pianojohn

I went this morning and they had WWoHP open from 9am-11am with Muggles (regular park guests). I think they are planning to do the same for the next few days. I would say IF you are already planning to go to IOA, it's worth a try to see if they soft open all week. The ride is AMAZING! I am not going to do a full spoiler-filled review. I describe it as a combination of Spiderman, Soarin', Tower of Terror, and Haunted Mansion. It's that good. And I was able to ride it 3X this morning, with the longest wait being about 20 minutes. The rest of Hogsmeade is beautiful. The shops are small, but other than that, the whole area is breathtaking. Cannot wait to go back soon! My first Butterbeer!

I went to Cedar Point opening week (more or less!) Got to the park on Friday May 21st to discover it was Math and Physics week. Oh joy. Me+kids= Anyway, arrived by 9am with a light rain falling. Most of the rides were still running, so we thought we would take our first spin on Millenium Force. The line seemed rather short with none of the switchbacks being used. I then realized why: they were only running one train. Yup, huge crowds of kids and single train operation on arguably the park's most popular coaster. We skipped the wait and walked down the trail. They were testing Shoot the Rapids with empty boats. Made it to Mean Streak and rode it in the rain. Never again. That coaster is awful. Then headed back to the front of the park to see single train ops on Magnum and Blue Streak. The queue for Millenium Force was now completely full and probably about a 2 hour wait. Meanwhile, the red and blue trains sat on the transfer track. We left the park, got some lunch, checked into Breaker's Express, and when we got back around 2pm, the sun had returned and apparently common sense as well. All coasters were up and running with all 3 trains on MF, all 5 (?) on Maverick, 3 on Magnum, etc. Why oh WHY didn't they just start the day this way? Just a few more thoughts and then the pictures: I was told by an employee at Millenium Force after taking a picture of the train "Sir, it's illegal to take pictures." "Illegal?" I said. "Yes. Illegal." I of course knew there was no law against picture taking and promptly reported the misguided youth to Park Op. I'm all about following the rules, but this kid was wrong. Hopefully they set him straight. As you will see below, many of the bulbs on the Ballroom and Giant Wheel were burnt out. This leads me to believe that they were never checked since last year. Bad show. Went back to the park on Monday. No crowds, beautiful weather, and I even got 3 rides on Millenium Force in the span of 20 minutes during Platinum Passholder time. Enjoy the pics! Hmmm....rainy days and Mondays always get me down! Rain+Maverick=closed Fun with webcams! I'm in the maroon jacket in front! I called my friend in Orlando who took a screen capture when we were in sight. Where I worked in 1989 Shoot the Rapids from the Paddlewheel Excursion The ride entrance Midway Market prices. It's cheaper at lunch time which is when I went! The main entrance of the park The 2nd sign once you enter the causeway. 2010n Prices The "illegal" picture. Was I on the ride? No. Was I leaning over a railing or doing anything dangerous? No. The Ballroom at night. See all the burnt out bulbs? The Giant Wheel. C'mon CP! Change out those bulbs!! If you make it off the Point, this bar serves Yards of Beer! And this is the town's lone gay bar!

I rode it 8X in April and grayed out every time. Honestly, I doubt I would ride it again next time I am at the park. It's just not re-rideable for me. And I LOVE coasters! If they could find someway to modify the turn after the drop to avoid the gray out, sign me up! In my opinion, a great coaster is one which I would love to ride over and over. Fast, smooth, fun....i305 has the first 2 but the sickening feeling after the drop just didn't agree with me. Anyway, we'll see what happens over the next several weeks.

Here here!!

$2.50 a ride is a bargain to ride history. Plus, I would assume most enthusiasts ride it once for the credit instead of spending all day on it. I rode it back in 1984 during an ACE Coaster Centennial event. I may have ridden it 2 or 3 times at the most, and that was with ERT in the morning. Cute ride, amazing it lasted this long, and one that every coaster enthusiast must ride (in addition to the Coney Island Cyclone).

When I worked there back in 1994-97, I remember hearing rumors about a themed drop tower, similar to that indoor one in Europe (whose name totally escapes me now!)

I worked at Journey Into Imagination in 1989, so I am psyched to see Captain EO return! Now if they would re-open the Image Works and restore Journey Into Imagination to its pre-2000 condition, I would be in heaven!

I rode it about a week after it opened in 2000. Not a terrible ride, but WAY to fast for a wood coaster to travel with the track and cars it had. Also, the original trains felt very claustrophobic. I rode it again in 2005 and found it horrible. The trains felt like it was banging on the track, jack hammering basically. I also rode in on July 3, 2006, 6 days before the "incident." It had only gotten rougher and more un-rideable. I will be GLAD to see this piece of crap go. Ah.....little did I know the pain soon to be inflicted!

Yes. There are four tables up front that the ushers seat guests at. They tell them that they are part of the show but to keep anything off the tables. It really is a great show, and for someone who worked in Entertainment there for 4 years, it is probably one of the best I have seen. Enjoy!

Here is a video clip I shot today on the ride. It's awesome!!

Yes. I agree. We made the WALK (and i stress walk since the security guard threatened anyone who ran) to i305. By the time I rode it in the 1st train of the day and returned to the station, we could already see the masses descending on the ride. So basically you got one ride in with whoever else had a platinum pass.

Just returned from 4 days in Virginia to ride i305 and the new ones I had not been on at Busch Gardens yet: Grover and Griffon. 1st of all, it was HOTTER in VA than FL. Yes....mid 90's on Wed while it was in the mid 80's in Orlando! Got to KD by 930am on Wednesday to purchase a Platinum Pass and beat the crowds to Intimidator. A rant: when I bought my Platinum Pass last year at Cedar Point, they refunded the $10 I just spent on parking since it is included with a Platinum Pass. Not so at KD. So, unless there is some trick I don't know about, they still make you pay for parking once before you get your pass processed. Lame. Got in the gates and luckily heard the announcement that all Platinum Passholders get in 10 minutes early to ride i305. I followed the mob, eventually passing most of them to make it to the station for the 1st train out. I should have waited for the front row while the line was short, but I opted for the back. Now my opinion: I find it hard to compare i305 and Millennium Force (from now on referred to as MF) because they are very, VERY different rides. Yes they are both giga coasters, over 300 feet tall, made by Intamin, and very fast. But whereas MF is all about graceful drops and swooping curves, i305 is all about fast changes of direction and insane amounts of positive g's. For me, it was Maverick but 3 times as tall. Is it my new #1? No. It was intense, and for me, TOO intense. Every time I rode it (8 times in all), I grey-ed out after the first drop in the turn leading to the 2nd hill. Every single time. And for me, that was not a feeling I relish. And I know the theme is all Nascar, but I found the location very sparse. There were no trees at all where the ride was built since there are no trees at a Nascar track. And while the view from the top is nice, it cannot compare to the view of Lake Erie and the rest of Cedar Point from the top of MF. Also, since I am the farthest person from a Nascar fan, I found absolutely no need to purchase an i305 shirt since it looked like a Nascar shirt. Just an observation. I do applaud the ride ops who were efficient and safe. I never waited more than 10 minutes for a ride, and the line seemed to keep moving all day long. They will need to have signs up so those waiting for the front row stay to the far right and let everyone else load the station. Sometimes it would get clogged up, and the station would get almost empty until someone realized there were two lines. Whereas i305 was a lesson in efficiency, the rest of the park was not. For example, Anaconda, Avalanche, Hurler, and Shockwave were not running the day I was there. And Back Lot Stunt Coaster and Rebel Yell had ONE train running. Yes. Rebel Yell, a RACING coaster, had one side open and was running one train, which meant a 45-60 minute wait. FAIL! The next two days I spent at Busch Gardens, a park I know very well since I worked there from 1994-97. The Sesame Street area was very well done, but I don't know why they closed off the path leading to it from the left side of Squire's. It forced everyone to walk to the right, make a left turn, cross the railroad tracks, and then make it to Sesame Street. And the queue line for the Sky Ride also seemed out of the way. Is this a normal thing? Griffon was fun, but I still prefer Sheikra for the theming and landscaping. Griffon for me just seemed like a lot of blue track and no trees. I also like Sheikra's 2nd dive into the tunnel and water feature. The new show Celtic Fyre is excellent! Instead of just mounting another show all about Irish step dancing, they wrote and produced a show which features dancing, music, TAP dancing, and live musicians. And it runs just 25 minutes. Great fun and well performed. Enjoy the pics!! Paris? Um....no The insane lift hill The brake run The queue pretty much all day! Hellooooooo.... Dominator. I rode it a few times at Six Flags Ohio but didn't remember it being so forceful! That is one big ass loop! Snoopy wanted my autograph. What can I say. Griffon dives Great views from the skyride. That's a whole mess of B&M track! The splash down is cool but nowhere as interactive as the one in Tampa Bottom of the 1st drop Questor....um....King Arthur's Challenge....um...Corkscrew Hill?? Oh...Soarin' Over Europe! BBW....boo....so sad for someone who REALLY loved this coaster! BBW station. They left all of the queue line and station intact. Hmmm.....start the rumors now! Celtic Fyre. Great show! Still remnants of the park's past: Ireland USED to be called Hastings. I love the Grover in the front row! Thanks for reading!!

Thanks for all the advice! I was just at KD a few years back, so the only credit I am looking for is i305. After checking the weather, it looks like I'll be hitting KD on Wed: Partly Cloudy 93° 66° Scattered thunderstorms on Thurs, so I'll just hang at BGW for Thurs and Fri. Ciao!

Two words: Epic Fail. Or maybe a few more words: Marco Polo Park, Circus World, Six Gun Territory, Xanadu: Home of the Future. At least those parks ACTUALLY opened and not just pipe dreams! You see where this is going!

Ok, I know no one can predict the future....however... I am heading up to VA this week to visit BGW and KD. My plan is BGW on Wed and Fri and KD on Thurs. Anyone know what the crowds will be like this week? I know it's Spring Break, but I don't think weekdays will be crazy crowded. The weather is also crazy: mid 90's on Tues and Wed! That's hotter than it will be here in Orlando! Any advice from those who live near the parks (specifically KD since I worked at BGW for 4 years and really don't have an agenda other than getting my Griffon and Grover credits and seeing the shows.) Thanks!

When I was in Australia in 2000, I skipped going to Sea World and WB Movie World (I think that's the name) but did make it to Wonderland and Dreamworld. However, I didn't know about Luna Park in Melbourne and missed getting the coaster credit by one day! They were open on weekends, but the day I went the park was deserted and closed. Very sad for me!

I'll be there April 7,8,or 9th depending on weather and try to get as many shots as I can! On the other days I will finally get my Griffon credit! Woohoo!

I was just there today and the ride looks ready to open! The water was running, they had tubes all stacked up, and there were ride ops at the top and bottom of the ride. Any day now!! Also, the park was so dead this morning. I did every slide in the park in about an hour!

Hate to say it, but Universal is basically the Wal Mart of theme parks in attracting the lowest common denominator. Not to mention it was Mardi Gras. so.... Mardi Gras+Alcohol+White Trash-Common Sense=Leaving a baby while drunk looking for drunk girlfriend/baby mama

I just called Aquatica today to ask about an opening date. He said "Spring" which techincally could mean late March thru early June, but I am hoping for sometime in early April!

My thinking is that every park in the world for the most part has a standard flume ride. Cedar Point HAD two: The Mill Race and White Water Landing, but both were removed to make way for Raptor and Maverick. So if you wanted to ride a water ride, your choices were Thunder Canyon (and get soaked) or Snake River Falls (also get soaked). I am really glad CP decided to buck the trend and just build a good old fashioned flume ride. Can't wait to ride it!

I think it looks awesome and anything is better than those stupid balloons!

Welcome to Orlando! Looking forward to meeting you in person one day.

I rode Thunder Canyon when working at the Point back in the 80's, and Bluto's Bilge Rafts but only if I dressed for it. It seems today I avoid these soaking rides since I usually carry a camera, iPhone, etc, and can't afford to walk around soaked all day. Anyone else feel this way? But thanks for the pics! I still have all my old Amusement Journal magazines as well!

Wood? Steel? I honestly don't care how they classify it. If it makes The Texas Giant a better, smoother, more reliable and thrilling ride, that's all that really matters. Just my opinion...