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I can sort of understand it. If you see a ride everywhere you probably will get sick of it at some point, sort of how some people get sick of rides at their home park from riding them too much. That being said if Cedar Point made RMC turn Mean Streak into an NTaG clone you wouldn't see me complaining at all You just... huh. As I had said, if a ride is good, it's good. No matter how many clones exist. You backed me up on that saying you want an RMC clone. But then you said you get sick of a ride over an over... but not if it's a good ride. You don't like Batman clones because you don't like Batman itself, not because you're sick of good rides being cloned. For me, Batman is amazing and every park that doesn't have a custom invert should have a Batman clone. You would probably say the same about Texas Giant.

^Having a negative of Batman that you can justify is totally fine by me (I disagree but I suppose crazy intense rides like Batman aren't everyone's cup of tea), but what I said was that I don't understand how someone can dislike a ride solely because it's been cloned. If a ride is good, it's good. There's nothing more to it.

The Rolling Thunder plot would be an absolutely ideal place for a new midway with new flats to connect to the backside of Plaza del Carnaval, but the problem is that they *just* built Zumnajaro and did not design that ride plaza to allow expansion whatsoever. They would have to re-work basically the entire half mile of queue that was built two years ago. The queue also stick far out into RT's old footprint, which wouldn't necessarily block too much physical space for expansion, but it's a telling clue that the park really doesn't intend to build there. There are a lot of dead areas in already semi-developed parts of the park, so it doesn't make financial sense (which SF is all about) to rework a new queue and expand/build an entirely new midway with food locations, games, facilities, etc back there.

Never understood the idea that amazing rides are somehow "not as good" because they're cloned. If El Toro was cloned like Batman is the world would be a better place.

If you haven't ridden one you should try it. Maybe make that the first ride of the day at some park so you're not already exhausted or dehydrated. I generally don't like spinning rides and can get a little "iffy" on spinning rides but giant frisbees aren't too much spinning at all. Kings Dominion's Mondial version is good, but Cedar Point's HUSS model is better. Word is that Kennywood's and SFOT's Zamplerlas are by far the best so I'm looking forward to riding one.

I... ..agree? I just edited it. Our first gen iPad needs to be retired. See "selection."

I read that thread when I need a good laugh. I especially love it when people still suggest a wing coaster, totally ignoring the fact that the chain abandoned building them after X-Flight. Oh it's obnoxious. The main point they're going off for "knowing" it's a T-Rex is that that Joker is more thrilling than El Diablo, so "obviously" they're going for a three year plan of increasing intensity of new coasters. lol wtf? But back on topic I could totally see a flat package as well.

It's always interesting seeing the people on the east coast/Midwest have lists full of RMC coasters, giga coasters/speed coasters with scattered notable B&M's/Intamins compared to those on the west coast with a lot more "variety," let's say. The selection of coasters easily accessible is evident in people's lists. As for my own list I'll wait until after next week because I'm sure it'll be switched around a good bit/made more respectable.

The people at Great Adventure History are a little delusional sometimes. The owner of the site is fantastic however and a lot of the posters are excellent but I'm not sure that speculation page is in the least bit reputable (Railer, cough cough).

Why would Six Flags be involved in selecting attractions for parks other than ones they own or have a license deal with? Wait... isn't that what I said? They have a license deal with the Dubai park, so I assume they are involved in selecting attractions, correct? Wasn't asking about parks they neither own nor have a license deal with. They probably do as they're being paid for their name and expertise here, in China, Vietnam, and in Saudi Arabia. Otherwise, no. They wouldn't work for free. OH I gotcha. When I said "only licensed," I meant as opposed to owned and operated by Six Flags, not opposed to just random parks unrelated to SF. I understand that. So yes, the answer to my original question. Thanks. The reason I asked is the attractions they select could be a mild indication of where they're going with their domestic parks in the future.

Why would Six Flags be involved in selecting attractions for parks other than ones they own or have a license deal with? Wait... isn't that what I said? They have a license deal with the Dubai park, so I assume they are involved in selecting attractions, correct? Wasn't asking about parks they neither own nor have a license deal with.

Is Six Flags involved in selecting attractions for parks only licensed under the SF name?

It's nice to see reports of life outside of theme parks from time to time. Interesting stuff here, nice job! *Packs bags for six straight days of just theme parks next week*

I won't get my first ride for about another month so I can't compare the two but Talon's layout looks really appealing to me. It seems to flow really nicely from three large elements of intensity, a short break to catch your breath high up in the air, then a quick snap back into a low to the ground intense finish.

^Apparently nobody got that joke... I thought it was funny.

Kings Dominion is a really solid park. In terms of coasters they have one top 5 ride, a major drop off to round out the big three, then another drop off for the supporting lineup. They could definitely use another noteworthy ride but the lineup is solid already and can certainly hold its own with nearby regional parks. It's no Cedar Point but it's at least comparable to BGW, better than SFA and Dorney, and maybe one step below Hershey and Great Adventure. The non-coaster selection is probably above average, but the atmosphere really shines. It's just a nice way to spend a day and feels a lot more low key compared to parks like Great Adventure where you have to rush through everything to feel like you've done it all in a single day (which probably has just as much to do with Great Adventure's quality lineup).

^So the ride closes for more than 30 minutes around 9:30? That kinda blows. Oh well. So with Fast Lane maybe it's safe to get in line around 9:45 and still grab a front seat ride (and therefore another night ride beforehand elsewhere), or can you not skip enough of the queue to grab the front? Sorry for the super in-depth questions but I would really be lost otherwise. Greatly appreciated.

Great photos. It's nice to read a "good but not great" TR on occasion to keep my expectations in check for next week.

^Understood, I guess I was just looking for clarification as Philrad71 says he was able to get the free upgrade this season. Regardless, it's really not a big difference and we'll still wait and see for both Kings Island and Cedar Point on Fast Lane passes. Would it be possible to grab two night rides on The Beast with Fast Lane with a 10pm closing? How are the merge points at Kings Island's major Fast Lane attraction queues, particularly Beast and Banshee as the other two rides on FL+ are early entry so that's the deciding factor for regular vs plus for us. Thanks for chiming in.

^Yeah absolutely, I just wasn't sure if the info was there and I just wasn't seeing it. I'll call/email for any unanswered questions before we leave. Everything here is really helpful though. Thanks for putting in the time to respond.

Thanks so much for all the help guys. I can't find anything on the site about the Fast Lane discount--Philrad71 was this something you had to ask for at the park buying Fast Lane, or was it common knowledge among CP employees if you had your pass? If the free upgrade from FL to FL+ is legit I assume it's valid at Kings Island as well. Another thing I had forgotten to mention--my cousin and his wife live in Cleveland and were planning to meet up for half a day, either Friday afternoon or Saturday at opening to mid-afternoon. I'm not seeing starlight tickets available on the site, so it looks like Saturday might be the best option (for us especially as were planning on Friday definitely being a FL+ day--actually selfishly I'm hoping Friday doesn't work for them so we can do FL+ Friday and a chill Saturday with them before we depart). Are there any other bring a friend discounts other than the "anyday" $42 passholder price advertised on the site? Passholder benefits explicitly say special discount days throughout the season, but no dates are listed so I assume $42 is what we're looking at, yes? Thanks for the advice about The Beast. We'll probably hang around Diamondack until 9-9:15 to get in line for The Beast. Of course I wouldn't want to risk not getting to ride at all if we waited for the night ride and it didn't happen, but we'll be back Wedneday morning for rerides on our favorites and anything we missed, so there's at least that option if some issue came up. We'll take things as they go as I don't really want to over-plan the trip. Another thing we're looking into is the $5 slingshot offer at Kings Island. Can we purchase a ticket in the early AM to use at any point during the day at the reduced price? And last thing--Kings Dominion all season sports bottles are valid at all Cedar Fair parks, correct? Thanks for the food advice as well. Really good stuff guys, I appreciate it!

Departure is creeping up on us crazy fast, so a few questions to revive this trip planning thread a little bit. Any bits of info are appreciated, even if they have nothing to do with what I'm asking about. Kennywood Being a four hour drive from home (and not having the option of leaving before rush hour/early AM) were probably looking at arriving sometime around noon-12:30 on Monday. What can't miss food should we look to have for lunch? I know they're know for the potato patch fries but I've also read they're nothing special. Should we have lunch at the main restaurant in the park (can't recall the name), outside the park, or somewhere else? Is there anywhere really good and affordable outside the park or somewhere heading west down I-70, or should we just save time and grab chain food somewhere? I don't think lines should be an issue on a Monday, and arriving after 12pm there's probably no best plan of attack for short lines, correct? With a three hour drive to the motel and a long week ahead unfortunately we'll have to depart by 8pm at the latest, so no night rides this time around, but the following is what we're shooting for--are we missing anything/is this reasonable in 6-8 hours...? ----> All six coasters, three dark rides, Black Widow (Kangaroo and Turtle have been suggested but is this worth the time?) Kings Island We plan on platinum pass early entry to get Firehawk and FoF out of the way but we've ridden clones at SFA and KD so one ride will be enough with those two as well as what seems to be several of the coasters that either have clones at KD, rides that suck, or aren't worthy or rerides. We plan on every major coaster and maybe the occasional stop for a water ride/flat but nothing looks super interesting here outside of the big three. Which leads us to my main question... We've essentially decided on two days of Fast Lane passes each for the week. We're both mainly in it for Cedar Point, but having been to CP in 2014 I know it's not hard to ride all we want with the time we have there. So are we better off with one day of FL+ at each park, or just both at Cedar Point? I don't know if Kings Island's collection/potential wait times relative to Cedar Point justify coughing up $70 here instead of enjoying ourselves another day at Cedar Point. Really any insight with lines on a Tuesday in July are appreciated (well have Wedneday morning for rerides on favorites as well). Leaning towards both at Cedar Point but if this is a stupid plan please let me know. Food--dining plan best options at Kings Island? Skyline Chili, Johnny Rockets, or something else? The Beast--A front seat night ride here is probably our top priority along with Diamondback and Banshee. Two questions here, and I guess both really boil down to personal preference but some advice would be great. One, with nightfall around 9:15, is it worth trying to grab an early night ride on Diamonback, Banshee or Bat and then hopping in line by 9:30, or is that too risky to potentially be instructed to ride in another row if we're too late? Two, is this really worth riding during the day knowing we're getting an infinitely better ride at night that could potentially lower the hype and excitement? I know this is super nerdy and really just a personal preference but it would be pretty cool to have never ridden the ride before that first time at night which could make it even more incredible, yes? Cedar Point I've been on two separate occasions ('13 and '14) but my buddy's never been, and this is really the main goal of the trip, hence having two full days plus up to two additional half days on either end. Really only two (well, three) things I'm wondering about. One, see above Fast Lane question (and can someone confirm it is true platinum passholders get a free upgrade to FL+?) Two, any decent breakfast options within 10 minutes of the park? The cheap Motel 6 we're staying at doesn't offer free breakfast. Even just somewhere to grab a muffin or something, could just go with a nearby fast food joint. Three, how does Valravn shake up the early entry/first hour of operation go-to plan? In the past we've gone to Millennium followed by Maverick, then Dragster at 10. Same idea still, or is Valravn (entering through Marina gate) a good first option? Sorry for the super long wall of text, any help is appreciated! Getting stoked after almost a year of planning!

I'm a 38 also and I just got back from Great Adventure. I could ride everything. Come to think of it, they don't have VR. And Superman doesn't have seat belts. I would assume you meant America, but surely you didn't spend TWO full days at SFA? I think you misread his post. Sounds like two days at Gadv, now at SFA unable to ride Superman.

He's talking about old, unpopular rides that have essentially lived their useful, operational lives. It's common sense that a popular water ride that's being removed to make space for something bigger can still be popular elsewhere--it all depends on the specific attraction and why it's being removed.

I'm a little unclear on the different options. What order do the rides have to be done? Is it a complete walk on, choose your seat anywhere but the front, or how does that work? Does the "night" tour have to be after a certain time, or is it just a different set of rides?