Canobie Coaster

If I'm reading this correct, I can't see anything about advanced reservations like some of the other parks. I wonder if they'll end up looking into that.

Lake Compounce has delayed their Venus Vortex water slide until 2021 and extended season passes through the end of next year. https://www.lakecompounce.com/plan-a-visit/season-passes

Glad to see Hershey testing their new for (likely) 2021 coaster already! IMHO, it's iffy if Hershey opens at all this year based on the work they have to do on the main gate even if other area parks open such as Dorney and Knoebels. If the new entrance isn't ready, I assume they'd just use the temporary entrance like they did last year.

^ Isn't that a trim on the third camelback? Either way, Mako gives great airtime trim or no trim so I'm not worried.

The park's strength is the atmosphere and one other nice surprise is that it had free parking despite being right by the beach! I still prefer the shark themed one myself.

^ I agree. Being able to switch between wildly flipping and stalling upside down is why I much prefer them over something like the Looper at Knoebels.

Belmont Park Sometimes coaster enthusiasts can cram a few too many parks into a single day. I myself have been guilty of that in the past, but combining SeaWorld San Diego and Belmont Park into one day is a cinch. The parks are roughly a mile apart, but couldn't be more different. SeaWorld San Diego is a massive chain park with flashy steel coasters, lush landscaping, and animal exhibits galore. Meanwhile, Belmont Park is a small, classic, no frills, seaside park with a historic wooden coaster. And that difference in styles allows them to flawlessly coexist. The Giant Dipper is Belmont Park. The park is among the smallest in the country and most of that space is dedicated to the Giant Dipper. The Giant Dipper oozes history. And it looks stunning at night with the chaser lights and picturesque fan turns. But I have to be honest, the Giant Dipper is more of a looker than a rider. Every hill felt 10-15 feet too tall. There was only one tiny spot of airtime and many moments where I thought the train would valley. But if that wasn't enough, the coaster also has some brutally rough valleys. Really the only redeeming quality are the turnarounds that offer some solid laterals. 3 out of 10 If only it rode as good as it looked. Because this coaster is gorgeous with those curves and chaser lights. I'd argue the best ride by far at Belmont Park is Control Freak, this rare flat that is best described as a rider-controlled top spin. I loved this ride back in 2014, but unfortunately it was closed for maintenance. Does anyone know who manufacturers this ride? Some of the park's other notable rides are a tilt-a-whirl themed to ice cream cones, a frisbee with a solid cycle, and a Chance unicoaster. I took a lap on each of these attractions, but it took a while since the park was rotating ride operators since it was a quiet weeknight in the offseason. This ride was sweet. Beach Blaster was a blast. Belmont Park is far from the world's best park, but the Giant Dipper is a rite of passage for wooden coaster fans and its an easy stop for anyone going to SeaWorld San Diego.

Great news!

One other variable I just realized is that my pass is for Sea World San Diego. And it seems likely that park will remain closed longer than the other locations. Hopefully the pass can be used at the other parks once they reopen.

The thing I haven't gotten clarity on is if the park is cutting capacity based on the theoretical maximum or their usual capacity. That's a major difference.

Here's the Platinum upgrade for SeaWorld San Diego.

Great report! I knew Hansa opened Karnan without all the theming complete only to finish it later, but I didn't realize they dis the same thing with Fluch von Novgorod as well. Question on Piraten, I've seen a few people say Piraten has a faster lift than Kawasemi (only Mega Lite I've ridden) and it makes a huge difference. I'm thinking it may be because Tobu Zoo is usually empty and the ride just doesn't get to warm up/run full trains. Do you think Piraten is way better than Kawasemi since I believe you've ridden it on an ERT session with a full train?

Here are the upgrades for SeaWorld San Diego. On the Busch Gardens one, hasn't double rides been a perk for Platinum Pass before? I never would see anyone use them though.

^ I'm glad they're doing the online reservation system to avoid a situation where someone arrives and could be denied due to an attendance cap.

If you go to the park hours for Six Flags, you'll now find the following blurb. Looks like we'll have to reserve our visit, which is a good idea if there's an attendance cap. IMPORTANT: ALL VISITORS (INCLUDING PASS HOLDERS AND MEMBERS) MUST MAKE ADVANCE RESERVATIONS TO VISIT THE PARK. To meet state social distancing guidelines and ensure the health and safety of our guests, all visits to the park must be pre-scheduled using our online reservation system. Check back here for details.

I imagine keeping the masks in place and intact on a water ride would be harder than a coaster to be honest.

I figure they will.

^ Thanks! Hope it was time well spent.

Funny story about this one. Back when Quassy had the Mad Mouse, the park had a strict no single rider policy on it. So whenever I went to Quassy, I always dragged my reluctant dad with me. There was one visit I rode this coaster 20-25 times and my dad was terrified looking at the structure sway. Towards the end of the night, a solo ACEr stopped at the park wanting to ride the Mad Mouse, but he was completely unaware of the no single rider policy. Without the ACEr even asking, my dad eagerly volunteered me (then 7 years old) away so he could get out of riding it for the night. That ACEr probably wasn't used to an adult giving him their child without any pleading. So instead my dad photographed the moment and it's the only photo I have of that old coaster.

^ Thanks and I have no clue what I was thinking when I wrote that.

^ Was that confirmed to be a B&M? I'm getting Cheetah Hunt vibes from that photo.

Unless a ride was already built or very far along in the construction process (ex. Jersey Devil) I can see that happening to several of the new-for-2020 rides. From their perspective, it saves some money in the short term and they can install it in a subsequent season when they can properly market it.

I used to hate the B&M stand-ups, but in the past few years I've realized the key to riding them is to get your ears above the OSTR and the bike seat as low as possible. I like the leg-numbing forces, but I know not everyone does. I think the most comfortable stand-up is probably Georgia Scorcher and I don't think it's a coincidence that was the last one built. I'm just interested to see what type of ride position the surf coaster puts riders in.

Maybe an updated version of a stand-up coaster with better restraints?

SeaWorld Orlando received a shipment from B&M late last month. At first this may not seem like much since the park has three other B&Ms, but the description says it's for roller coaster SF-A. B&M identifies its coasters with a 3 letter code. The first two letters are the model and the last letter is the installation/sequence number. So the fact this coaster is A suggests it's the first in the SF line. Could the "SF" model represent the Surf Coaster that B&M filed a trademark for last year? https://www.importgenius.com/suppliers/bolliger-mabillard https://www.importgenius.com/suppliers/bolliger-mabillard United States Patent and Trademark Office