Electerik

A few blurry photos, but otherwise a nice report of a park that's fairly high on my "to do" list. Thanks for posting it!

After working at Great Adventure for the summer, I can tell you this is most definitely not the case. "...in my limited experience." <--- There, fixed that for you. Just as the first free queue management systems were destined to evolve into pay systems, so too will the money these pay systems generate come to be counted on and sought to be maximized. Oh, and I have a bit of rides experience myself....

Cedar Point used to have a good system. Disneyland, too. It was called "capacity" or something, I think. Virtual queues are the devil. Unfortunately, people focus on how they help avoid the long lines, and not the fact that they help create the long lines. The parks can and should be able to do as they want, of course. They're private businesses. But let me leave you with this thought: If a park now has to choose between adding a train to reduce the line, or keeping it long in order to sell "skip the line" passes, which one do you think more parks will opt for?

Thanks for the report! Forgive my ignorance, but why is that restaurant rarely seen by the pubic? What's the deal with it?

Yeah...but if he'd been struck by a PIRATE, he be dead now.

I've seen a couple people comment to the effect that Splash Mountain & Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls are in a class of their own. And while I don't disagree, per say, I would point out (for anyone that might not know) that they are both clearly patterned on the Timber Mountain Log Ride at Knott's--which in my mind, is still superior to either of them.* I also like Daredevil Falls at Dollywood, the Big Timber Log Ride at Enchanted Forest in Oregon, Frightful Falls at Holiday World, and the Boat Chute at Lake Winnie. In general, I don't much care for ones that are unthemed and high-in-the air. *For the sake of full disclosure: I have worked at Disneyland, KBF, and IOA (including a two-year stint on Ripsaw).

It seems like most trains these days don't offer much besides trees on both sides and the backs of warehouses. I suspect that's because new ones aren't built very often, and the old ones have all had their parks expand to the point that there's not much left for the trains to look at. I do like Knotts Berry Farm's, but there is a bit too much "backs of buildings." I agree that Cedar Point's is pretty good (shockingly enough). And, while it's been a while since I've been on it, I seem to recall liking SFOG's, which came complete with a kind of Jungle Cruise-esque commentary. But Busch Gardens Africa's is probably my favorite, since it mostly looks at large, wide open animal habitats. Nice thread, by the way.

Yes, but you'll be in the drop longer. But the airtime won't be there. It'll just be a drop. Yeah...but it probably won't kill people, either. Is it sad that that was my first thought when I heard the 45-degree thing? That Holiday World wanted to avoid any Perilous Plunge/Hydro problems? I can't say I blame them, either.

Oh...deleting! That would free up some hard drive space, I suppose. I always have in mind that I'll use those old, not-as-good pictures for something. But I haven't, so far. Bonus weirdness pic!

Well, I appreciate the effort. While I've got you here, Chuck, where is Alpengeist supposed to be? France? Germany? Canada? Switzerland? I just can't figure it out. Also, what does this sign mean? Is that, like, some kind of mythological chicken or something?

Thanks for all the kind words, everyone. It's always nice to get positive feedback. It's a Pentax Optio E40. It was the smallest point and shoot I could find that took standard AA batteries. It's not bad. But my approach to photography is just to take a lots and lots of photos, and then pick out the good ones. I think I actually took, like, 1800 pictures to get those 99. I think we rode in the front twice, and the back 4 to 6 times. I don't remember, exactly. But I agree that the back has some really great air--even with the two trim brakes they'd added since I'd last ridden. Hey, thanks. I always think my captions are lame. ("This is a coaster. It's really fun.") But I'm glad you liked them. But, dude, you've never been?? It's not that far from you, and it's awesome! You totally need to go. Bonus pic!

I had only been to Busch Gardens Williamsburg once, back in 2000. And my girlfriend, Misty, had never been. So it seemed like a good time to mount an expedition. We spent four days there, but I’ve grouped the photos as though making one big loop around the park. And, as anyone who’s been there can attest, it’s a very photogenic park…so strap in, it’s going to be a long one.... We had a great time. Bye bye, Busch Gardens Europe. We'll be back. Aww, time to leave. Souvenirs. (Warning: Do not attempt to use this shirt as a park map.) They seem to have enjoyed it. It goes up, you see some cool fire effects and stuff, and you come back down. Escape From Pompeii is kind of like a shorter version of Journey To Atlantis at SeaWorld Orlando. The last drop (into a small ravine). And a great ride it is...especially at night. My favorite part of the ride. Not much of the ride...but at least there's a train. Oh, there's a train in this shot all right...it's just behind the trees. ;O) I think this kid just stapled himself. An Apollo ride op assuming the standard BGE greeter position. The basketball game makes the Roman soldier sad. Time for a spin on the park's train. Lunch time. How about some pizza and mozzarella sticks? And it made me wish I had a waterproof camera, since it offers some great views of Apollo's Chariot. ...but it does offer some nice "get people wet" opportunities. Roman Rapids is not the most exciting rapids ride.... More theming confusion, as this part of Italy features rides based on the journies of Marco Polo. Coaster nerd. ...and, um, things. ...also statues. This section of the park offers flat rides and gardens. Can you spot the Smisty in this photo? Dinner and music. Italy has some great architecture. The bridge connecting Germany to Italy...just like in real life. I really like these rides. I wish some other company and/or park would pick it up again. And out over the Rhine. Swinging through the village. Happily, this idea turned out not to be true. I recalled/was under the impression that BBW's first section was difficult to photograph. An interesting conglomeration of trackage. The Big Bad Wolf sported a fairly long line throughout our visit, despite consistently running three trains. Der Wirbelwind...or something. The park map just says "Wave Swinger." One nice thing about spending a few days visiting a park is getting to try all of the different eateries. This one's much bigger than Tampa's. Make of this photo what you will. The interior theming's not too bad, either. Except for that pesky television set on the wall. And the fact that you can't hear any of the preshow audio. I love the exterior theming. And, judged on its own, it is a cool ride. But it does really just feel a bit too much like Spider-Man. Curse of DarKastle. I was really happy when Busch announced they were copying Spider-Man. Wait, I have to do what now to get out of this section of the park?? (But, seriously, is this whole area just non-wheelchair accessible? Or did I miss something?) It's a relaxing ride, and it offers lots of interesting views of the coasters. It's a wolf, shoot it! While we're in Germany, how about a cruise down the Rhine river? The sign is actually for the German Sky Ride station. But it's still a cool photo. Land of the Dragons didn't have much to offer us big kids. I prefer Holidog's Funtown. No, wait...now it's the awesomest park ever! This is the awesomest park ever! The drop off of the block brake. At about this point, the ride starts to get a little too "snappy" for my tastes. Two trains. I'm awesome. I really like the first drop and first couple elements. Alpengeist's load station. Misty is an advanced skier. Alpengeist has some great theming, but I'm a little vague about what part of the park it's supposed to be in. It is a really fun ride. And the crew was the friendliest in the park. I think we rode this, like, five times. Misty really liked it. Mighty "Le Scoot." Trapper's Smokehouse was good. And the area is nicely themed and all. But, really...Canada? Misty presents New France. Which is really just Canada...which is not in Europe. What happened here, guys? Griffon popped my collar. The splashdown. Again, a great addition, but just not quite as good as SheiKra, in my opinion. This turned out really well, I think. Yeah, I know...this picture needs a train in it. But the train kind of obscured what I wanted you to see. Yeah...that's it. It does liven up this section of the park. The holding brake. Griffon's very steep lift hill, with Alpengeist in the back. I prefer SheiKra, but it's still a great addition to the park. ...but this is pretty good, too. I miss the car ride.... Hey look, we're in France! Hmm...what's that off in the distance? This bird really liked my camera. A small Aviary. (But the word "Glen" makes it Irish!) Irish Wolves (as far as you know). And now the European theming starts to get a bit off track, with the animal exhibits. Ireland is pretty, but kind of "showy." (As in, it's all shows.) Exit theming and 3-D glasses bin for Corkscrew Hill. My first ride on Corkscrew Hill. I liked it, but it did suffer from the standard over-abundance of motion simulation. Well, that was fun. Now off to Ireland! Here you can see all of the thought and care that went into Arrow's design work. I recalled a strobe light effect in the tunnel that no longer seems to be there. You can certainly get some up close pictures of the thing. It's not a bad ride, all things considered. Straight up is kind of Misty's signature shot. The old, cracksmoking Arrow ride uses its spear to fend off the big B&M guns. Beware the pretty flower monster. The park is making a big deal out of the Loch Ness Monster's 30th anniversary. The Sky Ride climbs over Scotland. Foreground flowers are kind of my signature shot. I amuse easily. Your host on this adventure...being stupid (as usual). Check out the height check phone booth. We've made it inside! (And to England.) It's a long--but pretty--walk down to the front gate. The ticket booth area does remind me a bit of Busch Gardens Africa. Notice the lack of a train...and other cars...and toll booth attendants...because we were there THAT.FRIGGING.EARLY.

I just came in here to say that Superman The Escape is not a roller coaster.... It's two roller coasters.

Paula's latest Holiblog post is called "Designer Hint." And, if read as a hint, would seem to indicate something completely different than what we've all been speculating here. Is Holiday World really going to go back to the same well for a fourth time?? Well, it has been a pretty good well for them. And I seem to recall Will saying something along the lines of "it wouldn't be so bad to be known as the wood coaster park" (not an exact quote). http://www.holidayworld.com/holiblog/2008/08/designer-hint.html The idea that we all keep guessing something else, and they just keep building more woodies is kind of amusing, though. Edit: Or, "World's Tallest Coaster Designer" = Intamin...which means.... Aquatrax!!! (Now, if they just name it Laser Snake Horse On Fire, no one will ever again be able to dispute Holiday World's supreme awesomeness.)

Not quite sure why everyone is so against this. It looks fun to me. I used to drive by that area every day on my way to work at Discover Cove, and there's plenty to look at.

It's perfectly legitimate not to like Silver Dollar City and/or Dollywood. They're much different experiences from, say, Cedar Point or Magic Mountain. But "tourist trap"? Hardly. No disrespect intended, and forgive me if I'm over-generalizing here , but there seems to be a natural progression for most enthusiasts as they get older. The kids just want a bunch of giant rollercoasters, but us old folks need some shade and a nice train ride once in a while. At the same time, the more parks you visit, the more you tend to value the unique and funky attractions over the latest and greatest terra-coasters. Or so it seems to me.

Hey, thanks for the pictures of the Arrow Mad Mouse. That model is one of my top ten coasters. No, seriously. Oh, and for all of the other pics, too. I actually really like ValleyFair, though I haven't been there in a long, long time.

Good god, no. I'd prefer they added over the shoulder restraints to The Voyage. It would ruin my day less. Virtual queues are the devil, and Holiday World adding one would shake my confidence in the basic goodness of the universe. Besides, that would hardly be "innovative."

That doesn't sound weird at all. It's exactly how I feel. The Voyage is all kinds of awesome for the first three-quarters, but then I'm ready to get off.

Well, he kind of did.... Yet, once again, I'm only almost as cool as Wes.

Brilliant! I love a twisted mind. Can I talk you into posting that educated guess on the HoliBlog? Thanks (either way), Paula For you, Paula, anything. Sadly, I posted as "anonymous" because I was too dumb to figure out how else to do it. But at least it's there now.

In all seriousness, a drop ride just doesn't sound right. I suppose a new coaster is possible, but there are lots of rides that drop. How about something like a Kangaroo or a Tumbler? (Or even the return of Banshee! ) It doesn't really matter for me. I've already promised my girlfriend that we'll go back next year.

So...it's a thread so epically stupid that it can't be closed? It's, like, suck circled itself and became win.

Duh, people. August 26, 1883 was the day of the famous Mount Krakatoa eruption. So, clearly, they're building a volcano.

This is probably the best Hersheypark TR I've seen. Thanks for the photos.