StuckInSD

^Given the height and wind, I think the amount of time spent on the lift sounds about right. I know Leviathan's lift took a bit and that's around the same height, give or take 20 feet. Looking at that picture just doesn't do it justice when comprehending the size of Fury. I know that an average conex box is around 36-40 feet in length, 8-9 feet tall. The one in the middle of that picture looks tiny in comparison to Fury. B&M have really stepped up their construction game!

LEGOLAND has a team of model cleaners and model builders who clean the models every few years with walnut shells and eventually completely replace the models. Here's an article that describes this: http://www.travelvideo.tv/news/united-states-west/01-14-2005/freedom-tower-unveiled-at-legoland-california%C2%A0 LEGOLAND California has been doing massive work on Miniland by renovating cities, such as New Orleans was renovated back in 2012 and Las Vegas was renovated in 2013, so I would expect LEGOLAND Florida to start renovating their Miniland cities soon. I remember my last visit to Legoland Cali, some of the models around the pond were looking quite faded. So I'm glad that this maintenance is an actual thing. Guess I'll find out how well they're keeping up-to-date with my next trip coming this/next month!

That looks more like hang-time than air-time to me. That drop looks epic, but God, I hope they can make that tower look good.

I'll just add on some suggestions to what rcdude covered. - There's not too much on the stretch between Orange County and Downtown SD, unless beaches and state parks are your thing. In Carlsbad, there's the Museum of Making Music ($8), which is a nice, albeit small, place you could spend a little time in (45 minutes- 1 hour, tops). There's also the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum in Miramar (FREE) if you decide to take a small detour on the 805; you'll end up a little east of the 5. As for food, there's a few breakfast places you could hit up. One of my favorites is Studio Diner; it sits on an active studio lot in a modified Airstream trailer, and the food is really good. There's also Du-par's and Perry's Cafe just south of SeaWorld on Sports Arena that are pretty good as well. Any of those places would probably keep your occupied long enough. - Belmont Park also opens at 11:00 AM, so if you really want to get the credit out of the way, you could head there first and then head over to SeaWorld. It's only a short drive across Mission Bay. - Manta's ops are pretty good at sending out trains in a timely manner. The convenient, temporary locks at the ride's entrance are pretty good as well. Prioritize Manta as your first stop; there's literally no line for the first hour or two and you could easily get re-rides. I don't imagine the tours here are much different from Orlando (maybe with an added bonus of Blackfish angst or something). Our Journey to Atlantis is like a meeting point between the other two; it has some enclosed elements like Orlando's, but also some coaster elements like San Antonio's. As long as you don't get the front row, you shouldn't be getting too wet (personally, I'd aim for the middle if you wanna stay dry). Don't miss out on the Shipwreck Rapids part of the park, just for the really good theming and turtle exhibits if not for the ride. Our Bay of Play has been Elmo-afied, so proceed with caution. Oh, and bring bottled water and a hat/sunscreen; you'll thank me later. - A bus tour and one cheesy photo op is included with admission, so feel free to use it. The Skyfari is free all day, and lands you next to the polar bears in one direction, the reptiles in the other. It also offers great views of all the exhibits. There's lots of hills and stairs, so be prepared for a workout if you want to go fast. Definitely hit up the pandas and koalas; the koalas' exhibit got renovated and the pandas... well, it's quite amusing to see the locals obsess over them, let alone wait in a line akin to Disneyland . I think you'll be fine without any add-ons, unless you really wanna see the pandas before the human spectacle starts. - Well, there is one major difference: if you were to take BGT's and Animal Kingdom's safari exhibits and put them together, they equal to about the same size as the one at Safari Park, if not a little smaller. The free tram only covers half of it; the Deluxe covers the other half and then some. And unlike both of those parks, they let you got close, and I mean close. On the Deluxe Adventure, you literally drive off the paved roads and straight into the exhibit, with a good amount of time to experience it all. Most other "safaris" give you opportunities to be right next to the animals. Even without the add-ons, you can get really close; open aviaries, a walk-through lemur exhibit, and an overall lack of dividing glass/plastic really gives you a sense of being within reaching distance of everything. Most of the exhibits are open and you could stick an arm out into them if you're really risky (which btw, don't; I pissed off a gorilla last time I did that). The way I see it, BGT and Animal Kingdom are, in the end, theme parks, with zoological attractions and big e-ticket rides; Safari Park is a zoo at its core, focusing more on the animals themselves and how park guests interact with them. And, being operated by the San Diego Zoo, I wouldn't expect nothing less than the best. - All of the additional "safaris" are just that: additional. You'll be able to see, and experience a bit of, everything with general admission. They're not mandatory for a full experience, but they are pretty creative diversions from the norm. The park is literally on the side of a mountain, so again, you're gonna get a workout if you want to cover most of it. The balloon is unfortunately down at the moment, but there's still a carousel (if you're really that desperate). Even with the tours, if you get there early, you'll probably be done with the park well before closing time. I usually just take 2-3 hours to cover everything outside of the safari exhibit, which should give you even more time for Knott's. My personal choice of add-on would be the Tiger tour, since the exhibit got an upgrade and the tigers themselves are extremely rare, even in the wild. - My favorite Mexican food is actually from a food truck that comes up from Tijuana called El Pescador; best mariscos EVER. But San Diego, to me, is blessed with tons of options. All matter of diners, cafes, taquerias, ramen/pho shops, steakhouses, breakfast/lunch/dinner-only joints, burger joints, fine dining, fusion- anything you can think up, and 95% of the time, it's somewhere in San Diego. As for rolled tacos vs taquitos... taquito sounds like a Tex-Mex word. It's like teacup chihuahua to me; too cutesy to be taken seriously. You get your tortilla and meat then just roll it up and fry it, topping it with garnish. It's literally a rolled taco. And remember, you're enjoying yourself. If price is an option, just cut back; San Diego isn't going anywhere, and there's lots to do outside of the parks. Whatever you end up doing, I hope you have a blast!

That was actually the day I planned on going. (Stupid final is now making me push it back to Tuesday) There's always some schools that will be out, plus you gotta take into account all the tourists who flock to SoCal this time of year. But for December crowds, it should be one of the better days to go. I'd probably say around average, maybe a little lower since it is on a Monday.

That message roughly translates to the picture presenting possible future expansion, so it's not something entirely set in stone. But still, four new hotels for just two parks? Either the French really like their hotels (and I wouldn't put it past them), or Disney could be anticipating something big coming to the resort. Possibly another Fantasyland makeover or even a new gate?

My home parks are SeaWorld and Belmont Park. I go to SeaWorld about once each year or two; love the park, but it's pretty expensive for me. As for Belmont, I tend to go to it about once every week, if not every other week. Then again, there's not really any admission to "enter" the park; you can just walk in and pay for whatever you wanna ride.

Holy crap, you guys work fast. Just a few pieces away from completely assembling the track!

I'd like to think that the colors will complement the Screampunk District, so it'd be cool to see some copper/brass colors mixed in with some of the neon TC will have. Otherwise, anything to freshen up Scream!'s drab appearance would be much appreciated. Now, about that parking lot...

I hope this ride opens on time. It's not all that big, so I don't see why not!

If you manage to catch yourself in those last two, make sure you get a California burrito. Totally worth it.

Good timing. Some kids will still be in school when you go. Well, here's my opinion on your ideas (which by the way, good ideas): Option 1- Out of all the parks, it seems like you've been to these two most often. Which isn't a bad thing; both arguably have the best coaster selections in SoCal. So if thrills are your big thing, I'd totally choose this option. Plus, you'll save money, and SoCal ain't cheap. But, if you're going to come back later anyways, then I think you can afford to skip this option in favor of something new. Option 2- Gotta agree on the single guy part, but at least that means you can use single-rider lines! It's nearly impossible to hit up every ride in one day (especially during holiday season), so don't plan on going with that agenda. Toy Story Mania is great, Cars Land is cool (be prepared for the worst lines ever for Racers, though), and Matterhorn is... well, it looks nicer than it did before. You'll probably have to spend 1 day at each park to get a decent experience, especially since you're going on a weekend, and it won't be cheap. If you really want to get serious about going, I'd check out the thread pertaining to the parks. Otherwise, don't even bother; there's always another time. Option 3- Lemme clear things up: Giant Dipper at SCBB and Giant Dipper at Belmont, despite both being designed by the same guy, have different layouts. SCBB's is like a "West Coast" Cyclone, with a more traditional layout. Belmont's is more compacted and (imo) more twisty, but shorter. So, there's that. Now, Manta is a great ride, and Atlantis is pretty good too, but I also find Wild Arctic and Shipwreck Rapids to be decent as well. If not for the thrill of it, at least for the theming. I'd treat SeaWorld like a smaller, Elmo-fied Disneyland, with lighter crowds and shorter hours. Speaking of which, all zoos/animal parks down here close earlier during the winter months, so if you want to go, you'd have to get down to SD early. The SD Zoo is more like a traditional zoo... with a ridiculous budget to make all the exhibits look awesome. Safari Park sorta mixes things up, and gives you plenty of "safaris" to choose from, which include an extensive rope course, zip lines, safari vehicles that go into the large, open exhibits, and cheetah encounters. They also got a new tiger exhibit worth checking out, too. But be warned: you'll have to walk. A lot. Uphill. Option 4- As OrlandoGuy said, California literally has too much variety to just limit yourself to coasters. But if coasters are a must, you could go "credit whoring" all over LA and Orange County. There's lots of little parks all over (Scandia, Castle Park, Pacific Park, etc.) that have a credit or two you could check off your list. There's tons of museums and historical sites all over (especially at Balboa Park and Miracle Mile), and waaay too many malls, restaurants, theaters and public parks you can go and check out. This is a solid option if all the others don't work out. Option 5- Pick your poison. Everywhere is going to be holiday'd out, and each place offers its own twist. It all depends on how much cash you're willing to shell out at whichever parks you end up going to. Whatever you end up doing, I hope you have a great time on your trip!

... I really want to say something nice about that picture, but that's proving difficult. Maybe it looks better on a sunny day, but right now it looks like a plastered San Diego hotel during Comic-Con. I'm sure the finished product will be nice, though!

If we're going with spending habits, then I think that they're more likely to grab a super looper and call that their 20th. But in all seriousness, Magic Mountain always likes to break some sort of "record" whenever it pushes out a big coaster, so it wouldn't surprise me if they actually did go all-out on some new, record-breaking design. They still got an open spot where Deja-Vu used to be, so if they don't put in a Battle for Metropolis right there, then I could see the station for whatever big coaster will come next be right there. ... or they could just staple it on to Superman.

When I look at that concept, I honestly can't help but think of the RollerCoaster Tycoon games with 6cars enabled. Still, would definitely be cool to see a wooden shuttle! Now if RMC could pick up on this idea and make their own variant of a Schwarzkopf shuttle-loop...

^Honestly, I'd probably go with Iron Reef. The idea, to me, is a lot more original, and I'm more confident in Knott's staffing of the ride than Six Flags'. Plus, it's a lot closer at the moment; Magic Mountain will probably get one if it goes well enough at the other parks. Then again, they're coming from two different companies (Triotech vs Sally Corp), so the rides will probably operate differently as well. The exclusion of Boomerang really does have me curious. Granted, it's probably only a coincidence, but maybe it implies to a future replacement?

1. If it ain't on Netflix, I tend to get DVDs or Blu-Rays, depending on how much I feel like spending. Otherwise, Netflix. 2. Primarily Netflix, sometimes Amazon Prime 3. About 6-10 a year 4. Nope, but I should be 5. If given a week, I'd say about 5 of those days are spent on YouTube, the other 2 a combination of TV, DVDs, VHS and movie theaters. In short, I use YouTube a LOT more.

One can't help that California is full of hippies, particularly loud ones. But that nonsense will come to pass as well; they've done it once before with The Cove, and everyone forgot about that. For being such a great ride, Manta never really does keep a line unless its a busy summer day. Glad you liked the park!

... so they're planning on building a theme park in one of Mexico's most violent cities. I'm really gonna have to think about this one.

Just about every really bad experience I've had has been self-inflicted, so I'll just mention the one that wasn't my fault. Unless y'all are interested... but anyways. My group and I were waiting in line for Pirates of the Caribbean and it was on a particularly bad day (right in-between Christmas and New Years of all things). 45 minutes passed and we were finally next. Unfortunately, this boat was "flooded", so they had to send it off empty. That sucked, but at least we could get on the next one. Of course, the boat they were unloading had a wheelchair guy on it, so that took a couple more seconds than usual, no biggie. But then the boat that was right behind the one we were gonna get on, some kid lost his glasses in the drink. Of course, the folks were Chinese, so there was already a little bit of miscommunication. At that point, three ride ops and a fourth guy with a peg leg were looking all around their boat with flashlights, looking for the kid's glasses. Let's not forget that there was a massive line, and the boats were piling up, when all of this was happening. Eventually, they just didn't have time and had to continue the cycle. I have no idea if those kid's glasses were ever found. That's not nearly as bad as what I've read on here, but that's the worst that's happened to me when it wasn't my fault in the first place.

I knew someone was gonna steal my Fruit Roll-Ups idea. Joking aside, that's pretty accurate from what we know so far.

Ouch. You're going at the worst possible time when it comes to avoiding the crowds. Everyone and their mother is going to be there in that time-span; heck, I'll probably be there too if I trick myself into going when my friends go. But, seeing that most of its rides should be operational at that time, you'll at least have "some" walking room. -The best time to go during that time period is actually on the holidays themselves, Christmas and New Year's Day. Unless families planned on going to Dinseyland for Christmas, the crowds shouldn't be unbearable... just a smidgen under that. People will be so wasted on New Year's Eve booze that they'll be hung-over come New Year's Day, so that will trim the crowds a bit as well. Otherwise, pick your poison; every day in-between is all the same to me. Monday & Tuesday would probably be your best bet since people still work, no matter what holiday it is. -Both parks still run on the old FastPass system, so if you've been to Orlando recently, you're in for a shock. If you plan on getting any sort of pass for your favorite rides, run. Seriously, you're gonna have to run if you want passes for any e-ticket attractions, including all of the mountains, Indy, Tower of Terror, Screamin' and Soarin'. Unless you arrive early, don't even bother getting passes for Radiator Springs Racers; you'll be better off just getting in line first thing. -Speaking of getting there early, that's the best way of avoiding crowds... initially. I learned a while ago that although the date you go plays a factor, the time you get there is even more so. If your family is willing, get there anywhere from before to just after the park(s) open. At Disneyland, they open up Main Street first, then the other areas about 30-45 minutes after, which again also varies (and if the park opens early enough). If this happens, position yourselves in front of whatever land/rides you wish to go to first. Once the ropes drop, you got a good start to wherever you're going. Personally, I aim for low-capacity, popular rides first: Space Mountain, Star Tours, Roger Rabbit, Indy, and ESPECIALLY Matterhorn (no FastPass, slow line, extremely popular). As for CA, I'd aim for Screamin', Soarin', Toy Story and Tower of Terror, then go in whatever order you want. Little Mermaid eats up entire crowds, and most other flats tend to fill up in later hours. Expect Grizzly River Run to be deserted; ride at your own risk. -Eventually, the parks will fill up and you will find yourselves in what appears to be an endless sea of human beings. When this occurs, I tend to take the time to browse the various shops and more quiet places until things kinda calm down after noon. Innovations, around/inside Fantasyland's castle walls and the area around Big Thunder Ranch tend to be good places to regather and refocus yourselves if you start to feel a bit overwhelmed. Now, rides like Pirates, Haunted Mansion and Little Mermaid move lines quickly, so that's an option if you need to go on something during crowds. Parades not only draw everyone's attention, but, in Disneyland, also divide the park in half momentarily, so plan accordingly. If you're staying the whole day, then I'd plan on possibly tagging up some rides during fireworks; just like parades, they attract a lot of attention, and are especially useful at keeping people standing still. Finally, do not underestimate the train; its got 4 stops, lands you right in the middle of big attractions, and all that's required is for you to hop on. So if your legs get sore, I'd definitely go for that. -Shows, to me, are like a double-edged sword. On one hand, they're arguably some of the best outdoor shows Disney has ever made. On the other hand, they're also the best time to go on rides (outside of Mickey's Fun Wheel and everything on the Rivers of America), so there's that. If you want a good view of Fantasmic!, get to a good spot (water's edge, benches, edge of raised paths) about 30-45 minutes beforehand; they'll start announcing that the show is on its way if they hadn't said so already. As for World of Color, the same rule applies, only this time there's a good-sized park/plaza in front of Little Mermaid that's available. -Of course, there is our famous Haunted Mansion Holiday, but the entire resort is literally decked-out in Christmas-y decor. Fantasyland gets caked in snow, Jungle Cruise turns into "Jingle Cruise" (at least last time I checked), Golden Horseshoe puts on a holiday show, Small World turns Christmas-y, Main Street gets holiday baked goodies, Cars Land gets taken over... the list goes on and on. There are so many little changes and activities that happen all over that you're bound to run into something one way or another (except in Tomorrowland, which is odd). Holiday season at Disneyland Resort, while being one of the most crowded times, is also one of the coolest times to go if you want to see Disney go all-out. If holiday stuff isn't your thing, don't worry; its good at grabbing attention. Except in Tomorrowland, where holidays don't exist (apparently). Hope this helps ya out on your holiday plans!

I'll cry if I see that Tickler face on the new trains...

Acrophobia may look painful but I didn't think it was painful at all. It's my favorite drop tower. All they need to do is add the floorless element to the ride - put in a retractable floor and your legs will just dangle freely. Of course the trains may need to be raised a little higher so that there is enough clearance between rider's feet and track. I can only imagine the pain my crotch would be going through. I think a stand-up design would be really effective on a lie-to-fly, since it could eliminate that awful crotch clamp with the right restraints. Just get some good OTSRs, a belt and ankle restraints and you'd be good to go!

And by "better" you mean making it seem run-down and creepy? Yep, I can see that. (oh God, is that what Back Alley is gonna become)