Canobie Coaster

Disneyland I own season passes to most of the major park chains, but the most surprising season pass that I own may very well be Disneyland considering I live almost 3,000 miles away. But when I realized I'd be on the west coast roughly every quarter for work (well pre-coronavirus), I could justify the cost of the flex passport. There were two new things for me on this particular trip- Star Wars Rise of the Resistance and the Magic Happens parade. I had already ridden Star Wars Rise of the Resistance in Orlando, so I was familiar with the ride and process to get an early boarding pass. On a few of my visits, I happened to snag the first boarding group of the day! Social distancing wasn't yet a thing in late February. I didn't know they actually used Group 1! One of the days, we had a boarding group in the mid-60s and Rise of the Resistance was having an absolutely awful day. Every time we would walk over to the ride, it would breakdown. Eventually we were able to catch it after an extended afternoon closure and much to my shock, all the effects were running. I already posted a detailed review of the ride in the Hollywood Studios report (Here), so go there if you want the spoilers. But from a high level, this is quite simply the world's best themed dark ride and Disney's crowning achievement. The level of immersion is incredible. The Resistance were having some issues processing recruits. I blame the Jawas. We ended up seeing the Magic Happens parade on its second day and lucked into a great spot behind a trash can near It's a Small World. We also purposefully planned to see the parade at night and we were quite pleased with our decision once we saw how colorful the floats were. The parade was excellent. I loved the float designs. The music was catchy. And the walkaround characters interacted with guests in the front row. Mickey would totally beat Harry Potter in a duel. I also rediscovered my love of Fantasmic. On my past visits, I've been crammed shoulder to shoulder in the FastPass so I haven't had the best vantage point. This time I realized I could get a better spot using Standby if I waited for the second show. I especially loved this standing spot to the left of the dining area where you had a clear view of the left water screen (which was far clearer than the middle screen) and a front row view of the boats. Fantasmic was already my favorite theme park show, but I realized just how amazing the visuals were when I had a front row view. It's the perfect way to end a visit with that catchy soundtrack, the flashy effects, and all the characters. Mickey blows his load. Fantasmic has more colors than a rainbow. Mouse versus dragon. Who will win? Avada Kedavra! I've never had such a clear view of the boat. One of the other highlights was marathoning Splash Mountain without getting off. I always wondered if Disney would allow rerides, but the answer is yes there's absolutely no one in line. And that was the case for Splash Mountain on a cold, rainy night when temperatures dropped into the 40s. Californias still flocked to Splash Mountain by day. But Slinky and I had the mountain all to ourselves at night. And sometimes I was able to convince a local to join me. Last but not least, Space Mountain had been running the Hyperspace Mountain overlay in my past few visits. While enjoyable, I prefer the standard Space Mountain. Thankfully it was back in its former glory so I could enjoy the Michael Giacchino score while zooming through space. 40 minute posted wait. Let's see how long I actually wait. Needless to say, I walked right onto Space Mountain. And I found this weird creature. But we quickly became friends. Beyond those highlights, I spent the day riding through the park's other mountains, reliving classic films, and stuffing my face with food. New ride credit for me! Big Thunder's finale was down on my last visit, so it was great to see it running again! Indiana Jones was celebrating his 25th anniversary of rescuing tourists who can't follow one simple instruction- Don't Look into Mara's Eyes! The portable hole is still one of my all-time favorite effects. You're not you when you're hungry. Snickers satisfies. It's a Small World teaches young boys how to rub their cock. Seeing Pooh stuff his face with honey made me hungry. Slinky was begging for the Monte Cristo. I had never been to Bengal Barbecue, but I can definitely say I'll be returning. I love meat on a stick! I escaped the First Order's quarantine and explroed Batuu after dark. It was nice exploring the land without the crowds. Haunted Mansion was closed for refurbishment and still scaring guests with this ominous wait time. Goofy looks upon the castle with envy and gives Mickey the one finger salute. For the past few years, I had considered Tokyo Disneyland my favorite park in the world. But after these visits, I think I now give the edge back to the original Disneyland. Rise of the Resistance and the ability to rapidly accumulate FastPasses with MaxPass tip the scales in my opinion.

One of the trains was running pretty slow in 2019, but the other ran like its usual self. Great Escape takes really good care of their star attraction.

^ Maybe it'll actually be ready for opening day at the rate park openings have been delayed.

Thanks for sharing! I love seeing old maps. It's weird to see Montezooma's Revenge without Jaguar threading it.

^ Hopefully the characters keep that up consistently and it wasn't just an opening weekend thing.

Disneyland's new Magic Happens parade debuted on February 28. I was there on Leap Day and compiled a short highlights video for each float. I really liked how the walkaround characters interacted with the audience and I liked the float design.

If they are giving free months on the backside plus added benefits, I think it makes sense to keep paying. But I agree they'll probably make it hard to downgrade to the lower level. Heck, it was hard to get them to upgrade my membership when I tried to give them money.

Looks like Six Flags is targeting a mid-May opening if conditions improve. This lines up with the CDC's timeline for limiting large gatherings and when Cedar Fair also plans to open. Six Flags New England posted this, but it seemed to be the same message for all the Six Flags parks I checked. Members will receive 1 free month for every month the park remains closed. And a free membership upgrade. I wonder if they'll do anything extra for the highest tier members since they can't be upgraded to another level like the other membership levels.

I forgot to mention this after visiting Knott's last month, but when did HangTime get new seatbelts? I remember the release on the old seatbelts were very counter-intuitive and really slowed down loading. If I remember correctly, you had to press the buckle together before it would release. However, I noticed the seatbelts were more traditional this time around so people were actually able to unbuckle them without any instruction from the operators.

My 2019 and 2018 rides on I305 felt identical and smooth as ever. As for Boulder Dash, it's definitely shaky if you ride towards the back. My favorite seat has always been the front for the speed, view, and airtime, but it just so happens to also be the smoothest seat by far. I am worried 2020 could be a rougher year since they didn't do much trackwork on it. The budget went towards Wildcat again from what they shared at the Great Nor'Easter event.

I was looking forward to seeing these results! Thanks for compiling them! The thing that jumps out most to me is Untamed topping Steel Vengeance. I love Untamed. It's my second favorite steel behind Steel Vengeance. Most people (me included) I've talked to Untamed about call it a mini Steel Vengeance, but none of those people place it ahead of Steel Vengeance.

^ Fixed it for you.

Thanks! I agree Mine Blower and Rockit are two rides that don't as much praise as they should.

Great report! Those sunset shots are beautiful. I was assigned the middle to front on all my rides on Hollywood Dream, which was disappointing since I almost always prefer B&M hypers in the back. But maybe I'll get lucky with the row assignment lottery next time. It's shocking to me that Space Fantasy keeps some of the effects on like that final room even when they have the VR going.

When I heard they were getting something called Hercules, I was optimistic it would be another coaster. But I am intrigued by these slide wheels since they're so unique.

Whichever park in the Northeast opens first. At this point, I have no clue when that'll be or who it will be.

Wow they've pushed their opening back way further than anyone else. Is Cedar Fair pushing back to mid-May the longest other one on record?

Islands of Adventure without a doubt. I think it has the best ride lineup of any park in Florida.

Universal Orlando/Islands of Adventure After two early mornings at Hollywood Studios, I decided to sleep in. I slept in all the way to 7:30. I knew it was risky getting to Islands of Adventure early for Hagrid's. With temperatures below 60 degrees and the ride's operational issues, I was skeptical it would even open with the park. Sure enough, it didn't. This was the equivalent of the Hogwarts Express arriving at Hogwarts only to find the school closed. The park let us into the queue. I was optimistic since the ride was testing. But the audio prompts kept getting worse. The short delay turned into a long delay and latter an indefinite delay. After 2 hours, the park cleared out the queue but gave us a special Express Pass to return. And I was secretly happy with this outcome since I could use it to get a rare night ride on Hagrid's. Arthur Weasley is a sucky mechanic. And just like last time, Hagrid's was testing as the queue line was evacuated. So I decided to wait around for 5 minutes and sure enough, Hagrid's opened and I walked right onto the coaster. Even though I was a single rider, I chose to use the regular queue. That way I could guarantee myself a motorbike. The elevated seating position leaves you so open and accentuates the curves. And I think I preferred Hagrid's even more this time around. It's an action-packed journey from start to finish. Each launch packs a nice punch, the turns pull some good Gs, the hills had a pinch of airtime, and the surprise elements along the way give the ride character. 10 out of 10 Hagrid's marches all over the grave of Dueling Dragons. Hagrid's may be a slow oaf in the films, but his motorbikes are certainly agile. I didn't remember the ride having the few spots of airtime back in October. I contemplated getting back in line for Hagrid's, but I couldn't locate the end of the queue (it was somewhere back in Lost Continent). So instead I decided to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The ride was posting an astronomical 120 minute standby queue, so naturally I chose to use the single rider line, which was a walk-on as always. And per usual, it was one of the best dark rides in the world. 10 out of 10 Hogwarts is home to many mysteries. Most importantly, why don't more people use the single rider queue? The Hulk was being quite temperamental in the morning, but it eventually reopened in the afternoon. It had a lengthy queue all day, but I was able to ride it twice- once in the front and once in the back. And I love that first half. The uphill launch into the zero-G roll is one of the best moments on any B&M. The cobra roll is easily the best on the planet; it pulls some serious Gs. The two loops are quite powerful and I love the corkscrew that is immediately followed by a drop into a trench. The second half is a bit dull, but at least it's smooth and has the on-board audio pumping. 8 out of 10 Best cobra roll on earth. It's not even a contest. The Hulk's first half is a mean green machine. Such a picturesque coaster. I also did something quite stupid during this visit. You see, I had a toe injury. I'm not going to go into any details, but it was covered in a bandage that I was explicitly told not to get wet. So naturally I rode Jurassic Park, Popeye's, and Ripsaw Falls. But I took some precautions. I wrapped my foot in multiple trash bags. Did I look ridiculous? Absolutely! Did I care? Nope. I managed to escape the wettest water rides in the world with dry feet. And honestly, it worked so well I may even do it again on future visits. Looks are certainly deceiving. I can't believe this is easily the driest water ride in the park. Meanwhile the log flume is freaking deluge. I spent very little time on the Studios side, but I made sure to take a quick lap hitting my favorites. That included Men in Black, Mummy, Rockit, and Buddy. Who's Buddy you may ask? Why, that's the adorable weenie dog from the Secret Life of Pets. Slinky Dog isn't the only wiener dog in town. But the highlight on the Studios side was undoubtedly the Rockit. I get that people find this coaster shaky, but it's such a unique and well-rounded coaster. The drops have some great airtime, the helices pull some strong Gs, and the soundtrack certainly helps. 8.5 out of 10 I know people wish Universal Orlando got Hollywood Dream instead, but I actually prefer the Rockit. Each drop delivers some really underrated airtime. However, the highlight of the entire visit was riding Hagrid's twice at night. Night rides have been difficult to obtain on Hagrid's since the ride's queue closed at 3 pm all summer, but it was kept open until closing on this visit. So I was able to get two rides- once with the Express Pass and once in the standby queue. I didn't find the experience any better at night, but that was no issue since it was already exemplary by day. The only difference was that the transition into the Devil's Snare feeling more seamless. Sometimes my camera's struggle to capture moving targets at night results in some cool photos like this. I was also able to catch the projection show on the castle during my final wait for Hagrid's. And it made the night even more special. The show didn't last long, but it was a nice touch that added a lot of energy to the area. Everything is better with projection mapping. And while I might not make it back to Universal again in 2020, there are certainly some nice things coming in the near future. RIP Terminator. The future home of the Velocicocaster?

Yes, so it's definitely an upgrade over the old Screamin' Eagle.

Great report! Disney always exaggerates wait times at the start and end of the day especially. That's why I don't bat an eye when I enter the Flight of Passage queue right before closing. It can be posted at 3 hours, but I know I'll probably wait 25-33% of that.

Great report! I never realized Flying Dutchman had that odd 3-4-3-4 seating arrangement. Efteling is beautiful and I can't wait to make it back there to do everything I missed.

Coaster Express. Anyone who knows me knows I have an extremely high tolerance for rough rides. I felt like I had ridden a jackhammer down a hill and been beaten by a baseball bat after riding that dumpster fire of a ride. It was one supersized, rough helix after another in 100+ degree heat.

I was browsing their list of rides and was stunned to see they still have a rotor in Tumbleweed. I thought Canobie and Sylvan Beach were the last two rotors in the US. I thought all the chain parks had removed them.

1) Superman Krypton Coaster- Love the setting, smooth, and forceful. 2) Medusa- Great drop and good inversions. 3) Kraken- Good inversions, love the second half. 4) Dominator- Miss the zero-G roll, but great otherwise. 5) Hydra- Love the drop and nice floaty inversions. 6) Daemonen- The Great Bear of floorless coasters. Compact but good whip. 7) Superman- Some good airtime, but forceless inversions. 8) Bizarro- Decent inversions and a large layout. 9) Scream- Parking lot. 10) Rougarou- Love the first half, but second half is a headbanger. 11) Batman- Great zero-G roll, but nothing else blows me away. 12) Patriot- Weakest layout of all of them.