rcdude

Looks like Darien Lake is getting a pretty good addition this year. I love the fact that they aren't promoting Rolling Thunder as a coaster like everywhere else seems to be doing with their new super loops this year. Hopefully this is a step toward significant improvement for the park as it has a lot of potential that isn't being utilized at the moment.

I'd definitely pick the Virginia trip as well. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is one of the best parks I've been to and Kings Dominion is probably the best middle-tier Cedar Fair park. You could probably do each park in one day, but if you want to take it easy and see everything at BGW (not just do rides) two days would be better. I'd probably recommend adjusting your plan slightly so that you do two days at BGW, then take a non-park day or two for other stuff in the area, then do Kings Dominion on the way to Washington DC (it is close to half way between Williamsburg and Washington...slightly closer to Williamsburg, but not much). I haven't been to Washington DC so I won't comment on that, but I will say it definitely looks like there would be plenty to do for 3-4 days. If you do end up going to Cedar Point, I would allow three days if possible just in case of inclement weather. Without Fast Lane, it takes two full days to do everything in the park, so if rain causes operational issues you could end up missing stuff. Since Cleveland is the closest airport to Cedar Point, I'd recommend adding a day either at the beginning or end of your trip to do stuff there (the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is definitely worth a visit). There's not a whole lot to do right around Sandusky, and the closest "park" to Cedar Point would be the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, which is more of a zoo and is a two hour drive each way. If you really want to add a second park onto the trip, you can drive out to Waldameer from Cleveland, but you would be driving at least an hour and a half each way for a half-day park (a good park, but still not one worth a full day). The other option would be to do a Cleveland to Cincinnati trip (or vice versa) and include Kings Island, but this might not be feasible for a 4 day timespan and would be quite expensive.

In my opinion, Silver Bullet is a solid middle-tier B&M Invert. It's not my favorite ride at Knott's, but still one I enjoy and ride once or twice per visit. If I were a ride op at the park, Silver Bullet and Xcelerator would probably be my top choices to work (if I had a choice, that is). Both seem like they tend to have the best crews in the park (at least among the coasters) and as the rides are popular you'd get to see a lot of reactions. Perhaps I'll see you next time I visit the park (though I probably won't realize I did).

I agree. Never never never never EVER go on Saturday, UNLESS you get the platinum pass. That is the ONLY way i will go on a Saturday. Foolish otherwise...unless you just really love to waste money and wait in likes to go on maybe 3 rides for your 60 bucks.... I think that's a bit of an exaggeration. Yes, it is true that Saturdays are usually significantly busier than Sundays, but on a regular off-season weekend it's still possible to do everything in a day without a Flash Pass (though you'll have no time for re-rides). I also would never recommend the Platinum Flash Pass at SFMM, as the price is not worth it for the slight wait time improvement and you will make a lot of enemies if you choose to do double rides. In reply to your questions, NYTrojan... I typically start with Full Throttle and go counter-clockwise around the park. Typically this allows me to get to Apocalypse before encountering any significant waits (15 minutes or more). X2 is mobbed at opening as roughly 70% of the crowd tends to go straight to that ride, but the line will drop to around 30 minutes mid-afternoon while Full Throttle doesn't tend to experience the same phenomenon. Note that you will definitely have a bit of a wait for Tatsu as the queue often fills about an hour after opening and doesn't really empty out, so you can alternatively go straight there after Full Throttle and go clockwise from there (though this can result in long lines for Riddler's Revenge and/or Goliath). On a moderately crowded day (likely what tomorrow will be), Full Throttle typically peaks around 45-60 minutes. On busy days or during one train operation, the line can get up to 90 minutes. As a general rule of thumb, if you don't do Full Throttle first thing in the morning plan to wait at least 45 minutes for it unless the park is dead. I think Lex Luthor is a bit too intimidating for the average SFMM visitor as I've rarely seen the line exceed 30 minutes. If you go here in the morning you might get right on, but note that this one often opens late. If the line is long enough, the park will open a single rider line and this often gets you on in 5-10 minutes. Scream is closed, but the rest of the coasters should be open. Some flat rides and the three water rides may also be closed. Don't be surprised if some coasters are running one train, especially the ones that only have two. They've gotten better over the past couple years, though there is still room for improvement. It's no Disneyland, but it's not the SFMM of the early/mid 2000s either. I believe X2 is the only coaster that still requires the use of a locker. Several other rides have them, but I'm pretty sure they all either have storage bins/racks or will allow riders to place items against the far wall of the station.

^^Do you mean right as in when you're looking at the ride or as in when you're on the ride? I usually refer to them as when looking at it from the entrance, and when I last visited (December) the right side was open. I haven't really kept track, but that seems to be the more common side. The story I've heard regarding the old Superman cars is that SFMM donated them to the National Roller Coaster Museum and moved them out to that parking lot to await pick-up. However, the museum has yet to secure the funds required to transport them to Texas. Therefore, they've just been left at their present location since 2011. There's next to no chance of them ever running on Superman again.

It needs to be long enough to bring a train to a complete stop without causing injuries to riders. Given that the train will probably be moving fairly quickly when entering the block, I'd expect it to be about 1.5 to 2 times the length of a train (or possibly even longer). The animation did look cool, but due to this change I'm almost certain that won't be happening anymore. It probably wouldn't be good for the chain, which will definitely have to start at the bottom of the hill with a block there. I doubt this will bring the train to a full stop (like Goliath, for example), but you will probably slow down quite a bit and go maybe a train length up the hill before it catches. Maybe it's just me, but I don't see the addition of a brake section at the bottom of the second lift as a big deal. Most coasters with multiple lifts have something like this, and it should actually improve the racing aspect by allowing it to occur more frequently. Sure, one part of the ride won't be quite like the animation, but the rest of the coaster should still be top 25 material.

Of all the Six Flags parks, Great Adventure is the one park where a RMC doesn't necessarily seem like the best choice. With El Toro in the park, it would probably be better to invest in a GCI or similar if the park wants another wooden coaster. However, after this year Great Adventure will be the biggest Six Flags park without a RMC, and given that Six Flags has been very happy with the company so far I wouldn't be surprised to see one appear as the park's next major coaster. 2016 seems like a likely year for a new coaster, as it will be five years since the last one, and there is still at least one 2016 RMC unaccounted for, so it is definitely possible. I also agree with everyone else that if 2016 does not bring a coaster it will most likely bring a Justice League clone, assuming the ride is successful.

After taking some time to think about the new additions, I've come to the conclusion that they're good, but not good enough to convince me to make a special trip, especially with the continuing price increases. I'm not much of a fan of parades, but I do enjoy World of Color and the firework show, so next time I visit I'll be sure to watch those. Projection mapping is getting more and more common, but I'm interested to see how it plays into the new show. Hopefully it adds to it and isn't a distraction as the main focus should remain on the fireworks. I do think it would have been nice to announce some additional improvements (ideally more Fantasyland dark ride refurbishments), but what they've revealed so far is okay. While this probably wasn't a good time to announce new rides, the park definitely needs to add some major attractions in the near future, as Cars Land is starting to drop off in appeal and there will be some serious competition up the freeway next year. I'm not an economist, but I have to think the resort is pretty close to their price ceiling based on what the parks currently offer, so hopefully the rumored Marvel and Star Wars Lands are on the horizon. If not, an attendance drop beginning next year wouldn't surprise me much.

My complete list is about three pages long so I'll just post the top tier of the list. US Parks (no particular order): Busch Gardens Tampa Idlewild & SoakZone Kennywood Michigan's Adventure Silver Dollar City Six Flags Fiesta Texas Six Flags Over Georgia Six Flags Over Texas Universal Orlando Resort Worlds of Fun International Parks (no particular order): Alton Towers Europa Park Heide Park Resort Holiday Park Liseberg Phantasialand Toverland The second tier list includes the rest of the major European parks, the remaining Florida parks (and a handful of less major North American properties), as well as Tokyo Disney. These are not really of less interest to me, they are just ones I'm not considering for trips in the near future (next three years) for one reason or another.

Based on the current state of Twisted Colossus, I don't think there's a chance it will be ready in late March. At the current pace of construction, I'd estimate there's about two more months of track work left to do, then the ride will probably need about a month and a half for electrical work, programming, and testing. More than likely just the theater will be open for the event, as it is right at the top of the path. Anything is possible, but I would be very surprised to see Twisted Colossus open before mid-May.

rcoaster10, excellent NoLimits creation! If done properly, Mean Streak could possibly become the best RMC conversion and would likely be Cedar Point's best coaster. The question is whether Cedar Fair would want to invest money into a conversion of Mean Streak or just tear it down and build a new coaster. I'm thinking the latter is probably more likely, but I have heard rumors of RMC conversions coming to one or two other Cedar Fair parks in the next few years, and if another park gets an RMC Cedar Point will most likely follow suit.

Great report! Banshee Bash was one of the best days of the tour and Kings Island was an excellent park. I agree with you about the rattle on Banshee...it was noticeable but didn't detract significantly from the ride. I actually liked Flight of Fear, though the Kings Dominion version is significantly better (it's smoother, darker, and doesn't slow down as much), but in any case the random singer made the ride. Lastly, Racer was probably the hidden gem of Kings Island's coaster lineup, especially when it was racing. I think we rode four times and the ride was just as fun each time. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the report, regardless of how long it may end up taking to finish it.

The park will be Knott's Berry Farm. The date is not set, but it could be anytime from later this week to early next month.

Have fun! Snow Summit and Bear Mountain are my primary local ski areas (not the closest, but the ones I visit most often for day trips) and they're fun for a day or two. I like the fact that both are on one ticket since I personally prefer Summit, but typically go over to Bear for a couple hours as well since they've got more challenging terrain. I'm hoping I'll get another chance to go skiing this season. I've only gone one day so far (Big Bear Mountain Resorts on New Year's Day) and my planned trips to Mammoth Mountain have been getting cancelled due to snow conditions. Unfortunately, I don't have time for a long trip this year, so California needs to get more snow.

Well, I guess we now know how the blocking issue will be solved. I'm somewhat curious as to whether the animation showed the original design and there was a minor change between when the animation was produced and when construction started. Block brake or not, I'm sure the ride will still be outstanding and if this will somehow increase the frequency of dueling trains then I am all for it. As for the new colors of Scream, blue and orange is a good combination, though I'm a little surprised by the choice given that it's the same colors as nearby Goliath (although swapped). It won't be an issue since the shades will be much darker, but it's still not what I would have expected.

Boston does have a really good public transit system, especially by US standards. The layout is pretty simple and you can get wherever you want to go without much hassle. According to the tour guide, you have to buy tickets to the red seat on a per game basis. I'm not sure if you actually have to buy the ticket in person on game day or you can do so online. The guide also said that if you sit in the seat you will be pestered continuously throughout the game by people who want their picture with it. I rode it in late August, so I probably rode it after you did. I would highly recommend visiting Boston when you get the chance. It is a great city and there are only a handful of American cities with the same amount of history behind them. As for Thunderbolt, you definitely rode it after I did, so I'm guessing you either got lucky or it didn't bother you as much. Where you sit also may make a difference (if I remember right, I was in the middle seat of the back row).

I really hope that is just a temporary rendering in the promo. If that's the final appearance, this ride isn't going to look very good at all. I think I've said it before, but while I'm still interested to see how Voyage to the Iron Reef is, my excitement for the ride has pretty much disappeared. I'm not a huge fan of screen based attractions, and this one appears to be 100% screen based (no sets or anything). I'm sure it will be popular with the public and I'm hoping the ride surprises me, but I just have a feeling it's going to be a bit underwhelming. I guess we'll find out in May.

How has it been a month since I last posted in here? I guess I've just been very busy. Yeah, I've heard that Soarin' Eagle and Time Warp are the best of the Volares. I'll have to get to Playland Park one of these days to see just how bad their Volare is. As for Thunderbolt, if it was smooth or at least only a little rough I probably would consider it my favorite coaster at Coney Island, but it was just particularly brutal when I rode. As far as I'm concerned, if riders return with visible injuries the ride has issues, and there was definitely a visible injury on this ride. I have heard Thunderbolt was better when it first opened and got worse over the summer, so depending on when you rode it you may have had a better experience. When it comes to the Wonder Wheel (which I did mention in my non-coaster summary), it's not a particularly thrilling ride, but it is fun for the historical aspect. I don't know that I'd bother to do it again on a solo trip to Coney Island in the future, but I wouldn't mind doing it again. We did walk by Victorian Gardens but I knew in advance it would cost $12 to get the kiddie coaster credit, which is not worth it to me (if it was like $5, however...). I also wouldn't have wanted to keep other family members waiting and/or provide them with blackmail material. That's exactly why we waited until the evening for the Empire State Building. Even at night it still took an hour to get to the top and I honestly wouldn't want to wait much longer than that. I definitely like the lit-up city view over a daytime view as well. I've been to 6 different baseball stadiums and Yankee Stadium is easily my least favorite. It's sad that more care wasn't put into preserving the character of the old stadium when the new one was built. I tend to compare it with Busch Stadium as those are the two new stadiums I've visited, but while Busch Stadium had some memorable features and interesting areas there was absolutely nothing I'd consider noteworthy about Yankee Stadium. Some parts of it still feel like a dump and others are reasonably nice. I don't know how Cyclone used to be, but it was definitely running great when I rode. I'd even say it rivals Great Escape's Comet for the title of New York's best woodie. I was wondering how those doing the NYC add-on ended up spending their free time. I had a feeling skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, the Yankee game, and Broadway Musicals would be the popular options. Sounds like you made good use of your time and did things others may not have considered. I still wish I could have done the add-on, mainly because I missed out on the Pizza Tour (I suggested doing it on Monday to my family but they all shot it down). Yeah, Thunderbolt hurt. Given the layout it definitely should have been a much better ride than it was. For seaside parks, I have yet to find one that I enjoyed better than the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. While it doesn't have any big modern thrill rides, the atmosphere of the park is great and it does have a good mix of modern attractions and old classics. I'd say it's probably my favorite non-major park after Knoebels (for reference I'd put Coney Island somewhere in the middle of that ~50 park list). Now for the final update of this trip report. If you like culture trip reports, you'll love this one. Trip 2, Part 13: Boston-August 6th-9th, 2014 The train ride to Boston took about 4 hours, so by the time we arrived and checked into our hotel it was a bit late to do anything notable. We explored the area around where our hotel was (Copley Square) and got dinner at a nearby restaurant. The next day was our first of two full days in Boston. We started the day by heading out to Fenway Park, the oldest Major League Baseball stadium in the country. Although the Boston Red Sox were out of town, we were still able to take a tour of the stadium. While I would have preferred seeing a game here, it was neat to tour the stadium and see areas you can't typically visit during a game. Once the tour was over, we headed out to Harvard and spent the rest of the day exploring the areas around Harvard and MIT. It's not anything particularly exciting, but I can now say I've been to an Ivy League school. We returned to the Copley Square area for dinner and ended up having to relocate halfway through our meal due to a surprise downpour. Although not the best thing that could have happened, it was definitely memorable. Friday, the last full day of the trip, was spent walking the Freedom Trail. This 2.5 mile trail begins at the Boston Common and passes a number of historical sites from the American Revolution period. Highlights included the Old South Meeting House, Paul Revere House, Old North Church, the Bunker Hill Monument, and the USS Constitution at the end of the trail. While not a strenuous walk, it does take a good six hours to complete the trail and see every site. Once we reached the end, we took the Charlestown Ferry back, then returned to our hotel and got dinner at the nearby shopping mall. Although Saturday was the departure day, our flight didn't leave until 5 P.M. so we had a bit of time before departure. At the suggestion of my brother, we decided to walk the Black Heritage Trail. While not as interesting as the Freedom Trail, it was a decent tour of the Beacon Hill neighborhood and passed several important sites. Unfortunately, many of them were simply designated by a plaque and it was impossible to tour them further. Since we still had time to kill, we decided to go to the Boston Tea Party Museum. Although it is labeled a museum, the attraction was more of a historical experience where you play the part of the colonists on the night of the tea party. After participating in a town meeting, storming a replica ship, and throwing imitation tea chests into the harbor, you go inside the actual museum to view a series of displays about the events that led up to the start of the Revolution. Although we were worried it was going to be hokey, the attraction was actually really well done and something I'd recommend if you've got time. From there, we went back to the hotel to retrieve our luggage, then headed to the airport for our flight back home. Overall, I really liked Boston, and of the big cities I've visited it is probably the one I would most like to live in. The city is a mix of old historical structures and newer buildings, giving it a unique character. It is also a lot like many places in Europe in that major historical events actually happened there and you can feel it as you walk around the place and see the sites. While I would be more likely to return to New York for a vacation, Boston was definitely worth the trip to visit. Now that this trip report has come to a close, it is time for a review of my summer. Over the summer of 2014, I got to... -Go on two trips totaling 5 weeks -Visit 5 new states -Experience 15 new parks -Collect 81 new credits (including credits #300 and #350) -Spend time in three major cities not previously visited -Sightsee at three US National Parks -Compete at a student engineering competition -Join a family reunion -Participate in both US TPR tours -Meet plenty of new people and see some old friends again -Have a ton of fun doing all of it I'd say that's more than enough to consider it an epic summer. I'm glad I got to do all this while I could as I doubt I'll have this much free time again anytime soon. The first point of interest on our tour of Boston was Fenway Park, the oldest Major League Baseball stadium. Inside of Fenway Park. The Boston Red Sox were away, so all we could do was tour the stadium. Next time I'm in Boston I'd like to go to a game here. This is the view from the oldest seats in baseball. Fenway has preserved sections of old wooden seats, and it is not uncommon for people to come sit exactly where their great grandparents sat. The view from the top of the Green Monster. It would be neat to sit up here. Another angle. These seats, however, are possibly more famous. Located on top of the Green Monster (the tall outfield wall of Fenway Park), they go for several hundred dollars a game. This is the view from the top deck of the stadium. The seating area on the far side is called the Triangle, and creates an unusually deep outfield pocket (420 ft). A view from the opposite side. The Green Monster is the wall to the right of this picture. It is 37 ft. tall and houses the large manual scoreboard used at Fenway Park. This is the famous red seat, which marks the longest home run ever hit at Fenway Park. In 1946, Ted Williams hit a 502 ft. home run to this exact spot. Outside the stadium were several statues of famous players of the Boston Red Sox. I do not remember who they all were. The statues continue down the street. When we returned to Copley Square that evening, we saw a rainbow. Unfortunately, this also happened to be the night we got rained on while sitting outside at a restaurant. The 2.5 mile trail begins in this park and winds past over a dozen historical locations in Boston. This statue in the Boston Common marks the start of the Freedom Trail. I don't remember the significance of this marker, but it was located near the top of the hill in the park. The Massachusetts State House, located at the top of the hill, is the first actual stop on the trail. The next day was our day to walk the Freedom Trail. From there, you then head back down the hill and to the Park Street Church before continuing down Tremont Street. The Granary Burying Ground is the first of several cemeteries on the trail. This is the third-oldest cemetery in Boston, established in 1660. Several notable patriots were buried here, including Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Paul Revere. King's Chapel is the next church on the trail. Old churches often have organs inside. This is the sixth organ that has been installed in this church. The interior of King's Chapel. It was interesting to see the church split into small sections instead of pews. Next to King's Chapel is the King's Chapel Burying Ground. This is the oldest cemetery in Boston. The next site is the former Boston Latin School. A Benjamin Franklin statue stands out front. From there, the trail goes down a hill, past the Old Corner Bookstore (which now houses a Chipotle), then crosses the street to the Old South Meeting House. This was the first of three locations on the trail that charged an admission fee. Inside the Old South Meeting House. There was a museum display set up on the back about the history of the building and its role during the Revolution. A panorama of the interior. The second location charging admission was the Old State House. The inside of this building has been turned into another museum. This marks the spot where the incident occurs. Outside the Old State House is the site of the Boston Massacre, in which British soldiers killed five American civilians. One last look at the Old State House. The trail proceeds to Fanueli Hall, an old meetinghouse that has been turned into a marketplace. Quincy Market is located right behind Fanueli Hall. We didn't go inside, but it looked like it just housed a bunch of shops. From Fanueli Hall, it is a little bit of a walk to the next destination, the Paul Revere House. This was the third and final location requiring admission. Of all the places on the trail, this was one of my favorites. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from inside as photography is prohibited. The train then proceeds to the Old North Church. Outside the church is a statue of Paul Revere. The inside of the Old North Church. Another organ. Unfortunately, you cannot climb up to the belfry of the church. Old North Church is the oldest standing church in Boston. This location is famous for the hanging of the lanterns ("One if by land, two if by sea."). After leaving the Old North Church, the trail crosses the Washington St. Bridge over to Charlestown. A park at the far side is where the trail splits. You have a choice between climbing to the top of Bunker Hill or heading straight to the end of the trail. We chose to climb Bunker Hill. The Bunker Hill Monument sits at the top. This is the location where the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought. This was one of the early battles of the war and showed that the American colonists did present a serious threat to the British. There is a museum next to the obelisk, and you can also climb to the top. A look down the shaft from the top. The obelisk is 221 ft. tall and the only way up is via 294 steps. A view from the top of the monument. Another view. This one is looking toward downtown Boston. One final view, looking east toward the sea. The final stop on the freedom trail is the USS Constitution. There is a whole museum out here, but the main interest was boarding the world's oldest commissioned naval vessel. A close-up of a cannon. All cannons on board now are replicas, but they still give an idea of what the real thing was like. There are several decks to explore on the ship. This particular one is the gun deck. During the war of 1812, 60 men would be positioned down here to fire volleys at 90 second intervals. Approaching the city. From there we took the Charlestown ferry back to downtown Boston. And I'll end with one final shot of the Boston skyline. This concludes my epic summer. Thanks for reading! Codzilla! I'm assuming this was some type of speedboat tour of Boston Harbor. While its called a museum, this is more of a history experience. You do get to go on a replica ship and throw tea overboard. I don't have many pictures from departure day, but this is the main activity of the day: The Boston Tea Party Museum.

^^To be completely fair, Denver has two parks, one of which has no need for a big new coaster and the other of which has had some terrible luck in recent times. Also, the other four cities on the list are less than ideal locations for a park for one reason or another. Anyway, the point still stands, and I agree that Cannibal is absolutely the game changer of 2015 (along with Justice League at a couple Six Flags parks). One other thing I think some people don't realize about Lagoon is that even though it's an independent park it is not a small park. In terms of area and attraction count, the park is comparable to Knott's Berry Farm, they just don't have as many big thrill rides. The park benefits from management that cares about the park and always invests in what the park really needs, not just what will draw the biggest crowd. It also helps that Lagoon has virtually no competition (the closest actual park is 5 hours away and the closest noteworthy parks are in Denver). I almost think it could end up being the next Holiday World in the enthusiast community...an unknown independent park that gained nationwide attention by doing something unheard of. I doubt very many enthusiasts had heard of Lagoon before Wicked opened in 2007, just like few knew of Holiday World before the Raven. Assuming Cannibal doesn't disappoint, I've got a feeling Lagoon is going to jump near the top of most enthusiasts' park travel lists.

I'm sure that they could, but I don't know that they should. Based on my experience with Batman backwards at SFMM, it is a major downgrade to the ride experience. For instance, I consider regular Batman a B level coaster, while Batman backwards would be a C-. I've got a feeling Banshee backwards would be a ride a lot of people would do once but not too many people would want to ride again.

I have no problem with any type of skip the line system provided it meets the following three criteria: 1. The system has minimal effect on those who choose not to use it. 2. The system is reasonably priced for the benefit that it offers. 3. The system offers the same riding preferences afforded to regular guests. In my opinion, the Q-bot system is the best of the modern skip the line passes as it best meets all three of these criteria. Most parks I've visited do a good job of merging guests in with the regular line and I haven't noticed a significant impact when waiting in regular lines at these parks. The Six Flags Flash Pass is not cheap, but it isn't extremely expensive, and the Dollywood Q2Q system (which uses Q-bots as well) is the cheapest I've seen anywhere. As for other systems, Disney's Fastpass is great, as it is similar to a free version of Q-bots (though with a few additional limitations), and Fast Lane, though being the most expensive, also has the largest benefits in most situations. I've also used Quick Queue at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which was good for the price but did limit your seating choices, as well as the Go Fast Pass at Great Escape (similar to unlimited Quick Queue) and Hersheypark's Fast Track, which is easily the worst system I've tried for a variety of reasons (expensive, limited ride selection and return time, no seating choice, etc.) The question of whether or not I'll get a skip the line pass depends on several factors, the most important of which are crowd level and visit frequency. I would never buy a pass at one of my local parks unless I was visiting with someone who had never been and likely wouldn't be visiting again. I would also never buy a pass at an out of state park if the crowds were manageable and I could do everything I was interested in without one. Most of the times that I've used one have been on TPR trips where they are included. However, when visiting a major park on a crowded day that I won't likely return to for several years, I definitely like having the option of purchasing a skip the line pass and would do so if I felt it was necessary to enjoy the park.

I think this depends on several factors, the most prominent being visit frequency and park quality. To use my local parks as examples: Disneyland Resort: I've had a pass here on-and-off throughout the years. Even though it's my favorite local park, it still will get old eventually. Through experimentation, I've discovered that there's a magic number to the amount of time you can spend here before you get tired of it. For me, that amounted to roughly one week per year, so by visiting one full day a month during low periods and avoiding high periods I stay below this limit (it also means I save money by not paying for the parking add-on). When I've gone over the limit, I just take a year off from having a pass and that somewhat resets my enjoyment of the park. I honestly have no idea how the people who visit 20+ times per year still enjoy the place so much that they keep renewing. Universal Studios Hollywood: Here's an example of a park I really like but that gets old very quickly. I only visit it about once every three years, though I often buy some form of pass due to the value. However, it is rare that I'll visit more than twice during the window for the pass because there just isn't much to do at this park. Six Flags Magic Mountain: This park is conditionally dependent. Although I visit several times per year, I have never gotten tired of the park when crowds are relatively low (30 minutes or less for headliners) and I can just go around the park riding coasters. Even after ten visits of the same thing I'll still enjoyed the park each time. One visit with heavy crowds, however, and I feel like I don't want to return for a long time (and I usually stop visiting until the next major coaster opens). SeaWorld San Diego: This is in a similar boat to USH in that I only visit once every few years and then don't feel like going back. Admittedly I enjoyed the park more on my 2012 visit than I ever have, but that was my most recent visit and I don't yet feel like another trip down there. Knott's Berry Farm: Boo me if you want, but this is my least favorite local park and here's why: During my years in college, this would be my go to park when I needed a break from studying. Although Disneyland was just as convenient, it was special and I reserved it for full day visits, while Knott's tended to get at least one visit a month for a few hours before or after class. By visiting frequently, I discovered that although the park has a lot of rides and attractions, there were only a handful of quality rides and the rest I'd only bother riding once every two or three visits. Since I'm not a marathon rider outside of ERT, this meant I got to the point where I would be done in less than two hours because I just got bored of the park. I will say the park has improved significantly over the past couple years from where it was in the 2010-2013 window when I frequently visited, but I still have a hard time spending more than 5 hours here on any given visit. Any park will get old eventually, but so will anything else. When it happens, take some time off from visiting and hopefully you'll find your enjoyment level has rebounded partially on your next visit. It will never be as good as the first time you visited (unless the park has a major overhaul, that is) but as long as you enjoy visiting and don't do it just because you need something to do it's still a worthwhile activity.

Gorgoza Park is the best snow tubing place I know of. Long runs with several bumps and they encourage chain riding there. Looks like you were all having a great time. As for Psyclone, I remember that ride well. While not the worst wooden coaster ever, it was probably the roughest and is definitely in my bottom tier. It's a shame because the other Cyclones I've been on (namely Viper at SFGAm and the original version) are actually really good. I'm glad we have Apocalypse and even in its current state it's still a much better ride than Psyclone was, but given how rough that ride has gotten in just 5 years I'm worried it may be unrideable in another 10.

Like everyone else is saying, Knoebels is definitely worth adding to your route. If you really wanted to, you could just go to Knoebels for about 3 hours and then head to Hersheypark, but I'd recommend spending the afternoon and evening at Knoebels and doing one day for Hersheypark. Although it's not a big park, Knoebels has enough to do that it could justify a full day (though a full day isn't required) and Hershey can be done in a day if you're mainly focusing on rides. If it is really crowded, Hershey does have a skip-the-line pass but I would advise against it unless absolutely necessary as it's a bit of a rip off. One other route suggestion would be to leave Dollywood early (say 8 P.M.) and drive a bit so that you are within two hours of Kings Island the next day (the Lexington, KY area would probably be a good place to stop). This would give you a full day at Kings Island, and then you could skip it the next morning for more time at Cedar Point. The way you have it planned barely allows enough time for Kings Island and would make a Fast Lane pass mandatory in order to do everything, as you wouldn't be arriving until mid-afternoon and would probably need to leave by 1 P.M. the next day. If you want more time for Dollywood or the Pigeon Forge area, you could drive up after Carowinds, as you'll probably be done there before dinner (when I visited several years ago an opening to 4 P.M. visit was sufficient even without Fast Lane). Depending on what time your flight is you may want to skip Dorney Park. If you'd only have an hour or two for the park it probably wouldn't be worth the stop, but if you've got around 4 hours I'd recommend visiting (especially if you have a Platinum Pass). There's nothing special about the park, but the two B&M coasters are fun and it does have a few unique attractions. Just remember that it's a 2 hour drive to the airport from there. The rest of the route looks good. As for your other questions: -I've never seen a park so crowded that you couldn't buy a skip-the-line pass that day. You're also better off waiting until you arrive to purchase one so you don't end up wasting money when it's not needed. For this trip, you will definitely want Fast Lane on your full day at Cedar Point (don't buy it for the partial day) and will want a Gold Flash Pass at Six Flags Great Adventure. Depending on crowds, you'll probably want Fast Lane at Kings Island and Kings Dominion as well, though you probably won't need at Carowinds. Don't worry about Fast Lane at Dorney Park, as it is rarely crowded (on my Saturday visit this summer nothing was more than a 3 train wait). As for other parks, Dollywood's Q2Q is worth buying simply because it is really cheap. Hersheypark's Fast Track is overpriced for what it offers, so I would only buy it if you find the park extremely crowded. You probably won't need a Quick Queue at Busch Gardens Williamsburg as there aren't that many rides there and you'll be visiting on a weekday. -Yes, buy the Platinum Pass at the first park you'll visit (Kings Dominion in this case). If you buy it at another park you may not be able to process it at Kings Dominion.

^Other than the station area, that's pretty good. From what I've heard, it will be a 4 minute ride. There won't be any animatronics, but there may be physical sets to house and connect the screens (different sources say different things). The ride sounds very similar to Toy Story Midway Mania, so I would expect the experience to be more like that than like Kingdom of the Dinosaurs.