ytterbiumanalyst

^^ Cool! Always good to see a park caring for its original rides.

^ Wow, $2000? Binge drinking champagne? For me, although the off-season hasn't started yet (SDC is open through the end of the year), winter is mostly video games. Now that Telltale's Game of Game of Thrones has released all the episodes, I'm starting on that.

Awesome, thank you! Helps with planning with my possible June trip. I like that they've labeled everything before Memorial Day as "pre-season." Hope that helps to set expectations.

no. I agree. If SFOG does get this product, it won't be because of some silly anniversary. There's no way they could market that and it's not good business sense. Parks get major investments because it's a good time for it and they intend to grow, not celebrate some silly anniversary and coincidental number with RMC products. SF makes some stupid decisions but not like that. It was just an idea, and this is the same company that markets Super Loops as coasters and somehow marketed a Boomerang. Anyway, why wouldn't you get a large coaster such as this for a big anniversary? Why else did SFOT get NTAG for their anniversary then? It would get people through the gates, and by then, it would have been 6 years since DDD. In that time frame, the park has added a lot for every other demographic except for the coaster riders. Because that's not how business works. Anniversaries mean nothing. They can be used to market something, but they're meaningless of themselves, for the simple fact that people don't keep track of a business's anniversaries, nor do they have any expectations associated with it. A business also doesn't add a product because it's been a while; it's because it will produce a return on investment. Let's assume that you are correct that a new coaster will increase attendance. That is generally a good assumption. By how much would that coaster increase attendance relative to other, cheaper options? If you can buy a $1 million ride and bring 100,000 people next year, that's better than buying a $15 million ride and bringing in 200,000. Then you also must ask if your park can handle the increase. Maybe you can do an extra 100,000 but not 200,000. Buy the smaller, cheaper ride that promises a level of growth you can handle. What of in-park spending? 200,000 who by a ticket and nothing else are not as good as 100,000 who buy meals, drinks, and souvenirs. There's a lot to think about when considering a new capital expenditure.

All right, so who's up for Ninja: Reverse Blast, the new RMC T-Rex Coaster? That's what Six Flags corporate will bestow upon us next, instead of giving us what the Coaster Capital of Missouri really needs, a hyper coaster.

Agreed on all three. Interesting. I'd definitely rank Prowler above Mamba, though the latter is much more rerideable at this point. For my own home park, SFOT, NTAG is a given. Mamba to me is the classic out-and-back coaster perfected. It only goes up and down, but wow. Last row in the front car is the best airtime; on the second hill, you're out of your seat until nearly the bottom, and the bunny hops have relentless airtime on the return trip. It's pure fun.

Agreed on all three.

IF SDC does anything with T-Rex (and I don't see it as likely), the ride would have to be substantially different from Outlaw Run and Wildfire. They don't just build a new coaster because it's been a couple of years; they build one because it offers a ride experience that they don't currently offer.

I think I remember something about it being designed for Timberliners. What's the story behind that?

Oooooo Cinco de Mayo Land. They already have plenty of American holidays! I like the way you think. Personally, I would love to see a Diwali area--it'd be totally unique, and since I am much closer to Indiana than India, I probably won't ever get to experience the real thing. That said, probably never going to happen. How many people in the Midwest really know what Diwali is?

Great video! Thanks for sharing. Getting more excited about visiting this place for the first time next year.

So glad to hear someone else say that. I love Wildfire. It has great intensity throughout, while having good enough pacing to be extremely re-ridable. It also has the unique floorless-like trains that still have a floor. Superman at SFFT is fantastic as well, and my personal favourite in that park (last time I visited was pre-Iron Rattler). I hear great things about Kumba, and eventually when we get to Florida (it's a looong way from Missouri), I'm interested to see which one I end up liking better.

I've been to a bunch of fun places now that I discovered through TPR that I probably would never have known about otherwise. Some of theses were far more fun than I personally expected and definitely deserve the title of underrated: Frontier City Little Amerricka Santa's Village Azoosment Park

Boom! Already got my tickets bought for Jan. 2, 2019! They're non-refundable, but that shouldn't matter! Nothing's going to be changing about that date, definitely.

I'm glad I didn't punch a hole in my computer monitor due to the sheer anger I feel right now, knowing my home park totally psyched everyone out, and having to face the cruel and agonizing truth that the only thing us coaster fans here in the greater Toronto area can do is watch CP build/enjoy their coaster, trying to enjoy the positively "meh" flat rides we've received for 2016, while we wait another eternal season for our own steel masterpiece.... Wait where was I?... Rant aside, I'm glad I didn't punch a hole clean through my monitor, so I can admire raptor's new paint. You know, I really don't get this thought pattern. Dollywood is building possibly the best coaster ever, SDC is taking an off year and building nothing, and I don't hear anyone saying Dollywood "stole our coaster." We just say how we want to go to Dollywood. I don't get this terminology "received" in this context either. It's not like CF has a bunch of coaster parts in their back yard and checks the naughty and nice list and doles out accordingly. They're running parks for a profit. They're going to choose what to buy based on return. This apparent need to go all Veruca Salt is baffling.

I've tried but never enjoyed rotor/gravitron types, and I also can't handle circle-within-circle rides like tea cups, scramblers, and Tilt-a-Whirls.

That would be a good fit too! This is my hope for their next coaster. A couple of years ago I would have said (and did) a Mystery Mine type, but Firechaser just looks so awesome. Thunderation is pretty intense for a first big coaster (though it was mine), so something between Expo Coaster and it would be very good.

Sorry for the double post, but this is a completely different subject. Just got my SDC Times in the mail today detailing season pass info for 2016. SDC passes will be $75 child, $85 adult, $79 senior. Add on White water and the combo pass is $95 child, $126 adult, $110 senior. I believe that's no change from this year. New is a season preferred parking pass for $32 and a season Trailblazer pass for $150. Also revealed is that 2016 will be the last year for World Fest, and there are two new festivals, Heroes' Month in September and Founders' Weekend (no word on when that is yet). Season pass holders will get 1 hour early entry May 31-June 10, and those are BAFF dates as well (vouchers given if you purchase before 12/30).

Ok, yeah in that case I've never seen a discount on one day tickets.

Some of the "Branson Ticket Outlet" places along 65 will occasionally do 2 days for the price of 1. I don't know if they would have one during the dates you're looking to go, but worth a shot. From my understanding, the best one for deals is in Saddlebrooke, 4 miles north of the Ozark Mountain Highroad.

When we were up at Worlds of Fun a couple of weeks ago, we went to Seva afterwards. It's in Liberty, maybe 10 minutes north of the park. Best Indian food I've ever had.

For all you early planners like me, where are you going next year? I'm already lining up my trips for next year: Absolutely: Silver Dollar City Worlds of Fun Probably: Adventureland Arnolds Park Nickelodeon Universe Valleyfair Como Town Spirit Mountain Possibly: Cedar Point King's Island Indiana Beach Kentucky Kingdom Michigan's Adventure Doubtful at this point but trying to make it work: Dollywood Holiday World

We made it to all these, except Bell's (decided against it due to lack of anything going on there). Plus we made it also to Legoland KC, Worlds of Fun, and (though it's debatable that it's really a theme park anymore) Dogpatch. Quite a year!

Depends on what you're looking for. Often in the 90s, I would go to WOF and Six Flags over SDC. Thunderation is great, but those parks offered so much more (including inversions, which SDC did not have). If this guest is looking for a good dark ride, SFStL is the place to be. SDC doesn't have anything that can touch Justice League.

How about Mrs. O'Leary's Fireball?