cal1br3tto

So who else applied for a passport today?

No; in fact, quite the opposite. I especially love the bigger ones; sometimes the pain they dish out is just what I need. Have you ridden more than 5 Boomerangs?

^I'm glad I got one of the credits then! That's too bad though since I wouldn't mind riding it again. At least it's such a simple ride that I know exactly what I'm (not) missing. I'm curious about what will come of this...could be very interesting!

I can certainly accept riding Voyage with PTCs. I think of it as kind of coincidental that I'm visiting the year they were scheduled to debut--basically, they would've been like a bonus. (Although of course, I had been looking forward to them.) My only concern is the roughness I've heard so much about. It would've been great to be able to ride in trains that reduce that.

This issue really perturbs me. When I am next in line, I have tried both asking the person/group and just getting on. Since no one has ever objected, nowadays I just get on the ride without asking, whether seating is 2-across or 4-across. However, I have heard of people who have actually refused to ride with a stranger. That's what I'm concerned about. I think you're talking about when you're not next in line, which is obviously more of an issue. (What I described above is really more just me being paranoid.) I'm not really comfortable with asking to move ahead, but if someone offers to let me then I'll gladly do it. My only concern is if one person suggests it but other people in front of me don't understand and think it's wrong. That's never happened to me, though.

No, his glass will always be full. Have you ever used a typewriter?

I can see both sides with regards to Viper. It's pretty impressive with the height and the seven inversions; however, it lacks any of the gimmicks that make the other coasters at SFMM stand out more. And it doesn't really have historic charm to the extent that the older rides do. I wouldn't be surprised if it stays for a while, though. Having not ridden GASM I would accept Chang as a reasonable replacement. At least it's another "major" coaster.

At first, I seriously thought that Big Bad John was a heavily themed restroom facility. Sounds like the park is doing well! For some reason, I'd really like to ride X-Coaster, even if it's not all that great. And Arkansas Twister sounds like fun. Thanks for sharing!

This is the most extensive thread I'm aware of for alpine slides and alpine coasters. One caveat, it does focus more on alpine coasters, which run on rails like a roller coaster. There are a decent number in the United States, and "alpine slide" is definitely the right term. The one I've ridden is in Oregon, and I can certainly recommend it.

Wow, those photos really show the excitement of riding a racing coaster! I want to ride one now! This attraction looks very well done and it sounds like it's a great fit for the park.

Interesting news! It sounds like GAdv is really trying to make GASM's last days meaningful to fans. As pointless as it may be, I'm always sorry to hear of the loss of any coaster. But this is one I can deal with not riding. I've already ridden and enjoyed its equivalent, Viper, and I'm satisfied by that.

I have a new goal in life. It involves going to a German fair. Thank you TPR for inspiring me.

^I really hope SF takes the effort to properly upkeep the audio on X2. It really adds a lot to the ride. I can understand them taking it out on Terminator since it apparently is not well-suited to wooden coasters (although I'd love for them to implement any of the alternate ideas I've seen proposed). By the way, I did find X2 really rough, but I've only ridden it on one day so I can't say if it's getting worse. It did not interfere with my enjoyment--well I guess technically it did, but not enough to affect my overall opinion of it.

What a great experience! I've only petted a baby tiger and I'd love to play with one someday. It sounds like Captain Lee really does a lot for the park (not that I didn't already know that).

^Don't touch it!

I am not really familiar with cigars. I have smoked plenty of cigarettes, though. I like the (questionably) 'positive' effects, but not the negative effects. (How logical!) Apparently one variety of cigarettes I used to buy is now illegal: clove cigarettes (I bought Djarum Blacks). After a while, though, I realized I didn't really care for the taste or the buzz, so I guess I can accept that. Am I really the only person on TPR who has smoked hookah? I wouldn't mind trying that again.

I love Ocean City; the boardwalk is so delightfully seedy. I'm still bitter that I did not get any of the credits. Thanks for helping bring back some memories!

^^Thanks, that info makes the idea seem much more plausible. I'm sure you're on the right track in your speculation. I guess a plain old "discount" sounded kinda tacky to me, but paying to make up for specific problems definitely sounds like a good business practice.

Tiger Express at the Tigard Balloon Festival today. I always thought it was a powered coaster, but it appears to be identical to an oval Orient Express. The 'first drop' actually offers a tiny hint of negatives! Overall I enjoyed this coaster much more than I did last year, which is barely saying anything. I'm just glad to finally consider it a credit!

Is this common practice? And has CF actually lost an appreciable amount of money due to the delays and changes, or will the financial losses get paved over and forgotten quickly? (Yes, I know saving money is always important, but I would think their budget would be designed to accomodate potential setbacks.)

^Isn't there speculation going on that SF is returning to marketing their parks as "extreme" and high-thrill as opposed to the more family-oriented direction they had recently seemed to be taking? That's what I got out of that. If Magic Mountain is doing that then it makes sense that Gadv, at the least, would do so as well.

It seems that for some people, airtime = literally lifting from the seat, whereas for other people airtime is a slang term for any negative G forces. I prefer to be literally lifted off the seat, but I realize that's not always possible, and I'm glad that "airtime" can still exist even when that doesn't happen for me. In other news, I definitely want to ride i305 and probably always will (until I do, that is ), but it's still great to hear about improvements. I think we all want the best ride possible, it's just that we vary in our definitions of that, and of how we deal with shortcomings.

Okay, I'll bite. For some unknown reason, I'm currently really feelin' the idea of a deep-fried Mars Bar. The hot dog wrapped in bacon sounds like something I'd rather have un-fried. This could all change if I ever actually found myself in the situation of being offered both.

Am I the only person who for a split second was imagining how and why you would put a tunnel underneath a Wacky Worm? (Note to self: Reading posts thoroughly would be a good idea.)

^I agree the ride seems overhyped and perhaps inappropriately themed/marketed, but I think even those of us who are critical would still ride it. (Or already have.) It's still a coaster and a credit. And I would imagine that people would still visit the park due to other draws. Disclaimer: Speaking with very minimal knowledge here, and no personal experiences of the park.