rcdude

Knott's Berry Farm at some point in the next couple weeks, or Universal Studios Hollywood in mid/late June.

Thanks for the response, Elissa. I'll talk to everyone else and see what they think. I'll also check the websites, especially the Parc Asterix one (it was glitchy on my old computer, but that was probably my computer). If everyone agrees and we can devote Thursday or Friday to a park, we might go for it. If we decide to go, especially to Disneyland Paris, I'll post a ride priority list to see what the best strategy is. Until then, if anyone else has general tips feel free to submit them.

This summer, I'm going on a trip to Europe with my family from July 4th to July 17th. We will be spending time in London, Venice, and Paris, as well as taking a few days to drive through Europe (Venice to Paris), stopping at Chamonix and Normandy on the way. While this is not a theme park trip, I've been looking into the idea of visiting one park if time allows, both to see what European parks are like and because there are several I want to visit. Looking at our schedule, it seems that Paris would be the easiest place to spend a day at a park since we'll be there the longest (arrive evening July 11th, leave morning July 16th). I know both Disneyland Paris and Parc Asterix are nearby, and of the two I'd prefer to visit Parc Asterix (and since it is cheaper it would fit the budget better), but I've got a few questions. General: 1. Since we will not have a car in Paris, how easy is it to reach these parks by public transit? I think there is a train station somewhere at Disneyland Paris resort, but I'm not so sure about Parc Asterix. 2. Which of the full days we have in Paris (Thursday, July 12th through Sunday, July 15th) would be best for a park visit? Which would be worst? 3. How English friendly are the parks? I'm not expecting all the signs to be in English and all the employees to speak English, but if basic French (think what you might find in a guidebook) isn't sufficient I don't know if it is worth visiting. Here, I'm guessing Disney would be the more English friendly of the two. Parc Asterix: 1. How much time does it take to do everything at this park (assume we're doing all non-kiddie coasters and major non-coaster rides, and all flats are time permitting)? I figured it would probably be 3/4 to a full day depending on crowds, and I'm mainly wondering how close this guess is. 2. Other than Le Defi de Cesar and Transdemonium, are there any other must-ride non-coaster attractions? Disneyland Paris: 1. How feasible is it to do both parks in one day, assuming we want to do the headliner attractions (coasters, Pirates, Tower of Terror, Phantom Manor, etc.) unless they are direct copies of rides at California Disney, plus anything unique to the Paris parks (or at least not present in some form in California)? I've done 16 hour days at Disneyland during holiday periods and gotten everything done, but I'm not sure how the crowds at the Paris parks compare. If we can't do both parks, I'd probably rather wait until a future trip to do Disney. I'm not certain whether or not we'll be able to include a park, but my dad did say he wants us to pick what we want to do on the trip and if one of these sounds possible I'll suggest it to him. Also, if anyone has any tips for getting everything at the parks done efficiently those would be appreciated.

Wow! I expected a price increase with the new DCA expansion, but this is way steeper than I expected. $20 increase for a one-day hopper? Not unreasonable if Cars Land actually lives up to the hype, or it wouldn't be if it wasn't already over $100. And the cheapest pass increased from $200 to $270? I think I'm going to have to reconsider renewing when mine expires in October (it will mostly depend on my school schedule). And $150 increase for the premium pass? I don't think Disney has done enough to warrant a sudden 30% increase, especially when show quality has been declining on some of the attractions in Disneyland Park. Honestly, I'm really interested in seeing how much more Disney can increase tickets before attendance begins to take a major hit. I'm sure there is a price everyone is willing to pay, and after that it just isn't worth it. My prediction is that if the one day, one park ticket reaches $100 or the resort doesn't continue to add major new attractions each year attendance will take a dive, and if they just discontinued that payment plan pass sales would probably drop off by about 40%. For me, the critical point is approximately $90 for a one park ticket, $130 for a hopper, and $300 for a pass. Disneyland is getting really close to that, and although I love the park I can see a day in the near future where I will either visit one time per year or stop going all together. In my opinion, Disneyland should be approximately $70 for a one day, one park ticket, $10-20 more for a hopper, and only offer the deluxe and premium passes with no payment plan. This would probably solve many of the attendance problems. I doubt Walt would be happy with these prices. Anyway, on a different topic, I was at the park yesterday and got a few progress pictures of Mad T Party stuff being put up. I didn't see any similar photos in the past ten pages or so of the thread, so I'm guessing these are actually an update (if not, they're just additional photos). These signs were all over, letting guests know what is being put together. I guess this is the rabbit hole entrance or something. I haven't been keeping up too much with the news releases. The main stage area. I'm guessing this will be where the DJs perform. These lanterns were hanging all over above the main stage. I don't think they're quite as interesting as the ones above Mad Tea Party over at Disneyland. One of the two drink stands. This one is next to the stage where Laserman performed during Electronica. The other drink stand, formerly known as the End of Line club. The giant arch above the entrance to the Mad Arcade. I guess this is supposed to look like a house of cards (hence the name of the drink stand). The Mad Arcade, tucked back where Flynn's Arcade was located. A final overview of the back area. I'm really interested to see how this turns out, even though it doesn't really sound like my thing (I didn't care much for Electronica either). Other random notes: -DCA looks almost complete. I'm sure the park will look great once the construction walls come down. -Matterhorn was cycling the new trains on and off throughout the day. They look great. -Ariel's new hair...not sure if I like it or not yet. It doesn't look as ridiculous as the old hair did, but at the same time it doesn't seem to move in a realistic manner. Either way, there are several other things in that ride that are more in need of modification than the hair (such as the somewhat confusing ending. The new animation, at least on the first screen, is better, but I didn't notice anything different on the transformation screen. -Grad Night is apparently one of the few times Toy Story Midway Mania is not the most crowded ride at DCA. At approximately 5:30 P.M.: TSMM-40 min, Screamin'-35 min, Soarin'-35 min, Grizzly-40 min, Tower-85 min! -Is it just me, or does the show quality of some of Disneyland's attractions (primarily Splash Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, and Small World) seem to be declining. Maybe they are just finishing maintenance before the summer season begins in a couple weeks. We now return you to the previous discussion about prices (and/or a new discussion about Mad T Party).

I honestly hope this doesn't have Flash Pass, as the capacity is already low enough. I've heard people say 400, but I'm guessing it will realistically be about half that (400 pph would be one train every 1:45, and while I don't know the ride time I'm sure the loading cycle will take at least 30 seconds). If the ride does have Flash Pass, I really hope they do something similar to Green Lantern: First Flight (Platinum only, $15 per person per reservation upcharge). The only issue I can think of here is that the ride will travel at high speed over the transfer track, which other coasters don't do. The way Superman was shown operating in the animation, it will travel through the station at 60 MPH. Premier could probably make it work somehow, but Six Flags apparently didn't want to pay the cost to add a two-train transfer system.

All of these are in no particular order, and this is based only on coasters I've been on. Best: -Flight Deck (CGA): The helix over the water is the best part of the ride in my opinion -Flight of Fear (KD): Surprise corkscrew just before the brakes -Gold Rusher (SFMM): One of the best mine train helixes -Green Lantern (SFGAdv): Bonus corkscrew and extra dip when the ride seems to be over -Mystery Mine (DW): Beyond vertical drop into an in-line twist and dive loop with a bit of hangtime -Riddler's Revenge (SFMM): Just as the ride seems to be winding up, it takes a surprise dive into a corkscrew concealed in a ditch -River King Mine Train (SFStL): Sudden drop into the tunnel at the end of the ride Worst: -Anaconda (KD): The whole second half is rough, awkward and boring -Colossus (SFMM): After the initial brakes, the ride has another drop and picks up a bit of speed just to hit the final brakes -Cyclone (SFNE): Just meanders slowly along the course until it gets back to the station -Gemini (CP): Long runout into a jerky helix -Hurler (Both): Just an excessive number of hills that give no airtime at all but succeed in shaking you up -Millennium Force (CP): Just a long straight section followed by a repetitive overbank turn -Skull Mountain (SFGAdv): Not so much the end being lame as it just seems to end suddenly and unexpectedly -Technic Coaster (LC): The ride has a long, slow switchback between the last block and the final brakes I actually don't mind the lift at the end of Ninja too much, probably because there is no buildup. It comes to a complete stop, crawls to the lift, then slowly coasts off it into the station. To me, it feels no different than the return to the station from the final brakes on any other coaster, just much longer.

One more reason SFMM should never have gotten a ZacSpin in the first place. Poor capacity, can't run it effectively without the mid-course stop, not a major enough attraction compared to their other coasters, and now they won't even allow it to flip. I already won't wait more than 15 minutes to ride this, but if the chance of flipping is slim to none I might just have to avoid it until the policy changes unless it happens to be a walk on. This ride would probably have been much better suited at a park like SFA, SFDK, or Great Escape.

15/20. Mostly just guessed something I'd heard of if I hadn't actually seen it, and more often than not I guessed right.

Basically, I go by "if it's on RCDB, it's a credit, otherwise it is not." In addition, I use the following modifications for more debated rides. To help with clarity, I define a credit as the actual mechanical system and a ride/attraction as the credit(s) plus any additional theming/landscaping elements specific to the attraction. Multi-Tracked Coasters: If each track can operate independently, each one is a separate credit. However, if they share common elements, they are one attraction. For example, a ride like Colossus would be one attraction, but two credits. If a coaster is a mobius loop, it is one credit. Relocated Coasters: It counts as a different ride, but not a new credit. Modified Coasters: In order to qualify as a new credit, the layout needs to change significantly or most of the track needs to be replaced. Repainting/renaming/retheming a ride, changing/reversing the trains, adding/changing restraints, and modifying operation do not make a ride a new credit. Depending on what was done, it may qualify as a different ride as well. Examples: New Texas Giant, Phantom's Revenge, and Space Mountain would all count as new credits. Boulder Dash, Goofy's Sky School, Intimidator 305, Space Mountain: Mission 2, Superman: Escape from Krypton, and X2 would not. Traveling Coasters: If I can verify that it is a unique ride, I count it. If I'm not sure, I don't. If an attraction is replaced by an identical model, it counts as a new credit once I can verify the ride is actually different. Powered Coasters: As long as the ride is listed on RCDB and is gravity-influenced, I count these as credits. Coaster-like powered rides that are not listed on RCDB do not count. Flume Rides: If the ride has a significant coaster portion where it is locked to rails (such as Journey to Atlantis), I count it as a credit. Rides that have coaster elements that are not listed on RCDB (such as Splash Mountain) do not count. Gravity-Based Rides: Dark rides that are powered by gravity do not count unless they are listed on RCDB (such as Blazing Fury). Drop rides do not count. Waterslides: Even though they are commonly called water coasters, Rockets/Master Blasters definitely do not count. In all honesty, it doesn't matter how you count them, and I'm sure everyone counts differently. When someone asks me my count, I'll tell them something like "around 200" instead of a specific number. I don't care about how many rides I've been on, and won't go out of my way just to increase my count. I only keep track for personal interest.

While Wildcat is certainly not the park's worst coaster, it is in the bottom third and has seemed like the most likely candidate for removal for some time. I rode it once and thought it was okay, but it wasn't good enough that I'd wait more than ten minutes to ride again (with the low capacity, that short of line is probably uncommon). Wildcats seem out of place at major parks, and I think they're a better fit for a small or medium sized park. I won't miss the ride when I next visit the park, and I'll be interested in seeing what replaces it.

This year, I've got: -Disneyland Resort Southern California Select Pass -Knott's Berry Farm Season Pass -Universal Studios Hollywood Three Day Pass (I've currently used one day, and I'll be using at least one more this summer) Additionally, if SeaWorld San Diego is still doing the buy a day, get a year free when I visit this summer, I'll get one there as well. I had a Six Flags Magic Mountain Xtreme Pass last year, but decided not to renew since the park is 90 minutes away and I probably won't visit more than twice this year (once was WCB, and the other will be sometime after Lex Luthor opens). Also, last year I visited a bunch of Six Flags parks while I don't plan on visiting any others this year.

This gives me a lot less incentive to go up in the Sky Tower again. Yes, it gives a good view of the park and the surrounding land, but how often do you need to go up and see everything? Besides, it takes three or four times as long as the average gyro tower since you have to wait for the elevator twice. I wonder what the park is thinking, as I can't imagine it required any additional staffing or maintenance work to keep the artifacts on display up there. Unless they've got other plans for the space, it makes no sense.

The only thing I could see done differently with Leviathan's ending would be something similar to Intimidator: After the high brake run, have a dip, an inclined helix, and another dip onto the final brakes. However, given that the park already spent $28 million on a 5,400 ft ride over 300 ft tall, they figured they already had enough to it and didn't want to spend another million or two for a short additional segment. Either that, or B&M didn't want to chance anything going wrong (this is their largest coaster to date, after all), and designed a simple ending. As for the ride itself, I'm looking forward to riding it this summer. It might be my favorite coaster, it might not be, but I'm almost certain it will make my top 25 list. No way to tell for sure until I ride. Based on what I've heard so far, I doubt it will appeal to everyone (not many coasters do anyway), but I'm pretty sure most enthusiasts would agree that Behemoth and Leviathan are the top two coasters at Canada's Wonderland. They may be somewhat similar, but I think both are different enough that it won't feel like having two of the same ride in one park.

I generally don't pay attention to these types of articles, but it does annoy me a bit when they label a non-coaster ride as a coaster. Either call it "America's 5 Scariest Thrill Rides" or omit Big Shot. As far as the selection goes, scary is subjective and the author may have been going for a broad range of types or just selecting the most impressive statictics. The rides may not be the top five most scary, but most people who read the article have probably been on less than 50 coasters. When I took my sister and her friends (all high school students who have only been to the So Cal parks) to Knott's last month for her birthday, a couple of them were too scared to ride Montezooma's Revenge, and I don't know many enthusiasts who consider that ride scary. If I showed them a picture of a coaster like Xcelerator but twice as tall, they'd probably reply, "No way are you getting me on that!" Personally, I've been on three of the five attractions listed, and while I don't find any of them scary, most of my non-enthusiast friends would take one look and decide not to ride. In short, for the right person these could be the scariest coasters. For someone else, they might be completely unintimidating. Either way, this is a random internet article written by someone who has probably never even seen or been on these coasters, and to most enthusiasts it seems like a poor list. However, it wasn't written for enthusiasts in the first place.

I usually just talk with other members of my party, take pictures or check out the scenery (the latter two mainly at parks I haven't visited before). I also occasionally just listen to conversations around me while watching the ride and, even less often, get involved in a conversation with a complete stranger (almost always about the ride I'm in line for). When I go by myself, I usually pick days that lines won't be too bad, as my waiting tolerance is drastically less when I'm alone (approximately 25 minutes alone versus 2 hours with a group for a top tier attraction).

The only other one I can think of that could be less would be moving Sidewinder from the old Elitch Gardens location to the current one. I don't know how far that moved, but it can't have been much further. If Speed reopens, that is excellent. That is a really good coaster, easily the best in the state. I hope that the trains will be switched to the lapbar only style used on Mr. Freeze and other Premier coasters, as that would be much more comfortable than Premier's horrible shoulder harnesses and would probably not be that expensive (at least compared to the cost of modifying the layout). Other than that, as long as the ride is run more frequently than once every fifteen minutes I'll definitely do it again next time I make my way out there. If that waterpark gets open next summer as well, I might have to do a long weekend trip out there (especially now that I'm old enough to gamble).

That ride looks a lot better in it's new location than it did at SFMM. I'm sure it will be a great fit, and will give SFNE a third above-average coaster. As far as the train is concerned, at WCB I remember Tim saying that the ride would use the original Deja Vu train for initial testing and certification, and the new train wouldn't be installed until just before opening. I do not know if plans have changed or not, but I don't think an opening date has been announced for this yet. If the Deja Vu train is still being used a week before opening and the Premier train is nowhere in sight, it would probably be safe to assume plans have changed. Until then, I still think we'll be seeing the Premier train within a month or so.

Honestly, even with a Flash Pass if you can't spend at least six hours in the park I wouldn't recommend visiting. When I've gone in the winter and can get on every coaster with a maximum four train wait, it still takes about four hours to do everything due to the size of the park and the time required walking between rides. If you really want to visit a park and you're under that time constrant, I'd recommend going to Knott's Berry Farm and purchasing a Fast Lane pass. This will allow you to get everything done, and possibly get re-rides on the park's best coasters. If, however, you really want to visit SFMM, here is what you should do: First, you will definitely need to budget for a Gold or Platinum Flash Pass. If you want to ride Green Lantern, you need a Platium level and you'll need $15 extra per person. If you want to ride X2, either level is fine but the additional fee applies. Unless you want to ride Green Lantern or re-ride every coaster (a bad idea given your time constraint), a Gold would probably be sufficient. You can use the Flash Pass at any other coaster (except the kiddies) for the price listed on the website. Next, make a priority list of the park's coasters. Designate a handful of them as must ride, another group as second tier, and a third group as time permitting. Here's a sample (this is what I'd choose, but depending on your interest they may be different): Must Ride: X2 Goliath Apocalypse the Ride Tatsu Superman: Escape from Krypton Riddler's Revenge Second Tier: Colossus Scream! Green Lantern: First Flight You should have no more than ten coasters total between the two lists. Whatever is not on these lists becomes your time permitting list. When you are at the park, make your way around it in one direction. Do each ride as you get to it, regardless of the wait on the Flash Pass. Do not backtrack until you have completed every must ride. If you queue up a second tier or time permitting ride before you have completed all the must rides and it is not time to ride when you reach it, cancel and queue something else. Once you complete the must rides, repeat with your second tier, then go around in whatever order until it is time to leave. As far as crowds go, I'm not sure how it will be. It is the day after Independence Day (which is often one of the biggest holidays for amusement parks), but since that falls on a Wednesday this year it might not affect surrounding days much. I'd plan for slightly more crowded than an average summer weekday (at SFMM, an average summer weekday is 60-90 minute waits for the headliners). Two final things...be prepared that you may not get on everything, and likely won't get about half of your time permitting rides done, especially if there is a breakdown, and wait until after you leave to eat. It's cheaper, better, and won't use up valuable time inside the park.

^I'm pretty sure it was discussed in another thread that Chiller was likely heading to a park in Brazil. Either way, if the ride was sold it is almost guaranteed to not be destined for any Six Flags park. ^^My guess is that crowds will be low, although I've never visited in April before. If the park is empty enough, you won't need to worry about what order you do attractions in. However, when I've visited during the summer, I always start at Tatsu (via Revolution's exit) and go clockwise. You may not be able to get multiple rides on Tatsu, but you will be able to get them on Apocalypse, Riddler's, and possibly Goliath depending on how fast you go. X2 always has a line, but it is usually shorter in the afternoon and the ride rarely opens on time anyway. Gold Rusher, Colossus, Revolution, and Ninja usually don't have a significant wait so it doesn't matter when you ride those. If you want to do Green Lantern, do that one early as well. Superman will be closed until late May/early June so that isn't a concern. Worst case scenario, you can always purchase a Flash Pass but my guess is that you won't have more than a 30 minute wait for anything (possibly not even that long, provided rides are being run at capacity).

I'm interested to see how this will affect visits from those who aren't locals. Since Fast Lane will make it possible to realistically do everything in one day, I wonder if the resort will see a decrease in multi-day stays. I guess the price of Fast Lane is comparable to that of another ticket so Cedar Fair won't be losing out on much revenue. Anyway, I'm definitely in support of this system if they can do it well. With the exception of Xcelerator, it has worked well at Knott's so I trust Cedar Point will be able to do a good job with it also. The only thing I question is the ride selection, although I guess most of the Cedar Fair parks seem to be including the more popular coasters and balancing them out with non-coaster rides. I still think they should have included Wicked Twister and Wildcat, however (they could drop Corkscrew and Mean Streak to add these two).

I think they've still got plenty of time to make a Memorial Day opening. This is a drop tower, not a roller coaster. It will probably only take two weeks or so to put all the pieces on Superman's tower. I'm not sure how much testing is required for this type of ride versus a roller coaster, but I would imagine it is probably less since the ride is a much simpler system.

25/26. Only missed one of the obscure ones since I guessed wrong.

Universal Studios Hollywood in mid-June to ride Transformers, unless I happen to go to Knott's before then (already been three times this season, so I don't know if I'll be go in May or not).

^^When I went last Saturday, Pony Express and Flying Ace Balloon Race were the only closed rides. It was very crowded, and every coaster except GhostRider only had one train running. Xcelerator was a 60 minute wait, and Silver Bullet looked to be around 90 (I didn't ride it, so I can't say for sure). Did GhostRider first thing so I got on the fourth train of the day, but when I got off the entire building was full.

Xcelerator on Saturday. Still worth the 54 minute wait it had.