Lost Island Theme Park, one of North America's newest parks, opened in 2022 in Waterloo, Iowa. The park is themed to an enchanted tropical island with incredibly immersive areas and rides to match. To date, Lost Island is home to three roller coasters, including Nopuko Air Coaster and Matugani and an award-winning dark ride, Volkanu: Quest for the Golden Idol. During our visit, the park announced their 2025 addition, a RMC Raptor roller coaster named Fire Runner.

Pirates of Speelunker Cave opened at Six Flags Over Texas on May 14, 2022. Riders board the attraction and venture into Speelunker Cave. Soon enough, you are greeted by a band of pirates looking for lost treasure. Upon bracing a storm, a kraken, mermaids and more, the exploration takes riders deep into Speelunker territory.

Though the opening of Aquaman: Power Wave has been delayed another year, construction still marches on. The ride's first boat has been installed, along with station and splashdown components. We take a look Six Flags Over Texas' new dining offerings, including Roller Coaster Coffee and Auntie Anne's, along with upgrades and fixes to Pirates of Speelunker Cave and the end of this year's live summer entertainment.

Pirates of Speelunker Cave is a re-imagining of one of the park’s first attractions, The Cave, that operated from 1964 until 1991 and replaces the current version of the attraction—Yosemite Sam and the Gold River Adventure. The Cave featured original characters called Speelunkers that were created exclusively for Six Flags Over Texas. The new ride features projection and immersive sets, custom soundtrack, sixty-four Speelunkers and no height requirement with an accompanying adult.

A visit to Six Flags Over Texas unveils the removal of all single rider lines at various attractions, along with a big update on current ride closures. We also follow up on the major dining and restaurant changes taking place, along with great construction updates for both Aquaman: Power Wave and Pirates of Speelunker Cave.

After a hiatus, we head to Six Flags Over Texas and encounter a number of new in-park changes. Fresh paint continues to hit several buildings around the park. We also point out multiple new dining locations coming soon, issues with new offerings at other restaurants, the shuffling of some in-park services and the addition of single rider lines. Finally, Pirates of Speelunker Cave looks to be opening soon as crews continue working hard on Aquaman: Power Wave.

Construction projects at Six Flags Over Texas continue to move at a rapid pace. Work has picked up on Aquaman: Power Wave and its addition of a turntable and crews continue to prep the all-new Pirates of Speelunker Cave dark ride. The new Mr. Freeze paint job has also progressed, along with several building refurbishments, especially in the park's Old South section. Six Flags Over Texas also continues the parking lot makeover and construction of a new perimeter fence.

Six Flags Over Texas, the Thrill Capital of Texas, celebrated its 60th anniversary today by announcing that an all-new ride experience will make its debut for the 2022 season. Pirates of Speelunker Cave, is a state-of-the-art attraction that will place guests squarely in the middle of a pirate treasure hunt thwarted by resident Speelunkers. This exciting, new attraction is the second new ride announced at the park and is scheduled to open early in 2022.

We head to Hersheypark for day one of ACE's Coaster Con 43! Join us for a look at the park's all-new Chocolatetown entrance, along with the Chocolatier restaurant and the exciting Candymonium roller coaster. We also check out the recently-updated Reese's Cupfusion dark ride and give you a full POV look at the dark ride attraction.

Join us for a behind-the-scenes, lights-on tour of Fiesta Texas' Pirates of the Deep Sea dark ride. Originally built by Sally Corporation, the attraction opened in 2002 as Scooby-Doo Ghostblasters. However, in 2019, the attraction was transformed into its current Pirates of the Deep Sea theme.

This trip report checks out the removal of more Gold River Adventure theming and signage. We also take a quick look at El Diablo construction as well as more pieces being removed from Aquaman Splashdown. Dive Bomber Alley also has a new riding experience and more!

Join us for a second exclusive tour of the new Pirates of the Deep Sea dark ride coming to Fiesta Texas! We show off the immersive queue line as well as various scenes within the ride itself. A huge thank you to American Coaster Enthusiasts and Fiesta Texas for facilitating the tour!

Join us on an exclusive construction tour of the new Pirates of the Deep Sea dark ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas. The ride is set to open this upcoming January.

While in Hershey, PA, we check out Hershey's Chocolate World which features a newly-remodeled dark ride known as the Hershey's Chocolate Tour. The dark ride is offered free of charge.