rcdude

Conneaut Lake Park looks just about how I remembered it from my visit a couple years ago...some good areas and some bad ones. Blue Streak was good, Devil's Den and Tumble Bug were alright, but the rest of the park could use some work. I hope the park makes it for the simple reason that they've got a few historic attractions, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they don't reopen again (the state of the park seems to have declined over the last few years). Nice report, just like all the others in this thread. I'm interested to hear what you thought of Waldameer, as I found that to be one of the best smaller parks around.

^I really think SFMM is using the term summer to simply mean around Memorial Day and not specifically the summer season. Knowing the general public I'm guessing they'd get quite a few complaints if they advertised a spring opening and the ride wasn't ready for spring break. Based on the current state of construction, I'm guessing the ride will be complete by early April and will open Memorial Day weekend. I really doubt we'll see another mid-June opening. Every time I see photos of Twisted Colossus I get more excited for the ride. While not the most intense ride ever, it just looks like it will be a ton of fun. I'm guessing a lot of the general public will still prefer X2, but I'd be surprised if Twisted Colossus doesn't become the enthusiast favorite at SFMM.

^^If you can visit Knott's on a school day the park is usually dead. I've never seen more than a three train wait on a typical off-season weekday, and often it is possible to remain on rides for multiple circuits. I wouldn't be surprised if there are days where the number of employees is close to the number of guests (or could theoretically exceed it).

Sounds like a mostly good plan, and you'll be doing quite a bit for just three days. I don't know if you'll see this, but just in case here are a few other tips. Friday: Depending on how many shows you want to see at SeaWorld, you may be better off staying at the zoo an extra hour and getting to SeaWorld a bit later. Count the number of shows you want to see at SeaWorld San Diego, add two, and that's about how many hours you need for the park. Given your time restriction, I'd skip One Ocean and Blue Horizons if you've seen them in Florida, the others are up to you. If you do decide to do the zoo in two parts, I'd recommend doing the back in the morning as they used to close sectionally over the last hour to make sure everyone was off grounds by closing (not sure if that is still the case since the website doesn't mention it). Saturday: If you're going to Mrs. Knott's for dinner allow three hours for it (if you just want chicken and don't care about the restaurant experience you can save time with Chicken To Go). The park will probably be really busy so unless you've got rides you're willing to wait an hour for I'd probably skip it for more time at the Safari Park (if desired). Sunday: I've had mixed experiences with this day, with everything ranging from maximum 4 train wait to minimum 60 minute wait. Don't buy a Flash Pass ahead, but be prepared for it if the park is busy. I'm hoping it's not too bad, as I'll be there on Sunday as well. Given that you'll be near Knott's on Saturday night, you might want to look for a hotel around there for Saturday and Sunday nights. You'll be a little over an hour from SFMM (8:30 A.M. departure should get you there in plenty of time) and only 20 minutes from SNA. Have a good time! If I happen to run into you at SFMM I'll be sure to say hi.

At my local parks, I have an opening sequence of 4 or 5 attractions that I do in the same order every time I visit (at least when visiting by myself). At the end of the day, I repeat this sequence for my last 4 or 5 rides, but in reverse so I end with the same ride I started with. At non-local parks I always end with my favorite ride. At TPR events with night ERT, I usually ride the ERT attractions in reverse preference order, starting with my least favorite and ending the night with my favorite.

Andy, Dorney was probably the best waterpark on the East Coast leg, but if you did Kentucky Kingdom's and Holiday World's waterparks you weren't missing all that much. As for the flume at Dorney, I think there was a waterfall at one point. I rode it in the morning so it wasn't on and I didn't get too wet, but I'm assuming that would be the wet point. The drop was just a small splash. Also, as for Deep Water Dive, that slide is just insane and in in my opinion is scarier than almost any coaster or drop ride. If there weren't so many stairs to climb I would definitely have done one or two more rides as the wait was only about 15-20 minutes. To me, the freefall did feel a little longer than the standard seven story variety but it also felt like the slide took longer to pull out at the bottom. Well, I don't think I'll be making Christmas, but I'm hoping to finish this report by the end of 2014. This will be the final update from the TPR trip, but I've still got a couple more from my family trip to New York and Boston. Trip 2, Part 11: Six Flags Great Adventure-August 3rd, 2014 As I stated previously, Six Flags Great America provided us with a typical Six Flags experience. The day was full of annoyances including horrible operations, insane crowds, and poor customer service. Based on my previous experience at the park (on TPR's North East 2011 tour), I figured Six Flags Great Adventure would be a better day. Fortunately, my guess ended up being correct, and our day at the park was more or less the polar opposite of that day at SFGAm. Six Flags Great Adventure Based on my previous visit to Six Flags Great Adventure, I initially wasn't all that excited about a return visit. There isn't anything wrong with the park, but I'm a SFMM local and other than El Toro SFMM has a version of everything at SFGAdv (often a superior version). However, when checking out the park I was reminded of the Safari Off Road Adventure and 2012 additions, so my interest increased somewhat. Originally, Six Flags Great Adventure was supposed to be a full East Coast Bash. However, due to delays in working out the details the event didn't happen. However, we were still offered quite a few great perks. With our hotel only 30 minutes from the park, a 9 AM arrival got us there in plenty of time to get Flash Passes and get inside before opening. Once inside, we were met by a couple park managers, who took us through a backstage pass over to Kingda Ka to ride the first trains of the day. Our group took the first three trains, and we all got not one but two rides before the public was allowed to board. After Kingda Ka, we were taken back to the new Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom in order to get first rides on this too (the opening was delayed). KidTums definitely showed her bravery here, riding an attraction that several adult TPR members were too scared to try. I really liked Zumanjaro, but I have to give a slight edge to the very similar Lex Luthor due to the added thrill of tower sway caused by Superman (Zumanjaro and Kingda Ka cannot run together). Exiting Zumanjaro, we expected it would be time to head out on our own. However, park representatives gave us one more surprise: Exit access to the Safari Off Road Adventure. Although the ride is now included on Flash Pass, it often gets huge waits so this was a very welcome surprise. The ride itself was really good, better than even the San Diego Safari Park's tour (and from what I heard, better than Disney's Kilimanjaro Safaris). My only issue with the ride is the length: The ride is at least an hour, and combined with the wait it is difficult to justify the attraction for a first time visitor. I did like the midway rest stop, but I wish there was more to do there as the limited exhibits and wait to re-board the vehicles makes exiting barely worthwhile. Upon return to the park, we were set loose to explore SFGAdv on our own. My Flash Pass group (those who I hung out with at Wildwater Kingdom) was mostly first-timers, so we spent the day collecting credits and doing other unique attractions. The day was not without difficulty, as wet weather seemed to be causing an abnormal number of technical issues with the park's headliner coasters (Bizarro, El Toro, and Nitro all broke down on us at some point). At 9:45 P.M. we headed to El Toro to return Q-bots, then got ready for the ultimate way to end a TPR trip: An hour of night ERT on El Toro. Coaster Reviews: I have been to over 70 different parks. Among them, only two (Cedar Point and Six Flags Magic Mountain) have a better coaster collection than Six Flags Great Adventure. The park's collection contains El Toro, arguably the best roller coaster in North America, as well as Kingda Ka and Nitro, two top tier steel coasters. The park's remaining coasters mostly range from decent to great, with a few clones thrown in for good measure. Kingda Ka: The world's tallest and North America's fastest coaster is also one of the most extreme rides I've been on. The ride is the definition of a one-trick pony, but it has one really good trick. While not as good as Top Thrill Dragster, I still really like Kingda Ka and rank it second of the four North American accelerators. I just wish the ride wasn't so shaky if you sit anywhere but the front car. A Runaway Mine Train: While just an okay ride, Runaway Mine Train is one of the better Arrow mine trains. The ride has an unusual layout, is smoother than some, and actually does feature a small amount of airtime. Fun if there's no wait, but not a must ride by any means. C Superman-Ultimate Flight: A good, but not great flying coaster. The pretzel loop is just as good as always, but the rest of the ride is pretty dull and fairly short. For whatever reason, I thought this was weaker than the SFGAm version. C+ Green Lantern: Back in 2011, I really liked this coaster. The ride was still good, but it has gotten somewhat rough. Still, it's a long stand-up coaster with a good sequence of elements that doesn't get repetitive, and is a better ride than its predecessor Mantis (though the Rougarou transformation will probably change that). While Green Lantern isn't the greatest ride, it's still not the worst B&M at SFGAdv in my opinion. B- Batman The Ride: Another Batman clone, this one seems to be the weakest of the five I've tried. It's still a forceful ride and just as good as any other Batman, but I'm just not a particularly big fan of these coasters. They're a little too short and repetitive for my tastes, plus I don't like non-stop positive g-force. I still like this better than a couple of the park's B&M's, I just don't find it a must ride. B Dark Knight: A Mack mouse in a box, the same basic ride as SFGAm's version. SFGAdv still requires viewing of the preshow and not all of the effects work anymore, so this version isn't very good. Just as it was in 2011, Dark Knight remains my least favorite wild mouse. D- Skull Mountain: While this is little more than a family coaster in the dark, Skull Mountain is a unique attraction. It's got a pretty good first drop and a layout that is difficult to follow, so this is a pretty fun ride. It's no Space Mountain, but it's not a Dark Knight either. C Nitro: I've been on eight B&M hypers, and Nitro is not only my favorite but also one of my favorite steel coasters overall. Nitro is a nice long ride that's full of airtime and is glass smooth throughout. The ride also has a good moment of positive g-force and a couple elements not found on other hypers. Nitro is not only the best steel coaster at SFGAdv, but one of the best in the country. A Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train: It's little more than a family coaster, but this is still a fun ride. My favorite of the Tivoli coasters (even better than Jaguar), this ride is worth it just for the laughs of watching the extremely long train navigate the course. C Bizarro: In 2011, I didn't care for this coaster as it was a rougher version of Scream with the worst operations at the park and a horrible soundtrack. In 2014, the ride was much smoother with a better crew and no soundtrack. The ride is now really good, with an excellent first half, a decent second half, and a much better setting than Scream. Not the best floorless coaster, but one of the better ones. A- El Toro: I have been on over 350 roller coasters, and El Toro is my second favorite overall. The ride is simply amazing: excellent first drop, tons of airtime, a non-stop sequence of elements featuring both out and back and twister sections, and a reasonably long ride. Seriously, there is not a single dull moment on this coaster. The airtime is so strong it feels like the ride just wants to rip you out of your seat and fling you across the park, and this ride just does things no wooden coaster should ever do. I will say that the restraints on this coaster tend to be a bit tight and this is probably the most restrictive coaster in the country (or close to it), but most riders will be glad of how secure they feel. I do understand that the ride may not be everybody's favorite, but there is no denying that it is one of the absolute best rides in not only the US but also the world. I have only ever given two coasters an A+ rating, and El Toro is one of them. A+ Six Flags Great Adventure Coaster Ranking: Must Ride: 1. El Toro 2. Nitro 3. Kingda Ka 4. Bizarro Good Coasters 5. Batman The Ride 6. Green Lantern Average Coasters: 7. Superman-Ultimate Flight 8. Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train 9. Skull Mountain 10. Runaway Mine Train Credit Coaster: 11. Dark Knight Non-Coaster Summary: When I visited SFGAdv in 2011, I thought that except for the kiddie rides the park had a pretty poor selection of non-coaster attractions. Since then, however, the park has mostly redone Adventure Alley and added both the Safari Off Road Adventure and Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom (as well as a few minor attractions). While the non-coaster collection is not amazing, I now think it may be the best in the Six Flags chain. Technically, my favorite non-coaster ride at the park is the SkyWay, but that is mainly due to how much I like these rides than because it is the best and SFGAdv has a rare double Von Roll skyride. As mentioned previously, I really liked both Zumanjaro and the Safari Off Road Adventure, both of which are relatively unique and are must rides for most visitors. In addition, I enjoyed Parachute Training Center: Edwards AFB Jump Tower simply because it is the last of its kind in operation. The best non-coaster attraction at the park, however, is Houdini's Great Escape. This ride is one of two Vekoma Mad House attractions in North America and has theming that is only a step down from a Disney attraction. It's not an intense ride, though it can be disorienting as the room spins around riders. In addition to what I've mentioned, SFGAdv also has a SkyScreamer, a couple decent water rides, and around 10 or so standard flats, plus several kids areas for the younger set. Overall Thoughts: Six Flags Great Adventure represents the experience all Six Flags parks should provide. The park has an excellent collection of coasters as well as a decent selection of non-coaster rides for all members of the family. The park is reasonably clean, reasonably landscaped, and reasonably themed. Food selection is better than average for the Six Flags chain, with a number of good options other than standard theme park fare. The employees are all pretty good, and in general operations are nothing to complain about. Sure, there are issues I have with the park, but I can't think of any major ones and a lot of the common Six Flags issues weren't present here. Is Six Flags Great Adventure the best Six Flags park? Out of all the properties I've visited, I would probably say so. However, there is one exception: If you want to ride coasters and only care about riding coasters, Six Flags Magic Mountain is probably the better park. While SFGAdv does have El Toro, SFMM does have more coasters and more top tier coasters than SFGAdv. However, for the full park experience I would pick SFGAdv any time. It's not as good as the top Cedar Fair parks, but it's not a bad park at all. Ride Totals: Batman The Ride: 2 Bizarro: 1 Blackbeard's Lost Treasure Train: 1 Dark Knight: 1 El Toro: 12 Green Lantern: 1 Kingda Ka: 2 Nitro: 3 Runaway Mine Train: 1 Skull Mountain: 1 Superman-Ultimate Flight: 1 Congo Rapids: 1 Houdini's Great Escape: 1 Log Flume: 1 Parachute Training Center: Edwards AFB Jump Tower: 1 Safari Off Road Adventure: 1 SkyScreamer: 1 SkyWay: 1 Zumanjaro: Drop of Doom: 1 Total: 34 rides in 13 hours (2.62 rides per hour) As Six Flags Great Adventure was the last day of the Mini East Coast tour for some, the bus proceeded from the park to Newark Airport. While I was not participating in the New York City add-on, I chose to ride the bus into New York instead. At 1:30 A.M. the bus arrived at the hotel where I found my Dad waiting for me. We headed back to our hotel in the Time Square area to begin the family portion of this trip: A week in New York and Boston. Overall Thoughts on the Mini East Coast Tour: I wasn't planning on doing the Mini East Coast Tour, as while I had interest in Hersheypark and Knoebels I wasn't all that interested in Dorney Park or SFGAdv. Additionally, I knew I wouldn't be able to afford the NYC add-on and didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to visit the city for the third time in a row. However, when my Dad planned the family trip it made sense to do it. Honestly, the trip was a lot of fun, and three of the four parks were great (the fourth was enjoyable but not too memorable), but if I had to pick a least favorite TPR trip from the five I've done it would be this one. It wasn't a bad trip by any means, it just didn't have as many parks or perks as most. It's kind of like this: If Mini New Hotness was El Toro, Mini East Coast would be Nitro...both are excellent, but one just isn't as good as the other. I do not know what the future of TPR trips will be, but I hope I get the chance to do another some day. I don't have too many photos for this update, but SFGAdv is pretty well documented so I'll post what I've got. There is massive airtime over that hill, as well as every other hill on this ride. Regardless of how tightly you are stapled in, you will briefly lose contact with your seat on this ride. El Toro!!! Even though Rocky Mountain appears to be the most popular wood coaster company now, I doubt they'll ever build a ride better than this beast. Welcome to Six Flags Great Adv...this is a theme park, right? How accurate do you think these signs are? I'm guessing pretty accurate. SFGAdv has had a drive-thru safari for a long time, but last year the ride was converted to a standard theme park attraction. It's one of the most unique things at any traditional theme park in North America. You'll see plenty of animals on the safari (including lions, tigers, and bears...oh my!), but there are some at Camp Aventura as well. Yep, we're just out at Camp Aventura, the midway point of the Safari Off Road Adventure. There is a ride out at Camp Aventura...an upcharge Soarin' Eagle zip line. I didn't ride, but a few TPR members had fun on it (after the one at Glenwood Caverns this one just seemed somewhat lame). This is the last remaining parachute tower in North America. It's a pretty tame ride by today's standards but is still worth a try. Okay, back to the actual theme park portion of SFGAdv. I know the look is a little cheesy, but I actually somewhat like it. It's certainly better than some areas in some Six Flags parks. Two visits to SFGAdv and I still haven't gotten a chance to ride their Ferris Wheel. I honestly don't care much. This thing is better for views of the park. Also, a 240 ft SkyScreamer is significantly scarier than a 300 ft Windseeker. One more shot, this one of Nitro. While I haven't done every B&M Hyper, I've done a majority and this is still my favorite. Lastly, I walked through Times Square to get to my hotel in New York City. Even at 2 A.M. on a Monday there's still people about, though this was easily the least crowded I saw it while I was in New York.

They both have wooden coasters designed by Edward A. Vettel, which happen to be the last two in operation (and both are quite good). Hersheypark & Walt Disney Studios Paris

^Incorrect! California Screamin' is an Intamin. And to both of the above, they are both launched coasters. Holiday World & Conneaut Lake Park

Silver Bullet at Knott's Berry Farm on Sunday. Would have been Xcelerator, but the line was back to the switchbacks with one train and I didn't want to keep everyone else waiting.

$2.93 in Orange County, California as of last week. I think this is the first time I've seen gas under $3 a gallon around here in at least 5 years.

Pony Express may be just okay and short even by the standards of family coasters, but out of the five at Knott's it's the second best. Like others have said, it is not likely to be going anywhere in the near future and I could see at least half of Knott's coasters as leaving before it does. As mentioned a few posts earlier, I visited Knott's Berry Farm yesterday to check out the Knott's Merry Farm event. The park overall looks nice with all the decorations, and both Ghost Town and Camp Snoopy look great when the Christmas lights come on. Of the event-exclusive offerings, the highlight was Christmas Craft Village, where Ghost Town is taken over by a bunch of stands selling unique items created by local craftspeople. In addition, the Wilderness Dance Hall is taken over by a Santa photo op and several stands selling various holiday treats (which were pretty good). Also, while I didn't see any, my family went and saw a couple of the holiday shows (Snoopy on Ice and A Christmas Carol) and said both were better than they expected them to be. Overall, I'd say it was a pretty nice event.

^I was just there yesterday and the whole exterior queue area has been stripped down to just the support structure. The ramp is completely gone. I couldn't see well enough to tell what has gone on inside the attraction. Unfortunately I don't have a picture since my phone was nearly dead and I didn't want to risk it dying before the end of the day.

The sign at Apocalypse almost always seems to be a wildly inaccurate overestimate. Back when they used the pre-shows, a full queue could actually take close to two hours (depending on how many Flash Pass users show up). However, last year I waited in a completely full queue with two trains running and it was in the 30-45 minute range. I have to wonder if the wait posting procedure was never updated as the line seems to move about twice as fast now as it did back when the pre-shows were used but the posted wait times tend to be similar based on the physical length of the line.

Heard this one at Knott's Berry Farm today while in line for Montezooma's Revenge: "Oh, this is the one that goes up and then comes back down." I think I know what the guy meant, but it was funny as this could apply to almost any coaster.

It's somewhat unfair to compare rides based on length alone. Consider the following: -Lagoon's last coaster, Bombora, was $5 million and it's just a family coaster. Wicked was $10 million back in 2007, and that's only a moderately sized ride (though large for a park like Lagoon). -Griffon was built back in 2007, so steel prices were likely not the same then as they are now. For reference, Baron 1898 (Efteling's 2015 dive coaster) costs about $22 million with all things included and is much smaller than Griffon (though much more heavily themed). -Thunderbird costs $22 million and is only 3000 ft long and 140 ft tall, but it is launched. Wild Eagle, which is slightly longer but uses a lift hill, was $20 million. -Full Throttle may only be $6 million (I still don't entirely trust that figure), but if it were built on flat terrain it would probably be $10-$11 million. As far as I know, the $22 million is for the entire project, and my guess is $10-15 million of that is for the actual coaster. The elevator system isn't likely to be cheap...I wouldn't be surprised if that alone is as much as $5-6 million (that may be a little on the high side, but the elevator system is almost certainly a large chunk of the expenses). Add those together with the costs of construction and theming (from what it sounds like this will be pretty heavily themed), and $22 million isn't really that far-fetched.

I'm sure it's mostly due to price and return on investment. A Giga is $25-30 million, which Six Flags simply can't afford if they're getting new rides for every park every year. Think about Cedar Fair's additions vs. Six Flag's additions. In one year Cedar Fair typically buys only one to three coasters (rarely more than one major one) and a few flat rides or waterslides. Usually only about half of their parks get new attractions each year and the others may get refurbishments. Six Flags, on the other hand, often installs at least two major coasters and one or two smaller coasters, plus enough non-coaster rides and waterpark attractions to ensure all of their parks have a marketable addition every year. The other thing to consider is return on investment. If you'll get roughly the same draw with a $10 million RMC or a $25+ million giga, which is the better choice? Personally, I don't really care that Six Flags doesn't build giga coasters. I've been on all three North American gigas and one RMC (Goliath), and the RMC was better than two out of three gigas. If Six Flags really wanted a giga they'd build one, but if they're unwilling to spend more than $10 million on a coaster (seems to be the recent trend) it won't get more than a drop, a couple turns, and a couple airtime hills if spent on a giga.

^Polin does have something like it called the Magic Sphere (http://www.polin.com.tr/Catalogue/product-detail/Magic-Sphere/60/43) as well as a smaller version simply called Spheres (http://www.polin.com.tr/Catalogue/product-detail/Spheres/40/48). I'm pretty sure Cowabunga Bay has one of the smaller versions, as I think that was the ride causing weight issues last year. I was disappointed to miss Cowabunga Bay by a couple weeks this past summer, but given what opened on time and what got delayed I'm somewhat glad I didn't get to visit. The new slides look like they could be the best attractions at the park. Next time I'm in Las Vegas during the operating season, Cowabunga Bay is my highest priority attraction to do.

That's the other issue ... at SFMM, the only 'big drop' is Goliath, but that drop flattens out too soon as well and the drop angle is only 61. X2 IMO is the best drop, but that's a different beast altogether. Let's see...Twisted Colossus has a 128 ft drop, so the following are all larger: Full Throttle: ~160 ft Goliath: 255 ft Riddler's Revenge: 146 ft Scream: 141 ft Superman: 328 ft Viper: 171 ft X2: 215 ft Even if you throw out the B&M coasters, SFMM still has five coasters with a big drop by anybody's standard, and three with a drop of over 200 ft (not sure if any other park can claim that, even possibly Cedar Point). Even if some of these aren't particularly great, the point is that SFMM doesn't need another coaster with a huge first drop. Based on my experience, Twisted Colossus's 128 ft drop is probably going to be significantly better than Goliath's 255 ft drop anyway. Honestly, given past RMC conversions and California I think anyone who was expecting a 150+ ft coaster was probably expecting a bit too much. Not saying you can't dream, but don't judge a ride until you ride it.

If you want a bigger drop there's plenty of other options in the park. I actually think Twisted Colossus is just the right height as a significantly larger hill wouldn't look like the original version and due to California's earthquake codes it would be quite expensive to build. The ride is looking good. I'm excited to see how the blue and green side-by-side tracks will look coming down the drop.

I honestly don't know why anyone would be afraid of being labeled a coaster enthusiast. All it really means is that you enjoy visiting amusement/theme parks and follow new projects the same way a sports fan would go to games and follow their favorite team. Sure, you might get some queer looks if you're caught credit whoring, but I can easily think of at least a dozen things it would be worse to be labeled. As for me, I don't hide my hobby at all, but I don't go out of the way to show it either. My family and friends mostly know and almost all react positively, often asking me for advice if visiting the So Cal parks or other major parks I've visited. When I visit a park, I often (though not always) wear a TPR shirt, but most people don't even seem to notice (on the off chance that they do, more often than not I get asked how much I'm getting paid to review the park).

Excellent additions! For a small park like Beech Bend, adding five new flats in one year is just as major as a new coaster and shows that the park is committed to continuously improving their offerings however they can. While not a spectacular park, I enjoyed Beech Bend on my visit this summer and hopefully it will grow enough to justify another visit next time I'm in Kentucky.

In addition to slow guests, I've seen unload E used when clearing the ride due to a breakdown or cascade reset. Since that is the point where trains are removed from the track guests need to exit there instead of at the usual unload. If necessary, a loaded train can be pulled off here temporarily to prevent a cascade, but it will not be moved to the storage tracks. Usually these guests receive a re-ride for their inconvenience, but I've seen cast members give them re-admittance passes instead (typically when the ride has a really long line or their party is split between multiple trains). As far as block A and B and one or two cast members, that seems to have changed since the new trains were installed. Previously, there were almost always two cast members. The one at block B would perform a physical seatbelt check, then the one at A would visually check the train and enable dispatch. With the new trains, guests perform the physical check themselves (by pulling the yellow tab) while the cast member does a visual check, so typically only one cast member is present and all checks happen at A. B is now used mainly as a hold point between C and A, though I have also seen it used for loading single riders if the station gates are too crowded. Lastly, as far as train count goes, with the old trains there were ten per track. Usually, a maximum of eight were used at a time. It was possible to run the ride with more, but this would only give cast members a window of about 20 seconds before a cascade was triggered. I'm assuming these numbers have not changed with the new trains as the blocking of the ride has not been modified and I often see at least one train on the storage track when riding, but it's possible the information is outdated (I heard it from a cast member during a breakdown years ago).

In my experience, these usually turn it from a Flash Pass optional day to a Flash Pass recommended day, assuming you want to be sure to ride everything. It's not going to be so crowded you only get on a handful of rides, but you may see waits around 60 minutes for the headliners (for reference, I've never seen a wait over 30 minutes on a typical off-season Sunday). If you visit the park frequently, don't mind waiting in some lines, and aren't stressed over getting everything in I wouldn't worry about it too much. Saturday may be slightly better, but I don't think it will make too much of a difference.

Intamin: SFNE's Bizarro, closely followed by El Toro B&M: Tatsu, closely followed by Nitro

I've loved theme parks as long as I can remember (probably partly due to growing up with Disneyland passes), but the first time I rode a major coaster (GhostRider when I was 8), the ride really scared me. It took a year or two before I tried any other big coasters (it was during a trip to SFMM the year Goliath opened), but I'd say by the time I was about 10 I started to really enjoy them, and I was probably around 12 when I got to the point I'd consider myself an enthusiast.