timberskara

Congrats! Start practicing your train wave (rotate just your hand and don't wiggle your fingers). As far as the "interesting stories" you have heard, I can only imagine. The drama is inevitable because you're constantly working, living, eating and partying with other employees. I don't know if they still do this in orientation, but at the beginning of the summer I had to write down what my goal was for the season on a self-addressed postcard that was then sent out at the end of the year. As lame as it is, it's good to go there knowing what you hope to accomplish or be a part of -- are you there just to party? To earn money? To get the experience? To meet new people? To bring in the most donuts (that's a whole other story;))? Obviously everyone will probably do all of these things while working there, but it helped me to have in writing what I wanted to get out of it so I had some direction during the summer. It's easy to get caught up in anything and everything that is going on around you. Overall, working at CP is a really great experience--especially for us nerds--because you get to learn the other side of things, the beind-the-scenes of the day-to-day operations of a large tourist destination. You get to be apart of a great team and learn some valuable life lessons. And if you're lucky, you might even walk away from the summer with some money in your bank account. Best of luck!

Admittedly I'm a bit sad, but mostly happy to report that this will be my first season in 7 years that I am not working at a park-- hooray! I had a really great run with the CF parks and am so thankful for all of the opportunities and experiences I got there. Even though it was time for me to move on, my years as a theme park slave will always hold a special place in my heart. Here's my history: 2003 -- Ride Operator @ Cedar Point, mainly Corkscrew but a little Magnum here and there as well 2004 -- Ride Operator @ Cedar Point, Millennium Force 2005 -- Group Sales Supervisor & Marketing Intern, Michigan's Adventure 2006 -- Same as 2005 May of 2007 -- Marketing Intern @ Valleyfair June of 2007 - January 2009 -- Group Sales Coordinator @ Valleyfair (hired on year-round) January 2009 - January 2010 -- Promotions & Communications Manager @ Valleyfair (still year-round) Like a lot of other young enthusiasts, it was a huge dream of mine to eventually wind-up working full-time in Marketing for a park and luckily for me the pieces fell in the right spots and I made it happen. I know this sounds WAY cheezy, but definitely don't give up, and keep going after whatever it is you aspire to be with the park or company you work for. For me, my theme park dream really lead me to what I consider is my true calling-- working for the non-profit Give Kids The World. Now I just have to figure out what it's like to have weekends off and work only 40 hours a week...what am I to do?!

This news breaks my heart! When I lived in the Twin Cities I'd visit Adventureland every summer-- it's the epitome of a traditional theme park and the employees are the nicest I've ever come across. A huge part of the park's character was this front area and it's so sad to see it in flames. I'm glad they'll recover and continue to be a place for families, but for the record I'd take being able to play the Bingo there over any of the rides, any day!

Since Matt has a really creepster avatar right now (seriously, dude, would YOU want to meet up with you in a foreign land?)...I thought I'd vouch that he's actually a fun, sane person to hit parks with. Definitely make him ride in the front on any water rides, though. Best of luck and take lots of photos! I'm so jealous.

First off, I LOVE this idea and think it's super cool that members can get involved in this process. I just wanted to throw in my two cents-- hope that's okay! As someone who has to check Coaster Club cards at events every so often, I know park staff would be ever so thankful if the expiration date was clear and prominent. When you have a line of enthusiasts waiting to get into an event, it's nice not to have to play "Where's Waldo" for the date. On a side note, a lot of people try to "casually" use their thumb to cover up their expired dates on a card. So if the font's not uber tiny, it helps avoid this issue. That, or you could just put a huge bullseye with the date in the middle. Yeah, I like that idea . Looking good so far, can't wait to see what's to come!

I am in awe of your witty captions! Love the photos, too. Sure looks like they did a great job with the event...the characters' wardrobe and makeup is amazing! Thanks for sharing .

This is really cool; looks like you had a great year!

Even though I haven't yet been on any TPR trips or other scandalous TPR photo opportunities, I SO appreciate this thread! Tagging people in the background, obviously unflattering photos, those stupid apps-- all of it really just makes me question why I continue to use Facebook. It's supposed to make life easier by staying in contact with people, not annoying like it's gotten. Robb, you should consider composing a CoasterTube or YouTube video using "The Inconvenient Truth" method . Let's all work to make FB a better place, eh?

Love this topic...you are quite talented. Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work!

So I'm gearing up for my yearly Dells trip and, in the process of budgeting, discovered that the wristband at Timbers Falls claims to only let you ride up to five times. It's actually kind of funny how they have it worded on their site: What kind of "unlimited all-day pass" only lets you ride five times? I was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with this-- how do they keep track? In addition to the wristband do they give you tickets for the coaster? A big reason why I love Hellcat/Avalanche so much was that you could ride it over and over again. It really bums me out to think that there's apparently no option to do so anymore. Thanks in advance for any inside info!

I think the fact of the matter is, none of us can really know what was going through the camerman's head. We are just people reading about the events from the comfort of our own home or office or wherever-- we're not there in the moment. As Robb and many others have mentioned, the part that urks me is his "casual walkaway." Honestly, if it weren't for that, I would 100% back goatdan's statements. Guests really do leave their brain at the door and-- on the monorail or not-- while they're at Disney, they're living in a fantasy world. They don't expect to see things like this happen in front of them. You know, a lot of photographers/videographers felt helpless on 9/11 and some of them (not all) really felt like what they could do to help was to document what was going on. In the moment, some people think "Oh I could get publicity out of this," and some think "Oh my gosh what's happening I should document it in case it helps." Like I said, I personally feel it's safe to assume this guy was a jerk given the ending to his footage...but not everyone in this world who would make the split-second choice to hit 'record' should be lumped into that category.

Awesome photos, Rob! Glad you guys finally made it there after several failed attempts. While I certainly don't trust Steve's taste when it comes to his top 5, I can't help that my ears perk up when you say Goliath is your new #1 Steel. Those are some big shoes to fill and makes me really want to make another trip there and give the whole park another try. Get some sleep .

Trust me, it was even more awkward for me seeing as how I sat on the "Bigger Person Sits Here" side....fatty . All in all, I had a great time-- as great as a credit-whoring trip to the free zoo can be. YAY Giraffees! PS-- You're really catching up. When do I get a new credit?

^Enjoyable and Timber Wolf should not go in the same sentence, for sure. I respect your opinions but the ride has zero good moments. I've been on it a couple of times now-- on different days in different seats-- and I have to agree with Steve about the jackhammering. I don't even like Boss, but it's tolerable and I respect the ride for being what it is. With TW there's nothing for me to like or even respect about it. After my ride on it last season, I swore I'd never do it again...but Steve and I made a pact and I had to keep up my end of the deal and ride it with him. If anything, riding again this season proved to me that it's not a fluke in my book-- never again! Regardless, WOF is an amazing park and we had an absolute blast. I went into Adventureland with low expectations and was blown away. I'm trying to keep Steve's expectations down so he can have just as much fun. We're definitely looking forward to spending a relaxing day at the park on Sunday. Mmmmm Outlaw!

^ That may be the case, but the IMPORTANT thing is that I am also good luck in that neither one of these instances resulted in tickets...am I right ? Although seeing you take the breathalyzer was memorable-- since when do blue slushies make you impaired? Anyway...STEVE post WOF already you slacker!

What a fun day that was! And just think how rare of an occassion it is to visit a park neither of us have been to. Anyway, Thunderation was surprisingly fun but I don't know where you're getting this "Better than Magnum" business from. It's not nice to give readers a false reality. I'm uber sad that SDC is in the middle of nowhere and I can't really see getting back there anytime soon because it is an awesome place. I'm having Wildfire withdrawl already!

Thanks for this thread! We're planning on getting there very soon, too and I don't really know what to expect. AWESOME to hear that the cinnamon bread and skillet fare is comparable to Dollywood's. DJ--Great tip on the cave tour. Please keep the tips coming, guys!

I'm at VF 6 days a week...and most of the time I don't even ride anything! I guess I just love it there that much .

Nerd. Love the photos -- Kumba is my fave!

^Don't ask, I tried. The best he could describe were "a bunch of little circles with a turtle-shell looking design" or something. We'll just have to await the photos to see for ourselves, I guess . Hooray for zero car sexiness!

Before I start I need to give mad props to the TPR dating service for which this would not be possible without . This past weekend I was down in Florida for a friend's wedding (I'll leave it at that as to not start any trouble). Somehow Steve (aka gatorchomp83) and I also found time to give our Busch Passports a workout by hitting up Busch Gardens, Aquatica and SeaWorld. The photos below are a compilation of Steve and I's. If it's good, Steve took it. That's all you should need to know-- no one reads this paragraph before the photos anyway, so I'll just cut to the chase! Friday afternoon we had a tour scheduled at Give Kids the World Village. I didn't take any photos while there because I am a strong believer that the mystery is part of the magic. Because of this organization, kids with life-threatening illnesses are able to enjoy the Orlando attractions for a week with their family. If you are ever in the area, I strongly recommend scheduling a tour....it's something you'll never forget! Saturday morning we made the drive from Orlando to Fort Meyers for the wedding TPR member Neuski was the wedding photographer Lovely day for a beach wedding! Sunday morning we made the drive to Tampa and met up with my friend Dan...not a "coaster person" but he's used to being dragged around the parks Happy to be here! LOVE the Flamingos! The front of the park was pretty crowded, so we headed to Sheikra first This ride is just FUN After a few laps, the boys were ready for a beer break Steve trying to beat the heat Next up was the best ride in Florida Roar! How is this ride still so awesome after 17 years? LOVING Kumba This photo can only mean one thing... We're on our way to Montu! We met some random people from Michigan....represent! Re-riding in the back row is totally worth the $400 passport Steve doin' his thang Gator! Chomp chomp chomp I'm 6'1 and felt TINY next to this dude Something was freaking HILARIOUS in the horse stables...but trust me, you don't want to know Uhh worst ride ever...I have no idea why this kid likes it so much! Best amusement park food; hands-down Steve refuses to eat adult food on this trip Full, happy and ready for more riding Sheikra photo session, round 2 TPR Love Anton goodness RAN to Sheikra for some re-rides before close And we ended the day with a Steve Nuss photo op! Monday Nussy and I started out the day at Aquatica Checking out the whale-looking dolphins Wholphins (not really, but I like saying that word) Fast river = most fun water attraction ever! Testing out the new underwater digicam Swim swim swim The two center slides have the greatest/scariest airtime that I've ever experienced! Steve's ready to rock this slide Action shot on the greatest slide known to man Time for the wavepool Oh HAI Wavepool lovin' Next up: a lap around SeaWorld CAUGHT being a gigantic nerd This is what he was spying on Looks like they're in the process of putting up stuff catchers This area is so random...why is there no fence? Why is there a rock path? Dork taking a photo of a bigger dork The love triangle of us and Manta I know it's a flyer, but it looks siiiick! This ride just fits in so well Why aren't you open yet? Dorks For Kraken. Screwwwww that! Bubble pic Manta fanboy Manta fangirl After taking shelter for a few minutes in the downpour, we decided to bolt. We rode nothing, but it was great to walk around like big fat nerds! Before heading to the airport we paid a visit to Rob (aka Frissbeking). Steve and Rob are roommates and, as you may recall, live in an awesome apartment. Thanks to Dan, Rob and especially Steve for making my weekend in Florida so awesome! Oh, and thanks for reading .

I love this photo-- finally a good shot of the all the little Manta Rays on the train. Go SeaWorld on this ride! It looks phenomenal.

Amazing photos-- if I were you I would so blow those up and frame them in my house! Thanks for sharing. PS You guys look like you were made for eachother!

LIES! The testing shots look amazing-- I can't believe you finally caught it cycling! Looks like the area is really coming along, too. I admire SW for doing it right and staying true to their image no matter the cost.

I'm not surprised. Having a completely new map drawn to be consistent with the CF maps would cost a buttload-- it's smarter to stick with making changes to the existing map.