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The amount of times that I've seen them fix Nitro by banging on the transfer track with a wrench and leaving is impressive. Maybe it's the coaster version of unplugging a router and plugging it back in.

Visited the park this past Saturday for the first time in four years. A few observations: On Steel Vengeance (first rides, 2x in back seat, 1x in front seat): This is the best coaster in the world, hands down, bar none. I will die on this hill. The secondary locker system is absolutely crazy – given the ride's insanity, I think they need it, and I think they do a good job – but I've faced far more lax security getting on an airplane! The ride barfed up error codes twice while I was in the station – once, when I was on the train – and transferring off the train also set off an error. When the maintenance guy showed up, all he had to do was smack the transfer track with a wrench, and the error vanished. Amazing. A few great members of that ride crew (big props to the girl in the green hair who honored my seat request every time!), and a few who really felt like holding up the whole train so they could take a power trip to show a former ride op how a restraint was "properly closed". Well done! In general: Magnum got painful. The 'magic seat' should be renamed, 'the spine compression seat'. I am not one to complain about pain on a coaster; look at my avatar for godssakes. GateKeeper was surprisingly forceful and fun. The crew e-stopped Blue Streak halfway up its lift to identify someone who had their phone out. The op then walked all the way up the lift, talked to the person, and had a security guard waiting at the exit to escort them out of the park. I never thought I'd see that. CP doesn't f*ck around. Overall, such a great day. Love that park, and got to enjoy it with a huge group of close friends.

Said no Lightning Rod operator, ever.

Had a great visit to the park this past Friday night (July 8th) and Sunday July 10th. I worked at the park from 1986-1990 playing piano in 5 different shows and then returning in 2000 to music direct a few shows as well. The park was beautiful and clean, and even though it was peak summer time, I still managed to get 2 rides on Steel Vengeance, 2 on Millennium Force, and rides on Gemini, Valravn, and more. But the highlight was re-creating a picture I had taken in 1972 with my brothers and sisters. 50 years later! Enjoy the photos! The original picture taken in 1972. Right on the main midway. You can see the Dodgem behind us. 50 years later, and we were all able to meet up to re-create the shot! Still great as ever. Iron Gwazi is good, but it's not Steel Vengeance! Whee! Where it all began! My first show "Ain't We Got Fun!" in 1986 and 1987. And I just went back to Disney after my 2 1/2 year furlough to continue my 23 years as a professional musician with the company. Come see me play piano at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue! The new Farmhouse Restaurant is GREAT! We split the platter both times and it was plenty of food. Highly recommend the steak and potatoes. The chili was also very good. When in Sandusky, eat at Berardis which used to provide Cedar Point french fries for decades. A fun ride with an awesome view especially at night. Hope it comes back next summer.

Rawr, kitty's got claws. Sorry for the butthurt.

The building looks pretty impressive. Here is the most recent update that was posted to reddit: I guess it's harder to get excited because not only is it hidden inside a building but it's also a replacement ride for a long standing favorite classic attraction. It's a tough gamble by the park because everyone will be comparing it to the old ride rather than allowing it to be a brand new experience, but I applaud them for trying and not just junking FITH for another random coaster. As far as updates on here goes... a lot of us who still use forums are simply too old to deal with it anymore. I used to have a lot of fun with the speculation, keeping an eye out for markers, and going to the parks sometimes just to see construction progress. These days though I just don't have the time/energy/money and would rather spend what I have on other things - even though I still enjoy aspects of amusement park fandom occasionally. The kids who are coming up into the fandom who care about that kind of stuff are all on instagram/tiktok/youtube. Forums like this one aren't as appealing because it's a different type of interaction and quite frankly can be a little insular and hostile as KBrylczyk's comment displays, lol.

^Yeah but Mach tower is a dumb ride and no one really cares if it's down. FF is actually a really awesome ride that's sad to see closed!!!

I'm thinking a spring break 2025 trip will finally happen!

Tell them I miss them. It's boring working from home now. . .

Warner Bros. Movie World has announced that they will be opening a land themed to the Wizard of Oz in 2024, with three new roller coasters! https://movieworld.com.au/attractions/wizard-of-oz Prepare to Journey Over the Rainbow with a world-first Wizard of Oz precinct including two new family-friendly rides coming to Warner Bros. Movie World in 2024. Featuring a suspended coaster, a boomerang racer and immersive theming, the Wizard of Oz precinct will be designed to thrill the entire family. Experience thematic elements including projection mapping, stunning sculptures and facades as you travel along the yellow brick road. World-first Wizard of Oz Precinct coming to Warner Bros. Movie World in 2024 Two new family-friendly rides Suspended Family Coaster: 454 metre long track, 19 metres high and max speed of 67km/h Family Boomerang Racer: Two racing tracks of 225 and 220 metres long, 22 metres high and max speed of 58km/h High capacity attractions with low height and age restrictions to provide more family experiences Multi-million-dollar immersive precinct

Those idiots moved to reddit. That sub is frightening.

Same here. I tell people who ask me about Disney that the parks themselves are beautiful, the food is great and they have some really solid/fun rides. But then I admit I simply won't go to the parks without comp tickets (and may decline those depending on our trip length) because we really don't enjoy spending the day at Disney parks. It's simply not worth the cost to have a hindered experience due to terrible reservation systems, the need for planning months in advance to eat at restaurants, crowds, limited worthwhile attractions at a single park, etc... The "experience" once within the park just doesn't do it for me. But I do appreciate what they are and why people love to visit. But at the end of the day, I'd pick other local options without question. Europa on the flipside took the best parts of Disney and 'fixed' all the bad parts. Once in the park, we could ride/experience everything offered for one... We enjoyed two different resort restaurants without reservations after the park closed for the day. The ride collection was great, the park theming was stellar and overall, it was just a far more fulfilling/magical park than any Disney visit.

Yeah, it seems like news on that just kind of stopped... Kind of like how no one seemed to care about the Wicked Twister area for a while, aside from your typical fanboy cries of, "It's going to be an RMC boardwalk coaster!!" I feel like people used to post updates of every shrub being cut down. Even the Worlds of Fun crew hasn't been very giddy about finding out where the next new pathways or bathroom renovations will be.

Before I saw the caption, I actually thought it was improved parking with those overhead solar panels, like Disney Paris had? Has? My mistake.

No, I love you for your food influence. Not sure you should go by me, but I think I'd like to spend about 4 days there, just to really feel like I did everything as much as I wanted to. And I would definitely stay on site (again). For most people, I would say that 1 day is certainly not enough to do everything, but 2 probably is. What I've come to realize is that I love Disney rides but I dislike Disney parks. But that's a story for the final part of this trip report. Two more to go before that!

^ Get outta here with your readily-available facts and details. This is America.

We stayed at Still Waters once and it was great, but overkill for us personally. There's a lot to do on the grounds for no extra fee but we are generally the 'just need a room' type. The biggest plus as far as SDC goes is as Tina said; being on Indian Pt road makes a huge difference getting into the park itself. Making it even easier is that Still Waters has a shuttle service to and from the park as well but make sure you check on the times it runs, I dont know their current policy but some resorts that provide this service don't always match the park hours.

I've been there once! It was a decade ago, though, but very nice. We got a condo that fit our whole group of 6 adults and a child very comfortably. It was clean and well-kept. It was in the winter, though, so no chance to try out their pools and other amenities. It's so close to the park, too, that it's super super convenient. Like, coming at SDC from the south on Indian Pt Rd gives you way less traffic than coming from the north off of 76. Oh, also, I highly recommend the Saloon Show. I don't know how it is now, but I've loved it since I started going to the park as a kid in the 90s and have always enjoyed it.

For SDC I would say a couple things: - If you think you can swing it with the little ones, I would really recommend the cave tour. It leaves from inside the Hospitality House at the top of the hill about every 30-40 minutes or so. The regular tour is included with your admission, and it's first come/first served. You can reserve a spot or upgrade to the lantern tour for a small fee. Definitely a unique and cool experience! - The train ride and show are great! I didn't see any other show while I was there so can't be much help there. - I went on a Sunday evening and a Monday and didn't wait more than 15 minutes for anything (and I think that wait might have been for American Plunge of all rides) You might consider Trailblazer if you want to be safe, but I'm not sure it's a 100% necessary. - Parking is free and if you get in the closer lot it's not a bad walk to the front gate, or a very short tram ride. Otherwise you can pay for the closer parking. Have fun! SDC is amazing!

^ No, no....... not "like" ...... looooooove!

Headed out yesterday for the passholder preview and... woof. I don't want to sound bitchy but I was really disappointed. SFMM decided that functional is the same as finished and we got a pretty terrible overall experience. Coaster - A solid 7/10. Less insane than the 1st-gen single rails, but I think that's a good thing. Easing up on the aggression makes it really re-rideable and I think it will be a huge hit with enthusiasts and GP. My one ride was in row 10, but I heard folks saying that the front was crazier. The new trains do make you sit with your feet unnaturally far apart, and it's kind of uncomfortable. Could be a more significant problem for folks who have shorter legs or narrow hips. Ops - I wasn't able to figure out what caused this but trains were regularly being sent out with only 4-6 passengers. Quite a few trains had only 2 or 3. This happened over and over again during my 3 hour long wait and it was maddening. The handful of times that they did send multiple full trains in a row, I noticed that the line actually does move, so that's a plus. I happened to be in one of the full trains, so I didn't get to see what the problem was they were experiencing. And I'm sure the employees were doing their best, no shade to them, but management forced them to open when they were very clearly not ready. Presentation - Lots of construction stuff still up around the area, a big dirt hole to the right of the switchbacks, confetti still all over the place from media day. The inside part of the queue had no working A/C, so it was hot and very humid from all the sweaty bodies standing inside. The floor inside the building is also a mess. It's like they told the construction crew: "don't worry about spilling paint on the floor because we're gonna do a finish coat on it"... and then they just didn't. Also, the paint on the coaster supports looks SUPER patchy and weird, especially near the ride entrance. Like they got scuffed up and someone fixed them with red spray paint. Extra weird thing - The entrance and exit of Batman have switched so that Batman and WW can share one exit path. Except there was no sign, so we walked off WW directly into the Batman queue and kept going onto the ride. Wasn't a big issue in the moment since there was virtually no line, but that better get fixed quickly before fights start about people cutting the line. -- The whole experience gave me the mental scenario of the construction project manager sending an email update saying "Hey everyone, we're almost to the end. We'll be ready to open in 3-4 weeks." And then someone from marketing replying "We just announced the opening day, so actually you have 2 weeks. Figure it out."

Man what??!? Nostalgia for old people?!? Most of their rides are terrible among today's coasters?!? Some of today's coasters cannot hold a candle to some schwarzkopf coasters. How many "todays" coasters have been torn down while parks opt to keep their coasters for "old people" lol? It's not our fault we appreciate and cherish good engineering and well thought out layouts.

Today was media day for Wonder Woman Flight of Courage! Awesome addition to SFMM's lineup. Now there are two coasters I will ride every time i'm there. I have not ridden either of the first edition single rails that just look like they are sped up in videos, but I believe this is just enough for everyone. The front was more violent than the rear, but the rear has the type of airtime I enjoy. First drop was my favorite in the back seat. There still seems to be a lot of detail work to be done in the future, but it's ready enough to open, I guess. As you may have heard, Batman's entrance is now the old exit. Before going up the ramp, they created a new concrete walkway to the original queue. The stairs still smell the same post closure. lol. SFMM opened it for media day as well so I got one ride in. The new DC Universe entrance looks great. There is a ton of open space in the plaza area as well as some space surrounding the ride. The old turnaround area for Tidal Wave is unused dirt at the moment. There definitely has to be a plan for that land. Walls are still up in that area. Anyway, an excellent addition to Magic Mountain's already solid lineup!

Dude! That recreated family photograph is awesome! Priceless, for sure. I haven't been on IG, but good to know SV is just as good, if not better. I used to have mixed feeling about it, but after our trip a few weeks ago I have a new appreciation. It's not the care-free, hands up kind of ride I usually like. Steel Vengeance is more of an endurance challenge. It's fun just to hold on, brace, and enjoy the ride trying to kick your butt. At the end of our two rides, out of 6-7 from prior trips, I had an appreciation for how relentless and drawn out it was. It definitely gave us a holy crap/WTF expression when we hit the brake run. With a mindset adjustment and knowing what to expect, I can say I really like it. Once or twice per day is enough for me, though. Magnum was also kind of good/tolerable this time around, thanks to the seatbelt trick. I ratcheted that sucker down and leaned forward into a "defensive riding position." It was like the steel version of The Boss at SFSTL... Sorry to hijack your post.

Today they finished the top hat More photos: https://twitter.com/FreakPlanetBlog/status/1546797825882820608

@pianojohnNice! I love seeing those "old photo recreations."

It's a hill...

^An act of mercy?

If a roller coaster is coming anytime soon, it's not going where the ground clearing is. The goal is to exploit the beach, not block it. I also fear it may be Dragster's resting ground.