jacksoro2

Gwazi, Hurler (KD and CW), Every vekoma slc I have been on.

Boulder Dash. I took a business trip to Boston last week and I was able to sneak away to SFNE and Lake Compounce. Boulder Dash was the last coaster on my trip.

Since today was a Monday, let me tell you hat I encountered today during a warm sunny day. I hit some traffic so got the the turnstiles at 10:30 on the dot. I forgot how many people carry big bags that take time to search to the water park. So I didn't get through the gates until 10:40, not bad. Headed straight to Wicked Cyclone, They were only running one train and it took 20 to get to the station, but then they decided to put on the second train which caused a 15 minute delay. I got right back on line again and with the second train the line moved quicker. However, again right when I got up the stairs they stopped the ride and take one train off the track, another 20 minute wait. I heard Mr. Expert say that this happens quite frequently. A lot of people left the line because of the delay so I got right back in line for a 15 minute wait. SkyScreamer had no line at opening but was up to about 25 minutes by 11:30. Then I headed across the park to ride Bizarro a few times, it was a 40 minute wait so I only rode it once. Dark Knight was a walk-on. Rode a few flats with no lines then headed back to Wicked Cyclone and SkyScreamer. Wicked Cyclone had two trains running and I got three more rides in with about a 20 minute wait. SkyScreamer was still about 25 minutes so I passed. It seemed like most of the people not in the waterpark were in the queues for Wicked Cyclone and Bizarro. I usually ride Houdini, but completely forgot about it today. BTW, I forgot that I hate the extremely limited menu of the Panda Express at SFNE. But I had a hankering for it and stopped at a mall with Panda Express on the way home. In the mall's Food Court I noticed a Chick-Fil-A. I did not realize Chick-Fil-A had expanded into Connecticut (4 stores opened in the past 12 months). It turns out one of them is in Enfield, CT right at near the I91 exit I use to get to SFNE. Thanks Larry...all good things to know! Perhaps we might skip WC and head for Bizarro first in hopes that we can get a ride in before the masses arrive. Sounds like WC wasn't too bad of a wait later in the day, although I realize that attendance can obviously change from day to day and that will affect the queue time. Hopefully it won't be too bad. This might be a foolish question and this was probably answered several pages ago, but are there single rider queues for any of their coasters? My partner is a little unsure of WC going upside down with only lap bars and little to grab onto, so not sure if he'll do it right away or not. I may have to ride it first to let him know how it is. It sounds like doing the water park might be a really bad idea. It's supposed to be 86 on Monday so I have to assume that it will be crammed packed with people. I remember the last time that we went there...I ended up hauling our swimsuits & gear back out to the car (and that's a long-ass way!) because the water park was so ridiculously crowded - one of the worst crowds that I ever recall seeing at a water park. We took one look, said "Uh-uh", turned around and walked out...and that was on a Tuesday if I recall. Also thanks to the gentleman that mentioned that SF does not do twilight tickets. That's good to know, although I just went ahead and purchased full day tickets through Club TPR/Tickets At Work. I'm going to have to dig out the 'Good Eating Near Theme Parks' forum to see if there are any decent places outside the park. We are staying at the Hampton in Elsin that night and will be looking for a good place to go eat and have a couple of beers after leaving the park. Also can't remember...does the park serve beer? 86 degrees and I am going to be wanting to down a couple of cold one's throughout the day. I would think that they would have a Sam Adams place right in the park given it's proximity to Boston? I can't remember seeing single rider lines to be honest. I went by myself and it wasn't too much of a wait on most things. As far as Wicked Cyclone and the lap bars I felt totally safe on the ride. There are also leg restraints that hold the front of your shins to keep you from moving and seatbelts as well. With the lap bar, leg restraints, and seat belts your partner should be good.

Good thinking. It's always better to be prepared. I think one reason why it was a little busier on Monday was it was the Monday after a holiday weekend. A lot of people were still off of work. Hopefully it should be a calm day. The operations were a little bad on Monday as well. WC kept breaking down and with the one train operation the lines moved a little slower than it should have. Good luck.

When are you going to visit the park? You may not need a flash pass. I thought about buying one on Monday when I first got there because it looked a little crowded but most people were in the water park. As long as they run more than one train on WC then it should be ok. I guess it depends on how much time you have and the day that you go.

Since today was a Monday, let me tell you hat I encountered today during a warm sunny day. I hit some traffic so got the the turnstiles at 10:30 on the dot. I forgot how many people carry big bags that take time to search to the water park. So I didn't get through the gates until 10:40, not bad. Headed straight to Wicked Cyclone, They were only running one train and it took 20 to get to the station, but then they decided to put on the second train which caused a 15 minute delay. I got right back on line again and with the second train the line moved quicker. However, again right when I got up the stairs they stopped the ride and take one train off the track, another 20 minute wait. I heard Mr. Expert say that this happens quite frequently. A lot of people left the line because of the delay so I got right back in line for a 15 minute wait. SkyScreamer had no line at opening but was up to about 25 minutes by 11:30. Then I headed across the park to ride Bizarro a few times, it was a 40 minute wait so I only rode it once. Dark Knight was a walk-on. Rode a few flats with no lines then headed back to Wicked Cyclone and SkyScreamer. Wicked Cyclone had two trains running and I got three more rides in with about a 20 minute wait. SkyScreamer was still about 25 minutes so I passed. It seemed like most of the people not in the waterpark were in the queues for Wicked Cyclone and Bizarro. I usually ride Houdini, but completely forgot about it today. BTW, I forgot that I hate the extremely limited menu of the Panda Express at SFNE. But I had a hankering for it and stopped at a mall with Panda Express on the way home. In the mall's Food Court I noticed a Chick-Fil-A. I did not realize Chick-Fil-A had expanded into Connecticut (4 stores opened in the past 12 months). It turns out one of them is in Enfield, CT right at near the I91 exit I use to get to SFNE. I was actually in line with you when they decided to put the second train on the track. It took almost an hour before I got to ride. I was at the bottom of the steps when they put the train on. I must say that I was happy I decided to wait to ride it. Wicked Cyclone is easily a top 5 ride for along with Bizarro. I didn't have a lot of time at the park so I just rode Bizarro, Wicked Cyclone, Batman and a couplf of flats. I wanted to get down to Lake Compounce and ride Boulder Dash as well since I was in the area. You guys got yourselves some great coasters.

Thanks also. I was just thinking of going through the tolls. I know it should be about an hour. I will probably have about 6 hours or so to spend in the park so hopefully that should be enough time to at least ride WC and Bizarro.

In a couple of weeks I will be taking a work related trip to Boston and I was hoping to run to SFNE for a few hours if I get free on Monday 7/6. How are the crowds during the week? Will a fast pass be needed? Thanks

I had to chime in because I typically visit at least 2 parks at a time and I try to visit ones that are close. I did the SFOG and Carowinds trip and it wasn't bad. Both cities had a lot to do and I was able to get in over 20 new coaster credits. I also did Kings Dominion and SFA last fall as well. I just stayed in DC and spent a day at each park. This summer I am doing the KI, KK, and HW trip and I was planning on flying to Louisville and making that my base. Then I can spend a day at KI, a few hours at KK and a few hours at HW. I would also be central to all of the parks so I would eliminate a lot of long trips. Hershey Park and Knoebels may not be a bad combo as well and this will be my last trip this summer also. It really depends what you're in the mood for but I wouldn't suggest flying to St. Louis. When you factor in the time and gas you will spend you may be better off flying to a closer airport.

Awesome trip report. Lots of detail and the pictures were great.

I visited two SF parks this past summer: SFOG and SFA. For me both experiences were positive. The employees were pleasant and engaging and the parks were clean. SFOG was pretty crowded the day that I went but the lines weren't terrible. Most of my waits were about 15 minutes. There were multiple trains for every coaster except for Mindbender but that ride was worth the wait. Everything in SFA was a walkon so no complaints there. My only complaint would be the food and some of the variety. There was nothing really exciting I would recommend to someone visiting the parks if they were hungry. For the most part I would say that my expectations were exceeded.

Great start to your report. I'm looking forward to reading the rest.

hmmm. . . if we're in DC anyways. . . . (tho I think a 3rd park might be a "hard sell". .in particular a Six Flags). but then again, I mentioned in passing that I thought we might buy Season Passes this year, since Fiesta is only an hour or so drive from us. . and he didn't shut me down. So if we HAVE a pass at that point, and we're right there. . . . hmmmmmm I wouldn't even bother with SFA unless you both had season passes and were going to be in DC anyway, and even then I'm not sure I would recommend going there. It's simply not a quality park, unlike many of the parks in the region. I never said SFA had the quality of the other parks in the area but it isn't the worst place in the world either. Just a suggestion since they were gonna be in the area. My motto is to try to do as much as I can when I'm in a particular area since you never know when you may be coming back.

hmmm. . . if we're in DC anyways. . . . (tho I think a 3rd park might be a "hard sell". .in particular a Six Flags). but then again, I mentioned in passing that I thought we might buy Season Passes this year, since Fiesta is only an hour or so drive from us. . and he didn't shut me down. So if we HAVE a pass at that point, and we're right there. . . . hmmmmmm (then again, I've been going to Atlanta for over 18 years on Labor Day weekend for Dragon*con, and have yet to make the trip out to Six Flags over Georgia. .and that's right there too . . .I"m just always so busy (or hungover) to do it after a weekend of partying w/ my friends at a convention). hmmmm since you're right there you might as well. Your sell should be when is the next time we're gonna be in the area? SFA is small so you could probably knock that out in a couple of hours in an afternoon and then go have dinner or something. You have to hit SFGA next time in ATL as well. They have some pretty nice coasters there too: Goliath, Mindbender, Dare Devil Dive and Batman.

I too think the Virginia trip would give you more to do. There is also SFA right outside of DC if you wanted to spend a few hours there to grab some more credits. It doesn't have the selection of KD or quality of BGW but Superman is decent. I actually ran up to the DMV area last year myself and I loved it. I felt that KD was a very underrated park and I enjoyed every coaster there but Shockwave and that concussion inducing piece of crap Hurler. There are lots of great restaurants,night life and shopping and of course the historic stuff in the DC area. I can't comment much of Williamsburg since it's been years since I have been that way.

I see this is a pretty hot topic and I personally have no problem with someone who wants to buy them. I don't always buy them but I usually plan my visits to parks very carefully. I try to schedule them at times when the crowds are minimal and the weather is still decent. For me this eliminates the need for a fastpass because most of the time most rides are walkons. For example I went to SFA and Kings Dominion on Halloween weekend and Carowinds and SFOG in April this part year and I got there when the gates opened. I rode every coaster in the parks multiple times and spent maybe 2 or 3 hours in each park. My longest wait may have been 10 mins sometimes. However I know if I would have tried to do this in a weekend in July it would have been impossible. Don't get me wrong I have bought fast passes in the past if it was necessary. I will probably buy them this May when I visit Cedar Point and Kings Island if the need arises.

I went to the DMV area at the end of October to get in coasters before some parks closed and I got a chance to go to Ben's Chili Bowl when I left SFA. Although it's not right around the corner it was close enough and the food was good enough to make the trip worth it. Maybe I'm greedy as hell but I went back and ordered seconds that day.

It's funny I was literally thinking about SFOG iron horsing one of their woodies and my thoughts were that it probably wouldn't happen. My thoughts were that the space by Cyclone was pretty tight and like a previous poster stated earlier GASM is a classic from a different time. Who knows what SF wants to do though. It would be nice if they just built a brand new hybrid.

Hey I was one of those terrible summer camp teens a couple of decades ago. But seriously I remember it being pretty crowded and hot the few times I went in the summer as well. I typically try to avoid the Florida parks in the middle of the summer if I can help it.

Easter Sunday isn't a bad day to visit. I went to Carowinds last year on a rainy cold Good Friday and it was pretty crowded that day. When I passed by the park on Sunday it appeared to be empty. I think that would be a good day to visit either park as well. Also another good day for KD was the weekend right after Halloween this year. Everything was a walk on on the Saturday after Halloween when I went this year.

Flight of Fear or Anaconda at KINGS Dominion back in November. I can't remember now.

Definitely: Busch Gardens Tampa Sea World Orlando Cedar Point Kings Island Kentucky Kingdom Holiday World Silver Dollar City ' Dollywood Maybe: Carowinds Hershey Park Knoebels

Intamin: I305 B&M:Tie between Hulk and Afterburn

I actually don't mind stand ups either. I've only been on Vortex(Carowinds), Georgia Scorcher, Apocalypse and Shockwave. Vortex left me with a headache for the rest of the day and I didn't exactly care for Shockwave but the other two weren't that bad. I actually dislike flying coasters (other than Manta) more than stand ups.

I actually forgot about that midcourse brake. I remember sitting there when it happenned and wondering why the hell did we slow down. It really took a lot of momentum out of the ride.