robbalvey

^ If you do hit SFOT for opening day, please post a TR and some photos! --Robb

We don't do a lot of eating out on our coasters trip. We stick to mainly fast food, something simple like local chinese food place, etc. When we do eat out it's usually at a Carrabba's and we always find out where locations are nearby our stops. --Robb

No, I don't have it! Can you believe that?? Out of hundreds of coasters I have POV from, I never ended up filming Hercules! I thought for SURE I had done it at some point, but NOPE! Oh, well..... --Robb

The last coaster I rode was SCREAM! at SFMM....about 3 hours ago! --Robb

^ There is none. If you are going to create a topic, please make sure it has a point for discussion. --Robb "Thread locked" Alvey

^ Yeah...I mean, I hope they all don't turn into what Knott's has become!

^ But Knott's isn't a seasonal park. They are open year round with job fairs happening all the time. But the main point is...the park never USED to be like this. It's only in the past 5 years with the current management that it's really been crappy. --Robb "Who would love to have Knott's back to how it used to be run." Alvey

^ A couple of comments in response to what you've said, and I say this only because we did a lot of research on the internet and we've had hamsters for years.... 1. Why would you say this? I would say don't go for a plastic tube cage that is ALL plastic because they get HOT...but most tube cages now are actually made mostly of wire in the main cage so there is plenty of ventilation. It also gives your little critter a lot of places to run around. There has been a TON of research done that proves that the more areas your hamster has to move around in, the longer they live. 2. This is absolutely true! Do NOT use Cedar shavings. They are not good for the hamster's respritory system. Why they are still sold is beyond me. We use "Carefresh Pet Bedding." It's made from paper, feels more like tissue, and they LOVE this. 3. DO NOT USE METAL RUNNING WHEELS!!!!!!! So many poor hamsters have lost their little feet in these! They are VERY dangerous and do NOT use them! The plastic ones do not have gaps or spaces in between them so they will not break their feet. Once your hamster has broken a foot, he's a goner. =( If your hamaster wants to gnaw, they will gnaw on EVERYTHING, and most of them gnaw on the wire bars on the cage. Anyway, I hope that helps answer some questions. --Robb

Click HERE for our photo update from today. So today we went down to Knott's since Dave and Mary were in town since it had been like 4 or 5 years since Dave had been to the park, and Mary had NEVER been there. Of course, reading the boards, Dave had heard about how "great" the park has been operating lately, but you know, we always go into the place with the best of intentions and hope that everything we've been hearing doesn't come true. Well....unfortunatly, today's visit to the park was pretty much "As Advertised" *sigh* First off, we're REALLY glad we go there VERY early to be the first in line at the season pass processing center since we all needed to get passes, and it turns out there was a HUGE line out the door, and the park only staffed *one* person in the pass processing center today. Oh, sure...some people came into help but the conversation went something like this. GR Person: "Do you know how to use the camera?" Random KBF person "Camera?" GR: "That thing on the tri-pod." Random KBFer: "Tri-pod?" GR: "Nevermind...go away!!!!" Seriously...there were like two people who came in to help, and neither person had a clue how to operate any of the equipment, so they left. So yeah, by them *trying* to get people to help, they actually made the process go SLOWER! It took us like 20 minutes to get our passes once the center opened...and we were the FIRST ones in line!!!! *sigh* So off we go to the front of the park and the gates are due to open in about 10 minutes. We check the sign and it says "All Attractions Will Be Operating Today." Kick ass! Nothing closed! The park opens, and we head right over to Silver Bullet. Up to the station we go, and we find them STILL doing their morning testing. So yet again, in true Knott's tradition, the park opens, but the rides are STILL not ready. After a few empty trains we're off....I'll keep my review of Silver Bullet brief since I've already written one here: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=396 Basically, it's not the worst B&M invert, but it's FAR from the best. Personally I think it's a toss up between Talon and Silver Bullet as the 'weakest' invert. Silver Bullet got the overbanked turn, Talon's got a nice compact layout. Eh...whatever.... Next up, GHOSTRIDER! Now we keep hearing from people that after that amazingly extensive "two week" re-hab that Ghostrider is now "Silver Bullet Smooth." Ok...let's see.....well, I have to say that it actually WAS better than the last time I rode it. Was it "Silver Bullet Smooth?" FAR FROM IT! And even though it was better, it's still a shadow of it's former self. You can FEEL every board that the train rolls over. It's certainly rideable, but it's not what it used to be. So after GR, we head over to XLR8R and see an empty station.....but wait...it's TOO empty. No one in line....but NO ONE even operating the ride either. Yes, the ride was closed today. WTF??! In fact, this now starts our tour of "Closed rides even though the sign out front said everything was open." So we walk by XLR8R....CLOSED.....Perilous Plunge....CLOSED....Screamin' Swing....CLOSED. WTF?!?!? So FINALLY we find a ride that is open....The Log Ride. Of course they are only running one side and the line is long, but thankfully we got in line when we did, because it quickly became a 30 minute wait and they still only kept one side open. We rode Montezooma's which all of us quickly realized "Wow...is it good or bad when the BEST ride we've been on all day is the Shuttle Loop that's nearly 30 years old???" We were almost going to ride Jaguar when we notice they are running one train empty, one train full...and STACKING the trains!!!! How bad does a crew have to be that they actually managed to stack a ride....with TWO lift hills, that is probably like 3 minutes long, and they ONLY have to worry about loading and unloading ONE train. Wow. That takes talent. Finally we had enough. Between the line jumpers, the poor operations, the obnoxious ride ops on the microphones, the closed rides, and the fact that we just weren't having much fun, we decided to leave and go to the mall, where we actually had a good time! *sigh* Knott's used to be one of the best parks in the world, IMO...and it's only gotten worse and worse in the past 5 years. --Robb

^ Yeah, the amount of videos we sell barely pays to keep the site running, let alone the trips we take! It's not a money making venture, it's a labor of love. --Robb

Yeah, we've both ridden it. Not sure why I didn't end up getting photos for the site, though. Hmm.... It's an 'ok' ride. Personally I'mnot sure why it gets so much hype. I mean, there's nothing wrong with it or anything, I'm just not sure it lives up to the hype. I think I actually like some of the 'clones' better. --Robb

Now that the forums have been around for a couple of weeks, and we've gotten 400 members, I've noticed a vast age range on the boards so far. Everything from 12 years to 50 seems to be represented! I'm actually really impressed! It's a good mix! Anyway, please vote for your age range and tell us what the first coaster you remember riding was! As for my 1st coaster I remember riding. It was either Big Bend at SFOT in 1976 or Space Mountain in 1977. --Robb

I stopped buying Sega systems after being burned on the 32X and the Saturn. --Robb

^ That's a really good question. I don't know if I actually have a 'favorite' game...just like it's hard for me to say I have a 'favorite' coaster. I can probably give you a list of my favorite games per genre or system. Classic Arcade (MAME): Mappy, BurgerTime, Donkey Kong, Tac/Scan, Qix, Time Pilot, Kickman, Q*Bert, Robotron, Mr. Do!, Tapper, Space Duel, Trog, Super Street Fighter II Turbo. NES: All the Super Mario games, Castlevania, Vs. Tennis, Balloon Fight, Ice Climber Sega Genesis: Aladdin (ok, I'm biased because I worked on this game!), Dr. Robotnick's Mean Bean Machine, Sonic 1, Silpheed, Gunstar Heroes, Rocket Night Adventures SNES: Mario Kart, Super Mario World, F-Zero, Pilotwings PC Engine (Turbo Grafx-16): Military Madness, Galaga '88, R-Type PS1 - DDR 4th Mix PS2 - Katamari Damacy, Taiko No Tatusijin GameCube: Mario Party XBOX: MameOX, Stepmania-X PC: Roller Coaster Tycoon (all of them), Call of Duty (for obvious reasons!) I'm sure there are a LOT more.... --Robb "I'm more of a classic gaming kind of guy!" Alvey

^ Same here.

^ I appreciat your input, but still, as a first post linking to another site is against the ToS. If he wanted to share his track or park, he could have simply uploaded it. If he wanted to link to another site after he had contributed some files and been an active member, that would be fine. --Robb

I voted for WDW over DL for many of the same reasons that other people have pointed out. Although I actually prefer MK over DL because of the size that MK is. Too many times have I had to push my way through the crowds in the claustrophobic Disneyland. I don't really have any biases one way or the other towards the different versions of most attractions at either Magic Kingom. They both have thier plusses and minues. Yay for Indy, Boo for Stitch....Yay for Peoplemover, Boo for Tomorrowland...etc, etc.... Personally, though, the Magic Kingdoms are the Disney parks I spend the LEAST amount of time in (Well, ok, other than Animal Kingdom, but I don't count that as a Disney park....yet. ) I think I go to DCA, MGM, and Epcot 10 times to every 1 visit I make to a Magic Kingdom. I've just been on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Small World, Star Tours, etc SOOOOOO many times in my life that I feel like I just don't need to ride them anymore. And when it comes to coasters, as much as I LOVE both coasts versions of Big Thunder and Space Mountain, I'd rather be riding Tower, Screamin', or Test Track. --Robb

I gotta go deal with LA traffic in 25 minutes. =( --Robb

^ Click on the "Profile" link above, then when in the Profile Control Panel, click the "Avatar" tab and there you can either upload a photo, or choose one from the gallery. --Robb

Hey everyone! Carowinds has just sent me some interesting photos of the last remaining "Wayne's World" theming being removed from the park. 'Tis a sad day for those of us nostolgic on early 1990s Mike Meyer's movies, but quite honestly, the Wayne's World stuff was dated anyway. Anyway, here is what is looked like before: And now here's the new, revamped version! From the email from the park: "The Happy Days diner is on schedule to open with the park on March 19. It features a retro look, show memorabilia, a classic diner menu and a 50's DJ spinning the oldies each day." Can you guess what these letters used to spell?

^ Yes that was one exception, but not really. When you think about it, balanced out with the $60 per night Comfort Inn, the entire hotel stay of that trip was very cheap. Any other hotel option in the area would have been almost as expensive and you would have needed to add transportation to Tokyo Disney and additional time in the mornings on top of that. And we also shared that room with someone else to help cut the costs down. So for what we got, it actually was the cheapest option. --Robb "We spent 3 nights out of 18 at a nicer hotel, I think that's acceptable!" Alvey

This thread makes no sense. --Robb "Closed" Alvey

^ You and me both, man.... --Robb "Time for us to find new web hosting companies!" Alvey

^ It's ok. You'll only get 30 lashes for the double post!

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stori ... 722&EDATE= Thoughts?