timberskara

I certainly don't disagree that the prices are getting really high. In fact, I've been known to bitch about the 120% increase in the annual pass price. But then I began to really think about it and realized that it may not be fair to make such generalizations due to the unique setting the park is in. For instance, many parks offer a pretty good deal on season/annual passes because they figure that passholders are not only riding rides each time, but spending money themselves or bringing friends and family who will spend money. While it's certainly known that season passholders spend significantly less in-park than regular guests, it's still enough that most places offer season passes at a pretty decent rate. And then there's the Park at MOA...where people pretty much just come to ride rides. They don't eat in the old food court in the park, they choose one of the many other restaurants at the mall. They probably don't buy park merchandise or play park games because there is so much more at the mall to do with that money. In other words, the park itself can draw people to the mall, but it doesn't get anywhere near the profits from its guests, as their money is being spent elsewhere in the mall. This may make sense to nobody and I may be just be blabbering, but I guess what I'm saying is I get it. The park doesn't make money off of annual passes because more and more people would just take advantage of the rides when at the mall for other things, not spending a dime in-park. It's got to be very challenging for the park to find ways to make and maintain a profit while keeping guests happy...but what I don't think they realize is more and more people who have purchased annual passes from them every year consistently are now buying VF passes instead. Trust me, I helped out at the VF season pass kiosk in the month of December at a nearby mall and I couldn't tell you how many people, who had never had a VF pass before, are buying them now because of the insane price increases at the Park at MOA. So what's the solution? I have no idea. But I guess for right now, they'll be getting more money from the occassional "single ride" guest and a little more for the "wristband guests."

I, too, have wondered why they made the switch to triangular track. Maybe Gerstlauer thinks Minnesota is full of overweight people or something ??

Yeah yeah, everyone's doing it. Went to the MOA today to shop and took some uber-geeky photos. Trying not to post too much what everyone already has, but that's probably impossible! Overview Freaking tall! "IMA LIFT CHAIN, I PULLZ U 2 THE TOP" "Look Ma, no footers!" effect The official name for this is "surfboard carriage-thingy" Glancing across the park So tall! Future site of...Gak fountain? Signage? Time will tell (right smack dab infront of Axe) Hmm...what could be under the tarp? I have noooo idea! Coolness: It's so flamingly flaming Triangular goodness Come on, all the cool kids are doing it! All in all there was a TON of buzz going on there from families walking by the construction site...it was super cute seeing the littler kids grab their parents arm while looking up, up, up at the drop

Awesome! I love the Epcot at night photos. Looking forward to the other updates...especially BLUE MAN (I am so jealous)! Did you get to do the twinkie feast? Happy late birthday

That is such a compliment from you, thanks! Haha. Okay, that's pretty much the funniest thing I have ever read! Awesome. And thanks everyone else for all the comments! I'm kind of shocked at how nice everyone is on this board...I love you all . I guess there are still cool coaster people out there, eh?

All of your dreams can come true if you work seasonally at Valleyfair this summer! At the employee summer olympics, an event is called the Looping Starship and you have to bring a cup of water on the ride and see how much you can save. It's pretty much impossible, but a lot of fun. And hey, there's housing so you wouldn't have to make the commute from Sweden everyday:wink: Also, I agree with VFFreak...I'm a chick and the restraints are the most uncomfortable thing ever (and shudder just thinking about it).

Thanks guys ! I should also mention that there are numerous businesses on the web where you can send your shirts and they will make it for you. It's a little pricy, but it you don't have the tools to do it yourself it may be worth considering.

I know I don't post much here (although I enjoy the site and lurk a lot), but I thought I'd share my recent project with you. I hope you like it! Oh, and sorry about all the rambling text...if you really aren't interested in knowing how to make a quilt, then just check out the photos. I recently took out a book from the library about 101 things you can do with old t-shirts...I'm not quite sure why other than it looked fun, crafty and interesting. The idea that struck hard was a quilt. Yeah, a t-shirt quilt is probably nothing new to most people, but it was for me as I had never heard of doing such a thing. I will be the very first person to admit that I used to be the biggest coaster nerd that ever walked the planet. While I still LOVE the amusement park industry, my fashion sense has changed in that I probably wouldn't be caught dead in a coaster shirt these days. Don't get me wrong, I have no problems with people who do (heck, it makes you easier to spot to strike up a conversation!), but it's just not for me anymore. I began to make a list of the old coaster t-shirts that are very sentimental to me, but would never make it out of storage to be worn again. When I was home over break, I spent a day going through boxes, drawers, etc. trying to relocate these old treasures. Each one I found made my heart race. I have so many memories of "the good old days" when I was not only at my nerdiest on the coaster spectrum, but also from a time when I was finding out who I really was-- finding a hobby I was passionate about, making amazing friends and traveling the country. Sadly, no matter how hard I searched, I could not find some of the ones that mean the most to me...but if I ever do find them, another row or column will be added. I opted to not use my CP crew shirts because they are far too naughty to display on a quilt . In the end, I did find enough to make a quilt full of happy memories, so I had to be content. Yes, I hate myself for being an ex-ACEr, too . I researched a lot and found out exactly how I wanted to do it and enlisted the help of my Mom, the sewing queen. I decided that, unlike a traditional quilt, I wanted the backside to be shirt material too--the backsides of the shirts to be exact. The process was a big one for us (MUCH bigger than I had imagined), but the hardest step was the first: cutting. I used a 12" x 12" template, a rotary cutter and a cutting mat. Make sure to get any house pets out of the way before using the rotary cutter (even if they are cute and named after the greatest roller coaster ever created): I was somewhat hesitant, but after the first was done the rest were a breeze. I knew that I would enjoy the quilt more than the shirts sitting in boxes, so I began to get excited. In total, 30 shirts out of the 33 got used simply due to the layout of the quilt. I am estimating a rough t-shirt cost of $10 a shirt, because some were more, some were less and some were free...but in reality it was probably more than $300 worth of shirts. After cutting took place, my Mom and I played tetris and layed out the pieces in a shape that we thought would be Kara-sized (not too short!). We spent half an hour or more re-arranging the pieces so no two colors were next to eachother and so on. And then we flipped them all over to make sure the back looked okay and ones with designs weren't all clumped in one area (they were) and did some more re-arranging. This was a crucial step! Next step was ironing on interfacing to the backs of the 60 pieces to make the shirt material more stiff and easier to sew. This took a loooong time as I had to iron the piece flip it over and smooth it out again, line up the interfacing and leave the iron on each spot of the shirt for 10 seconds, cut it out from the interfacing and iron it again. While I was doing so, my Mom began sewing together the pieces. If it was a one woman project it would've taken weeks, for sure. After the interfacing, Mom gave me the sewed together sections to iron open the seams. The process continued and we kept up with one another pretty well. Yes, I ironed for 5 hours straight. This from the girl who doesn't own an iron and swears by wrinkle releaser. Am I done ironing yet? But, the sections started coming together, and I tested them with unsuspecting victims. After each row was done, we'd line them up VERY carefully and pin them together. The front side was starting to take shape. We then tackled the back side, making sure to reverse the order of the shirts so that they would line up appropriately once the two sides were sewn together. The entire process up to this point took a whole day. The next day we layed out the batting, which I chose to be the lightest one possible because I was amazed by how much the shirts alone weighed. It made it soft, but not too heavy. Lining up the front and the backsides was rough. Despite my sweet cutting efforts and my Mom's sweet sewing efforts, it didn't line up perfectly. So, we forced it to line up by pinning in place before sewing. We then quilted each square with a cool stich and did the binding around the outside. The end result: Front: Back: I love it. I am IN love with it. Even though it turned out to be a bigger project than I had imagined, it was a memorable experience with my Mom and the result, I think, is amazing. But no, I will not make you one . THE END !

Yay for all you guys getting us photos! It's definitely exciting seeing it move along.

I have been in and out of the mall quite a bit in the past week finishing up all of my Christmas shopping and it's amazing how this thing is coming along. The half of the halfpipe (okay, I was really just looking for an excuse to say that phrase...) they have constructed is HUGE. It goes so close to the ceiling, it's nuts. If it were moved about a foot in any direction, it simply wouldn't fit because of the way the skylights are positioned. It certainly looks impressive. No SpongeBob track or supports yet...but the area is definitely prepped and ready for it from what I can tell. I was there about an hour and a half before closing tonight at the park itself was deader than dead. I really wish they'd do something about the annual pass situation to sway my decision about not buying one. The new additions would've been tough for me to pass up on a night like tonight!

Thanks for the insight, Looty. All I can really do is hope something gives. Not that I can't afford $250, but I simply refuse to pay it. A Universal Orlando annual pass for both parks is $189, and they have TONS more to offer than Nick Universe. Also, assuming the all-day wristband price increases drastically too, I fear they may lose the crowd that decide to do the park once they are already at the mall. I'm not an expert, but I'm guessing that percentage is pretty considerable. The lower admission price of $25ish made that decision not overly difficult, but if we're talking $40-$60 bucks, I'd be willing to bet a lot less MOA guests will consider it. Guess we will just have to wait and see!

^I emailed the park about a month ago to inquire about them. Yes, I told them they were crazy to increase prices by over 120%. They said, "Yes, with the new amusement park coming, prices have gone up a little." A LITTLE? They go on sale March 1st. Personally, I'm hoping they realize that not many people will pay that kind of money and make an adjustment after a couple of months of sales. I wonder what this means for individual and all-day pricing-- with the current price of $24 for unlimited you would have to go just a little over four times to make it worth it (like most places). If that theory holds true, we're looking at around $60 a pop for an all day pass.

While it is kind of sad to see things changing so drastically, it's also exciting to think that it really is going to be a completely different park. Too bad the annual passes are going to be freaking ridiculous at $250-- up from $109 in '07.

Nice TR, thanks for sharing. After having just moved to MN this past May, the fair was a must for me. The highlight for me: Roc n Roll! That has to be one of the coolest rides I have ever been on, and it was great to relive it through your description. Here's to hoping it's back next summer .

Remember, too, that working a Joe Cool ride will give you more hours. You have to report to the ride earlier and (most likely) run out a longer line at night. Of course my favorite ride to work was Magnum, but Millennium was great too .

I, too, worked seasonally at CP for two summers. I think it would be a great idea for you -- it's a fun summer job that can help you get your foot in the door for a possible future career in the industry. It can also help you determine if you like the lifestyle of working for a seasonal theme park to decide if it is something you want to pursue. Worked for me! Like you will hear from most everyone there are really fun times, really dramatic times and times where you are dead exhausted...but in the end it's worth it. I don't think you'd regret giving it a shot for the summer.

Awesome photos and commentary! It's funny..I saw you taking the Hydroblaster photo and turned to my co-worker and said "that's going to end up in a trip report." It was such a cool shot I figured it had to be a coaster nerd taking it Glad you had a good time! Thanks for posting such detailed feedback.

I think the ticket you are referring to is the 5 Park Flex Pass. You're absolutely right-- in comparison to paying separate admissions at the 4 parks you mentioned, it's a good deal. I am leaving for Orlando later this week and have been checking out different ticketing options as well. If you aren't interested in doing Wet n Wild and if you are only staying for a week, I would recommend checking out the deals that are going on at the individual parks right now. SW and BGA just introduced a new ticket that includes unlimited admission to both parks for 7 days and FREE transportation to BGA from Orlando for $85 if you buy online. Universal has a similar ticket that is a 7 day unlimited park hopper ticket for $85 if you buy online. I'm not sure how long these deals will last, or if they'll still be available for your trip, but I'd definitely recommend looking into it. These options will save you even more money than the Flex Ticket, I know they have for me!

Hey guys. I'm heading to Japan and am planning on hitting up LaQua and was wondering if they had any sort of pay one price deal for all of the attractions. I didn't see anything like that on the site, but I just wanted to check. Thanks in advance!