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Regarding gisco's much repeated comment, I also don't think that next year's coaster will be a kiddie coaster. It will appeal to all family members, I'm quite sure. Park management knows that they already have two kiddie coasters and are aiming for something that everyone can ride. "Yeah, how about here in Arizona? The only thing close to a theme park we have here is Castles n Coasters!" (disney4me2001) I'm surprised, too, that the greater Phoenix and/or Tucson areas don't have any major parks. Surely there's enough of a population to support one. Perhaps investors feel that the weather comes into play (scorching hot in the summer, cold in the the winter)? That's a good question. Eric

^ Remember, though, China has an incredibly large population that can support a Disney park---or two---on the mainland. I wouldn't be surprised to someday see Disneyland Beijing. Eric

^ Everyone has to be proud of something! Eric

^ Lives in my county. < Lives in ^'s county. V Lives in the county...jail!

"...one of the largest collections of coasters is an hour north." (SuperMikeo) An hour? Not in L.A. traffic... Eric

^ Thinks I'm underhanded. < Keeps bringing this topic back from the dead. V Keeps bringing old bones into the kitchen from outside!

^ Didn't SFMM specifically decline taking the Dark Knight coaster that was supposed to go up at SFNE? I mean, park management flat out said, "We don't want it" so Six Flags shipped it off to another park. Regarding the restrooms, the McDonald's restaurants here in town have installed new "waterless" urinals. Not sure how that works, but I wonder if SFMM will use the latest, greatest, up-to-datest technology as the restrooms are renovated. In my limited travels, I've seen urinals and toilets, faucets, towel dispensers, soap dispensers, and hand dryers all operated with the infrared sensors. (Diana even told me that the restrooms at O'Hare Airport in Chicago have automatic seat cover dispensers on their toilets! ) The new hand dryers I've seen at Disneyland/DCA are pretty cool (where you put your hands in and slowly pull them out). These enhancements to restrooms are all great things, but I've also seen all of the above (save for the seat cover dispensers) on the fritz---toilet didn't flush, water didn't turn on or shut off, etc. Those things may save water and/or help prevent the spread of disease, but they have to work reliably. Should SFMM go that route, I hope they stay on top of it and keep those things running. Of course, unfortunately, you'll always have a few people with the mentality of "Let's see how much TP we can cram in there..." Not much you can do about that. Eric

The key is a ride that everyone in the family can ride. Preferably with a 42" height limit, not 48". According to Screamscape, the rumor is that the next ride is next year, and something unique to be built somewhere up on the mountain. If that is the case, I hope that after that the park takes a break and begins its infrastructure improvement (that is, the notorious restroom replacement plan). Also, I can't remember right now, but I recall that either Jay or Neal told me that Metro's track is supposed to be removed within the next couple of years, since they're not replacing that. However, Tim said at one event that they're "playing around with some ideas to use it." And we have to remember that Six Flags is still trying to recover from its financial woes, so things will happen when they happen. Eric

Am I the only one who really doesn't care whether SFMM has the record for number of coasters? In a way, this reminds me of when Goliath opened. SFMM gave us a decent (in my opinion) ride, and five minutes after it opened, Internet forums all over were buzzing with "What's coming next year?" For me, the every other or every third year addition of a coaster is plenty. There are too many other things that any park can do that will add to the overall experience for everyone. Eric

^ In my last interview, we got all done, then she told me that the position was put "on hold." The games that are played sometimes are very frustrating. I wish you luck in finding a position that you enjoy. Eric

Right now, I'm a member of the Looking For Work Club these days and it's incredibly frustrating to have what seemed like a good interview, and then you hear...nothing. Eric

"I think ours is quieter due to the fact that it has a tower which acts as a dampener." (Paul_Hollibone) Actually, yours is quieter because it's Down Under and the sound goes the other way. Nice take on my home park. Glad you enjoyed your visit. Eric

"...they weren't big draws or they had LOTS of mechanical issues." (daveydo5172) SFMM's Galaxy was a fun ride---and one that would be nice to have today---but it did have mechanical issues. It opened with the park in 1971, but I don't think I ever rode it till about 1973 or 1974 because it always seemed to be closed when I went there. (Just for reference, it was located where Buccaneer and Swashbuckler are today---the cement pads for both rides were once the "landing spots" for the two-sided Galaxy ride.) Eric

^ Well, we could restart the debate about those coin operated lock boxes, but we'll spare you that, too. I've not ridden either, but is (Mr. Six's) Pandemonium at SFNE the same ride as THBS or at least a near clone? From pictures they look similar to each other. I bring this up because I believe that this type of coaster is a good candidate for next year's ride. Eric

Robb, you did mean "2009," right? Regardless, thanks for another freebie! Eric

There's an old, unused building that will probably come down to make way for this ride. Once that building is gone, that will signal the start of construction. And I don't expect to see anything of a construction nature till possibly after the first of the year. Eric

I rode a kiddie coaster at a local fair because I'd never ridden a coaster with a nine-car train. Single, two-, three-, four-, five-, six-, seven-, eight-, ten-, 12-, 13-, 14-, and 15-car trains, but not a nine till that one ride. Note I skipped 11---I got that when Terminator opened. I also keep an Excel spreadsheet with all of my credits, including details---right down to the color of track, supports, and vehicles. At one time, I had little AutoCAD .wmf drawings of the cars, but took those off and just put "2 rows of 2 across" instead. That was easier. Eric

^^ My point was that the park won't be empty on Black Friday. A few weeks back I went to SFMM on a Sunday afternoon and waited about two trains for X2. But I may go anyway because I didn't make it out there on Veterans Day. Eric

I haven't looked at this Photo TR till today. You did a great job capturing our parks and TPR's visit to them. Great job! Eric

"...the day after thanksgiving! Hopefully no one will go..." (Troy98) I went last year on that day, and the park wasn't as uncrowded as you might think. The line for X2 was about 45 minutes, if that's any indication. Eric

^ William is wrs28330 here on Theme Park Review. He works at the park in a supervisor/manager position (not sure exactly which area he's in, but I usually find him somewhere near Terminator). When you'll see him, he's in a shirt and tie, usually. Eric

Space Mountain at Disneyland originally had a big window where waiting guests could watch the "rockets" zoom by. Even funnier was that when you were on the ride and passed that spot, you could look to the left and see the guests from your rocket. Thematically correct to be sure. But when the ride was rehabbed back in 2003-2005, they sealed that window, which made the interior darker and, in my opinion, is a better ride for it. I also liked watching the rockets fly by, whether at Disneyland or WDW, but a darker ride will be better. Eric

^^ I just noticed that you live in Ventura, Christopher. That's just up the road from me. We ought to meet up sometime, either near home or at SFMM. Holidays at SFMM can be interesting. I've been there on Labor Day, Memorial Day, and the Fourth of July when the park was very crowded. Yet for some reason, line waits weren't that bad, even with only two trains running on Goliath and/or Tatsu---provided the latter is using both stations. I find that the only coaster with decent capacity with three-train operation is Goliath. But the simple lap bar restraints on it help tremendously. ^ Yeah, Josh, I always look for William when I go out to SFMM. More often than not, I find him somewhere. Eric

Nice to see that Vekoma has revised their inverted coaster design. Four-across seating and outside guide wheels. Welcome to the 21st Century, guys. This looks like it'll be quite a park. I know someone who works with theme parks and has done some work in Singapore. Unfortunately, I don't see him very often (well, if he's in Singapore... ). But next time I do, I'll ask if he worked on this project at all. Eric

Question to anyone who went to SFMM yesterday (Veterans Day), how were the crowds? Eric