TBpony414

Sounds crowded! Good for the park. Was Lightning Rod running?

Hey Bert, I finally got a chance to finish reading your summer TPR report. Better late than never! Stinks you suffered various injuries/ailments during the trip but in true Bert style, that did not in any way inhibit your happiness and enjoyment on the trip. Being gimpy forced you to make sure you spent plenty of time hanging out near carousels and taking in the atmosphere at the various parks. More carousel time is always a good thing - even if you can barely swing your leg over the horse! The rabbit/kangaroo animal from CP's petting zoo is a Patagonian Cavy, also called a Patagonian Mara. It's actually a rodent and cousin of the guinea pig but is in no way related to rabbits (which are classified as lagomorphs). That concludes your animal lesson for today!

Hi gang, long time no see. Apologies if this has been discussed as I’ve been out of town dealing with multiple back to back major family emergencies. In the middle of all this we sold our house and moved so I am living in a sea of boxes and chaos. We live in Northern VA but have had Six Flags passes for many years through SFGAdv. Due to the above mentioned emergencies we have been unable to get up to SFGAdv this fall to activate our 2019 passes. Now we are living an extra 35 mins SW from the park than before so who knows when we’ll get up there again. Here is my question: last year we were able to simply call and get them activated, add the lunch plan and the photo pass. When we tried that this year they told us that’s never been an option over the phone. Perhaps the CS rep didn’t know it was an option before... or maybe it still is? We bought 3 basic season passes and a single photo pass for 2019. Does anyone know how to get them activated? I just got an email saying they must be claimed by this Wednesday. I was able to log into the Six Flags my pass page as referenced a few thread pages back and could add them to my account. However, since it’s still 2018 and they’re valid, it doesn’t tell me if that means they’re activated for 2019. The activation stuff could be a bunch of nonsense for all I know. At least I got the My Pass page working though. Cedar Fair passes automatically update so I figured the same would be true with SF passes but who knows. Technology is not my strong suit. Wish I would have thought of this sooner as it would be a bummer to possibly lose a few hundred bucks in passes. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks very much and hope to be back to a more active poster status here in the near future! Liz

While I love the current park entrance for its charm it can definitely cause bottlenecking and issues. So, bring on the new front gate! While I'm an Intamin fan all the way I do enjoy a nice floater B&M ride so am pleased to see that, or something like that, as in the works for 2020. Working dog sport handler here, sorry about your misfortune! Did the dog redirect accidentally or what happened? Getting bit sucks although Shepherds usually have less hectic grips than those out of control Malinois so many departments are switching to. The breed alone here might have truthfully saved your leg from getting completely shredded. Welcome to the Bite Club. Take it easy while you recover!!

Damn dude, that's a really bad day! I had a day that was about half that bad at Kennywood a couple years ago and am not planning on going back there anytime soon again due to it. Their operations are absolutely horrific and I don't find the rides to be outstanding enough to endure the possible torture of melting for hours on end. Oh well, better luck next time for us both.

Skyhawk at Cedar Point is absolutely massive compared to the other installations. I personally think DW runs a shorter ride cycle on theirs (I swear it's 7 small swings compared to CP's 9 huge swings) and the fact that Skyhawk, depending on which side you're on, flies over the walkway is really insane if you're looking down at everyone walking below you. Ask to sit on the right hand side if you want that experience. Barnstormer and KW's version are little, relaxing rides that do nothing to scare me. Skyhawk legitimately has me white knuckling it and then immediately hopping back into line to do it again. It's SO FREAKING POWERFUL and significantly taller than the other S&S Screamin' Swings. Do yourself a favor and wait in the line next time for it! I find anywhere between 9-11am it is consistently a complete walk-on.

Hey Bill, how does one find out about deals with fast acting Platinum pass renewals? I never get a single email about this stuff and didn't see anything in this thread. I also missed the Dollywood 2019 pass deal by getting our 2018 passes just one week before they announced their 2019 pass thing. Very frustrating! Any tips? Usually I rely on folks here to post deals but you all have let me down in this case

Bert, where is that peanuts pirate ride? I can't believe I haven't been on that thing! Is it near Woodstock Express? Unfortunately due to illness on my end and spending half the day in a Charlotte urgent care, our trip to Carowinds was very short this year and we didn't get on anywhere near as much as I wish we could have. Will look for the pirate ride next year! Mom and I had a similar experience on the wild mouse. "Wow this thing is crazy smooth! Whee!! Yippee, haha! No brakes on this thing, heck yea--AAAHHHHHHH!!! (possibly ruptured spleens)" LOL. Those final brakes will really hurt you if you're not expecting it... which we certainly weren't. I love Carolina Goldrusher and always ride it multiple times. FYI Hurler in the front seat with the Coasterbill method is actually a pretty good ride. Really enjoying your report!!

I was riding Raptor in the evening, and heading up the lift I looked to my left at a gorgeous red sunset, the coaster skyline, and all the lights coming on throughout the park. In that single instant I thought, "WOW, look at how beautiful this is...this is the big hug from life that I need, I love these rides, I love this park, and I deserve to have fun!" And I did! It sounds corny, but I had my first smile in days during that Raptor ride, and I had an awesome time the rest of the trip. Chiming in here with my story to both Phil and Samuel since I can kind of relate: After having such a great time hanging out with Bill and Bert last year when they were at Cedar Point for 2017's CoasterMania at the same time my mom and I were visiting CP for fun, mom and I decided we were going to participate in CoasterMania this year. We got tickets immediately, which was a bit chaotic at first since I was in the backwoods of WV on a ski trip with no reception when the tickets went on sale, and then suddenly a week before CoasterMania this year my beloved father passed away unexpectedly. There was no way we could go to Cedar Point since the dates overlapped with his celebration of life and I was so devastated from the whole thing that I worried even when I did get back to CP that it would be all doom and gloom. The last year has been a particularly difficult one and prior to Dad's passing I was focused on counting down the days to Cedar Point, a place where I could forget my worries, and now that was all shattered. (I want to note that Bert was a true friend and checked in on me frequently during this time which I am unbelievably grateful for.) Mom and I talked about it and rescheduled the CP trip for 5 weeks later... and had an outstanding time! Were there dozens of times where I went to text Dad a picture of us doing something or send a video clip of his favorite coaster, Millennium Force? Yes. Those were some hard moments. I will mention that the area back near Dinosaurs Alive as well as the area by the petting zoo has some quiet spots where you can have an emotional moment without attracting a lot of attention. Did we shed some tears because the whole thing felt "off" knowing Dad wasn't at home? Yes. Did we have an awesome time, see some spectacular sunsets, and meet some really wonderful people while standing in line? YES! And you know what - it was really good for us. There was one specific moment on Millennium Force that just for a minute I totally forgot everything that was going on. I was so in the moment that I felt free and a huge weight lift off my shoulders. Dad would want us to be enjoying ourselves at a place we all loved and I am so glad we pushed on with the trip. I strongly encourage anyone going through any sort of slump or difficulty in life to get out to a park you love. Make it happen because life is short and we only get so many opportunities to enjoy ourselves. If riding some coasters might help lift your spirits for even for 10 seconds then get out there and do it!

Hip hip hooray, it's the start of your summer TPR trip report!! The name Crime Wave for swings themed to criminals is genius and your Monster Mansion bit has me sitting here chuckling, especially since I've never been to SFOG and have no idea what MM is like. Thankfully I am now informed that the monsters are having a picnic - kids always make things seem super obvious - so I will file that info for future use!

Nice report from your day at BGW! It's neat to think back to how certain rides were our favorites at one point or another and now a different coaster might occupy that spot. At the end of the day they're all fun and being at a park is a great way to spend a day. Looking forward to your next installment!

Great report! I can’t imagine doing all that driving for just 4 days of visiting this area. Reading that you realized just on the other side of Breezewood that you needed gas had me audibly groan. There is nothing at all on that 20 mile stretch on the DC side of Breezewood except farmland and murder motels haha. Glad you made it out alive! It’s been a few years since I’ve been to the National Aquarium in Baltimore since their prices are a bit steep. It’s a pretty good aquarium, though. SFA does get a decent amount of hate but the park is slowly improving overall. Jokers Jinx is fantastic as is Superman, and Wild One depending on the day can be excellent. Next time you take a road trip this way hit up HersheyPark or Busch Gardens Williamsburg! Both are excellent family parks with a good collection of rides.

Wow, what a really cool behind the scenes tour! Thanks for passing on a lot of your new knowledge about plants and the various things they grow there. The part about wasps was very interesting. With Stanley, how long until the leaves unfold again after closing up? It couldn't have been too long since you asked to see it happen again at the end of the tour. Plants are fascinating and what Disney is doing of course is always amazing work.

Card - those pictures are fantastic! Some of the angles you got of the park are really neat, like the Caro sign with Fury in the background. I especially love the one at the top of the treble clef since it really captures how insane that particular moment is. I know nothing about birds but your photos of them are excellent as well so thanks for including them.

Cool inside info on Veterans/Dollywood Ln and Middle Creek Rd, dsteph9 and TEDodd. Thanks for chiming in regarding that! We have stayed at a cabin about a mile down from the Middle Creek entrance there and I wondered where exactly it would take you if you turned in there. It says something about DW Service Entrance and figured it was something for employees so they wouldn't have to deal with the occasionally awful traffic on Veterans.

TEDodd - Is that via the employee entrance off Upper Middle Creek Rd? Or where?

^ and ^^ thanks for the replies guys, I appreciate it! Bummer it’s still closed - for a sec I got excited. Did not see the fine print when clicking on the ride info, appreciate you pointing that out TEDodd. I will still stop by this week but won’t rush.

Is anyone at the park today? The app does not say that LR is closed for the day... Just wondering if that is accurate or not as I am in town and would love to stop by if that’s true this evening!

^^ and ^ I will be at the park this coming week, hoping for it to open but fully prepared for it to be closed. Will report back if it opens up!

Smart man! Storm Runner and Great Bear are my 2 favorites there as well. Did you guys go in Zoo America or Chocolate World at all? Post your TR!!

^Listen to this man! I actually said "oh no!" out loud when I read that you skipped Carowinds! Fury325 could not be more different than Intimidator305. Besides the height they have nothing in common. They are made by very different ride manufacturers, have completely different train styles, Fury is fast but smooth and fun and not trying to drain your body of life like I305 does. Fury is like a smoother Millennium Force with a bit more pizzazz in the first half elements. Definitely stop there next time to ride it! You both will love it. I'll be traveling down south myself in a few weeks and will be making a stop at Carowinds for some Fury action. I'll say hi to Fury for you if you say hi to my beloved Millennium Force for me!

Phil, I am so deeply sorry to hear of Michael's passing. When there was no update for a while on this Adventure thread I began to get worried. Please know my thoughts are with you, your friends, and family. I am happy to say I "knew" Michael through your posts right here on TPR thanks to the various trips you both took. In your many years together you sure packed in a hell of a lot of fun! May those happy memories fuel you through the sadness. Hugs, Liz

Great start to your trip, Chuck! Where did you fly out from and how long did it take to get to Japan? The penguin pool in the middle of the promenade is fantastic and definitely something I've never seen, and never will see, anywhere in the US!

Glad you had such a nice visit to the park, bobbie68! Kings Dominion has a really nice wild mouse and it's great to see it getting a lot of attention this season. Their antique cars are pretty nice and Avalanche bobsled is a lot of fun. If you were concerned about Flight of Fear having elements too close together then it's good you skipped it because they are one on top of the other. I am curious as to whether you were aware ahead of time that people more often than not grey out on Intimidator305? Or did you know about it and it just surprised you that it happened? I rode it 11x on opening day - this was before they reprofiled the first turn at the bottom of the big drop - and while it was intense, I did not grey out. Ever since they reprofiled the turn that first year I grey out no matter what silly fighter pilot technique I use to try to keep my blood flowing normally. They tried to make it so the G forces were less intense in that turn and in the process drew out how long the turn is and made it even more intense, in my opinion. I am no old fogey but the ride takes a lot out of me so is often one-and-done especially when it's so hot out. Anyway, it is not just you and I'm sorry to hear it was a shock to your system. Hopefully you're all recovered now! Will you be visiting any other parks on your way down to Florida?