ytterbiumanalyst

That Ale House looks really great! Multiple taps, pretzels, relaxing atmosphere, hell yes! * It's moments like this that I realize I am actually an adult now. That's semi depressing, but on the other hand, beer.

It's taken me a while to put this up, been really busy with work this summer. A couple of weeks ago we went to Six Flags for the opening weekend of Mardi Gras, which is one of the best times to visit. We started off the day at the waterpark. We went up to the entry marked "Gold Season Pass," which we have, but we were directed to the main line. This is really starting to piss me off. I get that they're providing certain benefits to certain tiers, but this is now the third time this year that we've seen a sign saying we're entitled to a benefit only to find out it's actually reserved for a higher tier. So let me make this really clear to Six Flags: BUY A SIGN SAYING EXACTLY WHO GETS THE BENEFIT AND DISPLAY THAT SIGN PROMINENTLY. If I see a sign that says Gold Season Pass, but it's actually Gold Plus Membership and higher, then YOU ARE LYING. It's not a problem to have a sign saying Gold Plus and higher gets this. I'm ok with that. I get what I pay for. But don't f*cking tell me I get something and then whoops, no you don't. If you change your policy, change your sign. It's not that hard. Just do it. We actually did have a really good time in the waterpark. The new slide was still down when we went, but we still prioritised the low capacity slides and got on all of them in about an hour, didn't wait for anything. It really is a good waterpark. At one point when we were in the wave pool, right after the waves started, a man who did not have good enough swimming skills for the waves was in trouble. The lifeguard killed the wave machines, jumped in, and moved him to shallower water in seconds. Absolutely amazing, two thumbs up to that lifeguard. As soon as he did, three other lifeguards ran out of the first aid building, one took his place scanning the pool while the other two came to assist with the swimmer in trouble. Perfect. Really boosted my confidence in their lifeguards. Could not have asked for that to be handled any better. We ate lunch at the new BBQ place, and it was really good! We're enjoying having the dining plan, everybody gets what they want and we're all happy. After the water park, the girls went to Bugs Bunny National Park, while my son and I went to ride Screamin' Eagle, the only coaster we rode on this visit. After that, we all met up for a ride on Justice League, then hung out for a bit at JB's, with beers for the adults and Coke Freestyle for the kids. Near 7, we wandered over to the Palace area to get our parade spots. This year's parade is much better than last year's, new floats that are more Mardi Gras oriented, as opposed to last year's "Six Flags over New Orleans" theme, just having floats for the nations that owned the port over the centuries. Good dancing, good drumming, good floats. It was a lot of fun, and a great cap on our Six Flags day. If you're near St. Louis, you still have a couple of weeks to get to the Mardi Gras event, so please do! It's a great time at a very good Midwestern park. Enjoy the photos!

Oh yeah, I still play it regularly. Trades require proximity, so no go there, but I can send you gifts from the Ozarks at least! Just added you. My username in PoGo is similar to TPR, so you'll recognize me.

Looks like a pretty good start. Will keep an eye on this report for sure.

I would be shocked if it were that soon.

Yeah that one's pretty great. Got stuck on that during the playlist and had to repeat it a couple times. Today I'm feeling like some chill music, so it's the new single from Monsieur Periné, "Encanto Tropical" [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

Oh good, the orange flag seeds have sprouted! That'll be a lovely little garden when the rest of them come in.

This report is so educational. I saw this at Great Adventure last year, and now I know how that happened!

10/10 Best trip report ever.

They take a few paragraphs to set up the emotional stakes, so I've clipped out the real news part of the story. You can read the whole thing here: https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/07/06/health/sesame-place-autism-certification/index.html

The Valravn rattle is EXACTLY the problem. No theorizing needed. It IS fascinating that even though less people are going to the parks, those same people are actually spending more money throughout their day. I'm going through the TEA Theme Index right now. Interesting (estimated / approximated) attendance trends from 2014 to 2017... Knott's Berry Farm had a 5% increase, then a 3.8% increase, then only a 0.5% increase. Canada's Wonderland had a 2% increase, then a 2.9% increase, then only a 1% increase. Cedar Point had an 8% increase, then a 2.8% increase, then stayed even. Kings Island had a 3% increase, then a 1.5% increase, then a 2.5% increase. Across the top performers of chain you can see that the increases in attendance year over year are kind of shrinking. But that's happening with other coaster parks too. The top-performing Six Flags parks are going through those same sort of "increase decreases". Hersheypark is experiencing the same sort of stuff too, but they're just one park. EDIT: Based on those trends I don't think that a "travel anywhere but the United States" mentality is what's going on here...yet. This is a good point, and iirc, didn't SIX say last year that they expected attendance to level off, and that was the primary driver for the higher tier memberships? Even if I do remember that correctly, it could be unique to SIX and not impact FUN, or it could be affecting both of them, or all seasonal parks, or all parks. We don't have a whole lot of data yet. This really could be just due to the Great Recession. A lot of people, ourselves included, reduced spending from 2009-13 when it impacted us most, then when the economy recovered and good jobs were available again, the first thing we wanted to do was go on a vacation and feel like life was back to normal. That would explain the rapid increase in attendance that is now leveling off because the people who want to go to a CF park are now already doing so.

It can be if you hire the right wizard.

Okay, well in that case, it's Chester A. Arthur's fault they don't have enough Intamins.

I would take the trains from Millennium Force, put them on Millennium Force, and put it at Cedar Point.

I only got to meet him briefly, but Michael was pretty special. He had some great stories. My grandfather died of kidney failure in 2004, and I remember him getting a lot better right before he died. Don't know why that happens sometimes, but I'm glad you were able to take advantage of that time and have one last, really great trip.

A lot of global brands try not to use 's since it exists only in English. People who don't speak English have an easier time picking out the brand name when it's in its usual form. Hence Disney California Adventure. This isn't a slight agsinst Six Flags, it's a part of DC Comics's global marketing strategy.

Awesome! You've really highlighted well all the stuff there is to do in Branson. Outlaw Run kicked off a flurry of construction that has really changed the town. It's not just country music, go karts, and mini golf anymore. That stuff's still there, but there's so much more to do now.

That looks so fun! I loved Robb's video on the screaming flume. Japan has the best ideas. Thanks for the in depth description of Cosmoworld! Definitely a place we're going when we get to Japan.

Well, there is. If you run in, ride all the coasters, complain about how they didn't meet your sky high expectations, and leave, then you're doing it wrong. And yes, I've met those people. But I agree with your point. If you're having fun and enjoying the park, then however you do that is cool. Definotely. SDC has never had a master plan, and it shows.

Yeah, this thread is pretty awesome. I've not heard of about half the places you've gone. Very worthwhile travels.

Fantastic. I laughed too hard at the fart jokes because it's impossible not to. Sounds like a great time, and I'm glad Six Flags decided not to p*ssy out for once with low attendance.

Very nice! Glad you had such a good time. Cave, crafts, cinnamon bread, gooood. You did it correctly. Powder Keg is behind just so much stuff, stuff that had been there for decades. Even with all those signs, I still walk past a bewildered person wondering how to get to it almost every visit.

No, I've seen CSI AND Bones, and they totally have those ballistics simulators. They just get a really smart person who taps on a computer, and they know exactly where the shots were fired from. It's so easy.