ytterbiumanalyst

A lot of parks are fun, but a bucket list to me should be very limited. So I'm choosing only five parks I feel are absolutely the best in the world and would be a dream come true for me to visit. Alton Towers Cedar Point Oktoberfest (Munich, Germany) Universal Studios Florida Walt Disney World

If you went before 2013, you certainly did pay extra. Oceans of Fun was indeed a separate admission, although the two parks were connected. There was an admission gate around the back of Fury of the Nile (where the parks connect now), and they used to check your ticket there. You could buy a 2-park pass and get into both the same day, but it did cost extra. Beginning in 2013, they gave everyone admission to both parks for one price.

Impressive concept art. I like the theme of the floundering ferry especially. May give leisure travelers on Eurostar the a reason to stop. But considering the majority of Eurostar passengers are traveling for business, I don't think we can count on all 30 million being a factor, but it looks like a decent idea nonetheless.

All 4 Morgan Hypers, Steels Eel and Dragon are custom. *edited* Steel Force has that tunnel but otherwise is identical. To me, that's a clone, but obviously opinions vary.

1. Weekend in early May will be crowded, but bearable. As long as you don't mind lines too much, should be fine. You can ride all the coasters once easily without it, but if you're wanting re-rides, Fast Lane is not a bad idea. 2. Prowler, Patriot, and Timber Wolf are the park's three custom coasters; the rest are clones. Spinning Dragons is identical other than paint scheme to Fairly Odd Coaster, Cosmic Coaster is a Wacky Worm, and Boomerang is...oh I forget what it's a clone of. So if you've been on those types before, all these are skippable. Mamba is a clone, too, but it's a very good clone, and there really aren't all that many of those anyway. So you want to ride Mamba. 3. For Patriot, the front seat is best, which is generally true of inverts. Mamba and Prowler are both more intense in the back. 4. Yes, TImber Wolf is terribly rough these days, but it's still fun. It rattles you a lot, but there's not really a big jolting drop or anything that would cause acute pain, just lots of shaking. You'll be fine on it, and with the right attitude you'll have fun, but don't go more than once. 5. Worlds of Fun has a lot of flats. People who like spinning rides say that Cyclone Sam's is very good, so if you're into that, by all means, go. Finnish Fling is an old ride that is becoming rare, so if you like to spin, make sure to hit that one. If you're like me and don't like to spin, Detonator and Fury of the Nile are must-rides. Detonator is a very good shot tower, a bit higher than Mamba even. The shot upwards is very intense, and there's good, sustained airtime on the return trip. Fury of the Nile is one of the better raft rides I've been on, and that's a ride type I always enjoy. Since you're going in July, it'll have a very long line, so you may want to hit it up early. The entrance is close to Mamba. Also, don't forget that Oceans of Fun is included with your ticket now, and the renovations of 2013 really improved it. There aren't any unique slides, so I wouldn't say it's absolutely essential, but it's a very solid waterpark. If you have the inclination, you won't be disappointed. Welcome to Missouri, and if you're staying a few days, you may want to check out some of the other Kansas City attractions. Schlitterbahn, Union Station, the World War I Memorial, and Crowne Plaza are all worthwhile, and the last three are all in the same area. Power & Light District has a great pub/music scene, and Boulevard Brewing Co. is a great spot as well. They sell their beer nationally now, so you may be able to find some near you. If you're into history, President Truman's home in Independence is a short but worthwhile trip. Have fun in KC!

Interesting thread. One of our favourites locally is Ocean Zen, a brilliant Asian fusion restaurant in south Springfield. Much too far from SDC to recommend for lunch, but dinner after the park closes is definitely doable. https://www.eatoceanzen.com/ocean_zen.php From Silver Dollar City, you'll make a left from Indian Point Rd. to Mo-76 and take that to Branson West, then right on Mo-13. Follow 13 all the way into Springfield (about 30 miles), where it will become Campbell Ave. Make a right on Battlefield Rd., and it's just a couple of blocks east on your right. Lunch prices ~$10-15 a plate, dinner ~$15-30. Full bar, great sushi menu.

This happens to fall on a weekend I already had taken off work, and I can't think of a better way to spend it. I've heard nothing but good things about this park, and a chance for ERT on an amazing and unique coaster? I'm in. Club TPR membership bought, and Holiwood Nights tickets bought. I'm really excited to finally get to see this place in person.

^^ Agreed. And the research shows that if you are constantly taking pictures, you actually remember less than if you took no pictures at all. It's as if the brain subconsciously thinks it doesn't need to remember because you have that picture. Far from creating memories, excessive photos and videos can actually hinder you from making memories. A few pictures are fine; I myself take a couple dozen or so each day when we're on vacation. But not every single moment needs to be on film. Your mind does a pretty good job of capturing every moment without any electronic support.

I think this one's the current record holder:

^ & ^^ Absolutely! Lakes are frequently centrepieces for a theme park, but Lake Silver has really gone underused, maybe because of its location in the back of the park. I'm hoping this is a first step to cleaning up the lakefront on all sides--and maybe finally fixing the queue bridge for Lost River so that you're not having to push through the line to exit the ride. Perhaps they could have the exit path go along the back side of the lake and connect to Fireman's Landing around the area where Splash Harbor used to be?

No. SDC has a requirement that they plant 2 trees for every one they cut down. So they really had to find space for the new trees.

Outlaw Run. Besides being the world's first inverting woodie, it also has INSANE airtime, and lots of it. And the best part is the sideways airtime hill through the lift. It's weird, and totally awesome. Overall, the coaster is quite intense, yet it's very re-ridable. Usually "world's first" coasters are one-trick ponies, but this one has it all, and does everything well.

No one calls it Orun. I've not heard that even once. Maybe it's a California thing, but around here, everyone calls it Outlaw Run.

Little Amerricka is a fantastic place--Meteor alone is worth the price of admission. We drove from St. Louis to Marshall, spent about 3 hours at Little Amerricka, and then drove from there to Waukegan all in one day. It was a long day of driving, sure, but our time in the park broke up the trip nicely. They have a TON of rides for such a small park--best flat there is the parachute drop. You don't see those very often anymore, and they run it so you get 2 consecutive drops before you have to get off and back around in line again. The train is great, as well; it runs a long way out from the park through the Wisconsin countryside, and there's a lot to see, including zebras! The train will have a line longer than anything except Meteor, but it is well worth the wait. Best theme park train I've been on, by a lot. If you buy your tickets in advance online, you get a bit of a discount. It's only a couple of dollars, but you also get to skip the ticket line and go straight to will-call, so you're in the park faster. Have fun!

The one and only.

Of the Midwestern parks, only Holiday World has a major addition this year, with other parks adding moderately or not at all. Since we're holding off on Holiday World until Kentucky Kingdom is fully armed and operational, the addition I'm most looking forward to is Fireman's Landing at Silver Dollar City. It'll be great getting to ride that shot tower again after a long seven years.

1. Mamba - 5,600 ft. 2. Rattler - 5,080 ft. 3. Raging Bull - 5,057 ft. 4. Boss - 5,051 ft. 5. American Eagle - 4,650 ft. 6. Timber Wolf - 4,230 ft. 7. Superman Krypton Coaster - 4,025 ft. 8. Screamin' Eagle - 3,872 ft. 9. Orient Express - 3,470 ft. 10. Viper - 3,458 ft.

^ And that is exactly why the advertising for the Flash Pass says "up to 90% off." Theoretically you could get 90% off your wait time, but in reality, it's usually about 60-75% off. Which is still fantastic, and well worth the price.

No, the calculation is very simple. If the regular queue is 60 minutes, then the platinum will tell you a 6 minute wait. You must wait until it buzzes to check-in, then you join the regular queue. Where that point is varies from ride to ride. In my experience, X-Flight had the longest wait from the check-in point, while for Goliath, the two flumes, and the rapids ride, after checking in, you were on the next train/log/raft. I got the platinum flash pass, and it was great! I reserved the next ride as soon as possible, and I only had to wait a couple of times for the flash pass to buzz. In fact, when it happened, it took me by surprise, because otherwise it was ready for me before I arrived at the next ride. So yes, it's expensive--$110 last year. But you NEED it. Without it, you will spend your entire day standing in hot queues (most of them are not covered). With it, you get to ride more, yes--but you also get to take your time and enjoy the scenery. It is a well-themed and beautiful park, not something I usually say about Six Flags, so take it in. You'll be glad you did.

^ While a Monday would be better than a weekend, in the summer there are always a lot of people at the park. Don't expect any walk ons, and you will need a Flash Pass if you want to ride all 14 coasters. Batman is skippable if you've ridden it elsewhere, though it is the best of its clones that I've ridden. Superman and Dark Knight are also skippable as they're just not up to par with the other coasters. Don't miss anything else. I liked Raging Bull far less than I thought I would, and I liked Demon and Viper much more than I expected, so your experience will depend on your own preferences. The three best coasters there are Goliath, Whizzer, and American Eagle. They have a large selection of good flats, too, if you're into those. There's nothing unique, so it's not a must, but on the other hand, most guests are there for the coasters, so the flats generally have very short lines, and a lot are walk ons. Giant Drop was my favourite flat. Have fun!

^ I doubt it will slow construction. I'm pretty sure they factored snow into the construction schedule.