havenli

Since the announcement is off the homepage, does that mean no more sign-ups and/or open spots for the Mid-West trip?

Holy crap, WHY did I not tell you guys that I was working on Splash Mountain for my College Program?!?! AND how did I not know that Reed was on this form, because he was TOTALLY one of my managers. Are you reading this, Reed? Hi! It's Natalie! Anyway, the day you guys were there was my very last day of my program. I'm home now and going through some major Disney withdrawals.

Hey, congratulations! I'm also going to be working at Disney next year. I just got accepted into their College Program in operations, and DANG I'm excited. I'll be there from January through May, though, so it sounds like we'll just miss each other.

Apollo's Chariot, by far. Especially 3rd or 4th row. And while I don't think the side you sit on determines the amount of actual air time you get, I still think the left side gives the best over-all ride. And I usually say that about most B&Ms. No idea why that is...

B&M - I've enjoyed all of these that I've been on. Sure, some were better than others, but I don't have the heart to label one of them as the "worst." GCI - Wildcat at HersheyPark. There aren't enough sports bras in the world... Intamin - I've only been on Volcano: the Blast Coaster and Storm Runner, and they were both AWESOME.

Ahhh. I move to North Carolina, and good things happen.

^Or Crackertown.

Only, if you go with the last one, be sure to add another 'a' after the 't' (there's a joke about T&A in there somewhere, but I'll let you guys come up with it on your own). I can't imagine being called nat-lee. Natalie "there are three syllables in my name" Visage

Congratulations you guys! I hope this isn't too personal (ignore it if it is), but how far along are you?

I just did a Photo TR about Dorney a few days ago. It's not overly detailed, but it might give you some idea of what to expect. http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30163&start=0 (Dorney is in the second batch of pictures).

True, I just moved to NC, but TN has been my home for the last 20 years, so Dollywood is still considered my home park for now. And come on peoples....Thunderhead. What more can I say? Thunderhead.

^^Hydra was fun, but nothing out of this world. Of course, since it was closed down again shortly after I rode it, I was only able to ride the one time in the front. The back could be a whole nother experience for all I know. The Jo-Jo Roll was great, as well as the whole floorless aspect, but beyond that I suppose there was nothing overly special about the coaster. Also, it didn't seem as smooth as most other B&Ms. But since this is B&M we're talking about, I still wouldn't call it "rough" either. But let's remember that, to me, B&M hangs the moon, so while Hydra may not make my top 10, I still thought it was great. Natalie "I love me some B&M" Visage

Good thing CF doesn't own Busch Gardens, else they'd have put cages around each car of Apollo's Chariot after the Goose-Meets-Fabio incident.

Well, my mom is the same way pretty much. She can't go on rides that go in circles, too high, or upside down. Else, she gets nauseous. BUT, I got her to try taking ginger pills (Mythbusters anyone?) and I was able to get her on SooperDooperLooper at Hershey and Laser at Dorney without a problem. Plus, she rode all the woodies, wild mice, and the mine train. And I'm sure she could have handled the kiddie coasters as well, but she said it was much more fun to watch me make a fool of myself.

Exactly, I didn't understand that either.

We pretty much did the town of Hershey by day two, so we weren't exactly sure what to do with our last full day. Luckily, being the brilliant and cunning daughter that I am, I was able to convince my mom to drive an hour north-ish for a Day at Dorney. When we got there, Talon and Hydra were both closed due to high winds. The rest of the coasters were open, which I suppose means that while B&M coasters are built to withstand various high levels of g-forces and the literal TONS of weight each train carries as they continuously travel and maneuver along the track, 25 mph wind is enough to send riders to their deaths as the ride collapses beneath them into a big, fiery ball. Does any one know why this is? Luckily, the wind died down long enough for them to reopen both rides, so I was finally able to obtain my very first floorless credit. Yay for that. Also, let me just say that Steel Force has the slowest lift hill I've ever been on. EVER. I'm pretty sure that Jesus was killed, buried, and resurrected in a shorter time span than it took for me to get to the top of the lift. Lines weren't overly long. Other than the Wild Mouse which had a 30 minute wait due to the addition of time-consuming seat belts, no line was longer than 10-15 minutes, so I was able to get on all the coasters within a matter of a few hours. While Dorney was nice and it had some decent rides, I much preferred Hershey (as did my mom, since she doesn't do anything that goes upside down or is taller than 100ft), mainly because Dorney was probably a little too glorified-state-fair-esque for me. I'm more of a theme park lover than an amusement park fan. Of course, both parks were well kept, clean, and had a good variety of rides, so I can't complain. Anyway, because we got done with Dorney so quickly, we decided to head back to Hershey - my treat, since my mom basically paid 30-some dollars just to ride a woodie and a wild mouse in Dorney. Hershey was MUCH more crowded Saturday than the night before, so there were no walk-ons. Still, we waited no more than probably 20 minutes for anything, including Storm Runner. And that's all. Thank you Milton Hershey! ...and Halloween lights More Wildcat lights... All warm and padded in our four layers of clothing each Wondrous Millenium Flyers Where it is much more crowded tonight than last night But back to Hershey And in the restaurant, they had this certificate on the wall Just in time for the sun to set, but first we need dinner... Lovely sky Heading back to Hershey Alright, bubye Dorney. There it goes! And Talon...? Is that a TRAIN going through the Jo-Jo Roll? But wait! What's that?!? If I can't ride the B&Ms, I might as well be a credit whore Yet another wild mouse. One day I hope to find a civilized mouse. Or a sane mouse. I'll even settle for a bipolar mouse. Let's not stereotype the mice, okay? Looks like someone has a tumor on his head. Or an extra nose. First coaster of the day At least I'll get SOME credits. Thunderhawk appears to be suffering from some form of dwarfism. You mean to tell me that HYDRA IS CLOSED TOO?! I drove ALL this way and both B&Ms are CLOSED? Psh. Losers. What? Talon is closed because of WIND? Well, at least I'll still get my first floorless credit. Talon as seen from the parking lot. Why don't I see any trains, Talon? First sight of the park Despite the wind, it was a gorgeous, brisk day

I don't know how much the prices vary per month/season, but I know it was about $300 per night last weekend, which is why we didn't stay there. We're just two poor southern women.

So, for Fall Break I decided to take a vacation, and since I've worn out all of my friends on coaster trips, I went along with my mom. I'm a girl, so I can do that without being sad and pathetic. I'd never even been to Pennsylvania before, let alone any theme parks there, so we just sorta played things by ear. We arrived early evening Thursday, so after checking into our average Comfort Inn, we went to drool over the Hotel Hershey and explore the rest of the town. Goll, the Hershey factory smells like a brownie. Mmmmmm. The next day, since the park didn't open until 4:00pm, we killed time by shopping at the Outlet Mall and going to Chocolate World. Yes, shopping and chocolate. Honestly, doesn't this just sound like the most estrogen-driven trip EVER? Finally, we headed over to the park and ended up getting there a few minutes after the park opened. I bee-lined it over to Storm Runner only to find out that the train had JUST had a roll back. Had I arrived when the park actually opened, I would have been on that train. Oh, the regret. I had to wait about 10 minutes for the ops to get the ride back up and running, which ended up being just about the longest wait of the night. Once it was all fixed, I was able to ride it three times with absolutely zero wait. My mom doesn't do those kinds of coasters, so we went on to do the rest of the park, and like I said, there was little-to-no wait for any of the rides, which led to multiple rides on just about every coaster, except for Wildcat since I wasn't wearing six sports bras at the time. But anyway, on to the pictures. And coming soon...Dorney Park. Wildcat lights of doom Oh yeah, their big Halloween thing was going on This is what happens when I try to take a picture from a Wild Mouse When pretty lights move in a continuous circle, you can't help but stare... I'm telling you, this park was EMPTY Great Bear from above And ice cream! In 40 degree weather! (We couldn't even finish half of it) Time for a ride on Skyview More Storm Runner Flyers. I barely got a tiny pop out of them. Is it just me or are these unpopable? My very first boomerang. Woooo! First things first. Storm Runner. Admire the near-empty train. But let's get on to the important stuff... ...Where there are lots of good chocolate things to eat Next day - Chocolate World... Apparently, my mom and I both enjoy leaning to the right Inside the Hotel Hershey Hi PKD! I'm all ready to go! Then we hit the road For some reason, the very first picture isn't working, so here it is again. I can't deny you a picture of my dog!

^^Seriously, I could drool over that.

Thank you all for the park advice so far. I'm uber excited about Storm Runner - it will be my first sit-down Intamin (Volcano at PKD is my only other Intamin experience, and I loved it ever so much). Ahhh...a weekend fulla chocolate and roller coasters. Now I just need a chocolate covered roller coaster, and I'll be set. And thanks, Elissa! I won't be starting until January, so don't look for me any time soon, but once I find out where I'll be stationed at specifically, I'll let you know.

Not this weekend but next, I'm going up to Hershey, PA for fall break. It will be my first time ever at Hershey Park, which is only open during the evenings this time of year, and I was wondering if anyone knows which night would be best to visit (in terms of minimal crowds) - Friday or Saturday? Also, are there any "must-do" things in the area (other than the chocolate factory, which is given since I AM female, therefore slightly addicted to anything containing cocoa)? And on a totally unrelated note, I just found out yesterday that I got accepted into the Disney College Program and I'm in Operations! I figured I shohuld mention it, since this IS a theme park board and all...and one full of Disney Fanboys at that... Goll, I'm excited.

^It does if you're the one holding the gun. Not that I know or anything....

I've said it once already, but turtles are my favorite animal, so I couldn't resist posting in this thread. Yeah, it's pretty smudged, but oh well... Just something I sketched out *years* ago.

^^Turtles from Southport...duh.

Oblivion