bert425

was at SFFT yesterday and despite the heat (and the continuing staffing issues that result in ~1/2 the park not opening up until after Noon, despite 10am front gate/10:30 rope drop open), I really did have a fantastic time. that said, the one thing I really did have an issue with yesterday - and I'm not sure if it's chain wide now, but I *absolutely* suspect it's coming from Six Flags Mgmt, and not the park itself: NO MORE NAPKINS out on countertops. (no silver or condiments either. . but my big issue was the napkins). Not good at the Ice Cream places, the messy nacho place, or the funnel cake stand where you're going to need multiple napkins. I feel awful for Park Mgmt that's going to have to deal with the poor impression fallout that seems to be clearly coming from a level above the parks (and I know they're already dealing with many complaints from so many "Meal" and "Snack" options being removed from the meal plans - again, not an individual park decision. so. . . just a heads up on this sudden change, and I'd love to know if it's happening at other Six Flags parks. . . I strongly suspect it is.

^ they weren't Jalapenos. . they were bannana peppers and were SO good. and I got the Fried Mushrooms for the table, not knowing that when Joel said he'd eat them that he'd try one, and decide he didnt' like the mushroom "earthy" taste so it was mainly me eating them - they were so good as well. . . and recall, I DID take that last piece of chicken with us and had it one night later in the hotel . but yeah, was not used to eating so much fried stuff in a 48 hour period.

are they giving them to CoasterMania attendees? Hearing a LOT of really poor reviews of this year's CM. (so maybe they are trying to soothe over bad responses?)

so once we left Holiday World (and got this great pic of Thunderbird, Voyage, and the giant empty space where Pilgrim's Plunge was): we continued on to Leavenworth, IN - for a dinner stop at a restaurant that Kim had "discovered" off the main highway several years ago, called "the Overlook" this place has THE most incredible views: and was very much a place that I could see "tour buses full of older folks" frequenting. the inside just screamed - "we've been here forever, and anyone over the age of 60 is gonna love it!" - TONS of wood paneling, classic comfort food on the menu (much of it fried, all of it very good, tho my tummy later that night wasn't too much of a fan, as I way overate), and deserts that really were pretty amazing. . . .think old skool diner deserts, but served as if in an old Lodge. and again, the view inside from pretty much any seat was great - tho they sat us in a beautiful corner table: it was so cool (and spooky) watching the fog roll in and blanket the river , as waves of rain and storms came and went thruout our meal here. fi you're curious about the place / menu. . it's very much recommended if you're passing thru the area! http://www.theoverlook.com/ stuffed and feeling like I was leaking grease from my pores (but oh goodness was that Fried Chicken so damn good, I totally get why the waitress said they are known for it), we wobbled back to the car, and continued on to Kings Island - Fighting the rain the whole way. . . sometimes dry, sometimes drizzle, sometimes POURING. about 2 hours in, after stopping for gas, Joel wanted to drive - and he did a damn good job and got us there safe, despite the bad weather. eventually we were passing by Kings Island, moments from the hotel: the rain/lightning would continue off and on thruout the evening - with quite a bit of loud thunder. but by the time we woke up for the 1st day of Coasterstock! the sky was overcast, but no rain, and we were ready to have a fantastic day. Swag from Holiday World - since had a lot of time in the afternoon to shop (ie: hide from the downpours) not the magnet I would have preferred to get - especially since really only saw one of these mascots in the park. but honestly, the only one I COULD buy, as the other magnets (tho I liked the designs) were all about as big as License Plates! No really, they were all HUGE, and I just don't have the fridge space for that kind of thing. as noted, oddly not ONE shirt with the Holiday World "Rainbow" logo was available. . . but I did manage to get Nick something close: I bought these two for me: I really liked this one, and it just so happened to show the only two coasters we got on. . LOL I also picked up this one because I liked the color and the somewhat simple design. . I should have put it back tho. . because upon checking out, I saw they had a special that if you spent a certain amount of $$, you could get a more colorful shirt that kinda has the rainbow logo on it for only $9. so I ended up getting one for me, and one for Nick: so I ended up buying more shirts (5) than rides we got on (4) . but I still had a great time at Holiday World, and will go back again if I get the opportunity! up next: Day 1 of Coasterstock!

^ you should have brought him over for a side-bar at the Dipping Dots cart. you coulda gotten *all* the scoop

^ the standout there (and likely to draw the biggest crowd) is Kornbread. she was on the last season of RuPaul's Drag Race, and is an AMAZING performer.

I bought Some boots. and then I just bought some MORE boots

oh, there have been longer

"F*ck the Pain Away" - Peaches "live" performance from last week's Full Frontal

the Bob's Burgers Movie is fantastic with some laugh out loud moments. I enjoyed it immensely, and since saw it at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema here in Austin? got to see the short they made for the film. sharing here, as they released it online: "My Butt hazza fever!"

Edit: nevermind.. enjoy the complaining, I'm sure the SFStL team is taking in every word, and planning the next new addition to the park accordingly.

whoops. . forgot to cross post! got my Trip Report started yesterday. . here's the link to the Holiday World specific day: https://themeparkreview.com/forum/topic/47589-bert-goes-back-to-ki-for-the-2nd-year-in-a-row-for-coasterstock-with-stops-along-the-way-at-holiday-world-and-kentucky-kingdom-a-photo-trip-report/?do=findComment&comment=1912941

well.. since I have permission and apparently my phone didn't download a handful of other pics I have from the 1st day. . I'll have to make sure and double check going forward! -- so these pics should have been in the 1st post, before we left on Thurs morning for Holiday World. here's the "disco plane" we had from Southwest. . . tho oddly, they didn't turn on on the LEDs until we were taxiing to the terminal at St. Louis. . so not DURING the flight. I wonder if they just forgot to turn them on? here I am moments after meeting Kim at the airport (sending proof of life home, that I had made it to St. Louis, and had met up with Kim and Joel): the restaurant we ate at was "Big Chief". . . and the food was mostly all fried, but very good. Here's the whole gang, tho Steve did not go with us to Coasterstock! or the trip: and some Toasted Ravioli (better than what I had at the Airport on my last visit to St. Louis, but absolutely blown away by the "more traditional" once we had on Sunday night at an old skool Italian place on "the Hill"). . and fried Calimari. I didnt' get a pic of my "rolled lasagna". . which was so rich and quite good (and came standing up in odd triangle shape. . which I was confused by, until it was pointed out that the place is called "Big Chief" so I guess it was supposed to be a teepee ? ) . . or the decadent skillet cookie with ice cream we shared for desert. once I waddled my way back to the house, I went downstairs with Joel where we played that Virtual Reality stuff, with this amazing set up he has (that I'm sure Steve enjoyed while we were gone)

you can do it! meanwhile, I twisted my ankle really badly in early May (probably the day after I posted the above update), and haven't been able to exercise at ALL. . . and started eating bad again during. so been avoiding the scale, but think i've put back on at LEAST 8-10 lbs of the 20 I lost but determined to get back on track. .I have just over 2 weeks before a big trip and going to be really serious about trying to drop at least 5 lbs in that time.

correct. Don Helbig and Chad Showalter are aware of it, and were NOT happy at Coasterstock when they experienced it for themselves. I fully expect they have/will have folks working on it (it's only been a week since they were made aware of the issue)

yup. .it was the 19th. some of the folks huddling around Guest Services (when I couldnt' get anyone to come to the front counters) mentioned about the ticket being good for another day. but really, it was ok, I had a great time looking around the park, even if I wasn't able to ride everything I'd have liked to. hopefully will get back at some point in the future

Soon enough, we were going thru the cornfields, and pulling into the parking lot for Holiday World. we knew we had purchased for a School Days day. . but wow, there were a LOT of busses in the parking lot. And with HW not having any kind of skip the line pass, we worried it might be a challenging day. Still, I was thrilled to be there - even with my ankle still messed up from a bad twist 10 days earlier, so more "hobbling" than "walking". . but still..I was determined to have a great visit regardless (and I really did, even tho the day got cut short). slowly making our way from our parking spot - we got to park fairly close, as all the busse were too the left. I've seen this in other's reports. . but so excited to see it in person. (tho I was surprised not to find ONE T-shirt for sale with the traditional logo on it. Found some that were close, but not this logo) I'm here! (and I can *totally* read Joel's mind in this pic.. .. you already move slow. .and you're stopping for pictures???). LOL absolutely purchase your tickets online. . we bypassed some pretty lengthy lines to enter the park, since we already had our tickets form online. we followed standard HW procedure (from what I'd been told) and headed all the way to the back of the park for Thunderbird/Voyage. . . as Legend was already filling up most of the queue as we passed by (it was running only 1 train, as Raven was as well). Didn't stop me from getting a pic with Santa as we passed by - tho I didn't wait in the long line for the "professional" pics. . . it's just timing between people from off to the side I was actually VERY impressed with how lovely the park is. and surprised. . I was really expecting more Wal*Mart / Carnival Cruise type atmosphere, and yes, the clientele certainly gave off those vibes (lots of "let's go Brandon" t-shirts - on KIDS yet! - and unironically worn shirts with certain president's heads on bodybuilder bodies). . but the park itself was beautifully landscaped in places (other than the neglected dirt-pit with flume remnants from where Pilgrim's Plunge used to be), and the grounds were - for the most part - beautiful. and the free drink stations set up everywhere were very nice! other parks should start offering this perk (think of the staffing they could save from not having to have registers at every location!) Park Map. oooo. . spooky. . heading into Halloween section but first, a photo op? why of course! see? it really is a lovely park. . there were several flats, that had pretty decent lines already, as we passed. the park was only open until 4, so we had planned to focus on the Coasters and the Water Coasters as much as possible. . but some of the flats certainly had my interest. such as this wave swinger, that looked incredible. crossing into Thanksgiving, we came upon the Voyage - tho we were headed to Thunderbird first. (and yes, that IS the line for Voyage, already coming out of the queue line. . wowza) LOL. .I adored this Turkey Themed Tilt A Whirl.. but it had a line. . and we were headed to Thunderbird, so passed it by. I hadn't realized this park was "hilly".. so it was giving my ankle a real workout. . but we finally made it to the final hill at the back of the park, and into view came this beautiful sight. no, not the worlds smallest skyflyer - tho that made me giggle.. . .and people were lining up for it!!! but Thunderbird, a launched wing coaster. were they only running 1 train here too? No, they actually were running 2, but they were having some issues with fast loading on this day. no worries..we were here to ride coasters, and any ride was worth the wait for me. . . so we headed in and joined the line um. . yeah. and with so many schools on site, there were rampant cases of "I need to cut thru to meet up with my friends" now, to be fair, we FULLY expected this. We knew we were going on a school days day. . . but that didn't stop TeacherKim from stopping several of these line jumpers and telling them "I'll let you thru once, but everyone here is waiting and you are cutting in line!" LOL. . several groups of kids kept staring back at us (afraid of Kim) the whole time we were in the line. (not that she was wrong at all. .and they knew it. . . because if you DON'T say something? soon, two kids cutting becomes 5 more meeting their friends, then 3 more that came later, etc) we ended up waiting about an hour and ten minutes for Thunderbird, and since we had waited? just went ahead and waited a few more cycles for the front row. (yeah, even with the "boarding instructions" listed there, quite a few folks seemed confused as to if they should take off shoes, or how to click the restraints. . . . ) a look at the train. . Joel and I on our ride. . it was really fun, and quite intense. A bit more intense than I had expected really.. . was glad I hadn't eaten anything before standing in the heat for over an hour and then riding this. but I liked it a lot.. particularly the launch, and the "near misses" thru the barn. Kim being silly. . but I had to include this pic for that epic side-eye her seat mate is shooting her on the brake run. we headed to Voyage, but first had to stop and get some drinks, and as we passed by the turkey shooting dark ride, we noticed it was open! it had been listed as closed at the front gate, but maybe since it had gotten so warm they decided to open it? I dunno. . but I LOVE stupid rides, and this turkey shooter ride sure was stupid. . a fun stupid. and it was air conditioned. So you betcha we hopped in the fairly short line to take a spin. not before I was a turkey tho: the queue line.. . my. . how TERRIFYING you are, Gramma! I was SO tempted to hop in line for this as we exited the turkey shoot dark ride, but the truth is it was too hot for anything "spinning". . so I settled for a picture of it, and moved on to Voyage queue. so the Voyage queue was so long, they were using the basement area - routed down there after going up the initial steps. there really wasn't any airflow down there, and so I put on my mask - and i was literally the only one in the line that bothered (tho I did see a few others put on masks to go inside stores that were busy). at least what is very cool is that down in the basement, there is a flyby of the train, past a big window towards the end of the ride. and it did get everyone excited every time a train zoomed by that giant window. there were some line jumpers here too. .and again, Kim put them in their place, explaining why they shouldn't cut. I think in total we waited ~ 1:30 for it? lookie. . finally up at the station! and we ended up in Row 2. where we got a really, really rough ride. but took the pic first, so we're so happy to be riding. . LOL the tunnels were the best part of the coaster, I think. nice and cool. and I was thrilled there was so much air-time, as it got my butt out of the seat so I didn't' get jackhammered to death. Glad I finally rode it, but yeah... (tho if ever make it back, will try it again in a different (ie: front) row) we headed over to Legend, and the line hadn't died down that much. (one train ops). but the sky had started to get dark. we didnt' notice any lightning or thunder, but about 15 minutes into the wait? an announcement was made about Inclement weather. they made EVERYONE leave the line. . no one allowed to wait it out - although they oddly, didn't send anyone out to the front to chain off the queue, nor tell anyone status (something they didnt' do on other rides either. . very strange)..they just started shutting everything down. it was only ~1:20, and the park was only open until 4. so we had a chance things might open again, but not looking good, or that we'd manage to get on any water coasters - as Splashin Safari had just down either. I'd never been, so I was happy just to walk the park and take a look at things. the only thing we came across that had NOT shut down was the "Holidog Express". . which looked to be themed to Nursery Rhymes, and traveled around the Kids area. it was open, so did we ride it? you bet your ass! (remember what I said about loving stupid rides) this sign in the train! OMG. . . . "contact with Moving OR Stationary object can cause injury?" HAHAHAHAHA not everyone was THRILLED to be riding, as the woman behind me facial expression shows. . but it was the only thing operating, so it was a full train. (the last full train as it turned out as once we got back, the engineer got a call to shut it down too, just before the sky opened) highly recommended if you enjoy stupid things. . . the Engineer, in a dead monotone voice, just says the nursery rhymes as you pass by each set piece. hysterical. this is Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater. the kiddie coaster in the park. can't remember who this is who is stealing a pig. . .but I mean, I think we all know WHY he was stealing a pig. which i found VERY confusing, as right across the train tracks from him was Mary and her little lambs. . so one would think he'd rather have a soft lamb for his bestiality. but oh well. . I try not to judge Indiana. the Giant looks like Jack pissed in his cornflakes, doesn't he? is this the back entrance? it's an entrance to something. . but we didn't come in this way. weird. as noted, moments after we got off the train, the sky just OPENED up. .. .quarter size rain drops, and it poured for a good 20 minutes. Once it slowed down to a drizzle, we continued our walk around the park, checking out the closed rides. Some of which I really wish had opened up - and I'd like to check out if I ever get back. I dont' do bumper cars. . ever. But man, I'd sure be tempted to ride bumper cars themed to Horses! I adored this! and the most boring mini flume / canoe ride, I've ever seen. this was in a theme park? Bwaaa-haaaa-haaaaa as we made it back towards the front section, since nothing was open, I suggested we hit the main store (as I still wanted to buy a tshirt for Nick). well.. ALL those bus loads full of kids? yup, they were ALL packed into the the big store by the front section. sitting in aisles - so you couldn't move - and the checkout lines were all lengthy, stretching as far as the eye could see and wrapping up and down the open aisles, making it even more impossible to move. Most of the lines were the kids all holding a pack of candy, or a magnet, or some rocks/jewelry. Have to wonder just how much product walked out in pockets during the 55 minutes I was in that store standing in line to get that shirt. I wasn't comfortable at all, but it's not like could go outside, since this happened while in the store (or, and a tornado warning too). eventually, everything passed, and we decided to check out some sections of the park we hadn't' gotten to yet. it was just after 3, and as noted, the park closed at 4 today. People/kids were streaming out of the park, now that the rain had calmed down. . . so we figured we'd wander and see if any movement. and hey, it allowed me to get some pics I hadn't gotten yet. but by 3:20, there was NO movement at all on any of the rides, and we just decided to call it. We still had a pretty good drive to Kings Island (Coasterstock! started the next morning early), and we still had plans to stop for dinner. so with certainty that they probably were not going to get open either Legend or Raven (we seriously couldn't get anyone in the Guest Services booth to come to the front - I could see them hiding out in the back room chatting away - to advise what their policies were, and if they would attempt to get things open for the last 1/2 hour of the day). . we called it and headed out. but not before I got another picture : so the day got rained out, but you know what? I STILL had a great time, even with only 4 rides on a very crowded and rainy day. I liked the park enough that I'll absolutely go back if I get the chance. . and perhaps get to try out those water coasters. but with that, we headed out and made our way towards Cincinnati.. with the POURING rain following us off and on the whole way.

so.. although I had LOVED Kings Island in my one prior visit last year for Coasterstock! I really thought that visit would be my only ever trip there. (similar to how I went to Coastermania at Cedar Point in 2017, thinking it was my only ever visit there, and then ended up going back in 2018 as well). but back in Jan/Feb, when TeacherKim reached out and encouraged me to try and get a ticket for this year's Coastermania. . . I poo-poohed it. Yes, I had absolutely loved the park, but there was nothing really new since last year (when Orion had opened). . although I was intrigued by the retracking/reprofiling for parts of the Beast. but I just couldn't do it. I don't have much "free" vacation, and I told her I just didn't want to deal with the hassle of renting a car, figuring out hotel, etc. . . her response - like the true bad influence she is . . and I say that with love. . was, "oh. . don't fly to Cincinnati! fly here to St. Louis, I'll pick you up at the airport, crash with us, and then drive with her and Joel (Kim's son) to Coasterstock! That way I wouldn't have to mess with car rental, and she would just book two rooms, so I wouldn't have to mess with figuring out hotel accommodations. . oh, and along the way? we'll stop at Holiday World and on the way back at Kentucky Kingdom - both new parks to me, and both parks I'd always wanted to visit, but figured would never get to, unless part of a coaster trip i go along with others on. so I was sold enough, I told her I'd try to get a Coasterstock! ticket when they went on sale. I guess the universe wanted me to go, as tho the event sold out in 12 minutes? I, as well as Kim and Joel, were all able to get tickets. And by the end of that Feb day, I had flight booked to St. Louis, hotel for last night prior to flight back at St. Louis airport, and 3 days approved to take off work (Thurs/Fri/Mon). when the Coasterstock! package arrived in the mail, the complaining about the *white* shirt on the Coasterstock! FB page, immediately had me thinking I should tie-dye it, even tho I'd never done it before. So I did, and I think it came out great. who knew what I'd started tho, as after I posted this on the page, many, many folks started tie-dying. . . and vast majority of them looked really good but yeah, I think I started a trend (shiver). . LOL the months flew, and I found myself on the afternoon of May 18 at the Austin airport waiting for my flight. Having just found out from a friend that they had gotten Covid from their seatmate on a flight last week (and yes, EVERY flight is completely full now - who knew SO many people wanted to go to St. Louis on a Wed afternoon from Austin??), so I wore my mask from the moment I entered the airport, until the moment Kim picked me up a few hours later. I wasn't the only one with a mask. . but maybe less than 2% bothered with it. Glad I did.. been back a week after being around a LOT of people. . and I did NOT get sick. So I'll stick with being cautious and as safe as possible, even tho I don't love wearing it. and at least the Austin Airport now has a Starbucks! (they resisted for YEARS. . wanting to keep only local coffee places in the airport). Since I packed lightly (carryon only), was off the plane and picked up by Kim very quickly once landed in St. Louis. we went by her home to pick up her Husband and we went out for dinner (not posting that pic, as not sure if Steve would want to be in a trip report. .LOL). . dinner was great, even with our waiter who seemed to be struggling a little, admitted he was brand new - just stared this week, and hadnt' actually eaten ANYTHING on the menu so could give no recommendation. oy. but he tried. the longish/lateish meal was punctuated as we were leaving by a couple of "Bros" coming into the restaurant who hooted at my t-shirt and loudly exclaimed "WWE !!!" (think they were trying to do Ric Flair ?). . but I calmly pointed out it's the Wonder Woman logo (much to the delight of their friends that the loudest "Whoo" guy was wrong). after that we went back to the house, I played a really cool VR simulation with Joel for a bit, and we crashed hard. had to, as we got up and left the next morning, I think, by 5am to head out to Holiday World. pretty good pic (managed to get one with no cars) as we passed by the Arch on the way out of the city tho we stopped at "Bread Co" for a quick morning bite - which Kim had to explain is Panera everywhere else in the States. . but where it started, they just refer to it as Bread Co. I look pretty happy/excited that we're headed to a park that I've never been to. tho Kim looks like she had to get up at 5:30 am. . LOL and then we were off to Holiday World. it looked like it was gonna be a *beautiful* day. . and it was, up until about 1:30 pm, so it's a good thing we got up and headed out early. next up: Holiday World!

you REALLY missed out on the Nursery Rhyme train. . . I was hysterically laughing during it. . the dead delivery. . . in monotone. when I get my trip report going (hopefully soon), the 1st stop was the rained out day at Holiday World. the park was WAY nicer than I expected it to be, and do actually hope to go back one day to ride things that we missed due to rainout.

how do the video aspects look without the glasses? isn't the 3D all blurry? I'd much rather ride without having to put something on my face (even if sterilized) that someone else has just worn.

got another (similar) design-ish I just ordered today. My hubby is ready to kill me that I keep buying boots! LOL

my new boots

we went DIRECTLY back to Storm Chaser on Sunday. now, granted, the park wasn't packed - and I get the impression it often is not, but everything other than Kentucky Flyer was running just 1 train (and Lightning Run didn't even have the other train on the transfer track.. so i'd assume that will still be running 1 train). but .. what we did was cross the street to the back end of the park, starting with Storm Chaser, then just worked our way back forward and around. so the order we hit them: StormChaser (x2 since we were back there) Thunder Run Roller Skater (worth it. . fun layout) bypassed T3, but walked right by it Kentucky Flyer Lightning Run (1 train ops, the longest line of the day, but still only ~15 minutes) then back for Joel to ride Storm Chaser a few more times, and to grab another lap on Thunder Run. Seriously. . Thunder Run has a lot of new wood, very noticeable, and it was SO good, that I wanted to go back again and get a ride towards the back of the train (rougher than in the front, but still no where NEAR what I had been warned about. . . I think it was my favorite coaster in the park!) and along the route, stopping to ride the unique flats such as Flying Dutchman, Breakdance (running great program), the drop tower looked great - but didnt' do it. . looked like the one at Knoebels, flyers, the musical carousel, the blimps, and a few other things. have fun. . I LOVED this funked up park.