IntaminLove

I love TTD and it sucks that it's closed for the season. I would understand wanting to put off the visit, but you still got MF, Maverick, and SV. SV is worth the visit alone. I'm sure your husband will still have fun want want to go back. KI is my second favorite park behind CP. KI has a good coaster collection, good operations, and is aesthetically pleasing. It's definitely worth a visit. Mystic Timbers is great and it's one of my favorite wooden coasters. It feels much faster than it is, strong laterals, nice pops of air, and smooth. Really good during the day and even better at night. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I love The Beast. It's one of my favorite wooden coasters and my favorite at KI. It's more about speed and feeling out of control. Not much airtime to speak of. The helix is one of my favorite moments on a coaster and is lateral bliss. The Beast is a better experience at night and it's my favorite night ride. I would say go in with moderate expectations.

You shouldn't need a Flash Pass since it's early in the season. The park should have lower attendance unless we get a random hot day. The only things I would recommend to do in Chicago are museums or an architecture tour. I love the Field Museum and can spend the whole day there.

It can be chilly in May especially if it's windy so bring a sweatshirt or light jacket. Use the Washington St entrance to get in the park faster. You can also exit that way at the end of the day. Get Maxx Force, Goliath, and Joker out of the way first. They have the longest lines due to lower capacity and frequent periods of down time. Ride the other coasters and flats in whatever order you please. Half the coasters are clones so that may help you prioritize.

Planning this is a little more involved than the typical park visits for me so all your suggestions are much appreciated. I have to make arrangements asap so it's great to be able to narrow things down. Thanks everyone.

Still no announcement, but the first event is Physics day on April 28th. That indicates opening day will be towards the end of the month if that helps.

Yeah I know I was asking a lot and I appreciate the great answers. You've been most helpful. Looks like we would go on week days earlier in the month so that simplifies things. Since 2 days is enough I'm going to try to extend the trip by adding Sea World. My sister isn't an enthusiast, but the animals should be convincing. Thanks again.

My sister and I are thinking about going to Universal for the first time in May. I could use some help planning the trip. Is there public transportation from Orlando International Airport that goes near Universal? How many days at the parks are recommended? Is it more beneficial to buy a season pass vs tickets? We don't know if we will be able to make another trip in the fall. Is it worth it to stay at a resort hotel or is an off site hotel a better option? Is May busy enough to warrant a fast pass? What are the go to places for food? What things do you suggest doing aside from the roller coasters and Harry Potter stuff? I would appreciate advice for anything else I didn't think to ask about too. Thanks.

Cedar Fair will turn it down since BGW built a new Intamin. Nothing else matters.

For sure: SFGAm, Indiana Beach, Kings Island, and Cedar Point. Likely: SFOG and Fun Spot Atlanta. Lots of hopefuls, but those depend on a few factors.

The Beast was noticeably rougher this year, but I didn't mind it. Some areas could use some work and I'm surprised by what they chose to address first. It will be interesting to see if they do some small reprofiling.

If my memory is correct Magnum, Gemini, Mean Streak, and Blue Streak didn't have air gates until the mid to late 2000s. Better safe than sorry.

Oopd didn't realize I made the typo.

I haven't been to SFOT before and the Roller Coaster Rodeo sounds like fun. Thanks for mentioning it. I have family friends out there so I might have to take a trip next year.

SFGAm is still offering the basic season pass and the membership tiers. I used the chat function on Friday to inquire about season pass tiers. I was told that season pass tiers are only being offered at select parks and as of now there are no plans to change that. Not the answer I wanted to hear and hopefully passes are expanded soon. The gold season pass is all I want and would like to stick with it.

Great report and I'm glad you had a good time. I'm going to try hard to stay Monday next year so I can go to the park.