RAWKIN_coaster38

^I'll be there! We're still looking for people to go in with us for '14 Gold Passes, good for the rest of this year and year-round next year! $60 a person when you buy 4 or more. If you're interested, message me before 3pm. Unfortunately, I have work until 2 and I'm estimating that we won't make it to the park until around 4pm. Please let me know!! This is the 2nd to last weekend for this deal!

They have room. If they want something to happen, they'll find room or they wouldn't propose it in the first place. Could you imagine? "Okay, we have this great new coaster all planned out, we're ready to start construction... oh dammit, I forgot that we don't have room. Oh well, let's just get a few more kiddie flats and call it a day." Plus, I saw something about them having an arrangement with the city to get a parking garage, and if that happens, it would probably free up space from the parking lot.

How do I get on this survey list? I swear I've signed up to take surveys, and every time they have sent me surveys about Fright Fest or my general experience, I take them. You guys are making my curiosity run wild, this cat is going to die a horrible death. I take great surveys! C'mon SFDK! On a different note.... is there anyone who needs to buy a '14 pass and is available this Friday? We have 3 people and we need 4 to do the pass deal. Only $60 and includes upgrade to Gold. If you're interested in going in with us, message me or rolercstrluvr and we can talk.

Thank you Andrewpolis for the update on Fright Fest! It does look like there are a few improvements from last year. I'm hoping that the Monsoon Falls maze isn't Total Darkness, as I don't see how it could be worth the extra fee for something so small. Maybe that's the spider scare zone? Seems much more logical. Just walk through the station and across the bridge. If so, then it's a great place for a small scare zone, and more "on the way" than the others. I'm sad that I haven't been able to go to the park for a while, but we're planning a trip of 4 so we can get the '14 Gold pass deal, so I'll be hittin' up Fright Fest in the next few weeks. For those of you asking about Fright Fest... I went twice last year, only once that I did the mazes. I think it was definitely worth the $15 but I don't know about $25. I was easily able to do the mazes two or three times in a few hours. Just don't expect Haunt when you go, FF is definitely on a lower level. Has anyone done Total Darkness yet? I have three questions... how much does it cost, is it worth the money, and do you think it's too scary for someone who's scared easily in the mazes and doesn't have much Haunt experience?

I think Tsunami Soaker will be a great addition to the park, and I'm excited that the park will be open year-round! I'm really waiting to hear where they're going to put this ride, presumably in the "Sea" section, but for the life of me I can't figure out where.

Hey everyone! I went to the park to get a new season pass since I lost mine last Sunday on Superman...learned my lesson about keeping my pockets buttoned. Made it even scarier for me today, too. Although I knew my pockets were zipped, I couldn't help feeling anxious that something would fly out. I rode V2, Roar, and Superman once each and then spent most of my afternoon looking at animal exhibits and riding smaller rides. Roar is much rougher than when I rode it in the beginning of the summer. Hope it gets a lot more TLC this off-season as it's getting really painful, even for me. Chillin The ad for the new "Trapped"-style maze. Shark Experience (seen outside Shark Experience) Getting banned from the tank really sucks Odin's looking gorgeous as always! Look at that fine, young...kitty. "Drench!" was great. Now that Cirque is done, they put their best out for this show. Why they call it "Drench!" Finishing up the night with two front-row rides on Medusa. Awwwhhhh yeahhhh...

We went to the park on Sunday to see the last showing of Cirque Dreams. We saw it earlier in the day and can confirm that for the last show they used their best performers and really did brilliantly. I also got James volunteered to ring the bell for the last show. We'll both miss this show and really hope they might work something out to bring it back. FRIGHT FEST UPDATE: They were advertising for Fright Fest and there is a new maze called "Total Darkness." Waiting in line for Cirque Dreams later, we talked to a lady who visits SFDK every Saturday and Sunday, and she said she heard it's an up-charge maze (beyond the wristband) where they limit the number of people at a time, and it's supposed to be like pitch black. We basically gathered that it's the Six Flags version of Knotts' "Trapped." The lady also said there will be 7 Fright Fest attractions this year, counting "Total Darkness," and I believe there were 6 last year, which leads me to believe that the same mazes will return. However, we also saw an ad that said "More zombies than ever before," and the only somewhat zombie maze was Scrapyard of the Dead, so maybe they're gonna get rid of that one or another in favor of a zombie maze. Another intriguing thing we spotted....some broken concrete and what looks like some kind of water or air pipe in the grassy area in between Roar and Superman. I've somewhat kept my eye on that area and I don't remember seeing anything there besides plants before. You can only really see what I'm talking about from the top of Superman. Even if it's nothing new, it still got us excited and talking about possible additions for next year.

We bought my SFMM ticket under the season pass discount, but I just lost my Gold Pass at SFDK this past weekend. Do I need to get a replacement pass before WCB or will I be alright without it on me?

Lost 6 entries but still have 4 left! I like this showdown, good luck to everyone! Also, congrats on Little K, Big Mike. I saw her in a lot of your FB posts and you two look like you're already having a great time together. Glad you're happy, you're a great guy and make all of us happy too!

^^^I still recommend going to Superman first. The last few times, I went to Medusa in the last half hour of operation and it was EMPTY. As in, we were the only 3 riders on the train during one cycle. I think that was on Memorial Day Weekend even. Sometimes there is a wait for the front, but the rest is always walk-on at the end of the day. Superman does not appear to experience the same emptying. If you're planning to stay the entire day, I'd recommend doing Medusa last. The concert that I previously mentioned is looking to be on October 12th this year at SFDK! No band announcements yet, but I'm getting super excited! They also announced on their Facebook page that concert-goers might get in to the park one hour before everyone else. YEAHHH!!! Rocker (Rawker) ERT!!!

Miss California, why not? Good luck to everyone!

Since I wasn't sure if I saw 4, 5, or 6, I will go with 5 duckies!

I forgot to post about Cirque Dreams. I went with rolercstrluvr and another TPR friend of ours on Saturday. We got to the park a few hours late and had to park in OVERFLOW! :O This was actually my first time parking over there. However, none of the coasters had too long a wait, longest was Superman at about half an hour. However, there was a HUGE queue outside Dolphin Stadium that snaked down toward the rapids ride at least 45 minutes before the Cirque show. It seems the crowds were literally all there for Cirque Dreams! Cirque Dreams blew us all away! We went in having low expectations but my friends agree that it's definitely the best show at the park! It's perfect for families, and the adults and children all equally enjoyed it. Lots going on throughout the show to keep those with short attention spans entertained. Usually at least 3 different things going on at a time: the main performers, crazy costumed people going in and out, other costumed characters popping up in the back to make silly faces, the dolphins, water effects, and if all that isn't enough, the backdrop is distracting enough in itself. Our highlights: --the pre-show bell ringing was HILARIOUS! Next time we'll see if rolercstrluvr can get picked --The muscle men acrobats --The female acrobat on the rope swing We couldn't take our eyes off the entire time! The crowd definitely enjoyed it too, and I caught some hilarious comments from cute little kids, like one little kid who yelled, "That's dangerous!" during the balancing act. If you do go to the park to see it, plan to get to the stadium AT LEAST half an hour early! We arrived about half an hour before the second show of the day and we had to sit way towards the top because the stadium was already almost full.

I agree, looks like a great addition to the park! I can also see this being a huge hit with families, which is a big plus for SFDK. Looking forward to seeing it this weekend. Thanks for the great report!

Unless the Pictorium is going to go bye-bye in the future! Oh snap! (cue future expansion babble)

This. I liked seeing the people fly out of the first drop while waiting in line. Makes me really glad I at least got to experience it during the promo shoot. I wonder why they put that wall up? Seems like they'd want it a little more open for people to see when they come into the park. But like someone said, maybe they don't have a choice. Too bad, but this coaster will still be freaking awesome, walls or no walls.

I've never seen a cirque show but I've always wanted to. The music in the video is great; the show's music might be similar. I like the little water fountains too. Thanks for posting the video, Kevin!

*Bump* Anyone planning on going this weekend to see Cirque Dreams? I know there are more exciting things in the coaster world right now, but I think the show should be good. I'll try to get a hold of a camera to take pics this weekend. I'll probably be there Saturday with some friends.

This is the line that makes me doubt the article's validity: Does she mean the promo shoot? In that case, this article was probably written a few weeks ago and wasn't posted until Monday. Her information is probably outdated. I think if it were opening this weekend, we would have heard something. No worries guys, the park's just making this ride perfect. Seems like there's still some wall construction or what-not going on. It'll open soon enough.

Got this on a SFDK newsletter. I guess Cirque Dreams premiers on the 22nd!

Have fun tonight, everyone! I'll be thinking of you while I finish my take-home final tonight. Planning to buy my Gold pass this week so maybe I can join you on Saturday!

Yes! Planning for CGA on Saturday. Have you seen a movie in theaters this month?

I haven't tried that but I had my own strategy that worked pretty well and didn't bang my head or ears. However, it was so rough when I rode it yesterday that it rattled my neck and back and everything even with bracing. The whole ride was very uncomfortable and I just wanted it to end. If other train is better or I find another row isn't so bad, my bracing method might work again. Tell me if your method still works if you ride it again. I feel like there's just no bracing when your whole body is being thrown around like that.

^I haven't seen those signs, but thanks for posting! I have State Farm, might have to start bringing my card in the park. I saw the picketers outside the park yesterday. I thought they were PETA or some animal organization because there were rats on the signs. I didn't get a chance to read their signs as I was heading in the park. Yesterday, I got to meet up with my good friend R.C. again and a friend of his. R.C. was my first enthusiast friend, it was great to hang with him at SFDK again! –We rode Superman first around 11:45. Luckily, only about half the switchbacks were full, but we must have started something because right after we got in line, the rest of the pad filled up. I think it took us about 15 minutes before we got on, and we were placed in the front row! Still an amazing coaster. Later in the day, Superman had technical difficulties. I went back twice in the afternoon and it was still closed. This is another reason is recommend riding Superman early in the day. –Roar is finally running two trains again. It had a few problems throughout the day as well, but we got one ride on it in the back. This time, it was SUPERRRRR rough even for me. It really hurt, and normally I can handle a little roughness from Roar. Me disliking Roar more this time may be related to me having ridden Gold Striker the previous day. I still don't think you can compare them, as one is twelve years older than the other. Maybe the heat had something to do with Roar being unbearable yesterday. -Speaking of rough coasters, I'm no longer standing up for Kong. Still only running one train, the yellow train, but this time there was literally no bracing at all. I got some decent rides on Kong last season by bracing really well and riding near the front and in the warmer part of the day, but this time I could derive 0% enjoyment from Kong. I will not ride it again for a while, and will only ride it possibly in the other train, and maybe more toward the back. -Medusa is as great as ever, and the last half hour of operation are almost-always walk on (besides the front row). –Thought I lost my souvenir cup on the tram, but really had left it in the car. Refilled 3 times at the Freestyle machine, it really is awesome. You can find the Freestyle Coke machine in the candy shop to your left as you walk in the park. –R.C. bought his season pass today, and we processed it midday. Walk-on processing! MUCH quicker than the 2 hour line I waited through in December. Here's some photos. It's 10:30 and the security line is out to the trams. Pandemonium is finally no longer a part of our park, according to the large park map in the front, that is. My favorite thing to do... post hella pics of the dolphin show. I went to both the 1:00 and 5:00 shows. I really think the regular dolphin show is better in this stadium than Dolphin Harbor I almost ruined my camera for this photo. "Oh, great shot! The dolphins are so close!" *huge splash soaks me and my camera* You can see lots of dolphins getting high if you go to Drench! The dolphins really like to get high together You'll see the trainers get high with the dolphins as well You may come out of Drench! looking like this if you sit in the front row of the wet zone. Now we take a brief look at No-Name Harbor There are lots of blue balls in No-Name Harbor. Lovely Painted Wall, the wall formerly known as Gum-Wall. Don't you think you otter be somewhere else right now? Thanks for reading!

After riding Gold Striker 8 times on Wednesday and 9 on Thursday, I can say CGA really has a winner on their hands. Best wooden coaster in the state! This is just an overall fun coaster, it does not get old. I really respect Great America for adding such an amazing coaster, it was well worth the wait! I had tons of fun at the promo shoot, I really wish I could come next week. It's soooo tempting to go again because I can't wait to ride this thing again, but it's also finals week and it would be really hard. My schedule is tightening up, but I'm going to do whatever I can to make it to another promo shoot day or to opening weekend to ride this coaster again. It's worth the effort!