Photo TR: Fuji-Q Highland

I was honestly debating if going here was worth it based on the stories I've heard about this place, but I decided to suck it up and give it a shot, even if just to see how bad it really is. After going in with very low expectations, I actually ended up liking a lot more than I thought I would!

Since it was a weekday with several area schools still in session, the crowds were fairly light. Longest wait I saw was 2 hours for Dodonpa at one point (understandable for being new), rest of the major coasters were in the ballpark of 60-90 minutes all day. Fujiyama stood out early in the day with consistent two train ops with almost no stacking. In normal Fuji-Q fashion, it dropped down to one train later in the day (but still only about 30 minutes).

Operations were bad, but the level of badness varied wildly. A lot of problems seemed to stem from their very strict system of boarding and inspecting. Park takes their "no loose articles" rule VERY seriously, and makes you take off everything in the station in a separate area before boarding. After you actually board, there's seat belts that need to be checked before the restraints are closed and rechecked. Depending on how prepared guests were with their loose items and how fast the crew operated, turnaround times ranged from 1-2 minutes on Dodonpa to as many as 10 on Eejanaika.

Anyway, photos!

If I'm this close to Fuji, that must mean...

Yep, I'm at Fuji-Q all right.

Home of big coasters and even bigger lines.

...Or is it? Fujiyama's crew was doing a great (by Fuji-Q standards) job with two train ops. I timed the line at just over 10 minutes.

Attack on Takabisha!

Yep, Takabisha. It was alright.

Japanese photo ops in a nutshell.

Eejanaika!

Advertised 70 minutes, ended up around 50.

Eejanaika does this to you.

Noted!

Eejanaika's station.

Got pulled into a group of people to do this with...great sets inside, but very few actors (8-10 at most for something 20 minutes to get through). On a busier day with full staff, I could see it being a LOT better.

Oh yeah, there's Dodonpa too!

And it has one of these now.

And it does this to you.

Sign credit. Looks like I'm doing this...

Dodonpa is apparently so intense it turns people into 90s Nicktoon characters.

Monitors had safety information mixed with ride facts and quizzes about the park (in Japanese, but still fun to watch if you don't understand).

Noted!

Dodonpa's station got the Tron treatment, it seems...

Dodonpa's new restraints that are actually very comfy. I was rather happy that the vest's shoulders were attached to extendable belts so they don't staple taller people like myself.

One more parting shot. For all the negativity this place gets, I had a ton of fun!

Great report! This is a park I would love to visit in the near future! I love how you said you went in with low expectations and had a nice time. THAT'S THE TRICK OF VISITING THEME PARKS! Except a park for what it is, and have fun. That's what I do!

Wow, Dodonpa's new station looks awesome. Thanks for the photos of Fuji Q! Hadn't seen an update in while.

How were the flat rides? Or does no one have anytime to ride them after waiting in the long queues?

Great report! Hopefully I can get to Fuji-Q someday. Despite the negativity towards the queue lines, their top 4 rides all look pretty unique.

How were the flat rides? Or does no one have anytime to ride them after waiting in the long queues?

I did them, but I was more concerned with getting photos of the coasters. Thankfully, the waits for almost all the flats were quite short compared to the coasters (aside from the Soarin' over Fuji thing, nothing over 20 minutes), which made slipping a ride between the major coasters a bit easier.

^ Did you see how long the queue was for their water raft ride?

It's usually as long as the coasters' queues are. Thought I would ask.

^ Did you see how long the queue was for their water raft ride?

It's usually as long as the coasters' queues are. Thought I would ask.

I did it two years ago in June. It was under a 10 minute wait. The rapids were absolutely nuts and if your not wearing a rain poncho (I was) you get soaked. There's this one part of the rapids were you feel like your getting flushed down a toilet bowl.

^ You were lucky. Honestly, the last two times we were there ('11 ands '13), it was easily one hour+ wait for the rapids.

And by watching what I could see, yes a lot of it looked pretty intense. But lots of laughing and screaming I heard, too.

Great TR, MayTheGForceBeWithYou. Thanks for sharing your trip there.

^ Did you see how long the queue was for their water raft ride?

It's usually as long as the coasters' queues are. Thought I would ask.

It was about 45 minutes most of the day, about midway between the flats and the coasters.

^ So, "somewhere in between" Andrew's and my wait times, I'd say.

Nice trip report.

I can personally vouch for the "no loose items" rule. I would hope it extends to even stuff in your pocket. When I rode Freedom Flyer at the Orlando Fun Spot, I had a canister of chapstick launch from my shorts in mid-ride... I think it happened during the first drop. A guy apparently caught it (though maybe not on the way down) and gave it back to me afterward, where I was in mild horror.

So yeah, I just felt like sharing that. But I get where this attitude comes from.

I can personally vouch for the "no loose items" rule. I would hope it extends to even stuff in your pocket.

Didn't get a photo of the safety announcements on some of the monitors, but they outright say EVERYTHING (their emphasis) that can go in a locker must be put in a locker. If it's not your shirt, pants, or shoes (except for Eejanaika), it's most likely going in a locker.

Like I said, when people were prepared to deal with it, things went a lot more smoothly. When people weren't ready and spent several minutes digging everything out of their pockets (or even worse, forgetting to put something away), it made already slow operations much slower than necessary.