PAL

I hope Disney reconsiders shutting down all of Paradise Pier during WOC. This is yet more evidence that operationally, the layout of DCA remains a mess. Really? For a show, you have to close down a major portion of the park's attractions for basically the entire night?

^Right at openning when Scorpion was a walk-on to get around the lack of Quick Queue. The mouse too.

^Thanks for the forecast. Turned out it was very busy, with lines spilling out extended queues and a peak wait time of 90 minutes for Sheikra. We dished out for the Ultimate Quick Queue passes ($39 before passholder discount). Added up but saved the day. We managed 2 laps on Kumba (liked Kraken better), 2 on Scorpion (blast from the past), 2 on the mouse, one each on Gwazi Lion and Tiger (jackhammery - once was enough), 5 on Montu (pure awesome), and 7 on Sheikra (yeah, we liked it). Rhino Rally was cornball fun too. Charming, beautiful park, with delightful animal exhibits. Our favorite park of this trip. Only Universal and IOA to go.

We're going tomorrow and hoping to get more coaster laps than the OP. Any idea what peak spring break wait times are like for Sheikra, Montu and Kumba? Thanks!

We'll be there in just about a week. Thanks for the preview. Anticipation! You didn't rate Scorpion. Did you ride?

Oh ho, can we get a wink for Six Flags Great Adventure?

WCB was unbelievable! I can't imagine how much time it takes to set this event up, but it must be huge. Magic Mt was spectacular, especially the backstage tours and that super-generous ERT (customized even!). What a wonderful surprise. We were giddy at the chance to get to see the maintenance shop and transfer track at X2, just amazing. All credit to the park for treating us like royalty. We're not worthy! We're not worthy! Thanks so much. My family was smiling ear to ear. I want the TPR and RideWorld teams and the wonderful Magic Mt management crew to know how much pleasure you brought to my family. Obviously we weren't alone, we were in great company. More quick highlights: * The friendly banter and joshing from management, who handled the Q&A session with aplomb. * Free photos! Most coaster ride booths stayed open for ERT. Wow, another unexpected bonus. * No lines for ERT! No lines for ERT! No lines for ERT! Coaster heaven, we are so lucky. * The ride ops rocked! Upbeat, fun-loving, and cranking trains, especially that great Goliath crew. * We didn't do the scavenger hunt, but wow! That was one action-packed day. Cool prizes too. * Muffin ERT! * Club TPR welcome packets. I know the day guests suffered serious pen envy. Let's go again!

The discussion of the Mr Six height limit went something like this. Tim (it was Tim, right?) said that Vekoma's height limit corresponds to roughly 42 inches. They're trying very hard to get the manufacturer to change the manual, but aren't getting any support as the company has changed hands and management teams several times since the ride was manufactured. Our Magic Mountain friend got a little testy (in a nice way), saying he resented the uproar over here because it implies he doesn't know his job. The last thing they want is a kiddie ride that kids can't ride. The will continue to work on changing the height requirement. That's all paraphrasing. You supply the context and subtext. Edit: It was Tim (I think!)

The single rider line news was encouraging. Planning is already in progress; we might see them within weeks. The locker discussion was fun, heck, the entire presentation was light hearted. Here's the official line. We don't want to get rich on them. We want to educate guests to leave their stuff at home. This was in response to a question on pay a single price for a full day of use. The park can't do it yet (they don't have the required IT cable) but they are working on their technological infrastructure.

A couple of WCB pics: X2 ERT in full effect The X2 version of a flat tire, or what happens about 20 times less often with the lighter X2 trains according to our friendly tour guide WCB 2010 rocked! Huge thanks to TPR and Rideworld for an event that gets better and better. And to the park too, Magic Mountain rolls out the red carpet for WCB. They go above and beyond, first class... actually, they treat us like family. Thanks so much!

Ninja's getting a new control system. That's great news for anyone fond of the ride, as it isn't going anywhere soon. There's no expiration date a la Big Bad Wolf. Thank-you Six Flags Magic Mountain head honchos for sharing this news during the West Coast Bash Q&A session. What else? There was talk about some new marketable capital coming to the Hurricane Harbor kids' section, but they didn't give up the goods. Wait another week or so. Also, Metro is never coming back. As in NEVER. Blame California's current seismic codes (or not, building codes are a good thing in quake prone SoCal). Superman will be back on his perch soon, that's if management decides on what to do with the tower. They were extremely reticent about plans to plus it up, but did let slip that a paint job is in the foreseeable future.

^^Cool! Maybe we'll see you a week from tomorrow. Love that RnRR!

Heartfelt condolences, very sad. The best to you and yours in these difficult times.

^Good, no spoilers! Forget the theme parks. I'm traveling cross country collecting Mackey-D credits. Might even start a thread, TPR'ers who worked at McD's. Open, close, grill, stock, register, inventory, training, I had it down.

You don't need an account to use PayPal. I processed my credit card payment through the service with no problem. Many online merchants use Paypal as their credit card processor. There is a surcharge though; mine was about $3 for a family membership and two t-shirts.

All paid up via PayPal. Just waiting for that confirmation email. HOLD THE PHONE! It just came through, "Welcome to Club TPR!" Now this is a successful soft opening!

Why wouldn't it? The presser states: "It’ll feature the same benefits you get with the “premium” annual passes for Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts for $700." As far as bargains go, that's in the eyes of the beholder. That has more to do with comparisons to other chains, not WDW / DL. Disney's in a league of its own. As I showed in my own comparison, a DL pass and 6-day hopper come out about the same as this pass, without the additional benefits such as WDW parking. It has me considering returning my unused 6-day ticket to Undercover Tourist, instead opting for one of these new passes for the parking and discounts. For the rest of the family I'm not so sure. Its a ton of money to invest all at once.

WDW Premium AP: $619 w/ waterparks, DQ and golf. Disneyland Premium AP: $439 I suppose looked at this way its a "good deal" but certainly no bargain. Even going with lesser passes, a DL Deluxe AP with parking is $378 and a WDW Theme Park AP is $489 (without discounting). Gah! Makes the CP Platinum Pass look like a bargain, with chain-wide admission only $160. Six Flags is an absolute steal at roughly $60 for the same thing (plus parking). We're headed to the World in a couple of weeks, and will likely resume DL APs some time before the end of the year. Our discounted WDW 6-day hopper was $279. Add the DL Deluxe AP, the total is $768, about the same as this new pass with tax! Go figure.

Awesome! I can't wait for TBD - I'm going, whatever it is.

Ghostrider at Knott's is a brutally rough ride. When it was new it was the best woodie in California (not the highest of bars). Has Gwazi fallen so far?

Its common practice in many industries to suspend operations while undergoing forensic tests and reevaluating procedures. It looks like that's happening here - plus they're spinning the clock and putting some distance on it. From my ignorant perspective, I think we'll see Sea World trainers back in the water with the whales eventually. Sea World did say that guests would no longer be allowed to touch the whales. It seems the days of that one special audience member getting all goo-goo with Shamu could be over for good. Lawyers... They got Disneyland to lame the Teacups, so here I expect the worst.

Then how about free drinks?

^ Of course I'm joking. Whether it was a consideration or not, Club TPR scores well in an alphabetical list. Reminds me of those old fashioned yellow pages, with endless listings of AAAA Plumbing Co and the like. Not that it matters; coaster clubs are all about fun.

^ Hey look at that, Club TPR is second on the Holiday World coaster club list. Pretty cool. Ah, notice the name on top? You want ACE members claiming they're number 1? I have just the answer. Change the name to "A Club TPR." That would show 'em.

Be careful what you wish for. There's a reason MJ's show glowed away forever... (I don't think Disney really understands the meaning of that final word). Still, its good to see something in Tomorrowland generating excitement (no, not forgetting Ghost Galaxy). Have fun!