PAL

I don't feel comfortable leaving ANY of those things in a cubby. Wallets can be lifted - *snap* - like that. We use inexpensive nylon travel wallets - they come with straps that fit around a belt loop, and can be worn like a necklace under a shirt. Works great.

^Agreed. X2 will pick your pocket. Every other ride, travel light. Don't carry so much crap. Not only will you save l.ocker cash, you'll save time and get on more rides - even at UO.

^^Weren't the Green Lantern cars up against the back Apocalypse fence, or were those for the almost Mr Six? It's hard to tell when you're flying by on Pocky.

^What, you think they were running one train just for giggles? Would it have been better if they'd taken you to the disassembled carcasses of the Terminator and Apocalypse trains, for proof? Just like Silver Bullet, they are undergoing maintenance. Colossus is undergoing track work; it's easily visible from the Scream lift hill. Deja - well, it appears just to be sitting there, but who knows what's happening during the week. There was some noise about a new lift cable. You didn't see the park at its best, but that's what you should expect when you visit during the off-season. Any theme park day is what you make of it.

Chad, I'm glad you enjoyed your tour of San Diego, California's southern cul de sac. Come back in 2012. Sea World Entertainment's track record inspires confidence that Manta will be a winner. I notice you have a healthy liking for taking it in the rear. You know what my drill sergeant said about Oklahoma? Something about steers and coaster dorks. You can look it up. Hey, don't hold out! Let's see that Timberline Twister photo. You're welcome.

^Wow, those are deliciously open and exposed. KBF was fantastic yesterday. The back stage tours - I don't see how a walk in the flume of an amusement classic could be topped. Xcellerator's innards were fascinating too, so complex. Say what you will about Intamin cables, it didn't look evil sitting calmly on its spool. Tons of thanks to Knott's for the gracious hospitality, and to TPR for another amazing WCB.

^It helps that they've cranked it back up to 11. I love the launch that goes on and on as the station recedes to the far distance. Fabulous - it's back to must-ride status. Supe reborn!

Thank you TPR! I was in Vegas this weekend for a college hoops tourney (go Aztecs!) when I saw this news. We cut our time at Circus Circus to grab a few Speed laps. Ops are on the 15 min schedule, but at least the crew kept everyone informed and counted it down. We waited it out for 3 laps. It's running a bit rougher than our last visit in 2009. Still love the rush of that 2nd launch. The area is already looking derelict. The entire upstairs section of the NASCAR Cafe is blocked off; most of the racing simulators are out of use. They are discounting; at 12:30 on a spring Sat an all day ride pass was $14, down from $23. Other Vegas observations: Canyon Blaster at CC is running well. Circus Circus is a dump, but the $12 prime rib was excellent at the Garden Grill. The Stratosphere rides are a unique trip. Insanity is a must do. Desperado is getting rough as heck.

Don't blame me, I voted for Sky Rocket. (For those unfamiliar with dry humor, that's a joke) I didn't ride 242. 305 was the best new coaster I experienced last year, although Sky Rocket was pretty sweet. That little launcher is a great fit for that park. It could use a little more notoriety.

^Robb, is there much difference between the Freedom and Oasis as far as how people spend their days at sea? Looking online, I know the Oasis class has the zipline and more alternative dining venues. Is it a big deal?

After visiting each of the past two years I'm not interested in hitting CGA again so soon, particularly now that it's down a decent coaster. SCBB is much more appealing, and SFDK is still a great day.

^Absolutely! Saturday at the Mt was sunny and warm.

Tijuana is the kind of city best to travel with in-the-know locals. At this time, It isn't a place for tourists to wander aimlessly or rely on the kindness of strangers, which is quite sad, as most Mexican people are honest, hard-working folk who are hospitable and generous. Although I still travel regularly to Mexico, if I go by road I'm anxious until I'm hours south of the border region. As Elissa said, if you do go, be prepared for inconvenience getting back into the US. The pedestrian crossings need not take hours, particularly if you use Otay Mesa or another alternative. Enjoy my home town, San Diego!

AK has Everest. That's a credit, a great one for a Disney park. Like others say, get a park hopper. We did both AK and MGM (Elissa's right) on Thanksgiving of all days. Take two parks; they're small. Heck, take three and end your day at Epcot. (No Express Pass at Forbidden Potter - a weekday would be so much less of a hassle)

^^Oh, I feel so fortunate... Hooray for me, I rode Windjammer. Many times. [/sarcasm] It's difficult to get excited about a ride that's only rare because it was awful and unreliable. At that, the ridership count must have been up there. We're talking about a major metro park that operates year round (as I believe Robb said early in this thread). Is a rare credit synonymous with failure of one kind or another? I believe so. Which of Robb's rare credits should we care about as premium attractions that would have been successful had they not suffered a run of bad luck?

The first time I've voted: COASTER NAME PARK LOC <--Please leave this El Toro SFGAd NJ,y,y,1 My Favorite Steel Anypark Anywhere **,y,n,2 Lightning Racer - L Hersheypark PA,y,y,3 Lightning Racer - T Hersheypark PA,y,y,4 Giant Dipper Santa Cruz Bch Bdwk CA,y,y,5 Terminator Salvatio S. F. Magic Mountain CA,y,y,6 Phoenix Knoebel's PA,y,y,7 Wild One SF America MD,y,y,8 Blue Streak Cedar Point OH,y,y,9 Roar SF Discovery Kingdom CA,y,y,10 Thunderbolt Kennywood PA,y,y,11 Twister Knoebel's PA,y,y,12 Roar SF America MD,y,y,13 Comet Hersheypark PA,y,y,14 Colossus S.F. Magic Mountain CA,y,y,15 Roller Coaster Lagoon UT,y,y,16 Jack Rabbit Kennywood PA,y,y,17 Giant Dipper Belmont Park CA,y,y,18 Racer Kennywood PA,y,y,19 Gwazi-Lion Busch Gardens-Tampa FL,y,y,20 Gwazi-Tiger Busch Gardens-Tampa FL,y,y,21 Wildcat Hersheypark PA,y,n,22 Rebel Yell Kings Dominion VA,y,y,23 GhostRider Knott's Berry Farm CA,y,y,24 The Grizzly Kings Dominion VA,y,y,25 The Grizzly Great America CA,y,y,26 Thunderhawk Dorney Park PA,y,y,27 Hell Cat Clementon Lake NJ,y,y,28 Hurler Kings Dominion VA,y,y,29 Mean Streak Cedar Point OH,y,y,30 I hurts me to rank Ghostrider so poorly, but not as much as it hurts to ride these days.

Holding brake. Why? I despise the holding brake on impulse coasters, although I've only experienced it on Possessed. After slamming into the OTSR a seconde consecutive ride, I stumbled off with a headache and nausea that ended my day. Superman's fine with floating to a gentle stop before falling back to earth.

The price complaints are ignorant. The best parts of WCB aren't available to the average Joe at any price. Furthermore, the regularly scheduled offerings that are in any way similar are priced much higher. For instance, the coaster tour at BGW. That's approaching $100 excluding admission and its worth every penny despite not including two meals. Sorry if you can't afford it, but you know what, I don't know anyone who doesn't have to pick and choose among the options. Complaining that a new 3,000 square foot house, a BMW, a coaster event as cool as WCB or any other luxury is too expensive is just silly.

Tickets purchased! Doubled up, MM and Knott's. For people who visited both parks last year, was it better to crash near Magic Mt or make the drive down to Knott's and land later? Traffic shouldn't be an issue at either time, but making tracks that night assures you'll make it to check in. Any recommended properties down south? What about the Knott's hotel - any chance of an event discount? Thanks!

Robb, have the daily start and end times been determined for this year's Bash? TPR Quest game! Is this THE same riotous good time TPR introduced at ECB? I'm signing up for the Knott's day just for that! (the Timber Mountain Log Ride backstage tour is another sweet addition) Last year my group elected to skip the optional dinner because we thought we'd leave the park for a short while to recharge for the late night ERT. Come WCB, I regretted the decision. So many surprise activities were added to the day that we were too busy enjoying ourselves to think of taking a break. If there is ultimately an optional group dinner offered, I'd sign up.

I have faith in Neal - I'm certain the park will deliver crazy-good value for the event ante. Bet on it! And, there's an excellent chance that we'll get to break in backwards Superman. Of course any time a ride is (re)opening, delays are a possibility. Even without it, I know it WCB will be epic. Great day in the park today. We were first in line at the gate and easily made the rounds of all our favorites. We would have made it a clean coaster sweep if Superman's thundering charge hadn't stopped us in our tracks. Colossus was the only one down. We skipped Scream (the line was 50 ft down the stairs) and Ninja. Hi-Ya! Go figure, at 1:30 it had a full queue. Yep, the old Gotham salute to the family statue now proudly stands butt-first toward Apocalypse. It looks oddly erotic sitting in the scrap yard that way.

Short shot! Yes, testing has commenced.

Superman test shot !!! Left side, and that sucker was screaming loud just like old times. I *think* it hit the red. Appeared empty / if there were water dummies, I didn't see them. Hoping for another shot. Cool - again! Definitely hit the red 3-4 frames from the top. Got the cell phone pic. Any tips on how to upload from the park?

Today at 10:35 Viper open Tatsu train parked at brake run. ? X2 held at station split; open 10:40. Trains 2 & 3. No audio; maybe later Edit: Tatsu testing. 10:42. 2 trains, left station. Station wait at 11. Warm sunny day. Apocalypse 2 trains no effects. Ohhh the preshow (shakes head). Ninja doing it's swoopy thing. Riddler: one stinking train. Hope GrAdv enjoys it's recycled ride. Noon: Goliath still a walk-on. 2 trains The park looks good today.

For me, the parking policy change just means I'll stick with the basic pass. The extra cost only made sense when it worked on the road. Besides, Magic Mt has done a miserable job communicating the Xtreme Play Pass food discounts to their employees AND customers. It should be printed right on the pass or on a pamphlet - trivial stuff. They never honored it for me without a hassle, so forget it.