RAWKIN_coaster38

Carowinds tomorrow! I'm currently in my hotel after driving 8 hours to make it down here. Then, I'll be traveling to Orlando for the Disney parks and maybe another thrown in? Then SFOG on the way home!

They're mid-tier. Tier 1: Cedar Point, Kings Island Tier 2: Carowinds, Canada's Wonderland Tier 3: Kings Dominion, Knott's Berry Farm, California's Great America Tier 4: Dorney Park, Worlds of Fun, Valleyfair Tier 5: Michigan's Adventure I don't agree with this... Carowinds Tier 2? I'd say Knott's is easily in Tier 2, and probably KD is above Carowinds. At worst, they're in equal tiers. I haven't been to KD in 15 years, and I went to Carowinds a couple of years ago, and I'd STILL put KD at worst, equal to Carowinds! Oh, and Michigan's Adventure is more like Tier 6. There is no Tier 5! I'm going by investment and attendance. I guess you could put Knott's in tier 2 then but still the rankings are accurate. Are you basing this just on Fury being the new hotness? I mean, KD has a Giga already. They don't have a Hyper, but they do have a sweet Floorless, and one of the only launched Inverts in the world. Next year, they'll have an RMC. I just wasn't that impressed by Carowinds when I went there. Underwhelmed, actually, would be an apt description. I guess it's all a matter of perspective, however... I'll be going to Carowinds the day after next so I'll be able to judge that park then, but I definitely don't see KD on the same level as CGA. I agree with your assessment, DILinator, I was very impressed with the park. We don't know what CGA is getting yet, but KD getting one of the first RMCs in the chain automatically puts them high on the totem pole, IMO.

Where's Reds? Restaurant with Sports bar type area across from Mystic Timbers (by Diamondback). The one time I tried to go there for a beer was during Haunt and I waited forever and eventually gave up, but I'm sure it's more reasonable during the regular operating season. Plus, it's air conditioned.

We'll be arriving in Orlando on the 28th of this month and not leaving until July 6th. We have purchased a 5-day park-hopper pass. My mom has never been to Disney World before and I have only been with a one-day park-hopper pass two years ago when I rushed around with an AP holder and somehow was able to get a ride on every major coaster and thrill ride I was interested in (ToT, Rockin' Rollercoaster, Everest, Space Mountain, etc.). So this will be more of a relax with my mom trip than a rush around and get credits trip. First of all, I'd like to know how the fast pass system works for the parks and how I can reserve some rides for us. Second, which order do you think we should do the parks, or which parks should we reserve for weekdays vs. the weekend? And which park or parks do you think would be best to be on July 4th? Also, what places are best to eat in the parks, and of course, Epcot? We can afford a few moderately priced dinners or maybe one or two big "splurge" dinners and then opt for cheaper options (or even bringing our own food) after that. Any other recommendation or advice would be appreciated! I have just a little bit of knowledge about the parks from my one short visit but I know there is so much more that I missed. I also really would like to do Pandora but I'm nervous about the waits in that area.

Probably last year at Six Flags. Don't think I've even ridden a bus this year, tbh. When was the last time you bought yourself new socks?

Which Pokemon was it? I got a Raid Pass today, and as I said before, I'm only at 25. Maybe younger levels can still participate after all? I haven't seen any nearby raids yet to test it out.

Yes. One from Cedar Point and one with cats. Do you play Pokemon Go?

That's a huge bummer. I'm only at 25 so I have a longgg way to go. Might not have to do that anymore since Tyranitar will be one of the gym raid Pokemon. I've got to be honest, that's a shame. Aside from Dragonite and Tyranitar there are no longer any Pokemon that are even semi-rare because they've had events for pretty much every Pokemon type now. I remember when I first got a Gengar it took about 6 months so it was really cool when I finally got it. A week later I had 5 of them because of the Halloween event. I love the events and these cool new ideas but I wish there were at least a FEW Pokemon that were legitimately difficult to get. I read someone in the media preview who fought a Tyranitar, but he said it was still very difficult to catch afterward and he was unsuccessful, so who knows. It might still be rare, but the point of raid Pokemon is to entice people with rarer Pokemon. If they do allow legendaries, I would hope there would be some rarity to finding them. If every gym starts popping up with Entei, Moltres, etc. then I'll start to wonder. I also wonder if they will limit the legendaries you could have, i.e. team Blue can only get Articuno and/or Suicune. I totally get what you're saying about the events. I'm kind of land-locked most days and I sure was getting tired of seeing nothing but Pidgey, Sentret, Ledyba, etc. so the events certainly breathed some life into the game for me as I'm sure it did for many others. I'm still holding out for Gen. 3. I'm not sure if there is any movement into releasing Gen. 3, but that *could* be their opportunity to again hold off on some Pokemon being rarer than others (In Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, Feebas/Milotic was very rare and difficult to get). Pardon me if some of this is all common knowledge.

Will hopefully make what's otherwise an uninteresting typical wild mouse a bit more interesting, and give something to do when there's rain. (Although I probably would have rather they enclosed Scorpion, because I like it better and would prefer to ride it over Sand Serpent when there's bad weather, but Scorpion is definitely more aesthetically pleasing than Sand Serpent).

Might not have to do that anymore since Tyranitar will be one of the gym raid Pokemon. I, too, an intrigued about this new system. I hope this breathes some new life into the game, because I frequently get the response, "People still play that game?!" and I don't personally know anyone who still plays it. Legendaries would be so neat. I also like that they are allowing TMs. Just curious when this will all actually go live.

This is really neat! Just another reinforcement to why I always keep an eye out for theme park memorabilia when I'm at thrift stores. I found a really cool Knott's mug with Corkscrew on it, old Great America, Marine World, and Sea World shot glasses, and my prize possession, an old Marine World (SFDK) plate with an orca and other animals on it. I also found a hardcover roller coaster book at one point, but that's not as rare as the glasses. Also, sorry about the jaw, I wish you speedy recovery.

Update: there apparently is an upgrade from Gold pass to season Slide-and-Ride pass that I didn't notice right away, I think it was $20. The upgrade says you have to process at SFDK. However, my sister was still able to get into Waterworld with her SFDK pass and scanning the barcode on the e-ticket, although I think she still needs to get to SFDK to officially process it onto her pass.

At least it wasn't 2 girls, 1 cup.

Wallet, car keys, phone. If I'm by myself at a park, then I'll get a fluffy bunny so I make sure not to lose those things. If I'm with family, then my wife usually hangs on to that stuff while I'm riding, then I take the stuff in the parent swap. No fluffy bunny needed. Lockers are looking more and more appealing to us as we've lost items at parks several times recently (keys, phone). The annoyance of a locker is nothing compared to the annoyance of losing your keys and having to wait for a tow or locksmith (shoutout to Kentucky Kingdom and Holiday World for allowing us to chill in the parking lot while we waited for AAA). We usually try to secure our items in zip/button/velcro pockets (or as a woman, boobs hold items pretty nicely) but things can go wrong. With every mistake, we've learned. The last two losses were from my boyfriend, so hopefully he'll learn too.

A friend of mine who works for the park said he thinks it's for the resort, and that they just modified the location a bit from the previous plans. Could be a coaster though, who knows. My "intel" is dippin' dots worthy. A while back Mark Rose himself said he was considering RMC Gwazi, but he also said he really likes the idea of a hyper coaster. They plan these things way in advance so it could happen, but RMC Gwazi is looking less and less like a probability the more they cannibalize it.

Yes, in theory it could be 100' or taller Well then maybe they are getting Boomerang? It's just a short truck ride upstate. Think of all the savings. Boom is already paid for. Transport costs are basically nil. They just have to reassemble it! I jest of course. It's a joke. I'm trying to make a joke. Did I succeed? I would cry.... with laughter! But really, I don't see where you guys are getting that it might be over 100'. This is the first I've heard anyone say that and I see no basis from the application permit.

My sister wants to visit Waterworld and she has a SFDK gold pass. Are there still passholder discounts or add-ons, or have all the promotionals ended?

#snakelivesmatter

We found Blue Streak to be a bit rough as well, and we hadn't ridden it on any of our other other recent trips. I am also one that it takes a LOT of badness for me to say I'll never again ride something (I would even give the NYNY coaster another chance), so I did ride it twice and would give it another chance, but I definitely wouldn't run there or spend time waiting for it when I could do any other CP ride. I'd probably place it at least in my bottom third of the coasters at CP. Raptor... I like it, I still don't see it as amazing as apparently a lot of others do, but maybe it's just eclipsed by all the other great rides at CP?

^That's what I was wondering too! Great snake report. And great trip report too.

In December, but hopefully will be playing again (and teaching someone else to play!) soon. When was the last time you read a book you couldn't put down?

Hands down, Falcon's Fury. And at the same park, Kumba. But Falcon's Fury can be heard from anywhere in the park, and even outside of the park. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

Yes, but I like driving too, and usually end up driving for the cheapness and convenience. I drove from California to Ohio so that I could have my car (and cats) at grad school. I'm planning on driving from Ohio to Florida for the same reason, have my car instead of renting a car. Have you ever driven 1000 miles or more for a trip?

Thanks for the TR, DILinator! Glad to hear your kids had a good time. I was a bit disappointed with the shed the first time I rode it. I think I put my expectations too high, and I wasn't even one of the ones who thought it was going to be a drop track! Since then, and especially because of Coasterstock, it has really grown on me. I was saying, "Don't go in the shed!" before the Maverick tunnel (as was the employee working Maverick during Coastermania), and I've been putting on those old 80s tunes to reminisce about one of my favorite new woodies. During Coasterstock night ERT on Saturday, we were clapping and singing and swaying along to the music. I do seriously feel the shed and all the theming for MT really adds flair to that ride. I totally get what you mean about the front not getting the full experience, but the back's where it's at anyway.