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Coaster101 has been a source for theme park news, reviews, interviews, engineering breakdowns and more for over 15 years. Now, finally, we've figured out how to record ourselves, and are coming at you in audio form! Follow us on all social media platforms @Coaster101, and visit www.coaster101.com for more. The Coaster101 podcast is property of Coaster101.com, LLC.
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Real life has a funny way of getting in the way of podcasts, but after Andrew planned his wedding and got married, followed by kidney stone removal surgery - the Coaster101 podcast is officially back, and there's no better way to jump back into the news of the amusement industry than with a recap of the 2023 IAAPA Expo. Andrew is joined by C101 tea…
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The Coaster101 Podcast
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All Things Rocky Mountain Construction with COO Jake Kilcup
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It's been a busy 2023 for Rocky Mountain Construction. Two all-new coasters, a major retrak-ing project in Orlando, a merger, bringing Silver Dollar City's Fire In The Hole to a new generation, and arguably, most importantly, WILD MOOSE. Andrew is joined by RMC's COO Jake Kilcup to talk about the roller coaster of a year that Rocky Mountain Constru…
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The Coaster101 Podcast
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Iron Menace 2 Society with Dorney Park's Ryan Eldredge
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Happy National Roller Coaster Day! Last week, Dorney Park announced Iron Menace - the park's first ground-up roller coaster to be built since Hydra: The Revenge in 2005. Standing 160' tall, Iron Menance will truly change Dorney Park's Skyline. We're joined on the podcast this week by Ryan Eldredge, Dorney Park's Public Relations and Communications …
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The Coaster101 Podcast
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As The (Deno's) WonderWheel Turns: One on One with Deno "DJ" Vourderis
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You never know when you'll find a podcast guest in the wild. During a visit to Deno's Wonder Wheel earlier this summer, Andrew was riding their new roller coaster, Phoenix when he struck up a conversation with a ride operator. As it turned out, that "ride operator" was Deno "DJ" Vourderis, third-generation co-owner and operator of Deno's Wonder Whe…
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It's a big week for theme park news, so before all that drops, we wanted to have a little bit of fun. Andrew, Shane, and Nick join forces for a 12-round Universal draft! There are some caveats -- you had to take at least two International Attractions, at least one show, and at least one defunct attraction. Also, seasonal events were not allowed to …
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The Coaster101 Podcast
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1 on 1 With The "Chief" of Lost Island Theme Park, Eric Bertch
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We can count on one hand the number of new, full-scale theme parks that have opened in the United States in the past 15 years. One of those parks happens to be Lost Island, located in Waterloo, Iowa. By all accounts, this park is a hidden gem, and features a pair of unique roller coasters, a world class Sally Dark Ride, and on top of that, a fantas…
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The Coaster101 Podcast
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Let'sa Go to Universal Studios Japan & Super Nintendo World
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Despite living in California, Eric has not yet made it to Universal Studios Hollywood to experience Super Nintendo World stateside. He has however, now officially done the next best (and to be honest, probably better) thing: Visited the original land at Universal Studios Japan. In this episode, Eric takes Andrew through his trip to Universal Studio…
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Earlier this year, coaster enthusiasts on the east coast were blessed with not one, but two brand-new creations from the wizards at Rocky Mountain Construction - Arie Force One at Fun Spot Atlanta and Wildcat's Revenge at Hersheypark. Luckily, we have two Coaster101 team members who have ridden these new coasters and can talk about them and make ou…
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Andrew has officially unpacked his podcasting equipment after a move. Recently, he had the opportunity to head up to Busch Gardens Williamsburg for Media Day for the park's 10th roller coaster, DarKoaster. This fun family-friendly roller coaster has a bit of everything, and so does this podcast episode! Reviews, Interviews, On-Ride Audio -- this po…
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The Coaster101 Podcast
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Champions of the 2023 TPEG Alumni Community Theme Park Design Competition
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The 2023 TPEG ALUMNI Community Theme Park Design Competition is in the books and the top teams have been announced. On this week's episode of the Coaster101 Podcast, we welcome the members of Team 385, the champions of the competition: Andrew Yates, David Manguiat, Ella Rudkin, Jacob English, & Audrey Nelson. We discuss all aspects of their project…
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Multiple years in the making, Carowinds' newest land, Aeronautica Landing, celebrating all things aviation, is officially open. We had the opportunity to attend the media preview for the new land, and we were incredibly impressed. Andrew talks all things Aeronautica Landing, and then closes the show with interviews conducted on-site at media day --…
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The Coaster101 Podcast
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The Disney Global Ride Challenge with Nathan Firesheets
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Nathan Firesheets is no stranger to Disney Parks-related Challenges. A veteran of both the Parkeology and Ride Every Challenge at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, Nathan recently completed a journey that makes us simultaneously jealous and terrified: Every Ride at all 12 Disney Parks. In 12 Days. On this episode of the Coaster101 Podcast, we talk …
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Kids Say the Darndest Things About Legoland Florida
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Henry (9) and Nora (5) from Ohio, state of America, come on the show to review the new Pirate River Quest ride at Legoland Florida and their first time visiting Peppa Pig Theme Park.By Coaster101
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Six Flags made a slew of announcements on March 1. From attractions we already knew about like Aquaman Power Wave and the P'Sghetti Bowl Coasters coming to Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Over Georgia, to new attractions that were previously unannounced. Eric joins Andrew to recap the highlights of the announcement, and there's an odd fascination with S…
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TRON: Lightcycle Run officially opens at Walt Disney World on April 4, but Shane got to enter the grid a little early, and recounts his experience riding TRON during Cast Member Previews. Shane and Andrew also chat about their recent trip to SeaWorld Orlando for the Seven Seas Food Festival and a Coaster Smash & Grab at Fun Spot Kissimmee -- some g…
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Inside the Disney 100 Exhibition at the Franklin Institute with Chief Experience & Strategy Officer Abby Bysshe
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This past weekend, the Disney 100 Exhibition made its debut at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Covering 20,000 square feet of event space, the exhibit covers all things over the century history of the Walt Disney Company. Andrew is joined this week by Blooloop Top 50 Museum Influencer Abby Bysshe, Chief Experience & Strategy Officer for the…
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Andrew and His Brother Go to Universal Orlando...Hilarity Ensues
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Andrew makes it to his fair share of theme parks, but his younger brother J.T., while a fan of theme parks, isn't as in depth in the hobby. So when the duo heads to Universal Orlando, you never know what will happen. J.T. makes his podcast debut as the brothers Stilwell discuss a recent Universal Orlando vacation that coincided with an Orlando Info…
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LIVE from Carowinds for an Aeronautica Landing Hard Hat Tour
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This week's show is a little different than usual. Andrew had the opportunity to visit Carowinds for a Construction Tour of the all-new Aeronautica Landing, which opens later this spring. Rather than talk about rides, he put the recorder on during the tour, and is taking you on an auditory journey of unedited audio as he walked through the mud and …
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As coaster enthusiasts, we all have friends who we refer to (lovingly) as "GP." So when members of the GP visit a park that you've never visited, you obviously want the "real" story that isn't as coaster focused. Andrew is joined by his college roommate Clint and Clint's "friends from back home" Chris and Kyle to talk about their recent trip to Six…
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The Coaster101 Podcast
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Carolinas (+Virginia & Tennessee) Coaster Draft with @ParkRovers and @eriks_coasters
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Happy New Year! Native North Carolinian Andrew is joined by two other North Carolinians, Andrew from Park Rovers and Erik of "Erik's Coaster Tweets" to conduct a Carolinas Coaster Draft, with the added wrinkle of Virginia and Tennessee thrown in the mix! Head to our Twitter account to vote for whose lineup you think is best! You can connect with th…
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It's the last new Coaster101 Podcast Episode of 2022, and we're talking Christmas Gifts. Not just any Christmas gifts - but what you want your home parks to open under the tree! Last week, we posed the question "What do you want your home park to open under its Christmas Tree?" and Nick joins Andrew to talk about their own home parks, as well as so…
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An Audio Journey of "Kings Island: A Photographic Journey" with Author Barry Hill
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Longtime listeners will remember when we interviewed author Evan Ponstingle about his book: Kings Island: A Ride Through Time. After that book was released, publisher Barry Hill of Rivershore Creative felt that the only thing missing was a visual accompaniment. This week on the podcast, Andrew interviews Barry about his new book "Kings Island: A Ph…
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Ranking The Best States for Coaster Enthusiasts with @Coaster365
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After the Thanksgiving break, we're back again with some peak "off-season" content. Bryant Olivera, aka the internet's "Coaster-A-Day" calendar, @Coaster365, joins Andrew to arbitrarily rank the best states for coaster enthusiasts. Their lists are similar, but you might be surprised at some of the rankings and reasonings! You can connect with the s…
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Recapping IAAPA 2022 - New Coasters, New Trains, The Condiment Cow, and MORE!
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It's Thanksgiving Week, which means everyone will gather around the table to talk about all of the shiny new trains revealed at IAAPA. At least that's what we think. Shane visited the IAAPA Expo in Orlando last week, and has the scoop on all of the new trains, announcements that weren't covered in the press briefings, and something called the Condi…
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The Coaster101 Podcast
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Previewing IAAPA 2023 with Marcus from the Drunk Riders
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It's IAAPA Week, and we're joined by "friend of the pod" Marcus from The Drunk Riders to talk media announcements, speculation and more! You can connect with the show by hitting us up on social media @Coaster101: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram. We also have a website, if you're into that sort of thing: www.coaster101.com Also, be sure to subscribe …
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Adam Sandy Returns to Talk All Things Zamperla
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Ahead of next week's IAAPA Expo We're joined on the podcast this week by Zamperla's Director for Roller Coaster Sales and Marketing (as well as "Friend of the Pod" and all around good-guy) Adam Sandy. Zamperla is in the midst of a roller coaster renaissance, and has announced three coaster projects in recent months. We talk Cedar Point, Adventurela…
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Ghoster101: The C101 Team takes on Zombezi Bay, SCarowinds, and HHN31!
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With one week until Halloween, we're taking the time to talk Haunts -- from the small Zombezi Bay at Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, to SCarowinds at Carowinds, to the Grandaddy of them all, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando. This week on the show, join Andrew, Nick and Shane as they recap their #SpookySZN exploits in Ohio, Florida, and the Car…
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Last week on Twitter, we posed the question: What’s a coaster that is overall not great but has *one* redeeming element or moment? The Coaster101 audience came through with a variety of answers, and we discuss them this week! John joins Andrew to talk the results of the Wooden Coaster Draft, Coaster101's recent appearance in the Wall Street Journal…
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We're back, and this week, we're taking on the highly original concept of hosting a wooden coaster fantasy draft. To put an added wrinkle, we've put together 10 unique categories that our three podcasters have to draft by. Head to our Twitter account to vote for whose lineup you think is best! You can connect with the show by hitting us up on socia…
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After a few weeks of real life, Andrew is back, and is joined by "The Pat McAfee of Coaster TikTok," CoasterBro from the Coaster Cuzzies podcast. There's been a good bit of news in the past few weeks, so we're recapping it, giving our thoughts on Top Thrill Dragster 2.0, DarKoaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, the Golden Ticket Awards, and recapp…
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What Makes Canada's Wonderland So Wonderful
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Three members of the Coaster101 team recently met at Canada’s Wonderland to experience the Toronto amusement park’s 17 roller coasters and on today's podcast we talk all about them! In a year when it felt like every other coaster enthusiast went to Europe over the summer, we decided we had to go international too, so naturally we went to Canada. On…
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Cedar Fair's 2023 Announcements - Featuring Carowinds, Worlds of Fun, Canada's Wonderland and Cedar Point!
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It's about that time of year where many refer to as "Theme Park Christmas," where parks announce their plans for the following season, and guests reap the benefits of all of the shiny new toys the park unwrap for next year. On August 11, multiple Cedar Fair parks made announcements for 2023, including Carowinds, Canada's Wonderland, Worlds of Fun, …
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Back to Glenwood Caverns with General Manager Nancy Heard
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A year ago last week, Glenwood Caverns announced the largest project in their history, the Gerstlauer Infinity Coaster, Defiance. Standing highatop the Rocky Mountains, Defiance opened at the beginning of July to rave reviews. There's no better person to talk Defiance than park General Manager Nancy Heard, who enjoyed her time so much on the podcas…
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The Coaster101 Podcast: Episode 101, The Roller Coaster Story We Promised We'd Never Tell
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Happy 101st Episode of the Coaster101 Podcast. In celebration of this momentous occasion, we gathered Andrew, John, Kyle and Nick to tell a roller coaster story we've hesitated to tell for three years. Join us for a humorous oral history of the time that the four of us headed to a family entertainment center in Charlotte to ride a Miner Mike roller…
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The Coaster101 Guide to Six Flags Great America
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It's Episode 100, but the milestone celebration is coming with Episode 101, because we're doing it for the brand. As we enter triple digits, we're revisiting our "Coaster101 Guide to" series with a look at one of John's "Home Away from Home" parks, Six Flags Great America. Did you know that the Chicago-area park was originally opened by Marriott Ho…
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A First Timer's Guide to Kings Island
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We've got a first time over here! While multiple members of the Coaster101 team have visited Kings Island in the past, Shane had the opportunity to visit the park for the first time recently, and we thought a fresh perspective would be good to showcase on the podcast. Shane joins Andrew, and brings along his buddy Colin (@AllClearCoasters on Instag…
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Iron Shark, Boardwalk Bullet, Deep In The Heart of Texas.
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Andrew is traveling for work this week, and hotel internet is less than ideal for recording a podcast. But, the show must go on. Luckily, the work trip brought him to Houston, and there are two roller coasters within a decent drive -- and he got to experience both. Learn more about the Gerstlauer Eurofighter Iron Shark at Galveston Island Historic …
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Adventuring in Michigan at Michigan's Adventure
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We're back! One of the least talked about Cedar Fair parks (at least from a coaster enthusiast's perspective) is Michigan's Adventure. It's often considered neglected or forgotten in favor of Cedar Fair's other parks, so OF COURSE we're going to talk about it on our podcast! Nick joins Andrew to talk about his recent visit to Michigan's Adventure, …
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CGA's Land is Sold...Now About Those Rides...
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We weren't going to have a podcast this week. Then, the news broke that Cedar Fair had sold the land out from underneath California's Great America to a real estate developer, and the park would cease to operate sometime in the next 11 years. The land is sold...but California's Great America has a number of rides that could end up at other Cedar Fa…
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The History of Roller Coaster Video Games with DJ of Corkscrew Convos
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We all recognize the name Roller Coaster Tycoon, or No Limits. But did you know that "Roller Coasters in Video Games" date back nearly 40 years? This week on the Coaster101 Podcast, Andrew is joined by DJ of the Corkscrew Convos podcast this week to deep dive into the history of theme park and roller coaster video games, talking about some of our p…
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As theme park enthusiasts, we're often told how we should feel about certain rides or attractions. Like something more than everyone else does? You're weird. Like something less than everyone else does? You're also weird. However, the key is liking what you like, because in reality, it doesn't matter otherwise! This week's show has Shane and Andrew…
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Kyle and John recently made a visit to one of the United States' few remaining trolley parks, Dorney Park in Allentown, PA. The two-first time visitors join Andrew to talk about their experience. The trio talk the park's coaster lineup, Demon Drop, the Zephyr, our thoughts on what the park's next roller coaster should be and how the Coaster101 team…
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Inside Lost Island Theme Park with The Weber Group
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In this day and age, it's rare that we see a full-scale ground-up theme park being built, and especially a ground-up theme park in Iowa. Fortunately, The Lost Island is up for the task. On this week's podcast, we talk with The Weber Group's Chief Theming Officer (what an incredible title!) Jim Doiron about what went into the theming for The Lost Is…
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Theme Park Journalist Arthur Levine Talks Substack, Guardians of the Galaxy and More!
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When starting a podcast, like we did in 2020, you have a list of guests you really want to try to get on the show. It took almost two years, but we got one of our "big fish," Theme Park Journalist Arthur Levine. Known mostly for his work in USA Today, TripSavvy (fka About.com), and frequent appearances on the CoasterRadio podcast, Arthur has recent…
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It's that time of year again -- another listener questions show! Join Andrew and John as they take on questions that make them think, from overrated roller coasters, to launch vs. lift, to why parks don't advertise their rides for season-long farewell tours. John and Andrew are even tasked with the question from former podcast guest Henry (Nick's 8…
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Virginia is for Coaster Lovers, Especially Those Who Love Pantheon & Tumbili
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They say Virginia is for Lovers...Coaster Lovers. Recently, Andrew and Eric both had the (separate) opportunities to experience the new-for-2022 Pantheon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg while Andrew was able to extend his commonwealth trip and experience Tumbili (and Jungle X-Pedition) at Kings Dominion as well! If you're looking for coaster nerd tal…
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Matt Schmotzer - Print My Ride Detroit
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On this week's episode of the Coaster101 podcast we're joined by Matt Schmotzer of Print My Ride Detroit. We first noticed Matt five years ago when he unveiled he was working on a working 3D printed roller coaster model recreation of Invertigo shuttle coaster found at Kings Island. We caught up with Matt to hear about the incredible projects he's b…
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What Happens in Vegas...We'll Talk About On This Podcast!
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Viva Las Podcast. Andrew recently visited Las Vegas, and got to experience a lot of "America's Playground's" offerings during his 72 hours, from roller coasters, to live entertainment, to immersive experiences and more. Fortunately for us, he wasn't the only person with the first name Andrew to have a similar experience recently. We're joined on th…
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Hopping Aboard Disney's Galactic Starcruiser
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One of the most ambitious immersive experiences in theme park adjacent history - The Star Wars Galactic Star Cruiser -- recently opened at Walt Disney World Resort. While we are still attempting to find our way to Florida to experience it ourselves (Starcruiser Dreams with a Pop Century Budget...can anyone else relate?) We fortunately were able to …
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Inside Tumbili and Jungle X-Pedition with Kings Dominion
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It's a big week for Kings Dominion, opening for the season on March 12. In celebration of that big week, we've got a BIG episode centered around the all-new Tumbili 4-D Free-Spin and re-themed Safari Village, which is now known as Jungle X-Pedition. We're joined on the podcast this week by Bridgette Bywater, Vice President and General Manager for K…
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