robbalvey

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From the conversations I've had with John I do believe that he is an engineer of the park full time. --Robb

Chuck, You have a very nice.....bush. --Robb

^^ I have no idea where you would have even gotten that from! I'm not sure what you're talking about. --Robb "Where in this thread does it say you can't do this?" Alvey

^ This I know was allowed, if the station is empty, but it sounds like they were telling them no re-rides for single riders if there's an empty seat, meaning someone stays on the exit plaform, waits for everyone to load and then hops in if there is an empty. I think that's what he's saying... --Robb

^ While I have heard nothing "official" if the website is telling at all, then you'll see that all the "New for 2009" attractions have a description and a height restriction (if applicable) but Flying Turns is still labeled as "Coming Soon." So my guess would be don't expect it to be open! --Robb

When did they ever officially allow this? Perhaps one of the SFMM employees who read this forum can shed some light, but I don't ever remember a "hop back on if you're a single rider" being a policy of the park. --Robb

Hey everyone! I got a bit distracted last week so I apologize for the delay...but now...MORE TOKYO DISNEYLAND photos! Seriously, can you ever get tired of Tokyo Disneyland photos? No? Well, then, how about a Tokyo Disneyland VIDEO? We will start off this update with a video from TPR's visit to Tokyo Disney and then another 50ish photos from the park...enjoy! [coastertube]http://www.themeparkreview.com/coastertube/play.php?vid=tokyoDL_2008_web2_o34w[/coastertube]Tokyo Disneyland VIDEO! (And remember, if you like these videos, you can pick up the latest round of TPR DVDs HERE!) And now some PHOTOS! The Tokyo Disney party bus is here to take TPR on another fun fill day of Japanese Mickey Mouse! Credit! Turn that crank, Helping Hands, turn that crank! Splooge from the previous riders. Yo Ho, Yo Ho, I'd make a Jahan joke, but nah...never mind.... Like I said before, not *quite* a much of a suck-fest as Florida's version! Ahh, Space Mountain. It got a nice re-hab minus the music, but it's still awesome because it's at Tokyo Disney. "You can do whatever you want to the station, but you're only allowed to use the color blue." Shooting Dark Ride! Yeah, it's the same as the other versions, but that's ok. Country Bears in Japanese = awesomeness! Max, Buff, and Yakatori. I'm not sure what is more disturbing about this picture - Wall-E and his Levi 501 Jeans or Remi's severed head being held by Iron Chef Morimoto. For some very strange reason, this coaster didn't suck this time around! Indy queue = better than Disneyland! It's almost totally pointless, but at the same time it's completely awesome! Hey look! Sign photo! The resort bus is on a schedule which is ALWAYS on time! Entering into DisneySea is like a whole other world. Yummy! It's amazing how it's basically DCA's Tower of Terror, but they've made it not suck! Robot Boobies! "Hey everyone! We are at Tokyo DisneySea and you're not! SO THERE! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!" There seems to be something missing here that I could SWEAR was on the cover of the Little Mermaid box! King Triton is my homeboy. That's right! Don't mess with Triton if you know what's good for you. This is basically "Flik's Fun Fair" from Disney's California Adventure, but indoors and with a lot less "Californianess" added. Have you ever seen the "Evil bastard cook that tries to kill Sebastian" at any other Disney park??? What are you guys doing to that snail to make him THAT happy??? Taj Mahal wannabe. This is a ticket to GREATNESS! DisneySea scores so many points for awesomeness. OMG...SOOOOOO GOOOOOD!!!!! Yup, we are STILL at Disney! Eric - mild smirk. Genie-looking guy - WORRIED! This is where Jasmine goes to bang random dudes. Good thing everyone had a TPR pancho! Nothing like a little camel toe in a nice couple's photo! Like I said, Raging Spirits was really fun this time around! I don't know if it's that it had JUST come out of re-hab or if they really made some changes, but it was a *LOT* better than in previous years. (And also, just look at that theming...c'mon! That's awesome!) LOOOOP - DEEEEE - LOOOOOP! AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! Every Disney park should have Aquatopia! Why? I actually don't know! But they should. Are you sick of DisneySea pictures? No? GOOD! More DisneySea randomness. Is it true this area is getting TSM? This makes Dave feel more like a real man! "Come inside it's fun inside!" Just in case you forgot what park you were at, there was this awesome looking sign to remind you! And we will end this part of the update with another kick-ass night shot looking down Main Street! Hope everyone enjoyed this update! --Robb

^ They aren't. The actual prices are closer to what was shown in that SFDK photo: and will be posted at the park soon. --Robb

Agreed. This does seem to be argument for argument sake. If any of the above was actually a REAL argument or issue none of these virtual queue systems would exist because lines at parks would be unbearable and guest relations would have constant complaints resulting in virtual queing being an epic fail. But that's not what happened and the reality is that most people are actually now able to get on MORE rides in a given day than they were before these systems existed (at least using Disney's FastPass as an example and some of the data I've heard from people who work for the parks) and based on that knowledge, we could argue the math forever, but in reality there isn't an argument to be had. --Robb

Well, I'm hoping the new owners saw our recent photoshop contest as it sounds as though the park may not be keeping the "Hard Rock" name for the 2009 season: http://www.thesunnews.com/news/local/story/804201.html

Why is it that the Gerstlauer trains only seem to have negative effects on rides in the USA? Both Falken and Mammut have Gerstlauer trains and I gotta say they both ran VERY smooth. And am I the only one that thought Son of Beast actually rode slightly BETTER with the Gerstlauer trians? Are we *sure* it's the trains? --Robb

^ No, sorry. We already have a YouTube channel with over 5 million video views. I don't think there is any need for an "ad." --Robb

^ & ^^ I know and appreciate! I just wanted to make sure everyone knew her Birthday was March 3rd. --Robb

My first comment is to go read our Posting Rules, and then come back and edit your post to make it more clear, as Larry stated above: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21962 --Robb

Hey everyone...remember KidTums' birthday isn't until TOMORROW...not that she (we) doesn't appreciate the birthday wishes...just letting you all know! --Robb

And just to let you know comments like these can get you banned from this website as well as thrown out a park. Please read our ToS: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=177 --Robb

^ No, I totally understand. I do take this topic a *little* more seriously though because I don't think people quite "get it" and when you have a system like this that can greatly improve your day, I want as many people as possible to understand exactly what it is they are complaining about, and in some cases, are only complaining because they don't understand it. From the Lo-Q Website:

But the benefit DOESN'T come at other's expense! This is what I don't think you are quite understanding. It's a "virtual queue" system, *NOT* a "line cutting" system. Even at Disney, each piece of paper that spits out of the FastPass machine represents one person standing in that line. So when you see the standby line of 45 minutes it already assumes that all those pieces of paper are standing in that line too. It just physically *appears* that the line is extended because someone else is "cutting" in front of you. But they are not, they are waiting in the same line as you are, just not physically in that line. I think what makes people more upset is NOT the fact that people are "cutting in front of them" but that people realize "why the hell didn't I use that system too?" Even the Gold Q-Bot takes the queue times into consideration when it tells you the time to come back. Now granted those with the Gold Q-Bot will get onto the ride quicker, but they too do not extend YOUR wait time, or the posted standby line time. Does this make sense? But see, those "sour looks" are just people with poor attitudes because they are jealous they don't have the means to have that upgraded ticket. I *also* see looks of indifference from people who simply don't care and are happy they are getting away for the weekend, even if they have to fly coach. Elissa and I fly have flown business class and first class and we have NEVER bought a first class or business class ticket, but because we get upgraded since we make an effort to use the same airline carrier for all our trips and are thus "rewarded" and we have sometimes been upgraded. IMO, someone that gives me a sour look because we got upgraded to first class because we figured out a way to take advantage of the system (which is ENCOURAGED) is just someone with a very, very poor attitude. Because that "point system", like the FastPass system is available to EVERYONE. Those who know how to use it and take advantage of it should *NOT* be looked at as the "bad guys." I personally think that is very unfair. I think it's possible to site other examples and argue this until you're blue in the face (the person with the faster car could get to point B sooner, the person with the nicer hotel room has a better night of sleep, the person with a higher quality TV sees a sharper picture, blah, blah, blah...) You shouldn't though. Because EVERY PERSON IN THAT LINE ALSO HAD THE ABILITY TO DO WHAT YOU DID. It's not like you were Katie Holmes and you got to play in the Disney World Castle lawn area with your daughter simply because you were deemed "special" by the park and no one, regardless of money, is able to do that also. No, you are taking part in an option that is available to EVERYONE. And if someone chooses NOT to take part in it, then they really cannot be upset at those that do. And if people DO get upset, well, that's just humanity once again proving that humans are on a decline. So take away from this the following: 1. People who use a FastPass system are NOT doing it at other people's expense. 2. Everyone has an equal chance to use the system. 3. These kinds of systems are now the "norm" not the exception at theme parks. --Robb EDIT: But you shouldn't because, with all due respect, he's not right. And I think the more people who take the time to understand how a "virtual queue" system works, the more you'd realize that it's not being done at someone else's expense. I'm not speaking from personal opinion, I'm speaking from how these systems factually work.

You're sure no alcohol was involved? I have witnessed Tyler's antics first hand and I had to question whether or not that wasn't a can of Tequila instead of Red Bull, but alas, the kid is just insane without any additional mind alerting substance! --Robb

I think there are a couple of separate issues here that are being combined together that I think you need to take into consideration - First off - One thing everyone needs to understand is that NOTHING IS EVER "FREE" - If you look at the average cost of a one-day ticket to a Disney Park versus the average cost of a one-day ticket to a Six Flags park, that Fast Pass system is not "free" - it's "included", yes, I give you that, but I've heard many people talk about this "Free System" from Disney, and trust me, it's not "free." Second - I believe Disney is able to offer this service to everyone who walks into the gate simply because they have higher capacity rides that can accommodate having an "included with your admission" system that is normally available to everyone throughout the day, even for many attractions on very busy days. When you have the throughput of 2,000 people per hour on your rides, and you can still maintain a 30-45 minute "standby line" this is not a problem. But when you look at a non-Disney park, if you offered a similar service "included" with admission price, most rides would sell out very quickly, meaning that if you got to the park even a few hours after opening, it's very likely that you would not be able to partake in this system. Making it an unfair system. Just look at a ride like Toy Story Mania at DHS. We have now been there multiple times on different types of days (busy days, dead days, EMH days, etc) and it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get a FastPass if you arrive after noon. Whereas even a ride like Space Mountain and Tower of Terror we were able to get FastPasses up until a couple of hours before park closing. Now TSM has the dual problem of 1. being the newest and the current most popular ride at DHS, and 2. being lower capacity than other rides at the resort. I can see why DCA chose not to add FastPass to this ride to make it fair for everyone coming in the gates. (However those that get to DHS early do have an advantage!) Lastly - It really is now becoming an industry standard and I think "expected" to offer some kind of FastPass or VIP service that will allow you to navigate the park at the speed in which you choose based on the amount of money you want to spend. At this point, Six Flags, Busch Parks, Universal, Herschend, Tussauds, and many other park chains now offer a "skip the line" system for a fee. I personally endorse these systems simply because when I visit a park that I am not local to, I don't want to spend my "vacation time" standing in a line. And while yes it's "nice" that Disney offers their services to everyone, it's also not always guaranteed. At least with the paid service you have a much better guarantee that when you BUY something you will receive in return for your money the service in which you paid for. (read - not spending time in lines) If there was a pay option at Disney I would ABSOUTELY purchase it every time we go to Disney World. If I knew that I could guarantee a ride or two on Toy Story Mania WITHOUT having to get up at the crack of dawn to beat the 150 minute line or to get a FastPass I would pay the fee in a heart beat! On top of all this, I have used just about every virtual queue system that exists and I believe that the Q-Bot system is by far the best "upcharge" service out there. It reduces your time in line to practically nothing (Gold Q-Bot) while really not adding much additional time to the stand-by lines. I have been to the same park before and after the Q-Bots were added and normal wait times haven't been affected. So for parks that have Q-Bots, if you don't agree with the pay-to-skip-the-line system, or think it's bad for the economy, the normal line is still the same option you've always had, but if you're like me, and you'd rather NOT spend that time waiting in line, then Q-Bot is $50 VERY, VERY WELL SPENT! Remember that getting a Q-Bot is an OPTION for people to make. And I welcome as many additional options as a park can offer to help make my day go smoother, less hassle, and more comfortable. It's no different that buying that "Economy Plus" or "Business Class" plane ticket versus coach, renting a compact versus a full size car, having a GPS system versus a paper map, an economy hotel room versus a moderate, a DVD player versus a Blu-Ray, a dollar cinema versus a luxury theater, a box seat versus a nosebleed seat, valet parking versus self parking, etc, etc... I think in just about every entertainment outlet there has ALWAYS been some kind of "upgrade" option from movie theaters to sporting events. Why should theme parks be any different? --Robb

Those Flash Pass prices aren't correct. The final prices should be up next weekend and I will post them. --Robb

Keep in mind that the Flash Pass office isn't open yet and those signs may not be the final prices. They can be found starting HERE! --Robb

I'm not sure I see what the point of this is. There hasn't been any word of any other Six Flags parks closing so why are we voting for them? --Robb "Thread Closed." Alvey

Does Roar at SFDK have red, white, and blue side panels? I didn't remember it looking like that. --Robb