VegasBaby

I may be in the minority, but I still think that X2 is one of the greatest coasters in the world. Yes, it can be a little bumpy at times, but it delivers a flat out insane coaster experience that you can't get anywhere else in North America. Going headfirst down the first drop is something that never gets old. It's one of the few coasters that still scares me a bit, even though I've been riding it for almost 15 years. If you find X2 to be too rough for your liking, then I would suggest riding in an inside seat as they are less intense than the outside seats. Riddler is also a great coaster and my favorite of all the B&M standups. I've never found it to be rough and the layout is fantastic. The only coaster I skip at SFMM is Green Lantern, which is a giant POS. I've tried to like it and kept riding it thinking "it's not that bad." Well, it really is that bad! GL is just plain painful and not fun at all. There's a reason SF never built any more Zacspins and moved on to the S&S 4D models. However, if the WCB is your first time at the park, I'd tell you to ride everything and form your own opinions. But be prepared to absolutely love Twisted Colossus! It's an airtime extravaganza and when it's dueling, it's the best coaster in the world!

So it has leaked that SFSTL is getting a Zamperla Disk'O ride as their 2017 addition, so no new coaster for them. I wonder if this makes it more likely that SFGAm is getting one of the S&S 4D coasters? If SF really did buy 3 of them, and we know one is going to SFNE, then there are still two that are going somewhere. I think that SFA might be a candidate, but it seems like there's a good chance that one of them ends up at SFGAm. If not, then I could see a flat ride package that includes a Disk'O, a Superloop, and something else. Either way, we'll find out for sure tomorrow morning!

Great trip report, I always enjoy reading about people's adventures in my hometown of Las Vegas. Plus, there really is more to Vegas than the casinos and you really captured that.

I'd be perfectly happy with a flat ride package as well. I could see a package consisting of a Superloop, Disk'O, and a Giant Frisbee and they would all be welcome additions to the park, except for maybe the Superloop, lol.

At this point, most people think it's going to be a JL ride and I'm totally fine with that. Of course, I'd love to see a dive coaster or a giga at SFMM, but I just don't think that's realistic at this point. SF hasn't purchased a B&M since X-Flight in 2012 and the last non-RMC/non-4D coaster was Fu11 Throttle in 2013. I hope this trend doesn't continue and SF starts buying big B&M/Intamin coasters again, but I'm not holding my breath. The JL dark rides have been incredibly popular and have consistently had the longest lines of any rides at their respective parks. I know that SoCal has many great dark rides at Disney and Universal, but that didn't stop Knotts from putting in Iron Reef last year--and that ride has been a huge hit as well.

I would definitely go with the Platinum flash pass. The Platinum is the only flash pass that includes Goliath, Giant Drop, Justice League, and Vertical Velocity. Plus, you get double rides (without getting off) on all of the coasters except for Goliath and Vertical Velocity. You aren't limited on the amount of Goliath rides though, you just have to make another reservation. If you really want to make the most out of your visit and don't want to wait in lines, then you should go with the Platinum.

I think a S&S 4D coaster would be a great addition to the park. I know it's not a hyper or a RMC, but it looks like a lot of fun. Plus, it would be completely different from all of the other coasters in the park. The fact is that Six Flags just isn't paying for big B&M or Intamin coasters any more. The last B&M they installed was X-Flight in 2012, and the last non-RMC/non-4D was Fu11 Throttle in 2013.

I don't get the hate for Silver Bullet either. It's one of my favorite inverts, I've got it ranked behind Alpengeist/Montu and Raptor. The layout is fantastic, I love the Cobra Roll over the entrance, and I grey out almost every time on the final helix. Plus, I've found it to be the best crew at the park, so the line always moves quick.

Paradise Pier is a 30ish year old hotel purchased by Disney and refurbished to be the "bargain choice". It also has an epic walk to the park gate because they closed off its entrance to DCA. I think you're at least as well off or better off staying at something like the Fairfield Inn across Harbor. It's not a long walk to DCA at all from Paradise Pier. The Grand Californian is right across the street and still has its private entrance, so you just enter there. You do have to walk through Downtown Disney to get to DL, but it only takes about 10 min.

We've stayed at the Ramada Maingate several times, which has recently been remodeled and is now called the Grand Legacy at the Park. The location can't be beat and the prices are usually pretty competitive with the area. Plus, they offer discounts for AAA, Annual Passes, and a variety of other discounts (sign up on their email list). If you have the budget for a higher priced hotel, I would recommend the Paradise Pier hotel. It's the cheapest of the three Disney-owned properties and you get the Magic Morning hour every day of your stay. IMO, the extra you pay is totally worth it to have that Magic Morning hour each day (it switches between DL and CA). During our last trip, in CA we were able to ride Radiator Springs 3 times before the GP was let into the park. On the DL side, we were able to hit most of the Fantasyland rides and then get in line for Hyperspace Mtn before the general opening. It all depends on how much you want to spend, but consider the Paradise Pier if it's in your budget. If not, then the Grand Legacy is a solid choice.

It is the Scandia Screamer, at a Scandia Family Fun Park in Ontario, CA. I've driven by this coaster many times on our way to Knott's and Disneyland, but I've never taken the time to stop there. I've actually been hesitant to ride it because it looks like it's going to fall apart. There's a trip report on TPR somewhere from this Scandia. Here's the link on RCDB: https://rcdb.com/399.htm

The Adventuredome is actually a fun little park and the two coasters are worth the price of admission. The place is usually pretty dead as long as you don't go on a weekend or a holiday. The drop tower is a blast, but they have a few more flats that are worth your time: Disk'O (spinning half-pipe), Chaos (similar to an Enterprise), and Inverter (lots of upside down hangtime). If you need a coaster/ride fix in Vegas, the Adventuredome is a much better choice than the NYNY roller coaster. I would also recommend checking out the rides at the top of the Stratosphere. The roller coaster isn't up there anymore, but it was pretty lame. The three rides they have now are great and being 110 stories high make them even more intense!

Yes, Six Flags is doing their announcements on Sept 1st this year. Not anticipating anything big for SFDK, but I'd love to see a drop tower added to the park.

Park should be totally dead that day as schools will be back in session. I really doubt Ghostrider will be closed. Knott's typically does their annual ride maintenance in Jan-Mar, so I wouldn't expect any rides to be closed.

This is a great move for CGA and if it turns out anything like the Mantis/Rougarou conversion, then it's going to be a huge hit for the park. I would typically skip Mantis on my trips to Cedar Point, but now I ride Rougarou several times each visit. It's bascially like getting a brand new coaster. I really like the 2017 additions for CGA and Knott's, Cedar Fair gave both of these parks exactly what they needed.

Valravn had this same setup as well and it really seemed to help the ops get the trains out fast.

After my most recent visit to the park I think any Six Flags park is more attractive to visit than SFStL. Unfortunately, that is pretty much true at this point. SFSTL is now the only Six Flags park without a hyper or a RMC. (Note that I don't consider Great Escape a real SF park.). It's a nice enough park with a good selection of rides, but it doesn't have that one signature attraction. JLBFM was a great addition, but now it looks like all SF parks will eventually get one. I recently visited SFGA and I'd take Goliath, Raging Bull, and X-Flight over any coaster at SFSTL.

Looks like I'm headed to Lagoon next Wed or Thursday for the first time in about 20 years. If anyone has any tips or advice to get the most out of our visit, I would appreciate it. I figure that we should hit Cannibal and Wicked first, but I've got no idea after that. My goal is to hit up all the coasters and the more thrilling flats if possible.

As long as the Intamins, Great Bear, and Lightning Racer are open you can get the best ones. Wildcat honestly is like Lightning Racer (in terms of layout and air time) if you remove the racing and add bumpiness. Lightning Racer is a far superior wooden coaster, you really aren't missing anything with Wildcat. My family and I even prefer Comet over Wildcat.

In contrast how do you think lines will be there at Great America this Monday and Tuesday? Because that is when I'll be there. Last time I went was pre-Ragjng Bull. Hope to ride before VR screws up the wait time. If you have the Gold Pass, they will let you in 15 min early (entrance on the far right) and I would head straight back to Goliath. I was there a few weeks ago and they let me in at 10:15 and I was on the first Goliath train at 10:20. I got four rides in before 11am, so that's the strategy I would suggest. Raging Bull is tons of fun and one of the better B&M hypers. The day I was there, it was running 3 trains and the crew was hauling on dispatches. It doesn't have seatbelts like Diamondback, so they get the trains out quick. Plus, I hardly felt the trim and we cruised right through the MCBR.

I went last October on a Wed or Thursday and the park was pretty dead. Cheetah had about a 20 min wait all day, but everything else was a walk-on or one train wait at the most. I think I did Falcon's Fury like 15 times in a row in a little over an hour. I loved Kumba and Montu, they definitely have that old school B&M forcefulness It's a great park and the weather was perfect that time of year.

Knott's tends to do most of their ride maintenance in Jan - March, so you should be fine in November. I have been there many times in October and November and can't remember any big rides being closed during that time. (The exception being last year with Ghostrider, but that was almost a complete rebuild and not annual maintenance.)

The Hollow is the only area open for the early entry, but it has 3 coasters (Comet, SDL, and Skyrush) and they should all be walk-ons for that first hour. Last year, I was able to get multiple rides on each of those coasters during the early entry hour (sometimes without getting off). At the 10am rope drop, I would head to either Fahrenheit or Laff Track as they seem to have the longest lines. If you do go straight to Laff Track, then ride Lightning Racer while in the back of the park. It will be a complete walk-on in the morning and it's a killer racing woodie. Storm Runner also gets a line, but the dual loading platform keeps it from getting too bad.

Agreed, Pacific Spin was added back in 2006 and they haven't done anything since. It's a bummer to lose Pacific Spin, but the two new slide towers more than make up for it. Personally, I love trap door slides and it's great Knott's is getting four of them.

Very sorry to hear that, it's such a unique and amazing coaster. Hopefully the rest of your visit went well.