urzishra

Whether it is popular or not for older people, it is/will probably be a huge thing for children. I imagine it is the first "game" a lot of kids got to or will get to play. It is a smart move. IMO.

I think these kinds of coasters are pretty interesting. I like how they have a somewhat small footprint and have quite a bit going on for it ( a few loops some twists, some up and down sections..)

That was what I would tell people (usually using the phrase 'technical difficulties'), but then many times it turns into "Well what kind of technical difficulties?" or "Well how long does it usually take?" if you answer either of those questions you break policy, if you don't the guests get upset with you. For ops it can really be darned if you do, darned if you don't. Now this doesn't go for all parks, but many will at least tell you if they anticipate it to be a long delay. However, other things can come up and the worst thing a guest can do is then get upset when what was anticipated to be a short delay turns into a long delay. That makes sense. Those kinds of people will always try to probe as much info as possible regardless. Working in Tech Support most times the person you talk to on the phone has no idea and GP sometimes doesn't understand that.

Generally, I'll pay whatever price I need to pay to ride the rides I want to ride that day. If that means I need the super fast pass I would get that. I think it has to be a must for parks that open half a day and are crowded. Or go on a weekday.

I like them on the forum because it is easier to find new ones. Though I do like them linked on the front page. Honestly rarely go to the park index unless I'm linked there.

Why not shoot an email over to a park? I bet they would be the best place to ask. The worst that could happen is they say no or they can't.

I don't understand why a ride op couldn't just say "I'm sorry but our ride isn't currently operating due to unforeseen circumstances. We don't currently have an estimated time of resolution to the issue at hand." I realize it sucks having a repetitious job, but that is the job. Customer Service should always be top priority. Part of that is informing people if something breaks.

That makes it easier for me. I get freaked out on the open air ones.

Not going through Vegas/Utah seems like a missed opportunity. You can hit a lot of cool stuff on the way back (Primm to Vegas to Lagoon to Denver) But I might be biased.

I use a google excel sheet (since I can access it anywhere from any computer.)

Interesting. I love the Chinese knock off things.

Just read this on this forum the "General Public doesn't **KNOW** things like **US** ethusiasts do." Don't assume what someone will or won't know.

I couldn't agree more. I just don't believe that kids need all that stuff that parents think they'll need. I never see actual babies in Strollers I just see it loaded up with garbage. I was at the new Living Planet Aquarium we have here last Saturday (I know not a theme park, but it is relevant to the conversation) and it just seemed like parents just used them to crowd other people out of the way and they just carried their kid around anyways, they were never actually in the stroller. I don't know why they can't use the small basic strollers, why does it need to have "shade" and a million pockets and cup holders? I don't have kids, I don't plan on having kids, but if I did have kids, I'm not sure I would have these giant strollers that seem to be infiltrating everywhere.

Consider the market, I doubt that people will be grabbing those parade/firework show FPs until later on in the day. You can probably get lucky and snag one after using a few more during the day.

^ Pretty sure Robb called this when this was first announced. literally. I don't want to search this thread to find it, but there was a lot of "the sky is falling" when this was announced. Personally I like knowing that when I plan a WDW vacation I can set up 3 must do rides each day straight up. That is great. more FPs were going to be available eventually.

Some things that I've done in the last month or so. - looking for a smaller apartment (I can probably save 250 to 300 a month on this alone. Currently in a 2 bed 2 bath place thats ~900 a month, in the year and half that I've been here I rarely use the "second bedroom" it is just being filled with clutter.) - bringing food from home. I probably get 5 lunches a week for around 20 bucks by bringing it with me. I was spending more than 4 dollars a day at fast food. - eating at home. This one is a little bit tougher for me, but just eating weekend breakfast has saved me 50 to 80 bucks a month. I'm gonig to try to get the amount of times I go out to 2 to 3 a week. now it is about 6 times a week, it's a process but it is working. - selling other assets. getting out of Magic The Gathering and into theme parks has been a little different, but it is nice getting rid of all this clutter out of my house. - buying less clothing. I used to spend 50 dollars a month of clothes to 0. While I've been doing most of this to pay off my Credit Card debts (which will honestly open up travel money for me.) it is very liberating to do a few small things that I've seen real results quickly.

Sounds like a Work and Travel. lol Also, Rattlesnake Rapids has an hourly capacity of 1,200 persons per hour. That is with every boat filled with 9 Riders and without stopping the turn table. Most times, the ride is lucky to hit 600pph. If you would rather wait in a 90 Minute line in 106 Degrees, be my guest. lol I know it is rapids in general. I should probably just bring my own group of people with me. It's the only ride that I like that doesn't really bode well with small parties of people. :/ and it isn't that big of a deal, but the ride ops lady being rude was inexcusable IMO, you don't need to say "you, up" when you are speaking to adults.

I'd rather neither. I mean I think managing a park would be fun, but it would magnify things if I went to other parks and they weren't "doing it right." I had this problem when I eat at restaurants. Because I was in the business so long, it was hard for me to divorce "restaurant Rob" with "I'm out and about with my wife Rob" ... It has gotten better since I've switched fields, but it has been ingrained in me for so long (I worked at a restaurant for 11 years, managed one for 3 or 4, my parents run their own place..) that it is still kind of hard for me. That being said, I can make the best breakfast ever. If it came down to it, I think I'd rather own a place then design, but I would only be an owner in title only. I'd put forth my vision to people who can actually make those decisions properly. I don't think I would be very good at designing rides.

A few things that bother me. - Rude ride ops. I was at Lagoon last summer my wife and I on Rattle Snake Rapids, it has one of those turntable things to get people on and off the ride. The girl working the unload side literally said to my wife "Come on get out." I almost punched her right then and there. - Speaking of Rattlesnake Rapids (and Rapids rides in general.) If you don't bring your own group, getting stuck in the boat with 2 teenage girls is pretty much the stone cold worst. I'd rather be in the boat with a young family then teenagers anytime. At least I know the kids will be having a great time. - Screaming at the top of your lungs for anything. we get it tiny girls you're "scared" and you want the boys you are with to know it. But it gets grating rather quickly. - People who need to take pictures of everything. I know a lot of people do TR here and I'm probably lumping them into that group even though I'm a hypocrite and I enjoy them. But I've been with people who literally take a picture every 10 steps. It is insufferable to other people in your party if you are taking more than 20 pictures a trip.

remember if you fly to SLC you can get on the train at the airport get take the train right to Lagoon (well after a bus shuttle.) But still, I know some people like things they can get to easily from the airport.

The amount of "hate" on the forum about drop rides. I think they are pretty fun and cool. But a lot of people find them to really suck and I haven't figured out why. Seems like any TR I read when they talk about the drop tower it is always "it was ok, not really that great." what gives?

There are a few things about water parks that I don't like. 1. The ones where you can't wear sandals and they have mostly paved areas gets super hot in the summer. 2. (And this is unrelated to Cowabunga Bay from what I've been told) Tube rentals (which I don't mind too much to be honest.) But I don't like carrying the tube up the water towers. I like the ones that have the conveyer belt tube slides and I realize it is not necessarily economical to do something like that. 3. The food. I also realize that this is something that can't be helped. But waterpark food seems to be on average a step below amusement park food. Somethings about the podcast I wanted to respond to. 1. I typically like the Lazy Rivers. My wife usually spends most or all of her time in them when we go. She'll go around it a bunch of times. It is pretty relaxing for the most part. 2. I typically avoid "wave pools" I know why they are popular and why they exist. I think it has to do with my small town growing up we had a pretty decent wave pool and I was there every day every summer growing up. So I just might be wave pool'd out. 3. I like "enclosed" slides more than "open" slides. even speed slides. Maybe I just feel safer inside a fiberglass tube then I do with "the top shaved off" but it seems that way to me. I also miss those slide and hit a small pool slides that used to be very popular. I know Lagoon still has one, and they are probably a nightmare to staff (because you have to have lifeguards on each 'pool' section.) But they were my favorite kind of water slide growing up I love multiple splash pools.

I have to agree about the Bat. It is awful. Thanks for the TR. EDIT: I may be biased towards somethings about Lagoon (My parents actually met while working at Lagoon, my dad ran the original Roller Coaster and my mom ran the Jet Star back in the late 70s.) But I love riding Jet Star. I know it is rough and I hate the no single rider stipulation, but it is probably my favorite ride at the park after Wicked. I like Rattlesnake Rapids though I wish it was a longer ride (as most rapids rides I've ever been on have been way too short.)

Loved the podcast. Would love to hear more actually, but I realize that scheduling them sucks. Thanks Robb and Shane. (Also can't wait to finally go to Cowabunga Bay this year, both sites.)

How do you know that dolphins do not want to be captive? You cannot place human emotions on animals as they act more upon instinct than emotion. Dolphins are not placed in tiny areas and I seriously doubt it is possible to force an animal into doing tricks. If dolphins should not be given tricks and put into captivity, than people should be banned from having dogs contained in their house and teaching dogs tricks should be illegal. That's his opinion. Do humans want to be in prison? No. It's confining dolphins to a tank. And humans have to be confined for punishment, when dolphins didn't do jack diddly. It's not right, unless they were rescued. But capturing them from an ocean and putting them in a tank away from there family. Yes, that is sad and pitiful, Six Flags limits there daily food limit. In the wild it's like a buffet. So there can be two sides to this conflict. Look at it this way, everyone is confined in some kind of box. I mean I pay my landlord a certain amount of money so I have a place to live. Dolphins don't need to pay anything (other than being viewed by people, and yeah it wasn't a "choice" I mean I guess I can go live like a "wild" human in the streets and be homeless...but I don't want to.) I don't see how the dolphins are unhappy. You claim the ocean is like a "buffet" yeah I mean it is awesome when the food is plentiful, but in the wild you are fighting off predators and other animal competition for food. It isn't like the dolphin can just swim up and be like "I'm here, where's my plate?" But at Six Flags? They get someone to come out specifically to toss raw fish into my home? sweet. Most of the animals currently in captivity were born into captivity. And being in captivity is sometimes the safest place for these animals to be.