DBru

^Tacking onto the above questions... Some friends and I are visiting Hansa Park and Heide Park in mid-June. Unfortunately, due to scheduling, we'll have to do one of them on a Saturday (and the other on a Sunday). Does anyone have advice on which park we should do on which day? Is one park more susceptible to Saturday crowds than the other? The issue is that Heide Park seems to have a lot more rides to experience...but Colossos is probably the only coaster we'll care to reride (hopefully a few times). Whereas Hansa Park seems smaller with fewer rides...but Karnan, Fluch Von Norgod, and Nessie all seem super re-rideable. Would love to hear thoughts from locals or anyone who's been in a similar situation with these parks before!

Some friends and I are visiting Hansa Park and Heide Park in mid-June. Unfortunately, due to scheduling, we'll have to do one of them on a Saturday (and the other on a Sunday). Does anyone have advice on which park we should do on which day? Is one park more susceptible to Saturday crowds than the other? The issue is that Heide Park seems to have a lot more rides to experience...but Colossos is probably the only coaster we'll care to reride (hopefully a few times). Whereas Hansa Park seems smaller with fewer rides...but Karnan, Fluch Von Norgod, and Nessie all seem super re-rideable. Would love to hear thoughts from locals or anyone who's been in a similar situation with these parks before!

Seeing that 7 of SFNE's 11 coasters are clones (and another is a super-generic B&M floorless), I'd really love to see them get a unique custom coaster for their next addition. The park felt like clone-city to me with one truly standout attraction. With that said, a large(ish) B&M dive coaster seems like it would be great for that location in the park, and definitely a welcome addition to the lineup.

Not a fan of the change in color scheme... but glad this coaster is still happening!

I don't think it's weird at all to want to ride on the same train as your friends. Part of the fun of riding coasters is seeing the in-the-moment reactions of the people you're with. Dkepler, my friends and I wouldn't think twice about sharing a car on Avalanche. But everybody's different.

Tatsu's new paint job... Wowza.

I feel like the "you can do everything in a few hours" advice is referring to pre-Covid crowd levels. I've done 30 parks in the last two years and I haven't experienced a single day at any of them where I'd describe crowd levels as anything less than "packed." When I visited WOF on a Tuesday in mid July 2020, every single line was spilling out into the midway. Demand has never been higher for amusement parks in my lifetime. I still wouldn't pre-purchase Fast Lane (who knows, you *could* get lucky...), but I'd certainly budget for it.

^Agreed. My friends and I enjoyed trying some different cocktails at the Chocolatier but the food itself was quite meh.

Yup, these are the new standard for B&M dive coasters, unfortunately. I don't like the vests on any coaster, but they have the most negative effect on dive coasters, IMO. The vertical drops aren't nearly as intense when you're being held snuggly against the seat by a big rubber vest.

Sarkanniemi was crazy packed on my visit, as well. Such a gorgeous setting for a park, though! I loved your aerial photos. I didn't have time to do the observation tower because I made the interesting decision to do ALL off Sarkanniemi AND Linnanmaki in one day (but I still waited 45 minutes for the kiddie coaster because I'm that kind of person). I agree that Tornado is a gem. I especially loved the tunnel after the vertical loop and the first barrel roll! Maybe I'm just jaded (and also a giant Intamin fanboy) but I enjoyed it far more than the Batman clones.

Most interesting to me this year is the placement of Twisted Colossus. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a really fun ride...but it's definitely a "mid-tier" RMC for me. Plus, it sits on a parking lot. I'm kind of shocked to see it ahead of Steel Vengeance (and Fury...and I305) in the Steel Poll.

^This guy...

I don't mind open-air stations, but this coaster really just feels plopped-down for a park as pretty as SeaWorld.

As a giant fan of attractions-in-a-box... Spookslot sucked. When the end of the show came, I thought I had been Punk'd. Great setting and queue, though! I hope they replace it with an equally *spooky* ride that actually has some entertainment/thrill factor.

You are so talented (and patient), my friend. Per uush, this report was worth the wait… unlike aforementioned newer USO attractions. I’m so glad you chose to join us up in Orlando for this adventure, even if our visit was brief! Thanks for the amazing photos and reminder that I should probs spend more time riding with my arms down.