The Bender Continues
Everyday bros talking about how life goes!
The Bender Continues
Adrenaline Rush
Ever screamed your lungs out on a roller coaster only to laugh about it seconds later? That's the kind of adrenaline rush and belly laughs we're sharing in our latest episode, journeying through the high-speed twists and turns of theme park history. From getting nose-to-nose with a giraffe on a safari adventure to the rush of Universal's The Incredible Hulk Coaster, we're unpacking the thrills and spills of our favorite attractions. We're also weighing in on the big debate – can classic coasters keep up with the immersive 4D experiences of today?
Remember how the scent of fresh popcorn can transport you right back to the mid-ride excitement of Disney's Main Street? We chat about how the sensory overload of theme parks has evolved, blending wind, smells, and even VR to create unforgettable experiences. Yet, amidst this innovation, we find time to ponder the future of iconic rides like Disney's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Plus, we swap stories about height requirement hacks from our childhood and the emotional impact of those first big drops on the Tower of Terror.
Wrapping up our theme park escapade, we invite you to reminisce about the charm of old-school safari park adventures and the anticipation for upcoming attractions like Universal's Epic Universe. It's a conversation filled with laughter, nostalgia, and even the odd mischievous baboon tale. So, whether you're a roller coaster fanatic or a casual park-goer, buckle up for a ride through the memories and marvels of the amusement park world.
good evening. Everyone coming to you live from virtual reality.
Jonny Strahl:Um, I had a learning what the hell was that?
Ryan Selimos:virtual. I think I'm sitting here in person. What are you talking about?
James LaGamma:I mean virtual, I don't know, fucking remote, whatever it all fucking feels fake.
Ryan Selimos:Put on your VR headphones that they got at the amusement parks these days for the gaming experience.
James LaGamma:Yeah, dude, I get fucking sick at those rides, though I hate that shit, I do too yeah. Dude, you have to look all around at these fucking giant screens all around you and shit, did you ever ride Kong at Universal, where you're in the truck, and you gotta look over here? And you gotta look over here and shit happens in front of you. It's fucking annoying. No Sounds like a day at work, stitch was good.
Kenny Massa:Remember Stitch.
James LaGamma:Stitch was a good one that was cool stitch? Yeah, I don't think stitch is there anymore no, it's not.
Kenny Massa:It's not there anymore, but that was a good. That was a cool like, kind of like. I would think it was less virtual reality ish, but it was more interactive. You sat in the chair and then it's sprayed. You felt things touch your feet like that was cool. Yeah, yeah, that's what's that 4d?
James LaGamma:yeah, that's probably why it's not there anymore. It's sprayed. You felt things touch your feet. That was cool, yeah.
Kenny Massa:That's the. What is that 4D? Yeah, that's probably why it's not there anymore.
James LaGamma:It's like old I think it scared kids actually.
Kenny Massa:Actually, I did hear that too. Yeah, that's actually I could see why you're in a dark room and things are grabbing your feet and spraying you.
Ryan Selimos:Kenny, it sounds like you enjoy people or things grabbing your feet. Can we talk about that more? That's why you like Stitch when they grab your feet. No, just me. All right, then Sick, awkward silence, fucking awesome. Kenny's like yeah man, stitch is a great one. They've got things that touch your feet, swing and a miss.
Kenny Massa:It's fine they were just different, it was unique, but it was more interactive, like that seat was, like the whole deal, it was pretty. I thought it was a good ride, but yeah, it hasn't been there in a minute.
James LaGamma:Yeah, a lot more of these rides are starting to put in like wind and smells and stuff and it definitely makes it a lot more engaging. But I'm just you can't beat the classic like roller coaster feel. I mean trying to fake a roller coaster ride with a TV screen where I'm clearly sitting still, I mean yeah, there's some animatronics going on with, like the things moving and shit, but you can't beat the classics.
Kenny Massa:Soaring's the best of both worlds.
Ryan Selimos:Soaring's not bad Soaring's the best of both worlds where you got the VR and then kind of doing stuff Is all I was saying. But yes, kenny, your question.
Kenny Massa:What's the best rollercoaster that you've been on? In your opinion, ryan, your first.
Ryan Selimos:Hulk, hulk, smash At Universal.
Kenny Massa:Okay, that's a good one. It finds you out real quick.
Ryan Selimos:That's all. I'm a big fan of that one. Haven't done it in years, but love that one.
Kenny Massa:That's a good one, james.
James LaGamma:Yeah, I actually have to agree with Ryan it's Hulk. But the reason why is because I used to be scared of roller coaster rides. I used to be a little bitch when I was a kid. I cried, my parents hated me. They used to try to bring me on like it's a small world, and my dad was miserable. He was like shut this fucking kid up. Meanwhile I'm on a leash too, by the way, which we can get into that topic.
Kenny Massa:Oh, you're the leasher yeah.
James LaGamma:I was definitely oh fuck, yeah, my kids are going to be like that too, don't do that.
Ryan Selimos:Don't do that to the kid. You put them on a leash like a dog. Won't be doing that.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, don't do that.
James LaGamma:No, I got to do it. Got to do it. They'll fucking, or else I can't keep up with them. However, I don't have kids, so this is all theoretical. Anyways, the reason why I like the Hulk is because that was my first time going like upside down on a roller coaster ride.
Jonny Strahl:And then I fell in love, hated them, but that was sick uh, first roller coaster I went on, which is kind of biased, and why it's my favorite is just because it's my memory of the going on. A roller coaster was actually what it was called dueling dragons, which is now what it's called like hagrid's magical. Yes, whatever, yeah, which is it's? Cool, but it's still a good ride.
James LaGamma:Yeah, I think the og is the called like.
Jonny Strahl:Hagrid's Magical, whatever. Yeah, hagrid's thing which is cool.
James LaGamma:It's still a good ride.
Jonny Strahl:Yeah, I think the OG is the Incredible Hulk. Like there's just no way you can beat that. And then, I don't know, busch Gardens, man, they've got so many roller coasters. I love the Kumba. That was like the OG too. That was mine, yeah.
James LaGamma:I didn't go to Bus gardens much, so I don't know what you're talking.
Ryan Selimos:I'm surprised by that, james, being a roller coaster guy you are. I mean, I remember chicro, which is still not, but they would they literally. You get to the top. It's a night, it's a straight drop and they hold you for like three seconds and if you're in the front row you're just staring at your straight drop down.
Jonny Strahl:Yeah, that was a cool one.
Kenny Massa:I had a little different experience than you guys. That was your favorite one, John, still to this day.
Jonny Strahl:To this day the Hulk for sure, like that's the one I love, but the OG Dueling Dragons, because when you come up and you thought you were going to hit the other roller coaster on the other one.
Kenny Massa:That's pretty cool. I don't remember that. I mean I was probably like when did it? It hasn't been there in a long time.
Jonny Strahl:Or did you change?
Kenny Massa:names.
Jonny Strahl:It's the Harry Potter theme now.
Ryan Selimos:It's a few years, not a few years. It's been a while.
Kenny Massa:It's crazy how they like recycle the roller coasters and stuff and change them up and take them apart and refabricate them. Pretty cool.
James LaGamma:They got some crazy technology going into some of these roller coasters now too. I mean they are smooth as shit. The new Guardians roller coaster, which is definitely up there in my top 10. I mean it's the smoothest roller coaster I've ever been on and the freaking contraption that you sit in, like the cart rotates. So I could be going this way, but I'm rotated this way. It's pretty badass. And then the music's cool. There's a lot going on. That's. The only thing I think is a little annoying with that roller coaster ride is you're going real fast, You're moving around a lot, it's twisting and turning and shit and you have no idea what the fuck's happening around you, but it's still a badass fucking ride.
Ryan Selimos:James, would you compare Guardians to basically an upgrade, an elevated version of Space Mountain? Because it feels very same. It's dark, that type of roller coaster, and then they add the spinning factor. That was my opinion of it when I first went on. It was basically Space Mountain 2.0, with all these added twists.
James LaGamma:I think that's a solid take. I just sick here's. Here's my, my only comment. The the, the Space Mountain, kind of reminds you of that rickety old roller coaster. Like you would even find it like a fair, like it kind of feels like that. Like you know, it's like wooden and stuff, but I see where you're coming from as far as like the darkness and all that kind of stuff. It's in space. I mean you can't, really that's pretty much the same exact thing. It's in space. I mean you can't, really that's a pretty interesting thing.
Ryan Selimos:Yeah, it is interesting. I know Ken can take us down a different path, so we will wait. We will ask you your thoughts, kenny, but before we do, just to stay on this topic, because we're kind of there with the Disney roller coasters talking about Guardians of Space Mountain, is it true? Did I hear that Rock and Rollercoaster is going to be closing soon or already is closed? Or am I making?
Jonny Strahl:that up, I heard that too, that's a poor one out. No, no, Disney.
Ryan Selimos:That's a poor one out for an OG. Hulk is an OG and Rock and Rollercoaster the Stephen Tyler one or Aaron Smith one which is up there again as a.
James LaGamma:that's like an og with hulk.
Kenny Massa:That one is awesome. I mean, I'm a I'm a big fan of the arrowsmith rollercoaster, but it's been there a really long time, yeah. So you know it's debatable. It's just like, at what point does it get phased out? Because, like, do 10 year olds know who arrowsmith is? You know, I think that's kind of the thing where you got to think about 20 year olds know that too.
James LaGamma:So I I think what they're doing, it's potential that they do this, but or maybe it's a different uh movie that they'll go after. But I did hear rumblings of that uh where I think it's in paris, disney paris. It's actually an iron man ride. So iron man's like flying around next to you. Okay, that'd be cool, um, that's, but it's the exact same thing. They converted aerosmith that used to be over there and converted it to iron man. So it's the same exact track. It's just different shit around you.
Kenny Massa:Um, they said a long time ago that they were going to do that with Tower of Terror. Tower of Terror. What were they doing? They?
James LaGamma:were supposed to turn Tower of Terror into a Guardian's ride. Still the same up and down BS, which fuck that ride, by the way. Yeah, fuck Tower of Terror.
Ryan Selimos:I hate that fucking ride.
James LaGamma:I'd rather jump out of a plane.
Ryan Selimos:Now, that makes no sense and I've done it.
James LaGamma:I can explain it and it makes so much fucking sense. When you fall out of a fucking plane, the butterfly effect only happens like butterflies in your stomach, only happens for like five seconds. After that you're fucking chilling. You're out there for a long haul. You are not hitting the ground anytime, fucking soon. But in this fucking tower of terror bullshit, it's just constant fucking bullshit up and down with the butterfly. I don't like it. I don't like it, doesn't, I'm not that's an old ride, though.
Kenny Massa:That's been there a long time so and I think that it's pretty popular, like a lot of people like oh yeah I think so.
James LaGamma:Some people I can't remember what it's called, but I feel like they might try to petition certain rides to like they have to stay forever, like they're almost like a national monument kind of deal, like I thought aerosmith was one of those options sure, I don't, I don't know, but they did change it. It in Anaheim over in California. They changed it to the Guardians thing Same thing they had. Tower of Terror there too.
Kenny Massa:Although Iron man would be pretty cool.
Ryan Selimos:It kind of happens too with the music or the music choices, like rock and roll.
James LaGamma:Black Sabbath, you can do that. That'd be cool. Tower of Terror.
Ryan Selimos:I'm going to forget my first Tower of Terror experience. I was a wee laddie and I was sitting next to two adults and they were a lot bigger than me. I had the illusion that the bar did not go down all the way and there was a lot of room for movement. I for the entire time, two hands on the football on the bar, felt like I was just going to fly out of there and never see the light of day.
Kenny Massa:That's my memory of Tower of Terror being like six, seven, eight years old. Yeah, I guess they still have. I remember they used to have like weight restrictions and height restrictions. That's still a thing, right. Of course it has to be.
Jonny Strahl:Yes, yes, that is a fortunately a sensitive subject right now. What I went to some the news about that kid at Icon Park or not Icon Park what is that area on I-Drive? Unfortunately, he was on one of those things and-.
Ryan Selimos:Was that the swing?
Jonny Strahl:Was it the swing or the thing that drops? And yeah, no good, unfortunately, huge major lawsuit yeah not good at all.
Kenny Massa:They didn't use the height and weight restrictions.
Jonny Strahl:I don't know the full story, but unfortunately the kid did not make it. He passed away. It's just a very sad, horrific story. Jeez yeah.
James LaGamma:And that's the whole reason for the height and weight restrictions, right, yeah, overall safety.
Kenny Massa:I mean, I don't even know the last time I went on a roller coaster, so I haven't been in front of like and plus, they're not going to take out the measuring stick to measure me, so I don't. The reason I asked that is because when I was young, uh, I went, I didn't have universal close to me, we had six flies, good adventure. And I remember I would wear like thick shoes to reach that height limit to get on rides. And what made me think of that? Like you know, that extra inch when you're that, when you're that age, it's like it means a lot. You know, factor of getting on a ride without your mom or not.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, and uh, that's what made me think of, like ryan, when you were sitting there not really fitting the the mold, I kind of. That's kind of how I felt when I was. When I was younger, you know, I had friends that were a year, two years years older in, I guess, probably middle school, maybe elementary school. I feel like that's still a thing for kids Wear your thickest shoes, make sure you can get on every ride.
Ryan Selimos:Spike your hair that day, the whole. Thing.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, spike your hair.
Ryan Selimos:Two socks double sock all the tactics.
Kenny Massa:Yep yeah.
Jonny Strahl:Yeah, they definitely feel all the tactics, yep yeah.
James LaGamma:Yeah, they definitely feel heebly on, for sure. Yeah, roller coasters have come such a long way where I mean even though yes, there are weight and height restrictions. Imagine how they used to be built. I mean, those things were rickety as all hell. I mean even these fairs that come out there and they unfold the fucking track out and everything. It's all in a trailer. It's kind of nuts.
Kenny Massa:Those make me a little weary though sometimes. Yeah, it's a little sketch actually.
James LaGamma:The whole contraption is shaking.
Jonny Strahl:No shot. Never, ever After being a kid, I do not go on any of those. You will. When you have a kid, Pop out of the truck. It's like a be-all and ready type. Just put a couple of screws in there, you're good to go. Like absolutely not no shot.
Ryan Selimos:Did we all go on them as kids on the carnival-style rides.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, yeah, oh yeah. So let your kids go on them.
Ryan Selimos:Like John, for example, maybe you're not going to go on, but are you going to? Take that moment away. We all enjoyed those rides growing up. I am, you're going to shut it down?
Jonny Strahl:Nope, not doing it. Sorry, kids.
Kenny Massa:You nope, not doing it, sorry kids you can do whatever you want in life, except for carnival, fairy lights. You guys remember the gravitron, the thing that would spin, I mean, and you would stick to the wall. Dude, I puked on that one time. I did, I did, I was, I was at, uh, the seaside boardwalk and they had one. I was probably like 10, I don don't know. I was young and I was like stuck to the wall. Yeah, I get motion sickness and it was worse when I was young, when I was a kid, and that was definitely. I peaked inside it, yeah, while I was going the swinging ship.
Jonny Strahl:Oh boy.
Ryan Selimos:I never did that one. The pharaoh ship right.
Jonny Strahl:Yeah, boy, I never did that one, the Pharaoh's ship, right, yeah, whatever.
James LaGamma:Like I said, I was a little bitch when I was younger.
Jonny Strahl:The Funhouse. I used to run through the windows of the mirrors.
James LaGamma:Funhouse, hell yeah.
Jonny Strahl:Ferris wheels.
Ryan Selimos:Oh, the Ferris wheels.
Jonny Strahl:Classic Ferris wheels Back in middle school.
Ryan Selimos:I'm a big dog.
Jonny Strahl:Practicing social distance. That's it he must have had a big ass fucking car then if that was social distancing.
James LaGamma:You're usually sitting right on top of each other on those little carnival, fucking Ferris wheels.
Jonny Strahl:Good times Did you?
James LaGamma:ever throw shit out the Ferris wheel like trying to hit people and stuff.
Ryan Selimos:Never, of course not Not my goal, I wish that I had won at the games about an hour ago Never.
James LaGamma:I mean popcorn. Come on, you're a kid, you're just having fun.
Jonny Strahl:James is throwing pennies at people.
James LaGamma:Okay, no, that was valuable back then if you had pennies, you guys all did it in some form or fashion.
Ryan Selimos:Don't think you're better, you all did at some point. Why I don't?
Kenny Massa:know, Threw shit off the Ferris wheel. No way, bullshit. You're better. Y'all did at some point, why, I don't know. Threw shit off the Ferris wheel.
Jonny Strahl:No way Bullshit.
Kenny Massa:I don't remember, I didn't go on a Ferris wheel. That much, yeah, you did, you did. Yeah, you did.
Jonny Strahl:Ken Massa was on a Ferris Are you kidding me?
Ryan Selimos:Look at this man Trying to ride through the skin of his teeth Hi to the skin of his teeth.
Kenny Massa:Hi, sir, here's $10. Keep me at the top for 10 minutes.
Jonny Strahl:Thank, you, oh, that's my lunch money Please.
James LaGamma:You know, have you guys? Have you guys ever been on one of those? The Bungie like launching things like the circle balls out Like I think they have a. The. The most iconic one that I know of is out in uh daytona.
Kenny Massa:You always see those videos that people just go on like a limb oh, I know, I did that in orlando, the one where it's like two things that look like that, look like this, and then it like launches you in the middle.
James LaGamma:Yeah, yeah, yeah, slingshot that's actually what they're called, I think then orlando, I think I was on my drive. Shit. I've never done those. They sketch me out too.
Ryan Selimos:But you're, mr Skydive, right, you want to. You won't do the bungee jump.
James LaGamma:I would. I'd put that no, no, I'll do a bungee jump.
Ryan Selimos:Well the same, whatever the same thing he's talking about.
James LaGamma:I've never had the option to do it. No, probably not. I put that right up there with Tower of Terror. Basically the same situation.
Ryan Selimos:This guy's logic makes no sense.
James LaGamma:No sense.
Kenny Massa:It makes all the sense in the world why there's one in Six Flags where it would crank you up and it was kind of like a bungee jump but you would lay down and it would lift you up really high. I think it was free fall or something, and then they would just let it go. And you would just let it go and you would just like overall like a bunch of rides. You would just like kind of swoop in and you would just like swing on this, but you would be like Superman, not like bungee jump, where you go oh.
Kenny Massa:It was like a big crank. They would just pull you all the way up and you would just it's pretty cool.
Ryan Selimos:I can see it now.
Jonny Strahl:Kenny.
Ryan Selimos:Yeah.
Jonny Strahl:I'm there with you. I would never go on that, kenny. You went on that with Bobby and you guys were like bullying me Into going on. I was like I'm not going on and you guys made fun of me for like the entire night. I'm like dude, I'm not.
James LaGamma:I'm Johnny.
Kenny Massa:That's definitely true. I don't remember that. That's fucking hilarious. I remember it, I was definitely there with you guys.
Ryan Selimos:I remember, yeah, I was like I'm cool do we call him again to get his perspective, like we've done before. I mean just to get the story straight, or no? No, not on this one I think we know exactly what happened.
Kenny Massa:We went on it and Johnny didn't.
Jonny Strahl:Dude, the one in Daytona snapped.
James LaGamma:Stop.
Jonny Strahl:Yeah, look it up Years ago.
Kenny Massa:They're pretty shady and when they bring you up, I mean like they're pretty fucking shady, Like it's basically two strings holding a ball of people. Pretty shady, Yep's, basically two strings holding a ball of people.
James LaGamma:It's pretty shady. Yep, Fuck that noise. Have you, Kenny, being up in the Northeast? Have you ever been to Hershey Park out in Pennsylvania?
Kenny Massa:Yeah, we went to Hershey Park a bunch of times, yeah.
James LaGamma:Hershey Park's fucking awesome. Yeah, hershey Park's great. I was pretty young when we did that, but then you can go through the. Hershey Park's fucking awesome. Yeah, hershey.
Kenny Massa:Park's. I was, I was, I was pretty young when we did that. But um, then you can go through the Hershey factory and they give you free. I don't know if they do anymore, but they used to give you free chocolate.
Ryan Selimos:I was gonna ask if they okay.
Kenny Massa:Good, they should, fantastic I don't know who knows who's is, but yeah, we would eat a Johnny. Did you go too when you were up in Jersey?
Jonny Strahl:Yeah, when I was really really young, my brother and sister for sure, yeah, yeah, yeah, that place is cool.
Kenny Massa:Hershey Park is cool. What?
James LaGamma:about, I guess it's probably it's more in Ohio, cedar Point. I think it's like they have two big ones Cedar Point and then Geauga Lake. No, never heard of that oneoga lake is fucking. It's literally like straight up only roller coasters and the craziest fucking roller coasters there are. Um kind of reminds me like a six flags six flags had some crazy roller coasters.
Kenny Massa:I remember when I was young, kind of getting towards into high school, give or take, around that time they created Kingda Ka, which was, I remember I think, a top three largest roller coaster or maybe top three fastest roller coaster in the world. It's, I think it might be fast and height. I mean this thing was it would, basically. But the whole ride is it goes this way, it goes straight up and it comes straight down and that's the whole ride and it was huge, I mean really tall, and they just like crank you back and it would you'd hear it click or they click, click, click and they would just shoot you off and then you just go holy shit.
James LaGamma:It says it went 128 miles an hour yeah, how tall is it?
Kenny Massa:it's like you could see, I think.
James LaGamma:The highest drop, or I guess the biggest drop is 418 feet.
Ryan Selimos:Yeah, that ride was crazy, yeah it was a cool one.
Kenny Massa:Kingda Ka was awesome, and then on top of that, right around the same time, they made El Toro, and El Toro was, I believe, the number one largest all-wooden-made roller coaster, maybe in the United States, or maybe top three or something like that. There was another statistic there. I mean, there was like so much wood on this thing, it was insane. The whole thing made out of wood. Pretty cool Wooden roller coasters are awesome.
James LaGamma:Third fastest wooden roller coaster Kenny.
Kenny Massa:Third fastest wood rolling coaster.
James LaGamma:Max speed of 70 miles an hour.
Jonny Strahl:That was a good ride too. Isn't there one in Abu Dhabi that goes like 150 miles an hour Probably?
James LaGamma:Probably.
Kenny Massa:Sure, yeah, wouldn't doubt it. But six flags great adventure had some of the best roller coasters at a theme park that I've ever seen before and they just kept making them. They had superman, which was cool because you would lay like you'd lay different, you'd lay like superman, like how he flies, which was was different. That was a unique kind of different style of a roller coaster. But the OG roller coaster, there was Nitro. Nitro was like Hulk, it was the shit.
James LaGamma:You okay, Johnny.
Ryan Selimos:Did I miss something? Nitro was like Hulk it was the shit.
Kenny Massa:I don't understand why you left. I don't understand why you left.
Ryan Selimos:Tell us what's so funny. We'd love to share this with you.
Kenny Massa:James, you're at the same time as me.
James LaGamma:Yeah, I think.
Jonny Strahl:I said Ryan, is that you breathing? And then James, you guys, there's a dog snoring at the exact same time. So I thought that was funny, oh on the chat.
James LaGamma:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, is it me?
Kenny Massa:I think it's Ryan, I don't know.
James LaGamma:I thought it was Garth. I thought James was sleeping.
Ryan Selimos:I don't know.
James LaGamma:Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I wasn't even talking that time, just my presence makes him sleep.
Kenny Massa:Where are you guys typing? Huh, where are you guys typing?
James LaGamma:The chat? Yeah, in Riverside, all right. So, ryan, breathe. We don't want you to turn purple, my guy, the viewers have to listen to you. Speaking of that quick sidebar, johnny the roller coaster, maestro, stetson, basketball games. You remember when we used to do the roller coaster thing in the stands?
Kenny Massa:That was pretty fun, that was pretty fun that was good have you guys ever lost anything On a roller coaster.
James LaGamma:Yes, I lost my shoe one time.
Kenny Massa:I did. I lost a shoe, I was young.
Ryan Selimos:I'm glad you were young. I was walking. I lost a shoe. I was young. I'm glad you were young. I thought I lost a shoe.
Kenny Massa:I was walking around with one shoe all day, but people lose phones and wallets all the time.
James LaGamma:I think I don't know if it was me, but I think someone in my family lost sunglasses on a roller coaster ride. Well, that's.
Ryan Selimos:I mean the amount of sunglasses RIP on a roller coaster. There's so many.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, let me go in there and just put them all together. My cousin lost his wallet on Hulk.
Jonny Strahl:Oh.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, but if you ever?
James LaGamma:Well, he can't now because all they have is lockers, which is kind of annoying. In order to get on Hulk or most rides in Universal, you have to go put your phone, wallet, keys, whatever, in a locker. It's free, but yeah, probably.
Kenny Massa:Because I think that they probably have to go to security. Then they have to get into the roller coaster. Security has to go get it because it's the only person that can get underneath the roller coaster. Probably stops the roller coaster. Security has to go get it because it's the only person that can get underneath the roller coaster.
James LaGamma:It's probably a big deal, probably stops the roller coaster too, unless it's not in a bad spot. We keep talking about roller coasters and stuff, but as far as theme parks and amusement parks go, what about water parks? Did you guys used to go to water parks when you were kids? Would you go now as an adult?
Kenny Massa:Yes, I felt $70 in the wave pool one time.
James LaGamma:You lost $70?.
Kenny Massa:Found $70. I was like 12. That was like finding a million dollars, that's cool. In the wave pool we had Hurricane Harbor. Hurricane Harbor was like Six Flags' Waterpark and it was cool.
James LaGamma:There's a really cool waterpark by you, kenny, that I used to frequent when I was younger. I'm sure, ryan, you probably did the same thing, but Rapids. Yeah, that's huge Rapids Waterpark, oh yeah.
Kenny Massa:It was awesome. I would a thousand percent still go to a waterpark.
Ryan Selimos:I'd probably still go.
James LaGamma:I'd feel gross. It's disgusting.
Ryan Selimos:You've been in worse things.
James LaGamma:I know, but now that I know it's like you go to Mucky Lake.
Kenny Massa:That's different.
James LaGamma:I'll take fish piss All day long. Compared to human piss, there's enough chlorine to kill a, that's different.
Kenny Massa:That's different. I'll take fish piss all day long. Compared to human piss, yeah, there's enough chlorine to kill an alien in that thing.
Ryan Selimos:That one was my favorite before they closed down Wet n' Wild. I was a big fan of that one in the Orlando area. Wet n'.
James LaGamma:Wild yeah. I liked Blizzard Beach up in Orlando. Yeah, blizzard Beach, that, and then Typhoon Lagoon was good too, but I was always a Blizzard Beach up in Orlando. Typhoon Lagoon was good too, but I was always a Blizzard.
Kenny Massa:Beach guy or kid, Alright. How about the safaris? You ever go to the safaris?
James LaGamma:Pivoting immediately from water parks. He's out.
Ryan Selimos:It's water park for Kenny. You got to make sure you pronounce it right for him.
James LaGamma:It's too cold for those Jersey folks to go in some water.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, I got like one time per year to go to the water park. That was it. Yeah.
Jonny Strahl:Have you guys been to Volcano Bay at all?
Ryan Selimos:No, I've been one time.
Kenny Massa:It's different, isn't it? Yeah, in Orlando.
James LaGamma:Yeah it's different. Yeah, in orlando. Yeah, it's universal.
Jonny Strahl:It's it's interesting. Yeah, I mean it. I think it's very interesting because it's it's somewhat reasonably newer. Um, and just like the theme and like how they're catering, like between, like their virtual queue systems and how you actually get to the water slide, and they've got like a cabana and like premium experience, which is interesting, and I feel like it might cater more to good old Ryan because it's a little bit more, I guess, cleaner in a way. It's like gives you that vibe. It sounds like in a way, yeah, it gives you that vibe.
James LaGamma:It sounds like the Hard Rock.
Jonny Strahl:No sorry, James, you my bad. I thought you were the one.
James LaGamma:Yeah, nice cabana, get some drinks. Never mind, no, I'm in.
Kenny Massa:I'm in, that's James Lagama, james yeah we got to go.
Jonny Strahl:We got to go.
James LaGamma:You might actually like it, because it's cool, it's interesting all right, I I'm just I'm sure if I got there I'd be fine and just do everything we know. I'm just just just knowing about it back of my head.
Ryan Selimos:I'm just a little whatever, answer us this, john, because you mentioned the virtual queue right so isn't it advertised correct me if I'm wrong that at volcano baycano Bay, this new style water park, you never wait in lines because of the virtual queue solves that. Is that the rumor?
Jonny Strahl:Well, it allows you to reserve specific spots in line, which means you never have to go there to wait, essentially until you're up in the queue, right, I say that because when we went it, we that was the big selling point. It's a the virtual queue.
Ryan Selimos:You put your name in. You never have to wait, and that's great. That's for, like some of the bigger rides.
Ryan Selimos:But then you go to the little rides you know how am I going to spend my time while I wait in the virtual queue? They don't have to wait, and guess what you fucking do you wait in line. So I that I don't have to wait in, and guess what you fucking do you wait in line. So I don't really get the point. I don't wait in line for the big ride, I just go wait in line for other slides. So either way, I'm still waiting in line.
Kenny Massa:I mean, isn't that the theory of the Fast Pass, though I don't know if they do that anymore.
James LaGamma:No, no, no, no. That's completely different. That's completely different. The Fast Pass is a completely separate line.
Kenny Massa:Okay, james, take it easy over there.
James LaGamma:Oh no, you get me geared up because now we got this genie bullshit going on and it costs so much fucking money just to get to go ride a ride.
Ryan Selimos:What's genie. Why do I have to pay for Fast Pass? Never had to pay for it before.
Kenny Massa:I don't know up as a kid.
James LaGamma:What the fuck? Kenny, you probably remember this when you were younger, because I know you like Disney a lot, but the FastPass used to get them for free. You just walk up, you got the.
Kenny Massa:FastPass. It came back at your time.
James LaGamma:You basically got on the line or got on the ride a hell of a lot faster than if you have to wait the 50, 60 minutes that the regular line is Now. They changed it recently around COVID time to this Genie Pass. And then there's this other thing that you can buy too, where in order to get the Fast Pass you have to pay for it and then different rides are different amounts and then sometimes you have to get this Genie Pass. Then the extra spend to go do the fast pass thing. So nothing's free anymore for riding these rides.
Jonny Strahl:Lightning lane.
James LaGamma:Lightning lane. Thank you, thank you.
Ryan Selimos:Dizzy doesn't make enough money, we got to charge a fast pass. Hey, kiss my ass. Un-fucking-believable.
James LaGamma:Which is wild because it clearly worked before the regular fast pass situation. I know what they're trying to do and why they offer this fast pass because people come from fucking far and wide to come to disney and they want to ride a specific ride, and so they will pay money to actually go ride the ride and not have to wait. Dude, I've seen 230 minutes for like the star wars over yeah it's insane. You could watch through or two star wars movies while waiting in that line I have seen that too.
Kenny Massa:I have seen like 220 plus, and yet three, four hour line, not even at six flags. Good adventure, the same problem, because they had a lot of people coming from New York and PA. And three hours like if you're riding on two fucking rides all day. Six hours like no way.
Ryan Selimos:That brings up a great question what is your cap on? Like you see the weight? Where's that line? Where it's, I don't care, what the ride, I'm not waiting X amount of time to go on that.
Kenny Massa:Where is your kind of breaking point? Probably 40 minutes for me. Kenny's never going to an amusement park again.
James LaGamma:Kenny's there, Kenny, I think when we went to Disney we waited one ride longer than 40 minutes.
Ryan Selimos:We didn't do a 60-minute. Hey guys, you know what I can't wait for, right, kenny, we've talked about it Expecting father. We're very proud of you. Ken's going to go to these amusement parks.
Jonny Strahl:He's going to wait 90 minutes to two hours to take a picture with Mickey.
Kenny Massa:Just, we're going to fucking fast pass. We're going to pay fucking $5,000 for the fucking fast pass.
James LaGamma:He's got a point. He's got a point.
Kenny Massa:They fucking got me. That's what happened.
James LaGamma:Kenny's going to go ahead and spend the fucking 10K on the VIP fucking service where you have a Disney person walking you around Disney.
Ryan Selimos:I got to ride around in a scooter all day. I got some financial advice. Everyone go buy Disney stock right now, for when Kenny has a kid. He's going to be funding.
Kenny Massa:He's going to be funding the growth for us boys. Listen, I love Disney. I love everything about Orlando. I mean Universal too. Everything up there is awesome and 40 minutes is more than enough time to wait.
James LaGamma:Kenny's going during the week. That's what's happening.
Ryan Selimos:James, where are you at with time? Where's your cap?
Kenny Massa:Probably not first time I go.
James LaGamma:I'll do 90, it depends. So it depends on If I've ridden the ride yet and I really want to ride it, then yeah, I'll do like the longer time. So that's kind of like the 90 minute mark Is where I'm at. But if I've been on it already which I have annual passes at Disney and I've been to God I can't even fucking tell you how many times I've been there I might even get close to like the 50 mark on visiting. But outside of that, like you know, we'll wait when we want to wait. We just chill. We bring snacks, we've got our backpack, we've got water. We'll wait when we want to wait, we just chill. We bring snacks, we've got our backpack, we've got water. Like it's not a problem If it's hot out probably not. But 90 minutes is a cap. Okay, 60 for something I've probably ridden already.
Ryan Selimos:I'm about 60 myself, just 90, it's too much. I'll find something different. I'm 60, maybe 75, you, you know if it lingers like that, but I'm in that range see, I'm using the app and I'm looking at where where's the wait times oh yeah of course yeah, yeah, you go during lunch instead of eating, because usually they get down.
James LaGamma:You kind of wait till the night time or you get into the park real early.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, hit the high volume rides first thing and stuff like that Exactly, I mean, I'm definitely strategizing.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, and in all these parks, I've been to every single one of them, whether it's in New Jersey or Orlando at this point, so you know those. I mean for those who don't know there's definitely rides where and there's. I mean for those who don't know there's definitely rides where and there's a strategy to the whole system. Uh, and james can tell you all about that, because you guys go a lot more than probably any of us literally going.
James LaGamma:This weekend took off work just to go this, this or sorry, uh, not weekend.
Kenny Massa:Friday took off work just to go to epcot we're gonna drink, it's gonna be good you go a lot epcot's, we did that around the world and then I puked yeah a couple times.
Jonny Strahl:And then I puked oh, your sister once, and then I puked Kenny's closing statement Typically.
James LaGamma:Yeah.
Kenny Massa:I puked.
James LaGamma:Was that the time when we went with your sister, or was that the time when we went with, because I know Patty had only been there, but that was the time when it was just us four yeah on the way home.
Kenny Massa:I got out of the car and I felt. And I got out of the car and when I went to puke I puked on an anthill. I had like 500 ants on me when I got back oh, I think I remember that.
James LaGamma:Yep, that's fucking hysterical.
Kenny Massa:I mean, they get you. I drank wine, I drank rum, I drank beer, I drank sake. I drank wine, I drank rum, I drank beer, I drank sake, I drank tequila. I had. Every fucking drink there was Around. The World is cool, though that was fun. Take it easy, go at a decent pace.
Ryan Selimos:Disney stock doing pretty well. Thank you, Kenny Wine, tequila, all the purchases, buddy. Like I said, I love Disney.
Kenny Massa:I think wine, all the purchases, buddy. Like I said, I love Disney.
James LaGamma:I think sometimes these amusement parks and theme parks get like a bad rap because you spend like all this money and then when you get to the park you're like, great, now I got to spend money on food. Honestly, food's pretty reasonably priced at these theme parks as of late, like I can get an eight to $12 beer at a regular bar, just like I can at Disney or universal, and it's the same 16 ounce beer. Like it's not a. You know, a burger is like $12, you know, I don't know it's not that bad. But you can also bring food into the parks, which I know a lot of people didn't know about.
Jonny Strahl:I don't know if that's true about all parks.
James LaGamma:I know that's true for Disney.
Kenny Massa:What I like about Epcot is you can get things that are completely different.
James LaGamma:Yeah, you can try a lot of foods, things you could never get anywhere else.
Kenny Massa:So it's worth spending to get access to something that you wouldn't get anywhere else, particularly beers and drinks and whatnot from different places from around the world. It's a pretty cool experience, so if you haven't experienced that, why not go all in?
James LaGamma:Oh yeah, Drinking around the world is pretty sweet, but drive safe.
Kenny Massa:I didn't drive safe.
James LaGamma:Yeah, I've never tried Ubering to a theme park before. I wonder how that would go.
Kenny Massa:I mean, you don't live far. It would suck if you lived two and a half hours away.
James LaGamma:Yeah, I know, but I wonder if you'd like Uber to a bus stop or they can actually take you to the park.
Ryan Selimos:They have Uber drop-off points.
James LaGamma:They have 100% they do I mean, Disney does such a good job at hiding things like that that I would have no fucking clue.
Ryan Selimos:I'll look out for it. On.
James LaGamma:Friday.
Ryan Selimos:There you go buddy, they do.
Jonny Strahl:They have an actual, especially at Epcot. It's pretty convenient. It's like, right, there's a specific area, done it a few times Too frequently.
James LaGamma:To be honest, it's not proud of it when you guys were, uh, kids, were you guys always getting all the all the like uh, I don't know shirts, ears, hats, all the fucking merchandise that you could possibly even hope and dream of when you were a kid?
Kenny Massa:Nope, nope.
James LaGamma:Parents said nah not happening Ry.
Ryan Selimos:I'm not paying X dollars whatever it was back then for you to get something that you're going to use for fun, get something that's overpriced for you to use it, I'm not paying. I'm not paying that. I already brought you to Disney. I'm over there looking. It was always the fan with the water spray. I mean right. In the summer, and you're just looking for the freshman? Absolutely not. Well, it's the big lollipop right. That's about the size of this thing over here.
Ryan Selimos:You're going to take four licks of it and be done. I'm not buying that.
James LaGamma:It was always no for Ryan, it's okay, but Matt got everything he ever wanted, right?
Ryan Selimos:No, no?
James LaGamma:no, both the way you know, but Kenny it sounded like got everything.
Ryan Selimos:Kenny got everything.
Jonny Strahl:You want this.
Ryan Selimos:What was your experience when it came to the merchandise there, Kenneth?
Kenny Massa:I wasn't asking for stupid shit. It was basically if I wanted something random, yeah, I would get it, but I wasn't asking for everything. But I did have this one thing. You like spun it like this yeah, like a light, and then it like said words when you spun it really fast Let me get this. You're like flickering, so let me get this straight.
Ryan Selimos:The little light flickers. That's not stupid, but on a hot summer day, the refreshing water is stupid. Just so I understand where we're at right now in this analogy. Okay, Perfect.
Kenny Massa:Listen. If I had to give a secret message to someone, that light thing was fucking crucial. So yes, Ryan, it was very much more important than your fan that sprayed where you could get it at any theme park, anywhere. You and every other kid would just go back to Disney.
Ryan Selimos:Okay, all right, sure, I'll hold stir Okay.
James LaGamma:That's fucking hilarious. I'm going to look out for one of those. I don't know if they sell. I know they have the fan squirt bottle that Ryan's talking about. Still, they sell those. I don't know if they sell. I know they have the fan squirt bottle that Ryan's talking about. Still, they sell those. But the secret message spinning thing I don't know if that's around anymore.
Kenny Massa:Maybe it's an antique. I should go dig it up Somewhere. My mom probably still got it In a garage or some shit.
Ryan Selimos:Love it.
James LaGamma:I was a little spoiled, rotten kid when I was going to the theme parks. I was that person, that kid that, every single time they got off the ride.
Ryan Selimos:Oh yeah, oh are you kidding me?
James LaGamma:I can hear the sarcasm, ryan, fuck off. But yeah, no, I was the kid that they got me. Every single time they put the gift shop at the end of the ride, which nowadays, I think is fucking annoying as all hell.
James LaGamma:But, it's fucking smart. They're smart, they know how to get the money out of you. Yep, now they don't do it as much. From what I've noticed, they'll have, like, the stores are kind of on the side At least that's how Guardians works so you get off the ride to get my pictures, yep, mm. Hmm, they'll have the stores on the side. At least that's how Guardians works. Is that the thing with the pictures you?
Kenny Massa:get off the ride. You can buy your pictures, Yep.
James LaGamma:I never bought one of those, never once, not now not never, I don't remember. You know, they just redid Splash Mountain. What yeah Redid?
Jonny Strahl:it to what? What did they do?
James LaGamma:I think it's Princess and the Frog. Maybe it's pretty cool looking actually. Let's see what did they change it to?
Kenny Massa:Ryan, you're going to have a girl and you're going to have to go on all the shit that you don't want to go on.
Ryan Selimos:The fuck out of here.
Jonny Strahl:Are you talking about Tiana's Bayou Adventure?
James LaGamma:Tiana's Bayou Adventure.
Kenny Massa:Ryan's new favorite ride.
James LaGamma:It's pretty cool, though they like made the. It's not like that brown, kind of like Almost Desert feeling. It's now it's like Louisiana body, so it's all green and shit. It looks pretty cool. You seem upset, ryan.
Ryan Selimos:Guess we'll find out or not. I enjoyed Splashdown man. You know that was a childhood memory, the fact that they redid it. I'm a little disappointed, that's okay.
James LaGamma:It's still the same ride. They just changed the theme of it.
Kenny Massa:Like I said before they do that, they recycle these rides.
James LaGamma:Yep.
Kenny Massa:What's that beer that you get in Harry Potter world? It's like a what a beer.
Ryan Selimos:No alcohol, they're Harry.
Kenny Massa:Potter world. I will tell you, oh really, I will tell you, they're Harry Potter world, though the architecture and engineering in that place is absurd. Just the design and everything in that place is next level.
James LaGamma:Props to whoever built shit Imagineers?
Kenny Massa:Yeah, well, that's why it takes them so long. I mean, it's crazy.
James LaGamma:Oh yeah, they're building a new park actually in Orlando for Universal. It's the.
Jonny Strahl:Epic.
James LaGamma:What is it called? The Epic Universe, which is kind called the Epic Universe, which is kind of like Nintendo themed. That's cool. They've got some pretty cool stuff going on there. I'm excited. I heard people already bought tickets. I think it's supposed to open 2025. Which is insane, never heard of it, so I'm looking forward. I didn't even know there was still enough land over by where universal is to build something like that, but I guess they had a big chunk over by.
James LaGamma:I drive, I think Right, isn't it across from I four kind of close to a volcano Bay.
Jonny Strahl:Yeah, it's right over there.
James LaGamma:Okay, good All right?
Kenny Massa:well, to wrap it up, because I got jumped on the Safari question, I forgot that we never came back to the Safari Animal Kingdom.
Ryan Selimos:That's all you need to the safari Animal kingdom.
Kenny Massa:That's all you need to know what's your favorite safari animal.
James LaGamma:Rhinos.
Kenny Massa:Okay.
James LaGamma:There's nothing cuter than a little rhino. I guess that, or an elephant.
Kenny Massa:A baby elephant, baby giraffe, giraffe's cool too. Yeah, any safari baby animal basically.
James LaGamma:Yeah, pretty much yeah.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, pretty much I'm with you on that Makes sense, you got the Lion Country Safari.
James LaGamma:near you, kenny, it's in Loxahatchee.
Kenny Massa:Yeah, I've been Patty and I have been. They have the Safari in New Jersey that's attached to Six Flags Good Adventure Years ago. Now I think you have to drive through like a Safari truck. They bring you through and everything. Now I think you have to drive through like a safari truck, they bring you through and everything.
Kenny Massa:Years ago it was basically a road that you took your car and you drove through the safari with your car and it was a big trail that you would just drive through from entrance to exit and you would see different animals and a lot of the animals were separated, not really cages or anything like that. It was just basically a big, huge, open safari and divided very nicely. And then towards the end you'd get to this one section where monkeys, like baboons, would run wild and they would jump on your car and stuff, but they started to like damage cars. They would rip off the antennas, they would rip off the mirrors on the sides, they would like jump up and down on the hoods and put dents in cars. They were crazy, so they just they had to stop that at one point, but I remember like it would. They would just like rip your antenna off, which is nuts I know they're.
James LaGamma:no, they're not shy to sticking their heads into the windows and getting whatever food you got in there. Yeah, sticking their big-ass tongues out too. It's kind of.
Kenny Massa:The giraffes got purple tongues, or something like that Mm-hmm, blue tongue, purple tongue.
James LaGamma:Yeah, Lydia went to one up in Kansas City area with one of her friends and some big tongues this man just said those are some big tongues, are you good? I guess not good enough. Johnny looks real enthused.
Ryan Selimos:Johnny's real interested. Just like everyone else, he drew a half tongue.
Jonny Strahl:Wonderful One big hippo guy, hippos, hippo, hippo All right.
Kenny Massa:Well, can't wait till we go to another Universal slash Disney.
James LaGamma:Yeah, maybe we'll get you to strap a GoPro on your chest right, Kenny, Like you always say.
Kenny Massa:No, not there, We'll have Ryan.
James LaGamma:Maybe at a water park? How about that?
Kenny Massa:Okay, I'll go to a water park. Maybe I'll find another 70 bucks in the wave pool Maybe All right.
Ryan Selimos:Until then, the bender continues.
James LaGamma:The bender continues.
