AmyUD06

Non-Fungible-Token. Basically serialized digital images (EDIT: or any other type of digital file). One is paying to own the "original" of a digital file. That anyone can just screenshot. It makes no sense to me either, and I'm only 38.

Hey, at least they're spending money on things they can actually hold and quantify...still better than NFT buyers.

My normal cruising speed on 65 mph highways is 80...is that slower? Yeah, if you're super early in the morning, before rush hour starts, you'd probably be fine. But once rush "hour" starts around 8 AM, it doesn't end until like 6 or 7 PM. Every trip I've had down to KD this year, traffic was anywhere from stop-and-go to 25 mph from where 495/395/95 reconnect south of DC until maybe 30 miles north of Richmond. All that construction to add new express lanes doesn't help, and unless you happen to be traveling in the direction that the existing express lanes are operating, it's a nightmare.

Indeed man. That drive will take you 2-3 hours on a good day. I-95 between DC and Richmond is a complete cluster.

You'd be much better off spending the free day in Williamsburg; a ton of cool culture things there. https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/ Richmond, to my knowledge, doesn't really have much that you could occupy an entire day with. Or go to Virginia Beach and soak in the sun; if you like Go-Karts there's a pretty cool place called Motor World there too. Even staying in your Richmond hotel watching TV would be better than a day at SF America, if you ask me.

With any luck its simply a consolidation of the "annual access" offerings to one choice, with the same benefits, and two different ways to pay for it (up-front or payments), just like, I dunno, every other chain.

Here's my review from my trip there this July:

Four maybe...it looks like the red side of Racer was running backwards. Either way, very nice! I look forward to more.

Super glad I got out there last month an rode it in its original form. That said, the launch was kinda disappointing, so hopefully this makes it a little more intense. This probably will be the Gerstlauer LSM treatment, just like Psyke Underground at Walabi Belgium got in 2013.

Guess I won't be getting back to KD this season... Oof.

Let's be honest with ourselves here; these guys couldn't dismantle a coaster without starting a fire. I have zero confidence in their ability to dismantle a dark ride without destroying it. I've resolved myself to the fact that Devil's Den is simply another classic dark ride that I will never experience, just like the Spook House in Keansburg.

Everyone else has commented on coasters, so I'll comment on some other stuff: -The Boo Blasters is identical to the one at Kings Dominion, so even a step below the one at Kings Island. -As for flats, they've got a great Schwarzkopf Enterprise that ran a pretty good cycle when I was there in 2021. They've also got a Sol Spin which is a huge nope machine for me but you may like. They've also got a Yo-Yo and a Wave Swinger. Otherwise its just the standard CF flat ride package. -Coasters not on FL: Ricochet, Kiddy Hawk, Woodstock Express. If you are about any of these try to hit them early. With a FL pass, you should have plenty of time to grab a lap on each of these and then move on to the FL rides.

While I'm sad that I'll never get this pre-WWII credit, from all the reports I'm not missing much. And yeah, an "accidental" fire is much cheaper than an actual demolition crew.

Verbolten isn't even 10 years old yet, and despite any sort of "failure" of theming elements, seems to be a pretty reliable ride for them. I don't see it going anywhere.

Mini-TR: December 30th, 2021 Since I wasn't able to get on any coasters during my first Winterfest trip this year, and since I missed the Tree Lighting Ceremony show that time as well, I decided to hop down I95 for another quick visit. I was at the park from before opening at 5:00 and left a little after 7:30. A couple of notes: -The weather was much warmer (mid-50s), so everything stayed running while I was there...everything that was running, that is. -As far as rides go, the only adult ride I noticed as completely closed was Americana, the Ferris wheel. Dominator also tested with two trains, but they pulled one off right before opening (in front of me, so nerd bonus there), so AFAIK it ran with one train all night. The third train was nowhere to be seen. Notably, the coasters were running with minimal crews (for CF, anyway): Dominator had a greeter, two checkers, and a panel op. Twisted Timbers had a greeter, two metal detector enforcers, two checkers, and a panel op. I don't think I've ever seen them run the rides that short staffed. -Food and shows were a much different story. Every drink refill station: closed. Mac Bowl: closed (major bummer for me). Funnel cake place behind Drop Tower: closed. Food trucks: Nonexistent or closed. Blitzen's Brass Band, Tinker's Toy Factory (another major bummer), Jingle Jazz, and Four Drummers Drumming: "No Shows Today." I was told that apparently the COVIDs have infected a lot of the stage performers staff by one of the attendants at Sounds of the Nativity. -Rides Ridden: I did get on Dominator, before the official opening at 5:00, for the first public train of the day (front row, left wing). I'm now convinced that this is a front-row ride; the back just has too much rattle. I also got two laps on Twisted Timbers, a three train wait for the front and a train-and-a-half wait for the back. I guess I hit them at the right time, since they were posting 60 minute waits in the app when I left. -I also tragically lost my Platinum Pass card from Michigan's Adventure that I got in a fluke in 2017 to the stupid pass-through lockers at Twisted Timbers. Quickly got a new one at Guest Relations (no charge!), but now I have to memorize a new pass number LOL. -With Mac Bowl out of commission, I instead opted for a "Donut Burger" from whatever they're calling the Jukebox Diner during Winterfest; it was quite good - the burger meat itself was dry, as usual for this place, but the whole concoction was delicious and it was absolutely slathered in frosting. -I couldn't see Avalanche painting or the Tiki Twirl construction site, but here's a picture of the supports out in the lot as of this date: -I was highly entertained by the fact that they reprogrammed the Singing Mushrooms to do Christmas songs. This might not be new, but it's the first time I noticed it. -They have repainted all of the lines in the parking lot since my Thanksgiving Weekend visit. Lipstick on a pig, really, since the lot seriously needs repaving. -The programming on the Eiffel Tower tree needs some work...didn't exactly sync properly during the Tree Lighting Ceremony and quite a few bulbs were stuck on one color. I leave you with two videos; one of the tail end of the Singing Mushrooms' performance, and one of the entirety of the Tree Lighting Ceremony show. I totally dug how they grabbed a random family out of the crowd to come up and have the kids throw the switch. VID_20211230_191720708.mp4 VID_20211230_171516625.mp4 I might make it back one more time before my 2021 pass expires. If I do, you know I'll post about it haha. Thanks for reading!

We really need a "shaking my head" reaction button. Can't say I'm surprised, though.

During a malfunction, guests got stuck at the top for the tune of 3+ hours. Lots of bad press after that. All of the Windseekers in the chain shut down while Mondial developed the now-seen emergency exit platforms (prior to that incident, there was no way to get people off if the ride couldn't be lowered).

As far as I know, Knoebel's is in the middle of the wilderness. There's not really anything but there might be some trails. Can I ask why you're flying into JFK instead of Philly Airport when Knoebel's is your first stop?

Right, but you specifically said: Just trying to figure out what you were referring to. Soap Box Racers was also an Arrow, and Windjammer was a Togo, so thus irrelevant to the conversation of "Intamins are problematic."

Um, just out of curiosity, which out of these four would you consider a "big" coaster? Boomerang Corkscrew Wacky Soap Box Racers Windjammer Surf Racers

Yeah...having just done this trip, dedicating one full day for each park but only using 3/4 of each day, I think you'll be running yourself way too ragged, and has others have said, you leave yourself zero time for any delays or issues that pop up. One major crash or other backup on the highway, or a power outage or rain delay (at Knott's anyway) at a park, and you're screwed. SFMM is a huge park and you'll spend 5-15 minutes walking between rides alone. I'd definitely replace FT and/or WCR with Revolution, Riddler, Scream, and/or Ninja on your SFMM list. The latter four are vastly superior rides to the first two, IMHO, and Ninja suffers the same "might be gone in 5 years" fate as Viper and X2. As others have said, if you only have this one day, I'll pick one park and do it fully rather than trying to blitz through a limited selection of both parks. That said, for the coasters you listed, you might in theory have enough time, with skip-the-line passes. It's your money, but dropping over a hundred dollars for them to only spend 2-3 hours in each park seems insanely wasteful.

Given that each schematic shows different rides, gonna say that this is far from confirmed and still in the exploratory phase. But hey, if I'm wrong, awesome.

Definitely. Next time I'm out this way, I hope to have more free time. Indeed it is crazily priced. But I guess "everything is expensive in the SoCal area," right? I did have fun! Thank you, Sir! Yeah, I fully intend to. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of spinning coasters, I'm starting to come around on them. Amusingly, @Nrthwnd's post right above yours captures some of it. The park desperately needs some transportation options, especially with how mountainous it is. Otherwise, I'd say the park needs more family/thrill flats, and a true standout coaster or two. Some might say that Twisted Colossus is that ride, but honestly it was in the bottom tier of RMCs for me (SV, Twisted Timbers, and Twisted Cyclone are better IMHO). X2, while unique, was a torture machine. My favorite rides in the park were a 45 year old Schwarzkopf that's heavily trimmed and Tatsu, but neither were rides that really blew me away. The entire lineup is good (except Apocalypse), but there's really nothing special. Perhaps if I wasn't so time limited, and didn't have a pretty wicked cold, I would've had more fun, but it is what it is. Don't get me wrong, it was a good time, and I did have fun...there was just nothing that really stood out.

Finally got around to posting my report from my trip on December 10th. Read on, right here.

Day 3: Six Flags Magic Mountain Friday morning, I made the drive up to Valencia for my final park of this trip, Six Flags Magic Mountain. I have to say this: Why is there zero radio station reception in between LA and Valencia? It made the car ride quite boring. Anyway, I arrived around 10:00 and was maybe the 20th car in the lot. As with SFoG, you get a nice look at part of the coaster collection from the lot: "Sorry folks, the moose out front shoulda told you." Anyway, I grabbed my Flash Pass and proceeded to X2 at the recommendation of pretty much everyone. Yep, that's one "unit" operating - this would be par for the course today, with almost every coaster only running one train. X2: Listen, I'm proud to say on got on the coaster that put Arrow out of business. Absolutely insane and not in a good way. Rattly, janky, the cars had some free rotation to them which I'm pretty sure they weren't supposed to have. Just bleh. How can this be in some people's top 10 lists, I'll never understand. Walk-on for the front row. 2/10 just for the uniqueness. And how typical Six Flags for them to leave one of the parking tracks painted the old colors: Viper wasn't running yet, or I would have grabbed it while I was in the area, so instead I headed back the way I came to... Full Throttle: (Side note, I seriously miss the word filters the old forum used to have). Anyway, this one was a decent ride. Hang time was nice, the launch was weak, and the brakes on the down side of the camelback grab way too hard. But it wasn't terrible? Two train wait for row 2. 5/10. Next up was the wave of the kiddie coasters. I got on Canyon Blaster, Speedy Gonzales' Hot Rod Racers, and Road Runner Express. Magic Flyer was no dice for me, with it's hard height limit of 54 inches - I'm short but not that short LOL. None of them warrant further mentioning or ratings. Next on the agenda of proper adult rides was Goliath, with its comically large sign and weird-ass trains. Goliath: My first Giovanola, a decent ride with some floater air and great positive Gs in the helix. But WHY does the MCBR bring the train to a complete halt when there's only one train on the track? 22 minute, three train wait, for back row (with Flash Pass!). 6/10. At least here's a picture of the helix, buried behind the mess of supports: Onward to Twisted Colossus: A coaster actually running multiple trains, gasp! And amazingly, I got a race for the first half of the course too (most of the time they were missing the mark). It's a decent RMC, but I'd rank it pretty far down the list of ones I've been on, despite its length. Two train wait for back row. 8/10. Right next door was Scream!: At least the exclamation point makes sense here haha. Entertaining enough, not a lot of rattle, but nothing really notable except that no-longer-the-worlds-biggest loop. Half-train wait for the back row. 7/10. Here's a shot of that giant loop at least: Up next was Riddler's Revenge: Probably the 2nd best B&M stand up I've been on (after Mantis), but that's not saying much. I don't mind these as much as most people, because I know how to ride them, but still not my preferred riding position. One train wait for back row. 6/10. I then grabbed a lap on Goldrusher: Your standard Arrow mine train. Notably, it still had the skid brakes, which was cool to actually see (they were long gone from SFGAdv's mine train by the time I was coaster-riding age). I liked how it interacted with the landscape and the rides around it. One train wait for the front row. 5/10. Working my way around the back half of the park to its corner, I then rode Apocolypse: Easily the worst GCI I've been on. No air, insanely rough...just WTF. As bad as Roar at SFA. Burn it down. That said, the station flyby was cool (which I didn't get a picture of because, y'know, one train). I'd say they should add seats to the old audio equipment car at the back of the train, but that would just permit more people to experience this pile of trash. 10 minute wait for row 7. 0/10. Next up was West Coast Racers: The only thing I recorded in my post-ride notes video was "meh." That should say everything. Comfort collars weren't uncomfortable for me, but they serve no purpose. This ride is the definition of mediocrity. 5/10. Making my way up the hill to Ninja, I spotted this: Sweet, I would get to ride Tatsu today! This trip was prior to the announcement that the painting had been put on pause, so this was a great surprise. Ninja: Pretty good, quite long, lots of cool dives down by the water, and a lift hill at the end of the ride is always entertaining. Walk on for back row. 7/10. I totally love how this interacts with the flume: Does anyone know what this building next to the tower was formerly used for? I couldn't figure it out. And this would be as close as I could get to Superman today, which was quite a bummer: Made my way down the other side of the hill next to Tatsu: Easily the best flyer I've ever been on, and I'm not usually a fan of these. Great forces in the pretzel loop, very unique layout. I even rank it higher than Manta at SWO. Three train way for back row (only one train running). 8/10. Second to last here was Viper, with it's old-school Arrow-ness, awesome station, and super-high-in-the-air loop: Viper: This has held up very well for its age. Slightly headache afterwards, of course, but still a good ride. I like this layout a lot more than Great American Scream Machine had at SFGAdv; not going into the MCBR at a 45 degree angle makes all the difference. And it's certainly better than Anaconda. 15 minute, three-train wait for the front row (again, one train). 6/10. Last up on the agenda here was something I knew would be great, the classic Revolution. Note that every other sign I saw except this one still called it "New Revolution" from the failed VR experiment. Revolution: Such an awesome solid Schwarzkopf. Despite the new trains and being a bit too heavy on the trim brakes, this was great. The gentle slope down to the loop is so unassuming...you don't realize you're picking up speed until the entry to the loop, and then BOOM 4+ Gs. Front row, two train wait. 8/10. Here's a bunch of pictures of this classic ride: After that, I made my way out of the park at around 4:00 to get back to my hotel so I could get to bed for my early flight out. As a whole, this park just screams Six Flags...there's a whole bunch of coasters, a bunch of kids rides, and not much else. Note that I did skip out on the funicular, despite how cool I think they are...looking at one was enough for today. I also skipped the flume, as I didn't want a repeat of the wetness I got on the one at KBF, and Superman and Batman were closed. Is having the record for most coasters in one park really anything if most of them aren't great? My Six Flags park rankings now stand as such: 1. over Georgia 2. Great America 3. New England 4. Great Adventure 5. Magic Mountain 6. America And that about wraps up this trip. My flight home the next day was pretty uneventful, but I do have to say holy hell is the Salt Lake City airport (where I had a 2 hour layover) a horrible design: from my gate to the exit for a smoke break was easily a 30 minute walk each way. It was also pouring when we were pulling in to land at Baltimore, resulting in this awesome out-the-window view: VID_20211211_171458574.mp4 Thanks for reading, everyone!