carolinacaniac

Just watching that video almost made me feel the airtime! Looks like it is a winner, perhaps some parks here in the states will look into adding rides like this.

This TR is making me even more anxious for Saturday! So I see that a q-bot would be pointless if crowds stay like it was for you guys. Were there any rides not running other than the water rides? Definatly looks like it will be a good visit on Saturday!

Soulds like one big credit ho run to me! Id love to tag along though if it is at a time that I have off. Any idea when specifically your weekend trips will be? You could also put on Go-Karts Plus which is in Williamsburg (In between Kings Dominion and Motor World). Also, if I happen to tag along for your day at KD and you don't have a CF Premium Pass, I know a bunch of places here in Greenville that have either discount tickets or coupons for KD. Gary "working on his credit ho status" Taylor

^Sounds like a good reason. All I know is that it is really going to be difficult to resist a trip up to KD to check out Dominator, so I might have to cave in.

Is it just me? Or is it kind of funny how that brochure lists Dominator as the 14th coaster at the park even though HyperSonic is being taken out? Last time I checked, that would make 13 coasters.

Some of your parks seem to have a lower level of theming than others, such as Six Flags America with the Gotham City area seeming more like a bunch of rides in a field. Are there any plans to spruce up these areas or do you feel that they are fine as they are, or do you feel that there are more important matters to attend to?

I recall going to SFGAdv the same week El Toro opened, and I did see bunches of people going through with Q-Bots, but was it those with the Q-bots I was angry with? No. Was it Six Flags I was angry with? No. I was not angry at anyone, and that is because, as Robb said, I made the choice not to get one. I waited in-line like all of the other people who also chose not to get one, and my ride was just as enjoyable. If other people want to spend the money on a q-bot, cool, go right ahead. And as far as saying that experiences at resturants and airlines and other such things are not effected the same way is not true. I have sat 7 rows up from the rink at a Carolina Hurricanes game, and I have also sat in the last row on the top deck. They are two compltely different experiences, but I chose to do each of those, and I don't see why I should be. Just as how I don't see how I should be angry with Six Flags for people choosing to pay for a q-bot.

1: How bad are the crowds at the end of June to early July? The one time I had been there with a friend of mine, the only two rides with decent waits were the log ride and Steel Dragon, although they were not terribly long, and this was on a Wednesday 2: Is it possible to ride the major and a nice amount of the family rides with some re rides in about 7 hours? On our visit, we did everything we wanted to in about 3-4 hours with plenty of re-rides 5: What is the general "atmosphere" of the park? I would say that it has a relaxed feel to it, and a nice setting with the trees surrounding the park. I really enjoyed the place 6: Are there any weird/uncommon rules I should be aware of? Not that it is uncommon or weird, but I thought you may want to know anyway, on Comet, they would seat people on a first come-first serve basis, and they wouldn't allow you to let others go ahead of you so that you could be the first for the next train and pick a seat you want. 8: Are there any "magic seats" (best seats on the coasters or flats) besides the front and back? If you can, try and sit on steel dragon with the two heaviest people sitting on opposite corners, not back to back. Doing this provides for the best spinning, especially if there are three people on the car.

I appreciate it! I think that your visit will be a good indicator of how the crowds will be with our visit. Thank you for your info too ginzo. Sundays early in the season are always good for multiple rides, which is what I originally planed, but then Melissa and I saw that the Nascar race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway was that same weekend, and we thought it would be fun to check it out (especially since they had a deal for student tickets at 19 bucks each). So that is why we are doing SFOG on Saturday.

If it is like Mystery Mine at Dollywood, they will probably have two in the station at a time. I think it would be possiblt to have seperate loading and unloading spots, but Mystery Mine has two loading/unloading spots, they were only using the one though when I was there.

I can see why people don't want to spend the money, but it is a choice to not spend that money. I am one of those who choose to go to a park, and may only have an extra 30 bucks or so to spend. I usually rather get a t-shirt if it is a park I have not gone to rather than the q-bot. If I had the extra cash then I would probably get one, but agian that is my choice. I fully agree with Robb that there is nothing wrong with people paying more for a better experience. I see it at work in the meat department all the time. Some people will buy a tenderloin fillet for $24.99/lb versus a semi-boneless ribeye for $5.99/lb. It is a choice. Would you recommend one for an early march saturday? Melissa and I are going on March 8th and I am debating on waiting to see how crowds are or if I just want to get one ahead of time

Well you figure that each picture they make probably costs them less than a dollar, and they charge 6-10 dollars for them. I am pretty sure they do pretty well for theirselves, especially considering how many people I see go to buy these pictures as I am in the area around the front of the park. Other than rides and shows at a Pay-one-price park, there isn't much that amusement or theme parks do that doesn't make them money. How much they get just depends on their pricing and the amount they sell.

For Sure: -Six Flags Over Georgia -Six Flags America -Cedar Point or Indiana Beach (Wish I could do both, but it looks like a one or the other type of thing). More than likly: -Martain's Fantasy Island (While visiting In-laws) -Kings Dominion Hopefully: -TPR Behemoth/Ravine Flyer II Trip (although outlook is not looking good) -Hard Rock Park

I think it's because X2 isn't getting track work from what I understand, it is getting new trains and a paint job, but the track itself is going to be the same (other than a new color scheme)

I have no problem with advirtising, since it is pretty much anywhere you go now-a-days anyway. Hell, even elementry school gyms are named after some companies. I do agree that sometimes they do get a little carried away, like in the Plaza de Carnival picture with all the banners. But if they had a little side sign with El Toro saying the ride was presented by Taco Bell, then thats fine by me. As others have said, it brings more revenue to the parks, and helps improve the expirience. Personally, I wouldn't mind having something to watch if I go to SFA and have to wait an hour or so for Batwing, it's better than staring at the ground.

Is it just me or does Behemoth have the same color scheme as Mantis? Maybe it is just the picture, but it sure looks like they have the same colors. At any rate, this is looking like a great ride.

Sounds to me like this is a done deal (Carowinds Top Gun being called Afterburn). I like the logo they made for it, may have to replace the Top Gun t-shirt I bought at Carowinds last year

Hard Rock Park? It's not NC, but it's not that far from it. Myrtle Beach is about 4-5 Hours from where I live in NC. It's not a terrible drive, but it would be nice to have something in say, the Wilmington area which is about two hours from where I live, or Raleigh which is a bit more than an hour away. While I would love to have a park here in Greenville that I could just go and visit anytime I wanted to, it will probably never happen because the only predominant businesses you see here in Greenville are retail stores and fast food chains! Other than that, East Carolina University and the Brody School of Medicine, there is not a hell of a lot here. Guess I will have to make due with being about half way between HRP and BGE/KD (which isn't a bad thing)

I would love to see this place have another shot and to take another visit while I could, but it just seems like the odds are becoming insurmountable for the park. Especially since the building was not insured from what I understand.

^DUDE! Awesome use of old coaster parts!

HyperSonic is (soon to be "was") in the back of the park, while Dominator will be in the front of the park and to the side. I still can't wait to see the new KD "skyline" with dominator and volcano.

I have mixed feelings about HyperSonic. On one hand, the first few times I rode it from 2002 up to about 2004 or 2005, I thought it was an awesome ride. A great launch, and although short, it was a fun ride. But at some point around 2005 or 2006, it just was a shadow of its former self. The launch was always great, but the rest of the ride suffered because of the way your head played pinball. I wish they could have made it like it was before, but since it ran the way it did over the past couple years, I am not too upset to see it go.

^I couldn't agree with you more. It would be nice to see more diversity in park options. I just wish that someone would open a park here in Eastern North Carolina. I was happy to hear the Zippin Pippin was going to be moved to the Carolina Crossroads, but since that is now a dead idea, I am still being hopeful of something opening around here, even if it was the Raliegh-Durham area.

"Frank looks like a really good value!"

I think you will get decent airtime off of both hills on the bridge, if you notice, they are both after the two biggest drops of the ride. Only one way to find out though, and thats to give it a test spin.