rcdude

I've seen the three lane slides at almost every fair and carnival I've been to, but the only permanent parks I've seen them at were smaller places like Palace Playland, Quassy Amusement Park and Scandia Amusement Park. They're fun, but my favorite giant slide is the Euroslide that appears at my local fair every year. Seven lanes across and about sixty feet tall. It's owned by RCS so I'm guessing it appears at the other fairs they do as well.

Excluding relocations, although I don't think any of the major coaster installations for 2012 look bad, I certainly think X-Flight looks like it is the most overrated. Although the wing trains may make it a bit interesting, it really doesn't look like that great of a layout in the first place. Wild Eagle could be in a similar vein, but I think that looks like a fun ride regardless and the setting definitely is more interesting. Contrary to what many people are saying, I actually think Verbolten looks like a pretty good ride. It's not going to make my fly all the way across the country to ride it, but I really think this is the best non-thrill coaster to be announced in the past few years. Non-coaster rides, it is definitely Transformers. I'm interested to try it, but I really can't see this being an amazing ride (based on the Transformers movies, I'd be surprised if it isn't basically Explosion: The Ride).

Top 5 (in no particular order): -WCB 2011, especially the Knott's day -TPR North East Trip and everything that went along with it -Getting to ride some of the USA's best coasters (Bizarro, Boulder Dash, El Toro, Nitro, Voyage) -My other summer trip (St. Louis), including the amazing City Museum and a Segway tour, as well as a couple theme parks (Holiday World and SFStL) -Although not amusement park related, I really enjoyed my spring break ski trip to Utah and can't wait for this year's trip

I am all for Universal Studios Hollywood adding a Wizarding World of Harry Potter provided the following two conditions are met: 1. The park is not dominated by WWoHP: To me, Universal Studios Hollywood is just as much about movies as it is about rides, and it really isn't a normal theme park. The tram tour is still one of the best attractions, and they have shows that demonstrate behind-the-scenes techniques to create films, and these are the main reasons I visit the park. I really hope that adding a Harry Potter land wouldn't overshadow the non-traditional attractions, but would complement them as an additional reason to visit. I somewhat think this is what happened with IOA (the park has become all about Harry Potter and everything else is ignored), and I really don't want to see USH become another "Harry Potter Theme Park". 2. The land is NOT a clone of the Florida counterpart: I don't mind if some things are copied (setting, locations, layout, etc), but I would really prefer it if the main attractions are not the same as they are in Florida. Sure, Forbidden Journey may be a great ride, but there are so many things that could be done in the HP universe that I'd hate to see it here as well. I could probably come up with around 50 feasible attraction concepts for the land relatively easily, so I really hope that Universal isn't lazy with the project. Besides, I believe J.K. Rowling said she didn't want multiple Harry Potter Lands, but if they are all different there really isn't a reason only one should exist. Regardless of the theme, Universal Studios Hollywood desperately needs some new attractions. It is only a hair cheaper than Disneyland, but I count only about a dozen attractions in the park (including Transformers), and I've never needed more than two-thirds of a day to do everything. As of right now, I consider USH the most overpriced park I've been to, and that, combined with the fact that it feels almost identical to what it was when I first visited in 2004, is why I typically only visit once every 3-4 years. As a fan of Harry Potter, if this land is built I would probably visit yearly, but if it is simply a carbon copy of the Florida one I would have very little incentive to add it to my itinerary when I finally get a chance to make a trip out there (currently hoping for sometime in the next few years...maybe 2014-2015).

I think this was probably my biggest year, and probably will be for the foreseeable future. Final totals (including 3 scheduled December visits): Local Parks: -Six Flags Magic Mountain (5 visits-Jaunary, March, July, October, December) -Knott's Berry Farm (5 visits-March, May, June, September, November) -Legoland California (1 visit-June) -Universal Studios Hollywood (1 visit-August) -Disneyland/Disney California Adventure Park (3 visits-October and December x2) Other Parks (all first visits, all visits in late July or early August): -Six Flags St. Louis -Holiday World -Quassy Amusement Park -Lake Compounce -Six Flags New England -Palace Playland -Funtown Splashtown U.S.A. -Canobie Lake Park -La Ronde -Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom -Magic Forest Park -Six Flags Great Adventure Non-Parks: -Nascar Cafe -Orange County Fair -Wild Rivers Waterpark

16/30. I don't know much about non-coaster rides (especially when it is history related), so I expected a low score.

I went and saw Hugo a couple days ago. Despite this being marketed as a family film, it is a really good movie. The trailers don't give away too much of the story, and it actually talks quite a bit about the history of early movies (based on what I learned in my History of Film class, it is very accurate as well). Yes, it is a little overrated, but it may be the best thing currently playing (haven't seen Muppets and probably won't, but that may be the exception). Also, I went and saw Breaking Dawn-Part 1 last weekend with my family since I was bored. Here's a simple piece of advice: Unless you are a fan of the Twilight Saga, don't waste your time on this one.

Actually, quite a bit: -Cars Land -Lex Luthor: Drop of Doom -Both of California's New Coasters -Leviathan -New parks on LeviaTHON trip -Seeing many of my TPR friends again 2012 is looking like a pretty good year. Probably the only thing I'm not specifically excited about that I'll get to try is Transformers.

I'll have to order RAW 6 at some point between now and Christmas. Don't know if I'll get the blu-ray, even though I now have a blu-ray player (a few too many repeats of those in the DVD volumes). I'm also looking forward to the next Coaster Expedition DVD (whenever that may be).

Since I post reviews as I visit parks, I don't have anywhere I can review for this contest (already reviewed everywhere I've been), but this is a great way to increase the accuracy of the park index ratings. Good luck to the contestants!

Okay, random Mini-TR. Despite the prediction of poor weather, I decided to visit Knott's today with my family as this was our last chance before the Veterans promotion ended. We were at the park from opening until about 3 P.M. or so, and during that time I managed to get on most of the major rides that were operating (Xcelerator did a couple test shots, but never opened, and Montezooma's is down for maintenance). It was mostly drizzle until 3 P.M., when it started to rain really hard and we left since everything was closing. A few comments: -I noticed a catwalk on Sierra Sidewinder next to where the second train holds that I hadn't noticed before. Is this new, or have I just not seen it in the four years the ride has been there? -Saw new queues set up at a few attractions for the Fast Lane pass, and the signs looked semi-permanent (they weren't just a portable stand or anything like that). Didn't inquire about it, but I doubt many people were using it today. -While Knott's closes most major attractions in the rain, most of the smaller rides (flats) as well as Supreme Scream and Boomerang continued to operate throughout the day. The water rides were all open and running, even with very few riders (never saw more than four at once on Perilous Plunge). -Not a fan of the new music in the park, but I don't usually notice it much unless I stop somewhere. However, I really wish they would at least leave Windseeker's soundtrack alone, as it now plays the same music as the park instead of the much better film scores it had before. -I got to see a Jaguar rollback twice. The first time, I was in line for Sierra Sidewinder and the rain was picking up (this was a little after noon). Jaguar kept sending trains, and eventually one of them slipped on the second lift and rolled backward. It went around the turn and all the way back to the pass through Montezooma's loop before stalling and heading forward, barely making it back to the bottom of the lift where it shuttled a couple times and then stopped. I later saw employees unloading the train at the base of the lift, and the entire incident led to the following five GP comments (that I heard, from smartest to dumbest): 1. I don't think Jaguar's supposed to go backwards. 2. That looks fun. Let's do it next. 3. I'm not getting near that thing! It's totally unsafe. 4. When did they upgrade Jaguar to run in reverse? 5. OMG, those people are so screwed. The second incident was as I was heading back to Sierra Sidewinder and the ride tested. It failed to climb the second lift and valleyed in the low spot between the loop pass through and the turn to the second lift. I don't know how often this happens, but I'm not sure if I've seen it before (I've certainly never seen a loaded rollback on Jaguar). -Said Hi to TPR member Bolliger&Mabillard when I went to ride Elf Mountain (creepy Christmas overlay of the log flume). I like the ride, but unlike Disney (where I prefer the Holiday Mansion and Small World), regular Timber Mountain is better. -Finally, we went on the Hat Dance in the pouring rain right before we left. It is difficult to spin those things when the wheel is slick, but the ride is still a lot of fun and very wet. In fact, I think that's the most fun I've had on the ride. I'm just gonna say it right now...if it rains at the Knott's Day of WCB 2012, we need a Hat Dance Takeover. Overall, a good day at the park, although a bit short and lacking Xcelerator.

I thought Green Lantern: First Flight was bad, but it sounds like Superman Ultimate Flight will have less than half the capacity of that thing. I will be impressed if the park can reach 200 pph, but even though operations are supposedly better than when I last visited (2008), that would probably be a pretty high goal. If I don't go for BAB, I'll need to get here 45 minutes early, get t the ride as quick as possible, and hope to be off by lunchtime. Someone asks a few posts back which was worse in terms of operations: SFDK or La Ronde. I'd probably say La Ronde after visiting it last summer (45 minutes with Gold FP), but it is pretty close (30 minute station wait at SFDK).

Favorite ride is almost definitely Yankee Cannonball. It is one of the few rides there that I feel is worth a re-ride when there is a line (Untamed is only worth re-riding if the wait is 5 minutes or less). For non-coaster rides, my favorite track ride is the Antique Cars and my favorite flats are Star Blaster and Turkish Twist (really hard to say which I liked better). Honorable mention goes to the Caterpillar, as it was a neat ride, just not that exciting. For whatever reason, I didn't really care much for rides a lot of other people liked (Boston Tea Party and Mine of Lost Souls primarily), and I found the Psycho Drome very underwhelming.

Yay! I've got Monday off, so I can do both days! Knott's was amazing last year, and SFMM is always great, so I'm really looking forward to it. I'm a little worried that having the event on a holiday weekend will make the parks quite crowded, but with ERT that shouldn't be much of an issue at all.

actually there is PLENTY of room for a giga... and would be something they need. there is enough room there for a very large coaster, let alone 2 medium one's Yes, there is enough room at the park for a Giga, but not there. As seen in this really quick picture I made using Bing maps, if you were to place I305 right on top of Log Jammer, the ride would extend from Tatsu's train storage area to almost the end of Superman's launch track, and it would cover pretty much the entire hill. Yes, you could install a custom giga over the mountain, but even with a unique layout it will still be massive and dominate the hill completely. I think some people are thinking Log Jammer will free up more space than it actually will. Realistically, anything too large, even something Tatsu's size, would probably require taking over the entire hill, and not just the area where Log Jammer stood.

Other than the obvious El Toro (that drop shouldn't exist on a woodie, so how can anything beat it?), I would have to say SFNE's Cyclone. In the back seat, there is an insane pop of airtime going over that hill.

Log Jammer was much more popular than Jetstream, at least during the summer. I rarely saw it with less than a half-hour wait for a good part of the day, and on those same days Jetstream would be about five minutes. I think it is probably due to Log Jammer being really close to the kiddie area while Jetstream is on the other side of the park, as there were quite a few families in line for Log Jammer. As for a replacement ride, I am very hesitant to believe the Giga Coaster rumor. The ride does not free up nearly enough space for a giga, and I don't think that is what SFMM really needs right now. They have plenty of large coasters, and a giga would be really expensive and kill the popularity of some of the other coasters (mainly Goliath). Until something is announced, I stand by my original idea: An Intamin launched coaster similar to Cheetah Hunt that utilizes the natural terrain and the Metro tunnel. For Deja Vu's area, I think it will either be a mid-size coaster (Eurofighter or similar size) with a couple flats or a large coaster (Diving Machine, Mega-Lite, Wing Coaster, or something similar in size), but I'm guessing that may not be until 2014/2015 (I can't see SFMM installing two big coasters in one year).

12/20. The ones I knew were probably ones most enthusiasts have heard of, and the rest I guessed based on what sounded most familiar. This was a tough one.

I cannot wait to ride this thing. It easily looks like one of the best family coasters based on what I've seen so far, and I think it will fit in well with SeaWorld San Diego. After all, I don't think that park really wants to become a major thrill park. Even if they aren't that intense, I'm more glad to see the park adding some rides as its admission price is really too high for an aquarium with a few rides (up until a couple years ago, that's pretty much all the park was).

Due to my location, I don't really have an off-season, but during the winter (especially December to March), park visits take a backseat to two other things: school and skiing. Mechanical Engineering is not an easy major, so I have a lot of schoolwork, and since I can visit the parks year-round but can only ski for a few months out of the year (dependent on where I go), I'd rather do that in most cases. If life ever gets excessively dull, however, I will pull out my TPR DVDs, play RCT3, and/or study parks I plan to visit in the coming summer.

The way I see it, everybody who visits a park and is not an employee, representative from another company, or VIP is a member of the general public. Even though some may try to distance themselves from the average citizen, anyone who is a paying customer is a GP in the park's eyes while they are in the park (exceptions may exist during special events). Now, everyone will have a different opinion about most things, but for a park to maximize profit they cater to the majority group. Therefore, while enthusiasts may complain about something like a relocated coaster, the average visitor will simply see it as a new ride and will go ride it. That is probably why something like Green Lantern at SFGAdv gets massive waits even though it is a ride from 1997...most people who visit the park have never seen it before, and to them it is brand new. Meanwhile, enthusiasts look at it as a cheap way for the park to make profit. Hey, if it works, why change the formula? As for stuff like the dumb GP thread, I find a few things in there funny, but most of those come from the least intelligent 1% of the park's visitors. Generally, park guests do stupid things because they are ignorant or not paying attention, not because they are truly that foolish. Also, next time you see something worthy of posting, count how many people are not doing anything "GP Worthy." It is a lot larger ratio than it sometimes appears. As for dumb comments and other things that are said (not actions), you will find dumb people everywhere. However, once again, that doesn't necessarily say anything about their actual intelligence. Most of the people who I have talked to were not entirely sure their facts were correct, and although not always precise they were reasonably close. I'm an enthusiast, and I know a lot about coasters and statistics, but I don't have it all memorized. For a ride like Apocalypse at SFMM, I don't know off the top of my head that the drop is 87 feet, 4 inches, but do know that it is "around 90 feet or so." When I hear people say "it's a little smaller than that white one (Colossus)," I consider that good enough. The only thing I really consider stupid is when I (or someone else) points out the obvious and the person refuses to believe it (ex. Insisting ride 1 is the tallest ride in the park when ride 2 is right next to it and clearly taller). Also, I don't find any favorite or opinion-based statement funny, although it may be a little strange. For example, someone may claim Boomerang is "one of the best coasters ever," and to an enthusiast that is likely not true, but if the person has only been to Knott's and Disneyland and likes "loop-de-loops," it makes perfect sense. Okay, the short version of this long post is that there are people who do or say things that are really funny to enthusiasts, but they are a very small minority, and whether they like it or not, enthusiasts are part of the general public as well.

I like the meal plan idea, but I don't think any of the current proposals sound that great. I wouldn't want anything that didn't include drinks, didn't include full meals, or is only valid at one location, and all three of the proposals have one or moreof those. Here's what I think would be good: Each Time Through the Line You Get: 1 of everything per visit Park Locations Where You Can Eat: Minimum 4 Different Restaurants How Often You Can Get Food: 2 Entrees + sides per visit, unlimited snacks and drinks (1 per hour) What Drinks are Included?: Unlimited drinks during the day (1 per hour) Hours You Can Get Food: Opening to Closing Price: $50-75 I doubt they'll actually do something like this, but if they did I might consider it. I rarely have two full meals when I visit (both due to price and food quality), but over a full season it might be cheaper to have a meal plan.

Everything is working fine for me.

Log Jammer typically stays open year-round. Jet Stream gets reduced hours and Roaring Rapids closes during off-peak. When I went last January, Log Jammer was closed and there was a sign saying, "Log Jammer is closed for the season. It will reopen in the Spring." I believe that was the first year they closed it for the winter, however, as I've ridden it in December and January before (it isn't very popular then; we had to wait nearly twenty minutes for someone to come by so we could use the water guns we had already paid for). I may be wrong, but I doubt Log Jammer will be closing permanently this year. I do think it will be leaving in the near future, but not quite yet. Unless there is a problem with the ride, it would be a dumb move for the park to remove two major attractions at once with no immediate replacement, and I am nearly certain they won't be adding two major replacement coasters in 2013. Of course, I've been surprised by the park before (especially the 2011 announcement), but to add a Diving Machine/Giga Coaster and a Launch Coaster (the two most heavily rumored additions) in one year seems way out there ($50 million on new rides in one park for one year...not something Six Flags would likely do). Of course, there is always the highly likely possibility that some of the rumors hold little weight, but until I see an official announcement I refuse to believe Log Jammer is leaving just yet.

Cedar Point could really use a skip the line system, but like others are saying it would be horrible if it wasn't done right. I don't know how the system worked at Kings Island, but I'm guessing you just went up the exit and got on the next available train (that's what Knott's does with theirs). If Cedar Point isn't going the Q-bot route, the best option would probably be something like this: A certain number of Fast Lane (or whatever it's called) people get on each train (or every other train), and it is a small enough number that it won't affect the regular line too much (no more than 1/3 the capacity of the train). Either there are designated rows for these riders that are generally blocked off in the regular line, or they are permitted to pick anywhere except high demand rows. On the most popular coasters (at Cedar Point, it would probably be Millennium, Top Thrill, and Maverick, plus possibly one or two more), riders are restricted to only one or two uses, while all other rides are unlimited uses. That would probably work out well, and it combines elements of most of the non-electronic systems I've used. I really think something like this could be good at most Cedar Fair parks, or at least the major ones, and would be popular if it was priced right (depending on size of the park and number of available rides, $40-$50 per person).