AmyUD06

Pretty sure Dorney's marketing guy called their new catering area "very special," too.

Cedar Point charges a similar price, no? Would we want it cheaper where its affordable for more people therefore making the fast lane lines long and the standby wait even longer? I paid maybe $70 for FL+ at CP in 2016. Which I found incredibly fair at a park with unlimited amazing coasters (and long lines) $110 seems awfully steep for a park like Hershey. From my experience, only a few coasters had long lines (Fahrenheit, spinner in a box, kinda Storm Runner?). Maybe I've just been lucky? Hershey admission is already on the higher end to begin with. That being said, if I only had one day and I could never return to Hershey, then I might consider it. Cedar Point (and other CF parks, I believe) vary the price of FL/FL+ by what month/day it is. Saturday in July? You'll be paying over $100 for FL+.

Below is a list of investments SF has made to SFA over the past decade. I've bolded what I considered major ones for you. 2018 - Lazy River 2017 - Skyflyer 2016 - Kidde play area in waterpark 2015 - Superloop 2014 - New Section / Spinning Coaster 2013 - Water Slides 2012 - Standup Coaster 2011 - Water Slides 2010 - Kiddie Area 2009 - Train 2008 - Halfpipe Coaster 2007 - Splash Boat Ride I get it, kid, everyone wants their home park to get a Giga/Dive Machine/Wing Coaster/Accelerator every year, but no, SFA does not "need" major investment. The market demand isn't there, and the ROI would be so so minimal.

Silly Willy, I feel that your confusion is unfounded. Sadly, you're commiting the fallacy of only including expenditures that you physically pay as they incur, as opposed to economically incurring them. It sounds like you're fixated on the cost of gas and tolls, while comparing the cost of a car rental against the cost of using your own car. But as we all know, the cost of driving is actually closer to $0.55 or so. It depends on the quality of the car, and the economist who is making the calculations, but a bulk of the cost is the economic cost of wear and tear of the car and the extra checkups and repairs that are required by additional mileage. In many cases, people actually prefer to rent cars on their trips, as it can be a way to use a more cost efficient vehicle for a long trip. In this case, the driver in question is able to a very long drive on a day that a week of grueling driver is looming. In many respects that adds economic value as well, as he avoids erosion of economic value from a long, grueling trip. As far as suggestions for excursions and activities, there are actually fantastic ruins of the old Six Flags Ohio that are still around. I've heard that they are very fun to visit, and will provide an exhileration like none other. I've heard great things, and not really heard of anything negative about this idea. Its not everyday that you are afforded the opportunity to explore wonderful ruins that haven't been developed into something boring yet. WTF? Where'd this guy come from?

The VR has been posted. Amusing that there's no non-MGM properties depicted; just parking lots where they would be LOL. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsOOAfKQnjE

If I recall correctly, Starflyers have no less than 8 chains supporting each pair of seats. The chances of all 8 failing simultaneously is so low it may as well be nonexistent. If they weren't safe you wouldn't see them at major parks (ie, Six Flags).

And as we told you in that thread, Kings Dominion says hello.

Not open.

On this note, Warner is New Line, and currently gets their theme park kicks (and money) from Six Flags. As you said, Fox is Disney, and thus parks already exist. I'd argue that Lionsgate (aside from Hunger Games, which is kinda dead now anyway) and Sony don't have any properties really worth developing into themed areas or rides. Not enough to make a whole park out of anyway.

The park industry in the United States is effectively "mature"; that term in economics means that it is no longer in a growth stage. Almost every major market has at least one park if not multiple serving it. For those markets that don't, the cost of building a new theme park is so high up front between land acquisition, infrastructure, and ride building, and the amount of cash needed to maintain facilities over the long run so great in comparison to all the other ways one might invest their money that it simply does not make any sense for most people to try. Most theme parks built in the Americas failed with their original owner, and it only by the 2nd or 3rd owner and multiple bankruptcies that most of them became capable of returning a profit. This. There are no new theme parks going up in the US because there's no demand for it. LOL. Never going to happen.

Your first day is 9+ hours on the road, not even factoring traffic/construction or bathroom/meal breaks. That is a LOT of driving, even with pit stops at Waldameer and Conneaut. Are you splitting driving duties with someone else? If not, I'd spread this out. You will not need a full day for Dorney unless you plan on hitting the water park. If you don't, plan on the morning there then the evening at SFGAdv in advance of the full day there. Your last day is 10+ hours on the road. See above. Honestly I'd cut out Kings Dominion and Carowinds and build in some more recovery time, especially if you're doing all the driving. As for how packed each park will be on the listed dates: Waldameer/Conneaut: No idea Knoebels: You can't get a wristband on a weekend. It's also memorial day weekend. I'm sure Bill or Boldikus will comment more here. Hershey: Memorial Day Monday. Place will be packed if the weather is nice. Dorney: Crowds? LOL. Not on the dry side. SFGAdv: Shouldn't be too bad on a mid-week day. Schools in NJ go until the middle/end of June. Busch: You're right, Thursday will be less crowded. Kings Dominion: Probably won't need the Fast Lane. Just hit Volcano and Flight of Fear right at opening. Carowinds: No idea.

Forget that system. If I'm paying $100+ for a skip-the-line pass, I want to be able to use it on what I want, not one-ride-per.

Took me a minute to realize you were talking about the Ferris wheel and not the now-defunct coaster atop Stratosphere LOL. And yes, the Bar Car is the ONLY way to do the High Roller. 35 minutes of open bar (beer, wine, AND simple liquor) is SO worth the $50 or whatever it is now.

For Trip A, that should be doable in 10 days. SFA and Dorney can be done in the same day, a day for Hershey Park, a day for Knoebels, a day for SFNE, and a day for SFGAdv (on your way back, it makes more sense this way). Great Escape seems to be a bit of way-out-of-the-way for a rather mediocre lineup with nothing really unique (unless you REALLY like Intamin Bobsleds). I'd recommend scrapping it and build in stops at Rye Playland, Quassy, and Lake Compounce, all of which are kind of "on the way" from Knoebels to SFNE. For Trip B, I think you're spreading yourself too thin if you're only limited to 9-10 days. Cedar Point is a two, if not three, day park and most people will recommend 2 days for Kings Island as well (though I've been extraordinarily lucky with my trips there this year and in 2008). I'd cut out Holiday World and Kentucky Kingdom and instead build some more time in for recovery periods. Edit: You asked for orders. Trip A: Day 1: Drive north, hitting SFA and Dorney on the way. Stay near Allentown. Day 2: All day Hershey Park. Stay near Hershey. Day 3: All day Knoebels. Stay near there. Day 4: Drive east, hitting Rye Playland, Quassy, and Lake Compounce, arriving near SFNE. Stay there. Day 5: All day at SFNE. Stay there. Day 6: Drive south, spend the rest of the day at SFGAdv. Stay in the area. Day 7: All day at SFGAdv. Day 8: Drive south to Wildwood, go to Morey's and drink. Stay in Wildwood. Day 9: Drive south, taking the scenic route of the Cape May Lewes Ferry and Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, home. (Alternative Day 8: Drive home the boring route through Delaware and the Baltimore/DC region). Trip B: Day 1: Travel day only. Drive north, stay near Kennywood. Day 2: All day at Kennywood. Day 3: Drive north, go to Waldameer, then head west for Cedar Point. Check into hotel, do whatever you can at Cedar Point. Day 4: All day Cedar Point Day 5: All day Cedar Point Day 6: CP in the morning, drive to Mason Ohio, check into hotel, KI in the evening. Day 7: All day Kings Island Day 8: All day Kings Island Day 9: Drive home

Coming soon, OSTRs on all log flumes. Bill, your life is over.

LINK15 story 96 degree drop". 15 stories is 150 feet. Technically, it does "drop" from a peak height of 150 feet. Whether that drop is interrupted by a holding brake is irrelevant. Picking nits about that would be like saying "well, it says "15 story 96 degree drop, so I expect to drop at 96 degrees for 150 feet" completely ignoring the pullout and drop-in curvature of the track.

Tada: http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Bay-Are-mom-arrested-for-using-stun-gun-on-12327800.php I was referring to the alleged Dorney Park incident, but thanks.

I second the motion for Ocean City over Virginia Beach. Seacrets is awesome. I'd be wary of the route suggested above; US-301 is under pretty major construction right now in Delaware which will probably not be done by the time of your trip.

So, basically the Dippin' Dots Guy. Cool. I'll wait until the press reports it.

And this has what to do with Theme Parks?

Funny you bring Dorney into this...... a guest actually pulled a gun on an actor in one of the haunts a few weeks ago. Source? TASER-branded devices (the type that actually shoot out the probes) are probably 90% plastic and wouldn't set off a metal detector that was set low enough to not activate at pocket change, as most theme parks' are.

At KD now and it's absolutely insane. I305s line is all the way out to Safari Village, Dominator is showing 2 hours on the App, all of the haunts are well outside their designated queues, hell ev n Anaconda was out the gate. Glad I got on everything I wanted to last night and this morning. I had budgeted for Fast lane but am just gonna go back and chill in the hotel, maybe try going back after 10. Anaconda line at around 6:15 Line to pay for parking at 6:50.

I went last year on closing-weekend-Saturday and crowds did get nuts by like 1:00. I'll be going this Saturday as well, and have fully budgeted for FL+ and Fright Lane.

Great review so far. I love to hear from an actual European that BGWs themeing sucks and is nothing like actual Europe, especially given how much praise it generally receives around here.

After you click on the polygon tool, you just keep clicking where you want corners, only clicking back at the first point when you're done.