TopThrill182

Many of the SF advertisements do not bother me, but some of them do. The TV's are a great idea. Thats a perfect place for advertisements and will be heavily watched. Even the occasional Home Depot sign with the trivia is nice to see, and even the Starburst pose advertisement. But when I just see a random sign posted on a tree saying "LA Looks", thats when the park starts to look cluttered to me. As long as they stay "clever" with the advertisements they put in the park, and don't put in too many, I'm fine with them.

Not a fan of the color choice... or the name... but looks like it will be a nice addition to the park.

Regardless of the final product, I am really thrilled that SFMM has decided to spend $10 million on X instead of removing it. This also gives me a bit of confidence for the company in the midst of lots of other removals. The new paint job will look great in my opinion. I was always a fan of the original pink and yellow scheme, but the red and black will certainly make the ride look more "ominous". I didn't think the old trains were that bumpy, but I'm sure the new lighter trains will make it more comfortable. And anything that will help capacity will be greatly appreciated. As for the tunnels, I actually sort of like them now that I've had a chance to adjust to the new look. I'm glad that SF is trying to be original and creative instead of just another boring tunnel. In any event I doubt this will be the exact final product, and I can't wait to ride it next year.

Thanks for the advice everyone. So would I be better off going to Adventure Island than Aquatica or the Disney parks again? At this point we still could go to Aquatica or other Orlando water parks (we would most likely stay in a hotel up in that area for two days or so before heading back down to Tampa). I'm just confused as to whether people are saying Adventure Island is just as good as the other water parks, or not as good but will suffice. Thanks again for the thoughtful replies.

I'm trying to find some info on Adventure Island Water Park. I've searched the web but can't find any reviews of the place, let alone pictures. Here's the issue. My family is planning on going up to the Tampa area for vacation this Spring. In relationship to our hotel, Adventure Island is much closer than other parks such as Aquatica, Blizzard Beach, and Typhoon Lagoon. We have been to the Disney water parks and loved them, and I was wondering how Adventure Island stacks up? Adventure Island would be the most convenient water park, but we wouldn't want to waste the money going there if it isn't that great (or if Aquatica is going to be so much better). Would anyone who has been to Adventure Island like to share some thoughts? Would we be better off just making the drive to Aquatica? Or do you think that the Disney water parks / Wet N' Wild are better choices? Thanks

If you can ride a similar size roller coaster without trouble you will be fine. Both sides, especially Summit Plummet, are exceptionally fun.

I was wondering if anyone could offer some advice for a Spring Break Texas trip. I am planning on venturing up to Texas for a trip during the last two weeks of March. Originally, I was planning on visiting just the San Antonio area including Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Sea World San Antonio, and other area attractions. Then I realized how I've always wanted to go to Schlitterbahn, but the only one open is the one in Galveston. This led me to thinking that perhaps I should add on a leg of the trip elsewhere in Texas (Houston, down by Galveston, etc). I was wondering if anyone had advice for amusement parks/ water parks/ etc in the area? I would be mainly be focussing on San Antonio, and then perhaps traveling to Houston, Austin, or Dallas/Ft. Worth. I am open to suggestions for any amusement park related attractions, along with a few more specific questions. 1.) Most weather sources say the temperature in San Antonio and the surrounding area during the last two weeks in March is in the upper/mid 70's, but it doesn't appear that any outdoor water parks are open during this time. Can anyone confirm this? 2.) Is it worth going to the indoor section of Schlitterbahn Galveston Island? From the pics it looked to be a somewhat small indoor water park, but the information is somewhat limited on the place. I know the other two outdoor parks get rave reviews. How much is there to do here, and would it satisfy a half day? 3.) Any SFFT advice? Definitely looks worth a visit but I don't know if there is anything I should be aware of about this park (hints, etc)? 4.) Any Sea World San Antonio advice (time of visit, etc)? Again its all somewhat flexible at this point, so I'm open to any other suggested itineraries. Kemah Boardwalk for example, worth a trip just for Boardwalk Bullet? Thanks in advance for your help! TT182

I truly do believe Geauga Lake could have survived had Cedar Fair wanted it to. However, I agree that Six Flags was not any better. Had a buyer not stepped forth and bought the park from Six Flags, they would have closed Worlds of Adventure. That's why I never think that the statement "Well if SF had never sold it Worlds of Adventure would still be around today" many people make is valid. With rising fuel costs, people becoming more and more busy, and the fact there are so many entertainment options so close to home, I think Geauga Lake could have been a valuable resource for Cedar Fair. 700,000 is more than enough guests to support an amusement park. Michigan's Adventure has been in the CF chain for years, not to mention the countless other parks around the country that get an attendance less than 700,000. Plus, many parks in CF's chain get an attendance which is quite comparable to GL (Valleyfair, Dorney, etc). No the park didn't hit 3 million as CP did just an hour away, but that's not the type of park GL was ever meant to be. I think a nice, manageable, less expensive park such as GL (being a more local park) would have proven successful. I just think CF spent money in all the wrong places. First, I think WWK was a mistake. There was nothing really wrong with the Hurricane Harbor water park. Some of the attractions could have used a bit of updating, and it was a bit landlocked, but there were many things in there that were quite nice. Instead of spending the $25 million to build an entirely new water park, I think it would have been wiser to spend maybe half of that re-doing the Hurricane Harbor one. By removing such attractions as the monorail, skyscraper, X-Flight, Steel Venom, go-carts, and perhaps even Head Spin (or to even relocate it within the park) would have freed up more than enough land to expand and remodel HH, making it a much more attractive water park but not carrying a $24 million price tag. Plus, it would have downsized the amusement park, achieving two goals. This would have left the park with a lot of classic wooden coasters, and Dominator and Thunderhawk as their big coasters (I always thought this was perfectly fine). Then, the entire Sea World side would have been empty, allowing them to sell it off. This would have raised quite a bit of money which would have allowed them to do many improvements within the park, a bit of advertising, etc. This would have left them with a nice, smaller park, which as you can see around the country, are fully capable of being operated even though they don't draw a huge attendance.

Well but when you consider just how many people visit Disney's parks every year, it comes as no surprise that a few people with unknown pre-existing conditions will wander onto some of these rides.

Don't understand how Tony Hawk fits a Hurricane themed water park... but cool slide nonetheless.

I'd have to go with Intamin. I just appreciate their constant originality. B&M has some great coasters, too, but most of them seem to fall into a state of mediocrity.

I'd actually have to vote for Viper at SFMM. Those two ending corkscrews are just great.

Georgia Cyclone. This is the only time on a coaster I've actually thought I could be physically injured by the time the ride was over. The ride was just horrible and there was a ton of jackhammering on all the drops.

I've always found this to be an interesting topic. When I sit in the front of Goliath, or Titan, I don't have any problems. When I sit in the back I usually do gray out, one time i did so completely. However, as many people have already said, this is entirely harmless especially considering it lasts for maybe 3 seconds. As someone said earlier, I've also experienced and heard of a similar type of effect (not nearly as intense) on rides like Viper and Great American Scream Machine. Still I don't think it has anything to do with the design of the ride, and I'm sure they weren't intending for anyone to black out. And keep in mind, tunnel vision or whatever you want to call it where your vision fades, doesn't mean you are about to pass out.

Better than things I had heard: Viper at Six Flags Great America I actually thoroughly enjoyed this woodie, and would love to get up there to ride it again. Deja Vu I'm amazed these rides don't get more recognition. I love all three installments in the US, especially the late SFOG one. Worse than things I had heard: The Beast at Kings Island I had heard so much about this one and how great it was, but I thought it was a huge disappointment. It was just a slow meander through the woods. The ending helix was cool, but that was about it. Nitro at Six Flags Great Adventure I thought this was pretty blah despite all the amazing things I had heard about it. Just a lot of bunny hops with mediocre air.

I think this is a huge mistake on their part. The family market is taken in that area. Knott's, Universal, Legoland, and especially Disney have that market. While I certainly think they should make SFMM a bit more family friendly, I don't think they should treat the thrill seeking crowd and families as equal demographics. If they just made operations a bit better, more flats and shows, and some more family attractions (not kiddie stuff) I really think they could be quite successful. I am worried about the dipping attendance though. I was surprised to see just how empty the park was during my last visit (middle of August). I just love SFMM how it is now, and would hate to see the last of the Deja Vus disappear. But as many people have already said, it makes no sense to close that pathway between Rapids and Vu. Nothing is there, and I don't see what that would accomplish. I am just really disappointed with the direction SF is heading in. They seem to think just because they add new family attractions, they can automatically become the new Disney. I think they need to focus more on what demographic they can best pull from each area they are in, and stop streamlining all of their parks and adding countless clones. They have to understand that sometimes, as in SFMM's case, the thrill seeking crowd may be the best demographic to pull.

Will it be a new ride? No. But I'm not going to complain about it. I think it will improve the ride some. I didn't think the current trains are all that bad. I rode it a few times this summer, and while there was a bit of roughness on the second raven turn (easily avoided if you just lean forward) the rest of the ride seemed smooth. Still, new trains will most likely make it more enjoyable. I like the current color scheme's originality, but I don't think changing pink to red is that big of a difference. I hope they keep some yellow instead of making all the supports black. I'm interested to see the tunnel and lighting effects. I'm assuming it will be placed near the first turn around as thats the only part of the ride slow enough to actually notice a tunnel and lights. Overall, while it seems somewhat expensive, I'm glad that they are trying to fix the ride instead of tossing it like they are with all the other high maintenance, and therefore good, coasters.

Wow... This comes as quite a blow. These rides are my second favorite coaster in the SF chain. Unfortunately, the SFGAm and SFoG models are the best due to their location in the park. This is really disappointing. I do really hope the SFMM one is spared, but I don't know... Having said that. The ride was only good if you managed to get in 8B or 7B, and that was very hard to do with the priority seating. Plus, if you got in an A seat the ride wasn't worth a 5 minute line. And of course, the lines are absurd and move incredibly slowly. I didn't mind it on one or two trips, but wouldn't wait for it very often. I just hope the SFMM one is spared...

Wow. I don't really follow SFNE but what prompted this? Looks like some family rides being removed there... And what's up with Catapult? Does that ride have trouble usually?

While I agree that the park was already an extremely nice park, and I think already had better attractions than some of the Florida parks, the size always seemed too small for Disney. I can't wait to see the expansion.

Well I have mixed emotions about this whole limiting admissions thing. It seems like its beneficial to everyone, the park and the guests, by letting everyone in without limit (of course at a point they have to stop people from entering). Look at it this way. If you were a family that drove 8 hours to get to Cedar Point for what you hoped would be a great weekend, would you rather be allowed in and have to wait quite a while for rides, but at least get on some, or not be allowed in at all? Its tough for a park to say "the park is full... sorry" since people get angry enough when one single ride is closed. Still, some friends of mine went that weekend and I can say it doesn't sound like the crowds allowed for a very enjoyable visit. Too bad thats the weekend you, and other people, happened to visit. It isn't always like that on Saturdays though. Usually Maverick only has an hour and 45 minute wait. But in all seriousness, Halloweekend Saturdays have been receiving insane crowds ever since last year. If you want to go during Halloweekends and have an impressive ride count, do not even try a Saturday. But I don't agree with the employee comments. Employees at Cedar Points really run the rides great. Some crews will almost run as they are checking restraints. Its just the rides at CP aren't designed to handle crowds like Disney. MF can't pump as many people through as Haunted Mansion no matter how hard the employees try.

Really, no ride at Magic Mountain is worth skipping. Yes, there are some rides that aren't as good as others, but all of them are worth a ride especially if you don't visit often. Here is some extra advice I have from my last trip. Basically you have two options when getting there at opening. You can run to one of the big ticket rides (Tatsu, X) or run around and do a lot of the smaller rides (Scream, Batman, Riddler's, Goliath, etc). I haven't been there on a Saturday recently, so can't really comment on Saturday crowds. Personally, I think which plan you choose depends on what you want to accomplish. If your big goal is just to have fun riding great coasters, I'd run to the smaller ones first (and when I say small I just mean not X or Tatsu). You could get on Deja Vu pretty quickly, then go get a few rides on Riddler's Revenge and Batman, and then run over and do Scream, Colossus, and Goliath. Usually you can do all of those, sometimes multiple times, before crowds start to develop over there. Then you can wait for X later, which will probably be over an hour and a half, and then ride Tatsu at night when the line should be under an hour. If your goal on the other hand is to wait as little as possible, then you should run to X first, and save Tatsu for the end of the evening. Then in the middle of the day you could go on the other rides (maybe with flash pass). Whatever you do, make sure to save either Tatsu and/or X for the last ride of the evening, as those make great night rides. Seating on some rides also makes a difference too in my opinion. I think X is worth waiting for the front, you'll see why when you ride, and Tatsu is worth waiting for the front and/or the very back. Keep in mind, the last hour of the night is the only time they open up the back of the Tatsu train to non-Flash Pass people. Deja Vu is also much better in the back car, but they are pretty strict with non-priority seating. Scream is significantly smoother in the back. Overall, have a great time. Magic Mountain is a great park so be sure to do as much as you can. One thing to keep in mind though, is that X is very problematic and will go down quite often for brekdowns, and can even stay closed the entire day. Also, they close the X line early in the evening. If you want to ride that at night, make sure to get there an hour before the park closes! Otherwise, as I found out, they can close the line quite early (and claim its because the line is longer than it really is) and they will NOT let you on. So if you really want to get on X, keep it in mind. Can't wait to hear about your trip!

Best: 1. X 2. Tatsu 3. Deja Vu 4. Scream Worst: (but still worth a ride) 1. Revolution 2. Colossus I've really only had experience with Mooseburger Lodge, but that was a nice all you can eat buffet. They also have a separate menu. I also agree with the run to X idea. I did that on my trip a month ago, and was literally one of the first 4 people there. Keep in mind, it is an uphill run, so a jog may be better depending on whether you like to run or not. Just remember, the bridge heading over to X is not the start of the line! When you get on the bridge run to pass everyone who has decided to start walking.

Cedar Fair's press release on the subject seems to have an odd contradiction... They are saying they are vehemently opposed to the new stadium, but if the price was right, they may be more accepting to shut down. I think CF needs to become a bit more honest with which parks they are committed to at this point.

Sorry to bring back and older topic, but I'm still getting questions on that pic and meant to answer it. That is probably my favorite photo from the trip. And while I brightened it for the purpose of seeing it in a smaller thumbnail, the real picture has really rich color (which I will post in a bit). It was taken from the Skytower elevator, during the ride down to the ground. I was extremely lucky, as I don't know if I'd ever be able to duplicate that picture again. I happened to be in the perfect spot, eye level with the base of the element, and it was one of the spots on the Skytower where there was a lack of supports in front of you allowing me to take the picture. Plus, the train just happened to be going through the element as we went by. I was going crazy when I got that shot, and everyone else was jealous as they couldn't get their cameras out fast enough.