Canobie Coaster

^ I think it's more from a staffing perspective.

Canobie is targeting to reopen on Thursday July 16 per their Facebook page. Reservations will be required. And all season passes were extended through the 2021 season. I did notice that Canobie dramatically cut their hours. They don't appear to have Screeemfest planned this year and the park is open 10:30-6 pm everyday. Typically Canobie closes at 9 or 10 pm daily. The biggest issue with the shortened season is that the basic season pass is blocked out all weekends in July and August. I'm hoping they revisit this policy for the 2020 season since the reservation system should cut down on their fear of overcrowding the park. For people such as myself that planned to visit after work or early/late in the season, the modified hours could make it hard to use the pass in 2020, but I get these are unique times.

Fantastic report! I have no issue if this is the type of queuing we move towards in the future. If a smaller park like Holiday World figured it out, larger parks have no excuse.

^ That's true about the hotels since I'd need to book one anyway, but in principle I just want to redeem a perk that's included on my Platinum Pass. I'm hoping they eventually respond to the emails I sent, but I'll keep their hotel in mind.

Kentucky Kingdom sure does love ejector airtime.

I've been relying on the USA Today link to keep track of all the state-to-state travel restrictions. That's where I originally saw CT's 14 day self-quarantine and I've seen it referenced elsewhere in other articles. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2020/04/04/coronavirus-travel-restrictions-us-states-quarantine-requirements/2947021001/

Sorry if there would be a better place for this, but I couldn't find a page for the Schlitterbahn New Braunfels location. Has anyone had any luck reserving a visit to Schlitterbahn New Braunfels with a Platinum Pass on their online reservation system? It seems like it's set up to accept the Schlitterbahn specific season pass, which has a 14 digit barcode as opposed to the 20 digit ticket number and 8 digit identifier on the back of the Platinum Pass. The Schlitterbahn New Braunfels site lists a contact number, but it goes to voicemail after a few rings and they haven't responded to an email sent last week. So out of curiosity, I called the Galveston location and got right through, but they had no clue what Cedar Fair or a Platinum Pass even was.

^ I know it's not being enforced at the border anymore, but I'm going to respect the rules put forth by the states. It looks like Connecticut will lift the self-quarantine in Phase 2 (starting tomorrow), but Massachusetts hasn't given any indication when they'll lift their's.

Out of curiosity, I drove past the old Hard Rock Park / Freestyle Music Park on the way back to the airport. I was interested to see what (if anything) was still standing. Much to my surprise, the park sign still sits at the corner of Fantasy Harbour Boulevard and George Bishop Parkway. For obvious reasons, the park has blocked off the parking lot and has many no tresspassing signs, but I was able to catch a glimpse of the abandoned parking lot and entrance plaza from the adjacent Crossfit Complex.

Great reports of the California parks! I know how you feel about the original Haunted Mansion. I either hit it for Haunted Mansion Holiday or when it's under rehab to be converted back to the original.

I'm hoping to go on July 5 to get some rides on Boulder Dash, but I need two things to happen: 1) Connecticut lifts their 14 day self-quarantine for visitors. 2) Massachusetts lifts their 14 day self-quarantine for anyone returning to Massachusetts.

Great report! I've always been amazed by the lower capacity on the taller sky screamers. That's why I don't ride the one at SFNE as much as I'd like.

For the virtual queue, do they open it at the official park opening time or is it open immediately once you're scanned through the gate? I was curious if Hagrid's is going to become a Rise of the Resistance esque lottery system.

And I can't see them adding anything that tops it (though if they do, that means it's an incredible ride). Pro Tip: It definitely makes a difference to visit when school is still in session like you did this second visit, even if it is a weekend. Great report, thanks for sharing. Congratulations on your visit because 8 days later is was closed. And yes, the Log Chute is probably the best ride in the state. If you are a fan of flume rides you need to get to NU someday. I didn't think the dropoff in crowds would be that drastic considering it's indoors, but I'm glad they were.

1) Yes. I'm actually at Family Kingdom right now (as an aside why doesn't anyone talk about Swamp Fox, that ride is fantastic). 2) My job is having me work from home indefinitely so I will be able to follow the self-quarantine Massachusetts has put forth if I visit anything out-of-state. I'm skeptical when any park in Massachusetts will reopen since they're grouped with sports stadiums. 3) I'm going to avoid any park that is acting like nothing is wrong and I can't social distance. I'm also leery about returning to indoor parks since most of the stories I've heard about this virus spreading seem to be indoors.

This was the second weekend in March before everything shut down.

Nickelodeon Universe / Mall of America The final stop of my pre-coronavirus tour was Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America. I visited both Nickelodeon Universe parks for the first time last year and I much preferred Minnesota's for a few reasons. I love how none of the photos for the Mall of America are actually about shopping. One of the biggest reasons is the atmosphere. Minnesota's has far more natural lighting and more trees making it feel like an outdoor park as opposed to a warehouse. And Minnesota's is located in the center of the mall with free admission, so the kinetic energy of the mall is infectious. Compare that to the one in New Jersey that's pay-one-price and tucked in the corner. And the ride that best defines that is the Pepsi Orange Streak, the Zierer coaster that winds its way through the entire park. This coaster is far from thrilling. In fact, it feels more like a high speed monorail. But the visuals completely make the ride and it's honestly my favorite coaster in the park. 7 out of 10 The other reason why I prefer the Minnesota park is the Log Chute. I'm a big fan of log flumes and this one is my personal favorite outside of Splash Mountain (yes I prefer this to Chiapas and Ripsaw Falls ). In my visit last year, the Log Chute had an hour wait so I was only able to get two rides on it. This year, I got a half dozen rides in the park's first hour of operation and a few additional rides throughout the day as the line maxed out at 20-30 minutes. This flume has everything I could want- some great theming, beautiful landscaping, great drops, and the perfect amount of wetness. Plus, the views of the mall and park during the elevated section are fantastic. New Jersey may have the stronger coaster lineup, but I'd trade anything at that park for the Log Chute. 10 out of 10 Yes, this really is an indoor park. That moose isn't just a static figure. It's an animatronic! Tell me another log flume next to a Hooters. Speaking of the coasters, the park's biggest thrill coaster is SpongeBob Squarepants Rock Bottom Plunge. While the coaster isn't in the same league as Shellraiser, it does have some good airtime on the first drop and speed hill plus a few good inversions in the slow barrel roll and sneakily forceful vertical loop. The one issue with Rock Bottom Plunge is something shared by many of the EuroFighters- the roughness. This coaster shuffles pretty badly along the course. 6 out of 10 The road to Rock Bottom had a 90 degree drop on SpongeBob. Nick Universe took the creative freedom to add a few degrees to that. You make a loop de loop and pull, and your shoes are looking cool. Avatar Airbender isn't far behind in the thrills department. This Intamin halfpipe still has the original over-the-shoulder restraints as opposed to the lap bars on New Jersey's version, but it's not an issue for me since this ride is smooth. However, this is a ride with diminishing returns for me. I enjoyed it my first time, liked it less my second time, and found it just ok the third time. I just found the ride to be a bit repetitive like a swinging ship since the cars barely spun. But at least Avatar has far better airtime that almost every swinging ship. 5 out of 10 The U stands for universe. The final adult coaster is Fairly Odd Coaster, the original Gerstlauer spinner. And I think this coaster has a big advantage over the versions at the Six Flags and Cedar Fair parks. Whereas the larger parks try to pair single riders with groups of three to maximize capacity, Nickelodeon Universe didn't care one bit so it was extremely easy to get an unbalanced ride. That resulted in some great spinning. As for the course, it's quite familiar for me considering I've ridden my home park's Pandemonium more times than I can count. But this one does have a better setting wrapping its way around rides and over pathways. 6.5 out of 10 The Mall of America opened hours before the official opening time for walkers, so I was able to catch Fairly Odd Coaster testing before breakfast. The park is also home to 1.5 dark rides. Ghost Blasters is definitively part of the park. It's included on the wristband and it's a pretty good version of the familiar ride. All of the targets work and it's longer than you'd expect. 7 out of 10 The half is for Fly Over America, the flying theater. The ride is located in Nickelodeon Universe, but it appears to be unaffiliated so it requires an extra ticket. The tickets were pricey (almost $20 if I remember), but was the ride worth it? Sort of. I got a ticket for a double feature, so I could experience the original Fly Over America film plus Fly Over Hawaii back-to-back. And each film was probably the longest I've seen in a flying theater. I didn't time it, but they felt just south of 10 minutes in length. Fly Over America (7 out of 10 had some great city/landmark shots, but there were a few duller shots mixed in. Thankfully, the latter was often paired with a smell to make it interesting. Fly Over Hawaii (5 out of 10) was stronger visually, but I thought the landscapes all blended together after a while, so I preferred the variety on America. The one issue I had with both versions was the use of sprayers. There are several sprayers mounted on the ride vehicle itself and they kept fogging up my glasses throughout the ride. I'm used to sprayers (I go to Universal after all), but this flying theater seemed to use them far more often. So just keep that in mind if you're visually impaired like me. Still bitter this isn't themed to Danny Phantom. Here's my boarding pass. I got one better than TSA Pre-Check, no TSA! Nickelodeon Universe also has a very strong flat ride collection. Brain Surge lets you flip like a lunatic. Shell Shock lets you also flip like a lunatic, but you have to work for this one. This frisbee had good airtime on the two max swings it provided, but it was way too short. Splat-O-Sphere is more of a family drop tower, but it has a nice long cycle. As I mentioned earlier, the Mall opened well before its posted opening time since it's connected to a train station and hotel. This meant I could casually walk around the Mall before it got busy. Nickelodeon Universe is the undeniable star as a theme park fan, but the rest of the mall is quite interesting as well. I skipped SeaLife since the version in Canada was tiny, but you could see the mantas from the top level balcony. So many butterflies. 2020- The year when an ice cream cone learns to take a selfie.

^ The free spin wouldn't use all of Dragon's old footprint, so they still would be able to possibly use the rest of it for another addition. As an enthusiast, a free spin may not be as impressive as a custom coaster, but for a majority of the locals who have never ridden one, this is a highly marketable ride. And I do genuinely enjoy them.

^ It also appears you can book multiple reservations. I thought they originally said you could book one online per park and additional ones would need to be done over the phone. I was able to get everything booked for my Texas trip with shockingly zero problems.

The reservation system for Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags Over Texas went online this morning for highest tier members. Additional levels will be opened up later today.

The reservation system for Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags Over Texas went online this morning for highest tier members. Additional levels will be opened up later today.

Maybe this is just a bad photo from the Mt. Olympus website, but it almost looks like the headboards for the bed are painted onto the wall rather than actually being there. Is that an optical illusion or do they really do that? Credit: Mt. Olympus Website

^ I've never had an issue with the tracking on Voyage, but I know others have (rode it in May 2017, September 2018, and May 2019). Hades 360 was considerably bumpier.

Great report! I too enjoyed my time at Mt. Olympus last year. I got three rides on Hades, including 2 in the back, and while it definitely throws you around, I found it perfectly tolerable with those Timberliner trains.

^ As someone who'd come from a distance, I'm personally going to wait until Mystic River Falls opens, which would also give the park time to reopen and test out their new measures.