shepp

Oh dear, this is apparently another one of those "I've only ridden Coastername, so I'll vote for that" polls. So without casting a meaningless vote...Between Xcelerator, TTD, KK, and S:TE, I guess my favorite was KK, basically for the view from the top. TTD was noticeably smoother, though its themeing and operation wasn't as good as KK's. And while I appreciate the punch of Xcelerator's launch and its post-top-hat layout it...just...isn't...nearly...as..tall.

That is an awesome tagline. i like the way you think. Well, since we're going there... Does Busch Gardens have to post signs over the urinals telling me I live in "the greatest country in the world?" I mean, there's a time and place for everything, even jingoism, but can't I even take a pee sans propaganda? And hey, if they named the new coaster "Weapon of Mass Destruction," they wouldn't even have to build it...

Well, I wouldn't call Breakers Express "really nice," but it was thoroughly clean and comfy, in a bland lower-tier motel way. I stayed there slightly off-season a couple of summers ago, and got a package that did include parking at the park, as well as tickets, early entry, waterpark discount, and continental breakfast, all at a bargain price. While it may be possible to cobble a similar deal together staying off-property, I'd have a look at the packages available for your visit. It might be just as cheap to get a bargain rental car - you do have to get back and forth to wherever you stay, after all - and buy a Breakers Express package. Also, contact CP now for their planning package, including a booklet called something like (somebody help me out) Guide to the Point, that contains, or at least used to, a whole bunch of discount coupons. Oh, and if you're on a budget, check out the all-you-can-eat pizza joint by the causeway...

Sigh... Yeah, maybe it's one of the best SF parks if you don't really give a damn about coasters. SFMW does well because it attracts lots of families with small kids, and apparently management is playing to its current strengths, thereby pretty much writing off the teenage-and-above market. So while PGA at least sporadically adds decent adult rides, SFMW hasn't done anything in that direction since Zonga (which, IMO, pretty much sucked, anyway) in 2003, and before that, V2, which went up 5 years ago now. SFMW is my home park, and much as I enjoy watching Shouka and the walruses (and I do), it sure would be nice to have more than a grand total of three non-sucky major rides (one of which is often down) in the park. There aren't even more than a couple of OK flats. I mean, how many flippin' times am I expected to ride the damn boomerang? Looks like this sort of thing is the the future direction the new SF management will be taking, anyhow. If it weren't for the prospect of visiting other SF parks with my AP, I think I'd just forget the pass this year, go to PGA for rides, and get my animal jollies at the San Francisco Zoo. Sigh...

Well, for all it's vaunted religiosity, it's plain that the rightwing has really outscored the left on the nastiness scale, led by Bill "Go bomb San Francisco" O'Reilly, Ann "Let's poison a Supreme Court justice, ha ha ha" Coulter, and Rush "Let's put all the druggies in jail...except me" Youknowwho. Oh, another outright Bush lie: "I'm a uniter, not a divider." Ha!

^ Now, Wally...play nice. The fact is, that if the Presidential election were held today, the above map would be almost all blue. (At last glance, only 12 states - with a fairly weensy proportion of electoral votes, BTW, except of course for Texas - now support Bush.) So let's not say "complete morons." Let's just say..."easily misled."

What President hasn't? I'd also like for you to present specific evidence where he did lie to us and get caught. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything confirmed, unlike a certain "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" president. Well, gee, here's a simple, real simple, one for the top of your head: "For those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them." George W. Bush, June 1, 2003 Now, granted, lying about a war in which tens of thousands of people have been killed and the U.S. has been bankrupted is nowhere near as important as lying about [oral sex], but...

Listen, I know you're too young to remember this, but... Back during the Iran/Iraq War, when Hussein was on the ropes (and when his murderous oppression of the Kurds was at its height), who went over there to provide U.S. support? Why, Donald Rumsfeld, that's who. And when the Soviet Union was in Afghanistan, who went in and armed the Islamic fundamentalists who later became the Taliban? Gee whillikers, the good ol' U.S.A. under freedom-loving Ronald Reagan, that's who! So don't get all moralistic if you don't know your history. The fact is that, without the support of the same faction that runs the Bush administration, both the Mujahadeen and Hussein might have been crushed. Of course, that might have meant that Iran would be the reigning power in the Middle East. But since democracy has flourished in Iraq, the government is now tilting toward...IRAN! Oh, yippee.

^ No, you're right: Journey's first (postFigment) re-do was indeed inspired by Showgirls. As for M:S - I think you might have been confused by the extra-large angora sweaters in M:S's inevitable post-ride gift shop. (Kind of an arcane joke there, but hey, it's off-season.) And yes, DarKastle may not be Spidey (hell, nothing else is, either), but it's still pretty dang fine. And every bit as terrifying as Showgirls. (See avatar.)

Um, Croakies? I strap my glasses on, and though it looks nerdy, it does the job. Sometimes ops doublecheck to make sure my specs are secure, but the only rides I couldn't take with secured glasses were Xcelerator and Speed: The Ride, and last time I was in Vegas, Speed had changed its policy to allow 'em. Hell, at 80 mph, I'd rather have some eye protection, anyway.

^ Can't stop the Music? You're thinking of Mission: Space, dude... Y-M-C-A...

Spidey is based on Citizen Kane. DarKastle is based on Anaconda 2: Hunt for the Blood Orchid. Other questions?

Because it hasn't invaded a Middle Eastern country yet.

Just a belated "amen," and a thanks to the two of you (and all others involved, including the posters) in keeping the quality of this site so high. I recall going to SFGAdv sites before my trip there and being...well, appalled...by the stench of subliterate post-pubescent fanboy testosterone in the air. It's important to note that it's not just the young who can act like idiots, though: RRC was full of middle-aged men ably impersonating objectionable adolescents. While coastering isn't rocket science, it's nice to know that a place for intelligent, civilized theme park discourse exists. Kudoz 2 all of u!

Actually (and I'm a huge B&M fan), I can think of no particular way in which snoozy S:UF is an "improvement" over the Vekoma fliers I've ridden, except maybe comfort...

^ Gosh, were you there Wednesday? Too bad I didn't meet you... In my admittedly fallible memory, the splash on Hulk is more apparent to riders. But you're right: passersby visibly loved SheiKra's impressive splash. So one more question: an rcdb photo of SheiKra's tunnel showed copious mist. That effect gone now?

The kid's 10, Shepp. ...everybody has one. Even 10-year-olds, or so I hear.

Though I found the Spidey "drop" more impressive by far...

it may be worth noting (or it may not) that MF has scored #3 or 4 in the steel coaster poll every year since it opened (always beaten by GeForce and S:ROS NE), handily outscoring Magnum, which has now slipped to #44. So though you may feel that MF is the letdown, odds are, statistically, that you'll prefer it to Magnum. All the best people do.

Indeed, as I sat having lunch on the terrace of the Smokehouse, which is right next to the water effect, I could see that flangey doohickeys on the sides of the train's rear cut through the water and spumed up the spray. But it seemed so weird to have an elaborate "water effect" which to riders looks and feels like nothing more than a track going through an uninteresting lake. I suppose if I'd watched the ride before my first ride, I might have been nervously anticipating the splash, only to feel...nothing. So I thought maybe there were additional splash-makers added during the hot season. Guess not. Oh well, two very prolonged moments of floating air and a nice third pop midcourse more than make up for the H2O puzzle.

Of the above...I think a revised, higher-tech version of Inner Space would rock. As long as they brought back the microscope...

Well, I found Magnum disappointing (too rough, bad transitions) and MF great. But, y'know, opinions are like buttholes... I see no reason why MF would be any tougher a ride for you than DD Fire. First time out, be sure to wait for the front row...the view down that first drop is amazing.

Hey, I realllly hate painful coasters, but I found the lapbarred FOF lots of fun (much moreso than the neckbreaking HyperSonic). Liked the saucer thingy, too, though I can see how it might get tiresome to frequent parkgoers. But MTV? WTF? "The Rock 'n Real World Coaster?" "Total Ride Lame-o: A Journey Through Carson Daly's Descending Colon?" "Britney! The Ride" ?

Went to BGT this Wednesday and had an excellent time, despite the miserably short hours. (I'd post a mini-TR, but the camera card is still in FL with the bf.) Offseason midweek, it was...well, empty. Everything except the mouse and the bumper cars was a true walk-on (except the front rows of Montu and SheiKra, which sometimes entailed waiting a whole train or two). Unfortunately, Kumba was still in rehab, but otherwise...I'd forgotten how beautiful the park is (much more so than BGW, IMO), I managed to get in 7 rides on SheiKra, Montu is still great, enjoyed Katonga - probably the best theme park live show I've ever seen - and even enjoyed Rhino Rally, thanks to our smartass guide. OK, 2 questions for old BGT hands. One side of Gwazi was, as expected, down. (Not surprising, since the other one was virtually empty). Do they alternate which side they run, or is it always Tiger? Does Gwazi ever regualrly run both sides, in or out of season? Or is it basically a mistaken investment for BGT? And...the "water feature" on SheiKra...it's the most elaborate ride element I've ever seen that is invisible to all the riders. (Unless they look over their shoulders.) Given the engineering, I doubt it, but when there's warmer weather, is the splash pattern ever altered so it's more beside the train? Oh, and...Wally rulez!

I only rode M:S once, a goodly while back, and quite enjoyed it. I felt it pulled a goodly amount of Gs on the launch - quite intense enough for me, thanks - but maybe it's been toned down post-fatality. I didn't get much of a zero-G effect (seemed basically a matter of illusory perception once the G-forces stopped), but I otherwise found it a really good Disney-experience type ride, the story, tho cliched, well-told, and the trimmings of the ride elaborately well-done. Test Track, on t'other hand, I just don't get. Go bump-bump-bump, get a little warm, go a little fast...ho hum...