larrygator

June 27th - SFDK (see below) June 28th - California Great America June 28th - Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk June 29th - Travel Day Amtrak June 30th - KBF July 1st/2nd - SFMM July 1st - Dodgers Stadium July 4th - SeaWorld The school year ended for NYC teachers last Tuesday afternoon, June 26th, so of course I'm off to visit amusement parks the next day. I tried to keep this trip on a budget so I did things a little different. I have season passes for SF, CF and SEAS, so those are the main parks. I had originally planned to include Disney with the last day of an old 10 day hopper, but DL no longer honors the Florida hoppers. For this trip, I flew into SF and spent 2 days at parks. Then I took Amtrak to LA and stayed 3 nights before moving further south. I'm also using Air BnB for the first time on this trip. On June 27th, I stopped at two small parks on the way to SF Discovery Kingdom. I did not take pictures at Pixieland or Sonoma Train Town, but I do recommend visiting the latter. My ears usually take some time to recover from flying, so I did not plan to ride much at SFDK, just pick up some new credits since my last visit about 8 years ago. In the past I have always enjoyed the diversity of the rides at SFDK and the inclusion of the animals, but this time it was just about getting new credits. V2 was down and Harley Quinn was still waiting to open. Those are the only two rides I want to try that I missed, but I did add to my credit count with Superman and Joker. I found Superman far superior in terms of comfort (and theming) to Tempest and while I enjoyed Joker, I found it to be the weakest RMC. Operation were also horrendous, with close to a 5 minute average between dispatches. Harley Quinn is there to greet you. But you will have to wait. The entrance is engulfed by Wonder Woman and coasters that are front loaded in this park. It was a cool evening and was surprised to see a bunch of kids start riding this as the sun was setting. I found Superman much more comfortable (and therefore more enjoyable) than Tempesto Fun ride, but the weakest of the RMCs I have ridden Nope still not running yet I actually took a roller coaster photo and included it in my PTR I've only seen Big Belly Burgers in the DC Comics universe, including ads the the subway station at the end of Justice League: Battle for Metropolis. Then I saw this sign. 5 days later I saw a an open Big Belly Burger at SFMM. I like this development.

^^ http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_rye.htm You can catch the Metro North New Haven Line Train at 125th Street in Harlem or at Grand Central Station with this all inclusive package. The full service tickets machines at Grand Central and 125th Street are easy to use. Agent are available in Grand Central Terminal to purchase tickets.

But he wants multiple rides, even with station waits on most coasters, it would still take two hours, skipping the queues saves a lot of time. Without Fast pass he might bit get multiple rides.

None of them were speaking French. Just taking their sweet time. 5-6 minutes between dispatches.

I didn't notice an official single rider line when I was there, they were just asking for single riders out of the standby line. Where were you doing Single Rider? Fastlane line. Dann, I wish I knew that 4 days ago.

Millennium Force - better in the day, no bugs!

Yeah I agree. It's doable, just not fun. Many times I have stayed at the HGI with plans to walk to the park, but then as I got ready to do it I decided I really didn't want to. Plus it makes it that much harder to rest in your room in the middle of the day and come back. The original poster is from Switzerland and probably finds talk of this hike up the hill comical.

Nice to hear that quality comments from others helped you make the best out of a bad situation.

For those familiar with the park but too lazy to read the article, thus will be located near the WaWa, McDonald's intersection.

Did Discovery Kingdom bring in ride oops from La Donde to run Joker?

Include the history stuff.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article213875709.html Biloxi resort plans $140M amusement park and hotel tower June 26, 2018 07:29 PM BILOXI, Miss. The owners of the Margaritaville Resort Biloxi announced Thursday that they will move forward with a $140 million hotel expansion and amusement park after settling a lawsuit with state officials. The current 371-room hotel was built as Casino Magic Biloxi. It was vacant for years after 2005's Hurricane Katrina, but re-opened two years ago as a family-focused vacation destination without gambling. Spokesman Cono Caranna of the Barrington Group said Thursday that the owner agreed to lease land from the state, paying more than $650,000 a year. Caranna said expansion will include a second 300-room hotel tower and an elevated amusement park to go with the current extensive arcade, pool and indoor playground. He estimates the expansion will add 600 jobs. "Post-Katrina, everything that was on the beach that was family-friendly didn't come back," he said, explaining the resort's popularity. "Adding this to the mix added something that allowed families to come to the Mississippi Gulf Coast." The owners of the hotel were challenging the Mississippi Secretary of State's office claim that the state owned some land south of the U.S. 90 beachfront highway. The city of Biloxi, the Biloxi school district and Harrison County were also challenging the claim. All those parties are dismissing their lawsuits, with Biloxi city spokesman Vincent Creel saying the developer agreed to relinquish its ownership claims to at least some disputed land. The city of Biloxi had threatened to rezone the land to prohibit casinos, a move Hosemann said would make the lease less valuable for the state. The city didn't do that and Hosemann said the Margaritaville lease includes a rent increase if the developer ever opens a casino on the site. The same development group opened a second Margaritaville in a former casino hotel in Vicksburg on Saturday. The Barrington Group also has redeveloped or is working on four other developments in Gulfport and Biloxi.

Roll n Roaster for the win!

I didn't realize the "original" prefab was not able to be repaired by replugging and replaying. I didn't realize the rehab was being done by someone other than Intamin. These facts make me less confident regarding the outcome.

Two respected contributors on TPR giving me two different bits of advice. Help!! What do I do! We'll probably do that weird thing of giving them try and forming an opinion based off that. Oh well. Thanks for the rest of the advice, we are very much looking forward to our trip. One more thing. It says "Sky Rocket" is closed TFA on the Kennywood website. Is this just a short maintenance thing, or is there something else going on that anyone knows of? I usually do not go out of my way to eat french fries, but I love the Potato Patch fries with bacon and cheese. I would make a stop at Wafles and Dinges a priority snack stop while in the park.

Nice idea for a thread, the Sea Glass Carousel is one thing I always recommend to friends visiting NYC

Dorney Park can easily be completed in two hours if you arrive at opening. Locals flock to the water park and don't migrate to the dry side until the afternoon. But don't ever plan a visit in the afternoon. Sesame Place is actually very nice, especially on a weekday morning.

Good to know as I might stop in for a food break one day. It is located between Batman (indoor mouse) and Justice League, next to the fake bridge. They have a few sandwich and salad options, I like the Grilled Chicken with Applewod Bacon.

Most of the land surrounding the park is protected from development (as forest or wetlands).

Since schools were closed in NYC last Friday, I decided to visit some parks. I wanted to go to Knoebels, but realized I needed to save a little more money or my upcoming trip to California so I decided to use my 3 season passes on the same day. The plan was to ride my favorite rides at SFGAdv, then hit Sesame Place to give Oscar's Wacky Taxi another shot and then ride a few coasters at Dorney as a change of pace. Dorney has never been my favorite park and I have not been there in 6-7 years. SFGAdv was a little more crowded than expected but for the most part people were not riding the rides I had on my itinerary. I headed to ElToro right away and had three walk-on ride before getting three more rerides. The problem was there were a lot of first timers at the park and they severely slowed down El Toro. People that were too big or too short were trying to ride, people entered the station with bags that that had hidden. One person took his phone out while on the train before dispatch to take a picture. I love that the ride op made him get off the train exit the station without riding, even though it wasted some time. After Zumanjaro, I rode Cyborg Cyber Spin without a wait, then 8 rides on Justice League. One Justice League ride op grouper (Pat) did all he could to load every car to full capacity and minimize wait times. Then quick rides on Batman and Nitro with 15 minute waits. Grabbed a grilled chicken panini at Metro Grill and ate it on my way to my car. I left around 1:45PM and arrived at Sesame Place by 3PM. Sesame Place was slammed and I only got one ride on Oscar's Wacky Taxi, and I still find Wooden Warrior to be far superior. After Batman, Nitro and lunch I was at Sesame Place to try Oscar's Wacky Taxi again. This line was about 40 minutes. They have a lot of very interesting themeing touches, but I still don't think the coaster packs the same punch as Wooden Warrior It took me longer than expected to get to Dorney Park, which was also absolutely slammed. But that's ok because I only wanted to ride a few coasters (Talon, Hydra and Steel Force) take some pictures and grab a meal. I know people have been complaining about Dorney for years and I agree it has been in a big decline since my last visit. I was particularly annoyed about the dining plan. I have the Cedar Fair Premium Dining option, but could not figure what was going on at the Chickie and Pete's at Dorney. First I went to the sit down Chickie and Pete's location and it appeared they had only two options with the plan and two more options at a $3 upcharge. Then I went to the location by Sea Dragon and you could only order at the kiosk. The screen showed that I had only 4 options and each was with a $8 upcharge. As much as I like the cheesesteaks I wasn't going to pay an $8 upcharge. Did I understand the Dorney pricing correctly? If I remember correctly I ordered cheesesteaks (possibly smaller sized) at Carowinds and Cedar Point in the past. So I went back to the other location to order the buffalo chicken strips (which are also awesome, I love the very light layer of breading they use). When the server sat me, the restaurant was practically empty, nobody was waiting for food and most patrons were leaving. For five minutes I sat trying to make eye contact as employees kept walking by. Some were cleaning tables and some were carrying drinks so I wasn't sure exactly who was a waiter/waitress versus busser. A group of 10 was set near me then a few more groups came in. It took 13 minutes for someone to acknowledge that I was sitting there waiting to order. I understand that some patrons make it difficult by constantly looking at the menu or playing with their phone, but I was actively trying to get the wait staffs attention. Yet wait staff addressed 4 tables of people that entered more than 5 minutes after me. At least the food was good and the waiter was semi-apologetic about the long wait. But it just added to my frustration about not knowing what I could order at each location as part of the dining plan. Nor could I find the info on the Dorney app or website. It was a very fun day even though the atmosphere and clientele almost ruined it. I arrived at SFGAdv about 15 after opening to long lines at the security gates and what appeared to be heavy crowds. The line at the security gates worried me but it moved quickly Before heading to El Toro I peeked into the old arcade, formerly known as the short cut. It appears they are nearly finished after completely gutting it and replacing the tent . Look how shiny it is especially compared to one of the originals. The metal peaks are also starting to oxidize badly with the rust creating holes in the metal The path is still open and saved some time getting to Zumanjaro, let's hope it stays this way all year. I said hi to the baby cats (one was sleeping inside the black tube) Nature is filling in nicely along the Zumanjaro queue It's a shame the park couldn't keep up the themeing that started in this gift shop in the Golden Kingdom. Path #2 was open, let's hope it stays this way I enjoyed Cyborg Cyber Spin but it is not as intense as I thought it would be. My ride had about 6 flips, as did the other cycles I witnessed A ride op told me that a customer took umbrage with the Flash Pass/General Entrance signage outside of Justice League. My new go to food place at the park I wish I didn't have to rip the park, but my first visit to Dorney in 6 years was horrible. They seriously couldn't do anything right. Some things you can't control like the clientele. I like to rag on the clientele that visits SFGAdv, but I'll take those crowds any day. I was taking a picture of what I considered the ugliest wheel caps on a B&M invert but I captured some uncultured guests also. Not a well received coaster in the enthusiast community, but I enjoy it. Love the food, I just wish for better service and clarity on what is available on the dining plan. I like the way this picture came out As darkness descended upon the park, ninjas appeared

I'm sure the Meadowlands American Dream location will be just as good.

Thank you to all for the recent additions, as you happen to visit any parks with new rides post a picture in this thread or in a Trip Report Or you can use the submission tool in the Park Index, but in that case please resize your photos to 800x600 or smaller before submitting, otherwise they are difficult for me to review and place in the Park Index. Or if you have any of those photos already in an existing Photo TR just send me a PM and let me know. Please submit only your own photos. Do not take them from another person or website. If anyone has an opportunity to review the ride list for their home park in the Park Index and provide feedback (about missing or closed rides) we can keep The Park Index as accurate as possible, I can't do it all myself. For this first listing of rides we need any pictures you have of the ride (and signs if the ride is new): USA/Canada/Mexico Adventureland (NY) - new two-story suspended track dark ride (replaces Geister Ricksha) Adventure Park USA - Wild West Express Alabama Splash Adventure - Scrambler Bay Beach - 2nd train loop to be added Bosque Magico - Policias y Ratones, Zombie Calaway Park - current log flume Coney Island - Top Spin Edaville USA - Kersplash Joyland, TX - Wisdom kiddie coaster Luna Park - Coney Clipper, AstroTower Magic Springs - Brain Drain Morey Piers - Wild Whizzer Oaks Amusement Park - Adrenaline Peak The Park at OWA - Flying Carousel, Rockin Raft Palace Playland - Sea Viper, Wipeout Sea World Orlando - Infinity Falls Silverwood - Krazy Koaster Six Flags Mexico - Wonder Woman Coaster Six Flags over Texas - Harley Quinn Spinsanity WDW Disney's Hollywood Studios - Slinky Dog Dash Coaster and Alien Swirling Saucers UK/Ireland Botton’s Pleasure Beach – Cup and Saucer, Gallopers, Rockin Tug Codona's - Vertigo (Ropes Course) Flamingoland – Dodgems, StarFlyer, Hero, Twistosaurus Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach - Whirlwind, FamilyStar Gulliver’s Warrington – Barrel Ride, Joker, Sky Tours Observation Tower, Tree Tops Swing Pleasure Island – GoGator, Falls of Fear, Galleon Tayto Park - Log Flume Thorpe Park - Derren Brown's Ghost Train (ride vehicle, area) Germany Europa Park - EuroSat 2.0 Freizeitpark Plohn - Drachenwirbel Hansa Park - Kleine Zar, Barcos Del Mar Heide Park - Ghostbusters 5D shooting dark ride Holiday Park - Zierer family coaster Legoland Deutschland - Ninjago: The Ride Movie Park Germany - Excalibur: Secrets of the Dark Forest Tripsdrill - Gerstlauer Sky Fly Wunderland Kalkar - Kernie's Boot (Rockin Tug), Tea Cups Denmark Djurs Sommerland - Jungle Rally Farup Sommerland - Hvirvelvinden Legoland Billund - Flyvende Ørn Tivoli Friheden - Gerstlauer Sky Fly France Fraisperituis City - Golden Driller Jardin d'Acclimation - Rockets, all new ride package Le Pal - Yukon Quad - Intamin family launch coaster Mer de Sable – Wild Mouse "La Mine Bleue" (formerly at Compagnie des Alpes), Riviere Sauvage, Train du Desert, Jungle des Chikapas (Indoor Tow Boat), Babagattaux (Outdoor Tow Boat) Parc St. Paul - Aerotrain, Wood Express Walibi Rhone Alps - Timber Italy Cavalinno Matto - Freestyle Etnaland - Dragon River, El Dorado, Hip Hop Coaster, Storm Rainbow Magicland - Battaglia Navale Netherlands/Belgium Bellewaerde - Dawson Duel Toverland - Fenix , boat ride Finland/Sweden/Norway Furuvik - Fireball, interactrive dark ride Grona Lund – Kuling (Rockin Tug) Linnamaki - Magia Liseberg - Valkyria Särkänniemi - High Voltage (Zamperla Power Surge) Skara Sommerland - Rodeo and Jr. Drop Tower Spain Parque d'Attractiones Madrid - Los Rapidos Ferrari Land - Junior Red Force Other Europe Energylandia - all rides AnkaPark - all rides Wiener Prater - Insider, Olympia Looping, Race Connyland - 184 foot catapult tower Legendia - Bazyliszek (interactive dark ride) China China Dinosaur Park - Super Swing (Wave Swinger), Coaster Brontosaurus (Disko) Happy Valley Beijing - Family Roller Coaster and Music Roller Coaster Happy Valley Szenzhen - a shuttle coaster Hong Kong Disneyland - AntMan themed ride Shanghai Disney - Toy Story Land rides including RC Racer Japan Korea Australia Aussie World - Drop Tower (40m), Air Race, WindstarZ, Star Fly and Aerobat Dreamworld - Zamperla Air Race other Asia/Middle East Ferrari World - Mission Ferrari, Vortex South America Beto Carrero World - relocated Batman and Robin: The Chiller from SFGAdv Fantasilandia - Tren Minero ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the following rides we only need pictures of the ride sign: USA/Canada Bowcraft – Crossbow LaRonde - Aqua Twist, Gravitor Lake Winnie - Sea Warrior Silverwood - Spin Cycle Six Flags Mexico - Wonder Woman Golden Lasso Valleyfair - NorthStar UK Blackpool Pleasure Beach - Red Arrows Sky Force Flamingoland – Navigator, Sky Flyer Pleasure Island (UK) - GoGator Other Europe Bobbejaanland - Naga Bay Djurs Sommerland - Drageskibet, Soulken Efteling - Symbolica: Paleis der Fanastie Farup Sommerland - Wave Swinger Hansa Park - Hanse Fleiger, Karnapulten Legoland Deutschland - Flying Ninjago Liseberg - Liseberghjulet (Giant Wheel) Parc Asterix - Pegase Express Parque d'Attractiones Madrid - Noriavision (Giant Wheel), Ford T Plopsaland de Panne - Viktor's Race Power Park – Pegasus (Evolution) Tivoli Friheden – Forhindringsbane (Obstacle Course) Walibi Rhone Alps - Boomerang, Coccinelle WalyGator - G-Lock, Dino Raft Other Asia/Australia Adventure World (AUS) - Dragon Express If you have photos of a non-kiddie ride that is not in TPR's Park Index, please submit that also. The list of what we need is not complete, only based on rides that appear on my personal park maps. High quality photos, please (not blurry, distorted or out of focus).

OK, I guess I'll have to give it another try in warmer weather.

Oscar's Wacky Taxi was a fun ride, but is not on par with Wooden Warrior. Just two mild pops of air. However, in the two train loads I saw unload, every kid appeared happy.

I stopped by the Membership Services set-up to compare my current pass to the membership options and the only thing I'm really missing between what I currently have and the membership I would purchase is the dedicated entry lines. I'll probably convert over to a membership at the end of the year after HITP. Personally I think SF wants everyone with a multi-park season pass to convert to a membership for a few reasons. 1- Automatic renewals provide a small revenue stream from customers who may delay cancelling of forget to cancel. 2 - More balanced cash flow throughout the year (looks good to the investor community). 3 - Trying to bundle as many extras together, but at a low monthly fees, hides the true cost of ownership. 4 - Allows SF to more easily address the cost variances of people buying passes from different parks. The parks currently selling season passes for 49.99, 59.99 or 69.99 can continue but those passes will only be valid at the park purchased without a chance to upgrade to a chain wide membership.