vacoaster09

I actually agree with many of the critiques many have offered. I also agree that I305 slaughters the competition on the east coast. If Kingda ka really does mean King of Coasters then I305 dethroned it. However coasters are not all that win me over in a park. Thus is why Knobles is a winner, thus is why Dollywood is a winner... with such places its never the quantity but the quality of their service that I love. That was the only part of your statement I was debating and my post was the show that park actually surpases the others in some critical ways while in others it falls short. Like you, I compared SFA to other parks as well, namely the ones you mentioned to show that SFA is not inferior in every aspect. I used counter examples (tons of trash at Great Adventure, faded signs, long paths from Dominator to Volcano, long walk from White water canyon entrace to the station) to show that if you're going to slam a park for something be sure to make sure the other examples you use actually are doing better. I just choose not to nit pick but rather look at it as a whole (guest service/maitenance/throughput). Again, I looking at everything positively and see the critiques some mention as areas for further improvement. The list is getting smaller every year. Arundelhigh, you have to understand that people derserve to think SFA sucks. There are things about SFA just makes people angry. They are the guest at the park and they pay and expect to get their money's worth. Expectations are set due to varying factors offered as theme parks arcross the world. People want that same kind of satifisfaction that they get when they depart from Dollywood and likewise every park should give that. SFA has to get the point where its consistent whereas when someone first for their first time or just that one time out of the year they are pleasantly surprised. So yes some are going to think they park is not great others will see the park as a heading in the right direction and just not there. It happens! When I read back the last 20 or so pages... I see improvement but not consistency (thus the mixture of good and bad TRs). The park has to be great everday not just at the beginning of the season.

Sky Coaster or a Skyscraper type ride like at Cedar Point's challenge park

So if the world survives 12/21/12 its going to get beat to death in March by a smiling roller coaster?

I do not live in the DMV area but I will go to bat for SFA. The recurring arguement stating that this park is still as bad as it was pre -2007 is just not the case. That much is true! That much is proven! A park with a rough wooden coaster doesn't make it the worst park in the world (Hurler at KD, Cyclone at SFNE, Ghost Rider Knotts, Rattler SFFT). Just because the park's hypercoaster, Superman, isn't Skyrush also doesn't mean the park sucks. In fact I recall, the Superman Clone (formerly SF Darien Lake) being featured on a roller coaster show back in the day. I enjoy it much more than say Mamba at WOF and Steel Force (personal preference) so it's not the worst. 2002-2007 were tough years for the park. No need to go in depth. Yet the park has been digging out of this. So yes it is better when you compare it to itself but it is also better in critical areas compared to its competitors. The main area I will highlight is SFA's guest service focus/interaction. This park blew me away compared to the lackluster non-enthusiastic ride attendants, sorry excuse for a restraint check, are joking around with each other on the platform team members at Dorney Park, Kings Dominion, SFOG, Mt. Olympus. Granted, I'm not talking about every single ride at either park but all of the examples had a majority of there team members exibiting these actions. SFA was by far superior. Service was the area that SFA got COMPLETE Fs in and made me hate the park. SFA made me love it again and it says a lot. So much that it leaves something to be desired from the other parks. As for constructive criticism for the park, Guest Service/Friendly team members/ High-fives are not going to be enough by itself (It's surely no Dollywood)... Reliability of rides/ appeal of their rides is still poor. I have heard people state things about areas of improvement and I view them as opportunties. Not as something to be blown way out of proportion into an endless rant. Areas like the capitol railways train. So likewise, there are definitely some areas that park still needs to address. However, I noticed things this year that completely shocked me in a good way. Little things from them replacing all of their story board signs near Batwing ... SFGAdv, SFGAm still has their old faded signs at Superman and the ride looks terrible and it was very dirty and littered with trash. Many do not criticize other parks fairly for various reasons but I like to look at things fairly. All of these parks have an area of opportunity. You can nit pick all day but you can't single out SFA anymore (A letter missing on batwing sign for example... but there was never a letter missing when i visited last year or this year). Those days are in the past (past years). So critiques, SFA should have more than one train on their coasters Landscaping attention needed to their train route and Two Face area Enthusiast want a New coaster not re-used coaster Among others.... Yet, Even with one train, the line's SFA are still shorter than most other parks you may frequent (more rides per ride) Landscaping, the definitely made noticable paint touch ups to some flats and signage as well as landscape it's in park paths SFA got a used coaster but SFNE used coaster and SFGAdv used coaster got more praise, even when SFNE's had way more down time and also has one train. People complain about walking from Superman to Batwing, yet you heard complain about the people who walk from Dominator to Volcano/Avalanche or from the entrance of White water canyon to the actual station. Enough pretending that SFA is the epitome of the worst park (Mt. Olympus).

From Hershey Park's Facebook If you’re in and around Hershey, you may notice some activity near Roller Soaker, our water roller coaster. After 11 years of service, Roller Soaker will be removed to make way for additional water attractions in 2013. More to come soon!

SFA Aerial map has been updated on Google to show Apocalypse. Looks like some room for a path and expansion behind apocalypse that could lead into Whistlestop. SFA Google Maps

This ride is "BLUE"autiful!

Nice!

Can't wait for a pic update!

Firefall?

I wonder how the queue line will be set up for this ride and also for the Star Tower

Have footers even been dug for Full Throttle?

I didn't realize just how huge this ride is going to be until I saw this picture. Definitely puts the height into perspective. (from news plus notes)

I love two toned track

From Ride Entertainment Group of Companies facebook

Yes to this day i love RCT2! When I heard of RCT3 I got excited but when I saw how cartooney it looked I passed. I thought the 3D would be more like No Limits but it wasn't. I completely agree with everything disney4me2001 said. I couldnt have said it better! My favorite thing I saw demonstrated was the free-form layout design feature. RCT2 only allowed me to use the cookie cutter shapes and I could never re-create rides the level I desired.

As I watched this video I could not help but to think this would make the perfect ride concept for the suppossed Griggotts bank ride. As the cars look kind of like Mine Cars. (For those that know the story/ seen movie) The Mine Track in Grigotts is quite the twisted one... Compare that to the actual movie footage of the bank vault train

Ride Entertainment Group of Companies posted this Gerstlauer video on their facebook page of the Veil of Darkness ( the launched spinning coaster with an inversion). As I watched this video I could not help but to think this would make the perfect ride concept for the suppossed Griggotts bank ride. As the cars look kind of like Mine Cars. (For those that know the story/ seen movie) The Mine Track in Grigotts is quite the twisted one...

CP webcam screenshot 12/11/12 CP webcam screenshot 12/11/12 CP webcam screenshot 12/11/12

Gatekeeper Webcam screenshot 12/6/12

I just wish someone told me to avoid all rows except for the front this summer when I took my first trip on Hades. Assuming the ride was going to be like it looked in the initial TPR videos i rode the back seat. I got off the ride and cowered in a corner like a boy who had just been dragged to hell and molested in the darkness... wait!!!...... Hades did all of the above, Hades = Pedofile, an AGGRESSIVE Pedofile.

Name That Park! photo from rollercoasterphilosophy.com

Adventure World

^I will put money on that!

Aggressive would be Hades at Mt. Olympus (it even has a sign that says its aggressive) Intense would be I305, Skyrush, El Toro, Hypersonic XLC, Dodonpa because of their intense forces. I prefer Intense!