TBpony414

Boldikus - LOL on sitting at the front of El Toro so that/until the train valleys!!!! Love it! Coasterbill - Yes, the wolf tour was awesome! It lasted about 45 minutes, there were 5 or 6 people in our group. I am a total animal freak and have a whole bunch of different animals myself so getting to learn about how different places care for their animals is really fascinating to me. Like any tour, the more questions you ask the better it is. The keepers explained about the location of the wolf runs, how they decide which wolves to place together, what their turnout situation is, where they get their food from, what other additives they put in the food, do they use a clicker or whistle to mark behaviors, how they come up with the names, etc. Here are my notes on the wolf groups and names as of December 2013, not 2014 like I thought: Kitchi, Maska, & Boise Sikko (pronounced "SEEK-oh") and Odin Lakota, Kaya, & Beo. They brought out some wolves and demonstrated different behaviors they were working on and practiced a new behavior with a different wolf that wasn't show-ready yet. Then we each got to go up very close to the wolves and give them a command using hand and voice signals. Mine was for the wolf to hop over some logs and run to the other side of the stage and sit on a high rock. Then I threw him some meat as a reward! We didn't get to pet them but who cares, I loved it and would do it again for sure. I've never worked with wolves (I have working line German shepherds) so it was really fun to practice with a similar yet completely different species. My boyfriend liked the penguin tour best which is only available during Christmas Town. He's actually the one who found out about the tours and surprised me the night before with them! We originally went up just to see the lights and ride a few rides. If you haven't been, you absolutely must go. It is a really awesome event and our favorite part was actually riding the sky ride on all 3 paths around the park seeing everything from above. I know you'll appreciate that, Bill! They really have an awesome sky ride at BGW. Back to the penguins - we met with some keepers who explained all sorts of things about the penguins, taught us which flipper color band was for which penguin and at the end we got to pet, hold and pose with one!!! There was only one other couple on our tour. BGW actually had a professional photographer there who took our pictures as they were using them for advertising. So far I haven't seen my photo on any billboards but I signed my life away so that they could if they wanted to LOL. The penguins we met were Barracuda, Sammy, Tuna, Merlin, Maggie, Kermit, Yoshi, and Jordan. They always have animals out near the wolf area at different points throughout the day for guests to pet and see. I got up close and personal with a Bald Eagle and some other cool birds that day as well. I do find that the animal staff at BGW seem to be more knowledgeable about animals than say the staff at CP, who probably like animals but may not have as much experience with them. TL;DR - Get your asses down to BGW for Christmas Town and pet some penguins!

Can someone tell me what the FB link said? It's really helpful when a link is provided AND when someone does a screen shot of the page. Sometimes the stuff is taken down or someone can't view it for whatever reason. I can gather from reading posts that perhaps it's a drop tower which would be great. TIA!

Hey coasterbill, what did that Safari run you and how long did the tour last? My boyfriend surprised me with a penguin encounter and wolf tour at BGW last year during their christmas event and it was awesome! We rode the safari at SFGAdv last year and loved it as well so I bet the VIP tour would be even better. Those pics of you guys petting the rhino and giraffes are great. Too bad about major understaffing at the rides and rude people in the queues. We are planning on going up to Jackson area this coming weekend for something during the day and would pop over to SF in the evenings. Did it last year and ponied up for the grand slam flash passes but got on more rides in a few hours at night than we would have any other time. However, there weren't problems with staffing thenso I hope we have a good experience this year! Thanks for the heads up.

Love that Valravn throne and holy smokes that track is enormous!!! I know people keep saying in person it is but when there's actual people standing a few feet away, and with the knowledge that it's 6 ft wide, I really got a good glimpse of it.

Quite an impressive TR of Dismaland, thanks for being so thorough for those of us who were curious and/or aren't able to go. I've seen Exit Through The Gift Shop several times and it still does my head in. How long were you there for?

Every time someone posts pictures of the track the rails really do change colors! In person I'm sure it's even more color changing. I hope they don't have to tear down too many trees for Valravn.

^ Thrillrider: Nice mini TR. The wolf on the shirt is for Rougarou which is a werewolf. Can someone explain how to reply quote someone's post while including a single picture of theirs in my reply? Example: I'd like to use the Rougarou wolf shirt from the post I'm replying to instead of just typing. I feel stupid.

Cool pics, you got quite a lot of parks in! Never heard of ThrillCoaster Tours before but it sounds like the best summer camp experience I never had!

LOL at Millennium Force's station being a toaster! I never thought of it like that but it's so accurate. Incredible pics as always but truly those lightning strikes and the ones of Raptor at sunset are phenomenal!!! I don't even know how you'd begin to get a shot at night with lightning striking like that and all the coasters lit up in the distance. Thanks for sharing.

The castle in the first picture is Frozen-esque! Looks like you practically got the park to yourself, too bad about the kiddie coaster.

I haven't been up to NE area yet. I'm glad you got on plenty of rides on Storm Runner... it's one of my fav coasters ever! Can't wait to see your thoughts on El Toro

"Buuuuuuuuuuut I have a fastpass!!!!!" cracked me up! The food looks soooooo good. I love that you took all pics on your i6 and also didn't get people in any of the pics. I don't think I've ever seen a TR without crowds and I have to say, I really like it. Glad you had a fun Anniversary trip and thanks for sharing

Had no idea! I did a little research and Loudoun County is starting this year for the first or second time Aug 31. Fairfax County is still in transition as are a few other places. Two friends of mine area teachers at different schools in Ffx Co and they're not starting until Sept 8. Thx for the info! To whoever asked, the KD Law was passed and in place for many years. It was so that KD would still have adequate staffing until the end of summer. Our schools have always started very late because of it - 2nd week of Sept usually and then go till mid-end June. Yuck. Evidently some counties have petitioned for this to be changed, which I've just learned c/o madmax. As much as I'd love to see a new coaster installed at KD next season, I am actually really thankful that they are doing these improvements first to Snoopyville, restrooms, food places, landscaping, etc. It's like going to a really nice new restaurant and using their bathroom only to find it nasty, poor lights, door doesn't latch, no water pressure in the sink, toilet paper holder is busted. All you can think of is, "they opened this place and have great food, this is a giant oversight and the bathroom makes me want to go bathe in Lysol!" The devil is in the details which is something a lot of CF parks get nagged on. Sprucing up the place goes a long way to making the park experience a nicer one. I go to KD at least once a season and over the last 5 years can absolutely say I've seen the place grow leaps and bounds just by giving it a bit of TLC. Before they install another $20mil ride, let's make sure the water fountains work and there's a few hanging flower baskets to keep the atmosphere cheery. Very pleased with this. I'm looking forward to a frisbee and am excited to see other parks get coaster installations while waiting for whenever we end up with another coaster at KD. In the meantime, their great collection of flat rides continues to grow. These are the rides I look forward to riding next week: Rebel Yell Volcano I305 Backlot Stunt Coaster Woodstock Express *Boo Blasters *Berserker Ricochet *Bad Apple *Drop Tower Eiffel Tower Avalanche bobsleds *Swings *Carousel *Log flume In no order whatsoever, using that list above there's 7 starred items as flat rides, 9 if you count wild maus & avalanche, 10 if including the Eiffel Tower. Adding Delirium next year boosts that number to a possible 11 flats every visit that I want to ride which doesn't even touch the 5 coasters I enjoy. I left off plenty of other flat rides and several other roller coasters that I personally don't care to ride except on a rare occasion. While other members of my group enjoy the rides I prefer to skip I take a seat in the shade under a large tree and watch them ride. Add a show, maybe mix in some antique cars or ferris wheel and my day is packed! I'll also say that I'm one of the few who LOVE Dinosaurs Alive! KD's version is hidden completely in the woods so it's an immersive and shady experience. Love me some dinos!

To whoever asked about the fannypacks, I'll repeat my reply from just a couple pages ago. YES they are allowed on everything. Report back when you've returned! We might have been in the same room - ours was ground floor, first room on the left when walking in the side entrance with the stairwell on your right. Awesome location! We didn't try the pullout but should have thought of it since the mattress was so awful. I mean it was REALLY bad, so unbelievably bad I don't even know how to explain it haha. Fortunately for me, I was beyond exhausted every night so don't even remember going to bed and slept through till morning. I'm a terrible sleeper but being at CP all day wiped me out!

You mean this one? It's great and does move! We get lots of compliments on it. Glad to have some fellow magnet lovers on here

^ Me too. I'm probably in the minority that don't find Verbolten to be a good replacement. Among other things, I do find the rickety bridge and drop over the Rhine to be less than thrilling not only from a rider's perspective but also when viewing from the bridge. Maybe in another 15 years when the trees grow back it'll look a little bit better but something about those swinging black trains really amped me up and made it seem out of control!

Schools are NOT back in session until September because of "the Kings Dominion law" (true story) however lines should be almost nonexistent. Have a wonderful time, we are going there mid-next week!

I stayed at Sandcastle Suites in July of this year in the Corkscrew wing. It was very nice, quiet, and I loved the location next to Magnum's turnaround. After dinner at TGI Friday's each night we walked along the path back to Sandcastle and it was really nice. Almost nobody was on there. The room was awesome except for the bed - was your bed AWFUL?!?! Ours didn't just sag in the middle, I actually think it had been sawed in half. We shoved couch cushions in the middle of it in an attempt to keep the mattress semi level. I wish I was kidding. I've slept in some bad beds but this was by far the worst. I'd be interested to hear if other rooms had similar mattresses or if it was a fluke. Other than that, our experience was excellent and I'd stay there again. Not sure what prices are like at Breakers compared to what we paid.

I thought about riding it, but I always feel awkward riding kiddie coasters lol. I've missed quite a few credits due to this awkwardness Get over the awkwardness, Woodstock Express is awesome!!! We take up half the train when we're there with friends sometimes. Such a fun little ride. Sorry you weren't able to get to Carowinds but at least you got to experience BGW. I love Apollo and the park is a real nice way to spend the day.

Storm Runner is possibly my favorite ride of all time and I LOVE Great Bear! It really moves and I love the interesting layout for it. Doesn't whip me around like some of the others so I can reride it without getting sick. Lightning Racer really depends on the day and who is riding where. On my last two visits, Lightning won the majority of the rides and Thunder lagged way behind. They'll close off rows to make it more even when this happens which is really cool. It's a great ride and unfortunate it's tucked way in the back of the park where it doesn't get as much love as it should. Oh well, that means less wait for me!

Finally got a chance to read your TR... really nice work! I am seriously jonesing for some more MF and Maverick. Agree wholeheartedly about the MF station, ride ops, and general pumped up atmosphere during the night rides making it an unparalleled experience. I rode twice in a row for my last late night ride in July and the entire train was like your pics. Every single person had their hands up and we were all hooting and hollering the entire time. It was like a sports game but without all the profanity and spilled beer! Can't wait to go back next year.

WOW!!! Excellent report on what happened at the expo. Very excited to see all of this come to life. Thanks for going and sharing with us all!

Volcano is a super fun ride and how awesome that you got a skip the line pass for it! It always has an enormous line and for good reason. BGW is a pretty park and besides Big Bad Wolf (RIP) the only ride I really love is Apollo's Chariot. Griffon is nice too and I'm looking forward to seeing what CP has in store for 2016!

^Thanks so much for the info! The more details the better so you get an A+ from me. I didn't see anything about fast passes on Dollywood's website so may have to consider the VIP tour. The Wild Eagle lift tour sounds really cool and I'll make a note of that when we start looking at dates for our trip next year.

Can confirm: fanny packs allowed on all rides. I chose to take mine off on Skyhawk and almost lost my hat (which was looped thru the fanny clip) on Wicked Twister so would recommend placing it in the bins on those two rides. It's single operation for them both so no chance of anyone walking off with it. Other than that - go for it and have a blast! Remember to report back on how your visit went.