Hang And Bang

Seeing your pics from the Wonder Wheel really makes me wish I had ridden it! That night all I saw was a giant Death Trap when I looked up at it. Luckily I made up for it by going on the Giant Wheel at Morey's Piers. Great TR so far!

Great TR! I'll be visiting this park for the first time next month and your TR has gotten me even more excited about it than I already was!

That Mega Dance thing with the airbrushed Britney Spears is priceless! "PARTY TIME!"

I love her! Watching her stand-up is like hanging out with an old friend, the one that makes you roll with laughter and you always have a good time with.

Magnum followed by Gemini and Vortex.

Georgia Scorcher is easily the best of the ones I've been on. The tight layout and strong forces make it a top 20 for me. It's especially good in the front. I think of GS as sort of a stand up version of Batman The Ride. It doesn't have as many inversions but it's compact layout means a tight, relentless ride that's forceful but smooth. Chang is also very good, another top 20. Just a solid, smooth ride. Iron Wolf is a little rough but has a great layout and I really like the "woodsy" location. Mantis is the only B&M stand up I've been on that I didn't love. I liked it a lot, it's a B&M after all, but it's too rough. It's awfully nice to look at, though.

Of the LIM coasters I've been on Mr. Freeze is the one that most does it for me. One launch coaster that I *really* loved is Greezed Lightnin' at Kentucky Kingdom. It's just fun.

Great pics, Spaceace! Your patience in looking for good shots paid off. Glad to see the Batman pic included!

Mindbender When I went to SFOG last year it was pretty dead and they let you re-ride this one, so I rode it about 10 times before someone queued and I had to get off. I could've ridden it 10 more times if they would've let me.

I was there yesterday, too. Definitely a great day! The weather was perfect, lines were minimal, and the employees had that early-season friendliness that evaporates over the summer. The Boss is amazing again imo. The drop before the mcbr is still rough, but other than that, it's golden. I noticed there were a lot less people complaining about being in pain as they were getting off the ride.

Pick this book up at your local Barnes & Noble... http://www.amazon.com/Unofficial-Guide-Disney-World-Guides/dp/0470089636/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206768953&sr=8-1 It's truly a wealth of information. It has everything from detailed ratings for the rides - for every age group - to itineraries for every possible 'trip scenario'. It includes tips on the best seats for most attractions, personal testimonies, and it highlights the little things most people miss. It also covers in-depth the Universal parks and Sea World. The book is nearly 900 pages long. It's detailed to say the least. It's even fun to read! I'm using it to plan my own trip.

I'll be doing my homepark (SFSTL) on opening day in a week. After that it's on to Carowinds and Hard Rock Park in May.

1. What do you find most useful about the front page? The forum updates, news, and other stuff. 2. What do you find least useful about the front page? The mailing list sign-up. 3. Is anything on the front page confusing? It's kind of busy and the eye has trouble landing on one spot, however TPR has lots of content so it's understandable. 4. How far do you scroll down the front page looking for updates? Just far enough to check the forum updates. 5. How often do you look at the front page? About once a week. 6. How often do you click on the "whatsnew" link? I'm not sure I ever have. 7. What would you like to see added to the front page to make your visits to TPR better? Nothing I can think of. 8. Anything else you would like to mention? Like any thing else you would like to see us add/change/leave alone/etc? I'd like a somewhat more streamlined look to the front page. Not that it's cluttered, it's just a lot to take in at one time and seems like it could be simplified just a little somehow.

I kind of liked Fly Me to The Moon. It was too short and the flag-waving ending was a bit much, but I thought it was fun. The best part is when you're flying through the computer, avoiding cables and other stuff sitting around. It's not an amazing attraction, but it does its job fine enough.

I went twice this week (Monday and Wednesday). Monday was moderately busy - the rain kept a lot of people away, even though in the park it only sprinkled a couple of times. Yesterday, however, was *crazy* busy! The weather was great, a little on the cool side even, but it was gorgeous and sunny. It took me nearly an hour just to get into the park, and that was without purchasing tickets since I have a SF season pass. Every coaster had a full queue and lines for concessions stretched across the midways. I imagine Friday will be even worse. If you do go get a Flash Pass.

< Disappointed Shockwave Fanatic

Looks like no Shockwave for me *crosses fingers that by some miracle the coaster is ready to go by next week*

Disappointing. Racer backwards is infinitely better than Racer forwards.

At SFOG Mindbender is my second favorite coaster after Goliath. Even if Shockwave and Mindbender are not neccesarily a whole lot alike they are both custom Schwarzkopf loopers, which always have that certain 'something' about them. I'm really disappointed I won't get to ride it. I found out about the Shockwave opening from a guy at sfot-source.com. He's an audio lead at the park and knows a lot about what's going on. Of course I'd be more than happy if he is wrong and it'll be open when I'm there!

I got confirmation that Shockwave won't be open until April. I just keep reminding myself that there are plently of other great coasters I'll be riding. But then I think of the awesomeness that is Mindbender and I get mad again. This is the first time I've planned an early-season trip. I've learned my lesson!!

I like this one a lot. SF definitely needs to downsize. However I think they should keep 8 properties - the 7 you listed plus SFFT. As far as I know (I'll admit I'm not an expert) SFFT is very profitable and widely considered one of the better, more unique, parks in the chain.

Or in some cases a Playgirl hunk. Seriously though, it's ridiculous to moan about the Flash Pass system. It is what it is. It's available to everybody. If you can't afford it then wait a little while longer until you can save up to afford it. If you're taking your whole family on a big trip to park you've all been looking forward to then it's well worth it. If you're a coaster dork on a road trip who hits a particularly busy park, once again, it's well worth it. It's not a seperation of classes, it's an option offered to anyone willing to pay for it.

Lucky bastard! Personally I'm all for Flash Passes. Who wants to drive 8 hours just to wait in line? I wish every park had a fast pass system! It all comes down to what you're willing to spend your money on. Cheap souvenirs and an over-priced meal or more rides? The choice is obvious to me, but if you have 3 children it's probably different. That's the way it is, and to me Flash Passes aren't unfair in the least.

Sounds good but what about us adults who are kids at heart! Seriously though this isn't a bad idea at all.

Thanks everybody! At this point I'm just accepting that it's gonna be insane and I'll just have to rely on Flash Passes for the coasters, which is where I'll be most of the time, anyway. I don't really watch a lot of shows at parks, and only go for the most interesting flats. I'll hope for the best with those. I do like to find quiet places occasionally to chill and take a breather, which can be hard when a park is packed, but oh well. At this point I'm mostly worried Shockwave won't be open. I found an online news report about it that says it will be open by early spring at the latest. I'm guessing that means April.