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Thanks for the gift-and a very Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to you and everyone on TPR. Here's to a great 2010 for everyone. (I'm checking out the store and debating whether to order a downloadable DVD, a shirt or both!)

I was at the park for most of the day today. I had a late dinner with one of my freelance website clients in the Valley, so I ended up staying at the HI Express across from SFMM last night and went to the park today to get my 2010 Xtreme Pass and get out of the house for the day. I'm glad I did, it was a good day to visit. Although I was not sure how things would play out with the rain, fortunately, the forecast for today on Weather.com was correct and it was partly cloudy and rather pleasant. Although there was some turnout for Toys For Tots, which was good overall the crowds were very light. I got to the park about 12 and in between 12-6 I got my pass, got one of the new X2 shirts at Flags (they may not be new but I had not seen them), and managed to get four front row rides on X2, three rides on Tatsu, three rides on Scream, and one ride each on Riddlers, Goldrusher, Ninja, and Terminator:Salvation. Revolution, Goliath, Superman and Batman were all down (I overheard one ride op on Scream mention something in their spiel about a "new and improved Batman The Ride" next year. which was interesting). The park was clean, all the holiday music was a great touch, every employee I encountered was pleasant, and operations were very good: the only two long waits I had all day were the first one on X2 before they added a second train, and on Terminator, mostly due to the pre-shows as there were empty rows on most of the trains going out. By the end of the day the X2 crew was really doing a great job with dispatches. I did notice that all of the fire and mist effects were turned off on both Terminator and X2 today, although the on board audio was working fine. Whatever is going in the space next to Deja Vu looks to have a very small footprint as there is not much space cleared. All in all it was a great day at the park. I'm debating doing the New Year's Eve party there this year, depending on what time off I get.

I'm hoping they're open tomorrow, planning on heading up there as I will be up in the Valley tonight and was planning to hit the park to renew my pass and get a few rides in tomorrow!

^WCB 2009 was great despite the weather; I remember how it looked when I headed over from the hotel to the park and wondering how it would all pan out. Everyone was still in good spirits, and Neal was even standing up there with the microphone in the pouring rain and I thought to myself, "Now that's dedication!" Just a few hours later, I was enjoying ERT on X2 and Tatsu as the sun came out, and it turned out to be a beautiful day (although I think I nearly got frostbite from some of those night rides on Goliath, Tatsu, Scream and Viper, it was still a blast!) In re the two parks this year-this is awesome news! After the nightmare day I had at work today (including finding out my paycheck bounced ), this announcement made my day. I was wondering how you were going to top WCB the past two years, and this definitely does it. Solace and WCB weekend has been my one weekend out of the year when I shut down the computer, get away from home, try not to think about work and have a great time both riding coasters and hanging out with a great group of people. The past few years Solace has been waning a bit, and to see a day at KBF become a part of what has already been a great event is a really good thing. Really looking forward to this one!

^I'm one of those smokers like her, and I totally agree-I get pretty upset if I see someone smoking in line at any park I go to. I have no issue with parks having designated areas for it, to me it is a win/win situation for both parties. IMHO if you make the personal choice to smoke, you should be respectful of those who choose not to or who either do not want to be or cannot be exposed to it. (I go into my garage to smoke so my cat doesn't breathe it and if I'm out with a group who doesn't smoke I usually just excuse myself for a few and walk over to a different area). In regards to park pet peeves, I have three I can think of off the top of my head. I go to Knott's and SFMM quite often and I have seen all three of these: -Line jumping of any kind, and especially if it's glaringly obvious that their party further up in the line is talking to them on the cell phone telling them to hurry up and get to the front. Being about as non confrontational as I can be, what I will usually do is let it go if it's one or two people but an entire group I will point out to a park employee. I had a few incidents at SFMM several years ago (prior to the new management) where the person cutting in front of me was outright belligerent but I was actually too intimidated to say anything. -One train operation on multiple train rides when there is enough of a crowd/line to warrant more than one train. I understand there are probably issues with staffing and so forth, but I have been in line a few times where it seemed like a small eternity. This happened to me at Knott's a few years ago-it was busy but Silver Bullet was doing one train all day on a Saturday and the second was not in rehab. Then-about an hour before the park closed, train 2 suddenly made an appearance. -And finally, people who just utterly destroy public restrooms, either by playing a game of "let's see how much paper we can put into the toilet before it explodes" or worse, those who don't seem to acknowledge or understand what the little handle that flushes the toilet is. (To be fair, sometimes the flushers are broken, but more often than not, they aren't-but a public restroom should always be tested for that sort of thing.) It's those who just don't bother to flush that bother me the most; I don't care how much pride someone may have in what they did, I really don't want to see it. It's a toilet, not a display case, and it's a public restroom, not an excrement exhibition/fecal gallery.

Thanks for all of the great coverage of the show! I would love to attend one of these someday but this is the next best thing to being there. I saw some coverage from last year, and it looks like they had a bigger turnout this year than they did last time.

^^Then we could all say how when it came to their new ride addition for 2010, "Knott's really got The Shaft!" (Sorry, I just could not resist that one.....)

^Funny story (well, maybe not funny at the time, but very memorable)! The year after the Edge accident at Great America in Illinois, Six Flags took over the park. I worked for Six Flags St. Louis at the time, and one of the perks employees got was bus trips to other Six Flags parks. That summer we had already had a trip to Six Flags over Texas and Astroworld, and the third was to Great America. The second day we were there, they were testing the Edge and allowing people on for the first time since the accident, and our group-being employees was the first allowed to ride. I was probably more frightened about getting on that ride after the accident that had happened than any time I have ever been apprehensive about any ride, and on the elevator lift up and the few seconds before the car moved into drop position, as I kept imagining what it would be like if the car slipped and plummeted back down the lift.....needless to say that never happened, but just the thought of it was horrifying! In re Demon Drop coming to Knott's.....all I can say is, I don't get it. Don't get me wrong-I love Knott's and enjoy most of the rides there (although lately the only rides I seem to ride a lot there are Supreme Scream and Silver Bullet) but these seems like a really pointless addition. I think the ride should go to one of their other parks that does not already have a decent drop ride, and they should put a modern flat ride in the Screaming Swing location.

Pony Express was a great idea as far as the theming being a good fit, the ride concept, and the family-friendly aspect, but the ride (albeit well executed in the allotted space) is just painfully short and uneventful IMHO; just as it gets interesting you hit the brakes. There are ways they can get a hyper coaster or another "big" coaster without bulldozing all of the nostalgic stuff that gives KBF it's own unique charm. I'd love to see them get a B&M Hyper but to do that they would likely have to either annex some of the backstage or go over a lot of things to do it. I'm certain they would find a way, I remember when the question was posed to management at the last Solace if they could get anything as far as a new attraction what would they want and the answer was a Mega Coaster. They could also go "up" instead of over, and fit something in like one of the Ball Coasters or the El Loco coasters. But I really think their next big ride will end up being one of the Hypers similar to Diamondback, etc-probably not for a few years, though. I need to get out to KBF again soon; have not been since they opened the new steakhouse and the Ride Warriors store. Going to renew my pass in a few weeks so looking forward to checking out both.

Or, it could be a red herring just like the teaser sign saying "Ride Sally Ride" next to the Diamondback construction last year (playing off the rumored name of "Mustang" for the coaster while under construction).....although I think they really will go with White Lightning as the name.

This is upsetting news.....especially since I never had the opportunity to ride Big Bad Wolf. Last time I was at BGW it was not open but I could see that drop to the river and thought it looked like quite an awesome coaster, everything one of the old Arrow suspended coasters could be. I was unable to make my planned trip to BGW in 2008 to ride all of the coasters there, and it is highly unlikely that I can get out there before it closes for good. (I seriously need to start making more coaster trips outside of California.....) As far as a replacement, I am assuming it will end up being a B&M Flyer, based on the success of Manta-with a Pretzel Loop diving to the river. As much as I love B&M coasters and think a Flyer would be a great addition to the park (especially with Kings Dominion getting a giga coaster) I think they also should add a coaster with a 42-48" height requirement to fill the void of a family coaster. IMHO, a really smart move on the park's part would be to wait on the Flyer-add a GCI terrain wooden coaster for now or maybe even a launched S&S coaster similar to Powder Keg at Silver Dollar City and then a year or two later add a custom B&M Flyer. As disappointing as it is to see this ride depart, I can understand the park's decision in light of the maintenance costs. Just wish I had gotten a chance to ride it.....I have enjoyed the other Arrow Suspended coasters I have been on (Ninja/SFMM and the late XLR8 at the late Astroworld) and this one looked to be the best of its kind.

I've never had the opportunity to go into Carowinds (I drove by there once on vacation but did not have time to go in) but plan on going there sometime when this new ride opens. The only B&M Hyper I have been on to date is Goliath at SFOG (which is my favorite non-inverting steel coaster), so I'm anxious to see what this one is. I'm going to venture a guess on this as far as the "History Making/Record Breaking" part: History making: largest addition to the park in Carowinds' history Record breaking: I don't think they will attempt for tallest and fastest in the Southeast, since their sister park Kings' Dominion will likely nail that one with their giga coaster, so I will guess longest or some other "est". I don't see this being a launched coaster. Maybe steepest drop. Looking at construction photos, the layout looks as if it will be some strange hybrid of Behemoth, Diamondback (sans water splash) and Silver Star. From the footers there so far, it seems as if it will go up the lift out of the station, drop and curve and run along the side of the park down to a hammerhead turn at the other entrance gate, do a helix and then return past the picnic areas into a brake run next to the transfer and then do a left hand back into the station. I do think that "White Lightning" photo was viral marketing at its best. Although many are saying this will be something themed to Dale Earnhardt (The Intimidator) I think the name could still be White Lightning-you never know but there could be some kind of tie in where the park sponsors a Nascar vehicle themed to the new ride. It will be interesting to see what is revealed on the 26th-from all I have seen and heard, Carowinds is a great park and this will only make it even better. I do feel sorry for Freestyle Music Park as this will give them some serious competition!

To me, the best part about the night rides other than the overall out of control feeling (which still had a sense of smoothness to it IMHO) was how you would come out of the turn, get temporarily blinded by the fire effect and hit the first tunnel a bit disoriented. I still cannot decide whether my favorite part of the coaster is the unique first drop (I like the way it comes down the small drop and turn just after the lift and then picks up speed before hitting the main drop) or that heavily banked turn in between the first tunnel and the station fly through. All of it is good but those two parts really stood out to me. I can understand why it is that GCI sells so many coasters, they really seem to know how to pace their rides. They also seem to understand that when you're building a wooden coaster, layout matters the most, more than trying to go taller or break records. I think that with wooden coasters, once you start to go over 100-125 feet in height, there is a possibility that the ride can get rough as a result. (That being said, I would like to try out El Toro at Great Adventure someday, as from all I have heard, they managed to build an extreme wooden coaster that still provides a comparatively smooth ride.)

I still can't get over how awesome the night ERT was.....that coaster was out of control in a very good way! Another thing I am really impressed with is just to overall ride design; while it is shorter than many wood coasters, it seems like just enough to pack the punch it's supposed to. I thought the way they synchronized the dispatches where the train returning to the station is crossed over by the one going up the lift hill was a great touch as well. Please don't consider this blasphemy, but I would not be unhappy if Knott's decided to replace Ghostrider with a wild GCI like this.....while Ghostrider is undoubtedly a great coaster, lack of proper maintenance has really diminished and created a detriment to the ride experience. Here's hoping SFMM maintains Terminator with care to keep it running this good for many years to come!

Great TR! LOL at the geese with wristbands (or would it be anklets?)

Once again, Robb and Elissa and the management and crew at SFMM have treated us to another fantastic time, and I have to say thank you all so much very again for putting this together. Yesterday was the first time I have really been able to get out and have a good time in months due to a very busy work schedule, and it was well worth the wait. I had not yet had the opportunity to ride Terminator: Salvation, and it was great to finally get the chance-and it is a fantastic addition to the park. A well designed preshow, an extremely well designed coaster (one of the few wooden coasters I have been on that both captures the wild and out of control feeling a wooden coaster should have but still rides very comfortably-this is definitely the smoothest wooden coaster I have ever ridden and I now understand the comments I have heard about GCI being to wooden coasters what B&M are to steel coasters), and overall, a great experience guaranteed to be a huge hit with both the seasoned riders and those just getting into coasters; if the intent was to construct a coaster that could be enjoyed by both families and thrillseekers alike, it more than adequately succeeds on both points. While the rides during morning ERT were great, the night ERT rides were just spectacular. Overall I am generally a bigger fan of steel coasters than wooden, but this one is an absolute winner, and has overthrown Ghostrider as being my favorite wooden coaster. Other things I noticed-major credit to the park for keeping things running smoothly on such an incredibly hot and rather crowded day. After morning ERT and lunch and at night after the party but before the evening ERT managed to get on X2, Tatsu and DejaVu; during the day it looked like X2 had a complex maintenance issue that brought an entire crew of maintenance people up there, but they did everything they could to get it fixed as quickly as possible; and when I saw the crane by Tatsu in the morning, I wasn't sure if it would even open for the day-but it was running great by last night. Oh-and whoever had the idea for the Powerade machine in the X2 line, thanks. That stuff is great for combating dehydration and was a huge help during that wait. I noticed more than a few little improvements here and there as well, and to me it's just more proof that the park has the right team in charge with Jay, Tim and Neal.....the park just gets better with each new addition and with every visit. Lunch was great as usual, and I also have to extend a special thanks to the crew of Terminator: Salvation who put in a long day for us yesterday and last night. The op on Terminator was cracking me up and it seemed like these guys went out of their way to show us a good time. It was also nice to meet new people and hang out and ride with people who I know from the boards and thanks again to Robb and Elissa for the hospitality and the food at the party. Overall, I had a great time-and thanks again to everyone from SFMM (Jay, Neal, Tim, William, the whole Terminator Crew and everyone else who made it happen) and Robb, Elissa and everyone else at TPR for such an awesome event!

As much as I love the front row on X2, I understand and appreciate the assigned seating, as I think it has really helped throughput. With the new trains, I have had a decent ride whatever row I'm assigned to, so I don't mind the seat assignments as I used to. (Now if they would only do assigned seating on Tatsu-there's a ride that really is great no matter what row you end up in and it would really help the line move, I think!) In re the Terminator preshows-from what I can tell from watching the videos, I think they work great (I loved the line about Six Flags Magic Mountain changing hands several times!) I appreciate the fact that they are doing something to build the anticipation and to entertain those waiting in line (and indoors to boot, something that will likely be a relief in the Valencia heat in the summer). The ride looks awesome, and I really look forward to riding it. It looks to be another winner in what so far has seemed to be a slew of good new coasters opening this year. And from all I have seen, Terminator looks like it's going to cause Ghostrider to fall out of my top ten coasters and take its place in my #1 wooden coaster spot!

Just registered! Looking forward to what looks like another great event.

This looks to be like another winner and it looks just like what Kings Island needed. Cedar Fair seems to have made some really good decisions and investments with new coasters this year with Diamondback and Prowler at Worlds Of Fun. I just wish we could get one of these B&M Hypers out here on the West Coast.....I'd love to see one of these at Knott's, if it would fit.

Isn't the Colossus Cookery the place that used to have the "Eat Out Loud!" signs? I was wondering when they would do something with that location. I can understand the apprehension about Goliath due to the height. I was one of those who would always run for Tatsu or front row on X/X2 but for some reason was made nervous by the height on Goliath, the fact that the restraints are so minimalist, and the way it stops up there at the top until I had ridden a few times and got used to it. (The only part I still don't like is how I black out in the helix.) I still don't ride Goliath every time I go-I tend to prefer the coasters with inversions. (However-the Goliath at SFOG is in my top five coasters, best non inverting steel I have ever been on.) Deja Vu is the only ride I am apprehensive about. Very cool ride, just don't like the prolonged hanging there vertically on the backwards climb up.

Wow.....this looks to be not only an incredible ride, but the whole package of ride + themed experience. I would make a trip there just to check this out. Just as shifting to more of a balance between family oriented and thrill attractions has been a recent trend in the industry, it seems as if a new trend developing is an emphasis on the entire ride experience rather than just the ride; instead of going for some type of record breaking ride or prototype, parks are taking proven ride concepts and adding something to set them apart. There's Manta (a heavily themed B&M flying coaster), Terminator Salvation (a heavily themed GCI wooden coaster), etc. Six Flags is taking existing popular coasters (the transformations of X2, Medusa at Great Adventure, and Superman at SFNE) and adding music, theming and other elements to create an experience beyond just the ride. I am anticipating that there will be more of this in the years to come-it really makes sense: instead of a prototype, go with something proven to work and be reliable and add something new and different to the experience. Manta looks as if it has truly raised the bar as far as combining theming and thrills-kudos to Sea World.

Oh wow-I'm just now reading all of this.....in regards to this new park name-is there an award for "Worst Re-branding I Have Ever Seen?" I saw the new name, and the first thought I had was just "No." Two words and three letters: "Epic Fail" and "WTF". I have a feeling either the name won't last or the park won't; if it ends up being the latter, I think it's a shame. I had hoped to visit Hard Rock Park last year-the original park was something I would have made the trip out there specifically for-because it looked clever and cool-if poorly and improperly marketed-whereas this new one would be something I would do "if I was in the area" to get a ride on the B&M. I wish them the best-HRP was a great concept that needed some work in the execution, and I hope the new owners can make something out of it. However, if they rename Led Zeppelin "The Hindenberg", then I fear it's the beginning of the end......

True-very different on the structure, I am seeing that now. Something like Acrophobia would suit them well.....having ridden Acrophobia at SFOG, I can say that it is a very unnerving ride, more so than Supreme Scream due to the standing position and the evil little tilt it does at the top so that you are forced to look down right before they drop you. As I recall, my words before dropping after the tilt were "That's just so wrong....." Not only that, the speakers at the top so the ride op can talk to you are a nice touch; if I remember correctly, it's not a timed drop sequence. And, of course, the capacity is decent. I could definitely picture one of those in the old Sierra Twist location, or better yet, somewhere up on Samurai Summit to add to the height factor. I have no idea what they are doing as far as a coaster next, but I feel confident that it will be a good one, whatever it is as in my opinion, their two most recent-Tatsu and the X2 rebranding-have been great and Terminator looks like it will continue in that tradition. As far as whatever will follow-part of me thinks that it will be a mid-sized family coaster, the other thinks they might go all out with a custom version of the one type of B&M they don't have (Dive Machine) or a Rocket Coaster; the only factor that causes me to doubt those two are the cost involved with both as well as the issues that Great Adventure has had with Kingda Ka. Only time will tell.....

^You know, I was thinking the same thing a few days ago.....the park could build an outstanding drop tower and I think it would get them as much attention as a new coaster. If they really wanted to go the extreme route with a tower, they could do what the other S:TE ride in Australia did and put one on the other side of the tower. Now THAT would be an extreme ride..... Giant Drop www.themeparkreview.com/parks/photo.php?pageid=356&linkid=3213 Although they would probably want to go with more gondolas for higher capacity. I don't know where they would put an entrance, though......maybe over where the closed food stand is over there (the one with the "EAT OUT LOUD!" signs, I think it's Colossus Cookery-those Eat Out Loud signs have always cracked me up but I have never seen that stand open). I could see them doing this on STE.....or getting a brand new tower, but I think that maybe this could be something they have in the works for one of these expansions.....

I'm glad they brought back Mr. Six, but I almost wish they hadn't had him talk in the commercials. Something about the voice is a little.....off to me. I think it would have been funnier if he held up a sign that said "One Flag" or "Six Flags" rather than say it.....