simon8899

As was once said in documentary about Germany "The Germans just love to built their machines". I guess this is why they decided to built the prototype for their own park. This design was around some time on MACKs website and likely parks wanted to see it working in day-to-day park operations before ordering it...

Now less than three months until riding Helix...

Honestly I do not mind some showers but I get no pleasure out of riding coasters if get soaked wet doing it... But thanks for all the feedback. Edit: Any recommend for food options at Alton, Drayton and Blackpool? For Stoke I have found The White Star pub as I always like to sample locale beers - here by Titanic Brewery. Other recommendations on this also welcome...

I am coming from Hamburg, Germany. I fly in to Birmingham Intl and go from there to Stoke by Crosscountry Trains. I will stay from Sun to Thu having 3 days for parks and/or sightseeing. Mon: Alton Towers Tue: Drayton Manor Wed: Blackpool Pleasure Beach Bad weather alternative: Shopping and/or museum Manchester.

Looking better every day!

I will be in Stoke-On-Trent for Alton Towers and Drayton Manor in June and think about adding Blackpool Pleasure Beach if weather permits - maybe even for a day if it rains inland it might be showery or even dry at the coast. I have checked train connections and was offered this: 08:34 Stoke-On-Trent 08:59 Crewe Train EAST MIDLANDS TRAINS 09:09 Crewe 09:51 Preston Train VIRGIN TRAINS 10:33 Preston 11:12 Blackpool Pleasure Beach Train NORTHERN RAIL My question to our English members: Is the above schedule feasible? I know most trains on the continent run about up to 10-15 minutes late but how is it for England? Any advice welcome... Another question: How to book a ticket for a tour like this? Do you book one ticket for the whole trip or do you need to buy one for each train operator? Can one buy tickets on the train?

Those rules are fun in part. Does it mean that military personel is not allowed to show up in uniform? Or NASA employees with a NASA tee? And did they rip off your TPR shirt?

^Looking great - lets se what new effects will be added for the darkride parts...

^my thought - I have seen Break Dancer in the US with small "doors" so riders cannot stick their feet out which I have never seen on European Dancers...

Wow, looks amazing - while a bit cheesy at times - nevertheless the Chinese make Vegas look small...

I have looked into this last time I was in NYC - but fell through due to horrible weather - and NJTransit offers service on selected dates. Hope this helps.

I am thinking of putting the trip into another order after Waldameer: 22 Fr - Sandusky-Erie (265km / 3h), Waldameer ---> Memorial Day Weekend Begin <--- 23 Sa - Erie-Conneaut Lake Park (73km / 1h) (2-3h) -Pittburgh (146km / 2h) 24 So - Kennywood 25 Mo - Pittsburgh-Idlewild (92km / 1,5h) (3-4h)-Doswell (420km / 5h) (Best Western Kings Quaters) ---> Memorial Day Weekend End <--- 26 Di - Kings Dominion 27 Mi - Busch Williamsburg (112km / 1,5h) 28 Do - Doswell-Six Flags America (156km / 2h) (5h) -Philadelphia (214km / 3h) 29 Fr - SF Great Adventure (95km / 1,5h) 30 Sa - NJ Coast Parks, Morey's Piers (132km / 2h) 31 So - Philadelphia-Dorney's (84km / 1,5h) (4-5h) -Harrisburg/Hershey (120km / 1,5h), Hersheypark preview (17:30-20:00) > June 01 Mo - Herhseypark 02 Di - Hersheypark 03 Mi - Knoebels (102km / 1,5h) 04 Do - Harrisburg/Hershey-Bowcraft (224km / 2,5h) (1-2h) -NYC (70km / 2h), drop rental car 05 Fr - NYC 06 Sa - NYC, Coney Island 07 So - NYC 08 Mo - NYC 09 Di - Flight NYC-London-Hamburg Also thinking about adding 3 more days for SFNE, Quassy and Lake Compounce - but then will reach 4 weeks fast that way. Four days in NYC are fixed as I plan to stay there with a friend.

Make sure to check opening times. Starting end of August Liseberg is only open on weekends. Tivoli will close on September 21st for the summer and re-open October 10th for Halloween, Bakken will close end of August. While major parks are open till end of October - like Europa, Phantasia or Efteling - smaller ones will only be open during the weekends if at all.

This is what I have come up so far - now planned for 2015: > May 16 Sa - Flight Hamburg-London-NYC, Flight NYC-Chicago, get rental car 17 So - Chicago 18 Mo - SF Great America 19 Di - Chacogo-Sandursky (Hotel Breakers) 20 Mi - Cedar Point 21 Do - Cedar Point 22 Fr - Sandursky-Erie, Waldameer (if open) ---> Memorial Day Weekend Begin <--- 23 Sa - Erie-Pittburgh, Waldemeer (if Fri not open, otherwise check for weather) or Kennywood, Pittsburgh-Harrisburg/Hershey 24 So - Knoebels (67 km) 25 Mo - Dorney's (100 km) ---> Memorial Day Weekend End <--- 26 Di - Hersheypark 27 Mi - Hersheypark 28 Do - Harrisburg/Hershey, Doswell (Best Western Kings Quaters) 29 Fr - Kings Dominion (next door) 30 Sa - Six Flags America (133 km) 31 So - Busch Williamsburg (97 km) > June 01 Mo - Doswell, Philadelpia-New Jersey Coast 02 Di - SF Great Adventure 03 Mi - Coast Parks/Piers 04 Do - NJ-Bowcraft-NYC, drop rental car 05 Fr - NYC 06 Sa - NYC, Coney Island 07 So - NYC 08 Mo - NYC 09 Di - Flight NYC-London-Hamburg Hotels - if any preferences so far I have noted. If anyone has hotel recommends - very welcome. For Chicago it would be ideal to have a hotel close to a highway but also close to the cities subway system. Overall I would prefer *** to **** hotels that are located with easy highway access to reach the parks, preferably with gym and free parking. Any other recommends also welcome...

Just for avoiding hitting the New York traffic I recommend doing Coney Island as a weekend trip without a car seperate from this trip - fly in by plane and take the subway. I drove in NYC once - and while the drivers are not as agressive as in major German cities I would not recommend it inside a close-knit tour like yours. You just waste too much time getting into and out of NYC.

Honestly dynamic pricing would not impact me. On my home parks I always try to visit on slower days - may them be due to offseason or playing the weather gamble on forecasted showery day - I would profit from it. While traveling I hit the parks anyhow and would not care if the prices are higher.

As far as I remember it has been said that the 10-Inversion has been newly calculated for this and upcoming installations - so there hopefully is an improvements over older installations.

^And if you are into classic Schwarzkopf coasters it is a must

I have stayed at resort hotels at Europa Park and WDW and think it is a plus staying there if your main objective is doing the park(s). Most offer early entry, ERT and discounted park tickets so I like to see well-themed resort hotels...

Some kind of plans they have for the future. With hotel and water park coming I think new rides will be on lower priority the next years. Maybe the park area will be used for additional rides in the far future.

I think European engineers somethimes think "too European" when it comes to exporting our coasters to the US. Before venturing my first time into the US - and later riding my first Intamin/GCI woodie I never encountered seatbelts on a coaster. Doing Montezooma first I lowered the lapbar and thought I was ready before the attendant snapped at me that I have not closed my seatbelt - my reaction was "My WHAT???". Secondly I have noticed in the US a far greater margin of very voluminous people - and they even ride. I think the ration of very voluminous people are by 10-50 times greater than here - and here most of them do not even ride. Next to that most riders here close their restraints themselves and the attendant - aside from carnivals mostly a single person who doubles as operator - only walks by and checks visually. US park visitors are WAY less independent and very creative on how to use restraints the wrong way. I am always amazed at how many attendants and operators are around on US coasters - the only coaster coming to mind here in Germany with as much attendants is Olympia - and they can dispatch a train every minute if needed. Overall I think - sadly - that Gerstlauer may end up with the verdict that their trains were not tested enough for very voluminous riders...

I'd better kept my mouth shut... On topic: Was now able to see the vid and the new effects look great. But as money is not growing on trees I guess it will take some time before I can ride it (again).

The loop looks far too circular for my tastes....overall has the look of an Interpark coaster...

With this new park Rome moves up high on my to do list - visiting Cinecitta with Rainbow Magicland and Zoomarine (Schwarzkopf LoopingStar)...

And the important question: Is this counted as a new credit or not?