michaellynn4

^ They only handled the construction of El Toro, they didn't have anything to do with the design.

Yea, I screwed up and double-posted, so enjoy this gif free of charge.

Explanations are available on signs within each fluffy section, just like this one: As the sign clearly states, all-day fluffy purchases are transferable between each locker location. At the point of purchase, you create a six-digit ID code that is used throughout the day. When you approach a new fluffy station, you log in your six-digit code, which ends your previous locker session and begins your new fluffy rental. You continue this process until you leave. The answers are definitely there - that's how the rest of us know how to do it. Lockerz ain't your problem, my friend. This, this right here is your problem. QFT

What's so confusing about the all-day fluffy option? I and several people I know use it every time we go. It's as straight-forward as it gets. It's $8 as opposed to the $5 you're looking for, but if it's something you're interested in, I'd try it out.

Let's put it this way: if SFStL does enough over the last few years to change prozach's opinion of the place, you know they're doing something right.

Ok, Saturday morning field trip to the park. Any takers?

So Rikki and I are planning a late-August trip to South Carolina to see her grandmother and view the eclipse. We have a Groupon for up to 7 consecutive days admission to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. The plan is to spend Aug 19-22 (Sat - Tues) in South Carolina and spend either the Wed-Fri before or afterwards at BGW/WC (Aug 16-18 or 23-25). We figure three days during the week is enough time to be able to experience everything without rushing it. Based on prior years, is there any difference in expected crowds between the two options? I'm not sure when schools let out in the area or whether or not that'll be a factor.

I feel they've really done a good job with the general cleanup of the buildings over there. I'm really digging the new paint on all of the buildings, all the way down to the Blue Parrot bathroom. I've a feeling this all represents step one towards rehabbing the former Old Country section (either next year or soon after) and reopening that pathway full time.

Ahhh yes, the butler uniforms. SFGAdv had those in its debut year, as well.

My fiance didn't like Phoenix. It hurt her hips. She patiently waited for me while I took multiple re-rides. Yes, I still want to marry her.

Yea, as much as I enjoyed my time there a few years ago, I'm still thrown by the choice to put Hyena Falls where they did. That corner of the park feels like what happens when you rush too quickly through expanding your park in a Roller Coaster Tycoon scenario.

i feel Nitro is the best to ride right at sunset. Since you're traveling west on each of the ride's highest points, it gives you a great view of the sunset, especially if you're given a partly cloudy or sunny day.

Excellent photos! Looks like a blast.

I'm going to have to reevaluate Voyage if I ever make a trip back out there. I rode it several times in 2013 and couldn't really decide how I felt about it. I loved the first half, but the second half ended up being too much for me. It is the only roller coaster that literally (yes, literally - I know how to use that word properly) knocked the wind out of me. It's too long for me; I kept wishing it would just end by the end of each lap. Raven is the perfect amount of intense for me because while it does throw you around, it has the decency of having a relatively normal track length. Maybe I'll feel differently the next time I visit, but we'll see.

^ & ^^ Don't be jerks about it. Anyone with any semblance of intelligence could tell the difference between the standard low crowds the park usuallly sees and being literally the ONLY car on the parking lot. The comments were clearly made to be interpreted in context.

Dorney Park Media Event, Cont'd In the days approaching the event, I kept a close eye on the weather forecasts, all of which were calling for some pretty significant downpours throughout Thursday. Disappointed, I held out hope that we'd get a bit of a reprieve from the rain long enough to allow for the event to go on without any major setbacks. Fortunately, the storm clouds moved through the Delaware Valley at a faster pace than originally predicted. This meant that although my drive up to the park occurred during the middle of pretty heavy rainfall (which further exacerbated the already-s**tty rush hour traffic on the Blue Route), the rain had pretty much passed by the time the event started. Even with the significant traffic delays, I was one of the very first people to arrive. The park was closed to the public that day, so it was a weird experience pulling into a completely empty parking lot and walking up to a completely barren entrance plaza. Fortunately I ran into some park employees at the gate who were there to guide us to the event. First seeing this, I definitely double-checked the invitation a couple times to make sure I had the right date. Strange being the only soul around for a few minutes. Eventually I found employees and they let me through. The nature of the event kept us limited to the area by the front of the park. No hill-climbing today! So we'll just pretend this stuff doesn't exist for the day. Echo, echo, echo... Signs advertising the new rides are hung in the main plaza. The event occurred in the new Parkside Pavilion, located just past Hydra. You could tell the park took great care with this new addition, with close attention paid to the many details throughout. The pavilion is built to host up to 2,500 guests at once, with amenities including a chef's kitchen, self-serving lines, digital signage, and fully customizable menus. The park's executive chef, Malo Jones, is able to offer a variety of specialty menus as well, including Tastes of Italy, a Fajita Bar, and a Hawaiian Luau. Each section of the pavilion has its own soft drink fountains. Kitchen area is enclosed in the center. The other side of the main pavilion pathway has a raised section with a sign backdrop, able to be used as a focal point for a presentation or ceremony. The surrounding area is landscaped well, with fresh sod and mulch laid throughout. The pavilion's location gives some cool views of Hydra and Steel Force. General Manager Mike Fehnel spoke to us for a few minutes, discussing each of the new additions in detail. Mike beginning the presentation. Well what do we have here? A nice fridge magnet maybe? Eraser? Pin? Nope! It's the USB drive I told you about! Cool, huh? Here's a video of his presentation. I missed the first twenty seconds or so due to a technical issue, but it was mostly just an introduction. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Once the presentation ended, it was time to eat. There were many food options available to us, including a salad bar, salad cups, Asian pulled pork sliders, pulled chicken, potato wedges, shrimp, and a variety of desserts. I tried to sample as much as I could without being a pig about it. Everything I had was delicious, especially the pulled pork sliders. Chef Jones gave me props for being one of the few people to follow his instructions, using the shredded coleslaw from the salad bar as a dressing to the sandwich. I gave him props right back for being an excellent cook. Chef Jones clearly took a lot of pride in his work as he discussed the details of the food being offered. I'm sure Snoopy helped, though. Salad bar, including the coleslaw topping for the Asian pork sliders. Salad cups. Asian pulled pork, pulled chicken, and potato wedges. The Asian pulled pork slider is REALLY good. It's even better when you put chicken on it. #FatKid Shrimp and ice sculptures. After we finished eating, we had 1.5 hours of ride time available to us on Kaleidoscope, Dodgem, the Carousel, and Talon. Overall, the rides are what to be expected from a large chain like Cedar Fair: clean, vibrant color and lighting packages, coupled with a slightly tamer ride cycles. I've been on better Troikas and bumper cars before, but these will still please the average park-goer. First up, Kaleidoscope! The ride fits in really nicely. The color scheme and lighting package will really stand out to guests. Restaints = seat belt + lap bar Here's a video of Kaleidoscope so you can gauge the ride speed for yourself: [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Next stop, Dodgem! They did a nice job with the design. Bright, vibrant colors, retro-looking sign, and a great lighting package Entrance. No sea belt, just a lap bar. Doesn't lock, though, just rests across your lap. It was actually quite comfortable and nonrestrictive. Here's a video of Dodgem in action. Note the lighting: [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Okay, new stuff out of the way. Talon time! It was really great that the park had this coaster open for us. The small guest count meant for a lot of empty rides. Seriously, ow could you not take advantage of this? This was about the most riders you'd see on a train throughout the event. I didn't end up riding the Carousel, but it was nice for it to be running. The music helped give the event a nice atmosphere. As 2:00PM approached (end of the event), many people began to leave. I went around and got a couple more rides each and then headed for the gate. A big thank you to Dorney Park for putting on a stellar event! Though the new additions may not exactly make the hearts of coaster geeks palpitate, they're still well-rounded, solid additions that fill needs for the park. Until next time, Dorney!

Dorney Park 2017 Media Event On Thursday, I was fortunate enough to attend Dorney Park's media event highlighting the park's new additions for 2017, including Kaleidoscope, Dodgem, and the Parkside Pavillion. These new additions further help round out the park's offerings to guests and fill some holes in its ride lineup. Park personnel served as excellent hosts, putting on a great event and really showing the pride they feel for the new offerings. Although forecasts in the Delaware Valley called for significant thunderstorms, we were fortunately able to have a reprieve from the rain long enough to experience everything they wished to do so. The park provided each of us with a USB drive with some press material for the event, including some news releases, photos, and a video preview of the new show this year, Cirque Imagine. This first post will consist of said material. I'll follow it up with photos and videos I took throughout the day, along with some of my thoughts. Cirque Imagine [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] Dodgem Kaleidoscope Parkside Pavillion Wildwater Kingdom Additions News release for Memorial Day Weekend events: Additional upcoming events:

^ Dude, you're killing us... Literally right below the text box...

^ Wow, no kidding on the limited photos. Glad you had fun!

I don't know how much I buy that excuse. How can Casino Pier get a new coaster inspected and approved within a few days after it was completed, yet Playland has seemingly been waiting for its inspection for about a month now? This doesn't pass the smell test for me.

That coaster looks like the demon offspring of SFGAdv's Viper, a Screamin' Squirrel, and a Chance Toboggan coaster.

Of course I can't find it now, but for some reason I remember reading somewhere when it was announced that the VR was only supposed to be from May 5th to June 4th when it came out. Of course, not being able to find it probably means I'm completely wrong on that... Still, my gut tells me that it was only intended to be around for a month or so. I can't imagine they decided to pull the plug sooner than expected unless there was a significant-enough issue behind it.

Some of it may also be related to a still-present irrational stigma some people have of wooden coasters being unsafe. I can't tell you how many times when roaming around El Toro at SFGAdv I hear people saying they won't ride it because they don't do wooden coasters.

Glad to hear about the actions the park took to rectify the situation! Hopefully it's able to turn your boyfriend's opinion of the park back around.

Awesome photos! Rikki and I are 95% set on going to the Netherlands for our honeymoon next year, and if we do, I definitely want to swing by this place and check it out. Very helpful!