Angry_Gumball

Interesting configuration, changing orientation of the lines and doing the rows in smaller sections. Looks to be 'Clench 'n Squish' parking, perhaps to up the capacity. I'm assuming our close up VIP parking will still be there and be pretty similar.

And I did not steal/borrow a little kid so I can ride Road Runner (I kept calling it Woodstock Express for some strange reason). The parent ahead of me asked if her 2nd kid can ride in my car. And the kid was terrified during the ride I will say I did feel pretty dirty riding it but I got the credit now so that's all that matters

Something I noticed on the SFMM Full Throttle press release page...perhaps I'm a bit behind but their promo video seems a bit different...the definition of YOLO is still present but the whole YOLO acronym appears to have been removed. I wonder how SFMM feels about us calling it Full Throttle Update: Word filter strikes again, in the URL... be sure to replace full throttle with full (hyphen) throttle in the URL.

Finally looked through the photos of this monster...looking at it alone already got my adrenaline going! One of these days, I'll have to make it a point to get over there, be it a trip with friends/TPR members or a TPR trip. The most bizarre-feeling/looking thing to me is that sideways airtime hump. Having airtime and lats simultaneously while sitting upride is bizarre enough...so I'm now interested to see how it feels being rotated 90 degrees.

Now this is truly riding 1 wheel

Gold Strikers trains left PA this morning and are en route to CGA!

^It does Back to thread... Everyone knows Missingno., right?

Double ride on Medusa, SFDK

The "Got UR Back" shop...close enough to the Swag shop, no? My thoughts on YOLO: It looks pretty amazing...nuts, airtime, etc. My only complaint is how another family ride/non coaster bites the dust/makes way to SFMM history, and the ending (in my opinion, *ducks*) seems rather weak...brake run after the possible OMFG airtime sensation the ride should deliver, I would have hoped that there would have been a little more turns/hills to finish it off rather than cutting it off 'so soon' as I like to describe it. Now that I have a Six Flags pass, I have a feeling that besides my run down to SFMM next month (speaking of, we added an extra SFMM day on our SoCal arrival day since we're passing it anyway), another trip later in the year could pop up...maybe after the YOLOhype chillax's and such (yes, I'm going to talk trendy in this thread for now on, bro).

How busy was the rest of the day? How long did you wait to get your season pass processed? (When I stepped foot into the portable where they do processing I felt like I was at DMV ) I checked the Ride Hopper app (Nice to see that some people are using it) and saw that Kong had 105 minute wait, Roar being 30, Superman being 15, and Medusa at 50. I wonder how accurate those times were since they weren't the default estimated times the app gives.

Of course I keep running into Gold Striker references in everyday things. At Black Angus last night (after our SFDK run) I immediately notice this on the menu (no I didn't try it out). Gold Strike® anyone?

^Klassy indeed! Making jokes about the ads in the park were a common thing today, though inside we love the place With this said, here's the opening day report! Our day started bright and early at 8:30, which consisted of DOUBLE RIDE ERT in the Roar Plaza (Consisting of V2, Roar, and of course Superman! I got about 6 rides in on S:UF, my 2 laps on Roar, and 2 rides in on V2). How's the double ride thing work anyway? Well, when the crowds are minimal it's awesome! When it's crowded like today, still neat but you can expect double the wait time. Want to make matters worse on a crowded day? Double rides, crowds, and single train op on both Kong and Roar. During our ERT session I still waited about 15 minutes in the station before we finally rode. The crew wasn't the fastest either. I skipped Kong and checked the Ride Hopper app. When I was going to queue for it, all switchbacks were full. The RH app showed that the wait was 2 hours long. Not worth it for a hang-n-bang. I have all season anyway. The lockers were upgraded this season and offer some nicer options, and you can go back to them as many times as you want (goodbye single use) and you can even add time to it initially. So for 3 hours, we spent $3. And we could go back to it to grab goods (say we needed more sunscreen or something or I wanted to take a break and snap photos, I can). They also offer a multi locker use where you can transfer your space to another locker on the other side. So much improved over my last visit. Next visit I'm leaving my bag at home, primarily wanted to try shooting RAW today at the park. I can avoid the whole locker thing. On the flipside, having friends helps a lot as we all split the costs or take turns paying and stuff our goods. The ERT helped a lot as shown. Afterwards, the crowds poured in and were relentless! I only got to ride Medusa (80 minute wait for double ride), Sky Screamer (was rather temperamental today), Cobra, and finally my Roadrunner Express credit I've been needing (Very brutal kid-DIE coaster). Pass processing line was a killer. Some people there clocked in 2-3 hour waits. I got in line at 5:30 (park closed at 6) and finally got into the building at 7...so 90 minutes later of standing. Yup, 'twas craziness! Other downers included employees clueless about Flash Pass operations and FP use was going out of control, easily tacking on an extra 15-20 minutes or so when your group is next in line. So here's some photos from opening day, not that we got to do much (never made it to the back of the park or did any of the flat rides excluding Sky Screamer. Good morning Medusa (approx 8:00AM) Upon heading up the driveway, something seemed different about S:UF. A new catwalk and ladder were installed should the ride ever peak again (doubt it will happen again but who knows...) And bright & early...ready to warm up on Superman Ultimate Flight! Jeff and Rawkin get ready to take on their first ride of the morning Sorry for the out of focus shot...but this is kind of how my brain was still waking up, capturing the moment of being there And after a brutal yet fun ride on Roar, it was time to hit up V2... Finally the sun comes out as we leave the Roar plaza...the last time we saw that plaza for the remainder of the day. Wall-slappin' Stingray...possibly waving at us? *HONK!* Venturing our way toward the season pass processing and a spin on Medusa/Kong Ouch... Wowsers...it's crowded! Well, there was a rope blocking off the rest of the plaza just beyond the crowd. But it was still very packed (more than what I'm used to for an opening day). More Vekoma Hang-n-Bang shots...makes up for not actually riding it today If you angle your shots just right, the ride's settings can look rather nice (as opposed to feeling like you're walking through a permanent carnival) Ow-ow-owowowow!!! Well, let's ride something smooth while the lines are bearable. Finally, after hoards of FP users, they finally get their ride in...their 2 rides that is Wheee! Twistyyyyy! Going up (again!) Do a Barrel Roll! Meanwhile in Medusa's station... Come at me Bro! The ghost train... A somewhat distorted panoramic of the Oasis Plaza Noted...really not worth pulling out your electronics... Whether if they actually enforce this is another story. Meanwhile, season pass line is about 3 hours long...let's eat instead. And after eating fish, it was time to visit some fish! The so-called "Mater-Fish"...why I say that? "Gotta git 'er done!" Meanwhile, me thinks its time to get a new credit (finally)! Our death chariot awaits... NERD SHOT! Another coaster we did not ride...wasn't sure how slow the line would have moved and whether if double rides were happening on this... So instead, some nice Vekoma porn for you all! Hey Gold Striker elephant, we found your cousin! Time to hit up Odin's Temple of the Tiger. First time I've been in this theater, done up really nice! Cat airtime... Ninja Kitteh Wall Jump Bird enthusiasts...can you identify this bird? It's all beak at the end of the neck, that's for sure! Back over to the Medusa plaza...crowds are relentless! Never realized how nice all of these coasters look together Back for more Medusa...80 minutes later... Ironically as I read this sign, a group of 3 meet up with their group. Almost up to the platform! Whee! And over for the final ride on Sky Screamer. Lines still alive and kicking over at season passs. Well, we need to do what we need to do. Our view for the next 90 minutes *Cues "Zelda Item Get" music* Equip item. Press [ L ] to use. Next up are what I call the Neon Sunset shots And some evening shots as we head out... 'Night SFDK Sun sets over the lake. Until next time...

Awesome! Riding Roar today only got me more excited for Goldy! While it was rough I visioned going down the tunnel.

^ Takis ads...certainly tacky! The double rides thing was certainly a fail on the guests behalf as the park is currently packed...top it off with the coasters (excluding Medusa) are single train. I got the bulk of my riding done before the park opened if that says enough. I'll post the full report later but figured I'd share something as I wait in Medusa's twice-as-long wait.

Awesome! See you there! I'll be there bright and early and going to be there all day Update: good morning everyone! Superman received a catwalk during the offseason. Time to get in the park and ride now!

What offseason? I've gone a full year without an empty month of theme park action

I don't normally venture into this thread but figure I'd post. While the ticket booths looked nice, I can see how they'd kind of be outdated now as everyone's purchasing tickets ahead of time. Doing away with smaller ticket booths to the side makes sense. But walking up to a line of metal detectors does seem like it would feel like you're entering a prison or high security. At least do something to hide it. Our metal detectors are present but are obscured by the ticket booths when you walk up. At least at SFDK, their detectors are covered under a roof and looks a little nicer than just open air detectors. And their roof is quite simplistic. Walking up to something that looks nice before you enter the park sets a good first impression in my opinion. The architecture of the original booths reminds me of what kinds of buildings I'll see inside and agreed, it ties in nicely with the classic Carousel Columbia. The HTS plaza/shaded area...we still have ours, makes a great spot to rest and is one of the reasons why Great America has always been a nice-looking park landscape-wise. Shame that you guys are losing yours...more charm flushed away... On the positive note, maybe SFGAm's carousel will get the needed paint/tlc like it's sister in CA.

A fellow TPR member, neighbor, cousin and myself are headed to SoCal next month doing Disney for 2 days (4/15-16), a day at Knotts, and a day at SFMM. While we have KBF and SFMM figured out as well as lodging, we're trying to find out the most cost effective route for a 2-day hopper at Disney. I know there's the whole AP route but I wouldn't use that frequent enough to make it worth it (I live 300 miles away from DLR). So far the cheapest I found was $200 for a 2-day hopper. Also doing my research, Disney doesn't do many discounts like the Cedar Fair or Six Flags parks do. While I can afford it, it would be nice to shave off some extra cash on admission (which would probably end up going toward souvenirs anyway). Any recommendations or just stick with what I found at the local grocery store (they sell various tickets for different places)?

I'm pretty sure this was true but when SFMM had Psyclone, they had to have a minimum amount of passengers on the train otherwise it wouldn't make it through the course. I actually remember my first time riding it, we had to wait a few moments for people to board as there was only a handful. I actually remember grabbing 1 row but having to move down further, perhaps evening out the weight. When I went on my first lap around, it really did feel like it was going to valley.

^Interesting! I'll have to look at my photo a few pages back from my February visit. That ride was pretty forceful and I'm sure this will be just as forceful. First time I rode it I remember some guy almost facing me wouldn't keep himself back against the wall as much as the ride op kept telling him. He then had this look on his face that he was about to hurl...and the ride was just starting to spin up and hadn't even tilted yet.

I'm crossing my fingers that crowds will be light tomorrow especially since they were able to pull this off. Double rides + morning ERT sounds good to me though, can't wait!

I wouldn't sweat it on what your pass looks like. They seem to reuse the same designs each year and there seems to be a couple variations. Here are my 2 passes, the one on bottom I used for 3 seasons (renewed it, using same card). It finally got a crack in it so I was able to get a new card (which has a different design). They are still using the other design as well. And what Robman said. Early in the season is dead. Spring break picks up a bit but it's still manageable (to me anyway). Things can definitely change once Gold Striker opens. I am however now used to a crowded CGA (Haunt visits late in season) though I prefer light crowds

Not sure how Easter will be but I have a feeling it should be pretty quiet. I can assume many people are going to be at church and visiting family, doing their traditional Easter festivities. Sundays in general are always better than Saturdays, even during the summer! I've done both and Sundays are much more manageable.

Anything's better than those amber lights... Though it can't be worse than that specific shade of amber San Jose really seems to like to use...SJ tends to use amber that has a little more yellow to it and very vibrant.