rcdude

Just purchased tickets for the Knott's day. It looks like this could be the best year yet for that event. Unfortunately, SFMM isn't justifiable for me this year, but I know Knott's will still be awesome.

^Yes, actually. I was just at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor on Monday and gave the Flash Pass a try. WORTH EVERY PENNY! We were able to do probably 60% more rides with it and didn't have to run around all day to do everything. Here's how the system works: You are given a waterproof wristband/watch with a chip in it. To reserve rides, you go to any kiosk in the park (there seemed to be one near every slide tower and a couple others at miscellaneous locations) and everyone in your group scans their band. You then pick which slide you want to reserve (it is good on all slides), it will tell you the wait time, and then you confirm by scanning your bands again. Your watch will display a timer counting down, and when it reaches zero you just go to the ride, enter through the Flash Pass line, scan in, and go straight to the tower. You will still have a short wait (5-10 minutes usually), but you get to bypass the switchback queue at the bottom, which can get up to 45-60 minutes for some rides. Once you get down the slide, just go back to a kiosk to reserve your ride. Now, I only got regular, but since you are going on the weekend I recommend investing in Gold. With the regular pass, your wait time is equal to the actual slide wait, but with Gold it is about half as long. I believe the price difference is only $10-15, so it won't break your budget or anything. I'm not sure if you've been to SFHH before, but I'll post my opinions of the attractions below for you (or anyone else) who hasn't and is considering going (ratings compared only to others of the type): Bamboo Racer: A standard mat racing slide, pretty much the same as most of them (aka fun in a group, boring by yourself). The line usually isn't too bad for this one. 6/10 Black Snake Summit: This tower has two levels with different attractions. The lower level features two enclosed single tube slides, which are pretty good (better than Tiki Falls, but not as good as Lightning Falls), while the upper level features two enclosed spiraling body slides, the tallest in California (these are just okay, and do give you a bit of backscratching). Due to a classic Six Flags mistake (replacing one slide on this tower with the two Bonzai Pipelines slides, but not upgrading the plumbing), one of the Black Snake Summit body slides is closed for the season, rendering lines for this attraction very long. I recommend doing the tube slides, but only do the body slide if you really enjoy enclosed speed slides. 6/10 for body slides, 7/10 for tube slides Bonzai Pipelines: New for 2014, this is the best ride in the park, my favorite speed slide anywhere, and one of the scariest waterslides I have ever been on. The ride features a trapdoor launch, and riders have the option of either a seven story freefall or an enclosed high-speed helix. Definitely ride both of them, and then re-ride your favorite if you have time. This ride gets long lines, but do not miss it! 9/10 Lightning Falls: My favorite of the three innertube slide towers at the park, this one features three flumes. One of the flumes is enclosed for the first couple turns, then opens up for the rest of the ride, and the other two flumes are open the whole way down. This is the only tube slide that allows double tubes (only on the fully open slides). I recommend riding this one multiple times, especially since the line moves fast. 9/10 Lost Temple Rapids: The park's family raft ride, this one is just okay. I'd recommend riding first thing in the morning as a warm-up ride, but after that don't ride again due to the wait and the dull ride. 6/10 Reptile Ridge: This tower has five small body slides: three enclosed and two open. The enclosed slides are decent, but the open slides are pretty mediocre (I think they're geared toward kids). There's usually a short line for this, so it's worth a ride. 7/10 Taboo Tower: A speed slide tower featuring three different slides: a freefall slide with an enclosed beginning (Daredevil Plunge), a multi-bump slide (Escape Chute), and an enclosed spiraling slide (Secret Passage). I'm not a huge fan of these rides, as all three rides are backscratchers to a certain degree (Escape Chute is the worst for this), though Secret Passage is better than the Black Snake Summit body slides. This tower is worth riding if the line is short (it usually is), but if you have to miss one attraction at the park this is the one to skip. 5/10 Tiki Falls: Probably my least favorite slides at the park, this tower has three enclosed single tube slides. It's not a terrible ride, but the similar Black Snake Summit tube slides are better. However, Tiki Falls does have one of the fastest moving lines in the park. 5/10 Tornado: Standard Proslide Tornado, good ride but once you've been on one they're all pretty much the same. This usually gets the longest line in the park, so I recommend riding early. 7/10 Overall, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor is a good waterpark, but it's not one of the best. You'll have a good time there, just expect it to be crowded and decide what you want to ride ahead of time.

From Anaheim, SFMM is less than 90 minutes with no traffic, but on weekdays the drive time is usually close to two hours. The park typically opens at 10:30 A.M., so I would recommend leaving Anaheim at 8 A.M. You do not want to arrive at the park before 9:30 A.M. as the parking lot likely won't be open and you'll just be waiting in your car for a while. Some schools will be back in session by the last week of August, but not all of them, so I would guess it won't be dead but won't be overly crowded. You should definitely be able to do all the coasters in one day without the Flash Pass, but you may not have much time for re-rides. I would recommend budgeting for at least the regular Flash Pass, but don't buy it ahead of time. Once you get there, if you find lines longer than 30 minutes for a number of attractions, go get one. To do all the coasters most efficiently, I would recommend starting at Full Throttle, then go counter-clockwise around the park. Bypass Goliath and Scream and head to Batman and Green Lantern. From there, continue around the park until you get to Tatsu, then climb up the hill, ride Ninja (if it has reopened) and Superman, then go down the back and go around clockwise, picking up Scream, Lex Luthor, Goliath, and the kiddie coasters on your way to X2, Viper, and Revolution. Since the park is only open until 6 P.M., this will probably fill all but maybe an hour of your day, so if you have extra time go re-ride your favorites or ride anything you skipped. If you find yourself running short on time, follow this: -If you haven't ridden Tatsu by 3 P.M., go immediately to Tatsu, then X2, then Goliath -If you haven't ridden Goliath by 4 P.M., go immediately to Goliath, then X2 -If you haven't ridden X2 by 5 P.M., make that your next ride SFMM gets a lot of criticism, but if you're going there just to ride coasters you'll have a good time. Just don't expect to find much else to do there, and be prepared for average service compared to other major parks.

It definitely makes a difference. In terms of crowds... Weekday: You can usually do all the coasters without too much difficulty and will probably have time for a few re-rides (average waits of 30 minutes, up to an hour for headliners) Sunday: You can usually do all the coasters without a Flash Pass, but it will take all day and you probably won't have time for any re-rides (average waits of 45-60 minutes, up to an hour and a half for headliners) Saturday: If you don't get a Flash Pass, it is practically impossible to do all the coasters in one day (you're lucky to find a wait for a major ride under 90 minutes) If you can go on a weekday, go on a weekday. If you can afford it, buy a Flash Pass. Especially if you're going with someone from out of town, either go on a weekday or buy a Flash Pass...visiting on a weekend without one is a very bad choice.

I haven't been following this too closely, as I will be visiting the park this year and don't know when I'll get back, but I'm pretty sure if Holiday World is going with a B&M (looking likely at this point) it will be a proven design. Holiday World needs something that is going to work, not a prototype that runs the risk of frequent breakdowns. B&M 4D? Not even sure if B&M has actually considered doing this, but it sounds like something Six Flags or Cedar Fair would try first. Launched B&M? A little more likely, but I'd still bet against it. I'd also rule out a hyper (too big for Holiday World), inverted (too similar to Banshee), and stand-up (I don't think B&M offers these anymore). What does that leave? If the new coaster is indeed a B&M, it will be one of the company's sit-down designs (standard, floorless, dive, or wing) or a flying coaster. If the ride does end up being launched, I'm pretty sure it would be a standard sit-down, but if not I'm guessing it will be either a floorless coaster or a wing coaster. I don't know...we'll see in a couple weeks. Of course, I could be completely wrong and Holiday World could shock the enthusiast community with a hyper stand-up launched 4D from B&M.

Montezooma's Revenge, with the Intamin Impulse and the Vekoma GIB as runner ups. I also like the Premier shuttles (Mr. Freeze/Speed-The Ride), but not quite as much. Other than the four types listed here, I find almost every shuttle coaster to be simply a credit coaster.

I don't know the whole story, but I'd imagine that hitting a tree branch would leave some kind of mark. I'd think if a rider comes back with some kind of visible injury, even if it is just a scrape or bruise, it would be wise to cease operation and do a quick inspection to make sure there isn't something wrong. If the priority is guest safety and someone reports something that could potentially be wrong with the ride, it is a questionable practice to continue operation without checking it out in my opinion. Now, I don't know if this report was legitimate or not, but if it was and the kid had visible injuries upon exiting the ride the fact that they didn't at least suspend operation and have someone check from the ground if anything looked close to the track is troubling. If the report is fake, then shame on the person for posting it. I'm 99% sure it happened right after the first pass under Jetstream's lifthill. The ride turns right down the first drop, goes through a left hand helix, zig-zags toward Jetstream, dives under the lift, then rises into a left hand turn. It was on this rise that the coaster derailed. This is the most zoomed out picture I could find. You can see that the train is about to enter a left hand turn. The train was stuck roughly in the highlighted section here. The supports in the above picture look exactly like those seen here in the turn.

^I know you've got several tips already, but I figure I'll throw in my advice as a local. DCA: If you'll be using early entry here, go straight to Cars Land and try to get a ride or two on Radiator Springs Racers before opening. At (or slightly before) opening, go to Paradise Pier and ride Toy Story Midway Mania, then just go from there (the rest of DCA can be easily done in a day without any specific plan). If you won't or can't use early entry at DCA, arrive 45 minutes before opening and line up to get a Radiator Springs Racers Fastpass. After you get it, grab a Soarin' Fastpass and a California Screamin' Fastpass (as of my last visit, it worked), then ride Toy Story Midway Mania and go from there. Disneyland: If you can, I would recommend starting two of your days at Disneyland. On one day, head straight into Tomorrowland and ride either Space Mountain or Star Tours, then get a Fastpass for the other one. Head to Indiana Jones and ride if the wait is under 30 minutes...if not, either use Single Rider or come back later. Ride Pirates of the Caribbean, then Haunted Mansion, then Splash Mountain. By now, your Star Tours Fastpass should be ready, so get one for either Indiana Jones or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, ride Star Tours, and go from there. On your other Disneyland first day, go straight into Fantasyland and ride (in order): Peter Pan's Flight, Alice in Wonderland, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Storybook Land Canal Boats, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. After doing all these, go to Toontown and get a Roger Rabbit's Car-Toon Spin Fastpass and just go from there (ideally this will be Day 3 of your three days, so you'll have done all high-priority attractions by this point). Remember, your Fastpass attractions are... Disneyland: Autopia, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, Space Mountain, Roger Rabbit's Car-Toon Spin, Splash Mountain, Star Tours, and Haunted Mansion (rarely outside of Holiday Seasons, but does occasionally happen). Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain also offer Single Rider lines, as does Matterhorn Bobsleds (no Fastpass). Disney California Adventure Park: California Screamin', Goofy's Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Radiator Springs Racers, Soarin' Over California, and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. All of these also offer Single Riders lines except Tower of Terror. I'd recommend just keeping a Fastpass on you as much as possible and doing rides in the area while waiting for your return time. After about 11 A.M., the parks will be busy until after the nighttime spectaculars, so just minimize backtracking and plan for lines. Fortunately, you'll be visiting on weekdays when most of the APs are blocked out, so three days will be plenty of time to do everything in both parks. Have Fun!

^^There was a small earthquake in Southern California yesterday. It's possible that caused the tree to shift and become unstable.

Wow, I'm surprised this didn't turn out worse than it did. From the pictures, it sounds like the train ran head-on into a fallen tree and derailed. Terrible for all the people involved, especially those with any injuries resulting from this accident, but fortunately nobody was killed or permanently injured (at least as far as we know now). I really hope this isn't the end of the ride, but given the ride's age and lack of popularity it wouldn't surprise me if it is retired soon. It will probably depend how severe the damage is.

I was wondering if something like this would happen, as it would totally kill capacity if everything was manual. I can just imagine the headaches if there's a loading delay at one ride. A system that just holds the launch on Kinda Ka for 45 seconds or whatever the ride cycle is on Zumanjaro would probably the best option to prevent simultaneous operation without creating too much capacity loss. I'll be visiting the park next month, but I've got a question purely out of curiosity for those that have rode Zumanjaro: When you're being lifted up the tower, is the ascent smooth at a constant speed or does it vary as you go up? One of the things I really like about Lex Luthor is how it will slow down and speed up while climbing the tower, so if you're not looking at the tower you'll think you're at the top only for the thing to speed up again and keep climbing.

^When Knott's first adopted a line skip system (I think it was the "Hate to Wait" pass), Xcelerator was included and caused a ton of issues since riders had to enter from the exit. I remember riding during this period when the wait was at the bottom of the ramp (normally about 15 minutes) and the line took nearly an hour. I've got a feeling this, combined with the poor capacity of the coaster if only one train is running (more often than not the case), is the reason it has never been available with Fast Lane. Honestly, if you have all day and are visiting on a weekday, you rarely need Fast Lane at Knott's. GhostRider and sometimes Sierra Sidewinder do get long lines, but it is uncommon for anything else in the park to have a line greater than 30 minutes if being run at capacity. Just get there at opening, do Sierra Sidewinder first, then head to the Boardwalk and go counter-clockwise from there. Without Fast Lane, you'll probably still be done with everything by 4 P.M. or so, allowing plenty of time for re-rides.

Montezooma's Revenge about 2 hours ago.

Knott's Berry Farm on June 12th. Surprisingly, it will be my first visit to the park this year.

Every time I see new pictures of this place, my desire to visit gets stronger. It's a shame the park probably won't be ready for my visit to Las Vegas in late June, but this is a must visit the next time I am in Vegas post-opening.

After seeing the ride in action, I can't wait to ride Goliath. The elements on this ride just look unreal, especially the zero-g stall. It may look slow now, but most coasters seem to run a bit slow at first. I'm sure by the time the ride opens it will be moving just as fast as the other RMC coasters.

Thunderbolt definitely looks like it could be a surprise hit. I'm looking forward to trying it when I visit New York in August. Shame it's $10 per ride, but at least it looks like it'll be worth $10.

This is disappointing, but at the same time I understand completely why the park is doing it. If they continually sell out of passes, it is a good idea for them to raise the price until demand just starts to slip. If it means short lines, I have no problem paying more for Fast Lane as I rarely get a chance to visit the park and have limited time there. For example, I'll be going this year and only have a day and a half. When I last visited (2008), I only had one day. As I have no idea how long it will be before I visit again, the investment makes perfect sense. The one qualifier on this, however, is that there needs to be enough benefit to Fast Lane to justify the cost. IMO, at the prices they charge, the pass better be limited enough so that lines are 15-20 minutes max. I wouldn't be very happy to spend $100 on a Fast Lane and still wait 45 minutes per ride. If I spend 3 times the average visitor and can't do at least 3 times the number of attractions, it is just a rip-off.

^I doubt there will be any official times released until a few weeks before the event, but last year's event started at around 7 A.M., so I'd expect something similar.

Now that the three spring superhero movies have been released, here's my take on all three: Captain America: The Winter Soldier: I thought Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was going to be full of duds, but this one was great. It is much more story heavy than many of the other entries and, while there are still comedic moments, this one definitely has the most serious tone out of all the films so far. Excluding the Avengers, this is probably my favorite Marvel movie and is the best 2014 film I've seen so far. A- The Amazing Spider-Man 2: It was decent. Just like the first Amazing Spider-Man, acting was great and the action sequences, while not quite as intense as many modern superhero movies, were good enough to get the point across. The problems come mainly from the storyline, which incorporates three villains (Electro, Green Goblin, and Rhino) along with Peter's relationship with Gwen and the search for information about his parents, both continued from the previous installment. Even though the movie was over two hours, it still felt like there was just too much packed into it. Overall, not bad, but not great, and definitely better than Spider-Man 3, though not as good as the first Amazing Spider-Man or the first two Raimi films. B- X-Men: Days of Future Past: Great movie, my favorite X-Men film to date. This one felt more like the original X-Men films and superhero movies of the 2000's than those that have come out in the past few years, with more of an emphasis on plot and characters than action. No city destruction this time around (only a flying baseball stadium), and an acceptable level of CGI. Finally, this was a great way to link the original trilogy with the new First Class timeline and give all the original actors a proper sendoff. B+ In short, Captain American > X-Men > Amazing Spider-Man 2, but all of them were at least enjoyable.

Batman The Ride at Six Flags Magic Mountain a couple weeks ago. Definitely a different experience when you're going backwards, but not one I particularly enjoy.

^^Like stated above, it won't be dead but it won't be too busy. Assuming 2 train operation where applicable, I'd say expect 30 minute waits for the major attractions and around 15 minutes for other rides. Lines could get up to an hour if a ride is only running one train, so if you know anything is in one train operation ride it first. In any case, you should be able to do everything in one day without any issues.

Quick Mini-TR from today (no pictures, just updates): -Park was dead today. With the exception of a couple coasters noted below, everything was a 10 minute wait or less with most rides being walk-ons. I didn't arrive until 11:30 and still had plenty of time to do everything before closing even at a leisurely pace. -It was HOT today. 100+ degrees. Six Flags Magic Mountain is, in my opinion, the most physically draining park I've been to, so when heat and no lines are added you're forced to take it easy. -Revolution and X2 were closed (Revolution due to maintenance, X2 due to "weather"), as were about half the park's flats (Swashbuckler still in pieces, Buccaneer and Scrambler closed for no apparent reason). Everything else was open. -Full Throttle and Riddler's Revenge are still in one train operation due to maintenance. These two both had a bit of a wait (15-30 minutes). Green Lantern also had a wait (30 minutes + operational delay) due to unsatisfactory operations. All other coasters were running two trains except Gold Rusher (and Superman, obviously), though only one would be loaded unless there were more riders in the station than could be accommodated in one train (happened occasionally). -Operations ranged from excellent to acceptable on most coasters today, with Green Lantern being the only ride I would call unsatisfactory. -As previously stated, backwards rides end Sunday, June 15th, so if you want to experience them get yourself to the park before then. -Work is progressing on Speedy Gonzales Hot Rod Racers, though slowly. There were people out there with shovels today, and it appears that the groundwork is almost done. I've got a feeling that once vertical construction starts the coaster will be up within a week (this model is tiny). A banner at the site said "Coming in June," so mid/late June is probably a safe bet (if you're planning a trip just for the credit, plan it after 4th of July just to be safe). -Over at Hurricane Harbor, Bonzai Pipelines is almost complete. The open slide appears 99% done, while the enclosed slide is tied off to the supports and needs to be bolted into place. I don't know how much testing waterslides require, but they could possibly be ready for opening day (realistically, I think early June is probably a safer bet). -Ride Count: Twice each on Batman (backwards), Tatsu, Superman, and Goliath, once each on all other non-kiddie coasters, once each on Jetstream, Roaring Rapids, Tidal Wave, and Lex Luthor. And now for a few random comments: -This was my first time riding Batman backwards. It was definitely an experience, as the ride contains maneuvers rarely taken backward, but it was an intense ride, somewhat nauseating, and not something most people could handle more than once or twice in a row. Personally, I'm really glad I tried it, but it's just not my thing and I significantly prefer Batman forwards. I've been on Colossus backwards at Fright Fest before, and this was pretty much the same...a little better than regular Colossus, but still not good enough for multiple rides. -Green Lantern either needs to have its SOP completely rewritten or be sent off to a park that can run it properly. Today they had four cars running (three being loaded), the line was at the bottom of the stairs, and the wait was close to 30 minutes. Based on my calculations, they were probably doing 200 pph at best when delays are considered (90 second to 2 minute dispatch interval and approximately one out of every four cars jammed at the end). I like the ride since it is unique, but it is an ultra-short somewhat uncomfortable ride that doesn't justify the wait time. According to random people I've talked with, most seem to say that the ride looks interesting but doesn't deliver...about how I feel. -I don't know when they were added, but most of the major coasters now have signs in front of the entrance stating that ride's claim to fame (ex. Full Throttle: World's Tallest Vertical Loop). I thought that was a nice touch. -Also don't know when it happened, but the operators no longer have to do a complete recheck if someone accidentally lowers their lapbar on Full Throttle or Goliath. As long as they can still reach the belt and give it a tug to verify it is latched everything is good to go. -Whoever came up with the idea that SFMM needs a fourth kiddie coaster has probably never visited the park. I walked through Bugs Bunny World and could probably count the number of people there using my fingers, and all the employees were just standing around bored every time I walked past. I've said it before and I'll say it again...Speedy Gonzales is a waste of a million dollars. -I happened to run into several other TPR members during the day (one employee and a few guests). I find it slightly ironic that after another debate on here about the quality of the park I find more TPR members there than I've ever seen in a single visit to Knott's (excluding those that I know work at the parks). -Lastly, I found it amusing that SFGAm's Goliath was being advertised at SFMM, especially since one of the posters was pretty close to Goliath (just past the games area if I remember correctly). Your choice...Six Flags cross-promotion or hints that the next new thrill for SFMM will be similar (aka Iron Colossus)?

Thursday shouldn't be affected since Grad Nite is an after hours event. At least, I hope it won't be affected, as I'll be visiting tomorrow and can't make opening due to school (estimated arrival 11-11:30 A.M.). Since Junior Nite occurs partially during operating hours, I would avoid those two days (Friday, May 16th and Friday, June 6th) as attendance will likely be quite heavy then. Bonzai Pipelines is looking great, and it's exciting to see something new for Hurricane Harbor after over ten years. Looking forward to returning to my favorite So Cal waterpark this summer just to try the new slides.

To keep this from being a 50+ park list, only parks with at least one significant drop (100+ ft) are included. Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Griffon's first drop California's Great America: Drop Tower's drop Canada's Wonderland: Leviathan's first drop (Drop Tower's drop is a really close second) Carowinds: Intimidator's second drop Cedar Point: Top Thrill Dragster's spiraling drop (Millennium Force's first drop and Maverick's first drop are runner-ups) Darien Lake: Ride of Steel's first drop Disneyland Resort: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror's dark drop (second to last drop)/Splash Mountain's final drop Dollywood: Tennessee Tornado's first drop (Mystery Mine's indoor drop is a runner-up) Funtown Splashtown USA: Dragon's Descent's drop Great Escape: Sasquatch's drop Holiday World: Raven's fifth drop Kings Dominion: Drop Tower's drop (Intimidator 305's first drop is a really close runner-up) Knott's Berry Farm: Xcelerator's top hat La Ronde: Goliath's first drop Lake Compounce: Boulder Dash's drop in the woods (not the first drop...it's shortly before the turnaround after two or three rises) Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: Superman Ultimate Flight's twisting drop Six Flags Great Adventure: El Toro's first drop (Kingda Ka's spiraling drop is a runner-up) Six Flags Magic Mountain: X2's first drop (Apocalypse's first drop, Superman's tower, and Lex Luthor are runner-ups) Six Flags New England: Bizarro's first drop (Cyclone's first drop is a runner-up) Six Flags St. Louis: Mr. Freeze's spike (Superman's drop is a runner up) Waldameer: Ravine Flyer II's first drop