scooterdoug

Quick question: Is there any discernible difference in crowds on different days of the week (excluding Saturday and Sunday), or is it more or less equally crowded any summer weekday (mid-July, specifically)? Starting to plan for next summer already. Thanks!

Goliath @SFOG a couple of weeks ago. Actually ended up being my 200th roller coaster. It was my first time visiting the park, and I really thought about what I wanted to be #200. Glad I chose Goliath, it ended up being my favorite B&M hyper (I've ridden Goliath, Nitro, Diamondback, and Apollo's Chariot).

I'm not doing this to advertise this trip or to get attention. Aside from Cedar Point, I've never been to any of these places. I reached out to the TPR community to get advice from people who have been to these places. The advice I've received has been really good, and it'll help me plan the trip more effectively. I'm pretty grateful that this community exists, and that people are so open to sharing their wisdom and experience with me. Yeah, I used to plan trips without getting this type of input in advance, but that frequently resulted in all sorts of "I wish I knew this beforehand" moments. I created this thread to avoid that.

Thanks. While this makes sense, we're thinking that we'll want to avoid walking and crowds that day. Lounging a couple of hours by the Breakers pool sounds just about right. If there happen to be any tourist traps that pique our interest on the way, we might do that. Oh, I didn't realize the lack of hotels (and most other things) in Santa Claus, IN. Thank you for that. A quick Kayak search showed that there are plenty of options in nearby Ferdinand. Thanks for alerting me to that very important fact (and the time zone one as well). Thanks! I'll definitely check out the TRU hotel. Tofts has also interested me, so a stop there might be in order. Yep, we were definitely thinking of hitting HW's water park. We'll have a full day there, so it only makes sense. And, I do lean towards your sentiments regarding Skyline chili. I've had it once. I didn't think it was bad, just very mediocre. Now I'm in the mood for Subway Thanks, everyone, for the really useful advice. Oh, we were also thinking of having a meal at Bay Harbor at CP. Anyone dined there and have opinions? Thanks again, all. -Doug

Thanks, Bert! We absolutely plan on getting FL+ at both KI and CP. Thanks. I appreciate the words of wisdom from a local. Wow, this is a ton of great advice. Super helpful, thank you. This is a good point. The plan was to sleep in, have a late brunch, and slowly meander our way up to Sandusky. We want to use the day to recover a bit before our 2 days at CP. We'll still likely have a few hours to kill, so I'll amend my original post to include Sunday. Thanks, everyone. All of your advice is really helpful. Ill take all the wisdom the TPR community has to offer. -Doug

Hello everyone, So, my TPR friend (JJlehto) and I are planning a long-overdue coaster trip this summer (our last trip that we had planned to Cedar Point for summer 2020 got derailed by some pesky virus or something). To make up for that disappointment, we’ve gone bigger. We finally pulled the trigger and booked plane flights and a rental car. So, in preparation, I’ve got some questions for you fine, knowledgeable TPR folk. Any advice you all can give would be greatly appreciated. To start, here’s our itinerary: Wednesday, July 20 – Fly into Louisville Airport and drive to Santa Claus, IN Thursday, July 21 – Holiday World (drive to Louisville, KY at night) Friday, July 22 – Kentucky Kingdom (drive to Mason, OH at night) Saturday, July 23 – Kings Island (stay in local hotel that night) Sunday, July 24 – Drive to Sandusky, OH Monday & Tuesday, July 25 & 26 – Cedar Point (staying at Hotel Breakers) Wednesday, July 27 – Fly home out of Cleveland Airport All of these parks are new to me, except for Cedar Point (I’ve been there a half-dozen times). JJLehto has been to all these places before. Here are my questions: 1. Do you have any suggestions for park strategies? Our goal is to ride roller coasters…as much as we possibly can. We’ll purchase skip-the-line passes where they are offered (which seems to be only KI and CP). We’re also curious to try the water parks at HW and KK (though, coasters are the definite priority). Any suggestions on maximizing our coaster rides? We’ll be gate-crashing all the parks. And, yes, we plan on waiting for a front row night ride on Beast at KI. 2. Any food suggestions? I’m a culinary traveler, and love to sample local cuisine. Are there any regional specialties and/or restaurants that you’d recommend? Do the parks offer anything tasty (I’ve got a soft spot for fudge)? 3. Any hotel suggestions? This isn’t as big a deal for us. I enjoy searching for hotels and putting the trip together. We aren’t looking for anything fancy, just clean and comfortable. We do prefer, however, hotels that offer substantial a breakfast (think eggs, meats, waffle iron, etc.). The goal is to stuff ourselves so that we’re not hungry until dinner (avoiding park food). While I’ve got no problems searching for suitable hotels, are there any suggestions or hotels-to-avoid to be aware of? 4. Any advice for our travel day on Sunday? Our plan is to use the off day to sleep in, enjoy a late breakfast/brunch, and take a leisurely drive up to Sandusky. However, since the drive isn't even 4 hours, we'll have some extra time in the day. We'll be either travelling on 75 north, or going through Columbus. Are there any attractions or interesting places (park or non-park) that you could suggest to kill some time? Thanks in advance for your advice. -Doug

Well, thanks for the replies, everyone. It looks like FL+ works well on a Saturday (unlike Cedar Point). So, it looks like our upcoming trip is solidifying. Here is our current itinerary: Wednesday, July 20 - Fly into Louisville, KY Thursday, July 21 - Holiday World Friday, July 22 - Kentucky Kingdom Saturday, July 23 - Kings Island Sunday, July 24 - Drive to Cedar Point Monday & Tuesday, July 25 & 26 - Cedar Point Wednesday, July 27 - Fly home out of Cleveland, OH This leaves the two parks that don't offer skip-the-line passes on Thursday and Friday (so, hopefully, that gets us relatively low crowds at KK and HW). I'll start another thread with questions about details for this trip in the coming months. However, in the meantime, if anyone experienced with this sort of trip see any glaring issues with this schedule, could you let me know? Thanks again for the advice, everyone. It's much appreciated. -Doug

Hello everyone, I'm planning a long-postponed coaster trip with another TPR user (JJLehto) this summer. We're trying to figure out logistical details, and I was hoping that some of you could help me out with a question we have about Kings Island. We plan on visiting the park on either Friday, July 22 or Saturday, July 23. We plan on picking up Fast Lane Pluses when we visit. I was wondering about the effectiveness of the FL+ on either of those two days. What kind of Fast Lane waits can we expect for rides on Friday versus Saturday? A Saturday visit would fit into our schedule easier. However, if FL lines would be long on Saturday and more reasonable on Friday, we'd opt to go Friday. (I remember how long FL lines were at Cedar Point, and I'd prefer to avoid that kind of situation if possible) Thank you for the advice. I always appreciate the collective wisdom that the TPR community offers. -Doug

Hi everyone, I'm in search of some quick advice. I'm planning on going to SFMM with my family on either 12/24 or 12/25 (it's open both days, and we don't celebrate Christmas). I went once on Christmas eve (12/24/2019), and found the crowds to be pleasantly low. Weather might make the decision for us (it's supposed to rain on Friday, 12/24). However, if weather isn't a factor, can anyone advise on which of the two days (Christmas eve or Christmas day) would be more likely to have lower crowds? Thanks in advance! -Doug

I emailed the park and they confirmed it: Tatsu's paint job is paused until 2022, and the ride will be running until then. I'm absolutely thrilled about this. While I'm not happy that people are falling ill (I hope it's not COVID), I'm really happy that the ride will be open. I'm going with my family (including my daughters, who hit the 54" mark since the pandemic began and haven't been on a roller coaster since that time). So, my wife and kids will get to find out just how crazy that pretzel loop is.

I'm one of those oddballs who actually enjoys X2. However, it is rough and requires some strategy. I always ride the front row, inside seat. In addition, I go to it right away, first thing in the morning. It's smoothest (or, more appropriately, the least rough) at that time. Afterwards, it just gets miserable. Typically, I head straight to X2 and ride it once first thing (maybe twice, if the line is super short). After that, I avoid it for the rest of the day. Hope this helps! -Doug

Thank you! That’s very useful information.

Hello all, I’m currently visiting LA, all Pfizer’d up, and ready to take advantage of SFMM with no COVID restrictions. I’m very excited to ride my first coasters since the pandemic started. Before I go next Tuesday, I have a few questions. I emailed guest relations, but they haven’t responded, so I figured someone who has been since the lifting of restrictions might be able to help me out. My questions: 1. Are they loading all rows on trains, or every-other? 2. Is there still a separate member entrance with 15 minutes early entry? 3. How much does the Flash Pass phone app drain the battery? (I have a relatively ancient iPhone Thank you in advance. I can’t wait to finally ride again! -Doug

Never rode it, and I had no intentions of ever doing so. I definitely have no regrets. This move (if it comes to pass) makes sense. My ultimate dream is for Kong to be removed and replaced with, well, any other roller coaster.

I'm a 5th grade teacher in the San Francisco Bay Area. My district's calendar was just approved. We're starting at the usual time. I'm not sure if school years will be starting earlier. There's already distance learning happening which, while a far cry from classroom learning, is meant to fill the gap in instruction. Also, all the students will be in the next grade. So, it doesn't make sense (at least to me) to give a 6th grader extra 6th grade when they already lost the final few months of their 5th grade year. It's a different curriculum. Obviously, all of this could change and I could be completely wrong, but I personally don't foresee a longer school year next year.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom just announced that they are closing through the end of the month, after which they will reevaluate the situation. Selfishly, I'm a bit bummed, as I wanted to visit Sunday to take advantage of low crowds. However, it's far outweighed by feeling glad that, at last, we're starting to do what needs to be done. I'm a teacher, and am now making lesson plans for "remote learning". We're all gearing up for school closures here in the Bay Area. This is needed, and hopefully flattens that curve somewhat.

I was there this past Tuesday and Wednesday. 3-5 seconds is most certainly an exaggeration. My wife and I were slow with the process, since it was our first time (we had 8 tickets linked to our app, but only 4 of us were there for the Early Magic Hour, so our mistake slowed things down). It took us a little over a minute, and we were backup group 93. We rode at 5:30 that day. On the second day (yesterday), we knew what we were doing and had group 23 after 15 seconds or so. So, no, boarding groups don't get filled up in a few seconds. It seems that its more like a minute before it goes to backup groups.

^I'm with you on the inversion count. I visited in 2007, and simply couldn't see how one would say that there are 14 inversions. Even being generous with some of the ambiguous parts (the full-full and half-half), and even throwing in the overbank turn and initial rotation out of the station, that's still only 7 inversions. It's a mystery to me.

Hello all, My long-awaited trip to Disneyland (the first ever for my daughters) is coming up in just a few weeks (Tuesday and Wednesday, February 11-12). We'll be staying at the Disneyland Hotel. I was wondering if anyone could give me advice, as I'm clueless when it comes to this park. 1. What is a good option for breakfast? We won't go to Goofy's Kitchen, as we want to make Magic Hour, and their earliest reservation option was for 9:00. We don't want to waste too much time on breakfast (though we would like something substantial, not just coffee and doughnuts). Any other suggestions for lunch and dinner? 2. Any strategies for the park itself? I'm hoping that the days will be quiet (mid-week in winter, no schools have those days off), but a strategy can't hurt. Thank you in advance! -Doug

^&^^I stick to the front row, inside seat, on the side closest to the road. I've still found it better in the morning than later in the day. Though, I tend to shy away from it after those first few rides of the day, so I could very realistically be missing inconsistently smooth(ish)/rough rides later in the day. I was impressed last Christmas Eve day, though. I went with my family, and went for the first ride of the day in the aforementioned seat, and I was shocked at how (relatively) gentle it was. Even the last raven turn didn't bounce my head around. And my 9-year old daughter (who had never ridden it before) absolutely adored it. She couldn't decide if that or Twisted Colossus was her favorite ride.

I agree with this. However, I will add that I tend to hit X2 first. It's a rough ride, but the first few rides of the day are relatively smooth. After that, it goes downhill. I've ridden it first thing, then come back after 4:00 (the line usually dies down by then, but not always), and it beats the crap out of me.

^ and ^^, thanks for the advice. I booked the Disneyland Hotel last week. The history was what convinced me. Thanks for the advice. I'm very excited about the trip (even if the Haunted Mansion will be closed for an extended rehab).

How strict is SFMM with closing the park for inclement weather? I'll be in LA next week with my family, and we were planning to go on 12/24 (Christmas Eve). The weather forecast calls for a 40-50% chance of rain ("overcast with rains showers at times", according to Weather Underground). We're hoping that the combination of a major holiday and lousy weather will keep the crowds away, but I'm also concerned about the park being closed altogether that day. If it closes, then so be it. I'm just curious, should I brace myself for a closed park, or am I concerned for nothing? Thanks. -Doug

^They built shade structures with solar panels on top. So, now a large percentage (more than half?) of the lot offers shaded parking, and the park gets solar power to boot. It was a pain during construction, as they directed everyone to the fairgrounds parking lot. The construction is done, so their regular parking lot is back in effect. But, yeah, it's still a long walk from the parking lot to the main gates.

Hello everyone, I'm taking my first visit to Disneyland since high school grad night (I don't recommend that) 25 years ago. The main reason is to take my daughters (ages 8 and 9), who have never been before. We'll be going mid-week in February to avoid the crowds (2/11 & 2/12). I'm hopeful that those will be dead days at the park. I do have a question regarding accommodations. We will be staying on property, as we want to have the full experience. I'm trying to decide between the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier (Grand Californian is just too expensive for us). So, my question: What's the difference between the two hotels? I see that they both offer the early entry, and DH is 1/10 mile closer to the gates than PP. However, I'm not sure what other differences there are (aside from what I just mentioned, and the price). I'm leaning towards DH, simply because of the history. But, I'd like to see if the higher price than PP is worth it. Any insights you all can give would be most appreciated. Thank you. -Doug