coasterfreaksrttd
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Posts posted by coasterfreaksrttd
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Hey TPR, this is Alex Mann again. I love this website and love any chance I can contribute to it! This weekend I got a behind the scenes coaster tour of Busch Gardens coasters! It is mostly kept on the down low, but you can find it on the Busch Gardens Site. Heres the link...
http://www.buschgardens.com/bgw2/CP/?page=CoasterTour
It costs a bit much but it was worth every penny and is totally worth it. You get to enter the park at 7:45 before the park opens. Behind the scenes tours of restricted areas and maintenance bays are provided, as well as Q&A sessions with a Loch Ness Monster mechanic, ERT on Nessie, Griffon and Alpengies. One of the more unique features of the tour is walking on the catwalks at the top of Griffon. And guess what, at the tours end, you get a fast pass that allows you to ride any coaster with no lines in the row of your choice for the rest of the day, EVEN after the doors open.
Remember, I am using a crappy outdated Coolpix camera from 2001, and the exposure gets worse and worse. In some of the early morning shots of Loch Ness, the exposure was going a little haywire, so please try to ignore those terrible shots. Also, many of the photos were taken in a split second without planning since the tour was moving so fast. Some of the shots i wasn't able to get the flash on the right setting fast enough so a few of the maintenance bay shots could seem a bit washed out. If you are interested in checking out my other two TRs, here they are.
http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51522&highlight=
http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51542&highlight=
Thanks, and remember I'm only 14 and still have a lot of improvement in my coaster photography, so be nice....
I will leave you with this LNM theming... It took me 2 hours to upload and caption all these photo's so give me some feed back and make it worth while. Leave me some comments!
AHA! SLEEPING ON THE JOB?
A rare sight. A horse without an erection. Seriously, every time I come here the Clydesdale is VERY happy to see me.
WOLF
I wish the ride was in my backyard
Griffon was very Griffony today.
Weee.
O HAI THAR DROP! NICE TO MEET YOU!
DO WANT.
90 DEGREES!
I think this is New France.
BOOBS...
Yes ladies, he's single.
GERMANY TIME.These guys were there.
I like to notice little things like this topiary.
Running out of caption ideas. OH NO!
Like I said, Italy is awesome.
THE. MOST. INTENSE. RIDE. IN. THE. PARK!!!!
Why yes, yes it is.
Italy theming is pretty yummy.
Gypsy cart?
It has been ten years since Apollo's Chariot opened. It has also been ten years since Fabio broke his nose at the bottom of the first drop via GOOSE.
Cringe again Fabio!
I'm Kanye West...
NOO PEOPLE ARE HERE. Oh well, we still don't have to wait in lines. They handed us each a special kind of fast pass you CAN'T get on their website. The only way to get your hands on them is to take this tour.
I think this bridge is part of the Railroad.
Take your last look. Big Bad Wolf is being removed.
Boat boat boat boat boat boat boat. Original caption, am I right?
It had to be taken.
Busch Gardens Europe scenery is awesome.
This bit of track had the ability to flip completely over for some reason.
OH NOES!
As the only Jew on the tour, they decided to play a game where one them got into one of the German planes and chased me around in circles till I passed out.
NOTED! Wait, am I even aloud to do that?
BGE is VERY conservationist. The condensation from the mist machines in the ride is put into this tank, where it settles into water and is used to water plants. That's right, BGE plants are watered with fog from DarKastle.
A sight that is hardly ever seen. An unthemed side of DarKastle.
Not really sure if this photo was invading his privacy but I posted it anyway...
This guy was up to something...
UPSTOP WHEEL!
They keep these around. Sorry if it's a little blurred, it's hard to tell with a thumbnail.
Lonely Alpengiest road wheel.
And if you haven't guessed yet, we are in the Alpengiest maintenance bay.
Just in case you didn't know what nuts and bolts looked like.
I don't have a shot of it, but one of the things that make Alpengiest cool is that originally, the lift hill didn't fit the jagged terrain. So, instead of putting the classic B&M poles, they used a four post lattice system.
This water pump was exactly where they wanted to put Alpengiest. It couldn't be moved, so they scooted the ride over a bit.
The ERT on this ride was delicious.
How did this photo get here? Oh well, here it is anyway.
The liars at Busch Gardens told me that no one had ever died on one of their rides. HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS, HUH?!?!?!?
Once we were done with our Griffon ERT, we headed to Alpengiest.
Big immelmans make my dreams come true. (I don't know how to spell it, and neither does spell check).
Sexy.
OH HI THERE
The put a train up there just because they love us. Those road wheels don't seem so big now do they?
James River shot.
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YAY!
Careful now. In order to take this picture I had to put both hands on the camera which meant not holding onto the railing.
These are some seriously bulky anti-rollbacks. I should have put something in there for scale.
Yes. Another thing about Griffon, is that when it gets stuck it HAS NO FLOORS. There are little slides that go between the rows already up there, in case employees have to BUILD A FLOOR to get riders down.
And all of the sudden we are on top of Griffon! And yes, we were pulled up backwards.
And higher...
BEER BEER BEER! Wait, wasn't I in the middle of something? Oh right. And higher...
And higher...
And higher (sounds like a Bob Dylan concert)
Alright. We are now in the trolley that takes us to the top of Griffon. It is there to take riders DOWN if the ride gets stuck. We start on the ground, and slowly get higher...
I am just going to smile and nod...
MUST. PRESS. BIG. RED. BUTTON.
At first, these train had floors. But testing proved that the floors made the trains too heavy because of the extra seats, and so B&M decided to make the ride floorless.
This tire gets the train out of the station house. I am very regretful that I didn't get a photo of the train coming out of the storage area. IT IS SERIOUSLY SUCH AN AWESOME PROCESS! Take the tour and you will see.
THESE ROAD WHEELS ARE HUGE.
The wheels on Griffon are more awesome than you think! Seriously, take the tour and you will never look at this ride the same again!
These water scoops not only creates a cool effect, but they are essential in slowing down the coaster at the end of the ride. It's funny how some B&M elements are so technologically advanced, and some are as simple as skimming water to slow down!
Anyone who is not in awe of Griffon needs to go on this tour! The technology that keeps this ride smooth as glass is purely amazing!
Griffon time!!!! Okay, check out the wheels. the entire set of wheels is able to rotate 360 in order to negate those awesome B&M turns. Loch Ness Monster doesn't have this kind of wheels, in fact, these wheels are unique to Griffon. Without them, Griffon would probably shuffle. If you don't know what shuffling is, sit in the front of Nessie
This is an area normally restricted to the public.
Yes, this train is retro. That's what makes it awesome.
Ah ERT. The most wonderful feeling in the world. Riding a coaster without a crowd.
This is what they use to test the rubber in the wheels. Often times, after extended use, it hardens and changes shape. If it no longer fits this device, it is replaced with a new wheel
It's good to see what bangs my head around deconstructed.
Arrow indeed...
There are Arrow blueprints all over. This is a goldmine for a geek like me!
This chassis is under maintenance right now...
This is the chain and chain dog, and in the back you can see the anti-rollback.
These are the wheels. Can you tell which road wheel is worn and which is new? (insert email Dan comment that only Robb can do and I won't even attempt) These wheels are so small! In a bit, you will see how much bigger Griffon's are!
This guy was an ex-marine/trucker who worked on Loch Ness Monster. He gets up every morning at 4:00 am and checks to make sure that the chain dog and anti rollback are secure. He also checks each wheel and inspects the breaks. He is actually explaining how the breaks work in this shot. LNM uses primitive pneumatic brakes.
Just in case you forgot what ride this was...
This is one of the shots where my camera's exposure screwed up. Please try not to judge the entire TR by this crappy shot.
Yes. Yes they were...
They were testing empty trains.
This is actually the most photographed ride in the world. I'm surprised it wasn't Corkscrew at Cedar Point!
I think this is one of Arrows better coasters. Funny story, Arrow screwed up when they first built it. When they shipped the piece of track curving into the station to BGE, BGE discovered it was curved the wrong way... Kind of embarrassing
This shot didn't really come out how I wanted it to, I only included it because I thought the sun looked really cool poking through the ride...
Alpengiest is honestly my favorite inverted coaster. I don't really know why, it just always has been.
The first coaster we checked out was Nessie, which was running really well. This might be because the just put a few new wheels on and also replaced the chain dog...
This is such a beautiful coaster. Somewhere in the world, Fabio is cringing...
I have honestly never seen these gates so empty.
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That's terrible!
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I think that in general Shockwave at KD scares me the most, because I know its "safety record" and I am also quite aware I am about to be battered to death by the crappy lateral harnesses and kicked in the balls numerous times
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Rob already addressed most of it - in pointing out that you can't really say a company is "starting to make more original designs" when they aren't making any designs, at all. There's no trend to see when nothing's getting built. I just don't know how you can say that about Morgan with any authority.
For example: take companies like B&M, whose first inverted coasters were stream of mass produced Batman themed rides. Now a-days though, B&M makes many original coasters such as Manta, Griffon, and The Incredible Hulk.
I guess in short, I'm saying that Morgan's originality may not be the highest in the market, but I do believe they are starting to make some more original coasters.
You're also way off with the B&M timeline. The first inverted coaster they built was B:TR in SFGAm, but just a year later they built Top Gun at Great America which is very different, and then Raptor in 1994 which is (imo) one of the most creative coasters ever built, and then Montu showing up two years later and then Alpie one year after that in 1997.
That Batman clones were built over a time span of 1992 to 2002 (someone correct me if there's been a more recent one) so to imply that B&M first built a bunch of clones and then got progressively more creative over time is wrong, because they were making really unique inverted designs within a year of the first one being built.
All of this is completely beside the point, though, because designers build want the parks want. You can't really slam a designer for building a lot of clones or similar coasters because that's what the parks want, just like you can't give a builder full credit for a really creative design because ultimately it's the park writing the check.
I think everyone is missing the point I was trying to make. I wasn't quite referring the the exact coasters, I was simply noticing that B&M was branching out and still is, no one can deny that. Over the years they experimented with stand up coaster, sit down coasters, inverted coaster, one launch coaster, and flying coasters.
What I was talking about with Morgan wasn't really to do with year the most recent one was built. I also think many of you were under the assumption that i was referring to the generality of morgan. I was actually referring to the small improvements they made in their track. If you ride the most recent morgans, I often find that they shuffle a lot less than the older ones. This is true with most any coaster, BUT when you look at the early Morgan blueprints (I have had the chance to see a few) you might notice the way they played with their design and got it a lot smoother. Also, some of the more recent ones are some of the more forceless ones, so one might argue that they were getting worse at the end of their days. In fact, some earlier models had some nice ejector seat in certain rows, but really batter you around in the back.
Keep in mind this is just my observation, kind of like me thinking aloud. Don't get too bent out of shape about it.
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I think they should just figure out a date and just tell us! Whats the big deal with being all secret?! JUST OPEN IT!! It looks safe enough to me, I mean there's been people riding it even though they were workers.
And I suppose you are eager to be the one who dies in a terrible accident because the ride opened prematurely?
Universal could TOTALLY use that kind of publicity....
I'm sure there are all kinds of reasons it's not open, none of which they would share with you just because you whine loud enough about it.
-Alex (you caught me in a bad mood) Mann
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I guess in short, I'm saying that Morgan's originality may not be the highest in the market, but I do believe they are starting to make some more original coasters.Not trying to pick on you but you should check out the time lines for when the rides you mention were built.I really don't know what you're talking about
He's trying to say that you stated "Morgan...are starting to make some more original coasters..." but Morgan hasn't actually had a coaster built since 2004 (and technically that one was produced in 2002.)
So when you say "They are starting to..." doesn't really make sense because you're implying that they are an "up and coming" design firm yet they haven't actually designed a coaster in about 8 years.
--Robb
Well, I wasn't really looking at the year, I was looking at the chronology, if that makes sense.
And also, I wasn't talking only about Morgan, just the topic of all Morgans being the same made me think of the progression of modern coaster companies...
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I guess in short, I'm saying that Morgan's originality may not be the highest in the market, but I do believe they are starting to make some more original coasters.
Not trying to pick on you but you should check out the time lines for when the rides you mention were built. You're attributing various coaster designs to trends over time but I think if you track exactly what seasons some of these rides opened a lot of what you're saying doesn't really pan out.
As for the Morgan's I've ridden, Steel Force is pretty bad. I mean, it's not *bad* of course, it's a quite pleasant, fun ride, but it's absolutely my least favorite hyper and just seems to be the lowest form in it's genre. Still fun but just completely unexceptional.
Phantom, on the other hand, is phenomenal of course. There's a few steel coasters I like more but when it comes to just all-out giggle inducing fun Phantom is right there at the top. So, so good. One of those I want to ride all day.
Well, most of the things I've mentioned, such as early B&Ms and Vekoma's being similar, is true. Many of the first B&Ms are Batman's. I really don't know what you're talking about
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Last one I rode has got to be MF at Cedar Point
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What a pity... I never even got to ride it...
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^ Actually, of the pictures you posted, Steel Eel and Phantom's Revenge are probably the most "different" of them all.
Had you posted pictures of Wild Thing, Steel Force, Mamba, and Steel Dragon, those four are all very similar in many ways.
--Robb
Perhaps. All the same, just go to any site such as coastergallery.com
or even our own TPR and you will find coaster that look almost the same, all by Morgan. I feel like the originality of many coaster companies is getting better. For example: take companies like B&M, whose first inverted coasters were stream of mass produced Batman themed rides. Now a-days though, B&M makes many original coasters such as Manta, Griffon, and The Incredible Hulk. Vekoma used to only make SLC's and boomerangs, throwing in the occasional evil arrow collab. But they are on the road to recovery, now that they have added in less head bashing shoulder restraints. D.H. Morgan coasters had the exact same feel to them for years, and there are of coarse a few exceptions as the company gets used to the everchanging coaster world.
I guess in short, I'm saying that Morgan's originality may not be the highest in the market, but I do believe they are starting to make some more original coasters.
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All Morgans are similar you say? I think so too. Here are some pictures to prove it...
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Well, Magnum is not a Morgan, it's an Arrow.
I have only ridden Steel Force at Dorney and Phantom's Revenge at Kennywood.
Though, I will agree that Steel Force is very similar to Magnum. Phantom is NOTHING like Steel Force! It has NO MCBR, a unique design and layout, and a wide range of different forces and elements.
-Mr. Bebe
I am very well aware that Magnum is an Arrow. I was simply comparing the Magnum first drop to the generic Morgan first drop
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
This was my first roller coaster, and I ride it every time for sentimental reasons, so it really REALLY kills me to see it go....
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Hey TPR. I was wondering what everyone though of Morgan. For me, all their coasters seem the same. I mean, big Magnum style first drop, followed by a couple big hills, maybe a turnaround, and then some airtime hills...
What do you guys think of them?
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probably el toro
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You guys are crazy. MF is not at all overrated. It has an amazing amount of momentum even after so many drops and overbanked turns. This ride maintains an insane speed throughout the coaster. For a coaster it's size, it is also INSANELY smooth. I think intamin really got it right with this one. And it was made in 2000, which makes it completely ahead of it's time. It's amazingly original, and still delivers after nine years of service. Also, if you haven't ridden it in the front, you might as well have not ridden it at all. There are continuous pops of airtime when you least expect them, mouth drying speed, and an incredible view. It skims the ground, whips around trees and whizzes through tunnels. Surprisingly, even the last little bunny hop delivers. The ejector seat really finished up the main portion of the ride, and the G forces and that last turn are the big finale. Plus, this coaster should make ANYONE sentimental of cedar point. How could you be disappointed? This coaster needs just as much appreciation as some newer coasters like Maverick.
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This is awesome! This is exactly what KD needs. I'm pretty psyched that I will have an Intamin Giga less than an hour away from my house!
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Hey, it's Alex again. Happy 4th! I did a TR yesterday of Cedar Point, and I just found a TR from last summer of SF Great Adventure, back in the days before Medusa was Bizzaro, and the creepy old man who could somehow dance ruled six flags, as did the unusually happy "more flags more fun" asian guy. Ah, the good old days. To see my Cedar Point TR, click on the link below.
http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=774070#774070
In the mean time, enjoy.
I will leave you with this..... You know you want it.
Fun fact: I have a vendetta for that wall...
It's so little! I just want to pinch it's little cheeks! Who's my cute Walter Bolliger and Claude Mabillard love child? You are! You are!......... okay that may have gotten a little weird. Let's never speak of this again
Batman is a very "meh" coaster. Possibly because I've ridden it in like every other Six Flags park there is..
Every TR needs a completely pointless shot like this
I'm afraid this isn't a very good shot, but I was on the cable car so I didn't really have a choice. This ride is VERY unique. I mean, I know there is an exact version of it in Georgia and all over the world, but thats not what I mean. The pretzel loop really takes your breath away
I was going to ride rolling thunder, but then I looked over and saw that the line for El Toro was randomly really short, and so I ditched RT... I don't think I really missed anything though...
Nitro is pretty awesome. Apollo's Chariot is better in my opinion, but there you go.
GASM (teehee) hurts like hell. I actually found a video where Ron Toomer SERIOUSLY ADMITS that part of his production process is bending a coat hanger into what he wants to make
So many roller coasters, so little 4 hour wait patience. Seriously, for those who haven't been, let me put this in perspective... On Kingda Ka, there is a line to wait in line. And it doesn't help that just before you get in your seat, someone with a flash pass gets in front of you
Yes, yes, for those of you who prefer to spend the day inexplicably moist, here you go.
Medusa is looking massive and snaky. This is a pretty awesome cobra roll I'm not gonna lie.
Intamin destroyed world hunger and found a cure for cancer. Well actually they just built this awesome roller coaster. Close enough.
As I said, FREAKING AWESOME.
El Toro is happy to see me... This ride is FREAKING AMAZING!!!
I don't care how much everybody trashes it. sure the wait is long but once you get on it I actually thought it was pretty awesome
I best get away. Wiggles guy is ordered by the court to keep 50 meters away from anyone under the age of 18
We arrived at the park before it opened. The line for Kingda Ka was still obscenely long, and it rolled back three times while we were in line
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Thanks a lot everyone. The MF lift hill shot was a spur of the moment photo i took with the zoom all the way on. My camera is an incredibly outdated nikon coolpix, one of the first models. The reason it's so grainy is that i was on the Ferris wheel and MF was begging to be photographed. I live in a small town in Virginia so i have a season pass and easy access to Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens Europe. I will be going to those parks a few times this summer so I might post some better planned out TRs of those later this month. I also would like to upload a TR I did last year of Six Flag Great Adventure that i just found somewhere in the mass of unorganized JPGs on my computer. Looking back, I kind of wish my camera had fallen out of my pocket on El Toro like my cell phone did so i could get a nicer one
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Thanks! I did get to ride it but I was so busy riding it I didn't get to post any pictures.
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Hey my name is Alex Mann. I am fourteen years old, and have been into roller coasters for as long as I remember. For a few years now, I have made it my business to go around the Country riding as many famous roller coasters as possible. So far, I have gone to theme parks all along the east coast and even a few in Canada. But, for the longest time, there was one park I was lacking. Cedar Point. So this summer I dipped into some of the money I got for my Bar Mitzvah, and took the family on a two day trip to Cedar Point
This is my first TR and my camera is a piece of crap so be gentle.
This coaster bumped me up to 50 credits! I now OFFICIALLY have no life!!!!! That's for now! Thanks for reading.
It's no Eagle Fortress, but it'll do.
The sign edumacated me lotz of faktz
Blue Streak had a surprising amount of airtime.
Cedar Creek Mine Ride looks exactly the same as when the Tornado went through it in the 70s. Rides the same too.
Random turkey? Why not?
These goats were "mating" (or at least the guy was trying to, the girl wasn't really into it) in front of guests, including a group of small children.
Yes they had a petting zoo
It was even more intense later in the day. It was about to rain in this shot. Interesting story. In line some people let us in front of then so they could be with their group. As soon as OUR TRAIN pulled into the station at the end of the ride, it started raining, and Cedar Point being the wimps that they are, they closed the ride. I bet those people are regretting letting us in front of them now!
This is what they do to line jumpers here. We were on our way to Maverick for a re-ride.
Magnum was a little on the rough side, but it made up for it with the awesome ejector seat on the last three bunny hops
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indeed
Raptor was pretty awesome
I honestly have no idea what I was doing when this shot was taken. Perhaps indicating the amount of emails Dan gets every day.
I was the only one in my entire family who rode this coaster
This thing has an excellent view of the beach. Riders are a bit preoccupied though.
This Intamin masterpiece surprised me. I was expecting something lame and not worth the wait but this thing is pretty cool!
Wicked Twister was twisted. And it was pretty damn wicked too. I've said too much already
Artsy shot
The ride op on this Ferris wheel was... strange. She was humming YMCA into the mic with her back to the line. We were all pretty sure she was texting. Quite a few times someone else had to push the button for her because she forgot
Not only is Corkscrew short and unsatisfying, but it hurts. After riding this I wanted to punch Ron Toomer in the face.
Oh how wrong we were...
This 1932 Ford wasn't even in park! When we pushed it, it rolled. After Mantis we were all hoping our next coaster wouldn't hurt too much
These awesome old cars were parked in front of a diner
We get it, it hurts...
Well, I wanted to have children, but after riding this coaster, I don't think I am still capable of that.
The corkscrew really throttles you. Why B&M WHY?!
Next was Mantis. Crotch kicking stand up coaster from hell!!!
OH NOES! These swooping over banked turns are AWESOME
Everywhere you go in the park, Millennium Force is always watching... ... ... ...
The layout of this enormous coaster dominates one whole side of the park. Even though it is so long, it's still always over too soon
That first drop is amazing! The front row is worth waiting for. At the top the view is breathtaking!
Next was Millennium Force.
This thing blew me away! Intamin does not disappoint!
A train of happy riders pulls into the station
Maverick was our first coaster. This coaster is seriously amazing!
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Robb-
Was that coasterboy dude doing SCHTICK? Honestly at first I felt bad but I couldn't help but laugh at how innocent and confused he was!
Was it pre arranged that you would freak him out 'cause it was soo funny!
Loved the Christian Bale thing!
PMW!
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Oh God.... TWO wooden El Toro's?! How am I ever going to keep these straight?! For some reason, I see myself getting into some sort of whacky, "Who's On First" sort of coaster misunderstanding with someone.
On a lighter note, looks like a great coaster... Nice job GCI!
Photo TR: Behind the scenes Busch Gardens Coaster Tour
in Photo Trip Report Archive
Posted
Thank you guys so much! I might be uploading some Dorney Park photos soon as well. And for those of you thinking about taking the tour, you simply must, it's too awesome to pass up. Even if you saw a lot of the stuff on this TR, I couldn't possibly get a photo of everything, and you can't experience ERT and flashpasses and free parking with photos... seriously, the set back about theme parks is that most of your time is spent in line. On this tour, just about none of it is! This gives you a lot of time to really experience the ride for what it really is. And many things that I learned I just can't describe. like just how awesome Griffon really is. The only way to get all this is to take the tour yourself. It is only on Fridays and Saturdays and they only accept 16 people at a time, so I would advise getting your tickets early. It costs about 75 dollars and you still need to have a ticket to the park, so it helps if you either have a season pass or lots of spending money. But it is really, really worth it!