teacherkim

Honestly I really really feel over the shoulder restraints would not have prevented what happened. But of course I have no way of knowing that for sure.

So......we just returned from an Orlando trip. Had a date specific ticket to Epic on 10/1 and then went on our 1 day included with the package on 10/3 with plane tickets home on Sunday. As Friday morning dawned we had just accepted that we weren't going to make it on Stardust this time and had resolved to just enjoy everything else about the park; and it is a magnificent park. I mean they nailed the theming, lighting, soundtrack of each land. Never before was my son content to just walk around and appreciate the aesthetics in a park before like this one. THEN, as we are eating dinner on Friday (some of the best theme park food I have ever had btw) we hear the reopening news. Go look, sure enough trains in the station for the first time. What to do? Well we spend another $350 for two more tickets, concierge told us it was already sold out but we were able to purchase on line, blew off already paid for Howl O Scream tickets at SW, blew off a Vivo reservation (only significant because it was the only sit down restaurant at Citywalk I hadn't been to) AND went back on Sat 10/4, our last full day in town. Expensive ridiculous gamble? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. Something wrong with us? Probably. So from the get go some upper management types were at the ride entrance telling everyone late afternoon to early evening would be when they opened, IF the weather cooperated. We spent until about 4 casually doing other things while keeping our eye on the proceedings. Around 1 or 2 there were maintenance personnel riding, after that other park employees were getting a turn, then the ride crew got their turn. About 4 we grabbed something to eat at the pub and started hanging out near the entrance. Rain coming off and on just to torture us and make it not a 100% thing. More bigwigs show up at the entrance in a vain attempt to keep people from hanging around. News copter overhead most of the time starting about 5. Finally just after 6 they very quietly and calmly opened the barricade and an unbelievably obedient crowd surged at a walking pace in and was walked backed to an extended queue. I think everyone knew how badly the park needed this to go well and no one wanted to risk getting kicked out...................JUST as we approached the actual entrance the fire alarm in the station starts going off. Yep it was accidentally set off and all of the ride crew, easily 20 or more employees had to evacuate. Now we are all being held: ride crew at attraction entrance, the initial 100 or so riders in the temp queue, everyone else where the barricades at the plaza entrance. Swell . About 15 minutes for maintenance to take care of the alarm. We ended up being on the 2nd train out. Got back in line and used our one time express for the other side. Two front row rides on each track. Then waited a good 2 hours for a third ride as by that time the entire park was aware. So three rides, one with an abnormally long line that doesn't usually happen due to capacity. The park did not close the line one second early and actually added a 3rd train on each side to increase capacity. The atmosphere was as raucous as any ert session I've ever experienced. You could tell the ride ops needed this and the crowd gave it to them. Lots of cheering, clapping, and high fiving. The ride itself? What a magnificent beast of a coaster. An instant top 3 and maybe higher once we have time to digest it. The interaction of the trains is amazing. The only thing I can conjecture as to how someone could get blunt force trauma is getting slammed backward into the headrest if you were flopped forward when unconscious, the torque of the two double boosts is unbelievable. I of course have no idea if that is what happened but after riding it I can not think of what else it could be. Not possible to hit the lap restraint or anything in front of you unless you were maybe 8 feet tall. Of course we don't know what we don't know but I can't figure this as anything other than a freak accident for someone not completely able bodied. What an experience the whole thing turned out to be though! Any questions that I didn't answer ( I was trying not to write a novel here) ask away.

Well now that the state investigators have publicly agreed with Universal that the ride did not malfunction in any way, I'm hoping they open it back up asap. We will be there in a week and I would never cry "vacation ruined" or any other such nonsense (after all you pays your money and takes your chances) it will suck mightily to have to walk around an awesome but not running coaster all day. I freely admit I am being a bit selfish here and apologize for it and while I certainly do not want to appear insensitive; he did make his choice knowing he was going against the recommendations posted at the ride. I am very curious about the state saying they were investigating under their manslaughter law. If they acknowledge the ride is not to blame who are they accusing of manslaughter? A family member that talked him into going on it? I mean he was an adult. Or is that just verbiage to ensure the outraged that they are exploring all possibilities on blame? Curious. My heart does go out to his family and the ride ops working that day. It must have been a terrible experience.

Well of course but I don't really think it is in real danger. For a few reasons 1) Even a local news station in a story with a headline meant to imply that the park was in danger (if you bothered to read it) that attendance has stayed steady for SFSTL, no decline 2) Although it's a small regional park it makes a profit. The only thing they were losing money on was HITP which they got rid of 3) Someone from upper management told me that not only is the park going nowhere but they are already working to enhance the entertainment. I'll assume he is right and honest until I have some reason to doubt him

And you might be right, but I will say that as unsexy as boring things like new roofs, new asphalt, or new kitchen equipment is to most people; to me it is an investment in the park for the long term. Let's see how it plays out. I choose to be positive but that's just my nature

I believe that came from a Tik Toker that saw the metal "in the seat" when she left the ride. So questionable, and some people seemed to think it was simply the tool to manually open the restraint, although I was certainly not on site and don't want to do too much speculating. Unfortunately, the speculation on FB has become a juggernaut and of course lots of people that have no idea how coasters work. As I am sure everyone knows by now the poor man was wheelchair bound with an apparent spinal problem. It will all be a matter of whether or not some aspect of the ride cause it or was it caused by an unfortunate aspect of his condition.

Look I know the odds are against us but I am curious about 1) Is the park management REALLY making a big pitch, or was the person that was talking to us just selling what he knew we wanted to buy? 2) IF he is making a legit pitch, does said park management have any power/sway with corporate? 3)And what do they envision as a cool new ride? That can be pretty subjective, lol. I like that for the most part everyone on here wants something good to happen for the park. Some of us more optimistic than others but that's probably a general personality thing. In the end time will tell, it's just that the waiting is hell.

As I have said, if you look at the area encompassing Ninja, the former paint ball field, Buccaneer (easily moved), the arcade which kind of sucks now anyway, the old Chevy building (only used for storage now), Tsunami Soaker and its gift shop, the former old time photo building, Spinsanity (also easily moved); there is kind of a lot of room there. Granted that would be a huge project that probably isn't going to happen and Chop Six and the Empire might be a bit in the way..........................still, if you're going to dream might as well dream big, lol. Also, Ninja while not super popular at this point is apparently a maintenance dream that almost never has issues. Annoying.

So some reporting from the ACE event last Saturday at the park: (and keep in mind I am just the messenger here) Screamin' Eagle was down for a lift hill motor issue. Awaiting parts, could be several weeks. Bummer for sure. All the other coasters were running two trains which was really nice on a low attendance day. Beautiful weather but after Labor Day and before FF so not a huge crowd there. Even so the park very generously added a second coaster and a second hour to ert for the group of 49 attending the event. It was Freeze and Thunder plus snacks. They gave us a nice long walk back of the Boss including a chance to climb part way up the stairs leading down from the mid course brake to get a very cool view of the coaster in action. I've done it before but it isn't always offered. Log Flume had a mechanical problem with the right side of the flume and was running the seldom used left side instead, which was kind of a nice treat. For those that don't know they don't often have the staff and/or crowds for both sides and usually run the right side as it is way easier to load fast pass and ada riders. They did have some temp tiny bridges to accommodate those riders. JL running the best all season that I have experienced. Fire effect back on and mostly working as intended. Final screen still f**ked up. Everything else running normally except TS and Spinsanity of course. And I really don't remember about Fireball, I don't usually pay any attention to it. All the FF props up and ready to go and we did see what were clearly FF cast members getting a walk around as some sort of training. At one point I did see them go to the little show area for the train so MAYBE something related to FF is going to happen there? We got a twilight group ride on the carousel. The horses are magnificent and the craftsmanship really shines through. The chariots are not yet on and are still being restored which explains the mysterious fb post regarding the "real opening". I was told by management that the reason they went ahead and opened it without the chariots was as compensation for the fact that the Joker funhouse part of the queue has never opened. Although I thought that a bit of a strange connection. The reason for the funhouse not yet being open is also apparently missing parts................no elaboration on what those parts might be. At lunch I talked to 2 members of the management team. One is the new entertainment manager. He is from the area originally but spent most of his career at SFFT, but he and his wife recently moved back. He stated that there would be enhancements to the entertainment for next year and that this was already underway. He also told us that park management was lobbying for new rides(s) and other improvements with Coaster Con 2027 in mind since SFSTL is one of the host parks for that. Of course he had a crowd that wanted to hear that, we'll see. Asked two different management bigwigs about the whole food issue with the legacy memberships. One told me that he flat out had no idea, the other just repeated the all add-ons will be good at all parks line. Of course these aren't add-ons they were included as part of the memberships and I know they aren't all the same. Bottom line - it will simply be a try it and see if it works situation next year. I was told they were well aware of the 50th anniversary of Eagle next year and that they are "working on plans to celebrate". Again, we'll see but they did promise to keep the organization in the loop.

So last post about the food on legacy SF memberships until I simply try it out sometime next year and see if it works. I was as an ACE event at SFSTL and asked management at the lunch. One person flat out told me he had no idea if it was carrying over or not. The other (a very long time employee of the park) simply repeated the "all pass add ons" will be usable at all parks. Problem being this isn't an add on. It was included as part of the membership upon purchase of the membership. I know for a fact not everyone with a membership has the same food offerings, it depended on when you bought it, so.............that's where I think the confusion is. I really don't think they know and it will be a matter of just waiting to see if it is accepted or not.

You didn't derail. It's the SF corporate thread and you have every right to bring up any topic relating to SF as a company. Even I'm getting tired of my own posts about the legacy memberships, just haven't been able to get a satisfactory answer. No worries

I went online to see if you could add the dining when this question came up before and it wouldn't let me BUT I have no idea if that was because it wasn't working properly, or because it knew that I already have dining on my membership so therefore it would be redundant, or what. I mean it's a moot point for us because we already get 2 meals and a snack grandfathered in our membership. I think right now it's all somewhat of a crapshoot depending on what day it is and who you are dealing with.

Well if Jeffrey said so then that should be the definitive statement! I also 100% believe that the right hand and the left hand have no idea each other exist right now and that a different customer service rep would have very likely given me a different answer.

Yeah........I suspect you are right because that all makes a lot of sense. Hence my skepticism from the start.

So............per my previous posts I've been a dog with a bone over trying to find someone who can give me an answer about the future of the meal plan that is currently on the DE VIP memberships. Well I was finally able to speak to an actual customer service person at the corporate office today and got an answer. Maybe. According to her the current meal plans on memberships will still be available in 2026 at all legacy SF parks but not legacy CF parks. However, I'm somewhat skeptical because 1) She did not immediately know that answer and had to go "find out" 2) That is the same as this year if you did the all park passport add on and 3) She seemed really unsure about the whole thing. In the end I think the only way to know is to try it out next year and see if and where it works

Yes, IF you get one of the new passes. But you cannot add it on to a membership. And even if you could that would be dumb because it would cost way more than getting a prestige pass and doing the add-on

So............per my previous posts I've been a dog with a bone over trying to find someone who can give me an answer about the future of the meal plan that is currently on the DE VIP memberships. Well I was finally able to speak to an actual customer service person at the corporate office today and got an answer. Maybe. According to her the current meal plans on memberships will still be available in 2026 at all legacy SF parks but not legacy CF parks. However, I'm somewhat skeptical because 1) She did not immediately know that answer and had to go "find out" 2) That is the same as this year if you did the all park passport add on and 3) She seemed really unsure about the whole thing. In the end I think the only way to know is to try it out next year and see if and where it works

I know the answers to most of your questions BUT I will let Bert speak for himself! However, on the age issue; I am 57 my son is 22. We started riding big stuff together as soon as he was tall enough so around 7 for him and 42 for me. I hadn't ridden much in my 30's and it was kind of a rediscovering of a love for theme parks and such. Needless to say the first few trips took some getting used to it all again and I found myself bracing and holding on too hard, that was exactly the wrong thing to do and made me sore as hell. As soon as I started riding more like a drunk person and just allowed my body to move around more naturally I stopped having issues. Now that goes along with some good judgement, I don't really ride SLC's (or hang and bangs as a fellow older enthusiast lovingly calls them) or things that wack me in the ear (looking at you Ninja at SFSTl), or super spinny that I know will make me sick (some motion sickness issues have gotten worse as I aged). In other words as you age you will also know your tolerances and body limits better and better and learn it's beneficial to skip this or that so that you can enjoy almost everything else. Also, needless to say the better shape you stay in and the healthier lifestyle you lead the better your body handles it all. I mean my son and I did a two week Europe theme park trip with ACE last summer for his 21st birthday; 14 parks in 14 days and I was fine without taking daily pain meds like some people there. BUT I also didn't try to ride every single coaster like he did and took breaks when I needed too.

Yeah, I don't care that much about merch discount or bring a friend free either, I often don't even use all the bff that I have. Which is why the food was possibly the tipping point for me. I guess I just need to sit down and do the math and calculate the differential between buying food or not and see what the difference is likely to be and if it's worth it. Of course this means I have to do math I think also a little part of me is reluctant to give up the memberships just because I've had them for soooo long and I know once I do there's no going back. On the other hand that's a very first world problem and probably not worth all the consideration I'm giving it, lol.

I also assumed the sale will get extended which is why I'm not that fussed about taking a chance and waiting. If we get everything on our membership at all parks, it's a pretty great deal for what I pay. Of course I have that because I kept paying it all through the Covid lockdowns so ...........!

I'm pretty sure that the skip the line thing will revert to just one since they are getting rid of the old SF fastpass system and using the CF system chain wide. Although, since that works on a wristband and not digitally I'm not sure what a one time will look like. May just be a paper pass. Also, I think one mug will work and I've been told that SF parks will start putting in drink stations where you can just get a paper cup versus carrying around the plastic jug all day which we greatly prefer. Will see how long that takes to implement and if they do it at all parks. But there still seems to be a LOT of internal confusion regarding how this is all working. The person I spoke to at my home park, SFSTL, was very sympathetic and flat out told me they had simply not been given all the information yet and were themselves trying to sort out all the answers. Of course we knew there would be merging pains but still frustrating. I will be at SFSTL for an ACE event on Sept 6th and if I haven't gotten an answer yet will literally corner the higher ups and enact mild Karen mode (just an expression I'll be nice, firm but nice) until I get said answer. Of course that will be after the "sale" deadline on new passes so if advantageous to switch over I might regret waiting.

So, back to my post from several days ago. Do you know if this includes the legacy SF Diamond Elite VIP membership inclusions? For 2025, when the all park passport was added on it only included parking and admission for legacy CF parks. The meals, drinks, etc, etc continued to work at all legacy SF parks. The recent email gave a list of things that would now be included at ALL parks (mostly things already on there) and mentioned drinks but not meals. Although I haven't given up trying to get an answer from some actual live human that works for the new mega corp!

Hey as Bert said that's pretty good for a non-enthusiast. I ride almost everything with my son but I'm the one that got him involved in the first place so Kudos to Mom's everywhere. We've been to CP many times but my son was there on Monday 7/28 which turned out to be the recent and already infamous flood day. He was at a weekend event in Columbus with some non-enthusiast but willing friends so they went up just for the day. However, unlike good old Mom here they were late getting going not understanding his pleas to get there early and be first in line to get in and beat the rope drop crowd to at least one of the new coasters. They took so much time getting in, doing SC and TT2, and grabbing food that was all they had done when the storm hit and they were then trapped in Millie's station for 4 hours. Only had about 2 hours after that so just got on a couple other rides. Although good on the park for opening up anything at that point I guess. His opinion is SC was great but as a huge fan of the original TTD he was not at all enthused about TT2...............thought it was horribly slow and declared no need to every wait in a line for it. Said if it was basically a walk on then sure he would ride again but won't cry if it's a one and done for him. Just reporting, don't kill the messenger, lol.

Agreed! I particularly love the people that complain about it but then state that they aren't ever going back to Disney because it's too woke or too expensive or too much stress to plan now or forces to much phone time............ok, then like why do you care? We're going mostly to Universal at the very end of Sept but spending just about a day and half at Disney first. Going to hit MNSSHP and pick up our credit on Tron which we don't yet have.

Yeah, that's my dilemma; what to do? On the other hand what is the worst I am risking by waiting to see what happens? Just the sale price, probably not that big a deal in the long run.