Canobie Coaster

Yankee Cannonball at Canobie Lake Park (see avatar)

Disney California Adventure There are two keys for me to have a perfect day at Disney California Adventure- arriving at least a half hour early and MaxPass. It’s no secret Radiator Springs Racers is the runaway favorite at this park. This means Fastpasses disappear in a flash. If you’re familiar with MaxPass, you know you can get your next Fastpass after 90 minutes or your most recent reservation becomes active. If you arrive before opening, you can get one of the first reservations for Radiator Springs Racers. This allows you to start getting other Fastpasses, which will probably be ready instantly. Meanwhile, everyone else will be waiting for that 90 minute window to pass on their Radiator Springs Racers reservation. It may be called Pixar Pier, but no one dared take down Mickey's face. Speaking of Radiator Springs Racers, that ride is incredible. Everything from the facade to the show scenes to the race sequence works flawlessly. Emily isn’t a morning person, but she was eager to get out of bed for this ride. 10 out of 10 Even after going to the Grand Canyon a few days before this, the facade still looked incredible. We rode Lightning McQueen to victory. Cars Land in general is a work of art...unlike the films this land is based on. One of the rides we prioritized early in the day was the Pixar Pal-Around since it doesn’t have Fastpass. As you can guess, we boarded a swinging car. And like any good boyfriend, I didn’t tell her about this Ferris wheel’s special feature. I think Emily’s favorite ride was Toy Story Midway Mania. She’s competitive, so she always loves shooting dark rides. And this may arguably be the best one out there. The shooting mechanism is both rewarding and addictive. By the end of the ride, I’m in agony. But it’s worth it. I do it for Slinky. 10 out of 10 I need a shakeweight to improve my score. Incredicoaster is a good coaster. I’ve said it before, but it just doesn’t feel like a Disney ride. I know it has the Incredibles storyline, but it’s still feels like California Screamin’. And that’s fine. It has some good drops, a decent launch, a forceful loop, and a few spots of airtime. 8 out of 10 Totally not biased or anything, but this coaster would've been so much better had it been themed to Slinky Dog. The tunnels could've been his coils. Dale wasn't exactly 48" tall, but he stuck on anyway. As a whole Pixar Pier looks stunning at night. Compare that to Guardians. The ride has been completely reskinned from head to toe. And it’s an absolute riot. Rocketing up and down the tower to 1970s/1980s tunes is quite the experience. After my most recent rides, I may actually prefer this to Orlando’s tower since it’s action-packed start to finish. 10 out of 10 What did we break out of? The Hollywood Tower Hotel. Soarin’ is visual eye candy at its finest. While I do prefer the old California film, the visuals are still breathtaking. I know people poke fun at this ride’s CGI, but I’m too oblivious to look that closely at what’s real and not real. 8 out of 10 This airport looks a *bit* better than LAX. Like Splash Mountain, Grizzly River Run was a complete walk-on. Emily sported a poncho; I didn’t. So per the natural law of water rides, I got soaked and Emily didn’t. I didn’t care since this one is beautiful and the spinning on the final drop is quite the thrill. 9 out of 10 But Emily’s favorite thing about Grizzly Peak was the feral cats prowling the woods adjacent to it. You could say she’s a cat fan since she has 5 of her own! Mr. Grizzly is ready for the park's ugly Christmas sweater contest. One of these mountains is not like the other. Look at little Figaro off to the left. The park also has two modern and well-done dark rides in Little Mermaid and Monsters Inc. Little Mermaid is a clone of Florida’s, but since we really like that ride, I don’t mind one bit. The Little Mermaid has some of the best music of any Disney movie, so it’s nice seeing the movie retold. 9 out of 10 One difference from the movie is that Ursula's ending is much less gruesome. Monsters Inc. was oddly the longest line we waited in over the course of two days. And it was only 20 minutes long, so we really lucked out with crowds and Fastpasses. As for the ride, it was good as always. 8 out of 10 Might as well call her Scrooge. I also watched California’s version of Mickey’s Philhar Magic for the first time. And I’m torn. On one hand, the music and story were as great as ever. But the visuals on this one aren’t as effective due to the smaller screen. At least Donald is still there at the very end! 7 out of 10 My experience of watching Philhar Magic was like watching a movie meant for IMAX on a smartphone. Last but not least, we concluded our day with World of Color- Season of Lights. It had been years since I last saw World of Color and it was the same type of show to some of my favorite Christmas songs. The combination of music, visuals, lights, and water was breathtaking. 9 out of 10 I guess Mickey likes to watch Donald and Daisy kiss. He's kinky like that. Sensory overload. As a park, I don’t like Disney California Adventure as much as Disneyland. But it’s still a great park and the best rides at this park rival that of any Disney park. And it still has the usual magic of Disney, just in some different settings than we’re accustomed to.

^ What I care most about are my feet and ponchos usually stop well short of those. I'd be more likely to cover my shoes in garbage bags like I did on Ripsaw Falls last month.

Considering there will be a lot of people coming from the beach, I think the complete soaking will work well. As for me, I'd probably try it once and regret my life decision.

^ One other note about the one train ops is that several coasters have their additional trains disassembled, so I imagine Saturdays will be particularly bad until they're back.

3 hours after opening and backup boarding groups are still available. Is this a record?

That's a dangerous game when you want a boarding group though. I will never trust the always disconnecting Disney wifi for a boarding group.

For anyone who goes in the next few weeks, how is the cell reception in the indoor part of the queue for Mickey and Minne's Runaway Railway? I'm seeing some people post they opened the queue before park opening and I'd hate to miss a Rise boarding group if that queue is a dead zone.

Disneyland- Christmas Disneyland is always a magical place. It’s a place that can turn adults into children. And that’s especially true during the Christmas season. It’s even more true when the weenies in SoCal (sorry to anyone who lives there, but this is true) go into a fallout shelter at the first sight of rain. This is the most dead I’ve ever seen Disneyland. Don’t get me wrong, there were still people there. But we were able to grab front row seats to the parade shortly before it started and never waited more than 20 minutes for any ride. Who needs an umbrella when you have a Dale hat and Minnie Mouse ears? Also, since when is Clarice a walkaround character at the US parks? While I’m talking about it, I’ll begin with the Christmas Fantasy Parade. I don’t think I’ve ever had front row seats to a parade (except maybe my town’s 4th of July Parade), so it was extra nice. There were a lot of cool floats, but the highlight was when Chip ‘n’ Dale saw my chipmunk hat and excitedly pointed over. That definitely wouldn’t have happened if I were in the back of the crowd! Look, it's Tim Allen. In the Santa Clause, Tim Allen kills Santa and takes over. Did Mickey, Minnie, and Donald kill the elves and take over their duties at the North Pole? Chip 'n' Dale took a break from their mischief to point out my hat. Speaking of those beloved chipmunks, we also had a blast seeing them at the character brunch at Storytellers Cafe. And I cannot recommend this place enough. Yes it’s a bit pricey, but I thought the food quality was excellent for a buffet. Keep in mind, we had just been to the revered buffets in Vegas. Being able to load my plate with Mickey waffles and prime rib was a dream come true. As for the characters, they were all extremely interactive. Most of them joined us at our table. So we got into a habit of pulling out our chair for them. But when Mickey came around, he slammed the chair into the table with that static grin on his face. He wanted none of that. I'm guessing not too many people wear this hat to the US parks. Dale and I had a lunch date. It ended with a kiss. Meanwhile, Emily was on a lunch date with Minnie. Until Mickey caught them smooching. But Pluto didn't care. He was just happy to be out of the doghouse. Moving onto the rides, Emily’s favorite was Space Mountain, or should I say Hyperspace Mountain. She loved the sense of speed as we rocketed through the star field. As for me, I sort of wish they were running the original version since I love Michael Giacchino’s musical score, but the Star Wars overlay has better visuals. Regardless, this ride feels fast and has some serious laterals. 8.5 out of 10 Dale is my Simba. One difference I noted from past visits was that cast members were being careful not to fully load a train. Even with the single rider line, cast members would dispatch trains with seats or rows empty. That was a bit of a bummer since this thing absolutely hauls when fully loaded. One other interesting tidbit is that on one of our rides, we got stuck on the brake run. After a few seconds, the dome’s lights came on. I think the most shocking part was that cast members had to manually push us from the brake run. Another one of Emily’s favorite was Buzz Lightyear. She was determined to beat me. While her score improved each time; mine did as well. She was chasing a moving target. Buzz Lightyear feels a bit on the short side, but it looks great and I love how this one doesn’t have the mounted guns of Florida. 9 out of 10 The Claw! I always look bad in the photos for shooters since I'm focused on the targets. But the picture quality on this one was shockingly poor. Is it usually this bad? Continuing our way through Tomorrowland, we then hit Star Tours. Emily is pretty ambivalent towards Star Wars (except for Baby Yoda, she loves that thing) and found Star Wars pretty bumpy. I much prefer the rides with physical sets, but Star Tours is easily one of the best simulators. The visuals are fantastic and I love all the interchangeable scenes. 7 out of 10 Since when does Star Tours have a single rider line? The last ride we experienced in Tomorrowland was the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. Emily was the perfect height to see everything while I had to hunch downwards. But we both thought the same. It was just ok. The ride is very long and tasteful mixes in Finding Nemo, but it’s not the most exciting ride. 5 out of 10 Where's Uranus? In general, Disneyland is an amazing park for a rainy day. However, there are a few rides in Fantasyland that are problematic on a rainy day. The one I cared most about was Alice in Wonderland. Of the Fantasyland dark rides, this is easily my favorite. The ride still maintains its classic feel, but it also seamlessly integrates some modern effects. Emily felt the same. 8 out of 10 I sort of wish this random outdoor segment didn't exist so the ride could run in the rain. The Storybook Land Canal Boats were also tricky to ride. I actually hadn’t ridden these since my first visit to Disneyland. And I quickly remembered why. This is a cute ride. The miniature displays all look nice. But like the Nemo Submarine Voyage, we both found the ride a bit dull. 5 out of 10 Disneyland and small castles go together like Six Flags New England and boomerangs. The rain and smart use of MaxPass allowed us to avoid most lines, but there was one that required a bit more effort- Peter Pan’s Flight. Few things are constant in life. But a long line at Peter Pan is. Our original plan was to hit this ride at rope drop. I figured most people would speedwalk for Galaxy’s Edge. Much to our surprise, people sprinted to Peter Pan. And I don’t blame them. So instead, we got in line right before closing and waited 15-20 minutes. That’s really what Peter Pan is worth. It’s a cute ride, but it’s way too short. I don’t think it’s even 2 minutes long. 7 out of 10 Up, up, and away! Compare that to Mr. Toad, Pinocchio, and Snow White. These rides may only be a bit longer, but they never seem to have more than a 15 minute wait. Pinocchio feels longer than most of the Fantasyland dark rides. It’s effects and scenes are pretty low-tech, but there are no dead spots. 7 out of 10 Snow White is probably my least favorite of the three. Like Peter Pan, it’s way too short. I’m interested to see if the rehab elevates this ride like Alice in Wonderland. 6 out of 10 Mr. Toad is the polar opposite of Disney, so that’s why I come off this ride smiling. This ride has reckless driving, beer, and Hell. 7 out of 10 Ready for our scenic drive to Hell! One of the true miracles of Christmas is the fact It’s a Small World turns into a very enjoyable ride. I love the Christmas overlay! And I always have fun trying to spot the Disney characters integrated with the dolls. 9 out of 10 The Small World facade is an attraction in itself. Speaking of that facade, that is actually where we watched the Believe fireworks. While it’s not the prototypical spot on Main Street in front of the castle, I’d argue it’s better. It’s less crowded and you’re actually closer to the fireworks. Plus, the Small World facade has some great mapping effects. I'll be watching the fireworks from this spot going forward. The one ride Emily hated at Disneyland was the Matterhorn Bobsled. She simply found the ride way too rough and jostly. And that’s a fair point. No one will ever call this ride butter smooth. Maybe this is the amusement park historian in me, but I do enjoy the Matterhorn. The aggressive turns give the ride character and it’s just pure fun weaving through that mountain. 7 out of 10 Thankfully no more snow "melted" during my visit. Emily didn’t feel the need to get the Gadget’s Go Coaster credit, so our time in Toontown was brief. It consisted of a lone ride on Roger Rabbit. When Emily saw the cars spun, she quickly took the wheel. She didn’t want me spinning it like a lunatic. I guess she knows better having ridden the tea cups with me. While Emily struggled to steer our cab, I admired the sights. I love Who Framed Roger Rabbit and this ride captures the feel of the film well except for one small thing. Where’s Judge Doom? 8 out of 10 This may be the only major ride in Toontown (for now), but I love all the interactive gags in the land. Moving onto Adventureland, Emily was in disbelief at the corniness of the Jungle Cruise. She was extra disturbed when I knew some of the jokes by heart. And that narration is exactly why I love the Jungle Cruise. 9 out of 10 The 9th wonder of the world. The top side of water! Next door is one of the crowing achievements of Disney Imagineering, Indiana Jones Adventure. It’s one of my favorite rides in the world. I love the ambitious physical sets combined with the aggressive movements. Our first ride was terrible. About midway through the ride, our vehicle came to a stop. The narration cut out and none of the scenes activated. There was no rat screen, no air blasts, no boulder. There was nothing. It was even emptier than Dinosaur. Emily came off as confused as me. Fortunately, she saw the light. When we returned to Indiana Jones, we got the full experience as intended. Well as full of an experience as Disney can offer (I’m still intrigued by that dry ice effect). 10 out of 10 Safety first. New Orleans Square is home to two of the park’s best dark rides. That’s especially true during Christmas when the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay is active. Having been on the Haunted Mansion as many times as I have, I love the freshness of this overlay. The ride feels way different. It’s impressive how extensive this overlay is. 10 out of 10 Tim Burton IPs lend themselves well to haunted houses. Wheel of (Mis)Fortune Emily rode Pirates in Florida, so she thought this would be identical. Needless to say, she was caught off-guard by the longer length and bigger drops. 9 out of 10 I don't have any pictures of Disneyland's Pirates, so here's a picture of the "ripoff" at Europa Park. Looks pretty good, right? We also stayed in New Orleans Square for dinner. We finally tried the famous Monte Cristo sandwich from Cafe Orleans. And it was absolutely scrumptious. Was this meal healthy? No. But was it delicious? Yes! One of the biggest benefits of the rain was the line for Splash Mountain. Or should I say lack of a line. That was probably the best Christmas gift a Splash Mountain fanatic such as myself could’ve received. California’s has the best drop and gets you absolutely drenched. It still is my least favorite of the Splash Mountains since the show scenes aren’t quite as strong, but it’s still a near perfect ride. 10 out of 10 As the temperature plunged, we did too into the briar patch. As you can probably tell, Emily didn't want to get wet. One ride that isn’t near perfect is Winnie the Pooh. I actually can’t remember the last time I rode the one at Disneyland. It’s an ok ride. It’s very short, but it tells the familiar story of Pooh’s Hunny Hunt without that amazing ride system. 5 out of 10 The empty vehicle speaks for Pooh's popularity with the locals. I felt bad when I took Emily on Big Thunder Mountain since I hyped up the explosion effect on the final lift. I got excited when the dynamite lit, but the blast never happened. At first, I was optimistic we just got a bad ride like Indiana Jones. But after multiple rerides, it was clear the effect wasn’t happening. As for the rest of the ride, Big Thunder is always fun. It’s arguably the best mine train out there with that setting, some deceptively powerful laterals, and some quick pops of airtime. 7.5 out of 10 Big Thunder at night is a must. Our final land was one that I’m still not used to having at Disneyland, Galaxy’s Edge. Emily and I visited the land in Florida, and this one felt identical. And in no way is that a bad thing since Batuu is beautiful. We missed Rise of the Resistance by a month, but we were able to try out some new positions on Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. And we both agree, pilot is definitely the best position. It’s the most involved. 8 out of 10 If I were piloting that spaceship, it would've crashed and burned into the ground. We also made sure to see Fantasmic. We had grabbed FastPasses and were escorted into the seated dining area. I’m guessing that was because of the low crowds, but we certainly weren’t complaining. I absolutely love Fantasmic. The music, fireworks, and characters are perfect. While the dragon was in B-mode for us, the projection mapping effects during its demise were neat to see for a change. 10 out of 10 Mickey is blowing his load (of fireworks). Disneyland is my second favorite park in the world. Only Tokyo’s park can top it. I love everything about this park (well except maybe the crowds on most days). Disneyland's castle is cute like a puppy. Except this puppy doesn't grow. Notice how Disneyland puts the tree on the opposite end of Main Street so it doesn't dwarf the castle.

Great report! GhostRider's queue is usually long and miserable, so I'm definitely envious of you getting 20 rides on that awesome wooden coaster. And I knew Montezooma's Revenge pulled some strong Gs in that loop, but 5.8 is still shocking.

^ Between this and that Larson drop tower, Santa's Village seems to have some thrilling flats now.

I hadn't been following this attraction too closely and assumed they were reusing the old Great Movie Ride system, so this was a nice surprise to see another trackless ride system.

^ It's a 9.5 out of 10. I can't quite give it a perfect rating since it's a bit too bouncy and Eejanaika exists.

If a park in the mid-Atlantic got one of these, I figured it would have been Six Flags America. This is definitely a step up from a top spin and a very marketable coaster.

Hopefully they maintain it as they go this time instead of letting the ride turn into a jackhammering mess before they addressed it.

Absolutely! It has almost every coaster type. I'm just thankful they invested in extensive trackwork again.

Six Flags Magic Mountain Emily hates Six Flags. I thought the issue was that I took her to the worst of the worst. In the past year, I took her to Darien Lake, Discovery Kingdom, and Great Escape. And she’s sick of Six Flags New England since I’ve dragged her to that park too often. I had the best day I’ve ever had at Magic Mountain. The park was an absolute ghost town. And the park does an excellent job with Holiday in the Park. As for Emily? She still hates Six Flags. It felt wrong to be at a Holiday in the Park when it wasn't sub-freezing temperatures. I’m admittedly blinded by the coaster lineup (and the sparkling lights), but Emily took issue with the inefficient ops (fair, most things ran one train), park layout (fair, the Helpful Honda Express was closed), terrible food (fair, it didn’t seem fresh), and parts of the park smelling like raw sewage (fair, it did). I'm guessing the park only had one of these signs since it was applicable at all coasters. Well all operating coasters. Superman was closed. Our day began with Full Throttle. It was a foreign experience for me to see that ride as a walk-on. And this was with it running just one-train (this was a theme for the day). Me- Love the first and second halves. Not a big fan of the pause in-between. 8 out of 10 Emily- “Short, but sweet.” Thumbs Up This shot would be so much cooler if there was a train on both sides. But I know that's impossible...there's no way SFMM could dispatch a train in time. The first half ends on a high note, a treble clef specifically. We then rode one of the most underwhelming hypercoasters in existence in Goliath. While most hyper coasters focus on airtime, Goliath hardly has any. The only real bit of airtime is the third hill. Me- It’s fun, but bad by hypercoaster standards. 6 out of 10 Emily- Not a fan of the helix of death. Thumbs Down "I love how unique Goliath's name is," said enthusiasts in the year 2000. We then planned to ride Twisted Colossus, but it was having technical issues. This ride hates me. I’ve had it close early for the RMC Recall of 2016 and open 7 hours late in 2018. But I always do get to ride it, just not as much as I’d like. So instead, we hiked up Samurai Summit to Ninja. This wasn’t exactly the walk Emily wanted to make a day after hiking Multnomah Falls, but the path around the mountain was closed due to construction on their “new-for-2019” attraction. Speaking of West Coast Racers, we visited in mid-December and it was closed. The most activity we saw were water dummies sitting in the trains. But the twisted layout looks cool and I’m sure I’ll be back. I love how this only opened in 2019 on a technicality. Ninja is one of the last suspended coasters. It’s probably the worst Arrow suspended outside of Vampire, but I make a point to ride it since there are so few left. Me- A few good swings, but it feels much slower than the posted speed. 6 out of 10 Emily- “Not worth the hike, but an ok ride.” Thumbs Sideways Hi-ya! I thought Apocalypse was still closed, but it was actually open. Better, it had been recently retracked! It’s no secret the ride had become a jackhammering disaster in recent years. Me- Amazing sense of speed, some good pops of airtime, and smooth. 8 out of 10* Emily- “Best coaster in the park!” Double Thumbs Up* * These were our thoughts if we rode on the left. The operator on the right was brutally stapling riders. I have a bruise from my last ride when the operator jammed the restraint down so far, I was physically unable to push it down any further to unlock it after the ride. The operator had to do it for me. This was still a more successful Terminator than the most recent movie. Tatsu was magical during Holiday in the Park. Seeing all the lights while you twirl through the air was breathtaking. Tatsu really has one of the best settings of any coasters. Me- The pretzel loop is insane and the rest of the layout is action-packed too. 9 out of 10 Emily- “Great until I thought I’d have an aneurysm (during the pretzel loop).” Thumbs Down One of the few benefits of one train ops is not having to lie in that awkward position on the brake run. Look...."snow" I wasn’t sure if Emily would actually ride X2. She hates rough rides and she won’t touch SFNE’s Joker with a 10-foot pole. I warned her it was bouncy and had flipping seats, but she decided to give it a whirl. Me- X2 is nuts. This coaster does things other coasters shouldn’t. It’s absolutely insane and I think the elements even crazier. It’s just not perfect because it is bouncy. 9.5 out of 10 Emily- When I saw Emily crying mid-ride, I felt like a jerk. She hated X2, just not for the reason I expected. She actually found it smooth and liked the motions. So why was she crying? The restraints. She didn’t feel secure and felt like she was going to fall out. Double Thumbs Down X, X, X2 Emily still needed to recover from X2, so she sat out Viper. I love the inversions on Viper. The juxtaposition of the forceful vertical loops, floaty corkscrews, and awkward batwing is brilliant. I just wish the transitions between the inversions weren’t as choppy. 7 out of 10 Arrows are so photogenic. Even more so if they have fresh paint... Up next was a coaster Emily was looking forward to for sentimental reasons- New Revolution. Emily loves the original National Lampoon’s Vacation film, so she was excited to ride the coaster where Clark Griswold kidnapped the poor security guard. Me- Poorly paced, but I like the setting and Schwarzkopf loops are always intense. 6 out of 10 Emily- “Why so many brakes?” Thumbs Sideways I promise there's a train somewhere among those lights. Twisted Colossus was back up-and-running so I eagerly took a few laps on one of my favorite coasters in the world. They were only running two trains, but I consistently got one duel per ride. Me- I know a lot of people hate the lift hill mid-ride, but I don’t mind it. Both halves of Twisted Colossus are awesome. It’s like having two top-10 steel coasters spliced together. And each half has oodles of airtime mixed with a pinch of hangtime. 10 out of 10 Emily- She liked Twisted Colossus, but it was a one-and-done for her. Emily has a love-hate relationship with the frenetic pacing of RMCs. Sometimes, she can ride Wicked Cyclone multiple times without issue. Other times, the maneuvers make her feel queasy. Thumbs Sideways Still one of the best coasters in the world. We then walked onto Justice League. These are always nice contrasts to the rest of the Six Flags lineup, but the version at Six Flags Magic Mountain is particularly strong. Me- I love the mix of screens and physical sets. One of the best shooters out there. 9 out of 10 Emily- “Did Six Flags steal this from Disney? It’s too well themed.” Thumbs Up Emily was still feeling the after effects of Twisted Colossus, so she sat out Riddler’s Revenge and Batman the Ride. Two super forceful, old-school B&M inverts probably wouldn’t have helped. Riddler’s Revenge is without a doubt the best stand-up coaster. It’s tall. It’s fast. It’s smooth (if you know how to position the restraint). And it makes your legs feel like jelly from the forces. 8 out of 10 From this angle, Riddler's Revenge could pass as Great Adventure's Green Lantern. Thanks SFMM for keeping Green Lantern's lights on despite that coaster being in another country! Batman the Ride continued the assault on my legs. The snappiness of the inversions combined with those leg-numbing helices results in one of the most intense and draining coasters out there. 8.5 out of 10 This bat is good at aero-bat-ics. I wanted to finish the night with rerides on Twisted Colossus and X2. I had no issue walking onto Twisted Colossus for a few extra rides. And it got better and better each time. Unfortunately, I was not able to get on X2 again. I was spited by the brutal California weather. Get ready for this. Even Carowinds would poke fun at this. It was dry and 58 degrees with barely any wind. For those local to the park, is X2 really that valley-prone? I don't think Six Flags Great Adventure owns one of these signs. And that's one of the reasons I love that park. So as a consolation prize, we took a final lap through the park to admire the lights. Outside of Discovery Kingdom, the chain as a whole does a fantastic job on their holiday lights. If only these reindeer could fly me around LA traffic. I know this isn't part of their holiday lights, but CraZanity looks just as amazing. Six Flags Magic Mountain is probably my favorite Six Flags park outside of Fiesta Texas. Emily says it’s the Six Flags park she hates least. I guess that’s sort of a compliment.

Thanks everyone! I'll keep an eye out if I see something that looks palatable with my dining plan, but I'll be ready to have a big meal after. That's entirely fair. I think this is the first time I've gone to a theme park on a Friday during Lent so I've never had this issue before.

If I'm looking for fish or other non-meat items today, is my best bet Food etc?

^ Freemont Street was one thing we ran out of time to see, but it's definitely on our list next time. The only problem with buffets is that you can really only do one per day unless you want your stomach to explode.

If the captain didn't make a joke about the underside of water, they missed a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Glad to see Magic Kingdom bring back the submarine voyage after all these years.

Let's go beyond comparing this just to water parks, how many amusement parks are more expensive than this. Just the US Disney and Universal parks? Edit- Even the 2 hour Twilight Ticket costs more than every water park except Volcano Bay.

^ Could it just be a New Jersey thing? Not only do these rides at Great Adventure not allow loose articles, but GaleForce, Nor'Easter, and the bigger rides at American Dream all have a similar policy. I'd say you could remember the time as an alternative and get them on the way out, but then I remembered you don't have your phone and most people use that instead of a watch.

^ Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't El Toro have vending machines in the queue line? I vaguely remember the sign by the ride saying no phones or keys. Either way, my wallet is going in the locker since that vending machine isn't on the meal plan.