a unique experience. High on the Fun and theming, lower on the thrill, too short to crack the top.
10. Hulk: one ibuprofen from a spectacular ride. A ride of it's era, a mid to late 90's launched B&M, characterized by high positive g forces and lots of inversions. A fun ride, but... No airtime... the launch is a little weak and the finishing elements are very similar to many other B&M rides of the same era. The queue was well themed but the ride is just a coaster (other than one tunnel)
11. Sheikra: I had not been on a dive coaster before and it is better than most of the category because it has a second drop and the water feature at the end.
12. Kumba : my least favorite of the “big” coasters
13. Tigris: a good sky-rocket II (albeit with the OTSR straps) still a lot of fun but a long wait for a shorter ride. The launch is fun and the Jo-jo roll at the top is unique but I wouldn't wait an hour for this.
14. Big Thunder Mountain RR: A lot of fun and a little Thrill. Amazing how different the experience is in the back from the front (DS6 complained LOUDLY when we were assigned row 4, even he can tell). We rerode multiple times.
15. Mummy: An ok ride with good effects. Less ride than Gringotts and less story. The effects are much better than Hollywood. The ride is better too, but still not a lot of coaster.
16. Space Mountain (I will not be distinguishing between the two tracks although one is clearly running better than the other): not as good as Anaheim, and really that stuck with me. Fun, thrilling because in the dark but short on both of those scales.
17. Cobra’s Curse – Unique lift, backwards spinning coaster, but not as exciting as, say undertow at Santa Cruz beach boardwalk.
18. Rip Ride Rock-it: So much potential with so many block zones/brake runs. Doesn't live up to it's thrill potential. It also Kinda hurt.
19. Seven Dwarves mine train. Cute but doesn't do much. Like the rocking cars but not enough to wait 45+ minutes. Great Kid coaster, not much more than that.
20. Scorpion – a Schwarzkopf looper, which is hard to come by many places. I hit my knees against the padded seat pretty hard in the brake run, it has a loop and some helixes. It didn’t hurt too much.
21. Flight of the Hippogriff: A fun kids ride. loses points for long line relative to thrill. Gains points for 2 train ops for a kids ride and general fun! I believe it's identical to the one in Hollywood
22. Barnstormer: on the kid coaster scale this one is above average. longer and higher than most kid credits and has a decent semi helix.
23. Sand Serpent – a Midway wild Mouse… didn’t hurt as much as Goofy’s Flight School, probably because it’s not as big. They’ve already torn this down….
24. Air Grover – Kiddie Coaster. Kinda fun, not the worst.

 

[Sarahh1027]

Read your entire report over the last day, and really enjoyed it! It has me wanting to go ride some roller coasters!! (But I’m pregnant sooo it’s gonna be awhile)
So have you guys gone back to Disney World or have anything planned?

 

[Psymonds]

Read your entire report over the last day, and really enjoyed it! It has me wanting to go ride some roller coasters!! (But I’m pregnant sooo it’s gonna be awhile)
So have you guys gone back to Disney World or have anything planned?

we were just there for marathon weekend this year so we broke our 15 year cycle...

one day at each park and one day for UOR but having "just" been there 18 months prior we had a much more relaxed attitude. I left before park closing twice!

 

[Sarahh1027]

we were just there for marathon weekend this year so we broke our 15 year cycle...

one day at each park and one day for UOR but having "just" been there 18 months prior we had a much more relaxed attitude. I left before park closing twice!

So fun! Will you be writing a new TR?

I can imagine how much more relaxed your trip would be after 18 months vs 15 years!

 

[Psymonds]

So fun! Will you be writing a new TR?

I can imagine how much more relaxed your trip would be after 18 months vs 15 years!

Not sure... I was thinking that as I said "I should finish the last TR before the next one"

I do have some great video of DS16 in the rain at 4am in the epcot parking lot waiting for the half marathon...

 

[Sarahh1027]

Not sure... I was thinking that as I said "I should finish the last TR before the next one"

I do have some great video of DS16 in the rain at 4am in the epcot parking lot waiting for the half marathon...

Hahaha would love to hear about the half marathon!!
I’m here for the TR if you decide to write one

 

[Psymonds]

Hahaha would love to hear about the half marathon!!
I’m here for the TR if you decide to write one

it's going to be a while, busy season upcoming with the kids.

so far:

Veni;
sedebam;
cucurri

(thanks google translate)

 

[Sarahh1027]

it's going to be a while, busy season upcoming with the kids.

so far:

Veni;
sedebam;
cucurri

(thanks google translate)

Haha I looked it up, that sums it up well!!