JJLehto

Shame but I suppose not surprising, and how much longer could they let the thing run like that if not getting worse. Still s a shame, that start is something else (and I know I was bummed I never experienced the OG version before it let up a bit) but yeah the ride will still be great and unchanged for most of it. Depending how fast the lift is it'll still be a fun start. May see if I can squeeze a trip in before the 30th just to get a last run on it (and I never got to Big Bear last time, arrived too late and lines were massive)

Yeah I am so glad I made the choice to skip CP this year, partly for $ partly for a break, but it seems like 2024 will be the year to go : D I am floored, I didnt wanna believe it and get hope up but it seems the spike/swing launch is actually happening.

June 2, weeelllll I'm gunna be heading back from Dollywood and I have to go by the Hershey area on the way back to NJ, I'd be in the area on the 3rd. This works out quite superbly! I am stoked. Hershey's lineup just gets better and better with time

Nice. I find it best to temper expectations but that is good to hear. Great about Thunderhead, you're not the only I've seen call it the best right now which seems insane given LR but we'll see! Ah nice, I'm pretty excited for this trip.

Damn, between this comment and the latest I went from huzzah! to it aint looking good lol That said still looking forward to my visit, Big Bear opened and I never put toooo much stock in a POV but it looked better than I imagined. I also hear the retracking of Thunderhead has made it top tier (and I already really liked it) and it's Dollywood which did live up to hype, so yeah I'm pretty stoked. In all seriousness ya gotta prepare for a 50% (maybe thats generous?) chance LRod will be down and bake that into your planning so if its down itll suck but eh. Planning on June 1 so hopefully a weekday won't be too crowded then. Last time wasnt bad at all but that was early May

Going to DW in early June, hope it's running then (I would have to assume it will be?) well erm...."running" is generous guess I should say, open lol I'm taking a limited park year this season, probably doing 3 (4 at tops) so really hoping Lighting Rod is running.

This is wild. Regardless of what it will be, they are adding something actually new, period lol this in itself blows my mind. Look at CF adding to some of the more neglected parks. A few years ago weren't some saying Six Flag would buy the chain? lmao

Wow...in a world where parks try to make their animations sped up and sensationalized and hype Hershey puts out this janky thing where parts of it look like its moving through molasses lol BUT still cool. This will solidify Hershey as the #2 coaster lineup for a long while. Will be going a couple times this year I am sure

Always a tad skeptical of what outsiders claim (even though sometimes they are spot on, other times it turned out to be wild speculation) but I did see that, supposedly, Grizzly is getting its drop is getting steepened and lengthened, some banking and hills redone, all of which to make it smoother and faster and have some more air. Again I dont do offseason news much so I have no idea if Coasters101 is reliable but this is what they say It syncs up with that KD post (which I assume is legitimate) I hope! This would make the ride quite awesome.

Nice! Thinking I'll take my first visit to SFNE since goodness...2015? Whenever Wicked Cyclone opened. I'm guessing July 3 will be nuts but I have the day off and am trying to limit my PTO. Im assuming others have that Monday off too but sometimes gotta suck it up. Was thinking of a small road trip up to Burlington (hitting Great Escape along the way) and SFNE on the way back down. I see they finally got rid of Goliath. I 100% get it and am kinda amazed it made it that long but weirdly I kinda like the ride (well the rare windows I managed to catch it operating) lol

Yeah iunno about the parks during winter thing, much as I admire people for riding coasters, like hypers and gigas, when its in the 30s lol but I do know I'm excited for the Grizzly news. I used to love the ride in the day, superb coaster in the back row but the roughness just really sapped its life. Not even that its too rough but just sluggish now, like it rattles all its speed and airtime away. Happy its getting a touch up.

Wow, best answer I've ever seen on the internet. Thanks!

So I am finally getting out here for the first time. No idea when, looks like the park hasn't released a schedule yet, and I'd like to aim for early May or Sept. BUT decent chance it may have to be July. Anyway, any general tips to keep in mind? Ya know, how the fast pass system works (no I've not used it at any SF park so if its the same, dont know) general patten to hit the rides, any get particularly bad crowds all the usual stuff to know for a first time visit

Neat, though to be fair its always the first Friday in June. Sadly this is the first year in a while (excluding 2020) I wont be going. I think I'll be skipping CP actually, for the first time since....IDK 2016 (again forget that covid year) Much as the thought of a new wild mouse cred has me bursting w excitement....gunna take a break, and hey 2024 TTD reopens so

So is that relocated coaster opening this year? I am finally going out to SF Great America and this is probably the only time I'll be remotely even semi near the area lol

Yeah so I have two blocks of time off, one based in early April and one in late May. I'd like to do my southern trip in April....but thankfully I have both time slots open. I'll be driving to FL and back so would only be natural to hit this along the way.

Yup, I will absolutely be planning a long weekend (might as well sneak in SFoG too) to Atlanta this year. We have any idea or at least informed speculation, on when it may be opening this year?

oof. Yeah not good. I have no doubt they will fix it and reopen it but this will not be a quick/easy fix. This is a very good point, and I am curious about that as well. Six Flags already has its reputation (imo fully justified) and if it turns out others are doing well, would certainly have to point the finger at SF and their famous lack of giving any shit. But yeah deff not good. Heh...RMC an Intamin, tbh I'd be pretty cool with it. This is of course understandable but El Toro has become quite rough and while its layout is good, (through no fault of its own) I think its suffered from age, in that newer rides are better and do more etc Keep the ride mostly as is but smoother, more hills and esp more elements....would be a helluva ride!!!

I won't say disappointed bc that's too harsh and 1 Big Bear Mountain looks kinda cool 2 I get it. It fits with the park...it's a more family oriented park guess just a shame that after Dragonflier they didn't go with at least more of a thrill esp for how big the investment is. But I get it of course, and this looks better than Dragonflier. What can ya do? I wont make it this year so least there will be a fun new cred for my next visit. The "slowed down even more" myth has been debunked. The person who took the 2021 video said it was very early morning and if you look it up its from March. So well before the park was running regularly. I recall them saying it was maybe 50 degrees when filmed. So that is not accurate to a warmed up in season ride, and whoever made that dang triple comparison video maybe didn't do it on purpose to stir the pot....but its very inaccurate. And don't get me wrong, I have been one of those bitterly disappointed people that never got the OG experience and I too was very sad the ride was maybe "neutered" farther. However...when I rode it in 2021 it was nothing like that video, was much much faster. Also for each comment I've seen from someone commenting "I rode opening year. its nothing the same! A sad shell of how great it reallt was yall really missed out sorry!" I've seen three saying "I rode opening year, I legit can't tell any difference really" so yeah...

Not sure why there's internet reee-ing (Oh the internet...right) it was a very small area. What did people think was going up? I kinda like it personally. This is absolutely correct, in all my experiences in recent years SV is on avg like 45 mins (sometimes 30 sometimes 60) and yes yes we all know its fast lane not no wait and 45-60 mins is better than 2-3 hours but it still does suck when you are forking out so much $. I would agree only way to "solve" it is to try and price people out but that's not even totally necessary. As someone said above the lockers and how you merge back in really **** things up. It makes the FL line longer than it needs to be. Its a shame, and for people who haven't been/dont go often you kinda need it (unless you can go off season and on a weekday)

Likely solo, unsure yet, but yes thank you! I got semi shafted by LR (Yeah shocker lol) last visit so I do hope to prioritize that.

Ah thanks all, I forgot about that site. I'll do some digging, but I really want to go, will most likely just go for it and pray as that seems all we really can do XD

Surely I'll get lol'd at but: How has Lightning Rod been running this year? How is the park like in early Sept? Thinking of going for a long weekend and to avoid PTO Labor day weekend seemed a natural fit. But always dodgy going to parks on holidays, so curious if anyone has experience with then? If I don't this then in general how are crowds in Sept?

So had my 2nd visit at this park and while it wasn't as dead as the last time (which was a June weekday lol) considering it's peak summer I was still surprised how not crowded the park was, like compared to what you would expect. If not for some 1 train ops (and some brutally slow ops) lines would've been maybe a few minutes for things! Two interesting notes: I got one new cred of my mini midwest trip which was Kentucky Flyer and what a fantastic little ride! I have to contemplate if its top 10 wood worthy. I didn't know/notice Storm Chaser doesn't have its restraints lock solid!? At least on nearly all my rides I mean it locked but I was able to lift it somewhat!? Unlike other esp RMCs where it doesn't move. Won't lie....was a tad scared and I had to really tell myself "you know its safe and they wont release the train if there's anything off" but wow, going on an RMC where the restraint had some space/give. That was something else lol As for Thunder Run to each their own but I found it incredibly meh. I actually wish it was rougher! Like at least you'd feel something. It was just slow and boring otherwise

Same, though to be fair my expectations were kinda low, I really expected it to be meh at night or at the least not worth the effort it took to achieve but I was pleasantly surprised. In fact while waiting I had TPR up and was ready to post "enthusiasts have done it again" in grossly overhyping something and doing sheeple stuff but yup: For once the community at large did not disappoint! Like parts where it felt like a crawl in the afternoon were hauling major ass. Not my personal best, for that you need Voyage at night (and with the MCBR turned off) if you really want some epic shit. But that's for another thread. And overall I did have a good day. Perhaps it was the brutal July heat but I found Diamonback and esp Orion better than previously. The ops were still fantastic and for such a big park still maintains some nice feel. All in all a wonderful time.