PKI Jizzman

Thanks for the updates. Alex and I are visiting Saturday/Sunday. It's only $75 for FL on Sunday so Saturday I think we'll just take time with dinner and go to the park later and get some rides/haunts in when the crowd thins out at 11 (hopefully, right?). https://thesuffolkpunch.com/ Suffolk Punch looks like an awesome spot for dinner and beer, anyone else been? This seems to be the 'Troegs' of the area.

I'll say it again that during my 4 day visit, they were running Maverick and SV in the rain. It was a steady rain that wasn't soaking, but hey the coasters were still running. I was astounded and the SV ops just said 'it'll run in light rain' so that seemed encouraging to me.

"This park is like the saddest old dog at the shelter and I just want to take it home and love it but it costs 100 million dollars and it definitely has heart worms." Ahhh it just gets funnier every time I read it!

Yay, some interaction! Thanks guys. Yeah if you get to go to CGA I'd recommend eating outside of the park before or after. If you like Indian or Chinese or Thai there's tons of those restaurants around.

Damn, trip reports just don't get the attention they used to.

How have things been at SDC lately? Coasters running all trains? Are fast passes necessary on a Saturday/Sunday?

This girl is going to be on SNL by 18 and be the best stand up of our time, I'm calling it!!

Is it structural issues that's the main cause for removals? That seems to be the trend lately, and it makes sense if it's the case. I really hope they create modern versions or just rebuild!

I would have told them that I'm fining them for being dumbasses and pay up.

I was blown away by the reboot of the series and thought it was one of the best action/adventure/comedies in a long time. Jack Black is so funny in it. Hooray for more awesome thrilling dark rides! Can't wait to hear more about this.

I don't think I ever visited a park alone, and I believe it was high school/when friends had a car/could drive were my first visits without parents. I started working at KI when I was 15 and had my first cell phone in 8th grade. It's all up the parents, I mean there are kids under 18 that go to Lollapalooza. I guess the kid could sneak out there to it, same with a park, but idk. Over my 4 days at Cedar Point I noticed plenty of 12-14 year olds seemingly without supervision. They kind of make themselves obvious when they're being annoying or loud but for the most part kids are just there to enjoy the park like us. The most shocking interaction I had this year was waiting for Gatekeeper and this group of 4 or 5 kids behind me let me know "My shorts are on backwards." I thought it was a joke and wasn't going to respond until one of them tugged at my pocket. No, of course my shorts were on correctly, they were confused on my Lululemon zipper pocket placement. I sternly told them they shouldn't be touching strangers or asking about their shorts/clothes and they looked dumbfounded. No supervision for that stupid bunch.

It's as if you are backing rides closing like you have proof, in every post. What gives? Are you reading what others are posting?

That's over there. I'm talking about SDC and *their* water rides

Hell yeah, glad to hear! Yeah totally agree, not Jack Rabbit more so a 'homemade' little pop up then bounce you off your ass ejector pop!

Planning on visiting the 2nd weekend in October, will they still be running their water rides? Stoked to finally get some night rides on their 10pm Saturday night hours!

I thought they reprofiled that hill, but I haven't been to the park in so long. I certainly remember it!

Has anyone visited Scarowinds yet this year? I saw they were at capacity on Saturday and turning away passholders/ticket holders, but was curious about Sunday. Sundays they are open same hours at a Saturday which is wild for a CF park. Going to visit in a few weeks and looking forward to Copperhead for the first time and many Fury rides! Any suggestions for good eats/drinks outside of the park? Usually Mac's Speed Shop is my go to for awesome BBQ and beer.

Hey everyone! I had the opportunity to visit CGA before a wedding weekend, and I had a great time with long time coaster friend Andrew! I was supposed to visit during Winterfest in 2019 but the area had historic flooding so this is my first CGA visit. I visited on a Sunday, and everything worked out as I planned. I flew into San Jose (SJC) airport, which is 15 minutes from the park. It's a small airport so I was able to get off the plane, swing by my hotel, and be at the park all in 45 minutes. How awesome is that! Fast lane was pre-purchased since I only had 6 hours at the park, and it definitely saved time allowing me to walk on all coasters. First Impressions: I know of the Marriott background and the similarities with Chicago's Gurnee's Six Flags Great America and it was fun to see the double decker carousel and pool entry with the observation tower again. What I wasn't aware, is that the park shares the parking lot with Levi Stadium where the 49'ers play. It's hilarious how far out this place is from San Francisco, it's about as far away from Chicago as SFGAm is. But man holy shit Levi Stadium is MASSIVE and the park is closed if there's a football game. Thankfully my buddy picked the right wedding weekend to allow me to get to CGA It didn't take long for me to recognize CGA is a beautiful park featuring the PNW/Bay area's stunning redwoods, foliage, and natural beauty. There's really not an ugly spot in this park, other than some of the dated dining options that they seem to be turning around. The new waterpark look fantastic complete with its own set of characters meandering the park for photo ops and interactions. Operations: The day started out fine and the Railblazer ops were very consistent all day, but the crews really faded down the stretch. Gold Striker was the most frustrating as there were supervisors in the station yet they let trains stack for 5 minutes. Flight Deck, Grizzly, Drop Tower, were rivaling BGT for worst ops I've seen this year. Seat selection is usually never an issue in America unless it's Hagrid's Motor Bike Adventure but CGA gave me two wildly different answers: Me: "Hey, I'd love to wait for the front seat, I don't mind an extra cycle." Normal Op: "Sure go for it" That's what I got the first couple hours, then, the final few hours of the visit. Me: "Hey, can I wait for the back/front?" Op: "Oh yeah, no, we don't do that. Some guests have gotten really unruly with us over picking seats." ????????????????????????? The worst example was asking for Flight Deck's back seat and the op wouldn't budge, put me in the front, and then left the back 2 rows empty This also happened on Railblazer once, and it's like, really? There's only 8 seats..... cmon! It's just mind numbing and frustrating at times. Rides/Coasters: Railblazer - How could I not start here? With the issues surrounding the single rail coasters this year I was really wondering if I was going to miss out on one again. Not this time, I finally got to ride! A few things surprised me before I even got on the ride: it really looks like a hotwheels car zipping around the track, it's very raw - it's very bare bones and mechanically loud at times, the lift chain starts on the lift, and the ride itself looks good and fits well. It's just so fast, it reminded me of Arashi. It's a crazy experience that's crazy fun but I didn't come away loving the thing. The airtime is so abrupt and violent, those shoulder straps aren't really necessary right? I enjoyed the front more than the back, the airtime is just as nuts but it felt more comfortable, and the view is pretty awesome. After about 5 or 6 rides, the next day my shoulders were pretty bruised, hah. Demon - Just a classic Arrow that's still in great shape. The corkscrews were really smooth and the first drop always provides a good pop of air. Love the vintage effects/lights just like the sister park! Grizzly - Oh boy, the wooden coaster that consistently was voted one of the worst roller coasters in the world! Now I know why. This might as well be classified as a junior woodie. Anyone over 6' is going to not have a good time getting in these old arrow-mine-train ala CP lap bar things. It wasn't very painful, but the operations were. This coaster just doesn't do anything, it's gotta be the next ride to be taken out. Drop Tower - A great Intamin tower, stellar views of the mountains! Himalaya - Not that great of a cycle but it's one of the last ones out there. Mass Effect - A solid offering for what you are limited with when working with the 4D theaters. I'm not familiar with the game but it's easily understood and there's an actor or two performing with the show. Flight Deck - I wanted to like this invert a bit more, but it only does so much. It does everything very well, though! I wish I could have had that back row ride but I won't complain about 2x in the front. Patriot - Almost forgot about this one! Not much to say here, it's like a shortened Georgia Scorcher layout, it did have a cool little sideways dive into the corkscrew. Gold Striker - Here is the unanimously best coaster at the park and the most well rounded coaster in the park! After all of these other short but sweet coasters, Gold Striker offers a lengthy airtime filled twisted rugged ride up down and all around the front side of the park. From the looks off ride, you'd think the big turnarounds would sap speed and not offer much like some older GCI's but this GCI is an awesome combo of the newfound relentless speed in the newer GCI's. I absolutely loved the unique tunneled drop that sends the train rocketing around the twisted air hills, dives in and out of the structure, and it's so hard to predict what is coming next. Gold Striker, Renegade, and Mystic Timbers are all in an elite GCI tier in my book. Final thoughts: This park really needs Megabyte/Orion. All but Gold Striker are very short coasters, even though they are good coasters, a lengthy re-ridable coaster is just what this park needs. Fast lane wasn't really needed, especially if you have a full day. The park needs to continue updating their food and beverage offerings. There was not a sit down restaurant, it was all quick service and there was not an adult offering like a bar for adults, so I think there's a missed opportunity here. It's hard to beat the setting in San Jose, it's absolutely beautiful. Flying over the Great Salt Lake on the way. Lagoon is somewhere around here! Hey bert! Love this view again, the classic Great America entrance. Railblazer was my first stop, first time on a single rail! The ride is a blur after you're chucked off this steep drop! It's so hard to even register when you're upside-down, you're traveling on the track so fast! Look at how beautiful this park is! The Pacific North West and Bay Area is just so wonderful. New water park expansion and the giant Levi Stadium in the background along with the mountains! I see you, vintage B&M goodness! Palm trees redwoods, B&M's, mountains, ahhhh.. Flight Deck didn't disappoint, it absolutely flies through the inversons. The signature finale! This is Grizzly's train. The lap bars aren't individual, nor are they individual row, they are connected to the row behind/in front of you to your car. So if you have 2 kids behind you and a friend that's 6'3" next to you, that bar is gonna have to be smashed into your groin. Ouch! 3. Three! Seatbelts and this coaster doesn't even need a lap bar. Mass Effect was a good effort for one of those 4D simulators. Almost forgot about this old stand up turned Rougarou-like. Meh. Hey BGT, get your shit together!!! Back over for some more Railblazer fun! Loved this bonkers part! This is probably the main reason why my shoulders were purple the next day. This is at a Cedar Fair park. Yep! The whole park looks like this. Sadly the food and bev is the only ugly part of the park. This 'sports bar' supposedly had staff working but were nowhere to be found, and looks like it hadn't been updated since 1992. Couldn't even get a snack or drink here. Alright let's end the day with some Gold Striker rides! Love how it wraps around the observation tower. This GCI is a tangled mess of head choppers, hand choppers, crazy twists, airtime, and relentless speed and laterals! Even the pre-lift section gives you a taste of the craziness to come. It's tough to get photos of this thing, and it'll take many laps to figure out the layout. The rushhhh of striking gold! Absolutely ripping through the course! This twisted downhill airtime hill was the stand out 'holy shit' moment for me! Gold Striker in the golden hour. Gold Striker is the clear stand out coaster at CGA in my opinion. It's got everything you'd want in a twisted, wild, airtime filled woodie! And for post park fun, there's Bare Bottle Brewing around the corner which boasts some of the best IPA's I've had. Much love for the Bae Area! -Zach

As much as I saw the park ambulance running around I bet they spent more on picking up people from passing out in the heat walking 10 miles around the park since they can't staff the sky ride or train properly Staff the necessary transportation rides so you don't have to suffer in the heat.

'Most' isn't good enough.

I have not visited Dollywood since LR has been so unreliable and I will not revisit until I'm confident I can go and know it's going to be open. I haven't visited since 2014. Hope an act of god or engineering or Dolly can sing to it and get it fixed. I'm not paying full price for any park that doesn't have their star coaster running. (Except for BGT but that's different and I did it to get to Velocicoaster )

KI haunt is sooooo good didn't you see they won BEST HALLOWEEN EVENT in America (thanks USA Today, you ) before the event even started? Honestly it's a good time, KI actually puts time and effort into make up instead of masks which is great, but the houses are usually on the short side. For a Saturday, the park is open so long, it's easy to justify a FL+. It's barely $10 an hour to ride whatever you want when you want. Even as a local I'd never go without it on a Saturday.

Gold Striker at CGA! I really only look at the stats about once a year for the TPR poll etc. Over 50 parks and 300 coasters and I still haven't been to Magic Mountain and Great Adventure or even Everest I have a lot of work to do.

How have things been at Lagoon lately? Making a spite-Steel-Curtain-trip over October 15th weekend. Everything open and running? Looks like there's only options for single day tickets or a season pass, no 2 day tickets? Saturday vs Sunday: Saturday park is open 10am-11pm, Sunday 10am-8pm. Is Sunday the better day to go? Lyft/Uber to the park from downtown pretty easy? Looking to not rent a car. Thanks everyone!

Here's a photo dump for the rest of the visit! We never got to ride ET over 4 days, it broke down every time we got in line (3x) Never got on Rip Ride Rocket either due to weather, mechanical, or a 90 minute express wait. Mummy still kicks so much ass and might be the best example of a themed coaster. MiB still holds up. I have such a soft spot for Escape from Gringott's, I love that weird coaster so much. The airtime in the back row on Jurassic Park always hits so well. Fearfall was a new ride for me, welp so I did that! F&F is Cringe: The Ride. From the staff, the premise of the ride "don't touch your phone!!!!", the stupid club scene and the other 100 things wrong with this waste of space. The Bourne Stunt Show was totally worth the time investment, definitely glad TPR called that out! Hagrid's was new for me and honestly there was a lot about this coaster I forgot about! I intentionally avoided videos and pictures where I could since I didn't even experience the DD area/queue. I was pretty surprised with how creepy/dark/semi claustrophobic the line gets down in those caves. Hagrid's ran very consistently every day and the crew seemed to move as fast as they could. Over 3 rides, I got near the front and back and it's just so much fun. It's pretty crazy what all this ride does and how it was put together, but I totally understand those who prefer Dragons. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday we would go to dinner 4:30-5:30 and re-enter the park only to have storms and lightning end our nights early. Honestly I think we left soaking wet each night. We either waited for a night ride on Hagrid or Veloci, but never got rides, but we did get specific express passes exclusive for Hagrid/VC. Finally on Friday we just balled out with them and we ended the night in an amazing fashion: Friday night there was one cell that seemed like it would pass by just in time right before closing to allow VC to open. Our luck was such shit, but this time it looked like we'd FINALLY get a night ride in! The crowd thinned and thinned and thinned, and we watched the ops talk back and forth, look at radar, and at this point our phones were in the lockers so we just hoped. We ended up getting 3 back to back to back rides without getting off the back seat as the crew cycled everyone through, and a lot waited for the front seat. So after 4 days of being tortured by mother nature we had a banger of a finish to the trip. You're the best VC crew! Oh yeah, the other new Intamin I need to ride! I wish there was a better area to just sip on a butterbeer and watch this thing cycle but I understand why. There's a number of well hidden surprises and it's just a big twisted mess of rock and steel. Sweet view of the castle! I think we waited 45-60 minutes in the morning, it was just that crazy at the park even first in the morning. Vroom vroom! Do we see this going on Express anytime soon? I don't know, it still seemed to be the most popular attraction by far. Ello there headmaster. Such a cool room! It never gets old! The raptor cage was working on a few of our rides, so cool to see that working. Suck it JK! Another one that never gets old and was the winner for best AC! That line was amazingly frigid! Florida, land of the OG B&M's. Was very happy to get some front seat rides on Hulk this visit. Hey babes. Oh yeah, forgot to do this last visit so uh, this was fine! The whole super hero island needs an update. Lunch at the Irish pub was very consistent with good food and great service. Brendan Frasier and Imotep, the classic rivalry I grew up with! Even though the franchise as slipped, this attraction will bring back all the good vibes from the original movies! Mmmm...beer. The only attraction that has made me nauseous. How dare they tease me with the original Irish Coffee. If you've never been, get your ass to San Francisco! Nailed it Just checking to see if I have any coins left in my account and that's not a good look. Such an awkwardly-acted scene. Get to the vault!!! After getting shit on by mother nature 3 days in a row and trying to get night rides, it's time to use all of the passes on the last day! The park closes in 10 minutes, we're in line for VC. Most of the queue emptied, we were in the raptor room just waiting for good news.....and it happened. Lightning held off and they opened the ride and we got 3 back to back rides without using our express. Wow. Just the best, honestly. What a way to end the trip! I really enjoyed what the front seat offered as well as the back. 2 incredible experiences. So long Universal. While this trip was far from perfect, it was amazing to be able to travel again, experience new attractions, and see friends! Can't wait to get back there! -Zach