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Everything posted by coneyislandchris
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My son and I finally made it up there last Thursday for the first time this season, simultaneously celebrating "National Roller Coaster Day" and the fact that he finally hit his 52" height mark early this month. And what better way to celebrate both of that than with his first ride on a Vekoma SLC? I hadn't been on Riddler Revenge since it was Mind Eraser, but I had heard that they'd since replaced the old, bulky OTSRs with brand new vest restraints. Thank god, because if it had been the old style, it might have scared him off of inverts for years. We made it our first ride of the day and it ended up being a walk on in the front row. He was super pumped and excited going up the lift hill, then screamed his little head off at the top of his lungs for the drop and everything subsequent. It's easy to forget how good the layout on these SLCs are when you're getting your head bashed around like Jake LaMotta, but with the new restraints this was a seriously fun and enjoyable ride. He agreed wholeheartedly, saying it felt like he was flying and he loved it and wanted to ride again. We got in a second ride in the back row after doing the SFNE Walk-Around, just as fun, but he ended up preferring the front row simply for the view. After two rides on Riddler, it was time for his first Giant Discovery. He's been enthralled by these since we visited Kennywood last year and saw me ride Black Widow, and has been eagerly waiting to be tall enough to get on. Let me tell you, as disorienting as Black Widow can be, Harley Quinn's Spinsanity is easily the best installation of a Giant Discovery I've been on as of yet, and that's for one reason alone... they've crammed it into a footprint so tight that you literally feel like you're going to crash into Joker or their slingshot on every upwards swing. It's absolutely delirious and caused both of us to break out into fits of screaming laughter... how appropriate for the namesake. We ended up doing two rides on this in the morning, then making it our final ride of the day just before heading out around 5 PM. We got in a quick but disappointing ride on Joker's purple side that resulted in only one half flip, then booked it over to the other side of the park to beat the lunch rush. We hopped in at JB's for some AC and table service, and then with our bellies filled, headed up the hill to take on Wicked Cyclone. This was the very first RMC he ever set foot on a couple years back, and although it was the coaster that kickstarted his love affair and fanboyism towards RMC, it had since been eclipsed by their other offerings such as Goliath, Lightning Rod, and most recently, Twisted Timbers. So how would he feel returning to the one that started it all, I wondered? Well, with a ride in the third row from the back to start our mini-marathon, the answer ended up being... a return to number one on his list. The airtime, the inversions, and the relentless pace that barely gives you a moment to breathe, much less to sit down... one glance over at his face during the ride and it was obvious. The grin from ear to ear confirmed it. Wicked Cyclone was back, baby, back. We ended up getting two more rides in short order, including one in the front row and one in the middle. For me, the best ride was in the rear of the train, simply because that was the only one of the three where I didn't end up getting stapled and could actually breathe comfortably. But still, regardless, great friggin' ride. Also, just for the record, it was running two trains that day. Next up, we hit the New England Skyscreamer for a brief cool-off and some amazing views. I wish it operated similarly to the smaller ones, where you go up to the top, then halfway down, then back up a second time, but it is what it is. Afterwards, we hit up the rogue's gallery of middle-of-the-road and middle-of-the-park coasters such as Pandemonium (fun little spinner but nothing too special), Flashback (surprisingly not valleyed for once), and Thunderbolt (running better than I've ever ridden it! But man, those seat dividers are brutal). We also ended up riding their drop tower, Scream!, and riding their loopiest loop coaster, Fireball, each one time before heading back to Harley Quinn to finish out the day. MVP of the day were the "cooling stations" they had set up all throughout the park; aka, shower heads pumping out cold water for a minute at a time. It was oppressively hot and we were doing our best to stay hydrated, but the kiddo took it to the next level by taking every chance he could to completely soak himself whenever he came across one of these. And I mean D-R-E-N-C-H-E-D. Overall, a good visit up to this park, and riding Harley only makes me hungrier for one of these Giant Discovery rides to make their way closer to the city in the near future. C'mon, Luna Park, what are you waiting for? You're all Zamperla everything, anyway! Get on it!
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Sesame Place Discussion Thread
coneyislandchris replied to jedimaster1227's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
My wife isn't a coaster person in the slightest. She barely tolerates them and frequently sits out whenever she sees something that's a little too tall for her. There's been a few exceptions in the past, but mostly for the bobsled style of coasters like Flying Turns and Avalanche. We hit up Sesame Place a few weekends ago with both of the kids, and a friend of ours with his 6 year old son also tagged along. Since my daughter hit 40", she was able to ride both of Sesame's coasters, and of course as soon as she saw that green behemoth sitting in the parking lot, she knew she wanted to do that first thing. The wife was a little nervous, but didn't want to be the only one out of the six of us to sit it out, and so she joined us in line. Ten minutes later, we were sitting down in the three middle cars, and before she had a chance to change her mind, she was locked in next to my son while I sat with my little girl, and we were off up that lift hill. Spoiler alert: she f*cking LOVED it. The smoothness of the ride combined with the thrilling layout and custom Timberliner trains with the pseudo-wings up on the sides helped alleviate her fear of heights and ultimately contributed to her most enjoyable experience on a traditional coaster to date. Some choice quotes of hers from memory: - "What the hell just happened?" - "That ride has NO right to be called a kiddie coaster." - "Where did all that airtime come from?" - "Yeah, I'll ride it again!" - "Can I get a magnet? Actually, can I get two? One for the fridge at home and one for my drawer at work." Unfortunately she had no such love for Vapor Trail, but hey, baby steps. I'll take the wins where I can get them. (Oh yeah, the kids loved it too. LOL!) -
Canada's Wonderland Discussion Thread
coneyislandchris replied to BDG's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
This might be just the impetus I need to renew that passport of mine. (And get one for the kiddo.) -
Kings Island (KI) Discussion Thread
coneyislandchris replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
That's amazing. Every single time I've been to Kings Island, Vortex has been a complete walk-on. And this was on summer weekends. Was there some special event going on? -
Aw man, I miss the heck out of those sea lions. That was one of my zen places to go and just chill when I lived out in the Bay Area in the late 90's/early 2000's. Sadly I never had the chance to visit Muir Woods, but if I ever return (maybe when I take the big kiddo out to the West Coast), I'll have to make it a stop for sure!
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The Official TPR Video Thread!
coneyislandchris replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
^ Co-signed. Love 'em and so do the kids! -
What Was The Last Coaster You Rode?
coneyislandchris replied to SharkTums's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
This past Sunday, Possessed at Dorney Park -- my son's first Intamin Impulse thanks to him narrowly creeping above the 52" mark! He absolutely LOVED it and won't stop talking about it. His favorite part was going back down the twisty spire backwards. He's gonna have his mind blown when he hits up Wicked Twister. -
Pray that there's nothing even remotely resembling wind occurring anywhere in the area. On my single visit earlier this year, the wind levels were varying between 5-10 MPH on the ground, which meant every coaster except for the kiddie coaster ended up going down for extended periods of time. And when they'd come back up, they'd send a train or at most two, then go back down again. Leave any bags you may have with you in the car unless you want to do the mandatory locker rental at every single coaster. Feed the sea lions.
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Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread
coneyislandchris replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Sorry to veer the subject away from the fluffy, fluffy unicorns of death debate, but a quick question for y'all regarding early entry policies over there at the Point. What is the current early entry policy for Platinum Pass holders who are utilizing a bring-a-friend ticket? Are they also allowed in during the 9:00 opening, or do they have to wait until the park opens proper at 10:00? -
Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread
coneyislandchris replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Ask about EZ-Pass when you pick up your rental car, they can usually add it on for a nominal charge. Then just drive through the lanes marked with the EZ-Pass logo whenever you come to a toll booth. -
Dollywood Discussion Thread
coneyislandchris replied to crispy's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
I love everything about this area so far, and I'm certain the kids are going to love it too when we visit next year! -
Cedar Point (CP) Discussion Thread
coneyislandchris replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Oh my god. Classic. I'm just hoping that not all old-school Enterprises get removed before the kiddo hits his 54" height mark. Depending on how this weekend goes and how tall he measures up out at Dorney, we might be heading out that way for the Labor Day weekend, but even in a best case scenario he'll be two inches too short to ride it before it leaves. He loves the Endeavor out at Coney Island, and I really hope he gets a chance to experience what a classic ride the Enterprise is before they disappear forever. -
Those are some great sunrise photos! Making me anxious to get back down there. I talked the wife into spending the weekend down there on the 17th through 19th, and it's gonna be her first time down there ever. The kiddette's, too. And, with any luck, it might be the big kiddo's first time on Nor'easter; he's been measuring up right on the line of 52" here at home, now it's just a matter of seeing whether or not our chart at home matches what they've got at Morey's. Fingers crossed. If you've got any good tips for us for often overlooked stuff hit me up. Still upset that Randy's place closed down because I really wanted to take her there before that happened, but, oh well :/ Sucks about "it", that's easily the best one of those claw-type rides I've seen anywhere, for it to go down multiple times like that has gotta be a disappointment. Cool to hear that your nephew's been getting on more and more stuff! Rollies is 44", right? You know what that means the next time he gets back to GAdv. (Well, on the other hand, if he freaked out that much at getting that close to Ghost Ship, maybe he's a little too young to join the Cult.) Also, just noticed this from earlier in the thread: RETURN TO THE MOTHERF**KING SOURCE. My number one coolest rave experience from way back when. <3
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Knoebels Discussion Thread
coneyislandchris replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
That's my expression when eating the potato cakes -- those are my go-to snack anytime I visit the park. As much as I enjoy the pierogies at Knoebels, when you have a Ukrainian grandma who's been cooking them for over half a century, it's impossible to put any on a pedestal above hers. <3 -
What Was The Last Coaster You Rode?
coneyislandchris replied to SharkTums's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Possessed at Dorney Park in the front row a couple of weekends ago. I miss the holding brake but it's still pretty fun even without it. I'm just happy that I still manage to fit in the restraints! -
What is your next park?
coneyislandchris replied to onewheeled999's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Rye Playland on Saturday, and Sesame Place on Sunday, assuming everyone feels well enough. The kids are both getting over a bout of illness and hopefully they're back to normal by the weekend. If not, then maybe back to Dorney next weekend since we'll be visiting family in Allentown. -
Kennywood (KW) Discussion Thread
coneyislandchris replied to DenDen's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Reading the chat during the livestream just reminded me why I absolutely despise most "enthusiasts". Ugh. I personally couldn't care less about the Steelers theme but I have to admit it makes a lot of sense both from a hometown pride perspective and hopefully from a monetary standpoint as well. On the other hand, as soon as I mentioned this to my best friend, he immediately made plans to go back as he's a lifelong Steelers fan. So that's one person caught by the marketing bug! The layout looks absolutely mental and I can't wait to ride it. Also, if they manage to make this a 48" height requirement as they were speculating during the press conference, I'll be amazed. I really hope that S&S can get their game face on and build this without any significant issues. I know there's been a lot of problems in the recent past with Gale Force, Merlin's Mayhem, and the reliability of the free spins. Hearing that they're manufacturing all the track here in the US is a good start to that. -
Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread
coneyislandchris replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Yup. First two rides on Skyrush on Wednesday, no problems because there were maybe about eight people on the train. Third ride, they started letting everyone in, train filled up, and sure enough on one of the airtime hills I see a phone go sailing overhead. Never fails. -
Bumping this thread from beyond the grave again! Anyone still playing out there? Been having fun now that they've implemented trading and a friends list -- it's cool receiving gifts from Pokestops all over the world. Also, they've been super aggressive with the special events as of late. We've been collecting and catching all those legendaries and shinies. If anyone wants to exchange gifts or do the occasional trade, hit me up -- friend code is 6446 3072 7858.
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Hersheypark (HP) Discussion Thread
coneyislandchris replied to robbalvey's topic in Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, & Donkeys!
Hey Zach, I was at the park for a few hours on Wednesday morning/afternoon as well and I want to mention a couple things. 1) Don't worry about rope-dropping Fahrenheit. That line moves way faster than it has any right to, especially if they're running three trains (and they were all day on Wednesday, so I can't imagine they wouldn't). I hit it up three times within the span of an hour, and that's with running down, doing Storm Runner and Sidewinder a couple of times, and coming back. I would, however, suggest hitting Laff Trakk as early as possible. If it's any later in the day and the line is longer, it's really not worth it. 2) The lack of an unlimited Fast Track at this point is not a huge deal. Apparently over the past year they have reorganized it so that instead of entering from the exit and going into dedicated seats for Fast Track purchasers, they now have you enter separate lines at the main entrance, and then merge the Fast Track line with the regular line. In almost every case that I saw, the merge points were so ludicrously far back that it's simply not worth it unless the park is completely jam-packed slammed. There was not a single case on Wednesday where purchasing the Fast Track would have given anyone any benefit. The fact that their Fast Track is one-time-only usage, AND they plan out specific times for you to be at each ride, just makes it seem like it's a complete waste of money. 3) On Wednesday, it was a beautiful day, and even with that the only rides that had more than a 15 minute wait time were Comet (45 minutes), Laff Trakk (30 minutes), and Skyrush (20 minutes). Laff Trakk's capacity sucks, Comet's ride ops were very slow, and Skyrush was pumping them out as fast as they could but there were almost always issues with people being walk-of-shamed. Crowd levels were medium; the biggest thing was that there were a number of school trips from out-of-state being bussed in, so tons of kids and teens in matching shirts. Thankfully nothing too obnoxious and I didn't witness any line-jumping (not that it was really necessary anywhere). 4) Sweet Start gets you access to Founders Way, The Hollow, and Kissing Tower Hill one hour early. For coasters, that means that Comet, Skyrush, and Sooperdooperlooper are open early. There's also a number of flat rides open during that time period but nothing that builds up big lines. When I was there on Wednesday, I got to the park a little bit late but got through the gates at 9:40, and that was still enough time for three in a row on Skyrush. I'm sure that you'll have a great time regardless of crowd level, especially with the two day tickets and the stay at Hershey Lodge. Since you're staying at the Lodge I highly recommend getting dinner one night at The Forebay. It's an excellent upscale hotel restaurant that I've never had a bad meal at, plus their selection of chocolate martinis is great. Hoping for excellent weather for you and that you get to really enjoy the park; it's a gem. -
Although I agree with you on that front, when I bring my daughter to the park, she's not at a loss for things to do. Although there's only one coaster she can currently ride at 40", she has a blast on all their flat rides. She's currently able to ride: - Antique Carousel - Apollo - Cedar Creek Cannonball - Cedar Creek Flyers - Ferris Wheel - Monster - Musik Express - Road Rally - Scrambler - Sea Dragon - Thunder Creek Mountain - Tilt-a-Whirl - Whip - Zephyr ...and nearly everything in Planet Snoopy, excluding the Linus Launcher. I still think it's a pretty good family park, just not one for the littler coaster riders (and, frankly, given its location, it doesn't need to be when you have options like Knoebels and Hersheypark within an hour's drive). I don't see Dorney on the list: https://www.carowinds.com/tickets-passes/funpix Dorney is not part of the Funpix program. I think there's a grand total of three rides with photo ops in the entire park (Steel Force, Hydra, and Talon), and half of the time the Hydra and Talon ones are closed anyway. No great loss.