My first trip to Dorney Park! I got to go with some friends on the last day of their operating season. Crowds were extremely light in the morning since we arrived close to when they opened their gates. First we hit Talon, which we went through twice while only waiting for the party ahead of us to board. I thought it was surprisingly smooth and long for what a small footprint it had. Next up was Wild Mouse, which we waited for entirely too long since it loads extremely slowly. It was one of those standard mouse trap coasters so I wasn’t very excited. They ended up loading all 4 of us into 1 ride vehicle which certainly exceeded the 680 pound weight limit on the vehicles so on every turn I thought we were going to tip over and die. It was probably the least safe I’ve ever felt on a coaster but it did make this run of the mill ride more interesting. Hydra started with a slow corkscrew which was pretty unpleasant, but the rest of the ride was fun. Thunderhawk is Dorney Park’s 100+ year old opening day coaster and I certainly felt its age during our ride. It’s certainly seen better days but it was very charming. Iron Menace was true to its name and even the sight of it menaced me. It’s a dive coaster that holds you at the peak of the first hill before dropping you down a very winding and looping but short track. I overheard what I thought to be a 12 year old boy behind me saying, “This ride has surprisingly wide trains for a B&M”. He was right- a 7 person wide vehicle was pretty unusual for roller coaster manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard (also that was a very funny and cool thing for a kid to say). Possessed is an inverted impulse launched coaster that was certainly thrilling but it seems like that’s only the case in the front row which I was happy to wait for. Best for last!- Steel Force rocked my world. It’s one of the longest tracks for a steel coaster in the world and features a 205 foot drop. The lap bar didn’t go all the way down on me even at the tightest position, so every time we went on a hill (of which there were many)- I was practically standing up straight in my seat. I can’t wait to experience that airtime again! The man in front of me in time was saying that he’s enjoying this even though he’s been on over 180 coasters. When I told him this was my 54th coaster he told me, “Well, I guess we all have to start somewhere.”

Another solo trip to Universal! Work has been killing me so I thought some time in the parks was the best way for me to unwind. This was also my first year purchasing a Horror Nights pass that was good for more of the season than just the first few weeks and I was so excited to attend later in the season and see how things have changed since my initial visit. It certainly felt more crowded but I was able to run the same amount of haunted houses I did earlier in the season. My favorites are still Terrifier and Dolls: Let’s Play Dead! I did my first run of the dry ending path in Terrifier and really enjoyed it- but I also did another run of the wet ending path and it definitely seems like they turned the water up by quite a bit! I also got to see the Lyla at the end of Dolls which was delightful (she’s the main character of the house that’s normally not seen because she has a meet and greet at a bar in the park). This was such a strong year, I’m already missing it! My wishes for next year include Evil Dead and Creature from the Black Lagoon plus more vegan options because they were seriously lacking this year. During the day, I hit up Island of Adventures and Studios at a very chill pace. Now that I’ve been a passholder for over a year, I rarely feel pressed on time to get anything done in those parks. Velocicoaster was down for most of my trip so unfortunately I couldn’t get a ride in on my favorite. Other than that, I got to spend time with friends and buy some seriously discounted merch- so a great trip!

So stoked to be back in Florida! This trip was extra special because it was mine and my partner's first trip anywhere together in a year. We got to go to HHN for 3 nights, which is less than we usually go. I was struggling with anxiety and health issues but still accomplished a lot! My favorite houses of the year are Terrifier, Dolls: Let's Play Dead, and Hatchet & Chains: Demon Bounty Hunter. Even better, we got to meet up with new friends and run houses together. The downsides to this year is that the vegan options are lacking, the shows are too similar from years' past, and the merch sold out crazy fast. My second trip to Epic was great- I got to ride the two rides I missed last time, Stardust Racers and Curse of the Werewolf. Stardust's green track was especially amazing at night. We rode everything in the park except Dragons Racers Rally, plus some things multiple times! I can't wait for Universal to add Epic to annual passes so I can go more often- next trip I hope to do more character meet and greets so I can meet Toad and Ygor! Mickey's Not So Scary was cute and fun as always. We did Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Small World, Winnie the Pooh, People Mover, Seven Dwarves Mine Train x2, Space Mountain x3, and Tron x3. I was most excited for Tron because it had a red overlay/Nine Inch Nails soundtrack to celebrate the upcoming sequel Ares. It's a small change but it added a lot to the ride! I might be back in October to spend Halloween in the parks and I'm very excited!

Lately I've been prioritzing trips to Universal/Disney, so this was my first time at a smaller regional theme park in almost a decade. My lovely friends decided to elope at Six Flags and we got to tag along as witnesses. It was a really special day! Our trip was on a Saturday so we expected crowds, but when we arrived at opening we came into a nearly empty park. We started our day on the Joker coaster and breezed through the line. We made a beeline to what almost all of us consider to be our favorite coaster, El Toro. We went on 4 times, most of which we're in a row because the ride operators allowed us to stay on since there was no one in line. El Toro was one of my first coaster memories and it was definitely a gateway ride for me. ... to be continued!

I got the opportunity to preview Epic Universe before it offically opened to the public in May of 2025. Part of me was worried that I was overhyping this park because I've been following construction updates for years but this park truly blew me away. One of my biggest gripes with going to any Universal parks is the lack of cohesion and seeminly random placement of IP's. However, Epic Universe felt thoughtfully made with expertly placed sightlines so you could feel truly immersed in every land. I was most excited about the classic Universal monsters land called Dark Universe and it did not disappoint. The marquee attraction of that land is a thrilling dark ride called Monster Unchained which I loved and rode 13 times during my visit. Super Nintendo World felt so true to the properties it represented and felt so joyful to be inside of. The Isle of Berk, themed after How to Train Your Dragon, was wonderous and fun to experience. The coaster of the land, Hiccup's Wing Gliders, is a great gateway coaster for younger childern. Wizarding World Paris was spectular as feel. The land's only ride is Battle at the Ministry. During my preview, the only way to ride it was to try to secure a spot in their virtual queue system. As a theme park enthusiast, I'm used to virtual queues but this one was buggy and I couldn't grab a spot the whole day. After I failed the last VQ drop of the day I decided to wait outside the attraction and ask people if they had an extra spot in their group. Thankfully the first people I asked had an extra spot for me! I got to bond with the folks in line over cats and our shared love of haunts. The ride and queue was terrific and truly pushes theme park tech forward. I feel truly blessed to have experienced the park so soon and it just made me fall in love with theme parks even more. Since it was a preview, some of the rides and elements of the park weren't open. This included some of my most anticipated rides, Stardust Racers and Curse of the Werewolf. I'm hoping to return in September if not sooner to experience some of what I missed!