StuckInSD

Well, it wasn't until Son of Beast (R.I.P.) that we got the idea of a modern, looping wooden coaster. Sure, that came out in 2000 but that's still relatively new for the 100+ years of roller coaster tech that's happened. And it wasn't until RMC came onto the scene in 2011 that we could really push the limits of what can be done on a wooden coaster. Plus, have you seen the hang-time on that thing? Of course people would be dumbfounded, knowledge of physics withstanding. That being said... I remember this one lady at Disneyland refusing to go in Space Mountain because it "went upside-down".

Giant Dipper @ Belmont Park Still holds up good!

Since this is SoCal, I could honestly see this coaster get Iron Horse treatment and be called Colossal Cred. ... with dueling trains Hella and Swag.

If I was attending the water park and my dry friend was crossing to get to another ride, I'd be sooo tempted to just run up and give him a wet hug.

Surprisingly Pleasant: Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk- For a roller coaster nearly 100 years old, it held up pretty good. A good, old woodie with an classic "kick" to it. Manta at SeaWorld San Diego- Do not let its meager size fool you! This thing is an airtime monster when you're in the right seat. Though I do regret having breakfast right before riding it; airtime does weird things to your stomach. Surprisingly Unpleasant: Orbit at CGA- No wonder my dad nicknamed it the Vomitron. Had to sit myself down for a good 15 minutes to get over the headache I got afterwards. Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland- After 10 years of missed opportunities, I finally got to ride it on my last visit, and... okay. The semi-dueling concept and theming are cool, but I guess I got myself a bit too hyped for Plumbing Pipes on Concrete: The Ride. Pirate Reef at Legoland California- Wearing underwear and jeans on this ride was the worst mistake I ever made in a theme park. Now I know what it feels like to get shoved into a pool in full clothing.

This is fantastic! It really is a dead space where they intend on expanding, so this will be a nice filler- though I wholeheartedly agree that it's about time they expanded Shamu's tank. Giving some TLC to their orcas and re-iterating their efforts is a perfect counter to Blackfish lounge chair critics. As for Orlando, I can imagine them possibly merging the G and E tanks and building the Shamu Close-Up tank to where D2 (Q2?... it's blurry) is.

I might consider stopping by Belmont Park to take a ride on Giant Dipper. Every other establishment with roller coasters takes 60-80 bucks to get in.

If the relocated Maximum RPM! doesn't include the Ferris wheel, imma die a little inside.

Huh. After looking over the comments, I guess I have a death wish. Granted, I'm only 20, so I shouldn't even be having significant problems with rides. I've actually made it a tradition of mine to immediately go on the spinniest ride in the park after I eat a big meal just to see if I can conjure up a puke-nado. I've yet to run into a coaster that's really given me noticeable problems, although the Giant Dipper at Santa Cruz Boardwalk shook me like a ragdoll. But I remember Orbit at CGA giving me second thoughts. I wasn't used to the sensation of Gs quite yet, and getting sent on an enterprise of death probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. Schwarzkopf made some pretty forceful coasters... and apparently that thing. All I remember after getting off that was recovering from all my blood being drained into my toes. Oddly enough, they don't mention it on the site anymore, so maybe it got moved or scrapped?

While I've heard that the Wanda Group has been eyeing our whales, I can't seem to find sources indicating a budget cut (except for sites and media outlets that are hopping onto the Blackfish bandwagon). Also, according to said sites, being $1.8 million short of $215.1 million is a 11% drop. Gotta love math. I was there a week ago and things seemed fine. The park was packed, people were buying everything everywhere, and this was during Comic-Con, where everyone's supposed to be at the convention center. I believe Screamscape to be credible, but I wouldn't take every word for truth until solid evidence surfaces.

Or when people leave wet toilet paper bits on the seat... Tho, despite being here in congested SoCal, I've actually found theme park bathrooms pretty sanitary. Last week when I went to SeaWorld, the bathrooms were godly in terms of cleanliness (at least from last time); dry floors, no graffiti or scratches, and it didn't smell that bad despite being near the sea lions. But I totally get just how bad theme park bathrooms can get. Disneyland on any day that isn't a school season Monday or Tuesday suffers in the toiletry department. ... at least we get treated to a show when someone poops their pants and the characters start dancing around the poop so nobody sees.

If the problem is the chain, it makes ya wonder if its because of the faultiness of the chain or if one too many fat trains made the round...

While SeaWorld San Diego and Legoland are my "home" parks, I tend to find myself at Disneyland more than the other two. So I'll shoe-horn that in too. SeaWorld San Diego: 2015- Quell this Blackfish nonsense (if not settled by now), pull back attendance through publicizing rescue, conservation and rehabilitation efforts, renovate Wild Arctic/Penguin Encounter area, lower admission by $10 to entice more visitors 2016- Unveil rumored expansion (that ISN'T that Antarctica... thing), re-imagine or pull out Pets Rule! show, give Shark Encounter some much needed TLC, add in water ride around Sesame Street Bay of Play (maybe a Zamperla Watermania or Mack Boat Ride) 2017- Renovate Shipwreck Rapids, replace faulty Skytower with Mäch Tower-equivalent, re-dedicate old Clydesdale building to highlight conservation/rehabilitation efforts, start taking Aquatica seriously and add punchbowl slide that goes through a shark tank (call it Sharknado: Slippery When Wet) 2018- Bring back the eels, add in relevant jokes to Sea Lions LIVE, replace two or three of the dozen expensive pearl shops with booths that sell sunscreen, towels, bottled water and the like, get zoning permits to expand in the vacant lot east 2019- Begin construction on B&M Wingrider (like Wild Eagle or Gatekeeper) themed to pelicans or an albatross or seagull, set-up programs with local businesses to give guests experiences snorkeling, paddle-boarding, tide pools with a SeaWorld flair, add in water coaster to Aquatica, establish a shuttle bus between SeaWorld and Aquatica Legoland California Resort: 2015- Update Fun Town with a LEGO Movie vibe, make open-air venue for more live performances, update washed-out models in Miniland 2016- Add in eels to SeaLife Aquarium (call it Electric Avenue and have that corny song play on a loop), bring back Raptor Splash game and relocate it to Pirate Shores or that Chima thing, give the Legoland Hotel direct access to the park (maybe an entrance in the Imagination Zone) 2017- Add in pillory photo-op to Caste Hill and iron maiden photo-op to Land of Adventure, add in half-pipe slide to Legoland Water Park, update Imagination Zone with new-gen game demos and maybe some Star Wars hype (you KNOW they're gonna cash in on that) 2018- NEW RIDE, A COASTER, THAT LOOPS, OR SOMETHING, IDK, SOMETHING I CAN SQUEEZE MY BUTT INTO 2019- Add in LEGO Movie-themed motion simulator that puts you in Benny's SPACESHIP!, add in a LEGO Movie Miniland, update models around the entrance, start slowly taking over Carlsbad... Disneyland Resort: 2015- Re-theme Pacific Wharf to San Fransokyo to celebrate Big Hero 6 (with huggable Baymax character), replace Mad T Party with j-pop themed rave, BIG event for Star Wars: Episode VII release, begin teasing of a "third gate" 2016- Add in voice that screams at you when you dump your crap on the sets in Peter Pan's Flight, re-do queue for Haunted Mansion, re-track old Rocket Rods track for possible Marvel- or Tron-themed e-ticket ride, add Dr. Facilier's parlor to New Orleans Square 2017- Bring back Oswald the Lucky Rabbit with style; new, crazy dark ride for Mickey's Toontown, feature Oswald shorts in Main Street Cinema, Oswald character meet-n-greet, sale on Oswald merchandise, dedicate the year to him 2018- Unveil plans for a 3rd gate themed to Marvel, Lucasfilm properties, or both; scare the crap out of Universal Studios Hollywood, rework Enchanted Tiki Room show with content celebrating Moana, replace Carousel of Progress with Wall-E interactive show 2019- Make the 1st ever vertical-launch flying coaster in Condor Flats (themed to The Rocketeer), add in Wreck-It Ralph dark ride in DCA, add in fireworks show that spans both parks, go for broke and lower ticket prices by $1