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Ccron10

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Everything posted by Ccron10

  1. Yeah I would definately do train and bus for just about all the trip and get a Japan Rail Pass. It would certainly save you time and money getting to every location. Even though Fuji-Q-Highland only has several coasters and they did make their Zekkyo Priority Pass (Fast Pass) program a lot better, I don't know if I would plan to arrive at the park in the late morning or early afternoon and say you'll be able to get on everything you want to do. From what I'm seeing on their operation schedule, the park seems to only be open until 5pm during the week. I always recommend making sure you get to that park as early as possible so you can get there, get inside, grab those Zekkyo Passes, and be able to get all those coasters before lunch. I recommend checking out Thunder Dolphin at Tokyo Dome City Attractions. Very fun coaster!
  2. For those who have been hoping for a return to the original Space Fantasy: The Ride experience, it looks like you're in luck! https://www.usj.co.jp/attraction/space-fantasy-the-ride.html I'm heading back again in September and can't wait!
  3. I went to the park mainly to check out construction and go for a walk for an hour, maybe ride something or two, then head home to go to work. They only had a 5 minute wait and I was near them when I thought about trying the app out and everything had a longer wait than that I had time for.
  4. I tried it out on my iPhone XS in my zippered pocket today on Reese's and Kisses Triple Tower, but every time I try to look at the detailed results, the app crashes and takes me out of the app and back to my home screen. I checked to see if it is the latest version and it is.
  5. Judging from the description, it sounds like they may have got Rolling Thunder's old trains from Great Adventure.
  6. I'd say this is an improvement considering Leap the Dips wasn't on the Pay-One-Price plan when I was there last time and I rode Skyliner a couple of times. Still debating whether to spend the 2 1/2 hours of driving and Pa Turnpike tolls to re-visit the park sometime this year, but we'll see.
  7. When I went last September I visited the park twice on the same trip. The first time I bought a ticket for the bus in Shinjuku and bought a free pass once I got to the park. The weather was overcast with rain to form later in the day so crowds weren't a tremendous as my first visit. Once inside I literally booked it to Fujiyama, Takabisha and Do-Dodonpa and bought a crapload of Zekkyo Priority Tickets from the ticket machine in front of the rides. I accidentally bought too many for the same time slot and nearly missed my last one in the first hour! Because of this, I wouldn't purchase no more than two for the same hour. As far as payment goes, the ticket machines accept Pasmo/Suica and cash as payment. While there is an option to purchase these in advance on the park's website, you must have an email address based in Japan in order to purchase them. The park can be very miserable in the rain, even with the walkthroughs and rain-proof attractions. Light mist to a light drizzle shuts down Fujiyama and Do-Dodonpa. Eejanaika and Takabisha seemed to have been the most resilient to the rain, but that's not saying much as it doesn't take much to shut them down though. As much as I always wanted to stay on-property at their hotel, the risk that the weather would be too bad on the day I would plan to visit the park kind of prevented me from wanting to do it. I'm still tempted to do it just to see what their resort is like though. Worst case is there is the Mt. Fuji Museum next-door and Lake Kawaguchi. Here's an example of the new ride ticketing machines they've added last year. You can buy a simple ride ticket, Zekkyo Priority Ticket for a certain time slot, or combo ticket of both. During both of my visits last year, it was rare that a time slot was sold out of if there was a line in front of me while in the Zekkyo line. Yeah, if the weather forecast calls for this, it might not be worth the visit. They are adding a Boruto-Naruto shooting dark ride this year (similar to Toy Story Mania), so at least they're trying. lol The French Cafe in Lisa & Gaspard Land had to be my favorite place to eat at the park. Ham & Cheese baguette sandwich, bowl of tomato soup, and Fanta Melon soda....makes me hungry thinking about it now! On a side note exploring this area and looking at the details could take up an hour.
  8. http://www.seaparadise.co.jp/pleasureland/attraction/splashute.html Located at the top of the ride info page with assistance of translation: Kind of a bummer though as it really was the last remaining boat chute rides that many US parks used to have back in the 1900's. It wasn't an intense ride, but was something that had to be ridden because of the history behind it. It wouldn't surprise me if it closed due to popularity as it never had a line when I visited and only ran one side. From my 2017 visit. You had to walk up to the top of the stairs and board the boat between the two ramps. Riders would board the boat, tighten their seatbelt, then a roulette board is spun to determined how wet you would get from the water cannons that would shoot off when you splash at the bottom. An attendant would stand on the front of the boat during the drop and then guide the boat to a separate unloading dock with a pole at the bottom. They would then hook the boat up to a towing system and take it back up to the top of the ramp.
  9. I would say Fujiyama would probably be closest to Rockin' Roller Coaster in jerkiness. But that's after riding it several times and knowing how to lean and brace at certain turns in the layout. It can be a little jarring on one of your first rides due to several turns that were banked tighter than they should've been and the S-curve hills at the end of the ride. Takabisha might have a little rattle, Do-Dodonpa kind of shuffles in it's large turn (that launch can be very forceful though), but both aren't too bad. Eejanaika can be intense, but it's smoother than X2 by a long shot. I still haven't visited many of the smaller parks, but I found most of the coasters at the larger parks in Japan to be pretty smooth.
  10. 1. Name 3 of your favorite roller coasters, but not your top 3. -Fujiyama -Gatekeeper - Thunder Dolphin 2. About how many different parks did you visit in 2018? -23 3. Which 2018 park visit was your favorite? -Tokyo DisneySea 4. Your favorite 2018 park addition (ride, food, show, etc)? -Steel Vengeance 5. What ride exceeded your expectations the most in 2018? -Fuji Flight Company. When I entered the attraction I was expecting Japan's version of Europe in the Air... I entered the loading platform and the freakin' thing was like Disney's Soarin'! I actually enjoyed it a little more! 6. Best meal/food at a park in 2018? -The tomato bisque soup and ham and cheese baguette sandwich and melon soda at Fuji-Q-Highland's French-themed entrance area was kickass! 7. What was your favorite new coaster of 2018 NOT made by RMC or Larson? The only non-RMC new coaster I rode was Merlin's Mayhem back on Media Day. 8. Name one park you will definitely visit in 2019. Kennywood 9. Best ride themed to a bird? Gatekeeper 10. Lamest ride/coaster you rode in 2018? Delirium at Kings Dominion. 11. What roller coaster currently sits at the top of your bucketlist? (degree of difficulty: NOT a new-for-2019 ride) Fury 325 12. What new-for-2019 ride or coaster are you most looking forward to? Copperhead Strike 13. Name the first totally middle-of-the-road (not bad/not great) park that comes to mind. Honestly I really can't decide as I put most parks I've visited in this category. 14. You're in Orlando and magically have a 1-hour ERT session on 1 coaster of your choice at any park in the city. You choose... Mako at SeaWorld. 15. Holiday In The Park vs. Winterfest. Who reigns supreme? Never experienced a Winterfest yet, but Holiday in the Park at GAdv is pretty solid. 16. Mystic Timbers mystery shed or Wicker Man fire infusion? Still haven't ridden, but I need to go back for it and Banshee. 17. Which Six Flags have you been to most recently? Great Adventure 18. Intamin or Schwarzkopf? You may only choose one. I choose Schwarzkopf as they are related to Gerstlauer and Mack. 19. Battle of Kings Coasters: Island or Dominion? Pick one. Kings Dominion 20. What was the longest you waited for a ride/coaster in 2018? I'm going to say its a 3-way tie of Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point and Journey to the Center of the Earth at Tokyo DisneySea and Big Thunder Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland at 90 minutes. The latter was in the middle of a heavy thunderstorm in a downpour... you can say the ride lived up to its name. lol 21. What roller coaster have you ridden more than any other? Skyrush at Hersheypark 22. Best drop tower under 150 feet? Reese's Tower at Hersheypark 23. Maverick or Millennium Force? (If you haven't been to CP, pick what you want to ride more) Maverick 24. Log flumes or sky rides? You can only choose one. Skyrides 25. What are 3 things you enjoying doing at your home park other than riding rides? -Food -Ride photography -Pokemon Go 26. What is your second favorite Cedar Fair park and why? -Kings Dominion due to the wide variety of rides. 27. What is your home park and give us two good reasons why we should pay it a visit. Hersheypark 14 and soon to be 15 roller coasters. Chocolate ofcourse. lol 28. Launch or Lift? How about both. 29. Did you buy fast pass at all in 2018? At couple of parks. 30. What is your least favorite wooden coaster? Hades 360. Been there, done that, have no reason to go back. 31. Disney fanboys: cool or cult? It would depend on the magnitude. 32. Best Batman themed ride? Batman: The Ride at SFGAm. 33. Name something that tend to take home from parks that you didn't bring with you. Maps 34. Best wooden coaster over 110 feet tall? (rcdb will help you) El Toro 35. Have you ever been hit with something (loose change/a tree/vomit/etc) while riding something? Nope! 36. Skywarps: credits or no? State your case. Nope. It is powered by a drive tire the whole time. 37. Turkey legs: nah or yaaaaassssss? Nope. Rather have something that I don't have to eat around bones. 38. What is the most recent B&M that you rode? Nitro 39. You can eat nothing but corn dogs, churros or funnel cake for the next 48 hours, which do you choose? Funnel cake 40. Post a great on-ride shot of you from 2018. (DO IT!) Me on Eejanaika. It turned out to be much better than X2!
  11. Pretty much everything from Hospitality Services out to slightly past where the Tram Circle currently is, is where the development is going to be taking place. Take notice that there is no hill that you have to walk down, enter the park and then walk up another and there are some seriously high walls bordering the creek on the other side of the new fountain. I honestly don't know where to begin with this as there is literally so much to unpack! I consider the coaster to just be the icing on the cake as I've been just excited for the new entrance! I'm not really expecting an earth-shattering coaster, but something along the lines of an experience similar to Gatekeeper and I think this nails it. I can't wait to watch this whole project get built!
  12. I'm willing to bet the ones who are planning the ACE trip to Japan have never even been there let alone knew how to plan the trip out correctly. 150 people with 6 buses sounds like absolute hell and the additional blunders that sound like have occurred make it worse than waiting in a 3 hour line at Fuji-Q-Highland! Lol If you've never been to another country on a theme park trip, I highly recommend doing it with a group that knows what they're doing like TPR. The 2013 Midwest Trip felt flawless. As for the Golden Tickets, to me their nothing more than a market tool, but I think that if it's to the point where the amount of money you pay or if an event is hosted at your park and what you do for them has a lot of influence in how they rank, then even as a marketing tool the awards are nothing more than useless and even pointless to do.
  13. I rode front center row on Skyrush the other night and had no trouble. The center seats on any other rows are a little stricter though. Here are my tips for the other top coasters: -Laff Trakk: Remove excessive clothing such as coats and jackets as well as large items in your pockets and place them in the bag drop. Sit as far back in the seat as possible and cross your legs. This will allow your thighs to turn sideways and the lapbar to go lower. -Fahrenheit: The seatbelts have changed since the horse collar restraints were replaced with softer padding. Remember that most Intamin trains have stadium seating so the 2nd row is going to sit a little higher, allowing your legs to sit flatter in the seat. Once seated have yourself as far back in the seat as possible and relax your shoulders. -Storm Runner: Same as Fahrenheit, but the restraints move a little slower. -Great Bear: Rows 1,3,5,and 7 each have a larger seat with two buckles.
  14. Now that much of the theme park has been enclosed, it's hard to follow what's going on inside. I did find a collection of photos from a day or two ago showing the inside: https://www.nj.com/expo/news/erry-2018/08/b85c8d48541268/index.html It sounds like starting next week construction is supposed to really pick up. Inside it looks like the track for the Eurofighter has been added for the station and pre-launch section. The spinning coaster has started to be put up and looks taller than I expected and circles around the vertical lift and drop of the Eurofighter. They are projecting the water park to open next fall, but seem to want to move that date up. One that I am kind of surprised with is the lack of social media with this whole thing. Outside of upper NJ and New York City, I really don't know if many people are aware of this place being built. I haven't heard of anything in central or eastern Pennsylvania. Maybe it's still too early?
  15. I went to the park for the first time in two years on Saturday. Good to see I didn't miss anything as I had 10 fast lane plus tickets and never had to use them. In the words of Rick and Morty, "It's like trying to use Disney Bucks at a Caesar's Palace". It's made me realize that I would much rather drive 3 hours and fight Washington traffic and go to KD for a bigger park than drive 1 1/2 hour down I-78 and go to to DP.
  16. Question about the two free flash passes Diamond Elite members receive: At SFMM X2 is an additional uncharge for it to be added on to the q-bots; I'm guessing its not allowed for it to be selected for your two free flash passes?
  17. ^^Don't worry, they're not adding VR to the coasters. They took one of Dodonpa's old ride vehicles, set it up in a tent, and added VR headsets to play the old version of the ride and Fujiyama. BUT, imagine if they did? Could you say world record for the longest wait time for any type of attraction? Always interesting to read a Fuji-Q trip report. I'm going back in a month so this should be interesting.
  18. Someone mentioned this on Twitter and after checking the park's website it turns out to be true: https://at-raku.com/attractions/geopolis/panic-cruise/ A rough translation: I'm going to miss this ride. Didn't understand much of what was happening, but it was fun ride. It was kind of at a hidden location in the basement of the main building in the park so I find it hard what they could put in its place.
  19. I rode it the wrong way the first time and since the trains were slightly smaller than usual, the grab bar on the seat in front of me kept bashing into my shins the whole ride... horrible pain... But I re-rode it and tucked my feet off to the side and it was 100 times better. Still not the smoothest coaster, but it almost ended up at the bottom of my list if I didn't give it a second chance!
  20. From what I gathered from when I was over there last year, Fuji-Q is owned by a company that operates the train line that goes to the park, a bus line or two that go to the park and Mt. Fuji, and a bunch of hotels and other tourist destinations around Mt. Fuji. Most parks seem to operate like this as Tobu Zoo is part of the company that runs the train line to their park as well as Tokyo SkyTree and the Seibu Group owns a train line or two (I think?), Sea Paradise, a few hotels, and Toshimaen. I'm glad you guys had a great visit and it gets me excited for when I go back this year. I'm going to miss taking the train up as it was a very beautiful route through the Japanese Alps, but if the bus is going to get me there before opening, then I'm taking the bus!
  21. When I went last year, I bought my Express Pass and day ticket (date specific) a month or two ahead of time on klook and kind of felt like I was taking a gamble with the park because if it ended up being a rainy day with many of the attractions closed, I would be out what I spent, which was around $120 USD. Luckily it worked out in the end and it was a nice day, but this tells me that if it didn't then it would've sucked. What sounds surprising is the fact that they had some of the closed rides listed on the sign at the entrance, but not all of them. Even if they would've been unsure of when they were to re-open, they should've been posted as it could've been all day. If I were them, given that it was a breakdown of communication on their part, I think the Express Passes should've been refunded given the circumstances. I'm going back to Japan in September and was planning to visit USJ again. This trip report kind of has me questioning whether I should spend a full day here or just go in the evening and just ride Flying Dinosaur, Jaws, Hollywood Dream, and Space Fantasy and get out of there. Or I could just scrap my entire USJ/Osaka portion of the trip and head further south in Japan for Greenland and parks around Beppo. But the call of Flying Dinosaur and Hollywood Dream is really tempting!
  22. The Main website has been updated: http://www.americandream.com The webcam has also been updated and included in the site under Locations. It now has a Live Stream function that's going to come in handy once they go to 24 hour work later this summer. Triple Five last week had a luncheon for sponsors and local media and someone took a 40-minute video of a presentation offering more details on the complex. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PG5tswc53qg&t=9s -It sounds like the Nick Universe Theme Park will open with or close to the time the complex has it's grand opening in March 2019 - 80% of the retail space is leased and 60% of construction is complete. -Work is scheduled to pick up later in the summer and go 24 hours. -The DreamWorks Water Park is scheduled to open Summer/Fall 2019 -The Observation wheel might start going up soon. -The archways for the water park roof will go up soon. Concept art for the connector section in between the theme park and water park.
  23. The lift has been topped off and the holding brake and 122 degree drop support is in place. 3/27/18
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