pianojohn

Not sure where else to vent so I thought I would come here. IN a nutshell, had a women of color call me a wt (whitey) on Facebook since I replaced the previous TWO men of color in a job that they were not qualified to do. And she is ALWAYS playing the race card at every opportunity. Not sure what to do with this veiled racist jab at me.

Since we're talking about musicals, I am currently music directing and conducting/playing keyboard 1 for Dreamgirls here in Winter Garden, Florida about 20 minutes from Orlando. https://gardentheatre.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0S6R00000tGrnEUAS It is a 9 piece LIVE band which is a rarity in most theater these days. If you're planning to see it ( and ME!) I am playing/conducting the following dates: Wednesday July 19th 7:30pm show Thursday July 20th 7:30pm Friday July 21st 7:30pm show Saturday July 22nd 2:00pm show Saturday July 22nd 7:30pm show Sunday July 23rd 2:00pm show Wednesday July 26th 7:30pm show OFF TO CALIFORNIA!! Wednesday August 2nd 7:30pm show Thursday August 3rd 7:30pm Friday August 4th 7:30pm show Saturday August 5th 2:00pm show Saturday August 5th 7:30pm show Sunday August 6th 2:00pm show

Flying Turns first. It has the lowest capacity and slowest lines. Then Impulse. After that, you should be fine.

I saw 2 of them and here are my thoughts: Kimberly Akimbo is beautiful and heartbreaking. Victoria Clark WILL win the Tony for best actress. It has already been announced that a national tour will go out so see it! So life affirming. Some Like It Hot is a big splashy Broadway musical in every sense of the word. The score by the same team that wrote Hairspray is filled with swinging tunes. Literally! Almost every song is an uptempo swing song, and they are all great. This show NEEDS to win some Tonys to continue running. & Juliet also announced a national tour already, and the show is continually selling out. It doesn't need any wins to continue making money at the box office. I really wanna see Shucked. I have heard nothing but great things about it. NYNY? Don't know if it will last if it doesn't win anything. We'll see!

Better yet head to Berardis for an amazing breakfast. They are probably 10-15 minutes from the park but totally worth the drive. They also open at 7am so you could easily hit it before a day at the park. Check out their food here: http://www.sanduskyberardis.com/ They USED to provide the french fries at the park until Cedar Point decided to make their own. I usually order them with my omelet instead of breakfast potatoes.

Sad to hear this news. The spot was always a nice getaway from the heat and a chance to learn about the park's history. Really hope the plan is not dead. I don't know what else they would do with that building since it already has attached food stands on the far side.

Has there been any word about the Frontier Museum? It was supposed to open in 2020 then 2021....now who knows! Anyone who went to Winter Chill Out get any more info? Thanks

Guess I can rant. I've been a WDW cast member since 9/1999 so that's almost 24 years. During COVID, I was furloughed and then laid off. During that time, I got an MA in Creative Writing. I have applied for dozens of jobs and gotten nothing. After almost 1 1/2 YEARS of waiting, in May 2022 I returned to one of the two shows I had been playing before the shutdown. I was given a ONE day contract. I work one day a week unless they need me to fill in. I am still waiting for the other show to reopen. I have been forced to work a multitude of other jobs just to pay my bills. I seriously don't know how much longer I can wait. Done.

So 4 out of 13 coasters running? And the indoor one (which should be able to run in any weather) is CLOSED? Hard pass.

Awesome TR. Shawn and I went there for Christmas a few years ago and just loved it. Also, they bake and sell the cinnamon bread AT the hotel! We may or may not have had it for breakfast two mornings in a row. (we did!!) IMG_9262.MOV

I have no idea WHEN you went to Knotts, but I have never had a bad day there. I went twice this October during KSF daytime and had zero issues. Even with the night time crowds, nothing like you described.

It is NOT a packaged show. The only similarity is the title. They are all VASTLY different productions from the song selections to the cast to the choreography and costumes.

1) Monster Stomp is NOT the same at every park. Completely different tone and song list. I watched a clip of the 2022 show at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and it is vastly different from the Sea World one. The only similarity is the show's title. I know this since I worked on the show. 2) Did you even see the Longshoremen or Drag shows? Hard to have a trip report if you didn't experience either of them. The drag show (which I did see) was GREAT. Adult humor but nothing worse than you'd hear at HHN. And the Longshoremen were hilarious.

See below for edited response since I cannot delete this post.

I'm sure it will be much more tolerable in the US than Japan. When we went to Fuji-Q Highland park in December 2003, they would not allow any loose articles on the coaster. And by loose articles they meant ski hats, scarves, and gloves. So we rode Dodonpa in 30 degree weather with NO hats or gloves. THAT was torture!

As someone who worked at BGW for years, I know that Jan/Feb/March can be cold and rainy. I don't think it would be much fun visiting these parks when it's so cold outside. When I lived in Japan in 2001, I'd often visit parks on the weekends when the temps were in the 30s and there was snow on the ground. Fun? Eh...not really.

Quick question: if it's 135 feet tall, it is the exact same height and stats as Sea World San Antonio's ride. How then can this be the "world's tallest?" Unless they're building a high pad for it to sit on or it's at a higher elevation.

If all of these whiny entitled enthusiasts on Twitter and Facebook truly "never come back to CP," think how AWESOME that would be! I have read so many asinine comments like "first Wicked Twister now this! I refuse to EVER go back to the park." Cool bro! Enjoy Six Flags (while you can!)

I am pretty sure no one considers mid to late September summer. Summer usually ends when schools begin. Yes, technically it goes until Sept 22, but for all intents and purposes, summer is over by Labor Day. At least according to every single amusement park in the country.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. AND IT WAS AWESOME!!

Had a great visit to the park this past Friday night (July 8th) and Sunday July 10th. I worked at the park from 1986-1990 playing piano in 5 different shows and then returning in 2000 to music direct a few shows as well. The park was beautiful and clean, and even though it was peak summer time, I still managed to get 2 rides on Steel Vengeance, 2 on Millennium Force, and rides on Gemini, Valravn, and more. But the highlight was re-creating a picture I had taken in 1972 with my brothers and sisters. 50 years later! Enjoy the photos! The original picture taken in 1972. Right on the main midway. You can see the Dodgem behind us. 50 years later, and we were all able to meet up to re-create the shot! Still great as ever. Iron Gwazi is good, but it's not Steel Vengeance! Whee! Where it all began! My first show "Ain't We Got Fun!" in 1986 and 1987. And I just went back to Disney after my 2 1/2 year furlough to continue my 23 years as a professional musician with the company. Come see me play piano at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue! The new Farmhouse Restaurant is GREAT! We split the platter both times and it was plenty of food. Highly recommend the steak and potatoes. The chili was also very good. When in Sandusky, eat at Berardis which used to provide Cedar Point french fries for decades. A fun ride with an awesome view especially at night. Hope it comes back next summer.

I visited the park once in 2008 and then again in 2019. If you're in LA, I would suggest flying from Burbank to San Jose and then taking an Uber to the park. The flight is under an hour, and the San Jose airport is about ten minutes from Great America. AND fares range from $59-79 each way on Southwest. Beats the driving, traffic, parking, etc. and they do multiple flights per day. Pics from my flight!

Shocked but not surprised. The land this park sits on is too valuable to maintain a theme park. I went in 2019 and was surprised by the very small crowd. No way this park is making enough money to justify its existence in this city known for its tech presence. Will they rebuild somewhere else? Doubtful. I can only hope they move the rides to other deserving Cedar Fair parks. My suggestions: Rail Blazer to Worlds of Fun or Michigan's Adventure. Flight Deck to Michigan's Adventure so they can scrap their Vekoma invert. Patriot to Worlds of Fun which doesn't have a floorless. Psycho Mouse to Cedar Point. Why not! Gold Striker: who knows. Demon, Grizzly will probably be scrapped.

Yes. Two separate tickets to two separate events.

No good reason? Really. https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/25/us/icon-park-orlando-teenager-death/index.html I can almost guarantee every single one of these towers will now have seatbelts for insurance purposes.