shepp

I resent that! Oh, relax. I'm thinkin' it's mostly a matter of gender, not orientation. Men are evolutionarily hard-wired to seek multiple mates, while women are more monogamous - it's a matter of the Survival of the Species, dating back to when the big threat was underpopulation, not global warming. (See also: the relative frequency of polygamy vs. polyandry. Or just watch Big Love.) It's well-known that many of the most successful long-term male/male relationships are open ones. (Full disclosure: mine is.) And I'm betting that many het guys at least secretly wish their relationships were open, too.

^ Yes, I'm sure that using a one-day hopper midweek in March, things are pretty simple. But my question was about early June, when things will be more crowded, and using a nonhopper pass to spend most of the day at DCA and just 4 night-time hours at DL. Thanks anyway.

Didn't ride the pre-makeover V2 (it was down when I was there, as it has been frequently ever since), and the only other impulse i've ridden is Wicked Twister. I'm not as negative as some about the front spike. Yeah, the stall is a little long, but I actually enjoy the hangtime over the entrance plaza. It's better in the front of the train, where there's more inverting on both runs. Damn neighbors.

Okay, so it's been a long while since I've been to DL, and never been to DCA. Been to WDW more, though, so there are really only a few DL attractions I haven't done, and would really like to: Indy, Space Mountain re-do, Fantasmic, maybe Roger Rabbit...wouldn't mind some time on the other mountains, too. I'd also like to do a bunch of DCA stuff I haven't done before at WDW, or would like to repeat. But it doesn't seem worth spending the extra bucks for a one-day hopper, and I only really have a single day for DLR available on my schedule. So I read in the 2005 Unofficial Guide that if I have a 1-day DCA non-hopper pass, I can use it to get into DL after DCA closes. Is that still true? On Monday and Tuesday, 6/5 and 6/6, DCA closes at 7, DL 4 hours later. So, experienced DLR hands, would it be reasonable to spend the day at DCA, then at 7:00 hit the single-rider line at Indy, head to SM, and get in whatever else I have time for before or after catching a Fantasmic? Or will the Fastpassers and general crowds on those dates make doing even that in four hours tough? And assuming - the info's not up yet - that there are 2 Fantasmics, would I be better off seeing the early one, then catching the rides right before closing, or the late one, which would be presumably be less jammed?

Just 4, three of which I bought because I liked them as shirts... Ghostrider's "Longest, Tallest Woody" KK Track-to-Tiger TTD hot-rod guy My S:ROS DL shirt I bought just because I had a good time on the ride. My partner's got a cool Nitro shirt and an old BGW nightshirt. I wear them both to parks and elsewhere. I've found that wearing the KK shirt in particular to parks is a good conversation-starter.

Gee, thanks!

Yeah, and one other thing I thought of...the only record of prior use is on a magnetic strip, right? So just because someone says there are two days left on the passport doesn't mean that there really are... Still, given Disney's paucity of deep discounts, I can see why buying leftovers seems like an attractive option.

No! No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO....

I noticed that ebay and craigslist are full of folks selling leftover days on DL/DCA multiday passports. While I fully realize that it's not permitted blah-blah-blah, I'm curious: I seem to recall there was some system from preventing passport sharing, but the sellers all reassure buyers that they'll have no trouble using the remaining days. How true could that be?

Actually, Gonzo, as I recall, loves hens... Maybe you're thinking of Bert and Ernie...

Why? As I never almost never tire of futilely pointing out, this sort of "best" poll is utterly meaningless unless everyone who takes it has ridden all the listed rides, or unless, like Mitch Hawker's polls, there's some intelligent statistical modeling involved. Otherwise, it's just peeing in the wind...

Ah, yet another meaningless TPR "poll." I know it's a hopeless case, but... I've only ridden 3 on the list. How do I know whether RR (my favorite of the 3) is "better" than Scorcher, which I haven't ridden? And the guy who only rode Mantis? It's not only his favorite B&M standup, it's his least favorite, too. Right? I mean, I have nothing against discussing the pros and cons of various B&Ms but why this "poll" nonsense, anyway? End of curmudgeonly rant...

^Despite my kvetching elsewhere about 6F adding parades instead of rides, the idea of animals joining in the SFMW parade is promising - it's always fun to see animals strolling through the park. And that's good news about Roar - last year, it was kinda neck-snapping in places. But I still wish that SFMW would add at least a few good flats...if not a major thrill ride. And that it would stop raining long enough to go.

Well, yeah, the East Coast (though the last time I looked, Cleveland was pretty much in the Midwest, unless you think of Boise as a West Coast city.) However, having lived in Ohio and near SFGAdv, and frequently visited Florida, I can't say that I regret living in San Francisco - perhaps the most beautiful, cosmopolitan city in the USA - and traveling for my coaster fix.

^ The only way SFMM is worth as much as DLR is if it offers something Disney doesn't, i.e., plenty of top of the line thrill rides. So the idea that Magic Mountain has "too many"coasters, and instead should offer up what's more than likely to be - especially considering the current state of 6F finances - pale imitations of what Disney does superbly - parades, fireworks, and the like - is really odd. I can see that in other markets that might not be true. Here in the SF Bay Area, for instance, PGA is the ride park, SFMW the "family" park. But SFMM wimpifying their Fright Fest to "family" status seems just wrong: "Shapiro's Not-So-Scary Hallowe'en Party?" Hell, why not just go to Disneyland instead?

^ I still think "Sigh" is better than "Hmmm." Better airtime.

^ Sigh...I suppose it keeps you occupied, but.. It really seems like lately, as the membership of TPR has grown, the number of statistically meaningless polls has metastasized. Says here that your coaster count is 97. The number of coasters in your poll is 72. Might we assume that you've ridden all the coasters you've listed, in which case it's hardly a comprehensive, unbiased poll? Or that you haven't ridden all of them, in which case you yourself (like me, BTW) can't presume to vote meaningfully on all the matchups you've proposed?

^ God, I don't know. The park has had such a checkered history, and rumors keep flying. But if not 6F, who? Not Paramount, for obvious PGA reasons, and not CF, seeing as they already (and unwisely) shipped all the SFWOA livestock to Vallejo. Y'know, a sudden thought: We're all acting like "Well, of course shifting to "family parks" is the way to higher revenues. But...is that true? It would mean not only that 6F's previous strategy was wrong, but that, say, BGT was foolish for adding SheiKra or that Holiday World should've forgotten about a third woody. Sure, no doubt families at Disney spend more than teens do at 6Fs. But it's not like toddlers at SFMM spend a lot on park food, or that repeat local visitors necessarily stock up on souvenirs for little Tiffany. And teeners are more likely to spend for upcharge attractions like skycoasters. In fact, families with young kids are, by my observation, liable to actually spend less time at a park, since small kids get tired and cranky quicker. So I wonder if the new 6F policy is based on sound research, or just the fact that a Marvin the Martian suit is a whole lot cheaper than a B&M.

^ Of course I understand that. And I'd be thrilled if 6F parks transformed themselves to be more like the Busch Gardens parks - a blend of well-themed, state-of-the-art E-ticket rides, all-the-family lower-key attractions, good shows, and excellent darks a la DarKastle. But, given the magnitude of the task and the problems with financing, I'm thinkin' that for the immediate future, we're more likely to see the addtion of cutprice parades, rather than anything innovative or truly exciting. Oh, and SFMW- my home park - doesn't have thrill rides coming out of its ears. It has dolphins.

Yeah, well you know what they say about homophobes (And it's somewhat backed up by scientific research, too.) And don't read too much into THAT.

Nice podcast, and the PR person seemed cool. But...I still, as a non-childraising adult, have these nagging concerns. I mean, "Family Fright Fest?" Sure, I'm not expecting HHN-caliber events at SFMW, but Vallejo's Hallowe'en event is pathetic enough without being Mickeyized. And is a retheming of the kiddie rides - SFMW's Big Deal this coming season - really what most of us on this board lust after? I'm feeling like HBO is replacing The Sopranos with Touched By An Angel. Sure, dirty parks with inefficient ops suck. (Though, to be honest, on my sole 2-day visit to SFMM a few years ago, I wasn't struck by the prevalence of either.) But "a touch of class?" To paraphrase the old tuna commercial: I don't want parks with good taste; I want parks that taste good.

Katun's is cool, mostly because of the open, fanged jaw, but taken in context as a repeating element of the train design, and coupled with the general theming of the ride, I'd give the edge to Montu.

^ I get that, and don't want to sound too negative about the new 6F. I wish Shapiro well. If he can keep the parks afloat by increasing their regional draw, it's good for all of us. I just wonder whether SFMM indeed has "too many coasters," or whether the real problem is that it has too little of other stuff. Having suffered through a number of 6F stunt shows, IMO adding something - parade, fireworks, whatever - of that caliber is unlikely to draw repeat visitors. When 6F parks add nightly fireworks, I'm betting it won't be IllumiNations, or even close. I can only hope that new management is committed to a rise in quality, as well. Like I said, the Spirit of the Tiger show at SFGAdv was of the "nice try, no cigar" variety. And I'd be interested in knowing, for instance, whether the opening Katonga (which is a first-rate show) at BGT was responsible for a larger bump in attendance than SheiKra. Meanwhile, my home park, SFMW, is family-friendly to a fault. It has only 4 nonkiddie coasters operating (assuming Zonga isn't resurrected), and since one of them is an SLC and V2 has often been down, there are days when there are only two coasters in the park that I want to ride. (And as a result, queues at Medusa are often rather lengthy. Of course, that's just a spur for parkgoers to buy a revenue-producing FastPass, right? ) Flats are also lacking, but there are lots of animal and marine attractions (which I also enjoy), and that's where the oongoing focus is. And, from what I understand, SFMW is one of the leading performers in the chain, and more power to it. I just wish that they'd add a decent new ride - even a SFAW retread - sometime soon. There's just so many times I want to pat the stingrays.

CP's great, of course, and like others have said, so is GL from across the lake. SFMM's parking lot near X provides a pleasing jumble of coaster goodness. But really, my favorite skyline views are inside IOA, from most any point around the lake. Not just coasters, but incredible architectural imagination, and even better at night.

Well said. The only reason I traveled 3000 miles to SFGAdv was because of Kingda Ka, not because of the silly Spirit of the Tiger show they added. IMO, specific E-ticket rides, and not fireworks shows and bad Batman stunt "spectaculars," provide whatever attraction 6F-style parks may have to non-locals. No matter how many costumed characters are marching around SFGAdv, you ain't never gonna find find Midwestern non-coaster-riding families saying "Forget Orlando, let's head to sunny Jackson, New Jersey, instead." It really is a simple matter of economics - it's cheaper to hire some guy to wear a Superman suit than to build another S:ROS. And, as other folks pointed out, families no doubt spend more per visit than groups of teenagers, and fireworks keep dinner-buying patrons in the park till closing. But it sounds like the new 6F will be neither fish nor fowl - neither "Extreme" parks, nor WDW-style extravaganzas, but kind of post-CCF KBFs. But hey, the LA area already has DLR as well as Knott's, so why head to Santa Clarita for more of the same? And if 6F is aiming squarely at repeat visits from local families who'll spend freely inside the parks, why jack up season pass prices and send parking fees to record highs, when those are the very things that would discourage middle-income families from making multiple visits? Hell, it's now consideraby cheaper to get a season pass to USH than to SFMW... [/i]