PKI Jizzman

Had a fun quick visit to KI on Friday since I'll be out of town the next 2 weekends. Goal was to beat the crowds for the first hour, see how busy it would get since the opening night of Haunt was the same beautiful weather and most coasters were 15-20 minutes or less. Got up to KI around 530, they had already opened parking and it was already looking a bit busy. They were holding everyone at the front fountains, brought out monsters at 6pm, and the park opened to wherever you wanted to go. By the time I got to Orion it was a 5 minute wait and the scare actors next door at CHAOS Labs were begging for someone to choose their Haunt over Orion, so I decided to be the first experiment. I went through this one twice since I couldn't believe how bad it was the first time. It was really just smoke and mirrors and actors in lab coats. This building has had some good haunts in the past - the board game one comes to mind. Skip this one. As tempting as Orion was I wanted to see how the popular Kill Mart was doing to I made my way down there to find another 0 minute wait. Despite only a dozen people in line, they were trying to get huge conga line going but I slowed my walk down to give some space. If you can get some space, the Haunt will generally be so much better. This was a big step up from CHAOS and Kill Mart was just as fun as I remembered. There's not a scene that isn't covered wall to wall with different department + zombie decorations. Check this one out. Slaughterhouse was next as I made my way around the park, and this one just doesn't seem as good since it was moved from the previous spot in Action Zone across from Banshee. I guess it's just easy to bring this one back year after year, it's pretty tired, especially if you remember the old gems - Trail of Terror that want back beyond Orion and the old Dino Alive, Massacre Manor. Maybe we can get the Paranormal show from Knott's here next year. Madame Fatale's Cavern of Terror is your chance to explore the old Tomb Raider The Ride building. This Haunt I hope keeps going as long as the building still stands. It's packed with scare actors, there's awesome detail in each room, it's fairly long, and you can still see the details of the theming inside from TR:TR. This one is missing a good finale, but I'll let it slide. Easily the best haunt and most unique at KI. Don't miss it. It was about 715 at this point, I didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes for a haunt and they aren't too long so the crowds were still filling into KI. Diamondback was my last stop of the night and I waited 5 minutes for a great ride as always. So for 90 minutes at opening I was able to get a lot done! Had I waited 20 minutes for Orion at the start the haunt lines would have probably filled up a bit more.

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!