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Today at 1 the Maverick FL+ line wrapped around the corner towards the main entrance. I really think they are overselling but I guess it's hard to guess how many people have all-season that will be showing up. Either way, we waited about 40 min from FL entrance and that outside line probably doubled that. It's a little crazy in these parts! It's a Saturday, and everyone wants to get out of the house. Some cedar point is better than no cedar point. Maverick is even better than what I remembered lol

Lines were bad, but FastLane made it bearable. Every coaster that I saw for the day for standby had an hour plus wait though. As we were leaving people were planning their days for the rest of the weekend so they could ride 3 coasters in one day. Fast Lane kept lines to about 15 to 20 minutes on most major coasters. Most rides listed wait times for longer, but many times we got on in five minutes with it. I would not plan a day without it and on days like today. They do tend to sell out later on. Operations were good though, some slow areas. For opening day though they got through the lines fairly well. Rides were down though. TTD ran but never opened to the public, appeared it was under going an inspection of sorts since they kept cycling trains. Rougarou didn’t have a train on the track, MaxAir was torn apart, Windseeker appeared to be going through inspections as well. A lot of the rides were slow to open with the park as well. if you want to ride any of the big four, do it early! The park closes both fast lane and the stand by line an hour before park closing. Millennium had an estimated 45 minute wait at 7 and they closed it regardless. I don’t think this is going to last though, a lot of people were upset including employees over it. Guest relations said that they weren’t supposed to close FL and are working to get all lines open to park close. Not in the generic Covid sense, but that they have a meeting setup this weekend to hopefully lift the restrictions. (Be polite and don’t be a Karen, but if you’re at the park try giving your feedback on the early closures!) The ride attendants pretty much said the same thing, that they don’t agree with it but it’s the rule for now and they asked us to leave a comment to guest relations. It’s interesting and kind of cool how the employees themselves at CP stand behind tradition within the park. They gave us passes for another day though so we definitely appreciated it and didn’t expect it. Hopefully this is a very short lived change to park operations especially when it’s so difficult to ride many of the coasters already. Covid doesn’t exist really at CP. I was shocked the vast difference in procedure closing day to opening day. Masks are not required in the park or on rides, only in buildings. Even in buildings it’s very loosely enforced as many people weren’t wearing masks. Social distancing is also non existent. For us, it’s not a huge deal, but if this does concern you just be aware when visiting the park. Ride operations also do not have Covid procedures or cleaning anymore. This was also a big reason people weren’t okay with the policy change on the major coasters early closing since operations are all normal and all rows are also open and they do seat separate groups together as well. The last note, SV lockers! So the new system is strange. I’m not sure why they wouldn’t repurpose snd add to the existing lockers due to the extreme operational increase, but here’s how it works. FL and stand by go through as normal, before the SV structure now they merge both lines similar to MF. You get placed into a short line for just the lockers and metal detectors, you put your items in the locker then they rejoin and separate you out based on FL or stand by again. When you exit the ride you have to go back to the entrance and walk back to the lockers on the opposite side it’s strange to say the least and slow, we saw rows go out empty at times as they filled the lines back up. Growing pains Im sure and I doubt this will last. From what I saw this required 4 extra team members for this system. I’ll say this though, having your phone with you is nice. I personally need it for my diabetes since it operates as my monitor. Today in particular I didn’t realize I was going low and had to leave the line and wouldn’t of known otherwise. While my situation is a bit unique, people do rely on their phone for more than social media and I do appreciate this system allows me to keep it on me.

From looking through the fence and the view from FireFall, it does look like they are widening the pathway and possibly the area where it meets up with the main pathway. My first thought was that it couldn’t be too major since the wooded path would need to be reopened for the fall. I do wonder if we will see the previous Christmas tree return in the Plaza area this winter.

I only accept pierogi for apologies. lol

MONSTER.

I finally returned to Knott’s yesterday after 433 days (yes, I asked Siri how long ago was March 7, 2020). It felt so nice to be back at the park. I have never gone this long without visiting Knott’s since I was a toddler. I will NEVER take parks for granted again! It was a wonderful visit. Oddly enough, the slowest moving line was Silver Bullet and the fastest was GhostRider. Quite the contrary on a normal operating day. The upper and lower floors of GhostRider’s building were extremely socially-distant, only utilizing a few switchbacks, and they were keeping an empty row between parties on the train. It moved very quickly. The line started outside the building and I waited approximately 30 minutes both times. Still a wonderful coaster that will forever be one of my favorites. I cannot believe the re-tracking was 5 years ago now. It still runs like the day it reopened! Silver Bullet was a bit more frustrating. The line still moved quite well, but I don’t understand why are they are loading every other row on this coaster. It just doesn’t make sense when people are much closer together (and for a longer period of time) in the queue line. But at this point, I didn’t really care. I was just so excited to be back at the park. Hopefully they start loading all rows again soon and this coaster goes back to being the capacity monster of the park. Even at half capacity, it keeps the line moving “enough” to not be unbearable. Xcelerator and HangTime were both running very well, and their respective queues were quite manageable. Xcelerator was never too far down the ramp. They are also running two trains, which is nice to see, but really does not help capacity too much for anyone familiar with this ride’s block system setup and operation. They were loading one party per car, which is actually quite similar to pre-COVID days. A few empty seats per train but it felt like pretty normal operations. Same goes for HangTime. This coaster hardly ever filled every seat pre-COVID. There was always an empty seat or two per row, so this coaster’s operations felt normal as well. They just weren’t grouping pairs of two or singles. The line was never more than 20 minutes. Managed to get a front row ride. This is still a wonderful addition to the park, and I will never get over how much of an improvement it is to Boomerang. One of the best additions the park has made in the last decade. And the lighting package, of course, is fantastic. It really livens up the Boardwalk. I didn’t wanna brave the line for Bear-y Tales. The new facade and theming seems very nice and much improved over Voyage to the Iron Reef. But I’m just not a big dark ride person, and the line was not worth it to me yesterday. I know how slow-moving it is from my experience with Iron Reef. I will ride it eventually. I am moving to Florida next month, but I plan on returning to California around the Holidays for a bit. Hopefully the park is open to out-of-state visitors by then. But Bear-y Tales does seem like a great upgrade. I am excited to ride it eventually! Overall this was one of the best visits to the park I’ve had in a while. Part of me actually enjoys the socially-distanced lines and how quickly they move. Even pre-COVID, the cattle pen queue lines were never enjoyable. I’ll attach a few photos from yesterday. If you are a SoCal resident and a pass-holder, I HIGHLY recommend visiting before it opens to everybody on the 21st. Crowds are very reasonable, all rides are open and running at decent capacity, and food facilities hardly had lines. The 10pm closing was also great for night rides! Knott’s is BACK!

So I'm here an hour and a half before opening and there's like 100 cars in front of me. Yeah that all season fast lane was worth it LOL.

I think the TRex is still possible. They just need one buyer. It might just be me but with all the effects the pandemic has had and still has, combined with the price of steel increasing, I think the main focus is probably concentrating on smaller coasters and coaster refurbishments forthem to be profitable and stay alive. All parks have lost a lot of money lately and things might not be exactly like they were used to. So I think RMC has a lot and the right products to offer. And they are extremely talented at doing what they do!

Just got back in myself...due to work and Springfield traffic I didn't get into the park until 6:40. Decent amount of cars in the lot upon arrival. Be aware that the tram is closed, so be ready to walk. They also currently have two big tents set up for temp checks and security. Can't wait to go to Ohio and not deal with this crap. Everything was quick and was in the park in no time. Headed to the North End first and started at Wicked Cyclone. Two trains with every other row closed. Line at that point was under the crossover which was about 20 minutes. Lucked out with the back seat. You could pick your row but they were only letting 12 people in at a time so you still need to be one of the first into the station to pick what you want. This thing still never fails to amaze me with how much steam it loses by the end of the ride. It's a great coaster, but just so weird compared to other RMCs which tend to go batsh*t right to the end. Good to be back! Hopped on Skyscreamer which was a walk on and had a great ride. We had a nice San Diego afternoon with temps in the 70s, so a pleasant breeze 400 feet up. On the way out, Pandemonium had a 30 minute line, so headed past to Flashback. Skipping every other row but it doesn't matter because no one rides Flashback anyway. Goliath looks to be going the way of the Dinosaurs. They fed this dino the "Temporarily Closed" sign for Goliath. Must be getting a more permanent one. Wandered up to Tomahawk which was also a walk on. It's laughable how little it swings these days, but they make up for it by having it spin in "Gravitron Mode" for 2 straight minutes. Anyone miss the old concrete path with the horseshoes carved in? More boring pavement at New England's Blacktop Capital. They could've really gone all out on the New England theme by littering this area with potholes. Headed towards Gotham where I found Harley Quinn and Batman both down temporarily. Got in line for Riddler and despite running at full capacity, the dispatches were a bit atrociois due to only having 1 ride attendant (yet half full Cyclone and Superman had 4). Ended up being about 30 minutes. A little bit of jackhammering but fun ride. Batman was back up so hopped in line for that. Would've been like a 10 minute line but it had another (rather short) breakdown which turned it into 25 minutes or so. Also hit Joker which only had a 5 minute line. Crazy as usual. Love how close Harley Quinn gets to Joker. By then it was already pushing 9, so I made my way to DC. App said Superman had a 10 minute line, and with that said I had a heart attack when I walked down the stairs and saw the line back to the Superman logo near the locker building. Turns out they weren't using any switchbacks but it still ended up being almost 40 minutes. Every other row closed but they were filling the station and letting you pick what you wanted. Went for the back and enjoyed the OG Intamin Masterpiece. LightSabre The Ride Ended up calling it a night after that as it was pushing 10. They still had the line open, so kudos to them for keeping it going till closing which wasn't always the case in the past. Gotta say things went pretty well tonight. Good sized crowd and the park was strict about masks and social distancing, and people were more observant of that here than I've seen at any other park. Looking forward to "normal" park days in Ohio though. All major rides open except Blizzard River I believe. Overall was impressed with the staffing level, although the one area they struggled was on the food side of things. Lots of stands closed and the open ones had huge lines. All applicable coasters running two trains and they're doing their best keeping capacity up with the restrictions in place. Something new to look forward to in the next week! Goodnight SFNE. Good to be back at the ol' home park.

I made some footage from 1992 available on Youtube tonight of Morey's 30 years ago... man, those 90s were great.

PNC is awesome... If I had a top 10 it would be something like this.: 1. Yankee Stadium 2. PNC 3. Camden 4. Magnum XL 200 5. Comerica 6. Dodger 7. Progressive (cause I was @ Game 5 2017 ALDS) 8. Fenway (this should be higher but I’m a Yankees fan) 9. Great American 10. Coors Skyline is legit. You have your priorities in order.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend an annual passholder preview of the Jurassic World VelociCoaster at Universal's Islands of Adventure... I'll start the report by simply saying this thing is AWESOME! The VelociCoaster is designed with a fun first half that weaves in and out of itself after the first launch before throwing you into a much more intense second half. The drop coming off of the top hat gives some insane airtime and the inverted stall is such a neat maneuver. The final roll over the water is also intense and flips you only a few feet above the lagoon. All of this said, the coaster flies over and around the guest paths and viewing areas without nets, which makes these flyovers even more exciting--this is accomplished by requiring all riders to put their belongs (save for their park tickets/annual passes) in the lockers in the queue so nothing is dropped below. The lockers are double sided, so you load them in the queue and you access the other side and open the locker in the exit flow. The queue for the coaster is very cleverly designed, wrapping around the ride in key areas and setting the story of a rollercoaster in the raptor paddock being the newest attraction in Jurassic World, the still-open dinosaur park on Isla Nublar. The coaster sits inside of the Jurassic Park island with some of the land's design elements matching Jurassic World's aesthetic while others still tie into the Jurassic Park's styling. Let's take a look around... This view greets you as you enter the park... The top hat's wide curve is deceiving--that drop feels way more steep than it looks. There are many spots outside of Jurassic Park where the coaster can be seen running. Hello beastie! According to one of the creative team for the project (on Twitter), these raptors facing off against each other is a not to the former entrance sculpture that was once at Dueling Dragons. Outward banked airtime! Hangtime! Such a great dive! I really do love that there are no nets beneath the coaster. The plaza is full of kinetic energy. No nets! In case you were wondering where the entrance is in relation to the Jurassic Park Discovery Center. Dive! Dive! Dive! So great! Looks so great! The entrance of the queue is covered but not fully enclosed. Despite this, giant fans help to keep the space well cooled. This queue space is absolutely filled with dynamic lighting. There's definitely nods to different elements of the franchise's iconography throughout the queue. Very cool. Hard to photograph, but Robb & Elissa's video shows the effect really well. The raptors chase after the trains as they go through their second launch. BD Wong's Dr. Henry Wu makes an appearance for several videos in the queue. I can't say I expected animatronics to be featured in the queue... Clever girl! I love that they brought Mr. DNA into the queue loops! A look at the double-sided lockers. inGen gets a nod in the exit of the attraction. There is a separate location for single riders to use lockers. A pop-up VelociCoaster Store has been set up at the ground floor of the Jurassic Park Discovery Center, which double's as the exit path for the VelociCoaster. Merch, merch, merch. Walking around Jurassic Park, you can get some more fun views of the coaster in motion. My favorite photo spot because you can see the train move through a ton of different portions of the first half of the coaster. Here is the first launch... Going up... Going down... Heading into the second launch... In the back row you get a bit of hangtime as you move through this element. Hairtime! Prepare to be launched! VelociCoaster is a great addition to the Universal Orlando Resort and a fantastic addition to Central Florida's world-class collection of coasters!

as of earlier today? Iron Rattler is back to two train operations. (finally) Park President Jeffrey Siebert's pic teasing the 2nd train is back:

Here is the footage of Ka and Zumanojaro running together! (Credit to InsideGADV on Instagram) 98744305_777929572917322_147575271769706757_n.mp4

Yeah, because it's only an American thing. This place is a shithole and everywhere else is a utopia. Thanks for your caring words spoken from your pedestal. You can buy me some pierogi, now.

Oh okay, I'm sorry. I read it quickly and thought he said he was going in based on what was open knowing that he would miss those credits not going "for" the missing credits. The reason I thought that was because Storm Runner is closed and Flying Turns is also closed, I don't pay any attention to Impulse and for all I know it was closed too (turns out it's not but who cares?) and I thought he assumed Looper was still closed like it was all of last year. In that case, if you're going for missing credits I wouldn't go to either for awhile because Flying Turns and Storm Runner haven't opened for the season yet. Sorry for misreading that. My bad.

Booked my first theme park visits for the year today for Sunday 23th of May and another for 5th of June. So happy to visit a park again my last theme park visit was 24th of October last year, I also booked for 19th of December last year but parks closed just before that date. I still can't be too optimistic as the 17th of May we still need to hear if parks open at the 19th but signs are good so far, I already feel like I'm back and that is what counts the most right now.

Mach Tower usually doesn't open very often in a non-plague year. I wouldn't hold out hope for that one. lol

Storm Runner has not opened yet. When I was there last week, the train had water dummies loaded on the train. As far as I can tell, no one has seen it test yet.

Loch Ness Monster opened for the season yesterday.

Six flags darien lake is pathetic and it has been for years.

So you’ve never ridden them but don’t think they’re thrilling because of the POVs? ... lol wow

Let's just leave it at this and talk about the park. I get why this came up today. It's newsworthy for sure but this is going to go off the rails. People try to find every single opportunity to inject their views into every post like we don’t all realize that’s what’s happening and it just becomes a pissing match. The virus has become politicized just like everything else which means nobody is going to change their minds on anything. If you want to go, go. If you don’t, don’t. Can we please focus on important Hersheypark related things like how you should go to Knoebels instead?

That would be exciting, but they're not a manufacturer Dollywood hasn't used before.