simon8899

Europa Park is always a nice visit - do it before July as holiday season starts then. Danish parks all have fun also for small children. But if you go as far as BonBon land you could add 100 kilometers (45 minutes on danish rail) and go to Copenhagen for Tivoli and Bakken. On a second thought how about this kind of tour for August: Start in Hamburg with the Sommerdom (summer carnival) most likely featuring a Schwarzkopf looper and the enclosed spinner "Höllenblitz". Then hop onto the train for Lübeck - don't forget the famous marcipane - and head for Hansapark, they've much fun and rides for the little ones plus a Schwarzkopf Loopingracer and a Gerstelauer Eurofighter. Take the Vogelfluglinie (this would translate as "bird-migration-line", most exciting for kids is the fact that the express train is loaded onto the ferry to traverse the baltic sea) to Denmark and visit BonBonLand (having another Eurofighter plus a Huss Giant-Frisbee) on the way to Copenhagen, were you can finish off with Tivoli Gardens and Bakken - the first having the landmark Rutschebanen, a 1914 side-friction / breakman woodie and a hot B&M floorless - the second also featuring a 1920s side-friction coaster with new KumBak-trains.

I've seen MezzoMix last time while beeing in the US available at a Kmart - so I guess its not a German thing only anymore.... Historically when CocaCola was forced to stop production in WWII - funnily not by the Nazis but by the US govt - the germans tried their own Cola and failed miserably. So they mixed their ill-fated cola with orange-juice and called it Spezi. After the war CocaCola hopped onto producing their own Spezi - quite succesful - and MezzoMix is now far widely known then theorignal....

I've seen on the Ride Hopper app that the lines for family/kiddy rides at Disneyland and Knotts are often much longer than those for thrill rides - clearly indicates who's visiting....

Next attraction that will be announced: New improved log-fume using dry water! Honestly: Its the same when poeple go swimming and complain about their hair getting wet. Then simply: DONT GO THERE!

As most parks are way outside the city I think its not compareable to downtown parking. I'd make exceptions for Knotts or Disneyland who are in the middle of urban areas but six Flags parks are mostly way outside the cities - USD 10 per day would be the most I think would be acceptable. But the disadvantage is the lack of an alternative in most US locations. In my german parks Hansapark has its own trainstation with hourly trains to the nearest cities - Heidepark has a 20-minute bus-shuttle to the local regional and long-distance trainstation. So they knew if they charge to much for parking poeple wouldn't come with their cars.

I generally think that parking in US parks is way overpriced. In my northern german parks it costs €2 (USD 3) for Hansapark and €5 (USD 8) for Heidepark - each for a full day. In Hansapark busses and motorbikes are free.

Here is one pic of the new Teststrecke trains from their Facebook profile: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=193331517363463&set=a.165099683519980.38582.165091500187465&type=1 The new trains have in my opinion two advancements: 1. You have your arms free - for looping only coasters you don't need shoulder restraints as lateral Gs are quite small. Of course you could also get that if Barth could aquire and refurbish some Loopingracer trains. And even for other coasters there is a nice trend away from shoulder restraints - Maurer Söhne builds all its Skywheels and launched costers with hydraulic lapbars and Recaro-like racing-car seats only. 2. I've a friend who is 2,06 meters tall and he can't ride in the Schwarzkopf trains as his legs simply don't fit. Poeple get taller and in that respect the original trains are just oudated - I'm 1,95 meters and I'm glad im not taller as its a tight fit.

What you are calling a "Death Machine" in Luna Park is a classic german 80s Huss Ranger. Multiple of those were on the carnival cicuit here up to the 90s. The operators had fun keeping that thing upside down and collecting all the small change falling out of the riders pockets...

In german carnivals some classic flatrides are enclosed. Of course the Auto-Scooters (bumper cars) due to the electric lines and also rides from the 60s or 70s - I think electric lines were not up to rainwater at the time....

Alpina-Bahn by Schwarzkopf - last Sunday at the Hamburg spring carnival.

I found that accelerators are mostly boring except for the launch...

Its always kinda sad that a good ride suffers from bad management. I'll be in Vegas the day after Sahara and the Speed are closing down...

You do field trips to amusement parks??? I've grown up in the wrong country - we always went to museums....

I'll be in California in May and will visit MM on Wednesday the 25th - hopefully it'll be not too crowded.... Plus doing Disney on Monday and Knotts on Tuesday... And a question: Is it okay in US parks - and MM - to keep sitting when no one or only a few people are waiting when the train enters the station? In germany - specially Hansapark and Heide-Park there was never a problem with this....

I've ridden over 50 looping cvoasters so far but the Olympia-Looping by Schwarzkopf is still the best - high Gs and intense banked cruves with declining radius - and of course FIVE loops. Just love looking sideways seeing the earth revolving around me. The only thing that could make this looper even better would be new floorless trains with only hydraulic lapbars like on the Teststrecke, a Schwarzkopf Double-Loop also on the german circuit....

Atlantis Rafting by Fabbri, Italy - quite short but nice on a warm day Huss Breakdancer - here the Hamburg-based "DOM-Dancer" - always a good ride Huss Frisbee - my fav non-coaster ride! Portable Intarmin Highflyer "Techno-Power" by KMG - this looks harmless but is quite intense Mondial Airwolf - themed after the 80s tv-series - and far more intense then any helicopter could do... Mondial Shaker Schwarzkopf "Alpina-Bahn" - always go into the last row and you really get thrown around - like all Schwarzkopf: hard and intense as a rollercoaster should be! Alpina again - since 1983 Schwarzkopf Monster 3 - nicely restored and still wonderfully spinning "High Energy" made by Zierer - yes that Zierer who's given us all those kiddie-costers - this ride looks wild but is very smooth