California Great America (CGA) Discussion Thread

[NibblerHoly crap you have a HUGE donkey!]

fun fact: the doorbell for MMMM's fright lane actually works

[Blue Fire GuyWhat would donkeys be like on the moon?]

It feels so nice to have lost my Haunt virginity, and having done so with M^4 was great! M^4 was very impressive, music gave the feeling that something terrible happened or had already happened. Being the sleep-conscious person I am, I left the park an hour or two before the rest of big TPR group (max. 10 people) left, so I'll hit up my missing maze credits (CarnEvil, Slaughterhouse, and Club Blood) on my next visit.

Here's a list of notable highlights of the day:

-All rides on Demon were walk-ons.
-Good Ghost Gliders rides, though our morning takeover got Snap Nazi'd. I wouldn't be surprised if the 2013 season bears some new rules for the flyers.
-Unacceptable amount of wetness on Black Widow Cavern (daytime), yet my nighttime clench-n-squish ride only got my hair wet strangely.
-Very bizarre ride on FireFall. It didn't flip even ONCE. WTF?! At least all the fire was working this time though.
-Gold Striker paparazzi shoots, both on and off Star Tower. Double up and double down are shaping up, as well as the final turn before the brakes. Unlike what the animation showed, the track looks like it'll pass through a tiny opening in the supports during the last turn, and the opening looks tinier than anything I've seen so far in terms of headchoppers (Angry_Gumball will likely show it in his photo TR). Yikes.

But alas, when there are highlights, there are really sucky moments as well:

-Endeavolution. I managed to make sure the restraint didn't dig into chest or gut too much, but I'm not a huge fan of inverting ships. I felt like my head was about to explode, and overall I didn't find it very pleasant...
-Learned the hard way where NOT to sit on Demon. On a morning ride, I picked a row towards the front because its gate was empty. Little did I know that: Orange train + front-ish row = OUCH. Thankfully, I got a smoother ride in the magic Arrow seat in the afternoon.
-Ugh. Time for a line jumper/cutter story. While in line for Werewolf Canyon, this group of kids just FLEW through the ropes and entered into the line way ahead of us. We tried to get the nearby security to find out the cutters, but they were camouflaged in the mass of people such that they didn't get found out...well, I would've just fed them to the werewolves instead.

And with that, I conclude this little writeup on yesterday. Looking forward to my next visit already!

I'm back with a Gold Striker update and also a 'spoiler-ific' review of Haunt! As noted, we were at the park for 14 hours today. Our group consisted of Jeff, Blue Fire Guy, myself, my cousin, and 2 other TPR members (forgot their TPR names). Later, 2 more joined forces.

Here's a little taste of our stuffed logs, I totally recommend ERT on this riding in this style next time TPR does an event at CGA


Goldy is now going vertical on the so-called Drumstick pad and is looking really good! Again there were people working on it today. I took advantage of this evening's lines (or lack thereof) on Slaughter House and got some evening Gold Striker porn!

Now that I got that off my chest, let's hop over to Haunt!

As usual, we kicked off the evening with the Boofet (An all-you-can-eat buffet) that normally gets you into the park a bit early. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case tonight and some of the GP were already in the park and Overlord resurrection had already happened. I do however understand things do happen so I'll let it slide.

And this is where the spoilers begin! So skip past this if you don't want to find out!

Starting off the night, we really wanted to hit up the new maze, Massacre Manor (or what we call M4). I can say that this is a winner. The queue is situated right in front of the first aid building, kind of just shoe-horned in there. The maze's entrance consists of the facade (which looks very nice now) where you enter and go through a dark hallway. Inside the maze, it reminds me of an old Victorian mansion (hence being a 'manor'). There is just a ton of detail everywhere and I almost forget the fact that I'm in a big metal shed and actually feel like I'm inside an old house! I'd have to say that my favorite element in here is the 'zombie window' where they get shot (and you get sprayed when they splat on the window). The music is also rather creepy and really adds to the atomsphere/theme of the maze. I also liked going through the wine cellar at the end, and how pretty much the events in that maze unfold...from what starts off somewhat normal. First run, I didn't get any startling scares but it did give off this creepy vibe, good enough to give me nightmares

Besides all this cool stuff, it is still a metal shed and if you choose to look up you can see that.

Visitations: 2x
Wait time: 10 minutes, 20 minutes
Grade: 9/10

Next on the list was Toy Factory. Hello catchy tune, nice to hear you again at the park! The line for this was almost nonexistent and before we knew it we were up at the building...but wait! What happened to the outdoor part with Pinocchio and all the toys on shelves? The maze immediately starts at the building. There seemed to have been some missing talent/some holes...there was no Raggedy Anne, and at one point I accidentally almost walked back into an earlier section of the maze as there was no blackout there. And of course to end it, there's that black squishy thing of death! 3 members of our group lost their virginity to this, one of them didn't fare too well and got sick shortly after (claustrophobia). We quickly got her some water and ventured off to our next maze.

There didn't really seem to be too much effort when I went through, talent-wise...maybe should have given it another go! Oh well, next time, have all Haunt season to do so!

Visitations: 1x
Wait time: 5 minutes
Grade:7.5/10 (Sorry TF, you're normally one of my favorites!)

Corn Stalkers is the park's longest maze and there seemed to be some differences this season. Along one of the back stretches, there's practically no walls, huge floodlights, and a view of CGA's neighbors...so much for atmosphere! At this time nothing was really going on but it picked back up when it headed toward the car track. This maze actually gave me the most startles as talent popped out of nowhere. My highlight of this maze was walking through the dark void of burlap sack strips under Grizz's brake run. Combine that with darkness and fog, and some talent, you got a nice setup for some good scares! The rest of the maze (love the outhouses) was a tad thin on talent but left you wondering if someone was going to get you.

Visitations:1x
Wait:15-20 minutes
Grade:8/10

At this point we have 10 in our group, heading toward the log flume, Black Widows Cavern! This means, a night time clench 'n squish ride on BWC! Due to the weight of our logs, it seemed like we were flying through the lower flume, making it a tad difficult for the talent to get us. My log didn't soak us that much, the other log with the rest of our party was another story; they came off soaked!

Visitations:1x
Wait:10 minutes
Grade:8/10 (Clench 'n Squish!)

The next one up on our hit list was Werewolf Canyon. After being disappointed by it last season, I drastically lowered my expectations this year. After a hefty line (I think we waited 20 minutes) and seeing a group of 6 line jumpers dart across the grass and hop the ropes about 30 feet ahead, we got in. Too bad the line jumpers weren't caught but what can you do... Anyway onto the maze! I was overall impressed with the talent this year, as much as there are still week spots (a long stretch of the rapids queue with no talent at all, just bare) but it picked right back up with a nice surprise when it got back to the 'corridor' section. This 1 werewolf was just standing there blocking the path, staying as still as ever. All of us were puzzled, and about 20 seconds after, he lunges towards us and got some good startles. Definitely a maze highlight! The corridor section went on forever and this time it actually had talent! To end WWC, poor Blue Fire Guy was being targeted by one of the talent, followed by the talent running off after another member of our party (not my cousin this time haha). I also spotted Robman, he got a few members of our group

Visitation:1x
Wait:20 minutes
Grade: 7.5/10 (Yay for a nice pickup after that long dead spot!)

From this point we took a pause and rode "Fright Deck" (which was a rather short wait). After sacraficing our goods to the bins (as to not stir up the ghosts) we took our ride. Blue Fire Guy had to get heading out so he wanted to end the evening on FD. Just FYI, the eagle train's getting some rattles while the shark is still pretty smooth.

Finally, back to more mazes! Naturally, we head to CarnEvil. After forgetting my 3D glasses at home, I decided to fork over the cash and get a fresh pair. This was the shortest wait of the night and this was around 9:30 or so. This maze is classic, love every bit of it. I had a couple startles in there as well and the maze definitely felt like it went on forever! However, there didn't seem to be a whole lot of clowns in there at that time. Unless there's new props in there, everything's pretty much the same. Why fix something that isn't broken?

Visitations: 1x
Wait:5 minutes
Grade: 8.5/10

Anxious to check out the new Club Blood, we head over that way. Before I talk about the maze, let's talk about some happenings in the area. First off, there was an opening in the fence where we can get a clear view of Gold Striker bents laying in the lot. Naturally I snag some photos Afterwards, several kids decide to hop into the Fright Lane queue (which is adjacent to the normal queue) to bypass everyone and try to sneak back over. After making comment about it, several others in the queue also ranted about it. They attempted getting in when the one at the head of the line informed the blackout that they had cut. They were kicked out!

So the maze. The maze is back to normal for the most part! You start off in what now feels like an extended alleyway with a more windy layout.The dance area seemed a bit expanded and before you know it, you're in the Pictorium! I'm not sure if the inside is the same as previous but it works. I like the dark windy hallway full of fabric strips, very challenging to navigate While it's an original maze, it feels like it got a fresh coat of paint and the whole experience feels fresh.

Visitations: 1x
Wait: 10 minutes
Grade: 9/10

Last maze, Slaughter House (AKA Gold Striker photoshoot session)! This is the 1 maze where I was somewhat hoping for a slower queue so I can admire the construction. Some great views as mentioned. Now onto the maze as before we knew it we were right up there! Sorry Slaughter House, you were kind of the maze that was just there last night. While there was some talent there, their effort was not quite there. Still lots to look at in there, and while Flagg 'o Dim was tripping over bones in 1 maze, we found some hair that had fallen off of either talent or prop, that was on the floor. I picked it up and moved it aside so nobody else would step on it/trip.

The last half hour of the night consisted of a ride on Grizzly (with the longest dispatch ever, didn't time it sadly but it took a while), and a spin on Tiki Twirl. It was getting pretty cold so the fire was nice to have We ended our last bit of Haunt with M4 (or as we called it MMMMMMMMM.....). Still need to see everything in that maze, there's just so much detail in there, spotted the working piano as the one playing it banged on the keys making me jump...after I was listening to what she was 'playing.' Definitely a favorite maze and the talent in this are really into what they are doing.

Scare Zones:

Gauntlet was kind of just..there. The clowns weren't really interacting with our group so it didn't do much for me. There weren't that many clowns in there either, was kind of thin.

Underworld Alley was definitely the strongest for certain reasons Actually, the talent in this maze were interacting with just about everyone going through. While the navigation is weird (split path), it is definitely one of the best this year, has the best atmosphere and talent.

Deadman's Cove... Yea, I was disappointed. No music in there (I pulled out my iPhone and began playing the Deadman's Cove song to fill that void. It has drastically shrunk and other than one of the talent that I know chasing my cousin through, I just pretty much walked on by as though there was nothing there. I was quite disappointed in this one.

Random notes:
-I'm learning the technique of the flyers! And there is no violent movement of the fins, it's all pure 'being one with the ride.'
-Around 5:30 leaving the park, I heard the Toy Factory song blasting inside the building (we just got off Drop Tower) and also heard the Slaughter House sounds inside the white tent. Also saw a random Slaughterhouse talent heading to his maze, seemed very weird to see.
-It was the first full moon of Autumn, very fitting for last night's event!
-Despite how busy it looked, crowds were being pulsed into the mazes at decent intervals. I don't think I recalled once that we caught up with another party...maybe we moved slower to admire all the work being done as some caught up to us. This opened up opportunities for good scares for the most part.

Oh, and if anyone's interested, I recorded the audio from MMMM for all of us to enjoy! Hopefully, an 'official version' will make it to Soundcloud for our streaming pleasures

YouTube Videolink

[TmcdllrWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

This looks really cool...



Just curious, what model fog machines does the park use?

[rolercstrluvrWhen I grow up, I want to breed donkeys!]

fun fact: the doorbell for MMMM's fright lane actually works

What happen's if you press it?

Also, great TR Angry_Gumball. I wish I could have made it out last night.

[TmcdllrWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

fun fact: the doorbell for MMMM's fright lane actually works

What happen's if you press it?

Also, great TR Angry_Gumball. I wish I could have made it out last night.

It would be awesome if when you pressed the doorbell it let out a blood-curdling scream!

[Blue Fire GuyWhat would donkeys be like on the moon?]

Oh, and if anyone's interested, I recorded the audio from MMMM for all of us to enjoy! Hopefully, an 'official version' will make it to Soundcloud for our streaming pleasures

YouTube Videolink

I actually had this theme stuck in my head more firmly than Toy Factory's. Don't get me wrong, Toy Factory's theme was extremely catchy and added immensely to the WTF factor of the maze, but this...it just has something that makes it krazyglue into my head. At around 20 seconds into the recording, you can hear the butler say in a French accent: "Your time is soon, madames and monsieurs..."
By the way, awesome TR!

^Don't feel bad, this song has been stuck in my head all day long, even moreso than the rest of the themes...and I've listened to the others quite a bit throughout the day today

A little further in, you can hear Jeff talking about his dog too.

After thinking about it more, MMMM has definitely solidified its ranks as being my favorite maze as far as the amount of detail/theming that was put into it. Because of the fact that it is very realistic as opposed to the more fantasy CarnEvil, Cornstalkers, Club Blood, Toy Factory, and even Slaughterhouse (SH comes next in line as far as realism goes), it pushes up the ranks for its creepy factor. While I still have yet to be startled in there, the overall maze just gave off these creepy vibes.

[Flagg O'DimI'm a know-it-all about donkeys!]

Great reports!

Thanks for posting the theme song, it's now my #2 favorite Haunt song (second only to Carnevil). Gotta love the cushy carpets in MMMM.

Something I forgot to mention about Slaughterhouse: I was disappointed that the bloody ice cream store entrance to the line is no more.

Also, too many seizure-inducing strobe lights everywhere in the mazes!

I noticed the plush carpets, was a couple seconds of relief to walk on after the long 14 hours at the park; my feet were thanking me for those brief seconds. Weird that I didn't notice it on my first visit.