805Andrew

Sounds like you did pretty good squeezing both Disney parks into one day, but did you miss Indiana Jones Adventure?

Great TR! It was nice meeting you at Rock & Brews after the Knott's day. Hopefully I'll see you at a future TPR event.

As long as they don't get rid of Dodonpa. I was nervous for a moment when I saw that announcement on their Facebook page. I wasn't sure what they meant by closing (one of those lost in translation moments). Dodonpa is one most exciting coasters I've ever ridden and is reason enough for me to return to Fuji Q the next time I'm in Japan. Freaking love Dodonpa!

Finally reading the Golden Ticket Awards. I agree they are becoming more of a joke each year. They almost got their wood list right though. I haven't ridden Boulder Dash but I agree with their #2 and #3 as they are my #1 and #2 respectively. Their steel list is a total mess. How are they NO RMCs in the top 10??? Does not compute. Twisted Colossus doesn't even crack the top 25? Both Skyrush and Storm Runner from Hersheypark are absent from the top 50, but Steel Force at Dorney Park made the top 50? Does not compute. Intimidator at Carowinds ranked above Intimidator 305 at Kings Dominion? Did people accidently vote for the wrong Intimidator? It wouldn't surprise me as people voted for the wrong guy in Florida in the 2000 Presidental election. I know its a very US-centric list so I shouldn't be surprised, but nothing from Japan in the top 50? I've been on five different coasters in Japan that should be on this list, so at least one of them should have made an appearance. For best parks, how Tokyo DisneySea isn't in the top three, especially when it should be #1 baffles me. How the top ten list isn't at least 50% Disney parks makes no sense. The dark ride category is messed up too. The wrong Haunted mansion is on the list, and Journey to the Center of the Earth isn't #1 (or even on the list). Radiator Springs Racer is a great ride, but does it count as a dark ride being half outdoor? I have no idea how Black Diamond made the top five indoor coasters, as its barely a coaster. Also, isn't Escape from Gringotts a coaster? It may be a dark ride too, but I feel it's a more worthy indoor coaster than Black Diamond. I visited both Dollywood and Knoebels this year, and while Knoebels has some good food options, I liked Dollywood's food better overall. I haven't been to Epcot, but I believe it has the best food. I would put Disneyland's food above Knoebels (I'm not trying to bash Knoebels), as with several parks I went to in Japan. While Knoebels has good theme park food and is very reasonably priced, I feel it is a bit overrated. On my most recent visit to Knoebels, one of my Cesari's pizza slices was cold in the middle and I had to ask them to heat it twice. When it was nice and hot, the flavors were very good, but it was kind of annoying to have to bite into a partially cold pizza. I could see Lightning Rod winning best new park ride this year if it was actually open, but that wasn't the case for most of this year. It should have won for next year (assuming its fully open by then) - what's going to win next year, a S&S 4D Free Spin? You and I both know that most of the people voting didn't even ride Lightning Rod. Props for Storm Chaser though for getting second place, that ride is awesome! I feel there should be a certain criteria to vote in this poll, like visiting a certain amount of parks and having visited at least one other country. I haven't voted in this poll in the past because I felt I hadn't been on enough coasters or parks, but now I feel I have (especially after this year). Better criteria for voting would make this poll more than a step above an USA Today poll or an About.com list. Take the Golden Ticket Awards with a grain of salt like a lot of things in life.

TPR takeover of Rock & Brews right now!

^Okay, thanks for the heads up. Edit: Just realized lunch was moved to 2:30. I may not be hungry for dinner and just go for some beer tasting.

Looking forward to seeing you all tomorrow at Magic Mountain. It's going to be a long day before the park buyout at night so I'm going to cool off and relax at Hurricane Harbor with my Gold Pass after the group lunch. Around 6PM I will probably head out to Wolf Creek Brewing for beer and dinner before the night park buyout. Anyone else wanting to head out for dinner at this time is welcome to join me at Wolf Creek Brewing (27746 McBean Pkwy location). I'd also consider Azul Tequila in the post above me if Wolf Creek Brewing doesn't pan out, but Wolf Creek Brewing is the plan.

Cham Soot Gol was a really good Korean BBQ place I went to after the Knott's day of West Coast Bash last year. It's all you can eat meats and they bring you up to three kinds at a time and you cook it at your table. There's also ice cream included with every meal. It's reasonably priced for all the food you get, about $20 per person. It's open to Midnight or later and is on 8552 Beach Blvd just south of Knott's, literally a stone's throw away. https://www.yelp.com/biz/cham-soot-gol-buena-park They include a bunch of Korean sides with every meal. They also have a few different Korean beers you can order. You get to pick three types/cuts of meat at a time, and when you finish it they'll bring you more. They give you tips on how to cook the meats and will assist you as needed so it's not intimidating.

Highly Suspect "My Name Is Human" I'm really liking this new rock song.

That looks like a nice beach. Is this Maine or New Hampshire?

Nice TR so far Mike. Kings Island was a fun and varied park that was huge with a water park that's good enough to be a separate gate. The park really looked cool at night and those night rides on Banshee, Diamondback, and the Beast were amazing. Oh, and that Race For Life Charlie Brown log flume is the devil. Good times.

If you do go down there I'll definetely join you guys this time. Welcome to TPR! There's no need to wait for West Coast Bash tickets to arrive if that's what you're waiting for, they're all will call. We should all be getting an email later this week with specific details for the event - be patient, it will come. Love Rock & Brews, the atmosphere is fun, they have a really good beer selection. And the happy hour is pretty cheap ($3 beers). I like this. Already checked out their site. I might join you after Knott's...if I'm still standing from all that KBF awesomeness. Cool, the more the merrier!

When are you coming down, we are flying in Friday afternoon, hitting up Chris & Pitts for dinner, then heading up to do the Scandia Screamer... We all need that credit I'm driving to Magic Mountain early Saturday morning (2.5 to 3 hour drive from where I live), spending Saturday and Sunday nights at the Knott's Hotel and going to USH on Monday before heading home. I have the Scandia Screamer credit, its a fun ride. Their kiddie credit right next to it is one of the more forceful kiddies I've ridden. I wish I would have gone with you guys to Adventure City last year, I still need that credit. Love Rock & Brews, the atmosphere is fun, they have a really good beer selection. And the happy hour is pretty cheap ($3 beers). I'm leaning towards that place after Knott's. I remember going by it last year and it looks like I could just walk to it after Knott's. Anyone not heading home immediately after Knott's is welcome to join me.

Has anyone been to Rock & Brews by Knott's? That looks like a good place to go for dinner and drinks after Knott's.

Total or per night? I got about $67 per night at KBFH through groupon thanks to someone on TPR who posted a link here. I never thought about using Groupon, and didn't know they did hotels too. I guess I did pretty good then. Is $89 a night out-the-door or pre-tax? Don't feel too bad. $105 a night for being on resort property is still a great value. I'm honestly surprised the Knott's Hotel was giving away rooms for under $100 a night when the Courtyard down the road is charging at least $129 a night. I think its Hilton Garden Inn and not necessarily because its near Magic Mountain. Hilton Garden Inns tend to over charge for their hotels when you book through them directly, especially in recent years.

If anyone is looking for a hotel near Knotts for WCB, Priceline has a 3.5 star Knott's area hotel Express Deal for $77/night ($91/night w/ taxes and fees) for Sat/Sun nights. I just booked it and it gave me the Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel which is walking distance to Knott's.

Really? If your going to eat at a megachain you might as well go to the Krispy Kreme around the corner from Great America Parkway on Mission College Blvd. You won't get stuffed to the brink on mediocre food that might make you throw up on one of the rides. And if you live in SF then just eat at one of the many great cafes there before coming to CGA.

It was heard on Instagram so it must be true. Instagram is the place I go to first for breaking industry news.

You should have put on the survey that they need a shuttle service to the park. Neither Breakers Express nor Castaway Bay provide a guest shuttle service to Cedar Point, which I find appaling since they are both owned by Cedar Point and neither hotel is really walking distance to the park. Not everyone goes to Cedar Point in their own car, and even if they did the last thing a lot of people want to do after driving 4-6 hours is drive more and have to deal with parking, especially if they are staying at a Cedar Point branded hotel. I don't see the point of staying at Breakers Express except for the little tiny bit of early entry time - you might as well stay at the Holiday Inn Express next door which will be a better hotel for a most-likely cheaper rate. With that being said I think the rebranding and expansion of the water park including access to the Lake Erie beach is a good move for Cedar Point and I can't wait to hear what they are going to do to Mean Streak (RMC please!).

Turning Vortex from a standup to a floorless coaster is a good move for CGA. It may not be the exciting announcement people were hoping for, but most people probably weren't expecting anything major for CGA next year either. Vortex's footprint is very compact and it would be hard to fit a new major coaster there, so this is a good way to bring new life to an aging ride. I won't be running up to CGA to ride this, but next time I go to CGA (whenever that may be) I will take a spin on this along with a bunch of rides on the excellent Gold Striker. This addition also won't break the bank and will leave room in the budget for a future major attraction (hopefully when they decide to tear Grizzly down).

I can't imagine what VR on a SLC wound be like, how many people will get nauseous and throw up on the ride, or how many headsets will fly off people's heads during the ride. It almost sounds like its temporary from the announcement just for Fright Fest. I wonder if they are testing out what the guest reception is like before deciding if it is permanent.

Totally agree with Dorney Park being sterile and stale. It's clean and organized with alright operations, but it lacks excitement (outside the water park) and originality. I've been to Dorney Park twice (both times with TPR as well). The first time I went I knew I was going to be there for half a day so I brought my swimsuit and towel. I was done with all the rides in under two hours, so after lunch I went to the water park with a few others and had a blast for a couple of hours. We went on a Saturday and the ride side was pretty much dead, but our Fast Lane Plus really came in handy in the water park bypassing 30-45 minute waits. The water park was really lively on a day that started out as dark and cloudy (it looked like it might rain) but turned sunny. I honestly could have spent another hour or two at the water park since there was plenty to do there. The second time I went Dorney it was a surprise stop and we were there just to ride the six main coasters for filming and to have a group lunch at Chickie & Pete's before moving on to NJ and Six Flags Great Adventure. None of the rides are too remarkable, but none were bad either with the exception of Thunderhawk which I thought was both rough and boring which is a shame for a 1924 woodie. Talon is actually pretty good; I like Intamin impulse coasters so I like Possessed; Steel Force is a fun, light, and floaty hyper; and I actually enjoy Hydra and its jojo roll. But none of these rides make me want to get back on and ride again. Unfortunately I didn't have time to ride Demon Drop this visit, as that is probably my favorite ride on the dry side of Dorney Park and one I'd get back in line to ride again. The rotisserie chicken meal we had at Chickie & Pete's was pretty good and relatively healthy, and the Watermelon Gelati (Italian ice with frozen vanilla custard) I bought from the Rita's by Stinger was really good. After lunch we had about 10-15 minutes to kill until it was time to leave and since it wasn't enough time to get down to Demon Drop without running I was pretty much ready to leave. Dorney is one of those parks that if you bring your swimsuit and go to the water park you will have a great time, but if you stick to the ride side you will be bored after two hours. I think Dorney would be liked by a lot more people if they thought of it as a water park that has an included ride side instead of the other way around, as it seems most people besides coaster enthusiasts go to Dorney for the water park anyways. For anyone who plans to visit Dorney Park, I hope you like water parks, and I would recommend doing the water park attractions along with the rollercoasters, flat rides, log flume, and Demon Drop. That would probably make Dorney a lot more fun.

Of the parks I've been too, Knoebels, followed by Kennywood. Of the parks I've never been to, Holiday World looks like it has a great collection.

Could it be the World's first air conditioned break run on a wooden coaster?

I don't understand, the Adventure Trail is basically just another ropes course (and what looks to be a Ropes Courses Inc one at that). I feel like you're overreacting a bit, they're all over the place in the US. ...that being said, once again, rest in peace Adventure Mountain. They could fit a ropes course in Tom Sawyer Island at OC Disneyland if they really wanted to and it would fit easily with the Tom Sawyer adventure theme. It could be a way to rehash an old area of the park with something new.