pianojohn

Thanks for all the great advice. I am hoping to get Canada's Wonderland done with enough time to stop by Martin's Fantasy Island on the way to Buffalo to get my two credits there. The reason I am hitting Cedar Point is to get my pass activated. I already purchased it online. In retrospect, I should have just bought a Geauga Lake one since it is closer to my Mom's home in Ohio, but I wanted to have the Cedar Point logo. Yeah, that's dumb! Any recommendations for hotels in or around Darien Lake? I have checked online but they all seem pretty shady. And if any TPR members are in the parks on those days, drop me a PM so so we can meet up! This is definitely a whirlwind tour for me, but sometimes you just gotta seize the moment! I also plan to stop at Waldameer on the drive back to Cleveland. I am skipping Seabreeze since the only new coaster is the spinning one, and I don't need the credit that bad. Thanks again, and look for my photo TR in a few weeks!

Thanks! Yes, I am mainly going to get my pass processed so I can use it at Canada's Wonderland. I am also coming back to Ohio in July for another day at the Point. Any Canadians or Buffalonians out there? Any advice would be most appreciated!

I will be going home to Ohio for my college reunion in a few weeks, and I (of course) will be adding as many coaster credits as possible. Here is my game plan: Wednesday June 20th: Fly Orlando to Cleveland, pick up rental car, drive to Cedar Point to get Maxx Pass processed. Hopefully get the Maverick credit. Head back to Cleveland and see The Click Five at House of Blues! Woo hoo! Thursday June 21st: get up at the a$$ crack of dawn and drive to Toronto! Get all the Canada's Wonderland credits that I didn't get when I went to the park in 1982 (I am that old!) Hopefully, get them all, stop at Martin' Fantasy Island on the way back. Spend the night in Buffalo, NY. Friday June 22nd: Hit Darien Lake, get credits that I didn't get in 1984 (I stopped there before the ACE Coaster Con that year and rode Viper 'cuz that was all they had!!). Head back to Ohio but stop off at Waldameer for more credits! Saturday June 2 3rd: 20th College Reunion Sunday June 24th: Cedar Point again Monday June 25th: Fly back to Orlando Sooooooooooooo...... Any advice on hitting these parks? I should have enough time to do everything, but I would like to know what coasters have the longest lines, etc. I assume Tomb Raider: The Ride has low capacity with the small cars, and of course, the Boomerangs only have one train each. Any strategy for getting it and out of the parks as quickly as possible would be much appreciated! And if any TPR members are around those days, let me know! Thanks!

Nice pics and great selections of songs for the YouTube videos! Made me want to get back there asap!

Missed you guys again! I was at MK on Saturday for the "extra festive" days! Soren, best of luck back in Germany!

I hate the phrase "over stuffed sandwhich." Don't ask my why!

No fair with an IKEA in the background could be called ghetto!

I am always amazed at your great pics. Screw it if it's 7 months late...it's worth the wait!! Thanks!

Hopefully with the Harry Potter overlay, they will upgrade/tear down/ do SOMETHING with the Pteranodon Flyers. I got to ride it back in 1999 during previews and never since. I mean...who puts the LOWEST capacity ride in a park with HUGE numbers?? Anyway, fun trip report!

Well, the nostalgia buff in me must say 1978 for the following reasons: Gemini (then the tallest, fastest, etc) Colossus (also the tallest, fastest, etc) Loch Ness Monster (first interlocking looping coaster) Mind Bender (still a great ride!) Shockwave at SFOT (another classic) Montezooma's Revenge, Greezed Lightnin' and Tidal Wave (shuttle loops) Lightning Loops at SFGAdv (interlocking shuttle loops) You have to admit....quite a year! And I rode Gemini its first season when lines averaged an hour of so for this MONSTER coaster! My have times changed.

Damn! You all beat me to the news! My roommate works as a freelance audio tech for the park, and he called me a few hours ago. He told me they had been testing Maverick all day, and then he got a call on the radio that it would officially open Saturday! Woo hoo! Only a few more weeks 'til I ride!

As one of the characters in one of my FAVORITE movies (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark) says: "Class does not compete with trash." Guess you had to see it to get it. But....how lame! If you wanna get drunk and act like idiots, go to Club Paris in downtown Orlando!!

I think I got a headache just watching it flip! Although, I do love Tomb Raider at PKD with the fire and water effects.

Oh, one more thing! About 2 weeks after the marathon, a good friend of mine came down from Michigan for Spring Break. We went rollerblading one afternoon, and he fell and broke his wrist in 4 places. OUCH!! And we are both pianists. Luckily, he is healing now! So, for those thinking about blading or doing a marathon, ALWAYS wear wrist guards. Always! Ok....back to more coasters!

Well, this is all a matter of opinion. If you are looking for a park near other attractions, you would go with BGA. About an hour away are the world's greatest theme parks: Disney and Universal as well as Sea World. BUT if you are only going to one park, I would say BGE. Overall, the park is much prettier with lots and lots of trees and shade. And the Williamsburg area is nice if you like historic places. Coaster by coaster, it is a toss up for me. I prefer Apollo's Chariot and Alpengeist, but I also love Sheikra and Scorpion. Have not been on Griffon yet, but I am sure it will be great.

Sheikra is AWESOME. The first time you ride a dive coaster, it can be intimidating. And that's the way they design it. On Sheikra, the entire time you are climbing the steep lift hill, you can see the vertical drop right next to you. The very slow turn and stop at the top all serve to build suspense. The hold before the drop is a little scary, but you are not facing straight down, even in the front row. Once it lets you go, for a split second you get that "I'm gonna die feeling" that I ALWAYS feel on drop towers. But that feeling is replaced by sheer joy as you float out of your seat for the entire drop. The rest of the ride is fun, not as intense as the big first drop, and the splash looks better from the ground. Don't think about it. Just ride it and I guarantee you will want to re-ride. Dragster, as someone already posted, it very quick. The launch is intense, but by the time your body realizes how fast it is going, you are climbing the tower, cresting, and dropping. I don't remember anything other than the launch. If you can, try to enjoy the view since it only lasts a second or so. Intense but over in a matter of seconds.

Back on April 1st, I completed my 1st Inline Marathon! Actually, a half marathon (13 miles) but it was a blast. We got to skate through the streets of MGM and EPCOT, but mostly it was a lot of skating on the freeways and in parking lots. Enjoy the pics! (Hope this fits in as a Theme Park related topic!) And here is one of the pics the professionals took of me in China!! Yeah! The finish line with my partner Shawn. Almost done! The joys of skating on a closed freeway. And the big ball Welcome to Morroco! Around the Boardwalk by the Dolphin and Swan. The woman in front of me fell about 1/4 mile up and took out someone else in the process. And onward to EPCOT! Hollywood Boulevard at MGM Self portraits are my speciality! And another angle And this is what the Tower of Terror looks like from backstage! And we're off! One of my favorite pics Ready to roll! People warming up in the parking lot of Wide World of Sports Welcome to Disney! We don't open for 6 more hours!! Yeah, that would be 4:06am!!

Unfortunately, I-95 is the most direct route there. My best advice would be to do the 295/495 corridor around Washington DC during an off hour to avoid the horrendous traffic and tie-ups. I would say anytime after 10am but before 3pm should be ok since all the crazy drivers will "hopefully" be at work by then. Whatever you do, do NOT attempt to drive around this area on a Sunday from 5pm until late. It seems everyone in the world is heading back home to DC and I always got stuck in traffic then. I took the Amtrak train from NYC to Williamsburg a few times, and it was not too bad. Of course, you would need a rental car since the Amtrak station is nowhere near the park, and Williamsburg is not a city that you can walk or take a bus around. Best of luck!

I just rode El Toro for the first time a few weeks ago. It was great! VERY smooth, fast, lots of airtime, and comfortable cars. In my opinion. it is hard to compare El Toro to The Voyage because they are both such different rides. Yes, they are tall and fast and all that, but Voyage for me is more like a terrain coaster (The Beast) whereas El Toro is a great out and back (Shivering Timbers, though ST is NOT all that it is cracked up to be). As Elissa said earlier, I could ride El Toro all day without too many lasting side effects. The Voyage, however, is just too intense, and I found myself needing some time off between rides. The El Toro cars were very comfortable, and with the low sides, they felt like Millennium Force cars. Lots of open space and air, unlike the PTC cars and their box-like feel. Just my observation. I would love to ride these two coasters at night to get a real feel for them. I am sure Voyage would be amazing with the tunnels and woods location.

My new CD HOME is now available! OK, I know this SEEMS like a commercial announcement, so hear me out! Plus, I emailed Robb and he said I could post this here. I have been working as a professional musician since graduating from college in 1987. Yes, I am THAT old! I have spent the majority of those 20 years working in theme parks, playing piano at Cedar Point, Busch Gardens VA and FLA, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios in both FLA and Japan. Still interested? Read on!! I recorded the CD last month here in Florida and it features 10 original new age piano songs. This is my fourth original release, and my most personal one to date! To hear a sample of the music on the cd, check out www.myspace.com/johnbdehaas Now, how do you order one? (or more??) CD's are $14 each or 2 for $25. You can order them directly from me in one of the following ways: Send me the money via PayPal. It is very easy to use and set up, and very safe. Click on www.paypal.com for more details on how to do so. If interested in ordering one or more, send me a private message here and I can give you my email address for PayPal. If you want to send a personal check, say so in the message, and I will respond with my home address. The CD IS NOW available at www.cdbaby.com/dehaas2. The individual tracks will also be available for download at Itunes, Rhapsody, and many other online mp3 sites! The CD cover The scene of the crime! In the studio last month

I was TOTALLY there on Saturday too! In fact, I was at the 1st Beetlejucie show. Must have missed you! But it was very crowded. Thanks goodness for VIP passes!!

Awesome pictures! I cannot believe how Griffon really dwarfs everything else in the park. I remember looking down on Loch Ness from the Sky Ride, but not it seems you have to look UP at Griffon! Maybe they should replace the roofs on the sky ride cars with glass!

My first ride on the Voyage was in the back, and I loved it. I also rode it in the fron and middle, and found each ride to be just as exciting and intense. Rough? Not at all. In fact, it was so fast, you really don't have time to think about anything else. I look forward to riding it again this summer. Enjoy~!

Just a suggestion: either change the date on your camera to the current date or turn it off. May not seem like a big deal now, but 5, 10, 20 years from now you may not remember when the pictures were taken. Though obviously it could not have been January since the park is closed. Anyway, thanks for the pics!

Let us know how it goes since I will be attempting to go there the following Saturday before flying back to Orlando. The only credit I need (and want) is El Toro, and since I have a Six Flags Season Pass, I am not too concerned about getting my money's worth for the day. Anyone know how long the El Toro line usually is? I will probably just go and ride that as many times as possible, so I am not sure a FlashPass would be economical for my purpose. Anyway, have fun next weekend! And thanks to everyone for the advice.