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Wait until you get to the park, then decide between regular, Gold, or no Flash Pass depending on crowds. I've never used Platinum and never would (as I don't agree with the way they do double rides), but from what I hear it's not worth the extra price. Every non-kiddie coaster except X2 and Full Throttle is included (X2 is available on Gold for an additional $15 per person, per ride), so you may want to do at least one of those two before picking up the pass. Whether you should get one or not depends on several factors, but I would say if you visit the park at most twice a year and/or the major attractions have 45+ minute waits, it's worth the investment. If you visit more frequently or none of the lines (excluding Full Throttle and X2) exceed 30 minutes, you probably should just save your money, or buy a regular Flash Pass instead of Gold.

When was track installation finished on Undertow, late May or something like that? How is it nearly two months later and they haven't even started testing, especially when this is just a standard production model? Looks like there is officially a zero percent chance that I'll get to ride this during my Nor Cal trip next week, unfortunately. At least I've been on other Maurer spinners so I'm not missing a unique attraction and if I have to miss something, I'd much rather miss Undertow than Gold Striker or Superman Ultimate Flight. It will be nice to get back to the boardwalk, as I haven't been in nearly ten years and it's my favorite of the four Nor Cal parks, but Undertow will definitely be taunting me as I have no idea when I'll get another chance to visit.

Excellent!!! This looks like it will be a great event, especially the Knott's day. I'm planning to attend both days, but I'll need to see what everyone else I'm bringing with me wants to do. Hopefully tickets don't sell out too quickly, as I might not be able to get mine until late July (although I don't think the event has ever sold out in two weeks). I actually think the prices are very, very, very reasonable for everything they include. The CLUB TPR price for Knott's is about equivalent with a ticket purchased at the gate and includes not only admission, but ERT, lunch, a t-shirt, backstage tours, a special presentation, and probably more surprises if past events are anything to go by.

Totally agree. I don't usually play carnival games, but as this is a guaranteed win and it's a prize I would most likely use I might have to give it a spin or two when I visit next week.

From the park's website: Well, it looks like I won't be getting to this one on my trip in two weeks. When I first started to see track going up for it, I figured it would be open around Memorial Day, but it looks like its going to be a push to get it open by the end of the summer season. As this is just a permanent version of a portable design, I'm very surprised it is taking so long, and I wonder what the hold-up is. At least this isn't a completely unique design so it's not too big of loss to miss it (and I might have a chance to get back up there next summer). This has certainly been the year of delays for California amusement parks. Timber Mountain Log Ride, Gold Striker, Full Throttle, Undertow, Windseeker, the new Adventure City coaster...as far as I'm aware, the only significant new attraction to actually open on time was the Knott's boardwalk expansion.

From the permit site, dated today. http://smartpermit.santaclaraca.gov/tm_bin/tmw_cmd.pl?tmw_cmd=StatusViewCase&shl_caseno=BLD2012-28623 If Gold Striker has to close for this, hopefully it is only briefly. I'm planning a trip up there in mid-July and I'll be really disappointed if Prudential's complaints cause me to miss this ride, as I have no idea when I'll get another chance to visit the park (plus this is the main reason I'm doing a Northern California trip this year). I seriously hope this is a one time thing for CGA, and they won't face heavy opposition every time they try to build a major new attraction. I don't understand why anyone would have an office near a theme park and think they wouldn't have some noise effects, and I'm even more clueless why they're concerned if the noise level is slightly high on top of the parking garage. It's not like someone has a car that will explode if subjected to 0.001 dB excess noise or something. If there is a legitimate reason that noise from the coaster interferes with business, that is one thing, but otherwise Prudential just needs to quit complaining and deal with it.

Unless plans change, probably Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park in a couple weeks, although depending on the final route I use for my Northern California trip it could also be California's Great America or Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

When I visited, it was about 30-40 seconds between when the train parked and when the next one was dispatched. I'd estimate they're probably doing 600-700 riders per hour on the ride right now (assuming there are no technical difficulties). I do think the coaster is a little too low of capacity for SFMM, but it's definitely significantly better than Green Lantern.

Including relocations: Tree Top Racers at Adventure City Invertigo and Stealth at California's Great America Tornado at Castle Amusement Park Space Mountain at Disneyland (original version) Wacky Soap Box Racers and Windjammer Surf Racers at Knott's Berry Farm Spellbreaker at LEGOLAND California Screaming Mummy at Pharaohs Adventure Park Hurricane at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Pandemonium at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Deja Vu and Psyclone at Six Flags Magic Mountain Lightning Bolt at MGM Grand Adventures Speed-The Ride at Nascar Café High Roller at Stratosphere Tower Disaster Transport and Wildcat at Cedar Point Windstorm at Fun Forest Amusement Park I believe that's all of them.

^I've heard it's supposed to open in July. Based on the current state of the attraction, I'm guessing late July. I'm hoping an opening date will be announced soon as I'm planning a trip to visit the Northern California parks in mid/late July and I'd prefer not to miss Undertow if I can help it. Given that it's just a permanent installation of a portable model, I'm surprised it's taking so long as I always expected it to be open by July 4th at the latest (if it hasn't started testing, that's pretty much not possible at this point).

Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain yesterday.

I just got back from a reasonably good day at Six Flags Magic Mountain. There were crowds, but they weren't excessive, and a majority of the park was running well. First off: Full Throttle. I've heard nothing but positive reviews of this ride, so I was expecting it to be better than it looks. It is. The ride's signature 160 ft. loop is easily the best part of the ride. By my estimate, the train is probably moving around 10 miles an hour at the top, and on the ride you feel as if you're going to fall from the train. It isn't the same floating feeling felt on B&M's large loops, but more of a falling sensation. The rest of the ride was very good, and everything seemed to flow nicely together. The only thing I was disappointed in was the lack of airtime over the top hat, but as I doubt it would be a better airtime hill than the one on Goliath that's okay. Overall, I wouldn't say the ride is a top ten coaster or worth traveling some distance just to ride, but I would say it is a must ride when visiting SFMM and one of the top coasters in the park. My wait was 90 minutes due to two minor breakdowns, with posted times of 45-60 minutes throughout the day. As for the surroundings of the ride, a lot of stuff looks unfinished. The queue is all temporary, the station structure is missing a cover, the hillside is still dirt (and a few saplings), and the tunnel has some equipment for effects but all that's currently working are strobe lights. I am glad the park opened the ride as soon as possible, but I somewhat wish they had waited a week and got anything that couldn't be done while the ride is in operation finished before opening. There was still construction equipment present and they were doing work on the hillside, so at least they are not done and don't intend to leave the area in its current state. Finally, the nighttime dance party thing (I forget the official name). I walked through the area a couple times while this was going on, and while there were plenty of people about nobody seemed to care about the party. Most of them were just standing around and using their smartphones. I have to question if this is really a good idea, as I can't be the only one who would be driven away from the attraction due to the extremely loud music and it didn't appear anyone was specifically enjoying it. A few other notes from the day. The good: -The park was very good at posting wait times at the entrance to all attractions, and more often than not the line took less time than posted, as operations overall seemed above average for the park. -Full Throttle operations were about as good as can be expected from the ride. Dispatches were usually within 30 seconds of the other train reaching the holding brakes (for reference, the ride is only about a minute long and it takes approximately 20 seconds for the train to advance from the hold position to the station after a launch). -It appears a large percentage of visitors are afraid of Lex Luthor, as it never had more than a 15 minute wait. This was the only ride I did twice today, and while not my favorite overall drop ride it still remains the one with the best drop. -Despite crowds, most of the non-headliner coasters were only station waits. The not so good: -Scream is still running one train, and the line was halfway to the entrance. It looked like the other two trains were fully assembled and ready for use, and in any case the park really should plan better to avoid having to run one train during the summer. At least they had a sign warning that only one train was running. -Apocalypse has gotten really shaky lately, particularly in the second half. It isn't rough in that it's painful, but it does shake you up quite a bit. Hopefully the park will take care of this ride as if they don't it could become quite rough over the next couple years. -X2 was experiencing major issues and didn't open until mid-afternoon. I didn't end up riding as the wait looked to be close to an hour. -Even though Superman was testing with both tracks in the morning, they were only running one track later in the day even though the line extended from the building and halfway across the plaza. Due to an average 4 minute cycle time, this turned out to be a 75 minute wait, the longest of the day (excluding Full Throttle). This ride really needs more than two operators in order to achieve any kind of reasonable capacity.

I'm not a fan of this recent trend of turning coasters backward, as it seems more likely to ruin the ride than improve it. However, in the case of Canyon Blaster, it might actually be halfway decent going backwards. That ride was the worst of the Arrow mine trains I've been on, not because it was overly rough but because it was pretty boring, so if there's a chance it could be improved then great. At least they aren't turning Comet backward as was rumored earlier in the year.

Six Flags Magic Mountain...tomorrow. Then I'm planning a trip to the Northern California parks in mid/late July. Hopefully Undertow is open by then.

My favorite park is Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which is part of a chain. My second favorite park is Holiday World, which is an independent park. Both definitely provide great experiences, but I have to vote for chain because the rest of my top five are all chain parks and there's only one other independent park in my top ten.

1. Dive Coaster: I've only been on one of these (Griffon), but it was really good and ended up being my favorite coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg (as well as making it onto my top ten list). This may drop as I ride more, but for now this is my favorite B&M type. 2. Hyper Coaster: I've been on six of these, and all of them are top tier rides within the best two coasters at their respective park. Apollo's Chariot, Intimidator, and Leviathan all make it into my top ten list, and even my least favorite (La Ronde's Goliath) is still on my top thirty steel coasters. 3. Flying Coaster: My favorite B&M coaster (Tatsu) is a flying coaster, but the Superman clones (my only other experiece with this type) are fairly dull. Still, the riding position gives a different sensation than most coasters, even other manufacturers' flying coasters, and this type seems to have the most untapped potential of the currently available types. 4. Floorless Coaster: Floorless coasters seem to be a mixed bag. There are some good ones (Dominator is my favorite of five), but more often than not they seem good but not great. This type (as well as the hyper coasters) seems like a very cookie-cutter type with little variation in ride experience between the various coasters. 5. Inverted Coaster: Although this is a very popular type (and is the one I have the most experience with), I'm not crazy about inverted coasters. I like them, but there are only a few I would go out of my way to ride. Inverted coasters are definitely the most intense type of B&M coaster, so I can see why many love them, but I prefer rides that are thilling and fun but not super intense (hence why I don't really care for the Batman clones). 6. Stand-Up Coaster: If there is a B&M type I truly don't care for, it is this one. With the exception of Riddler's Revenge, there isn't a stand-up coaster I'd wait more than 15 minutes for. I've been on 5 of these, and three rank below every other B&M coaster of every other type that I've ridden. Additionally, my least favorite B&M coaster (Vortex at California's Great America) is a stand-up and is a whole tier below every other B&M on my list. I have yet to experience a B&M Sitting Coaster or Wing Coaster, but I hope to get a chance to sample both of these types in the next couple years.

^I've heard that the next three projects for Knott's will be a complete refurbishment of the Calico Mine Ride, a new dark ride, and a major new coaster. I don't know any more than that, such as when each will be done or what order everything will happen, but I would guess that the only one that might be for 2014 would be the mine ride refurbishment. Also, I'm guessing Timberline Twister and Boomerang will both recieve replacements before Jaguar leaves the park, as although Jaguar is a fairly long coaster it actually doesn't take up very much usable space.

Full Throttle sounds great. I always find it funny how some rides get tons of criticism while they're being built, then end up exceeding all expectations. I always expected the ride to be one of the better coasters at the park, but I'm hearing nothing but positive reviews of the coaster and it sounds like it could be one of the best rides Premier has built to date. I can't wait to ride it (going on Tuesday...yay).

Taiwan looks like a neat place with some very unique attractions. I definitely would be interested in a TPR trip here in the future, possibly combined with an add-on to Hong Kong for Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland. It seems like Taiwan would make a shorter, cheaper Asia trip than Japan or South Korea at the expense of no real major parks and only a handful of large coasters. Looking forward to the Japan updates. I haven't seen much coverage of the Northern Japan parks, so that should prove interesting.

Boomerang at Knott's Berry Farm yesterday. Yeah...good thing I'll be at SFMM next week.

I've seen five movies over the past month, and since they're all still playing I'll rate all of them. Iron Man 3: I like the Iron Man series, but I don't love it. Iron Man 3 was pretty good, but I wish it was closer to the previous installments in the series, as it felt very different to me. Still, it was enjoyable, and it was certainly better than Iron Man 2, but using this as a benchmark I don't think Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will quite live up to Phase One. B The Great Gatsby: I only went to go see this because I remembered reading the book in high school. It was decent, worth seeing but probably something worth waiting for the DVD on. The film did drag a little, but it never got to the point where I just wanted it to end. B Star Trek Into Darkness: Outstanding! The best movie I've seen this year and my favorite Star Trek movie. I understand why the movie upset Trekkies as it does make significant changes to previously established canon, but I didn't have a problem with that (although I'm only a moderate Star Trek fan). Saw this one twice and it was just as good the second time, and definitely one I'll be adding to my home collection. A Now You See Me: I liked this one, but didn't love it. I've always been a fan of magic tricks, so the premise of the film was the primary reason I went to see it. It was very good until the third act, where the film somewhat fell apart and the conclusion was somewhat disappointing, but overall it was definitely worth seeing. B Man of Steel: Although I like superhero movies, I don't really care for Superman and only went to see this so a family member didn't have to go alone. I personally don't get all the hype around this film, and I thought it was just okay. The first half was decent, but the second half turned into extended CGI fight scenes with nothing particularly interesting going on. I also find it boring when two guys spend several minutes pummeling each other and destroying half the city in the process, then neither one has a scratch. C

I had no idea TPR was doing a Taiwan trip this year. I'll certainly be sure to follow this as I know very little about the parks in that area (I only really know of Discovery World and Janfusun Fansyworld). E-DA Theme Park looks like a nice park, Big Air looks fun and Dark Ride a pretty good junior coaster. I can't wait to see what's next.

This looks like a very neat concept, but I'm guessing it won't happen. I do think we'll see one of these rides somewhere in the next decade or so, just not in Las Vegas.

On a roller coaster, I usually will undo the belt as the train enters the station or when the floor starts to rise (for inverted/floorless coasters) unless instructed to do otherwise. I've never had an issue doing this, although I have seen people who released them while sitting on the brake run recieve a talk from an operator. For a drop tower, I always wait until the ride has landed before unclipping the belt (or on an S&S tower, wait until it has stopped bouncing and is being lowered the last five feet or so by the hydraulics). On other flat rides, I usually just wait until the ride is stopped. As for an actual seat belt (one across your lap as opposed to one connecting to a restraint, which I refer to as a safety belt), I would never undo that until the train has come to a complete stop in the station. I know people who have got in trouble for unlatching that one early.

I'll give you some advice as a local. General: As this is the weekend immediately after 4th of July, the parks may be slightly busier than normal (at least on Saturday and Sunday). As a result, I would suggest the following plan: Saturday-Universal Studios Hollywood Sunday-Six Flags Magic Mountain Monday-Knott's Berry Farm Tuesday-Disneyland Resort Wednesday-Disneyland Resort If you can modify your hotel reservations, I would stay near USH on Saturday and possibly Sunday, and near Disneyland the rest of the trip. If not, you may have significant traffic to contend with. Universal Studios Hollywood: If your flight lands at noon, plan to be at USH between 2-3 P.M. (you may get there earlier, but with no traffic its probably a 45 minute drive from LAX to the park anyway). Fortunately, the park is open until 10 P.M. on the day of your visit, so you should still be able to get everything done. Regular lines throughout the park are typically 45-60 minutes on weekends (possibly longer for Transformers), but Revenge of the Mummy and Transformers both have single rider lines that rarely exceed 20 minutes, so you shouldn't have a problem with those, and House of Horrors generally doesn't get a significant line. In addition to what you have listed, I would also add Jurassic Park to your must ride list (it has a single rider line if needed), and if you're a show person see Waterworld as well. You can choose which of the remaining attractions you want to do while you're there. Six Flags Magic Mountain: Get a Gold Flash Pass and you will only need one day here and won't have to worry about it being a weekend. The park opens at 10:30 A.M., so be there by 10 A.M. (I'd leave the hotel by 9:15 at the latest). Assuming Full Throttle won't be included on the Flash Pass in its first summer, ride that first, then go rent your Flash Pass. Make a counterclockwise circle around the park, doing each ride as you get to it (access Ninja and Superman from Tatsu, not from Gold Rusher). Aim to reach X2 about 4 P.M., as the line will be shorter then and it is not included on the Flash Pass (except with an upcharge). As all the coasters except X2 and the kiddies (and likely Full Throttle) are available on the Flash Pass, you should have no problem doing all of them and getting re-rides on your favorites. For Lex Luthor, use the single rider line if it is open as that ride is not included with the Gold Flash Pass. Any of the other non-coaster rides are either included or don't typically get long waits. The park is open until 9 P.M., so even if you do move to an Anaheim area hotel you could probably get there by 10:30 P.M. Knott's Berry Farm: If you are not getting Fast Lane, I would not recommend visiting this park on a weekend. I would also not recommend getting Fast Lane unless you will want to ride everything at least twice, as Xcelerator and Timber Mountain Log Ride (the park's two best attractions) are not included. Standard summer hours are 10:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M....plenty of time for this park. If you have to drive from Universal City, allow at least an hour travel time in case of traffic. If you have a Cedar Fair season pass, you can get in 30 minutes early for ERT on Sierra Sidewinder and GhostRider or Silver Bullet, and if so I'd take advantage of the offer. If not, pick one of the three to ride, then head to the Boardwalk and go from there. In general, GhostRider has the longest line in the park and the Fiesta Village attractions have the shortest waits. Sierra Sidewinder and Pony Express will have slow moving queues, so ride early or late. Silver Bullet's line moves fast with two trains and no stacking, and Timber Mountain Log Ride is usually the highest capacity attraction in the park. In addition to what you have listed, I would add the Calico Mine Ride and Supreme Scream to the must ride list. Food inside Knott's Berry Farm is not very good and is quite expensive, so leave the park and eat either in the Marketplace (home to the Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant (if you want to eat here, do lunch or get it to go...dinner often has 60+ minute waits for a table), T.G.I. Friday's, and a couple quick service restaurants), or walk down Beach Boulevard or La Palma a block or two to find many other options. It is rare for Knott's to experience extreme wait times, but summer waits can approach an hour at the more popular attractions even with good operations. Disneyland Resort: Buy a two-day park hopper. Both parks open at 8 A.M., so be at the rope drop 15 minutes early. I'd recommend starting each day at the park that doesn't have Extra Magic Hours that morning. I'd also recommend minimizing park hopping as much as possible (i.e. do everything in one park, then switch to the other, and only switch back if necessary to make a show or due to closing (DCA closes before Disneyland)). I will list my ideal plan for each morning, followed by some general tips. Disneyland: At rope drop, head to Space Mountain and ride. Next, backtrack to Star Tours and ride or get a Fastpass (ride if the wait is below 25 minutes). Cross to Indiana Jones Adventure and ride (use single rider if wait is more than 10 minutes and you don't mind splitting your group), or get a Fastpass. Do Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean in that order, then return to use your Indiana Jones Fastpass. If you are lucky, you'll get all this done by 10 A.M. Do Matterhorn Bobsleds, then Roger Rabbit's Car-Toon Spin (get a Fastpass and get your Gadget's Go Coaster credit while waiting), then you are pretty much free to explore the rest of the park as you see fit. DCA: At rope drop, ignore the Radiator Springs Racers Fastpass line and instead use the single rider line...you'll likely be on within fifteen minutes. Ignore the rest of Cars Land for now and head to Paradise Pier. Grab a California Screamin' Fastpass, then ride Toy Story Midway Mania, Goofy's Sky School (single rider available), and The Little Mermaid before redeeming your Fastpass. If you want a re-ride, grab another California Screamin' Fastpass (as of my last visit, California Screamin' was not connected to the DCA Fastpass loop and will not count against Fastpasses for other attractions), then get a World of Color showpass if you plan to see the show. Ride or Fastpass Soarin' Over California, then ride or Fastpass the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Except for Grizzly River Run (warning: you will get fairly wet), I would not consider anything else at DCA a must ride, so feel free to ride what you feel like, re-ride your favorite attractions, and return to DCA when ready. If you are a show person, I would not miss Aladdin, however...it is the best theme park show I've seen anywhere. General Tips: -The Disneyland Resort is a surprisingly easy park to visit when crowded, provided you have a plan of attack. I've gone on holidays and still managed 30+ attractions in a day (including all the E-tickets and several re-rides). -Fastpass is available at the following rides: Disneyland: Autopia, Indiana Jones Adventure, Roger Rabbit's Car-Toon Spin, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Star Tours; DCA: California Screamin', Goofy's Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Radiator Springs Racers, Soarin' Over California, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Indiana Jones Adventure, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Radiator Springs Racers, and Soarin' Over Californa tend to run out of Fastpasses by mid-afternoon (in RSR's case, within an hour of opening). -Single Rider is available on: Disneyland: Indiana Jones Adventure, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Splash Mountain; DCA: California Screamin', Goofy's Sky School, Grizzly River Run, Radiator Springs Racers, Soarin' Over California. Except for Soarin', single rider is often quicker than Fastpass if your group is small. -If you want to do the Fantasyland dark rides, go during a parade when the lines for most of them shrink significantly -Fantasyland and Toontown at Disneyland close early for the fireworks, and Paradise Pier at DCA closes early for World of Color -If you want to see Fantasmic, go to the second showing if you can. It is often possible to arrive ten minutes before showtime and get a good viewing location (standing room only). -Unless you get to World of Color early and can stand toward the front of the viewing area, you'll get a better view by watching from Golden Zephyr or the bridge. -If you need to kill time for a Tower of Terror Fastpass, the animation building is worth checking out. Finally, if you need to make a 9 P.M. flight out of LAX, I would leave Disneyland by 6 P.M. to allow for traffic delays. Have a good trip. While Southern California may not have the most spectacular parks out there, it does have a solid collection of parks that appeal to all demographics within a reasonably small area.