coasterbill

A lot of people feel like Boulder Dash and Phoenix are close or put Boulder Dash ahead of it but I don't even think Boulder Dash belongs in the same conversation as Phoenix. Boulder Dash is a great ride but Phoenix is absolutely exceptional and much more re-rideable.

My girlfriend and I went to see the Lion King on Broadway yesterday. I guess because it was Super Bowl Sunday and nobody wanted to be near Times Square tickets were pretty cheap and we've been wanting to see it for a long time (we got home in plenty of time to see the game too). I'm not a Broadway guy and since it was my first Broadway show I have nothing to compare it to but I was blown away by it. The costumes were incredibly creative and the energy was amazing. The sets were actually kind of minimal but I think that was by design as it kept the focus on the costumes, props and performers. Like I said, I have nothing to compare it to so take this recommendation with a grain of salt but I highly recommend this show to anyone who hasn't seen it. It was a great experience.

Cheer up, It doesn't matter how busy the park is if you get Fastlane Plus.

I think this makes complete sense honestly.

...probably.

I got excited for a second when I saw a commercial with Terry Crews in it but when I realized it wasn't an Old Spice commercial I stopped paying attention. I guess my favorite commercials were the ones with Steven Colbert in them.

Everything about that game was terrible from the game to the halftime show to the commercials.

What's your point?

Lol, I guess that thing goes off when they hit a run? Yes, when a Marlin hits a home run it spins around and water shoots out of it. It looks ridiculous. Thankfully this means it never goes off because the Marlins are an embarrassment to themselves, the sport of baseball and humanity in general.

What about a Euro Fighter? There are Euro fighters in 5 states but they didn't limit us to 3 states, and it seems like it would make sense as they're generally pretty affordable and compact.

Those effects were actually working this past year when we went.

Out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on Thunderhead? It's dropped since it's opening with the addition of new coasters but it seems to be relatively steady now. I ask because I had my first rides on it a few months ago during their Christmas event and I loved it, but you're far more experienced than I am when it comes to GCI coasters. Is it above average or is it on part with the rest of their installations from the last 10 years or so?

If those states were Illinois, Texas and Missouri then we're in for a treat.

Ah! I have to correct you there. Gerstlauer did. Intamin once held that record and so did B&M (Dragon Khan). But yeah, you pretty much demonstrated all the variety that Intamin offers. Good catch, I still thought it was Colossus for some reason. By the way I forgot to mention coasters with drops beyond 90 degrees which is another thing B&M doesn't offer.

Intamin built the #1 and #2 wood coaster in the world and the #1 and #2 steel coaster in the world. They've also built the 3 fastest coasters in the world, the 2 tallest coasters in the world, the coaster with the most inversions in the world, the first coaster to break the 300 foot barrier and the first coaster to break the 400 foot barrier. They've built wood coasters, steel coasters, zac spin coasters, impulse coasters, bobsled coasters, inverted coasters, hypercoasters, gigacoasters, stratacoasters, water coasters, rocket coasters, half-pipe coasters, winged coasters, family coasters, kiddy coasters and standup coasters. They've also built rapids rides, flume rides, ferris wheels, spillwaters, hyper splashes, reversing flume rides, boat rides, dark rides, simulator rides, swinging ships, observation towers, looping starships and giant frisbees. They've also built 3 generations of drop towers. The 4 tallest drop towers in the world were built by Intamin. 8 of the 9 tallest drop towers in the world were built by Intamin. On their website, B&M currently advertises only steel coasters. Wingriders, Hypercoasters, Dive Coasters, Flying Coasters, Floorless Coasters, Inverted Coasters, Sitting Coasters and Stand up Coasters. Please explain your definition of "diverse". I don't mean this is a confrontational way, I'm just really, honestly curious.

I feel like we take Phoenix for granted. At this point we all expect it to finish in the top 5 or 6 and we're so used to it we don't even think about how amazing that really is. As Mitch said... In the last few years wood coasters have made amazing advances. Now they can go upside down, track can be pre-fabricated and they can be as tall and fast as the elite steel coasters can without being rough. Even GCI and the Gravity Group have come up with great new technology including wood shuttle coasters and wood coasters with 90 degree banking. Because of this the wood coasters built prior to the new millennium have been pushed out of the top 20 and while they're still enjoyable rides they've been completely overshadowed by newer, faster and by all accounts better wood coasters. (Tremors is hanging on at #20 but dropping fast and Goliath will probably kick it out of the top 20 next year. It's not exactly old but technically it was built in the last year of the last millennium). The number one wood coaster in 1994 and 1995 is now at #41 (Comet). The number one wood coaster in 1996 and 1997 (Megaphobia) is now sitting at #34. The number one coaster in 1998 is now at #23 (Shivering Timbers) and the number one coaster in 1999, 2000 and 2001 is now at #32 (Tonnerre de Zeus). These coasters were once at the top of their class, and while they're still popular they can't compete with the new breed of wood coasters. None of the coasters in the top 19 existed before the new millennium... except one. The Phoenix, a coaster built 66 years ago that was almost demolished, moved to Pennsylvania (which was unheard of at the time) and is listed ahead of countless world class, "new age" wood coasters. It's not that tall, it's not that fast, it doesn't have any gimmicks and it looks unassuming but it's perfect design has stood the test of time in a way that no other coaster has come close to doing. With Outlaw Run making it's debut I think we all expected it to drop a spot, but it didn't thanks to the Voyage falling below it. The Phoenix's incredible "defiance of age" as Mitch Hawker puts it is a testament to Knoebels and their remarkable maintenance team keeping the coaster in pristine condition while other parks let their top coasters get rough and fall down the charts (Ghostrider, Voyage, Hades). It's also a testament to it's design. For some reason coasters like the Great Escape Comet which are running as well as they ever have just haven't stood the test of time like the Phoenix. I don't think the coaster is getting votes it doesn't deserve based on nostalgia (I'm looking at you Magnum XL 200). The Mitch Hawker poll seems to weed that out pretty well (which is why the Coney Island Cyclone is at #65 and dropping like a rock). The Phoenix is getting the votes because it's really as amazing as everyone says it is. I hate to say it, but I can see a day when Outlaw Run, El Toro and T Express are all down in the double digits because maintenance hasn't kept up with them or bigger and better coasters have taken their place, but if history is any judge we can still expect to see Phoenix in the top 10 when that happens.

It's not a seafood restaurant. The crab fries don't have crab in them, just seasoning that you'd put on crab. Mainly Old Bay. They're outstanding. Honestly Cedar Point's food is horrible, but they have some great franchises with Famous Daves, Chick Fil A, TGI Fridays, Pink's and now Chickie and Pete's so you don't have to worry about eating the rest of the crap. It's worth noting that the Boardwalk Fries cart is pretty good too but not as good as the fries at Chickie and Pete's.

From Mitch

I was being sarcastic... this thread needs to die.

Don't forget to add this stupid thing to the Marlins ballpark.

I thought the same thing. It's highly unlikely that his age is accurate.

The anticipation is killing me...

This is a direct result of the fact that they're open every day combined with inflation. No, they aren't only talking about revenue. Read the part in quotes right above that. Profits aren't revenue - they are the actual money *made*, which is where my bafflement comes from. If they were just talking about revenue, it wouldn't have stuck out at me like a sort thumb. While maybe I should have worded that better, I would argue that it's a direct result of their full season operations. When a park decides that their hours should be for the year, I'm sure they're following a simple formula. On days when the park is projected to draw enough people to make a profit, they'll be open. On days when the park is not projected to draw enough people for them to make a profit they'll be closed. Other factors play into this of course like the requirements of seasonal employees but generally speaking hours are based on a strong probability that they'll make a profit on the days they're open. With that being said, if they're open more days than anyone else it's very likely that they'll make a higher profit than everyone else too. The only ways that wouldn't be the case would be if the other parks had profit margins that were so much higher than SFMM's that they made more money with less days or if their attendance projections were wrong (or of course if major unforeseen expenses pop up).

I never knew there was a cruise ship enthusiast community but I'm sure they're saying the same thing about us. Personally I like going into things without knowing too much about it. It's rare in the age of the internet but it makes for some great experiences.