DoubleDown

I decided to check them out and am actually blown away at the consistency of dispatches on TTD! Right now I'm seeing trains go up and over the tower in a quite extraordinary short amount of time. It's almost 2 or sometimes 3 launches before you see a Millenium Force train in the pretzel or a dispatch on Magnum!

Yah I called me ma today and she told me her and my pops were considering heading down to the beach and even in OC 20 minutes away they said the sun was coming in and out of the clouds and there were random winds blowing and it was too cold for them to head that way and sit at a Sunset restaurant that's open air. I imagine that kind of weather, which is familiarly typical in Southern California during these types of months, is what keeps the water parks waiting to open later as they do. Meanwhile in Pheonix, AZ I believe the low volume Family Fun Center style waterslides are now open due to hitting 90-100 Fahrenheit daily. It seems like a goldmine to me to have a March open/ September close major water park out here with *maybe* some decent coasters to add. This place has a great winter, but I think with temps (in the March to September months) 100+ Farenheight, how they are for most people not from around here, it seems it could be quite a place to visit during a pretty decent amount of the year.

Knott's could potentially be a huge mega-attraction park smack dab in the middle of Orange County if Cedar Fair wanted to invest and do it right. Employee parking structures and maintenance buildings could be placed on the West side of Western, with a bridge or tunnel across Western allowing access without restrictions (personally I think employees having to cross Western via crosswalk is absurdly outdated). Parking structures for guests East of Beach and South of La Palma, with again, bridge or tunnel access across Beach for guests to get to the park. Grand Avenue is a GREAT feature in my opinion. Use that for park entrance access, parking for VIP and Valet services around Ghostrider, and a dramatic view of the entrance to the park. Meanwhile dump the old hotel, make a new one more South closer to Crescent. With the maintenance and storage all gone, there would be plenty of room for expansion South of the current park, between Grand and Western, just north of the new hotel. All this would get rid of outdated offices and maintenance, while opening up available valuable space for the park to expand. This is never going to happen.

I'm increasingly saddened by the decrepit state of the park in areas that are in dire need of attention while new installations are made in other areas of the park. I know this is a park that needs new attractions from time to time to keep people coming back, but they should really spend an off year updating areas and improving the infrastructure of the park. Although when they do that too, it often seems to fall short of what is really needed. What the hell Six Flags, get your act together.

I'm not sure what people are confused about...a prototype is just to make sure things go smoothly and everything fits together right. When you're testing a new product you're not going to go all stupid with elements trying to make things insane, you're working out kinks, testing the limits of the train, testing clearances on the track, making sure reality is aligned with the design. Once you see how that goes, then you can start pushing the limits. It also doesn't look like the track is done yet either. Chill pill folks.

Close. But it's not really a full parcel. There is still the liquor store and the other strip mall stores on that S/W corner of Western/La Palma, and I'd bet a pretty penny Knott's doesn't own that. That corner has been such a dump for so long though I wouldn't mind if they did. And then immediately across La Palma is ANOTHER strip mall that has been deserted ever since I can remember, chain link fences up. Western/La Palma is such a strange deserted ghetto intersection, in the middle of a big growing city, it's like nobody has come up with an idea to develop that area since I was born.

I would guess it started the same time roller coasters did? I mean if you're a park/ride owner, wouldn't the guests safety be somewhat of a concern? Not only for liability, but also for your own reputation? I've worked in the amusement park industry and know how safe things are and how irrelevant restraint checks can be on certain rides (Arrows and B&Ms and S&S drop towers with OTSR's are pretty much stupid proof) which is why at the aforementioned SFMM the ride ops pretty much just "tap" the restraint, because believe me, once it's down that thing is locked and NOT going anywhere until the train returns to the station. But I think at this point it's more of a formality, a way for an employee of the park to visually check that the guest isn't doing something stupid. Also, people freak out when certain rides move (Radiator Springs Racers) before their restraints have been checked, so it's also a comfortability thing for guests these days for sure. Most people when they enter a theme park have absolutely no idea what is going on or how much thought and technology has been put into the attraction beforehand, some people also don't understand the actual inherent danger in doing something stupid that could cause them their lives. All in all, can't really blame stupid people on this one, it's just an extra extra extra step to make sure you're riding safely. And even with all that, some people from time to time are still dumb enough to screw it all up not only for themselves, but for the rest of us.

IMO the only reasoning behind the new different colored paint job is a "Different Coaster" vibe to the people that don't know a thing about the rides and visit every couple years, and won't recognize it. Conveniently done in a "new" area that they'll be presenting with the new indoor ride. A fresh black support and green track paint job would have looked phenomenal. I would be enamoured to know who in the Six Flags industry makes these kinds of decisions.

No you do not! In the past Club TPR has gotten you either discounted or early access tickets, but anyone who's a member of the site in good standing can attend. The only event that requires Club TPR is Coaster Mania, as that event (not run by TPR) requires you be a member of a recognized coaster club, of which Club TPR is (the best) one. Good to know, thanks! The Riddler's Revenge repaint has begun. The Coaster Guy posted this picture on his Facebook page... [attachment=0]18156637_1306041246097616_3021356883295602512_o.jpg[/attachment] Ugh. I know it's not done, but up to this point it looks TERRIBLE. Where, I ask you WHERE has yellow EVER been associated with the Riddler? Google the Riddler and there is not 1 image of it.

I understand the short ride cycle for capacity, but COME ON, if you're waiting for a ride I'd rather wait longer for it to be better. Not saying it will run that way forever, but watching the video even the GP person recording said "Why isn't it rotating?" which means even guests are wondering why the ride is being so lame. I hope this is just a beginning cycle but give me a break we're in a theme park not at a carnival the thing should be much more thrilling than that. I am nerdy about roller coasters, but yes, in person, enthusiasts can be annoying and I would not recommend bringing a girlfriend to an event to impress her. The last event I brought my girlfriend and kept her as far as possible from them, enjoying the advantages of my know-how while keeping a safe distance. I have met a couple people I could stand through the years but in person most of them were just...not my kind of people. 2) I hope hope hope it's not a B&M dive coaster. I know why these things have been picking up slack these past couple of years, but I am SICK AND TIRED of B&M's in America. PLEASE, bring Intamin back! B&M is mostly capacity and marketing (breaking records) generated, but they are just so mundayne and watered down and overdesigned and I don't even have a desire to get on another one. And even Valverononenomen was just so...ugh...overhyped and unimpressive, like Gatekeeper. I hope CF reaches out to Intamin or another company on this one at Knott's for a magnetic launcher, which will save a butt-ton of space, and can be awesome like Taron or Cheetah Hunt.

Hit the nail on the head, buddy. And coming from a previous ride mechanic and ride operator at multiple parks, they're really not that hard to do. I'd imagine Magic Mountains understaffed/under-trained ride operators with lackadaisical attitudes has a lot to do with it, but in general the park is terrible with accommodating guests, when really, it doesn't take much effort to do so. It's something that is good for everyone, good for the park to increase capacity, and good for the guests who don't mind sitting separately to fill in those empty seats. I can't say enough how much a single rider line has made my day on a visit to a park, even with multiple friends, as we all got to get on a ride without waiting in a ridiculous line, and then got to move on with our day at the park.

This is awesome and I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who speaks up! If I was there and heard you speak up I definitely would have spoken up with you and had stood there alongside you. I also seem to be the only one to say something to people that litter (typically I pick it up and give it back to them, while saying this place isn't your trashcan) and I also say something to people that cut in line. Typically if you stop them there and ask where they think they're going, you can get them to turn around, but saying you're going to immediately report them to security before they get on the ride they stop and turn around as well. I'm in my early 30's and quite fit, I work out and so I'm pretty intimidating and most people once I say something it kinda scares them or catches them off guard and they cut it out or apologize. Also I don't do it just to be a tough guy, I do it because it seems to bother the people around me and nobody else has the balls to say anything, and personally, I just don't think it's right. Just out of curiosity how did security show up so fast? That seems like something where you'd have to wait 10 or more minutes for one to even walk by? And you know what? That gives me an idea. At the MLB Ballpark I attended in the past, there was a sign that said something along the lines of "To report drunk/unruly fans using profanity or ruining your park experience text this number and give us your section number" so people could anonymously report people that were out of line. I think that would be a great thing to have at a park like Magic Mountain that is so big and always seems to have these kinds of issues. Send a text, give a location, and that way security could get to situations in a timely manner. Usually they seem to just happen to be walking by, so it's hit or miss.

I will say ever since the ride opened, and I'm not sure how most other floorless coasters ride as I've only ever been on Scream and Dæmonen in Copenhagen (and Dæmonen was from what I remember, very smooth with a softer wheel compound), but the wheel compound while riding Scream always felt VERY hard, something in stark contrast to the wheel compound on Tatsu, which is quite soft. Tatsu IMO is one of the smoothest coasters I've ever been on. So I think this greatly contributes to Scream's roughness, and although it's not the roughest coaster I've ever been on, I do know the "shuffling" people are talking about. That's something that IMO has developed over time. And this has been said before but apparently the piece of track at the bottom of the drop/before the first loop on Scream was damaged upon installation, something like it was dropped and damaged. The strangest thing to me is since Scream is literally installed on flat ground, on concrete/black top/ in probably the easiest place ever to install a ride, it should be the most consistent and undamaged coaster in B&M's entire portfolio. So to me this is on Magic Mountain and the Scream trains. No reason for Scream to be rough AT ALL. Also wasn't it supposed to be installed somewhere else and SFMM ended up with it at the last minute? Which contributes to it's terrible, budget friendly, "not well thought out" location.

Am I the only one that isn't dying to hear a RMC Meaner Streak announcement? I like the anticipation. I'm just fine with the random photos that pop up from time to time, and I don't need an official announcement to know what's going on. I know it's driving a lot of people nuts, and Cedar Point is banking on that. This has to be the most talked about non announced coaster ever. Plus once it's announced, the mystery is gone. I like not knowing.

That loud sound is the steel bogey wheels located underneath the car rubbing against the steel center rail on the track. It's what keeps the car laterally aligned on the track (as you notice the trains polyurethane wheels on the track only have running and upstop wheels). Why they made them steel, I have no idea. I think it had to do with the unique design from Intamin and the technology at the time. Also they didn't want a lot of lateral play that occurs when the polyurethane wheels wear down. So you are hearing steel on steel going 100 mph.

This is absurd. This is ridiculous. There is NO evidence that line speeds increase by refusing to let someone wait to sit where they want to sit. Period. I know, because I've worked at several parks and as such always let people sit wherever they wanted if requested. As a ride operator, the GUEST PAID to come to the park, it is my job to make sure they have a GREAT TIME. If they don't come, I don't have a job. Now, if the line for the front backs up a bit, you do YOUR JOB and get them on one side of the queue, while you pull people up in line from behind them. Eventually the front line gets so long nobody wants to wait, and it all evens out. It is absurd to not let someone who PAYS TO GET INTO THE PARK sit where they want. Goldrusher can be jerky, but that's old engineering for ya! That last helix is still pretty fun. And Superman is probably one of the most overrated coasters with one of the more intimidating structures. I don't wait more than 15 minutes for that anymore. Classic Six Flags Magic Mountain right here. It's still optional of course, but as far as I know, you have to wait in the line like everybody else. They had a Single Rider Line a while back (which was basically a non-VR line), but unless they recently replaced it, it's not there anymore. Again, absurd. Ridiculous. It's like they go out of their way to make the experiences for some of their guests as miserable as possible. If they are consistently sending trains with empty seats there is no, NO reason to not have a separate line for non-VR riders. As soon as I heard of the VR installation I cringed and I cannot wait for it to get canned.

I find this interesting because a few years ago one of my buddies used to live near Knott's along La Palma Ave, basically across the street from the Goodyear Store (which is right next to the Fatburger) and you could hear Montezuma infamous sound as it goes through the loop, Supreme Screams air release, and people screaming on Xcelerator. Considering the park is open till 1 or 2 am and these rides are still running, or Grad Nites which go throughout the night, I'm not sure how any other type of coaster they install (besides a roaring B&M, a problem the fixed with Silver Bullet) would be a problem. Even Boomerang was moderately loud with the big clunks and the drop of the chain lift on the second spike. Either way I don't think it would be something that would get in the way of them building anything.

Does anybody here think VR is really ever going to take off? I know the parks dig it because it's a cheap attraction they can play off as something cool, but does anyone actually really like it? All this VR crap is making me sick, not only because it's such a stupid gimmick, but also because I don't care for it at all. It's not needed and I don't recall anyone complaining that there's not enough VR in the world. It seems like some cool 80's or 90's concept that companies keep trying to push but always falls short. It is all just a major inconvenience that for some reason the parks are believing is increasing attendance, but I just can't believe that is the case. Instead of throwing VR on a coaster to screw up ride times, Knott's went with this. It seems so stupid to me.

Not sure about Arrow doing a Japanese coaster just prior to Magnum, but Togo did open Bandit (167 feet tall and over 5,000 feet long) in the spring of 1988. However, Bandit and Magnum don't have much in common besides both being tall and long Just watched a Bandit POV thanks to your post, and basically when I hear the word "Togo" I immediately think "Pain." And before I go on, WOW, what an impressive coaster! There are some really cool elements on that ride! Now to the LOL it just blows my mind the way they used to design coasters when you look at them and the strange angles and decisions they made. Like, why would they wait at the last second to make a turn when they could have just smoothly elongated the turn eventually. It's like every element was designed in Roller Coaster Tycoon. Or like, why did they literally HAVE to have straight pieces of tracks for drops that go into super hard down or up ramps? It's so weird to me and it seems so obvious just watching the videos that they didn't think of it that way, or that simply the technology wasn't there. But still, some of those hard headbanging turns? I mean come ON. They couldn't think of a way to alleviate that just a TAD? There's no flow in mind at all!

Tell me why I'm wrong... (Keep in mind I'm on board with many of the things you mention, I love the park and hate seeing the delapedated state the company has let it become in many ways.)

Wow that was quite an update from Mint Crocodile! So many things look fantastic, did you guys see the menus? Slow cooked beef poutine? Beasts burger topped with slow cooked beef and gruyere cheese? Cauliflower sandwich with a spicy lime aioli? Holy smokes some of those items looked AMAZING! Super impressed by that. Also the progress taking place on Star Wars land is breathtaking. One thing I did notice that really bugged me and stood out, and I'm not sure if this is permanent, or just because the area is under construction, BUT, look to the left of the photo where the River ends where they put up that tarp. Right above it you can see the freakin' parking structure! Now, don't get me wrong, I know you're not *literally* "leaving" reality to go to Disneyland, but come on, you're in basically the MIDDLE of the park where you should be immersed. Like, that is so blatantly obvious and absolutely distracts you from getting lost in the park, so I'm kinda disappointed to see that. I also DO remember when riding the train/Mark Twain a couple years ago, that area back there was sadly sparse of trees or foliage, and you could see through them, pretty much to the street and hear the cars drive by so it kinda kills the vibe. I hope they address these details when all is said and done, this is stuff Disney doesn't tend to overlook so I'm a little shocked by it! Also, on the BTMRR ride, on the 2nd to last hill (the one with the goat), I understand you're going to see the SWL construction site, but you can also see the road and the streetlights not too far off in the distance! Again, kinda lame! Do something to keep the park and those kinds of things separate. Wait, I've got a great idea, they SHOULD BUILD A HUGE WALL! Source: https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-gPTVJbh/0/O/i-gPTVJbh-O.png

Okay, I have hated Katy Perry for a long time, basically because of how generally terrible all her music is. After listening to this song, I have solidified my decision. If this is the best thing music producers can come up with for someone as popular as her, I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that they're morons, and they're incapable of intelligent enjoyable tunes. That has to be the absolute most terrible song I have ever heard in my life, then the random appearance by Marley? WTF? The song made no sense, the video made no sense, the lyrics made no sense. Although I did enjoy the little bits of coaster footage, holy cow whoever is paying that woman to continue to make music or go to her shows is insane. My reaction to the vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkodTydUR0E

Agreed. Way too much trash with the disposable cup plan. If the souvenir cup is too much of an inconvenience for cheap year around drinks, don't buy one. But I just can't imagine how much trash might increase around the park if they just give out free disposable cups all day long. As far as the pics of Meaner Streak, I think some people who don't frequent the site routinely might have been confused because for a while it seemed like photos were being posted that didn't seem OK to post and nobody said anything to the people posting them (or atleast that was what I witnessed). But I think it has been pretty clear from the get-go of this RMC project, and in this thread, that this site doesn't want any "non official" Cedar Point Mean Streak construction photos, to respect the relationship between this site and the park. It's not that hard to understand, seeing as how they and many parks go out of their way to provide a lot of events for this site (or used to). And I can understand where Robb's coming from with it being irritating because he probably has to hear about it VIA Cedar Point if he doesn't do something. So it becomes one of those things where watching the thread and disciplining people is like watching dumb children who won't behave. Instead he doesn't have time for this shit so he just comes and lays down the banhammer to not have to deal with it. And last, the website! Man I miss that animated skyline shot they used to have of the park with all the coasters going through their circuits! That was so cool! Does anyone remember that or am I aging myself? How long has it been since they took that away?

In case anyone hasn't noticed the trend over the past 5 years has been to basically take away the 3D look of logos and make them flat, basic, and 2D. Cedar Point has apparently finally caught up with the trend. Look up any type of logo be it from soda companies, to fast food, to applications on your phone, anything that's been around for a more than a decade or so, and you'll see they have changed their brand logo to being basic and not like things used to look in the 90's. It's a new trend that will probably be around for another decade, then something new will pop up and it will change again.