megametal

I think we can safely rule out Labor Day. I could see a Memorial Day or Veterans Day section though, if it's respectful.

They did the 2 adults per car thing at Carowinds too, but weren't doing it this year for some reason. I've never understood it either. Less wheel and trim wear and tear?

Whizzer at Six Flags Great America last Friday.

The park's "improvements" to Hurler amounts to putting a strong trim break at the bottom of the first hill, making the ride airtimeless and taking away the only saving grace to the ride. I would so love them to put in a coaster along the lines of American Thunder in it's place, but I don't see it happening, sadly. I mean, this is the company that still keeps Mean Streak up, even though it hasn't given a good ride in a decade or two. As for Shockwave, unlike others here, I'd prefer them to put either a huge flat in it's place like Kennywood's Black Widow or to move one of the inverted impulse coasters down from Valleyfair or Dorney to replace it. However, if they do that, either of those two parks need to get a hell of a good coaster in it's place. Now, in order to put a good sized coaster in Shockwave's place (which I can't see removed in the next 3 years anyway), they could move Flying Ace to where the former Yogi's Cave sits now dormant, and take out the walk through water attraction. That would make room for a bigger coaster, while also potentially saving the small amount of wooded area behind Shockwave. Future Wingrider in this area?

Finally going to the park for the first time on Sunday. After looking at how crowded the water park was today on their webcam, I'm starting to think I should have planned two days. The weather's starting to look a little iffy as well. I'm sure I'll have fun no matter what happens, though. I'll just go with the flow.

First ever trip to Holiday World on Sunday. (Then first trips to SFStL on Monday, WoF on Tuesday, and SFGAm on Thurs/Fri.)

Sort of like the huge Harry Potter theme park in Florida that I keep telling people is not actually a full fledged theme park, but merely an area OF a theme park.

I've just been reading through old trip reports, and a lot of them keep saying to beware of GASM. That it's really painful. None of them say why... Does it jackhammer, is it extreme airtime that busts your legs against the bars, is it just the sudden brakes at the end?

I guess my worst trip would have been Hersheypark in 2003, and even it wasn't that bad. It was more what happened to our camp site while we were there for the free preview night before our full day in the park the next day. We got there, and 20 minutes later it started downpouring. Lightning, thunder, high winds, everything. The park people didn't even want people to go to their cars, but to wait inside the buildings or, in our case, under the shelter for The Whip. Apparently we were under a tornado warning. Well, we ended up riding nothing that night, but we had some good conversations for two hours with other people in the shelter. Finally the let us out and it was still downpouring. The path to the park entrance is quite hilly from there, and the water was just cascading down the paths. We were soaked almost immediately. I didn't think of it as a bad day. I thought it was quite fun. It's still something I have fun remembering. No, the bad part is when we got back to our camp site. We were tent camping. All our stuff was in the tent. Our stuff was about two feet underwater! So we got back and had no place to sleep but in a two door car, our clothes were all soaked, as were our sleeping bags and pillows and the few electronics we had back then. (My game boy was a goner.) Still, I was laughing about it even then. I was going to Hersheypark, my favorite park, for a full day the next day. I wasn't going to complain. Oh, and I've never noticed all those problems the people above mentioned about Hershey the three times I've been there. (1997, 2003, and 2008.)

So, is there a good chance I'll need to buy a Flash Pass this Friday? I believe Georgia schools got out this past week, and so far the weather is saying sunny and 86 degrees in Austell. The park is only open until 7, which I would assume would be enough time to get everything in even if all the lines were 45 minutes, but I guess put a Flash Pass on reserve just in case, or if nothing else for re-rides? I'd just be getting a regular Flash Pass, as I need to save as much money up as I can for my big July trip. I plan to hit Dare Devil Dive and Superman right after opening, as I'm pretty sure those are the two coasters that will have the longest lines later on.

I break out the movie quotes.

^ Unless they added an Intamin P&P like El Toro. (Though I would hope they wouldn't just plop down a clone. However this IS Six Flags we're talking about.)

Yeah, can't wait to get back over there in August and ride it. The good thing about Apocalypse themeing is that if the ride paint wears off or you let weeds grow under the ride, hey, it's just more themeing!

^ Awesome! That's good to know. Now I just hope the weather cooperates!

Going to Six Flags Over Georgia for the first time next Friday.

Wow. I've actually been looking for this exact video for years! Thanks! My library had the program on VHS back in the 1990s, and it's cool cause it's got rare footage of King Kobra at Kings Dominion on it.

^ Yeah, I knew why it was crowded. I was fully expecting the water park to be. It was the most crowded thing in the park back when I went in 1999-2000 too. As for the stacking, it wasn't too bad on any of the rides except Mind Eraser and Wild One. They stacked for about 2 minutes on those. I was also surprised at how many people didn't know to push down and THEN pull on their restraints. And these were people that did speak English. I had to help two different people that were in the seats I was about to get into with that. I don't blame the park for any of the few issues that day. I knew what I was getting into, and as I said, I had a great time. Got almost everything in that I wanted to do, and I plan to go back in August or September on a Sunday as well. My only main gripe is that the waterpark needs better crowd control. I agree, another wave pool would do wonders, as would a new slide complex.

So I went to the park for the first time in 12 years yesterday, and I had a pretty good time there. Finally got my Superman and Batwing credits! I had forgot how confusing the park layout is, especially trying to get to Southwest Territory. Crowds were heavy, but there was no more than a 2 train wait a most until after the waterpark closed. Then the lines got pretty long in places. The waterpark was insanely crowded, and the wavepool was really nasty, which is sad, because it's only been open a few days. It was cloudy water, lots of stuff floating throughout, and I was stepping on stuff that I could tell I didn't want to know what it was. Walking around, you could hardly move, and it seemed people would go out of their way just to get in front of you and stand there. Me and my friend started calling kids squirrels because of how they run in front of you and zig zag back in forth to get out of the way, only to end up being run into anyway. I can definitely see the complaints about the guests at the park. Lots of people with their phones out on coasters, and no one telling them to stop doing it. It was happening all day long. They did have stacking problems on all the coasters, but from what I could see, it was more guest problems than ride operator problems. They'd say into the intercom to buckle the belt first and THEN lower your lap bar, and yet people would still bring down the lap bar first, and then refuse help from the attendant while they try to get the belt buckled with the lap bar in the way, so the attendant has to just stand there until the guest is ready. It was pretty common all day long as well. The rides were running great though. Was pleasantly surprised with Roar. I remembered liking it, but I've seen a bit of badmouthing it lately. It wasn't rough to me, either in the very back or the very front. Airtime in the front, forceful laterals in the back. Wild One was okay. Less airtime than I remembered. Rode in the front, which was good, and near the back, which was simply okay. Love the forceful helix. Superman was very good. I don't get why there's all those straight sections though. Rode twice near the back. Batwing was... Batwing. Slow loading, but a very forceful intense ride just like the other two clones in KI and Carowinds. Mind Eraser was actually not that bad. Bumpy, yes, but not headache inducing. Rode once near the back. Is it considered one of the smoother SLCs? Joker's Jinx was okay. Seemed sluggish, though. Rode once in the back. Also, their pirate stunt show was really good, though there was none of the audience participation they had asked for. (I think there was an issue of about half the audience not being able to speak English.) Was hoping to catch the special effects show set to music, but we went out of the park to eat at Golden Corral at that time. Also got one ride on Tower of Doom, Tea Cups, and Riddle Me This. There were no lines for the flat rides even after the waterpark closed. Pros= Pretty good coaster collection, nice employees, and not really any waits. Cons= Other guests, stacking coasters, nasty wavepool.

I've suspected all along this would be mainly a waterpark. In fact, if they wanted to, they could make one of the biggest waterparks in the area, as long as they keep all the land and don't give some back to the fair.

^That's easy. Bulldoze Hurler and expand the waterpark to the side so it's where Hurler was. Back on topic, I get to go to SFA for the first time since 2000 on Monday. Glad to hear it's better than it was in the mid-2000s. I had lots of fun when I went in 99 and 2000, despite it raining the whole day the first time, and Superman being closed the second time. So hopefully this trip doesn't break the streak of good visits, and Superman will be open so I can finally ride it. Get to get that Batwing credit too.

Intamin: Volcano: The Blast Coaster. Yes, I know it's loved around here, but I find it to be uninspired, slow after the first inversion, and just a few heartline rolls. Nothing to it, and short as hell. B&M: Tie between Hydra and Carowinds' Vortex. Hydra was kinda dull and Vortex was really rough and rattly. GCI: Only been on SFA's Roar, Wildcat, and Lightning Racer. Out of those, I'd go with Roar, though I still liked it.

Yeah, I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense. Good luck to ya.

^That's the day I'm going to SFOG. Guess I won't be able to ride GASM. Oh well, at least it's a good cause.

I think a SkyScreamer would be a good addition. Put it where the old Enterprise was. I'd like to see: A smaller family coaster along the lines of Pandemonium where Two Face was. A nice floorless or wing-rider to either replace Mind Eraser or to make the park a complete loop. Some new flats to fill in the holes and to make the park a complete loop. Waterpark needs some more pro-slides.

Any idea how crowds are usually on Memorial Day? I know military get in free that whole weekend, so I guess more crowded? Trying to decide whether to go on Sunday or Monday. Me and some friends are getting our season passes made for our trip this summer. The trip was planned while the opening date for Apocalypse was still going to be that weekend. Oh well. Will have to make a trip up later this summer too.