Lenaapple1974

Well, it certainly has been awhile since I posted the last update. Things have been extremely hectic here, and I have not had the time to sit and pick the pictures. I still have the rest of my Florida trip from last July, and then Great Adventure a few times, and now Hersheypark too! I got some new credits, and I am happy I went. But before I get into all of that, let me post my next day of pictures. Funny story: After getting my brothers from the airport, I somehow realized, I did not remember to note where I parked the car. Ok, not a story, and not funny. It is just sad. I never do that though, and we did find the car eventually! Good thing it was my own car and not a rental! Since my brother Danny was only in for a few days, we worked around the park that he wanted to go to. So naturally, we went to IOA. My brother Danny and my husband you see, do not like the heat... We went on the Hulk first thing, then Spiderman and walked over to Pteradon Flyers where we waited for my other brother JA and son (Anthony) to go on that. Next up - Dueling Dragons. I am not sure how long we actually were in the park and looking around at this point. We were on the DD queue, and just before we were to get on, in come the storm clouds. It poured. We had to wait...and then the cranky pants boys decided they wanted to leave!! I wasn't too happy about that, but we had over a week to get our fill of the parks in. So with that, we went back to the villa, went into the pool and walked around outside for a bit. Pictures to follow. I don't want this to close and loose everthing... so I am submitting it now. (This PC does not have any Word or writing programs to save to! DL from Microsoft Windows Essentials now so next time I do not have to double post.)

He is adorable! Great pics!!

I have never seen those pics or the original thread, and I thank you for reposting! I love seeing parks from back in the day. I will one day make it to this park...That hyper is calling my name!

I am in the minority regarding Great Bear. I love that ride. The speed is awesome, and that first drop, is so unique to anything I have been on so far. But, I am a B&M fan, so I may be a little biased. Got back Sunday from my weekend in HersheyPark. Went to see Daughtry on Friday, and then used those tickets for the concert discount the next day. Turns out that navigating the park was not as horrid as I remembered from my first trip. I feel so much better now that I was able to navigate without the map as well. Got to ride everything I wanted to ride. Whew! Started out on Great Bear. Yes, I had to. Love it! Oh wait, I mentioned that already. There was practically no line though, so we had to. Then we went to Fahrenheit. We waited about an hour. It was hot out, and the misters were wonderful. The ride was good. Very weird going up the lift. The drop, equally as weird, but I loved every second of it. Then we went over to Wild Cat. I decided to sit that one out. I am not a huge woodie fan, as usually my back yells at me for a long time on the old ones. I let the group go on it instead, and had them report back to me. There was no line, so if it was that good, we would have circled around so I could go on. After their reports, I decided against it. Then back over to Trailblazer and Storm Runner. To my surprise, I was not nervous about Storm Runner. My sister though, who has been on KK, was terrified! How, I do not know. Of course, I keep teasing her now. I think the upside down-ness with these restraints threw her a bit. But I loved it. If everyone else did not oppose, I would have waited again. (30-45 min). Then, to Sidewinder. What an odd feeling - being dragged backwards to the top before the drop. I sat in the last car, because I figured I would have less to travel backwards. I couldn't remember if I liked that from Chiller or not. Well, that was an instant headache! By the time I was off and walking though, it subsided to a whisper, and we went on our way to check out Fahrenheit's line. Yeah, OK. It was out of the queue area, wrapping around to the left of the station. Oh well, it will have to wait until next time. Then off to Great Bear again. Did I mention how I love that ride? I will eventually get some pics up in my PTR thread. That is, if I ever finish my Florida TRs from last year! Good to hear that something new is brewing for this park! I will be going back, not sure if it will be next year, but definitely by 2012.

Adam, Awesome TR!! A++++!!! You know, I would most definitely of taken a pic in the A, if it were an L that is. I cannot wait for the day that I make it back to Disneyland. My hopes right now is that I make it there for 2012. The last time I was there was 1982. So very sad. But it will be an anniversary of sorts, so here's to hoping!! For now, your many, many, many awesome pics have me satisfied. Thanks for posting!!

Wow, and I thought I had coaster questions! How did your SFGAdv trip turn out? I will be riding i305 at the end of the month... I am actually a little nervous about the grey/black out. I don't like that feeling at all, although I have yet to experience it on a coaster. Was Batman the only coaster you had that kind of problems with? Update us on your ride when you get the chance! All the questions, I am curious how things turned out.

Canobie Coaster, NICE! Thank you so much for that! I will try to follow that. I am not a big fan of woodies, but I will try them anyhow. I definitely want to try the boomerang. The only one I have gone on that goes backwards is Chiller... so it will be a new experience! I will be trying to take advantage of Hershey's flats as well. I always ignore them everywhere I go. They usually just all go 'round and 'round... makes me dizzy. Thanks again for all the info! Printed and duly noted! If anyone else knows about the lockers... HELP! edit: Talk about making me dizzy... fluffy bunnies keep popping up instead of the word I am trying to get out there...it is the thing that you put stuff in, while you are on the coasters - so they don't fall on people's heads during the ride. lol. Does Hershey have them?

I am going in two weeks... I cannot wait! I am hoping lines will not be tremendous - getting into the park or for the rides. I am not quite sure the best way to tackle the park though. Last time was a complete disaster. Between the line to get in, which I have never seen anything like this in my life - and I had my tickets prior to getting there. This time, we are going to a concert the night before, so we are using the concert tix for a nice discount that next day. Then the park map just looked like hieroglyphics to me and I found it hard to navigate without feeling kind of overwhelmed. We didn't make it past Zoo America before my husband got fed up and we left. I only got to ride Great Bear. I was thinking ride Great Bear, (because I cannot physically walk past it and not ride it) then go to the back of the park, and ride everything on my way "out". Go home, drop off the hubby and son, and then go back with my daughter and her two friends to ride again! Any better advice out there? Also, do they have lockers like Great Adventure to put stuff in by each ride? (Like my camera) If so, are they free or do they cost $$?

See, I am the exact opposite. Hershey was super packed for me, and during the week, we ride, and re-ride stuff at SFGAd all day. I have 1/2 off coupons from my friends job if you want for Great Adventure. PM me if you want me to send you a few of them. I can in no way use them all. But that will drop it down to about $25 per person. Just let me know you PM'd me b/c I never see that until it is really too late. We have enough time right now though.

I myself am reading this because I am going in just over a month to BGE & KD. I wish that I could get down to the Carolinas myself.... but that is one too many items for me for the month of August! (We are also hitting up Hershey, Cedar Point and more than likely Dorney Park too) When you get back, post a report! I will intently be looking to hear how your trip was! Have fun!

Absolutely do Hershey on a weekday! From what I have seen, this park is insanely crowded during the weekends. The line to get in is horrendous! I actually do not know why I planned my visit this year on a weekend in August. Great Adventure is a little easier, and you should be able to accomplish everything in one day just fine with the Qbot/Flash Pass whatever it is called. I have never used it myself, and never had a problem. Hit up KK & El Toro first. Those lines will get extensive as the park fills. Superman also has issues with long lines. (90 min plus most times). Nitro is usually a fast line, and Batman is unpredictable! Lately though, I have seen the line get outside into the garden the last two years. So skipping the lines will be helpful here. And as for KK running, or not - your guess is as good as mine. That is REALLY unpredictable! Stay away from rainy high wind days, and you shoud have a better chance. Bizarro f.k.a. Medusa usually has short quick lines. Good luck, and have fun!

Wow, that is pretty awesome! I agree though - I'd like to see the rest of that sketch. Maybe they will have one stay higher, the other lower and entangle them together... Sounds good in my head.

Hulk to me does not feel like a launch, but more like it just speeds up, if that makes any sense. Still is cool IMO. I haven't been on many launched coasters though. RNR, Chiller, and Hulk. That's it. They were all different where I cannot really compare. I'll be going to Kings Dominion by summer's end though, so I will have one or two more under my belt soon.

I am big chicken of the unknown, so I definitely understand all your concern. I searched and scoured TPR for answers prior to my first coaster. That ended up being Aerosmith's Rockin' Rollercoaster. (My argument was, hey, it's Disney, how bad could it be?) Sadly, that was my only coaster that I rode in Florida that year, and I shouldn't have chickened out of the rest. After riding everything on my next trip out to Orlando, I realized there was nothing to worry about. Go search some POV's and check the coasters out! Batman is intense in our home park though. I have to say, I almost feel it gets faster as time goes on. I love that ride as much as it seems to bump everyone around. I am the only one that comes off that ride without a headache in my group. I go with the turns though, and don't allow my head to get knocked about. Do you keep your eyes open? How about breathing? That can have an effect on your reaction to the coaster. As for the Orlando coasters, the only one I have yet to ride is HRRR, because it's opening was delayed when I went last year. In my opinion - each and every single Orlando coaster is worth riding. EVERY SINGLE ONE. B&M's (so I hear) are pretty smooth, and you really have nothing to worry about. None of them to me come close to the intensity of Batman. Maybe b/c Batman is so compact?? Hulk isn't rough. Somewhat of a rattle I guess...but it is not anything that is painful or that should stop you from riding. DC fka DD, never seemed harsh to me. Kraken is just awesome. The best way to describe it is that instead of a falling feeling, I almost feel like it is being pulled or pushed through... I got the same feeling when I rode Kumba & Montu at Busch Gardens. Maybe because they are taller than I am used to? Manta...just awesome. Very smooth. It is like S:UF, especially being the pretzel loop is in the same position, just don't ride in the back. Ride in the front b/c I have heard grey out reports in the back, although I have only ridden in the back, and I did not have that happen. All in all, they are all fun rides. Bottom line, just do it. If you go on Nitro, El Toro, and KK, none of the Orlando coasters should give you a problem! Mummy is great... smooth!! None of the rides hurt! And again, don't forget to report back, b/c I want to hear about your ride experience!

I am actually in the midst of trying to plan a day trip to SFNE and Lake Compounce for September. The wondering if the scheduling will be good enough sucks, and all I am doing is a one day thing! I couldn't imagine a week worth of park hopping. IMO, I definitely think when going to SFNE, get there for opening. My plan is to do that, get some good rides on Bizzaro first and foremost - then everything else there. Lake Compounce is only about 45-50 minutes from SFNE. Get to Lake Compounce for 5pm, when they have their discounted rates which is $18 as opposed to I think $35, hit up BD a few times, then the rest. They close at 8pm when I am going, so I am not leaving much time out there for much else. But my main thing is definitely BD. We never get to ride flats, so we will probably close out our day spinning ourselves dizzy. Both of these should definitely be easy to accomplish within the one day. As far as tickets, the best prices I have seen have been online at the park sites for the VA parks. I agree though, nothing under $50. I have been searching b/c I am going in the end of August to both. I will post again if I find anything worth while. Hershey has the coupons in various stores for $10 (I think) off per person in July, and (definitely) $8 off per person in Aug/Sept. Good Luck!

^^ I could not imagine riding this thing backwards. I actually had a dream about this coaster, except it was indoors, and the first drop was like a steep escelator. (We have one in our local mall, OMG what a drop that would be for a coaster!!) The dream was like ALLL night. LOL. My last coaster was S:UF @ Great Adventure. I hear it has been (or was) closed...guess it is a good things I got two rides in back to back before all the wind started that day! Hope it is back up on my next trip, along with GASM, as I have never been on it before.

Hey everyone, Just wanted to thank Robb, Elissa and the crew for keeping this site in the tip top shape it is. I have visited some other boards in the last few days just checking out the stuff they have posted on Cheetaka, and Busch Gardens in general, and those sites REALLY make me appreciate all the goodness that TPR is! So from the bottom of my tippy tippy toes, to the tip top of my head - THANK YOU ALL FOR KEEPING TPR A GREAT PLACE TO BE!! xoxo

Yep. My friend is there today...she says it is up and running today. I don't know why they would close down just before the summer - unless someone in the park leaked this so that people would come just for the GASM through the summer? But then again, I suppose that winters here can damper the progression of the ride being taken down, and its replacement being put up.... either way, I think I may not make it back before they finally close it. I have not been on it since I started riding coasters in 2005... Just when I decided to do so with the reports of it not being so rough in the front, I found out the news. Oh well.

I guess we now know what Universal did with the skulls they took out of DD.

I went last year in July, and did not find the water to be gross or too hot. My fave spot was the rapids. There isn't too much in this park, IMO, and the layout is not friendly. I think since it is new, they left room for new additions though. Hopefully the new addition (I think there was one) made up for some of that. But my reason for posting is that you asked for pictures...and that is my strong suite! signage entrance line goes over a bridge... use the lazy river to get to the entrance of this one submersion (spelling??) dolphins feels so far away! 2009 pricing

That is just insanely funny. How could CBS get that so wrong? Isn't there someone who proofreads that stuff too? I agree, the marketing is not 100% correct, and that $80 price tag could be a big deterrent to some families. Just from some people I have spoken to, they are confused. Good thing most of my family/friends know to come to me before they book anything in Fl.

Busch Gardens...but stop at KD on your way home for a few creds there. The parks are about an hour apart.

Also, where in Philadelphia? That also can be a bit of a time difference to get to I-95 depending on where you are. I just drove from NY to VA. That trip takes me exactly 6 hours. From NY (not through the city but from the Brooklyn side) to Philadelphia is about 1.5 - 2.5 hours (to exit 4 on I-95). NY to DC approx 4-5 hours. Philadelphia to Six Flags Great Adventure may be about an hour or so. Hope all of that helps somewhat.

What an AMAZING PTR!!! Thank you for the detail! There is so much that went into making this part of the park. I hope when I get there finally, that I can take the time to absorb it all.

OH MY!! That is just an insane amount of people waiting to get in. I wonder if spread throughout the entire park, how that would be, although, I am sure everyone will be sticking to the WWoHP. (DUH! )