Motivation for Weight Loss

Over at CoasterCrew.com, a few of the guys are holding a weight loss contest inspired by NBC's "The Biggest Loser."

From what I read, there were some problems fitting on coasters and they're using roller coaster riding as their motivation to lose weight.

If you've surfed any of the coaster forums over the past 5 years, you know that not fitting on roller coasters is becoming a bigger problem all across the U.S. (Pardon the pun.)

It might be because technology is advancing to the point where coasters can be built higher and faster... so the restraints need to be that much better (and tighter).

It might be because more lawyers are getting into mix and making the designers create restraints that aren't friendly to those with a bit more girth.

Or.... it could be that American's are just getting fatter.

I had a wake-up call a year ago when I visited Disneyland.  I didn't have a problem fitting on any rides, but when I got my pictures back, I couldn't believe the picture of the fat guy riding the Matterhorn.

Yeah, it was a picture of me.  I was pissed that I looked so awful in the pictures.  I didn't even want to show them to anyone.  It was then, I decided to do something about it.  So, I started watching what I ate, I exercised more and before I knew it, I had dropped 30 pounds.

It's been so great going to parks this year and not giving a second thought to whether or not I'd fit on the rides.  I also feel a lot better and have even been getting some compliments from the ladies at work.  (That's right, baby.)

So, I'm proud of the guys over at CoasterCrew.com.   I'm gonna show some solidarity with them by rededicating myself to diet and exercise so I never gain that 30 pounds back.

Or I might end up taking the "walk of shame" after I don't fit on a ride.

Talk about this in the CoasterRadio.com forum.

I hope Disney brings the hammer down!

Nobody likes waiting in lines, especially when you're at the theme park.

But I came to the realization long ago that long lines are just a part of the whole theme park experience. They go together "like ramma lamma lamma ka dinga da dinga dong." There's no getting around it. Or at least that's what I thought until recently.

I was reading an article on Jim Hill Media about how Disney is experimenting with ways to stop guests from creating and using counterfeit FastPasses on attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Are you kidding me? Are there really people out there who open up their copy of Photoshop and spend time creating fake FastPasses? Even worse, are there actually people who create these fake tickets and then sell them online?

Apparently so! From what I read, the parks deal with hundreds of counterfeit FastPasses a day. Unbelievable!

I'm not naive enough to believe that the world is a fair place. There are jerk-offs around every corner looking to rip people off. But what this shows is that there are people out there who have a fundamental lack of respect for everyone around them.

Yeah I know, they're not actually stealing anything. But you'd be mad if someone forcibly cut in front of you while you were waiting for your favorite ride, right? That's what's happening here! What's worse, is that it throws off the whole carefully calibrated FastPass system that supposedly keeps the attractions running at full capacity.

That's why I hope that Disney brings down the hammer on these fools. They shouldn't just take the fake FastPasses away, they should kick their counterfeiting asses out of the park and ban them from the friggin' property.

While they're at it, Donald Duck should kick 'em in the balls too!

Nothing pisses me off more than someone taking advantage by cheating.

What do you think? Talk about this travesty in the CoasterRadio.com Forums.

Food With A View

About 10 years ago, I didn't stop to smell the roses when I visited a theme park.

I tried to cram in as much fun as possible without stopping to rest or to eat.

Now that I'm getting older, I don't mind taking the time to find some good food and more importantly, a good atmosphere to dine.

For instance, during our trip to Disneyland, Molly and I decided to splurge and eat at the famous Blue Bayou. The restaurant is built in the same show building as Pirates of the Caribbean. Even though you're indoors, it feels like you're eating in an outdoor restaurant at nighttime. One of the best parts about eating there was that we had a perfect view of riders floating by in their boats at the start of Pirates.

If you're a theme park fan, you can't ask for any better entertainment than to watch one of your favorite rides in action while you eat.

At Busch Gardens Europe, guests can eat at the Bistro 205. This full service outdoor restaurant offers a picture perfect view of Griffon's entire layout... including the 205 foot drop. They even experimented with offering an early admission that includes breakfast at Bistro 205 and ERT on Griffon.

Of course, you don't need to spend big bucks and eat at a full service restaurant to have a similar experience. At Hersheypark last year, I grabbed a BBQ sandwich and found a perfect table directly below Stormrunner's Tophat. I must have seen 20 or 30 trains rush by as I enjoyed lunch with friends.

Hopefully this will be a trend. I'm hoping more parks will create restaurants with a view.

What do you think? Join our conversation on this topic in the CoasterRadio.com forum.

Paris Hilton says Magic Mountain is HOT!

Today I saw the ad we all knew was coming.

Eli Manning was on the field after winning Superbowl 42 (I refuse to say XVII), and when asked what he was going to do next, he said he was "Going to Disneyworld!" I'm guessing if you live on the west coast, Eli conveniently says that he's "Going to Disneyland!" Those Disney guys are amazing.

Anyway, the commercial got me thinking. If Disney can get a popular star to help promote their parks, why can't the regional parks?

I think it's time Six Flags, Cedar Fair or Busch Gardens pull out their checkbook and hire a vapid celebrity to be their official spokesperson.

Paris Hilton lives out in Los Angeles! I bet she's at least driven past Six Flags Magic Mountain once or twice. They should scoop her up, pay her some bucks and create some commercials.

They could take a cue from her home video and shoot the commercial in "night-vision!"

I know... I know... Paris Hilton is old news. But I used her for a reason. I didn't want to take away a good idea from you!

On our latest podcast, we hinted that this new blog would be interactive. Today, I'm proud to announce our first interactive posting.

We want you guys to take your favorite park and match it with a celebrity spokesperson. Which celebrity would deliver the best pitch for your park? What would the tag line be? If you want, you can even PhotoShop an image and post it in the forums.

We'll post some of the best answers here next week!

Good luck! Join our discussion on this topic in our forums.