MrSum1_55

The previous day I went through the back entrance to run to Maverick. The next day, I went through the side entrance to head to MF. Rode MF in the front first thing in the morning, after having had to leave the front row line the previous night. Being let in an hour early means super long lines. ...and you can get an early spot in line at TTD. Power Tower. CP deserves better than an S&S tower. If only they could get an Intamin tower... Signature shot of Corkscrew I finally got to ride Windseeker. This one is high enough to provide some mild thrills, but it still suffers from a lack of variation. A titing motion would be a great addition, but for now I picture Windseekers as "just okay" Noted! CCMR is a pretty average mine train. Well, maybe a bit below average. Its still a million times better than Hershey's, though. Gemini actually has some good spots of airtime toward the back of the train. Of course, you cannot go without a little credit whoring. This must be the biggest credit whore: ever! Probably an ACEr. Its an Arrow, and a GOOD one at that. Corkscrew. Also featuring a loop and an airtime hill. Thats all we got here, folks. Dear S&S: Please build an actual freefall tower. Thank you. Mantis was running really well that day. And that was not just due to less braking on the drop. It was not nearly as rough as before here. Even when running at its normal roughness, it is still not as rough as most people say it is. I have even heard people compare this to a Togo Standup. Yet, there is no headbanging in the first half, and the second half now has very little. However, there is more of a slam on the MCBR, now. The inclined loop-a feature of the "big three" standups Two trains, one picture! Riders in the back=weee! Riders in the front=is this supposed to be an airtime hill? More airtime here... Here is MaXair from the skyride... And here is Raptor. Here is the long line for Maverick... and here is where people go who complain about the long line. (Oh, wait. Nevermind.) A twisted horseshoe roll is a good name for an element on this ride. Although it sound like something that should be food. This time, I rode in the back. I was surprised by the extra airtime on the drop. (I knew there would be more airtime, but not THAT much more compared to the front) so, the back is better. Maverick can run many trains, so it can stack many. (This was how the ride was designed and was not due to a slow crew) After a last ride on Dragster, I rode MF past closing again. And here is the train, ready to take me on my last ride at CP. KI pictures coming soon!

^Actually, I did eventually get into the park toward the end of the trip. However, I had to cancel my day at BGE to be able to get in. The photos will be poster toward the end of the TR, since it was the second to last park I visited.

Day 3: Cedar Point! After being let in to the park early, the first stop was the running of the bulls to Maverick. For me, there was literally a 1 train wait for the front! (This image was supposed to have a train in it, but I took it too late.) Next stop: MF! I am in exactly the same dillema with this and I305. I am not sure which is better; the front or the back! There is some airtime here in the back. Mantis pretty much looked like this most of the first day. It was almost broken more than it was running! TTD's queue was outside the queuing area, but few switchbacks were actually being used. Very KI-ish. Never rode Draggin' Iron. Since I already have the credit, I have no regrets. Are you ready for the extreme second drop? This was one of the few times a day of which Mantis was actually open. Corkie going through its extremely basic layout. Intamin bobsleds are becoming an endangered species. How about one that is not themed to a bobsled? Sitting in the front, Wicked Twister feels like a normal impulse. However, when you go up the back spike, your view in the back is obstructed by the twisting train, so the rows near the back actually give you a better view than the very back. What ocean is that!? If Maginum were smoother with more confortable restraints, it might be the best ride in the park. It is still very, very good, though. If only there was a fire in this area... Random Skyhawk arm! Blue Streak was running pretty brutal that day. I never knew such a small coaster could be that rough. Raptor combines the grace and dives of a newer B&M invert with the intensity of an old one. Although it does have that "B&M rattle" toward the back of the train during certain parts of the ride. The roughest woodie under 70 feet-from Raptor's queue Ok then... Is that a B&M coat hanger!? Blue Streak: Through the trees! For an invert, Raptor actually has a pretty good 1st drop. The fanale of the ride (at least before the insanely rattle-filled turnaround) Could a Huss GF be the best flat ride around? (Besides Intamin drop towers) Going beyond 90 degrees is a very exciting. It might be cool to go a full 180 degrees, although the ride would not deliver nearly as much airtime. Windseeker light combos make everyone happy! I never rode CP's at night. I did ride it the second day of my visit, though. A night ride of MF (after closing) ended the day. Day 2 of CP (More images) coming soon!

Intamin towers> skiing through a good terrain park> average water slide> jumping off a 10 foot diving board> S&S towers A better scale, though, would be this: Intamin towers> almost everything else that currently exists in the universe> S&S towers. Honestly, I would take a 100ft Intamin tower over a 400ft S&S tower any day.

17/20 USA/Can 15/20 Europe 16/20 Rest of the world

MrSum1_55 now presents the ultimate Mid-Atlantic-area trip! (Not a TPR trip) I will explain as the TR goes on. For now, please enjoy the world's worst SFGAdv trip report...ever! New Jersey is a state known for its suck factor. I could tell the whole story, but I will just say right now that the Turnpike labeling system is simply the worst possible system I can imagine and is the worst I have ever seen. SFGAdv, the very first park of my trip, was supposed to provide some relief. However, what relief can possbily come out of a closed park? They were running a few rides (El Toro, all Bizarro, Nitro, the indoor ones) but they decided to close the park shortly after I arrived, so I never made it inside. The weather was exactly the same all day. While conditions were not the most pleasant, If you can open with this weather, you can stay open with it. Apparently, that statement is way too logical for Six Flags. Also, after the closing time of 2:00, they were testing certain rides that were not running before. Like this thing right here. Unless you have been living under a rock for the past six years, you would know that this is Kingda Ka. The iconic "Tiny Train" picture. However, the train is not all that large, anyway. Apparantly it was not raining so hard as to keep them from running El Toro, but it was raining just hard enough for SF to stop caring about their customers. Since I never got in the park in the first place, I got full refunds on all my purchases, even parking. (Yes, the so-called "Parking Supervisor" was instructing employee's to continue to charge people for parking.) Day 2: Knoebels! What's this? This can only mean one thing... Yup! This is Knoebels! I had only a few hours in the park to get all the credits, so this TR will be brief. Phoenix was a great first coaster of the trip. Phoenix was a great first coaster of the trip. This is the part where you think "THAT just happened!?" Here is Phoenix: The Ride behind Bench: The Ride. Airtime so extreme, you can probably feel it right now looking at this picture! Twister lived up to its name. However, it never quite lived up to its status as a high-airtime coaster. But it is twisty as advertised. Looopers are nearly extinct in America. A Music Express with strobe lights? Sounds good to me! The kiddie coaster thinks its a NASCAR racer. It only does left turns! Its not too whorish of a credit, though. For 5.50 you get three cycles. Quite generous, if you are riding for any reason other than the credit. This thing actually has more airtime than Grizzly at CGA! (Although the flight back also probably had more airtime than Grizzly west) Phoenix rides never dissapoint! Might actually be my #1 wood coaster! One repeat ride on Phoenix ended the day, before driving to Ohio. New for two thousand seven...........teen. Cedar Point pictures coming very soon! (And a lot of them) By this point, you have gotten at least two or three major jolts of airtime. Even this park provides an ejector in the front!

Cannot possibly be more correct. The place is nothing more than crime and politicians, and what's the difference between the two?

Dear Title Fairy, My username is MrSum1_55. I would like people to know that I am "just another internet someone." It does not need to be worded exactly like that, but I'm sure your hotness will bring me a title I would find to be awesome! -Grant (And yes, I have been a good boy)

^Yes. After Grizzly ERT

^The only two times i have been to the park were on a and Sunday in summer. It depends on what you classify as crowded. Waits usually are about 20-30 minutes for popular attractions, but some people may consider that long. However, I was raised around DL and SFMM, so I probably have a different perspective on what a long line is. Unless you go on a holiday, you should be fine at CGA.

^Yes. But they are not open on the same schedule as the park. Go to the park website for more info.

CGA. One thing to note is that the preferred parking is WORTH IT! For just more, you can park right at the entrance. We're special! How many times can you ride Flight Deck in 30 minutes? Well, a lot. Especially with an awesome crew that rarely stacked the trains! Being in the park early also means you can get in early rides on other attractions. I wanted to get in a picture of Vortex in action, but having a one train wait made that impossible. Something used to be here. Now, it is just the Invertigarden. These two coasters looked like this the first hour the park was open. You can pretty much expect that from GCA, though. Intamin drop tower. Nuff said. Psyco Mouse is one of the best, smoothest, and most air filled wild mouse rides. Not too much braking, either. Tiki Twirl time! The restraints on a Zamperla Disk-O coasterare similar to that of a Zamperla mororbike launch coaster, and they suck just as much. Cartman is fatter than that! Demon is actually pretty popular at CGA. Just be sure to sit toward the back of the train. The tunnel right after the station is a cool addition. I would like to have ridden this back when it was Turn of the Century, to have ridden through airtime hills as opposed to loops. Here is Grizzly circling trains. And here is our lunch/Q&A session. Here is the main slide complex to the water park. Downunder Thunder, a Whitewater Boomerango, is the signature ride. It also has a fairly average family raft ride that seats five, and a standard twister tube slide. Two small body slides are also present, but that is about all there is to the waterpark section. Flight Deck This was taken from the meeting area for the backstage tour. As it would turn out, I was 10 minutes late, so I missed it. These shots turned out well, though! Back to Grizzly. It was at this point that my camera began to die, so I had to be conservative with my image taking. At least its an Intamin. Getting ready for Grizzly ERT, of which both trains were running, but only one actually went out with us in it! The whole session was much like our Medusa and Flight Deck sessions, with a game of musical chairs for the front and back. Hope you enjoyed this TR!

Walking up to the park. This picture is NOT a sign of quality. (Or is it...?) This whole thing was full on my last visit. I had no idea it was possible for the park to be any more crowded! No trains to wait for. ditto Same. See image #3. Omg Omg! A train! (Even though its not moving) Finally! A moving train! Won't be needing you today! Before ERT, everything was still testing. Roar was running very brutal that day. Might even be as bad as Ghostrider, now. You might get some airtime here, but most of it is hindered by the roughness. Since Sky Screamer was down, Robb got us ERT on V2 instead. That made me very happy, considering I would much rather have V2 than Sky Screamer. Heck, I would even rather have Boomerang ERT. (Yes, I have ridden it!) More Roar. Mostly empty train, anyone? This is about where the holding brake kicks in...oh, wait... Kind of like Ghostrider, just without the badass layout. Picture of the park's newest coaster! Soon to be SFM's newest coaster. After three rides on V2, two rides on Roar, and one ride on Pandemonium, I decided to ride Pande one more time. That time, I actually had to wait! I decided to check out Medusa next. The line was moving surprisingly fast... The famous "Gum Wall." Not as bad as Silver Bullet, though. I saw this after arriving at the steps. As you can see, there is no train in the station, and no train on the block. Is that an empty station?! Yup, you read that right. The Medusa crew was NOT stacking the two trains! Don't ask me how this is possible. Empty station. How often do you actually see this? Shot of the weirdest standard SLC ever. It is actually quite smooth here. Not too bad here. It is only going through the the "twisty" inversions that it tries to kill you. The 1st drop, beginning and end of the sea serpent, and the 1st half of the sidewinder are fine up front. However, the middle of the sea serpent, transition out of the sidewinder, and inline twists will make grown men cry. The loading station was sopnsored by Carl's Jr.'s new hand-breaded chicken sandwich. The ride ops now tell jokes about chickens, animals, and other foods. No joke! Cartman is fatter than that! Voodoo. Somehow, this thing never has a wait, no matter how crowded the park actually is! Boomerang was down a good portion of the day. Picnic area. We are special! Waiting for the picnic grove to open, I went to see if Ghostrider II was any better with a full train. It was not! After eating, we got some EAT. EAT is exclusive animal time. Don't get any ideas! They may look cute, but they sure don't make good pets. They were testing it all day, but it never opened. 90 minutes for Boomerang!? No thanks! I will check back later. Well, at least you can get some good shots of it. I have the sudden urge to buy a piece of gum, but I have no idea why! How about the Top Spin with no special effects? Shot from the queue. Loop-dee-loop! I'm not feeling very creative right now. Almost symmetry! Medusa time. Then, they had a thrid train running, and they were not stacking every single one every single time like my last visit! In Explorers Outpost, you can learn a history of the park, all inside a heated building! See! History! Since we never got ERT on this, they just gave these to us. And to think I only rode once! Sky Screamer at night looks awesome! However, we were told they have never actually had people on it at night. Medusa waliking out of the park. Medusa ERT+Water challenge+fireworks=Best ERT session ever! For me, the water challenge was an epic fail. I rode three times, and had none left all three times! Imagine that, in the cold bay area weather, at night. Yeah, it was that awesome! CGA coming soon!

^That is exactly my point. CGA can announce superiority in flat rides, since most of their flats are the same as at SFDK. They have a few more in the mix, but the only thing SFDK has that CGA does not is a Starflyer, but that has the potential of changing. If anything, though, CGA should be focusing on new coasters; that is the only thing of which they are on par with SFDK on. SFDK has a few good ones, but no real standouts, while GCA has one standout, but very little else. (When I say standout, I mean "top 50" material)

^^^^Okay, I think it all makes sense, now. That should fit in Invertigo's former spot. Also, I can see CF coming up with a fairly nasty add stating that their Windseeker is twice the height of Sky Screamer. Although, is Invertigo's spot within the height restriction? Being close to Demon, I could see that. I have yet to ride a Windseeker, but I have been fairly unimpressed with SFDK's version. However, later this summer I will ride both of the Ohio ones and sometime, probably next year, I will make my way out to Knott's. After riding these, I hope doubling the height makes the ride more than double the fun. I would rather have a new Roller Skater than a 150' Starflyer; at least that can count as a credit. Actually, even more of this makes sense now. SFDK probably got a Starflyer as opposed to a drop tower to avoid similarities with Drop Tower at CGA, right? So, if CGA got a Windseeker, they would completely corner SFDK in the flat-ride category. (Their best one (Hammerhead) has more downtime than a GIB)

Deja Vu. With some of the rumors coming from SF and Screamscape, that was probably a good end to the day.

^^ and ^ That explains A LOT then. Ideally, Apoc is really the only ride that should go down for rehab; the rest have three or more trains, so why not just do one at a time? That was always my million dollar question, until I realized there was only one team.

^I think I made the same mistake with my Black Knight coaster. The ride had a 10.32 excitment, and cost over $50,000 to build. The ride could run three trains with no stopping on any blocks, and the queue typically had 150+ people waiting. Dispite being able to eat through 2800 riders per hour, it only made back $35,000 by the end of the game. (Probably should have charged more to ride!) Rebellion (B&M Floorless) cost around $35,000-40,000, but it did make back its investment, considering it was the first major coaster I built. The main problem with my park was its density. I really wanted to build more buildings, but, by the end of the game, my park was just too dense. Few areas remain untouched by a coaster, tree, or ride. The only real buildings that were finished were ride stations. A couple things I am proud of is a consistant 999 park rating, and having the most exciting coaster of all the entries. (I had that honor in the last contest, though. Too bad there is no prize for that!) RCT2day, though, really was great.

That visit was more like a fourth chance. The previous visits were much better due to a lack of crowds. Whether you are at Fuji-Q or Epcot, you will always have more fun at a park that is less crowded than one that is more. TPR had a good day at Fuji-Q out of luck; it had nothing to do with any managment decisions (except the addition of Fastpasses) or faster crews. SFDK's operations are fine on empty days, but no one makes any effort to speed anything up when the park is more crowded. Also, a more crowded park means they should have more people picking up trash, but I wonder if they even have people for the job at all (at least when the park is open). Parts of the park also look like a carnival. More trees as opposed to large paved areas would be nice.

Read this: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=59330 I hope these photos answer your question. If not, then I have even more stories from that same day.

Pandamonium actually never really has long wait times anymore, although it still is the parks newest coaster. And at SFDK, new rides are something to be appriciated. The last time more than $10 million was ever invested into the park at once was to build V2 in 2001. Well, technically it was finished in 2002, but they didn't really have a choice on that one. After that, all we got was a boring Starflyer and a small Gerstlauer coaster. Zonga is gone, if you count that as an investment. (It was too intense, and Premier Rides, along with SF, messed it up) The park should be due for a major new ride now, even if it is a Zac Spin or Eurofighter. After seeing how packed the park became after Starflyer's opening, I cannot imagine what would happen if the park opened a Zac Spin, or maybe even a REAL coaster. (I actually do love Zac Spins, though.)

Medusa's queue is just as terrible as always. The park has finally started running more than one train, but be prepared for horrible stacking. On my last visit, Medusa was running all three trains. Sounds great right? Well, the crew had enough talent on consistantly stack all three of them. Like Tetris: The Ride. Although, in the giant room, while I was playing "count the trash" in the 2 hour line, I could not help but notice something on the wall. It appeared to look like a GIANT band-aid covered by a wet paper towel. I do not know what it was, but I do know no one was around to scrape it up!

^What is especailly great is that Half Pipes are some of the only rides around anymore of which ride ops will let you do the first drop backwards, at least at most locations. In fact, at Raging Waters, Sac, I was going to go down forwards, but the ride op gave me a surprise spin! This was quite exciting and unexpected, especially since the RW parks seem very strict on rider restrictions. (No single riders on a bowl ride? Really!?)

^^I agree that the park is the nicest-looking thing in town, but the park does not look too nice either! It looks like it could be one of the most beautiful parks in the country driving up to it, but once you get inside, you will see little more than a giant permanant carnival. Recently, I was looking through many of the photos I have taken, and many of my photos from other parks like Disneyland or SFMM appear full of life with excellent backdrops(DL) or foregrounds (SFMM's trees) My SFDK photos, however, mostly looked ugly with concrete backdrops. Operations are pretty bad here, and I don't think I have ever seen anyone picking up trash. It is good that the park is usually light on crowds, so you probably will have a good time. However, if go on a crowded day, you will be jealous of anyone who went to SFA that day! I would always suggest going to CGA. Even if you live further away from it, at least you are guaranteed two-train operation on most rides, except Vortex, and a very clean-well rounded park. While CGA does not excel in any category, it has a great balance of coasters, flat rides, water rides, family rides, cleanliness. The only real problem is the staff are just as slow at dispatching as SFDK, if not a little worse. Still, having the only real standout coaster in the bay area (besides GD) makes up for that.

^^^People say that all the time. Dissapointment will come in life, and it is just something that happens. What the people in the above post were doing was ranting on those who rant, which seems a bit hypocritical to me. If you don't like or disagree with this thread, no one is forcing you to read it. I really try not to let hype hinder a ride experience in any way. However, the one time it did was on Sky Screamer at SFDK. I would love to have an explaination for where the hype comes from, because even many of my GP friends were very dissapointed with the ride, even with only a 45 minute wait! (Which was one of the shortest waits that day). I love to push my fear of heights, but this did not do it. MrSum1 "Sorry for the rant and I hope I aggrivated no one"_55