805Andrew

I think no one mentions it because it is a upcharge attraction cloned at many different parks. I did ride the one at CGA on my last visit in August 2007. It was 5:30 and we were pretty much done with everything in the park so I decided to do it with my sister and one of her friends (their first skycoaster). It was fun, but I probably wouldn't do it again unless I was with people who've never done it before and were interested in trying it. I have also done the one at SFMM back in 2004.

Log Jammer is my favorite water ride at SFMM, but I don't get to it every park visit as it is usually dark by the time I get to that section of the park. It was really fun riding it at night during Fright Fest though. If MM has to get rid of a water ride, I wish they would get rid of Jet Stream instead as it is the inferior log flume, or even Tidal Wave, one of the most boring water rides. I would forgive them though if the terrain of Log Jammer is used for a launched coaster or a dive coaster. What I would like to see for 2012 instead of a new coaster is the refurbishment of an existing one like Revolution. Revolution definitely needs a refurbishment (or at least new restraints) as it was rough as hell last year I rode it. Take off the trim brakes, get new trains with lap bar restraints and you could have a fun ride again with nice scenery that would not be the most popular in the park but would get a lot of people riding it again. One can hope

I'm glad someone mentioned this one (figured it would be you, John!) But seriously, if there was ever a "GP" Ride that got people talking, even though the ride totally sucked, it's that I'd always hear random non-coaster people say "Did you see/ride/whatever the coaster on top of the tower in Las Vegas???" They wouldn't know what the name of the ride was, and most of them didn't even know the name of the tower. But they knew there was a coaster up there! Most people don't care about a drop tower or some spin n' puke, they want to tell people they rode the ROLLER COASTER on the tower! I've heard nothing but how attendance has dropped dramatically from the attractions on the tower since the coaster left. Stupid, stupid, stupid move... even for Las Vegas! I'm sad I never got to ride the rollercoaster at Stratosphere (even though it looked tame) and now the Speed ride at Sahara (if known it was going to close I would have ridden it last year) but riding X-Scream in the front row was pretty awesome (and scary). I may have to try Sky Jump in the future.

That what I figured, but I had to mention it because its Japan vs USA

I won't be able to make the bash as I will be in San Jose a few days earlier on August 4 to pick up my parents at the San Jose airport (I live 3 hrs away). Since their flight comes in at 10:15PM, I will go to CGA that day instead and will still have plenty of time after the park closes at 8PM before my parents flight from Hawaii arrives. I haven't been to CGA since August 2007 and still haven't been to Boomerang Bay (it should be open this time ) and still need that Psycho Mouse credit (my other two visits nobody in my group wanted to wait 20 min to go on it) and may try for the two kiddie coaster credits if they let me. I will report back to here with pics -should I post it in this thread, the CGA thread, or my own trip thread? I will also be taking my parents to the San Jose airport on July 25 for their 7:45AM flight. That day I will be doing Raging Waters San Jose (I never been there before and they have a new Bombs Away capsule drop slide) and when they close I will be heading over to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for 1907 nights ($1 rides, hot dogs, cotton candy, and sodas) before heading home. I will do a TR of this as well. On CGA, where is the cheapest place to buy a one-day ticket Bay Area members? San Jose Costcos? Coupons from BK, McDs, etc? I checked the CGA website $35.99 for a three-day advanced purchase one day ticket, can I beat that? I will not be getting the season pass. Also any bay area TPR members know about coupons/cheap tickets for Raging Waters San Jose. On their website it is $33.99, the same price as at their front gate -surely I can do better than that, right? Any input from Bay Area members would help

Speaking of Japan, Japan just beat Sweden today in the Women's World Cup semifinal on ESPN. The Women's World Cup final will be Japan vs USA this Sunday. I know this is not theme park related, but it is Japan related. Going back to Tokyo DisneySea, I thought the POV of the Raging Spirits sign showing the loop was AWESOME. I also saw another hidden Mickey in a different picture in the update, but going back now I can't find it.

Thanks for all the popcorn pics and answering all my Tokyo Disney popcorn questions. I wish we could have some interesting popcorn flavors like this at Disneyland in California, and done right too like the holes for the unpopped kernels to fall. Was there no coconut popcorn this time? I love the Mickey shaped churros too and the weird extra long goyzas. The most interesting food we have in CA is the Dole Pineapple soft serve/whip floats and the Bengal BBQ skewers (which are really good too). Back to the rides, all the POVs and pics are awesome. The place didn't look too crowded, what was the longest line you saw posted and what was the longest line you waited in? I would love to see an original major coaster here (Tokyo Disney style) several years down the road (it could happen) even though the attractions they have now are great -Andrew "hoping I'll win the Tokyo TPR Bag of Crap" Rector

Awesome pics and Tokyo Disney update so far, it was well worth the wait. How late was Tokyo Disney Sea open to when you went? I love it when parks are open to Midnight (or at least 10PM) like Disneyland in California often is as it gives more time to experience the park at night and gives you different ride experiences at night (as you proved with the night vs. day POVs of Aquatopia). Looks like DisneySea is the best theme park in the world, any argument there? Another thing I have to ask, will there be any POVs of flavored popcorn What was the favorite popcorn flavor overall of TPR members? And you/Elissa/KidTums? Anyways, book me on the next TPR trip to Tokyo where shall I mail the check to? P.S. Let me know if you need my address for that TPR Tokyo Bag O Crap

Although it is not a theme park, Disney had originally planned to open a ski resort in Central California called Mineral King in the late 60s. It would have been in the south part of Sequoia National Park and would have been only a 3.5 hour drive from where I live. It was to have underground heated parking at the entrance and a train/tram/monorail of some sort that took you a mile further to the ski area where they where lifts on several peaks, a hotel, and nighttime activities such as indoor shows and a cinema showing Disney pictures. It probably would have revolutionized the skiing industry in ways one can only imagine but the whole thing fell through after Walt Disney died as Sierra Club and others fought against its development and the land got annexed into Sequoia NP in the 70s. I would have a world class ski resort only a few hours away from me if this would have gotten built instead of having to drive 7 hours to Lake Tahoe or Mammoth and I wouldn't have to settle for China Peak (formerly Sierra Summit) for a day snowboard/ski trip. Here's a couple of links on Disney's Mineral King: http://micechat.com/blogs/samland/1749-slope-nope-walt-disneys-mineral-king.html http://www.bigbrian-nc.com/wdw-pc25.htm

I'm excited about a new hyper going into PortAventura though I'm a bit surprised they are placing it so close to Dragon Khan, but that's probably where they have the most space for it. It is definitely going to change the skyline of PA, hopefully its colors blend well with Dragon Khan. The major rides at PA don't disappoint except for Grand Canyon Rapids (nice theming but very boring rapids ride that doesn't get you wet at all) and El Diablo (they should have kept the backwards seats on the trains they had in 2004). Port Aventura is my "home park away from home" as I have relatives in the Barcelona area and visit every few years and always do a day trip to PA every time I'm in Spain. Looking forward to riding the new hyper (I love them but haven't been on many), Furious Baco again (only got to ride it once in 2009), Hurakan Condor again (rode it twice in 2009), and of course Dragon Khan (my favorite ride in the park) next time I go back to Spain.

Isn't Deja Vu still running? It was on my last visit to MM last August.

^There's still the Tokyo Disney pics to look forward to

^Thanks for the info I've been to Northstar several times for Snowboarding and Skiing (yes, I do both) and an alpine coaster would be a nice fit to their property (they have plenty of space to fit it somewhere). They just got bought out by Vail Resorts last year (which also owns Heavenly in South Tahoe) so maybe they'll put the alpine coaster in within the next few years (and hopeful it will operate in Winter like the one in Park City). I hope Northstar continues the 2 for 1 Shell promotion that I've been relying on the last couple of years, though I know Vail is known for being stingy with promotions. Edit: Rereading your post Northstar at Tahoe is actually 100% in CA. Heavenly in South Tahoe is both in CA and NV.

Since this subject has been brought up again, are there any alpine coasters in California? I have yet to ride an alpine coaster and have been to several Lake Tahoe ski resorts and haven't seen a alpine coaster. I've been to Andorra as a previous poster mentioned as a three night/four day side trip from Barcelona in July 2009 and we almost went to Naturlandia but didn't have the time for it and it was isolated from the main city in Andorra where we were staying. We did take a bus to Paz de la Casa on the Andorra/France border (it is so beautiful there!) and rode up several gondolas/ski lifts up several different peaks in the country and we also went to Caldea which is the largest spa/hot springs in Southern Europe and is a must visit to anyone visiting Andorra. I would definitely come back to Andorra as it is such a beautiful little country that a lot of people don't know about and is only a 3 hour bus ride from Barcelona.

I also keep a mint condition park map of every park I visit for each year I visit a park. They always are one of the best park souvenirs one can have as you can always look at it to remind you of your day there. Best of all its free! Its also fun comparing park map brochures from different visits over the years. I have different Disneyland park maps of my visits over the years from the 1980s through last year. I also have a 1980 one (from before I was born) that my dad gave my from the 25th anniversary of Disneyland. The 1980s park maps were much thicker and had different sections like a booklet with individual maps of each land. I also have a 1996 park map of SFMM with Superman on it which is a lot nicer than the ones from years after that. I tried coffee with cardamon a few weeks ago at a middle eastern restaurant in SF as a after dinner drink and I actually enjoyed it but each to their own. Maybe you don't like the cardamon spice, it is a bit different for a coffee.

In one of my visits in 2004, Goliath stopped at the very top of the list hill for about 5 minutes. A girl from the ride dispatch team walked up the stairs to tell us everything was alright and the ride would start again again in a minute. Of course when we got to the station they let everyone on board stay on and ride again

Fun fact...if you exit the 126 at Wells Rd., take it south to CA 118, make a left on that & drive about 5-10mins, you will pass the actual orange groves featured in Soarin' Over California. Every time I ride Soarin' Over California at DCA and it goes by the orange groves it reminds me of my road trips to SFMM. A Disney ride reminding me of Six Flags

The first year I rode X2 (was X then) in 2004 they were also giving out those numbered tickets when you entered the line and then they would collect them as you enter the loading station. I don't how useful they were but I think they were more of a way of preventing people from wanting to queue jump. I also tried one of those Turkey legs back in 2004, and to be honest I found it to be a bit of a disappointment. While it wasn't bad, it wasn't nearly as flavorful as it looked or smelled, it was just very filling. I've had way better turkey legs. How many total rides did you get on your time there? I was there last August on a Tuesday and it was pretty crowded. My group and I were there from 11AM to past closing time (9PM) and we got on 11 rides all day (10 coasters, one water ride). The line to buy the tickets and to get through the metal detectors were the worst. We brought the Coke cans in for the Buy One Get One Free ($30 a person). We waited 30 minutes just to buy the tickets and they were yellow jackets swarming around from a spilled coke can on the ground by the ticket booth (we made sure to rinse our cans before we brought them). If I'd had know the ticket line would have been that long I would have payed $5 more and bought my ticket online (now I know, ALWAYS buy the tickets ONLINE). After the ticket line, it was other 15 minutes to get through the security check. The guards confiscated my bag of chips but said my cookies, candy, and soda and water was OK (no salty snacks I guess). What pissed me off more then them taking away my unopened bag of chips was the fact that they just throw them in the trash. I know Raging Waters in San Dimas has a bin where unopened snacks and food go to the LA County Food Bank and SFMM could easily have this too. At least then I would know that unopened food wasn't going to waste. The third line to get in the MM gate was surprisingly quick as they just scan your ticket (which is now a piece of receipt paper). Anyways we went on Viper (30 min wait), Tatsu (60 min), Revolution (walk on), Roaring Rapids (60 min), Deja Vu (45 min), Riddler's Revenge (45 min), Batman the Ride (25 min), Scream (10 min), Colossus (10 min), Goliath (50 min), and X2 (45 min). It was 8:50 PM when we got off of Goliath and three out of the five of us (including me) made the dash to X2 and when got in the line one minute before park closing. We were with a friend from LA who's never been to SFMM before (his parents are Disney fans) so we wanted to make sure he got on X2. It was my first time riding it since it was X and it was a great way to end the night as the on-board sound and flames were working . We were really hungry afterwards and went to In-N-Out . Superman and Apocalypse (it was called Terminator Salvation back then) were the only rides not operating that day so another visit to the Mountain for me is in order sometime this year. I've got Green Lantern and Apocalypse to look forward to plus riding Superman backwards. I've never done the kiddie coaster credits at SFMM, so I may get to them if time (and my group) allots or at least the Roadrunner roller skater one.

If that ride is a coaster then I and a lot of people on here need to add one to our credit counts. I know its not though. Oh well, at least a TPR forum member was mentioned in that article. One of the worst articles I've read (or partially read, I couldn't read the whole thing) was when I did a Google search for best theme parks in America or something like that to get different opinions of best theme parks in America and it mentioned California's Great America is one of the best five theme parks in the country. Has the person who wrote this article only been to five theme parks ever? I know top lists for coasters/parks (or most anything in general) are HIGHLY subjective but I don't know ANYONE who would put California's Great America in their top 5 or top 10 list.

Cool TR so far. Did you ride Ferrari World's other coaster, Fiorano GT Challenge, and the drop ride?

Another fun day in Japan So how many days was the official TPR trip in Japan (not including the rest days Robb and Elissa had afterward)? I kinda lost track following these updates the past few weeks.

Ferrari World is kind of like the "test market" for future Dubai theme parks. If Ferrari World does well, theme parks construction around Dubailand will start back up and speed up. If Ferrari fails and ultimately closes (I sure hope not), the Dubailand development will probably stay empty forever. On your next day to Ferrari World, did else did you ride? If ever visited Dubai I would definitely make a day trip to Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi because of Formula Rossi. I would wait at least several years before visiting UAE though to let them work out the bugs/expand/improve Ferrari World (and hope it doesn't go the way of Hard Rock Park) and besides there is so many other places I would rather visit first (Japan, Italy, UK, Australia, etc). On the note of Ferrari merchandise, I bought a Ferrari racing polo shirt at the Ferrari Store kiosk in Buenos Aires, Argentina back in 2004. This shirt was about $22 USD, and that is probably the cheapest Ferrari Store in the world as the exchange rate there was 1 Argentine Dollar = $0.35 USD. One country where the US dollar is still worth something

Ventura is probably the quickest beach to get to from SFMM/Valencia in terms of driving time. I've driven the 101 down to Ventura and then Hwy 126 to Valencia many times and from Ventura to SFMM it usually takes me about 35-40 minutes, though it is early in the morning. Driving the 126 west to Ventura, you will bypass LA traffic COMPLETELY and drive through some orange groves similar to the ones featured in Soarin' Over California. It should take you 30-40 minutes to get to Ventura. If you have the time, I would recommend driving the extra half hour NW on the 101 to Santa Barbara. SB has really nice beaches and is a really nice city (its a bit upscale though). I live about 2 hours north of Santa Barbara and I really like going there. If you don't have time for Santa Barbara, Ventura will do (its less expensive than Santa Monica or Santa Barbara). Hopefully this helps.

Flashback at SFMM. The last time I rode it in 1999 they made me carry my souvenir drink cup on the ride and even though it was sealed the Sprite/lemonade mix splashed on me through the straw hole. On Viper they also made me hold on to my drink and surprisingly it didn't splash one bit. I think the fact that they made me take my drink on Flashback (instead of leaving it by the side) bothered me more than the roughness of the ride. I would have given Flashback another chance without a drink but it was SBNO every time I've been to the mountain after that.

Those Yokohama parks look like a lot of fun. Splashshute looks like one of those WTF awesome homegrown rides Even without the skippers I bet its still awesome So do they give you paddles to hold/keep in your boat before it drops or do they give them to you after the splash?