rcdude

I have 1,189 songs on my Ipod. It is a 4 GB 2nd generation Ipod and that is 3.9 GB of music. When I got my laptop a month ago, it came with an 8 GB Itouch. I've started putting songs on it now but it only has about 25 songs on it at the moment.

Updated after riding Terminator. Steel: 1. Maverick 2. Tatsu 3. Space Mountain 4. Top Thrill Dragster 5. Xcelerator 6. X2 7. California Screamin' 8. Millennium Force 9. Goliath 10. Riddler's Revenge Wood: 1. Terminator Salvation: The Ride 2. Ghostrider 3. Roar 4. Colossus 5. Blue Streak 6. Mean Streak 7. Grizzly 8. Giant Dipper (SCBB) 9. Giant Dipper (BP) 10. Psyclone (because its the only other wooden coaster I've been on)

Next week, I will be going to Las Vegas. Since it has been about six years since I went out there last, I am too young to gamble, and I'll be with people who haven't done all the roller coasters, I'm going to spend a day and go on the big four (Desperado, Canyon Blaster, Speed, and the Roller Coaster). I have been on all of them except Speed before, so I kind of know what to expect. However, I have a couple questions regarding a couple of them. Speed: I have heard that speed is the best coaster in Las Vegas, but since it is a shuttle coaster I don't think it will live up to the hype. I have never been on a Premier LIM shuttle loop coaster before, but are they really that great? Is Speed worth riding more than once? I'll only have about an hour for Nascar Cafe, and am trying to decide whether or not to buy an all day pass. It is only five dollars more than a combo ticket, which I know I am going to get. I've heard that at one point Speed gave you two laps for one ticket. Is that still the case? The Roller Coaster: When I last rode this, it was my favorite roller coaster in Vegas. I don't remember it being too rough, but that was six years ago. How is it now? I will definitely be riding it once, but is it worth buying an all-day pass for? I'll be staying at the Excalibur so I could easily ride it several times throughout the day if I bought an all day pass, but if it is as bad as I have heard now (worse than a Vekoma SLC or Boomerang), I don't think it would be a good idea. The restraints don't seem like the type that would beat you up too much.

Out of the wooden roller coastes I've been on, I would say that Terminator Salvation: The Ride and Ghostrider have the best first drops. The drop on Mean Streak would probably have been pretty good as well if it didn't have the trim brake on it.

It's not a single park, but I will be in Las Vegas next week. If everything goes as planned, my next park will be either Buffalo Bill's Resort & Casino (if you count that) or the Adventuredome.

I went to both of these parks last summer around the same time you went and here is what I found. Roller Coasters: California's Great America has two outstanding coasters (Invertigo and Flight Deck), three other must ride coasters (Psycho Mouse, Vortex, and Demon), a good family coaster (Runaway Reptar) and a mediocre wooden coaster (Grizzly). Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has three must ride coasters (V2: Vertical Velocity, Medusa, and Roar), a good family coaster (Tony Hawk's Big Spin), a standard boomerang (Boomerang Coast to Coaster), a mediocre family coaster (Cobra), and one of the worst coasters I have ever ridden (Kong). Personally, I believe the two inverted coasters at California's Great America are better than anything at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, but the three must ride coasters at SFDK are better than anything else at CGA. Overall, I would say SFDK wins for coasters. Non-Coaster Rides: SFDK doesn't have as many non-coaster rides, but it does have some good ones. I especially like Tasmanian Devil and Monsoon Falls. However, CGA does have Survivor: The Ride, which is a surprisingly fun flat ride, and Drop Tower, an awesome drop ride. Both parks are about tied for non-coaster rides. Food: I don't know how much of a difference this makes, but I would say that SFDK had better food service. The food was better and it was quicker service. However, it had a smaller selection. Extra Attractions: SFDK has a few animal shows, as well as a wildlife section in the park. I spent less than a half-hour in here, mainly because I didn't have time to explore it completely. However, I spend about four hours in the waterpark at CGA. I like waterparks better than animal parks, but I think it was mainly the crowds that affected where I spent my time. Crowds: I was at CGA on a Monday, and I don't think we found a line longer than 15 minutes outside of the waterpark. All the coasters except Invertigo and Psycho Mouse were walk-ons whenever we rode them. I went to SFDK on a Wednesday, and most of the major rides had a 30-45 minute wait for most of the day. One of the roller coasters even had an hour wait when we rode. This meant that we didn't get to re-ride most of the rides, especially due to shorter operating hours. In addition, all coasters were running one train. If you go to SFDK on a weekend, you will likely not get on everything without a flashpass. On a weekday, you don't need it but it helps. Overall, I would say that if you are just going for coasters, SFDK is the better choice. However, CGA is a better all around park. It is up to you, but everyone in my group liked CGA better, so I would pick that in your situation.

This event was excellent! I would like to thank SFMM and the Alveys for putting on a great event. Even though I had to leave at 7, I still think it was one of the best visits I've had to the park in the past few years. Terminator is now my #1 wooden coaster. I rode it 4 times during morning ERT and have to say that it was better than I was expecting. The preshow was good, although I wouldn't want to watch it over and over. The audio was not that great and difficult to hear for most of the ride, and I think I might have liked the one ride I had without audio better. Unfortunately, I missed nighttime ERT but I still rode Terminator several times. The rest of the day was fun, but it was too hot. People were complaining about it in the lines for Batman and Riddler's Revenge, since there is no air conditioning and everyone was completely sweaty. Even though it was a bit crowded, I managed to get on every coaster except Superman, Tatsu, and Viper. I also went up the Sky Tower and rode Jetstream and Yosemite Sam Sierra Falls. Overall, a great event. I can't wait to attend WCB 2010, and if there is another event like this for the next new coaster I will definitely be there.

I'll be there with my brother and my uncle. I'm really looking forward to riding Terminator, as I haven't ridden it yet and it looks outstanding.

Parks visited so far: Six Flags Magic Mountain Knott's Berry Farm x2 Legoland California Universal Studios Hollywood Parks planned for later this year: Six Flags Magic Mountain (Termination day and possibly another time) Las Vegas (Not an amusement park but has several roller coasters) Knott's Berry Farm (Veteran's day) Disneyland and/or Disney's California Adventure (Possibly)

I got 156 on the first try. Maybe I'll try it again and see if I can do better, but I don't usually take these types of quizzes more than once.

I've been on three. Since Goliath is at one of my local parks, I've been on it many times. However, I've only been on Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster once each. I really would have liked to ride them once or twice more on my visit but I didn't have time.

14/20 I know a ton about currently operating amusement parks in the US, especially ones that are major parks for their region. Unfortunately, I don't know too much about past amusement parks unless they've closed in the past ten years or so.

I've always had something going on so I've never been to a TPR event before, but I think I'll be able to make this one. I just have to see if my uncle will be able to take me, but he should know in the next couple of days. I had a few questions as well: 1. Will we have to pay for parking, or will the attendants not be there that early so we can park for free? My uncle was just wondering, but I don't think it will make much of a difference. 2. I'm assuming registration will be done by whatever name you put in the checkout form. In that case, I should put my name and not my mom's name, since she'll be paying for it, correct? 3. Will morning ERT include anything other than Terminator? I don't care too much, but it seems like it could get boring riding the same coaster continuously for an hour and a half. Maybe I just haven't been on a good wooden coaster yet and don't realize how re-ridable they are.

I graduate on June 18th, which appears to be on the later side. I'll be going to a community college for two years, then I'll transfer somewhere else. I'm planning on getting a degree in mechanical engineering.

Xcelerator at Knott's Berry Farm last Thursday. It was great getting to ride it again after a year and a half.

I remember visiting that place twice when I went to visit my cousins in Marin County (2001 and 2003, I believe). I always thought it was a good little waterpark that was entertaining for a few hours. Both times we got there at opening and left around 1 when the crowds started to arrive. I remember that everyone loved King Richard's Run, because it was a good ride yet tame enough for even my youngest cousin (5 on second visit) to ride. She spent all day on that and Little John's Joust (the kiddie slide) because that was all she was tall enough for (by the way, the height requirement for King Richard's Run is lower because it has its own splash pool. The current is stronger in the other pool due to two slides of different types using it, creating a need for a higher height restriction). Everyone else went for Robin's Folly just as often because it had a couple small but fun drops in it. My aunt, my brother, and I were the only ones brave enough for the Excalibur on our first visit, and that was the first fully enclosed body slide I ever went on. I remember that we always had to push past the line of people for Robin's Folly since they shared a stairway. In the three hours we were there, we could usually do each ride 3-9 times, depending on lines (usually no wait for Excalibur and up to ten minutes for King Richard's Run). I never ate at the park (brought a picnic lunch along both times) and never went swimming in the pool. It was always too crowded and dirty. Besides, my grandparents have a pool in their backyard, so a regular swimming pool doesn't excite me too much at a waterpark. I'm not much for wavepools either, but I'll still go for them occasionally. I didn't find out this park had closed until a couple years ago. When I was planning our trip up there last year, I looked at waterparks and found out that this place was closed. This was a little sad, but it also gave me the chance to go to Waterworld California, which was a fun alternative. When we went river rafting, we drove by the site of the park and I convinced my anut and uncle to stop there so we could see what remained. There wasn't too much left, just the empty holes for the swimming pools and some concrete walkways. Windsor Waterworks probably isn't the best small waterpark I've been to, but it had a good variety of attractions for its size. It was fun for a few hours, and usually not too crowded (at least in my experience). I'll probably miss it more than Wet N' Wild (the other defunct waterpark I've been to) because Windsor Waterworks was more fun, unique, and memorable, while Wet N' Wild was just something to do in Las Vegas and didn't really stand out much.

Definitely get there at opening. If you don't, you may not get to experience all the park's rides. You should do Ghostrider first, since it gets the longest waits since it is the tamest of the park's big coasters. I have seen a half-hour wait with two trains running for Ghostrider when all other coasters had one train and about a five minute wait. Besides, the Boardwalk and Fiesta Village areas don't open until an hour after the rest of the park, so you can't go straight to Xcelerator. After Ghostrider, go to Pony Express if you want to ride it. Sometimes, I've gotten there early enough to go twice without getting off. If it's not too cold and you don't mind getting wet or want to ride, go on the Bigfoot Rapids now before it gets much of a line (assuming that it is open), as it is the most disappointing of the park's three water rides. If the Boardwalk is open by this time, you can head back there and do Xcelerator, then just go through the park hitting every ride you want to do as you get to it. If it isn't open yet, however, do not go to Silver Bullet. Instead, go to Sierra Sidewinder. Many parents don't get there this early so the line should still be fairly short. This ride actually gets longer lines and they move slow, so you won't want to ride it if they're long (a line backed up to the entrance takes about an hour with two trains running, but the ride is only worth about a fifteen minute wait). After Sierra Sidewinder, everything should be open so you can go through the rest of the park at your leisure. As far as lines go, here are the usual lines for major rides on a summer weekday (based on my experience): Ghostrider: 30-45 minutes Log Ride: 10-15 minutes Calico Mine Ride: 15-30 minutes Silver Bullet: 15-30 minutes Xcelerator: 10-20 minutes Perilous Plunge: 15-45 minutes (temperature dependent) Supreme Scream: 10-30 minutes (more towers = shorter wait) Montezooma's Revenge: 5-10 minutes These are the rides you should definitely do. Everything else is optional, but don't skip Jaguar and/or Sierra Sidewinder just because they are family coasters unless the lines are long. If you go on a weekday, you should be able to get on everything and do some rides as many as four times. On a weekend, it is unlikely you will have time to re-ride anything if you want to go on as many rides as possible.

15/20 Surprisingly high.

In general, when I have gone on Sundays there were lines but they weren't a problem unless the ride was running one train. Usually Gold Rusher, Ninja, Revolution, Superman and Viper haven't had much of a line at all. They actually let us go twice on Revolution once. Batman, Colossus and Scream usually aren't too bad if they are being run at maximum capacity, and Deja Vu, Goliath, and Riddler's are long but manegable. X2 is the one you have to worry about because you will never find less than an hour wait for it. Last time I went on a Saturday, it was in May and we did twelve rides in twelve hours. Deja Vu, Goliath, Riddler's, Scream, Tatsu, and X2 were all at least an hour all day (skipped Deja Vu due to lines). Batman, Colossus, Ninja, Superman, and Viper were all about a half hour or so, at least at the time we rode them (don't know about Superman for sure since it broke down right before we got there and we didn't come back, but the sign said 30 minutes). The only roller coasters without much of a wait that I saw at any point during the day were Gold Rusher and Revolution. If you go on a Sunday, there will be lines. However, you should be able to do everything major at least once. If you invest in the flashpass, you will likely have time for re-rides on most attractions. Now through Memorial Day will probably be your best bet crowdwise through September, so you should have a good time.

Park visits already: Six Flags Magic Mountain-January 18th Knott's Berry Farm-March 14th Legoland California-April 7th Universal Studios Hollywood-April 9th Planned visits: Knott's Berry Farm-May 14th (Senior Picnic) Orange County Fair-July (Not a permanent park, but its got a number of rides) Knott's Berry Farm-November (Veteran's Day) Six Flags Magic Mountain-December (Brother's Birthday) Possible visits: I may visit Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Legoland California, Universal Studios Hollywood, or another park in Southern California in July when my cousins come down to visit. I may go to Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure at some point during the year. I may go to Six Flags Magic Mountain this summer. I will not be going to any out of state parks this year unless plans change (very unlikely) and my only new credit will be Terminator Salvation: The Coaster (#99).

Good pictures! I've been to the Ontario Scandia several times, but it's been at least six years since my most recent visit. I've driven by the Victorville park several times as well, but never stopped as I usually didn't have the time (either on the way to Las Vegas or meeting other family members at a national park). Last time I was at Scandia was when we stopped for about three hours on the way home from Vegas. In that amount of time, I was able to do every attraction included in the wristband at least once (except Thor's Hammer), plus two rides on the Screamer. We actually had to wait for other people to do the Screamer since they won't dispatch it with less than four and there were only three of us. We also went on all the kiddie rides since Scandia allows adults on all of them. I honestly don't really care about going back, but since that is the only minor So Cal amusement park I haven't taken my aunt to yet I'll probably get there again in the next two years.

I have two local parks, but the one I visit more is Knott's Berry Farm. I usually go here about three times a year, but this year I may go more. Disneyland is the other park fairly close by but I haven't gone here more than once a year at most since I stopped getting annual passes a few years ago because it is way too expensive.

Since I live in Southern California and my birthday is in January, I usually go to a park every year for my birthday (not always on my actual birthday but on a neighboring weekend). It has generally been Knott's Berry Farm although this past year I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain. Back when I had passes to the Disneyland Resort (2001-2005) and Universal Studios (2004) I went to those places instead. It is great because the parks are usually pretty empty. I try my best to avoid amusement parks on holidays, especially major ones. The last time I can remember going to a park on a holiday was when I went to Knott's Berry Farm on Veterans Day 2000 (actually on Veteran's Day). Ghostrider had a three hour wait, Jaguar was about a half-hour, Windjammer Surf Racers was around an hour, and the Log Ride was over an hour. I don't think we did anything else that day because it was way too crowded. Because of that experience, I avoid parks on holidays unless I have no other option.

^I'm guessing that the last time you went to Legoland was when Technic Coaster was the new ride. You should definitely go back some time as most of the best attractions in the park have opened since then (with the exception of Miniland). Part 2: Universal Studios Hollywood 4-9-09 I went to Universal Studios today for a friend's birthday party, along with my brother. They had originally wanted to go on Friday but I had warned them that it would probably be more crowded on Friday than Thrusday. I had told him that you can usually do everything at Universal Studios in one day even when it is crowded since it is mostly shows. My friend had said that his mom, who was taking us would come pick me up at 9:30 because he hoped to avoid traffic on the way to the park. They ended up arriving at my house at 9:45, so at least they weren't too late. I always worry when I have to rely on other people for transportation, especially non-family members as one year (same friend, different birthday party) they told me they would be here at 9:30 and didn't show up until 11:00. Luckily, that trip was to Knott's and it wasn't spring break. Anyway, my friend's mom didn't know how to get to Universal Studios so I had to direct her. Honestly, I think they were a bit unprepared, as they didn't even know the park hours either (assumed 10-6, but was actually 9-7), the ticket price ($67, but they had a $20 off coupon), or what the park had at it (other than the Simpsons Ride). My friend hadn't been to the park in about ten years, and it had been three since I'd been there, so there were new things for everyone. Unfortunately, due to traffic we didn't get parked until about 11:30. At this point, we decided to get lunch at the Subway in Citywalk rather than wait until we were inside. After lunch we went to the park to get tickets and found long lines for each of the ticket windows. Not only were they long, but they were also incredibly slow. I'm guessing that Disneyland could get through twice as many people with half as many windows, as it took us a minimum of forty-five minutes with about 10-15 groups ahead of us. By the time we got into the park, it was well after 1 p.m. I told my friend that we wouldn't have time for any rerides, but could probably get most stuff done that was worth doing. I ended up being right. The Simpsons Ride-We went here first since none of us had been on it before. I've heard that most people say this is one of Universal Studios best rides. I don't think so. It is definitely a good ride, but I like the two lower lot rides way better. Of course, I don't watch the Simpsons so that may be part of it but I just didn't think this ride was as good as I've heard. I would go on it again, but probably wouldn't wait more than a half-hour for it (what I waited this time). Studio Tour-Everyone who goes to Universal Studios needs to go on this ride. It is the classic attraction at this park, and the only one that will never become outdated. The park is constantly adding new things to the tour, and when the New York area of the backlot is reconstructed it will be even better. I liked the addition of Norman Bates at the Bates motel, but I'm surprised that they would hire someone just to chase after every tram that passes with a knife. Revenge Of The Mummy-This is my favorite ride in the park. It may be because I generally like roller coasters better than other rides, but I just think it is a good ride. It is quite a ways from being better than Space Mountain, but is a decent in the dark coaster/dark ride with some unique features, such as going backward on a different track. Worth a half-hour wait, like everything else at Universal Studios. Jurassic Park-This is probably the best themed ride I've been on outside of the Disneyland Resort. The ride is a relatively tame boat ride until the end, which features an 85 foot drop in almost complete darkness. Unlike most other water rides, this ride has an adjustable level of wetness. Sometimes I've gone on it and it was about as wet as the average log flume, while other times it was wetter than Perilous Plunge. I know that they can turn off any of the water effects during the ride (dripping pipes, spraying dinosaurs, etc.) and I assume they can adjust the brakes at the bottom of the drop (sometimes it looks like it stops quicker). Regardless of what water effects are on, it is still a good ride, and is a must ride unless you're not a fan of large drops. Terminator 2:3D-Of all the 3-D movies I've seen, this is probably my favorite. I like how they incorporate live actors and plenty of on-stage action into the show. The only thing I don't like is the seat movement, which seems unnecessary but I still see this show everytime I visit. Shrek 4-D-I like this show, though Terminator is better. This show is very cartoony and comic, and is actually better than one or two of the feature length Shrek movies (never saw the third, but I heard it wasn't so great). There are numorous special effects in this show, but I think the water effect is overused and creates too many water droplets on the glasses, which are distracting. Good show, but one that can be missed. Waterworld-This is the best stunt show I have seen anywhere. It is fifteen minutes of action, jetskis, fighting, and pyrotechnics put together in a very entertaining show. Some of the stunts in this show seem insane but they are all done for real several times a day. If you only have time for one show at the park, this is the one to see. By the time Waterworld ended, the park was closed. After spending a half hour looking at stores in Citywalk, we left. Due to traffic on the 101 and a long dinner at El Torito, it was about 11 p.m. when I got home. Overall, it was a good day and we didn't miss too much. Universal Studios is one of those parks I don't like too much. I find a lot of amusement parks to be overpriced, at least in my opinion, but they are still worth it every so often. Universal Studios, on the other hand, is not worth the admission price without a discount. $67 is not justified when there are only ten attractions. The park usually runs a buy a day, get a year free promotion, but I don't see the point of this. When it is mostly shows and you can do everything in one day almost any day, why do you need to come back frequently? Seaworld is the same way, and both are parks that I would say are worth doing once just to see what they are like, but you really need a maximum of one visit every two or three years. If you are looking for the most reasonable parks, I find Cedar Fair and Six Flags to have the best prices but that might be just me. Maybe they just give really good discounts.

For me, it depends on the ride. I'm pretty quiet on less intense rides, but the major coasters and other large rides (drop towers and perilous plunge) cause a bit of yelling and/or laughter. Unlike some people I've heard, I never shout profanities during a ride.