With just days to go until Busch Gardens Tampa Bay opens Iron Gwazi for passholder previews, we have the first review of the experience from longtime theme park journalist Arthur Levine.

Levine was given preferential treatment over other reporters to ride the 206-foot-tall hybrid coaster. In an exclusive for the New York Post, he said Iron Gwazi is “among the best — if not the best — coaster in Florida.” 

Go read more of Levine’s review here. The long-delayed Rocky Mountain Construction coaster will hold previews for the park’s platinum members starting on Feb. 13, with previews expanding to other levels of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay passes before opening to the general public on March 11.  

El Toro will reopen at Six Flags Great Adventure this spring

The El Toro wooden coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure will once again be running this spring, having been shuttered since the coaster train partially derailed last June. 

No riders were injured. However, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs’ Carnival-Amusement Ride Safety Unit prohibited the ride from operating until coaster manufacturer Intamin found what caused the incident and how it can be fixed. 

There’s still no official word on the cause or the fix, but Great Adventure announced via Facebook Monday that “”El Toro is expected to reopen this spring following extensive testing, inspections, and state certification.” 

The coaster first opened in 2006. It is still the fourth-tallest wooden coaster at 181 feet, with the second-highest drop (176 feet) and third-fastest top speed (70 miles per hour). 

Holiday World debuting “Holidays in the Sky” drone show

Indiana’s Holiday World theme park will send 300 drones into the sky this summer for a new show called “Holidays in the Sky.”

The 15-minute performance will celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween and the Fourth of July, matching sections of the park. The drone show will then be followed by fireworks and run nightly from June 18 to July 31. Passholders will get a special preview on June 17. 

“This is a custom show you won’t be able to find anything like this in the world,” Lauren Crosby, owner and director of entertainment and special events, said in a press release. “’Holidays in the Sky’ is going to be a huge hit with families, and we can’t wait for the spectacle to start.”

Holiday World will open for the season on May 14.