Electerik

Thanks for the trip report! For whatever reason, I usually don't see very many for Blackpool on here.

I'm a bit confused by this, as Aquatica finsished behind Typhoon Lagoon (#1), Blizzard Beach (#2), and Wet n' Wild (#7). Am I mis-interpreting something? Er...I mean...um...I wouldn't have been surprised if it had...? Crap. /Misread the results and jumped the gun. Sorry.

This caption is full of win.

I'm just happy to be right for once. A waterpark with SeaWorld's name on it--and right next door--always seemed like a slam dunk to me. My science is a little fuzzy, but it goes like this: Wet n' Wild seems/is older and no one knows it's associated with Universal. Disney has two (splitting the vote, as it were), they're not really super-visible, and Disney had lots of other stuff to keep you occupied. So the waterparks kind of get lost in the mix. Aquatica is highly visible, right next door, brand-spanking new, has animals (which makes it unique in a field where most offerings are pretty much the same), and is positioned (intentionally or not) as SeaWorld's de facto second-gate park. I'm not surprised one bit that it beat out all the other waterparks in the area. And I think it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. /Haven't actually been. Not really talking about quality though anyway.

Anubis' station looks really nice, but I can't quite figure out the theming. Is it supposed to be an old English house that brought back an Egyptian curse or something?

I think I saw a TR from one of these a while back. It sounds really awesome. Too bad it wasn't going on (or, at least, I'd never heard of it) when I was living in California. Good luck with the event, Gregg!

Yeah, I've seen much worse trip reports also. But what does the P stand for in your "Photo TP"?

That Shoot-The-Chutes looks awesome. Are there any enclosed parts to it? Thanks for the photos!

My current home park is Dollywood. I live about 1 mile away, and I go anywhere from about once a week to once a month depending on how busy it is. As home parks go, I think it's a pretty good one.

Okay, yeah...but when do we get one in 3-D??? /Actually, that is kind of awesome.

I took Carrie Fisher, Danny DeVito and Rea Pearlman on Haunted Shack tours during my Knott's days. And put Courtney Cox and David Arquette onto Ghost Rider. /Also Robb Alvey!

I believe the trains on MF and TTD are actually slightly larger than those on the Supermans. /Er..."Supermen"?

^ Well, I also don't know everything. But based on my fuzzy memory of the time, the Rocket Jets/Astro-Orbiter didn't seem any different down on the ground--just less exciting. My understanding was that it was moved to make the entrance to Tomorrowland more exciting. (And if that sounds kind of lame...well, that pretty much sums up Tomorrowland 1998.) No greater capacity was achieved so far as I recall.

Hey, the heart wants who the heart wants.... /Blame cupid.

I don't agree with that. I think I was on the "$40.00 isn't so bad" side of the discussion, but between Tchu's post and yours, I'm just about convinced that I was wrong.

Erik, I'm not entirely certain that I'm interpreting your quote correctly or not considering a level of sarcasm, but I'll go ahead and raise my hand. No sarcasm intended (for once). Let me add some words to the question and see if that changes anything: Is there anyone on this board who wouldn't pay $40 for this park, but would pay $20 or $30? Personally, I never visited HRP and I probably won't visit FMP anytime soon, simply because the park is too far away and not appealing enough for me to make the pilgrimage. But if I was in Myrtle Beach anyway, and could somehow find the time? I would absolutely go--even if it cost $60--just to satisfy my own curiosity. If I'm interpreting you correctly, you wouldn't. But is that really because $40 is too expensive, or because the park doesn't appeal to you at all (at any price)? Because those are different things, I think. /Not a credit whore, but I imagine most who are would pay that much for a new Miner Mike. //"AllenA07" makes some good points about the AP price, though.

This is a great point. If we were really such geniuses, we'd all be running our own parks by now. /However, everyone but me is wrong. //Especially that Alvey guy.

^ And, while I hate to keep harping on this, Six Flags is hardly an ideal business model. Let's compare the park to Disney's Hollywood Studios, which is nearly twice the price and only has one coaster. /Totally being a jackass on that one, and I know it.

I avoid going on holidays, and really can't remember if I've ever done so. I used to go to Disneyland on my birthday when I was in my early teens. A tradition I kind of revisited this year by going to Animal Kingdom. Of course, Disney's whole "get in free on your birthday" thing may have had something to do with that.

Is $40 too much? Well, for who? Is there anyone on this board who wouldn't pay it? As for the GP, who may not quite be up on who is running the park or what their experience is (or even what's actually in the park). it's hard to say. A lot of "price setting" is based on psychology. You don't want to appear that you're not worth an investment. I think $40 is fine, as long as there are lots of coupons (so people think they're getting a deal) and deep discounts for locals (who will naturally be more skeptical). I really don't think these guys will be weighed down by Hard Rock Park's failure when it comes to tourists. No one but us has ever even heard of the place! /Not predicting success. //Just surprised at how many people are sure that they'll fail. ///Honestly, I could make money with this thing, and I'm retarded.

Ah. That had not occurred to me. Thank you. Still reminds me of that, though. /Lived through the sad, sad New Tomorrowland of 1998. //Even rode the Rocket Rods! ///Okay, yeah, they were lame.

^ Don't panic. Maybe they're just down for rehab.

Yeah, as excited as we all are about the ride, SFMM has really given themselves a marketting challenge: It's the same type of ride, the same color, and the same location as Psyclone. Meanwhile, SFGAd gets credit for a new ride with Bizarro.

Right. I seem to recall Widmore saying something to young Ben that strongly implied that he would have to go back to Dharma for at least a little while.

^ Yeah, I specifically meant the whole Mickey Mouse head thing (moving it from one ride to the other--even if it is a bit different). But it does seem odd that they're doing so much in what was already the best area of the park.