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OrlandoGuy

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Posts posted by OrlandoGuy

  1. Why does the park "desperately" need a dark ride? I don't get this thought.

    Not sure why a dark ride has been made such a big deal here. I for one, could care less if the park has a dark ride.

     

    A dark ride is needed for many reasons. It helps round out the park's offerings by providing more variety. Dark rides can generally be enjoyed by the whole family so families generally love them. They give patrons an opportunity to escape the sun or rain.

     

    This is huge. Cedar Point is no stranger to rainy days and yet there's next to nothing to do when it's raining (especially considering CP's insane inclement weather policies). Having at least one major ride under cover would be huge to rounding out a day at Cedar Point.

  2. There used to be lights and fog in the last tunnel. But I'm not sure that qualifies as "themeing". Maverick only had maybe 10% of the themeing it was supposed to have, and I'm not sure what upkeep you want to do with the fake rocks. They're just kinda...there.

     

    CP just doesn't do themeing. I kind of wish people would just accept that and enjoy the park as it is. If you want great themeing go to a Busch park, Disney, or Universal. Cedar Fair seems to do just fine with minimum amounts as is, I wouldn't think they'd be so inclined to add more.

     

    All that said, if they do add a dark ride it would be interesting to see how well it holds up over time. The old Scooby Doo rides at the Paramount parks pretty much fell off the wagon in the upkeep department, as did the old Italian Job coasters. I would be incredibly (and pleasantly) surprised if any dark ride built at CP had themeing that lasted more than ~5 years.

     

    Personally, I think the Frontier Town area and that whole trail from Millennium to Maverick is the best-themed area in any regional "amusement" park in the country.

  3. What an awesome TR. I enjoyed every second of it.

     

    Based solely on this, I am very impressed with Hollywood's Horror Nights. It honestly seems better than Orlando's in a couple of ways this year based on your write-up and photos. Obviously, having the backlot open is something Orlando can never replicate but the overall atmosphere seems so much more complete there. Also, the props in the Purge scarezone seem more violent/imposing, but that might just be because of the size of the area they're in. Also sounds like California got the better AVP house...while ours wasn't bad, it was low on scares. Plus, having that AND AWiL (2 puppet houses!!) seems awesome. I feel like as soon as Hollywood starts getting an eighth house and hitting their stride with original content (seems hit or miss with originals over there) then they may very well become the superior haunt event compared to Orlando.

     

    As for Knott's, I had heard really good things about their event and your review solidified all of them. They seem to have a very dedicated team who love what they do which is awesome. For a regional amusement park they seem to throw a hell of an event. I really want to try this zombie laser tag thing...that sounds like a blast.

     

    Overall great write-up, seems like a very fun trip. Thanks for posting!

     

    EDIT: About the smog...that looks really bad. That otherwise beautiful picture of the ocean is ruined by the brown air. Are we 100% sure that thats all pollution, though, and not in some way the marine layer of the atmosphere?

  4. People have to realize that scare actors, games attendance and food workers are not Ride ops. There may have been a lot of staff in the park but that doesn't necessarily mean they had a lot of ride ops. They may have had a shortage in ride ops.

     

    A shortage in ride ops would lead to one, maybe two ride closures. I highly doubt the entire ride op staff had to go home an hour early on the night in question.

  5. I don't understand how this has turned into a debate

    WTF?!?!? *YOU* turned it into one! I just asked the guy a question and then you kept going on and on about it. You, yes YOU Orlando Guy was the one saying stupid stuff like "a valley is completely incomparable to a MCBR stop" when how would you even know if you've never experienced a ride that has vallied?!?! This is the kind of dumb comment I'm talking about when I say that I wish our members would think a little bit before they post. First you turn the discussion into a debate by throwing out "facts" that are retrieved from your anus, and then you question why it's turned into a debate?

     

    Look in the mirror pal...

     

    I will be the bigger person and avoid getting into this with you. I dont see the need to type angry things at a computer calling other opinions dumb. All I will say was that, no, I did not mean to turn anything into a debate by simply agreeing with a poster saying I can understand and sympathize with his experience lol. That never required or prompted an argumentative and antagonistic reply. So with that, I'll continue on topic...

     

    The pictures of the lift hill look very, very cool. The blue-green is a great combo. I think that after a while the RMC layouts will get a little repetetive but the side-by-side aspect of this one should make for a great experience with a lot of novelty.

  6. I just make the assumption that anyone "seasoned" enough to be on an enthusiast site like this would also probably want to experience something cool like that at a park that not a lot of people get to experience. I mean, hell, on one of our tours once a park PURPOSELY rolled back their coaster for us. No one freaked out. Some of those people it was their first major coaster trip.

     

    Sorry if it's hard for me to comprehend how this would actually freak someone out, especially when they know they were totally safe.

     

    Don't remember saying I would freak out…all I was doing was agreeing with Genx that, yes, I can understand how a valley might put a damper on your day, considering it's so unexpected and therefore could be off-putting. I also agree with the viewpoint that it could be really cool and exciting. I don't understand how this has turned into a debate

  7. ^ I understand where you're coming from. I personally just didn't find the valleying all that "cool", and just felt a little off after the experience. In hindsight I probably should have sucked it up and continued riding, but my dad and I just felt disenchanted, and we also needed to get back down to Anaheim for our dinner plans at Disneyland. But like I said, it just give me reason to make a return visit some day.

     

    I feel where youre coming from. Ive never valleyed but I imagine its pretty damn scary.

    It's really not. Scary would be if another train entered a block while you were going back and forth, or if a wheel assembly exploded, or if a tree fell on a ride and derailed it, but if you've just valleyed, even if it's due to some wood issues or the coaster chucking a wheel, it's really not that big of a deal. When it's happened to me I usually do a quick visual and mental check to make sure there isn't another train heading our way, and then you just ride it out and have fun!

     

    Also, a valley is completely incomparable to a MCBR stop...at least a MCBR stop is technically supposed to happen from time to time...a valley is completely unexpected

    Totally disagree. There are anti-rollbacks on coasters for a reason. Why do you think some coasters have evac platforms in certain spots? Sure, it doesn't happen as often as a mid-course brake stop, but it happens more than you think and the parks and staff should be trained for it. Like he said, they got them off the train pretty quickly once it came to a stop. Not sure what exactly the big deal would be.

     

    You're also a more seasoned rider than most people. Again, I've never done it so I can't say for sure, it's just my *personal opinion* that it would kinda be a buzzkill to valley, when the general perception is that that's not supposed to happen. Do I know I'm safe? Absolutely. But I'm not gonna pretend that it wouldn't freak me out at least a little.

  8. ^ I understand where you're coming from. I personally just didn't find the valleying all that "cool", and just felt a little off after the experience. In hindsight I probably should have sucked it up and continued riding, but my dad and I just felt disenchanted, and we also needed to get back down to Anaheim for our dinner plans at Disneyland. But like I said, it just give me reason to make a return visit some day.

     

    I feel where youre coming from. Ive never valleyed but I imagine its pretty damn scary. Its not that I would think everything was unsafe afterward, it would just be a nerve-wracking enough experience that it would kinda kill the "fun adrenaline" vibe coasters are going for. Also, a valley is completely incomparable to a MCBR stop...at least a MCBR stop is technically supposed to happen from time to time...a valley is completely unexpected and I would probably suffer a little bit of buzzkill afterward too.

  9. It was also stated explicitly in the post about the early ride closures that it was done because the capacity was low in the park--not only does this completely screw everyone who paid for a ticket under the assumption that the park would be open a certain amount of hours, but it proves that the staff WAS there, the work is available, they just wanted to get rid of them and shut down early...which is a cost-cutting measure.

     

    What if those hours are being saved for busier days during FF when a ride like Ka is approaching a 2 hour wait at park closing and they need to extend the employee schedules?

     

    15-20min isn't a huge deal, and I've never had this issue at SF. I remember at my trip to HW in 06 they closed Voyages line 45min before closing in the middle of summer...I was NOT happy with this but it does ensure the ride op's get home close to when they are supposed to.

     

    I used to work at Universal and they would NEVER let us home early unless we 1. wanted to and 2. we could leave without affecting daily operation. So if I was closing, I would not leave early, no matter how dead it was, because the guests were promised a certain closing time, and like Coasterbill said, in a service-oriented business, the only time it should be appropriate to deviate from the schedule is to extend. If Universal needed to cut hours, they would send a mid-shift home, or thin out the employees in a more crowded area, but not just send everyone home and close early.

     

    If Six Flags really has that hard of a time finding staff that can work through school, then dont promise hours that conflict with that. Theme parks (and tourism in general) are a SERVICE-oriented industry and the priority should be on the guest experience rather than the bottom line.

  10. Just as it is unfair to compare "All" SF to "All" CP parks it is unfair to generalize about all "SF". Some parks in each chain do a much better job than others. Hearing about closing two lines closing 15-20 minutes early doesn't sound like a cost cutting move to me. I could be wrong if this is something happening every night. At this time in the season, it is sometimes difficult to get as many hours out of employees with school in session. It might not be a cost cutting situation, but a situation where they need to stay in budget. I know it is a minor distinction, but there is a difference.

     

    Um...staffing is nearly always about budgeting. If they had the budget to hire more people (that weren't in school), then it would be a non-issue. It was also stated explicitly in the post about the early ride closures that it was done because the capacity was low in the park--not only does this completely screw everyone who paid for a ticket under the assumption that the park would be open a certain amount of hours, but it proves that the staff WAS there, the work is available, they just wanted to get rid of them and shut down early...which is a cost-cutting measure. Im not a Cedar Fair fanboy or a Six Flags hater by any means, but it is definitely clear that Cedar Fair places more emphasis on the overall guest experience, which requires more money (training, hiring enough staff that aren't affected by school schedules, keeping attractions running for as long as promised, etc.).

  11. ^I agree. I don't mind the new colors, but I wish it was still two different track colors so that the twistyness would be more apparent..

    Me too, especially as that's a common thing with CF's B&Ms.

    Excuse me? Flight Deck, Afterburn, Intimidator, Diamondback, Banshee, Vortex (Carowinds), Behemoth, and Dominator would like to have a word with you!

    Ok, maybe I should have said CP (as, until now all their B&Ms had this double track color scheme). I know they might not be the majority across all CF parks, but I would say that most B&Ms with these types of schemes belong to CF (or many of them).

     

    What..? Raptor is all green and Gatekeeper is all blue......

  12. Wow, thank you for posting these! Doing the lights-on tour gives you such a different perspective. I've been to the event three times (not at 41 house run-throughs yet though lol) and I'm seeing things in your pictures that are completely new to me. I just got a whole new appreciation for the work Universal does on their houses…that amount of detail is incredible.

     

    I do have to ask, though, does doing the lights-on tours "ruin" the scare factor of going through the house? I mean, not only do you know the layout beforehand by doing the tours but I'm wondering if also knowing where things go and how things are done behind the scenes takes away from the actual walk-throughs? If so, I could understand you not liking Dollhouse…while it was mine (and several others') top 2 or 3 house, it was because of creep factor rather than scares, and I'm guessing that element can get lost after doing a lights-on tour.

     

    Anyway, glad you had a good time. The pictures are great!

  13. To weigh in on the trim/no trim Mantis/Chang thing, keep in mind that Mantis's drop is ten degrees steeper and has a slight left-to-right bank. Chang's drop is straight. And I believe the space between elements was elongated for Chang. Essentially, Chang is like a slightly more drawn-out mirror of Mantis, for the first half, which seemed less intense to me when I rode both.

     

    Interesting, thanks for the info

  14. Roanoke - I thought this was the weakest house in the history of the event. It felt like a Fright Fest level of Quality.

     

    Halloween - I thought Universal Hollywood did a better job with this house.

     

    Alien vs. Predator - I like SciFi, this was my favorite house. I loved the part at the end where you had to get down low and there was a scare down there. It reminded me of old school HHN where they were doing and trying different things every year. The only bummer was that it was so short and at the end!

     

    Dusk till Dawn - Boobs.

     

    Walking Dead - I gave up on this series a few episodes into Season Two. Looked good, LOTS of scare actors, but nothing stood out.

     

    Dracula - Meh.

     

    Giggles & Gore / Doll House - I don't even know which is which.

     

    I really missed some different or interesting things we've seen in the past. Where are the flying scare actors? Where are the bungee scare actors? Where are the mine hats to wear? Where are the indoor/outdoor mazes? I miss when this event used to push the limit and try new things even if they didn't work.

     

    Scare Zones were ok. I liked the Purge and Face Off ones. Due to the rain I think the others were suffering a bit.

     

    Interesting to hear Roanoke described as the worst of the event's history. I didnt *love* it, but I thought that just the aesthetics of it all put it above quite a few houses Ive been through at HHN (including practically every one in 2012). I liked the ceiling scare and some of the burn victim make-up/masks, and I thought just the sheer scale and detail in the finale room was very well-done. Like I said in my earlier review, it left a little to be desired but I thought that how it looked alone makes it a worthy addition to their lineup.

     

    I agree about pretty much all the rest (although I LOVED Halloween and cant imagine Hollywood doing it better as I thought ours was perfect...I must have really missed a great house in Hollywood). I would reccomend another run through Dollhouse though. If you have good timing, it is easily one of the creepiest houses tone-wise and has one of the strongest uses of atmosphere Ive seen in any HHN house.

     

    And I definitely agree about the lack of innovative scares a la the "old" days. However, I was really happy to see the return of physical effect gags (such as the alien dragging the soldier through the floor and the scene in Giggles with the intestines being ripped out) and the "scene" rooms (Michael Myers stabbing Laurie, for instance). I loved how HHN does those and after a few years without those things, I loved seeing them back this year. It restored a little bit of my faith that they havent completely lost their edge.

  15. So I found out today that this past weekend was Military Appreciation Day (free admission for active duty military and up to 3 dependents). But apparently no one in their PR department was thinking because Sunday was also Muslim Friends and Family Day. I work with a former Marine who was deployed to Iraq and went to the park on Sunday. He said it was incredibly awkward.

     

    Dumb, ignorant, probably borderline offensive…what's not to love about this one?

  16. ^thanks!

     

    Timber Falls was a success for the park and brought in a healthy attendance for the 1963 season. The innovation has paid off!

     

     

    1964

    In the wake of the long and expensive process that was designing Timber Falls, there was a bit of a change of pace for 1964. Not wanting to break the bank again on a huge expansion, but not wanting to seem stale, the park added a simple small flat ride that has been very popular recently in the fair circuit…Wipeout! Located on the midway connecting the main entrance promenade to the Lakeside Racer midway (along the beach), Wipeout gives guests a thrilling ride that combines all sorts of G-forces for just $.60 a ticket. Here are some pictures of the new addition.

    998948152_ScreenShot2014-09-22at12_29_50AM.png.a9f6d08f244c44814e9e07375a455198.png

    New for 1964…Wipeout

    1347047278_ScreenShot2014-09-22at12_30_36AM.thumb.png.52e4ab1d8c811905b192c4c02a594823.png

    On-ride shot…this one spins right on the beach

    470325714_ScreenShot2014-09-22at12_31_45AM.png.23f1766c13e47aaee05437210927a114.png

    Also, to commemorate the beginning of the fall season, all updates will now be brought to you from autumn time at Laguna Island! It's a nice park when the leaves begin to change.

    430663391_ScreenShot2014-09-22at12_32_28AM.png.eee10a50ca2fe7b52eddd2b415db3b56.png

    It's located on the drag between the Main Entrance midway and the Lakeside Racer midway

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