coasterdude28

I've gone to Vegas for two months each summer the last two years. What everyone has suggested regarding hotels seems fine and I'm not too knowledgeable on that topic as I stay elsewhere. I can give some other recommendations though. Food: Lotus of Siam. If you like Thai food you absolutely can not pass this up. It's a few minutes off strip in a super unassuming strip mall. Make reservations if you can. I'm not a huge fan of Thai and this is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere. Mon Ami Gabi. French cafe at Paris Paris. Go here for lunch and sit outside. It is across from the Bellagio fountains so you get a nice view of the afternoon shows. Great food. There really is an amazing amount of excellent food in Vegas. Decide what food you like and check yelp for the best options. Shows: Absinthe. Fantastic, hilarious, raunchy, and super entertaining. If you are easily offended skip it. If not you should enjoy it. Cirque: Any of the big CDS shows will be great. Each has it's own unique style so look into them and decide. They are a bit expensive though. Mac King: Very underrated and not really well known. He does a comedy magic show at Harrahs. It looks like it would be for kids but is very entertaining for all ages. Go to the show booth at Harrahs and get a coupon that gets you a show ticket and a drink for $14. By far the best show value on the strip and it's in the afternoon so it doesn't lock up your evening. Must see sights: All of the big touristy parts of the casinos are cool for your first vegas trip. Bellagio fountains, Venetian Canals, and all of the Wynn property are at the top of my list. Wynn is by far my favorite property. Go there and get some drinks. They have excellent drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic. If you want to take a day trip go check out the Hoover Dam which is relatively close or Red Rock which is a bit further. Valley of Fire State Park is also really nice but that's further away too. Other: When you are flying in try to sit on the right side of the plane (to your left when entering the plane). Most often planes land at McCarren with the right side facing the strip. It's pretty awesome to see Vegas from the air. If you are coming from the east you will also have amazing views of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River of you sit on the right side. Have a great time! Vegas is unlike any other city. Enjoy the sights, sounds, food, and craziness. Edit: just saw the above post. Don't stay near Feemont Street. It's far enough away from the strip that it's not worth any cost savings. Check out that area one night if you want to hear blaring loud music and see the strangest people Vegas has to offer. You're not missing much if you skip it though imo.

For those of you familiar with the park crowds, do you think this upcoming Saturday or Sunday will be better during the day and during Haunt? Looks like a little rain in the diecast for Saturday which may help keep crowds down. Thoughts? Also, what is by best option for one day tickets? Any coupons at area stores that are better than online discounts? Thanks for the help.

I could see this track type easily being painted/themed to a roadway. We're obviously getting a little ahead of ourselves with this but it would make a lot of sense. The animation had a (at the time) strange looking boxy track but now seeing the TRex track it very well could have been a rough animation of that. Time ill tell I guess.

I'm planning to head up to SFNE this weekend mainly to ride WC. The weather forecast doesn't look that great. What is the parks weather policy with regards to rain? Will the coasters stay open as long as there are no thunder storms in the area? And how does the rain effect WC, if at all? Thanks for the help, we're really looking forward to our first RMC coaster.

I have a question about purchasing season passes for next year. If I buy a SFA pass now I get access for the rest of this year. Does that include access to other parks for the remainder of this season or does that benefit not kick in until next season? And I'm really looking forward to the day this park gets a new headliner attraction. Maybe RMC Roar East is in their future...

Well I'm glad we finally know what GAdv is adding next year. This was an interesting summer of speculation. The ride looks fun and there have been tons of positive reviews out of SFFT. I'm confident the ride itself will be a huge hit for the park. Would it have been nice if they went with the 220 foot version? Of course. Would it have been nice if they placed the ride anywhere else, like Chillers spot or Freefalls spot and keep the lake real estate open for a future RMC or Premier? Of course. That being said though I am glad that the renderings show it in the Forts location and not the Grandstands. I think it works much better to the side of the lake than if it were right in front of it. Is the name and theming a little lackluster? Of course, but it is Six Flags so you shouldn't expect Dollywood level stuff in that department. This will be a great addition to the parks lineup as far as ride experience goes. I for one am looking forward to riding it as the only other 4d I've been on was X when it first opened, and I LOVED it. Hopefully I'll be able to represent TPR at Media Day again next year, hint hint Robb On a side note, if KK does get the new trains that would be very nice. I305 is super comfortable. KK with those restraints and without the shuffle it has would be a nice upgrade to an already awesome ride.

What can I expect the crowds to be like tomorrow? I haven't been to KD in a few years and am really excited to get back on I305.

You know what also fits in that spot? The station for a Rocky Mountain Construction terrain woodie around the lake. I can still dream, right?

I'll be stopping at LC on Friday October 2nd for the night. I haven't been to the park in about 5 years and can't wait to get some Boulderdash laps and rides on the flyers. It's unfortunate that they are only having one train operations due to the lightning incident but it's better than not having the ride open at all. What are crowds usually like at the beginning of their haunt event?

Anyone? Flyers are definitely my favorite flat ride so if these are anything like the ones at Lake Compounce or Knoebels I'd be pretty happy.

I might make a trip out to Dorney for the first time in several years next month. I just saw that they added flyers this year. How are they? Are they snapable?

Ah, thank you for educating me and I apologize if I came off as snarky. I learn something new very day. I'll still stick with my point that until these ship are fully announced and the plans are unveiled it is tough to claim they will be over crowded. The article states that innovative design creates a much more efficient use of space so it sounds like behind the scenes areas are being redesigned to allow a greater percentage of the ships space to be used for guests.

Is it not possible that they are also using new and lighter materials throughout the ship to reduce the gross weight? That 180,000 gross tons may equal a ship as large as the heavier ships in other fleets. It's kind of a quick assumption to claim they are planning on building "the most crowded cruise ships in the world" without knowing the guest space the ship will have. Instead of making up an unfounded negatives, let's look at the positives here. These will be the first ships to be completely fueled by a the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel. The ships will be innovative in design and will make "much more efficient use of the ship's spaces, creating an enhanced onboard experience for guests." These ships will help the cruise industry advance in a positive way. Or we can just fall back on our bias and bash the new ships before they are even fully announced, I guess that works too.

Thank you. The Kia ads are already gone. They were just there for media day. Ahh interesting. They were definitely cool animals. Glad you liked the photos! Thanks for the insight on the markings.

The Media Day was presented by Kia Motors. I do not think that the signs and car are a permanent sponsor/advertisement.

I just posted my El Diablo Media Day report here: http://themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=70308 I took some time to check out the lake front and have pictures posted in that thread. The markings go from the exit area of Blackbeard's all the way past the Grandstand and down along the fence line by the water heading towards the log flume area. It covers a huge section of land back there. There were also workers in the area surveying and measuring but they told me "we're just marking utilities" when I asked if they had any info on the work being done. I did see big CAT machinery driving around behind the fence between Fort Independence and Blackbeard's so demolition should begin very soon if that is the plan.

El Diablo Turns World Upside Down Six Flags Great Adventure's 13th Coaster Opens Jackson, NJ - May 14th, 2015 - Beginning today, riders will feel the heat of Six lags Great Adventure's 13th roller coaster when it previews to Season Pass holders and Members during an event presented by Kia Motors America. The world's largest theme park will open the devilish El Diablo to the general public on Saturday "The Jersey devil inspired the theme for our newest attraction, and El Diablo delivers a scorching thrill or a variety of age groups," said park President John Fitzgerald. "Our guests told us they wanted a ride that would excite tweens and prepare then for the extreme thrills of coasters like El Toro and Kingda Ka, and El Diablo is the perfect fit." The giant, fiery red, looping coaster is located in the Mexican-themed Plaza del Carnaval section of the park. It features riders sitting in "face-off" (face-to-face) seats rocketing forward and backward pendulum style until the train gains enough momentum to complete a full revolution seven stories in the air. The coaster then kicks into high gear, completing full revolutions until it stops momentarily with riders suspended upside down, and then reverses direction for even more thrills. Guests can experience six gravity-defying inversion before the train finally comes to a stop. El Diablo riders must be at least 48 inches tall. El Diablo previews to Six Flags Season Pass holders ad Members May 14 and 15, and will celebrate its grand opening to the public May 16 For more information on Six Flags Great Adventure, visit http://www.sixflags.com/greatadventure ******************************************************************************************************************************* On Thursday we had the opportunity to visit Six Flags Great Adventure for the El Diablo Media Day event. I will give a quick review of the new ride and then will let the pictures do most of the talking. Also included are some photos from around the park. El Diablo may not be the biggest thrill ride, but it certainly fills a much needed role in the parks ride lineup. The ride itself and the surrounding area are incredibly well themed which provide a great first impression when walking into Plaza del Carnaval. I had never ridden a Super Loop so I didn't know what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised. The ride is smooth, fast, and has some awesome hang-time. You also get really unique views of the parks skyline upside down. Altogether it makes for a very fun experience that you should not skip out on when you're at the park. B-Roll footage and Rider-Cam: Additional video to get a sense of the speed and cycle of El Diablo: Welcome to Media Day! First view of El Diablo towards the queue This thing is AWESOME! The smoke billows out of the mulch around the base and creates a very cool effect. Great sign in addition to the statue Yea I took a lot of pictures of this. It will look great at night. Look at that...it's bigger than Kingda Ka! Media Day presented by Kia Motors America Colin White of the NJ Devils was at the event to help kick off the opening SFGAdv PR Team did an excellent job hosting the event! Park President John Fitzgerald spoke for a bit about the new ride and how it helps makes the park a more complete experience. Countdown to kickoff Insane hang-time here. Lots of Media came out to see the new ride The exit gives you a nice view of El Toro's finish For you detail oriented people Getting into and out of the angled seats is a bit awkward. Last one. I promise. The restaurant had a lot of work being done to it. Looks like they will be expanding it quite a bit. One of the best coasters in the park and it's never crowded. Win-Win. El Diablo through El Toro. El-ception? Lot and lots of markings in the lakefront area. These stretch from beyond the left side of the grand stand all the way to Blackbeard's roller coaster. People doing some work down closer to the water. Surveying equipment in front of Fort Independence... ...which is now shuttered. Looks like its days are numbered -UNK? Markings stretched all the way to the exit of Blackbeard's And some trees were tagged as well. A CAT digger drove by behind this fence as we were standing here so whatever work is going to be done should be getting started soon. Great ride. This guy is awesome. I've been seeing him at the park for many many years. The park hired him in the security department just so he can walk around and do magic tricks for people. He's fun to talk to and loves his "job." Stopped by the animal show which was having a dress rehearsal. And saw some very fluffy chickens. I think? Last view of El Diablo from Kingda Ka's Station.

Not sure this is possible. Is there a way to have a LIM section that only activates for the second time a train passes it? Basically I have an idea I want to try where the train passes a section of track, rolls back and up the previous hill, and then on the way back forward gets a boost from the LIM to make it through the element. Does that make sense and is it possible? Thanks.

Very doable. My fiend and I did this after graduating high school in 2007. Coming from New Jersey we went Cedar Point>Holiday World>Kentucky Kingdom>Kings Island. There are some long drives in there but it makes for a great trip.

Awesome! My friends that are on gluten free diets might be able to ride this one!

^Actual size looks about 1/4 the size of the rendering. I've never ridden one of these superloops but it looks like it will be a pretty similar ride experience to the space shuttle ride we used to have here...which was fairly awful. Hopefully I'm wrong.

RMC in Old Country with a long inversion/stall over the entry plaza would be kind of nice. Take out the GoKarts and use that area for the middle section of the ride then hop back over and finish back in Old Country. From the pictures posted today the park looks really good. The new paint on some buildings goes a long way.

I'll look into an Express Pass as well then. In the end if I miss a couple of the houses it won't e a huge deal. I'll try to hit them in order of appeal to me. Next question. Do you think it is reasonable to do both parks in one day? If we did that the plan would be to get to IOA at opening, do everything we want to there, then hop over to USF and try to get in the main attractions before HHN starts. Possible to do on a Friday?

Great info, thanks for the suggestion. We'll move out USF day to Friday. Now to figure out the best way to go about purchasing tickets. When we went to Disney a year and a half ago I bought our tickets at AAA. Looking at the pricing there now it doesn't seem to be any cheaper than purchasing them directly through Universal. Any other places to look? And is there a chance of the opening night of HHN selling out? There will be four of us at the park that day but probably only two of us staying for the Event. Thanks again for the help!

I will be in Orlando next week with my family. We're planning on going to Universal on Wednesday and Thursday. Seeing as how I've always really wanted to go to HHN and we are in town until Saturday 9/20, I think I have to try to get there on Friday. Is my best option to purchase the HHN add on ticket when I'm at the park earlier in the week? I'm on a budget but don't want to miss the opportunity to go. Any suggestions as far as tickets go and/or how I should plan my visit? Thanks a lot for any help!