shepp

^ And face it: This is, with the possible exception of B:TR, largely an enthusiasts' concern. SFMW's management knows that the number of their visitors who'll moan "Oh, I already rode Medusa at SFGAdv" is rather tiny.

The package says it's "skin whitening." Perhaps they stocked it for Michael Jackson?

B&M. Yeah, I love MF, the 2 (lesser) S:ROSes I've been on, and KK/TTD/Xcelerator. But B&M delivers the goods again and again, even if every first drop is the same, dammit. I'm an older guy who treasures smoothness and rerideability, and a lot of B&Ms are things of beauty to me. Sorry, I don't find Nitro, Medusa, or the Hulk boring - I find them exhilarating. Alpengeist may not be 450 feet tall, but damn, is it fun! Now, if only SFMM shows us that B&M can build a truly thrilling flier... And then there's that pesky dependability thing...I've endured 4-hour TTD breakdowns, KK problems, frequent V2 breakdowns, Steel Venom was down when I was at GL, and when I visited PKD last summer, Volcano was down for 2 days. Hmmm... What's the use of pushing the envelope if the flap comes unglued again and again and again?

WalMart

I understand that if you play Dark Side of the Moon backwards, it provides a complete guide to Cedar Point...

The idea that SFI will de-emphasize "big rides" is bad news for us, of course. The possibility that they'll get off their butts and innovate is not. And yes, a haunted house ride can be family-friendly - Curse of DarKastle appeals to a wider demogaphic than Kingda Ka. However, at this point, I'm betting that IOA has little to worry about, in terms of either innovation or HHN.

Interestingly, nobody at all has mentioned Tomb Raider, which I thought was a fun ride (ride facing outward, rather than the backside - visuals are better) unlike Hypersonic, which I found to be a really painful POS...

If you haven't been since opening year, I'd go for USF above BGT...MIB, ROTM, and T23D are all quite yummy...much cooler, IMO, than the overrated Test Track...but hell, I even enjoy Twister...

Actually, I'm holding out for something based on Brokeback Mountain...

No problems for me, either. A number of extensions and themes won't work in 1.5, though, so if any of them are vitally important to you, check it out before updrading.

Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I know about Rhino Rally, but I figured we were there already, and if it wasn't too much of a wait... I did see The Haunted Lighthouse at BGW, and it was...well...terrible. But the fish spat at you. What got me about BGW's scheduling was that I got there good and early, but when the gates opened, BBW was down and the DarKastle/Alpie area was still closed off. One employee told us AC was open in place of BBW, so we hightailed it over to Italy, but that was still closed off. So with getting there early and a lot of running around, there was basically nothing to do for the first half hour or more. I understand the crowd control rationale, but it was frustrating. That was more than ameliorated, though, by a complaint to Customer Relations getting us a second-day pass, and the op at Alpengeist allowing three front-row rides in a row at the end of the day.

I'll be at BGT midweek late January. SheikRa's the priority, of course, but I haven't been there for years, and in addition to the coasters, I'd like to hit the animal attractions, including Rhino Rally, and the stage show. I assume the place won't be too crowded, but it'll only be open 8 hours. And when I was at BGW, they opened most sections of the park considerably later than the gates, which was a pain. So...any advice from BGT veterans on what to hit when? What opens late? Or at that time of year, should I basically not worry about queues?

SFMW: the front of Medusa in the morning, the back of Roar at night...

I'm fond of the train at Cedar Point because of all the cool ghost-town scenes it takes you past...

Been a while since I rode some of them (e.g., haven't been on Montu since it was reportedy braked all to hell), but of the ones I've been on: 1. Alpengeist 2. Montu 3. DD Ice 4. Top Gun PGA 5. DD Fire 6. Raptor 7. BTR clones at MM and GAdv

Have only been on Mantis, RR, and PGA Vortex, of which RR was far and away my favorite. Except for the queue dungeon.

Since this thread is still alive... Went to Vegas last week, and for anyone who wants to approach the city as a giant theme park, the Power Pass I mentioned in an earlier post is a good option. It's a card that gets you into a whole bunch of attractions, from the Atomic Testing Museum to Satr Trek: the Experience. While a number of them have two-fers and discounts available elsewhere, the Pass was truly a deal. The Liberace Museum, Madame Tussaud's, Elvis-a Rama? A trip up the Strat Tower (but no rides)? The simulator at Luxor? All covered. We ended up seeing some cool-but-costly stuff I prolly never would have paid retail for: a Russian show at the Guggenheim Museum, a Titanic exhibition, the Bellagio Gallery. With American Express, the 2-day pass cost $85, less than the (admittedly too-high) retail prices for just our two visits to ST:TE and our two rides on Manhattan Express. I figure my admissions would have cost more than $250 list, but we did plan ahead and keep pretty damn busy those two days. If you're headed to Vegas, want to see a whole variety of attractions, and are up to planning out a couple of days of heavy-duty sightseeing, check it out. http://www.powerpasscard.com/ And Wally, the Wynn? That's really the most gorgeous hotel I've ever seen. Wish somebody would lay comps on me...

When I was there a couple of years ago, the only other riders were USF employees on a business trip (who ended up getting us a deal on HHN admissions). I remember it being smoothish and a great deal of fun. But I wonder what the economics of it are: How can the owners afford to keep it running?

Well, there are parts of EPCOT's World Showcase - like the Mexican pavillion - that also seem pretty clunky to me, while others, like Morocco and Norway, seem rather lovely. But as far as I know, in EPCOT the various countries took part in planning the pavilions, and that might be why there's a bit more cultural sensitivity and a bit less of the "Italians sing 'That's Amore' while serving pizza, Ireland is the land of twinkly lepreuchauns" vibe. And no, I have nothing at all against park attractions that address the realities of the world outside. Disney does that well in "The American Adventure" at EPCOT, somewhat more ham-handedly throughout DAK. That's a bit different from subjecting the audience at an Irish step-dancing show to surprise pro-military propaganda, especially as the Republic of Ireland did not join the invasion of Iraq, and Irish Catholics belong to a church directly opposed to Bush's actions. And saying to a guy "Hey, while you're standing there in your pissing before you go buy our made-in-Sri-Lanka souvenir T-shirts, don't forget to only pee out American beer" is - I'm sorry - just plain tacky. Jesus, aren't B&M from that damn neutral Switzerland??? I ain't never gonna ride Alpengeist again!

^ Fire?? If memory serves, DDR is just about the only attraction at Uni that doesn't feature pyro. You sure you're not thinking of Escape From Pompeii? (Which has a really good use of fire, and is, I now remember, another of my fave "theme added to conventional ride" rides.)

Indeed, the ride has to be taken in context...at one point it was the fastest, tallest ride in the world. It's not S:TE's fault that Kingda Ka got built. I bet at one point even SLCs seemed amazing and cool. Maybe. That being said, I think the ride would be better if SFMM put up vertical poles or arches close alongside the launch track, which would enhance the perception of speed.

^ I have absolutely no problem with Busch letting in military families for free. Hell, with what you folks are going through and the cutbacks in federal benefits, you more than deserve it. But for a park that stresses internationalism and is visited by a number of foreign tourists, I found being exposed to surprise jingoistic propaganda pretty weird. (Plenty of Canadians visit Florida, after all, and if I were going back to Toronto after visiting BGT, I'd think twice about buying a Bud.) We could get into whether or not "Support Our Troops" means "Support the War" - let's face it, there are a lot more of those stick-on yellow ribbons on red-state SUVs than San Francisco Priuses - but I tend to get into quite enough political trouble on these boards as it is. Bottom line: I just can't figure out why a park themed around (basically Western) Europe, a part of the world with, shall we say, mixed feelings about U.S. military adventurism, should feature speakers blaring out The Marine Corps Marching Song. Oh well, at least they haven't renamed Le Scoot the "Freedom Flume."

No flame war, dave. It's just that I read that "gay marriage" story on google news right before I hit TPR. Heck, up until a recent Supreme Court decision, homosexual activity was illegal in a number of the U.S. states, too - though as far as I know, flogging and forced hormone injections were not part of the punishment. I know you think that the UAE is "a very free society," and I won't argue. But next time I want to go skiing, I think I'll stick to Lake Tahoe, thanks.

In my experience, Nitro had the most most enjoyable airtime... Haven't been to SFNE, but the other two S:ROSes come close.

Just went back to the Strat last week, after 4 years. Despite much trepidation, I found X-Scream exhilirating rather than terrifying...but then, I think we didn't get the max-out program other riders did. And Insanity was more an "I can't believe I'm whirling around 1000 feet in the air" experience than a major scare. But Big Shot still packs a punch; my partner said it was his fave of the three, and I'd just about agree.