rcdude

^I'm not getting my hopes up, but that would be a really good follow up to Twisted Colossus for 2016. The trains on Sooperdooperlooper at Hersheypark were great, so SFMM could get those, give the ride a repaint, and promote a restored Revolution. Given how much capital investment has gone into the park in the past few years, it would be nice to have a year more focused on upkeep, but a restored Revolution (along with possibly a flat ride or two) could be their marketed addition for the year. As for the Revolution video, if the ride still ran that way it would be one of the top five coasters in the park for sure. The ride is an excellent bridge coaster for those who are getting bored with the family coasters but aren't quite ready for an extreme thrill. With the effort SFMM has put into Holiday in the Park and next year's Screampunk District, it seems that they do care about the park to some degree so I hope they'll preserve the ride for years to come (whatever form it may be in).

Twister is an above average wooden coaster. It is a really good ride with quite a bit of airtime and some strong laterals, but it does die out toward the end. The ride ranks in my top 25 wood coasters and I'd be willing to wait up to an hour for it. Phoenix is an outstanding wooden coaster. It is a classic ride with some of the best airtime I've ever experienced and doesn't contain a single dull moment. The ride ranks in my top 10 wood coasters and I'd be willing to wait up to two hours for it. Short Answer: Phoenix > Twister

Okay, let's break this down... Sunday isn't usually a bad day for traffic, but you are still looking at a 2.5 to 3 hour drive. If you're going to be relocating near Knott's anyway and you want to ride some thrill coasters it would be a good option, but otherwise it's not worth the drive. If you want to kill time and have a scenic drive, head to the coast and take State Route 1 (commonly called Pacific Coast Highway) down through Laguna Beach and to Dana Point before getting on I-5. It will only add about 30 minutes to your drive. Alternatively, you could find another route to San Diego. Not sure of any specific restaurants so it might be worth doing a yelp search for the areas you're passing through. Manta has a pretty good capacity so getting several rides shouldn't be an issue. If you've done Wild Arctic in Florida you can skip it here, but I wouldn't skip Journey to Atlantis. It's not that wet if you don't sit in the front row (you could always find a WalMart and grab a cheap poncho before visiting as well). Don't forget to ride the Bayside Skyride and the Skytower for some good views of San Diego and the surrounding area. I can't comment on the tours as I've never done them, but if you haven't done similar tours in Florida and you're into that type of thing it might be worth it. Other than Giant Dipper, Belmont Park just has a few spinner rides. There's not a whole lot to do there other than rides, the beach, or hanging out at a bar. If you're only going to ride the coaster you won't need much time here. The zoo can take anywhere from about three hours to a full day to see everything depending on how fast you go. For my speed of travel (moderate to fast) it usually takes about five hours to see everything. The zoo is pretty big but not enormous. The entire place is hilly, so I find it is best to work your way downward into the canyon (the Pandas are at the bottom), then take one of the moving walkways to the top and repeat. If you want to cross the park, use the Skyfari...I'm pretty sure it's now included in park admission. If you have free time after visiting the Zoo, I'd recommend checking out some of the other attractions in Balboa Park or sightseeing in the San Diego area. Correct. The zoo may be busy on Saturday but there aren't many attractions that involve lines. To be honest, if you regularly visit Busch Gardens Tampa and you'll be visiting the San Diego Zoo I'd probably skip the Safari Park. While I haven't visited BGT myself, it seems to be more like a safari and less like a zoo but without an excessive amount of upcharges. The animals you'll see at the Safari park are the same as what they've got at the zoo. If you do decide to go, you'll need to purchase at least one of the upcharges to see the entire park, as the whole Asian section is only visible from a distance on walkways. If you don't purchase an upcharge safari, there's not a whole lot to do here...just the tram tour (which is pretty mediocre in my opinion), some exhibits, and one or two shows. You could probably see the whole general admission area (excluding the shows) in about three hours (personally, I don't think I've ever spent more than about six hours here). As far as Knott's goes, I'd either devote the full day to the park or just skip it completely. Knott's will be very busy that weekend, so expect lines of 60 minutes for headliners. Leave San Diego by 8 A.M. to ensure you make it to the park by opening. Once at the park, start at the Boardwalk and then go around the park in a logical manner (given your priority list, I'd probably go clockwise). Note that if you arrive at 7 P.M. on Sunday evening, it is likely that you will not be able to complete all rides in your priority list before closing. Also note that the Chicken Dinner Restaurant will take at least two hours (possibly more depending on the wait), so doing that and the park after would not be an option (IMO the chicken is good but not great...it's worth dining there once but not something worth stressing over if you miss it). What I suggested I would only recommend for a one day San Diego trip. If you have two days, I'd absolutely recommend SeaWorld & Belmont Park on Friday and the San Diego Zoo & San Diego sightseeing on Saturday. I highly doubt you'll need 11 hours at the zoo...animals are cool but just looking at them, especially when you've seen them before or see them frequently does get boring after a few hours. Like I said above, if you're visiting the zoo and you would like to ride some thrill coasters on your trip I would absolutely pick either SFMM or Knott's on Sunday instead of the Safari Park. If you're worried about money, I'd pick one add-on between whatever parks you're visiting for this trip and save the others for future trips. I'd also look to see if BGT or SWO offer similar experiences, as you may be better off just doing them on one of your trips to those parks. Other than that, if you really want to cut down on money then look at the most expensive option and ask yourself "Am I really going to regret missing this? Do I feel like it is worth that amount of money?" If yes, move to the next most expensive option until you reach a budget you're okay with. Other than that, the only advice I can really give you is buy individual ride tickets at Belmont Park if you're only riding Giant Dipper (two rides will probably be satisfactory, though buy them one at a time in case you don't like it) and look for whatever deals you can find on hotels. Overall, your plan sounds pretty good. It seems that you've got a pretty good idea of what you want to do on Friday and Saturday and are only debating Sunday. Look at your budget, look at what you really want to do, look at the information you've been given, and decide what the best fit is. No matter what, you're going to miss something, so just decide what you're most willing to leave for a future trip. Lastly, have a good time!

If this is correct I have no interest at all. I really liked Frozen, though I didn't think it was the best animated movie ever as people made it out to be, but a nighttime dance party themed to the movie just sounds like a disappointment. Busy. Not as insane as the following couple weeks will be, but a decent of schools are out and passes are still valid so you'll get more crowds than say this week or next week. Expect 60 minute waits for headliners and Fastpasses to run out mid-afternoon on the most popular attractions.

Okay, now I really want to get back to Lagoon as soon as I can. It's only a 10 hour drive from me, so maybe I'll be able to get there at some point next year. Based on what is known about Cannibal and what Lagoon's current coaster collection is, I think the park is about to become a must visit destination for enthusiasts.

Time for some responses... Dorney Park is one of those parks I would probably visit all the time if it was a local park, but wouldn't go out of my way for without a major new attraction otherwise. Honestly, most of the Cedar Fair parks seem to feel this way to me (Canada's Wonderland, Cedar Point, and Kings Island being the exceptions that I would go out of my way for without new attractions). It's a fun park, it just has little to offer of value to the traveling enthusiast. This would be an excellent park for a GCI, though if Thunderhawk was retracked and given new trains it would be a decent wood coaster as well. Surprisingly, I barely noticed its absence from Cedar Point. I really wish SFMM still had Freefall (their 1st generation drop tower) as it's space is unused and you can still perfectly make out where the ride was to this day. Visiting any park shortly after Knoebels except a Disney/Universal/Busch park or possibly Holiday World will probably seem a bit underwhelming. Other than a park filled with great coasters or a park with numerous quality dark rides, it would be difficult to beat Knoebels in the ride department. I definitely agree with this. In a lot of markets, Dorney Park would be perfectly adequate as it is. Unfortunately, the park has a ton of competitors: Knoebels, Hersheypark, SFGAdv...even more distant parks like Lake Compounce and SFNE probably share some of Dorney's market. In addition, there are a bunch of smaller parks in the area that likely have some influence. Dorney has a lot of draw from the waterpark, but the ride park is definitely not all that appealing to the general public compared to alternatives. The big question is whether Cedar Fair will feel it is worth the investment to compete in the ride department or just float on the waterpark, as that decision will probably shape the future of the park. Probably. Any coaster park without a true top tier coaster is bound to have their best coaster be overhyped. If a park is enjoyable that is all that matters. Not every park can be amazing. If Fast Lane didn't include the waterpark at Dorney, I probably would have skipped it as the Snake Pit's line looked to be at least an hour. Seeing how long some of the queues in the ride park were made me wonder if Dorney ever does get busy...maybe when the waterpark is closed on a holiday weekend. I didn't know Screamin' Swing was included until someone else mentioned it to me, and I hardly saw anyone ride it so the operators tended to just be standing around. The flat I'd never ride (Meteor) was right in front of Hydra so I'm a little surprised you never saw it. I had similar priorities to you, though I somehow managed to beat everyone to the coasters (I actually had the train all to myself on my first Possessed ride, and that was the last one I got to). While I would have liked to ride all the slides in the waterpark (I keep track of waterslide credits as well as coaster credits though I'm not as strict about doing every flume), nothing looked like a particularly unique attraction so I don't feel I missed too much. Visiting Dorney Park without doing Wildwater Kingdom is kind of like visiting Holiday World without doing Splashin' Safari...you can do it, but you're missing a major chuck of the experience and you may not enjoy it as much. As far as CGA vs. Dorney Park goes, I'd say the following: Gold Striker is better than any coaster at Dorney, but Dorney's overall collection is better than CGA's; non-coaster rides are roughly the same at both parks; Wildwater Kingdom is much better than Boomerang Bay; CGA looks nicer and has better theming than Dorney, but Dorney has better staff and more efficient operations. Overall, Dorney wins for me, but it's a pretty close call. Either way, they are the two Cedar Fair parks I don't have much interest in returning to at the moment (Carowinds would also be in this category if not for Fury 325).

I think I saw over on California Coasters that SFMM President mentioned to him that Scream WAS going to get a name change as well. Strange...I haven't seen a single report mentioning a new name for Scream (I think I remember one stating it will NOT change), only that it will be repainted and some retheming will occur. There's no reason for it to change, but if for some reason it does I'm guessing it would be in the form of (adjective) Scream or Screamin' (noun).

^^Knoebels is the only non-major amusement park I would consider traveling specifically for. Even some of the others I really like (such as the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Waldameer) don't justify a trip on their own, only an add-on to another trip. Phoenix and Twister are completely different rides, so it's quite hard to compare them. Given that I prefer generally prefer wood twisters to out-and-back woodies (GCI is my favorite wood coaster company after all), I'm guessing I would have preferred Twister had it not been for the night ERT on Phoenix. I would have been very disappointed if I had waited 90 minutes for Flying Turns. It's a fun ride but it's not something I have a strong urge to ride again if a significant time investment is required. ^Hopefully you'll have better luck at Fascination next time you play. I did alright at Indiana Beach but poorly at Konebels, probably due to the much stiffer competition (I think there were 50-60 tables and every one was full). That whole day was truly outstanding, and I can't think of a single negative about it (even the rain wasn't bad enough to compromise anything). I've got a goal of finishing this report off by Christmas, so I better get on with the next update. This is the penultimate day of the TPR trip, then there will be two post-TPR trip updates for the week I spent in New York and Boston with my family. Trip 2, Part 10: Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom-August 2nd, 2014 While Knoebels was not the end of the tour, it was the climax of the trip. Though we still had two park days left, I knew that no matter what they would not live up to that day. Like I mentioned previously, I tend to pick one park on each trip as the throwaway park, and following Knoebels it was time for that park. We left the hotel at 8 A.M. and about an hour later pulled up to the gates of Dorney Park. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom If I were to describe Dorney Park in one word, I would say generic. There is nothing bad about the park, but at the same time there is really nothing about it that gives the park a unique identity. You take a picture anywhere inside the park and if the Dorney Park logo or one of the park's few unique attractions isn't visible, it might as well be any moderate or large sized park in America. Since we were visiting on Saturday, Dorney Park was unable to give our group any ERT. However, we were permitted to join passholder ERT in the morning, which allowed for several rides on Talon before park opening and was little different than TPR ERT (I'd estimate TPR out-numbered the GP at least two to one during this period). After ERT ended, every TPR member who needed the credit immediately rode the Wild Mouse, then everyone split up. I decided to see just how quickly I could collect Dorney Park's credits, as while we had Fast Lane it was a Saturday. Well, Fast Lane turned into a skip the switchbacks pass as everything was a station wait, so I got on every coaster (plus re-rides on a few) in just under an hour. I spent the rest of my time before our group lunch doing a few random non-coasters. Lunch was standard Cedar Fair food and was fairly unremarkable (probably the worst group meal of the trip). After lunch, I found a couple guys to split a locker with (whose names I forget...if you're reading this, I sincerely apologize) and headed to Wildwater Kingdom for the afternoon. Wildwater Kingdom, Dorney Park's included waterpark, seems to be the main draw by far at this park as I never saw a wait longer than 3 trains in the ride park but several slides had waits as long as an hour. I'm really glad our Fast Lane was valid in the water park even if it was only for a handful of slides. Coaster Reviews: Dorney Park has what I would consider a satisfactory coaster collection. The park's seven coasters (I'm excluding Stinger since its future appears uncertain) form a decent collection, with a few good coasters in the bunch. However, while there is nothing really wrong with the collection, there is nothing specifically notable about it either. The coasters are mostly stock models, some of which are second-hand, but none of them are worth going out of the way for. In short, the collection is good for the park's typical audience but somewhat lousy from an enthusiast perspective. Talon: I've heard people call Talon the last good B&M invert. Unfortunately, I found the ride to be more of a middle tier invert and about on par with Silver Bullet. I will give the ride credit for a good beginning, but after the immelmann the rest of the ride just seemed somewhat uninteresting. Now, I did only ride during morning ERT on a cloudy day so perhaps it wasn't running at full speed, but I just don't get the hype with this one. It's not a bad ride, just a bit underwhelming based on my expectations (from appearances I thought it would be better than Great Bear, but I was wrong). B+ Wild Mouse: "Welcome to the Wild Mouse, Welcome to the Wild Mouse..." Yeah, that rap song in the station is both one of the best things and one of the worst things about this ride. This is a Maurer Shone model, which are usually better than the Mack variety, but due to Dorney's excessive trims on the switchback and two adults per car rule (seriously, why?), this is the worst of the Maurer mice I've experienced. D+ Hydra the Revenge: I actually preferred this to Talon, and if it wasn't so rough compared to other B&Ms it would be one of my favorite floorless coasters. As it stands, this is right in the middle somewhere. The initial heartline roll right out of the station is a really fun addition, and the rest of the ride is an interesting layout with some unconventional inversions and even a little bit of airtime. It's not a super intense coaster, if that's what you're looking for, but it is still a fun ride and reasonably smooth and somewhat less shaky in the back half of the train. B+ Thunderhawk: I want to like this ride since it has the most airtime of any coaster at the park, but it is just too rough and trimmed to death. The ride has two strong moments of airtime, but other than that it's just an old woodie that will shake you up. It's a shame that the ride is in such bad state, as it has potential. It isn't a good sign when you're glad the ride isn't longer. C Steel Force: Fifteen years ago, this was a pretty big deal. Today, it is a good but not great ride. The coaster is still a really long ride with some decent drops and a gigantic helix, but airtime is minimal unless you ride in the front car since trims kill the speed on the return camelbacks. The ride felt somewhat like a watered down version of Magnum XL-200, but unlike the latter there is no scenic setting to improve the ride. B+ Possessed: I was really excited to ride the first twisted impulse coaster, as well as my first with the holding brake. After receiving a pretty good punch on my first ride, the holding brake became something to dislike. I tried the ride a second time, bracing for the hold, and it was a bit better but still my least favorite impulse. I still find the standard layout less interesting than the SFDK V2 or Wicked Twister variants. B- Woodstock's Express: Riding kiddie coasters has become little more than a formality for me. This is a standard Zamperla model, and possibly the worst of the type I've ridden. I'm glad I've got the credit so I don't have to ride again. Dorney Park Coaster Ranking: Good Coasters: 1. Hydra the Revenge 2. Talon 3. Steel Force 4. Possessed Average Coaster: 5. Thunderhawk Credit Coasters: 6. Wild Mouse 7. Woodstock's Express Non-Coaster Summary: Dorney Park appeared to have a decent collection of non-coaster rides, though nothing appeared specifically notable. Due to time constraints I didn't ride too many of the non-coaster attractions, but I did do the more unique attractions. My favorite non-coaster in the park was probably the Screamin' Swing, which is included with Fast Lane (it is normally a $2 upcharge). Other than Screamin' Swing, my favorite flat was the Enterprise, as even though it's just a standard model I really like these rides. Dominator was also a pretty good S&S tower with a choice between Space Shot and Turbo Drop, and Demon Drop was a fun reminder of the past with a better freefall than most modern drop towers (though the rest of the ride was somewhat unpleasant). Lastly, I rode Thunder Creek Mountain, a pretty good log flume with a weird lift hill, an interesting terrain layout, and a long ramp instead of a drop at the end. Wildwater Kingdom: While not one of the greatest waterparks ever, Wildwater Kingdom is a pretty good waterpark that is large enough to be a full day adventure on its own. The park is filled with body and tube slides, along with the waterpark staples of a wave pool and a couple lazy rivers. Unfortunately, the park does lack a lot of modern waterslides (other than some brand new trapdoor slides, everything is of the serpentine variety), but it still has some fun attractions. Slide Reviews: Lightning Falls: An old single tube slide with open and enclosed sections, this was one of my favorite slides at Wildwater Kingdom. The ride features several twists and turns before ending with a moderate drop to the pool below. Snake Pit: The new for 2014 slide tower at Wildwater Kingdom, Snake Pit features three single tube slides and three body slides. Boa Blasters, a pair of half open/half enclosed tube slides are the best on this tower. They are short but both have a good drop at the end. Constrictor, the third tube slide, is enclosed the whole way down and is the least interesting slide on the Snake Pit tower (in fact, it was probably my least favorite slide at the waterpark). Finally, the three trapdoor slides, Python Plummet, were fun but not as good as the freefall trapdoor slides (Python Plummit is just serpentine slides with a trapdoor start). Aqua Racer: A standard mat racer, and not one of the better ones. Fun for one ride with friends but it gets old really quickly. Aquablast: Probably my favorite slide at Wildwater Kingdom, Aquablast is one of the best family raft rides I know of. The ride starts from a nine story tower so the ride is nice and long, and unlike some of these rides it is not overly braked and does get high on some of the walls. I'm really glad Fast Lane was available on this ride as the wait looked to be at least 60 minutes easily. Patriot's Plunge: Three single tube slides with significantly different layouts, this was a pretty fun ride. Like Boa Blasters, the ride is enclosed until the final drop at the end. Both are really good, but I prefer Boa Blasters because there is a good chance Patriot's Plunge will end with a tube ejection (I ended up about fifteen feet from my tube when it hit the pool at the bottom). Overall Thoughts: Dorney Park can best be summed up as a decent park, but nothing special. The park has a good collection of coasters and a good collection of non-coaster attractions, along with a pretty good waterpark, but better can be found elsewhere. The park has no theme and feels pretty bland, but it does have pretty good employees that keep the (minimal) lines moving. There's nothing wrong with the park, but at the same time there's nothing remarkable about the park. While not my least favorite Cedar Fair park (despite Gold Striker, that dishonor still belongs to California's Great America), Dorney Park is a fairly forgettable park that is fun for locals but mostly a credit stop for enthusiasts. I am glad I got a chance to visit, but without a major new coaster I'm unlikely to return to the park on a future visit to the area. Ride Totals: Hydra the Revenge: 2 Possessed: 2 Steel Force: 2 Talon: 3 Thunderhawk: 1 Wild Mouse: 1 Woodstock's Express: 1 Demon Drop: 1 Dominator: 2 Enterprise: 1 Screamin' Swing: 2 Thunder Creek Mountain: 1 Aquablast: 1 Aqua Racer: 2 Lightning Falls: 1 Patriot's Plunge: 1 Snake Pit: 6 (Boa Blasters: 2, Constrictor: 1, Python Plummet: 3) Total: 30 rides in 6 hours (5 rides per hour) We departed Dorney Park at 4 P.M., and despite my initial worry it ended up being plenty of time for the park (I would have liked more for the waterpark, but I'm guessing 2/3 of the group doesn't care for those). This allowed plenty of time for a dinner at Carrabba's, which was quite good and possibly the best group meal of the trip (definitely my favorite on the Mini East Coast portion). Once everyone was done with dinner, we headed off to our hotel a couple hours away. With an 8 P.M. arrival and a 9 A.M. departure the next morning, this meant plenty of rest for the final day of the tour (for those not doing the New York add-on). I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that it was a 2000% better Six Flags day than our previous experience. Talon looms over the park's gate. It's a decent middle tier invert. Demon Drop is a rare breed. As the last of it's kind in North America, this is a must ride for any park visitor. The overall ride is not that good, but it's worth it for the excellent two-second freefall. I still wish this had come to Knott's as originally planned. Even though the drop isn't much of a drop (it's more of a ramp), this was still a fun log flume. Like I've said in my report, there's nothing wrong with Dorney Park, but it looks very bland. It almost looks like a park I'd make in RCT. Dinosaurs Alive has invaded most Cedar Fair properties, and Dorney Park is no exception. However, I think I saw a total of four people in this at any given time, so I wonder how much money it really makes. Will Stinger reopen next year, or is its life over? I have no clue, but I'm glad I got the credit while it was at CGA. Steel Force above the trees. My first full size Morgan coaster. Possessed through the trees. It's a shame the brake ruins the back spike on this one. Dorney Park has a number of flat rides, both old and new. Unfortunately, there were few guests to enjoy them. Dominator's a fun S&S tower, though it's just a standard model. It's also not the park's only drop ride. You'll never see me on one of these. Yes, that roll is directly out of the station. Most enthusiasts disagree with me, but this was my favorite of Dorney's coasters. And we'll end with the park's best flat. Honestly, if the upcharge is only $2, what is the point of the upcharge? Welcome to Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. Even from the entrance you can tell the park is fairly generic.

Went and saw The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1 today. It was pretty good, though not as good as Catching Fire. The film is very different from the previous installments as it is more of a political thriller than an action movie and it did drag a bit, but I still found it engaging. As I haven't read the book, I can't say whether the part 1/part 2 split is justified or not, but I have yet to find a single example where it's fully justified (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came really close, but upon rewatching I definitely saw some extraneous material). 8/10 I also went to see Big Hero 6 a couple weeks ago. It was good, but not great. Perhaps it's because I see all the superhero movies, but while the characters were great the story just felt like a bunch of recycled plot elements from the other Marvel films. It's a good family movie and it's still quite entertaining, but if I'm in the mood for a Disney movie I'd be more likely to pick Frozen. 7/10

My top 5 from both manufacturers combined: 1. Bizarro (Six Flags New England) 2. Nitro (Six Flags Great Adventure) 3. Leviathan (Canada's Wonderland) 4. Intimidator (Carowinds) 5. Diamondback (Kings Island) If you want to exclude Leviathan, add Ride of Steel to the end of the list. If you want to include Millennium Force it would be below Nitro and above Leviathan.

I've been on 13 B&M Inverts, but five of those are Batman clones. My top five are... 1. Banshee (Kings Island) 2. Afterburn (Carowinds) 3. Alpengeist (Busch Gardens Williamsburg) 4. Raptor (Cedar Point) 5. Batman The Ride (Six Flags St. Louis) HM: Flight Deck (California's Great America) I actually don't like most of the Batman clones (in fact, I rank all other B&M inverts above most of them) as I'm not overly fond of the non-stop intensity but I did enjoy the St. Louis version more than the others for some reason.

For the parks I visit most often (my home parks)... Disneyland Resort: I typically alternate years with and without a pass to here. When I have a pass, I visit once or twice a month as long as I'm not blocked out. When I don't have a pass, I usually only visit once during the year. Knott's: I usually visit every month or every other month. This year has been an anomaly as I didn't buy a pass and will wind up with only four visits. Other Southern California parks (as I consider them all local parks): USH: When there's an interesting new ride, I buy a three day pass and use at least two of those days during a year. I rarely visit otherwise due to the price. SFMM: I usually make about three visits to the park per year, occasionally more if accompanying out of town friends or relatives. SeaWorld San Diego: Very infrequently...maybe once every four or five years. It's just too expensive for what they offer. LEGOLAND California: When I was younger, I used to visit once or twice a year. I've since cut back on visits, but I still enjoy the park and visit once every two or three years. Small parks (Belmont Park, Pacific Park, Castle Park, etc.): I always visit Belmont Park whenever I visit SeaWorld. For the others, I generally only visit if a friend (typically a fellow enthusiast not from California) wants to visit or the park installs something unique (such as Rewind Racers coming to Adventure City).

When I first heard about this event, I thought it would be fun to visit just to see how well the park did, but I never thought of visiting as a priority. I think I've changed my mind. Great pictures! Hopefully the displays are just as impressive in person.

^In an Alan Schilke interview from IAAPA he stated that RMC has 3 projects for 2016 and 4 for 2017, with more booked all the way until 2020. I'm guessing the 2016 projects will be Wildfire and two more rides for Six Flags, but 2017 is a total wildcard. I wouldn't be surprised to see Six Flags install more but they're running out of parks, and there was a rumor on Screamscape that Worlds of Fun's Timber Wolf may be Cedar Fair's first RMC conversion for 2017, which wouldn't surprise me (I believe that supposed exclusivity contract with Six Flags expires in 2016). Whatever ends up happening, it's pretty clear that RMC is the current hot ticket manufacturer for both wood and steel coasters and probably will be for the remainder of the decade.

At one point, both had a Schwarzkopf Jet Star. Also, they both currently have six roller coasters. Kings Island and Hersheypark

Great pictures! I can't wait to ride this coaster. It's going to be the best new thrill ride in Southern California since Tatsu.

If there is an emergency situation that can be verified from the station, the operators will stop the train. If it is not an emergency, it will run the course like normal. Rides don't get stopped on midcourse brake runs because someone had a protein spill on the first drop and as a general rule it is much easier to allow a train to complete a course and compensate inconvenienced guests than it is to stop a ride and evacuate. Plus, if there isn't a safety issue, stopping a train will make guests think there is and demand they want off (no joke...when I've been stopped on rides at Knott's for camera removal (from another guest, of course) several guests always panic even after the announcement that the stop was intentional). I'm pretty sure this was discussed before, and I don't think we'll know for sure until construction is complete or the ride actually opens. My guess is either they'll have a brake on the lower part of the second lift before the chain starts or they'll have sensors that will stop the first chain if the second train isn't cresting. Even if there wasn't a brake, as long as the train on the second lift is at the top there would be no chance for a collision due to energy loss.

Yeah, I figured Scream would have to change if SFMM wants to put any effort into a retheme. According to another report the ride will be repainted in new colors, receive a new entrance, have all fencing replaced, and some landscape work will be done (my guess is they'll de-stripe and cover the area in gravel similar to SFGAdv's Green Lantern). As far as colors go, I'd probably use a metallic orange/copper for the track with iron gray supports and use darker blues and greens for the trains (with red and purple highlights), but I've got no idea what the park will use.

Predator is one of those coasters that seems like it could go in any direction with a refurbishment. The ride could receive a simple retracking and become a ride worth the waits. The ride could keep the exact same layout and receive topper track with a few minor profile tweaks and rival Comet for the title of New York's best wood coaster (okay, that might be going a little too far, but I could see Predator getting into the top 50 with a good amount of work). However, the ride seems like it would lend itself really nicely to a full Rocky Mountain Iron Horse conversion, which would probably give Darien Lake the best coaster in the area. Whatever happens, Darien Lake is in need of a major new attraction in order to stay competitive and Predator definitely needs some work. Unfortunately, Rocky Mountain is booked through at least 2017 so if a conversion isn't already planned it's probably years away.

I did the survey earlier, and while doing it I realized a few things: -Other than Banshee, I've rarely noticed the rattle on any B&M Inverts I've ridden -Hyper coasters (especially those with the newer trains) and Floorless coasters seem to be most prone to the rattle -It's hard for me to distinguish between a rattle and roughness when it comes to the stand-up coasters -Some coasters (most notably flyers) will rattle in one specific spot and nowhere else, so I marked them as smooth -Almost every non-inverted B&M that I've rode more than a couple times went into the sometimes rattle, sometimes smooth category I'm really interested to see what the results end up being on this, as it seems that most B&Ms could be considered anywhere between glass smooth and strong rattle depending on a number of factors (conditions, other B&M experience, riding position/train, etc.). I'll be honest...out of 38 B&M coasters, there are maybe three that I thought had a bad enough rattle to negatively affect the ride, and since increasing forces will lead to increasing vibrations (and thus increasing rattle without train design adjustments), I don't see it as something to complain excessively about.

Just watched the Jurassic World trailer and from it I'm undecided on the new film. On one hand, it definitely looks like it has potential to be pretty good, but on the other it looks like it could potentially end up being a rehash of previous films and there were a few things I didn't care for in the trailer. I'm hoping the film will be good, but given the track record of the series I can't be anything more than cautiously optimistic at this point. Regardless of how it is there's a pretty good chance I'll be seeing it in theaters when it comes out.

I'm glad to see some construction finally happening on this ride. From an article I read it sounds like their target opening is March 2015, so on one of my spring or summer visits to Knott's next year I'll have to make a stop by Adventure City as well.

Speedy Gonzales Hot Rod Racers at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Got that one on August 14th, 2014.

It's difficult to tell you what you should do, so I'm going to give you some advice that will hopefully help to build your plan. First off, Disneyland. Before considering Disneyland, answer the following questions: 1. Are you prepared to visit with the expectation that you'll likely only be able to do a small number of attractions (likely 10-15) in a day? 2. Are you unlikely to get another chance to visit within the next three years? 3. Are there more than 1 or 2 must ride attractions that you have not done at the park (or at WDW if clones exist)? 4. Are you willing to only do one park or visit multiple days? 5. Is Cars Land worth $100 to you? The reason I ask is because that weekend will be the kickoff of winter break and Disneyland will be insanely packed (think sell-out potential). Therefore, if the answer to any of the above is no, I would immediately rule out Disneyland. If you do want to include Disneyland, either buy a one day, one park ticket and pick one of the two parks to visit on either Saturday or Sunday (it probably won't make much difference which you choose), or buy a three day ticket (I wouldn't pay for hopping, but it's your choice) and spend any time on Friday as well as all day Saturday and Sunday at the resort. Even though you've visited before, I would recommend against a one day park hopper at this time of year as if the park does fill to capacity you may be stuck outside if attempting to hop. Now for Knott's and SFMM. Knott's is going to be very busy at that time as well, so if you want to visit I'd use whatever time you have on Friday for it. If all you care about is Xcelerator you could stop by on Monday before heading to the airport but it's unlikely you'll get more than a couple rides in before you have to leave. SFMM hasn't been as strongly affected by crowds before, but Holiday in the Park may change that this year. If you want to go, go Sunday and be prepared for some lines. If Apocalypse and Tatsu are your main goals, do those first and then work around the park clockwise. Next up is San Diego. There's easily enough stuff in the San Diego area to fill a weekend. You could spend one day at the San Diego Zoo and other Balboa Park attractions (there's a lot of museums around there) and another at SeaWorld and Belmont Park. You could also spend part of a day just exploring the city if that's your thing. Personally, I would advise against the Safari Park as it's out of the way and it has become difficult to see the whole park without purchasing one of their upcharge safaris (the current tram only covers about half of what the old monorail did). If you only wanted to spend one day in San Diego, you could theoretically do the Zoo, SeaWorld, and Belmont Park in one day, though it would require only spending 3-4 hours each at the Zoo and SeaWorld (San Diego Zoo opening (usually 9 A.M.) to 1 P.M., grab a quick lunch, SeaWorld until closing (probably 6 P.M.), evening at Belmont Park). The decision is up to you, but personally SeaWorld is not worth admission just for Manta (though it's worth it if you'll be doing other rides or seeing shows and exhibits) and I wouldn't skip Belmont Park if you visit SeaWorld as it's only 5 minutes away and Giant Dipper is somewhat similar to but still significantly different from the Santa Cruz version. Lastly, sightseeing. If you don't like Hollywood stuff and have an itch to ride roller coasters it may be difficult to spend your whole trip doing this (depending on what does interest you), but there's definitely plenty of interesting stuff in the area for you to go see. For example, if you're looking for museums you've got the Getty Center, California Science Center, and La Brea Tar Pits in the area (among others) and if you want something historical you could always visit one of the California Missions or check the National Register of Historic Places. I'd recommend a search on trip advisor to find stuff that may be of interest to you. Given the above, I'd recommend you either go for an all Disney trip (Disneyland Resort Friday/Saturday/Sunday with possible Knott's or sightseeing on Monday) or mix it up and throw in a variety of stuff. If I were you, I'd probably do sightseeing Friday (or possibly swing by Knott's), San Diego Saturday (either the Zoo or SeaWorld + Belmont Park), SFMM Sunday, and maybe a little more sightseeing on Monday, but the choice is really up to you. Hopefully this will help and you'll have a great trip.

IAAPA coverage was great this year! Much better than last year's update, and while I enjoyed the long interviews in previous years (especially the year you did user-submitted questions) they are definitely for a limited audience and are somewhat pointless if the company can't say much about upcoming projects (Rick Hunter from ProSlide was always great, however). Thanks for all the work you put into this. Those statistics are crazy...obviously many others enjoyed the coverage as well.