rcdude

Thanks. That's about what I expected. It's light enough that a Flash Pass won't likely be necessary, but heavy enough that if we decide to get one it won't go to waste. As for Full Throttle's roof, it is just one more reason I find this thread hilarious. Yes, it looks cheap and minimal, but it actually fits with the theme of Full Throttle (cheap and minimal ). I'm not a huge fan of the way the ride has been treated, but if I had to pick I'd choose a top tier ride with subpar surroundings over an average ride with average surroundings. I'd also pick a functional roof over a partially functional shade cover. The problem is that SFMM is unwilling to invest the money to give the ride at least average surroundings, which doesn't help their case when compared with other So Cal parks.

^^When it opened, I considered Apocalypse one of the best rides in the park, but now it has gotten too rough. It is still in the top half of the park's coasters, but is probably my least favorite of the must-rides. ^That's cool. Next time I ride, I'll be sure to keep an eye out and see if I can spot you. I've never minded the pre-show, only the way it used to be run (forcing riders to view it at the cost of sending out half-empty trains). Question for anyone who often visits SFMM this time of year: I have relatives visiting from Washington over winter break and they would like to go to SFMM. The only good day we can go is Monday, December 23rd. I'm not expecting it to be dead, but I'm hoping it won't be excessively crowded (expecting headliners to have approximately 30 minute waits). Is this a realistic estimate, or will it likely be busier?

California Screamin' at Disney California Adventure Park yesterday. Anyone who believes Disney can't build a good thrill ride needs to give this a try and see if they still have the same opinion.

First Coaster: Freeway Coaster (Adventure City), Gadget's Go Coaster (Disneyland), Matterhorn Bobsleds (Disneyland), or Timberline Twister (Knott's)/Favorite Coaster: Bizarro (SFNE) First/Favorite Steel Coaster: See above First Wood Coaster: GhostRider (Knott's)/Favorite Wood Coaster: El Toro (SFNE) First 100-200 ft Coaster: GhostRider (KBF)/Favorite 100-200 ft Coaster: El Toro (SFGA) First 200+ ft Coaster: Roller Coaster (New York, New York)/Favorite 200+ ft Coaster: Bizarro (SFNE) First Inverting Coaster: Windjammer Surf Racers (Knott's)/Favorite Inverting Coaster: Tatsu (SFMM) First Arrow: Matterhorn Bobsleds (Disneyland)/Favorite Arrow: X2 (SFMM) First B&M: Flight Deck (CGA)/Favorite B&M: Tatsu (SFMM) First CCI: GhostRider (Knott's)/Favorite CCI: Boulder Dash (Lake Compounce) First GCI: Roar (SFDK)/Favorite GCI: Thunderhead (Dollywood) First GG: Voyage (Holiday World)/Favorite GG: Voyage (Holiday World) First Intamin: Lightning Bolt (MGM Grand Adventures)/Favorite Intamin: Bizarro (SFNE) First Premier: Revenge of the Mummy (USH)/Favorite Premier: Full Throttle (SFMM) First Vekoma: Gadget's Go Coaster (Disneyland)/Favorite Vekoma: Stealth (CGA) First Invert: Flight Deck (CGA)/Favorite Invert: Afterburn (Carowinds) First Launched: California Screamin' (DCA)/Favorite Launched: Maverick (CP) First Stand-Up: Vortex (CGA)/Favorite Stand-Up: Riddler's Revenge (SFMM) First Flyer: Stealth (CGA)/Favorite Flyer: Tatsu (SFMM) First Floorless: Scream (SFMM)/Favorite Floorless: Griffon (BGW)

I like the Nemo Subs, but I won't really miss them if they leave. I'll try to get a ride on it when I visit tomorrow just in case, but I'm expecting crowds will probably be too heavy to justify the wait time.

Shame El Loco won't be open in time to stop by on my ski trip, but I'll be back in Vegas this summer to ride it. It may be small, but this looks like it will deliver a good ride.

At the time, yes. As of now, Wood Coaster is the largest GCI (though Viper will be larger when it opens in 2015) and White Lightning is the smallest.

^Nope, Apocalypse was actually one of the smaller GCIs. As the story goes, Six Flags opted for a smaller coaster to have a larger theming budget, and we all know how that turned out (most of it is gone or no longer in use). I believe the largest GCI at the time was Gwazi, or for a single tracked coaster Troy.

Personally, I prefer Top Thrill Dragster to Xcelerator and Xcelerator to Kingda Ka, but I think all three of them are excellent. The ride model is called an Accelerator Coaster, so the whole point of the ride is the launch and top hat, and what comes after is just a bonus. Yes, Xcelerator has more elements, but to me they've always felt like filler to extend the ride and I probably would enjoy it almost as much if it was just launch, top hat, brakes. The main reason I don't like Kingda Ka as much is due to the restraints and shakiness, as it felt the most complete to me without resorting to filler (yes, the bonus hill makes a difference in my opinion). Strata Coasters certainly aren't for everyone, and I'd never invest more than 60 minutes in line for one (maybe 90 if I've done everything else and haven't ridden it that trip), but I personally think they're great rides. Both of them are my second favorite steel coaster in their respective parks. As for why there isn't more to them, it's mainly because they don't need more to thrill the masses and the rides are already costing $25+ million, a huge price tag for the park. Something like that "concept image" of Top Thrill Dragster would probably have been $35-40 million, more than almost any seasonal park can afford to spend on a single attraction.

In 1978, Six Flags Great America (then Marriott's Great America) installed a Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop named Tidal Wave. The ride operated until 1991, then was sent to Six Flags Over Georgia where it ran as Viper from 1995 to 2001 before finally ending up at (Six Flags) Kentucky Kingdom in 2003, where it operated as Greezed Lightnin'. One year before, California's Great America (then Marriott's Great America) had installed a Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop named Tidal Wave. The ride ran under that name until 1998, when it was renamed to Greased Lightnin'. The ride was removed in 2002 and sent to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, where it sat in storage until 2006 before vanishing. What happened to Greased Lightnin'? It was used to rebuild Greezed Lightnin'. In essence, two twin coasters that had been separated were reunited to form one ride (that sadly is no longer around).

$700 credit? Wow! At least it looks like it's one of the top five (or at least top ten) coasters in all of Japan. Hopefully I'll get a chance to ride this one day.

I'm actually not a huge fan of either, but I'd get a burger while I'd never order a burrito (when it comes to Mexican I typically get tacos or a quesadilla), so I'll go with burgers.

I think almost any Disney attraction fits this category for me, but my favorites are... Ride Soundtracks: Roller Coasters: Space Mountain (Disneyland)-Fits the ride perfectly. The Ghost Galaxy soundtrack is also spectacular. California Screamin'-Just like Space Mountain, it really adds to the ride. X2-I'm not a huge fan of most of the soundtrack, but playing Enter Sandman while climbing up the lift is perfect. Non-Coaster Rides: Haunted Mansion/Holiday Mansion/Phantom Manor-Love all of these. In my opinion, the Haunted Mansion music is the best instrumental theme written for a Disney attraction, and the soundtrack for the holiday version is just really good. Indiana Jones Adventure-Yes, I know it is just a remix of the movie soundtracks, but I really like the music. Small World Holiday-I'm not a huge fan of the regular version of Small World, but love the Holiday version. It's probably because the music doesn't get on your nerves by the end of the 15 minute ride. Soarin' Over California-If there is a ride I'd call beautiful, it is this one. The music just fits the film perfectly. I'll be more disappointed by the loss of the music than by the loss of the film when the attraction gets upgraded in the near future. Background Music: Roller Coasters: Riddler's Revenge-It's a shame they don't play the music in here any more, but I always liked the song (at least I liked it significantly better than what is played at Full Throttle). Non-Coaster Rides: Ghost Blasters-The song is really catchy and goes well with the comic nature of the ride. Any Carousel with an authentic organ, as long as it isn't terribly out of tune Edit (to poster below me): Ecuador seems to be played intermittently now. I only heard it on one of my past four visits, and on that visit it was about 1/3 the volume it used to play. I did hear a loop that sounded the same as Batman's station music at one point, but that seems to have gone away as well.

THIS! Definitely this. For just the craziest weather overall, when I went to Disneyland Paris last year we visited during the one week of July where it rained significantly, and we were at the park on the rainiest day of the week. Throughout the day, it ranged from cloudy to torrential downpour. This actually was to our advantage as we only had one day for both parks and the rain caused everyone to leave mid/late afternoon, shrinking 60-90 minute waits to 15 minutes or less.

So this year my dad and I found what is probably the best deal in the ski industry (at least if you travel): The Mountain Collective Pass. $379 gets you two days each at Alta/Snowbird, Aspen/Snowmass, Jackson Hole, Mammoth Mountain, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows, and Whistler/Blackomb, 50% off on additional tickets, and 25% off lodging. As a result, I'll be doing a lot of skiing this year. We've already got a winter break trip planned to Jackson Hole and Alta/Snowbird (plus a day at Grand Targhee), a Martin Luther King weekend trip to Tahoe, and a spring break trip to Mammoth. We're also considering a Presidents' weekend trip to Aspen, but it depends on my school schedule. It should be an exciting year as the Wyoming and Colorado places will be new and I'll be getting way more skiing in this year then typical (normally I ski 7-10 days per year, but even without Colorado I'll already be at 12 for this season).

The stand-ups I've been on rank as follows: Riddler's Revenge SkyRider Green Lantern Mantis Vortex (Carowinds) Shockwave Vortex (CGA) Cobra (La Ronde) Since Riddler's Revenge is far better than anything else on the list (and the only one I'd wait 30+ minutes for), I have to go B&M>Togo>Intamin, but SkyRider is easily the best Togo I've been on and is better than most B&M stand-ups. Cobra was not only terrible, but it wins the award as the worst major Intamin coaster I've experienced.

Definite: Disneyland** Disney California Adventure Park** Knott's Berry Farm** Six Flags Magic Mountain** Likely: Adventuredome Beech Bend* Holiday World Indiana Beach* Kentucky Kingdom* Kings Island* Six Flags Great America* Probable: Elitch Gardens* Lakeside Amusement Park* Maybe: Amusement Park at Heritage Square* California's Great America Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park* Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Universal Studios Hollywood** *New Park **Local Park

Cedar Fair: Maverick Six Flags: Bizarro (SFNE) SeaWorld Entertainment: Griffon (Busch Gardens), Manta (SeaWorld-San Diego) LEGOLAND (Merlin): Technic Coaster Herschend: Ride of Steel Universal: Revenge of the Mummy (USH-only Universal coaster I've ridden) Disney Parks: California Screamin' Parques Reunidos: Boulder Dash

I have ridden coasters in: United States-18 states (California, Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington) Best Coasters (no particular order): Bizarro (SFNE), El Toro, Maverick, Tatsu, Top Thrill Dragster, Voyage Worst Coasters (non-kiddie): Canobie Corkscrew, Canyon Blaster (Great Escape), Crazy Mouse (multiple), Dark Knight, Wild Mouse (multiple), Steamin' Demon Canada-2 provinces (Ontario, Quebec) Best Coasters: Behemoth, Leviathan Worst Coasters: Dragon (La Ronde), Super Manege, Time Warp France-just Disneyland Paris Best Coaster: Crush's Coaster Worst Coasters: Casey Jr., Le Petit Train du Cirque, Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril The US definitely wins in the coaster department out of these three. While there are some terrible rides here, there are also a number of phenomenal ones. Canada's selection is proportioned about the same as the US, just on a smaller scale, and France is probably the worst major European country for coasters (granted I've only visited Disneyland Paris, but the only other significant French park I know of is Parc Asterix and they've got the world's worst coaster and only one above average ride).

I went to see The Hunger Games: Catching Fire this weekend. It was excellent, much better than the first Hunger Games, and definitely one of my top 5 for 2013 (although I think Gravity is still #1). Good plot, great acting, not a dull moment in the film, and it really sets up the sequel nicely. I haven't read the books, so I have no idea what happens next, but I've got a guess the two Mockingjay films will be spectacular. I'll need to see it again to determine a final rating, but at least a very high B+ for sure.

^Canada's Wonderland has Shockwave, although it was installed before Cedar Fair purchased the park. I rode it multiple times on my visit to Canada's Wonderland a couple years ago and it was probably my favorite flat in the park (and that park has a lot of good flats). The only reason I think it would be a good fit for Knott's is because there really isn't anything else like it around (I believe there are only a couple in North America). I do think it is a bit of a stretch to think one would be installed, but I think it would be a real winner if one was.

This is how it really should be done. I can't imagine seat belts increasing dispatch times more than 20-30%, but the way they were checked before (combined with dumb visitors) resulted in a 70-80% loading time increase. I do think the seatbelts are ridiculous, but as long as that is all the park is doing to the ride I don't really mind. At least there wasn't excessive downtime to add them. As far as X2 goes, I hope it is open in time for winter break. I've got relatives from Washington visiting and we are considering a trip to the park. While there are better coasters than X2 at SFMM (I personally rank it fourth behind Tatsu, Full Throttle, and Goliath), it would be disappointing if you only visit a couple times per decade and a signature attraction is down.

^Windseeker won't be replaced by a coaster; I'd be willing to bet it won't. The space is just too small and Knott's has a coaster surplus at the moment anyway, so it would be fairly pointless. Personally, I'd like to see a medium/high intensity flat ride replace Windseeker (Air Race, Top Scan, Disk'O Coaster, etc.) but I've got a feeling it will be little more than picnic tables and benches in the immediate future.

In the theme park world, I am thankful for... -Having several great parks within 100 miles of where I live -Designers who are not afraid to push the limits even if projects aren't always successful -Getting the opportunity to travel to parks outside of California -The existence of several online communities to communicate with others who share this hobby -All the hard work Robb, Elissa, and the site moderators do to keep TPR the best theme park enthusiast website Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

We're trying to hit Knott's, Castle, and SFMM in one day, so we may simply need Flash Pass and Fast Lane convenience. Thanks very much for responding. Very not recommended! Even with a Fast Lane/Flash Pass, plan three hours for a credit run of Knott's and six for a credit run of SFMM, and that's go in, ride each coaster once, and get out. Both Knott's and SFMM are full day parks if you are not doing a credit run, and it will probably take at least an hour and fifteen minutes to drive between them, leaving no time for Castle Amusement Park (which is 45 minutes from Knott's and another hour and 45 to SFMM not including traffic delays). You'll need no traffic delays, a Fast Lane at Knott's, a Platinum Flash Pass at SFMM, and no breakdowns to pull off all three in one day. If you want to attempt it, all I can say is good luck! My advice: If you only have one day, pick either Knott's or SFMM and just do that. Castle Amusement Park is really not worth it unless you'll be out in Riverside anyway.