805Andrew

Didn't realize it was your birthday a few days ago until now so Happy Belated Birthday! Mine was a few weeks ago on Dec 21.

I agree.

I finally saw Anchorman 2 this past week. Silly, but funny. That's my hometown! We don't have a 99 cent theatre anymore (I don't recall one here) but we have a nice new theatre (Galaxy Theaters) that opened a few years ago that has D-Box on one of the screens and a VIP screen for 21+ with a beer and wine bar. Also it has $6 Tuesdays.

Overall, I like Lex Luthor better, but Free Fall was fun in its own right. Free Fall has that nostalgia factor for me, being the first drop ride I rode. I'm not sure when Free Fall closed, but it was sometime between 2006-2009 I believe. Lex Luther was added in 2012 I think. So no official drop ride for 3-6 years I guess. But many people (especially the GP) would have considered Superman the Escape to be a drop ride and probably think that's the main reason they got ride of Free Fall.

This is actually a good argument not to build a Megalite, as it forces people to visit Japan if they really want to ride one. Classic.

The only 1st gen free fall I ever rode was Free Fall at SFMM, but it was a lot of fun. It was the first drop ride that everyone in my family ever rode (my parents, sisters, and I). The drop was very short, but it was very intense. I remember back in 1997 one of my sisters and I were on one car and my parents and my youngest sister were on the next car which stopped at top for almost 10 minutes. When my sister and I got off the ride we noticed my parents and my 6 year old sister stuck at the top. We thought it was funny and no one in my family was panicking. When their car dropped, they got offered a re-ride and my mom was hesitant but my dad said yes. I knew Free Fall's days were numbered after Superman the Escape opened up and when Riddler's Revenge was built around it being taller than it, and Free Fall had nonexistent waits in the upcoming years - and I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. I'm glad SFMM has a proper drop ride again, but I still miss Free Fall some times. Free Fall was thrilling for such a compact drop ride, and it was family friendly too with a 42" height requirement.

I would take all these articles with a grain of salt. What source is it from? What publication was it in? I'm sure no one was fabricating anything in those articles at all to make it look like the ride was safe and almost ready to go - that's why it's running today. This is Australia after all; the country where Rupert Murdoch is from - who gave us Fox News (the most fair and balanced news reporting ever). Just sayin'!

Sure thing! High five! Tidal Wave has never been an up charge, at least not since not since my first visit to the park in 1992. The go carts near Tidal Wave have always been an up charge since they were installed in the 90s I believe. Tidal Wave used run three boats when it was busy I believe. I think it runs 2-3 boats now, though I never really pay attention to Tidal Wave because it is such a run of the mill Splashdown ride. I prefer Jet Stream, Roaring Rapids, or the former Log Jammer for water rides as they are more interesting, even if they don't get you as wet. If one just wanted to get wet, they could just stand on the bridge of Tidal Wave.

There will (possibly/probably) be another TPR China/Hong Kong Tour planned for 2016*, so start saving up now! You won't regret it. TPR Tours are a great way to see other parks and countries. *(And Shanghai Disneyland will also be open -hopefully- by then, woo hoo!) That sounds tempting, but I would save up for a TPR Japan trip first. China and/or Hong Kong can wait until I visit Japan.

I voted for option #1 because it provides same features as option #2 plus adds the Twitter feed from TPR's account. I don't use Twitter but I like the option to read TPR's tweets on the TPR homepage if I want. Also #1 looks cleaner than #2.

I totally agree with you guys and I am glad I was hanging out with the right people at WCB.

Got this for X-Mas. Opened this last night. From Belgium.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - 150 miles N (2 hrs 25 min) California's Great America - 175 miles N (2 hrs 45 min) Six Flags Magic Mountain - 200 miles SE (3 hrs)

Great Trip Report! Loving the outsiders perspective on US parks and sites.

Nice pics! It looks like HK Disneyland has improved nicely since it opened. If they keep it up, it will be a nice park to visit when I visit Hong Kong in the future (years down the road).

Chocolate

Great games on Sunday. I was rooting for both the 49ers and the Chargers. All of the Wild Card games were close except for SD and Cincy - the Chargers sent the Bengals to the San Diego Zoo. The Chargers have been the real surprise of the playoffs. No one thought they would make the playoffs two months ago, and then they went on a winning streak beating both Denver and KC. Now they have won five games in a row. Beating Denver a month ago may have been a fluke, but anything is possible apparently.

Nickelback

The Pretty Reckless "Heaven Knows" Listen to this song once and you'll be able to sing along.

^Is Arrow about a defunct roller coaster company that gets swallowed by another roller coaster company?

Boring

Kong - Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

$3.55 at a Valero station in Paso Robles, CA last time I filled up.

El Toro hands down. It should be in every Six Flags park.

You sure beat EvanAJ's SFMM TR a couple of years back.